My Portfolio
A Look at Some of My Recently Published Work
Here's a more detailed list of my writing credits.
And a look at some examples of blog writing I've done for various clients.
2021 Work for HR Daily Advisor
2021
Lin Grensing-Pophal is a contributing editor for HR Daily Advisor writing regularly on learning and development, HR/employee relations and employee communication issues.
Recruitment Training for a Virtual World
April 2021
Virtual interviews can convey organizational culture and provide a first impression of your company. How those interviews are handled can also prevent legal pitfalls.
But too often, companies overlook the need to train staff to conduct these interviews. That training is critical to ensure that the best hiring choices are being made and that companies steer clear of legal risks.
Shining a Light on the Dark Funnel
March 2021
The dark funnel is a concept that has been making the rounds for some time now in sales circles. The term refers to the often-veiled insights marketers might fail to uncover as they attempt to understand the customer journey. While the digital marketing environment yields some powerful insights into consumer actions, some of these actions, like visits to other websites, research conducted through third-party sites, social media impacts, etc., might be hidden from marketers.
COVID-19 Spurs Novel Approaches to Talent Acquisition
March 2021
While the global spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 has resulted in enormous damage to the economy and businesses around the world, hiring is still a top priority for many organizations. Talent acquisition just looks a little different now.
How Marketers Will Use Video in 2021
March 2021
Video continues to be a popular and effective way to boost marketing efforts, especially with the emergence
of video-first platforms such as TikTok. And, with the proliferation of do-it-yourself (DIY) video options, the demand
for professionally produced, high-production-value video content
no longer looms as the must-do priority it used to be.
Today, marketers of all types and sizes—even those with very small budgets—can successfully use video to augment their
marketing communication efforts.
Customer Intent: Elusive, but Not Impossible to Obtain
March 2021
Customer or buyer intent refers to the motivations that drive consumer behaviors—not simply what they want, but why they want it. The ability to discern the whys behind the whats is obviously important to marketers. The more they can understand the motivations of their customers, the better they will be able to produce the goods and services that best meet their needs and effectively communicate the right points to compel the desired action—a sale.
When Hiring Remotely Raises Legal Issues
February 2021
Over the past year, employers have made significant changes to their hiring practices to ensure the safety of potential and current employees. In fact, many employers are realizing the potential benefit of having access to talent around the country—
or around the globe.
However, there are certain risks that employers need to consider when recruiting and hiring talent beyond their traditional market areas.
Taking Advantage of a Broader Talent Pool
February 2021
As many organizations around the country continue to operate in a remote or hybrid way and many indicate that they may do so for the foreseeable future (or even permanently), some are beginning to realize a potential big benefit—an opportunity to recruit and hire employees from a much broader talent pool.
Managing Remote Workers
February 2020
While remote work, aka telecommuting, has been technologically possible for a number of years, and companies like AT&T and others have long had remote workers on their payroll, many organizations are new to the world of remote work and remote employee management.
COVID-19's Impact on 2021 Content Marketing Strategy
January 2021
When pandemic restrictions around the country started occurring in March 2020, few imagined that many would still be in place—or start up again—as the year drew to an end. As I write this, in mid-November, cases are rising across the country, and new restrictions are emerging. Through it all, organizations of various kinds have had to adjust and adapt to the new normal—whatever that is. As businesses plan for 2021, none can ignore the potential for COVID-19 to continue disrupting their operations and impacting consumer decisions.
Tips for Remote Selling During and After COVID-19
January 2021
COVID-19 has upended a number of industries and jobs. Among the professions that have been hardest hit are sales and business development, which have traditionally relied on face-to-face interactions to build networks and relationships. People who ply those trades have had to pivot to remote selling with mixed success.
2020 Work for HR Daily Advisor
2020
Lin Grensing-Pophal is a contributing editor for HR Daily Advisor writing regularly on learning and development, HR/employee relations and employee communication issues.
NEW BOOK: Managing Remote Staff
November 2020
Out of sight, does not have to mean out of mind! A timely look at best practices in managing remote staff.
Managing remote workers is nothing new, but its prevalence has been impacted significantly by COVID-19.
This book addresses the myths, misconceptions, pros and cons of remote work for both employers and employees and offers guidance on the attributes of successful remote workers, establishing policies and procedures for remote work, training (employees and managers) and effective management practices with an emphasis on communication.
Employees Look to Workplace Programs to Ease Charitable Giving
December 2020
Employees today are more likely to seek employment in socially responsible organizations, and one way that employers can commit to helping those in need is by offering a charitable giving program at work.
