Why Public Relations And Media Relations Don't Mean The Same Thing Anymore

Don't get stuck in the past. PR folks need to keep up with the ever-evolving digital world to stay relevant.

Public relations is evolving faster than an out-of-control science fiction character. Yet many PR companies in my experience are stuck in the past.

They still think of public relations as straight media relations with maybe a dollop of social media added, along with a sprinkling of branded content.

Don’t get me wrong. Media relations remains a viable part of public relations. But it’s just part of what the profession can do. Unfortunately, companies that don’t recognize that are missing a major opportunity.

“Today PR often encompasses everything from social media to content marketing and even native advertising in some cases,” says Rebekah Iliff, chief strategy officer of AirPR, the PR marketplace and technology platform.

While once the stepchild to its more glamorous sibling advertising, PR today can in fact far surpass the performance of advertising thanks to its ability to turn more traffic into leads.
For example, AirPR's data show that PR generates conversion rates 10 to 50 times that of advertising conversions.

A recent Nielsen-inPowered study showed that earned media--which is just a fancy word for PR--is more effective than branded content at all stages of the purchase funnel.
This isn’t a prescription to overdose on PR. But PR, because of its third-party endorsements, adds built-in credibility. A mistake some companies make, however, is to think third-party validation means only the media and maybe a few celebrities.

“Many people just consider industry luminaries and the ‘rock stars’ when thinking about influencers,” Sarah Skerik, vice president of strategic communications and content at PR Newswire, told me.

Skerik says she’s had better results by getting something shared on LinkedIn than by having it retweeted by big names on Twitter.

Adjusting To Today’s Digital World

The challenge today for public relations is adjusting to the constant drum of news from social media and mobile. No longer are episodic, big budget launch campaigns the ticket to success. Instead, brands must widen the net and maintain an always-on presence. This means using a combination of third-party validation, along with branded content and social.

As Heidi Sullivan, senior vice president of digital content at PR software company Cision, told me, “There is no silver bullet today. Getting mentioned in a big daily newspaper doesn’t reach your entire audience.”

At the same time that the role of public relations has morphed into a bigger job, technology is helping to transform PR into something you can measure.
No longer do companies have to rely solely on media placements as the only evidence of PR success; today armed with the right tools, they can understand the impact of PR on leads and ultimately sales.
Yet many companies in my experience would as soon measure their employees’ bathroom habits as they would their PR effectiveness.

“This is the one thing I see missing the majority of the time,” Iliff told me. “A company says to a PR pro ‘we want to see our sales go up' but then gives them no access to how to actually make that happen."

By: Wendy Marx (For Fastcompany.com)

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http://www.fastcompany.com/3034498/the-future-of-work/why-public-relations-and-media-relations-dont-mean-the-same-thing-anymore

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You Need A Social Media Manager On Your Team

There is added value in having a strategist and a communicator representing your company's brand

There are two job titles floating around the business world: social media manager and community manager. While they bear similarities, a community manager is the public face of brands, interacting with a community and generating buzz for their companies. A social media manager is a strategist and communicator, with the ability to measure and analyze effectiveness. Large companies will have both an SM and CM, while startups and small businesses are lucky to be able to fulfill even one of those positions.

Many small business owners have adopted a “do-it-myself” mentality when it comes to social media. This just leads to greater burn out. The reality is that you need someone on your team –be it a social media manager, a community manager, or a combination of the two–who represents your company on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google, etc., and who is responsible for responding to comments/questions.

Below are just a few reasons why your business needs team member handling social media:

Act As Voice of the Brand. You want to have someone who is charged with managing your brand’s social media accounts in order to generate traffic and conversations. They’re the voice of the brand and act as the brand, not as their own persona. Also, this is the person who would work to create or add to the community, by generating leads and sales.

Create and Manage Accounts. This includes developing and posting content, such as Facebook updates, Twitter messages, and Instagram photos. Also, this is about following and interacting with other social media accounts, especially “influencers” and “thought leaders” in your field.

Share Video Content. If you have YouTube, a social media manager would post videos, respond to comments, and interact with other YouTube accounts, including commenting on their content and adding their videos to your company account’s playlists.

Increase SEO. In the social media training process, a strong manager will understand what it takes to boost SEO and improve your search rank. They will be able to create unique content and be able to navigate through search engines and other social media platforms that will help your company’s productivity.

Build Campaigns. This person also should be able to develop campaigns and strategies from the ground up and to see through the company’s social media endeavors. He or she should have the proper social media training to monitor campaigns in order to see what is working or what is not working and strive to improve the company’s online presence.

