BusinessCast Podcast » Public Relations

Social Media Metrics

Andrew - BusinessCast Co-Host — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:42:47 +0000

Social Media — it continues to be a hot topic because of its implications for how every entrepreneur approaches and leads their business. That’s why over the last few months we’ve been bringing the insights of many of the world’s experts in the field of social media to the BusinessCast (see below, “A Selection of BusinessCast Episodes Tackling Social Media”).

And, that’s why in BusinessCast #160, Robert and I sat down with the father of web metrics, Jim Sterne. For over a decade, Jim has been helping business leaders across the world better understand the complexities (and myths) of online measurement strategies, tactics and tools. Jim, who also is the entrepreneur behind the world-renowned Emetric Summits, has just authored a straight-forward book that is essential for business leaders/managers: “Social Media Metrics: How to Measure and Optimize Your Marketing Investment“.

A Selection of BusinessCast Episodes Tackling Social Media

In episode #145 Fotobabble – A Social Media Innovation – we get the inside scoop from the mind behind what could be the next big social media business.

In episode #143 The Mitch Joel Interview – international author, successful entrepreneur and new media expert shares the secrets of his success and how to leverage social media.

In episode #136 Social Media – Part 5 – the co-founders of Biz Launch discuss findings from a study on how Canadian growth companies are using social media tools and technologies.

In episode #130 Choosing the Right Social Medial Tools – social media guru Michael Seaton shares with us the social media essentials for all entrepreneurs.

In episode #101 Leveraging the Groundswell – Going Social – Robert and I talk with Charlene Li, co-author of Groundswell – – the book that has become the social media strategy bible — about how business leaders/managers can effectively leverage social media.

Subscribe to the BusinessCast Podcast at iTunes

PR For Entrepreneurs: Finding The Value

Andrew - BusinessCast Co-Host — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 23:46:53 +0000

Many entrepreneurs struggle with knowing if, when and how to engage a Public Relations company. That’s why in BusinessCast #147, Robert and I sat down with Sylvain Perron, the General Manager of Edelman Digital Canada. With over 130 employees, Edelman has grown rapidly to be one of Canada’s most respected and innovative P.R. firms.

Sylvan shares with us some key tips and insights to help leaders of growing Canadian companies truly leverage one of their most important assets — their P.R. firm.

Of course, if you’re trying to get a handle on social media as a tool for P.R., you’ll need to measure its effectiveness. The eMetrics Summit is a world-class event to help you tackle this challenge. And, the event is coming to location near you. **Special for BusinessCast Listeners**: You can get 15% off the attendee cost if you use the following purchase code: BCAST15. See you there!

Subscribe to the BusinessCast Podcast at iTunes

Social Media – Part 5

Andrew - BusinessCast Co-Host — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:51:40 +0000

Social media remains an important topic for leaders/managers of growth companies. That’s what you, our listeners are telling us. And, that’s exactly what the research says too. While we’ve covered social media from several angles in previous episodes, in BusinessCast #136, we sit down with the founders of Biz Launch — known country-wide as the trainers for new businesses — who have recently conducted “state-of-the-nation” research on social media.

Listen to BusinessCast #136 and you’ll get some practical tips that you can use tomorrow to begin or hone your social media strategy. At the same time, you’ll also get a sense of where most companies like yours are today — as far as their social media plans, initiatives and successes.

Also check out the following BusinessCast episodes that focus on social media:

#130 – Choosing the Right Social Media Tools – Robert and I speak with social media guru Michael Seaton. He shares with us the social media essentials for all entrepreneurs.

#104 – Leveraging LinkedIn - Robert and I chat with Doyle Slayton on how to cost-effectively leverage the Internet’s most popular online social networking tool. See this episode’s blogpost for useful LinkedIn-related links.

#101 – Leveraging the Groundswell - Robert and I talk with Charlene Li, co-author of the Groundswell – which has become the ‘Bible’ for many social media marketers — about how entrepreneurs can effectively leverage social media.

#64 – Blogging for Business - Robert and I get practical advice for new and experienced bloggers from Matthew Vernhout — a digital media veteran and an up-and-coming social media maven.

