Aurora Meyer

Marking Facebook Milestones

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Do you know the history of your company? Aside from the date it was founded, do you know when the important milestones occurred? If you don’t, use the new Facebook for Timeline feature to find out!

You company has a rich history and your clients (fans in Facebook lingo) most likely don’t know about all those great things you did in the past. This is an opportunity to politely brag about your past accomplishments and reiterate to your customers that you are around for the long haul.  Continue reading →

Ryan Ruud

Marketing is Dead, Here’s What’s Left

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You know that scene in Beauty and the Beast where the village people break down the castle door? No? Here’s a refresher, it starts at 1:59.

That scene represents marketing of yester-year. Think of the giant tree stump as your brand message and the poor wooden door as the senses of the unsuspecting marketplace. For years marketers mercilessly participated in a full-on assault on all of our senses. It was effective, we think. But, dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the death of marketing, well at least as we know it and in its place, a new atmosphere that is in desperate need of some T-P-R-L-C (Tender Public Relations Love & Care).  Continue reading →

Tiffany Guarnaccia

Why You Should Use Facebook Timeline – the Best Brand Implementations

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I’ve seen a lot of changes happen when it comes to social media and public relations – how the two fit together, and where they fit within a company’s organizational structure, has changed over the years.  A few years ago, when I was agency-side, I witnessed firsthand the struggle between creative shops, interactive agencies, and public relations agencies to win social media accounts.

Since then, social media has grown exponentially.  In that growth and wide acceptance, it’s been carved into pieces – content, software and creative.

PR pros have won the content battle.  But creative resources from an in-house designer or creative team are essential.   Today’s social networks are becoming more and more visual and without the help of a great design team, your initiatives aren’t going to be as successful.   Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

Why It’s Not ‘OK’ to Not Understand Pinterest

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Pinterest Logo - why it's not ok for PR and marketing pros not to get new platforms.The headline of Julia Hood’s Feb. 16 column in PRWeek, “Don’t get Pinterest yet? It’s OK,” caused me to twinge slightly as soon as I read it. Not because I’m some social media snob who thinks that every PR pro must be an expert on every social network and emerging technology. Rather because it strikes me as odd that an editor at a publication that is supposed to champion the value and work of the PR industry would seemingly be communicating to the business community that it’s perfectly fine for PR pros not to “get” a social platform that is very much starting to impact clients. Continue reading →

Matt LaCasse

You Are The Most Valuable Product On The Internet

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Much has been made of Google’s unified privacy policy that went into effect last week. In my Twitter feed, I saw the usual suspects; threats of dumping all Google products, enraged people shouting about how Google is out to take over the world, you know, a whole lot of this. Perhaps these people are unaware of how commerce on the Internet works. This is always a good reminder for us as PR pros, and for our clients. The number of companies that collect your data for their own marketing purposes or for their partners is astronomical. However, let’s rundown a few of the major names to put this in perspective: Continue reading →

Shelly Kramer

Facebook Launches Timeline for Pages

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Unless you live under a rock, you’re aware that Facebook’s Timeline for Pages is here. I’m not sure if the announcement was met by a collective cheer or one big groan, but one thing’s for sure: the brand experience on Facebook is about to change in a big way.

Timeline offers a number of advantages compared to traditional pages, one being the layout’s visual appeal. TechCrunch’s How to Use Timeline coverage is a terrific overview and I love how they’ve captured the visual nature of the new pages. Like the personal timelines that many of us have been using since they rolled out, brands can now choose a cover photo that offers a lot more visual real estate. The interface looks cleaner and infinitely more compelling, and creates an opportunity for brands to tell their stories in a way that’s heretofore not been afforded. And when you think about it, isn’t that the goal of a site like Facebook or any social media channel—brand storytelling? If that’s not your goal, it should be. Continue reading →

Dave Thomas

The Time May Be Now to Re-Think the Online Marketing Approach

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While the economy attempts to get some legs under it, many companies, be they just starting a business or around for some time now, are looking at and reviewing their marketing efforts.

If your business is trying to wrap its arms around the all-important return on investment (ROI), your online marketing and social media efforts are great places to give a second look. In essence, are you getting the bang for your dollar when it comes to properly marketing your company online?

Marketing in 2012 is even more challenging for many companies given most experts cannot pinpoint with certainty where the economy is going.  Continue reading →

John Trader

When Social Media Outreach Becomes an Obligation

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One of the most fascinating things about social media is how businesses are inventing new ways to capitalize on its potential to meet unique objectives they set relevant to their own verticals.

Few thought prior to the explosion of this medium that using it to connect with communities would permeate so quickly to virtually every corner of the world. However, as with most new communication platforms that have evolved over the last century, some are slow to adopt for a number of reasons – be it lack of education, lack of resources, lack of perceived relevance or simply plain old ignorance. Continue reading →

CTMichaels

Sincerely, Truly Yours…Or Are You?

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Some email signatures are so ridiculous. Why doesn’t anyone use ‘Yours Truly,’ ‘From,’ or ‘Sincerely’ anymore? It seems like everyone tries to be lovey-dovey in a last attempt to create a bond with someone. Honestly, some lines just make me want to vomit.

Here are some closing lines that I can’t stand and my interpretations of them: Continue reading →

Linzy Roussel Cotaya

10 Reasons To Think About Getting Your APR

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We all know there are good PR Pros and there are the “other” PR imposters. These imposters go around selling our profession short of what it is and throwing mud on the industry name. It is hard to show that you are not one of “those” to a reporter, client or boss who has been burned.

“Professionals have credentials and others merely have titles such as Vice President,” says Jeffrey Geibel, APR, Principal of Geibel Marketing and Public Relations. “An APR is a transportable credential such as an MBA. It goes with you, unlike a title.”

The APR is a hit or miss topic for PR pros. Some are die hard that you have to have it and others are waiting for the raise and the promotion to come along with the hard work that it takes to be accredited. Continue reading →

…..a chance to start the day off right.