Month: January 2011

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Credible Board Leadership

business partners in suits shaking hands

To bring about change directors should be comfortable with their role as leaders. They should also be comfortable with the traits that they must display in order to build credibility with their followers, both within the boardroom and beyond.

In the definition of Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner,[1] credibility is all about the way in which leaders earn the trust of their followers and about what followers demand as a necessary prerequisite to willingly following. Many directors have had successful executive careers before embarking on board pursuits. Leadership in an executive situation is often facilitated by authority or power. In the boardroom there is no such facilitation and the leadership skills must be honed to maximum effectiveness, especially if one director is attempting to change the thinking of the rest of the team.

Few directors receive any additional leadership skills training after moving on from their executive roles and yet this is probably the career point when leadership is most needed.

In Kouzes and Posner’s research over the last twenty years covering diverse organisations and geographic locations they found four traits to be the key to credibility as a leader. If a director can demonstrate those traits then he or she is well on the way to leading the organisation towards the culture and actions that will satisfy his or her personal passion.

Followers choose leaders who are honest, forward looking, competent and inspiring (in that order of preference). This is a simple check list for a director wishing to change the way the board addresses an issue. Is the change honestly in the best (even if long term) interests of the organisation? Is the director acting honestly and in good faith in proposing the change? Has the director thought through the future implications of the proposed change? How can this forethought be demonstrated and communicated? What special skills make the director an authority on this issue? Skills from experience, such as suffering from a disease or being a helper of disadvantaged persons, are as valid as formal qualifications but it is important to let others know how the competence has been achieved. And finally; what outcome could be achieved that will inspire board members to follow your lead? What is in it for the organisation, for society and for them?

It is also important to remember that leadership is personal. As Kouzes and Posner put it “If people don’t believe in the messenger, they won’t believe the message”. All board members should strive to demonstrate their personal and ongoing commitment to the organisation and its aims and to demonstrate their own honesty, forethought, and competence.

Here is a model that I have found useful when analysing my own behaviour and impact in a board situation:

Diagram
Model for analysing leadership impact

Thinking through what I am attempting to achieve and what I skills will be required to apply allows me to focus efficiently. Thinking about the behavioural preferences of the board members allows me to modify my own behaviour to give my message the best chance of being heard and understood. Understanding why I am seeking to achieve the outcome allows me to position this strategically and also to signal how important I believe the issue to be. Finally, thinking through my network of friends (aka unpaid mentors!) allows me to consider and attain additional information that may assist my cause.

Leadership development is an important aspect of the director role, and not just something that is recommended for executives. All directors should review their own leadership skills from time to time and determine what and how to improve.

What do you think?

[1] Kouzes, J, and Posner, B, Credibility: How leaders gain it and lose it, why people demand it, Jossey-Bass, 2003

Julie Garland-McLellan has been internationally acclaimed as a leading expert on board governance. See her website and LinkedIn profiles, and get her books Dilemmas, Dilemmas: Practical Case Studies for Company Directorsand Presenting to Boards.

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Choosing the Words of Strategy

Coworkers having a virtual meeting with their boss

The strategist is one who is concerned about the future of his or her personal, family or organizational life, and spends time and thought considering the best possible direction upon which to set forth. Yes, this makes us all strategists.

Abraham Lincoln, Strategic Communicator
Abraham Lincoln used the language of empathy and metaphor to communicate strategy to the Amercian people.

Strategy is, simply, chosen direction. Smaller, perhaps, than the mission or purpose of an individual, group, or organization — strategy can nonetheless be considered the directions we choose in our quest toward mission fulfillment. To establish direction, a strategy must be articulated to others.

That is, in addition to establishing a course for the future, one must get others on board for the ride. Influential strategists Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad posit that strategic leaders must not stop at analysis and resolve, they must spend quality time engaging others in understanding the chosen strategy.

