OUR EXPERTISE:

Oct 31 2011
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Priya Ramesh | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (4)
Oct 28 2011

The Power of SEO

October 28, 2011 – 9:53 am

SEO Results for PureCanadaMaple.com

By Jason Poulos (@TheSaganaki)

I have touted the power of SEO over several posts now. It truly is a necessary element to your web strategy and should be considered if you are looking to increase visibility through search engines. In my first post, I talked about why SEO should be a part of your digital strategy. One of my reasons in that post was that SEO works. If SEO is truly a powerful tool how about some results?

For those of you that need to “see it to believe it” today is your day. Skeptics and naysayers step aside because I have results to share with you. Let’s hope that results like this can sway any SEO doubters (if they exist).

Problem

Our client, The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup created a microsite dedicated to pure Canadian maple syrup. However this site was experiencing poor Google rankings. The age old “I can’t find my site in Google” was presented to our team. What they had was a nice looking site that was aimed towards consumers but this nice looking site’s content and architecture weren’t aligned with their brand or communication strategy.

Goal

Our SEO goal for this project was to simply generate more traffic to the website. Our content goal was to raise awareness that pure maple syrup is a versatile innovative ingredient and a healthy, natural sugar substitute.

Solution

To increase traffic to the website, and achieve our goals it was determined that an optimized website that caters towards a search engines needs would be the solution. In order to achieve our search and content goals we looked at several elements on the maple website.

Our solution entailed:

  • Keyword research based on current content and would be content
  • Restructured the sites architecture to cater towards specific keywords and content
  • Rewrote the content to be keyword rich
  • Implemented keyword rich page titles and page descriptions
  • Redesigned the homepage to promote/cross link deep content
  • Restructured the interior page sidebars to cross link content

Results

Our keyword rich, optimized site was launched March 1st of this year. The results below compare the optimized site (March 1, 2011 – Oct 16, 2011) to the non-optimized site of 2010 (March 1, 2010 – Oct 16, 2010).

  • Visits increased by: 431%
  • Page views increased by: 704%
  • Pages per visit increased by: 51%
  • Avg. time on site increased by: 17%
  • Visits from Google increased by: 765%

maple_google
maple_seo_visitors
The keywords that we selected are ranking well and we also have about 40 terms that when “Googled” land you a page one result.

What’s Next

Our client was thrilled with these results but as nice as these metrics are more work needs to get done to the website. What we’ve accomplished are on-site, organic rankings. To keep the momentum going we need to look off-site. We plan on integrating an off-site strategy for next year’s SEO campaign.

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jason Poulos | Posted in Search Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (3)
Oct 27 2011

Are physicians ready for consumer-driven healthcare?

October 27, 2011 – 9:00 am
 

By Debbie Myers

Are physicians ready for consumer-driven healthcare

I have great respect for physicians. I think most people do. In fact, doctors were ranked in second place (right behind firefighters and before nurses and scientists) in a Harris poll that measured consumer perceptions of the top 23 professions So, why are some doctors having a Rodney Dangerfield moment and feeling like they “get no respect?”

The New England Journal of Medicine recently published an article written by two physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston that suggests that doctors are feeling marginalized in today’s healthcare environment. The authors contend that calling physicians “providers” is demeaning and that doctors’ roles seem to be “interchangeable” with other medical professionals, such as nurses, physical therapists and social workers. The authors also suggest that the term provider “signals that care is fundamentally a prepackaged commodity on a shelf that is ‘provided’ to the ‘consumer,’ rather than something personalized and dynamic, crafted by skilled professionals and tailored to the individual patient.”

Well, I’m sorry to tell you doctor, the personalized care model of one-doctor towns gave way to large, suburban multi-specialty practices. In addition, today’s electronic reporting has forced physicians to spend more time facing a computer and less time facing the patient. Economics – and, some would argue, better care coordination – has led physician practices to integrate physician assistants, nurse practitioners and other providers into the care management team. The role of physician and other providers has been blurred by doctors themselves.

But the authors’ concerns do not end with the image of physicians. Pamela Hartzband, MD and Jerome Groopman MD argue that patients should not be called “consumers” or “customers” because these terms are “reducing medicine to economics” and “makes a mockery of the bond between the healer and the sick.”

