September Roundtable: LinkedIn Powered Marketing!

People keep asking us for more in-depth tips and discussion on equating LinkedIn with ROI so this is the topic of September’s Communicate BIZ Roundtable. Most of you have a profile and maybe a business profile, but is it designed effectively and what are you doing with all those connections you have made? Are you a LinkedIn sleuth when it comes to reviewing groups, who has visited your site, and the stats provided by LinkedIn? Join us for this action packed morning! Handouts will help those who are still setting up their pages, and you will get a better view of how to …

Use LI Groups to extend your network and

• Use LI Answers to establish your credibility and make new connections
• Enhance your profile with slideshows, blogs and more
• Promote your LinkedIn Company page

And…Integrate LinkedIn into your overall marketing plan

When: Tuesday, September 25th, 8:30 to 9:45 a.m.

Location: Stellar One 4505 Columbus St., Suite 100, Virginia Beach’s Town Center

Presenter: Susan Long-Molnar, President of Managing Communications Consulting, a marketing and PR professional with 27 years experience in this  market.

Fee: $15 includes Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, donuts and bagels. ($10 for Hampton Roads Chamber of  Commerce members) Reservations for this month are required with pre-payment by check or credit card.

Pre-registration Required: Call Susan Long-Molnar, 757-513-8633

8:30-9:00 Networking and Introductions

9:00-9:30 Overview of LinkedIn fast pace marketing techniques

9:30-9:45 Sharing additional LinkedIn best practices

And you will receive…

? Opportunities to network for beginning new relationships on the right foot

? Drawing for a well-known book on Social Media Book

? List of attendees and contact information for future relationship building

Communicate BIZ Roundtable is a monthly seminar series for small business owners and professionals   responsible for marketing, PR, sales and internal communications within their companies. We want you in the room if you are responsible for increasing revenue and/or engaging others to bring success to your organization in 2012! Monthly sessions are facilitated by Susan Long-Molnar, President of Managing  Communications Consulting, who will often partner with another expert on the topic.

Get Results from Your Meetings!

This month’s Communicate BIZ Roundtable in Hampton Roads explores how to determine whether to meet, and if so, the purpose, strategies, tools for managing outcomes and the right promotion for the meeting. Whether the meeting is focused on change in your operation,  the launch a new product or evaluating some  aspect of your business, you probably struggle with how to maximize what you get from your meetings. This is perfect for anyone who leads or leads others to facilitate meetings in a business, service organization, non-profit, or local government. We will also share tips on how to market meetings so that attendees are prepared, engaged, and show up!

When: Tuesday, July 24th, 8:30 to 9:45 a.m.

Location: Town Point Club, 101 W. Main Street, Norfolk

Presenter: Bill Newton, VP, Phoenix Group’s Gold Cube Meetings and Susan Long-Molnar, President of Managing Communications Consulting, a marketing and PR professional with 27 years experience in this  market.

Fee: $15 includes continental breakfast with fresh fruit, bagels, muffins, pastries and beverages.                                                                                Reservations for this month are required with pre-payment by check or credit card.

Pre-registration Required: Call Susan Long-Molnar, 757-513-8633

8:30-9:00 Networking and Introductions

9:00-9:20 Leading the Meeting—Focusing on Six Keys to creating effective, results oriented and memorable meetings.

9:20-9:35 Promoting the Meeting (from Social Media to Traditional)

9:30-9:45 Sharing new ideas…Q/A

And you will receive…

? Opportunities to network for beginning new relationships on the right foot

? Drawing for a well-known book on Meeting Management

? List of attendees and contact information for future relationship building

Communicate BIZ Roundtable is a monthly seminar series for small business owners and professionals responsible for marketing, PR, sales and internal communications within their companies. We want you in the room if you are responsible for increasing revenue and/or engaging others to bring success to your organization in 2012! Monthly sessions are facilitated by Susan Long-Molnar, President of Managing Communications Consulting, who will often partner with another expert on the topic.

Blog It! Learn How to Use Blog Sites to Market your Business.

This month’s Communicate BIZ Roundtable is going to explore how develop or improve your    blog site, good topics, writing style, resources for writing on other blogs, and how to use blog posts for SEO and massive traffic with keyword targets. Whether you are new to blogging or well-established, the CEO, the marketing director, or the web site coordinator, you will gain from this session! Why blog? We will share some benefits you probably have not thought about yet.

