Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in LEAD San Diego’s EMBARK program – a five-day leadership development program focused on improving the skills of San Diego’s emerging business leaders. A few minutes into the first session, I quickly realized this was more than just a professional development program – it was a personal development program.  Sure, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test confirmed my love of list making – no surprise there for anyone who knows me.

But the self-awareness exercises we participated in also taught me more about who I am, how the things I do affect others, and how I can improve my interpersonal communication and relationships. The rest of the personalized leadership assessment program was just as impactful as it included knowledgeable and interesting speakers, small group breakout sessions, and interactive team-building exercises.

Here are just a couple of my key takeaways from a phenomenal program:

Sometimes you have to follow to become a better leader. 

Jeff Balesh of Jeff Balesh Consulting encouraged us to lead interdependently, “with intention despite uncertainty.” In other words, it’s ok to have a plan, but it’s important to be flexible and willing to let others help when necessary. Akshay Sateesh of Ziksana Consulting, through a number of quick-thinking exercises, re-emphasized this for us by forcing us to get outside of our comfort zones. His on-the-spot improvisation lessons taught us that good leaders “live in the moment and listen.”  Doug Holman of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce stressed that it’s ok, and sometimes better, to refer colleagues to someone else competent when you’re crunched for time.  You don’t always have to do everything yourself and you can position yourself as a resource in the process.

Small actions can have a big impact.

Throughout the EMBARK program, I was reminded great leaders always find ways to say, “thank you” and that those two words can go a long way in enlightening and inspiring someone. Small actions, even if you don’t remember them, can leave a lasting impact. It’s important to take the extra step, make a follow-up call or write a letter – you never know who could be watching or how you may meet again. First impressions are made all the time, whether you know it or not.

San Diego businesses are uniquely connected.

A benefit of the EMBARK program that will have a lasting impact on me is the people I met through the program. Many of San Diego’s largest and most impactful companies, business groups and nonprofit organizations were represented in my cohort, and interacting with such fun-loving, insightful and driven individuals was exciting and energizing for me. Hearing stories about clients NST has worked with throughout the program also made it clear for me San Diego is a big city that feels like a small town, led by a close-knit group of visionaries.

I truly hope I get to work with each of my fellow EMBARKers again one day and look forward to becoming part of the next generation of San Diego visionaries together.

We at Nuffer, Smith, Tucker believe it’s important to give back – it not only helps those in need and sets an example for other organizations, but it also encourages us a team.  Last Thursday, several NST’ers spent the morning downtown waving signs and collecting money in big red shoes in support of the third-annual Red Shoe Day.  Our team represented a few of the more than 1,200 volunteers who took to the streets to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego (an NST client) and the great work they do to provide a “home away from home” for families with critically ill or injured children in local hospitals.

It was inspiring to watch the creativity of some of the volunteers, some donning wigs, costumes and hula hoops to get attention, and it was even more special to see firsthand the generosity of those choosing to give back on their daily commute.  All in all, Red Shoe Day raised an estimated $150,000 for the charity, so thanks to all who donated!

What’s a creative way you or your professional team have helped make your community a better place to live, work and play?

A lot of companies place emphasis on ensuring their organization or brand “looks good” online – and that’s important – but they often focus only on the graphic, visual elements of a website or social media platform.  More importantly, who’s the voice of your brand online?  Who’s communicating with people via social media on your behalf?  Is there a consistent tone?

I recently sat through a Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) webinar that explained what things companies should want in an online community manager and helped paint a picture of what he/she should look like.  Below are seven qualities you should look for (or develop) in your online community manager:

1. Articulate:  An online community manager should be able to communicate effectively in a variety of media.  He/she should be capable of clearly expressing the organization’s messages in a language your community members like and understand.

2. Social:  He/she should be able to easily engage in authentic conversations online.  In other words, just because your I.T. guy knows about computers doesn’t mean he’s automatically the right fit – this person needs to be comfortable participating in online discussions and come across as natural.

3. Professional:  Having a personality is great, but coming across as professional is equally, if not more, important.  The person should act as a responsible ambassador for your organization and carry an appropriate, consistent tone across multiple mediums.

4. Adaptable:  An online community manager should be able to make decisions quickly during crisis situations.  This often involves knowing where to look for information, working across multiple departments, understanding the company’s values, and not getting frazzled easily.

5. Enthusiastic:  It’s easy to tell when the person “behind the post” actually cares about the brand and about helping or informing others.  Your online community manager should be energetic, passionate and engaged in relevant topics.

6. Connected:  Key members within your community can come to your defense and/or be your best ambassadors, so the person you choose as a community manager should have ties to the right people within the community, or at least be able to identify them.

7. Organized:  When managing a community, staying organized is key.  A community manager should be able to keep track of data, relationships, content calendars, and a variety of assets essential to maintaining your community.