Subscribe to the BusinessCast Podcast at iTunes

Be Prepared: Continuity Planning

Andrew - BusinessCast Co-Host — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:58:39 +0000

When was the last time you and your team planned for an emergency? If you’re like most entrepreneurs, your answer is “We’re far too busy to plan…” or “We’ve already taken precautions to prevent emergencies…” or “We aren’t at risk…”.

Well, the truth of the matter is that all you have to do is open up a newspaper to find instances of business leaders just like you who have suffered great personal and professional losses from not having a current, relevant and flexible continuity plan (i.e. business disaster plan).

That’s why in BusinessCast episode #133 — Be Prepared: Continuity Planning — we reached out to get the most current insights about how and when leaders in growth companies should plan for emergencies. Our guest is American Express’ VP and General Manager, Howard Grosfield. Howard shares with us the results from American Express’ recent cross-Canada research of growing companies’ current state of continuity planning.

Listen to BusinessCast episode #133 and you’ll understand how your emergency planning stacks up against your competitors. At the same time, you will find practical tips for helping you determine how and when to cost-effectively develop a relevant continuity plan for your company.

Subscribe to the BusinessCast Podcast at iTunes

The Art of Storytelling for Business Success

Andrew - BusinessCast Co-Host — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:35:37 +0000

Are you a compelling storyteller? Not sure? Let me rephrase this question in terms of two fundamentals to your business’ growth, profitability and longevity: (i) Do you inspire prospects and clients so that they genuinely want to purchase your products/services? (ii) Do you effectively excite your employees so that they feel good about what they do and are always looking for ways to innovate?

The most successful entrepreneurs have long recognized that to achieve these two mission-critical goals requires the ability to use stories to capture the hearts and minds of bright, busy people. And yet, so little attention is actually devoted to helping entrepreneurs hone their storytelling skills. That’s why for BusinessCast episode #131 — The Art of Storytelling — we sat down with Chris Carder, President of ThinData. A Transcontinental Company.

Chris, who is an accomplished business storyteller, shares his insights about what goes into an effective story and shares great example of a ThinData story that has a long history of getting propsects, clients, employees and strategic partners alike truly excited.

Listen to BusinessCast episode #131 — The Art of Storytelling carefully and you will become a stronger storyteller — and that will mean more business success.

Other storytelling resources that are practical for entrepreneurs include:

A Leader’s Guide to Storytelling – Stephen Denning.
The Story Factor: Secrets of Influence from the Art of Storytelling – Annette Simmons
Khruschev’s Shoe and Other Ways to Captivate Audiences form One to One Thousand – Roy Underhill.

Subscribe to the BusinessCast Podcast at iTunes

Business Crisis? What Crisis?

Andrew - BusinessCast Co-Host — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:11:30 +0000

No-one likes a crisis. That’s why it’s far too common for even the most successful entrepreneur to overlook crisis planning. The challenge is that once you’re in the middle of a true business crisis, you rarely have the time or the resources to deal with it as well as you would want to.

After all, you could find yourself thrown into a very tense situation — trying desperately to deal with members of the media, angry clients, disenchanted employees, wary investors, intrusive regulators and other critical stakeholders.

It’s an emotional time and all it takes is saying ONE wrong word and your business can suffer. That’s why in BusinessCast episode #123, Robert and I “pick the brains” of one of the Nation’s leaders on crisis communications. Dr. Allan Bonner and his team have advised Canada’s most senior business leaders, political figures and sports figures to successfully avoid a crisis, deal with a crisis and turn around a crisis to their advantage.

Listen to BusinessCast episode #123 and get some practical insights on how you can make sure that you’re prepared when a crisis hits your business.

Remember: Subscribe to the BusinessCast Podcast at iTunes

Entrepreneurs — In Action

Andrew - BusinessCast Co-Host — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:48:16 +0000

Robert and I are always looking to identify events that help entrepreneurs succeed. Given that there is such an array of online and offline activities, it’s difficult for any entrepreneur to know which events and forums are truly worth their time.

