8 Creative Ways to Use Embeddable Tweets! Sharing tweets outside of Twitter *Oh the Scandal!* ht.ly/9Ux0s #SocialMedia #TwitterTips

— Kimberly Wadsworth (@UltimateVirtual) March 27, 2012

 
Take it for a spin, kick the tires, check under the hood. It’s just too stinkin’ easy to not try.

CSC developed the 'I'm finding my financial freedom' campaign for NH Housing

MANCHESTER, NH – New Hampshire Housing has selected Cookson Stephens Corporation to launch its one-of-a-kind online program, “Find Financial Freedom” found at findfinancialfreedom.org.

The new secure web-based program provides financial training in a fun, game-like setting where people work on budgeting and develop the skills needed to improve their credit in order to achieve better financial health. “Find Financial Freedom” provides not only the educational materials, but also activities and coaching to help make learning money management skills enjoyable and rewarding.

Cookson Stephens will execute a strategic communication plan designed to raise awareness of  the “Find Financial Freedom” money management program. To achieve the program goals CSC will conduct target audience research, develop messaging, collateral materials, and write and place feature stories in earned media.

About Cookson Stephens Corp: CSC is a strategic communications firm that serves as a valued and integrated extension of our clients’ organizations. We help them plan, refine, and achieve their communications and organizational goals and objectives. CSC staff collectively brings decades of experience in strategic and creative results-driven solutions and view each of our client relationships as true partnerships.

FreePriceAlerts CEO Bob Wilkins featured on NECN

FreePriceAlerts CEO Bob Wilkins offered that once Black Friday and Cyber Monday had come and gone did that mean the deals were gone as well?

No, to the contrary. FPA CEO Bob Wilkins collected data showing that over 60 percent of the retail websites he tracks inflated their prices in the days leading up to the holiday shopping kick-off, so many BF and CM deals may not have been as good as they seemed (about 2 – 3 percent lower than the prices from a week or two earlier).

Wilkins anticipates that prices will get lower as the holidays get closer.

The FreePriceAlerts and Wilkins story were picked up by both the Associated Press and Reuters and were cited in dozens of stories around the world including the New York Times. Wilkins said that traffic to FreePriceAlerts.com increased significantly as a result of the media coverage.

In today’s digital age where everything is just a click away, finding out what’s being said about an organization in the traditional media or over social media is not as easy as a Google search. CustomScoop adapts to a constantly changing media industry to ensure that its clients can easily and affordably help monitor all public messaging regarding their company and analyze how that information is being received.

“Most businesses simply don’t have the personnel or the expertise in-house to monitor what’s being said about them in all the different media,” said New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Interim Director Chris Way. ”CustomScoop is set up to be an extension of a company’s communication team. It’s a truly innovative service that can really make a difference for New Hampshire businesses.”

Its powerful search technology reviews social media and traditional news media and provides measurement and analysis tools to help clients understand the reach and impact of what is being communicated about their company. As a result, CustomScoop provides comprehensive reporting of the topics and issues important to their client businesses. While initially developed for
public relations professionals, CustomScoop’s clients include those in sales, marketing, investor relations and competitive intelligence.

“Today, traditional media represents only a small part of what companies and other organizations want to track through services like ours. We track blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and even government and policy sites because these all impact how messages are getting out to the public,” said company CEO Chip Griffin. “We greatly appreciate being named the Innovation Rocks! Winner and look forward to serving organizations in New Hampshire and beyond that are constantly challenged with navigating today’s changing media landscape.”

Looking to help businesses and organizations more efficiently track and manage their brand Griffin has published The Media Monitoring Checklist: Getting Better results with Less Time, Less Money, and Less Hassle. Griffin has made his eBook available as a free download.

The Media Monitoring Checklist is a step-by-step guide that shows users how to maximize the benefits of their media monitoring efforts and how to leverage the results in ways that support their business or organization.

