Monday, March 28, 2011

PR is all about relationships.

 The following three pointers will help you to cultivate relationships meaningful to your brand and provide guidance on how to effectively use them to garner publicity.


 #1. Do your research. It's important to know the publications your audience reads and the journalists whose opinion they respect. Understand their writing style, and why they cover what they do. This will help you in crafting a compelling pitch. DO NOT send the same pitch to everyone you reach out to, this will essentially blacklist you. Journalists want to know that you have something to offer their unique audience as their reputation is on the line with every article they write.


#2: Network. Get out and meet the influencers and major players in your community. You should attend every event that you possibly can and use that time to socialize what you’re working on. Not only does this build your confidence and comfort in being able to articulate your thoughts, but it helps to generate an organic interest in your brand. It is also important to follow up and connect with these newfound contacts on the appropriate online platforms such as LinkedIn. Upon connecting you may just realize that your new contact can introduce you to someone who can be helpful in garnering press.


#3: Know your talking points. Understand what makes your brand unique and develop succinct ways to communicate that. Use your networking events to practice different ways of presenting the same ideas and determine what resonates best. When the time comes to speak with a journalist, you’ll know your material inside and out. You’ll also know how to communicate key attributes the journalist may not specifically ask you about. Decide what your brand means, which is not the job you have. 

Article author: Alleigh Marre works with healthcare and science clients at Waggener Edstrom Worldwide. She is an expert on PR and digital strategy. She blogs regularly at alleighmarre.com and you can follower her on Twitter @alleighmarre. 

Saturday, March 5, 2011

MC Hammer: Role of Social Media in Marketing


Authors should know that there's a gold mine online!

What's all the talk about Blogs? What's a blogosphere?

Well, it's another vehicle to "get out there."

When I coach authors, I ask them if they have a blog. Then I ask them if they even subscribe to other blogs or even read and comment on other blogs. More times than not they answer, "No. Why?"

Are you blogophobic? Are you one of those people that "don't get it" when it comes to blogging, social media and the constant internet chatter?

Whether you love or hate technology, it's something we all must deal with. And if you're in business, have a ministry or want to be noticed as an author or artist - a blog is a "must have" if you want to be relevant and extend your brand.

A blog (short for web log) is a type of website that functions as an online journal, with the most recent entry displayed first.

As recently as ten years ago, blogs didn't exist. It's estimated that there are between 50 and 100 million blog readers in the U.S. And according to blogworldexpo.com, Blog readers average 23 hours online each week.

An essential aspect of social media is the idea of staying connected and communicating with an audience. Blogs are about two-way communication - because when you write a blog entry, people can comment. Hence, blogs led the "Web 2.0" revolution!

Besides, blogging is fast, cheap and can be fun! 
It's a way to put your SWAG on display - frequently!



SEO + Publicity + Social Media = ?



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