Radio Stations – They’re Now Web Sites That Also Happen to Broadcast – Part 2

Article highlights:

  1. How radio stations have married social media and traditional media into entertainment powerhouses.
  2. Why social media is important if you wish to be a guest.

Yesterday I introduced you to Alex Hinojosa, former full-time radio personality and current Senior Campaign Manager at EMSI. Alex was working as a talk show host/executive producer in a major market, Atlanta, when I lured him away in September of last year, so he has an up-to-the-minute understanding of the changes radio has undergone.

I asked him to explain those, and how they affect people who use radio appearances as a core part of their marketing strategy. Here’s the rest of our interview.

Read more on Radio Stations – They’re Now Web Sites That Also Happen to Broadcast – Part 2 →

The 2011 “How We Learn From Others” PR Awards


Five of the Year’s Best Lessons From the Wild World of The Media

Article Highlights:

  • Arnold Schwarzenegger’s head-on diffusion and Anthony Weiner’s denial and implosion.
  • Lindsay Lohan’s cry for attention.
  • Herman Caine’s affair denial that cost him his campaign and Newt Gingrich’s upfront admission that made the issue a non-starter.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot – and this year, there were a few that some media figures would certainly like to.

Now is the time the media looks back on the most significant stories of the year. Since we work with the media, we like to look back on the most significant stories in terms of PR. As comedian Jeff Foxworthy says, “You can’t fix stupid,” but what we can do is learn from others’ mistakes (and successes) to make better PR choices for ourselves.

Read more on on the year’s five best PR lessons from the wild world of the media. →

How Does the Mainstream Media Use Social Media?

Three Ways Social Media Affects What You See, Hear and Read in the Media

You don’t have to do a lot of research to see that the mainstream media uses social media every day. Every major news anchor has a Twitter account and many of them have Facebook fan pages with thousands of followers who receive regular updates on that anchor’s activities and interests.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper spends several minutes every night asking viewers to connect with him on Twitter and Facebook. Ed Schulz of MSNBC’s The Ed Show runs interactive polls on a nightly basis connecting those using social media back to his evening show. Every major host or anchor has a social media presence in which they not only promote their appearances, but also seek feedback from their audiences.

Read more on how the mainstream media uses Social Media. →

Is 2011 the Year of Social Media?

You Can Change the World with Social MediaTwo Ways We Know Social Media is Here to Stay

When it comes to the media, it takes a lot to really amaze me.  It’s not that I’m a cynic. It’s just that I’ve been professionally involved with the media for over 21 years and I’ve seen its evolution. I’ve lived through the days when press releases were Xeroxed and sent in the mail with a postage stamp, through the times when the fax machine was king and finally into the age of the email blast through an electronic database. And while I’ve marveled at these technological advances that increased a PR professional’s speed and reach, none of them really floored me.

Until now.

Read more on It’s so powerful, I’ve never seen anything like it before and probably won’t see anything as influential in our lifetime. Read more... →

What is a 3-D PR Campaign?

How the Different Elements of Your PR Campaign Work Together

With all the movies coming out in 3-D these days, I started thinking about how a good PR campaign also has its own 3-D elements. Well, really, there are four types of media outlets today – TV, radio, print (offline and online) and social media – so you really need a 4-D strategy (a point I am sure I will be arguing online at some point with a smart-aleck physicist who takes issue with my science).

In PR, unlike movies, 4-D is the only way to go. I mention this because people frequently ask me which of the four media outlets I think is better. I try to explain that each one is effective in its own right, however, as the media feeds off of itself, the most effective PR campaign will include using all elements in a strategy that leverages a 4-dimensional approach.

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What Are the Building Blocks of a Modern-Day PR Campaign?

Presenting the NEW Face of Public Relations

After 21 years in the PR business, it has become increasingly apparent to me that it’s time to drive a new milepost into the ground.

While the media has been specializing in reinventing itself every few business quarters, the business of marketing has been slowly evolving, trying to keep up with the changes. Regular readers of this column have seen some phrases making repeat appearances, such as social media, email blasts, online news outlets and other terms that refer to some of the technological advances that have hit modern marketing communications. As each of these new areas of outreach emerges, our tactics as PR strategists are changing with the times.

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How Can I Supercharge My Social Media Efforts?

Why You Should Use Social Media to Build Your Opt-In Email Lists

By now, everyone knows that social media is a key component to any marketing campaign. At least if you’ve been reading these newsletters you do. But aside from the obvious benefits of outreach and awareness, there is something else you can be doing with your social networking campaign that can supercharge all of your efforts: build an opt-in email list.

I know from my own experience that social media marketing has enabled me to increase my email list by thousands, with those on the list continuously receiving my newsletters that carry my advice, tips and message.

