Work Life Balance
Trying to manage a career and a family is challenging. It is hard to not feel guilty or get the sensation that you are missing out when work comes before children or your spouse. Often times professionals find themselves devoting more time to work than other aspects of their life. Realigning all areas of your life to make it more balances is something that only you can do.
Nigel Marsh, author of Overworked and Underlaid gave a TED talk on steps that can be taken in order to reprioritze your life.
1. Admit there is a problem: If you are not aware of the dirpoportionate time you are spending at work, then nothing can be done to change it. Long hours at an unsatifying job to buy material things from which you derive to pleasure from is not okay. No longer accept that as the status quo, and begin to explore what can change.
2. Face the truth: Companies are not going to try and figure out work-life balance for you. It is not the responsibility of your employer to make sure you spend time with your family. From a business standpoint, the more time you spend working for them, the better. So why would they advocate for change? It is up to you to set limitations.
3. Be realistic: Marsh suggests determining what your ideal day would be, and working from there. Of course that ideal day is not going to happen every single day, but understanding what makes you happy is important to keep in mind. Balance can not occur in a day, but small victories are important. These victories will help you enjoy life sooner.
4. Approach balance in a balanced way. Work life balance is not going to occur immediately. Keeping track of emotional, physical and spiritual needs- on TOP of daily obligations can be daunting. In order to limit being overwhelmed, make small changes over time. These small changes can make big differences to those around you. They did for Nigel. For more info, watch his TED Talk:
Making the Most of a Master’s Degree
Speaking a little more colloquially than usual, it should be known that I love grad school. This may sound strange because sometimes loving things that can challenge you is not our first inclination. The Masters in Communication and Leadership has definitely made me work hard. Now that I am almost done, I am being asked what the advantages and disadvantages of going to graduate school straight from undergraduate school are. Here are the first couple that come to mind:
It was easy for me to recall my knowledge from my undergraduate curriculum to apply it to this degree. The theory explored in the Comlead program builds off of those that I learned in my first four years of college. They are explored in a much more intensive manner, but having acquired that knowledge more recently seems to make it easier for me to remember it. I have found that my peers invest a little more time brushing up.
One difference between those of us who have continued straight through to graduate school versus those who are returning to school, is the type of insight brought to discussion. While I may have the advantage of having an easier time remembering theory, I don’t have professional experience to pull from. Listening to my classmates who have been working for ten of fifteen years talk about the practical application of what we are learning is awesome. It brings a perspective to the content that I don’t have. Understanding the relevance of our curriculum in a real world setting makes it easier to see how, for example, our leadership strengths and weaknesses can impact the way that we communicate and operate in an organization.
I was grateful that I came into grad school straight from undergrad because it made the transition a little bit easier. There was no adjustment for me because I have not yet experienced the schedule or routine of a full time job. As I creep closer to commencement, I must admit that this is something I am looking forward to.
Another wonderful aspect to grad school is that there is no such thing as a traditional student. People decide to return to school, or continue their academic career, at their own pace. This means there are people from a variety of professions, varying tenure and unique perspectives. I look forward to graduating, but I couldn’t be happier with the academic experience I had in the program.
So this is my unabashed plug for the MS Communication and Leadership. I haven’t even mentioned the amazing caliber of professors, but I don’t want to overdo it (I may have already). If you are interested in seeing some of the work that we do in the program, come to the capstone presentations:
Saturday, May 5th, 2012 from 11am-1pm
Canisius College Richard E. Winter Student Center
Grupp Fireside Lounge, 2nd Floor
Becky Livington, Social Media and Brands
This past Friday, Becky Livingston came to present on social media’s role in business. The President of Royal Apple Marketing had some great insights on how to manage social media. The diversity that social media can offer is an asset, but also can be a threat if not approached correctly. Livingston covered 5 key topics during the live webinar.
- Personal and Corporate Branding: Use social media as an extension of your brand. Approach it from the company point of view, but make it about content. Content is what builds relationships and engages consumers. Use this engagement to highlight company strengths. Emphasize the values and mission of your organization. They are the cornerstone of your brand, and thus the cornerstone of the conversations you have with customers.
- Putting Social to Good Use: Facebook has 800 million users. Twitter sees 250 million tweets a day. These and other sites such as Pinterest, LinkedIn and blogs can be used to hone in on an audience that you want to reach. A company that you would like to interview with or a group of people you would like to pitch your product to can all be targeted. The catch is you need to be in the right social space. You have to be willing to dedicate time to cultivate this relationship too. Social Media doesn’t cost anything to sign up- but your time is money. How much can you invest?
- Social Media and SEO: Google just switched things up a bit in the world of search engine optimization. They now focus more on content rather than context. Either way, your site needs to organically integrate content, code, keywords and more in order to make sure your site rises to the top of search results. This will lead to increased traffic to the site, greater brand awareness and return on investment.