Focus On Automation. You want someone on board with social media training who is well-versed in different management tools and strategies (apps and content automation tools) to maintain a strong online presence for your company.

Monitor Trends. You also want someone who can stay ahead of the game by focusing on social media trends and researching best practices. This person should be able to implement new techniques for boosting your company’s online reputation and progress.

Manage Company Reputation. In the social media world, this means monitoring location listings like Google+ Local as well as tracking and responding to mentions of your company’s name and relevant keywords and reviews on sites like Yelp and Foursquare that get pushed to Twitter. A social media manger would respond to reviews as needed.


by Carolyn M. Brown  (For BlackEnterprise.com)

Click For Original Article

http://www.blackenterprise.com/small-business/you-need-a-social-media-manager-on-your-team/


About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

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What ‘Game of Thrones’ can teach about PR

HBO’s “Game of Thrones” provides its fans with compelling and nail-biting entertainment through intricate plotlines and diverse characters.

With the hit series winding up its fourth season June 15, it occurred to me that in their quest to claim the Iron Throne, the various groups and characters could be the subject of one big old public relations case study.

Not convinced? Consider the following groups of characters and then decide whether we all can learn a thing or two from the fine citizens of Westeros.

(Note: I’m referring to the television series and not the books so there are no spoilers here—unless you haven’t caught up with season four.)

1. The White Walkers. Like a big, ominous corporation shrouded in mystery, no one exactly knows what these guys are up to, besides riding zombie horses and building a blue-eyed infant army with Craster’s sons. Theories abound on what their role will be as the series progresses, with some even saying the White Walkers are actually the misunderstood heroes. No one is really sure, though.

Unfortunately, when you don’t communicate your group’s mission clearly and regularly, that information gap breeds fear. In the White Walkers’ case, a little friendly interaction could go a long way.

2. The Lannisters. Rich and powerful, the Lannister family gets props for having a clear-cut vision and executing it to near perfection, but they aren’t winning any People’s Choice awards, either. From pushing kids out windows to false imprisonment, the Lannisters are alienating their target audience and losing followers in their quest to control the message.

This approach works for them now because they have power and intimidation on their side, but it’s a classic case of winning the battle and losing the war. A Lannister might always pay his debts, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of turning off supporters.

3. The Starks. The noble and righteous Starks may be the antithesis of the Lannisters, but they’re not doing themselves any favors. So often ruled by emotion rather than logic, the Starks rush into situations and make rash decisions before fully weighing the consequences.

For instance, Ned Stark went to Cersei Lannister with the discovery that her kids are actually the result of conscious coupling with her brother and are not, in fact, the legitimate heirs to the throne. Catelyn Stark impulsively agreed to her son’s arranged marriage in order to cross a bridge. Then Robb Stark ignored the contract. Probably not the best ideas, guys.

4. Daenerys Targaryen. Dany got a tough start in life—what with being exiled with her jerky brother, an arranged marriage barely into her teens, and losing her unborn son and husband at the same time—but the girl’s got dragons. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade.

Dany understands she has a lot to learn if she’s going to be an effective leader and (mostly) listens to her advisors, who provide valuable information about the needs and wants of her target public. (Catapulting boxes of collars and chains from a slave kingdom she liberated to another slave kingdom? Brilliant.) This season, she wisely has chosen to focus on connecting with her audience through good, old-fashioned, two-way communication. With luck, she’ll continue to engage her target public and earn their trust.

5. The Night’s Watch. Yeah, we’ve all been there. You know there’s a lurking danger, whether it’s your brand’s competition, a grass-roots opposition effort, or even the shortcomings of your own product. You warn your superiors, but your pleas fall on deaf ears.

Jon Snow must have felt the same frustration this season when he tried to tip off his fellow Night’s Watchmen about the imminent attack led by Mance Rader and his Wilding army. Equipped with firsthand knowledge about the inner workings of the army, Jon said the Night’s Watch had better prepare for the worst-case scenario, but he was told he knows nothing.

Maybe it’s the isolating 700-foot-high wall that makes them feel safe, but ignoring warning signs while basking in the glow of smug superiority is a recipe for disaster. Always have a crisis communications plan, just in case.

By: Tara Erwin (For PRDaily.com)
Twitter: @Terwin

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http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/16740.aspx

 

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Sean Diddy Combs is Schooling Tomorrows CEOs

Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group founder and CEO Sean “Diddy” Combs is schooling young people on entrepreneurship. Combs has partnered with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), which empowers at-risk youth through entrepreneurship education.

