I have made it my own personal goal over the last year to travel as much a possible. In the last two years I've explored local hot spots in Michigan as well as spent time in kayaking Pictured Rocks in Michigan's U.P., hiking Hocking Hills in Ohio, swimming with manatees in Florida's Crystal River, dog sledding in the Rocky Mountains, catching an outdoor Red Wings hockey game in Denver, and discovering an awesome national park called Pointe Peelee in Canada. And, currently, I am planning a trip to Iceland for later this year.

As my career heats up, I find myself appreciating time away more and more. And with each trip I find myself getting more out of the experience for my career.

1. Becoming a Self-Starter
If you have the ability, try taking a solo trip... even if it is as simple as a cross-state road trip. This gives you the ability to discover a place at your own pace without having to worry about someone rushing you along. You get to plan the trip and do whatever you want, when you want. This helps teach you to be a self­-starter and are able to accomplish tasks on your own.

2. Using Team Work (To Make the Dream Work)
But we all know, traveling is much better when you have someone to share with with. You know you have a good friend when you can travel alongside someone for an extended period of time and only get into a fight once. Traveling with another person or a group of people helps you to be able to work with another personality on a project as well as practice your teamwork abilities and conflict resolution skills.

3. Becoming Flexible
I personally love to have a specific itinerary planned out before going on a trip. But sometimes it makes the trip better to just have an idea of what you want to do then let the experience lead the way. Flexibility is important in both travel and in your career. Not everything will go according to plan, and that is OK.

4. Making Connections with People
While traveling you'll meet all kinds of people, from all walks of life, that you wouldn't have met otherwise. These types of people wouldn't necessarily have fallen into your typical circle and befriending them may be a challenge. Being able to make a positive connection with someone unlike yourself if a trait that will help you the rest of your life.

5. Ignoring Stereotypes
Whether your traveling stateside or internationally, you're bound to find yourself confronted by stereotypes at every turn. You've heard it: "French people hate Americans." But in fact, they don't. And my native state of Michigan says a lot of bad stuff about Ohio (we're college football rivals) but hiking after hiking in Hocking Hills, I was blown away by this state's beauty. Don’t let others bring you down or persuade your view on anyone or anything. Make your own conclusions.

6. Learning to Adjust
Similar to being flexible with those you are traveling with, it is also important to be flexible with adjusting to your surrounding. Paying attention to cultural customs and community norms. It is not for you to make them bend to your preference but for you to adjust to the their culture.

7. Trying Something New
Make sure to try something new where ever your travels take you. Bonus points to traveling to new places! By intentionally putting yourself outside of your comfort zone you will be ready and able to adapt to uncomfortable situations during your career with ease.

8. Disconnecting is Good for the Brain
And finally, traveling does wonders for your brainpower. The best thing about truly immersing yourself in your trip is that you don’t have to be constantly in touch. You're not chained to your laptop or tethered to your phone. When you disconnect, you reconnect with your brain, this can bring the creative juices flowing again, if you’ve been run dry. Traveling and disconnecting is the key to avoiding burnout.

Have you learned other valuable life lessons during your travels? Perhaps some wise notions that will help you throughout your career? Share them in the comments below!

What are your goals?

Such a simple question, but it often times difficult for social media managers to answer—much to their surprise! I love this example from Kim Garst: Let’s say you want to “get in shape”. Getting “in shape” is a subjective term. How do you know when you are there? Most people use weight as an indicator of what kind of shape they are in and most people have a “number” of pounds that they want to lose. So, let’s say you set a goal to lose 30 pounds and that when you do you are going to consider yourself “in shape”. Now we have a goal with a measurable objective. You can track your progress towards that goal every time you step on the scale. If you want to take it a step further, give yourself a deadline. “I want to lose 30 pounds before my high school reunion in 4 months”.

So if we are comfortable setting and working goals for most everything else, why do so few people do it with social media?

My advice is to start big and work down. Start by asking yourself these questions:

• What exactly do you want social media to do for you/your company? 
• Do you want to use it to improve your customer service? 
• Do you want to use it to boost attendance at your events? 
• Do you want to use it to sell products and services? 

