Why You Need To Use Social Networking?

Did you know that Sarah Palin hasn’t given a media interview in months?

It’s true. She doesn’t talk to reporters at all. Outside of her commentary stints on Fox News, she has no direct contact with any journalists in print, on radio or on TV. So how is it she constantly stays in the headlines? One word: Twitter.

Palin lets the world know what she thinks through Twitter feeds and then comments on them through other social networks, like her Facebook page. She is still mentioned as a potential presidential candidate and her name appears in the news almost every week.

Is there any better evidence that social networking is not a fad? [Read more...]

Who Do They Trust? New Study Reveals Bloggers Drive Consumers More Than Celebrities

One of the key paradigms that is shifting in today’s PR world is the influence of bloggers.

Keeping in mind there are hundreds of thousands of bloggers on the Internet today, there are some who drive opinions far better than even celebrity endorsements. According to the 2011 Social Media Matters study by BlogHer.com, women who read blogs routinely trust implicitly the advice and recommendations they receive, especially if it is from a blogger they follow on a regular basis. [Read more...]

So, Where Are Your Sales?

One of the most common dilemmas I encounter with many clients is the preconceived notions of what it takes to make sales. The problem with these preconceived notions is that they often misdirect people into thinking there is empirical evidence that lays out the sales cycle in absolutes. But, that just doesn’t exist.

So, what IS real? Exposure is a real tangible element in a marketing and sales cycle, because without it, you can’t sell a thing. Just as a candle under a bucket yields no light, a product or service that no one knows about will yield no sales. People have to know about you to do business with you.

Whether you are selling a book, a product or a service – exposure is the first and primary goal of marketing. While exposure doesn’t guarantee sales, any hope of generating sales can only result from getting in front of your potential consumer. But, when your product receives that coveted exposure to the masses, the X-factors in play become whether or not consumers will like what they see. Your product will either be exactly what the consumer is looking for, or it won’t. Read more on where are your sales →

Are Blogs Important to My PR Campaign? How To Tell Which Blogs Are Bonanzas And Which Ones Are Busts

In the age of the Internet, everyone has a blog.

According to BlogPulse, there were 152 million blogs on the Internet at the end of 2010 and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Many of these bloggers have become opinion leaders in their particular areas of expertise, while others have next to no following at all and blog just to let off steam. So how do you know which bloggers to target when you’re promoting yourself or your company and which ones to ignore? I have a few tips that might help you weed out the followers from the leaders: Read more on why blogs are important to your PR campaign →

PR: The Engine Behind Social Media How SMM: Is Driven By Public Relations Campaigns

As companies dive headlong into the world of social media, like cliff divers who don’t wait for the tide to come in, I’d like them all to stop for a moment before they hit their heads on the rocks.

In cliff diving, there are no silver medalists. There are those who win and those who go to the emergency room. The same is true when using social media as a marketing tool. People either are embraced by the social network community because of their contributions, or they are shunned for being too commercial and pushy. There’s not a whole lot in between.

As a user of social networks myself, I have discovered that there is far more to social media than tweeting and liking. It’s not about how many times you update your status or tweet your company’s Web site. It’s about the quality of those communications and adding value to the community. That’s why I believe that a good PR campaign is the engine that can really drive social media marketing. Read more on The Engine Behind Social Media →

Why Your Promotional Message Is Not Your PR Angle

Whether you’re promoting a company, book, product or service, the goal is to get your message out so people will decide to buy whatever it is you’re selling. Promotion often revolves around your key market differentiators – the things about you that make you different and better than your competition.

However, when it comes to your PR campaign, the press isn’t interested in your market differentiators or whatever it is you’re selling.

Their position is that they don’t exist to provide coverage to help you sell or to make money at all. The press corps in broadcast, online and print exists to inform and entertain their audiences so THEY can sell advertising and make money. Read more on why your promotional message is not your PR angle →

The True ROI of Public Relations

Why is PR the hot potato of your marketing budget?

Chief Financial Officers hate it, while salespeople and business development executives love it. Every year, when the budget is drawn, this is typically how the conversation goes:

CFO: What’s the return on the PR budget? Read more on the true ROI of PR →

How to Get the Media Interested in You: You May Be Newsworthy Without Even Knowing It

Do you know what the media would consider newsworthy about you or your company?

Many new clients come to us with a strong opinion about what their “pitch” should be, but often miss the mark, in terms of knowing what will get the media to sit up and pay attention to their message. But it’s very understandable that this could occur, if you’re not working with the media the way we do, day in and day out, developing story angles intended to grab their interest. Read more on how to get the media interested in you →

Seven PR Secrets for Getting on Talk Radio as a Guest to Promote Your Business

And How to Make Sure Hosts Invite You Back

Successful CEOs know a secret.

They know that when it comes to getting real marketing traction for launching a new product or service, it’s not just about advertising. They know that – unlike the movie Field of Dreams, where all Kevin Costner had to do was build a baseball diamond and the fans magically would come – just putting a new product on the shelf does not guarantee anyone will hear about it, let alone buy it. Read more on Seven PR Secrets for Getting on Talk Radio →

Traditional Media Not Going Away: Why Radio, TV and Print Will Survive the Rise of the Internet

With over three decades of experience in marketing and PR, in the last few years I have been awed and excited by the new opportunities afforded by the Internet. The explosion of Internet applications, such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, to name a few, has shifted and expanded the world of marketing and PR, and it will never be the same.

But, don’t expect the traditional media—newspapers, radio and TV—to disappear any time soon.  Those who predict the death of traditional media could not be more wrong! In truth, the only really successful marketing campaigns must now embrace ALL media avenues, both offline (traditional) and online. Read more on traditional media not going away →

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