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  • Facebook Introduces #Hashtags

    Facebook announced in a blog post last week that users will be able to click a hashtag to see a feed of discussions about a particular topic. A hashtag is a word or a phrase prefixed with the symbol #, created by Twitter users as a way to identify their messages. Hashtags identify topics being discussed and allow users to search for them. Even though hashtags did't work on Facebook, many people used them anyway. Perhaps Facebook managers read research from Nielsen. " Among tablet owners, general Web searches (76%) and general Web browsing (68%) are still among the top second-screen activities. But consumers are also using second screens for activities that are directly related to the content they’re viewing, as almost half of tablet owners look up information about what they’re watching." It seems reasonable to predict that Facebook will incorporate hashtags into its advertising business. Source: Nielsen http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/newswire/2013/action-figures--how-second-screens-are-transforming-tv-viewing.html Do you think that Facebook added hashtags to satisfy customers or to make more money from advertisers? Explain. When do you want to find out what others are discussing? How do you search the conversations? How could managers use hashtags to communicate with employees?

  • 100 Words Every Expert Author Should Know

    Communication skills are needed by every manager. At some time, every manager must write to employees and other managers - emails, position papers, blogs, wikis, etc. The editorial team at EzineArticles.com has published an infographic that includes 100 Words Every Expert Author Should Know. Which words on this list do you not know? Did you look up the definition? Do you think that using these words would make you sound like an expert? If you were a manager, would you use these words in your writing? Do you think your employees would look up unfamiliar words? Explain.

  • The Power of Communication

    Helio Fred Garcia, author of The Power of Communication , views communications as an important aspect of leadership. He discusses how to communicate on three levels: strategic, operational, and tactical . To do this, he uses the U. S. Marine Corps' publication Warfighting and applies the Marine Corps' approach to communications. Words matter. Choose words wisely . Words aren't enough. Tell us what you did , why you did it, and what was accomplished. Connect with your audience. Adapt what you say to your audience. Speed, focus, and capture the first move advantage. Always be looking for the next opportunity. Saying it isn't enough. Look self-confident and professional. What can the U. S. Marine Corps and Mr. Garcia teach you? In what other areas could effective leadership communications help you?

  • How to Project Confidence

    Top managers project confidence. One way to project confidence is through your voice. No matter how much you know, if you sound nervous, people won't believe what you say. In this video, Victor Cheng, author of Case Interview Secrets and founder of caseinterview.com , interviews celebrity voice coach Roger Love. Mr. Love says, "Your voice is an instrument." Most people aren't using their voice to its full potential. What makes your voice sound confident?

  • Hashtags for Managers

    The American Dialect Society named hashtag the 2012 Word of the Year. Hashtag refers to the practice used on Twitter for marking topics or making commentary by means of a hash symbol (#) followed by a word or phrase. Twitter is a micro blogging platform, similar to texting on a phone. Users exchange information with their network in short bursts of no more than 140 characters. It is easy to search. You don't have to be a member to search for a term. Companies search for relevant conversation threads on Twitter. Managers choose the hashtags for commercials. Consumers are encouraged to use the hashtag when making comments or asking questions. The infographic below asks, "Are Hashtags in Commercials Effective?" Read through it. What can managers learn about using hashtags in commercials? What works? What doesn't work? Do you have a Twitter account? Did you tweet about the Super Bowl commercials? Which hashtags did you use? How will you use hashtags to communicate with your employees?

  • Managers Provide Online Content

    Managers are in the best position to provide information online because they are the company experts. The slide below lists many of the ways that managers can create effective content. Basically, managers are answering the questions, "Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why?, and How?". Of course the first step to creating online content is to plan for it. Source: The Plan to Grow Your Business with Effective Online Marketing from Barry Feldman Interviews, case studies, and photos are potential content for customers. What else might customers find of interest on a company's Web site? How can managers make time to add creating online content to their job descriptions?

  • CEO engagement through social media

    CEOs of the world's top 50 companies are evolving socially. Weber Shandwick’s 2010 study, Socializing Your CEO: From (Un)Social to Social, was refreshed in mid-2012 and revealed that sociability of world’s largest company CEOs has nearly doubled – from 36% in 2010 to 66% in 2012. Online engagement is defined by Weber Shandwick as presence on company websites and video usage . Source: Socializing Your CEO 2013 What is it important for CEOs to use social media?

  • Santa Collaborates with His Team

    Businesses are using private social media tools. Salesforce Chatter is an example. See the infographic below for an example of how Santa and his team are collaborating in real-time using Chatter . Why would managers want to use private social media tools?