How Will You Support Your Staff During What May Be a Very Lonely Holiday Season?
December 2020
Employees who have been dealing with the impacts of COVID-19 since March are feeling the strain. A report from employee experience software company Limeade, Workplaces in Crisis: Employee Care Missing the Mark, was released in October.
Be Aware of How External Recruiters Reflect Your Employer Brand
November 2020
When a company relies on an external recruiting firm to handle its candidate searches, it is trusting that the firm and its representatives will reflect favorably on the company's employer brand. But will they?
Changes in SEO Strategy
November/December 2020
SEO has long been the holy grail for internet marketers—
and content creators—of all kinds. Attracting
eyeballs, and website visitors, was job number one.
While that’s still the case to a large degree, SEO has become
less of a numbers game and more of a driver for creating
high-quality, relevant content.
Drive-Thru Job Fairs: A Sign of the Times
October 2020
Despite the massive impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the U.S. workforce, some parts of the economy are still frantically searching for talent to meet business demands. And they're getting increasingly creative about how to engage with potential employees in an era of social distancing.
Build Empathy Into Your 2020 Open Enrollment Season
October 2020
The phrase "we're all in this together" is often bandied about as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, but any employee may be facing a situation far different from those of his or her colleagues.
Compare the employee who has two children schooling at home and whose spouse is furloughed to the employee approaching retirement with no children at home and a comfortable nest egg. Between these two scenarios lies a wide range of personal situations challenging workers' health, wealth and well-being.
Tips for Finding Freelancers
October 2020
Consumer appetite for content is at an all-time high and continuing to grow. That’s great for organizations that have well-oiled content creation teams in place to meet the demand. For others, though, developing content on a regular basis that is high-quality and focused on issues and topics that resonate with their audiences can be a challenge. The gig economy can help.
Use Digital Platforms to Drive In-Store Traffic, and Vice Versa
September 2020
In the modern retail landscape, digital is no longer a threat to the in-store shopping experience. In fact, smart retailers have come to see e-commerce as a tool to boost in-store foot traffic. This represents a new phenomenon called ROPO (research online, purchase offline), where consumers start their shopping journeys online but complete them in-store.
Handling Applicants With Noncompete Agreements
September 2020
It's not unlikely for job candidates, particularly those in highly competitive industries or in sales, to have noncompete agreements with their current company. These agreements are often said to be tough to enforce, depending on the job market. Yet, they are used by companies to discourage employees in key positions from taking their knowledge and expertise to a competitor.
When Top Candidates Have Another Offer
September 2020
You're in the middle of the selection process for a key position and have a few top candidates making their way through the second round of interviews. One of them informs you that he or she has received an offer from another company.
Your initial reaction is panic—oh no! You felt like the process was dragging along too slowly. What can you do? What should you do?
Work Tourism: A New Employee Perk During the Pandemic?
September 2020
As employees are adjusting to a new normal at work, some have identified an unexpected potential perk of the ability to work remotely—the opportunity to travel to distant locations for extended periods.
Emergency Savings Accounts Boost Financial Wellness
September 2020
Financial stress hurts workers' ability to stay motivated and do their jobs, and for many employees, the COVID-19 pandemic has only added to that stress. Some employers are taking steps to ease employees' financial burdens and setting up emergency savings accounts (ESAs) that allow automatic deposits through payroll deductions—much like how employees fund their 401(k) plans.
Best Practices for Repurposing Content
September 2020
It can be extremely expensive to feed the constant demand for content from a wide range of audiences. Content marketing has become a major industry in the 21st century, with companies of all types and sizes working hard to produce content to help them distinguish themselves from competitors as they attract and engage audiences that can represent potential customers.
Influencer Marketing in 2020: What App Marketers Need to Know
August 2020
App engagement is a challenge for most developers; putting the power of influencers behind your app can help. But the influencer market is in flux and increasingly under the watchful eye of regulators. Meanwhile, the nature — and value — of influencers during the pandemic is shifting.
What do app developers need to know to fully and successfully leverage the power of influencers?
Converting PTO Funds to Student Loan Relief Is a Timely Benefit
August 2020
What do unused paid-time-off (PTO) days, student loan debt and the coronavirus have in common? An opportunity for employers to provide financial relief to employees who are increasingly putting off vacations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dion Bullock on ‘Understanding Your Why’
August 2020
Dion Bullock is only in the early stages of his new role as Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Strategy Lead for Bravely, but he’s already made an impact. While new to the role (which is similar to “Chief Diversity Officer (CDO)”), Bullock isn’t new to the organization. He’s served as a coach, or “Pro,” for the past 2 years, which has offered him an opportunity to experience firsthand the work the company does and how it makes a positive impact on employees and client organizations.
