PR and marketing

Christmas is on its way and Social Media Women are celebrating the end of another fantastic year filled with a range of amazing speakers who have contributed to the success of Social Media Women.

As a thank you to everyone who has attended and contributed to our Social Media Women events we would like to invite you to help us to celebrate its success on the last Social Media Women night for 2011.

Feel free to join us anytime from 7pm on the 13th December at The Oxford Street Hotel. We would love to see you there!

Register now for our December event at http://socialmediawomendecember.eventbrite.com

Date:    Tuesday 13 December 2011

Time:    7:00pm-8:30pm

Venue:  The Supper Club at the Oxford Hotel, 134 Oxford St, Darlinghurst (Enter the Oxford St side of the hotel and walk up the stairs. Metered parking is a few steps away on Bourke St, $1.10 per hour)

Meet amazing women as well as discussing the ever changing world of social media.

The open discussion about social media is one of the best parts of the event. So bring your social media questions for the group to answer.

Ghost tweeters are teams or individuals who are outsourced by companies to tweet on their behalf. It sounds like a simple concept, and in many ways it is but tweeting for a client is very different to tweeting for your own company or for yourself.

If you are considering becoming a ghost tweeter for someone, or if you already are a ghost tweeter, here are some tips on how to make sure you do it well:

Get to know their topics of interest
Your client’s online presence on Twitter relies on consistency, as social media is all about connecting and engaging with a target audience. When tweeting for your client it is crucial you understand the topics that they wish to be tweeting about. Find out how they want to be perceived, research their areas of interest and stick to it.

Learn their language
When it comes to tweeting for your client you’ve got to know how to talk the talk...or tweet the tweet in this case! Learn the language of your clients. Read articles written by them, listen to them speak and take into account what industry they are in and who their target audience is.

Don’t do anything they wouldn’t do
It can be easy to forget at times that you are not tweeting for yourself. Before you reply, comment or re-tweet anything always ask yourself: “Would my client want to be associated with that person, company or comment?”

Although you may find the tweet funny, interesting or re-tweet worthy, your client may not – it may even be damaging to their reputation. From the very beginning you should learn what conversation your client can be engaged in and what conversation to avoid.

Don’t let trouble brew
As a ghost tweeter you may be on the lookout for negative comments of feedback about your clients. Make sure, if this happens, to respond in a professional and timely manner.

If, however, your response does not seem to work and the problem is lingering, or if it seems to be escalating, contact your client and make sure they are aware of the problem. In any case do not keep quiet and assume it will all blow over.

The best way to be a successful ghost tweeter is to communicate with your client and make sure you completely understand what they want to achieve. A tailored social media strategy will always be more successful and gain far better results than a general plan used across all clients.

Journalists work in a fast-pace, high-pressure environment everyday and are only looking for stories which capture their attention right away. They constantly receive media releases, phone calls from PR agents and emails about the latest and greatest product or business. So to make sure you are noticed there are a few things to keep in mind when contacting the media.

Make them want to know more
Whether you are sending them a media release or pitching an article over the phone, make sure to present the most interesting information first. The information may have to be tailored for different types of media, eg: community newspapers are generally only interested on something to do with its immediate area. Most media releases won’t even be read all the way through if the journalist isn’t interested from the beginning.

Personalise your attempt
Whether emailing or calling, do a bit of research first and find out which journalist you may wish to speak to. Simply using someone’s name can get their attention and makes them feel like you have put in a bit of effort and aren’t just calling every media outlet in the country. If sending out a mass email make sure to BCC all email addresses so journalists don’t know you are sending it to every media outlet in the country, they will be less inclined to use information they know everyone else has.

Pick your time wisely
A bit of research and common sense can tell you when a media outlets deadline is. Daily papers will obviously have a deadline each day so getting your information to a journalist earlier in the day may be an advantage for you as you’ll be contacting them when the stress is a bit less. Monthly publications such as some magazines have long lead times and can be looking for articles months in advance, there is no point contacting a magazine at the end of the month trying to get into the next month’s issue.

Don’t be afraid of journalists
They are people too. They have good days and bad days and there are ones who will be nicer than others. But don’t be intimidated by them if they are less than sugar and spice, they will respect you more for not sounding nervous. If you contact them at a bad time apologise once and move on, apologising more than that can become annoying. If you have all your information at hand, know what you are talking about and are polite at all times you should be received well.

