FIR Podcast Network

The November episode of “The Hobson and Holtz Report” features Neville and Shel discussing these topics:

* MeWe and WT:Social are among the latest crop of social networks offering serious privacy in an attempt to dethrone Facebook

* A new tool lets brands remove negative comments from paid social media posts

* QR codes have made a comeback

* AI writer completes writing what you started

* Telcos hope RCS will inspire you to give up WhatsApp, Messenger, and other third-party tools

* Ping raises $13 million to make timekeeping easier for lawyers

* Dan York reports on NewsPack from WordPress, the Google Site Kit, PRX and Google podcasts, National Podcast Month, and the New York Times’ look at the internet’s future

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog.

The next episode of For Immediate Release will be posted on Monday, December 16.

Links from This Week’s Episode

* Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales launches Twitter and Facebook rival

* Privacy Social Network MeWe Reaches 4 Million Members

* Inside MeWe, Where Anti-Vaxxers and Conspiracy Theorists Thrive

* Facebook Alternatives 2019 – Social Networks That Won’t Sell Your Data

* These 5 alternative social networks are the cure for Facebook fatigue

* Brands Can Remove Negative Comments on Paid Social Posts With This New Tool

* Chick-fil-A boosts app downloads 14% with QR codes, analysis finds

* QR Codes and the Holiday Spirit

* Mysterious QR codes showing up on car windows help stop burglaries

* The Time of the AI Writer

* OpenAI Releases Fake Text AI Initially Deemed Too Dangerous Into the World

* Talk to Transformer

* AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile have finally agreed to replace SMS with a new RCS standard

* How to Check If You Have Access to Google’s RCS Messaging

* What is RCS messaging? Here’s all you need to know about the successor to SMS

* Lawyers hate timekeeping — Ping raises $13M to fix it with AI

Links from Dan York’s Report

* Our Early Review of the Newspack Project from ...

Identify and address behavioral patterns that impede greater success through leadership progression coaching. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert, Karen Brown (http://aha.pub/KarenBrown), CEO of Velocity Leadership Consulting, certified professional executive performance coach, professional speaker and author.

Karen’s company, Velocity Leadership Consulting, elevates growth-oriented executives to their peak performance with rapid, sustainable results. The scientifically proven Velocity Power Pathways™ approach uses ground-breaking neuroscience techniques to help executives become more effective and impactful leaders, opening unconscious blocks in order to create new and lasting neural pathways to success.

To learn more about Karen Brown, go to http://aha.pub/KarenBrown. To get in touch with her, visit https://www.velocityleadershipconsulting.com/.

Here are a few AHA messages from this episode:

* The pain point of many senior leaders is that behavioral patterns exist in their teams which impede team performance. #LeadershipProgression https://www.velocityleadershipconsulting.com/ @ReadKarenBrown

* #LeadershipProgression is a great help for senior leaders and enables them to identify and address behavioral patterns that hinder team performance. http://aha.pub/KarenBrown

* Are you working with an expert who knows about #LeadershipProgression? Knowledge about leadership progression can give a person the expertise to help senior leaders to elevate their #LeadershipPerformance. http://aha.pub/KarenBrown

* #LeadershipProgression coaching can help senior leaders to identify blind spots and to increase their self-awareness of their leadership capability. https://www.velocityleadershipconsulting.com/ @ReadKarenBrown

* Doing #LeadershipProgression can give someone the credibility to help senior leaders take advantage of training and tools so that they can become effective leaders. Are you getting help from someone who knows leadership progression? http://aha.pub/KarenBrown

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Upscaling your business by organizing your company culture through strategic thinking. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert, John Spence (http://aha.pub/JohnSpence), Managing Partner at John Spence LLC, strategic partner at Advisory Works, senior instructor at the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU), an instructor at Entrepreneurs’ Organization and SIFMA, business advisor, executive coach, trainer, speaker and author.

John conducts coaching and strategic business planning for senior executives. He helps them to develop their strategic thinking skills and to organize their company cultures. John is passionate about helping his clients to create powerful and effective strategies and to execute them efficiently in order to upscale their businesses.

To learn more about John Spence, go to http://aha.pub/JohnSpence. To get in touch with him, visit https://johnspence.com/.

