Attention PR and practicing Social Media professionals, step away from using “messages” to target “users” and “audience.” They are no longer filling the theaters, stadiums, and auditoriums to hear from marketers. I’ve been in tech PR since 91 and have been also guilty of using such terminology. Back in the day, users really were users in the tech business and when we were researching who they were, they would ultimately become the audience for our marketing initatives. Not everyone (aka…
PR and Social Media are Still Oil and Water
In many ways, the recent discussion of Marketwire’s acquisition of PRNN and how it was positioned as an example of the pioneering developments in Social Media and news distribution reminds me a bit of PRWeek’s claim that PR was entering an era of PR 3.0. Attention, executives at wire services and industry magazines, before you jump into the comments section here, believe that I fully acknowledge your good intentions. However, perhaps your excitement and enthusiasm may have clouded your judgment…
PR is About Relationships, Just Ask Robert Scoble
The crossroads of traditional PR and Social Media is on an inevitable path to a very public boiling point. In the realm of Social Media, conversations are king. As much as we talk about how to participate in Social Media, it doesn’t mean a thing if we don’t take a few steps back and remember that regardless of the technology, meaningful conversations are about respect and relationships. And, I should also point out that the most rewarding dialog has always…
Facebook is the Online Hub for Connected Professionals
As part of the new media regime, strategically participating in Social Media is not only critical to the evolution of PR, it is necessary in order to effectively communicate with the people that can help you extend the conversations that matter to your business. Where do you start? How do you jump in? It all starts with listening and watching, and eventually, participation becomes clear. I too will do my part to help you identify the networks and strategies necessary…
Marketwire Acquires PRNN – But is This Really Social Media?
Social Media is the new gold rush and traditional PR services are scrambling to stay relevant as new tools, channels, and experts are forcing a long overdue renaissance. Nowadays, the word “social” is getting tossed around by anyone and everyone as if it was a golden adjective with huge dividends for instantly inflating personal expertise and credibility – regardless of whether or not they truly understand and practice social media. And unfortunately, it’s bound to only get more polluted as…
Tangler Introduces Embeddable Forums to Spark Global Conversations
What if the comments section in important blogs or popular discussion forums were portable and accessible from various sites and blogs across the Web, but still synchronized the conversation so that everyone could participate in one global discussion? Imagine the implications and benefits that such a network could have on any social media strategy and public relations campaign. Well, Tangler is enabling the idea of portable, global conversations across the web, similar to the way YouTube videos are displayed in…
Social Media Manifesto Translated into Russian
The Future of Communications – A Manifesto for Integrating Social Media into Marketing is now available in Russian. Thanks to Yuri Aksyonov for the translation. You can find it at PRweb. For those of you looking for the English version, click here. Stay tuned for additional languages!
Top iPhone Applications for PR and Marketing Professionals
The iPhone is gaining traction as not only the must have gadget of the year, but also as an effective tool for mobile professionals. Rather than continue gushing about a device that I am forced to love, I will continue to post new stories when I find new ways to justify its value beyond a killer iPod with phone and Web functionality. Since Apple has refused to offer an SDK (software development kit), I have been somewhat reluctant to believe…
Social Media is Transforming Marketing and Public Relations
I had the pleasure of recording a podcast with Jennifer Jones for PodTech‘s award winning Marketing Voices show – one of my favorite podcasts out there. Jennifer is a class act and is one of the leading examples of how industry veterans can migrate and excel in the world of new PR. We discussed my recent paper, “The Future of Marketing: How to Integrate Social Media into Marketing” and how to help PR professionals embrace the shifts in taking place…
Defining Social Media
After publishing, “The Social Media Manifesto, A Manifesto for Integrating Social Media into Marketing,” I decided to take a short break. I wanted it to reside online for people to discover before it was pushed down the page with every post to follow. Afterall, we do have a very short attention span these days and the important posts that exist across the blogosphere are unfortunately quickly forgotten. But that’s the point of the manifesto. There are conversations taking place across…
