Posts Tagged ‘social media’

Save Your Business: Jump Into Social Media

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

In the days of trend setters and social media, business adaptation is the key to success. If a public relations or business professional wants to keep a successful future in mind, the professionals will need to make a strong investment in social media.

The struggle with social media is that not everyone understands it’s potential. Many people think it is too difficult to learn, and these people will give up before giving it a fair chance. However, what these people don’t understand is that by not adapting to the new business trends they could potentially miss out on future opportunities for success.

Social media is the answer to many companies’ prayers. It provides constant connection, feedback and opportunities for businesses and publics to connect. Thousands of companies and business owners have caught on to the importance of utilizing social media, but there are still thousands of companies that don’t understand its purpose.

When social media is used properly it will attract new and current publics. It is a tool to connect audiences to information and other people who share similar interests. Brian Solis, author of Putting the Publics Back into Public Relations said, “We cannot stress enough that these conversations (social media) are taking place with or without you, so ignoring them just eliminates you from the conversation and the radar screens of your customers.”

If you do not adapt to social changes your company may fail to succeed. Your company is being talked about through social trends whether you utilize social media or not. Why not use it to help create positive discussion?

Too many people still refuse to adapt to the change.  Far too often companies become stuck in their own ways, and forget to stay on top of the new trends in social technology. To succeeded today, there is no time to step away from social media.

Many people assume it is too difficult to learn and they walk away from all social media tactics. This can hurt a business because the rise of competition is so high. If your number one competitor is reaching out to its audience(s) through social media, and your company is not, your company will likely lose customers and this can threaten its success.

I believe every professional should experience social media. For along time, I didn’t understand the importance of Twitter. I thought it was dumb, and I couldn’t see the gift it had to offer professionals across the globe. The only way I was able to understand its importance was by adapting to the change and trying to understand it. After I dove in, I realized how great Twitter really was. I researched Twitter and asked questions. Before I knew it I was fascinated with the program as I still am today.

I love engaging in social media because it gives me the opportunity to speak out and communicate with others. I can use it in so many ways to help benefit my career.

Tara’s Tips on Social Media Adaptation for the business:

  1. Try social media. If it is used properly it should help your business grow.
  2. Understand your publics. Not every target audience is best suited for social media. If your target public is a younger demographic stick to social media. If the demographic is older stick to traditional forms of media.
  3. Research social media and its trends. Many social media sites offer more tools than noted at first glance. Take a look at blogs, help pages and books for more information on how to reach your target audiences.
  4. Talk to a PR professional and listen to their advice. PR professionals usually understand how social media can benefit or hurt your company. They are there to help you and your organization grow.
  5. If your company is not sure how to get started with social media, hire a social media intern. Interns are a great way of getting extra help and better understanding social media. Students are one of the largest populations utilizing social trends, and they are very knowledgeable. Plus, they want the experience, and they will usually work for free!

Over all, Social media adaptation is the tool to your business success, but it does take a lot of time and knowledge to develop the audiences you are searching for. Be patient, and take the time to experience different trends. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Everyone has to learn somehow. The best way to learn is by taking the plunge even when you don’t think you have the time. If you make the time, it will pay off in the end.

For more information, take a look at a list of books that will help lead you to social media success.

Putting The Publics Back In Public Relations

The Social Media Bible

Twitter Power

The Facebook Era

Facebook The Missing Manual

The Twitter Book

Grown Up Digital

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Socialize To Survive

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

As I sit back in class listening to a lecture on American history, I start to think about mankind and where we, as a species, have come from. As humans, we have evolved and advanced in so many ways. We have changed, we have grown and we have created a beautiful world that is filled with opportunity. As I envision this world hundreds of years ago, I begin to think about the things in life that have stayed constant over time.  One thing that sticks straight out in my mind is communication. Communication is something humans have always needed, and it has always been used and wanted, but there has always been issues in proper utilization.

Before the invention of computers, television, radio, newspapers, telephones and even typewriters there was a world of people who communicated strictly through language. They used hieroglyphics and body movement to reach out to one another. These people didn’t have the ease of communicating like we do today.

Nowadays, somewhere along the lines of traditional media the audience has been forgotten. These publics have been left without a voice, and they have been waiting for the opportunity to speak out. With the arrival of social media, their time has finally come. Now, as more technology advances it is easier to participate in two-way communication. But, sometimes PR practitioners forget the purpose of two-way communication, and they don’t fully utilize the gift of social media.

With the rise of twitter and other social media outlets we can send messages to anyone, anywhere at any time. As public relations specialists, we are stepping foot into a media world full of opportunity. We cannot forget the benefits of reaching out to our publics and fellow business associates. We have the opportunity to utilize communication to its full potential, and yet thousands of media professionals ignore the tools that can lead us to better places.

