Every once in awhile, something hits my email box that gives me a great creative charge - it’s always inspiring to be surrounded by talented people and we at the Division of Economic Development are blessed to be working with some incredible folks.
With that in mind, I’d like to share the following video clip that was created by Lani and Allen Voivod over at Epiphanies, Inc. As our personal “social media gurus,” this dynamic duo has consistently raised the bar in terms of our creativity, willingness to try new things and bring State communications efforts to a whole new level.
The Epiphanies gang was not only an active participant in our Greenerpalooza event, they are also furthering their commitment to green causes by volunteering as members of our Granite Green Team at tomorrow night’s Pat Benatar/REO Speedwagon concert at the Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion.
Thanks for always walking the walk and for giving us this incredible video package Team Voivod!
-Steve Boucher, Communications & Legislative Director
A whopping 500,000 of Facebook’s 500 million global users live in New Hampshire. Twitter recently crossed the 100 million user threshold and became the third largest search engine in the world, besting all but Google and YouTube. More than 80% of companies, recruiters, and human resource professionals report scanning online channels - including social networking sites - to research candidates, find prospects and weed out applicants.
Epiphanies Inc.'s Allen Voivod holds court at last year's Social Media Business Summit.
In an effort to bring this ever-growing impact and power of social media to more New Hampshire businesses, organizations and professionals, the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, in partnership with social marketing and success strategies firm Epiphanies, Inc. and Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH), will host the second annual “A-Ha!” NH Social Media Business Summit at PSNH, 780 North Commercial Street, Manchester, on Monday, September 27th. To ensure content is geared to the needs and skill levels of the attendees, the Summit will be split into two three-hour sessions for two different audiences, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
“The shift in how we connect and communicate is changing the way business is done in New Hampshire and beyond,” says New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Communications & Legislative Director Steve Boucher. “If you want to be competitive and relevant to your target market, your community, and in your industry, you have to actively explore what’s happening - and what’s possible - in the social media realm. This Summit is the place to do exactly that.”
The Morning Session, from 9:00am to noon, is designed for social media beginners, small business owners, professionals in mission-driven organizations and passionate entrepreneurs. Presentations include “Social Marketing on a Shoestring Budget” and “Facebook on Fire: Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts to Fuel Your Success on the World’s Hottest Social Network.” The last hour will feature the NH Entrepreneur Success Panel, featuring: Christy Cegelski, Drink Skinny, LLC; Stacey Lucas, Veggie Art Girl; Bill Rogers, Now or Never Media; and Steve Varnum, Communications and Marketing Director, NH Community Loan Fund.
The Afternoon Session is geared for people who are already running with one or more of the major social media platforms – including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and blogging. Ideal for social media enthusiasts, community leaders, marketing mavens, brand managers, bold entrepreneurs, and visionaries of mission-driven organizations, the afternoon’s presentations include “Facebook Marketing: Customization, Fan Building, and Advertising” and “Engaging the Social Senses: Listening, Monitoring, and Measuring.” Additionally, there will be a Cross-Industry NH Success Panel, featuring Erica Murphy, Director of Communications and Community Relations, The Common Man; Paul Boynton, Author of Begin With Yes and CEO of Moore Center Services; Steve Boucher, Communications and Legislative Director at the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development; and Abby Fitchner, Microsoft’s Developer Evangelist for Startups.
Summit Sessions will be presented and moderated by Lani and Allen Voivod, co-owners of Epiphanies, Inc., whom Boucher calls the Division’s “social marketing gurus,” and who’ve delivered workshops, webinars, slidecasts, and boot camps online and off, for Chambers of Commerce, trade associations, and business development events throughout the Granite State and for clients and entrepreneurs across the country.
“We received tremendously positive feedback from last year’s New Hampshire Social Media Business Summit,” PSNH Economic & Community Development Manager Pat McDermott said. “We’re proud to help bring these ideas and strategies to the business owners, entrepreneurs and community leaders who play such an important role in New Hampshire’s economic growth and vitality.”
“Our goal is to connect the dots, empower action, and incite attendees to thrive with these tools, channels, and platforms,” said Lani Voivod. “The opportunities are here waiting for them.”