Here are a few AHA messages from this episode:

* The pain point of many senior executives is that they struggle to get their employees to work towards their goals. #CompanyCulture #StrategicThinking https://johnspence.com/ @AwesomelySimple

* #StrategicThinking is a great help for senior executives so that they can create effective and customized solutions for their companies and improve their #CompanyCulture. http://aha.pub/JohnSpence

* Are you working with an expert who is a #StrategicThinker? Being a strategic thinker can give a person the expertise to help senior executives to simplify confusing and complex strategies. http://aha.pub/JohnSpence

* Familiarity with #CompanyCulture can help senior executives to understand the needs of their companies and, in turn, create powerful and effective business strategies. https://johnspence.com/ @AwesomelySimple

* Doing #StrategicThinking can give someone the credibility to help senior executives understand and improve their #CompanyCulture and to align their culture to their goals. Are you getting help from someone who is proficient in strategic thinking? http://aha.pub/JohnSpence

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Increase your business success through a healthy organizational culture and high employee engagement. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert, Kimberly Wiefling (http://aha.pub/KimberlyWiefling), founder and President of Wiefling Consulting, Inc., and a founding member of Silicon Valley Alliances, who specializes in achieving what seems “impossible” through the competitive advantage of highly engaged employees and inspired organizational cultures.

Kimberly coaches and facilitates intensive behavior-changing learning labs, workshops that positively impact leadership and team effectiveness and directly translate into improved business results. She believes, and research has proven, that effective and efficient leadership, team and project management practices lead to more engaged employees, which then translates into an increase in every measure of business success, including profitability.

To learn more about Kimberly, go to https://kimberlywiefling.com/. To get in touch with her, visit  https://wiefling.com or write to her at [email protected].

Here are a few AHAmessages from this episode:

* The pain point of individuals, teams and organizations is that they are not achieving the team productivity and results that they need to survive and thrive. #TeamEffectiveness https://wiefling.com @KWiefling

* Many years of experience in the operational side of business bringing new products to market can give a person the credibility they need to lead and grow a business. Choose someone with credibility. #TeamEffectiveness https://wiefling.com @KWiefling

* Effective, engaging leaders guide teams to take on a purpose beyond profit and a mission that matters. How can a company expand its business in a way that will be meaningful to society? #TeamEffectiveness http://aha.pub/KimberlyWiefling @KWiefling

* World class team leadership and project management practices lead to healthier teams and increased organizational effectiveness. Are you overcoming dysfunctions typical in organizations? You should! #TeamEffectiveness http://aha.pub/KimberlyWiefling @KWiefling

* Want to double productivity and increase profitability? Strengthen cross-functional communication and lead with humility. These powerful tools take the “FUN” out of dysFUNction and engage disengaged employees. #TeamEffectiveness http://aha.pub/KimberlyWiefling @KWiefling

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

 

Close more business while staying resilient with effective growth coaching programs. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert, Debbra Sweet (http://aha.pub/DebbraSweet), founder and CEO of Sweet Marketing Solutions, a NY Times best-selling author and an award-winning leadership performance coach who inspires resilient leadership.

Debbra coaches and trains high-performing professionals about how to recover and overcome obstacles that impact business growth. She understands the importance of leading a business with resiliency and she knows how to go about creating an engaged team. Debbra offers high-content and highly-tailored programs for associations, lawyers and others.

To learn more about Debbra, go to http://aha.pub/DebbraSweet. To get in touch with her, visit https://sweetmarketingsolutions.com.

Here are a few AHA messages from this episode:

* The pain point of some high-performing professionals is not being able to get back up again when bad things happen. This lack of resiliency can stop them from closing on and acquiring more business. #StayResilient https://sweetmarketingsolutions.com @DebbraSweet

* Getting things done and rising to the next level are great aspects to build and expand a business. Team players should consider getting a visionary and inspiring speaker to help them with these aspects. #StayResilient http://aha.pub/DebbraSweet

* Do you know how to overcome missed opportunities? Having a set of growth programs, and doing creative strategic marketing, can give a person the expertise to help professionals overcome missed opportunities. #StayResilient http://aha.pub/DebbraSweet

* Doing one-on-one coaching sessions and high-level marketing plans can give someone the credibility to help top performers stay truly resilient. Are you being guided by someone who has the credibility to help? #StayResilient http://aha.pub/DebbraSweet

* Some visionary professionals do not have the everyday feelings of others, and that can affect their company in setting a solid kickstart for a strategic marketing journey. Do you fully grasp your shortcomings? #StayResilient http://aha.pub/DebbraSweet

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Master the next level of your life by undergoing a customized coaching program. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert, Chad Cooper  (http://aha.pub/ChadCooper), a published and peer-reviewed author, a motivational speaker and a high-performance coach.