This is a very parochial view that assumes people only need the services of a physician or other healthcare provider when they’re sick. It also assumes that patients should be “patient” and accept that the experience they have with their physician is always on the doctor’s terms, not theirs.

I agree with the authors that the economics of healthcare is getting in the way of meaningful and personal relationships between caregivers and those who receive care. However, I believe their thinking is flawed. If physicians look at healthcare from the eyes of a consumer, they would see that people – particularly when they are sick and feeling vulnerable –want to be treated with respect, just as any customer does. They would also see that healthcare consumers are doing their homework and choosing physicians and other healthcare providers based on quality data, clinical experience and reputation/word-of-mouth. Some healthcare consumers are even pushing back on poor service, such as opting to bill their doctor for keeping them waiting for an appointment.

Whether physicians like it or not, healthcare is a commodity and consumers are more and more in the driver’s seat. Recognizing and accepting that patients are consumers who have the ability to choose where they receive care will go a long way in helping physicians establish a lasting bond with their patients.

 

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Debbie Myers | Posted in Healthcare | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (2)
Oct 26 2011

Social Good Entrepreneur Spotlight: Tammy Tibbetts

October 26, 2011 – 10:52 am

By Cassandra Bianco (@cnbianco)

Fast Company – With She’s The First, Tammy Tibbetts Uses Social Media For Social Change

I’ve come to love New York City for this town’s inherent serendipitous nature.

Recently I watched the above Shatterbox video interview posted on Fast Company with Tammy Tibbetts from She’s the First, a not for profit sponsoring girls education in the developing world, helping them be the first in their families to graduate. In watching the video, I thought, “Wow, this is so inspiring. I want to help.” Two days later I got my whatcanbe wish, and by chance, we met at a friend’s housewarming party. It was surreal.

Next week, more than 80 schools are participating nationwide in this year’s Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off, from New York to Honolulu, and internationally in Australia. She’s the First raises money through empowering millenials to raise money the good-ole fashioned way—bake sales.

I love three main aspects of She’s the First: 1) Teaching millennials entrepreneurial skills, 2) Social media power 3) The clear direct connection of raising money to sponsor a girl.

I’ve really enjoyed helping with the PR efforts, and to further emphasize Tammy’s passion, she is also the Social Media Editor at Seventeen magazine. For today’s post, She’s the First is so social media-driven, that Tammy has answered the interview questions in 140 characters or less.

@CassandraBianco: How did the idea for She’s the First (STF) originally come about?

@TammyTibbetts: We started small—a campaign with @JoJoistheway YouTube video. It was a simple call to action: Gather friends, sponsor a girl. (Video: http://ow.ly/75llB)

How has social media been the key ingredient for STF’s success?

Tweets & FB posts help us connect w/ new volunteers/donors and tell stories about girls we sponsor. We can show our impact 24/7!

How do see social media being integral within the non-profit realm in the future?

Social media is inherent to our #1 value: transparency. It also has enormous potential to connect us w/ with the girls we sponsor worldwide!

How do you envision STF developing as a non-profit?

We’ll scale our campus chapters & launch after-school program & digital pen pal platform – be sustainable, innovative, measure our impact.

How would you describe the audience of your volunteers?

We’re powered by high school/college students…Millennial leaders! And we also have esteemed advisors & board directors who volunteer.

How would you describe the dynamic and mentorship of the advisory team and volunteer culture?

We are very action-oriented, creative minds who think BIG but also break down the steps needed to reach our goals + make it happen.

Who are your role models?

Many! I’ll pick the first person I knew in the world – my mom – and first woman president in Africa, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, for starters.

What marketing advice do you have for other start-up non-profits?

Listen to your audience – involve them, ask them questions. Be authentic and consistent. Build your brand on good stories, solid stats.

What to you enjoy most about your role?

I love running with creative ideas, working with such a big-hearted team & showing girls worldwide nothing is impossible if I can do this.

What was the turning point in your career?

When I discovered the same skills I was using to help girls have the perfect prom perfect prom could put girls in school worldwide

What about STF is game-changing?

