About Linda O'Neill
Linda is, we have to say, our customer service expert. She is one of our Renaissance Women that is willing to jump into any project (big or small) and pitch in. She has been known (once or twice or a hundred times, give or take a few) that providing an excellent customer experience is her passion. And trust us when we say she isn't lying. Like Woah. Linda is, among other things, a life-long learner and is instrumental in a number of internal educational projects. On Above the Fold & Socially Acceptable, Linda blogs about the customer experience first and foremost. But look out! She may just sneak up on you and publish something CRAZY like a post about education or something. She's Tricksy like that...
Articles by Linda O'Neill:
PPC & SEO Goals: Debunking Myths & Where to Really Focus
Join us for a free Webinar on Mar 14 2013 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (EDT)
In February’s Webinar, Erik Dafforn of Intrapromote and Kayla Kurtz of Hanapin Marketing shared covered key aspects of Next Level PPC & SEO with Google Analytics.
This month, the representatives from Intrapromote and Hanapin Marketing will discuss PPC & SEO Goals: Debunking Myths & Where to Really Focus.
Being in an incredibly technical industry, SEO & PPC account managers must frequently explain to their in-house peers or client contacts why one metric is not necessarily as important as another and revisit that conversation again and again to permanently reroute thinking patterns. And why is this? There are thousands upon thousands of opinions on what data should be tracked in what situations and how. Our presentation this month will seek to:
- Debunk those metrics that are often focused on but may have little affect on your true ROI.
- Outline the best goal-setting process for both medium and any vertical.
- Illustrate how to choose a balance of key and lagging performance indicators that contribute to your account goals.
Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat today!
Title: PPC & SEO Goals: Debunking Myths & Where to Really Focus
Date: March 14, 2013
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT
Cost: Free
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Send to KindleNext Level PPC and SEO with Google Analytics: Free Webinar
Next Level PPC & SEO with Google Analytics
Join us for a free Webinar on Wednesday, February 13, 2013 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST
In January’s Webinar, Erik Dafforn of Intrapromote and Kayla Kurtz of Hanapin Marketing shared the critical importance of SEO and PPC to your brand’s marketing and for presenting an optimal online presence to your consumers.
This month, the representatives from Intrapromote and Hanapin Marketing will uncover how to use Google Analytics to report and analyze your SEO and PPC accounts. Each presenter will explain their 5 must-check metrics in the GA interface for their respective mediums, in addition to:
- Describing beneficial custom reports to set up in GA for your PPC & SEO campaigns.
- Outlining how to use PPC key performance indicators in GA to optimize SEO, and vice versa.
- Demonstrating how SEO and PPC interact with goal funnels.
- Segmenting traffic to better measure your performance.
- Measuring your content’s effectiveness — with or without keyword data.
Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat today!
Title: Next Level PPC & SEO with Google Analytics
Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST
Cost: Free
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Send to KindleMotivate and Develop Employees | Thought-leadership Through Roundtable Discussions
Developing and cross training employees is no easy challenge. I don’t need to sell you on the fact that there is a 
constant requirement to keep current with technology and tools so that we can continue to create the best in class solutions for our clients, no matter the industry.
The question may be how to add one more “to-do” item to the list and train everyone. While we have several tactics and approaches depending on subject matter and need, one of the most successful forums for ongoing learning is through less formal (but well planned) roundtable meetings. And, if you work in a virtual environment you may need to promote other opportunities for information sharing.
Individual education and development through industry news and articles, blogs, can be overwhelming. New knowledge may also include attending webinars and conferences. Access to information is not the issue and in nearly all cases, employees increase their individual knowledge through these participatory activities.
How do you take that new knowledge and apply it more widely throughout the organization? More importantly, how do you articulate the application of new information to your processes and best practices to be sure everyone is on the same page in the most efficient way possible?
