As early as 2006, Starbucks was developing ways for consumers to interact directly with its brand online and extending the experience beyond its thousands of retail locations.  In this astoundingly early year, the company signed up for its first official Twitter account, which now boasts more than 887,000 followers.  In an effort to take its social media activities even further, in 2008 it developed My Starbucks Idea, which ReadWriteWeb described as “a socially driven marketplace for Starbucks-related ideas that will help the company reinvent itself”.  On MSI, which also has its own Twitter account, consumers can literally share their ideas for improvement with the company, giving them a virtually unprecedented say in the direction of the brand.
Starbucks has also stayed on the cusp of new social media platforms such as Foursquare and continues to forge innovative partnerships with them like the “Barista” badge.  Coffee-addicts have the chance to be awarded the “Barista” badge and publicly declare their infatuation by checking into five different Starbucks locations.  This was a very smart move, considering how far some Foursquare users will go to obtain an obscure badge.  Starbucks has decided that Foursquare is worth the investment based on last week’s decision to take its involvement with the platform to the next level by announcing the first-ever nationwide mayor special.

Once a user becomes the mayor of an individual Starbucks location, they automatically unlock the Mayor Offer, which the company plans to change-up after an undetermined amount of time.  From now until June 28th, the Mayor Offer is $1 off of a Frappucino.  Yet another intelligent move on behalf of the social media thought-leader, because it is sure to spur intensified competition for the coveted title of mayor.  As someone who considers herself a Foursquare addict, I would without a doubt make an extra trip to Starbucks if it meant that I held onto that honor (although it would more than likely be a Dunkin Donuts instead.)

However, Christina Khoury recently brought up a good point about the new Starbucks offer to my attention.

After checking into a local Starbucks and discovering the deal, she was disappointed to learn that the special was a dollar off a customized Frappucino. She doesn’t like Frappucinos. Coffee addicts don’t drink Frappucinos.  The offer was related to the new special Starbucks has been promoting for its Frappucino happy hour which could suggest that the mayor offer doesn’t target loyal Starbucks customers. She thinks a Starbucks mayor should choose whatever drink he wants to use the special on. True coffee addicts probably won’t be willing to pick a different drink simply because they’ll save a dollar. While the prospect of saving money is tempting, it’s still not enough for her to change her order from a skinny dolce cinnamon latte as it would ruin her morning and most likely, her day. I’m sure she’s not the only one.

I think Starbucks dropped the ball on its mayorship special. I know I’m not the only who thought this way either so I’m curious, what would you like to see Starbucks do in its next social media initiative? What else can they do with Foursquare? Who knows – if we got Betty White on SNL maybe we can get Starbucks to listen to what we have to say too!

• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had
• 3 February 2012 : Considering Making the Switch from Agency to In-House?
• 2 February 2012 : Apple’s Positive Earnings Report Creates Bad PR

To give a brief overview of why I ended up in Denver, last year my client Downy launched the Touch of Comfort program with the goal of delivering 10,000 handmade quilts to hospitalized children.  It almost goes without saying that the success of this program LARGELY depends on the involvement of consumers, especially the ones that quilt.  While Downy Touch of Comfort has been covered in all types of media, we recently decided to take a more local approach and have a presence (in the form of a booth) at some regional quilting festivals, starting off with the Denver National Quilt Festival.

After four days of getting to speak directly with consumers who really, truly cared when they heard about what we were trying to do, I was convinced that we, as PR professionals, tend to get a little tunnel-visioned when it comes to our profession.  We (and often our clients) get so wrapped up in media and the next big “hit”, that we sometimes forget that there are other ways of getting our message in front of our target audience.  That isn’t to say that media isn’t very important- many of the quilters that I met said that they had already heard about the program through a bunch of our placements.  But PR isn’t all about the media.  At the end of the day, it’s about creating a meaningful connection between your client and the people that they want to be in front of and sometimes a direct interaction can be more beneficial than casting a wide net and hoping the message sticks.  In other words, quality over quantity (and that’s not something you hear very often!)  As PR pros it’s our job to be as creative as possible when it comes to reaching your client’s “public.”

I’d love to hear if any of you have done something similar and had awesome results like we did.  Do you ever bypass the media to get right to your target audience?  Let me know in the comments!

• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had
• 3 February 2012 : Considering Making the Switch from Agency to In-House?
• 2 February 2012 : Apple’s Positive Earnings Report Creates Bad PR

Unfortunately, as much as I get to know about all of the things that my acquaintances love about their companies, I also tend to see the negative side as I cross into the “confidante” territory.  One unsettling trend that I’ve started to see more often is agencies who don’t value their employees and treat them as replaceable hit machines who are expected to treat their job as their entire lives.  This is by no means the standard of the industry, but it’s something I see more than should ever be the case.

Since it is our job to keep our finger on the pulse of the media and know exactly what’s going on in the world, our industry tends to be incredibly fast paced, which in turn creates a stress. And since PR is a service-based industry, we constantly have to be thinking about our clients and what could benefit them and make them happy.  To be honest, most of us don’t turn off and zone out when we go home.  But that doesn’t mean that flacks shouldn’t be treated like real people with real lives.

Some examples I’ve seen to the contrary are employees who are made to feel guilty when they leave work on time and agencies who use “hits” as the only measure of a PR pro’s success.  In many of these cases, the nature of the PR industry is used as an excuse for this behavior.  As someone who works in an incredibly positive and encouraging environment, this is really disheartening to me.  And as someone who knows what this feels like from my past experiences, I am confident that this is NOT the way to success.

It’s such common sense, but happy flacks are productive flacks. I don’t understand why more bosses don’t see this.  An employee that believes in their company is 100% more likely to want to make things happen for that company and their clients. Additionally, having more agencies that understand this concept could drastically improve the reputation of our industry considering there won’t be as many PR pros who are starved for coverage.  Many people work better under pressure, but there’s a difference between feeling the stress to get something done and feeling like your job is on the line if you don’t.  It’s great that we have such a busy and exciting industry, and there’s no doubt that this can co-exist with happiness and positivity.

Do you agree with my call for a shift in the industry?  Do you think that it could change the PR world for the better if more agencies strived to create a more positive environment for their employees?

• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had
• 3 February 2012 : Considering Making the Switch from Agency to In-House?
• 2 February 2012 : Apple’s Positive Earnings Report Creates Bad PR

1. We’re Natural Born Networkers: Networking is such a huge part of our business, whether it be on behalf of our clients and company, or for a personal desire to move up in the industry. Twitter provides the perfect platform for networking since it is meant to connect new people instead of friends and family members. Any PR professional can attest to the powerful hand Twitter has had in increasing their network, and many can even share a story of how it helped them get an interview, job, or a new contact that benefitted their client.

2. We Love to Spread Information: Who are we kidding? Flacks are suckers for a good story or piece of information. The media IS our business. Not only that, it’s in our DNA to promote and spread the story of the companies and brands we work for. Twitter arguably provides the best platform for us to do this. Sure, you can share a link on Facebook, but that piece of information will undoubtably exist in a bubble unless you accept every single friend request you receive. Think about the amount of links you see on Twitter on a daily basis- it’s becoming the biggest source of news for many of us.

3. It’s Where Our Demographic Hangs Out: Even though Justin Bieber is literally CONSTANTLY trending, it has been proven time and time again teens aren’t on Twitter yet. I have a 13-year old sister who swears she will never join. This is a great indication Twitter just isn’t completely mainstream at this time, which means most people aren’t being followed by absolutely everyone they know (parents, grandparents, etc.) like they are on Facebook. We as PR professionals have been able to turn Twitter into our little sphere where we can discuss the business without getting a “huh?” comment from that family member that just loves to tease you- for the most part at least. This probably won’t last forever, but it’s nice to have in the meantime.

4. We Understand the Importance of a Public Image: Our business is all about branding and image, and most flacks I know are very smart about what they broadcast through social media because they know it affects how people see them. It’s really hard to limit what people see on your Twitter account (without going completely private) which means you have to think about every tweet before you send it. This is why we tend to use Facebook for our personal lives and are very selective about who we friend (that way only our friends get to see our embarrassing photos!). Thanks to Twitter’s public nature, it’s a better platform to share with business associates.

5. We’re Fantastic Researchers: In order to be a great PR pro, you have to posses exceptional research skills. Twitter has turned into its very own search engine due to the large amount of information that is broadcast and shared on a daily basis. This fact has been recognized by Google and Bing, who added tweets into their search results not too long ago. It’s a fantastic resource for discovering the top news of the day, gauging the sentiment of people towards a particular issue, finding out hot topics, etc. Additionally, the other great researchers- journalists- are using Twitter just as heavily for the same purposes, so it makes it a great place to connect with them.