1. Social media sparks; 2. Millennial leadership; 3. Intent on scaling & sustainability; 4. Exploring ways to connect students worldwide.

What inspires you?

Girls who overcome far greater challenges than I have ever or will ever face simply to get inside a primary or secondary school classroom.

What is your vision of success?

More female firsts!

And for all New York City cupcake lovers, be sure to stop by Molly’s Cupcakes next Wednesday evening 11/2 for some tasty tie-dye cupcakes, 100% proceeds will go towards She’s the First. Hope to see you there!

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Cassandra Bianco | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , | Comments (0)
Oct 20 2011

PMA Fresh Summit Offers Glimpse of the Future

October 20, 2011 – 9:14 am

By Jason Stemm @NYCubsFan

I am just back from Atlanta and this year’s Fresh Summit, the annual conference attended by the global supply chain of growers, packagers, exporters and distributors from over 50 countries hosted by the Produce Marketing Association. There were many reasons to get excited about the produce industry, including new people, new products, new packaging and new technology. Here are some highlights from what I had a chance to see:

New People: Richard Dachman is not new to the industry, but he is PMA’s new Chairman of the Board. In an interview he explained his goals, including his vision to develop a central message for the industry and getting its members to lead by example, to grow consumption of fruits and vegetables. I also met many of the college students attending as part of the PMA FIT program that seeks to identify and inspire talented young people interested in a career in agriculture, business and communications.

clip_image004New Products: The show is a popular time to launch new products. I tend to like innovation in natural breeding and exotic items that are new to the market. Two that caught my eye this year were Rei Melon and Tasti-Lee Tomatoes. I found the Rei melon from Brazil to have an outstanding taste and texture. I spoke with one of the importers who explained it has a higher price point than other melons, but he believes consumers will be willing to pay for it because it delivers consistent quality and food safety assurance. The Tasti-Lee tomato adds to another category that has seen many clip_image002new comers in recent years, but offers a break-through that is new. It is a flavorful field-grown tomato that is picked red, and has excellent color and texture throughout (that photo is exactly how each one they cut into at the show looked). One product that had me asking first How, then Why, were the flavored apples. Someone decided to inject whole apples with flavors including berries and even bubble gum. Kids already like apples! It seems like an unnecessary and even counter-productive gimmick.

clip_image008New Packaging: Much of the new packaging I saw focused on convenience and minimizing waste. It included microwavable bags of artichokes, snack packs of carrots and blueberries, ideal for lunch boxes, and full-sized celery sticks that are ready to enjoy and take up less space in the refrigerator. POM clip_image006Wonderful debuted its new ready to enjoy Pom Poms packaging for pomegranate seeds, complete with spoon, and Monterey mushrooms moved away from the plastic packaging to a thin paper with a basket design resembling something more rustic.

New Technology: PMA’s president, Bryan Silberman, identified food safety as the most important issue the industry confronts today. Recent years have seen an increase in reported incidences of food-borne illness, but much of that has been the result of increased technology by the CDC to establish a network of communication among doctors to collect data and identify potential outbreaks. The industry-backed Produce Traceability Initiative has been an intense effort for the industry to catch up, and is already paying dividends. In the recent outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe, the industry was quickly able to identify and trace back to the contamination point almost immediately identify the supplier and ship points. This helped prevent broader recalls and alerts that could have been detrimental to all cantaloupe growers and suppliers.

The industry is on the rise, and events like the Fresh Summit give everyone a little extra energy when they get back to their office, even if it takes a couple days to recover. Next up is the New York Produce Show on November 8. It is a smaller show, but with great content and attendance. It has experienced a 50% growth from its inaugural show last year, and continues to add opportunities for the industry to connect not only with each other, but a broader audience as well.

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jason Stemm | Posted in Wine, Food & Nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)
Oct 19 2011

Celebrate #VAWineMonth – 5 Reasons to Try (and Love) Virginia Wines

October 19, 2011 – 8:00 am

The BOOZE BIN

By Emily Valentine (@ebvalentine)

Virginians anticipate the first deliciously crisp days of October with the same fervor that Mainers look forward to summer and Coloradoans itch for each winter’s first dumping of snow. And for good reason! Autumn in Virginia brings outdoor music festivals, oyster roasts, tailgates and apple picking, all set against a backdrop of crimson and gold foliage.

