Spot the difference.
Video #1: Popular video blogger iJustine.
Video #2: Played out actress and rehabber Lindsay Lohan in a creepy Fornarina advertisement.
What does this mean? Either internet celebrities are catching up to mainstream celebrities or Lindsay Lohan's agent should be fired.
iJustine:
Lindsay Lohan:
March 30, 2009
Social Media Stupidity--a great post
My Google Reader has been waaay backed up. I immediately scrolled to my friends blogs and found this gem from my friend Paull Young over at Converseon. Please check out the original post here brilliantly titled "Six Steps to Social Media Stupidity" Thank you Paull!
You’ve heard about this cool new social media stuff right? Here’s three steps to Strategy 2.0 - guaranteed to go Viral!
Step 1: Don’t think about your audience, even more importantly, don’t listen to them.
Step 2: Identify every ‘channel’ or tool you can ‘utilize’.
Step 3: Set up a plan for each channel to push news to the top ‘influencers’.
Step 4: Add jargon you’ve heard at a conference.
Step 5: Add some dodgy statistics about how all the kids are online to the start of your proposal.
Step 6: Press go, wait for The Viral, cash your check and ignore measurement
Bonus points if your lead tactic is the hot new interwebs tool of the day: right now Twitter, this time last year Second Life, this time next year probably Grunter.
March 25, 2009
As seen on Twitter- Social Media is hard work.
Brad Mays over at Fleischman Hillard posted this tweet today. Brad, I couldn't agree more. If you like this stuff, it doesn't just mean putting something on Facebook or YouTube and hoping for the best. You must jump in and reach out. Play around. Make mistakes. Learn and grow.Results if you do it this way? Success.
March 23, 2009
Traditional Media Outreach vs. Blogger relations---is there a real difference?
Tonight I attended a meetup. Hash tag #smpr if you want to search for it on Twitter. The meetup was the first of its kind attempting to bring together PR professionals interested in social media to come chat about the topic in a casual setting. While there was some initial feedback to make the event more effective (no link to the event, no communication about who was coming---social media focused events NEED this stuff)---one point was brought up that I feel needs to be discussed further.
Blogger outreach. Is it any different from traditional media outreach?
One of the attendees thought it was different. I happen to disagree. I actually think that the separation of these two strategies is what keeps the industry from moving forward at a rapid pace that is needed to catch up.
Bloggers are media. Get it. Right now. Stop separating it. They are in some cases, more influential than traditional media that write only for print. You should treat them in the same way that you reach out. They reach an audience that is influential. They attract readers. They matter. They're not "different" This has been written about and discussed time and again yet for some reason, agencies are still treating bloggers as an entirely new entity. An unknown space.
I agree that bloggers are about relationships. In fact, I think bloggers have opened up the doors to PR pros to have a relationship. They put themselves out there on Twitter, Facebook---opening up the door to a relationship. But, why should we keep them segregated because they open themselves up to us more?
So, let's use this time to stop separating it. PR pros: Keep bloggers in mind at all times. Learn to reach out to them on a regular basis. Listen to them. Use them for feedback. Figure out what they are interested in and work with them. The value is there.
Does your agency have a separate team focused only on blogger outreach? Are they looked at in different angles? What do you think?
Blogger outreach. Is it any different from traditional media outreach?
One of the attendees thought it was different. I happen to disagree. I actually think that the separation of these two strategies is what keeps the industry from moving forward at a rapid pace that is needed to catch up.
Bloggers are media. Get it. Right now. Stop separating it. They are in some cases, more influential than traditional media that write only for print. You should treat them in the same way that you reach out. They reach an audience that is influential. They attract readers. They matter. They're not "different" This has been written about and discussed time and again yet for some reason, agencies are still treating bloggers as an entirely new entity. An unknown space.
I agree that bloggers are about relationships. In fact, I think bloggers have opened up the doors to PR pros to have a relationship. They put themselves out there on Twitter, Facebook---opening up the door to a relationship. But, why should we keep them segregated because they open themselves up to us more?
So, let's use this time to stop separating it. PR pros: Keep bloggers in mind at all times. Learn to reach out to them on a regular basis. Listen to them. Use them for feedback. Figure out what they are interested in and work with them. The value is there.
Does your agency have a separate team focused only on blogger outreach? Are they looked at in different angles? What do you think?