“With social media as with business, belief is everything,” Allen Voivod added. “We aim to help people believe in their own bigger picture of possibility and success.”
As a special gift to New Hampshire’s business community from the Division of Economic Development and PSNH, admission to this event is free. However, there are only 100 seats available for each session, so early registration is strongly suggested. To register, go to www.AhaNH.com. For more information, call Epiphanies, Inc. at (603) 524-5248, or email events@EpiphaniesInc.com.
How many times in a business situation do you think that it pays to “get wild?”
Well, I’m here to tell you that next Friday, the entire state of New Hampshire will go “Wild for Innovation” as we partner with Public Service of New Hampshire and the University of New Hampshire to host a daylong celebration of some of the finest innovative initiatives in the nation.
Our good friend Allen Voivod of Epiphanies, Inc. just wrote a great blog about our upcoming event - here’s what he had to say:
Networking, Innovating and Getting Wild About Business
Here’s one thing that 2009 taught us - everything you think you know about business can change very rapidly, and cause even the most stable of companies to get nervous, get shaky, and in some unfortunate circumstances, go under.
Here’s something else we know - out of recessions come some of the most powerful, profitable, game-changing companies. General Electric, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, CNN, Federal Express, Burger King, and dozens of other giants started out in what some would consider the worst of economic circumstances.
One of the keys to their survival through thick and thin is their ability to innovate - to constantly search for ways to improve the way they do business, internally and externally. This is the overriding theme behind “Wild for Innovation,” billed as “a unique opportunity for New Hampshire businesspeople to converge with some of the brightest at UNH for a day of learning, sharing, celebration.”
It’s happening Friday, March 5th, at UNH in Durham, starting at 12pm and continuing through 5:45pm, after which there’s going to be a tailgate-style networking dinner. (You can stay and watch UNH’s hockey team take on Boston College at 7:30pm and make a night of it, too.)
I’ll be honest: I wasn’t planning on going originally, even though one of our clients is involved in putting on this event. But I’ve since changed my mind, and the reason why is because of what I learned from studying up on trade shows a couple of years ago:
If you want to stand out in your field, look at what’s happening in different industries to get fresh ideas, find out what’s working (and what isn’t), and bring some of that into your own presence as appropriate.
Same thing goes for innovation - if you want to get in the innovation mindset, surround yourself with open-minded business professionals who are thinking in that direction. Surround yourself with people who are actually innovating for a living. Get fresh input from different fields that you can take back and put to work in your own business.
You’re going to get that (and a lot more) from Wild for Innovation Day. It’s an event unlike others I’ve seen put on here in NH in the past, tickets are limited for it, and half are gone already, so don’t wait until the last minute - jump on it today.
Psssst…..close the door behind you and draw the shades….make sure that no one else is in the area…..this is between me and you….get closer to your computer speaker….it’s time for a secret. How would you like to like to discover how Facebook, Twitter and blogs can help your business or organization maximize its productivity goals? The Communication Revolution is underway….don’t you want to be part of the brigade?
Allen and Lani Voivod of Epiphanies, Inc.
Next Wednesday, February 17th from noon-1 p.m., you’re invited to take part in the free NH BizCast webinar titled “New Mediums, New Messages – How Social Media is Transforming Communication.” Our presenter, Allen Voivod, co-owner of Gilford-based Epiphanies Inc. is a straight up creative genius.
For the past year, the Division of Economic Development has been fortunate enough to work with Allen and his wife/business partner Lani and they’ve completely transformed the way that we view our outreach efforts. With their assistance, we’ve built a growing Facebook fan base, maximized our use of Twitter for quick blasts about new grant offerings and breaking news and created the “No Bull Business Blog” that now accounts for over 40 percent of the entire traffic to our nheconomy.com site. How’s that for success?
Allen and Lani are the type of visionary thinkers who develop innovative solutions to communications issues – if there’s an audience out there for your information, they’re able to find it. In addition to being the architects of the first ever New Hampshire Social Media Summit last year at Public Service of New Hampshire, they also work with businesses large and small to maximize their use of emerging social media mediums. In so many ways, I believe that they have helped place our communications efforts ahead of economic development agencies four times our size and with 100 times our budget. Trust me when I say that this free webinar will change the way you view your own outreach strategies to your customers.