Autumn is also an ideal time of year to explore Virginia’s up-and-coming wine trails. Many of the state’s best wineries are nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains and among the rolling hills of Loudoun and Fauquier counties – great places to spend a leisurely fall weekend sipping wine.

Since October is Virginia Wine Month, and since Virginia wines are by many accounts “ready to take off,” I thought I’d use this week’s Booze Bin as an opportunity to document some of my favorite things about my home state’s wines.

"Wine from long habit has become an indispensable for my health." -- Thomas Jefferson

"Wine from long habit has become an indispensable to my health." - Thomas Jefferson

1-      They have roots – Like virtually everything else in this state, Virginia’s viticulture is steeped in history. Virginia was one of the first states to produce wine, and its favorite founding father, Thomas Jefferson, has been called “the greatest patron of wine and wine growing that this country has yet had.” Most people don’t know that Jefferson was passionate about wine and tried for 30 long years to cultivate European grapes at Monticello. Though his endeavors to produce a quality vintage never reached fruition, Jefferson’s determination in the face of obstacles has served as a model and inspiration to subsequent generations of Virginia winemakers. Ironically, 200 years later, Jefferson Vineyards now offers a lovely cabernet franc that could rival the Bordeaux and Burgundy blends so beloved by its namesake. (Read more here about Thomas Jefferson and wine.)

2-      They’re approachable – Despite their grounding in French and Italian varietals, Virginia wines come without the austere flavor profile traditionally associated with their European counterparts, but also do not try to imitate the bolder, fruit saturation of New World wines. They are subtle, yet elegant, and flourish when paired with good food and company. Much like a true Southern lady, a good Virginia wine will add a layer of intimacy and refinement to a variety of occasions.

3-      They pair well with romance – I’ll admit I may be biased on this point since my husband and I drank a Linden Claret the night we decided to get married and then chose to celebrate our wedding at Pippin Hill Vineyards … BUT, I do think there’s something about Virginia’s lush viogniers and Bordeaux-style blends that makes them pair well with romance. If the wines themselves don’t put you in an amorous state of mind, watching the sun set from the veranda at Pippin Hill or the terrace at King Family Vineyards certainly will.

The view from Pippin Hill's veranda

View from Pippin Hill's veranda

4-      They are a labor of love – Until I watched the 2010 documentary Vintage, I never realized just how much effort gets poured into each wine harvest in Virginia. Winemakers in this state face a number of unique challenges. Excessive humidity can invite disease to grapes beginning to fatten on the vine; too much rain can dilute the fruit’s sugar levels and diminish the quality of the future wine; and if a late-summer hurricane hits the East Coast, a Virginia vineyard’s entire crop can be destroyed in a matter of hours. (Read Scott Eliff’s recent Edible Blue Ridge piece for more on this topic.)

 The winemakers featured in Vintage make it clear that no one comes to Virginia to churn out inventory and turn a profit the way they could and do in Napa, Mendoza or the Languedoc. They do it because they find passion in the winemaking journey … and because they’re willing to embrace obstacles as opportunities to continuously learn more about their trade.

5-      They’re undiscovered – Partly because they lack national distribution, and partly because they aren’t backed by a national marketing campaign, Virginia wines are relatively unknown to the world. They are diamonds in the rough … and forward-thinking wine enthusiasts are beginning to take note.

Those who’ve dug into Virginia and uncovered some of its wine gems include Lenn Thompson, Eric Asimov and Jancis Robinson, who visited Charlottesville for the Wine Bloggers Conference this summer; the sommelier at the British Embassy, who served Barboursville wines at a reception honoring the royal wedding; singer-songwriter Dave Matthews, who now owns Blenheim Vineyards in Charlottesville, Va.; and a notorious  real estate mogul turned winery owner whose name I’ll let you guess.

Virginia is moving on up in the wine world, so I’m going to enjoy my juicy little secret while it lasts.

