Will You Flow with Google Current?

One of Google’s latest additions is Google Current, which allows you to access leading publications and blogs you follow on your Android device, iPhone or iPad.  Plus, you can browse, read and share your content – all in a swipable magazine format.

All you have to do is download the free app to your smartphone, and sign in with Google or Gmail.

The service allows you to add your own RSS feeds, video and photo feeds, as well as Google+ feeds and Google Reader subscriptions.  Google Current also makes it really easy to share content with your friends via Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

The app has some helpful features for publishers of content.  Along with adding content (or RSS feeds), publishers can add photos, videos, social updates, and even personalize the layout of their Google Current profile.  This is a great feature for businesses and organizations that want to showcase their brand for readers on Google Current.

We’re interested to see how quickly Google Current takes off.  What’s your opinion; will you be downloading the app?

Tags: google, Google Current

Step Up Your Blog Posts

It’s easy to fall in to a rut with your blog.  So, how do you maintain the online presence you want, keep fresh content, and keep your audience engaged?  Here are a few tips that will help you keep your focus… and keep your followers.

1. Understand your blog’s focus. Don’t ramble on about a multitude of topics. Remember your blog’s purpose, and keep all posts centered on that.
2. Set up Google Alerts or RSS feeds for industry-related topics. The best way to gain credibility on your blog is to be viewed as an industry expert.  In order to do this, you’ll need to be prepared with the latest trends and topics.
3. Stay relevant and mix it up.  You’ll get burnt out if you’re constantly reading the same industry blogs and articles. Sing up for a conference or a webinar.  This is a great way to spark creativity and refuel your blog content.
4. Be sure you have links, or icons, for all of your social networks easily available for readers on your blog. If someone likes what they read, they will want to find a way to connect with you.  If the links to your social media networks are no where to be found, that reader might lose interest.
5. Don’t overlook the importance of your “subscribe” button.  Make sure it’s easy to find, and in a convenient location for the reader.
6. Write for a busy professional in your industry. Think about it – do you read articles with 500-word paragraphs? Probably not.  Keep the paragraphs concise, try to use bullets or numbering, and get to the point.
7. Interact.  If you receive comments, post something back.  Sometime it’s just a “thank you!” and other times it might be an answer to a question, or even direction to a previous post you’ve written.
8. Use the free Google Keyword Tool to make sure you’re using the proper keywords that are bringing people to your blog via search engines. Don’t miss an opportunity to help your audience find your blog.
9. Find another industry expert to do a guest post.  This is a great way to bring a fresh angle to your blog.  Plus, you just might learn something from the guest blogger!
10. Avoid self-promotion. Don’t use every post to sell your new book. Don’t constantly pitch your company’s services to your readers.  Your blog should serve as a resource for trends, news, hot topics and information – not a sales outlet.

Hopefully these ten tips will help you keep your blog on track, and take your online presence to the next level!

Tags: blog, online presence, tips for blog

Get LinkedIn Recommendations Without Being Annoying

We know LinkedIn recommendations beef up our LinkedIn profile (help get that bar to 100% complete), are great for job opportunities, and help with general networking.  So, with everyone’s busy schedules and hefty work loads, how do you manage to get people to write those glowing recommendations?  Here are some tips to help you ask for (and get!) the recommendations you deserve, without annoying everyone you know.

1. Ask the right people. Don’t just go through your LinkedIn contacts, asking everyone to write you a recommendation. Be selective with who you ask to do this for you; would you do it for them?

2. Send them a personal email/LinkedIn message. Recognize that they are busy, and you would greatly appreciate the time this will take them to help you professionally.

3. Always offer to give a recommendation back to them. If they know you will return the favor, they will be much more likely to spend 15 minutes writing your recommendation.

4. Give them an example. You can either reference a situation when you two worked together, or a project that yielded excellent results.  Or, you can even draft a brief paragraph for them.  Be sure to let them know they can modify or adjust your draft.

5. Don’t bug them every day about it. If you don’t get the recommendation as quickly as you had hoped, be patient. Don’t send them a million “reminder” emails to write it.  In fact, don’t send them any reminder emails.  If you think they are busy and it slipped their mind (and not that they just don’t want to recommend you), go ahead and write your LinkedIn recommendation for them.  This will remind them to return the favor, and you won’t look obnoxious.

