PRBreakfastClub

Due to work commitments, general life obligations and competing for the title of Miss CT, I disappeared from the PRBC blog for an extended period of time. Trust me that this was neither intentional nor planned. I’ve always been committed and punctual with my blog posts for this site . . . but things just got away from me.

After “getting back in the groove” and helping a business-owner friend of mine set up his own blog, the thought popped into my head: “how many people actually give serious thought to this blogging thing and how many just hop right in because it’s the coolest thing since Air Jordan’s?” Seriously, I’m commitment-phobe and I said “yes, I’d like to join these ten PR colleagues in starting and maintaining a blog!?” Who am I? Read the rest of this entry »

There are many nights when I would love nothing more than to twitch my nose, wave my wand and witness the magical appearance of the Fairy Blogmother. You know, that whimsical creature that brings great post ideas, fluid prose and a wealth of creativity. Yet, I’ve yet to track down this mythical legend. Despite my best attempts to coax her out (i.e. cupcakes), she is a consistent no show. And so, I thought it best to have a little heart-to-heart with the Fairy Blogmother.

Dear Fairy Blogmother, Read the rest of this entry »

Do you ever have one of those vivid dreams—you know, the ones where you show up pasty white and naked in front of your entire 8th grade English class, only to be transported to some tropical jungle wrestling boars because you’ve watched one too many episode of LOST—only to wake up and not remember a single detail?

That’s sort of how I feel about blogging.  Most bloggers will tell you their biggest challenges are discipline and content.  While I’ll fully admit to lacking discipline some days, content is no problem.  I come up with a new blog idea every few hours.  The problem?  Capturing all of those great ideas before my mind wanders on to the next thought. Read the rest of this entry »

[We received this question on a recent blog post about short job stints]

Dear Flack,

How does one stay active in the PR/marketing world and keep up their skills when they’re unemployed?

This may be a bit off topic, but I was late to the other unemployment posting, so I thought I’d ask here since it’s somewhat relevant.

I’m currently unemployed, and I really want to keep my PR and writing skills active while I continue to search for work. I would appreciate any tips that others have tried during periods of unemployment to keep their skills current and continue doing what they love (and it would also be great to be able to share what I did to keep on top of things while unemployed with potential employers). Read the rest of this entry »

When I spoke at the PRSA-CVC Social Media Conference last fall, I told my audience, “You can’t engage in social media for the sake of doing so.”  To my audience, the majority of whom were there because they lacked experience with but felt pressured to engage in social media, this statement probably seemed bizarre.  As though I were implying that you don’t have to jump on the SM band wagon.

A few months later, I realize that my statement was a bit more accurate than I initially thought.  With SM, there is virtually nothing to be gained by going through the motions.  Having made what I am sure some will perceive as an incredulous statement, I think it is important for companies to understand the value of SM before engaging in it. Read the rest of this entry »

By now we, as PR professionals, understand the dangers of social media when it comes to speaking your mind in the blogosphere, Twitterverse, or any other strange word that someone has coined to describe an online space. We know that talking smack about your boss on Facebook can get you fired and that it might be a wise idea to make your profile private if you plan on posting a lot of pictures of you drinking yourself into oblivion. Armed with this knowledge, an overwhelming amount of professionals are finding SOME way to make their mark in the social media world, even if it’s just so that something positive shows up when their name is Googled. Read the rest of this entry »

I find inspiration to write PRBC blog posts in the strangest places at the oddest times. This one (not so strange or odd) was after a long day at the office while driving home on the parking lot us Connecticut-ites like to call I-84.

Let’s face it. We all hit a “wall.” Some of us blog daily, some weekly, some monthly. At some point inspiration runs a little thin…if not entirely OUT. Coming up with fresh blog posts all the time gets a little bit tiresome, draining and can be overwhelming. Even being surrounded daily by our topic of choice (PR and Social Media), we can be at a loss. Read the rest of this entry »

(CC) flickr // websuccessdiva

Do you want to know an inside secret on how to pitch a blogger?

Oh man. Lean in close. No, closer. That’s it. Almost.

You have to talk to them like they’re a human being.

I know, it’s crazy. It doesn’t have much to do with the length of your pitch or the “Hi” instead of “Hello” in your salutation. It doesn’t have anything to do with how many bullet points you have and what Cool Blogger Slang you employ. You just have to talk to them like they’re an actual person, which, gasps all around, they are. (Another crazy fact: journalists are also people. Maybe you should give this a shot with them too?)

Just one rule: talk like a person, treat them like a person. Here’s how to do that. Read the rest of this entry »

In the grand scheme of things, our constant, seemingly never-ending discussions and Twittering and blogging about the evolution of PR/marketing/advertising and how cool social media is will eventually die down, and we will get back to our normal—albeit now drastically altered (hopefully for the better)—professional and personal lives.

So rather than talk about what is currently going on in the social media landscape (look, a new Twitter app came out . . . and another!), I’d like to actually think about what we *might* be talking about a year, two years, or five years from now. Specifically, mobile technology and just how big of an impact it’s going to have on our lives, particularly in the PR world.