Combs’ brand Sean John is a sponsor of NFTE’s World Series of Innovation, an annual event that sparks young people across the globe to devise groundbreaking products and services. Last year, he supported the organization’s Dare To Dream Auction, which benefited greatly from celebrity entrepreneurs like Combs offering their expertise through a business coaching session. Combs not only mentored one of the winners but also provided feedback on the teen business from his senior leadership team across brands. Additionally, the hip-hop mogul put up his money, donating $250,000 to NFTE to help future CEOs achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.

More than 500,000 students have completed NFTE courses since Steve Mariotti founded the nonprofit in 1987. NFTE supports active programs in 18 U.S. states and 11 countries around the world.

“I believe all young people should be given the opportunity to be successful and to pursue their passions and NFTE gives all kids the tools they need to be the CEOs of their future,” said the 44-year-old Combs in a released statement. He advises youth to “hold onto your dreams because hard work pays off.” Don’t be discouraged but “be realists” when dealing in business, added Combs. “The economy is not really protective of the future and so (young people) have to deal with the reality. It’s harder out there than ever so you have to be smarter than ever have more tenacity, be relentless.”
NFTE is good at convincing inner-city kids that their street smarts can be applied in the classroom, Combs told BusinessWeek.com during an interview. “I’m the poster child for that,” he said. When asked about how well of a job the U.S. is dong teaching entrepreneurship, Combs responded “I don’t know if we’re so much teaching entrepreneurship as people are taking their futures into their own hands. It’s hard for people to find jobs out there right now, and through those rough times, you have people who are going to quit, and you have people who are going to fight. I think that what’s happening is people are discovering different opportunities in their communities and understanding that if they have a good product, or have something that people want or need, they can take responsibility and accountability for their futures.”

In response to if entrepreneurship is something that can be taught, Combs said: “I think especially with kids from the inner city, they’re natural-born entrepreneurs, because they have to figure out how to survive. So they have it in their DNA. An organization like this can show them that they have it inside of them and can show them how to relate what they’re learning in school to their street smarts and street savvy.”

What’s a lesson someone taught him as a young entrepreneur? “It’s a little cliché, but someone taught me, if it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense,” he said. “That was after I went through a year where I had lost a lot of money—it was during the start of a recession, and I wasn’t sensitive to the economic climate. I wasn’t paying attention to what was going on in the world. If it’s raining outside, if it’s snowing—you have to know what the climate is in whatever space. I was in the retail space, I didn’t prepare for the storm. The world isn’t perfect, so plan accordingly.”

As to whether or not high school entrepreneurs better off going to college or learning through the experience of running a business, Combs said that it all depends on which business. “If you’re interested in engineering, I’d say, go to college. If you’re interested in finance, go to college. But there are other fields where you can get more value out of the experience of working. You might be better off working for free, or paying yourself,” he explained.

Combs made this year’s Forbes Five list of the wealthiest hip-hop acts with his net worth at $700 million. He reportedly is pushing ever closer to the billion-dollar mark thanks mostly to non-musical ventures. His newly-launched Revolt TV provides him with a majority equity stake that could one day make him hip-hop’s first billionaire. His other ventures include a deal with Diageo ’s Ciroc that entitles him to eight-figure annual payouts and a nine-figure windfall if the brand is ever sold.

by Carolyn M. Brown (For Blackenterprise.com)

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http://www.blackenterprise.com/small-business/sean-diddy-combs-is-schooling-tomorrows-ceos/

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6 PR lessons from Mr. T

I didn't know it at the time, but many of the lessons that have shaped who I am today came from the TV shows I watched as a kid. In some cases those shows taught me a bit about my future career, too.
Yes, I am saying I learned PR lessons from '80s television.
Those of us who grew up in the '80s recall our favorite sitcoms with great pleasure; they were full of heartwarming, yet humorous, life lessons. As a child growing up on an apple orchard miles from town, TV meant the five channels that came in via a rabbit-ear antenna. But it was all I needed for hours and hours of Saturday morning cartoons and an endless number of sitcoms.
Of these, one of my favorites was "Silver Spoons." Starring the great Ricky Schroder as Ricky, "Silver Spoons" began running in 1982 when I was 10 years old. During the fourth episode we were introduced to a celebrity who would become a childhood hero: Mr. T.
Here are a few PR lessons from the great Mr. T:

1. Stay on message.
"First name 'Mr.,' middle name 'period' and last name 'T'!"
Mr. T played a bodyguard whom Ricky's father hired to protect Ricky from a bully. In an inspired scene, Mr. T shows up to class to protect Ricky and has a run in with the teacher who inquires about his name. Mr. T's response was simply brilliant: "First name 'Mr.,' middle name 'period' and last name 'T'!"

