Using the New “Pages to Watch” Function on Facebook

  • Fran Stephenson
  • November 13, 2013
  • 2 min read

Are you using the new “Pages to Watch” function on FB? I just started using it this week and have added it into the box of several pages which I administer on Facebook.  I’m surprised to see very little about this new function on Pages, but I did find this post which identifies some of […]

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Reflections on SeaWorld’s 25th Anniversary

  • Fran Stephenson
  • November 5, 2013
  • 3 min read

It passed by with little fanfare earlier this summer, but SeaWorld San Antonio is 25 years old. This is an important milestone for our city, our region, and one that is important to me personally. This largest of the SeaWorld parks opened in April 1988 in what was then considered a remote part of San […]

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Break the Measurement Logjam

  • Fran Stephenson
  • October 31, 2013
  • 2 min read

In September, I spoke to the Public Information Officers who work for the Veterans Administration.  These professionals are challenged in several ways with systems and methods for which they have little control.  Yet, they are deeply committed to demonstrating success to their leadership. While we talked about trends in measurement and industry best practices, it […]

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Double Up Your Social Media Content

  • Fran Stephenson
  • October 23, 2013
  • 2 min read

If your organization has gotten into a good social media routine, monitoring channels, posting content regularly and seeing results, maybe it’s time to double up on your content output. What do I mean by doubling up? If you’ve been posting two to three times per week on your channels, try doubling your output for a […]

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3 Things to Do Before You Start a Blogger Outreach Program

  • Fran Stephenson
  • October 18, 2013
  • 2 min read

If you think that reaching out to bloggers might be important for your brand, then you are joining hundreds of companies who consider bloggers a vital component of their marketing plan. But before you get started, here are three things to consider to make the engagement worth your while. The first consideration is to make […]

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Retail Fails but Travel Wins: 3 Stories about Customer Experience

  • Fran Stephenson
  • October 6, 2013
  • 4 min read

Are your customers having good, bad or GREAT experiences? I recently had 3 different service experiences in each of these categories which really surprised me, and not always in a good way.  Let’s start with the bad surprise. Retail Fail When trying to make a purchase at a large department store, I found that the […]

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Marketing Plans: Dust Collector or Useful Tools?

  • Fran Stephenson
  • September 30, 2013
  • 4 min read

Last week, I facilitated a session by the same name at the Texas Travel Industry Summit in Corpus Christi.  It was a “shirtsleeves” session designed to help travel professionals talk about their successes and challenges and draw from the collective group to find solutions or ideas they could take back to their organizations. Our panel […]

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Be More Productive

  • Fran Stephenson
  • August 29, 2013
  • 3 min read

This week I led a session for the Texas Travel Industry Association on productivity tools and apps for small travel organizations.  It was fun to talk about some of the tools I use to increase my efficiency and simplify the day-to-day functions of my business. At the beginning of the session, I polled the group […]

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Three Biggest Style Mistakes in PR Writing

  • Fran Stephenson
  • March 14, 2013
  • 2 min read

I’ve written and edited hundreds of press releases, blog posts and other media materials throughout my career. And I’ve coached writing students on the basics of newswriting. There are three errors in applying Associated Press style that I see the most in writing. Using Commas in a Series If the series is simple, then lose […]

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What Style Are You Using in Your Public Relations Writing?

  • Fran Stephenson
  • March 12, 2013
  • 4 min read

For public relations practitioners, writing style can be boring and dry. But style is important in good writing. It sets standards and formats that give uniformity to writing. Surprisingly, many in the profession are unaware of style types and how they can bolster your writing efforts. Applying a style to your writing puts an end […]

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