The BrandForward Blog

Michelle is an experienced presentation speaker with featured topics on marketing, branding, and social media.

In addition to her background in marketing and advertising, Michelle is an experienced radio host, voice-over artist, and presentation speaker. Topics range from marketing, branding, and social media to consumer culture and emerging technologies.

Each presentation topic can be presented in a session-style format (30-90 minutes) or as a full-day training program for agencies or small groups (6 hours). Combine your favorite sessions for a customized company retreat. Contact Michelle for more details.

Topics

Introduction to Social Media

Do you have a group that needs to get up to speed with social media? Overwhelmed with too many social media networks? Looking for an explanation of the most effective ways to use social media to promote your company or your personal brand? Michelle has investigated more than 300 social networks and can recommend the most effective. Your group will get a crash course in social media basics, do’s and dont’s, and how to start integrating social media into your daily life for the benefit of your business and your brand.

10 Tools of the Social Media Swiss Army Knife

Is there a right way to approach social media? One of Michelle’s most popular blog posts is now a featured presentation. Social media is at its most powerful when used as a multi-functional marketing tool. Michelle reviews the 10 ways to purpose social media and reinforces the importance of incorporating social media within the boundaries of a marketing plan. You’ll get an in-depth review of the top social media tools and examples of how to use them.

Social Media: So Easy a Caveman Can Do It?

Just how easy is social media? Can anyone in the organization do it? What are the pitfalls of executing a social media program without a marketing and branding foundation? Or without branding supervision? Michelle dives into specific cases where missteps in social media damaged a brand, and explains the better course of action. Presentation focus is on structuring a social media team, mentoring new talent, and developing internal guidelines that encourage responsible and effective social media activity.

The Power of Authenticity

Are there any boundaries in the Wild West of social media? Michelle explains how to use social media to build your brand while protecting your integrity. When is ghost tweeting acceptable? Should you hire someone to write your blog? Is it dangerous to broadcast your secret strategies and ideas? Or will sharing empower you? Michelle discusses the pro’s and con’s of social media transparency and how doing it the right way can help build your brand.

Brand Forensics

What is a brand and how do you identify and develop one? What are the most effective ways to connect with the consumer and make your product or service more meaningful and valuable? Does brand loyalty still exist? After more than a decade of analyzing brands and developing successful positioning strategies, Michelle shares her knowledge and insights into core values branding and explains the process for building a brand that resonates with the consumer at the deepest level and embraces their need for human connection to the brands in their life.

Awards Show Judging

Michelle has extensive knowledge of advertising categories and has served as an advertising awards judge for the American Advertising Federation in District 10. Michelle is available for judging with advance notice. Flights from LaGuardia, JFK, or Stewart International.