So as a planner of strategy, you too must spend considerable time communicating… expressing… teaching… articulating. You must find ways to lead, inspire and move others. How to do this? Let’s look to one of the greatest communicators in history, Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln’s deep empathy for the people of America motivated him to agonize over finding just the right words to truly articulate his vision of the future. Gary Wills points out in Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America that in Lincoln’s three minute address during the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetery, he reestablished the meaning to which Americans attribute the Constitution.

Surely, you recognize the words, which began: “four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

This brief introductory sentence encapsulates what we now remember as what the American Civil War was about – freedom and equality for all people. Gary Wills and other historians tell us, though, that until Lincoln spoke these words, these ideals were not what the war “was about.” Wills says that today the Civil War means, to most Americans, “what Lincoln wanted it to mean.”

The majority of Southerners fighting in the war were not slave owners. Rather, many believed that they were fighting for a “way of life.” Larger issues such as the dynamics of the Southern economy also contributed to the situation. At the 1864 gathering at Gettysburg, Lincoln knew that he needed to articulate what the nation was fighting for — and he did.

Lincoln’s facility for expression — his “way with words” – enabled him to frame the meaning of the war for the people of his day in a manner that would empower Americans to frame their quest for civil rights a century later, and to the present day.

Lincoln’s use of the Declaration’s phrase about all men being equal elevated the notion to a single, supreme proposition about which we must all agree. Wills says that “by accepting the Gettysburg Address, its concept of a single people dedicated to a proposition, we have been changed. Because of it, we live in a different America.”

Now from Lincoln back to you. Remember that you are surely the master strategist for something. Whether we are talking about your own life, that of your family, or that of an organization you help to lead, it is important to articulate a desired direction for the future. To talk about the future in the manner that Lincoln did, try the following:

1) Don’t just state facts and numbers. Speak in emotional terms in order to connect with other people. Talk about the meaning of the places and accomplishments toward which you travel. A great way to bring emotion and meaning into your words is through story telling. Lincoln was a master story teller, endearing him to those around him. For more on this, look for an article called Story Telling that Moves People containing an interview with Robert McKee, in the June 2003 issue of Harvard Business Review. You can download it from HBR.org, or write to me at markrho@mindspring.com and I’ll send you a synopsis.

2) Use metaphors and imagery to convey a larger meaning. Lincoln’s well known metaphor that “a house divided cannot stand’ served to perfectly state his strategic position on matters of cessation. As another, Lincoln’s use of the phrase “the mystic chords of memory,” invoked a rich and spiritual understanding of how the American people are connected to each other… people of the north and south… people of the past and the present. A metaphor always draws the reader or listener from a specific matter in the here and now to a more general and larger truth to be told. For more thoughts on the use of metaphor in strategy, see my blog post called Metaphors Be With You: The Strategist as Poet.

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How to Agreeably Disagree in 4 Steps

Female employee raising hand for asking question at conference in office boardroom

In today’s business world, it is imperative to be able to disagree with tact and professionalism. My coaching clients find themselves in situations where they disagree with others, yet need to rely on these same people to get work done. The way you tell someone that you disagree really matters. Agreeably Disagree is a helpful technique that lets you disagree with someone without damaging the relationship.

Here are 4 Steps to Agreeably Disagree:

1. Listen – avoid cutting people off. Never tell them they are wrong – hear them out.

2. Acknowledge the other person’s idea/opinion/point of view by saying something like:

“I hear what you are saying”

“You have some points that make sense”

“I have not thought about it that way”

“That is an interesting perspective”

“I can see why you see it that way”

“I understand why you say that”

“I hear where you are coming from”

Be aware of your body language. Your words need to be congruent with your actions. If you roll your eyes while acknowledging, they will not believe that you are earnest.

3. Pause briefly. Use silence effectively. Do not start out with “but, however, nevertheless”. These negative filler words will negate the fact that you are trying to hear them out. They often put people on the defensive and break down the communication.

