It’s up and running! *whoohoo* and I’m nominated! (together with some other great folks, who *cough* are in my blog roll)
And I quote, straight from Sarah Evans
Vote now for the 2009 Top 50 Tweeples to Follow on Twitter. [Read more...]
Close PR Encounters of the Facebook Kind
Facebook 
I love Facebook, you love Facebook, we all love Facebook. So let’s all jump for joy…or not.
“I am, I said:†Be smart – think about what type of Facebook user you are and your own personal brand.
Yes, believe it or not, you have a personal brand. It is how you look, what people think about you, why they think the things they think etc.,
You have two choices:-
1. You could choose not to care and deal with whatever consequences befall.
Or
2. You could be a self-socially-aware social media user.
Simple.
Just because you are a public relations professional, advertising executive or money-making model, doesn’t mean your Facebook needs to be public.
Private Facebook users, like myself, for my personal page, have strict privacy settings on their pages and only “connect†with people (friends, family etc.) they know.
Public Facebook users, like myself, for the Little Pink Book’s page, have open settings on their pages and “connect†with everyone.
Take it from someone who has been on Facebook for what seems like eons (probably because it has been five [5] years since I joined back in 2004 [is it to early for a Milennial to feel old?]) – know how far you are willing to set your parameters.
I’ve seen Facebook go from a selected number of universities having access to Facebook (only available via a specific “@[xyz].edu†email addresses,) to the welcoming of high school students, to the initiation of the entire world.
Times change, we as people change – but there are some inherent things that simply do not [Read more...]
Going Hyper-Local
By: Stuart Foster, guest blogger
The internet has been a game changer for PR. Social media has taken that game and raised it to another level. Everyone is plugged in, relationships are constantly in play and the room for error is nil.
Here’s the good news: this should actually make your job easier. Now you can target new sources, bloggers, and journalists through a variety of different channels. One way in which I have had a great deal of success is building up a local network.
Everyone wants to hit the front page of the NY Times. Hardly anyone ever does. The reason? You are competing with millions of PR people and any breaking news. What should you do? Go to journalists you know.
Embrace that personal, friendly and local touch that may have been sanitized out of you by pitching a huge amount of massive media conglomerates. With local influencers, the key is familiarity and your personal relationship. The channels that content has to travel through to be approved are also likely to be reduced.
The age of big media wins is essentially over. It’s all about conquering a plethora of smaller markets and expecting the bigger main stream media outlets to jump on the story once it reaches critical mass. This also will prove better for your long term SEO strategy (more proliferation of links) and will also add to your presence/brand online.
Ideally, you will have built up a substantial network of bloggers, influencers and journalists within your local area. If you haven’t, you likely aren’t doing your job very well. If this is the case, it’s definitely not too late. But you need to start now!
So how do you appeal to your local reporters/bloggers? Hit up networking events, drop an email or call randomly to check in, ask them what their ideal story is, and be a generally cool person. The best sources are always available, always informed and ready with information to best assist the creation of a story.
Remember…it’s about quality coverage AND quantity coverage. Take care of both and you will be indispensible to your client.
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Stuart Foster is an independent social media/marketing consultant. Addicted to Bolt, Facebook, and other Social Media since their inception, he has taken this enthusiasm for new media to make connections, blog market, and other marketing efforts within those realms. He enjoys massive quantities of diet coke/caffeine, Boston sports, running (slowly) and has a tendency to lose jackets.
Copyright © 2009 Sasha H. Muradali. All Rights Reserved.
