Category Archives: Uncategorized

Persuasive Picks – Week of July 6, 2015

Posted on by

Forbes writer, Nicole Narea, discusses the latest PR nightmare for Subway in “Lessons For Brands From Subway’s Jared PR Nightmare: Act Fast, Be Transparent” . She takes a look back at other PR blunders by brands such as Best Buy and Urban Outfitters and reviews the lessons we have learned from them.

640x0
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
What is a social media influencer and why should you care? CIO contributor, Lauren Broussell, takes an in-depth look at the pros and cons associated with marketing to “internet influencers” and whether it is worth the effort. In this article called “Inside the murky world of ‘social media influencers’”. She also discusses “affiliate networks” and their importance to marketers.

personalized_marketing-100588642-primary_idge

Photo credit: ThinkStock

“The data-driven marketing revolution” authored by David Benady covers why brands are investing heavily in the latest digital technology. This very thorough Guardian report includes viewpoints from data technologists, website marketers and digital leaders.

untitled
Getty Photograph: John Lund/Getty

Persuasive Picks – Week of June 29th

Posted on by

twitter-ibm-hed-2014_0

“Brand Advocacy is the topic of AdWeek’s article called “How IBM Got 1,000 Staffers to Become Brand Advocates on Social Media“.  Author Christopher Heine talks about IBM’s strategy that is catching attention worldwide. And last week, IBM’s #NewWayToWork effort garnered Armstrong’s team a Viral Marketing Campaign of the Year distinction during the 13th Annual American Business Awards in Chicago.

juggernaut_thumb
Mashable contributor, Dorey Clark discusses strategies to build a stratospheric social media fan base.This article “3 ways to turn your brand into a social media juggernaut” talks about early adoption of new social channels, hedging your bets and more.

102045834-479480523_530x298

“The 5 biggest social media mistakes to avoid” authored by Karissa Giuliano explores social media mistakes made by brands. This CNBC article offers helpful insight for not only brands, but also for any avid social media user.

Persuasive Picks – Week of June 22, 2015

Posted on by

th949E5S4U

In an article entitled “Instagram Marketing: The New Instagram Explore Page“, Alex Ditty (author) discusses an update to Instagram that will improve the discovery of visual content – an advantage for marketers. In this Business2Community piece, Ditty details the changes and how it will impact brands and their marketing strategy.

TechCrunch reporter, Lucas Matney, shares details on a report issued this week by USA Network. This article called “Report Suggests Young People May Abandon Social Media if Privacy Breaches Continue” shows that 55 percent of young people would eschew social media entirely “if they could start fresh.” With the increasing number of privacy breaches, this report further emphasizes the concern by the younger population with protecting their privacy.

150625-Epic-Fail-on-Warning-Road-Sign-lg

The ever-popular topic of content marketing is discussed by Jeff Sierra in his MarketingProfs article entitled “These Mistakes Can Make Your Content Marketing an Epic Failure (but You Can Avoid Them) . Sierra covers three common content marketing mistakes and some ideas for how to avoid them.

Persuasive Picks - Week of June 15, 2015

Posted on by

Forbes contributor, John Rampton, shares 10 SEO Tips For Marketing Your Startup in 2015. Check out his ideas on how to keep it simple and focus on target key words and upfront research. According to Rampton, the new face of the Internet requires a fresh strategy when it comes to developing SEO that works to keep your business relevant in search engine results.

190723

Recent research by Wayin finds that real-time marketers are funneling more money toward such tactics (RTM), and they’re reaping the benefits. This emarketer article called As Real-Time Marketing ROI Increases, Spending Follows evidences that Real-time marketers are in it for the relationships, event promotion.

safe_image

Rounding out the week with a little humor, PR veteran pens an opinion piece for PRWeek called In praise of the PR chaos, which pokes fun at the industry. Author Lottë Jones explains the glamorous life of PR to college students.

 

10 Things PR People Should Do Every Workday

Posted on by
Reply

productivity

In keeping with the spirit of the New Year/new leaf theme for January,
we’ve been trying to harness the burst of resolution motivation to establish
habits that lead to better efficiency, productivity and effectiveness, both
personally and collectively, this year. And one source of inspiration was J.T.
O’Donnell’s article on LinkedIn about her approach to the “how do I get it
all done” conundrum.

As the time-pressed CEO of Careerealism Media, O’Donnell suggests that we limit our daily to-do list to 10 things, which includes a mix of job tasks, social chores and developmental goals. Now, before you ask - yes, she does more than these 10 items every day, but these, she says, are the 10 she chooses to do with consistency because they’ve proven the best way for her to grow her career and business over the years.

This, of course got us thinking, “What would the list look like for PR professionals?” Again, these aren’t the only things we think you should be doing each day, but rather a list of suggestions to help promote growth over the next 12 months. So see below for our ideas, and feel free to add your own two cents in the comments!

1. Scan the news. Take 10-15 minutes every morning to do this — and not only the top national news, but also the news in your company’s or clients’ industries. It’s a good way to stay on top of industry and competitive developments, not to mention it’s a necessity for identifying news jacking opportunities.

2. Make a to-do list. As every PR pro knows, ours is a reactive business, which means planned activities can get pushed aside easily. Stay organized and on track with daily task lists that keep you accountable to the proactive and maintenance items that often get overlooked in the heat of the (inevitable) times of crisis.

3. Contribute to the conversation. We’re talkin’ social media here, but the key is to keep it meaningful - not mindless. Find a handful of valuable articles, blog posts, infographics, etc. that pertain to your clients and their industries, the PR profession, or even just business in general, and share with your network.

4. Learn about a new tool or technology. This means not only familiarizing yourself with your clients’ products and services, but their competitors, as well. Got an interest in a particular area? Bone up on a new site, app, tool or technique, and teach your colleague so you can all be knowledgeable about what’s out there.

5. Connect…offline. Step away from the computer. Yes, cut the digital umbilical cord, and go grab a cup of coffee with a client, invite a reporter to happy hour, attend a local conference or try out a new network event. After all, business is about relationships, and you can’t keep connections as strong behind a keyboard.

6. Write. It’s probably the task that gets pushed off to the last minute because there are emails to answer, calls to make, and just about any other task seems more appealing than staring at a blank page with a blinking cursor. But flex the writing muscle, and it WILL get stronger.

7. Get momentum with media. Keep goals focused, actionable and realistic - then chip away at them each day. Start with a short list of six to eight media outlets that are a good match for your client, research contacts, get to know them, read their content, get creative with your pitches and connect with them accordingly.

8. Engage your clients. Ask questions that will help you understand their situation better. Make time to regularly check in with them to get to know how they think and feel, and encourage them to share observations regarding the progress of the project and your performance so you can course correct before it’s too late.

9. Make it measurable. Force yourself to develop and adhere to a method for tracking metrics. Not only does it allow you to create a benchmark for progress, but it also provides a means with which you can communicate those intangible successes to your clients. Just keep the process seamless, simple and straightforward.

10. Do stuff that inspires you. It sounds fluffy, but it’s arguably the most important: Allow yourself the space to get creative, let your mind wander and explore your imagination. It feels contrary to marching toward those business objectives, but granting yourself permission to dream is really when the best work happens.

 

Photo/Image by David Carpenter