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Social media triage chart

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:23:00 +0000

Here is Jeremiah Owyang's adaption of a social media triage decision chart. This is from his presentation Social Strategy: Getting Your Company Ready. And here is another decision chart on how to handle online comments. (Click on image to enlarge.)

How to easily group and total data in Excel

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:31:00 +0000

Let's say you have an Excel spreadsheet listing the address information of 4,000 people who attended an event. And let's say you want to know how many people came from each city grouped by state. Here's how you can quickly do this using Microsoft Excel's PivotTable.

Here's a snippet of the 4,000-row table we'll group by state and city. Be sure to include a header row. If you don't, Excel will prompt you to create one.

Now do the following:
1) Select the columns you want to group.
2) Click on the Insert tab.
3) Click on PivotTable.
4) Click OK in the Create PivotTable dialog box.

This is where you create your PivotTable by dragging the fields you want to group and total into designated areas.

After dragging the fields we want to group and total into the designated areas, we end up with the final PivotTable. The data is now grouped by state and then by city. And there are total counts for each city.

How to create a mobile website fast and free

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:40:00 +0000

Just because you're on a lean budget doesn't mean you can't make a basic mobile website for your customers. What you can do is create content on Google's free Blogger platform. After doing so, go to "template" settings to activate and choose a mobile template.

Once you activate the mobile display setting, then anyone accessing the site from a smartphone will see a mobile friendly version.

How to track QR codes

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:48:00 +0000

To create a custom URL for a QR code to track in Google Analytics, follow these steps:

1) Go to Google's URL Builder and fill in the requested information to create a unique URL. After you click the "Generate URL" button, copy the URL.

2) Go go Google URL Shortener and create a shortened version of the URL. The reason why is the shorter the URL, the less complex the QR code graphic will be. Now copy the shortened URL.

3) Finally, paste the shortened URL into a QR code generating website such as the ZXing Project.

After generating the QR code, begin using it in your marketing media.

How to scan and save business card info to your smartphone

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:01:00 +0000

Just a reminder that Google Goggles can scan a business card and save the information from the card as contact information on your smartphone--or at least on the Android smartphone. (I haven't tried this on the iPhone.) Once you launch Google Goggles, simply take a photo of the business card. The app will scan the card and convert the scanned image into text to save into your smartphone's contacts.

Here is my business card that I scanned with Google Goggles:

And here are the scan results, which I can now save to my smartphone's contacts.

4 Android apps for the well-prepared business traveller

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 00:12:00 +0000

Here is how these 4 Android apps can help you be better prepared for business travel:

1) Access and edit your Word and Excel files with Google Docs. Before you leave on a trip, upload important Word or Excel files to your Google Docs account. Not only can you view the files, Google Docs lets you edit them too.

2) Access files from your office computer with TeamViewer. Let's say there was a Word or Excel file you forgot to upload to Google Docs. You can still access this file from your office computer with TeamViewer. The program is free if it's used for personal or noncommercial purposes.

3) View airport maps with GateGuru. In addition to viewing maps, GateGuru shows you which restaurants and stores are in airports.

4) Download maps as a backup for no internet connection. Google Maps has a neat little feature that's probably more handy for international travel. For example, let's say you're traveling to Canada, but you want to keep your data connection turned off to avoid high phone bills. What you can do is download a map of 10 square miles of the area in which you'll be. To access this feature on your Android device, open Google Maps. Then press the menu button and select More > Labs > Pre-cache map area.

How to share files up to 9 GB in size

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:31:00 +0000

Fyels is a free web-based program that allows you to share files up to 9 GB in size. Once you open the program in your browser, you simply drag a file from your computer into drag-and-drop area. Fyels will upload the file and provide a unique URL, which you share with whomever you want to download the file.

How to see what a photo will look like using different camera settings

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 18:16:00 +0000

CameraSim is a free web-based program that lets you see how different camera settings affect a photo. For example, change the ISO or aperture and then click on the "Snap photo" button. You'll see the test photo change to reflect the settings.

