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 →

Talk Radio’s Industry Insider, Michael Harrison, Shares His Insights and Takes the Tough Questions

I love radio. I always have.

Just the variety of ideas and exchange of communications bouncing back and forth in the air; it’s so simple, so elegant and so vital to a country founded on the principle of free speech. I also love how radio has been a survivor. When TV was first invented, back in the days when people had become accustomed to gathering around the cabinet-sized radio in their living rooms to listen to news programs, The Shadow and The Jack Benny Show, everyone predicted radio’s rapid demise. After people saw these moving pictures on the TV screen, how could radio ever hold their interest again?

But radio persevered. When the Internet was founded, radio was once again thrown into the dead pool, with pundits writing the medium’s obituary in advance. But it didn’t happen, and I doubt it ever will. Read more on Michael Harrison →

It’s Not Enough to Use Social Media: It’s Knowing How to Use it Effectively

Imagine yourself at a big cocktail party where many of the people may be potential clients and customers. Everyone is milling around, enjoying the evening and you’re working the room to meet those who interest you. Now, which communication strategy do you think is going to be more effective? Going from person to person, giving them your “elevator pitch” while handing them your business cards? Or simply engaging in genuine conversations about current events and issues relevant to your expertise?

I’m sure you’ll agree the latter is a far more desirable approach to meeting new people at a cocktail party and the same holds true when conversing on a social networking site. I learned this concept from social media guru, David Meerman Scott, best-selling author of the #1 bestseller The New Rules of Marketing & PR when I interviewed him a few years ago. Read more on why it's not enough to use social media →

How Do I Gauge My PR Campaign? Why The Internet Hasn’t Changed The Rules

Recently, I received a question from one of my clients regarding how we track the success of our print and online PR campaigns. In the process of thinking through the question, I realized that the changing landscape of the media (due to the fast face of technology) really hasn’t changed the way we look at these kinds of campaigns.

Since time immemorial, the only way to actually gauge the success of a print PR campaign was to indicate where placements were made and then list the circulation of that print outlet. For instance, if the Tampa Tribune ran your story on a weekday, the print circulation would be in the 150,000 range. On a Sunday, it would jump to 225,000. Now, that’s not to say, nor has it ever been intended to say, that 225,000 people read your article. It simply rated the size of the news outlet that carried the piece. Read more on how to gauge your PR campaign →

Not Making Your Sales? Maybe What’s Lacking Is Trust

In the world of sales, trust is king.

You can advertise, promote, tweet, post, blog and sell like Dale Carnegie on steroids, but if you haven’t built trust with your potential customer, it’s truly a waste of good resources.

Regardless of what “behavioral research” professionals tell us is the reason why a consumer takes the leap of faith to make a purchase, I know from my 20-plus years in PR, that trust is one of the most essential ingredients. And, in today’s marketplace, I believe the issue of trust is even more significant than ever. Read more on not making your sales →

When Doing PR, How Do You Get Past the Gatekeepers to Reach Your Consumers?

I can’t tell you the number of clients who ask me, “How many press releases will you send out for me?” Some want us to put out numerous releases a month, using the tiniest of reasons as an excuse to reach out to the media in the hope that their messages will drive sales when read by consumers.

The problem with this strategy is that in order to reach the consumer, you must first interest the editor who holds the key to running your story. They are the gatekeepers. The disconnect for most people is they think writing and distributing numerous press releases chocked full of sales messages will get them the coverage they’re hoping for. And, it’s this primary misunderstanding that leads to the failure of more PR campaigns than I care to think about. Read more on how to get past the gatekeepers to reach your consumers →

Is the TV Commercial Dying? Why What Happens Between the Commercials Has Become Even More Important

My Senior Campaign Manager, Tony Panaccio, wrote a great piece the other day about the state of TV advertising and I thought it was so interesting I wanted to share it with you.


Maybe it’s me, but I read something the other day that made me wonder if I’m the only one who doesn’t see the logic here.

The Nielsen Company tracks the audience viewership of TV programs so that programmers and advertisers can get a handle on how many people are watching certain shows. Programmers take that data and figure out how much they’ll charge to advertise on their shows. Of course, they pay attention to key demographics and more granular statistics, but at the end of the day, this is the data that helps them figure out that they’re going to charge $3 million per minute to advertise on The Super Bowl broadcast and $1 – $3.80 per minute on reruns of the recent reboot of Hawaii Five-0. Read more on is the TV commercial dying →

Is Your Book PR Not Doing The Job?

Maybe It’s Not Your Message, But How You Position the Messenger

Having written a book myself, I know how hard people work to achieve that coveted designation of “author.”

And, I know how it goes, you don’t want to make it a big deal with your friends and family, but deep down where you don’t talk about it openly, you really wish there was a button you could buy that reads “AUTHOR!” You also wish that it was socially acceptable to wear it on your lapel, because, darn it, writing a book is NOT easy. You worked hard to write a book and when it’s done and published, you do enjoy being able to claim membership in a relatively exclusive fraternity. Read more on is your book PR not doing the job →

Marketing Expert and Author, Al Ries, Shares His Insights on Positioning, PR & More–Part 3

Here’s the third installment of my interview with marketing expert and best-selling author, Al Ries. While I originally intended to have a fourth part, I realized that it would be best to give you his insights in one final document.

If you’ve missed parts 1 and 2, click on the following links to get the complete interview:

Al Ries Interview, Part 1
Al Ries Interview, Part 2

So, get a good cup of coffee or tea, pull up your chair and enjoy the rest of the interview!


Marsha Friedman: We’ve covered so much information, Al, and it’s all been so good. I don’t want to take up too much more of your time, but I have two questions I want to make sure I ask. First, what are your thoughts about marketing today, as compared to the seventies and eighties when we didn’t have things like the Internet, social networking, social media marketing, blogging, etc.? How has it changed marketing and do you think it’s better? Read more on marketing expert and author, Al Ries →

More Americans Listen to Talk Radio Today Than Ever Before

Are You Taking Advantage of This Platform For Your Book Promotion?

In the age of the Internet, 24/7 cable TV news channels, news on your laptop, desktop, PDA and smartphone, I think it’s important to remind folks about the significance of talk radio as it relates to getting publicity for your book. But don’t just take my word for it.

The Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism recently reported that 48 million people get their news from talk radio. Surprised? Don’t be. While other traditional media outlets in print and TV were shrinking, the genre of talk radio was growing. Inside Radio Magazine further reported that the number of radio stations that carry talk shows grew in 2010 to 2,056 from 1,370 in 2009. Read more on why more americans listen to talk radio today than ever before →

Get Adobe Flash playerPlugin by wpburn.com wordpress themes