- Leadership’s Role in Social: People need to approach social media with enthusiasm and commitment. It is clear word of mouth communication facilitated by social media has prodigious impact. To attain this impact, leaders in the social sphere have to be educated, be strategic and approach social as an exciting opportunity. It is not a chore.
- Crisis Communication for Social Media: When things go wrong for your brand online and in person, the social sphere is a great way to quickly reach out. This immediacy is key when doing damage control. An authentic “I’m sorry” goes a long way. It is essential that an organization has a crisis communication plan in place BEFORE the crisis occurs. This will make response to an event organized, cohesive, and believable. This only helps when attempting to minimize brand damage.
The seminar was filled with great insights on the world of social media and how it can be applied to brands on a micro and macro scale. Since social media only continues to evolve, it is important to stay present on issues that involve online communities. Becky demonstrated how social media is a constructive tool. Brands such as Ford, Best Buy and Burberry have been able to rejuvenate their brand and reposition themselves as innovative and customer focused. Exactly where you want to be in the 21st century.
Zero Moment of Truth
Google published a book called the Zero Moment of Truth that opened my eyes to how pervasive mobile technology is during the purchasing process of consumers. I think about how relevant it is in my own life and it is suprising how seamlessly it has integrated into my own consumer behavior.
For instance, during class I saw a student wearing Tom’s shoes. I liked them. Instead of asking her about them, I went on my phone and searched for the brand, the cost of shoes, the color options. Later, I asked my roommate. Word of mouth and search was engrained in my decision making process. And I didn’t really know I was doing it.
That is what Google calls the zero moment of truth. Going online to learn more. To decide which type of product you are going to buy. Am I going to purchase those shoes? Will I find another alternative that I like better?
Google states that the zero moment of truth, or ZMOT is the “power to help shoppers make great decisions and its power to help companies tell their stories at the moment of highest impact.” There a many ways to make sure that the companies’ brand and story is present and impactful during that ZMOT.
One way is to make the process a conversation. Marketers can no longer just push products on consumers and expect them to be purchased. Dialogue needs to occur, and this discussion can be a key factor in the decision for a person to buy your brand.
It is important to be present when consumers go looking for information because so many people are taking place in this ZMOT. According to research, the average shopper used 10.4 sources of information to make a decision in 2011, up from 5.3 sources in 2010. That is 10.4 oppotunities to begin building a relationship with consumers at the crucial moment after they first decided to explore the product in more detail. Google breaks it down like this: 
This opportunity provides marketers with more opportunity to make an impression, and it shouldn’t be ignored. How have you experieced the ZMOT?
Brand Yourself
On April 13th Becky Livingston, President of Royal Apple Marketing, is visiting the Communication and Leadership program to discuss what it takes to develop a personal brand. The idea of a personal brand has a lot of buzz around it lately. It may be because there are now two different interfaces to help a person create their own niche professionally.
There are dozens of social media tools. If used transparently, they are a great medium to teach people about who you are. Social Media guru? Human Resource innovator? Utilizing LinkedIn and Twitter can help support the adjectives you use to describe yourself. They demonstrate the variety of ways that you are participating online. Through the blogs you read, the forums posted in and the articles re-tweeted, each piece of information that you distribute gives a better idea of what interests you. This helps to refine your personal brand.
A personal brand also happens face to face. Dress and presentation contribute to how people perceive you.These things sound so basic, but think about how important first impressions are. Appearance is the first step to getting employers or colleagues to take your portfolio or resume serious.
I am looking forward to Becky discussing the many other things that help cultivate a personal brand: communication in crisis situations, effective use of social media, and more. Use #SMBrandCanisius and log in at bit.ly/smbrandcanisius at 2pm on Friday April 13th to participate and learn more!
When Employers Force You to Facebook
Many graduating students are gearing up for the job search. After months of researching and applying, some finally land an interview. Now the employer asks you for your Facebook password. What do you do? That is the question on a lot of people’s minds as stories continue to circulate about a man who went in for a job interview and was asked to log in to Facebook so they could have a look around.
Not all people think it is an invasion of privacy. Some agree that asking for the password to a Facebook account is not something to be concerned over as long as the applicant has nothing to hide. The argument is that many people share details of their lives with cyber acquaintances. Thus, it should not be a problem for them to share it with potential employers.
Others believe this is too personal for an interview. A Facebook profile is the personal property of an individual and does not have to be shared unless willing. When people are interviewing they may feel coerced to agree despite opposition. Yes, the economy is improving slightly, but there is too much risk to pass up a job for the majority of people.
Some companies claim that this is to check to gang affiliations and criminal acts. It is common knowledge that employers check social media to ensure that the candidate upholds the standards of the company. It is up for debate whether or not they can ask you to provide the account information in order for it to be accessed if the information is not public. What would you do if you were asked to log in at an interview?
