I haven’t watched a Miss Universe pageant in a long time, but a part of the program will stay with me forever: the part where Bob Barker says to the 1st runner up something along the lines of: In the event that Miss Universe is unable to serve, you will take the crown. What on […]
A couple of years ago, I was reading about the health benefits of barley. So I decided to pick up a box of Quaker Oats barley at the grocery store. Having never cooked with barley before, I searched for recipes online. Finally, my husband said, “Hey, there’s a recipe on the box. Why don’t you […]
Clients often ask me how to add social media to their marketing and communication initiatives. Rather than viewing social media as a separate program, I recommend adding social media to existing marketing activities. In addition, I recommend against blasting the same message across the different platforms. Instead, I urge clients to create a layered approach […]
I had the pleasure of being part of a panel at today’s Grow Smart Biz conference, sponsored by Network Solutions. Our topic was “Integrating Traditional Marketing with Social Media.” Despite being the last panel of the day (we started around 4:20pm), I estimated that over 80% of the conference attendees attended the panel. And by […]
A couple of weeks ago, I called Harris Teeter to order a Thomas the Tank Engine birthday cake for my soon-to-be 5 year old son. The conversation went something like this: Me: Good morning, I want to order a birthday cake with the Thomas design. HT staff: Sorry, we don’t have Thomas cakes. Me: But […]
I love Rock Band for the PS3. A friend lent his set a couple of weeks ago to me and my husband and we’ve been enjoying learning how to “play” drums and guitar, as well as do vocals. Rock Band comes with a collection of songs but you can buy scores of other songs (in […]
I met with a group of CEOs this morning and social media came up in conversation. More than several members of the group wondered if a social media strategy is worth the effort. In other words, how do we measure the return on investment (ROI) of our social media initiatives? This is a topic that […]
At a recent Vistage meeting, I had the pleasure of hearing Tom Searcy, author and CEO of Hunt Big Sales, a sales consulting and training company, talk about how small businesses can land big sales that will transform their companies. Tom likens the process to whale hunting, which: requires planning and skills, can’t be done […]
Matrix Group recently launched a new Web site for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Prior to the launch, Chuck and David, our esteemed clients, asked for some suggestions on ways to promote the new launch. Here were some of my suggestions, including some easy and inexpensive tips: Send out a special e-blast to […]
The holidays are all about traditions and last Saturday, my son and I engaged in one of my favorites: we created a gingerbread train. I’ve been making gingerbread houses for years, first by myself, then with my niece and nephew. and now with my son. This year, we updated the tradition to decorate a gingerbread […]