6. Be appreciative. Thank them for writing a sincere recommendation for you, and boosting your professional presence online. And if you haven’t already, return the favor by writing a recommendation for them (or for their business!).

Tags: linkedin, LinkedIn recommendations

How Can You Effectively Pitch Media These Days?

It’s pretty clear pitching has changed drastically in the past five years.  When speaking to a group of media pros in the Columbus area, I learned a lot about how our role as public relations professionals as changed, and more importantly, how the media want to be contacted.

Most savvy PR practitioners have been strategically utilizing social media for the past few years.  We’re listening to our audiences, we’re gathering news, we’re promoting our events and announcements, we’re staying on top of the latest trends, etc.  However, I remember the time when it seemed like we still needed to cater to those “old-school” journalists when we were pitching media outlets like newspapers, radio stations, etc.  It was assumed journalists were more reluctant to take your tweet or direct messages seriously – they probably wanted a phone call (or something else entirely old fashioned).

At the PRSA monthly luncheon this week, any lingering ideas I had of stuck-in-time journalists were erased.  I listened to editors, directors and reporters from the Columbus Dispatch, WOSU, 10TV, WTVN and Business First all confirm they want email pitches.  In fact, some said they want DMs on Twitter.  I could not agree more – the immediacy and effectiveness of hitting a media contact on Twitter is far more efficient than sending them one of 300 emails they are getting that day, or calling them (when they are likely too busy to answer or out of the office).

When you start following media contacts on Twitter or LinkedIn, you begin to establish a relationship with that person.  You are paying attention to what events they are covering, RTing their articles, or replying to questions they post.  (You can even build a list of media contacts that you want to follow daily in a dashboard like Hootsuite or TweetDeck).  And vice versa, if that contact is following you, they can see you are a knowledgeable source who posts relevant information.  So, when you send that DM, they are going to pay attention to what you have to share.

Ideally, the best pitching strategy for today’s busy media:

• Send them a relevant, targeted email.  According to one media pro, format your subject line like this: “subject, verb, object.” For example, “Tressel leaves OSU.”
• After you send this email, send them a direct message on Twitter, and let them know you just sent them an email about Tressel leaving OSU.  Reporters always want an exclusive, so if you can, give it to them… and doing it via Twitter DM is an immediate, private way to do so.

Again, this strategy works best when you’ve been following this media contact previously.  So get out there and follow your target media contacts.  Build that relationship, offer them exclusives and get those targeted, concise pitches flowing!

**Special thanks to all the media who participated in the PRSA luncheon this week; the information was very valuable!

Tags: media, pitching, pitching media, public relations, twitter

Why SEO Matters for Writers and PR Pros

You might think search engine optimization (SEO) and public relations are entirely different avenues for online marketing. In fact, the world of SEO might be entirely foreign and uninteresting to you. My education in public relations and journalism never touched upon SEO. However, to be an effective writer and communicator today, it is essential to have a basic understanding of SEO and how it affects your writing.

As communications and public relations professionals, we are constantly writing – press releases, executive bios, newsletters, white papers, case studies, award submissions, social media updates, etc. All of your writing should be optimized for SEO purposes. Think about it – even if its original purpose is a hard copy, most of the content you write these days will end up online in some form.

Consider your goals for whatever content you are writing. It may be to increase awareness, create buzz around an event or topic, or inform your audience of news. These goals should coincide with another very important goal for your business: to be found online. When people are looking for information on a topic, event or company, they are likely browsing online (and chances are good it’s from their mobile device).

Therefore, in order to be found online, all the content you write should be optimized for SEO purposes. Make sure those keywords that people are searching to find your organization are in your headline. Use keywords throughout your social media updates. Beef up that first paragraph in your white paper with some keywords about your topic. In order for communicators and public relations professionals to have our work found and read online, we have to make it SEO-friendly.

If this is something you are struggling with, or you want to know more about SEO, you should check out our Webbed Marketing University series. The first session is an intro to SEO, and will highlight some of the basics to help you meet your business goals… even as a public relations or communications professional.

Quora: YOUR Questions, Answered by YOUR Peers

You may have heard the buzz about Quora.  Some are saying it will overtake Twitter.  Some use it as their source for getting questions answered quickly.  Some use it as an online community to browse topics that interest them.

