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 11
Love0

The Wendy Edwards Show Podcast and my Promise to Sing

By Social Media

This week I was a guest of the Wendy Edwards show, part of the Charlottesville Podcasting Network. I spoke with Wendy about branding, social media and marketing for small businesses.

Give it a listen!

Also, Wendy managed to get me to confess to a 1976 performance of a Shirley Temple song (listen to the podcast to find out what song!) — and I’ve foolishly promised to repeat that song in an encore performance on YouTube if my business’ Facebook Page reaches 500 fans by March 31, 2011.

How about it? Will you make me sing?

Mar 10
Love0

While You’re on their Website, the Phone Rings (The Call is Coming from inside the Internet)

By Social Media

Photo credit: A National Acrobat

Last night, my husband began planning some yard work for the spring. In calculating what we spend on fertilizer and seed, he began to wonder just how much more it could possibly be to hire a lawn service.

He went online (as we do for absolutely everything in our house) and entered some basic information into a well-known lawn service’s website, including his e-mail address as his preferred method of contact. Since he didn’t want a phone call, he did not share our phone number with the company.

While he was still on the site, the phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID and told him the lawn care company was calling.

Well he just came unglued — understandably, I thought.  I’ve had similar scenarios come up when I’ve been visiting a web page and while I don’t like it, it doesn’t fire me up as much as it did my husband.

What do you think of this aggressive type of web + phone marketing? I am less inclined to work with a business that contacts me in a way other than how I’ve requested they do so — and in fact, this company has so thoroughly disgusted my husband that they’ve permanently lost us as prospective customers.

Has this ever happened to you? What was your reaction?

Mar 10
Love0

12 Reasons to Register for BlogVille, the Central Virginia Blog and Social Media Conference

By Social Media

I’m getting pretty excited about BlogVille, Central Virginia’s first comprehensive blogging and social media conference. I’ve been to other social media conferences; in Florida, Missouri, New York and Chicago, so it’s nice to have one right here in my backyard.

I have to mention: I’m speaking at this event — providing a session on social media specifically for beginners.

If you’re thinking about blocking out the time and making the investment to learn more about social media and blogging, here are 12 reasons to help you make up your mind to register today.

  1. Denise Stewart is a wellness coach, a writer and an actress. (She also happens to be married to my friend Lance). Denise is the motivating force behind many women I know in Charlottesville, helping them to eat better, get active and live a more healthy lifestyle. Denise will be kicking off BlogVille and I think we can all expect to be inspired and motivated by her enthusiastic spirit.
  2. Renee Revetta is smart, gorgeous and really, really likable. As senior marketing specialist for Search Mojo, Renee will be de-constructing the mysteries behind Google Analytics and search engine optimization. No matter how much you think you know on this topic, you’re sure to learn more.
  3. Struggling with setting up or managing a WordPress blog? David Moody‘s your guy, and he’ll be workshopping with BlogVille participants to help them get going with WordPress.
  4. My buddy Steinar Knutsen is always on hand when social media is afoot. Steinar will be helping bloggers figure out how to make blogging a profitable venture, something he’s mastered in his own career.
  5. Billy Hunt is just all kinds of awesome — he’s a very talented photographer and videographer and we’re lucky enough to have him share his talents with the BlogVille attendees, leading us in a session devoted to video.
  6. Our keynote speaker is a personal friend, someone I deeply admire and who inspires me — Christine Holbaum is flying in from her home in Germany to share with us the Power of Slow.
  7. Rev. Claire Goodman has mastered the art of wedding blogging and will be speaking along with Steinar Knutsen about the business and monetary advantages she’s discovered through blogging.
  8. Dr. Dolly Garnecki is a seasoned blogger; she’ll be sharing best practices for conference attendees who are brand-new to the blogosphere.
  9. Sales and Marketing director for V-meals, Molly Fulton will bring tremendous value to BlogVillians — Molly will share her secrets for maintaining an online footprint with the minimum amount of time.
  10. Fellow pie enthusiast, Mollie Cox Bryan will be focusing on helping bloggers find their passions and stay inspired through writing (I’m looking forward to this one!)
  11. Photographer Elisa Bricker will help attendees create visually beautiful blogs, using photography and photo editing tools.
  12. Last but not least, yours truly, I, Marijean Jaggers, will be bringing it all together for you, demonstrating how to pull together an integrated, strategic social media presence.

I hope to see you there — it’s going to be a great event.

REGISTER FOR BLOGVILLE

 

Mar 08
Love0

A Zebra Loses His Stripes and Discovers his Brand

By Uncategorized

Daniel Rothamel is a real estate professional in my community. He is/was the Real Estate Zebra, a brand he developed because of his history as a basketball referee.

In recent history, Daniel was sued for trademark infringement by another firm using the zebra brand 3,000 miles away.

Because Daniel is a blogger and an active social media user/connector in our community, many came to his defense, blasting the frivolous lawsuit and even generating a Facebook page to demonstrate support.

Today, Daniel shared the letter he sent to the attorneys who filed the suit and explained his reasons for deciding, ultimately, to let go of the zebra in his branding.

The conversation will, no doubt, continue as some agree or disagree with Daniel’s decision (let’s remember that it’s a personal decision based on someone with a personal brand.) I’m sharing this story and the example of it as an excellent example of the use of social media in a variety of ways:

  1. The brand exists and has widely held support because of the blog and the relationships Daniel has nurtured through social media
  2. People know and follow Daniel — not a zebra — and because of those relationships, Daniel had tremendous support while enduring a hardship
  3. Daniel used his blog and specifically video to share his story and his final decision, an excellent choice to share the news in a personal, meaningful way

What I love about this the most is that Daniel has learned through all of this that he is the brand, that Daniel Rothamel is the brand — he doesn’t need the stripes or the zebra look, name or identity to be the real, caring professional that he is.

Hats off to you Daniel, for a job well done — you’ve impressed me with your work ethic, your use of social media and the man you are behind the stripes.

Watch Daniel’s video below, but make sure you read the post as well.

Mar 08
Love0

Finding Balance Between the Personal and the Professional

By Communications

I’m not perfect.

Of course, no one is, but in the culture of social media, admitting that — no, owning that, is for the first time, a benefit.

The intersection of the personal and professional in business requires that business show its human side, that the people who represent businesses include a personal element that allows others to know them on a deeper level.

What does that mean?

It’s something people struggle with, or in some cases, the sticking point that keeps some from engaging successfully in social media. They say, “why would anyone care what I’m thinking or doing?” or  “I don’t want to live my life publicly.”

I’m here to tell you that there’s definitely a difference between personal and private — don’t mistake the two. No one, least of all me, is telling you to share your private life online. If it’s private, it doesn’t go on the internet.

You’re not going to get away without being human, however. And the way to be human online is to be a bit personal. Celebrating a personal triumph? Share it! Enjoying what you do? Let us know. Heading to a favorite restaurant? Tell us (maybe we like that restaurant, too). The way people connect to the people who represent businesses is by identifying with them on a personal level. If you don’t give us reasons to do so, that element is missing.

A quick story: people often talk about celebrities as if they know them; morning TV anchors have cornered the market on this relationship development. When Katie Couric’s husband passed away, my mother sent Katie a card. Know what? So did thousands of other people. I’m not suggesting we all pretend we’re celebrities and share all the most intimate details of our lives, but the benefit of connecting with others who understand a (sometimes unique) situation in your life, outweighs the risk you may feel in baring a bit of your person in your professional life.

Need help managing your professional and personal profiles online? Sign up for the next Jaggers Communications workshop, Thursday, March 17 at 9am at OpenSpace.