Reason, Care, and Conviction - How to Approach Social Issues as a Brand, with Liz O’Donnell

As the Chief Content Officer for Double Forte, Liz combines her PR, marketing and writing skills to counsel clients on their content and social media strategies and to maintain the editorial calendar and voice for the agency. Over the years she has worked as the Vice President of Marketing for an international flooring company and led media and communications programs for a range of clients from Fortune 100 companies to early-stage startups in the technology, consumer and professional services industries.

An award-winning writer, Liz is the author of two books about the challenges of working women balancing career and caregiving. She is also active in the influencer community: Liz runs an online community with thousands of members, and her first blog was named one of the Best Blogs for Women by Fortune Magazine several years in a row.

Liz is active in her community and serves on her town’s Finance and Warrant Committee. She is also committed to supporting other women and co-founded both SheStarts, an organization for women entrepreneurs, as well as Women In Democracy-Dedham, a non-partisan group that seeks to engage more women in local politics.

What you will learn in this episode:

How the need and desire for companies to comment on social topics has impacted brand communication What questions to ask yourself as a company to determine what to communicate and whether or not to take a stance Why companies need to live their values, not just post them on a wall How not communicating anything can result in a bigger backlash Why conviction is vital when taking a stance

Resources:

Read Liz’s article “Profit, People and Purpose: How CEOs and Companies Can Be Their Most Authentic Self in the Transparent Age”: https://double-forte.com/profits-people-