There you have it: a PR lesson from Mr. T. In that statement, Mr. T exemplified the art of staying on message. Sure, he could have offered a long answer about how his real name was Laurence Tread, but as a professional bodyguard he was known as Mr. T. But that sort of explanation didn't make sense for Mr. T's character or brand. He needed a clever, terse and funny response-and he delivered.

2. Words matter.
"Love is a verb… and verbs show action."
Mr. T, let's be clear: "Love" is also a noun, but we get your point. Love is not just a word—it's an action. OK, yes, that is a life lesson rather than a PR lesson, but the PR lesson is that words matter. Mr. T had a true hold on words and used them well. While he could be brief, he was on message and usually made sense. He clearly stated his point in a manner that even children understood.

3. Don't miss a big opportunity because of cost.
"You gonna lose a deal over $35? That's chump change! My lunch cost $35!"
The PR lesson here is simple: Some things are not free, so don't lose a story or deal based on minor expenses. Sure, none of us want to pay for PR—earned media is our holy grail—but we should never think of PR as free. Earned media is earned. With that in mind, we always need to be willing to absorb a cost, whether it be it dollars or time, to get the results we want.
If something costs more than you expect but the value of the story is high, don't miss out. For example, when I was in consumer product PR, I cannot tell you how many times I rushed to FedEx to get my package into the last overnight shipment to make sure my product was in the hands of a producer or reporter the next morning. The cost was high, both in shipping fees and time spent rushing to the airport terminal, but the reward-often as awesome as a "Today Show" feature-was almost always worth the trouble.

4. Don't hate your competition.
"No, I don't hate Balboa, but I pity the fool."
This is fantastic Mr. T advice from "Rocky III." We have competition, but we should never be haters. Always take the high road.
When you are neck-and-neck with the competition for coverage, or featured side-by-side in a story, never hate. Just love them for making you a more competitive person, and then pity them because you are awesome and will obviously win.

5. Stay focused.
"I got no time for the jibba-jabba."
This is good advice, Mr. T. The life of a PR pro is very busy; we do not have time for distractions or "jibba-jabba." We need to stay focused and save the idle conversation for later. And as any good PR pro knows, jibba-jabba can often lead to over-sharing and going off message. We certainly don't want that.

6. Face your fears.
"I ain't getting on no plane, Hannibal!"
On "The A-Team" (another great TV show of the '80s), Mr. T learned one lesson time and time again: Face your fears. B. A. Baracus, his character on the show, was terrified of flying on planes, and the other characters often tricked him into flying. Every time, Mr. T realized it wasn't so bad. He didn't usually admit it when things worked out, but you could see he knew it inside. I always believed he was proud that he'd tackled a fear.
PR folks need to confront their fears every day. Our fears are wide and varied, ranging from the fear of rejection when pitching to the fear of public speaking or failing on a project. But we can, and must, overcome them. Face the fear head on.

By Marc Cowlin (for PRDaily.com)

Click For Original Article

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/16730.aspx#



About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

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A guide to measuring social media ROI

There's a popular misconception that it's difficult to use targeted metrics to measure social media's return on investment (ROI). That's not true. Nor is social media only good for measuring brand awareness.

The fact is social media can offer some of the best metrics for measuring ROI. All you need to do is set your success guides—what you want to achieve and how long it will take—and measure your results against them.
Here are six simple metrics for the main social networks that you can use to measure your social media ROI across earned, owned and paid media:


1. Blogger outreach
A key component of many (if not most) social media campaigns, blogger outreach programs can offer some of the best results of any marketing tactic. Measuring your success isn't too difficult, either. All you have to do is determine the answers to the following questions:

• How many bloggers wrote about you?
• How many comments did these posts receive?
• How many social shares did the post get?
• What was your traffic pre- and post-outreach?
• How much product did you have to provide to bloggers, and how many sales did you receive?

2. Twitter
Twitter not only offers instant eyeballs, but great returns. Again, measuring your impact is relatively simple:

• What was your retweet value (cost of manpower and resources versus followers who take action)?
• How often did people use your hashtag?
• How many times did people click your vanity URL?
• How many new (genuine) followers did you get during your promotion?
• If you used something like sponsored tweets, what was the cost versus the click-throughs and conversions?

3. Facebook
Although it has its critics (including me), Facebook offers some great built-in tools and demographic options to help gauge a campaign's success:

• How many new, worthwhile fans did you make, and how many did you target?
• How many times did people like or act on your promotion message?
• If you built a Facebook application, how many times did people install or share it?
• Did you successfully reach your target demographic? (Facebook Insights can help.)
• How much did you spend on a Facebook ad, and how did click-throughs and new sales/customers compare?