Goal setting is really important. Most of the time people set a performance indicator without knowing what, if any goal that supports. They say, “I want 50,000 Facebook Fans.” But why? Having 50,000 fans means nothing if it does not support your overall goals and objectives.

Before you move forward with your social media actions, stop and take a few minutes and write down your social media goals. Where possible make goals objective and attach a deadline.

If you need a little help in deciding what your goals should be, remember the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting method. Make sure your goals are Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely.

Now it's time to build your strategy.

Now that you have planned out and attainable social media goals, it's time to put together a strategy to reach those goals.

The basic social media sites you use and the amount of resources you need to commit to each varies dramatically based on your goals. All too often people think, for example, they have to use Facebook because "it's the most popular" or they want to exclude Twitter altogether because they "don't get it." This isn't the right attitude for developing your strategy. Although your personal opinion matters, choosing the right social media sites to support your goals matters more.

Going back to Kim's analogy: Imagine if you said “Well, I hate vegetables, but I love hot fudge sundaes, so I am going to eat 3 hot fudge sundaes every day to lose weight!”

If you sell retail goods to women, then Pinterest is the place for you. High end professional services? Then LinkedIn is a good place to spend much of your time. Are you a photographer? Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are definitely more photo and graphics driven. You are more likely to connect to your ideal client there.



It's important that you understand the capabilities of all the social platforms as well as their popular target demographics and what types of content performs well.

On top of picking the right social media platform, your strategy should also include other items such as the resources you will need, key performance indicators (KPI’s), and the measurement tools you will use to track them among other things.

Stop and prepare.

It's so easy at this point to just go out and start posting. However, you should stop and prepare for your launch ahead of time.

Now that you have identified the social media sites you are going to use and established your social media goals and strategy, take some time to prepare before you start generating content. Take this time to

• Create credible, consistent branding to be used across all of your social media sites
• Optimize your profile with website links, keywords
• Update your “About” sections
• Inter-connect sites or create easy navigation amongst them where possible
• Learn the basics on how to use the site, the basic terms of service and etiquette

These days the #1 trusted resource for consumers is peer-to-peer reviews and word or mouth testimonials and, thanks to the wonderful digital world we live in, most of these recommendations happen through social media.

And the most trusted sources for these reviewers are known in the marketing industry as "influencers."

Influencers are individuals who can sway the sentiments of their online audience in a particular direction regarding a brand, idea, business, person, or any other entity. These people can make or break your reputation.

And since, whether you like it or not, there is already a conversation happening about your brand on social media, it would be best to get out ahead of it and start an influencer marketing campaign to build the trust and recognition among a large audience thanks to a popular voice on social.

To learn more about how Influencers can boost your business, check out my post on MELT.

Also if you're interested in getting started with an influencer marketing campaign, tune in to my online MELT workshop, How to Run a Social Influencer Program, on April 20 for everything you need to know!

By now you don't need me to tell you that first impressions are everything. And never has there been a truer statement than when it comes to LinkedIn profiles. You might have the most impressive resume but before they read the first word of your profile, prospective employers and clients visiting your page are going to see your picture.

And since a bad first impression could cost you a job or a valuable contact/networking opportunity, your profile picture is arguably one of the most important elements of your profile.

To make sure you're putting your best foot (or shall I say, face) out there, your picture should convey your competence, likability, and influence.

In a recent study by PhotoFeeler profile photos and their impressions were studied to determine what elements created the ideal profile photo for social media sites and blog profiles. The study was based on over 60,000 ratings of perceived competence, likability, and influence.

It’s no secret that I am a bit nerdy and obsessed with being organized and on top of things. I'm also obsessed with staying up to speed on the latest and greatest technologies. And since my phone is one thing I simply can’t live without, I'm always searching for great apps to make my work and personal life more efficient.

Now I've done the dirty work for you and tried out a bunch of apps to put together a list of the top 12 mobile apps for young professionals. Take a peek below—you’ll wonder how you ever functioned without these lifesavers.



For the Office
30/30: (iOS) When you’re pulled in a 100 different directions at work, it can be hard to focus. 30/30 helps manage your work cycles by setting timers for tasks. When a timer is running, you can focus on getting one task done without distractions.