If you’ve never visited a Virginia winery or tasted one of their wines, why not take advantage of Virginia Wine Month to do just that?  Here’s a list of upcoming Virginia wine events and a library of restaurants and vendors that sell Virginia wines.

Happy sipping!

(Photo credits: Pippin Hill Farm, South Jersey Wine & Dine)
Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Emily Valentine | Posted in The Booze Bin, Wine, Food & Nutrition | Tagged , | Comments (3)
Oct 18 2011

Protest 101

October 18, 2011 – 7:00 am

occupy-wall-street-rich-homes_gi_top

By Mike Mulvihill

This weekend, our family posted a question to our friends on FB querying if anyone knew what the Occupy Wall Street folks really wanted. The response was voluminous, but so were the array of answers and their alarming lack of clarity. As the movement continues to pick up speed in cities around the country and around the world, perhaps the organizers should re-examine a little Protest 101 to make the most of their days in the sun.

Get a lot of attention: OWS gets high marks here. They have gotten a mountain of attention. You’d have to be living under a rock to be unaware of their encampment on Wall Street , the placards, marches and personal stories railing against what used to be called the Establishment. Now, the movement is spreading to a theater near you.

Have a clear message: As Hamlet said, “Ay, there’s the rub.” All of the media attention has focused on the volumes of angst and frustration emanating from the OWS movement. We’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore. abuse of power…corporations’ disproportionate influence in the political sphere…Wall Street got a bail out, but the people didn’t…mountains of college debt but no jobs for college grads…more government, less government. Unlike protests of the 60’s, which clearly wanted an end to the war in Vietnam, this movement has yet to form a clear message as to what they’re fighting for. And without a clear message, the movement will eventually peter out.

Have a call to action: It kind of goes hand in hand with a clear message, but now that you got me all worked up – what should I do about it? One of occupywallstreet.org’s own posts is a call for everyone to register to vote. Sadly, there is only one comment to this post. Whether OWS likes it or not, this movement must become a political movement to succeed. What the anti-war movement learned is that if you want to change the system, you must participate in the system. Infiltrate the system and then change it. If you don’t like the dirty bastards you elected (whether by commission or omission), then vote them out. Get people in office who will create legislation that helps the common man – people who won’t bend to the will of political funders and the desire to be re-elected versus do what they were elected to do in the first place. Please OWS, tell me what you want me to do to vent this angst before you merely lead me to decide I am a helpless victim.

Help organize the solution to the problem: Yes, I am emotionally engaged. I hear your message. I agree there is a problem. I am engaged and ready to act. I want to be part of the solution. What can I do? Effective movements capitalize on the opportunity to bring people to action by facilitating that action. They help you become part of the political process. They find and support candidates to run for office. Their members become part of these campaigns. Marching and chanting slogans is but a precursor to the real work of a movement – meaningful societal change. That change will not come from trying to create a parallel universe. It comes from working within the current paradigm.

Have staying power: OWS just celebrated a month. Change takes time. It takes a commitment to win the many battles it takes in order to win a war. Will OWS (or its successor entity) be around in six months? A year? Will all these people eventually decide they have somewhere else they might want to be? Now is the time to be laying the foundation for OWS to survive as a meaningful change agent, a formidable opponent to take on those who abuse power (or whatever the platform coalesces to be). This requires organizational skills, funding and strategic thinking. Because when you get me to act on your initiative, you better still be there when the real action starts to happen.

OWS has an opportunity to provide a platform, a voice and a vehicle to create change for a large number of Americans (the 99 percent) who are justifiably disillusioned with the status quo. Simply attacking the system without a plan is an uprising. And OWS isn’t in a position to architect a coup d’etat. But it can spark a evolution that could achieve real societal change that keeps our country from plummeting into a two-class system that history tells ends only with revolution. As OWS says in its press release celebrating one-month in Zuccotti Park(aka Liberty Square), “We are only getting started.” I couldn’t agree more.