Quora really is becoming more popular every day.  It’s a collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it. Quora is very easy to register for, and you can link it to your Twitter or Facebook account, allowing you to integrate your social networks.  You simply enter your name, email and a password and you’re registered. The first step is to build “your feed” on topics that interest you. You can search for questions in the search box at the top of the homepage, or browse questions that have been asked.   All the questions are organized as topics, so organizing your feed is easy.

Users vote on the answers provided, which serves as a filtering tool, bringing the most voted answers to the top of the pile.  Quora’s goal is to give you the best information for your question.

As with a wiki, Quora lets you edit entries. However, unlike Yahoo! Answers, on Quora, answers are required to include the users’ credentials, for example, their  full name, qualifications, an excerpt from a legitimate interview, or a source.  If a user likes a particular answer, they can then follow the person who posted it, just like they would on Twitter. Quora even allows users to follow the question’s topic.

The topics you choose to follow, which is part of your setup process, will inform the types of questions and answers that fill your feed.  If you spot something else you’re interested in, you can follow it. If you’re tired of a topic you were once interested in, you can unfollow it.  Quora adapts to your interests, and your interests inform the questions and answers that are delivered to your feed.

So, after you get registered and update your bio, take a look at the question, “How do I get started using Quora?”  You can search for this question in the search box.  There are great tips offered here to help you get a feel for the site and how to post questions and answers.

One of the most important things to remember about using Quora:

“It’s a site that already has a very active community. It’s a site that has its own rules (no, you don’t get to sign up with a fake name or a brand name.) It’s a site that has a method for keeping the signal-to-noise ratio pretty good (people vote, edit, & moderate here) – but that relies upon people… and people get annoyed when you don’t respect their communities.” – an experienced user on Quora

So, here are a few tips to keep in mind before you begin posting questions and answers on Quora.  First, if you want to comment on an answer or even reply to the user who posted the question, don’t post an answer.  There is a specific link to send a comment, and users will appreciate if you don’t post your reply as an answer.

When you’re ready to post a question, remember these best practices:

- Don’t make assumptions with your questions – be thorough and explain what you mean.
- Don’t ask extremely broad questions because people simply won’t respond.
- Do your research before you post a question.  People using Quora want to keep the site organzied and efficient.  Be sure your question hasn’t already been asked simply by searching in the search box before you post.

When you’re ready to answer a question, remember these best practices:

- Remember, this site is a resource.  Your answer should add value and knowledge to the post.  Do not self-promote, pitch or sell your service/product.
- There are moderators, so don’t use Quora just to get links to your site.  You could be banned for these actitivies.

Go ahead and create your Quora account.  Take some time to read the questions and answers, and get a feel for the site.  Then, jump in - share your expertise on topics, post your questions and begin another networking opportunity via social networks.

Tags: forum, social community, social media

Guest Post: Integrated Marketing Campaign Drives Blog Success

I’ll admit I was hesitant to launch a blog for Logicalis.  Not because I necessarily thought having a blog was a bad idea.  I just didn’t want to build something just for the sake of building it and after a few months have it go dark.  After many conversations about strategy, goals and purpose with Communication Strategy Group and Webbed Marketing, I was convinced that, as a team, we could create a blog that would be worthwhile and would stand the test of time.  And the key for keeping it promoted and up-to-date was an integrated campaign.

We knew we wanted to keep the posts short and interactive, while showcasing Logicalis experts’ thought leadership in the market.  We needed to keep our audiences across the board involved in the promotion of this blog, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, mobile devices, and via strategic SEO and PPC campaigns.

Finally, the new blog, HypeOrRipe.com, was created, with an integrated marketing campaign, to provide a place for business and IT leaders to share their opinions on technology topics.

Logicalis had already developed our voice in the marketplace with tools like public relations, the company newsletter and an active social media presence, so all our current tactics were used to promote the new blog and engage readers.

In addition to those tools, we launched a mobile campaign, so blog posts could be easily available on mobile devices – accessible for busy IT leaders on the go, looking for quick, relevant bits of industry information from their peers.

Logicalis also implemented an SEO and PPC campaign to go along with the blog launch.  The success of these campaigns working together greatly contributed to the successful blog launch.

In the first three days of launching, the blog had 168 visits, with 520 pageviews and 3.10 pages viewed per visit.  The bounce rate was 48% and the time on site was 1:53.  Most of the referring traffic was coming from the Logicalis website, LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.