These reasons help us take a tiny step towards understanding why Twitter has become such a lifeline for PR pros. Why do you use Twitter more than any other social networking platform?

• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had
• 3 February 2012 : Considering Making the Switch from Agency to In-House?
• 2 February 2012 : Apple’s Positive Earnings Report Creates Bad PR

Not the author

It’s no big secret that I am a bigger Dunkin’ Donuts fan than most.  This weekend, in the wake of New Jersey’s monster hurricane, I traveled to three different Dunkin’s just to get hash browns and an iced coffee, and then I went to a fourth one later that night.  Today I somehow found myself in a Starbucks and asked for a medium iced coffee three times before I realized I was supposed to say Grande.  Dunkin’ is sort of always on my brain.

And I’m definitely not the only one.  Last month, Dunkin’ Donuts was named number one in customer loyalty (in the coffee category) for the fourth straight year, which shows just how many people in the United States have made stopping at the infamous chain part of their daily routine.  Of course the question that a study like this raises is, what is it that Dunkin’ Donuts does that inspires such utter devotion among their consumers?

I won’t be so bold as to claim that their activities in Social Media is the sole answer to this question (I mean have you ever had their Coconut Iced Coffee? It’s seriously delicious). However, I do think that they do a particularly fantastic job of taking advantage of all that social media has to offer and using it to reach their customers.  They were one of the first brands that I really started actively following on Twitter and Facebook and I have truly enjoyed keeping up with all of the things that they do.

Aside from their “Create Dunkin’s Next Donut” contest, Dunkin’ doesn’t do a ton of large-scale, media attracting social media initiatives.  It’s the small things that they truly excel at.  They know how to keep consumers engaged and interested on a daily basis and they have a way of making you feel like you’re special, even as just one of their millions of consumers.  They may not make a huge splash by doing ridiculous things that no one has ever heard of, but I would argue that it really doesn’t matter.  By making the consumer the focus of their brand (which goes along perfectly with their “America Runs on Dunkin’” slogan) instead of the brand itself, Dunkin Donuts has ensured that they will stay loyal.

The brand’s Twitter account is a great model for companies looking to try their hand at the service.  Instead of just broadcasting information and deals, “Dunkin’ Dave” makes it a point to respond and talk to the fans that tweet at him.  I’ve been RTed by the account many times and have been reached out to after I tweeted a (semi) complaint.  The level of engagement really made tweeting with a brand FUN to me. And Dave definitely has a fun, witty personality that goes with the vibe of the brand.  I don’t know much about the backstory of Dunkin’ Dave, but I’d be really interested in learning more since it seems his full time job is tweeting (which is a fascinating concept in and of itself).  The Twitter account also hosts frequent promotions like their recent “Twinter Games” where followers can use a certain hashtag to win a number of different prizes.

Dunkin’ Donut’s Facebook account (currently boasting more than 1 million fans) does an even better job at interacting with their consumers.  The page is the site of weekly contests where fans can become the “Fan of the Week” and have their decked out photo featured as the brand’s profile picture.  I can’t think of a better way to keep consumers passionate about the brand than by letting them broadcast their passion to the world.  It’s incredibly entertaining to browse through the crazy pictures that mega-fans have posted on the page.

Not many brands participating in social media can say this, but the brilliance of Dunkin’ Donut’s strategy comes from its simplicity.  I think they are a perfect example of what the standard might one day be for any company that is looking to successfully engage with their customers through social media.

• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had
• 3 February 2012 : Considering Making the Switch from Agency to In-House?
• 2 February 2012 : Apple’s Positive Earnings Report Creates Bad PR

Now that the dust has settled, I’m prepared to make this statement: John Mayer is going to be FINE.  In fact, I’m willing to bet that this will all be forgotten about within a month or two.  This is not to say that Mayer shouldn’t be actively apologetic to the black community, Jessica Simpson, and anyone else that was offended by his words.  If he wants to keep his career intact, this is obviously necessary.  What I AM saying is that this will be enough.  Enough for him to keep selling albums and enough for him to hang on to his fans and even continue making new ones.

