Archives for 2008

Interview on Comet Branding Radio and Other News

One of the great things about social media is the people you meet and connect with. From curious newcomers to social media experts and everyone in between, it’s truly a medium for everyone to connect and discuss. Next week I’ll be involved in the discussion side of things when I talk about the social media press release on Comet Branding Radio.

One of the foremost branding and communications firms in North America, Comet Branding combines traditional branding and marketing with social media and all that has to offer. Their radio show has included the likes of Brian Solis, Jennifer Leggio and others and looks at how to build brands using traditional PR, social media, eco-friendly approaches and more.

The founder of Comet Branding, Al Krueger, kindly offered an invitation to discuss the social media press release. I’ll be appearing with Jason Kintzler, founder of Pitch Engine; Todd Defren, Principal of Shift Communications; and Mike Volpe, VP of Marketing at HubSpot. It looks set to be an interesting discussion – I hope you can join us.

In other “special appearance” news, myself and fellow social media advocate Susan Murphy recently collaborated on a guest post at the blog of author and Emmy award-winning former CBS corespondent David Henderson. This came about after our responses to one of David’s posts on social media and its perceived non-effectiveness in business use. It was an enjoyable partnership and my thanks to David for extending the invite – you can read the guest post here.

Finally, I just received confirmation that I will be a blog partner for this years’s Open Web Awards, or Webby’s. Run by the good folks over at Mashable, the Webby’s recognize the major innovations in web technology. There are 26 categories, and nominations run between November 5 to November 18 2008. The actual voting will take place between November 19 and December 15 – make sure you stop by.

I’d like to thank everyone for inviting me to take part in these events and discussions, and I’m looking forward to hearing and sharing the views of some of my peers and contemporaries.

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Social Media, Press Releases and Where PR Fits In

As someone in PR who embraces social media, the social media press release – or social media news release, depending on who you talk to – is something that interests me greatly. It’s certainly nothing new as far as PR goes, having first been introduced in 2006 by the good folk at Shift Communications via their PR-Sqared blog. Yet despite the two year lead time, the social media press release still hasn’t taken off in any major way.

One of the main reasons (in my opinion) is that there is too much conflicting information about the format, which leaves potential users unsure whether or not it offers any benefits. Which is a shame, since used properly the social media press release can be a vital part of any promotional campaign.

What is the Social Media Press Release?

At its heart, the format is simply a new spin on the more traditional press release. The main difference is how it uses the burgeoning social media networks and applications. Compared to a “static” press release, a social media one offers:

Video and images
Audio
RSS feeds
Social network sharing options to the likes of Friendfeed, Technorati, Twitter and more

Because of these types of features, social media press releases offer a much easier way for news to be digested through online feeds. This includes bloggers, who are becoming an ever more important source of breaking news – something that the PR and news industries need to accept more readily.

By interacting with a larger online audience (including bloggers), the chances of a news story being picked up by a large and targeted audience are increased. And for anyone still unsure about the power of bloggers, just look at the Associated Press debacle from a few months back, or the very recent BackUp Shotgun Rack controversy. So why the slow acceptance of the new release format?

Using Social Media and PR Effectively

One of the biggest reasons for the (currently) low uptake of the social media press release is that both businesses and PR professionals don’t understand the synergy between the new and existing press release formats.

With social media being such a buzz word, many companies are making the mistake that all they need is an online presence coupled with PR and everything will be just fine. PR agencies that have failed (or refused) to understand this new medium properly are also misinforming clients about what a social media PR campaign entails.

A social media press release will not form the one-cap-fits-all pitch of a proper PR campaign. Nor will it act as an easy way to increase your SEO visibility – a common mistake made when it comes to explaining what a social media press release can do.

Instead, this new press release format should be used as an excellent and complementary addition to a PR campaign – one which includes a traditional or search engine optimized press release distributed via online newswires. In effect, it should be used to build or enhance your brand via the tools offered by social media, with a more traditional PR campaign running alongside it.

Let’s Talk!

There’s a great debate going on over at the Hubspot marketing blog regarding the whole social media press release angle, and includes some interesting points of view from both detractors and supporters. These include Todd Defren, who came up with the first social media news release template, as well as Jason Kintzler, founder of Pitch Engine, a new website offering social media newsrooms and the option to create a free social media press release. It’s worth checking out.

Whatever your take is, whether you’re for or against, there’s no doubting that the social media press release offers a new spin for getting news out to relevant parties. While I’m most definitely in the “For” camp, I can also see why there is lingering doubt about its effectiveness. This is where it’s up to the founders and supporters of the format to show just why it can be so effective.

To do this, there needs to be a uniformed message – only then will understanding lead to acceptance. I’m in – anyone else?

Changing Lives Can Be As Easy As A… B… Tweet

Recently I wrote a blog post against poverty for Blog Action Day 2008. At the time I wrote that I would be continuing to raise the issue of poverty via social media in whatever ways I could. The wonderful people at One Home Many Hopes have given me the perfect opportunity.