4. State your idea/opinion/point of view by starting out with something like:

“In my experience, I…”

“My understanding is different. I …”

“Have you considered…”

“What about…”

“The literature/evidence says…”

“Because of …, I think…”

“The data I collected shows…”

Be sure to include evidence, facts, examples, personal experience, or data to substantiate your viewpoint.

By using the Agreeably Disagree technique, you preserve and strengthen the relationship by showing the other person that you heard them and respect them – even when you disagree.

For more resources, see the Library topic Personal and Professional Coaching.

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Pam Solberg-Tapper MHSA, PCC – I spark entrepreneurial business leaders to set strategy, take action, and get results. How can I help you? Contact me at CoachPam@cpinternet.com ~ Linkedin ~ 218-340-3330

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Storing Good Will

A-young-female-entrepreneur-writing-on-a-white-board

Often it takes nothing more than honesty to garner large shares of good will from stakeholders. Despite how vicious initial responses can be, people are surprisingly willing to forgive even major mistakes if they receive an apology and a simple explanation as to how the issue will be prevented in the future. In an interview for B to B Magazine, Jet Blue director of corporate communications Jenny Dervin explained how her organization has utilized this strategy with great success:

“The first was an ice storm that took place in 2007 in New York,” Dervin said. “Other airlines stopped flying, but JetBlue did not. We were only seven years old. Our operational decisions hadn’t yet caught up with our size, and we were caught with our pants down.”

Dervin said the company worked to fix that blot on its reputation with email notes of apology to every one of its customers, and it announced a customer bill of rights detailing compensation in the event of future problems.

“We got out in front and asked people to forgive us,” Dervin said. “It got to the point where reporters asked when we would stop apologizing. But it’s important to realize that customers want to hear an explanation only after you apologize.”

That early PR problem prompted JetBlue to become a devotee of social media to keep track of any issues that might be brewing. The company now maintains an early warning system that is Twitter-based. A full-time staff of 17 employees monitors all mentions of the company on the microblogging site. Top executives receive reports on the most prominent positive and negative comments each day.

The company’s embrace of social media paid off in February 2010, when it faced the prospect of another winter storm.

“This time we decided to pull operations and used social media through our official blog,” Dervin said. The company explained its situation and posted links to content explaining how weather was affecting aviation, which resulted in 250,000 impressions.

“You build good will during daily engagement with customers, and then cash it in when you need to,” Dervin said.

One thing many of these community-engagement stories have in common is the organization’s use of social media. Obviously smaller businesses don’t need a full time staff to monitor this arena, setting automated alerts and devoting a small amount of time daily will yield many opportunities to connect and communicate with stakeholders on a personal, yet public, basis.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training.]

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10 Ways to Prepare for a Winning Team Presentation

A team having a team high five happily

Once your team presentation is developed, you will want to begin the process of preparing everyone for delivery of the presentation. Your goal here is to make each team member as comfortable and confident as possible, so dedicate whatever time it takes to get everyone ready individually and as a team. It is also a great time to reconsider each role; is each individual capable of pulling their weight? If not, do you have time to develop them, or arrange for them to have some special training or coaching to get them ready? Here are 10 suggestions for successful preparation:

1. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. When pulling together a team presentation, it is important that everyone become familiar with presentation content, visual aids, and transitions between presenters. Because everyone presents in a unique way, it is critical that the team practice together in order to reach a high level of comfort with the presentation and each other.

2. Request that all team members rehearse their respective parts before the team practice. Practicing out loud – at least 3 times, and saying the words differently each time will help build confidence and spontaneity. Having team members practice in their heads won’t work as well as actually saying it out loud, so encourage informal practice sessions. A great practice technique is to video practice sessions and review them for timing, content and delivery.

3. Assign a timekeeper so you can be sure that each speaker can deliver his/her content in the time allowed. It is critical that you are able to end on time and allow opportunities for questions, while still getting across all of your essential points. It might be a wise move to brainstorm ways to speed up if you fall behind, or if you get a late start.

