(Source)

Paula Deen had a quick fall from grace in 2013. The once lovable, southern-cooking mom admitted to using inexcusable racist language while on the stand during a court appearance. The fall out began almost immediately. She was dropped from her long-standing gig on the Food Channel and lost countless sponsorships. We’re not even going to touch the horrifying public apologies. Needless to say, our job as PR professionals is to find opportunities to assist with image rehabilitation.

Here are 5 action items we think Paula Deen and her team need to embrace in 2014:

1. Start from the Beginning 

Remember what made Paula Deen famous in the first place? In light of all of the recent controversy you might have forgotten. As a reminder, it was her over the top personality and home style recipes. Society needs to be reminded why we fell in love with this Southern belle when her face first graced the television screen. Ms. Deen has her hands in so many projects from cookware to restaurants to live events; maybe it is time to narrow the focus and regroup.

2. Focus on Giving Back

Associate with a charity that has some personal meaning. Paula’s charity, The Bag Lady Foundation is mentioned briefly on her website, but we’d advise her to find a charity that is external from her brand. Focusing on lending her name and time to an organization like the Heart & Stroke or the Diabetes Association (and not just announcing a monetary pledge as she did in 2012) would be a great starting point.

3. YouTube is your New Best Friend

We know Paula Deen isn’t going to be picked up by a network anytime soon, but luckily for her (with today’s technology), she can be a publisher of her own content. The YouTube Channel now functioning for Ms. Deen could use some brushing up. We would recommend a publishing schedule of 3 themed videos weekly, consisting of 5 minute recipes and tips — with Paula in the picture talking direct to camera. The tone should resemble that of the show America came to love back in Paula’s beginning days. Comments need to be monitored and attention to detail on this platform is crucial.

4. Contribute an External Weekly Online Column

Now, we are not talking an opinion-based column, but one focused on the core of Paula Deen: recipes. This column will allow the public to get used to seeing her name again in a non-invasive way. Her YouTube episodes should be embedded into the column, helping to generate reciprocal traffic and acquire subscribers to her channel.

5. Acknowledge Mistakes and Move On

The past is the past, and everyone does make mistakes. The severity of using such offensive language isn’t something the public should ignore, but everyone should be given the chance to correct their wrong doings. If the controversial topic is revisited during any of Paula’s upcoming media engagements (which it will be), she needs to clearly state that she is sorry for her mistakes and move on. No dancing around, no pointing the blame — just a clean-cut sincere apology, and on to the next topic.

The underlining factor here is deciphering whether or not the public is ready to embrace the thought of allowing Paula Deen back into the public eye. Only time will tell what fate lies ahead for Ms. Deen, but one thing is for sure: if she wants to come back, she’ll have to do the work — and rightfully so.

Stay tuned for next week’s Lance Armstrong tips!

Vine, a popular app and social media network where you film 6-second clips, has created many mini-celebrities, such as Jerome Jarre. The French Vine star is known for awkwardly and hilariously incorporating strangers and passers-by in his videos. Before he was becoming a Vine sensation with his videos, Jarre also co-founded the web based, event management software company, Atendy.  Jarre is a perfect example of how you can use your Vine stardom to build your brand.

Launched just this past January, Vine challenges its users to create meaningful and memorable content in just 6-seconds. With attention spans seemingly becoming shorter, it’s no wonder that Vine has become so popular in such a short period of time. You might be wondering how Vine or Instagram videos are different from YouTube, and the biggest difference is that the two apps are strictly designed for use on a mobile device. Since Instagram released its video feature in June, the life of Vine was in jeopardy. However, with pages devoted to sharing funny vines, such as the Best Vines page on Facebook, we can see that the lifeline of Vine continues to be healthy and stable.

Instagram videos offer users a much longer shooting time (15 seconds vs. Vine’s 6 seconds) along with 13 filters and the ability to delete the previously shot scene. Vine is much simpler in that you simply tap to record and post. There is no option to add filters, although they recently updated the app so you can go back to delete and move around scenes before you publish it. While there has been much debate over which app is, for lack of another term, ‘better’, we find that Vine caters to a tighter community but demands creativity because of its short time-frame and simplified editing tools.