When: Tuesday, June 26, 8:30 to 9:45 a.m.

Location: Towne Bank, 1312 Greenbrier Parkway, Chesapeake (We must park next door in the shopping center parking lot and not in the Towne Bank lot.)

Presenter: Susan Long-Molnar, President of Managing Communications Consulting, a marketing and PR professional with 27 years experience in this market, and guest presenter, Dustin Briggs, owner of Digital Navigation who works with clients strategically for maximizing online marketing.

Fee: $15 includes continental breakfast You may pay by check or credit card. Dunkin’ Donuts breakfast items and coffee included.

Pre-registration Required: Call Susan Long-Molnar, 757-513-8633

8:30-9:05-Networking and Introductions

9:05-9:20 Blogging Content—what gets read, audience, tips for everything from topics to managing a schedule

9:20-9:30 Linking strategically in social media and other online outlets, using blog posts for SEO and all about keyword targets

9:30-9:45 Sharing new ideas…Q/A

And you will receive…

Opportunities to network for beginning new relationships on the right foot

Drawing for a well-known book on Online Marketing

List of attendees and contact information for future relationship building

Communicate BIZ  Roundtable is a monthly seminar series for small business owners and professionals  responsible for marketing, PR, sales and internal communications within their companies. We want you in the room if you are responsible for increasing revenue and/or engaging others to bring success to your organization in 2012! Monthly sessions will be facilitated by Susan Long-Molnar, President of Managing Communications Consulting , who will often be partnering with another expert on the topic.

Building Credibility First

A favorite observation of many from my five-year-old granddaughter resulted recently from our stop on the way to Orlando to break up the drive time. As Hilton Honors members, we are always pretty happy with any of our stays, but Savannah made a point of announcing to at least five people at the Wyndham Grand Bonnet Creek Resort pool when we got to Orlando, “I hate South Carolina because there is no pool, and it’s boring at the Manning Hampton Inn.” She dreaded the day we left Florida knowing she would have to spend another night in South Carolina.

The value of credibility for a six-year-old is not that different for the rest of us. It is based on our specific needs and expectations. If we expect to be treated a certain way, have a social, self-esteem, intellectual or any other need met, and we are disappointed, the product or service loses credibility.

How many potential clients do you think you have disappointed this week? When have you failed to recognize the needs of one of your clients, but you know you will never hear about it?  If you could create a point system for creating credibility in the eyes of your referral sources, how well would you do?

It is very easy to get complacent about credibility when we get too busy, too egotistical, too lazy, or just don’t stop to think about our actions. I know I have personally failed on this note more times than I care to count.  We can’t focus on everything at once to improve our credibility, so I recommend just dealing initially with your communications in social media.

Would you request information from a potential client or vendor, and then when they respond by e-mail or leave a voice mail, ignore the need to get back to them?  Probably not.  The same holds true for social media. Why someone starts discussions or puts a tip for the day online, and then when someone responds, the discussion originator doesn’t even come back with recognition of the comment or offer a response? How we treat people in our social media interactions is critical.  Additionally, take the time to develop interesting content which relates to your audience just as you would in traditional communications. Be sure you don’t just share an article without introducing it with a comment which shows your expertise and experience.

So if your social media credibility is positive, keep thinking. What else can you focus on soon? You might start with your top 10 clients or customers? Have you “wowed” them this week? What would make you more credible in their eyes?

In Your Face: Perception is Your Reality

Have you ever entered a networking event late, only to find several small groups of people in conversation, and you don’t know anyone? This can certainly happen, and the way we react, from our body language to how we approach a group, can have a tremendous impact on how people relate to us. Situations like this can catch up off guard on our communications.

I can’t tell you how many times as a female business owner that I have been at a networking meeting and felt like the silent security guard at the door or the immigrant who doesn’t speak English when two or more men only make eye contact with each other. Guys, I am sure you have experienced the same kind of situation with a group of women.

Who gets noticed the most at business meetings and social networking events? Is it always the person who requests business cards from everyone in the room? Is it someone who has that elevator speech memorized to perfection? Is it always the politician or enterprise CEO? NOT. I firmly believe that anyone can make an impact with the right attitude about communications, attention to the discussions they lead or engage in, and have a good sense of business etiquette. With training and attention to your communications, you can make significant differences in how you are perceived in groups, whether your goal is to build new relationships for your business, pursue job interviews, or just have a good time in a community you enjoy!

