Over the past few years, See.Spark.Go has embraced the idea of building communities through social media, like any good communications agency (wink). Very rarely do you find yourself talking one-on-one with your target would-be customer, but social media allows you to do just that from anywhere in the world.

Enterpreneur Magazine writer Mikal Belicove lists four critical elements to creating a social media content strategy for your business in this article and video (below), but I want to highlight the value of his step #1: positioning. These are the critical components for any company or organization to define its identity and space before proactive communications outreach can begin. They are:

1. Who are you?

2. What do you do?

3. Why does it matter?

4. Why are you better?

Define these, and you’ve nailed the inner core of your business or enterprise. Scripture says, “Out of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45) The same is true in business. Out of who you are as a company/organization/etc., your story flows. Here’s a great test: how would your co-workers, staff and customers answer the four questions listed above?

We couldn’t be more thrilled and honored to be the mouthpiece for so many meaningful and outstanding organizations whose hearts we buy into and believe in fully. So, we ask: what’s your story? We hope these questions help set you on the path to communicating well the story you’re living out. Enjoy!

Okay, so forgive the title. I have two toddlers.

Last Friday, May 4, our staff worked behind the scenes at the 2012 Chick-fil-A Leadercast. In all, more than 125,000 leaders from around the globe watched (from 800+ locations!) as some of the most renowned authors/speakers/leaders in their own rite took the stage to talk about the choices that affect our leadership. We are all leaders and the choices we make everyday, matter.

My personal favorite came from someone’s tweet (I can’t remember; I saw so many come through!), but he basically said, I now think of my alarm clock as a shotgun start for the day. I like that. I just might revise the phrase “alarm clock” to my “second cup of coffee.”

Alas, here are a few of our favorite quotes from the day:

“Every decision you make is, at some point, going to be nothing more than a story you tell.” – Andy Stanley

“Ask yourself: What would my replacement do?” – Andy Stanley

“Your challenge is to take what is unique about you and make it useful.” – Marcus Buckingham

“I want to make someone else’s life better because I’m here. If you have that attitude it will change your day and change your life.” – Tim Tebow

“We have no more excuses. Kids will move to the expectation we have of them.” – Roland Fryer

“Always ask yourself: what’s best for the brand? Let that guide you. It removes egos and self.” – Angela Ahrendts

“We don’t grow on accident, we grow on purpose.” – John Maxwell

“If you can somehow raise the level of play of those around you, then you’re considered a leader.” – Urban Meyer

If you’re interested in learning more or downloading the streaming access from Friday’s speakers, check out the new Chick-fil-A Leadercast Network.

-Brittany

Please give a warm See.Spark.Go welcome to our newest team member, Nicole Foo! We are thrilled to have her join our team and we think you will love her as much as we do! She’ll be heading up several PR projects here at SSG, and we can’t wait to see her tear it up! As an accomplished publicist, Nicole understands the value of PR for clients and is able to navigate the media landscape, leveraging the great stories that we have the opportunity to share!

We asked her to give you a glimpse into her first week at SSG and a little background on herself. So, without further adieu, here’s Nicole!

Hello, all! Where do I even begin? I am so excited to be a part of the See.Spark.Go family and am looking forward to what’s in store for the team.

A little bit about me – my name is Nicole Foo and I am from Marietta, Georgia. I graduated from UGA in May 2011 with a major in public relations and minors in Spanish and Chinese language and literature (Go Dawgs!). I recently worked at Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau before starting at See.Spark.Go.

I had a great first week and I absolutely love it here! The office was a little quiet with interns on spring break and Lauren off on her honeymoon. Still, it was a really great opportunity to get a thorough overview of our clients. I participated in a few client conference calls, sat in on a company pitch, contributed to a creative brainstorming session, and visited a client site. Phew – all in one week!

The See.Spark.Go team is incredibly talented and so hard working; I know I will learn a lot from everyone around me. It is great to be surrounded by such a positive environment with people who are willing to work hard for their clients. I know that I will do the same!

Some fun facts about me:

• I speak three languages – English, Mandarin and Spanish. I’m working on French now (thank you, Rosetta Stone!).
• I studied abroad in Oxford, England, in the spring of 2010. It was the best academic experience of my college career.
• I was born in Singapore.
• Other things that make me happy: traveling, hiking, scarves, greeting cards, Scrabble, cardigans and Walt Disney World.

I am proud to be the newest member of the See.Spark.Go team and look forward to keeping you updated on things that are happening here…any maybe sharing your story one day soon!
—

Follow me on my blog or on Twitter.

