My Upcoming Presentations on Social Media for NEDMA

Blogging, Direct Marketing, Facebook, Fundraising, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
          It's that time of year again. The New England Direct Marketing Association's annual conference is just around the corner -- May 12 and 13 at the LaCava Center at Bentley College in Waltham, MA. And just like year, I'm happy to have the opportunity to speak not just once, but twice on social media, this time around on "Understanding Social Media, from Theory to Tactics" (9:00 AM-3:30 PM, May 12) and "10 Ways to Succeed in Social Media" (8:30 AM-9:45 AM, May 13). "Understanding Social Media, from Theory to Tactics" In my all-day workshop on May 12, I'll show participants how to attract attention, pique curiosity, stimulate engagement and develop new business opportunities via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and the blogosphere. From the mechanics to the principles…
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How My Dad Taught Me to Run

Boston Marathon, Fundraising
My dad joined me recently at one of the places -- Upper Union Street in Franklin, Massachusetts, the town in which I grew up -- where he taught me, my brother and sister to run more than four decades ago. Given that I'll be running the Boston Marathon once again this year, I thought it would be a great time to capture the memory and share the story... How My Dad Taught Me to Run When I was just a boy, my dad used to take me and my older brother and sister to a quiet, rolling, long stretch of road – less travelled, free of traffic and on the outskirts of town – where he would time each of us running for about a quarter of a mile or so, an exceptionally long distance for me…
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10 Ways to Succeed in Social Media, Part Ten

Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
10. Don't take yourself too seriously. Your success in social media may be dependent in large measure on what you have to share with others, but how you come across – your online persona – is also very important.     Whether you're on Facebook or YouTube, tweeting or blogging, you need to be as affable as you are knowledgeable, as charismatic as you are smart. You need to lighten up. Sure, many of the most effective social media practitioners are opinionated and authoritative, natural born leaders at the top of their fields. But if you take a closer look, you’ll find that they’re also easygoing and deferential, not afraid to share some of their personal lives with their professional peers. They’re approachable and responsive, people who are comfortable having impromptu, informal conversations with a diverse range…
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