Taking Another Look at LinkedIn - SHRM
August 2020
LinkedIn has become the de facto place to seek candidates across a wide range of jobs and professions. But, as its membership numbers have grown, is it becoming more or less useful for recruiters and HR pros when seeking job candidates? We sought input from recruiters, HR professionals and hiring managers on what works best for them to find and place top talent through LinkedIn. The good news: LinkedIn remains a top source of candidates and offers a number of options for finding potential members for your team.
Innovative Ways Companies Convey Culture When Hiring Remotely - SHRM
August 2020
Both employers and job candidates have come to consider culture and cultural fit important elements when making or accepting offers. But in a world where much hiring is taking place remotely—often via videoconferencing and tools like Zoom and Skype—how can companies adequately convey their culture?
It's a challenge that many HR professionals have taken on, and they have important insights to share.
Communication Lessons From COVID-19
July/August 2020
It’s fair to say that few, if any, companies—or their communication staffs—were prepared to respond quickly and appropriately to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As millions of employees suddenly found themselves working remotely from their homes and millions of customers found themselves suddenly shut off from the companies and brands they typically engaged with, communication professionals began grappling with important questions.
The Top Marketing Trends: Automation and AI Are the 'New Normal' - CRM
July 2020
Marketing has always been a fast-paced industry, with the pace quickened constantly by readily available and rapidly developing technology. But the COVID-19 pandemic and its worldwide impact was, arguably, the most disruptive force that marketers have seen in a long time.
As we move beyond the pandemic, though, we can expect to see a continuation of some of the trends that were taking shape before COVID-19 and many more that have been fueled by COVID-19.
Should Remote Workers Living in Lower-Cost Locations Be Paid Less? - SHRM
July 2020
With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and a growing number of companies allowing employees to continue to work from home indefinitely, a provocative new question has emerged: Should employees working from home in areas where the cost of living is lower be paid less than those working onsite?
Trends in Influencer Marketing - InfoToday
May/June 2020
While it may seem like it’s a 21st-century thing, influencer marketing has been around since the early 20th century. One of the earliest influencers was Santa Claus, a character modernized and reinvented by Coca-Cola. Today’s influencers tend to be real people— PewDiePie, Logan Paul, Zoella, and others—many who leapt to fame thanks to the wide reach of social media channels, such as YouTube and Instagram. But influencers today come in a lot of forms depending on the target audience. Businesses, products, and services of all types leverage the audience, reach, and endorsement power of influencers to grow awareness and preference for what they have to offer.
COVID-19 Drives Interest in Supplemental Unemployment Benefits - SHRM
May 2020
It’s been a long time coming, but the wait is finally over. Beyond The Fog, the latest title from Strategic Communications, LLC is something of a departure from their previous work. Order your copy today.
Addressing the Mental Health Implications of COVID-19
April 2020
You, your employees and members have been bombarded with traditional and social media reports, speculation, facts, conjecture and outright mistruths for weeks now and the barrage is likely to continue. Amidst all the havoc, there are some things that credit union leaders can do to help manage their own and their employees’ mental health
Staying Steady Atop the Glass Cliff
March 2020
It has been suggested that women who break through the glass ceiling often find themselves on a “glass cliff.” In fact, there’s data to suggest that struggling companies tend to promote or recruit more female CEOs than male. Why?
App Engagement Strategies to Stay Top-of-Mind During "Quarantine" - Mobile Growth Association
April 2020
As people go into self-quarantine, they're often turning to their phones as entertainment and as a connection to the outside world. It’s a time when all small business owners are having to be creative and innovative about how they connect with existing and potential new subscribers. How can app publishers engage, and re-engage users—without feeling pushy or exploitive--at a time when so many eyes are on their smartphones?
Is Your Content Review Process Out of Control? - EContent
May 2019
Content providers, publishers, and organizations must establish content review processes. These processes generally involve multiple touchpoints, and many eyeballs, reviewing content for a wide array of reasons—from grammar, spelling, and style compliance, to SEO, content accuracy, and more.
Content marketers working for organizations in regulated industries will find themselves subject to even more scrutiny.
Unfortunately, more reviews required means more costs and sometimes what some would argue is a process designed to squeeze the life out of content that has been carefully crafted.