There is something nice about a fresh start at the beginning of a new year. But what happens when the newness wears off? As February comes into full swing, here are a few ways to make each day count. (And, by the way, we’re taking a cue from Nike’s challenge to “Make It Count” campaign with the launch of it’s latest and greatest, the Nike+ FuelBand. More on that below.)

1. Accountability. Nike’s “Make it Count” campaign encourages brand enthusiasts to share stories of inspiration via Twitter and using hashtag #makeitcount. There’s something about writing it down or telling a friend that at the end of the day, makes you just do it. Pun intended.

2. Measure performance. With the launch of the Nike+ FuelBand comes the ability to sync to a mobile app using the wristbands sport-tested accelerometer, and measure daily workouts based on steps or calories. Users set a fitness goal in “Fuel points” and must work to a certain level of physical intensity to attain that goal.

3. Love what you do. A person can do any form of activity—from running, to walking, to dancing, to soccer – you choose what you love. The FuelBand tracks progress and notifies the wearer of their success by changing from a red light to a green light when the goal is met. I can’t think of anything greater than hitting a goal by doing something I already love.

4. Make it a habit. We think Nike is on to something much greater than athletics. Having a “make it count” mindset could transform the way we approach our lives. After all, attitude is everything.

Our favorite part of the Nike+ FuelBand is the ability to translate your everyday moves into NikeFuel. We can choose to do simply what is required of us or to set the bar high and go beyond it. Make every move count.

You want incredible results? Are you craving to see positive changes in your world, your life? Make it count in the small, daily aspects of work and life and fuel your dreams and aspirations. We can’t think of a better reminder in this second month of 2012.

So, we ask you: how will you make it count in 2012? Comment below or Tweet at @seesparkgo with the hashtag #makeitcount.

Guest blog post by SSG’s very own digital engagment expert, Rebekah Coons:

Have you ever finished a workday a better person than you began? The SSG team had one of those days a few weeks ago.

For the past 7 months, we’ve had the incredible opportunity to join forces with Chick-fil-A Leadercast and engage with leaders worldwide through social media. Chick-fil-A Leadercast is a one-day leadership event that reaches over 85,000 leaders across the globe through a live event in Atlanta, Ga., broadcasted to over 600 host sites.

Each year, a line-up of world renowned leaders share the peaks and valleys of their leadership journey and challenge their audience to settle for nothing less than radically influencing the world around them.

This year was no exception, the blockbuster line-up of speakers included: John Maxwell, Seth Godin, Sir Ken Robinson, Suzy Welch, Frans Johannson, Alison Levine, Muhtar Kent, Erin Gruwell, Coach Mack Brown, Dan Cathy, and Dave Ramsey. We knew the day of Chick-fil-A Leadercast would be exciting as we were tweeting, posting and live blogging to over 85,000 people worldwide! However, what we didn’t anticipate was what we would absorb from ‘sitting at the feet’ of world-changers for a day.

It was incredible to share ‘real time’ reflections from the sessions but at the same time we found ourselves gleaning so much from Chick-fil-A Leadercast’s ‘friends’ and ‘followers!’ Why did we leave better people than when we arrived? Check out some of our ‘lessons learned’ from the day and you will see why:

• “Successful people position other people well in the organization…instead of positioning themselves.” – John Maxwell
• “The problem with thinking inside the box is it’s really dark in there. It is at the edge of the box (not inside or outside) where the magic happens.”– Seth Godin
• “With imagination you can anticipate the future”.” – Sir Ken Robinson
• “Everyone has a story. There is power in telling your story.” – Erin Gruwell
• “Your values are like your fingerprint. They are the legacy you want to leave.” – Suzy Welch
• “If you don’t teach leadership everyday, your worst behaving employee may be your best ‘leader.’” – Coach Mack Brown
• “Fear is okay, complacency is what will kill you.” – Alison Levine
• “What are you going to do with the dash between the dates on your tombstone? It matters deeply what you do with your dash.”– Dave Ramsey

You can join the Chick-fil-A Leadercast leadership conversation on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin!

As you may remember from our post on Passion 2010, our team at SSG is fortunate enough to begin the year telling the story of a global awakening for university-aged students called Passion Conferences. From Jan. 1-4, 2011, we jump-started our year with over 22,000 students and over one thousand volunteers, all coming together to worship and experience life transformation.

Something that was absolutely incredible was the way students completely reached and exceeded the original goal of Passion 2011′s Do Something Now campaign. Throughout the 4-day conference, students had the opportunity to impact lives throughout the world by donating to 10 different non-profit organizations. With an original goal of $470,000, college students blew that number out of the water by giving over $1.2 million dollars to the causes. In addition to that total, over 18,000 towels and 80,000 pairs of sock were donated to the Atlanta homeless.

