Last week I joined the other members of the Visit Buffalo Niagara "Tweet Team" for an evening voyage with Buffalo Cycleboats.
We set off from RiverWorks and enjoyed a two-hour pedal along the Buffalo River, out into the edge of Lake Erie and then back up the river through the historic grain silos/elevators before returning to the dock.
Here are a few snaps I took:
It was a very fun and silly event!
Although I've had many professional titles—brand manager, content director, host, page, YouTuber—I have always considered myself a creative producer at heart; a person who lives at the intersection of ideas and execution.
That's why after 12 years of building up my professional experience at wonderful media and marketing companies I am finally taking the leap into self-employment with the launch of PSN Creative.
My goal is to work with organizations, businesses and individuals to refine their narratives. I want to help them build content and strategies for content that support their vision and connect them with new audiences. I want to lend my expertise and voice to projects that inspire me with the hopes of inspiring others, too.
Whether it's starting a blog, creating a video series, writing stories or cross-pollenating brands, I want PSN Creative to be a resource for those ready to ratchet up their content and enhance their storytelling.
Please poke around the new site to review the current list of services and work, and shoot me an email if you'd like to connect about working together.
Let's make cool stuff!
- Pat
This post was originally posted on Clubhaus, Block Club's blog of inspiration.
Years ago, at a previous job, I was part of an editorial team of writers and producers at a major media company. My colleagues and I became increasingly frustrated by the number of recurring meetings that continued to interrupt our work days. It’s not that the nature of these meetings were flawed, but their execution surely was. They were held daily, weekly and bi-monthly as a way for those on the team who did not regularly interact to touch base and share notes, but generally served as an hour-long interruption into the workday.
Curious about the effectiveness (and ineffectiveness) of recurring meetings and their link to actual productivity I came to discover a fantastic essay by Paul Graham titled “Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule.” In short, Graham identifies that there are two types of workers/schedules: Makers who view the workday as two half-day blocks (before lunch/after lunch) and Managers who view their workday in one-hour meeting blocks.
If you’re someone who operates on the Manager’s Schedule, planning a day’s work can be easy. Everything is blocked off an hour at a time. No more blocks = no more availability. If you’re on a Maker’s Schedule (say a writer, designer or programmer) these one-hour interruptions can ruin your workflow, causing you to delay starting on a project because of an anticipated stopping point ahead.
Personally, I live somewhere between a Manager’s and Maker’s schedule. As a brand manager I facilitate many meetings throughout the day, but also need chunks of time to do my own work. I juggle the responsibility of scheduling meetings that fit into the blocked-off days of clients and powers-that-be without being completely disruptive to the creative team whose work is derailed by shifting from project to project.
Here are a few strategies that I employ when scheduling meetings:
Booking back-to-back meetings may elicit some groans from the team, but I find that to be the least disruptive method for scheduling. Plus, if the same people can attend both meetings they are already in “meeting mode” which can help things move along more quickly. Fight the instinct to give the team a “break” between, because having an hour or less before another meeting is not enough time to cross much off a to-do list.
It’s tempting to drop a meeting into a wide open afternoon, but the makers on the team would surely love some individual time to work on their projects. Of course it’s important to make sure all of the meetings don’t stack up too high, but I’ll always seek out a chance to preserve a big window of time for the team to work.
Again, this another tactic that may get pushback from the team, but I like to always schedule a meeting for the worst case scenario of meeting length. It works for two reasons; if the meeting runs long it won’t run into the next calendar event, and if the meeting run short you are essentially giving the team some unplanned free time. Win/win.
So, now that you’ve scheduled your meetings how do you make sure they are run effectively? That’s another topic for another post. Stay tuned!
This post was originally posted on Clubhaus, Block Club's blog of inspiration.
This post was originally posted on Clubhaus, Block Club's blog of inspiration.
What informs our opinions about brands and businesses? What makes us walk into a new store or make a reservation at a new restaurant? Beyond advertising, marketing and press, word of mouth—both in-person and online—can make or break a business.
Of course celebrities and other prominent figures influence our opinions about brands when they act as spokespeople paid to endorse brands. Some of these paid endorsers adopt the term “influencer,” suggesting they have a bigger stake in the exposure and health of these brands. And while we may not know if these endorsements are paid or not, influencers are attractive because they represent an aspirational version of ourselves.
For smaller brands, it may not be in the budget (or even vision) to connect with millions of followers. Here are a few ways to activate the tastemakers and trusted customers in your space so they can help you attract attention to your brand.
A nice article in the local paper or feature on a popular blog is a good start, but it’s not always enough to sustain buzz around your business. Your earliest consumers may become your most valued supporter; take notice of those who are curious about your business, its location, your products and services and engage them early on. Why are they so curious? What do they want to know? Look for opportunities keep them interested and interacting with you so that they are the first in line when you open. They’ll be well-informed about your brand and ready to share that info with their circle of friends.