Photo courtesy of CNN Money

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Mike Mulvihill | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)
Oct 14 2011

5 Reasons to Have a Mobile Friendly Website

October 14, 2011 – 9:00 am

By Jason Poulos (@TheSaganaki)

In last Friday’s post, Dave Hess talked about how responsive design can tackle a website’s mobile challenges. Having one site that reacts to mobile, tablet and desktop displays conquers all content, aesthetic and technical woe’s around the mobile web. A responsive design is where it’s at and is a solid solution to the mobile web dilemma. If gaining exposure and communicating information through the web is a goal. A responsive/mobile friendly website can help achieve those goals. Here are a few reasons why a mobile friendly website should fit into your digital strategy.

  1. Future:

    The ever growing and emerging mobile market is the driving force behind having a mobile friendly website. With over 2 billion cell phones world wide and 35% of American adults owning a smart phone the need to be present where your potential audience browses is a must. Not only now but mobile is the future as well. It’s expected that over 5 billion mobile devices will be in use by 2012.

  2. Opportunity:

    In June of 2011 Google and the Mobile Marketing Association found out that only 33% of US based businesses reported having mobile friendly websites. Finding your foot hole early in this expanding landscape is a necessity and easy way to beat out your competition.

  3. Search:

    Search engine websites are the most visited websites on mobile devices. 77 percent of smartphone users cited this, followed by social networking, retail, and video sharing websites. Google has separate indexes for web content versus mobile content. A mobile friendly site that gets submitted to Google’s mobile site index has far more mobile ranking potential than a traditional desktop friendly website.

  4. QR Codes:

    PRSA_Schwab_QR_Card_10-7-1Have you ever snapped a QR code and it takes you to a non-mobile friendly web site? We love QR codes and in June of 2011 14 million users in the US scanned a barcode or QR code with their mobile device. As QR codes maintain popularity they will continually be used to drive traffic to a website. Before slapping that QR code on your print ad, or packaging make sure that your website is mobile friendly.

    Charles Schwab’s Schwab MoneyWise campaign was an early adopter of digital in the financial education space. To extend the reach of Schwab MoneyWise and its Money Mondays Tips, a fun weekly tidbit of financial advice, CRT/tanaka suggested building a responsive mobile friendly Money Mondays Tips page. To help get the word out, we also created a business card featuring a QR code to distribute at events.

    Whether you view the mobile Money Mondays Tips site on your desktop < www.schwabmoneywise.com/money-mondays > or on your mobile device (scan the business card’s QR code), the page works seamlessly.

  5. Email Marketing:

    With a mobile device in hand, checking email anywhere is extremely easy. When running an email campaign that contains links back to a website keep in mind that you have no real idea of where your audience might be checking their email. An email sent out might get looked at on a desktop, tablet or mobile device. To ensure the strongest experience as possible when an email recipient clicks a link, it’s best to be prepared for all three of these different environments.

    Another responsive design in action is a one pager that CRT/Tanaka put together for Barnes and Noble. With a tradeshow coming up Barnes and Noble ran some ads in a html email to help drive traffic to their booth. The ad in the email links out to this responsive design that’s friendly for desktop, tablet and mobile users. The video to the left illustrates how the desktop design can collapse down to tablet and mobile versions. You can view the responsive site here

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jason Poulos | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , | Comments (6)
Oct 13 2011

Healthcare can learn a lot about reputation from Troy Polamalu

October 13, 2011 – 3:16 pm

By Debbie Myers

Troy Polamalu

If healthcare companies, or any company for that matter, could manage their reputations as if they were Troy Polamalu, we would all live in a better world.  For the uninitiated, Polamalu is a strong safety for my favorite football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Polamalu’s presence on the field alone makes the offense have to rethink their game. His reputation is so solid, that even when he’s not having his best game, his impact on the field is noticed. This consistent excellence won Polamalu the 2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, although he was not statistically the best that year. In addition to being recognized for his greatness on the field, Polamalu is also well-known for his gentle nature, his strong faith and his commitment to family and community. In fact, Polamalu was named by fans as the Nicest NFL Player in a Sports Illustrated poll.

