Monthly ArchivesMarch 2013

By Trish Cowan, copywriter While it might be a place we can let our personal hair down, brands should always be polite and professional in their social media presence. To make and get the most of their social media persona, here are 10 rules to follow. Thou shalt be patient and considerate. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Nor is a brand. Thou shalt not be indifferent to the voice of thy customer. Good, bad or ugly, these are public conversations. It’s not the time to be defensive or critical. But rather, diplomatic and even apologetic if need be. Thou shalt be true to thyself. You’ve worked hard to get where you are. Stick with the values that got you ...

By Kelly Councilor, senior copywriter  Is TRUTH easier to find in advertising these days than TRUST?  With the average client-agency tenure thought to be now at less than four years, agency-client falling out stories regularly circulating in the media, and consumer criticisms and critiques of ideas at an all-time high thanks to social media, it would seem the case. Yet trust between an agency and a client is absolutely crucial to a brand’s success.  And in an industry where it is commonly believed that “good work” is work that makes clients a little bit nervous, it’s little wonder trust is hard to come by and oh so easy to lose. So as a peddler of provocative ideas how does one ...

Ask a pointed question, get a pointed answer. So thanks, Inc.com, for asking and thanks to 11 thinkers and entrepreneurs for your insightful and compelling answers. http://www.inc.com/rules-for-success Rule 1: Do less Evan Williams, co-founder of Blogger, Twitter and Medium Do fewer things and do them really well. Rule 2: Embrace accidents Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, co-founder of the Downtown Project Strive to meet lots of different people, get to know them, share ideas and create your own luck. Rule 3: Choose your playing field Roger L. Martin, dean of Rotman School of Management and co-author Have a strategy. Define where you’re going to play and how you’re going to win. Rule 4: Fail Arianna Huffington, cofounder and chief editor ...

We love having another Sabo in the house! Celia joins SMZ as a social media and traffic intern. She’s a recent graduate of Kent State University with a degree in IHS – Health Sciences. When she wasn’t studying, she was a star blocker on Kent’s volleyball team.