March 22, 2009
March 18, 2009
It's OK to be a nerd
I've come to the realization lately that I'm a nerd. I work with all boys who are extremely tech savvy. I have not one, but two blogs. I Twitter more than I should. I just bought a Dell Mini 9. My phone is pretty savvy. I play Soccer on a team where EVERYONE is involved (almost!) in technology. My week nights are comprised of events that have the word "2.0" "meetup" &"tweetup"in them.
So, at first I was a bit skeptical about my sudden realization of how nerdy I've become. I think it was when I open my Dell Mini next to my Macbook and just sighed. Then I realized, that these tendencies are actually going to help me. PR skills in my opinion are usually based around conversation, writing, media relations, strategic thinking. Fine. Done. But, as more and more social media becomes part of the mix in public relations, knowing more about the technology can give you a step up against others in the room who have not yet entered the tech zone.
For example, HTML at first were foreign letters jumbled together. But, after playing around with it for awhile to make this pretty little blog look like this, I learned it. Knowing what a ,jpeg and .gif file is actually important. Knowing what flip cams, what kind of web cams are needed and why these are all important to hosting blogger lounges will make a PR person's life easier. Add in tips about SEO keywords, Google Analytics and what Facebook Connect is (and WHY it's important) will add value beyond belief to your next client meeting.
Do I know what all of these are? Yes. And while many of them are nerdy things, they're practical and useful to my industry even if traditional PR books don't say the same thing. PR is becoming a place for technology to be present at all times. With social media becoming line items in the PR plan, many of the tactics and teams you'll have to work with are going to include some new terms and programs that be seem a bit foreign to you.
Remember that developers make widgets to link back to brand pages developed by designers that you drive bloggers and consumers too during a PR outreach strategy. Most of these new team members do not speak your PR language---and you don't necessarily speak theirs. But, if you take the time to learn SOME of it, it will make these meetings go much easier.
So what's the takeaway? PR skills are expanding past the basics. Additional skills will help you learn. And while they may be out of your normal realm, adding a bit of nerd and tech to your life will actually help you.
March 15, 2009
What is Twitter? ... Here we go again
My friend Mike imed me today asking "What this Twitter thing is about?" At first I thought, "No! Non-tech friends need to stay off of this!" Then I thought, how the HELL do I explain this to my finance friend who is tech savvy but doesn't blog, buys new toys and gadgets all the time, but isn't really online enough to spend time with this.
I find it harder and harder to explain exactly what it is to newbies as I'm starting to realize people use it for so many different things. Some use it for chatting. Some use it for link sharing. Some use it to let everyone know that they're off to the movies, a good run or to Starbucks.
So, just to host "What Twitter is" for the newbies (and all of my non-tech friends who I still don't want joining :) ) Here is the CommonCraft video that explains it all so well.
I find it harder and harder to explain exactly what it is to newbies as I'm starting to realize people use it for so many different things. Some use it for chatting. Some use it for link sharing. Some use it to let everyone know that they're off to the movies, a good run or to Starbucks.
So, just to host "What Twitter is" for the newbies (and all of my non-tech friends who I still don't want joining :) ) Here is the CommonCraft video that explains it all so well.
March 11, 2009
March 10, 2009
Spray and Pray- PR for the 21st Century
I must first thank Josh Sterberg for the blog post title. I had a thought today pulling together a PR strategy for a client. This thought came up again when helping a friend develop a target media list for his upcoming launch. And again when discussing the recent PR strategy a friend did...he's not in PR and had one of the most successful PR announcements I've seen.
The planning and strategy that goes into a PR campaign can be quite extensive. Figuring out the targets you want to reach out to can turn into a list of more than hundreds of contacts. Emails, phone #s, now Twitter handles. PR agencies house extensive Excel documents owning this content. (I bet they're worth a lot of money. Imagine a black market for media lists?)
A LOT goes into it and sometimes the results aren't as wide as the effort you put into it. And you know what? It SUCKS. Hours. Days. Sometimes, they feel wasted. Yes, you do the research, build relationships with reporters to help spread the news. Yes, you could do everything right and meet all of your goals. Sure, you can plan a full strategy, send out the news early hoping they don't break the embargo (ahem TechCrunch). The news can get picked up by major outlets, print publications, online, etc.. your hours of pitching, calling, press release writing, strategy planning, client calls---all of it equals success. But sometimes, does the huge effort that goes into something really feel like a success? Or, are you just focusing on the next campaign and running cycles in your head to think that there MUST be an easier way to spread news. Especially with online social networks launching on what seems like a weekly basis.