4. Google+
While we don't quite know the effectiveness of brand pages on Google+ and in-line Google Ads complement Google+ content, there are ways to measure your activity:

• Has Google+ raised your profile on search, as well as resulting traffic to your site?
• How many circles have people added you to?
• How many +1s do your comments and discussions receive?
• How active is your community?
• How many ripples do your discussions create?
• How many attendees take part in your hangouts?

5. YouTube and other video sites
More than just a fun place to see kids hurt themselves on bikes, YouTube is a key tool in any marketing campaign—just ask the companies that used it during this year's Super Bowl.
Here are the questions you should ask:

• How many views did you get?
• How many likes and favorites did you receive?
• How many downloads did you get (on video sites that allow downloads)?
• How many embeds has your video seen elsewhere on the Web?
• How many subscribers did your channel attract?
• If your video had a call to action with a vanity URL, how many times did people click through?
• How many social shares did you get on the social networks your target demographics use?

6. Mobile
As marketing evolves, the different ways to reach an audience combine to create new outlets. Mobile marketing is the perfect complement to social marketing, and is easy to measure:

• Did you use a push SMS system to drive traffic to a mobile-friendly site? If so, how many views did it bring?
• Did you use QR codes? If so, how many times did people use them?
• How many downloads did your mobile app receive?
• How many times did people check-in on Gowalla and Foursquare?
• What was the most popular operating system? (This can tell you a lot about your audience's demographic and buying options.)

These questions offer just some of the immediate ways you can measure your social media success. There are more ways to measure your success, including monitoring tools and more defined analytics. Which ones you use will depend on the goals you've set and how you define success.
No matter how you collect the information you need, it all comes down to comparing man hours and financial outlay to your return.
It's important to remember that marketing can come down to luck and circumstance as much as brilliant strategy-timing and a welcoming audience are key. The one thing you can control, however, is measurement, and with social media and mobile marketing, measurement has never been easier.


A version of this article originally appeared on DannyBrown.me.


About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

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Follow us on Twitter @LBConsultation

7 media relations rules you might want to break

Most disciplines have unwritten rules or principles that professionals live by, and the practice of public relations is no exception, but no PR or media relations “law” is ironclad.

There are times when you might need to break the rules, or at least shake up PR industry convention when it comes to dealing with the press. Here’s my list.

Rule 1: Never say, “No comment.” Of course, we tell clients this, and the words have become such a cliché that any PR person would cringe to see them in print, but most know that there are times when the only response to a media inquiry is none at all.

For example, pundits advise “getting out in front of the story” in a crisis, but we don’t always have all the facts during the roughly four-hour window available for responding. If you don’t have the facts, you probably shouldn’t be speaking to the press.

Rule 2: Don’t bother journalists unless you have news. Someone else’s news can also be your story, if you have a colorful quote or interesting point of view. “Newsjacking,” which we used to call “news-surfing”—or hijacking a breaking news story or trend with your client’s comment—is a time-honored way to be featured. Just don’t expect to be the main story.

Rule 3: To be media worthy, your product/service/story must be unique. Not really, and few are. (That overused, hyperbolic descriptor probably won’t get you far, anyway.) Yet, as we like to say in the biz, one product is just a product, but two is a category. Your news might meet with a stronger reception and have more impact as part of a broader category story or a classic “marketing wars” faceoff.

Rule 4: Cast your net widely when pitching a story. A better way to assess media potential and promote the story to maximum advantage may be to offer first crack, or “exclusive” access, to a single, highly influential outlet and then go wide. Yes, sometimes you can have it both ways.

Rule 5: Media-training your client or spokesperson will guarantee message delivery. This one’s debatable, but I think media prep is overrated. It won’t typically transform a reluctant or meandering speaker into a great interview. When it’s overdone, it can result in a flat or overly commercial interaction that can kill the chances for future interviews. There are times when it’s best to find a third-party expert, or restrict the client to pre-recorded and print interviews.

Rule 6: The PR person stays behind the scenes. In many situations, it’s tricky for a PR rep to be quoted or to outshine a client, and most traditional agency people are more comfortable behind the scenes. Still, there are plenty of communications specialists who take an active role in a client interview, and not just for preparation. It’s particularly vital for advocacy campaigns where misinformation can abound and opinions and conclusions are hotly debated.

Rule 7: When in doubt, hold a press conference. This is a bit of a cheat because few PR professionals would agree, but some clients think a product or service launch deserves a fancy press briefing and that journalists will come running. Chances are they won’t, and it may not serve the client well. A strategic media approach beats an expensive event nine times out of 10.