If you are in Hampton Roads on March 22nd, we hope you will join us for dialogue with substance about communicating effectively in business  events. This month’s Communicate BIZ Roundtable is going to explore how to connect face-to-face and leave a positive perception of you and your brand.  How do others perceive us as entrepreneurs and professionals in our fields during those fleeting moments at events? This is not just for novice networkers or connectors. We will look at how to bring your communications to the next level while interacting at networking, social, and business events, from the visual image you portray to verbal communications, body language  and sheer business etiquette.

When: Tuesday, March 27th, 8:15 to 9:45

Location: Town Point Club, 101 W. Main Street, Norfolk

Presenters: Susan Long-Molnar, President of Managing Communications Consulting, is a communications, marketing and PR professional with 27 years experience in this market. Susan assists clients to manage face-to-face networking and is a national and regional presenter on communications topics including The Etiquette of   Business Communications. Guest Presenter: Internationally-acclaimed Image Consultant Sandy Dumont is the founder of The Image Architect. She is also a founding member of the Professional Speakers Association (U.K.), and a member of the National Speakers Association (NSA).  Sandy is past President of NSA Virginia, and Past President of the SE Virginia chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO. She consults with individuals and corporations and also conducts corporate and individual image makeover workshops.

Fee: $15 includes continental breakfast with fresh fruit, bagels, muffins, pastries and beverages.  Reservations for this month are required with pre-payment by check or credit card.

To Register: Call Susan Long-Molnar, 757-513-8633 or e-mail

susan@managingcommunications.com

Our Agenda:

8:15-8:35 Networking and Introductions

8:35-8:55 Sandy Dumont on managing your image

8:55-9:15 Susan Long-Molnar on key messages, listening and transitioning, and communications etiquette

9:15-9:30 Q/A and group discussion on setting priorities for networking

And you will receive…

? Handouts of improving and managing perception

? Door prize drawings

? List of attendees and contact information for future relationship building

? Managing Communications’ April Business Calendar with Networking Tips for specific events

Sponsored by Managing Communications Consulting, Communicate BIZ  Roundtable is a monthly seminar series for small business owners and professionals responsible for marketing, PR, sales and internal communications within their companies. We want you to join us if you are responsible for increasing revenue and/or engaging others to bring success to your organization in 2012! Monthly sessions will be facilitated by Susan Long=Molnar.

LOL/PR/SOS! Is Social Media Helping or Hurting Your Business?

Don’t you just hate when you make a comment in LinkedIn or Facebook and the author doesn’t bother to respond? Have you noticed how dry and boring it is when you see an article to review but the person posting apparently hasn’t taken the time to read it? What are your pet peeves in social media. Please share so I can use them in our next Communicate BIZ Roundtable in Hampton Roads.

How would you rate your social media?

• Using the company’s key messages to build the brand online
• Being authentic and weaving in the personality of the company
• Using a variety of communications techniques including photos and video
• Building credibility and perception of your company with subject matter experts
• Developing engaging content and strategically creating excitement with questions, games, trivia and more

And…are you making a point to help others in some way?

This month’s Communicate BIZ Roundtable is going to explore how well you are maintaining your brand’s reputation on social media. It’s not only what you do but what you don’t do which has an impact. Find out how you and your company can maximize use of new leads and build relationships with techniques, good content, and much more.

When: Wednesday, February 22nd, 8:15 to 9:45

Location: Towne Bank, 1312 Greenbrier Parkway, Chesapeake

Presenter: Susan Long-Molnar, President of Managing Communications Consulting, a marketing and PR professional with 27 years experience in this market.

Fee: $15 includes continental breakfast (SMPS members, Hampton Roads Chamber members, and AdvantaCoach Marketing Power Lunch Chapter Members are $10) You may pay by check or credit card.

Pre-registration Required: Call Susan Long-Molnar, 757-513-8633

8:15-9:05-Networking and Introductions

9:05-9:20 What is important to fans and contacts? How will they react to what we do and not do? What content will most impact our reputation favorably?

9:20-9:30 Application—group investigation of social media communications

9:30-9:45 Getting company buy-in; Setting social media goals and Q/A

And you will receive…

?   Handouts of actionable improvements for your LinkedIn pages

?   Tips for how to engage EVERYONE  in the success of the strategic plan

?   List of attendees and contact information for future relationship building

?   15 minute complimentary phone meeting to analyze one of your pages with you.