What about a retweet? I've said it before but I'm really starting to think that we're moving in this direction. So many people interact on Twitter and Tumblr. It's become mainstream. It's a tangible method of "Word of Mouth" marketing in my opinion. A photo of an Arrested Development still or a 9 layer pizza taco gets spread around and commented on within minutes of the original post. And yes, while this may not be as important as a product announcement or a strategy overhaul at a major company---it's a trend to be looked at it. It's working. Quick "Retweeting/blogging" could be a future line item in a PR campaign.
Before the nay sayers come and start yelling that this won't happen and that not everyone is on Twitter/Tumblr that should be seeing this news, please know that I get that. And that's not what I'm saying. What I want to focus on is the trend of pushing out a news piece and, dare I say it, crossing your fingers hoping someone super influential crosses it and sends it off into online news traveling history. That's half of the strategy now anyway! "Send this news to the influencers" Get the release to the one or two guys at the top and watch the trickle down effect happen. As this "strategy" continues, why couldn't it move to focusing more on building your relationships (something you should be doing as a PR person anyway) and getting to know those top influencers. Figuring a way to push one simple message to them and knowing from research/knowledge that they'd probably want to push it out themselves and kick off the effect. As long as you have a product that is newsworthy, this could totally work and make this shift.
There's no concrete strategy behind this, just like word of mouth, but I still think we'll see the PR flow shift towards doing this for SOME campaigns.
So, what would work? Here are some ideas.
The planning and strategy that goes into a PR campaign can be quite extensive. Figuring out the targets you want to reach out to can turn into a list of more than hundreds of contacts. Emails, phone #s, now Twitter handles. PR agencies house extensive Excel documents owning this content. (I bet they're worth a lot of money. Imagine a black market for media lists?)
A LOT goes into it and sometimes the results aren't as wide as the effort you put into it. And you know what? It SUCKS. Hours. Days. Sometimes, they feel wasted. Yes, you do the research, build relationships with reporters to help spread the news. Yes, you could do everything right and meet all of your goals. Sure, you can plan a full strategy, send out the news early hoping they don't break the embargo (ahem TechCrunch). The news can get picked up by major outlets, print publications, online, etc.. your hours of pitching, calling, press release writing, strategy planning, client calls---all of it equals success. But sometimes, does the huge effort that goes into something really feel like a success? Or, are you just focusing on the next campaign and running cycles in your head to think that there MUST be an easier way to spread news. Especially with online social networks launching on what seems like a weekly basis.
What about a retweet? I've said it before but I'm really starting to think that we're moving in this direction. So many people interact on Twitter and Tumblr. It's become mainstream. It's a tangible method of "Word of Mouth" marketing in my opinion. A photo of an Arrested Development still or a 9 layer pizza taco gets spread around and commented on within minutes of the original post. And yes, while this may not be as important as a product announcement or a strategy overhaul at a major company---it's a trend to be looked at it. It's working. Quick "Retweeting/blogging" could be a future line item in a PR campaign.
Before the nay sayers come and start yelling that this won't happen and that not everyone is on Twitter/Tumblr that should be seeing this news, please know that I get that. And that's not what I'm saying. What I want to focus on is the trend of pushing out a news piece and, dare I say it, crossing your fingers hoping someone super influential crosses it and sends it off into online news traveling history. That's half of the strategy now anyway! "Send this news to the influencers" Get the release to the one or two guys at the top and watch the trickle down effect happen. As this "strategy" continues, why couldn't it move to focusing more on building your relationships (something you should be doing as a PR person anyway) and getting to know those top influencers. Figuring a way to push one simple message to them and knowing from research/knowledge that they'd probably want to push it out themselves and kick off the effect. As long as you have a product that is newsworthy, this could totally work and make this shift.
There's no concrete strategy behind this, just like word of mouth, but I still think we'll see the PR flow shift towards doing this for SOME campaigns.
So, what would work? Here are some ideas.
- Tech product launches. Spec products from Apple are spread around virally all of the time. Most of the time they're false, but one of them COULD be true. Some of these links get sent around to thousands of blogs instantly.
- "Viral video campaigns" (Put a dollar in a jar if someone has asked you to make their video go "viral"---now give me the jar so I can go shopping) can actually do this on these platforms---if the content is good. College Humor videos that air online---many find out because they follow their Tumblr accounts. Easy and done.
March 3, 2009
I'll be back
MacBook returns tomorrow hopefully. Regular blogging to resume then. Sorry, work's been busy.
In the interim, my friends and I have been enjoying this song which is a great round up of college. So long ago.... Enjoy.
In the interim, my friends and I have been enjoying this song which is a great round up of college. So long ago.... Enjoy.