Contests that Build Nonprofits
Online fundraiser Razoo created an event called Give to the Max Day in Washington DC. It had three goals: train non-profits in online fundraising, raise money for participating nonprofits and strengthen donor relations. This was accomplished with three strategies in mind.
- The contest emphasized the number of donors, not the amount of individual donations.
- A program was implement that taught nonprofit methods for sustaining fundraising efforts.
- Marketing efforts were used to build awareness and generate buzz for the one day event.
The contest between the different non profits gave the fundraiser a little
friendly competition. This dynamic motivated organizations to put newly learned techniques to use! Classes were taught by nonprofit professionals that covered best practices in social media, donor cultivation and online storytelling. There was also a supplementary toolkit with additional information. This was a guide to help organizations with the actual practice of generating donations. Marketing helped to spread awareness through donated air time on the TV and radio. It also gave a foundation for word of mouth communication within the community.
The results were positive. Give to the Max Day raised $1.8 million through over 17, 800 individual donations. This type of event has successfully spread to other cities in Ohio and Texas. It gave a renewal to the importance of marketing and proper use of social media when fundraising. Although social media can be nebulous, when organizations engage Twitter, Facebook and email, results can be profound. The key is for organizations to be educated and strategic in their approach. For more information on Give to the Max Day, read the case study here.
Pin It! Pin What?
The newest trend among many females is pinning. It is so popular that in February the website Pinterest saw a 103 million visits to its site. It is a site that allows its members to pin images, recipes, articles and images to their pinboards. Think of a virtual cork board. Those who follow the user can repin the image to share it with others. These repinned items are linked to the original source. This drives traffic to these unique sites. It is simple and provides a unique online experience that seems to encapsulate the power of word of mouth communication.
Bloggers and local businesses are taking notice. As Pinterest users pin images of clothing, photos and crafts, it
drives other followers to these sites. With so many people visiting and participating on the website, imagine how this can help drive commerce to smaller, less unknown online destinations.
Although the site is still relatively new to the social media scene, it is rapidly expanding. Currently, it is the third most popular site behind Facebook and Twitter. That is why larger companies are getting on board too.
Companies like Gap are getting in on it by posting pinboards filled with their spring 2012 line and images of people wearing Gap clothing. Do you think that Pinterest should turn into a marketing item? Or do you think that is should be limited to what users share and contribute?
TV Goes Social
TV is changing. Every time I watch it, I am using another device. TV has always been social. People gather to watch shows together. It is a source of news and entertainment. But the idea of social is evolving. Now, as I watch The Voice on NBC, I am tweeting about how dreamy Adam Levine is. Celebrity Judge Cee-lo Green is tweeting to fellow judges about contestants. There is a social media correspondent!
The same network is also set to air a new TV show called Fashion Star. This show will display fashion designs that viewers will be able to purchase the next day in stores. The marketing implications for this are vast. Consider how instantaneous this is. The clothes have an inherent audience that will be able to purchase almost immediately. This integration creates engagement with customers that not only are experiencing entertainment, but also a very blatant sales pitch. I wonder if it will be received as accessible or pushy. It will be interesting to see how it is executed on the premiere
Another show that is going show is the annual award show, The Academy Awards. There are a few apps that have formatted the show for dialogue with live chats and a more digital focus. According to Mashable, social startup Umami has created a dashboard (called Dishboard) to aggregate what people are talking about during the show. This gives information on trending topics and most talked about aspects of the show. The app also allows users to take FreezeFrame moments of the show and then share them on social media sites.
How do you use social media when watching TV? Do you participate more than you have in the past?
Grant Writing 101
While taking classes in the non-profit track, I learned that there was a lot more to grant writing than meets the eye. This epiphany, combined with the demand of non-profit employees throughout Buffalo, prompted the Communication and Leadership program to host a Grant Writing Seminar this Friday.
I talked with the host of the seminar, Dr. Jennifer Koch, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Canisius College about the skill of grant writing. Although Dr. Koch will go into more detail Friday, there are some key things to keep in mind when seeking funding from a foundation.
- Be Clear: This is the time to sell the project. The proposal needs to be well thought out and clear. It also has to be relevant. If the proposal does not answer the questions: So what? Then there may be question of how it benefits the target audience.
- Make it a Match: Make sure that the foundation’s mission aligns with the
mission of your organization. A non-profit that focuses on literacy should not appeal to an organization that supports programs for nature preservation. - Convey Worth: It is important to make sure that the foundation understands the expertise your organization can deliver. Use the proposal to convey the driving forces behind the project and connect it to the funders. This can be easier when the writer of the grant has intimate knowledge of the project, so it may be beneficial to have those who work closest to the project write the grant.
These are just a few tips that will be explored in more detail this Friday. What tips have you found helpful while writing grants?