That’s why we’re so pleased to have been invited to be official media guests for the 7th Annual Business Networking Night. The event has become one of the most worthwhile and fun evenings for up-and-coming business leaders in the City. In BusinessCast #121 – Robert and I captured the energy and enthusiasm from the event — organized by Toronto’s leading business networking facilitator, Jennifer Beale.

While at the event, we spoke to dozens of entrepreneurs and asked them two key questions:

What is their biggest business challenge today; and
How are they overcoming that challenge.

Listen to BusinessCast #121 and tap into the secrets behind how entrepreneurs are successfully tackling today’s most difficult challenges.

BTW, we’ve just added a new title to our ever-growing library of books — available for any of our listeners at no charge. The new book: “Upstarts: How Gen Y Entrepreneurs Are Rocking the World of Business.”

Remember: Subscribe to the BusinessCast Podcast at iTunes

Business by Inspiration – Part One

Andrew - BusinessCast Co-Host — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:01:51 +0000

Every successful entrepreneur eats, breathes and sleeps their business. But, what keeps entrepreneurs constantly growing and striving for greatness? It’s rarely as simple as a desire for money or notoriety. Rather, it’s usually some intangible and perpetual pool of inspiration. When that source of inspiration is coupled with the ability to harness core business disciplines the outcome is, well…inspirational!

When we sat down with Jennifer Beale, public relations and networking professional, for BusinessCast episode #116 we clearly saw the outcome of her inspiration. At the same, her success reveals some important business lessons that will truly inspire and direct every entrepreneur.

Remember: Subscribe to the BusinessCast Podcast at iTunes

Keeping Entrepreneurs Digitally Connected

Andrew - BusinessCast Co-Host — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:40:05 +0000

Entrepreneurs are constantly looking for practical ways to hone their marketing skills and improve marketing results. And, in today’s world that means leveraging digital marketing strategies, tools, resources, trends, events and insights — whatever business you’re in. But, with so many sources online — often very self-serving — the question for time-pressed entrepreneurs is: “Where can you get the straight goods”?

We ‘tip our hat’ to the folks at One Degree. The blog bills itself as “the inside scoop on digital marketing and social media for Canadian marketers“. But, the information is presented so well and without pretense that it is an excellent resource for all entrepreneurs. That’s why it’s become one of Canada’s most-respected and widely resourced marketing blogs!

Since One Degree is such a great complement to the BusinessCast podcast, every so often, we’re going to start highlighting some of the key insights that you can find there. Enjoy!

Remember: Subscribe to the BusinessCast Podcast at iTunes

Networking for Entrepreneurs – Resource Round-up

Andrew - BusinessCast Co-Host — Tue, 19 May 2009 02:25:04 +0000

Robert and I are always being asked by entrepreneurs for tips and tools about networking. It’s not that there aren’t a vast array of worthwhile networking resources available online and offline. But, given hectic schedules, entrepreneurs want to find and tap into those tools that will help achieve a wide range of networking goals quickly and cost-effectively.

So, over the last few months, we’ve reviewed a number of critical networking resources. For example, in BusinessCast #92 we reviewed Liz Lynch’s practical and powerful handbook entitled, Networking for Entrepreneurs. Then in BusinessCast Podcast #105, Liz, Robert and I ran through three of the most common networking scenarios faced by all entrepreneurs.

We also tackled the growing topic of online networking by focusing on LinkedIn. In BusinessCast Podcast #104, Doyle Slayton shared tips on how he uses this online community to forward his networking agenda. While we’ll be building on this topic in future BusinessCast Podcast episodes this interview, along with the associated blog post, is an easy and practical introduction to LinkedIn.

It’s with this imperative on practical tips and speed that we bring in one of Canada’s most prominent and successful “connectors” — Donna Messer. That’s why in BusinessCast Podcast #108, Essential Networking Rules, we have Donna rifle through 15 of the most important networking tips in under 10 minutes!!

Don’t forget to enter the contest to Win a Blackberry Bold! All it takes is 100 words (or less) on how a Blackberry Bold will help your business. Send a note to Robert@BusinessCast.ca and you could win this powerful smartphone — provided by Research in Motion.