Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Tuesday, March 09, 2010 1:37:37 PM
In the last year or so, the banking industry has been under fire from many places. VHPR works with a range of community banks and also conducts online media monitoring for several financial services clients. To those in other businesses and industries who think they have nothing to learn from the challenges being faced by banks that made bad construction loans or invested in risky financial derivatives, I offer two words – Think Again!
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Saturday, January 02, 2010 4:30:35 PM
Happy New Year! I'm definitely on the list of folks who was delighted to see 2009 fade into history. Although my personal life was enriched by a new granddaughter, a new son-in-law and some great family and cycling time, let's face it, the business climate was lousy.
I believe we can see better days in 2010, but it's going to take some fresh thinking and accepting that "better days" doesn't mean what it did even back in 2008. This New Year will look and feel very different. That's where behavior styles, social media and a glass half full attitude come in.
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 7:54:39 PM
Recent conversations with folks representing a wide range of industries tells me the jury is still out on how much of an economic upturn we'll see in 2010. Banks are still slow to lend, construction is at a standstill and excess buildings are still under construction. That being said, there are signs that in some industries companies are ramping up their plans for hiring and spending. I will be more than happy to see 2009 end, so let's talk about what those companies that are ramping up will find.
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Friday, August 21, 2009 4:06:00 PM
Now that epic cyclist Lance Armstrong has embraced Twitter to promote his LiveStrong Foundation with the same enthusiasm he brings to leaving people behind on the Alp De Huez (http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong), it seems right to borrow from the title of his best selling book “It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life” (http://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-About-Bike-Journey/dp/0399146113) as a way to make a critical point about the approach many communicators and businesses are taking to...
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Wednesday, July 08, 2009 8:09:00 PM
http://fireline.seattle.gov/ is a great example of how I believe government organizations and businesses alike will soon be using blogs. Full disclosure, my daughter Dana Vander Houwen is a public information officer for the SFD and was involved in producing this, with no help or advice from Dad. It happens to be a perfect example of using a blog to provide information on a quick and frequent basis to interest groups within your audience. The term “Citizen Journalism” was coined to...
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Friday, June 19, 2009 3:53:00 PM
The recent wedding of Heidi Hall, long-time VHPR Account Manager who is now at APCO Worldwide and Scott Tafferra, who formerly worked for First Mutual (a VHPR client) was a great VHPR reunion and as well as a time to reflect on the evolution of social media.Why this strange connection? Around the time that Heidi first met Scott (when she was preparing him for a media interview), Heather Reynolds (another former VHPR employee), along with my son, Garth, and daughter, Dana, were all trying to...
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Friday, March 20, 2009 11:18:00 AM
Thanks to Anita Thompson, editor of Costco Connection, for sharing this great example of how the “community building” features of Facebook will likely be used in the future, and how important it is for those who tap into them to understand the rules. The first link is to a Canadian newspaper reporting on a mayor who established a Facebook page so residents could express their opinions on the site that had been chosen for a new Costco store. His enthusiasm and excitement almost...
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Thursday, February 26, 2009 3:06:00 PM
The Northwest Entrepreneur Network had to feel like they struck gold with their February Think Tank Exchange on “Integrating social media into your marketing plan” on February 24. All the seats in Schaffer Auditorium at Seattle University filled quickly and participants spilled out into the aisles and up the stairs. The wide ranging Q&A made it clear that the crowd was diverse and included many from traditional industries like banking, professional services, training and...
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 8:33:31 AM
As budget and staff cutbacks spread in companies and government agencies, it can be tempting to put new ideas, such as making greater use of social media, on hold. That is not a good idea. Here’s why.First, regardless of the economy, a growing number of employees and customers are using social media sites to meet with others, get information, and make decisions on products. They aren’t stopping because of the economy and neither should you. In 2008, the largest percentage growth...
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Monday, February 09, 2009 11:34:00 AM
Washington Federal Savings Bank and Frontier Bank leaders both quoted in Feb. 6 Puget Sound Business Journal article. The front page story discussed implications of possible losses at the Federal Home Loan Bank. Brent Beardsall, CFO of Washington Federal and Pat Fahey, CEO of Frontier Bank in Everett were both interviewed for the article. Beardsall said the funds were absolutely critical for banks like Washington Federal. Fahey said he did not expect the losses to have a major impact because...
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Friday, December 05, 2008 9:28:00 AM
If you are looking for a concise summary of the VHPR social media program you need to look no further than the November issue of Media Inc. Magazine. It contains an advertisement, article explaining the program in brief and a profile of the agency. Click the links above to to see all three or e-mail Info@vhpr.com for a copy.
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Monday, September 22, 2008 9:57:00 AM
The popularity of Facebook is growing. What began as a social networking tool for college students on campuses across the United States has evolved into an international platform for professionals and business-minded people. Businesses are using this social media tool as a medium to reach out to their clients and market their brand. Click on the article below to see how businesses are using Facebook. 11 Business Benifits to using Facebook
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Friday, September 19, 2008 3:36:00 PM
I am already tired of words like “free-fall” and “meltdown” being used to describe the current state of economic affairs. I think “unprecedented” is a far more appropriate term and think companies should start taking “unprecedented” steps to communicate with key audiences in these volatile times. Our clients are finding that concern over economic events is high, because the impact is deeply personal. Building trust and reassuring your audience is...