WOMMA is a fantastic resource for social media newbies and experts, as it puts together case studies, ethics guidelines, and online and in-person educational seminars.  You can follow the organization on Twitter and keep checking back to the NST blog for more information on best practices, trends and updates related to social media.

AT&T Park, San Francisco

The return of baseball season is an exciting time at Nuffer, Smith, Tucker– it’s something to follow, discuss and tease each other about.  It represents hope (although Kerry has expressed “limited optimism” in the Padres management this year) and a renewed excitement in our downtown office, where we have a great view down the third-base line at Petco Park.

If you’ve walked by my desk, it’s not hard to tell I’m a San Francisco Giants fan (hint: you may’ve noticed the “Beard Yourself Like Brian Wilson” poster behind my computer or the Barry Bonds bobblehead on the file cabinet), but above all else, I’m a baseball fan.  I can watch a 0-0 tie going into the 9^th inning of any game and be perfectly happy.  I’m intrigued by matchups, left-handed pitching vs. right-handed hitting, fielders playing close against certain hitters, late inning switches… It’s all fascinating and predicated on the idea of playing to one’s strengths.  Sure, you can put a lineup out there and hope for the best, but good managers are active – they know their competition inside and out, they know who hits better against certain relievers, and they’re thinking several steps ahead for the good of the team.

Public relations done right is a lot like baseball.  It involves analyzing trends, assessing your competition, identifying your strengths and key differentiators, and putting together a solid game plan for success.  We’d be happy to help you think through some of those things for your business and how to best utilize that information to reach your strategic business goals through branding, media relations, online marketing, social media and/or graphic design.  And, if you want to talk baseball, we’d like that too.

“Hitting is fifty percent ‘above the shoulders.’” – Ted Williams  

It’s the announcement that everyone in marketing has been on the edge of their seat waiting for – Facebook Timeline for brands. Recently, a few NSTers were able to sit in on some webinars about the new features.  We had so many notes on the new features that we’ve broken them out into a three-part blog series, starting below with “above the fold” features.

Although the changes affecting brand pages will require us to make a few tweaks to our clients’ pages, overall, we’re excited!  Some of the features are downright cool, like the new cover photo.  Here are a few of the new elements you should be aware of:

• Default landing pages are no more.  Visitors will automatically go to a brand’s wall, or Timeline.  This, along with some of Facebook’s other changes, highlights the importance of posting and engaging with fans regularly.
• Brand cover photo.  Brands now have an 851 x 315-pixel area at the top of the page for a cover photo, which will be public to everyone.  This can be a fun or artsy photo or design, but cannot include:

• Smaller profile pictures.  At 180 x 180 pixels, the profile photo overlaps with the cover photo.  There are some creative ways to have this work with your cover photo, as these brands show, but the profile picture is still a prominent feature when interacting with a brand, so it’s important to have it work by itself too.
• Application changes.  The applications that were previously listed as tabs on the left sidebar will now appear as boxes below the cover photo (see Coca-Cola’s four applications above: Photos, Likes, Home, Your Stories).  However, there are only four spots immediately visible and one will be taken up by photos, which is a static feature.  Therefore, you should design custom icons (110 x 74 pixels) for at least three other tabs that will be visible “above the fold” without clicking to see more.
• Once visitors click on those application boxes, the tabs they see will now also have a larger area (810 pixels wide).  Current tabs (at 520 pixels) will be centered, but you should consider filling the extra space.

What are your thoughts on losing the welcome page option and gaining the cover photo?  Leave us a comment with your thoughts and stay tuned for Part 2 in our 3-part series on the subject.

Managing your company’s community, blog or social networking page can be a daunting task.  As a community manager, you’re often responsible for balancing the needs of your members or subscribers with those of your organization, providing a consistent user experience, monitoring news and trends, posting engaging content, moderating content from others, measuring progress… The list goes on and on.  Here are a few tips, with thought-provoking questions below them, that should help you think through your community management strategy:

Define Roles and Responsibilities

• How does having a community, blog or social networking page fit within or help advance your company’s strategic business goals?
• Do you have the time, talent and resources to manage your community well?
• What behaviors do you want members or subscribers to exhibit, and what can you do to help them get there?
• How are you measuring success?

Be Consistent, but Add Value

• Does your community offer a similar user experience with your website, collateral and other materials?
• Is the tone and voice in your messages consistent?
• What are you doing to add value and encourage a two-way dialogue instead of just posting one-way marketing messages?

Identify and Leverage Community Leaders

• How often do you just say “thank you” to your members or subscribers?
• What’s the best way to incentivize increased engagement?
• How are you positioning your community as a resource?

Nuffer, Smith, Tucker has been managing communities for more than a decade, before the term “social media” was coined.  While we may not have all the answers to these questions without getting to know your organization and its key stakeholders first, we’d be happy to share our insights and ideas and work with you to make your community the best it can be.