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So You Think You Have Social Media Covered?

Here Are A Few Reasons You Might Want to Think Again

I remember when the Internet first gained prominence and it became apparent that having a Web site was essential for any commercial enterprise.

Back then, Web designers were not plentiful and few people thought to hire a professional to create a Web site. They felt that ANY Web presence was better than none at all and they found people they knew to help them who were “into the whole Internet thing.”

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What Can We Learn From the “Occupy Wall Street” Media Coverage?

If You’re Not Getting Your News from the Internet, You May Not be Getting All the News

For the last month or so, what began as a small group of protestors on Wall Street has become a national phenomenon. Satellite protests have popped up all over the country and the media is abuzz with coverage and opinions about the movement.

Whether or not you agree with the protesters, the thing that’s interesting to me as a PR person is how the story has grown and where its initial push began. The way it has grown is just another proving ground for why the Internet has become such an important source of news and why people executing PR campaigns should sit up and take notice.

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Social Media is How the Big Boys Play

How Social Media is Changing the Way the Media Markets Itself

You don’t have to tell Kevin Reilly, entertainment president of Fox Broadcasting Company, that social media is a good way to market new shows. He already knows.

At the MIPCOM show, a TV and entertainment conference and market held in Cannes, France every year, Reilly said the network is using social media to build awareness of new shows with tremendous success. Reilly gushed over how social media has made shows hits like Glee and New Girl, almost before they even hit the airwaves.

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Are Press Release Services Worth It?

Why Free or Low-Cost Press Release Services Might Not Deliver What You Really Want

Since the early days of consumerism, there is one catchphrase that is still difficult to deny: you get what you pay for.

In the PR business, I’ve had experience – as have some of my clients – with the free or low-cost press release services that seem to have proliferated all over the Internet. In fact, if you Google press release services, you’ll find a wide variety of them. Moreover, a reasonable number of them can deliver on the promise of getting your press release picked up by a good number of Web sites with hits that will show up on your Google and search engine profile. And, once in a while, a release on these services may indeed garner the interest of one or two sizable news outlets. Read more

Social Media: Why the Number of Followers Matter

social media provides credibility and trust with high followingLast week, we talked about the fact that having great numbers with your social media outreach on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn was not as important as what you did with them. My point was that having good numbers alone was not the goal in and of itself, that you needed to serve those followers with great information so they have a reason to continue following you.

This week, I want to go back and focus on the importance of the numbers, because I feel I may have done that point a bit of a disservice. You see, the numbers of followers you garner will be the driver of your efforts and provide an instant way of establishing your credibility with audiences who may not have ever heard of you. Read more on social media: why the number of followers matter →

Why Social Media is More Than Just a Numbers Game

social mediaAbout a year ago, the big social networking news was that Ashton Kutcher set a record on the most rapid rise to having more than one million followers on Twitter.

That record, and five dollars, could have bought him a small latte at the Starbucks on Wilshire Boulevard. As I discuss the use of social media with people, too many times I get drawn down that same vortex of talking just about the numbers. And, don’t get me wrong – numbers are important. In social media, numbers equate to people with whom you can communicate directly about your message. In my business, numbers are a paramount concern and that’s why I take pride in the fact that my in-house team (the same team who work the social media network for our clients) has built my profiles to a cumulative 55,000 followers and rising every day. Read more on why social media is more than just a numbers game →

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 on why you need to use social networking →

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 on bloggers driving consumers more than celebrities →

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 →

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 →

Why Using Facebook and “The Twitter” Aren’t Enough

PR is the Fuel for Social Network’s Marketing Engine

You gotta love Betty White.

In a soon-to-be-released movie, she portrays a high school girl’s grandmother, and in one scene a boy is asking for her granddaughter’s phone number. Of course it’s White’s character who responds with hers.

“I’m also on Facebook… and the Twitter!” she enthusiastically adds.

So, if Facebook and “The Twitter” have reached Betty White’s generation, certainly it’s reached just about everyone by now, including your business. But in using these sites, called “social networks,” for the purposes of marketing our businesses or our books, we should keep in mind that in a way we are twisting the original purpose of those sites to suit our own needs. Read more

5 Tips for Using Social Media to Build Your Opt-In List

The immense popularity of social networks, and the meteoric rise in the last few years of social media marketing, have been some of the most exciting new directions for PR and marketing that I have experienced.

That is why I jumped on board the social media marketing train over a year ago…it has been a huge boon to my performance-based PR business.

But in spite of the many extraordinary opportunities in social media marketing, one drawback I’ve found is the speed with which one can be forgotten. Even the social-media savvy may struggle to stay in front of and remain memorable in the minds of their friends, followers, connections and fellow group members. Read more on using social media to buildyour opt-in list →

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