Brian Solis, author of Putting the Publics Back in Public Relations, talks about social media and how people should use it to reach target audiences. He digs deep into new communication tactics, and the reasons why we need to rekindle our relationships with our publics. In his topic on marketing and PR he brings up the point that we need to “socialize to survive.” This meaning, we need to get out there and talk with people to build relationships. In his book, Solis discusses surviving through socializing and why it is important. He said “It’s the ability to identify meaningful conversations, comprehend them, determine those valuable enough to participate, and then feed that collective insight back into the organization for positive change.”

In a new social community, with millions of opportunities to reach out to people, we need to branch out and build relationships. These relationships are not strictly between clients and audiences, but also between businesses to businesses. “The goal is to connect brands, and the people representing them, to new groups of important people in the places where they discover and share new content and, in turn, interact with each other,” Solis said in chapter 14 titled The New “Marketing” Rules.

In a world where people need to unite together to succeed, people are finding differences to pull themselves apart. Media professionals need to put any differences aside and work together to utilize every tool that may benefit their main goal. One part of the new marketing rules is getting to know your target audience and realizing that they are people. These people need to be properly communicated to, and they need to have the opportunity to communicate back. These people are important, we all are, and we need to better understand them to better utilize proper two-way communication.

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Posted in Public Relations |

Be A Part Of The Evolution

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Imagine a place where evolution was a distant dream; a world where there was no change. There is no diversity, no growth and no desire to advance. It is a world with little hope. For us, this is not what our world looks like. We cannot stop evolution. Today, we see competition, change, improvement and excitement everywhere we look. We are blessed with the power to become better.

Public relations is evolving to become a better source for change.  PR is no longer just a world full of press releases and writing; it is the playground for creativity. A successful public relations professional will need to know much more about social media and technology than they have ever known before.

Social media is taking over the world. Nowadays, it is nearly impossible to have a successful company without the use of the evolving trends.  Public relations specialists have to be ahead of the game every moment of every day. They need to be skilled in not only writing and communicating, but broadcast, editing, design and social media. PR is revolving around growth and education; tools to take us to the next level.

PR specialist need to be prepared to achieve great success 24 hours a day. This means, we need to know it all and know how to do it all well. Most people come into PR from different sectors of the media. These people bring in talents from many different areas. But, for PR professionals who don’t have a background in anything other than public relations, it is essential to learn how to be better evolved in this field.

In today’s media world, if you don’t know how to do something chances are someone else will do it for you and you may lose your job. PR professionals are expected to go above and beyond; we need to know everything.

Blogging is an essential tool to reach new and existing publics. Every public relations professional should have a personal blog and a corporate blog. Blogging is more than just words and opinions; it is a way for people to reach out and communication. With blogs, we are in constant contact with the outside world.

Blogs come in all formats, and they don’t have to be anything too fancy. Sometimes simplicity is best. Speak your mind, and be courteous of other bloggers.

I would highly suggest every professional learn about the different sectors of mass communications. Public relations professionals are the “middle men” we need to understand how things are done and why they are done. We will better understand our clients and the media process if we learn about broadcast, advertising, marketing and journalism.

In college I took full advantage of our mass communications program. Besides public relations courses I took all types of broadcast classes, journalism classes and advertising courses.  I did internships in marketing, broadcast and public relations to better understand the general process in the media. I gained skills in a wide-range of areas. I took full advantage of what was in front of me. This is what everyone needs to do.

Even if you are no longer in school, evolving can be done anywhere. In fact, the best way to learn is outside of the classroom and where “real life” steps in. There is no time to wait.

Almost every day there is a new trend, or a new technology that catches the eye of PR specialist. It is overwhelming to try and stay up-to-date with this competitive field. Here are some suggestions for adapting and evolving into the new world of media:

  1. Take a deep breathe.
  2. Talk to someone who is actively involved in social media. Learn everything you can and take notes.
  3. Start a blog. Even if you have no idea what you are doing this is your starting point.
  4. Read other blogs, comment and be involved in the community
  5. Make a list of social networking sites you wish to understand and be a part of. Each month join and study a new one. By the time the next month comes, you will fully understand your role in that network.
  6. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are millions of PR professionals who may know something you may not. Take advantage of their willingness to help. Youtube.com offers video tutorials on nearly any topic. This will be a huge help in your quest to evolve into social media.
  7. Learn about broadcast! Today, everything is going online. It is essential to learn how to write scripts, edit, log videos and put a video together. Basic web skills are a necessity.
  8. Read books on public relations, social media and other related topics.
  9. Remember, there will always be something new on the market. Make goals for yourself and remember to take it slow.
  10. Read the paper. The newspaper is wonderful for many reasons, and as a PR professional you will stay on top of it if you keep up with the media around you.

Evolving into a new world can be scary and full of hard work, but there are hundreds of sources to help you on your journey. Your career will thank you in the end.

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