Not every topic is going to turn into an operating procedure; and not every topic requires formal training. One key tactic to ongoing development and information sharing is to rely on what you already have. Who better to “teach” and to facilitate but the experts on staff? These efforts do not require extensive planning and formality, but a few good tips and some encouragement can create positive, memorable experiences to motivate and energize your organization.
Typically, our experts recognize the need for content and information and inherently know when there is a need to share the experience and more importantly newly discovered information with the rest of the organization; and do it in a timely and meaningful manner. While learning is the goal, this does not limit the round table discussion to just new information. We also like it when roundtable discussions are arranged to present a business issue, a challenge, and a question and to gather input and additional thought-leadership from colleagues.
We love 100% participation so while we encourage staff to facilitate these discussions we want to make it something they look forward to. That’s what works for us. It’s our story and we’re sticking to it, so here’s the round up on roundtable meetings the IP way!
Roundtable Meetings
- Typical roundtable meetings are 30 to 45-minute oral presentations and discussion with attendees seated, attending via conference call or web meeting.
- Roundtable presentations typically include 15 minutes of presentation, followed by 30 – 45 minutes of discussion and feedback.
- Roundtable presenters should prepare to facilitate and elicit input and participation from all attendees by preparing a targeted list of questions to pose to others in attendance in order to learn from and with those attending.
- Roundtable meetings are an ideal format for collaboration and discussion on a particular topic of interest and relevance to the business and/or industry, or to bring people up to speed on current events and activities; and to make decisions about actions that may be necessary based on the new learning.
- Depending on the topic, roundtable meetings may be scheduled for longer periods of time to cover information adequately. The key is to remain flexible and encourage discussion and dialogue with participants.
Planning Roundtable Meetings
- Begin planning the roundtable meeting as soon as possible after returning to the office from your conference or event and within 30 days of your return.
- Identify the topic(s) to be discussed.
- Decide on your audience.
- Articulate the objective of the meeting and be prepared to clearly state the desired outcome to participants.
- Coordinate calendars as necessary to avoid scheduling conflicts and to schedule your roundtable, including setting up on any online meeting tools such as GoToMeeting.com or Join.Me and reserving the appropriate conference room if space is required.
- Distribute the meeting notification with ample notice, registration detail and include the requirements of attendance (if mandatory or optional).
- Prepare visual aids (optional). Roundtable meetings do not require formal visual aids, however, they are a nice addition to convey new information and enhance learning, especially in our virtual environment.
- Your role as a facilitator of the roundtable discussion is an important responsibility. For that reason, you may want to consider assigning a scribe to take notes and a timekeeper to aid with keeping you posted on time consumption and to move the agenda forward.
- Regarding notes, successful roundtable meetings include these elements to have the information available to those who may have missed the meeting and to document action items or follow-on items that may have come up.
Conducting the Roundtable Discussion
While preparation is at the core of executing a successful roundtable meeting, you will also want to adequately prepare your participants.
Before moving directly to the content of the meeting, take a few moments to address your audience’s needs and to ask for their focused attention through a few simple steps.
- Review the agenda, the objective, time allotted and ask for participation.
- Put participants at ease by ensuring everyone can hear clearly and has access to any materials directly and through use of technology.
- Inform participants that while you have information to share, you will also be relying heavily on their participation to make the meeting a success.
After the Roundtable Meeting
Consider publishing meeting notes immediately after the meeting while information is fresh. Notes should recap the following elements at a minimum:
- Purpose and objective of the meeting
- Agenda
- Results
- Action items / next steps for decisions or follow-up that may be required.
Follow these steps and you are on your way to successful and memorable roundtable discussions and a highly evolved organization.
Send to KindleThey Say You Can’t Have it All | How to Choose Between PPC & SEO
They Say You Can’t Have it All | How to Choose Between PPC & SEO
Join us for a Webinar on Thursday, January 17th at 12pm EST
In December’s Webinar, Erik Dafforn of Intrapromote and Kayla Kurtz of Hanapin Marketing emphasized that SEO and PPC are both of incredible importance to your brand’s marketing and for presenting an optimal online presence to your consumers. However, this doesn’t change the fact that some brands have to choose one or the other to focus on at a time for a number of reasons.
