"The Prince of Peace" Multi-Faith Celebration Cherry Hill NJ Dec 11 Restores My Faith in Humanity.

When I see people behaving kindly, & respecting his or her fellow man, my faith in my fellow man is restored! 


Normally, I don't blog about upcoming events, but these participants are all talented performers who do good works for their fellow man without fanfare all year, and since they are putting aside their differences to share in song, I want to tell everyone I know to attend what will surely be a heartwarming, wonderful night. 


Rutgers University's Camden Campus' "University Singers," and Rutgers University's Livingston Campus' "Liberation Gospel Choir," will join with the  Bell Choir from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of our Savior in Haddonfield and the Cherry Hill Stake Choir from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in whose regional conference center, or "Stake Center," the event is to be held.  No worries about getting a seat... the Center easily seats 500-600, maybe more.   

December 11th at 6 PM at 260 East Evesham Road in Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

After the performance, enjoy a complimentary dessert buffet, and walk through an art exhibit of Christ-centered artwork from regional and national artists, while making friends with people from other faiths.  What binds these groups and members together is their shared love of music, their shared desire to give of the own time and energy to help others, and to have fellowship with others who do good works.  

Please don't leave comments;  this is just a notice about a nice event. 

If you write me, I'll get a message to them:  SocialMktMaven@yahoo.com 

Royal Farms Raises Over $100,000 to Support The Maryland Zoo

Switch Low water/High water toilets to be UP for #2, DOWN for #1.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: 

If I had a design suggestion which, if approved by LEED and embraced by LEED contractors and builders, would save us millions of gallons of water each year, would you pass it onto LEED and the plumbing manufacturers on my behalf please?  

I recently toured a LEED Certified building, and heard that toilet flushes vary to accommodate what's being flushed, "Up" for "Number One", "Down" for "Number "Two!"

PLEASE tell them to switch that FAST before it's too late.... 

Should be "Down" for Number One which needs less water, and then

should be UP" for "One,"  "DOWN: for two, which uses more water.  

Since we were toddlers, we have flushed by pushing DOWN.  But, presently pushing DOWN uses the MOST water.  The DEFAULT should use the LEAST water, so busy people and people who don't care about the environment, will still push DOWN and leave, still saving water!  

I bet, once they have something in that toilet which doesn't easily flush (eeeew!) they will read instructions and will "PULL UP."  Make things be painless and work easily, and even the laziest, least compliant, less conscious person will comply by DEFAULT.

Laura Church

            @socialmktmaven                        www.socialmktmaven@yahoo.com

PR Takes Back Social Media

When I talk to my fellow PR and Corporate Affairs buddies, and mention that I help companies create and promote social media events, their eyes glaze over.

It's almost as if they wish they could close their eyes and Social Media would go away.  Frankly, other than a few of us old dogs who were willing to learn new tricks, most of my colleagues who worked with me on Capitol Hill or in my "after life" in PR, lobbying or advertising, just keep sending out the same old press releases, pitching stores as usual.   

Fellow pro communicators, WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE!  Embrace the new era, the new technology.  I credit much of my social media savvy to all the free webinars I've attended which were given by #HubSpot, an amazingly well-organized provider of software which not only helps you keep track of prospects and customers through email, but it enables YOU to get social media retainers, and to deliver and track results using great analytical tools which HubSpot trains you to operate!     

They have a vendor program which not only trains agencies on how to use social media, it trains agency employees to be social media experts, helps them set up their social media practice, AND gives agencies a financial incentive to recommend HubSpot to clients. 

If you accept the need to embrace social media, I reccommend that you join all the PR and public affairs groups on LinkedIn, to sign up for every free webinar that Hub Spot offers, especially the one #Maggie Georgieva is promoting for HubSpot and #Marketwire, called "Free 6-part webinar series: How to Supercharge your PR Program with Social Media." It starts July 28 and runs through December 1, 2011.  Start tracking #Dan Zarella, (DanZarella.com), one of the brightest bulbs in the social media box.   Feel free to follow me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/socialmktmaven)  I only pass on interesting links regarding branding, PR, franchise marketing, education and public affairs

Check out #Todd Defren of #Shift Communications, who runs the "Social Media Jedi Academy," who writes the popular PR blog, #PR-Squared and who posted a free Social Media Press Release download. 