To take part in the webinar next Wednesday, you can visit http://www.nheconomy.com/bizcast/. You can also be part of our live audience at the Comfort Inn at 71 Hall Street in Concord – please arrive 15 minutes early. To learn more about our good friends at Epiphanies, Inc., visit http://www.epiphaniesinc.com/.
- Steve Boucher, Communications & Legislative Director
Over 330,000 Granite State Facebook users can’t be wrong – social media is rapidly becoming one of the most preferred methods of communicating important information. But do you know how to maximize its use for business purposes? “New Mediums/New Messages – How Social Media is Transforming Communication” is the title of the new free NH BizCast webinar slated for Wednesday, February 17th from noon-1 p.m.
“With more than a quarter of the state’s population currently featuring a personal profile on Facebook, we need to ensure that New Hampshire businesses know how to use social media as a productivity and sales tool,” said New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Interim Director Roy Duddy. “It’s not enough these days to rely on traditional communications and advertising vehicles – to keep pace, you really need to learn how to reach new audiences via social networking.”
Offered by the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, the February 17th NH BizCast will feature Allen Voivod, owner of Gilford-based Epiphanies, Inc., a “creative content enterprise” specializing in brand-friendly, highly-targeted Web content for corporations and small businesses. Today, Epiphanies shares powerful social marketing & success strategies with entrepreneurs, global brands, and mission-driven organizations through speaking, workshops, customized training programs and consulting.
Allen and partner/wife Lani have been featured widely in the media, including the NH Union Leader, Forbes.com, NH Business Review, Blog Talk Radio, NHPR, and New Hampshire Today. As founding members of the International Social Media Association, they have delivered presentations on behalf of the NH High Technology Council, Women Inspiring Women and the American Society for Training and Development among many other groups.
As is the case with all NH BizCasts, the Webcast will be hosted live at the Comfort Inn (71 Hall Street) in Concord and will feature a live audience.
For more information and to attend the NH BizCast, visit www.nheconomy.com. Those planning on participating in the live audience at the Comfort Inn are asked to pre-register by contacting Leslie Sherman at (603) 271-2591 or leslie.sherman@dred.state.nh.us.
New Hampshire CEOs and emerging entrepreneurs no longer need to leave the comfort of their office to get the information that will help them to find success in the Granite State and beyond. Today, the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development unveiled NH BizCast, a new monthly series of free business-centered Webcasts.
“With schedules becoming more and more hectic, we recognize that it was imperative for us to provide busy company owners and entrepreneurs with an easier way to access vital information,” said New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Interim Director Roy Duddy. “Now, on a monthly basis, our audience can share their lunch hour with us in an interactive, cutting edge forum that stimulates questions and promotes information sharing.”
Each month, a business expert will present information on a topic relevant to the current economic climate. Online participants will have the ability to ask realtime questions via their computer, to be answered live by the presenter.
The first session, “Starting a Business in a Down Economy,” is slated for Wednesday, January 20th from noon-1 p.m. and will feature Deborah Osgood, President of the Exeter-based Knowledge Institute. Osgood’s presentation will include discussion of business self-assessment, formulation of business ideas, development of resource contacts, business mentorship and creation of a business plan.
“Most everything in life is about working well with and through others, and succeeding in business is no exception,” said Osgood. “The Knowledge Institute is pleased to be collaborating with the Division of Economic Development and their new Webcast series to leverage technology in introducing New Hampshire residents to a 10-step approach for assessing, planning and launching a new business venture in the Granite State.”
All Webcasts in the series will be hosted live at the Comfort Inn (71 Hall Street) in Concord and will feature a live audience.
“It’s very exciting for the Comfort Inn to be partnering with the State to provide new and exciting opportunities for the business community,” said Comfort Inn General Manager Michelle Wilson. “Our location is a perfect destination for business travelers and we’re thrilled to be able to introduce our facility to new visitors.”