Now, I know that managing a personal brand is a little different than building and protecting the reputation of a large, multi-faceted health organization. However, I do think the key behaviors Polamalu exudes serve as golden rods for reputation management:  do what you do well, be true to your mission and wear the white hat. When advising clients on reputation, I tell them there are six steps to building reputation that – when followed consistently over time — will ensure their company can win, even when they are not on their best game:

  1. Put a stake in the ground and own it. Companies that continually waffle in their strategic direction create a blurred reputation. No one really knows who they are. Strong reputations are created when the vision is always clear, even if the strategies to meet that vision are tweaked over time.
  2. Look and act like a leader. A unique look like Polamalu’s frizzy hair may not be your style, but you have to admit it’s recognizable. From the company logo to wayfinding signage, the look of your brand should be distinctive and enduring. Most important is how a company behaves. Ethically, of course, but also open, honest and forward thinking.
  3. Be a hero at home. Employees are your best ambassadors, and companies that treat their employees with care and respect are returned the favor with trusted advocates who want to boast about their employer’s best services, products and people.
  4. Be a relevant source. The media seeks out companies that are willing to talk and provide good information. And, customers and patients want information that is easy to access, clearly understood, relevant to their needs and available when they want it.
  5. Establish a voice in the industry. Thought leadership is one of the smartest strategies for building reputation. It has its challenges, though. It requires executive leadership to be willing to be in the forefront of conversation and to take the tough questions along with the soft balls.
  6. Keep good company. Third party recognition, through awards, accreditations or other accolades, demonstrates that your company is recognized as a leader.

Above all, be nice like Troy Polamalu. You will find that others will want to follow you.

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Debbie Myers | Posted in Healthcare | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (4)

Healthy Eating Deserves a Food Fight

October 13, 2011 – 2:00 pm

By Jason Stemm @NYCubsFan

I’ll be heading down to Atlanta tomorrow for the Produce Marketing Association #FreshSummit. It has been six years since the show visited the Peach State, and a lot has changed in that time. According to the CDC, in 2005, about 33% of U.S. adults ate 2+ servings of fruit per day and only 27.2% ate 3+ servings of vegetables. A Gallup poll conducted in May of this year compared consumption of fruits and vegetables from a year ago. While it showed a drop from the previous year, when compared to the CDC numbers from 2005, it shows improvement. The survey found that 56% of Americans reported eating 5+ servings of fruits or vegetables at least four days a week (the number was 58% in May 2010). The largest drops were found among Hispanics, young adults, seniors and women.

Despite the drop from 2010, from a historical view I am inspired by progress, but understand that efforts clip_image002must continue to offer more fruits and vegetables in more locations for lower prices. Additionally, consumers need to be educated about the importance of a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, and shown simple ways to healthfully prepare them. MyPlate has been a positive step, clearly visualizing their importance by taking up half the plate.

Sam Kass, Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives at the White House, said this morning at the James Beard Foundation Food Conference that obesity is the greatest threat to national security. We are too fat to fight. In this food fight our ammo is carrots and apples, and the produce industry is trying to modernize our weapons to battle obesity. Packaging has been a key area of focus, increasing the portability and freshness of items so that they can easily go in lunchboxes, and be sold in C-Stores. Other on-the-go items have been developed to meet the demands from clip_image004consumers for mobility. Convenience items from fresh-cut produce to bagged salads are providing ways for people to get healthier meals on the table in our time-starved world. These solutions are important for Americans to get more nutrients from real food, and not rely on supplements, which recent research suggests are useless at best, and possibly even harmful.

Last night, Darren Rowse (@ProBlogger), tweeted to me that he is inspired by communication and community. I am looking forward to the same kind of inspiration at Fresh Summit this weekend. Despite being a room full of competing businesses, there is an overall feeling of the importance of raising fruit and vegetable consumption in the U.S. and providing solutions to help achieve this. A rising tide lifts all boats, and the industry has shown a commitment to take on this fight. Positive communication from the industry is important. We should avoid demonizing segments to lift another and frightening consumers from the entire category. Technology has allowed for advances in safety and traceability, as well as freshness, quality and sustainability. These are the stories we should focus on as communicators.

Efforts from groups like Produce for Better Health, Produce for Kids and Let’s Move will continue to push the messaging, but I am seeing greater efforts from the industry as well, and am looking forward to what I find in Atlanta this year. Next Thursday I will provide a wrap up of the show.

Bookmark and Share
 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jason Stemm | Posted in Wine, Food & Nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)