If you’re not yet a Vine sensation, you can still make your voice heard and vine-ify your brand. Here are some helpful tips on how to master the popular app:

1. Use stop-motion for effects: The reason why stop-motion videos are so popular (the good ones, at least) is due to the amount of work and thought put into them.  One mistake could ruin the whole clip, meaning users have to go back and record the Vine all over again. Here’s a quick tutorial. Take a look at Target’s use of stop-motion filming for their most recent Halloween-themed Vine:

For more amazing examples, be sure to visit BrandsOnVine.com to get inspired by some of the world’s leading brands and their Vines.

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Last week we wrote about different ways your business or brand can get the most use out of Instagram. This week we’re tackling one that is sometimes slightly more difficult for a brand, as it depends highly on the product and type of business you are promoting.

Many businesses create a Pinterest account because it is one of the many widely used social media platforms. It seems to have become a belief that as long as your account is present, you have a presence in the social media world. This is not true. Many businesses either do not use Pinterest correctly (as well as other social media platforms that we will cover in the next few weeks) or they do not use it at all because they do not see any or enough feedback. Here are ways to use Pinterest in order to get the most for you brand, product or business.

1. Determine your audience: While Instagram is devoted to just images (which can cover a wider scope of businesses and brands), Pinterest is a combination of images and content. It’s also important to remember that Pinterest is a social media platform that caters to DIY crafts, recipes, design tips, fashion, etc. Determine the type of product you are promoting or the nature of your business and whether or not your audience would benefit from your boards/pins. For example, a furniture designer could boost their popularity by pinning images of their past, current or future design projects. One board could be devoted to furniture they have designed, while another board could be devoted to simple, low-cost design ideas for interior spaces. By doing this, they are simultaneously promoting their brand and giving design tips to their followers without appearing to be pushing sales on a specific product.

2. Pinterest takes time: Just like most social media networks, you need to devote a lot of time and patience in order to create meaningful and quality content that will draw attention and get re-pinned. There is no quick and easy way to get thousands of followers and re-pins, so it’s important to be realistic and manage your time accordingly.

3. Stick with a familiar username: If you have a specific username that you have used for your Instagram or Twitter accounts, make sure your Pinterest (and other social media accounts) are the same. If the username is unavailable, alter it (for example a number at the end or a dash in the middle) but keep the name the same. By using your business or brand name for your username, it will be much easier for your customers to find and follow you. When your content gets re-pinned, then your brand or business name becomes visible to a much larger audience.

4. Link  accounts: If you already have established Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts, be sure to link those accounts to your Pinterest. Your followers that are already on Pinterest can now follow you and have access to more of your content.

5. Give your pin boards descriptive names: Boards function as a virtual pinboard where your business or brand can share their latest ideas, designs, etc. Using descriptive names makes it easier to organize your pins and, consequently, your ideas as well. Cluttered boards with mismatched or irrelevant pins are an eye-sore, which could hurt your brand’s reputation by driving away potential customers. Narrowing your boards even further (for example, to specific colours of a certain product) can make it easier for your followers to find a design in that specific colour.

6. Re-pin and follow: Possibly the most important part of Pinterest (we just love alliterations), re-pinning and following businesses or brands similar to your own helps to promote your own business. Re-pinning also helps to get your business’ name out to customers as well as potential clients. If you own a textile company, you could use Pinterest to target a specific designer you would like to work with and re-pin their images. This helps you to network and open up communication between businesses with which you could potentially collaborate.

7. Curating content beyond your brand: This blurb goes hand in hand with the one above in regards to re-pinning. You can devote one specific day a week where you select a unique idea, product or design beyond your brand and re-pin it onto your specific board. You can choose something simple and catchy, such as “Friday Fashion Find.” By curating these unique designs and products, your business is viewed as knowledgeable and up-to-date in the field.