The reason why I feel comfortable making this claim is because when it comes down to it these recent actions are perfectly in line with John Mayer’s image.  Douche-baggery is nothing new to him – he’s made his living on it.  His tweets are arrogant, he’s dated (and dumped) his way through Hollywood, and he once made out with Perez Hilton and then denied the entire thing (I’m still confused about this whole thing).  He has NOT made his living on being a squeaky-clean, modest singer-songwriter.  I for one wasn’t shocked when I read about the whole situation.  This is the type of thing that people have come to expect of him, and he’s managed to continue being successful.

In fact, when you read his words in the interview, you can tell that he wasn’t trying to be malicious.  Rather, he was trying to be hip and intellectual, and maybe even thought-provoking.  Instead, he comes across as stupid and out-of-touch – a PR mess that I for one would rather have on my hands than a true racist.  For a little perspective, check out The View’s coverage and thoughts – you can tell that it’s one big joke to them, and this is one group of ladies who aren’t afraid to say what they feel (I’ve learned that one can gauge public opinion by watching The View )

John Mayer will continue to apologize, but in the end this will all be over- until he does some other ridiculous interview.  When you come to expect something of a public figure, it isn’t as shocking when it actually happens.

So do y’all agree with me? Will Mayer be just fine or will his words haunt him forever?

(Disclaimer: I do not in ANY WAY condone John Mayer’s words).

• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had
• 3 February 2012 : Considering Making the Switch from Agency to In-House?
• 2 February 2012 : Apple’s Positive Earnings Report Creates Bad PR

So, in honor of our counter-parts from the Golden State, here is my list of the top 3 celebrities I would never want to represent (or maybe I would, but only if I was looking for a little challenge and validation of my public relations skills), followed by my list of top 3 celebrities whose publicists do an incredible job of making them seem pretty perfect.

The Top 3 Celebrities I Would Never Want to Represent

1. Lindsay Lohan: A few years ago, Lindsay was on track to be one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood, thanks to her unforgettable performance in Mean Girls.  After a struggle or two with substance abuse and a very public and tumultuous romance, her career and reputation are so far beyond repair that even a complete 180 probably wouldn’t fix it.  There have been tons of celebrities who were able to bounce back after a stint in rehab, but this girl seems completely resistant to taking on any sort of acting role.  And can someone PLEASE take control of her Twitter account?  Every update that she sends out makes her seem like even more of a disaster than she already is.  She needs a social media intervention!

2. Jon Gosselin: Everything this scum bag does is completely transparent, and unfortunately none of his actions suggest that he cares about his 8 little kids in the least.  Instead of being there for them when he and his wife Kate decided to get divorced, he has spent every minute of his free time chasing after women who are only dating him for a little attention of their own.  So not only does he completely NOT understand what it takes to create a positive public image (or be a good human being), he’s also too clueless to realize when he’s being used as publicity tool.  Someone needs to make sure that he’s in a park the next time the paparazzi chase after him instead of in a nightclub that college kids consider a hot-spot.

3. Chris Brown: This one brings morality into play.  I’m not sure that I could sleep at night after spending my days trying to make a guy who beat his beautiful, talented girlfriend into a bloody pulp look good.  No matter how successful his future albums are, he’ll always be thought of as a woman-abuser.

(Honorable Mentions: Amy Winehouse, Lil Wayne, Avril Lavigne, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, Kanye West, Kristen Stewart, that golfer whose name I’m so sick of hearing)

The Top 3 Celebrities Whose Publicists Deserve Kudos

1. Taylor Swift: She’s sweet, genuine, and best of all, humble.  Every time she wins an award, her honest-to-goodness surprise and awe at the honor make you automatically believe that she deserves it.  Although she’s been romantically linked to a number of other stars, you never see her stumbling out of clubs or getting into trouble.  Even if you’re not a fan of country music, you can’t help but love her.  Authentic perfection or the work of a fantastic publicist? Hmmm..

2. The Beckhams: For two people that don’t seem to be doing much of anything (OK, I know David plays soccer, but still), this couple is EVERYWHERE!  They’re a fantastic model of a Hollywood couple who has managed to raise a great family despite all the craziness and drama that tends to come with fame.  It’s obvious that they take their commitment to their children and each other very seriously.  David has also been known to participate in a number of heart-warming charities.  I don’t mind if they stick around in the states for a while longer (and no, their ridiculous looks have nothing to do with it…)

3. Rihanna: On the VERY opposite of the spectrum from Chris Brown sits Rihanna, a woman who had every right to raise hell after her horrifying experience, but didn’t.  Everything that she did to handle this situation was perfect – from the timing, from how much she said, to WHAT she said.  She was the picture of class and grace when no one would have blamed her for being otherwise.  And now her career is as big and booming as ever. Hopefully she won’t have to be a model for anyone else, but she should be.

