Journal

Social Media is the Playground at Recess

This is a guest post from PR professional David Mullen, whose insights into the industry always intrigue me. I read his blog often and ask why many of his suggestions on how PR can evolve aren’t standard practice yet, and I’m delighted he’s sharing his views here today.

You remember those days. You would run straight to your favorite diversion and play with reckless abandon until the bell rang. Or you?d start there and then visit two or three other amusements before heading back inside.

What drove you and others to the merry-go-round or the slides? The thrill? The butterflies in your tummy? Whatever it was, you were there because you genuinely enjoyed yourself. If your friends were there, too, great! If not, it was no big deal. You?d make new friends with kids who shared your love affair for the monkey bars.

Social media is like the playground. It has a ridiculous supply of platforms and applications and tools to enjoy. You gravitate to one or a few of those because they play to your interests and allow you to meet other fine folks who are as passionate about those same things as you are.

This is why a thoughtful communications strategy is imperative for brands to engage with others on the playground. Don?t start a Facebook page because everyone else is doing it. Don?t create a YouTube channel because you read an article in Adweek.

Take a step back from the temptation of knee-jerk reactions, identify the interests you share with your customers, find out where they go to talk about those interests together and contribute meaningfully to the ?play? going on there. Participating regularly on a niche message board may reap far more rewards for your brand than an under-used Facebook page among millions.

How do you strategically target where your brand shows up on the playground? As importantly, how do you connect with your customers once you?re there?

David Mullen is a PR and communications consultant with Mullen (no relation), a full-service marketing agency and an independent brand within the Interpublic Group of Companies. He has worked with brands such as The Home Depot, Coldwell Banker, Intercall and Healthtex. To learn more about David, please visit his Communications Catalyst blog or connect with David on Twitter.

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It’s Not All About The Blog

: Image by magia3e via Flickr

Should I have a blog? It’s one of the questions I’m asked most frequently when I sit down with a new client to discuss their online presence.

They’ve seen other blogs – personal and professional – and they’re wondering if they should be part of the party. The answer isn’t always what they expect.

Are you ready to blog?

Okay, so I cheat and ask another question instead of giving them an immediate answer – but sometimes questions are answers.

Blogging is something that you really want to do – it’s not always just about the need. Especially for business blogs. Yes, it’s a great tool for offering a more personal voice to your business. And for building community, it’s priceless.

But only if it’s done with the passion and time it needs.

Look at the most successful capitalist on the planet. Bill Gates has made billions of dollars and built the business he started into one of the leading software companies today. Yet he doesn’t blog, nor does it look like he will anytime soon. (People were asking as far back as 2004 when Gates would start blogging – we’re still waiting).

Of course, you could say that Gates is different from most business owners because of his outreach. And that’s true. Still, if you have the product or service that talks for itself, size is irrelevant – word-of-mouth will spread your message.

So no, you don’t always need a blog. There are many ways to tell the world about you and your product – blogging is just one of them. The biggest mistake to make is to have one because your contemporaries or competitors do.

Getting your message out is key – but how key is it if the words are diluted?

The REAL Information Age

Ever wonder where the news of tomorrow will come from? Particularly now that “traditional media” seems to be on the decline? This excellent video from Albino Blacksheep may just offer some answers. My thanks to Mark Horvath for sharing this with me.

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Competition and Changes

: Image by presta via Flickr

For regular readers of this blog, you’ve probably noticed the change in design. Again. Despite the previous one being in use for less than a month. So my apologies for any confusion – I swear I’m not going through an identity crisis!

Unfortunately, while I did like the design of the previous theme, there were some compatibility issues with some of the plug-ins that I use. These couldn’t be worked around, so the result is what you see now. I hope you like it.

Of course, subconsciously the re-design may have something to do with the fact that I just helped my wife get her blog up-and-running. While she’s had a couple of blogs prior to her new one, this is her first self-hosted one. Seeing it all come together was the impetus I needed to look at my own, as well as the fact the plug-in issues needed to be resolved.

You should check it out – she’s got a far sharper mind than I have and she has some interesting ways of putting her views across…

So there you go. New design but still same old me, and competition from my wife for readers – just another day in the life.

Thanks for your patience while I keep dabbling to get a fixed abode – I think this one’s a keeper!