By Dorothy Crenshaw (For PRDaily.com)

Click for Original Article

http://www.prdaily.com/mediarelations/Articles/16527.aspx

About us:
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company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
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Why Industry Hashtags #FAIL

When the NYPD started #MYNYPD on Twitter, it was practically gift wrapped for critics. It’s just one of many failed industry and corporate hashtags.

#TBT #FF #Scandal. When something goes viral on Twitter, everyone in public relations and corporate communications stares with envy. Unfortunately, when things go south, they go south very quickly. That’s what happened with #MYNYPD.

Arguably a well-intentioned effort to engage the community, #MYNYPD was meant to share tweets and photos of police officers doing good around New York City. But like other hijacked hashtags, it was virtually gift-wrapped for its critics. What made it such an easy target? A provocative brand, an easily co-optable hashtag, and the very nature of being a government agency. The public appropriation of #MYNYPD highlights the chasm between social media perception and reality.
Twitter is by its very nature designed to amplify information—and people are by their very nature more likely to complain than compliment. Handing folks an easier way to tag your organization—and highlight their simmering discontent—is not going to end well. Starbucks learned this lesson the hard way when they launched #SharetheCheer in the midst of a controversy over paying UK taxes. As such, #SharetheCheer was used to share sarcasm. Likewise, Quantas airline made a timing error when they began the #QuantasLuxury campaign while passengers were stranded overseas on their airline.

The most memorable #TwitterFail was most likely #McDStories, which was featured in the New York Times Magazine in May 2012. In the midst of ongoing PR challenges around fast food’s connection to obesity and a more recent “pink slime” controversy, McDonald’s launched a Twitter campaign featuring farmers and soliciting stories. That’s where things went awry, as customers shared horrible stories about food and experiences. Similarly, when anti-choice groups started a #PraytoEndAbortion campaign, reproductive rights groups co-opted the slogan, transforming the tweets to: ”#PraytoEndAbortion that is unsafe, illegal, and driven underground by needless restrictions…” and “States that teach abstinence-only have the highest rates of teen pregnancies. Don't #PraytoEndAbortion, provide a real education.”


Government agencies necessarily have a higher proportion of media and critics as Twitter followers. That’s just the way it is. For some, it’s their job to hold leaders accountable, and others are waiting for something to criticize. Government is also, reasonably, held to a higher standard. Sweden tried an interesting experiment in June 2012, called Curators of Sweden, where each week they gave their Twitter handle to a different person. This seems like a disaster waiting to happen. And it was. This became obvious when one of the guest tweeters tweeted “Once I asked a co-worker what a jew is. He was "part jew", whatever that means….” The White House had better luck when they asked constituents to use #My2K to share what they would do with money they could potentially save in taxes. Some users did co-opt the hashtag to complain about the administration—but the more frustrating monkey wrench was that the conservative Heritage Foundation purchased the promoted tweet so that anyone reading the hashtags would see their advertising against the Administration.

The NYPD is, necessarily, the most visible of New York City’s agencies. It has been the center of national coverage on stop and frisk and very recently was one of the defining topics of the New York City mayoral race. Not to mention that officers are occasionally arrested for wrongdoing and those stories often become front-page news. Additionally, groups like Occupy Wall Street and the New York Civil Liberties Union are loud and frequent opponents of the NYPD; Occupy Wall Street alone has nearly double the Twitter followers of NYPDNews. Not only did both entities help drive the negative coverage of #MYNYPD, but they have previously led unique campaigns around NYPD

So yes, attempting to solicit positive stories about the NYPD predictably opened the floodgates for Twitter criticism. But it would be an error to mistake Twitter engagement for actual representation of police behavior or even real public sentiment. Because one of the more noteworthy aspects of all this is how it places in stark relief the incredible disconnect between the interests of social media, the actual public impression of the police and, indeed, the actual reality of policing.

To look at representative #MYNYPD tweets, you'd think the public hated the police. And yet polls regularly demonstrate the contrary: A March 2012 Quinnipiac poll showed 63 percent of New Yorkers approve of the way the NYPD does its job; a January 2013 Q poll showed 70 percent approval; and an April 2013 poll showed 60 percent approval.

To look at those tweets, you'd think officers engaged in rampant wrongdoing. But did any of the salivating news coverage actually delve into accusations of wholesale misconduct or source evidence of systemic brutality? None that I saw. What we saw was a social media gaffe, to be sure, that played right into the basest instincts of a medium designed to exploit them.

