Go for the Maroon and Gold: Training Tip

Email
marketing. It's a quick and direct way to communicate with your
audience. But, when should it be used and what's the messaging like? Integrating email marketing with a broader communications plan (probably including both traditional and new media) is often key to its success. Also, writing engaging and relevant messages is a must for standing out in the flurry of emails.

Check out ten best practices
for email marketing.  And, plan to attend the UMCF conference session
on email marketing, "Having a Blast: Making Mass Email Work for You,"
with U of M University Relations' electronic communications specialist
Pete Wiringa.

Learn about the conference agenda and session topics. Register by April 23 for the discounted rate.

Introvert or extrovert? (or, How come no one shows up to UMCF happy hours?)

What would you guess is the personality type of a communicator? Probably extrovert, right? But there are many of us in varying job functions, from graphic design to PR. Let's see how it shakes out:

Go for the Maroon and Gold: Training Tip

Social media is a constantly changing suite of tools. While each platform offers communicators valuable ways to engage with their audience and deliver key messages, managing all of them can be a challenge. That's why developing a social media strategy is crucial to posting successful updates.

Learn how to build a social media strategy in three steps and plan to attend the UMCF conference session on developing social media strategy. Rita Greenberg, interactive media specialist at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, will present.

To register for the conference, click here. If you register by April 23, you'll pay the discounted rate of $120. Go for the Maroon and Gold!

Link Roundup: Olympic Design

In light of the upcoming "Go for the Maroon and Gold" conference, happening a day before the 2012 Olympic Games begin, some Olympic design-related links:

• 39 Olympic Logos From 1924 to 2012 


• Summer Olympic logos from 1896 to 2012, including many of the more colorful posters and logos


• The London Olympic Games Organising Committee on the 2012 Olympic brand: "The number 2012 is our brand. It is universal and understandable worldwide."
• According to an Olympic medals timeline, the London 2012 design is the largest Summer Olympics medal to date.
  


• Finally, who doesn't love the 2012 Olympics logo?

And don't forget to register for the conference. Rates go up after April 23!

Confessions of a Copyblogger Junkie

I'll admit right now that I'm a Copyblogger junkie. Writers, if you
don't follow this uber helpful copywriting blog, DO IT NOW. Seriously. Someday,
after you've been twirling in your swivel chair for 30 minutes singing "la-la-la-la-la" after hitting writer's block, you'll thank
me. Whether it's a headline that isn't packing a punch, an uncooperative blog
post, or simply a complete lack of focus due to the unseasonably warm March
weather, Copyblogger will pop up in your inbox with an incredibly insightful,
clear, and concise article to pull you out of your rut. Here are a few recent
articles that I've found incredibly valuable:

The
10-Minute Technique to Becoming a More Productive Writer On the importance
of having a personal long-term writing vision in order to help you become more
efficient with your daily writing tasks.

3
Simple Storytelling Methods That Can Do Your Selling For You On the power
of storytelling in sales copy, broken down into the personal story, the
historical story, and the "meet the guru" story.

8
Quick Tips for Writing Bullet Points People Actually Want to Read  On the importance of effective, readable
bullet points in a digital, "Twitterized" world.

Enjoy, folks.

Millennials. Not so community-oriented?

A few years ago a Forum conference session focused on the mindset of millennials. We were told that they are into their group, the betterment of their community, being part of the gang. New research is showing that perception may be way off. Since many of us communicate to millennials (and work with them here in the Forum, :-) ) here's that article, from The Chronicle.

Millennials Are More 'Generation Me' Than 'Generation We,' Study Finds

By Joanna Chau

Millennials, the generation of young Americans born after
1982, may not be the caring, socially conscious environmentalists some
have portrayed them to be, according to a study described in the new
issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

The study, which compares the traits of young people in high school
and entering college today with those of baby boomers and Gen X'ers at
the same age from 1966 to 2009, shows an increasing trend of valuing
money, image, and fame more than inherent principles like
self-acceptance, affiliation, and community. "The results generally
support the 'Generation Me' view of generational differences rather than
the 'Generation We,'" the study's authors write in a report published
today, "Generational Differences in Young Adults' Life Goals, Concern
for Others, and Civic Orientation."

Continue reading

About That Job Study, part 2

Thank you to all who have commented on my previous post about the Communications Job Study. In addition many people contacted me privately. I was surprised by the disappointments that people shared with me because the process in my own unit was as expected and drama-free.

We derive a great deal of pride and identity from the work we do; besides that, it's our livelihood. The results of the job study are a big deal.

I am reaching out to the team that led the Communications Job Study to see if we can host an open meeting for Forum members to ask their questions. More on that to come. Meanwhile, a number of people posted questions about the job descriptions so they could compare. Here is a PDF of 6 of those jobs that I was able to put together. If you find a link to these online or want to share additional descriptions please contact me.

JobClassSpecifications.pdf

PrincEdWriter.pdf

Annual Conference with NPR's Michele Norris

"Go for the Maroon and Gold"

Thursday, July 26, 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., St. Paul Continuing Education and Conference Center

• Register for the conference »

This year's keynote is Michele Norris host of NPR's
"All Things Considered." To us communicators, she is an Olympian. She
has done so much to advance the field and reach her goals that she is an
inspiration, much like a traditional Olympian, to communications
professionals.

• Read Michele Norris' biography »

Tune in on the UMCF Facebook page and Twitter feed for weekly training tips--the tips will preview the conference and provide helpful tricks of our trade along the way!

So, about that job study...

Everyone who participated in the job study last August should have received the news about their new classification by yesterday. So, how did it go? What do you think, after all is said and done? Did you land where you thought you would? Are you disappointed by anything?

Let's have a forum for everyone's thoughts here in the comments section.