How to use Kindle ebooks as a marketing medium

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 20:11:00 +0000

You can expand your marketing mix by distributing content in Kindle ebook format. And without going through the Kindle Store. For example, maybe you want to provide the first three chapters of a publication as a Kindle ebook. All you have to do is use Mobipocket Creator to convert your Word file into a Kindle-compatible document. Once created, you can distribute your book via email or through your website.

Those who own a Kindle can copy your free ebook via the device's USB connection. Keep in mind that Kindle ebooks also can be read on Windows, Macs, and mobile devices such as iPhone or Android. So in other words, potential customers don't have to own a Kindle to read Kindle books.

A convenient marketing feature of Kindle ebooks is that you can include hyperlinks. So if a potential customer likes the first three free chapters, he may decide to click on the link you provide to purchase the complete product from your website.

Are your mobile apps secure? Here's how you can check

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:39:00 +0000

ViaForensics monitors smartphone apps and rates them according to how secure they are. For example, AIM on iPhone or Android fails to store sensitive data securely.

Alternative to Dropbox gives you 5 Gb free space

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Mon, 30 May 2011 18:30:00 +0000

If you like Dropbox, then you may want to check out Sugarsync. You'll get 5 Gb of free space plus the ability to backup any folder on your computers and mobile devices.

8 email newsletter design tips for mobile devices

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:13:00 +0000

If you publish an email newsletter, you'll want to make sure it's in a mobile friendly format since more and more people check their email from their phones. Lori Ely, marketing manager for Informz, shares these 8 tips in ASAE's Tech Toolkit.

Create a web version of your email. Try calling out the web version with text such as: "Reading this on a mobile device? Click here for the mobile-friendly version."
Set width to equal 100 percent. This will allow the web page to size itself to the width of the screen it is rendering on. If you used pixel size, the reader has to scroll left to right.
Keep image size less than 480 pixels. Images do not always render correctly.
Font size should be greater than 12 pixels. Using a larger font size will ensure that your copy will be legible on all devices.
Leave plenty of white space between links. Do not make your readers work harder to reach the information they want.
Use alt tags on your images. Without alt tags, your image may come across as "123.jpg" instead of "Conference hotel deals."
Use only one column for your email layout. Sidebars and multiple column tables have a tendency to reformat themselves on mobile devices, causing the other columns to display above or below the main body.
Keep copy and subject lines brief. Typically you can fit about 12-15 lines on a mobile screen. Your subject line and from address are the first thing your readers see and are big factors in their decision to open your email. (See Best practices for writing email subject lines.)

How to use your phone as a portable scanning device

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 20:33:00 +0000

Cell phone and smartphone cameras work remarkably well as document scanners. Even a 1.2 megapixel phone camera can take a legible photo of a document. Photographing a one-page document is simple enough. But what if the document contains multiple pages?

For example, wonder if you had to scan an old 3-page contract or a 9-page article from a book or magazine? You could flip from photo to photo to view the pages, but a better way is to combine all of the photos into a PDF document. Here's how:

Take a photograph of each page with your camera.
Copy the pages from your phone to your Windows PC. Dropbox is ideal for this if you have a smartphone.
On your Windows PC, download the free JPEG to PDF program, and then convert all the photos into a single PDF document.

Questions to ask before using Groupon

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:39:00 +0000

If you work for an association--or even if you don't--and are thinking about whether to use Groupon, consider this advice from two professionals who responded to a question on the topic on an ASAE listserve:

Couponing is a generally a strategy to drive new interactions / attract new potential customers (get people to try a restaurant is how much of it started). The group coupon is a strategy to leverage social contacts to expand marketing reach and participation, and build connections to new people. So I might have a list of 1,000, but by encouraging people on the list to bring in their friends, I might be able to double or triple my list as well as attract many more takers for the coupon deal itself.

So the question I would have for your plans is what you hope to accomplish through a coupon and then a group coupon approach. If your membership penetration leaves a lot of potential new members, for example, then this might be a way to get current members to help you identify and engage new prospective members.

What you want to be careful to avoid with both general couponing and group couponing is simply selling at a discount to those who would already buy at retail. Many restaurants, for example, have found that coupons are used primarily by regular customers rather than provide an effective means to bring in new customers. As a result, they are being a lot more careful about how they structure their promotions. I would imagine that discounts on conference registrations might be very similar for many associations.