Communicate BIZ  Roundtable is a monthly seminar series for small business owners and professionals responsible for marketing, PR, sales and internal communications within their companies. We want you in the room if you are responsible for increasing revenue and/or engaging others to bring success to your organization in 2012! Monthly sessions will be facilitated by Susan Long-Molnar, President of Managing Communications Consulting , who will often be partnering with another expert on the topic.

What’s So Super About That? By Michael Camden, Business Development, Managing Communications Consulting

The Super Bowl (Wait, can I say that? I mean, legally?) looms over us like the  impending hurricane you know is coming, but all you care about are the great parties. In the case of the big game, we’re all anxiously salivating for the Doritos commercials, especially that guy and his clandestine dog from Virginia Beach. So, you think this is an article about the NFL championship game. But, not so fast. Why is the game so super? I mean, unless you are a Giants or Patriots fan.

What determines superiority? Super Man bends steel and much more. My child is rated “superior student” when she cooperates and participates in school. There are super committees and super pacs, but this is not political satire either. There are super novas (also a great song in the 90s), and as long as we’re referencing music, what is a Supertramp anyway? There are superstitions and superlatives. Some things are even supercalifragilistic (or something like that). We have celebrities that we crown as super stars. Some of those stars fall from the sky as they fall from grace. There are super computers and super conductors, but I studied English and business, so what do I know about I.T.? There are super highways, which really make the regular highways feel inferior. Some people are super sensitive, but not me. Really, I’m not!

In the 70s we had supermarkets, but for some reason that wasn’t super enough, so we created super supermarkets. They know who they are. I remember when McDonald’s advertised a meal for under a buck. Yes sir. You got a burger, fries, and a drink and change back (a penny probably). Now to get that same meal, you have to super size it. That movie already hit Redbox long ago. Oh and lest I forget super models like the babes on Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue. What makes them super? Even the Dove soap models are attractive, but super?

In my youth, you may have overheard me shout “super-decent” when Jaws devoured an unsuspecting victim. When a normal person does something heroic, they often display superhuman strength. It all sounds so super natural. Which makes me wonder, what the heck is superfly?

Super is defined by Webster’s as excellent, very great, and excessive. Ah excessive. Now we’re onto something. Did I say that this is not a story about the super bowl? Now it is, because I just googled “super”. The first 22 pages of links were all related to the super bowl. I gave up at page 23. That is what I call super-excessive.

Here’s a super idea. Let’s move the big game to Saturday or earlier on Sunday so that we can all get some super rest before returning to super reality on Monday.

Gotta run. I’m late for super; I mean supper.

Is Your Marketing Strategic Plan for 2012 Truly Strategic?

So you have a strategic marketing plan. Is it actionable right now? If you are working on your plan, really would like more outside input, and have your business in southeastern Virginia, this session will help you. Susan Long-Molnar, President of Managing Communications Consulting, and guest presenter, Susan Kirkpatrick, copreneur of AdvantaCoach LLC (also the exclusive Independent Business Advisor for Glazer-Kennedy Insider’s Circle for Southeast Virginia) will lead your through information you can use to improve your marketing strategic planning.
When: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 8:15-9:45

Location: Towne Bank, Hilltop, 984 First Colonial Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23454

Fee: $15 includes continental breakfast (SMPS members, Hampton Roads Chamber members, and AdvantaCoach Marketing Power Lunch Chapter Members are $10)

Preregistration Required: Call Susan Long-Molnar, 757-513-8633 or respond to this e-mail.

8:15-9:05-Networking and Introductions
9:05-9:20 Analyzing Your Business Goals and Asking the Right Questions for Growth in Your Organization led by Susan Kirkpatrick
9:20-9:35 Auditing your Strategic Plan for Multi-channel strategies, results, and measurement, and managing progress
9:35-9:45 Additional Q&A overall

And you will receive…
• Samples of strategic marketing plan formats and articles to take for your reference
• Tips for how to engage EVERYONE in the success of the strategic plan
• List of attendees and contact information for future relationship building
• Chance to win a Dan Kennedy book…..
• Complimentary audit of your strategic marketing plan by Managing Communications Consulting with a one hour meeting to review the recommendations
• Free ticket to the AdvantaCoach Marketing Power Lunch

Communicate BIZ Roundtable is a monthly seminar series for small business owners and professionals responsible for marketing, PR, sales and internal communications within their companies. We want you in the room if you are responsible for increasing revenue and/or engaging others to bring success to your organization in 2012! Monthly sessions will be facilitated by Susan Long-Molnar, President of Managing Communications Consulting , who will often be partnering with another expert on the topic.