8. Be creative: We’ll keep this one short and sweet. Pinterest is all about creativity! If your pins come off as too serious or are blatantly trying to drive sales, you will lose your followers and your customers’ interest. Pinterest users want to see real people behind the business or brand. By portraying this aspect of reality, or real people behind a business, it enables your costumers to relate more to your product.

We recently uncovered an updated INFOGRAPHIC from 123Print with some new insights that are sure to spark your interest!

Did you know:

• 33% of all companies use blue in their logo.
• 95% only use one or two colours in their logo.
• 41% of logos use only text.
• Blue symbolizes trust and dependability.
• Red evokes action and energy.
• Brown is seen as dependable and simple.

Check out the meaning of other colours, and a handy font guide below!

Today for Film Friday, Embrace Disruption PR founder Cory Stewart discusses the benefit of twitter chats and twitter parties. Find out why they are an excellent way to build your business/brand, and establish yourself as a thought leader!

For more information on twitter chats/parties, click here.

If you are new to LinkedIn, you probably know how overwhelming it can be. It’s one of those places where you are scared to make a mistake because really, there are potential employers and head hunters on there you need to impress. Or, if you’ve had LinkedIn for some time now, perhaps you need to beef up your profile with your newly acquired skills.

LinkedIn is a tool that needs to be updated regularly, so you remain relevant. Here are some tips to help you in creating the best LinkedIn profile that fits your style, industry and accurately reflects all that you can do!

1. Job Title (Headline): Whether you are a student, assistant, intern, consultant or CEO, you should accurately state what your present position is, or what you are capable of. It is acceptable to put your job title, example: Public Relations Assistant at (insert organization here). Or you can try a catchy title that will set you apart from others, such as “Social Media Engager”, but make sure you are in fact everything your headline suggests.

2. Summary: This will determine whether a potential employer will continue to scroll down to your resume or not. This summary must show your personality, your achievements, your education background and job experience all in a couple of sentences! What you say in your summary should all be backed up by the rest of your profile.

3. Past Job Experience: Don’t be afraid to showcase your achievements in the workplace. Remember that this profile is showing potential employers what you can do, so don’t be shy! There should be your title, organization and a description of what that job entailed. Keep it brief and to the point. There is a add on for projects completed. This is a perfect chance to showcase your talent.

4. Education: This is an important aspect, because you need the credentials to back up your experience. Some organizations are looking for that formal training, where others are more concerned with your experience. There is a section where you can add your courses, this is a great idea because it shows potential employers what exactly you did to earn your degree, diploma or certificate.

5. Skills: Choosing a select amount of skills that you are FULLY functional with is a good call. This shows your strengths and the value you would bring to an organization. However, this can also be a damaging thing if you select way too many skills, leaving the potential employer feeling unsure if you are aware of exactly what your skills are -no one is perfect!

6. Profile Photo: Undeniably one of the most important aspects of your profile is the photo. This allows the potential employer to see who you are and a glimpse at your personality. Stay away from photos that show too much skin, have other people in the photo, or show alcohol.

7. Recommendations: Don’t be shy in asking a previous employer or coworker to endorse you on your LinkedIn profile. This adds credibility to you, so potential employers know that others agree with what your profile says about you!

8. Engage: By regularly using LinkedIn to discuss articles of interest in your line of work, joining industry groups or charity organizations makes you an industry influencer. And who wouldn’t want to be that?

The following INFOGRAPHIC from Go-Gulf.com shows how companies structure their social media teams &  what they are using their social media for. Here are some of the more startling facts we uncovered:

• The majority of companies are simply piling social media responsibilities on top of their workers regular duties, with teams of >3 people in charge of social media.
• Only 5% of companies are ‘highly satisfied’ with the social media for their company, yet about 3/4 of them are NOT planning on hiring dedicated social media people
• Most companies are using social media to garner brand awareness so they use the # of likes/followers/subscribers/etc to measure how well they are doing, rather than looking at engagement.

Today one of my Facebook friends (we’ll call her Erin) decided to do something really genius. She is in the process of creating a brand identity for her fashion company and found herself stuck on choosing between 4 different variations of her logo. Rather than hum and haw about which version looked best to her, she took to Facebook and enlisted the opinions of her friends.

