Having spent most of my career in the PR space, I am fascinated by the topic of how public relations is changing in today’s hyper-connected world.  More than ever before, public relations is, and should be, integrated into other functions within a marketing and sales department, as well as throughout the entire organization. PR hits HR, operations, marketing, sales, and other aspects of organizational culture. But, how does this all work?First, it is important to understand PR and its...

We are happy to share tips from AOE client Thomas Merritt, President of H.R. Gray, on engaging, motivating and developing your staff. I learned the power of the name early in my career when I worked for Columbus Mayor Dana Rinehart. Mayor Rinehart made it his practice to regularly recognize individual employees in meetings. By acknowledging these employees, he let them know he knew who they were and what they had accomplished.They not only experienced a sense of pride in their accomplishmen...

Today’s technological innovations are helping to break the boundaries of what is considered office space, and in the process, they are changing employee expectations. Thanks to mobile devices, cloud computing and Wi-Fi, more workers are choosing (or being moved to) work-from-home or contract/freelance positions. And as social media platforms continue to connect us and allow us to engage on a global level, employees will expect that same level of engagement professionally at the &ldquo...

Brainstorming is a great way to generate ideas on a specific topic within a group setting.  I recently attended a webinar which discussed techniques for tapping into positive and outside-the-box thinking.  This encourages individuals to take ownership of the project because they have played a role in the creative process and/or developmental stages.  Getting started Before you start your brainstorm session, set some ground rules to get things on the right track.&nbs...

Most of us have endured a boring PowerPoint presentation at least once in our careers – it almost seems to be a rite of passage in the professional world. Try to visualize the last one you sat through: what did the slides look like? Was the design visually appealing? How much text was on each slide? Could you easily understand the charts and visuals?Don’t feel too bad if you can’t remember what it looked like; an audience quickly loses focus if they don’t feel visually en...

While the ability to self-publish, design your own marketing materials using desktop tools and print shorter runs on the press have all changed the publishing world, there are still best practices that are key to ensuring project success. In fact, with access to these new publishing tools and our fast-paced approach to production, it is arguably even more important that best practices are followed today. Here are some key considerations for your next project:Own it! Every product should have an ...

I recently attended a great workshop lead by Sheri Jacobs, FASAE, CAE of the Avenue M Group, LLC. The program description noted that the session would include an overview on how to develop programs and products that solve problems.  While this is powerful, the speaker slowed us down before diving into those new offerings by having us first evaluate existing products and services. This step is so very important and typically overlooked.&...

Approximately 83 percent of our reality is created by narratives. Although we live in a society in which facts and figures are the norm, research validates they are easily forgotten. That is why social security and phone numbers as well as license plates – all containing a throng of numbers -- are all chunked in three to four numbers, as our brains can only handle a few such facts at a time. However, stories are remembered. And when they are good, they are retold. ...

It’s well-known that websites appearing in the top search engine results get noticed. According to the latest research, more than 75 percent of people won’t scroll past the first page in a Google search. Search engine optimization (SEO), the process of optimizing your website to gain traffic from the search engine results page, remains one of the most important activities to ensuring your website’s performance.How can you optimize your website for search engine performance? Whi...

Facebook is making changes – again – but this time it’s a Business Page update. If your company has a presence on Facebook, you should pay attention to these upcoming changes, so you don’t lose information on your site. The changes will occur starting August 1 in your Page information section.The sections that Facebook will remove from the Business Page descriptions include Mission, Company Overview, Biography, Affiliation and Personal Interests. Facebook will prompt that...