Making You Marketable

Today’s career market has impacted everyone, especially professionals who have lost positions after years with the same companies and those who are hoping to be promoted. The resume is a given, but there is a whole lot more that goes into being the candidate of choice by employers today. Communicating effectively and implementing a variety of marketing strategies are critical to being the First Choice. Managing Communications Consulting has a new service to assist those in transition: Making You Marketable.

To learn more, download the Making You Marketable information sheet!

Is Social Media Hurting or Helping Your Business?

It is true that perception is everything and the more we use social media and expand our connections, the less control we have over how people feel about us. It only takes one wrong reaction to something political or one inappropriate comment to set a belief about us. We represent our companies in all of our actions whether we intend to or not. What happens when we don’t communicate effectively and consistently on our pages? We can often lose traction or be considered sloppy in customer service or impact how we are viewed as a leader in our industry.

 Susan Long-Molnar, President of Managing Communications Consulting, will address social media from a public relations and reputation management standpoint in the firm’s newly launched seminar “Is Social Media Hurting or Helping Your Business?”  The seminar will be held at the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, 500 East Main Street Ste. 700, Norfolk VA Contact Sandy Sekeet on April 28^th, 7:45 a.m.-10:00. To register, e-mail l ssekeet@hrccva.com or (757) 664-2530. Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce members pay $15 and non-member $30.

 Attendees will be involved in an interactive forum to learn what impacts a company’s reputation as an aspect of branding on social networking sites, key strategies to improve online reputation, and assistance in how to communicate the value of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and blogs to others in their companies.

• Learn what impacts a company or individual’s reputation as an aspect of branding
• Evaluate your current reputation on social networking sites
• Consider strategies which will improve your social networking reputation
• Take away strategic planning for the rest of the year
• Bonus: Assist you to communicate the value of social networking within your organization.

About the Presenter:
Before transitioning Managing Communications Consulting to a full-service firm in 2002, Susan Long-Molnar served in leadership positions for three large regional operations in Hampton Roads:

• USAA’s Mid-Atlantic Corporate Communications Manager (regional public affairs, community relations, marketing, and internal communications)
• Cox Communications’ internal communications manager for Hampton Roads (during tremendous growth and acquisition of businesses)
• Director of Business Development and Marketing for Sentara Enterprises, Sentara Health System.

For six years, she also served as the Vice President, Corporate Communications/HR for Medical Laboratory Solutions, Inc. which provides hematology and chemistry equipment services to laboratories nationwide.

 Today, Managing Communications Consulting brings marketing, public relations, and internal communications solutions to clients such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Nutrient PLUS, a national fertilizer company, Strickland and Jones, P.C., MEB General Contractors, 5 Star Medical Transport and Silver Car Service, and Tower Benefit Consultants. 

 Susan is a member of the National Speakers Association Virginia Chapter, the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce Norfolk Board, is a LEAD Hampton Roads graduate and currently serves as President of Town Center Kiwanis in Virginia Beach.

 If you would like to engage Long-Molnar for a presentation at your professional association or business, please contact her directly at 757-513-8633 and visit  http://www.managingcommunications.com/training.php for information on additional presentations.

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I love what I do. As a professional communicator for over 25 years and a student of the discipline since I was in high school, I have found the way that we communicate business is a lifelong study. I am the President of Managing Communications Consulting. After communications positions in management for Sentara Health System, Cox Communications, and USAA, my entrepreneurial spirit got the best of me. Why the name when our disciplines revolve around marketing, Public Relations, and internal communications?  Whether the message relates to marketing communications, building a brand or reputation, or redesigning a web site, it is all based on assisting management to strategize and implement effective communications. We welcome you to get to know us better. Please add to the discussions, sharing your own experiences.

Posting Schedule

CommunicateBiz posts every other Wednesdays from its author, other MCC professionals and/or guests.. We take the weeks in between off to rejuvenate and reflect on talk that walks and walking the talk.