4. Include introductions as part of your preparation and rehearsal. The team leader should be ready with a brief, succinct introduction of what’s to come and who the key presenters are. State the overall theme. Also find the most relevant things to say about each presenter other than simply their name and title.

5. Ace openings and closings. When used properly, these bind the presentation into a smooth, cohesive effort. The first and last things you say often set the stage for success, and may be the key things that are remembered, so plan and rehearse openings and closings thoroughly.

6. Plan and rehearse transitions, the bridging elements that conclude one section and start another. They can create a common thread, so when one speaker finishes, the next begins logically. Example: “So that’s an overview of the history of our firm and the work we focus on. Next Mary will show you some examples of recent projects.”

7. Design your presentation so it limits the number of transitions between team members. One transition per group member is a good rule of thumb. Going back and forth between speakers just adds to the complexity of the presentation.

8. Prepare for the no-show. One “worst case scenario” is that one of your team members is avoidably detained from attending your presentation. Have team members prepare different parts of the presentation so that each part has a “lead” and an “understudy.” You may wish to have the understudy and the key presenter prepare and rehearse together.

9. Do a final run-through. Assemble a small live audience to serve as a sounding board. Think of this as a dress rehearsal before opening night. It’s likely you’ll still find things to improve upon, so allow a few days to make final adjustments.

10. Plan ahead for Q&A. Decide beforehand who will answer certain subject areas, or which cues to use to invite other speakers to address the question. The team leader can direct questions to the appropriate team member.

Time for preparing and rehearsing a presentation is always a challenge, and it is even more so when you are working as a team. Remember what is riding on this presentation; a successful proposal, a new client, or a new project? If it is important enough to bring the team along to the presentation, it is probably well worthwhile to take the proper time and steps to prepare and rehearse thoroughly.

How does your team prepare for critical presentations?

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HR Skills Needed Now

HR-staff-sitting-in-her-office-and-looking-at-the-camera

“This research clearly shows that the days of bloated HR organizations focused on administrative tasks are over,” said Josh Bersin, chief executive officer and president, Bersin & Associates. “Lean, technology-enabled, well-trained HR teams are able to take advantage of modern talent practices and partner with business leaders to drive impact.”

The above quote by Bersin is in response to a two year global study released by Bersin & Associates that examined HR effectiveness in organizations. The study further found that the effectiveness of HR has a significant impact on the performance of the organization. The old model of the HR as administrator is not effective and according to the study, HR departments are not prepared for the new role. This new role requires that HR is skilled in areas such as technology, social media, sourcing top talent, identifying and developing leaders, compensation, and driving performance through effective coaching and feedback.

If you are in the role of HR and still see your job as administrative and compliance driven, this study should scare you. Companies will not be able to afford to have these missing skill sets in the future. The role is too critical and failure will not be an option.

Do you think this why we are currently seeing a trend that those in top HR roles in companies come from different business units? If you are in HR and you don’t get the business, learn it or step aside. And while it was stated in the press release of the study that these are the future skills of HR, I say they are the here and the now.

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com or visit www.sherimazurek.com. Follow me on twitter @Sherimaz.

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V is for Vulnerable

A-female-worker-advicing-business-owners-on-financial-brilliance.

I struggled with this entry for a couple of reasons. I wasn’t sure is vulnerable was the “right” word to explore and I wasn’t sure what I would write about it. Now I know why I struggled, I needed to live it not write about it.

Last week I had two things happen to me that being vulnerable is the perfect way to describe how I felt. When we lead with our spirits in our work, we open up the risk to being exposed to criticism, rejection or other tough things that can deflate our spirits. However, our vulnerability can help others in a profound way.