Everyone likes free stuff, or to feel like a VIP. Inviting a curated group of desired customers to check out your brand is a great way to get people talking about what you’re doing. Think beyond the typical “friends and family” night and invite people who can be critical as well as congenial. Help guide the message you’d like them to share with talking points, insider tips and social-media elements—like preferred or relevant hashtags, and an Instagram-worthy environment—to maximize exposure.
It’s not enough to ask your ambassadors to simply promote your business; you’ve got to give them something specific to say. Keep tabs on your most valuable and loyal customers and make sure they always feel affinity towards your brand. Did you provide them with excellent customer service? Did they receive a special perk or offer just for them? Give them a reason to gush about you!
Think of this as anti-ambassador intelligence gathering. Reading a comments section can be devastating for a business owner, but it’s a valuable way to see what people are saying about you. Take criticism from online commenters with a grain of salt, but don’t be defensive if someone has something negative to say. Use this as a potential area for improvement or refinement as you continue to develop your brand. Circle back with your already-assembled brand ambassadors by counter-marketing with positive, affirmative messaging and promotions, rather than a combative “tackle” of those who are critical.
This post was originally posted on Clubhaus, Block Club's blog of inspiration.
This post was originally posted on Clubhaus, Block Club's blog of inspiration.
When working with businesses on building their brands, one of the most exciting (and stressful!) stages we encounter is naming. Whether it’s the name of the business itself, or names for products, features, menu items or campaigns, the naming process can be challenging.
Some clients come to the table with a very short list of potential names, while others may have a sense of the feeling or tone they want their name to embody without having any vocabulary in mind. Regardless of how we start, one of the final stages of the brainstorming process is always my favorite: the “is/is not” list.
The way it works is simple. We create a two-column chart with an “Is” column and an “Is Not” column, and guide the client through the process of identifying keywords to describe their brand (”Our brand is…”) and similar-but-not-quite-right words that do not describe their brand (”Our brand is not…”). Words should not necessarily negate each other, rather the “Is Not” column should modify the “Is” column. For example:
An “is/is not” list is a great way to help hone in on the specifics of a project’s defining element (i.e. name, mission statement, branding, messaging, etc.) and separate out the important nuances in the potential final product. It also begins the process of creating brand values, key attributes and other brand characteristics along the way.
This post was originally posted on Clubhaus, Block Club's blog of inspiration.
This post was originally posted on Clubhaus, Block Club's blog of inspiration.
When I’m managing projects, I spend a lot of time looking at calendars and timelines to schedule deliverables and balance out the team’s responsibilities. There’s lots of comparing projects against each other while looking at several calendars and documents at the same time.
Comparing documents between browser tabs can be frustrating when moving back and forth, and even though it’s not difficult to drag and resize windows so I can see them next to each other, it does add a few seconds to every step of the task, which adds up quickly.
I’ve started using a desktop app for iOS called Cinch that makes managing my windows super simple. Unfortunately for me, I could have saved the $6.99 by getting a similar feature in the new iOS, El Capitan, but I still think Cinch is a bit easier to use.
When I need to see two adjacent windows—browsers, emails, Photoshop files, etc.—I just drag the windows to the sides of my screens and Cinch automatically snaps them to half the screen. It saves me valuable seconds (and hassle!).
Cinch also allows you to drag a window to the top of your screen to make it snap full screen. And no matter where you snap the window, it always returns back to its original size when you unsnap.
Window snapping is a standard feature on PCs, but for our all-Mac team at Block Club the Cinch app is a lifesaver. OK, maybe not a lifesaver per se, but a timesaver for sure.
This post was originally posted on Clubhaus, Block Club's blog of inspiration.
This post was originally posted on Clubhaus, Block Club's blog of inspiration.
Let’s be honest: No one likes conference calls.
As a project manager, I like to push for face-to-face meetings with clients and vendors to assure that communication is clear and personal. Unfortunately, time and location restraints often create the inevitable need for a conference call.
Keeping track of everyone on the call and trying to get a word in while others are speaking can be challenging. Not to mention the problems that arise when you can’t find your PIN code to join, or the administrator doesn’t know the administrator PIN to start the call in the first place.
That’s why I’ve started using Uberconference for both internal and client meetings whenever possible. It’s a free conference call service that backs up its smart features with a clean and simple design. You can watch this quick tutorial to get more details on Uberconference’s features.
I’m responsible for facilitating a lot of calls, which is why I like the easy scheduling feature of Uberconference. Clients and teammates can join a call the old fashioned way by dialing in to our dedicated number, or they can join via web or app interface to show personalized profiles pulled from their social media accounts.
One of my favorite features is the way Uberconference visually displays each participant. It’s a great way to put a face with a voice and to see who is speaking at any given time. Plus, there are administrative controls for each participant that allow for easy muting of those with loud background noises or who may just be listening in.
The other feature that I regularly use is the record function, which records the call and quickly turns it into a downloadable .mp3 file for review once the call has concluded. No more missing information!
There are premium versions of Uberconference for those who need it, but for now I’m very pleased with the free version of services.
Whether you’re a project manager, administrative assistant or someone who’s just tired of status quo conference calls, I highly suggest giving Uberconference a try.
This post was originally posted on Clubhaus, Block Club's blog of inspiration.