(Honorable Mentions: Jennifer Garner, Hilary Duff, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Neil Patrick Harris, Conan O’Brien).

If we have any celebrity publicists who read PRBC, I would be very interested in hearing any stories of horror or triumph.  As for our other readers, are there any celebrities who you would rather change your profession than represent?  Or even any who you are dying to get your hands on? Leave ‘em in the comments!

• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had
• 3 February 2012 : Considering Making the Switch from Agency to In-House?
• 2 February 2012 : Apple’s Positive Earnings Report Creates Bad PR

For me, the defining moment of when Foursquare had become “acceptable” was when my boyfriend started to use it after months of making fun of me for insisting on telling the world where I was.  I never thought that moment would come!  Besides its growing popularity, I’ve also noticed an increase in discussions surrounding its purpose and the proper way to use it.  In fact, TJ wrote a post about her foray into Foursquare just last week.  This is to be expected for any new medium, just as we saw with Twitter before. 

One of the Foursquare “trends” I’ve been noticing recently is the tendency of certain users to habitually check in at a) their home/apartment or b) a subway station or other transportation hub.  To me, this completely goes against the purpose of Foursquare (or at the very least, the reason why I use the service) and only encourages non-believers to keep saying “So? Why do I care where you are?”

I use Foursquare to see the fun places my friends visit, receive tips about great places to eat or drink, keep up to date with what my friends are doing, and maybe even encourage the opportunity to run into people I know when I’m out.  Honestly, checking in at a place of residence or transportation accomplishes none of those things for me.  I severely doubt I’m going to get a great burger at the NRQW station in Brooklyn and I know there’s no chance of me accidentally running into you at your apartment or stealing its mayorship from you.

I’ll admit I’ve been known to check in at Port Authority on my morning commute; but lately I’ve been questioning why and if there’s really any point. You might notice that I didn’t include places of employment in my previous paragraph.  I’ve noticed a lot of people who have made earning the mayorship of their office a competition among co-workers.  I think this utilizes an aspect of Foursquare which often gets overlooked-the game.  It makes it that much more fun when you know the people you’re stealing the mayorship from.  But I’m not exactly itching to be the mayor of my local subway stop.

As Foursquare continues to ink deals with major media and entertainment brands, and dining establishments and nightlife hotspots figure out how to use this service to their advantage marketing-wise, how will peripheral locations such as these fit in?  Am I discounting the voyeurism factor too much?  I’d really love to hear from people who have added their apartment to Foursquare and regularly check in there.  What am I missing?

• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had
• 3 February 2012 : Considering Making the Switch from Agency to In-House?
• 2 February 2012 : Apple’s Positive Earnings Report Creates Bad PR

However, it occurred to me the other day (as I was thanking my lucky stars to have found an employer who is so supportive of creativity and individuality) that there could be another danger.I was considering the possibility that expressing yourself through a public medium such as a blog MIGHT not always be the beneficial activity that we believe it is. What if your views on an industry-related topic conflicted with your employer’s?  Or perhaps even more consequential, your potential employer’s?  Even if you’re one of those people who make sure to clarify that your views are not necessarily those of your employer, the effects of this awkward situation might still be something that you have to deal with.

For example, say that you’re applying to work for an agency that specializes in consumer products and relies heavily on blogger outreach for media coverage. What would the implications be if you wrote a post in support of a blogger’s right to keep any form of compensation private, while the agency was very strict about keeping in compliance with all FTC regulations?  Would they think twice about hiring someone with such opposing views? (For the record, this is not a post about this issue).

Coming at this from another angle, I’ve seen a lot of agencies who are extremely reluctant to let their employees freely participate in social media, whether it be out of jealously or fear of another kind. Could being active on social media (maybe you’re even a Twilebrity!) limit your options of places to work?

