Maura Lafferty - Shonali Burke Consulting

About Maura Lafferty

Maura Lafferty loves San Francisco, social media, and social responsibility. She is currently applying for full-time communications roles, where she can bring her nonprofit and tech knowledge and integrated media relations to a great team building some awesome programs.

“Growth Hacking” – Ignore the Hype

30 Jul 2014

“Growth Hacking” – Ignore the Hype

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

"Growth hacking" is making waves in marketing, community management, and start-up circles. Maura Lafferty explores the dangers of this trend.

By Maura Lafferty|Jul 30, 2014|Categories: Marketing, Public Relations|Tags: community building, growth hacking, organizational growth, smart marketing|7 Comments

How Socially Responsible Communications Maintain Your Community Cool

19 Mar 2013

How Socially Responsible Communications Maintain Your Community Cool

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Socially responsible communications provide an antidote to aggressive influencer marketing sales. Topos Partnership's ArtsWave case study illustrates how.

By Maura Lafferty|Mar 19, 2013|Categories: Community, Public Relations|Tags: ArtsWave, Chorus America, community cool, Influencer marketing, justin goldsborough, Margy Waller, re-branding, Topos Partnership, Umair Haque|15 Comments

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Strategic Social PR from A to Z

Today, good public relations entails much more than blindly blanketing the media (and bloggers) with information that’s of dubious value to begin with. And more often than not, it entails a strong element of building and managing online community. In this workshop, you will:

Learn the three key elements of an effective 21^st century “social PR” strategy, and how it differs from “old” PR
Know which time-tested research and analytical methods you should still use in the 21st century
Understand why talking at people isn’t effective, and how to effectively use today’s popular social media platforms to talk with them
Experience real-time social engagement through workshop exercises and hands-on participation
Understand how to effectively incorporate measurement, so that it validates and improves your programs and, therefore, your business

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From Passive to Active Listening

There's a difference between "hearing" and "listening." Do you know which it is your organization or business does... and the business ramifications of not doing it well? In this workshop, you will:

Learn the difference between "passive" and "active" listening (and 'fess up which you've been doing thus far)
Make the connection between active listening and strategy, and how they have a mutually symbiotic relationship
Familiarize yourself with different types of listening dashboards (yes, some are free!) and how to use them effectively
Experiment with simple yet effective techniques to build community through active listening online
Understand how to put active listening at the center of your communication strategy for better business results

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Smart PR Measurement for the Digital Age

We have more measurement tools than ever before; so many, that we don't know what to do with most of them. And no matter how good a tool is, you still need smart people using it in a smart way, to derive the most benefit. In this workshop, you will:

Learn the basics of good PR measurement and, conversely, the seven deadly sins of bad measurement
Understand how to differentiate between fact and fiction in the measurement context, and the two acronyms to stay far away from
Master the process behind creating effective and realistic measurable objectives
Learn how to incorporate online analytics into your PR measurement (yes, it can be done)
Understand how to make the right kinds of correlations between your communication efforts and your organization's business objectives

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Social Media for the C-Suite

Gone are the days when “social media” was the domain of your twenty-something employees. Today, social platforms are where your customers and constituents of all ages and stages literally live online. If you’re a business leader, you should take this workshop to:

Learn the three core principles of effective social media engagement
Examine key social media platforms, and understand how they work on both personal and professional levels
Review how businesses of all sizes have effectively used social media to support and reach business goals
Experience the benefits of real-time social engagement through workshop exercises and hands-on participation
Understand the kinds of metrics your social media team should and shouldn’t use when reporting back to you

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