Doodle: (iOS; Android) When scheduling a meeting with many people from different workplaces, finding a time that works for everyone can be next to impossible. Doodle lets meeting participants submit their daily schedules and then comes up with feasible meeting times for everyone.

Trello: (iOS; Android) This is project management made easy! Trello is great for collaborating with a team—especially when brainstorming ideas, allocating tasks, and monitoring checklists.

LastPass: (iOS; Android) Nothing drives me crazier than having passwords that expire every 60 days (and can't repeat for 5 years). If you're like me then that means you probably also have a million tricky passwords to remember. With LastPass you can store all your passwords in one single and secure place.

For Home
Our Home: (iOS; Android) When everyone in your house has a packed schedule it is hard to get everyone into a room. Our Home is a private social network for families and roommate situations that allows everyone to organize and assign tasks and chores as well as create and share grocery lists. Members of your household can choose which things they want to accomplish and check them off as their completed. No more post-its all over the house saying "more toilet paper" or "the sink is leaking" with Our Home.

Mint: (iOS; Android) This app helps you keep an eye on your hard-earned money. Monitor multiple bank accounts and investments all in one place. You can use it to set spending limits for categories and it will even alert you when you're coming close or you went over. Plus, the app helps you pay bills on time and budget for big expenses.

Venmo: (iOS; Android) A must-have app for instantly sending money to other people. You can use it to pay coworkers for your half of lunch or for quickly pitching in on that group birthday gift for a friend.

Just for Fun
Refinery29 This AM: (iOS) Created by Refiner29, a media company catering to a young female demographic,Refinery29 This AM delivers a round-up of curated news stories to readers, meant to be viewed first thing in the morning. Stories are presented on eight different cards in the app, and focus on topics including world events, celebrity news, politics and fashion.

Daily Burn: (iOS, Android) As much as I love using work and being too busy as an excuse to skip the gym, I know I really need to find more time for exercising. But with Daily Burn I have no excuse! Daily Burn redefines fitness with online workout videos, nutrition and coaching. In addition to the library of workouts and courses, there is a daily class that airs every morning that covers something different every day. All the workout sessions are streaming so you can get them at home and on the go!

theSkimm: This one isn't exactly an app (yet) but it is still worth noting. theSkimm is a daily e-mail newsletter that gives you everything you need to start your day. They know you don't have time to visit multiple publications in search for all the important news so they do the reading for you and break down the latest news and information with fresh editorial content.

Do you have any apps you'd add to this list? Tell me in the comments!

The Art of Making Data Look Cool from Katelyn Davis

We've all been there... a meeting that seems like an eternity of boring presentations. I know all too well about slides after slides of terrible graphs and charts that you can barely read let alone understand.

The key to a successful presentation that includes data is to make it fun and engaging as well as easy to understand and grasp.

This guide will help you make your presentation data look cool so you're not a bore at the next company meeting!

What's Changing in Social Media Marketing in 2015 by Social Media Today

Facebook Messenger has rolled out to iOS and Android devices, and many users aren’t too happy with it. Now instead of being able to instant message through the native Facebook app, you have to use a seperate app--Facebook Messenger.

Although Facebook Messenger has been available since 2011, many users who have still not downloaded the app are reluctant to do so and are not pleased about the new push to force them into the app. As a result, a lot of users are already looking for loopholes around the messenger app so they can still send and read received messages without downloading a completely different app.

Now I know what you're thinking, "Why is this such a big deal?" Two reasons... People don't like to be forced to do something, especially by a big brand like Facebook who is often reviewed as being too pushy or intrusive. Secondly, there are some people like me who opted for the cheaper iPhone with less storage but still like to take and save a million pictures and there is just no more storage room on their phones for another app.

Plus, I just don't understand. Facebook calls it a faster way to message. However I'm just not sure how closing one app, scrolling through the all my other apps to find Messenger, only to use it to send my message then close it to go back to the regular Facebook app is really faster.

So here is a way around the new Facebook Messenger App...

How to send Facebook messages without Facebook Messenger
Use the mobile browser. Yes, it's that simple. Your normal Facebook app will still alert you when you have a message from a friend but when you try and view it you get an annoying message about downloading Facebook Messenger.