CustomScoop is a national leader in “media intelligence,” delivering customizable media monitoring technology and analysis to customers in public relations, sales, marketing, investor relations, and competitive intelligence industries. Based out of Concord,
NH, its clientele includes local and national organizations ranging from Comcast and Craig’s List to the NH Charitable Foundation.

The Institute has been growing steadily over the past decade with enrollment this fall approaching 500 students, over half of whom are able to live in campus housing. Additionally, the Institute is expanding its physical presence in downtown Manchester. This year it added the Franco American building for student services and a student center; diversified its space in the Brady Sullivan Center; to include student housing and food services to its students.

Academically, the Institute is in the process of adding a fifth core undergraduate discipline and its first graduate degree program. A new study abroad program is now available and further expands the breadth of study opportunities for students.

Collectively, these accomplishments have elevated the size of the Institute physically, its students, and in stature. This necessitated the need for the Institute to provide organized, unified strategic communications with regard to current Institute communications that align Institute strategic goals with communication goals.

In Spring 2011 CSC completed an assessment of the Institute’s communication processes and worked with the Institute to develop its first-ever strategic communications plan. The plan will inform Institute’s internal and external communications.

CSC will provide messaging strategic public and media relations, social media planning and execution, website revisions, support fundraising, and promotional advertising and marketing services to raise awareness of its academic programs; continuing education programs, student recruitment, and events and exhibitions.

“The Institute is a terrific success story in Manchester and beyond, and it has been our pleasure to work with their talented faculty and overall team to raise greater awareness about their resources, expertise and overall value proposition for students,” said CSC President Matt Cookson.

“CSC has been a great resource to us. Their guidance and advice has helped elevate our visibility and leverage recent positive activities across our campus,” said Institute President Roger Williams. “They really have served as an extension of our institution.”

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About Cookson Stephens Corp: CSC is a strategic communications firm that serves as a valued and integrated extension of our clients’ organizations. We help them plan, refine, and achieve their communications and organizational goals and objectives. CSC staff collectively brings decades of experience in strategic and creative results-driven solutions and view each of our client relationships as true partnerships.

About the New Hampshire Institute of Art: Established in 1898 as the Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences, the New Hampshire Institute of Art has a firm commitment to educating diverse traditional and nontraditional students in the fine arts. The Institute offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree drawing undergraduate students from across the United States. Its Certificate Programs and a Continuing Education program attract and engage community members from throughout New England. Dedicated faculty promote intellectual and artistic development and teach students to respond artistically to contemporary social, political, and aesthetic issues. The New Hampshire Institute of Art is a private, non-profit institution and is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. More information is available online at nhia.edu.

Click to download a free copy of 'The Media Monitoring Checklist.'

According to Griffin, regardless if they use a free service like Google Alerts or a paid service like CustomScoop, there are ways to make sure that they are getting the most out of their media monitoring efforts.

Griffin said that the The Media Monitoring Checklist is a step-by-step guide that shows users how to maximize the benefits of their media monitoring efforts and how to leverage the results in ways that support their business or organization.

CustomScoop is a national leader in “media intelligence,” delivering customizable media monitoring technology and analysis to customers in public relations, sales, marketing, investor relations, and competitive intelligence industries.  Based out of Concord, NH, its clientele includes local and national organizations ranging from Comcast and Craig’s List to the NH Charitable Foundation.

Developed by Cookson Stephens Client myVBO, FreePriceAlerts is a free plug-in for the web or for mobile apps that installs instantly and enables consumers to get the best possible pricing on the Internet in a completely unobtrusive way.  When you visit your favorite online retailers, FreePriceAlerts will post a small, temporary message in part of your screen to notify you if it finds the product you are viewing at a lower price elsewhere.  It will tell you how much you can save and give you a direct link to where you can purchase it for less.  If you are viewing the lowest cost option, it confirms this with a green check mark. It also offers consumers the ability to set price alerts for particular items, and when the item hits that price, they will be notified by e-mail or through an Iphone app.