Chad helps individuals who want to shatter the status quo and begin to live the life they were born to live. As a professional life coach, he provides a proven system that empowers people to achieve their next level of success.

To learn more about Chad Cooper, go to http://aha.pub/ChadCooper. To get in touch with him, visit https://www.chadecooper.com.

Here are a few AHA messages from this episode:

* The pain point of successful professionals who desire to level up is not having a certified life coach who can guide them towards mastering their next level of success. #NextLevelMastery https://www.chadecooper.com/ @CoachChadCooper

* Professionals who feel stuck in the status quo and want to navigate to their next level of success, should consider getting the help of a certified life coach with a proven track record in the coaching world. #NextLevelMastery http://aha.pub/ChadCooper

* Does discernment about which fence to come down on come easily for you? Do you have the courage to do what your inner person really wants to do? Consider getting a certified life coach to assist you in bringing the answers to the surface. http://aha.pub/ChadCooper

* One of the issues that professionals face in the workplace is the pressure to conform and being crammed into a box with everybody else. Do you want to make your mark and live a legendary life? Time to level up. #NextLevelMastery  https://www.chadecooper.com/ @CoachChadCooper

* Many professionals often face too many opportunities, or they face a roadblock. Either way, they may lack the clarity to choose and the willpower to do the best thing. A certified life coach can come alongside and help them in their journey of discovery. #NextLevelMastery http://aha.pub/ChadCooper

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Professional development budgets are pretty common in large organizations.

Whether you sign up for workshops, attend conferences, or take an online course, those costs are often accounted for ahead of time, and people are encouraged to take part.

But if you work for a smaller organization, are the boss, or a solopreneur, the professional development budgets are often zilch, zero, nada, none.

So you need to get creative on how you’ll keep up with the latest industry trends and continue to hone your skills.

Your Professional Development Journey

At Spin Sucks, I consider my team pretty darn lucky.

They get to have all of the training we provide the communications industry for free.

They can take all of the courses, attend all of the group coaching, get instant reviews of their homework, and, best of all, have access to our coaches, their content, and their brains. It’s professional development on steroids for them.

I’ve experienced all levels of professional development throughout my career—from watching my boss read every morning and use that knowledge to help our clients through one-on-one coaching with some of the best business coaches out there.

And there are many ways to approach it.

That’s what we talk about in this episode of the Spin Sucks podcast.

The Spin Sucks Podcast on Professional Development

In this show you’ll learn:

* The benefits of professional development for your career

* What happens if you don’t invest in PD

* Why you should allocate a portion of of your non-work time to learning

* Your options for continuing your professional education through reading and other self-learning tasks

* About the professional development options offered by the Spin Sucks team

What’s Your Take?

My six-year-old loves learning. I’m constantly peppered with “Did you know…” questions throughout the day, every day.

We probably should all look to children and their curiosity about the world as a model for our continuing education and PD.

How do you plan your professional development? Do you consider yourself a lifelong learner?

Share your stories in the comments.

Most agency owners don’t bring prior business experience to the role — let alone formal business education. Paul Benson is an exception to that rule of thumb. He earned his MBA before he took the leap into agency ownership.

In this episode, Paul shares his experience running a digital marketing agency and how the business training he received at Babson College has impacted his success.

RESOURCES

* Synapse SEM

* Babson College

* iProspect

* Paul on LinkedIn

ABOUT PAUL BENSON

Paul Benson is the co-founder of Synapse SEM and a digital marketing expert with over 13 years’​ experience managing integrated direct response online marketing programs for startups, high growth businesses and Fortune 500 companies. He has deep expertise in B2B technology, e-commerce, retail, lead generation and non-profit. Paul earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rhode Island, and earned his MBA, cum laude, from Babson College.

[read the transcript]

Harness the power of personal branding to retain your best talent. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert, William Arruda (http://aha.pub/WilliamArruda), an author, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and personal branding pioneer.