Social is starting to play a really key factor in a lot of start-up businesses, and Erin has quickly recognized it’s importance. By throwing out her work into the ‘social sphere’, she was able to garner several opinions (mine included) – but more importantly, she got perspective from the people who matter most. You see, likelihood is that the demographic of her product(s) is closely aligned with that of her Facebook friends. Her eventual consumers are undoubtedly going to be people just like those in her friends list.

Obviously not every company can take advantage of this grass-roots approach due to confidentiality, etc. But what Erin demonstrated today was knowledge that testing your market is paramount to gaining perspective and achieving greater success. Having people with a vested interest in us only a click away provides such a unique opportunity to grow, evaluate and dominate within our independent ventures.

Today Erin reminded me just how powerful social can be, and what an integral part it plays in the businesses of the future. Food for thought!

1. How did you get started as a ‘mommy blogger’? I actually started my blog over a couple years ago after my mom suggested I try it.  She already had a “dog blog” and since she knows I’m passionate about writing, thought it would be a great fit.  Writing has always been a creative outlet for me, and the chance to share my thoughts with other people from all over was intriguing and motivating!  I was home with my two young kids and had the itch to start writing again, so what better way than to base my blog on what’s most familiar to me; my family.

2. How did you build an audience, and how long did it take?  My blog was casual and slow in the beginning, as the first year was just odd postings here and there since my kids were so small and demanded so much of my attention and time.  I actually only had a few followers during that time! Once I started posting regularly and joining blog hops, I saw a steady increase in my audience and it was encouraging to see my blog growing and attracting different people from all around the world.  Being active in the blogging community is key in gaining traffic and building an audience.

3. You do a lot of reviews and recommendations on your site – was this always the objective?  Not at all actually.  When I first started my blog, my daughter had just been diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy and it was a way for me to express my thoughts and feelings about that, and connect with other parents going through similar experiences.  As my kids got a little more independent and I could focus on my blog more, I started posting my thoughts on favourite products I use in my own home.  I’ve always loved sharing with friends and family products that I love and have made a positive impact in my everyday living.  If you find something good, why not share it, right?  I noticed other bloggers were working with companies on reviews and once I started reading more into it and learning about it, felt it would be perfect for my blog.  I wanted to share family friendly products to my readers and present them with my honest opinion on them.  I want my blog to be a place people can trust and feel confident in knowing that the reviews presented are 100% my own honest opinion of my experiences with the products.

4. Do you work with companies/brands to expose their products? What happens if you don’t like something?  The one thing I love, is introducing readers to companies/brands that they haven’t heard of before, have heard of but haven’t tried or have wanted to try but needed to know an opinion first.  I’ve worked with so many companies who have AMAZING products that I would have never known about otherwise and am now in love with that deserve the exposure.  So many people will read a review and comment similar to, “Wow, I’d never heard of this (company and/or product) before but am now intrigued and want one or want to learn more!”.  It’s a great feeling working with companies who are doing something wonderful and deserve the recognition.  Fortunately, I have not come across a product for review that I’ve had a completely negative experience with (knock on wood), but if that were to happen, I would simply let the company know my thoughts first before posting a review and leave that up to them whether they’d still like it posted or not.  I would never post a negative review without alerting the company first.  I prefer to keep an uplifting atmosphere on my blog and introducing positive products that will compliment any lifestyle and family.

5. What do you enjoy most about being a mommy blogger?  I love the connections and friendships I’ve made with people, like other fabulous bloggers, as well as relationships I’ve built with some wonderful companies.  I am so fortunate that I’m able to be home with my kids, while pursuing my passion of writing and staying socially connected.  Social media is such a great platform for being involved with others and keeping up with our world as it evolves and my blog allows me the freedom to be with my family while doing something enjoyable for myself as well.  The possibilities with blogging are endless and there’s so much to explore!