“During these economic times, people want to get the best deal possible, which is why deal sites are so popular on the Internet.  Most of them provide a ‘deal of the day’ that may or may not be what you want to buy and where you want to buy it.  FreePriceAlerts is totally different.  In just seconds, we search the web to get you the absolute best price for the product you are searching for now, tell you how much you can save and where you can get it,” said company CEO Robert Wilkins.

myVBO is a privately-held company founded by Wilkins in 2008 and located in Peterborough, NH.  Wilkins has started five companies during his career and also spent 11 years as executive vice president of PC Connection.  Much of his industry experience has involved the reseller industry and technology, which are both key components of FreePriceAlerts.  Because of its uniqueness, unobtrusiveness, ease of use, and ability to instantly save money for consumers, he decided to roll out FreePriceAlerts as a stand-alone product.  Wilkins has three pending patents on the product, and affiliate arrangements with numerous large vendors that will serve as a revenue stream for the company.

FreePriceAlerts has a very substantial market potential because of its uniqueness and because it does not require a consumer to disrupt their shopping to go to a separate site such as Pricegrabber or Priceline to search for the product of their choice.  Already, tens of thousands of shoppers are already using the product and saving big money.

“The plug-in takes seconds to download – just go to FreePriceAlerts.com, click on download, choose your Internet browser and then go shopping on your favorite sites to see if they are giving you the best available deal,” he added.

To learn more, go to FreePriceAlerts.com.

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In February and March of this year Cookson Stephens researched, designed, and conducted an independent comprehensive membership survey with the goal of assessing the value of its services provided to its members and the region. Nearly 30 percent (147) of the Chamber’s 520 members responded to the survey and the data showed the Chamber having strong support for its efforts on behalf of local business and supporting the economic development of the region.The results of the survey gives the Chamber a clear picture of what it is doing well and provides a roadmap for adjustments it will need to consider to be even more responsive to its membership and their needs.

Earlier this year Cookson Stephens also provided strategic communications consultation to Grid Be Gone—a New Hampshire green energy startup company—including naming and branding, website SEO and copywriting, and public relations services.

The goal of Grid Be Gone is to serve as a comprehensive source and resource for a variety of products that can help individuals live a greener life with greater energy independence. The company was founded in 2011 by Marc Spinale and offers its products and services through a secure online store and website (gridbegone.com) .

The name Grid Be Gone was selected because of the Marc’s concern about being dependent on a power grid as a full time source of energy, especially in areas of the country or world where energy resources can be scarce and power disruptions can occur. As a lifelong New England resident, Marc has lived through major outages, including a two-week stretch during the 2008 ice storm that crippled parts of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He has carefully researched and selected each product and has used many of them in his ENERGY STAR rated home in rural New Hampshire.

Current products include solar electric and hot water systems, wind turbines, batteries, hydroponic gardening, books and more. Grid Be Gone has a large network of suppliers for these products and also offers all of the parts customers will need for do it yourself installation, as well as a network of professionals that can provide assistance and advice.

“While the MWVCC and Grid Be Gone are two very different organizations with different communications requirements we were able to work with them to assess their needs, establish their goals, then plan and execute a strategy that worked,” said CSC President Matt Cookson. “The one thing they have in common is they are New Hampshire organizations working to make a positive economic impact and we believe we helped them make progress in those areas.”

About Cookson Stephens Corp.: CSC is a strategic communications firm that serves as a valued and integrated extension of our clients’ organizations. We help them plan, refine, and achieve their communications and organizational goals and objectives.

We bring decades of experience in strategic and creative results-driven solutions and view each of our client relationships as true partnerships.

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Based in downtown Manchester, the NH Institute of Art has something for everyone, from the full time student looking for a degree to the adult looking to expand their knowledge. As Tiffany Eddy discovered the college is undergoing unprecedented growth and might just have what your artistic side has been looking for.

