Today’s Friday Favorites is all about connections and courtesy. When was the last time that you received a hand written note in the mail? It’s probably been a while. But, when you find a special note in between all of your bills, how does it make you feel? I know that it makes me extremely happy! For me, it’s all about the simple things in life.

Today’s Friday Favorites is dedicated to just one topic because: A) it doesn’t go with anything else; and B) it deserves this entire blog.

Today’s Friday Favorites is all about a college program that’s shaping the best and brightest communication professionals around. When I was in high school, the top journalism and communication schools were Emerson and Syracuse. Fast forward twenty years and Western New England University’s Communications Department has made a name for itself.

When I worked as a news reporter our newsroom would get dozens of press releases a day.  Many of them were missing important information, way too long to read, or were just plain awful. Others, were well written, got right to the point and had a compelling story. Guess who got the coverage?

It’s been almost three months since New Year’s Day. Did you make a resolution? Have you kept it? According to Forbes, only about 8% of people keep their resolutions. I say forget resolutions. Make goals…realistic, achievable goals.

Imagine this. You’re sitting in the green room at Fox News or MSNBC. You are being prepped by the producer. Your heart is racing. Your palms are sweating. You make the walk down the long hallway to the live studio. You get the cue that you are two minutes away from going on the national television news. And you’re live.

Today we’re talking about how social media and PR work together. Before twitter, facebook and snapchat, the only way to let people know that you and your company were going on to be on the 10 pm news is an email blast or a phone call.

You have probably been hearing a lot about Snapchat around work. Your kids are most likely on it and celebrities and companies around the world are snapping away.  If you haven’t jumped on board with this social media platform…it’s time. I know what some of you are thinking: “Isn’t it for sending naked pictures?” I’m sure that people still do, but businesses and social media influencers do not do that. Now that your concern is cleared up, grab your phone and download the free app.

I recently had dinner with a successful, gorgeous, and intelligent woman. Many women envy her and thousands of men would love to date her. In many people’s eyes, she has a dream job. She’s a television journalist.

Ever send out a press release and never hear from the press? Yeah, it happens and you can’t blame them. Their email’s are flooded daily with press releases, story pitches, media advisory’s…you name it. But, say one day they do pick up your story and want to interview you, that’s great! So they call you to set up an interview, but you have a lunch appointment or a staff meeting at that time. One piece of advice, re-arrange your schedule, make that interview happen!  I have known people who declined interviews because they had plans during that time.  Listen, this is your one opportunity to be interviewed, don’t blow it. No, they can’t come back tomorrow or next week.  They want to do the story that day and it will most likely run in their 5-6pm newscast.  The press can Not and will Not wait. If you can’t make it, they will move on to someone else who can. A great example of making things happen is when CBS 3 Springfield wanted to interview Stevens Diamond Jewelers the day before Valentine’s Day. In the jewelry industry, V-Day is one of their busiest, but the manager figured out a way to be available for the press. Great job!

When you go to a restaurant, do you ever people watch?  Of course people are eating, drinking and having a little bit of conversation. But, what else do you notice? Are they on their phones?  For work… maybe. To check social media…perhaps. To play games…sometimes.

We’ve all made our New Year’s resolutions. By now, many of you have broken them. It’s okay. My “no drinking wine during the week” resolution was foiled 5 days in. But, that’s okay, we move on and focus on other things.

How often do you say “no”? If you are like many people, I am guessing that the answer is “hardly ever.”  You don’t want to let anyone down. You want to be liked. You want to be a team player. Sound familiar? Whatever the reason, by saying yes to everything, you are saying no to the important things in your personal and professional life. I am slowly learning to say ‘no’.

Let’s face it, many business owners are Type A personalities. I’m one of them and that carries over to every aspect of my life. We all have one major problem: letting others take over our projects. But, how many of you “control freaks” are feeling overwhelmed in your job? Your responsibilities continue to grow, lists get longer and frankly there’s just not enough time do everything.

It’s the best feeling for a publicist to be told by the media, “Yes…we’ll cover that story.” Our heart beats with excitement and we can’t wait to tell our clients. But…the good news needs to come with a disclaimer.

Today we’re talking about your marketing budget. I’m going to let you in a little secret….you don’t need a 100,000 dollar budget to successfully market your business, but you do need to be doing the right things.

Nike recently made a very bold move and it’s blowing up on social media. Many athletes, actors and millennials are supporting the brand’s decision to have Colin Kaepernick as the face for their new “Just Do It” campaign.

While others are disgusted with Nike’s move as they burn sneakers and boycott the company. Nike has and will lose a large percentage of their customers due to this campaign. Nike’s shares fell 3.2% as the boycott grew and I expect them to lose more money this week.

However, as they have lost customers, I don’t see this hurting the company long term. This campaign was a very calculated decision. Nike’s target audience is younger consumers. And those are the customers who like and buy from the companies who take a social stance.

Gino Fisanotti, Nike’s vice president of brand for North America told ESPN that the new version of the campaign is meant to specifically speak to 15-17-year-olds.

More and more companies are taking a social stance because they believe that's what their customers want. 

A study in January revealed that 66 percent of consumers want organizations to take a stand on political and social issues. From H&M to Pepsi and Ben & Jerry’s we continue to see big brands share their beliefs in their marketing.

But is mixing politics and social issues a smart move for brands? While it may work for some, I believe that it can be a slippery slope for many.

As a company, you have to be ready for the ramifications, customer loss and negative press. You must ask yourself if it’s worth it.

When I was 9 years old I decided that I was going to be a television reporter. Thanks to the guidance of Brenda Garton, I did just that. I was always fascinated by not only telling a story, but showing it. It wasn’t about me being on camera, it was all about the video, the images…what the viewers saw. Video combined with great sound bites takes the news or a specific message to a whole new level.

I hate the gym, yes I know that’s a strong word. But the thought of being on a cross trainer for 45 minutes is like walking on nails for me. I’m the type of person who will stop half way through. The only way that I’m successful at working out is when I’m with a trainer or in a group fitness class. I need to be pushed. I need motivation. I need a group of people around me. I need to be held accountable.

Today we’re talking about how to set yourself apart from your competition. Whether you are trying to get new business or working to maintain your existing clients…you need to do what everyone else isn’t. So…we’re going back to basics.