  • Top Job Skill Needed is Communication

    Clear communications is the number one must-have job skill for 2013 according to Ruth Mantell in the Wall Street Journal article, "Must Have Job Skills for 2013, " November 18, 2013. "This is really the ability to clearly articulate your point of view and the ability to create a connection through communication," says Holly Paul, U.S. recruiting leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting and consulting firm based in New York. But employees need more than just the basic skills of reading and writing to compete in the workplace, according to the results of the American Management Association. (See attached Executive Summary, AMA 2010 Critical skills Survey). Michael Hess of CBS Money Watch gives the following as examples of customer service language which is beyond the basics in his article, " Good Service Language Makes for Happier Holidays ." (Remember that customers can be both internal and external.) Say this: "Hi/welcome/how are you?" Not this: [nothing] Say this: "Let me help you with that" or "How can I help you?" Not this: "You need help?" Say this: "Can you bear with me for just a moment?" Not this: "We're just swamped right now, you'll have to give me a minute." Say this: "Let me see if I can get that OK'd for you." Not this: "Sorry, that's our policy." Say this: "What's best/easiest for you?" Not this: "That's the best we can do." Say this: "I won't keep you waiting long" or "I'll have this done as fast as I can." Not this: "Hold on a second for me, OK?" Say this: "I'm so sorry about that." Not this: [nothing] Say this: "I'd be happy to/absolutely/our pleasure" Not this: "I can't." Say this: "Thank you." Can you add to the "Say this, not this" list? How do you know when others have a good understanding of what you've said or written?

  • PR is . . .

    Public relations specialists were asked to fill in the blank; "PR is ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­___________________. " The i nfographic below captures the results. The textbook definition of PR -- " Public relations builds good relations with the organization's various publics by obtaining favorable publicity, building up a good "corporate image," and handling or heading off unfavorable rumors, stories, and events." How does the textbook definition differ from those on this infographic? What implication does this have for managers?

  • Stand Out on the Social Web

    This infographic from SocialNomics explores six keys to standing out on the social web. It is based on the book, Stand Out Social Marketing: How to Rise Above the Noise, Differentiate Your Brand, and Build an Outstanding Online Presence by Mike Lewis. The book is new and offers online strategies and tactics. Managers can use this information to implement a number of tactics to differentiate their company from the competition. For example, "pay attention" means to listen to social conversations to learn about your customers. Also, managers and employees should interact by consistently providing useful, interesting content to their social connections. In other words, managers and employees are the voice of the company. What are the other four keys to standing out on the social web? What tactics do you think help businesses to stand out on the social web? When you become a manager, how will you use the social Web to represent your company?

  • Warren Buffett says “Improve your communication skills”

    Warren Buffett is the head of a company he built called Berkshire Hathaway . The company, worth over $200 billion, is a collection of many companies that Buffett bought in their entirety, such as Geico and BNSF railroad, as well as those in which he owns stock, such as Coca-Cola and IBM. He is one of the richest men in the world, but he wasn't born rich. In this video, Buffett offers advice on gaining communication skills. He says, "If you improve your communication skills, I guarantee you that you will earn fifty percent more money over your lifetime." How can you increase your writing and speaking skills?

  • Tools for managing and analyzing social media

    Monitoring social media provides managers with contextual information and shared knowledge that can be used to improve business. Negative conversations need to be addressed and positive conversations need to be leveraged in order to build better products and improve services. Some of the tools managers used for managing and analyzing social media are listed below. 1. Tweetdeck : Tweetdeck is used to monitor what's being said about the product brand in real-time. Managers keep it running in the background on their computers and check it periodically throughout the day to see if there is anything that needs to be addressed. 2. Hootsuite : HootSuite is used to schedule posts. For example, tweets can be scheduled to post on Twitter on the weekends when other companies aren't posting at all. 3. Facebook Insights : Facebook Insights help managers understand their Facebook audience so that content can be targeted to the correct demographic. 4. Google Alerts : Google Alerts keep managers up to date on what people are saying about their products and companies on news sites and blogs. 5. VenueLabs VenueLabs keeps tab on social media mentions across a variety of local business pages. The analytical data and message notification system helps managers respond to messages on platforms like Google+ Local in a more timely matter. On social media, if a discussion is positive, the manager might post something showing appreciation or provide additional information. If it is a negative conversation, the manager may resolve a customer problem and develop a better image. Customers know that problems might happen, but it is how the manager resolves the problem that matters. Have you provided feedback on a product to Yelp or to your Twitter followers or Facebook friends? Have you rated a product on a site, such as Amazon? Did you get a response? What if you were the manager? How would you respond?

  • CARE to Harness the Power of Social Media

    "Social networks and media now have much greater power than the businesses that serve them," says Barry Libert, CEO of Open Matters and author of Social Nation . Social networks, which include customers and employees, are gathering strength relative to organizations. As they gather strength in the marketplace, they create real risks for enterprises. Some business models have been destroyed, like those of Best Buy, Borders, Kodak, and Encyclopedia Britannica. To harness the power of networks and social media, Libert recommends a four-step process, he calls "CARE." Create relationships with the networks Add networks' competencies Reduce the internal focus and concentrate on what networks can do for the company Eliminate the fear of social networks and media Why have so few companies or their CEOs focused on the growing power of social media and networks?

  • Express Information Visually

    TMI - Too much information. Employees are overloaded with information. So, if a manager can communicate the information in visual form employees have a better chance of understanding and remembering the information. Many companies are using infographics to depict their research. Also, magazines and newspapers use graphics and slides to visually tell a story. WIRED uses charticles (chart plus article), as seen below in " Seafood Express ." If managers choose to visually represent information, how can they make sure that employees read the information, not just look at it?
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