How long will someone spend looking at your website before bouncing? Are you utilizing the "above the fold" to keep them interested in scrolling down to read more? How are your major elements positioned to enhance attraction?

Read below for some ideas on how to keep visitors engaged and what key elements should be placed "above the fold."

This is a question that comes up at both cocktail parties and when training new comms staff. Many people are interested in knowing whether they should be "off the record" or "on background."

Most outlets and comms professionals acknowledge "off the record" as information that cannot be attributed or used for publication. "On background" reflects information that can be published but attributed to an unnamed source (most likely at the organization you represent.) 

​Famed Harvard organizational psychology professor J. Richard Hackman, who spent 40 years studying teams, identified the three main conditions of effective teams: direction, structure, and support. 

• Clear direction is the main component of a great team. Teams work towards a common goal and grasp how their work impacts an organization's mission.
• A strong structure ensures that the team balances diversity in knowledge and views while promoting positive dynamics.
• Support includes reward, information, and development. Team members are aware of their roles, know how to obtain the information necessary to complete tasks, and are continuously encouraged and developed.

​If you are just beginning to build your shop, or have recently inherited one, consider creating an office manual for your team. A handbook will be a one-stop for internal information ranging from the history of the office to protocols to the voice mail code. At my first shop 20 years ago, I started a manual to help me consolidate information, and at every shop since then, I bring a copy and adapt it to the new organization. 

​LinkedIn has become so ubiquitous in my life that I never imagined what would happen to be locked out...or deal with the potential of losing access forever.
 
Sure, I realize that LI may not be everyone’s most important tool, and I know people who rarely utilize it. But if you are in the middle of building what one hopes to be a successful consulting gig and rely on LI for networking and ads, losing access just became your worst nightmare that you never prepared for.
 
So here is a quick story and a few tips that you can take right now. 

At some point in the evolution of your business, you will need to start thinking about public relations. But when? 
 
Your new business has limited resources, and your focus is getting your product or service to market. Big PR agencies come with big retainers, and after all, those dollars should be invested into the core business, right?