Get To The Grapes

I just received this article via BurrellesLuce Newsletter (check it out here).

It’s true, a lot of the information found below is fairly obvious, but an oh-so-good reminder, because quite frankly, PR pros tend to get a little lazy now and then…

So the next time you send out a press release, just take a quick gander at these five tips:

1. Un-newsworthy releases. Let’s face it, to the company, brand, or organization that generates it, any “news” could be worthy of a press release. While it is perfectly acceptable to add all types of releases to your online press center, where you can optimize it for search, it may not be necessary for every piece to hit the wire — especially if it’s of little value to your audience. If you are crafting and sending a release just so you have something to show or to remain in front of eyeballs, you may want to think twice. Chances are that you’re only diminishing your credibility for when there is something worth announcing. (Keep in mind the story of the boy who cried “wolf.”)

2. Lack of intrigue. If a release doesn’t excite or spark some form of interest, who is going to bother to read it, let alone act on it? With the increasingly shorter news cycle and abundance of content available to readers, it is imperative that you create a piece that draws attention (in a good way) without being over the top. Otherwise, you’re just adding to the clutter and noise. One good way to measure your impact is to include a call to action in your release. [oh, you'll want to keep reading...] (more…)

I wrote a post praising Zappos‘ customer service ( Zappos: The Nordstrom of Customer Service?) and that was before I read this:The 10 Reasons “I love Zappos” issue via www.gaspetal.com.

Customer service can make or break a brand and it all starts at the top – CEO’s listen up!

Social media should without a doubt be a part of your overall marketing strategy.  Key word here is STRATEGY.  Time and time again, we see companies letting interns or “a young person with a facebook account” manage their brands online.  “Manage their brand…?” Fortune 500 companies pay good money to very talented marketing professionals to manage their brands, yet smaller companies who need to build their brands put their brands into the hands of someone with a myspace account.  Managing your brand in the social media space is just as important (if not more important) as managing it via a national or international public relations or multi-million dollar advertising campaign.

Yes, social media is free, but to incorporate it into your branding strategy successfully requires skilled human capital!

If you’re wondering whether or not you want the new iPhone, well, watch this video.  This phone is amazing! I’m dumping my Blackberry for this phone!

Friday, June 4, 2010

Target your social media efforts by going for quality over quantity

Sacramento Business Journal – by Debi Hammond, Contributing writer, Marketing

Dunkin’ Donuts has 80 percent fewer Facebook and Twitter followers than Starbucks. So it is losing the social media game, right? Well, it depends on your definition of social media success.

If your goal is to be like Ashton Kutcher (he was the first to reach the 1 million “follower” mark on Twitter, even before CNN), then I guess you could consider your social media program a success. However, my recommendation is to focus on quality over quantity.

Besides, what do those 1 million followers really represent for a celebrity? More movies? More money? Or was it simply a bunch of people experimenting with a new medium who now have inactive accounts?

After all, according to a recent Nielsen Online data study, 60 percent of Twitter users quit after a month.

From a business perspective, the question you want to ask yourself is, does having more “followers/friends” equate to having more business and more brand equity? If you want to use social media effectively, then stop “selling” and be more “social.”

Be authentic

The biggest mistake marketers and small businesses make when trying to market their businesses is trying to use social media the same way they do traditional media. Social media is not traditional media and should not be treated the same way.

Television and radio use a “hard sell” approach. It’s one way and directional: “buy me” now. Social media is “social,” meaning people need to be engaged to want and to learn about your product, service or other information. You can, and in most cases, should, use it as an integral part of your marketing campaign, but don’t treat it as a traditional marketing tool.

Social media is about engagement. It’s bi-directional. It’s about providing value. It’s about being authentic. If all you do is tweet about what’s on sale, promotions and the number of “friends/followers” you want, buy an ad because social media is not the place for the “hard sell.”

You want followers that want to follow you. You want followers who are truly engaged in your brand and are following you because of the value you bring to their lives. If you’re wondering what kind of social media marketer you are, take this brief quiz (answer yes or no): See article at the Sacramento Business Journal (more…)