The integration of social media, mobile marketing, SEO and PPC resulted in a very successful blog launch.  By identifying Logicalis’s goals, we were able to implement an integrated marketing plan that addressed the audience across all platforms, allowing us to hit the ground running with the Hype or Ripe blog.

Lisa Dreher is VP of marketing and business development for Logicalis, a Communication Strategy Group client. Logicalis is a technology solution provider specializing in helping customers with a wide range of technologies, including communications and collaboration, data centers, and professional and managed services.

Tags: integrated marketing campaigns, mobile marketing, ppc, SEO, social media

The How-To Guide for Facebook Places

Facebook Places is a Facebook feature that has gained a lot of popularity in the past few months with businesses who want to encourage interaction with their Facebook audience.  If your business isn’t utilizing Facebook Places, you might want to start.

Although it’s largely popular with retail companies offering deals and discounts, Facebook Places is also a great opportunity for businesses that want to encourage interaction and conversation with “check-ins.” The Facebook Places feature lets you share your current location by “checking in” from your smartphone. If you go to a new restaurant, you can check in and share your experience.  Facebook launched “Check-In Deals” a couple months ago, and just this week, launched “Facebook Deals.”  “Facebook Deals” is only in a few cities so far, but will eventually be everywhere.  This feature allows you to get the latest deals in your area, then share, buy and plan with your friends.

Why Have a Facebook Places Page?

Claiming a Facebook Places page increases the chances that a potential customer or client will find your business. You can encourage your friends or fans on Facebook to check in to your business when they visit.  Many businesses even offer various promotions or discounts for a certain number of check-ins.

How to Check In on Facebook Places

• Download the most recent version of the Facebook application for your smartphone.  You can also access Facebook Places from touch.facebook.com if your mobile browser supports HTML 5 and geolocation (GPS).
• Go to Places on the application or touch.facebook.com site, and then tap the “Check In” button. You’ll see a list of places near you. Choose the place that matches where you are. After checking in, your check-in will create a story in your friends’ News Feeds and show up in the Recent Activity section on the page for that place.
• When you check in to a place, you can also tag friends who are with you, just as you can tag a friend in a status update or photo. You can post an update along with your check-in to tell people more about what you are doing.
• In the “People Here Now” section, you can see others who are checked in with you at that place. This section is visible for a limited amount of time and only to people who are checked in there. This feature allows you to meet other people who might share your interests. If you prefer not to appear in this section, you can control whether you show up by unchecking the “Include me in ‘People Here Now’ after I check in” privacy control.

Why Claim a Facebook Place?

• By claiming your Place on Facebook, you can manage your Place’s address, contact information, business hours, profile picture, administration and other settings.
• This is a very interactive way to encourage communication with your audience on Facebook.  You can implement a discount or promotion deal based on fans that have the most check-ins.

Facebook will continue to update their features for users, adding new tools and opportunities to connect with friends and fans.  Facebook Places is an ideal tool for businesses to accurately identify and connect with their target audience.

Tags: facebook, social media

A How To Guide to Facebook Places Pages

Facebook Places is a fairly new Facebook feature that has gained a lot of popularity in the past few months with businesses that want to encourage interaction with their Facebook audience.

Although it’s largely popular with retail companies offering deals and discounts, it also works really well for businesses that want to encourage interaction and conversation with “check-ins.” The Facebook Places feature lets you share your current location by “checking in” from your smartphone. If you go to a new restaurant, you can check in and share your experience.  

Why Have a Facebook Places Page?

Hosting a Facebook Places page increases the chances that a potential patient will find your organization in a Facebook search; this is another page that will be available to people looking for your services.

 Facebook Places creates another page on Facebook, in addition to your current organization profile page.          

 How to Check In on Facebook Places

• Download the most recent version of the Facebook application for your smartphone.  You can also access Facebook Places from touch.facebook.com if your mobile browser supports HTML 5 and geolocation (GPS).
• Go to Places on the application or touch.facebook.com site, and then tap the “Check In” button. You’ll see a list of places near you. Choose the place that matches where you are. After checking in, your check-in will create a story in your friends’ News Feeds and show up in the Recent Activity section on the page for that place.
• When you check in to a place, you can also tag friends who are with you, just as you can tag a friend in a status update or photo. You can post an update along with your check-in to tell people more about what you are doing. 
• In the “People Here Now” section, you can see others who are checked in with you at that place. This section is visible for a limited amount of time and only to people who are checked in there. This feature allows you to meet other people who might share your interests. If you prefer not to appear in this section, you can control whether you show up by unchecking the “Include me in ‘People Here Now’ after I check in” privacy control.