Leaders at Passion 2011 in Atlanta included Louie Giglio, Frances Chan, John Piper, Andy Stanley and Beth Moore as well as sixsteps recording artists Chris Tomlin, David Crowder*Band, Charlie Hall, Kristian Stanfill, Christy Nockels and others.

Passion 2011 does not stop there, however.

In fact, our team has been in Ft. Worth, TX all week for part 2 of Passion 2011, along with 10,000 more university students and leaders. If interested in learning more, check them out here.

You can also follow Passion Conferences on Twitter at @Passion268 or liking the Facebook fan page at Passion 268Generation.

Stay plugged into our blog for updates on Passion 2011 in Ft. Worth!

Quite a few awesome things have happened at the See.Spark.Go office since we last posted. Not only have we moved into a new office (more on that to come!), but we also have two new interns for the semester!

I introduce to you our two wonderful new ladies: Maureen Flaherty and Hannah Springston.

Maureen, a Peachtree City native, is currently a senior at UGA, majoring in Public Relations. As an executive board member of Relay for Life, Maureen has been involved with many organizations on campus. Even though she is busy preparing for graduation, we are so thankful for her eagerness to jump into See.Spark.Go from the start of the semester. We love having her personable, hard-working self in the office.

Fun Facts about Maureen:

• She lived in Germany from age 2-5.
• Her MacBook was the best gift she has ever received.
• She swam with the whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium.
• She has traveled to 17 countries, but her favorite place she has visited is Tuscany.
• Her “dream job” would be as a dolphin trainer at Sea World, but her PR “dream job” would be to work in PR or special events for a resort or luxury hotel, or to work in the entertainment industry.

Hannah, born and raised in Buford, Ga., is currently a junior at UGA, majoring in Public Relations. Clocking in at 4 feet 11 inches, Hannah is full of energy and always willing to learn. Like Maureen, Hannah loves to travel and had the opportunity to study abroad with Global LEAD in Greece. As our resident chef, she always brings delicious treats to share in the office.

Fun Facts about Hannah:

• Her dream destination is South Africa and/or Bora Bora.
• Her favorite food is cheese, and we hear she makes a mean mac & cheese.
• She bungee jumped 28 stories into the Corinth Canal in Greece – it was “intensely terrifying but a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
• She sang opera in high school.
• Her “dream job” is to own her own lifestyle PR firm in either California or the Southeast.

So, you can see that our interns are pretty impressive. Both claim that one of their favorite parts of interning with SSG is being a part of our team, but we are even more thankful that they are here! We can’t wait to share with you some of the awesome things they are doing!

Recently, I asked our summer interns, Anne Mitchell + Hannah Adams, to write a blog post on why college juniors, seniors or recent grads should intern at See.Spark.Go. I was THRILLED to see their response! If you’re interested in interning at SSG, email me with your resume at brittany [at] seesparkgo.com.

Reason #9: Athens

This one speaks for itself. I mean really, who wants to drive all the way to ATL during football season!

P.S. Lots of UGA blood in the SSG family.

Reason #8: Big agency experience – small firm relationships

One thing we’ve noticed/come to LOVE in our time here at SSG is the agency’s ability to incorporate business and great relationships into their work.

As an SSG intern you’ll have the opportunity to work intimately on big name national accounts and be included in decision-making processes. You’ll get an inside look at what goes on in meetings with the movers and shakers of the PR world, not to mention great guidance and friendship with your fellow colleagues.

Reason #7: Creative reign

Every skill you bring to the table will be used in your time at SSG. Every SSG intern gets an invite to brainstorming sessions and your input is always welcome and appreciated. Trust us – It’s AWESOME to have people who listen to your ideas and actually even use them from time to time!

Reason #6: You’re part of the team

You won’t be just making copies or fetching coffee here at SSG (though trips to Chic-fil-A and Jittery Joes aren’t uncommon). At SSG you get thrown straight into the fire, in a good way of course!

As an SSG intern you’ll be doing some of the same things as the head honchos and getting real world experience with really great guidance and leadership. You’ll learn the secrets they don’t teach you in school!

Reason #5: Prime Location

This office is what we call ‘primetime locale.’ You are within a mile of 2 Chic-fil-A’s, Five Points Deli, Barberitos, Panera, and Hannah and my personal favie- Publix (home of the pub sub for the uneducated sandwich eater). Occasionally we take office trips to Last Resort and Yoguri. Just sayin’.