Setting a good example in a disappointing event

I wrote a gratitude reflection called from Entitlement to Enlightenment about the experience I had with thinking I was entitled to have Lasik surgery to realizing how disappointed I was to find out that I probably won’t be able to. The enlightenment came when I was vulnerable and realized that lack of gratitude I’ve had for years of my eyes. Focusing on this new gratitude enabled me to experience not new eyesight, but new insight. I shared my reflection with a friend who also was planning for Lasik surgery as well this month. She just emailed how sharing my initial struggle to eventually gratitude helped her. She wrote,

Janae,

Ever since reading about your experience with the eye doctor and not being able to have the surgery I have really thought about how lucky i was to have contacts. (Not thankful for glasses as they give a headache. 🙂 )

Today I went for a second consultation. This doctor with much more experience and education has told me that I am not a candidate in his opinion. I was shocked; I didn’t expect to hear this at all. I was told that if I go and have a certain test done at another clinic that has a special machine that perhaps it could be an option, but didn’t look promising. I am not doing this test.

If I had never read your experience and how you handled the news with such grace and gratitude I think I would have cried at the doctor’s office. I am disappointed, but it could be worse. And thank god that I can wear contacts.

Thank you so much for setting such a wonderful example of how to find good in a disappointing event. You are a blessing to me. – Shelley

Don’t wait to get hit in the head to “get it”

I know that we need to live our messages, but I didn’t realize to what extent! I was the presenter for the first annual Women Connect retreat at my alma mater, the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Nearly fifty women signed up to spend the morning with me learning how to live a grateful and inspired life.

Excited to share my life’s work and passion, I’m getting set up for the morning. The last thing I have to do is to set up my booth of books and products. I go to unstrap the bungee cord that has my two crates of products secured to it and it flings up and smacks me directly above my right eye on my forehead. I’m shocked and not quite sure what happened. The blood gushing out indicates that it was serious. Safety and Security inform me that I’ll need to get some stitches and will need to do so now.

I’m confused as to what’s happening as I’m supposed to be the one leading the retreat. So I start sharing with wonderful Women Connect team how they can get started while I go to urgent care and get stitched up. Well urgent care didn’t work out so good and we needed to go to the ER instead. The doctor there confidently gives me three stitches. While waiting for Sara in the ER lobby, who has been graciously escorting me all morning, I’m thinking about my husband’s response that I’ll have to find something witty to share back to the group with what happened. I open the newsletter/magazine called Essential Wellness. The first page article is the one titled as this tile. I couldn’t believe it, this was my witty opener when I came back.

I arrive back at St. Thomas with 15 minutes remaining of the presentation. I walk into the room and receive a standing ovation. I’m in awe and share how I received my only standing ovation for not saying a word! Then I share my witty “getting hit on the head/getting it” opener. The audience laughs again.

I’m still reflecting on what happened and why it happened. Throughout the whole experience I felt vulnerable as something like this has never happened to me before. I believe everything happens for a reason yet it hasn’t all been revealed yet why this has happened to me. Was it that I didn’t need to say anything but to just live the message I was saying? Was it that the morning needed to take a different direction that I had planned? Was it that I needed to come back for a follow up? Was it that I needed this to happen so that I can get it? Was it that now I’ll forever have a great opener for other audiences? For whatever reason it was meant to happen, I’ll trust God’s plan.

Later that evening I take the time to actually read the article. The author/editor talks about her experience of getting hit on the head and the importance of “getting right back on the saddle again.” Was this the reason it happened, to encourage me to get back on the saddle? She also shares later how she hit her head again and then she learned she needed to do something different. Was this hit on my head a wake up call for me to be doing something different?

Was it a way to reinforce my mission encouraging people to get it – the heart of what matters most to them? Was it so that I could write this gratitude reflection and share it with you? Often times we don’t know why things happen, we just need to be grateful that it’s something that’s suppose to happen that will help us “get it” – and hopefully for you, you won’t need to get hit the head like me to discover it.

In what ways has your vulnerability benefited others?

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.
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Your Competitive Edge: Have Skills Will Travel

-project-coach-explaining-project-points-to-a-fellow-worker.

have skills will travelWhat do you bring to the employment table?