Nuffer Smith Tucker Wins Heilbron Award

At the recent memorial service for NST’s co-founder, Dave Nuffer, Mayor Jerry Sanders said he thought no one cared about San Diego more than Dave Nuffer.  It’s true – Dave loved America’s Finest City (and its neighboring cities south of the border) and was happy to provide communications counsel to anyone helping to make it a better place to live, work and play.

Following in Dave’s footsteps, we at Nuffer, Smith, Tucker believe it’s important to give back – it not only helps those in need and sets an example for other organizations, but it also makes us a better team.  On June 23, 2011, NST was honored at the inaugural Heilbron Awards, presented by San Diego Rotary Club 33 and the San Diego Business Journal to companies that exhibit high ethical standards, a commitment to community service and a willingness to utilize its professional skill sets to help others in the community.  We were among a group of outstanding San Diego organizations recognized and are very grateful to be included in such great company.

Whether you’re a plumber or a PR practitioner, we all have something of value we can use to help those in need.  NST’s team members serve on a variety of non-profit boards, regularly volunteer for local non-profit organizations and provide pro-bono counsel to clients, to name a few things.  What type of things do you or your professional team do to “pay it forward” and make your community a better place?

Have you been noticing more of those square-shaped, grainy-looking barcodes next to the things you watch and buy?  Quick response codes, or QR codes, are not a new technology, but they’re sprouting up more and more around us.  In fact, barcode scanning grew by 4549 percent in the first quarter of this year (no, that’s not missing a decimal point.)  Primarily used to direct people with smartphones to a URL that has additional information, these codes are being placed on magazine ads, direct mail pieces, handouts, billboards, coupons, and even business cards.

There are several free QR code generators out there, including Kaywa and bit.ly, but that doesn’t mean using it’s the best marketing tool for everyone.  You still have to develop compelling content for what you’re directing people to and make sure it’s an appropriate tactic to support your marketing and communication strategies.  While some think QR codes will eventually take over the world, chances are many of your customers still haven’t heard about them and don’t regularly scan them on their smartphones yet.  So keep expectations for success realistic and let us know if you need any help utilizing QR codes as part of your marketing efforts.

At NST, we celebrate our co-workers by taking office field trips to Padres games, Temecula wineries and local pubs for happy hour, and by having unique birthday celebrations.

Welcome to Greg Kershaw's Office!

Though we love to recognize each other’s hard work (see our Tiki Token blog posts), we also think the occasional prank is a must. So, it’s entirely fitting that NST’s birthday also happens to be April Fools’ Day!  In honor of this special day, the entire office supported Krystin Williamson and me when we suggested an April Fools’ joke be played on our very own Greg Kershaw – or as we call him – The Gersh.

The Gersh is a hard worker (just ask him) but he also loves to have fun – especially if it means cheering on his beloved San Francisco Giants.  His desk in cubeville is filled with all things Giants and WD-40 – his other love – so Krystin and I knew it was a risk to move any of Gersh’s cherished tchotchkes.  As the photos will prove, we were more than willing to take that risk.

Krystin and I arrived to the NST office bright and early to clear out Gersh’s desk and move all items to his new office – the men’s bathroom.  The Gersh loved the prank – though he did have to wander around the office for some time to figure out just where all of his stuff had gone.

Gersh's old office and new office

Visit the NST Facebook page for photos of April Fool’s Day, NST-style!

And and huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Nuffer, Smith, Tucker!

From optical illusion to Badger brand equity, in case you missed it, here’s a sampling of information shared this week by the gang at NST:

The next frontier in social media?  The booming Hispanic market. (Michelle Livermore)

An onslaught of digital technologies has laid waste to traditional media. The new year will bring a clearer picture of what will emerge from the rubble. (Greg Kershaw)

What’s worse?  Missing a curveball because of athletic ability or lack thereof or whiffing because your own brain fooled you? (Aaron Blomberg)

More people talk about the University of Wisconsin online than any other college or university.  We at NST think that’s mostly due to Natalie Haack, an avid Badger fan who watched her team fall to the Horned Frogs of TCU in the Rose Bowl.  We expect Natalie to personally boost SDSU’s online buzz.  She has dual allegiances, and if the two teams meet in any sport, plan for a bandwidth meltdown.

So a 20-something added a new twist to “the dog ate my homework.” She’s blaming Steve Jobs’ iPhone for not waking her up in time for work.  Maybe the Apple chief should send her a pocket-size mirror for her next blame game. (Yours truly)

Here’s a look at the best Facebook page strategies: http://bit.ly/fhYdZg. (Natalie Haack)

If you haven’t heard of Ted Williams, the man with the golden voice, you live in a cave. He’s been hired by Kraft and was reunited with his mom.  It’s only January.  Wonder what will top this buzz in 2011? (Mary Correia-Moreno)