Between April 22^nd and 23^rd, during the #MYNYPD frenzy, the NYPD issued over 20 media alerts concerning missing persons, robberies, assaults, arson, and a dead 9 year old boy.

Not exactly the thing that sets Twitter aflame.

By Samantha Levine (For TheDailyBeast.com)

Click for Original Article

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/05/why-industry-hashtags-fail.html#




About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

Check out www.LbConsultation.com
Follow us on Twitter @LBConsultation

There is no such thing as online PR

As we all know, digital marketing ceased to exist last year. In January 2013, Forrester announced it was to be the year that ‘digital marketing’ became just ‘marketing’.

I’d like to posit that something similar happened to PR. In fact I think it happened earlier, though we have yet to have had the debate.

There’s no doubt that the internet has changed marketing’s function and activities, but its impact on PR has simply been to expand the discipline’s footprint.

In a world where everyone is a communicator, PR’s influence is all-pervasive. It’s for this reason that I find the term ‘online PR’ to be so reductive.

More than links

As PR people have rushed to get their heads around SEO, and SEO people started undertaking activity that might traditionally be called PR, we’ve seen the term ‘online PR’ increasingly bandied about. 

What it tends to mean in this context is content generation and influencer relations, with one goal in mind: building links. And link building, as a goal in itself, is dead, or at least dying. 

And deservedly so. Call me old fashioned, but I like my search results to be a representation of the best content for what I’m looking for, not what an SEO (or PR) professional has managed to get the most links to point at. 

Google happens to agree with this, so link building, and by extension what tends to get called‘online PR’, is diminishing in effectiveness.

The focus now needs to be more firmly on just creating good content, with the emphasis on forming relationships with those that might link to it taking a back seat. 

By Ian McKee (For Econsultancy.com)
 

CLICK FOR FULL ARTICLE
 

https://econsultancy.com/blog/64281-there-s-no-such-thing-as-online-pr#i.vxngio45ydjwz0

 

 

About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

Check out www.LbConsultation.com
Follow us on Twitter @LBConsultation

Goodwill goes a long way..

Goodwill goes a long way..

 

 

By "The Boss"

(Why attaching your company or brand to a cause or charity can increase your company's profits)

One of the main things we advise our clients to do is to pick a cause or charity (that they believe in) and then attach themselves to it. This strategy facilitates goodwill and positive press for a brand as well as gain new supporters and customers.Today's market place, thanks in part to the explosion of social media is extremely over-saturated. The market place is filled with individuals who are either selling something, offering a service, part of a network marketing company or most of all aspiring entertainers. If you are reading this you just may be one of the fore-mentioned "over saturated many". Therefore you have probably asked yourself how do I stand out?

One of the most tried and true methods is Goodwill Marketing or charitable marketing. Whether you are a musician, actor, comedian or you are a small business volunteering your time, effort and/or money is a great way to promote what you do.

Why does good will marketing work?

Today's society is very "Me" conscious and Ego driven. It is almost impossible to gain support or attention when a good number of your target market are “doing their own thing” at the same time you are. Goodwill Marketing separates you from the pack. (If done correctly of course and with the right publicity)

In addition to staying above the fray. Goodwill Marketing will compel "like-minded" individuals to become supporters and ultimately customers. A good example of this is Credo Mobile. Credo mobile is a telecommunications company that among other things offers cell phone and mobile data services. They are competing against the T-Mobile’s and Verizon’s of the world but is able to find a very loyal and profitable customer base.

How is a small start up Telecommunications Company able to compete against their established and entrenched competition?

The answer: Goodwill Marketing

 

Credo Mobile has attached itself to "The progressive" movement. Credo mobile gives a portion of their revenue to progressive causes and candidates. With super-packs and campaign donations basically playing the primary role in the United States electoral process, Credo Mobile saw a lane to drive down. Credo Mobile advertised on "progressive talk radio", gave donations for progressive candidates and causes. This lead to people who consider their politics progress or liberal to do business with Credo Mobile. Now this not a "plug" for Credo Mobile's politics but it is an example that if you choose a cause that is popular and attach your brand to that cause you will ultimately gain customers who share an affiliation to that cause.

I would like to offer a word of caution; SINCERITY. Do not choose a cause or charity you do not believe in and or know nothing about because this will backfire on you and your brand. The true activists can always spot a phony and its just not good karma.

 

Goodwill Marketing is an effective tool that you can pull out of the box. It generates awareness to your brand, will garner you positive media attention and a loyal and engaged customer base. Goodwill marketing is a key strategy that L&B Consultation employs regularly and when used in concert with other marketing and publicity principles it will increase the visibility of your brand and ultimately profits.