6. What advice do you have for aspiring mommy bloggers? Be unique by being yourself.  Write about what comes easy to you and what’s most familiar in your life.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help either.  Bloggers are extremely generous in offering advice to others and I’ve learned a lot from my fellow blogger friends.  Also, be involved!  If you’re involved in social media and supporting other blogs, you’ll find your blog will benefit as well.  Establishing those relationships with others is important to keeping your blog active and gaining support.

Remember to check out Brandi’s blog: Yee Wittle Things, and follow her on Twitter!

1. 3.9 million women with children write blogs in the US. By 2014, that number will jump to 4.4 million.  (eMarketer)

2. 55% of active (daily) social media moms said they made their purchase because of a recommendation from a personal review blog. (NPD Group, Inc. via Technorati)

3. 18.3 million internet users who are moms read blogs at least once a month. (eMarketer)

4. One in four of moms have purchased a children’s product because of a recommendation from a social networking site or blog. Half of all moms use social media while watching TV. (NPD Group, Inc. via SFGate)

5. 90% of moms are online vs. just 76% of women in general. (eMarketer)

None of these stats are extremely surprising, but it does bring to attention that Moms make up a large part of the Internet. Because of their huge presence, along with the amount they’re sharing, commenting, and recommending – it’s important that brands take note. The truth is, when a Mom recommends something to another Mom – the credibility is significantly higher than a broadcasted message from a brand. Imagine what social media and blogging has done to make this ‘word of mouth’ recommendation system insanely scalable! Food for thought – and as it turns out, Mom IS always right.

Can you think of any brands that may not have chosen their colour so wisely?

Source: Fastcompany.com

1. Fast Company

Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and focuses on technology, business, and design. Fast Company’s current editor is Robert Safian, who previously worked with Fortune, Time, and Money. The magazine has won numerous industry awards. (source: Wikipedia)

I really loved sifting through the pages of this magazine: it was a super easy read. Plus, it had a lot of great article insights on innovation in the tech and start-up world. Article of note? The Pivot.

Source: nymag.com

2. New York Magazine

New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New Journalism. (source: Wikipedia)

Being that New York is one of the handful of places that I think makes up the centre of the universe, it’s only natural that I would show huge interest in this mag. Not only are there pieces about NY culture and life, but also some great business articles and current events. Reader be aware – this magazine is TEXT heavy, so get your reading glasses! Article of note?  Hello, I Am Sabu…

Source: strategyonline.ca

3. Strategy Magazine

strategy™ uncovers and shares the “bold vision, brand new ideas” of Canada’s national marketing community. They deliver on this tagline via the monthly strategy magazine, strategyevents, as well as various initiatives with industry partners – from the CASSIES to their presence at Cannes. (source: StrategyOnline.ca)

This magazine is always delivered to my office – and I look forward to reading it cover to cover monthly. It’s important to keep an eye on all innovation within the Canadian market, and strategy serves as a great digest for all the hottest insights. Article of note? McDonalds Transparent Fast Food Mission.

4. Toronto Life

Toronto Life is a monthly Canadian magazine about entertainment, politics and life in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Life also publishes a number of annual special interest guides about the city, including Home Decor, Stylebook, Eating & Drinking, Real Estate and Weddings.(source: Wikipedia)

A little under-rated, but a reading necessity for Torontonians – heck, for Canadians! There’s plenty of relevant content that’s focused on the ‘hub’ of Ontario, but also some great value for readers across the nation. Article of note? Trouble In Condoland.

Image Source: torontolife.com

Source: forbes.com

5. Forbes

Forbes needs no introduction – and I think we all know the article of note on this one.. everyone take a moment of silence, this marks the first time Justin Bieber is mentioned on Embrace Disruption. Read the article here.

What about you? Do you have any magazines you simply MUST read each month? Share them in the comments!

For those of you who don’t know about Foursquare, it’s a location based mobile application and website that allows people to check in at various venues. A pet food company decided to utilize foursquare in an ingenious way, and made a little video to explain their campaign.