Look around you; the damn things are everywhere. You can even take a cell phone into a delivery room now and tweet while giving birth! Crazy, I know. But that’s just it: The effect mobile technology is going to have on communicators in terms of how we get messages across to key influencers, and how we engage the public, will be enormous. Far bigger than what is currently going on in the social media landscape. We’re talking about a technology that is now in the hands of more than 82 percent (250 million) of Americans and approximately 50 percent of the world!

But it gets even better: A recent MediaWeek study showed that 1 in every 7 minutes of media consumption is now done through mobile technology. Think about that for a minute: That great op-ed you wrote for your client that’s read on an iPhone now by the most tech-savvy around us? Give it five years. Everyone in your community is going to be instantly reading it on their smartphones, tweeting it back out to their followers (if Twitter still exits in five years . . . .), and sending it all over their social media network(s) to audiences you could have never even dreamed of.

Or even cooler, the fact that very soon (as in, it’s in its infancy now in the U.S.), marketers will have the ability to embed special 2-D barcodes into posters, shirts, billboards, practically anything, and someone with a mobile phone can take a picture of it and get all kinds of cool promos, buy movie tickets, or even get train times sent directly to their phone. Don’t believe me? Check out this piece from The Economist for a view into the not-too-distant future.

So what does that mean for you, the PR guy, the marketer, or ad man who is desperately trying to keep up with the current changes? Well, I hate to tell you, but it’s only going to build from here. And that’s actually a good thing. Because while the last five years in our business has seen a rapid growth and movement toward expanding from traditional services and offerings, opportunities are going to continue to arise that will keep us busy—and hopefully—excited for many years to come.

I envision a future in the PR world where certainly ideas like the social media news release, Wikis, and other mobile-friendly formats will become even more prevalent, as brands quickly realize that there are far more efficient and cheaper ways to reach their targeted consumers than the traditional giant, static billboard on the side of the road.

Where do you think the PR, marketing, and advertising industries are moving? Are the technologies and ideas I noted above going to be part of this movement, or are these just flash-in-the-pan ideas? Let me know!

Last week when PRCog noted that I had been doing quite a bit of guest posting (and that perhaps I might want to think about starting my own blog), I had a startling revelation; I am on my way to becoming the “Fred” of the PR blogs. “Fred” is a guy I knew in college. No one was sure where he really lived (or even if he actually had a place).

The guy always seemed to be crashing at someone else’s house. If you had a party and Fred came, you could be certain that he would be there in the morning. And yes, I too have come to enjoy the benefits of hanging out at someone else’s place. So when PRCog asked if I would like to guest post at the PR Breakfast Club, I said, “Of course. And I’ll tell you why…”

1. Personality. Like every blog I choose to “spent the night with,” The PR Breakfast Club has a unique and fabulous personality. Sometimes I’m serious, other times not so much. It’s fun to have an opportunity to embrace the different personality and focus of the different blogs I enjoy reading. This group is a little less formal, than some of the other places I’ve stayed, but certainly no less professional. Lots of great ideas and important discussions.
2. People. Guest blogging is a great opportunity to introduce friends to some of my favorite communities. And of course, I get to meet and interact with community members that I might not otherwise have the opportunity to get to know. I am so impressed by the creative and savvy group of PR Breakfast Club members I met on Twitter and how they are using social media. They “get” how to use social media to build real relationships and a sense of community.
3. Commitment. There is something rather liberating about the life of a nomad. A one-time post, with no deadline and full creative license is easy and fun. And then I get to go back to reading, learning and commenting where inspired.

Unlike Fred, who had a habit of eating whatever was in the fridge and leaving empty beer cans all over the place, I hope that I am a good guest… that I respect the style of the home I am visiting, help out with initiating new conversation and maybe even bring some extra traffic for the host(s). So thank you, members of the PR Breakfast Club, for inviting me over to your place. I think it was a great idea, but I’ll leave that for the community to determine.

Have you ever had a guest blogger on your blog? Why or why not? Do you believe guest posts add to the blog, or do you feel they are disruptive?

Valerie Merahn Simon serves as a Senior Vice President at BurrellesLuce media monitoring and measurement, and writes a national public relations column for examiner.com. She is also co-founder and host of #PRStudChat, a monthly twitter chat between PR professionals and students moderated by Deirdre Breakenridge. She can be found on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Recent guest accommodations for Valerie include:

• Jeremy Porter- Journalistics.com Real Social Media Experts Stay in School
• Deirdre Breakenridge- PR 2.0 Strategies From Conversation to Community
• Danny Brown- DannyBrown.com Why would you bother to comment
• Sarah Evans- PRSarahEvans.com Building Community is About More Than Me and You
• Stephanie Smirnov- PR Mama The Car Ride
• Arik Hanson- Arikhanson.com Thank You? No, Thank You
• Dave Fleet- DaveFleet.com Interactive or Engaged?