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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5 Signs You’re Going To Make It Big One Day

We’ve all got dreams of making it ‘big’ one day, but how many of us actually follow through with those dreams? We make excuses for our lack of success, saying things like, “Life got in the way,” or “I can’t handle anymore rejection. ”But not you! You’re on the fast-track to fame and success. Or are you? Think you’ve got what it takes to make it big? Here are some signs you’re right:

1. You’ve Got A Dream (A Big One!)

What’s your vision? What do you want to accomplish? What are your hopes and dreams? Having a dream – even if it’s a little vague – is crucial for success. Before you can start your journey, you need to have a goal in mind!

In the words of Walt Disney, "If you can dream it, you can do it." (And before you can do it, you've got to dream it!)

2. You’ve Got A Road Map, But You're Prepared To Take Detours

They say success is where preparation and opportunity meet. So, when opportunity comes ‘a knockin,’ you’re going to want to have your plan already in place. Think of it as your road map to making it big!

What steps do you need to take to get where you want to be? Who do you need to know? What skills do you need to have?
But, let's be real here, nothing EVER goes exactly according to plan. You need to be able to adapt to whatever life throws at you. Think of those things as detours. They're not a huge deal as long as you figure out how to get back on the main road!

3. You’re Extremely Curious

You need to have an innate fascination with whatever it is you’re working toward. You've got to learn as much as you can about the industry, the people, the culture, and so on. You need to want to be consumed by it. You've got to understand the problems and be excited about finding solutions. You’ve got to be passionate, excited, and curious about all areas of the biz.

When Larry King made his debut in radio, he made a point to become consumed in the biz. In addition to doing his own show, he did the weather reports, the sports updates, and the news broadcasts. He even volunteered to fill in in for people who were out sick, and took on double shifts.
Why? He wanted to learn all there was to know about the biz. He wanted to practice. He wanted to be good at what he did. The only way to do that was to explore and go above and beyond what was asked of him. He called it "taking extra batting practice."

4. You’re A Little Cocky (Just A Little)

If you really want to make it, you’ve got to have confidence in yourself and your abilities. Without confidence, you can so easily get crushed by negativity and criticism – things you will have to deal with once you hit the spotlight.

You have to be confident. You have to trust yourself. And you have to have a deep understanding that you’re going to make it. For actress Jennifer Lawrence, that understanding came at a young age.
“I always knew that I was going to be famous,” she told Vogue magazine. “I honest to God don't know how else to describe it. I used to lie in bed and wonder: ‘Am I going to be a local TV person? Am I going to be a motivational speaker?’ It wasn't a vision. But as it's kind of happening, you have this buried understanding: Of course.”

5. You Realize Failure Is A Minor Setback, Not A Game Changer

If you’re even thinking about making it big one day, the word “quit” can’t be in your vocabulary. In the end, you don’t succeed because you don’t fail; you succeed because you don’t give up. The second you quit, you’ve lost.

Take Michael Jordan, for example. He has a famous quote, "I've failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed." The only reason he succeeded was because he didn't let those failures discourage him to the point of quitting. Why? Because he realized his failures were only minor setbacks - not game changers.

I guarantee you that everyone you look up to has failed at one point or another, but did that stop them from picking themselves back up and moving forward? No way, Jose. And that’s why they’re successful.

By. Ariella Coombs (http://www.careerealism.com)
Twitter: @AriellaCoombs
Click for Original Article

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140619132958-79588522-5-signs-you-re-going-to-make-it-big-one-day


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Dame Dash and Cam’ron to Open New Restaurant in New York

Harlem natives Dame Dash and Cam’ron are partnering up outside the hip-hop world to put their business smarts to use with their latest venture to open a restaurant in Brooklyn.

Damon Dash took to his Instagram to reveal his latest project, posting pictures of the inside and outside of his new establishment Dish, which will be a Mediterranean restaurant.
While there’s no word on when the restaurant will open, the hip-hop businessman, who also owns a Manhattan art gallery called Poppington, revealed that the duo also plans to open a lounge called Dash.

In addition to expressing his excitement to expand his brand, the 43-year-old also got honest about some of the business challenges the two may face as owners and posted the below pic of the restaurant saying, “Always excited about new biz… I don’t expect it to be easy probably a cash flow problem here and there but I love the fight…it’s the life I choose I love the challenge #dishcomingsoon.”


By Courtney Connley (For Blackenterprise.com)
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http://www.blackenterprise.com/small-business/damon-dash-camron-open-restaurant-brooklyn/

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8 questions to ask before you design your website

When clients or friends tell me they plan to design a new website, I get curious and excited. What colors are they going to go with? What are their SEO goals? What layout are they using?

Creating a personal or business website requires serious thought and attention. There’s a lot more to it than deciding what font you plan to use. To help people who are starting a business and are looking to build a public face of a new organization or those looking to redesign be a bit less overwhelmed, here are some crucial questions they can ask themselves before, and while, creating the new website design.

1. What is the purpose of your website?

It seems obvious, but knowing the true purpose of your website will determine everything that it does and how it looks. Make sure you lay out clear objectives and goals for your website before you start on the design.

2. What will your domain name be?

Your website title should be easy to remember. Also make sure you know which domain will be appropriate (.net, .com, etc.).

3. What technology will you use for your website design?

Find a platform you’re familiar with and that is easy to use. (I recommend WordPress and/or HTML5.) If you understand how to do the basic coding, then you can make minor edits without the help of a website designer.

4. What will your content be?

A personal website will usually have content that is more about blogging and personal tastes and interests. A business website will feature content about the business itself: An “About Us” page, a blog, contact information, and pages devoted to products and/or services. It’s essential to feature content that is SEO focused, such as vivid images, creative videos, and keyword-friendly copy.

5. Who is your audience?

Every website design is a little different, and you can always tell those who know their audience well and those who don’t. Website designers who understand their audience use appropriate colors, targeted SEO (keywords, images and videos perfect for that audience), and a clean, uncluttered layout. Make sure it’s immediately clear whom you’re trying to reach when your website pops up.

6. Is your website viewable in all browsers?

Your website should not become distorted depending on the type of browser someone is using. Be sure to test your new website on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer.

7. What social media channels will you promote?

Linking to your social media accounts will not only boost website traffic, it will also give you major SEO points.

8. How will you track your website traffic?

You can’t increase SEO if you’re not clear about where you have to make changes. Try using Google Analytics to see where you can improve and where you’re doing well. These are just a handful of the many questions and decisions that go into building a website, whether it’s for personal or business purposes. What other questions do you think are important?

By Paige McDaniel (For PRDaily.com)

Click for Original Article

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/16670.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)

Read Full Article

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

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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:
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