Reason #4: The Other Intern

Over the course of this summer, Hannah and I have shared an obsession with Diet Coke, a weirder obsession for The Bachelorette (don’t get us started on Jake & Vienna) and most of all a love for SSG. We hope the next crop of interns is as lucky.

Reason #3: Carson

If you’re lucky, you might catch this little snuggler in the SSG office. He’ll probably try to get you hooked on Dinosaur Train and he LOVES to play in photobooth.

Reason #2: Expanding your network

As SSG interns we learned quickly that owners Brittany & Andy know any and everyone in town/the Southeast, probably the country. We’ve literally never been anywhere with them where they didn’t know someone. Naturally, they are great people for you to know as well!

Reason #1: Brittany aka ‘boss lady’

Co-owner, Brittany, is undoubtedly the best part of the SSG internship experience. Of course we chat about all things PR, but we chat about the celeb gossip, The Bachelorette and life in general too. Truth be told, we couldn’t have thought up a better mentor ourselves. We hope you’re lucky enough to meet her too!

Last week, SSG attended the Chick-fil-A Leadercast as a guest of our client, Booster. The speakers were phenomenal, the entertainment was mediocre (kidding – Booster was responsible for the entertainment and did an incredible job!), but the insights…the truth that each and every component of the day offered was remarkable and worth repeating. Daily.

Here are a few of the nuggets I took away:

On Leadership…

“Leadership is who we are in all areas of our life, every role, every relationship.” – Connie Podesta

“Talent is God given, be thankful. Praise is man given, be humble. Conceit is self given, be careful.” – Tony Dungy

“You can’t take anyone to higher ground, until you find common ground. Leadership is influence. Influence requires connecting.” John C. Maxwell

On Success…

“Greatness is not a function of circumstance – it is a matter of constant choice and discipline.” –Jim Collins

“Starbucks didn’t reach store No. 5 until they were 13 years old. Most ‘overnight successes’ are 20 years in the making.” – Jim Collins

“Success, born of hubris (arrogance) leads to failure.” – Jim Collins.

“The signature of the greatest executives we studied is their humility.” – Jim Collins

“You have to be working for more than your financial bottom line. Every enduring institution has an answer to this question: what would be lost if we disappeared?” – Jim Collins

“Great companies are built on a purpose beyond making money and a set of core values that are unshakable. Purpose ahead of success. If we lose our values, we lose it all.” – Jim Collins

On building a team…

“The right people are on a mission and they don’t write better stories, they make the story better.” – Jim Collins + Mark Sanborn

“We hire ambitious people. The most important job you have is the job you’re doing.” – Ed Bastian, Delta CEO

“Employees take care of your customers, so take care of your employees.” – Ed Bastian, Delta CEO

“If you treat people like they’ll do something great, they’ll do something great.” – Jim Goodnight, SAS CEO

On inevitable change…

“We’re schizophrenic to change: part of us wants it, part of us doesn’t. And if you don’t like change, don’t have kids.” – Chip Heath (ha!)

“Positive change comes from focusing on what’s working and doing more of that.” – Chip Heath / When’s the last time you asked, “What’s working?”

“Providence follows the prepared mind.” – Steve Uzzell

“To the 6 questions of journalism—who, what, when, where, why and how—add this: are you sure? Making sure you know what you know is the key to being prepared.” – Steve Uzzell

Brilliance…

Dr. Ben Carson, pediatric neurosurgeon, was utterly brilliant and closed the day with powerful teaching. Learn about his scholarships at http://carsonscholars.org/.

And I’ll leave you with this pic of our friend John Maxwell wearing Booster’s fancy red Converses on stage!

The first of its kind, Nike launched a store dedicated to bringing Nike Running to life at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto this weekend and See.Spark.Go got to the tell the story. But we’d be amiss if we didn’t let you all in on the scoop, too!

It’s more than a store, Nike Running Stanford is designed to be a runners’ hub — with the Runners’ Studio, where you will find even more specialized products, services and individual help to meet your goals. It is the place to go to get setup with the individual workout tracking of Nike+, the most fun and effective way to keep track of fitness progress digitally. It also offers the ability to customize kicks with NIKEiD, or take a new pair of shoes for a free trial test run. Of course, you can always join Nike Run Club for a group run of your choice of a 3, 5 or 7-mile route. (You can join Nike Run Club in other cities with a Nike Store as well!)

Check out the Nike Running blog for more info. Have a running tip you’d like to share? I’d like to know!