I know that I’m posing a lot of questions, but I’m not sure I have the answers, and I was hoping to hear some thoughts from all of you. Have you ever experienced something like this?  Have you ever been reluctant to share an opinion online for this very reason? And on a more intense level, I ask you this- would you even CONSIDER working for an agency that didn’t embody your values or support your social media activities?

• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had
• 3 February 2012 : Considering Making the Switch from Agency to In-House?
• 2 February 2012 : Apple’s Positive Earnings Report Creates Bad PR

A similar version of this post can also be found at Legends of Aerocles.

As I get ready to leave the job that I’m currently at and embark on a new and incredibly exciting opportunity, I’ve decided to do a little bit of reflection at the suggestion of David, one of my social media mentors. When I took a position as an “intern” at the small NJ agency that I worked at during my senior year of college, I had no idea how much I would learn.  Since it was my responsibility to teach the rest of the company about it, I had no choice but to throw myself head-first into the world of social media. It’s a good thing I ended up becoming a shameless Twitter addict who reads Mashable in its entirety, every morning (not that these things alone make someone a social media fanatic, but you know where I’m coming from).  As I think about all my experiences since then, I realize how many lessons I’ve learned since my love affair with social media began.  I can say with confidence that these lessons have allowed me to become a better professional overall.

So here they are, some of the most valuable social media lessons I’ve learned (and as obvious as some of them might be for you, believe me, they’re not for other people):

Social Media Takes Time and Effort

For those of you who really understand social media, this one is a big DUH.  Unfortunately, I’ve encountered far too many people who think social media is a quick fix, especially because it’s so simple to use.  And I’m not even just talking about clients who don’t understand how it works and therefore end up making your life hell.  I mean PR professionals who have ventured into the space hoping to enhance their personal brand and businesses. If you think that your time is far too valuable to dedicate some of it towards actively participating in social media and interacting with fellow industry thought-leaders, then you might as well not even try. Having your assistant update your status and ignoring the people who @ reply you makes me question why you’re even using Twitter at all (and the same goes for any other platform).  If you decide that you’re interested in embracing social media, make sure that you realize the investment it takes to be successful- or be prepared to fail.

There Is No Such Thing As a Social Media “Expert”

Whenever a new industry springs up that looks like it has the potential to be great, it’s inevitable that there will be a rush of people who jump on the bandwagon in hopes of becoming a big name in the business.  Social media, because of its overwhelming trendiness, has produced far too many of these people.  As a young person who was just starting to learn about this world, I was tricked by more people than I care to admit- and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.  I now know to take these “expert” claims with a grain of salt.  I also understand the importance of really getting to know a person’s work before making them someone I look up to for advice and new ideas.

Social Media Needs to Be Customized

When I first started using social media for my clients, I unsuccessfully tried to use the same program for every one.  After some experimentation, I realized that each product or service benefited from different things.  Blogger outreach proved to be really successful in creating buzz for one client, while it totally fell flat for another.  It’s very simple when you think about it- if every company or person is different, shouldn’t their strategy be too?  Unfortunately for those looking for something fast and easy, social media is not a cookie cutter.

Social Media Can Get You a Job

Networking through social media is the greatest thing since Jersey Shore (OK, so social media came first, but still).  Social media is like a 24/7 networking event- you will always be able to find people in your industry to talk to and get help from.  Especially public relations.  It also allows you to showcase your resume and experience and show people the way that you think (through LinkedIn, a blog/website, etc.).  I was fortunate enough to get my last job, as well as the one I’ll be starting next week, through people who got to know me through Twitter.  I love telling that to people who think Twitter is completely useless.  A cohesive online personal brand can do wonders.

Knowing Social Media Can Get You Far

It’s difficult to realize this, because if you’re anything like me, you live in a bubble with people who live and breathe it.  However, many companies out there understand the value of social media but just don’t know how to use it.  If you’re a person that DOES, you could be a huge asset to one of those companies.  Make it your job to read industry blogs and websites, experiment with it, and talk about it with other people.  Believe me, it sets you apart in job interviews.  You could be one of those hip, young kids that an old company hires to make themselves modern

Social Media Can Make You Some Great Friends

This is my cheesy way of signing off.  But it’s completely true.  Some of the people that I’ve met through social media have become the people that I go to on a daily basis for laughs, advice, and a place to vent.  And most of this was completely by accident, so keep yourself open to it.

I’m sure that I’ll continue to learn more social media lessons throughout my career.  What lessons have you learned?