As organizations continue to change -they’ll grow, restructure, merge, right size, outsource – an increasingly vital career strategy is to make sure your competitive edge continues to be well honed, razor sharp, and very, very productive.

Get this image in your mind—you are carrying a large suitcase or portfolio that holds all of your skills, experiences, and accomplishments. It is unique to you. You carry it, wherever you go. Is it heavy with many skills or is it light with only a few? Do you know if your portfolio would be of value in lots of different places or just a limited few?

Periodically inspect your skills portfolio.
Realize you are more than your job description. Rather, define yourself by what you do well and where you can use them. Which skills are state-of-the-art and in great demand? Which skills are somewhat rusty that need to be improved? How many are transferable to other areas inside your organization or even outside to other companies or industries?

Think resume in everything you do.
At the end of each year, whether you are looking for a new job or not, take the time to write or update your resume and compare it with last year’s. See if it has gotten noticeably better. See if it shows growth either in skills and competencies or in high valued assignments or projects?

Take charge of your career.
So, are you waiting for the company to magically tell you what you need to do? Or are you taking responsibility to keep your skills and expertise up to date and marketable? How often do you…

  • Examine your skills portfolio on a regular basis?
  • Determine if you have both breath and depth in your functional area?
  • Pinpoint specific skills and knowledge that you need to acquire or upgrade?
  • Periodically review educational opportunities that may help your career advancement?
  • Evaluate each potential assignment on the merits of growth, exposure and visibility to key people? Not all are equal.

Career Success Tip:

Your career security in a changing workplace lies less in your position and more in how marketable you are inside and outside your organization. So, have transferrable skills and therefore you will travel. View yourself as a roving skills portfolio to stay employable the rest of your life.

Readers, what skills do you think will be necessary to succeed in the future?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

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U.S. Latino Marketing – Part 2 of 2

Marketing written on a wall with sticky notes

Resources for Hispanic Lifestyle Market Research

Demographic statistics on the Hispanic market, as sourced in the previous post, give important analytic information. But when it comes down to really getting to know your audience, it takes another perspective – LIFESTYLE insights.

These Hispanic market news and article sources let you see what statistics don’t – what’s important to this niche and how they feel about their world.

Hispanic News & Lifestyle Sources

Hispanic Market Weekly

Hispanic Market Weekly is the leading authority on news and events moving the Hispanic market. No other information source has Hispanic Market Weekly’s unparalleled expertise and the power of the internet to bring its readers in-depth coverage of the people, companies and trends that influence the U.S. Latino market. For the past twelve years, Hispanic Market Weekly has offered market professionals exclusive knowledge, research and analysis and provided them with a clearer picture of market behavior.

Hispanic Marketing (AdAge)

AdAge online is a subscription news service, with a free registration that allows registered users access to certain content, including “Hispanic Alerts”, an email delivered in English covering Hispanic related News. https://adage.com/register.php Registered users can sign up for any of Advertising Age’s suite of email products, participate in polls and share their opinion, or purchase individual articles or article packs. Only paid subscribers have full access to the articles on adage.com.

Hispanic PR Wire

Hispanic PR Wire is a division of PR Newswire – the global leader in news and information distribution services for professional communicators. Hispanic PR Wire is the premiere news distribution service reaching U.S. Hispanic media and opinion leaders. Membership entitles you to a host of unmatched, U.S. Hispanic-focused communication services. Value-added services for members include:

  • Access to the world’s most comprehensive Hispanic news distribution services
  • Guaranteed story placements on leading Latino news
  • Web sites with EVERY press release distribution, national or local Ability to include logo(s) with distribution of any news release
  • Ability to make any release an Interactivo Release. Interactivo Releases include posting of your press release alongside any photos, PDFs and a live website preview on HispanicPRWire.com.

Hispanicad.com

HispanicAd.com provides news and information, including photos and data from the USA, Latin America and the Caribbean. It’s information put together by Hispanics for our Industry. HispanicAd.com features regular contests and an abundance of reader forums, polls and other feedback opportunities.