Pricing is an art and science in and of itself, and discounting directly or through couponing is a more complex equation than it might seem.

Tom Lehman
Lehman Associates, LLC
http://www.ansible.com

----------------------------------------------------------

...you really need to do the math on this. If you use an existing service, you are likely to be giving them 50% of the revenue - and they usually insist that the "deal" is less than 50% of your regular price. So you don't get much cash back.

I've seen examples where it works really well - for example, a museum that sold 500 entrance tickets this way. The benefit to them is that there are no upfront advertising costs - and the e-mail promoting them went to 100,000 opt-in people, so great visibility. The visitors who came were spread across a number of weeks, not all at once, and they spent additional money in the restaurant and gift shops. The museum could add them to their in-house mailing list, so could contact them again at no extra cost.

On the other hand, there are literally companies that have gone out of business because they did a Groupon without calculating the fulfillment costs. If you are selling food, or products that cost money to make, or a lot of staff to administer, you need to factor that in to your numbers - so for example, you mentioned events as a possibility - are you feeding people at these (which I know is one of the most expensive meeting costs)- will you be able to cover your fulfillment costs if you offer a coupon? And, businesses have been swamped by everyone redeeming at once - will that happen to you, and will it cause any problems that you can't handle?

The other issue that I might be concerned about in your case is the "airline fare" problem where members realize that they've paid a lot more for what they're getting than some others. Will this cause ill-feelings that could come back to bite you? And will your members perceive any devaluation of your brand because you're "selling stuff off"?

Philippa Gamse, CMC
www.WebsitesThatWin.com
Author 42 Rules for a Web Presence That Wins
(publ. 2nd qtr 2011)

It pays to respond to negative reviews on social media

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 14:16:00 +0000

According to the article Retailer Follow Up On Negative Reviews Pays Off: "By listening and proactively responding on the social web...retailers have a chance to turn disgruntled customers into social advocates. The survey found that, of those who received a reply in response to their negative review:"

33% turned around and posted a positive review.
34% deleted their original negative review.

Rules for a rational debate

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Did you ever try to have a rational discussion with someone, but they turn it into a lecture or sermon? In other words, it's either their way or no way? Next time, use this chart as a guide so you can determine one of two things: (1) You don't waste your time with someone who does not want to have a rational discussion. (2) You actually have a rational discussion and one of you actually learns something.

How to access traffic web cameras

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 15:56:00 +0000

Go to TrafficLand.com and click on the Show City List link to see all of the USA cities that have traffic cameras you can access. Once you access a city, you'll also see a map where traffic cameras are located. Just click on the traffic camera icon to view traffic at that particular location.

4 reasons why you should not listen to users

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:53:00 +0000

According to the Fast Company article, User-Led Innovation Can't Create Breakthroughs; Just Ask Apple and Ikea, "Great brands lead users, not the other way around." Here are four reasons why you should not listen to users:

Users insights can’t predict future demand.
User-centered processes stifles creativity.
User focus makes companies miss out on disruptive innovations.
User-led design leads to sameness.

How to check for optimum color contrast on web pages

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 18:38:00 +0000

Want to determine if the contrast between foreground and background colors of your website meets World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommended standards? Then use the web-based Colour Contrast Check tool. A similar but downloadable tool is the Colour Contrast Analyser for Web Pages.

How to effectively communicate numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 15:56:00 +0000

Here are some tips from the document Framing Public Issues on how to use numbers effectively when communicating:

Use numbers sparingly. When you use dramatic numbers, you may have the inadvertent effect of making the problem seem too big, too scary, or too far away.
Provide the meaning first, then the numbers. Use social math to reinforce that meaning.
Use numbers strategically: not simply to establish the size of the problem, but to convey the cost of ignoring it.
Use numbers to underscore efficacy, demonstrating cost-effectiveness

Example: "Community fluoride protection costs less per person than a single filling. Water fluoridation is one of the best public-health investments we can make. Every $1 invested in community-water fluoridation in yields annual savings of $38 in dental treatment of cavities.” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

