Industry Dive Launches Cybersecurity Dive

"If your small business has received approval for a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), congratulations on obtaining aid to help get your business and your employees through the shutdown measures needed to stop the spread of COVID-19," writes Bruce Brumberg of longtime SIPA member myStockOptions.com, in an article titled You Got Your Paycheck Protection Program Loan. Now What? Advice From Small-Business Lawyers.   "However, you need to use the loan carefully. First, you want to maximize the feature that makes the PPP loan forgivable. Second, you want to use the loan properly so that you stay out of legal trouble for any potential abuse of the program."   Brumberg's article, along with his previous post—How to Avoid Going to Prison for Your Payroll Protection Program Loan: Advice From Former Federal Prosecutors—both appear on the Forbes website. They are just a couple of the many great resources that SIPA members are p ...

Diane Schwartz, CEO of Ragan Communications, wrote an excellent article yesterday on the Ragan website off of her interview with Steve Cody, founder and CEO of PR and marketing firm Peppercomm. She credits him with building a team culture, steeped in tactical communications that especially helps in these precarious times.   "At his daily '12@12' meetings (12-minute meetings at high noon), employees are encouraged to share humorous or lighthearted updates to help lift the team's collective spirits," she writes. Thus when Cody reaches out now to his employees, it's genuine. "When you're 23- or 24-years-old, [a crisis like this can be] a rude awakening. I encourage them to get together [online], share TV shows, hobbies, book recommendations. Some of them are stuck in 800-square-foot apartments. They know they can raise their hands and ask for help."   As we all work hard to find revenue drivers now and ideas that resonate with our audience, Schwartz's intervie ...

Send a survey. The editorial team at Access Intelligence's PRNEWS is requesting feedback about the type of content most desired by communications professionals. "In order to better understand what you need to perform your job well, we rely on your feedback, which in turn helps us develop our platform to meet your needs. So, let us know what type of content you look for on a daily basis...we're listening

A SIPA member emailed me last week to tell about their success with the awards program they run. (He/she wanted to remain anonymous.) No less than a U.S. senator from Nebraska called the awards program "prestigious" and sent out a special press release congratulating the Nebraska company on its award.

Business Management Daily Acquires Manager's Intelligence Report from Ragan Communications

Ragan Communications Welcomes Diane Schwartz as New CEO

In a recent production of Hamlet here in Washington, D.C., esteemed director Michael Kahn chose a new opening scene. “Now, the furious outpouring of Hamlet’s heart in the ‘O that this too solid flesh would melt’ speech opens the play,” wrote The Washington Post’s Peter Marks. In today's 6-second video, 2-seconds-to-engage, attention-jumping landscape, beginnings are crucial, so much so that a famous director didn’t quite trust even Shakespeare—Shakespeare!—to engage us quickly enough. That could be overthinking things, but it also shows our awareness of today's audiences. "Unless you gain the prospect's attention, he or she won't read any of your copy," writes Bob Bly, a leading copywriter and frequent SIPA speaker. (Rising Star Kristy Keller of Access Intelligence just recommended his book, The Copywriter's Handbook, to all new marketers. Here are eight ways to grab audien ...

On the first day of the SIPA Annual 2018 Conference yesterday, Brian Malone of Malone Media preached what he practices. "People are drawn to mystery," he told us. "You have to tap into that in your video."