Future NH BizCast Webinars will include “New Mediums, New Messages – How Social Media is Transforming Communication” featuring Epiphanies, Inc.’s Allen Voivod (2/17) and “Best Business Practices for the Next Century” featuring Sojourn Partner’s Dr. Russ Ouellette (3/17).
For more information and to attend the NH BizCast, visit www.nheconomy.com. Those planning on participating in the live audience at the Comfort Inn are asked to pre-register by contacting Leslie Sherman at (603) 271-2591 or leslie.sherman@dred.state.nh.us.
In announcing plans for the 14th Annual NH Economic Development Summit to take place at the Radisson Hotel Nashua on December 15th from 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., NH Division of Economic Development Interim Director Roy Duddy had a simple message to the business community – explore your creativity and be prepared to take “one step beyond.”
“In today’s challenging economy, we all need to reexamine the way that we’ve traditionally done business and employ more creative and innovative strategies,” he said. “There has never been a better time to take chances and to pursue new ideas that might stimulate activity and lead to business growth.”
Fittingly enough, “One Step Beyond” is the theme of this year’s Annual NH Economic Development Summit. Presented by the NH Division of Economic Development in cooperation with Public Service of NH and media sponsor NH Business Review, the Summit will feature two keynote speakers, Tom Ticknor of Ticknor & Associates who will present “Building a Brand – Positioning Your Community for Success” and Tom Hayes, master salesman and life motivator, who will tell how he grew his Fuji Medical Systems sales territory from $200,000 to over $50M a year by building and motivating a top sales team. Selected by Showtime Networks as a “Funniest Person” award winner, Hayes lives by the motto, “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.”
Workshops at the Summit will include “Granite Greatness – Tales of NH Entrepreneurship” featuring Laura Boucher (Hunter IdeaNeT – creator of the Snow Sleeve snow removal device), Michael McGloin (The Mountain – creator of the wildly popular “Three Wolf Moon” t-shirt) and Nancy Brown (Three Acre Kitchen – creator of outstanding balsamic based specialty foods), “New Mediums, New Messages – How Social Media is Transforming Communication” featuring Epiphanies, Inc. Owner Allen Voivod and “Mission Transmission – The Hydro Quebec Project” featuring Public Service of NH Economic & Community Development Manager Pat McDermott and Public Service of NH Municipal Relations & External Affairs Specialist Allison McLean.
Three Wolf Moon t-shirt image
“Public Service of NH is once again pleased to sponsor this summit which provides economic development practitioners and business owners with the latest information they need to keep New Hampshire’s economy moving forward,” said Public Service of NH Economic & Community Development Manager Pat McDermott. “New Hampshire continues to outpace its New England neighbors in terms of business growth and we welcome the opportunity to highlight some of our emerging companies at this showcase event.”
For the second consecutive year, Scott Spradling of The Spradling Group will serve as the guest emcee of this daylong event that will also feature the “Commissioner’s Awards for Economic Development Excellence.”
Admission is free but is limited to the first 200 people. To register, contact Leslie Sherman at lsherman@dred.state.nh.us.
We here at the No Bull Business Blog are dedicated to ridding the world of needless business jargon and acronyms. We believe that simplicity is best and that the business community wants clear and concise messages about the programs and services they require to succeed.
With that goal as a backdrop, we are happy to unveil the newest addition to No Bull TV, a short video that combines dodgeball with business doublespeak. For those of you who’ve forgotten, No Bull TV is the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development’s new YouTube channel that is geared toward providing a video component to our communications efforts - right now, the channel is being used to draw attention to this blog and our social media efforts. As we speak, we are sifting through footage culled from the No Bull Motorcycle Run, Greenerpalooza and Social Media Night at the Manchester Wolves and plan to upload those videos soon. We will also be featuring some of our upcoming events, our Open Invitation initiative and our Innovation Rocks winners.
In terms of the dodgeball shoot (http://www.youtube.com/user/nobulltv) , special thanks to the very creative John Herman and his film crew and actors, to our own awesome ad team at Square Spot Design and especially to Allen and Lani Voivod, our social media gurus at Epiphanies, Inc. for having a huge red ball launched at them countless times over a one hour period.
