CSR Latest Articles

The Perfect Presentation: Part 2

Last week we covered how to craft the perfect presentation, this week we’re taking you from the notes on your desk to standing in the front of the room. And if you’re thinking, “But Kate, I crafted the perfect speech and I know it backward and forward. I practiced in front of my mirror, my significant other, and even my dog a million times. I have the whole thing memorized. How in the world could I prepare more?” Then keep reading. The key to delivering the perfect presentati

The Perfect Presentation: Part 1

The number one fear in the U.S. is Public Speaking. Everyone is familiar with that feeling before a big (or even small) speech: the uncontrollable butterflies in the stomach, the racing heart, the sweating, and for some, blacking out for the entire speech just to get back to your seat with no recollection of what you just said. As a former public speaking instructor, I have seen my fair share of good and bad speeches and presentations. Over the next two weeks, we’ll cover the

Guest Post: Take SEO To The Next Level With These 3 Tips

Chris Craft is the CEO/President of Nao Media, and a member of the Spin Sucks community for PR and marketing with CSR marketing consultant Casie Yoder. Nao Media’s mission is to elevate the art and science of marketing. You can’t expect to achieve content marketing results for your clients or your own business without a basic understanding of SEO. Last week, I covered the SEO basics. This week, you can learn how to build on the basics with 3 more advanced SEO tips. Let’s dive

Guest Post: 3 SEO Basics That Will Boost Your Content Marketing Results

Chris Craft is the CEO/President of Nao Media, and a member of the Spin Sucks community for PR and marketing with CSR marketing consultant Casie Yoder. Nao Media’s mission is to elevate the art and science of marketing. Have you been so overwhelmed by the subject of SEO (search engine optimization) that even the thought of learning and implementing SEO basics gives you the chills? SEO has gone through a lot of changes over the years. Best practices shift as the internet grows

Guest Post: 5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs SEO

Bobby Kircher is the founder of Papaya Internet, a digital marketing consultancy based in Atlanta, Georgia. Papaya Internet has helped small businesses and individuals sell their products and services online via SEO, PPC, social media marketing, and merchant selling sites such as Amazon and Ebay. Bobby has nearly 20 years of web experience and is part of our CSR marketing referral network, as well as our office neighbor. Have you used Google to search for your name or your bu

Who Cares What You Have to Say?

For the past 18 years, I have worked in some capacity in the marketing function. I’ve had the privilege of serving clients in large corporations, local non-profits, and small and medium professional services firms. Marketing is the science and art of getting more people to want to buy. It’s a wonderful mix of analytics, design, project management, emotion, good fortune, and common sense. Using a variety of media and techniques, I have marketed credit cards, agent banks, t

Guest Post: 4 Signs Your Website Needs A Makeover

Guest post by Wendy Pruitt. Wendy Pruitt has more than 12 years of advertising and design experience spanning from collateral creation to website development. She holds a Bachelor of Advertising from the University of Florida and Art Direction degree from the Creative Circus. She currently supports the CSR team with our own website and brand guidelines, and is our go-to design and development resource for clients. Does your site need a makeover? While your website might not l

All This And Rainmaking, Too?

CSR has built its reputation and growth on a firm foundation. We believe strongly that our best client relationships begin with strategic planning that goes deep and wide into a business owner’s long-term dreams. And we build on that initial strategic planning session with our Path to Results partnership to implement those strategic objectives – side-by-side with our clients. We also recognize that one of the biggest struggles for businesses is fine-tuning their rainmaking

Get Noticed With These LinkedIn Profile Updates

With more than 467 million users, LinkedIn is the largest professional networking social network. Its mission is to connect the world’s professionals and make them more productive and successful. But how do you connect in a network of nearly 500 million people? Start with a solid foundation: your profile. Cari Twitchell’s article discusses LinkedIn’s recent updates and frequently overlooked features that can help you make the best of your profile. Recommendations include: Pic

How To Sell Candy Without Selling Candy

One of the most important things I’ve ever learned about sales is that you rarely sell your actual product. Tool manufacturers don’t sell drills, they sell perfect holes. Porsche doesn’t sell cars, they sell status, self-esteem, personal validation, or sex appeal. A litigator doesn’t sell lawsuits, they sell anything from assured health coverage to sweet sweet revenge against an ex-spouse. So what does a candy company sell? Some commercials in recent memory advertise better m

Turn Off The Auto-Pilot

I recently started working with a new vendor partner on a project. The first email reply I received from her concluded with a cheery “You rock!” Well, my head swelled, I sat up straighter, and I patted myself on the back. She must have really liked my proposal and plan. I was pumped! In subsequent communications, the “You rock!” kept coming as her email salutation. And it appeared in her replies to our fellow colleagues. I felt deflated and even rolled my eyes a bit when

4 Signs You Need A Brand Refresh

Coke, GE, Apple, Google – giant corporations with brands valued in the many billions. CSR, TrainingPros, Hire Profile, Pleat Street – smaller firms with brands that are priceless in their markets. While all of the companies mentioned as examples know the importance of displaying and employing their brand elements very consistently, they all share something else. They understand how important it can be to refresh their brands. A brand refresh is when a company takes a criti

7 Tips For Starting An E-mail Newsletter

So your company has decided to hop on the newsletter bandwagon. You’ve determined it’s important to get regular communications out to your interested audiences. You want to do it in an efficient, economical way. You’re excited, you’re scared, and maybe a little overwhelmed. Roll up your sleeves, and climb aboard. I write this piece from two perspectives. The first is as a marketing professional with 15+ years in corporate, non-profit, and small business communications. The

Walk Before You Woo Woo

I can’t get this video out of my head. Have you watched it? It’s only 60 seconds long. I’ll wait. OK, ready? I love what Adobe did with this commercial. It’s funny, fast-paced, and makes a great point: do you know what your marketing is doing? After poking fun at the marketing directors who go crazy over the fictitious social media site WooWoo, Adobe stands ready to help with its analytics and tools. I see this reaction to the latest shiny site or the concept of social media

Ten Ways to Get the Most Out of Media Appearances

John D. Rockefeller said, “Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing.” As a publicist, I couldn’t agree more! It’s hard to think of a business that couldn’t benefit from some positive press coverage. But some owners may be thinking, “I already advertise, why do I need to seek media interviews?” Here’s a simple way to understand the difference between advertising and PR: advertising is you saying you’re an exper