tomatolounge » Kristen

Small Businesses and The Responsibility Revolution

Kristen — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:23:27 +0000

It is no secret that consumers love brands that participate in social causes, so much so it seems many companies are feeling compelled to jump on the values bandwagon. Because of their size, small businesses are at the forefront of what is becoming a “responsibility revolution,” and they are going above and beyond the “going green” trend to make a difference in the world and ultimately their business.

So how can you get your business on the CSR track … and actually make a difference (in both the real world and business world)? Here are some suggestions:

- Decide on what your company is passionate about and what it can provide a particular cause.

- Choose an area or focus you want to impact and stick to it. Many businesses think too big and try to fix it all. Small businesses succeed and don’t try to do too much at once.

- Get your team of employees involved and keep them motivated!! It is important to choose a cause or movement that interests the people who represent your company and brand. Many employees likely support causes in their personal lives so open the floor to working with organizations that directly work with your team.

- Promote your involvement! Yes some say self praise stinks – but if your business is making a difference in bringing an organization or cause to the public than further promotion including your businesses involvement can only help them to increase their awareness.

Interested in learning more about small businesses and The Responsibility Revolution? Check out this great Inc Magazine article online.

STC Associates’ CEO featured in Telecom 2.0

Kristen — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:36:17 +0000

STC Associates is in the news – again!

Sophie Ann Terrisse, STC Associates CEO, was featured as a guest author in Telecom 2.0 this month. The article “Strategy for a New Decade: Brand or Die” discusses how branding will determine a telecom operator’s fate in the global marketplace.

Check out the article here – and give us your feedback!

WHO owns social media?

Kristen — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:19:47 +0000

It seems like the latest media debate is who really owns social media – the agency or the client? Obviously there are benefits and negatives to one or the other running the show. In my opinion the answer to the question is BOTH the client and the agency should be in charge of social media.

My thought process is if a brand is working with an agency for their marketing needs than as an arm of the marketing process, social media must be addressed on both the client and agency sides to ensure that all messaging is aligned. Due to social media relatively “new” presence in the marketing and branding processes many clients find it time consuming and do not feel that they have the ability to take it on and be considered relevant without a dedicated resource. As the Director of Social Media, this is where I feel a person in my role can be most beneficial to a client – I have both the knowledge of the social media platforms and the understanding of the clients messaging (which is handled by the rest of the firm) to work hand in hand with the client to create an agreed upon social media message and strategy that matches their existing marketing efforts.

This article from MediaPost is a great read on the subject – http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=119450