Stay tuned for more No Bull TV and until then, avoid all unnecessary business mumbo jumbo or be prepared to duck!
- Steve Boucher, Communications & Legislative Director
At this stage of my professional career, vanity is out the window. It’s all about creating the type of stir that will drive results in a creative, non-traditional fashion.
That’s why on one warm August afternoon, I found myself in the middle of a field at Miles Smith Farm (www.milessmithfarm.com) in Loudon wearing a matador outfit (complete with Jerry Seinfeld “puffy shirt”) and waving a red cape in front of 1,500 pound Scottish Highlander cattle.
Square Spot Design Creative Director Lisa Williams and "El Matador" Steve Boucher
The reason I was partaking in this activity was relatively simple - the NH Division of Economic Development needed to kick off its “No Bull TV” YouTube campaign in high energy, full speed ahead fashion. What better way to tell the New Hampshire business community about our desire to provide them with the best possible information (minus the bull) than by driving all of the “bull” out of the state?
Considering the fact that there appear to be few or no live, breathing bulls in the state and the mechanical variety seem to be in short supply, the Scottish Highland Cattle at Miles Smith Farm were a more than suitable substitute. With the tremendous assistance of Farm Co-Owner Carole Soule, we were able to craft a fun YouTube spot with the great setting of a farm that has been in operation since the 1850’s. Miles Smith Farm is a historic jewel in our state with 36 acres and a tremendous view that allows its owners to view the July 4th fireworks from five neighboring towns.
Our message of the YouTube campaign is simple - we’re listening to you. In every interaction with business leaders and private sector partners, we’ve heard the same refrain, Give us something different….present information to us in a way that no one else is so that we can stand up and take notice.
NH Division of Economic Development Communications & Legislative Director Steve Boucher and Miles Smith Farm Co-Owner Carol Soule (sporting the "No Bull Business Blog" baseball cap)
The job of a State Communications Director is to inform, entertain and interpret and somewhere down the line, the whole notion of entertaining and challenging our audience got lost. Let’s face it - there are millions of communications vehicles available to business owners so it is not only our mission but our mandate to reach out to our audience in ways that make them want to come back to us again.
So if our “No Bull TV” spots lead folks to the door, here’s what they’ll find on this blog - information about new grant opportunities, news about training sessions and economic development tools that save businesses time and money and invitations to events that increase the knowledge base of CEOs and line workers alike.
With that in mind, please take a moment to view our two new “No Bull TV” spots on our Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/nobulltv. Make this channel a regular stop while you surf the Web or really go out on a limb and become a subscriber. In the days and months ahead, we’ll be featuring some “Innovation Rocks!” winners, shining a spotlight on some emerging business leaders and hyping some pretty awesome events.
Much thanks to Carole Soule at Miles Smith Farm for her assistance in bringing a neat idea to fruition, to Jud Bartlett and Lisa Williams at Square Spot Design for their logistical and creative assistance, to Allen Voivod at Epiphanies, Inc. for expertly setting up our YouTube channel and to John Herman whose excellent artistic direction and filming made for a great shoot. And oh, by the way, John is the guy you see in the second spot getting the rough treatment after “speaking in bull.”
Welcome to the debut of “No Bull TV” and please be sure to tell your friends about it!
- Steve Boucher, Communications & Legislative Director
From touchdowns to Tweets…..social networking will be on full display during the Manchester Wolves/W-B/Scranton Pioneers game on Friday, July 24th at The Acting Loft Field at the Verizon Wireless Arena. For the first time in North American professional sports history, computer terminals will be set up in a major sports arena’s concourse where fans can “tweet” about their experiences at the game.
“This is an incredible coup for the State of New Hampshire,” said New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Communications & Legislative Director Steve Boucher, one of the organizers of the promotion. “With social media becoming such an incredible phenomenon, especially with the business community, this is a great way to get the Granite State excited about Twitter, Facebook and other new communications vehicles.”
Developed by the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development’s Business Resource Center, the Manchester Wolves and Gilford-based social marketing firm Epiphanies, Inc., the “No Bull Football Jam” will feature creative uses of technology, great football action and personalized assistance in learning more about social media. The “No Bull” moniker refers to the Division of Economic Development’s “No Bull Business Blog” accessible via the www.nheconomy.com Web site.
