Social media has become much more volatile thanks to the Tweeter-in-Chief. This is especially true politically, but it's also true in marketing, communication, and the wider business world. People have become more polarized politically, and are quick to criticize on impulse. What's the best way to respond to such attacks? I'm a big fan of US linguistics expert George Lakoff, who has developed an effective formula for dealing with social media attacks. He says ...
Read moreAfter a major earthquake hit Japan in March 2011, followed by a terrifying tsunami, many people tried to call their loved ones but soon found that landlines were down. What could be done to reach people? Social media. Within an hour of the earthquake striking Japan, Google launched their Person Finder app on their home page registry as a message board for survivors, family, and loved ones. The Person Finder was built by the ...
Read moreSocial media marketing expert Danny Brown wrote this valuable blog post about simple and immediate ways you can measure ROI on social media activities. Not everyone in PR is a whiz or even knowledgeable about ROI measures, so this information is helpful. It must be noted that these are mostly output measures, not results measures, so more work would be needed to determine what to do with the data and what the end results ...
Read moreMaintaining a regular blog with a supply of useful comment and information is demanding. Like any regular publication the deadlines seem to arrive all too soon. Using information from media releases and product promotions only goes so far – you still need to find and write attractive content. You have to understand your target audience and write posts that connect their needs to products or services of your organization or your client. Maintaining a ...
Read moreIn addition to sending media releases to the news media, many organizations also have a list of bloggers on their distribution list. It is important for bloggers that you include a link to the URL of your media release, which you should have ensured has been posted in your website. If the release contains some useful news, bloggers will comment something like: “XYZ Company announced in a news release today that they plan to ...
Read moreBy Anita Hovey With the myriad tools available to help you with social media, often it’s hard to know which ones to try. People ask me whether there’s “an app for that,” and I love when I can give them the right tool. Here are 12 of the best free tools, each one of which I use in my own business. 1. Buffer Buffer is a great little app to help you send tweets ...
Read moreBy Mark Pack, formerly head of digital at MHP communications in the UK What are the key social media tools that PR professionals need to go from bumbling amateur to results-driven superstar? 1. Google Analytics The standard tool for website statistics, Google Analytics is free, reliable and (mostly) easy to use. Advanced ecommerce sites can benefit from heavy-duty, paid-for tools, but for PR work, Google Analytics lets you get all the key information about ...
Read moreAbove: The impact of an article on risk management is made more powerful by the simple, strong image. Visual material lifts the impact of almost any text. However, it can be difficult to find suitable material that definitely doesn’t breach copyright. It's a well-known fact that people are visual. They like things that attract their eyes, like color and images. Make your business memorable with great images. No matter what your business or blog ...
Read moreAdapted from an original article by David Ferris in the Workforce magazine Social media experts acknowledge that social media tools can unleash forces that are difficult to control. Giving everyone a voice can challenge the worldview of people who are used to calling the shots. "People who have grown up in a hierarchical business model may have some fear of the contact sport element of it," says Kathryn Yates, director of communications consulting at ...
Read moreFreelance writer David Ferris wrote this useful article on how organizations can successfully develop a social media program: More and more companies are turning to social media as a way to tap the innovation and talent that leaders know could blossom, if the right people could connect. How can your organization use social media to solve problems and create a sense of community? In 2010, grocer SuperValu realized it had become big—perhaps too big. ...
Read moreBias may seem a vague concept for business, but people's biases cause massive errors in business decisions, including communication decisions.
Testimonials are a classic way to create perceptions of authentic value to customers and clients. Sample testimonial: Other thoughts for
Presenting to senior executives is a daunting proposition. They are extremely busy and have to make many decisions under