How to repair your Internet connection yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 21:10:00 +0000

Rizone Complete Internet Repair "...attempts to repair everything internet related, including networking problems," according to the developer. Examples include the following:

Internet or network problem after removing adware, spyware, virus, worm, Trojan horse, etc.
Loss network connection after installing/uninstalling adware, spyware, antispam, vpn, firewall or other networking programs.
Unable to access any webpage or can only access some webpages.
Pop-up error window with network related problem description.
No network connectivity due to registry errors.
DNS lookup problem.
Fail to renew the network adapter’s IP address or other DHCP errors.
Network connectivity issue with limited or no connections message.
Windows update does not work
You are having problems connecting to secured websites (ex. Banking).
Internet Explorer stopped working or crashes all the time.

Thanks to Addictive Tips!

Best practices for writing email subject lines

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 16:19:00 +0000

In determining the best practices for writing subject lines for email newsletters, MailChimp analyzed the open rates for over 200 million emails. Recommendations to increase open rates include the following:

Avoid using any of these words in the subject line: "help," "percent off," "reminder," and "free."
The general rule of thumb in email marketing is to keep your subject line to 50 characters or less.
Repeating the exact same subject line for each newsletter accelerates the drop in open rates.
Personalization such as including a recipient's first name or last name does not significantly improve open rates. Providing localization, such as including a city name, does help.
For promotional emails, keep the message straightforward and avoid using splashy promotional phrases, CAPS, or exclamation marks in your subject lines. Subject lines framed as questions can often perform better.

Here are some examples (click on image to magnify):

3 tips for SEO-friendly news release headlines

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:35:00 +0000

This ZDNet article says "...research shows public relations professionals are undercutting their SEO efforts by cramming too much into the news release headline." It offers these 3 tips for SEO-friendly headlines:

Keep the release headline under 66 characters so the whole thing can be displayed in Google Search.
Keep the headline under 23 words so that it can be displayed fully in Google News.
Favor keywords over buzzwords whenever possible.

8 steps for moving a team up the performance curve

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 19:01:00 +0000

From The Wisdom of Teams, here are 8 steps for moving a team up the performance curve:

Establish urgency and direction. The more urgent and meaningful the rationale, the more likely it is that a real team will emerge.
Select members based on skills, not personalities. Three categories of skills are relevant. (1) technical and functional. (2) problem-solving, and (3) interpersonal.
Pay particular attention to first meetings and actions. When teams first gather, everyone alertly monitors the signals given by others to confirm, suspend, or dispel going-in assumptions and concerns.
Set some clear rules of behavior. The most critical early rules pertain to attendance, discussion, confidentiality, ananlytic approach, end-product orientation, constructive confrontation, and contributions.
Set and seize upon a few immediate performance-oriented tasks and goals. Most teams trace their advancement to key performance-oriented events that forge them together. Teams can set such events in motion by immediately establishing a few challenging yet achievable goals that can be reached early on.
Challenge the group regularly with fresh facts and information. New information causes a team to redefine and enrich its understanding of the performance challenge, thereby helping the team shape a common purpose, set clearer goals, and improve on its common approach.
Spend lots of time together. The time spent together must be scheduled and unscheduled. And time need not always be face to face.
Exploit the power of positive feedback, recognition, and reward. Positive reinforcement works as well in a team context as elsewhere. "Giving out gold stars" helps to shape new behaviors critical to team performance.

3 factors to balance in project management

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Lyons) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 14:03:00 +0000

Ben Snyder, CEO of Systemation, explains that in project management the project triangle represents the relationships among scope, time, and cost:

Scope is the sum of all products and services to be provided. It includes all the work that must be performed to deliver the product or service (tasks and activities) at the negotiated grade (level of quality and amount of redundancy).

Time is the duration that is needed to complete all the associated project work (calendar days, months, and years).

Cost is the monetary value of the labor expended and all other direct charges that will be incurred during the project (travel, hardware, and software).

When the value of one side is changed, one or both of the other sides are almost always affected. Successfully managing projects requires an understanding of the dynamics of these relationships. When one side of the triangle is an accurate reflection of the demands of the other two sides, the project triangle is said to be harmonized.