“We’re really happy to be able to offer something new and fun for our fans – now, not only are they able to cheer every play, they’re also able to share their perspective with football fans worldwide,” said Manchester Wolves General Manager Stephanie Bike.
At specified locations throughout the VWA concourse, computer stations will set up by event sponsor Best Buy to allow fans access to a special Twitter account established specifically for the Wolves/Pioneers game.
“The power of social networking is gaining more and more prominence not only nationally, but globally,” said Epiphanies, Inc. Co-Owner Allen Voivod. “Learning the new ways of sharing information is becoming a necessity for all of us and we’re thrilled to be part of this groundbreaking event with our great partners from the State, the Wolves and Best Buy.”
To purchase tickets for the “No Bull Football Jam,” call the Manchester Wolves at 627-9653. In addition to the “No Bull Business Blog,” you can also follow the Division of Economic on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Nobullblog or become a fan of the Division of Economic Development on Facebook at www.nheconomy.com/facebook.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT - Thanks to the generosity of our friends at the Manchester Wolves, the first 25 “No Bull” readers to email me at sboucher@dred.state.nh.us will be able to score a free pair of tickets to join us in the “No Bull” section at The Acting Loft Field at the Verizon Wireless Arena for next Friday evening’s “No Bull Football Jam.” See you at the game!!
Here’s something else we know - out of recessions come some of the most powerful, profitable, game-changing companies. General Electric, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, CNN, Federal Express, Burger King, and dozens of other giants started out in what some would consider the worst of economic circumstances.
“With more than a quarter of the state’s population currently featuring a personal profile on Facebook, we need to ensure that New Hampshire businesses know how to use social media as a productivity and sales tool,” said New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Interim Director Roy Duddy. “It’s not enough these days to rely on traditional communications and advertising vehicles – to keep pace, you really need to learn how to reach new audiences via social networking.”
Each month, a business expert will present information on a topic relevant to the current economic climate. Online participants will have the ability to ask realtime questions via their computer, to be answered live by the presenter.
Fittingly enough, “One Step Beyond” is the theme of this year’s Annual NH Economic Development Summit. Presented by the NH Division of Economic Development in cooperation with Public Service of NH and media sponsor NH Business Review, the Summit will feature two keynote speakers, Tom Ticknor of Ticknor & Associates who will present “Building a Brand – Positioning Your Community for Success” and Tom Hayes, master salesman and life motivator, who will tell how he grew his Fuji Medical Systems sales territory from $200,000 to over $50M a year by building and motivating a top sales team. Selected by Showtime Networks as a “Funniest Person” award winner, Hayes lives by the motto, “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.”
With that goal as a backdrop, we are happy to unveil the newest addition to No Bull TV, a short video that combines dodgeball with business doublespeak. For those of you who’ve forgotten, No Bull TV is the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development’s new YouTube channel that is geared toward providing a video component to our communications efforts - right now, the channel is being used to draw attention to this blog and our social media efforts. As we speak, we are sifting through footage culled from the No Bull Motorcycle Run, Greenerpalooza and Social Media Night at the Manchester Wolves and plan to upload those videos soon. We will also be featuring some of our upcoming events, our Open Invitation initiative and our Innovation Rocks winners.
In terms of the dodgeball shoot (
“This is an incredible coup for the State of New Hampshire,” said New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Communications & Legislative Director Steve Boucher, one of the organizers of the promotion. “With social media becoming such an incredible phenomenon, especially with the business community, this is a great way to get the Granite State excited about Twitter, Facebook and other new communications vehicles.”
“We’re really happy to be able to offer something new and fun for our fans – now, not only are they able to cheer every play, they’re also able to share their perspective with football fans worldwide,” said Manchester Wolves General Manager Stephanie Bike.
“The power of social networking is gaining more and more prominence not only nationally, but globally,” said Epiphanies, Inc. Co-Owner Allen Voivod. “Learning the new ways of sharing information is becoming a necessity for all of us and we’re thrilled to be part of this groundbreaking event with our great partners from the State, the Wolves and Best Buy.”
