Archive for December, 2008
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Happy new year! As part of my “social” resolutions, I am finding new voices to read, listen to and build relationships with in 2009. I thought I’d share a handful of new subscriptions I’ve added recently to my reader. I hope you’ll check out their blogs and find them on Twitter. Shannon Paul’s Very Official BlogShannon does social media stuff for the Detroit Red Wings and has a ton of great content. Her recent post on building an online presence is a great resource for people (like you students) just figuring out how to best participate…or really anyone for that matter. (@Shannonpaul) Steve Crescenzo’s Corporate HallucinationsIt’s a good day when a blog about communications makes me laugh out loud. Corporate Hallucinations is one of those blogs. Because I’m getting ready to do some client focus groups, this post was particularly relevant. And this post made me cry – cause I’m... Continue Reading
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This is part of two of a two part guest post from Julie Bonn Heath. Julie Bonn Heath is a PR/Marketing Professional, Author and National Freelance Writer. She lives on the beautiful Oregon Coast. See her blog, Marketing Jewels, at www.jbhmarketing.blogspot.com. More about Julie at www.juliebonnheath.com. The management of a tour is very important. I tell the bloggers I’m working with that their receipt of the product is an agreement that they will post about the product honestly. However, I still must visit the blogs on the days that the post is scheduled and follow up if it is not there. There are commonly two or three bloggers on each tour that don’t post at all. Obviously, I don’t ask them to join any future tours. Offering prizes or giveaways help bloggers compete for comments on their posts and help drive traffic. I usually offer a prize for the blogger... Continue Reading
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This is part of one of a two part guest post from Julie Bonn Heath. Julie Bonn Heath is a PR/Marketing Professional, Author and National Freelance Writer. She lives on the beautiful Oregon Coast. See her blog, Marketing Jewels, at www.jbhmarketing.blogspot.com. More about Julie at www.juliebonnheath.com Blog Tours and Virtual Blog Tours are a great way to get the word out on the Internet about a new product. A blog tour involves multiple mentions of a product on many blogs within a certain time period. This can include reviews of the product, interviews with the product creator and more. A virtual blog tour also includes virtual components, such as podcasts, chats or webinars. An online tour has many benefits. Most importantly, it gives the search engines multiple results for the product, which increases the ability for someone to find information through a Web search. The more results, the more trust... Continue Reading
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This morning I left a comment on a blog that I’ve been reading for a long time, but never commented on. That made me think that I should really leave more comments on blogs. I love it when people comment on my blog … one thought led to another and here’s a list of my “social” resolutions (I’ll spare you the “eat better” and “exercise more” resolutions). Leave more comments on blogs. I read hundreds of posts a week, it should be easy to leave a few comments, right? I always want my comment to be valuable and add something to the conversation. For me, that means just taking a few minutes to pause and think about my response… chances are I have something to say. Cool Cat Teacher has some good tips for commenting. On a similar thread, initiate more conversations on Twitter. People are smart and I don’t... Continue Reading
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It’s scary to be a university senior right now. In just 6 months, the market will flood with recent graduates clamoring for what could be fewer entry level jobs than we saw in the last few years. I don’t think it matters much what your major is, this is likely to be the reality for a lot of folks. But you’re interested in PR, so does that mean you should forget about working in public relations? After all, the media is dying (say some) and PR departments are downsizing. Well, if your dream is to do traditional media relations in an old school model of public relations… um, yes. Yes, you should forget about PR. However, based on my own experience with a wide variety of clients, as well as watching my students’ careers, I say that if you can come to the table prepared for the PR career of... Continue Reading
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Happy holidays! Some of my favorite posts from the last week or so to keep you entertained during your winter break. You’re probably starting to get bored about now, right? The STAR Approach to Storytelling (Lindsay Olson)When we say focus on results, here’s a great way to think about it and make it happen. Stories of the Year (from AdAge)The article includes the big pr/mktg/adv gaffes of the year. I just love lists. Firearms Manufacturer Misfires (from Bernstein Crisis Management newsletter)A firearms manufacturer uses a notorious sniper as a testimonial in its annual catalog and creates quite a commotion. The problem? The company’s collective head is so far in the sand it is unlikely to ever recover. Social Media Predictions 2009 (PRSquared)Many folks contributed to this conversation, Todd is just one. Worth thinking about and spending some time with this one. Things will continue to change… will you be ready?... Continue Reading
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I’ve often remarked on the speech affectation of undergrads in my classes. With “likes,” “ums,” “kind ofs” and “you knows” peppering their speech along with this almost valley girl-esque speak pattern. In more than one case, I’ve thought that those students with particularly distracting speech patterns would be taken so much more seriously if they, as the comedian in this video says, would just speak with authority. Not sure if you have these speech patterns? Or what to do about it? Some tips: Rowan Manahan suggests tape recording yourself in natural speech and listening for the cues: kind of, like, sort of, you know and the myriad of fillers that sneak into our conversations. A Real Simple article about identifying and correcting eight common speech problems offers tips about everything from interrupting to correcting speech tics. Fast Company also has a article that’s a bit old, but still has great... Continue Reading
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The very ground on which we stand in public relations is shifting. Like tectonic plates colliding miles under the surface, these changes are shaking up the industry. The PRos of the future will need to have different skills and use more traditional skills in new ways. These changes are creating new opportunities for smart, creative thinkers. John Bell at Ogilvy’s 360 Digital Influence Team offers 13 skills that will be required for PR professionals to succeed in the future. His PR Brain for 2009 looks different than the PR brain looked even seven years ago when I finished my undergrad degree. You can read John’s post, but the point of his skills that I take away are that you have to be quick, responsive (not reactive) and creative. You also must know how to think in terms of measurement, ROI and be able to talk business. Katie Paine offers six... Continue Reading
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Amybeth Hale (aka Research Goddess) announced this week the launch of the Waggener Edstrom Staffing Facebook page. From Amybeth: I am happy to announce that the Waggener Edstrom Staffing Facebook page, Careers with Waggener Edstrom, is live! If you are a Facebook member, I would encourage you to add this page to your Favorites, become a Fan, and/or share the link with your Facebook PR contacts – check it out! Some of the items featured on the page include: A photo album introducing the members of the Staffing Team A listing of upcoming events at which various staffing team members will be in attendance (viewable once you log in) Our WE Connect blog RSS feed, showcasing several of our Waggener Edstrom bloggers Notes listing some of our current agency openings A list of our agency awards Several quotes from our candidates complimenting our Staffing team …and more to come. We... Continue Reading
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