While you are enjoying the end of year celebrations it might be worth taking the time to think about what you achieved this year and what your business New Year resolutions might be.
 
Every year for CP Communications seems to be exhilarating – and a touch exhausting! Totally my own fault – I like to have lots of things on the go! This year we have had the opportunity to work with amazing and lovely clients.

One of my favourite projects was the Macquarie University’s Women, Management and Work Conference where we used the collision of PR and social media to get amazing results.

We finally launched our YouTube Channel – PR and Social Media Tips TV. That was a goal for this year, and with my presentation from Social Media Women we finally had content to upload! So check it out! There are more tips to come.

On a personal note, I “got sick of myself” not taking up speaking opportunities, so I went from refusing to do public speaking to teaching a one day PR course and a 45 minute presentation in front 70 people! I’ve really enjoyed sharing my experience and expertise.

Thank you for reading our newsletter this year. It’s been lovely sharing our stories with you. We wish you a very merry Christmas and happy New Year! I am going to go lie under an umbrella on the beach for a couple of weeks and catch up on my reading, day dreaming and thinking about my New Year resolutions.

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter. 
 
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Exclusives: Are they worth it?

If there is one thing a journalist loves, it’s a big, juicy exclusive, but before you go offering everything to one publication, it’s important to weigh up whether an exclusive will offer you the best results possible.

The argument for exclusives:

• Exclusives are a clever way of building a relationship with a specific journalist. By giving the story to only one publication, you can build up a good rapport with a journalist that will definitely help you with future pitches.
• You might get a better placement of the story in the publication by offering an exclusive. 
• It’s not terribly common, but you will find some editors who only want a story if it is an exclusive. 

The argument against exclusives:

• Journalists don’t make any promises. So offering an exclusive will not guarantee that the story will run.
• It might be more effective to have a number of stories in a variety of publications.
• Do exclusives even exist anymore? In the age of social media, anyone can break news and share stories online before a journalist has even had the chance to ask Who, What, Where, When, How? How often have you read a tweet, or a Facebook page update before hearing about a story on the news? Perhaps exclusives have had their day?

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to exclusives, it’s up to you and should be judged on a case by case basis. As long as you know all the pros and cons, you’re set to make the best decision for your business.

Read the full story on Public Relations Sydney.

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How to connect on LinkedIn without fear

Is LinkedIn still a mystery for you? I still find it hard to figure out how to use it for lead generation so I asked Social Media Lead Generation expert, Tom Skotidas for his hot tips.

"My advice is simple: look for human connection points. They are the commonalities you find by reviewing your intended connection’s LinkedIn profile, Twitter posts, personal blog, and other online mentions. There are dozens of human connection points you can use, but here are some of the obvious ones:

• People you know in common (available on their LinkedIn profile)
• LinkedIn groups you share
• Their blog posts or published articles (i.e. the ones you have read and enjoyed so much, as to form an opinion)
• Schools you both attended

Once you have identified your human connection points, you are ready to write your LinkedIn invitation.

Be relevant. Make sure to address your invitee by their first name, and to clearly reference your connection points. Tell them how you found them, and why you want to connect. And make sure to pump up your credentials as well, via a strong LinkedIn profile."

To read the full story click here.

Tom is running a course on LinkedIn for Lead Generation on 7 December 2010 (which I am looking forward to attending!). For more information click here.

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Upcoming events

Here are some events coming up that we thought you might be interested in:

Internet Marketing & Social Media Fundamentals: A Full Day Practical
This workshop will focus on the fundamentals of internet marketing and social media marketing. It is entirely web-based rather than theory-driven, and uses online demonstrations and case studies to get you up to speed on the latest trends.
7 December 2010

The Future of Digital: Forecasts and Predictions for 2011
AIMIA presents the third annual ‘The Future of Digital-Forecasts and Predictions for 2011’. Industry experts will give an insight into what the New Year will bring and what opportunities and challenges the industry may face.
10 December 2010

Facebook & Twitter for Lead Generation
This course focuses on how to effectively utilise Facebook and Twitter for successful lead generation. Learn from Tom Skotidas, an industry expert who has met and exceeded divisional sales targets for the past four years with the help of social media. Ideal for marketing professionals and sales people.
14 December 2010

Website Management
Many organisations are still facing challenges in how to successfully design their website to enhance collaboration with customers. Learn how to optimise usability and accessibility to maximise the business benefits of your online presence.
19 January 2010

Marketplace Visibility – How to Grab Your Slice of the Action
A Women’s Network Australia luncheon with guest speaker Debra Jacobs, who will teach you how to catch people’s attention and keep it, create relationships with existing and potential clients, and sell your product, without wasting time and money.
10 February 2010

CP Communications has been running the PR campaign for the Government 2.0 Taskforce. Their report was released yesterday calling for the government to embrace Web 2.0 tools to deepen democracy and engage citizens.  