William travels worldwide to speak to organizations that want to engage, motivate and retain their best talent. He has inspired millions of professionals to deliver greater value to their companies and has also helped company leaders to create a better workplace for their people through his talks and workshops on personal, corporate and social branding in addition to  career advancement, social media, LinkedIn and employee motivation.

To learn more about William Arruda, go to http://aha.pub/WilliamArruda . To get in touch with him, visit http://williamarruda.com/ or http://reachpersonalbranding.com/.

Here are a few AHA messages from this episode:

* The pain point of company leaders is not having an innovative methodology in place in order to retain their best talent. #PersonalBranding http://reachpersonalbranding.com/ @WilliamArruda

* Company leaders who want to retain their best talent need to ensure that people love what they are doing. Talented people are motivated when they can integrate who they are into what they do. http://reachpersonalbranding.com/ @WilliamArruda

* #PersonalBranding is a process of helping your organization’s #BestTalent figure out who they are and what makes them feel great. It is a process of developing a way to integrate those realizations into what they do. http://aha.pub/WilliamArruda

* #PersonalBranding can be a great tool if you want to engage, motivate and retain your best talent. Be in the #Know and help people succeed by being themselves. http://reachpersonalbranding.com/ @WilliamArruda

* Companies that are serious about retaining and growing their best talent should consider putting a methodology in place that puts people at the center of corporate success. How do you put people first? #Personal Branding http://aha.pub/WilliamArruda

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Shift happens, literally. For marketers, this shift comes in the form of how we connect messaging with potential clients. We’ve shifted from propaganda driven, one directional marketing, into an age of smart customers. We’re making the most of new technologies to do our jobs smarter while having a mindset to challenge the status quo, even when you’re successful.

Of course, technology moves at the speed of light and by nature, so does marketing. So when your stack is constantly shifting, how do you keep your company culture a constant in your messaging and branding?

In this episode of AMP Up Your Digital Marketing, we meet Jussi Wacklin, Vice President of Marketing at Amadeus, a travel technology company. He discusses why he believes company culture is not just an internal activity and why it’s important that we recognize our culture as a reflection to the outside world, especially when making a shift. This is where branding and linking company culture to marketing becomes so important in both client perception of your company, but also throughout the hiring process.

Transcript: 

Glenn: Welcome back to the show. Today we’re speaking with Jussi Wacklin. Jussi, welcome to the show.

Jussi: Thank you very much, Glenn. I look forward for our conversation.

Glenn: Jussi, tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

Jussi: So, I’m the Vice President of Marketing, currently working in a large tech company, called Amadeus. We empower the travel industry and many different players in it. And I have an interest mix of working with marketing and branding, but also the corporate culture. So, it’s an interesting mix where our company believes that our culture defines how we operate internally, that then influence our brand externally, which is manifested through marketing. So, it’s really, again, unusual mix of many things. And I’m very lucky to not only work in an exciting travel industry but also a great company that approaches marketing in quite holistic manner.

Glenn: So, I need to ask, because you don’t often find culture in someone’s title that also has marketing and branding. So, is that something that you are hired specifically for, or it’s just something that you adopted once you were there?

Jussi: I was hired for that. However, it is unusual mix. And the reason why, I guess, I was the final candidate they chose, that throughout my entire career had the marketing, part of the branding, different things I’ve been doing, I’ve always somehow found myself in various quite HR related topics. How to create organizational development, how to support people through their career paths and development and build up better efficiencies for the company. So, all those things combined, when we had the conversation, both, Amadeus and myself felt that this was not just a marketing gig, it really had foundation that had strong roots to the culture and the people inside of the company. And I think that was a nice match that we were able to find.

Glenn: So, you’ve had quite the career and you’ve touched on a lot of different aspects of marketing, how have you seen the evolution of marketing over the years? Then maybe we can get to where you think it’s going.

Jussi: I’ve seen very big shift and I lived the golden age. When I started marketing in late ’99, early 2000. And I started on business to consumer side. I worked for Nokia. That was the golden age of high growth on technology, stock options and unlimited marketing budgets. And a lot of the marketing in those days were really creative work. So, that was quite a different world where we are today. And if – your question about evolution, in my limited time – 20 years – I’ve seen huge shift ...