All Posts By

Marijean

Marijean Oldham (Jaggers), a social media specialist and public relations professional, is president and CEO of Jaggers Communications LLC, a strategic communications firm based in Charlottesville, Va.

Mar 28
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Amy Eastlack joins the Jaggers Communications Team

By Communications, Jaggers Communications News

I am beyond thrilled to announce an addition to the Jaggers Communications family. You might know her from SuzySaid in Charlottesville or as a television star on C’ville Plugged

Amy Eastlack

Amy Eastlack

In, a segment that aired for more than a year on CBS-19, WCAV.

She’s Amy Eastlack, my good friend, a fantastic writer, a social media engagement specialist and the newest member of our team!

Amy has devoted her time to developing business and personal relationships in our community. Her background spans environmental health, health care, retail marketing and nonprofit work, making her experience a perfect fit for our business growth model. Her involvement locally has given her a broad network of contacts and numerous followers in the social space. Having her join the team just makes good sense! (Plus, it occurs to me just now that she’s the fourth team member with roots in the Midwest. We’re good old common sense, down to earth people at Jaggers Communications from a land where “all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average,” as Garrison Keillor would say).

Amy will be providing support in client web monitoring, content development and plan management.

Please join me in welcoming Amy on board and say hello when you see her around Charlottesville!

Mar 27
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Breakfast at Beer Run: Thinking about Social Engagement, Timing and the Right Questions

By Social Media

I’m having breakfast at Beer Run today, something I do with frequency. It’s a best kept secret, in my book. (OK, I guess not so much now that I just blabbed it here.) I like the energy here, the quiet in the morning, the really good breakfast menu (build your own!), the ability to be here when deliveries of super special craft beers arrive and the always consistent wifi. It’s odd, I know, to work from, what is MOSTLY a bar, but in the morning, it’s the ideal location.

Because I’m a regular here at all times of day (*cough*) I’m greeted warmly and often with my beverage of choice (dictated, of course, by the time of day I arrive). Yes, I am drinking a cup of coffee right now. Since the staff knows what I do professionally, sometimes we talk business — either theirs or mine.

This morning we’re talking a bit about questions we ask online to engage our communities. Sometimes, you can post a status update or a question and it just takes off like wildfire. There are comments and “likes” galore and everyone has to chime in. Topic is key, but timing is an important element. You have to be on the right platform at the right time, i.e., when everyone else is there and eager to engage.

When the heck is that?!

It’s really different for every community. Case in point, I’m at a beer joint in the morning! The engaged community is present around 5pm, not now. Paying attention to the trends in your business, the footsteps, either literal or virtual, and when they increase and decrease is important. Reviewing the referring platforms that deliver fans to your doorstep and posting there — also important.

I’m ruminating on the best way to post a personal question across my social platforms and the best time to do so (it’s not business; it’s personal, so even trickier to figure out). So stay tuned, if you’re into that sort of thing, because in my world, personal and professional blur one to the other.

Mar 21
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Maintaining a Social Presence as a News Professional

By Media, Social Media

 I had the great pleasure of returning to my old stomping grounds at the Newsplex, today. For more than a year I was the social media correspondent and blogging segment guest on-air on CBS-19. Great fun, that, but my time on TV has been very limited in the last couple of years.

In addition to being included with the “talent,” (ha!) I did some consulting behind-the-scenes to help the news and sales staff with their social strategy. I returned this week, to both provide a refresher and update for the more seasoned staff members and social media orientation for the new folks.

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/schuttedan/status/182560714345549826″]

News professionals, whether in broadcast or print, all seem to have the same issues:

  1. Creating definition and separation between their personal and professional personas and online lives.
  2. A lack of comfort in sharing what’s personal (not private) online.
  3. How blogging, generally thought of as a venue for opinion, can be done as an objective journalist.
  4. How to deal with the really nasty and downright rude comments left by viewers/readers.

A couple of approaches shared today include the concept that there is a CLEAR difference between what is considered private and being personal (and personable) online. Never mistake one for the other. Your comfort level in engaging online is important — watch how someone else you admire conducts themselves online and let that be a guide to your own behavior.

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/carterjohnson/status/182483092517294081″]

Blogging as a journalist is commonplace. If you’re telling the story behind the story, you’re providing another perspective for the audience. It should enhance the experience, not replace it. Bloggers do not have to share opinions (being a blogger and being opinionated are only coincidentally common). Bloggers are, like journalists, expected to tell the truth. What would happen if a journalist who blogged didn’t blog about their beat or the news they cover, but blogged about their life as a journalist, or their personal interests?

Whoa, right?

Trolls, or the nasty mean people who leave anonymous (or even named, public) comments on blogs, websites and Facebook pages, are really awful. No one likes to read that kind of unfiltered, sometimes WAY over the top criticism. It’s hard to simply thank them for their feedback and walk away. Establish a policy (as the Newsplex has done) that you will delete obscene and inappropriate comments. Make sure you’re showing up and entering the conversation regularly. Turns out that even trolls are more polite when they know you’re in the room.

I encouraged the team members to keep an eye on their Klout scores and set some personal goals for influence and engagement. I think it’s great to see a local news team so genuinely interested in professional development and community engagement.

You can find the Twitter handles of all the on-air staff as well as News, Weather and Sports on the group’s website.

 

Mar 14
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Peeling Back the Layers: The Process of Uncovering a Brand Position

By Communications

It happens pretty much every single time we work with a client on nailing down their brand position. Usually a client wants to start with a mission statement. It’s usually super long and somewhat hifalutin. If we’re able to start from scratch, we take them through a brand positioning exercise, which often still results in something loooooonnnnnnnggg.

We get it: your business is yours. You’ve put a lot of thought, energy and effort into it. THERE’S SO MUCH TO SAY. And sometimes, your business is complex; it’s not easy for other people to understand, so it takes lots of five dollar words and prepositional phrases to get your meaning across.

Or does it?

In every case of working through the finalization of a client’s brand position, we peel back layers. We clarify. We eliminate the jargon. We break down complex sentences. We remove aspirational adjectives. We narrow the focus down to what you do now; how it’s different, and why you do it.  In every case, the content we start with is BIG and what we end up with is tight, concise and exactly the message the client wants delivered.

What does your brand look  and sound like? How did you get there?