Twittering the day away

So when someone first explained the concept of Twitter to me, my first reaction was: "Who has time to keep up with what their friends are doing all day?" Surely not me. However, after I investigated closer, I realized that the twitter phenomenon was actually pretty cool. And if done right, you wouldn't spend your day reading about what meaningly tasks your friends are completing. Rather, twitter is way to stay connected to friends so that you always know what thier doing or what is important to them.

What makes twitter so cutting edge is the fact that it provides real-time short messages that work over multiple networks and devices. For PR people, using twitter (called "tweeting") provides an opportunity to let valuable publics know what is hot with your organization. This connection that spans over networks is a great opportunity. Just think what an impact it would be to have interested publics keeping up with what you are doing instead of your organizaiton trying to keep up with them. Wouldn't it be great if your prospective customers wanted to get text messages, facebook messages, etc JUST about your organization?

MSU Gets Social

Missouri State University has recently taken the next step to get cozy with the "in crowd" who make use of online social networks. Brad Mitchell (New Media guru) has taken on a handful with his job of managing and creating (plus more) social media profiles on a variety of social media sites (such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, etc).

For all appearances sake, Brad has lucked out with his position at Missouri State. Not many of us would think twice for an opportunity to dabble in social media all day and get paid. However, Brad indicated that his job goes far beyod maintining social media profiles for the University. With this in mind, I cannot possibly fathom how he finds time in a normal work day to keep up with these social media sites and still manages to take on additional tasks (such as the new iClass function sponsored by Apple he is now working on and the various technicial roles he must fill).

Because of the overwhelming responsibilities that come with creating and maintaining a social media account, especially for an organization, it is clear that such a task will not remain a one-person show for long. With the whimsy of dabbling on social media Web sites all day, I am certain that there will be no shortage of volunteers when a new position in New Media becomes open at Missouri State. Hopefully, the role will be filled by an experienced PR person who has the experience and knowledge to maintain such profiles and help them flourish so MSU will receive the greatest benefit from getting socially involved.

Podcasts

A podcast is a series of audio or video files which is distributed over the internet by syndicated download, through Web feeds, to portable media players and personal computers (yep, that's straight from Wikipedia )
Many moons ago--alright, maybe two weeks ago--I wasn't really for sure what a podcast was. Have I used it? Have I seen one? Do I have to have an iPod? These answers to these questions (yes, yes, and no) are answered from the simple definition above. The question that most confused me (the whole iPod issue) is a viable question. Podcasts were developed for the Apple iPod, but with the new distribution possibilities, podcasts open a world of opportunity for everyone...particularly PR people.

Incorporating podcasts onto your company's Web site could provide a new and hip way to connect with your publics. By posting a link on your company's page, you let new (and returning) visitors know that your company is a forerunner, and you have something you want everyone to see (or hear). Just having this technology available to your publics will catch the interest of your audience and transport information and new ideas directly to them through media. This tool will prove to be a beneficial way of interacting with publics and can have a powerful impact on your organization in the future.

IMC...Simple as 1,2,3

Integrated marketing communications (IMC) used to be a somewhat taboo idea. Why? Let's just break down the phase: integrated+marketing+communicatio= Public relations department meets marketing department(not always the best combination in the past. However, dispite the reluctance of marketing and PR to come together, IMC seems to be a perfect spawn.

The brief version of what IMC is: the effort for a company to create a recognizable brand that is releveant to a person and consistent over time. With these efforts, consumers develop a connection to the brand. Don Shultz, professor (emeritus-in-service) of integrated marketing communications at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. has published multiple articles on the topic that are available on American Marketing Association Web site Many of these articles are useful in explaining the various aspects of IMC as it relates to building brands today.

One useful article is here this article lays out the steps for a successful IMC campaign.

So can you identify any companies who have successfully implementd IMC? The basic premise is that you connect an image that you associate with a campaign that has been consistent and successful over many media platforms? Maybe a product that leaves an image in your head, or that has gained your loyalty? One that comes to mind for me is Diet Dr. Pepper. Don't get me wrong, I haven't touched a dark soda in ages. However, if I were to pop open a can I would choose Diet Dr. Pepper. Why? Because I know it tastes more like regular Dr. Pepper. Afterall, the TV, radio, and magazines all say the same things...so it must be true...right?