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Monday, September 15, 2008 4:45:00 PM
The Wall Street Journal launched a new social media site this week. In addition to providing content found in the WSJ, the new site will allow users to email, set up personal profiles, and consult business professionals about topics they are experts on. Subscribers of the Wall Street Journal can use this site free of charge. The article below comments on this new feature and all the networking and business opportunities it provides for users....
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Friday, September 12, 2008 3:05:00 PM
With many banks in financial turmoil, Walla Walla’s Baker Boyer Bank wanted to emphasize its strong financial position. Chairman and CEO Megan Clubb used a video podcast to announce a 10 cent stock dividend and remind customers that Baker Boyer had not participated in risky real estate loans. Direct access from the front page of the website www.bakerboyerbank.com also increased viewership.
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Monday, September 08, 2008 9:46:00 AM
Are you interested in the “world of blogging” but aren’t quite sure how to get started?! Here is a great site that compiles the Top 50 Social Media Blogs of 2008. Just click on the link below and try out one of the blog sites. This is a wonderful way to gain experience with blogging and other social media tools. Enjoy! http://www.evancarmichael.com/Tools/Top-50-Social-Media-Blogs-2008.htm
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Tuesday, September 02, 2008 10:12:00 PM
Watch some of the analysis covering the 2008 Presidential Election and other top political stories on Cable News Network (CNN) in the evenings. In addition to speaking on camera with political experts and media representatives, the host will frequently incorporate material from social media platforms. This practice illustrates how traditional forms of media are merging with social media like Facebook and Linkedin to provide the audience with the most up-to-date and valuable information. It is...
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Tuesday, September 02, 2008 2:11:00 PM
By Boyd A. Vander HouwenPresident Vander Houwen Public RelationsDespite all the chatter about social media, we find that many traditional companies are still reluctant to use these new tools to engage their customers and employees. This reluctance is a result of three things: the inability to help management fully understand the potential, concern over being burned, and the difficulty in deciding where to start.Failing to address these challenges could have a high cost in today’s tough...
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Thursday, August 14, 2008 10:28:00 AM
Want to get involved with social media but don’t know how? A good first step is to gain a basic understanding of social media and see what other are doing with it. Of course, a great second step is to contact us to find out how we can help your business, but we will leave hard pitch for later. For now, here’s a great list of 35 companies that are using social media and how they are using it. http://mashable.com/2008/07/23/corporate-social-media/
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Tuesday, August 05, 2008 10:50:00 AM
You will be hearing us use the term Thought Leader from time to time and we just realized that we haven’t defined it on the VHPR blog yet. Below is the definition, but make sure to let us know if there are other social media / web 2.0 definitions we should post to the blog. Thought Leader – A person or organization recognized among its peers for innovative ideas. Thought leaders also demonstrate the confidence to promote or share these ideas in actionable ways.
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Monday, July 28, 2008 8:37:00 AM
VHPR’s new website has a tag cloud! But what is a tag cloud, and why are we using one? A tag cloud visually represents the number of times certain words and phrases appear on a website or blog. The more a word is used in tagging (categorizing) something, the larger that word becomes in the tag cloud. In our tag cloud Social Media is the largest word because it is something that we post about a lot. The tag cloud widget helps us achieve two goals. First, if you are new to our site you can...
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Monday, July 21, 2008 3:39:00 PM
With all the attention given to social media, influencial bloggers, thought leaders and online news sites, it’s always nice to be reminded that some rules of “ old” media still apply, namely – if you offer something of interest, it will probably take off. Patricia Edwards is a portfolio manager and retail specialist with our client Wentworth, Hauser and Violich who often comments for CNBC TV, Bloomberg TV and major print publications on how retailers are doing. The...
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Friday, July 18, 2008 12:02:00 PM
Staying ahead of your competitors can be tough in the social media / web 2.0 era, just ask the United States Army. United States Army Secretary Pete Geren says the Army is still lagging in social media communications. He said that this explains how "just one man in a cave that's hooked up to the Internet has been able to out-communicate the greatest communications society in the history of the world -- the United States."If an organization as big and powerful as the US Army can fall behind in...
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Thursday, July 17, 2008 3:24:00 PM
David E. Katri, Clark Nuber's CEO, was interviewed by the Society for Human Resource Magazine after being selected for the second time as one of the “50 Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America.” See the interview and read the article here: http://www.shrm.org/video/08videos/070708cn.asp An employee survey, management questionnaire, and internal firm materials counted for two-thirds of the total score. The remaining one-third of the score came from the Great Place...
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Posted by Boyd Vander Houwen
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 12:00:00 PM
In an effort to keep up-to-date on all the current social media tools, we are excited to start experimenting with Twitter, a micro-blogging tool used to send short updates to your contacts throughout the day. This may seem too basic or too intrusive, but Twitter is a rapidly-growing tool that has implications for you personally and professionally. Personally, this can be a great tool to keep in contact with family members and friends, and quickly and easily update them on your travel plans,...
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