‘I really look forward to being out there and engaging the tech and education communities to develop new ideas and ways to promote the state,’ said Matt Cookson, who replaced Carol Stephens in December as the executive director of the New Hampshire High Tech Council. (Photo by Jodie Andruskevich)

Matt Cookson, who was appointed executive director of the New Hampshire High Technology Council in December, knows he is an atypical choice to lead one of the most well-known business advocacy organizations in the state.

Cookson has extensive communications and public relations experience, especially in the higher education sector, and believes he will be the right fit to help the NHHTC do what it does best — educate, promote and support economic development initiatives that boost technological innovation and entrepreneurship in an increasingly diverse high-tech sector.

“I really look forward to being out there and engaging the tech and education communities to develop new ideas and ways to promote the state,” said Cookson, who replaced long-time council executive director Carol Stephens.

Founded in 1983, the NHHTC will also undergo a major infrastructure facelift. Cookson’s company, Peterborough-based Cookson Stephens Corp., was selected by the council board to handle the management of the NHHTC and oversee its relocation to Manchester.
The goal, Cookson said, is to be “in the center of the action” and provide the organization with a permanent home with a conference room and meeting space.

Q. How has the definition of high technology changed?
A. The council was founded in 1983 and we would have called a VCR high tech at that time when that technology went mainstream. Look what we have today: nano materials and nano technology. The biggest change is how we operate today because most of us use technology all the time. For example, we don’t think of higher education institutions as high-tech companies, but the latest survey I saw showed that 97 percent of prospective students get their first glimpse of a university online.

Q. What has that meant for the NHHTC?
A. What it means for the council is that over the years, a lot more companies have emerged into what we would define as high technology industries. We see advanced manufacturing to service companies that rely on technology tools to be more productive and grow their businesses.

This change has impacted how business sectors are structured today. We all know that technology is a significant economic driver and the importance of promoting development and networking opportunities is a key component of economic and workforce development in the state as we move towards a knowledge economy.

Q. What are the top legislative priorities for the NHHTC?
A. We know the top priority for everyone is budget deficits, which are so significant as to make every other issue secondary. At the state level, we’ve been told that anything with a price tag will be a tough sell. We’re concerned about any increase in business taxes. We believe that small-business innovation research funding is critical but it’s on hold at the federal level. We also have on ongoing focus on the regulatory climate in terms of general business and import-export regulations — and how the new Congress will deal with health-care reform and what that means for small- to medium-sized businesses.

Q. What exactly does the NHHTC executive director do?
A. We have a very engaged board led by Tom Daly (president of Manchester-based Dyn Inc.). The role has evolved over the years and mine will be different from my predecessor because of my higher education background.

The company (Cookson Stephens) will manage all aspects of the council, and moving to Manchester makes a lot of sense because of its central location. It’s one of the primary places where business gets done in New Hampshire.

In addition to managing the organization and overseeing membership events, I will emphasize the ties I see between the education and technology sectors. The main reason is that we need an educated workforce because we have large opportunities. We need to get more students into STEM-related (science, technology, engineering and math) professions. We can create more opportunities between high technology and higher education, for example, by better connecting more interns with companies.

Q. What is the state of the high-tech industry in New Hampshire?
A. We’ve been flat. A decade ago we were number two in the number of high-tech workers and now we’re number nine in the country. But we have a strong backbone with a lot of smaller businesses. We also know there’s a lot of pent-up growth potential coming and we’re starting to see some success stories in the tech sector with initiatives like the Green Launching Pad at the Unviersity of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Innovation Commercialization Center, the Amoskeag Business Incubator and in areas such as Plymouth and Keene.

We see important growth potential in the advanced manufacturing, clean/green technology and software as a service sectors.
In addition to providing networking opportunities between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, we are working on an initiative with the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation to develop an industry-backed equity fund.

Q. What are your reading now?
A. I am currently reading “I Live In The Future & Here’s How It Works” by Nick Bilton, a technology writer for the New York Times’ Bits Blog. I like it because it combines my interest in the media with today’s technologies.