Source: Mashable

So instead, once you get the notification open up your phone's mobile browser and go to facebook.com. You'll be redirected to Facebook's crappy, watered down, mobile site however the messaging piece of it works perfectly.

Source: Cnet

I still recommend using the normal app for all you other day to day activities, but leave messaging to the mobile site.

You know networking is important, but it's also a little intimidating!

Wishing you could benchmark your internal communications measurement against those of other organizations?

The free white paper, “Internal Communications Measurement” will give you a rare chance to compare satisfaction, roadblocks, and measurement standards. It might even provide data useful for dealing with bosses and budget-cutters.

This guide, drawn from a survey of 776 communicators, reveals that:

• Internal takes a backseat to external. Of those communicators who measure internal communications, 64 percent don’t receive the same attention or budget that PR, marketing, and sales get. 
• Most measure less than half their programs. Thirty-eight percent said they measure 20 percent or less of their internal communications efforts.
• Dissatisfaction with measurement is high. Fifty-six percent said they were either unsatisfied or very unsatisfied with how they measure internal communications; only 16 percent said they were satisfied. 
• The biggest roadblock to measurement is lack of tools. Fifty-four percent of communicators who measure said their biggest challenge was the lack of tools, followed by lack of time and manpower. 
• A key weakness in tools is measuring outputs instead of outcomes. Sixty-two percent said that the lack of outcomes measurement is one of the top weaknesses of their measuring tools. 
• Budgets are slim. Thirty-two percent of communicators said their internal communications budget is between $0 and $4,999; only 15 percent said they have budgets of more than $100,000. 

Find out more about this and other data by downloading this FREE white paper from PoliteMail and Ragan Communications called “Internal Communications Measurement.”

A producer at an ABC affiliate in upstate New York occupies a different niche in the media ecosphere from that of a London-based editor at Reuters News. But when it comes to pitching reporters, their advice is similar.

Journalists are swamped. Their inboxes are overflowing. They don’t have time for off-topic pitches or information-choked emails. Cut to the chase.

“Just tell me what you want,” says Larissa Hall, digital content manager at 13WHAM in upstate New York. “‘I want this guest on your morning show. I want this big opening covered. I want you to send cameras to this place at this time.’”

Adds Mark Jones, the London-based Reuters global communities editor: “The thing that really gets journalists’ goat is the kind of unsolicited and irrelevant media release plugging up their inbox. ... You can see from Twitter what [journalists] are interested in. It takes a few seconds. It allows you the option to focus your distribution list on people who are most likely to run with the story.”

It can be a humbling experience to promote a story angle you know is great but can’t get reporters to look at. It gives you a leg up if you act like a pro.

 Here’s how to reach out to media outlets, interact with journalists, and ace that interview.

Click here to download this free ebook from Ragan Communications.

Here is another great resource that came out of Ragan Communication's annual Social Media for Public Relations and Corporate Communications conference that I attended earlier this month!

• Camera, lighting and audio equipment
• How you plan your videos
• Production tips
• Suggestions for sharing your video

Here is a great white paper that came out of Ragan Communication's 2nd Annual Social Media for Public Relations and Corporate Communications Conference last week!

From those of us that attended the conference know how important Brand Journalism is for companies.

In this summary Lisa Arledge Powell, MediaSource, has provided us with an excellent summary of what defines the practice of Brand Journalism, how it is essential to the success of modern organizational public relations and marketing and how to effectively leverage the practice to build brand value and maximize ROI.

Brand Journalism is one of the top trends in PR and marketing. Technologies such as digital TV, mobile internet and social media have transformed how consumers engage and evaluate credible, newsworthy content. The ability to understand and leverage Brand Journalism is critical to modern organizations that wish to build brand value and influence consumer choice to increase returns on marketing dollars spent.

For those who have interest in building and leveraging Brand Journalism, I highly recommend this white paper.

You can download The PR & Marketer's Guide to Brand Journalism for free, here.

• Use analytics to understand social influencers’ needs and wants.
• Tailor content for a range of influencers across social platforms.
• Distribute content with influencers most relevant for each medium
.