Founded by Boston newspaper columnist Thomas Keown, One Home Many Hopes – OHMH – is a non-profit organization that offers orphaned former street girls in Mtwapa, Kenya a safe environment to try and reclaim their childhood. Simple things we take for granted like education and family support are sorely missing from these girls’ lives – OHMH offers them a lifeline to enjoy these things.

One of the many challenges facing OHMH is funding, like any non-profit organization. However, thanks to Twitter users Vanessa Leong and Shelley Greenberg, as well as Boston-based social media blogger Graddon Tripp, OHMH could be $20,000 better off within 30 days. Together they have come up with the following challenge.

Dubbed Race to 20k, OHMH is hoping to raise the afore-mentioned $20,000 in 30 days. And with social media, that should be pretty easy. Think about it – if just 1,000 Twitter users pledged $20, the figure would be met in no time at all. Even just donating $10 would only take 2,000 Twitter users. With the popularity of this medium, $20,000 has to be a realistic target.

If you want to make a difference, here’s what to do. Visit the OHMH donation page and pledge your $20. Then send out a Tweet to your Twitter friends, or write a blog post about the event – with the widespread scale of social media, making people aware of this great cause should be pretty easy. Become friends with both Vanessa and Shelley on Twitter to keep updated.

It only takes a minute to make a difference – but that small difference can last a lifetime.

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So What, I’m Still a Rock Star

I got my rock moves, and I don’t need you… Yes, I’ve fallen victim to quite possibly the catchiest pop song this year, Pink’s “So What”. Laugh away, but at least it’s not the Jonas Brothers, right?

However, apart from being one of the best party songs of the year, Pink’s song could also be looked at as a poster child for surviving today’s economic mire. After all, in a year when corporate America finally screwed over everyone to bursting point, a song about taking the hits and coming out fighting is strangely karmic.

Yet perhaps there’s more to this than my questionable connection between Pink and greedy suits? For years the music industry has shown how to take an extremely competitive business model and stay relevant. While it’s true that the labels are suffering just like every other business at the moment, again that’s down to greed – charging exorbitant prices for CD’s, tour tickets, etc.

No, when I mention the music industry being successful, I mean the artists in it – specifically the ones that have adapted and changed to suit current trends. Look at the most successful artists of the last 40 years – the Beatles, the Stones, Madonna, David Bowie. They all continued having hits in different decades because they moved with the times and searched out new audiences.

This is where businesses need to do the same thing. There is so much doom and gloom being spouted by so many negative business owners – but this needn’t be the case. Yes, the Government and the city slickers royally screwed everyone – but is there anything new there?

Instead of complaining about the why’s, perhaps we should be looking at the what’s – what can we do, what changes can we make, what technologies do I need to adapt to in order to continue my business? Ed Lee of Internet communications consultancy iStudio wrote a great blog post about this very topic, and offered suggestions on the three areas that businesses should be looking at to be more “recession proofed” (one of which is social media, unsurprisingly).

It’s a theory I’ve subscribed to for all of my professional life. Before I started my own business I worked under some static bosses in this respect – sadly many of these businesses are no longer around, although unfortunately I can’t say I’m surprised.

The business world has been changing for a long time – the Internet and the explosion of online trading has seen to that. Although we’re looking down the barrel of a very scary economic gun, it doesn’t mean we have to be held hostage. The businesses that realize this and adapt will be the ones that survive.

For the rest? They’ll be the equivalent of Pink’s ex in her song – hung out to dry while everyone else moves on.

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Using Social Media to Inspire

There are many different ways that social media can be used. For some people, it’s simply a way of connecting with others. For other people, it’s an effective business tool. On top of that, it can also be a great educational tool for newcomers to the Internet. Personally, I also feel that social media can be used to inspire greatness and knowledge.

A prime example of this was Blog Action Day earlier this month, when thousands of bloggers worldwide wrote about poverty. Not only did this show a combined voice on the desperation of poverty itself, it also proved how social media – when used cohesively – can open up a line of discussion on topics that are so often ignored or swept under the carpet.

Also this month, it’s been National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. While millions of people offline have been wearing pink ribbons to signify support, social media users have been showing support in their own ways. Twitter users have turned their profile pictures pink, while MySpace members have pink ribbon themes to offer their support.

Next month sees the annual Movember charity event, which highlights the importance of men’s health and getting regular check-ups. Of particular importance is looking for early signs, and prevention, of prostate cancer.

To support the event, men everywhere are being encouraged to grow moustaches – hence the name Movember (moustaches in November). I’m already getting my Twitter profile picture readied for the month, as are countless other men and women worldwide.

This is where social media is so inspiring to me.

Just making the small effort to change a Twitter profile pic (or any online profile), encouraging people to ask what it’s about, which in turn gets them involved. Strangers blogging about the same topic, offering a unified voice often more powerful than any newspaper or traditional media source.

Social media often gets cynical looks from people who don’t understand it, or who see it as a passing fad that will soon be replaced with the next big thing. While that may indeed happen, until then it offers a unique way for millions of voices to be heard and make a stand. Surely that’s something to applaud?