What is it that your customers, clients or readers find special about you? Or, if you’re a new entrepreneur, professional or author, what do you think makes you different and special?

The answer to that question should be the foundation for your online marketing and, believe me, if you’re not promoting yourself online, you’re not promoting yourself!

The Internet is changing and that’s transforming the marketplace; today, anyone with a product, service or book to sell must learn how to build their reputation online and become an authority among Internet users.
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Joining the New No. 2 Social Media Network

In the world of social networks, innovation can quickly change the field of frontrunners — remember LiveJournal?

We just saw it again as Google+ overtook Twitter to claim the No. 2 spot behind Facebook. And it’s already better than Facebook for small businesses, professional firms and entrepreneurs.
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What Is The Book Industry Telling Fiction & Business Authors About Traditional Publishing?

The same things we are!

It was nice to get that validation earlier this month at the 31^st annual Cocoa Beach Writers Conference. Our vice president for media operations, Alex Hinojosa, attended as a workshop speaker – and took the opportunity to attend a few workshops himself.
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Are You Having Social Media Problems?
Social media is the most rapidly changing aspect of our industry to begin with. Throw in an IPO (Facebook) and a major overhaul (LinkedIn) and modifications are barreling ahead so fast, even the techies seem unable to keep up.

Last week, after a series of problems with my LinkedIn account, I emailed a request for assistance. Miguel, my Customer Experience Advocate, eventually replied:

“Dear Marsha,
“I apologize taking so long to get back to you. We are currently experiencing an unusual high volume of requests due to our recent site enhancements.”
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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.

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Two 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.

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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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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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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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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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