　

　

About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

Check out www.LbConsultation.com
Follow us on Twitter @LBConsultation

5 Strategies for Communicating When You Don't Even Like to Talk

 

The stereotypical entrepreneur talks to everyone easily, but introverts need not be discouraged. Reticence does not doom you to failure.
Social science finds at least a third, and maybe half, the population is introverted. Successful entrepreneurs who are introverts make their personalities work for them. With less interest in the spotlight than accomplishing goals, introverts are inclined to let talented employees run with their ideas. Here are five strategies for making introversion an asset.
 1. Learn to work with your personality. Even if it makes your palms sweat, as an entrepreneur you need to communicate with people. That does not mean you need to do it in situations that are terminally uncomfortable. If speaking in front of a large crowd is too much, one-on-one meetings are often just enough. When you must talk to a group, prepare a script. Identify your strengths and weaknesses and adjust accordingly. Successful introverted entrepreneurs own their introversion, know their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses.

2. Discover your strengths. People tend to underestimate the introvert but the introvert surprises those who listen. Research reveals introverts are more concrete when describing things, and concrete descriptions are known to make a better impression. In comparison to extroverts, who may skim the surface, introverts study the big picture. Research shows introverts have more neuronal activity in brain regions linked to vigilance control and motor control, and they process external stimuli faster than extroverts. Introvert entrepreneurs naturally talk less and strategize more.

3. Prepare for working outside your comfort zone. Introverted entrepreneurs enjoy spending time alone but no entrepreneur can build a business completely on their own. Cultivating good social skills to connect with others is essential to hiring a team, persuading investors and selling your ideas. You can be an introvert most of the time, but there are times when even an introvert needs to be sociable.

4. Be aware of your energy. Occasionally you will need an extroverted front to accomplish a task. Make reasonable adjustments. For instance, if you must make calls during your shift, do so when you’re ready and prepared. Do things that don’t drain your energy too fast and leave the extroverted activities for times when you’re more energized.

5. Technology is never shy. The information age offers introverts a safe haven at the click of a button. As an introverted entrepreneur, you can use this to your advantage. Since introverts are good with details, creating and managing systems is a great way to interact with people without actually interacting. Let your software talk for you. If approaching someone in person is daunting, use social media. Outsourcing can grow your business and reduce how often you need to talk face-to-face.
Ultimately, technology doesn’t solve all problems and personality is not destiny. Keep a level head and build a support system. Good advice for extroverts, too.


BY Murray Newlands (via entrepreneur.com)

Sourced link

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233663?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+entrepreneur%2Flatest+%28Entrepreneur%29#



About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

Check out www.LbConsultation.com
Follow us on Twitter @LBConsultation

Why clients deserve grades, too

The most successful public relations campaigns result from collaborative agency/client relationships. It’s always a two-way street.

For the public relations firm to deliver results, the client must invest adequate time and resources, provide information about their business activities, attend to content reviews in a timely manner, be available for interviews on the journalist’s schedule, and son on.

Clients are continually—both consciously and unconsciously—grading their agency’s performance, so shouldn’t the PR firm likewise produce client report cards to gauge their performance as partners?

Let’s review how clients should behave in order to earn straight A’s.


By Len Stein (via PRDaily.com)

Read Full Article

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/16565.aspx


About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

Check out www.LbConsultation.com
Follow us on Twitter @LBConsultation

WELCOME TO L&B CONSULTATION

 

 

 

 

L&B Consultation is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting company focusing on publicity, radio promotion, brand identification, brand management

Services:

 

 

- Brand Management
- Online Reputation Management
- Radio Promotion
- Press Releases
- Blogger Outreach
- Bios
- Website Design
- Web Hosting
- Social Media Optimization
- Marketing Strategies
- Press Kits
- Media Alerts
- Event Planning
- Media Relations

Projects/Clients (Past & Present)

Woman (Single) - Beenie Man

Nore Davis - Actor & Comedian credits include HBO Boardwalk Empire

Top Black & Faded (Single) - S-Shata/French Montana

Hype (Songwriter/Producer) - credits include Fabolous, Fat Joe, television scores
Revolt TV's "The Gate", Oxygen TV's "Bad Girls Club"

Malikah Amoh & Timmy's Heart Foundation - Socialite & Philanthropist

Free Distress LLC - Financial Services & Mortgage Restructuring Services

Nikki Chin - Fashion Designer

AK Couture Boutique & Beautry Bar Grand Opening

Wonder Mke & Master Gee of the Original Sugarhill Gang & More

Info@LBConsultation.com