HispanicAd.com offers three tiers of content:

  1. Daily news updates regarding Hispanic advertising, creative, marketing, media, promotions and research.
  2. Weekly articles pertaining to topics, individuals and corporations that define our Industry.
  3. Weekly newsletter.

Portada

Portada is the leading source about the Latin marketing and media space, offering world-class news and intelligence through online, print and conference vehicles to highly targeted audiences. Portada’s mission is to help Executives in Business and Media understand and reach Hispanic and Latin American consumers. Portada:

  • Operates the following Websites and associated Newsletters:
  1. www.portada-online.com (U.S. Hispanic)
  2. www.portada-online.com/LatinAmerica
  3. www.portada-online.com/enespanol
  • Publishes a quarterly magazine
  • Compiles and publishes two Online Databases:

1. Directory of Corporate Marketers and Media Buyers/Planners targeting Hispanic Consumers

2. Directory of Corporate Marketers and Media Buyers/Planners targeting Latin American consumers

  • Produces several research reports about the U.S. Hispanic and Latin American advertising, media and content markets.

Not Free, But Focused and Timely

AdAge offers these two Special Reports on the Hispanic Market for marketers. Considering the time you’d spend researching this info online, they may well be worth the investment:

Special Report

Hispanic Fact Pack 2010

Ad Age’s seventh annual Hispanic Fact Pack includes data on marketers, advertisers, media, demographics and agencies in the U.S. Hispanic market. Includes Ad Age’s extensive ranking of Top U.S. Hispanic Media Agencies – $29

Ad Age Insights White Paper

Hispanic America 2010

A report on the demographic trends and spending behaviors of this fastest-growing and vital part of the U.S. economy – $249.

Where do you go to gain invaluable insights to the US Hispanic lifestyle?

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For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Ms. Chapman’s new book, How to Make Money Online With Social Media: A Step-by-Step Guide for Entrepreneurs will be available very soon. With offices in Nashville Tennessee, but working virtually with international clients, Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. As a Founder of iBrand Masters, a social media consulting firm, Lisa Chapman helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa @ LisaChapman.com

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Listening to Donors

a-business-woman-meeting-with-a-potential-donor.

The web may be the most powerful broadcast tool of all time, but too many nonprofit organizations miss the even more important power of the web – a way to listen to their donors!

Why is listening so important?

• People like to be listened to…. So few people
  really listen these days – most just use the time others are talking to prepare
  their own next statement – and donors love to be asked their opinion. They’re
  passionate about your cause.
• When they have a problem with your organization, giving them an ear is the
  best way to keep them as a donor – and to fix a problem that’s probably
  driving other donors away too. Which would you rather they talked to –
  you, or their friends on FaceBook (or at the supermarket)?
• Using the words they use is the most powerful way to communicate to them
  in the future. Using their vocabulary always generates more response than
  using the language of your board or staff. Good copywriters yearn for donor
  correspondence.

How you can listen online easily and cheaply:

• Share your email from donors within the organization and with your
  fundraising counsel (minus the personal information)
• Actively solicit input in online and email surveys using open-ended questions
  like, “Why do you support us?” or “What do you think the biggest problem is
  concerning [your top issue]?” and “What do you think we (the donor and the
  organization) should do about it?”
• Look at your web site traffic statistics (Google Analytics, WebTrends, etc.)
  and see what words and phrases people are putting into search engines that
  end up at your site. What pages are they viewing most often? If you have a
  site search, look at those results too.
• Build a basic FaceBook fan page and invite people to comment. Thank each
  of them and share the significant comments internally.
• Use Twitter #hashtags and Google Alerts to track what people are saying
  about your organization and about your issues.

Need help implementing any of these ideas? Contact me.

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Rick Christ has been helping nonprofit organizations use the internet for fundraising, communications and advocacy since 2009, and has been a frequent writer on the subject. He delights in your questions and arguments. Please contact him at: RChrist@Amergent.com or at his LinkedIn Page