It also recommends that government agencies and public servants use Web 2.0 tools such as blogs and online forums to engage with citizens, each other and likeminded professionals around the world. 

When I was reading this, I thought – the same applies to most businesses. How many companies encourage their staff to share their expertise online? In fact, most businesses ban staff from using Web 2.0 tools at work. 

Also, how many companies have fully integrated Web 2.0 to engage with customers and communities? Using Web 2.0 tools the Government can draw all those with the enthusiasm, expertise and crucial local knowledge to collaborate in the process of government. Can you do something like this to engage with your business community?

I want to thank everyone for your support with our Public Relations Sydney blog being shortlisted for Mumbrella's media & marketing blog of the year! As I mentioned whatever the outcome, I am so chuffed to have been shortlisted. Mumbrella said "the hardest category to shortlist was for media and marketing blog of the year. Several good ones didn’t make it."

Finally, we wish you a very merry Christmas and happy New Year! It’s been lovely sharing our stories with you. It’s been an exhilarating and exhausting year, and I am going to go lie under an umbrella on the beach for a couple of weeks and catch up on my reading and day dreaming. 

See you in the New Year. 

Is it time you Facebooked your business?

If you thought Facebook was just for keeping contact with friends and family, think again. It can be a great way of building an online community, or simply reaching another audience online. 

With a Facebook Page you create a public profile that helps you to share your business and products with Facebook users. 

Setting up your page

The first step when setting up your page isn’t actually setting up your page - it’s thinking about the name of your page.  The obvious is your company name, however you can create a page that relates to your business.

For example we have two pages – Public Relations Sydney and CP Communications. The first relates to my personal blog, which I plan on creating a public relations community around, and the other is about our business.

Actually setting up your page

Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php and then you need to choose one of three categories for your business: Local Business (and the industry); Brand, Product, or Organisation; and Public band, Artist or other Public Figure.

Adding content

The easiest way of populating your page is RSS feeding your blog into the page. This then means every time you post an article on your blog, it is automatically fed into your Facebook page.

Getting fans

Once you've become a "fan" of your business, your friends on Facebook will see a message in their home page.  You can also send a message to all of your friends asking them to become friends. I also suggest you add the page link to your website, email signature, blog, business card – as many places as possible!

What makes a good page?

A successful Facebook page needs to be engaging, updated and rewarding. While I was writing this article I read on Twitter @JourneyJottings tweeting about a giveaway on her Facebook page. She was engaging (and rewarding) her fans by running a 10 day giveaway where each day her fans had the chance of winning an Australia Map Journal. 

This is just an excerpt of the full article! Go to our blog Public Relations Sydney to read the full article.

Why "No Comment" is never a good idea

Plastered across the media in the last couple of weeks have been reports of Tiger Woods – that car crash and those affairs. Tiger has been very vague about what occurred that night and replied to media inquiries with the dangerous “no comment” creating a public relations nightmare. 

What’s the big deal?

When replying with “No Comment” both the media and the public automatically believe that Tiger is lying, or covering up what happened leaving the media to fill in the gap. This more often than not ends badly. 

What to do if you are in a similar situation?

If you or your business find yourself in the midst of a crisis you should keep in mind the following suggestions:

• Never, ever say “No Comment.” Instead tell reporters the situation is still being reviewed and you will have a statement available as soon as you have all the facts.

• Offer as much information as possible to avoid the chance of inaccurate information being reported to the public.

• Respond quickly to define and control public perception of how you are handling the crisis or the media will do it for you. 

• If the crisis affects members of the public, always show compassion and concern for the people involved.

• Don’t allow for speculation. If the interviewer says something that is not factual, correct the information.

• Report your own bad news before the media catches wind.  This will avoid the media assuming you are guilty without getting your side of the story.

• Always admit your mistakes. Explain why the mistake occurred and what you are doing to fix the problem. Never underestimate the power of “sorry.”

• Forget about “on the record” “off the record” promises. If you don’t want something reported, then avoid discussing it completely.  

Read the full article at Public Relations Sydney. 

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