At the moment, there’s plenty of great rewards to be had all over Canada on foursquare – and they’re not just for your pets. Definitely download this application if you haven’t already, and start rewarding yourself on your everyday travels!

Do you use foursquare? Have you ever received something for using it? Let me know in the comments below.

1. CasieStewart.com

Nope, there’s no relation (besides maybe being members of IAA – Internet Addicts Anonymous). Casie is always on the cusp of digital – constantly sharing her perspective about product/conference/more. Her image heavy content is always a pleasure to sift through, and you can literally get LOST in her site for hours, so have some fun!

2. ListenToLena.com

A social media expert, lifestyle blogger, and mom. Lena always is able to take relatable experiences and share her insights with the world. She also has a great perspective on new products – and some sweet giveaways!

3. OnTheFourthFloor.com

This blog is run by rock-it promotions. The entire staff is dedicated to highlighting the best in lifestyle, fashion, digital, and more. Each day marks a new and exciting post into the world of this PR firm, and they continue to churn out great content for their readers! Definitely worth checking out, if only for the DIY tips.

4. BunchFamily.ca

A fab site for the foodie in me. I can always count on Bunch to serve up some delicious content, along with some family fun. A big shout out to Bunch recently for their coverage on LGBT parenting – this topic is often sifted over by some family-oriented sites, and Bunch makes a real effort to provide their perspective. Definitely a fun place to look for the whole family.

5. 12Most.com

The name says it all. The 12 Most ______________ – articles that are all based around lists of 12. From professional to ridiculous, it’s always fun to just explore what this team of bloggers have come up with each day. Caution – you will spend a LOT of time looking around on this page!

Also, I mentioned yesterday that I would be posting video of the FourPin+ presentation I gave today. Sadly, the video on my iPhone did not produce the quality I would’ve liked – so I’ll be posting an updated narrated version of the slides from yesterday. Look for that in the near future!

One of the first questions mailed in is one that I encounter more often than you’d think, so I thought it necessary to start here:

“How can I get my twitter following to engage more with my brand?”

To be honest, there’s no “right” answer to this question, but there are some suggestions I can provide you with to hopefully spark some conversation.

On the content side of things, I think the most important thing to remember here is that when representing a brand, you should not always be in “sell” mode. Tweets should be treated as a conversational tool, and if done properly can develop a more rounded personality for your brand. It’s important that when tweeting, you treat each one as though you were writing a headline on a national paper. Stay relevent, and always ask yourself if what you’re about to tweet would interest you if you saw it.

There are ways to really build out your content and make it “must-see” writing. Some of the basic guidelines around building out engagement involve sharing relevant and interesting articles, but also reaching out to your audience and participating in their conversations. It’s important to not only be a broadcaster, but additionally a fantastic listener. Some of the best twitter presences will often engage a lot based on the content their followers are sharing and really listen to what others are saying. It’s important to remember that even from behind the facade of the computer, all these tweets are coming from real people. Finally, if you’re still struggling – there’s always contesting. It’s an easy way to get the ball rolling – and everyone loves the chance to win something (no matter how big or small the prize value is). I will caution that although it can bring great success, contesting should not be your sole strategy to engage with an audience on twitter – it’s more of a complement to your everyday content.

I hope this spurs some creativity when you approach writing your tweets in the future, and thank you so much for writing in! For more insight on twitter, have a look at “Follower Count Is Wrong: 5 Steps To Measure Online Influence Properly”.

Do you have a question you’d like answered? Click here to submit one!

Imagine a system where if a product scans with an incorrect price at the cashier’s till, it becomes FREE! Well, guess what? I’m here to tell you that this imaginary system is actually a reality, and it’s called the “Scanner Price Accuracy Voluntary Code”.

There’s a few minor stipulations:

“If the scanned price of a non-price ticketed item is higher than the shelf price or any other displayed price, the customer is entitled to receive the item free, up to a $10 maximum. When the item has a price tagged, the lowest price applies. When identical items are incorrectly priced, the second one will be sold at the correct price.” (Source: http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca)

Who Participates?

The Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores (CACDS)
Shoppers Drug Mart
The Groupe Jean Coutu (NB and Ont only)
Lawton Drug Stores
London Drugs
Lovell Drugs
Pharma-save (BC and Sask)

The Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors (CCGD)
Canada Safeway Limited
The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company of Canada Limited
Loblaw Companies Limited
Sobeys Inc.
Metro Inc.
Thrifty Foods
Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd.
Co-op Atlantic
Federated Co-operatives Limited

The Retail Council of Canada (RCC)
Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd.
The Home Depot Canada
Canadian Tire Corporation Ltd.
Toys r Us
Shoppers Drug Mart
Wal*Mart Canada Corp.
Giant Tiger Stores Ltd.
The North West Company
Best Buy/Future Shop ( in implementation stage)
2 Home Hardware franchisees

The Federation of Independent Grocers (FIC)
Thrifty Foods
Overwaitea Food Group
The Harry Watson Group
Longos Brothers Fruit Markets

As well as over 1000 independent locations

So next time you’re at the cash register, keep your eyes peeled! The sale price that you thought was FANTASTIC could end up being better than you think!

Want more info? Click here.

Have a story about redeeming this policy? Share it in the comments!

1. Search Their Username: Generally speaking, a truly engaged twitter user will have many mentions and retweets throughout the day. A simple and easy way to see if people are talking with them is to either search up their username in twitter’s search field – or use a simple tool like Twinitor. Remember, it’s not always the number of followers a person has, it’s WHO and HOW they’re engaging with them.

2. Look At Their Follower Count Ratio: This can be a very telling sign that someone is using a ‘bot’ to gain followers. If someone has 12,000 followers and they’re following 13,000: you can easily deduct that they simply followed a ton of tweeps to gain the ever-so-precious follow back.

3. Klout or Kred: These 2 sites are built to assist in measuring people’s online influence. Although they’re not the be-all end-all in scoring, they can (along with these other tips) gain you a more well-rounded perspective.

4. Look At Their Followers: Don’t be lazy. If you spend a few minutes going through the follower list of the person in question, you’ll get a pretty good idea as to what kind of influence they have (and what kind of people they’re influencing)

5. Fully Connect: When involving influencers and bloggers, it should be more than a couple of minutes of decision-making. In essence, these people will end up being extensions of yourself or your brand. One wrong selection could have a rather nasty effect – so make sure you’re googling, reading past blog posts, and even connecting with them personally before the moment of involvement.

Have some other tips, or want to recommend some fab bloggers or influencers? Sign off in the comments!

1. The Executor

The title speaks volumes. This individual is fantastic at getting the job done, and will accomplish all that you ask of them. They work while they’re at work, and when the time comes – they ‘punch-out’ and return to their daily lives and families. This type generally is apt to have a strong list of outside hobbies, and interests beyond their work.

2. The Die Hard

No, not the action packed Bruce Willis type, but the individual who doesn’t (and can’t) leave their work at their desk. These people wake up in the morning with their mind ‘a-buzz’, pre-calculating their days and constantly diverting to work related subjects in their heads (on and off the clock). These people tend to be driven by a certain passion that simply won’t rest until they’ve proven themselves, or contributed to a self-dictated bench mark of their liking.

I find that I tend to fall into type 2 regularly, as I’m always thinking about what I can do to make the product or service I’m working on better. My friends and family would agree: I always have something to input, and I certainly won’t hold back an opinion if I feel strongly about it.

Now both motivational types are extremely valuable to a company: one finds pure enjoyment in fulfilling what’s required and can turn the ‘work switch’ off, while the other’s passion drives them to an unparallelled loyalty to their company or brand objectives. I feel that part of a great workplace is having a balance of talent to compliment each other: there’s absolutely no point in a group of same-minded people working together. That will leave a zero percent chance that as a team, you’ll uncover ground breaking territory and really innovate as the world demands today.

Now it’s your turn to sound off: what ‘type’ are you, and what do you find motivates you in the workplace? I’d love to hear your comments and thoughts on this subject, and welcome any feedback or questions.