Tag Archives: social media

Linzy Roussel Cotaya

Blogger Relations: Vicks Vapo Dad Event

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PR pros have accepted that Facebook and Twitter are necessities in the PR matrix of communications tools. Once you are on board with that, the next step is to understand that bloggers are also a tool that when used correctly can be a powerful vehicle for your brand and message. In the wake of disastrous blogger events such as the Marie Callender’s tasting dinner, blogger relations is important.

Bloggers need to be treated just as you would any prospective customer or reporter. Yes, there is debate and even a court ruling that bloggers are not journalists, but it is the manner you treat them that matters. Continue reading →

Nancy Marshall

Conference Report: BOLO 2011

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The BOLO conference was held at the totally hip and retro Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Arizona with its beautiful saltwater swimming pool and cabana boys (and girls) delivering umbrella drinks. Two days packed with speakers and case studies, a poolside cocktail reception and a rooftop farewell dinner were included in the conference fee.

BOLO stands for “Be on the Lookout” for new social media marketing techniques, strategies and tactics. Bret Giles of Agencyside in Phoenix is the founder and key organizer of this annual event. Scott Stratten, author of “Unmarketing,” opened the conference with the keynote address. He discussed about how employees of companies and corporations are the embodiment of the brand. That moment of truth, when one representative of a huge corporation can turn a bad experience into a great one, is the whole premise of “unmarketing.” Instead of thinking of ourselves as marketers, he wants us to focus on delivering great experiences to our customers, whether it’s in person or in online engagement. Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

Real vs. Fake Social Media Crises

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Last week, I had the honor of representing PRSA at an American Conference Institute panel on managing social media crises in the digital age. Joining me on the panel were three whip smart PR execs in Sandy D’Elosua (Front Burner Brands), John Moran (Schwartz MSL) and Jenny Dervin (JetBlue Airways Corporation).

Our full presentation is embedded below, but let me just say that my commentary paled in comparison to what my fellow panelists offered. Especially Ms. Dervin, vice president of corporate communications at what may be the epicenter for crisis communications management in the digital age: JetBlue. Continue reading →

John Trader

Book review: “The Real Truth About Social Media” by Eric Harr

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I recently finished reading Eric Harr’s energetic new book, “The Real Truth About Social Media: Confessions of a Social Media CEO.” The book details how the social media revolution has permanently changed the dynamic of modern communications and the theories behind why businesses should embrace the shift to help modernize their strategies and tactics to match the shifting tide of customer culture.

I found it to be an excellent summary of the core social media ideals that businesses should understand and adopt to help their transition into a communications era that is widely considered essential to thrive in for business. The book is mainly geared towards skeptics, naysayers and those reluctant to try social media, help them understand just how important the platform is to leverage and how it simply can’t be classified as a “passing phase.” Continue reading →

Nathan "PRCog" Burgess

Why I’d Rather Hire a Liberal Arts Student than a PR Student

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Over the last few months I’ve had the pleasure to recruit and interview a number of potential employees – and see and speak to a number of amazingly unsuitable candidates. I went back afterwards to see if there was a trend among the candidates (and other students / young pros I didn’t think would be a good fit (I always keep an eye out for possible recruitment)).

And in-fact there did seem to be a trend (at least for me). Continue reading →

Jason Mollica

Klout Tries to Adjust your Influence…Again

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Klout sent the social media world into a bit of an uproar on Oct. 26, when it tweaked how they measure influence. According to Klout, influence is the ability to drive action and is based on quality, not quantity.

When someone engages with your content, they assess the action in the context of the person’s own activity. Klout is using three metrics in its “PeopleRank” algorithm: how many people you influence, how much you influence them, and how influential those people are. Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

Are Marketers Losing Interest in Twitter?

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Remember when every blog post and article in AdAge and Mashable was about how great Twitter was for marketers? That seems so 2009, doesn’t it? When was the last time you read a big story on how Twitter is grabbing marketers’ attentions and clients’ interests?

It’s just not happening much anymore. And, as we all know, if something is hot in marketing, we’ll talk it up endlessly, analyze its benefits and potential downfalls and examine every little nook and cranny of what makes something the current/next big thing.

And yet none of that is happening around Twitter. At least not on the scale it was six months ago, and certainly not on the scale of Facebook. Continue reading →

Jason Mollica

The “Rules” are Still New

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Social media’s integration with public relations and marketing is still “new.” There are some that are slow to truly understand how we, as PR and marketing pros, can make all these puzzle pieces fit. When is Twitter relevant for my business. Why do I need a Facebook page? What will a blog really do for me?

If you’ve been asked those questions (and I have), you’ll find great support in reading David Meerman Scott’s, “The New Rules of Marketing and PR.” Now in its third edition, it is essential for any up-and-coming pro. Heck, you should read it as a experienced one, too. Continue reading →

Jason Mollica

Simon Mainwaring asks: Is This The World You Want?

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“The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few… or the one.” Mr. Spock, The Wrath of Khan

If you understand that phrase, then Simon Mainwaring’s new book “We First,” is especially for you. How can you affect change into today’s digital world? Mainwaring stresses social media for social change.I emailed Simon recently to ask him a few questions about the book and its inspiration.

Jason Mollica:  Obviously, when you wrote the book, many things aligned to show that we need social media to affect change.  Are things that are happening in 2011 hammering that point home?

Simon Mainwaring: Absolutely. Perhaps the best snapshot of this is the most recent riots that erupted throughout the United Kingdom.  What emerged to both positive and negative effect Continue reading →