• How government can change to better relate to digital citizens?
• How government agencies can use social media to provide complementary communication and participation channels for citizens.
• What are the right channels to use to provide public service solutions and services, and interact with and conduct business with citizens.
• How people can use social media to improve how government works for politicians and citizens.

If there’s a science to Dr. Seuss books for teaching children to read, my hypotheses would focus on the comparison and contrast of the words used in rhyming.

For example, from Green Eggs and Ham:

“I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere.”

The rhyme demonstrates visually and typographically, the difference between here, there and anywhere. It’s a simple way to soak up vocabulary in a fun and memorable way. 

HootSuite recently published an infographic titled A Dr. Seuss-Inspired Guide to Twitter, which struck me both as creative marketing and an effective way to reach and teach the basics of Twitter. As the infographic says, citing the Lorax: It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become.

 Here’s my call to action: If there’s someone you know that should be using Twitter that isn’t — send them a link to this infographic. They are not going to use it. Unless. Here’s the complete infographic:

Click to Enlarge

Introducing the Sophisticated Marketer's Guide to LinkedIn

The one-stop shop for everything a marketer needs to know about getting the most value from LinkedIn for themselves and their company. It's not an instruction manual, but more of a strategic guide full of interviews and tips from marketing thought leaders combined with expert insights from the LinkedIn Marketing Solutions team.

The Definitive Guide for Marketing on LinkedIn. 

Get ready to take your social media marketing to the next level and discover the vast opportunities that await – increase awareness, influence perception, generate leads, and ultimately drive revenue with LinkedIn.

Download the free guide and learn:

• Why your business needs to market on LinkedIn
• How to tap into LinkedIn’s powerful marketing solutions including Company Pages, Sponsored Updates, and more
• Expand the reach of your content marketing strategies using LinkedIn to share relevant and targeted content to the world's professionals
• Reach millions of active business professionals with rich display ads and highly-targeted text ads
• And much more!

What do you think the new big trends in social media will be? Do you have any predictions for 2014? See how your predictions stack up against what the pros think with Social Media Today's Social Media Predictions for 2014 webinar...

In January 2013, a 6-second video app debuted as a free iOS app on the iPhone and iPod Touch; 11 months later, Vine is the most-used video-sharing app on the market, available for Android and the Windows Phone as well. Instagram video also came onto the scene this year. Facebook introduced hashtags, photos in comments, and followed up on its promise to cut the privacy setting “who can look up my timeline by name.” LinkedIn recently announced members can follow brands’ Showcase Pages.

We’ve seen many more social media leaders and changes emerge in a matter of months – and we should expect no less in 2014. As varied as the social platforms are, they are taking social media into deeper, more focused directions.

In a webinar hosted by Social Media Today, panelists will ring out old trends in social media, and ring in their predictions about where social media is headed in the new year. Join the webinar to hear about:



• Empowering your team with social media and the necessary skills as the need for social media managers continues to decline
• Leveraging the growing use of mobile with mobile friendly content and social ads
• Getting on board the fastest-growing social platforms as a necessity—not an option
• Communicating with your audience with more cutting-edge photo and video messaging
• Dedicating time and resources to a measurable social media strategy

I always come across these really great webinars online and most of the time they are free. Social Media Today continues to always put out some of the best. So if you have the time and you're interested in new customer service models for the digital age, I totally recommend this one.

Customer Service for the New Customer: Transitioning to a Real-Time Service Model 
An exclusive, live webinar from Social Media Today 
December 5th at 12pm EST / 9am PST

The difference between the “new” and “old” customer centers on relationship control. As GetSatisfaction's Wendy Lea notes, the new customer engagement model is the “opposite of cold calling. Your customers decide if and when to communicate. Your job is simply to give them the tools that make the interaction and communication easy and natural.”

The transition to real-time service means being there when your customers decide to engage. This is much more than manning a Twitter account - it requires a psychological and strategic shift in how your corporation views customer engagement.

Join in to learn how to:

• Create new channels of communication between you and your customer
• Develop a holistic view of your customer
• Leverage analytics to track your customer service
• Set best practices for your employees to respond in real-time to your customers
• Utilize customer service to develop business leads

Click here to register for free!