And, if you do PR or advertising for restaurant chains, Google #California Tortilla and #Stacey Kane.  I believe they now have 25,000 "likes" on Facebook, and give free food away.  I used to live near one of their original stores, and they rock.  Nice folks, great food, relaxed atmosphere, really "with it."  Go on You Tube.  Stacey and #Guy Kawasaki were on some panel about social media, and it's interesting.

But if you are still reticent to jump on the Social Media bandwagon, then just start thinking of EVENTS for your clients, rather than copy.  Start thinking of ways to get people to get so excited about your client that THEY call  the client.  THAT is what this is all about. Getting customers to come IN, call IN, log IN, for INBOUND marketing. 

We should strive to educate and delight our readers, our listeners, and our neighbors to the point that they are so pleased with our clients, that they are moved, touched, and inspired enough to simply pick up the phone, go on line and email them, or even get out of their chairs, into their cars and drive IN to the company or go to an event.  And, yes, (sigh) to say nice things about our clients to their friends! 

Just like being the person at a cocktail party who passes the hor'd and tells guests "Oh, try THAT one, it's DELICIOUS!" and everyone tried THAT one, social media allows your company, cause or concern to speak freely, and on level with the public.

My first paid job as a big person was writing press releases for my college, and throughout my career, I've written radio shows, speeches, Op Ed pieces, articles, blogs, arranged press conferences and ended up being a lobbyist.  I do pro bono work teaching non-profits on how to get free publicity. All of my career has been as a professional communicator.

Much of my career was spent designing and delivering ad campaigns for national retailers, grocers and restaurant chains. I personally am responsible for printing and delivering around 100 million pieces of mail into the USPS.  (I'm sorry, environment!)  I still absolutely believe in printed advertising that is specific, like printing grand opening flyers, menus, customer relationship programs and membership, opt-in materials, or printing work perks for employees who work near companies.

If I had to choose between holding onto printed pieces, or embracing social media, and its application with PR and corporate communications, I would make a paper airplane with my last circular, printed press release or press kit, and would RUN, not walk, to the next meeting of the Social Media Club. 

The era of print is ending.  In the end, our bathroom reading will consist of only FREE local papers with our neighbors and children's sports photos in them (like the well run #Elauwit Sun newspapers in NJ), or career-specific or special interest newsletters and magazines, and abut that's IT.   Laura

The "Egalitarian Internet" and Personal QR Codes

Watch out, Founding Fathers....Populism is in overdrive, thanks to the #Egalitarian Internet!  If you have time and can type, the world is yours!  It's ripe for the picking, regardless of your income, race, education, location, and even your work history.  On the internet, you ARE what you make yourself out to be! 

Hundreds of years of efforts beginning with the Pilgrims and Founding Fathers, to veterans, civil rights workers to present day, our citizens have desired to make the U.S. be the "Land of Opportunity." We welcomed immigrants, provided many scholarships or free access to education, and even insisted on parody in pro sports drafts to keep teams on an "equal" playing field.  Heck, we STILL tax people at different rates, like Robin Hood, in a futile attempt to redistribute wealth to give everyone a chance to "make it."


Not only is there free computer access at many schools and libraries, free web addresses, free blogs, free help designing blogs, free photos for your web sites, free sharing of articles you like, NOW you can click on any search engine and find FREE 2 D "QR Code" makers.  You can use public web sites, type in your URL or web site address, click on "go," and the computer creates a QR code which is specific to you. 

At first, only major national brands had QR codes on packaging.  Now they are popping up everywhere.    
Creation of QR codes is so easy that even I, a regular human, have my own unique #QR code.  I'll be posting it soon.  My code just sends people to my web site and photo, and directs them to my blog history, and Twitter, Linked In and Digg pages.  As my son said recently, "Wow, Mom, You're really OUT THERE."

My gut instinct is that all resume's, bios, and job search data will include our QR code. Soon, we'll have our #personal QR codes on business cards, our stationary, emails, our blogs, our website, our shirts right next to our logos, our person brand!  We'll likely even have static cling versions on the glass doors of our businesses to entice passersby into peeking inside without going inside!  I bet you ten bucks that within the next year or two, some whako will get a tattoo of his or her code on Who Knows Where!  Now, with the Egalitarian Internet, Opportunity doesn't KNOCK.  It CLICKS, loud and clear.