This month, the representatives from Intrapromote and Hanapin Marketing will:
- Describe the situations that could require a decision to be made between SEO and PPC.
- Outline how to decide between SEO and PPC if found in one of these situations.
- Discuss ways to move towards a marketing model that can include both SEO and PPC efforts.
Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat today!
Title: They Say You Can’t Have It All | How to Choose Between PPC & SEO
Date: Thursday, January 17, 2013
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm EST
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Send to KindleEMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: Crystal Schauf
At Intrapromote, we pride ourselves on being service-minded in all we do. You may know us and come in contact with us on the job and our culture transcends from our community involvement as well. Today, we spotlight employee Crystal Schauf, our Director of Human Resources, as she shares her work with Austin Pets Alive (APA).
1. What does your work with Austin Pets Alive entail?
While Austin Pets Alive offers countless opportunities to volunteer, I specifically work with the Behavior Team. Typically, this means we work with dogs that are usually larger and have a lot of energy and, often, not the best manners. We work to socialize these dogs, teach them basic obedience, and basically try to make them as adoptable as possible. Large dogs with “behavior” problems – which can be anything from pulling on a leash, jumping, resource guarding or simply being frustrated in a shelter environment – are often referred to as “the last 10%” that need to be saved from shelters.
2. How long have you been volunteering with Austin Pets Alive?
I’ve been volunteering with APA for about a year and a half.
3. Can you tell us a little bit about the organization?
Austin Pets Alive is a rescue organization that works to save the lives of cats and dogs in the area, particularly those at risk of euthanasia. APA also rescues pregnant dogs and sick/injured animals, including those with diseases such as parvo, distemper and FeLV. Austin is now the largest No-Kill city in the country and Austin Pets Alive has played a large role in helping the city achieve this status.
Good Dogs! | Penny and Dudley
4. Tell us a little bit about your own pets.
I currently have two dogs of my own. Dudley is an American Staffordshire mix and Penny is some combination of Staffie, Boxer and American Bulldog (I think). I was working with Dudley at APA and decided to bring him home. Because of his breed, energy and the fact that he’s black (black pets sadly are more difficult to adopt out), he was constantly being overlooked. He had so much potential and such personality, I decided to bring him home and continue his work. Both of my dogs have gone through a lot of training and other classes to reach their full potential and also to serve as breed ambassadors since, unfortunately, a lot of people have misperceptions about “pit-bull” type dogs. Penny will soon begin further training to complete her Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification. I’ve learned a lot through these classes, which I can then carry over to the dogs at APA. We are also fostering a dog who is going through heartworm treatment.
Konleigh is Crystal’s current foster dog. She has a forever home she’ll move to soon. Way to go Crystal and Konleigh!
5. How many animals have you socialized and/or sponsored to get them ready for adoption?
I can’t put a specific number on it. Some dogs I work with only once or twice before they get adopted, others are around for several months. As an organization, as of early October, APA has saved over 5,500 animals this year.
6. Tell us your favorite story about your volunteer work.
There are so many. Each dog I’ve worked with has left a special memory in my heart. My favorite thing is when I get updates from adopters saying how happy they are with their pet. There are a few dogs that I really do miss, but I know they are much happier in their new homes with their families.
7. What motivates you the most about this type of work?
Honestly, I enjoy working with dogs. I find it rewarding and enlightening and it has definitely taught me a great deal of patience. Seeing the journeys many of these dogs complete is just inspiring.
8. What would say to others who may be interested in similar type of volunteer work but not sure how to get started?
Contact the organization, ask questions and get started. There’s no time like the present!
Send to KindleWho Is Intrapromote?