Social News Releases: Building an Online Attraction

Social news releases, first brought to light by Todd Defren http://www.pr-squared.com are a growing online trend for PR people. Unlike the traditional option(dare I say it...PRESS RELEASES, social news releases produce a little more of a pull opportunity than do the predecessors.

More and more companies are creating areas on their Web pages where media people can come to get the information they want.

This is beneficial because often, standard press releases can go unnoticed. This reminds me of an experience I had as an intern for an agency that utilized only traditional press releases. Their PR person sent out releases daily by e-mail to a laundry list of local media members. Sounds pretty proactive, right? Well if it's the thought that counts, A+. However, e-mail technology revealed that most of the messages went unread by the recepients. My estimate is that not only did the media folks find the constant e-mails unnecessary, but also intrusive and maybe even unimportant. I would estimate that the bulk of the releases could have been condensed into a weekly fact sheet about the organization (and posted on a Web page for easy access).

Making your information available to the public on the Web could open a world of opportunity. 1) You won't risk harming relationships with media by bombarding them with information. 2) You make valuable information available to those outside the media. 3)You can maxmize effectiveness by reaching new publics who search for your organization.

With all of this considered, I surely do not suggest cutting out the traditional press release. There are certainly more traditional people who appreciate and thrive on push media. However, try to read the signs when it comes to others. If a particular contact has NEVER responded to or made use of your press releases, don't risk damaging your relationsship by continuing to send them. Try simply sending these folks a link to your site, less-frequent e-mails when your social media outlet is updates, or a link to your RSS feed. This way, they can choose what information is relevant to them.

Social Networks: Are you in?

We've all heard the phrases, "Everyone's doing it", or "Anyone who's anyone will be there". To me, these cliches epitomize the world of social networks. Though the social networks I'm talking about are the posh "electronic type", people (PR people especially) have been taking advantage of social networks for years.

Basically the gathering of poeple who share the same values, beliefs, friends, dislikes, or visions create a social network. However, online social networks are the new(ish) way to connect with people who share such similarities.

Facebook (2004) and MySpace(2003) are the two networks that have been in the spotlight for several years now. The polls are up and down regarding which is "better" or "more popular". However, one thing is clear: social networks are PR practitioners opportunity to connect with the masses.

Like any other newfangaled form of Internet media, there are pros and cons of using social networks. MySpace, in particular, has many design problems due to the fact that most designers are amatures and create HTML codes that are OUT OF CONTROL. This often makes pages load slow as molassas or creates additional problems.

However, despite the inevitable short commings of social media, creating profiles can serve as a valuable tool to attract followers. This task should not be taken lightly! The average Joe could spend countless hours on MySpace and Facebook with no purpose. In accordance, someone with an actual goal in mind would need to learn how to navigate the system and work functions in order to have a noteworthy profile. In addition, constant (shall I even say relentless) monitoring is necessary to keep up with the myrad of requests, notices, etc that come with having a social network profile. WHEW, that's a lot of work to tackle!

Feed Me: information for the hungry mind

RSS feeds (or Really Simple Syndication) are a hip and convenient way to get the info you want (such as blog entries, news headlines, video postings) when you want it. RSS feeds are a way for readers to receive notifications when their favorite Web sites or blogs have been updated. Unlike receiving the daily newspaper or a magazine, RSS feeds will sort through updated information and notify readers ONLY when information they want to know about has been updated. Think of RSS as your nosy gossip-guru friend: they know all the new news, and won't hesitate to give you the low-down when something new and of interest happens. In this way, RSS filters available information and notifies you only about topics you have indicated interest in...pretty cool, huh?

So now for the good stuff, RSS feeds are F-R-E-E! What could be better than that? Unlike receiving an online subscription that you have to filter through to find what you want, what you want is pre-filtered and comes to you. There is one tiny problem: not every site offers RSS :( So, unfortunately for now, readers won't be able to get notification for every single tidbit of new info they might be interested, but most big name and savvy Web sites have already made the move to offer RSS.

So let's recap: RSS is simple (by it's own recognition), free, and gives you want-so what could go wrong? I will pose this question to you and offer a prediction myself: like anything that is "free" sooner or later there is a gimmick. I estimate that sometime soon, RSS notifications will be accompanied by advertisements from endorsers to distract you from the information you want to see (probably one of those darn flashing slot machines that would send an epileptic into a fit). After all, nothing on the Internet stays "really simple" for too long.