How to Create A Facebook Places Pages

• Access the Facebook Places application on your smartphone.
• Click “Check In.”
• Click the “Add” button to the left of the Places Names search box.
• Enter your company name for the new Place, as well as an optional description of it.
• Click the “Add” button at the bottom right of the page.
• Click the “Check In” button to share your visit.
•  All Places are public, so other people may see your created Place while browsing Facebook or the Places application.
• Once you create your Place, search for it again on Facebook, and follow the “Is this your business?” link, and begin the process to claim your Place.

Why Claim a Facebook Place?

• By claiming your Place on Facebook, you can manage your Place’s address, contact information, business hours, profile picture, administration and other settings.
• This is a very interactive way to encourage communication with your customers. Consider offering rewards for customers with the most check ins or most recent check ins.

How to Claim  Your Facebook Page

• To claim your Place, search for your business name on Facebook via the normal Search bar.
• Click on your Places page.
• At the bottom left side of your Place there will be a link that says “Is this your business?” Click on the link and you will be directed to a claiming flow. 
• Facebook will ask you to verify that you are the owner through a phone verification process, or you may be asked for document verification. If your claim is confirmed, you will be able to administrate your Place on Facebook.

Another option for Facebook Places is to merge your Places page with your Profile page. 

Why Merge Your Facebook Profile Page with Your Places Page?

• Once you have merged your Place with your Page, your Page will now also serve as a location. This means that people who are using the Places feature on Facebook will be able to check in to your Page.
• In addition, your Place page will be updated to have a richer design and you will have one central entity to manage your business, likes and interactions. 
• Plus, the people who are already connected to your Place will be combined with the people who are connected to your Page, so you will not lose any of your existing connections.

How to Merge Your Profile Page and Your Places Page

• Visit  the Facebook Place that you have successfully claimed, and scroll to the “Merge with existing Page” link in the left side navigation menu.
• Click this link, and a prompt will appear to walk you through the process to merge the pages.

News and Pitching: Clearing Through the Clutter

Most of my days start with coffee, Twitter and Google Trends. I’m certain I’m not alone here- especially for all the PR and marketing folks out there. I wanted to address how we gather our news, where we are getting it and how we we are using it for our public relations role.

Most of us know how to filter through the clutter now. However, are you gathering your news from a variety of sources? At a recent PRSA luncheon, I heard CBS news correspondent, Bob Orr, speak on the importance of varying your news sources. He emphasized the value of gathering news from all outlets, and a variety of sources. Don’t just take one source’s word for it; pull together your own conclusions based on all the facts (and opinions) available. I couldn’t agree more with Bob.

After hearing Bob’s opinion on news sources, I’ve been thinking about how I pitch the media. Consider if, as a public relations pro, you are strategic with your media pitches. Do you do your homework and find the reporter who covers the beat that relates to your story? Do you research that reporter and discover how they want to be pitched (e-mail, phone, Twitter, etc.)? Are you following all relevant reporters on Twitter; and do you regularly engage with them?

Personally, I understand that maintaining media relationships can be forgotten or even “just postponed.” In a busy workday, something that does not have a deadline, like checking in with a reporter on Twitter, can seem unimportant. However, the benefit of keeping these connections is significant for your clients and your campaigns. I urge all public relations pros to make the extra effort to keep in contact with your media connections- even if you have to give yourself a deadline for it each week.

I was also thinking about the issue of finding the right outlet to pitch your story or client. So, if you are regularly connecting with the reporters that cover relevant beats for your needs, are they coming to you when they need a source? Of course, that would be ideal. However, what other ways do you find the reporter who needs you? Resources like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) are excellent for connecting journalists with the sources/experts they need. Outside of this, what else can we be doing? In today’s fast-paced, social media-obsessed culture, what is the best way to cut through the clutter and get your client that PR win?

This month, I challenge you to be aware of a few “common” PR tasks:

• Gather your news from a variety of sources and draw your own conclusions.
• Maintain consistent relationships with your media outlets.
• Creatively cut through the clutter to get your message to the appropriate outlets.

Best of luck- I hope these reminders will make us all better PR pros.