Some good thoughts here from Beth Harte on the links and separations between PR and marketing; and where social media fits into the mix; and why the term ‘social media marketing’ may be a bit of a tangle of concepts.
Facttactic’s Blog
merry Christmas and best wishes for 2009
Merry Christmas, everyone. Have a relaxing break and see you in 2009. Facttactic will be back in action in early January, and I look forward to seeing you then.
Adam
the social media crystal ball for 2009
Where is social media heading in 2009? Here’s a few thoughts from some experts (compiled by US social media marketing guru Peter Kim).
(If this online document is too small to read, download the PDF here)
markets are conversations
A couple of days ago we talked about an authentic and ‘human’ voice in your online communications. Here’s some more info in a knowledgeable and very readable presentation. (Click on the controls at the bottom of the presentation to view it.)
when is an embargo not an embargo?
High profile, Unites States blog Techcrunch has a new media policy – break all embargoes, even the ones they agree to.
One reason is that the outlet that publishes a story first in today’s online world get the best visibility online and the best search engine ranking.
And, the second reason is that there is no downside to breaking an embargo. Techcrunch argues that United States PR firms are so desperate to do well for their clients that they will continue to send media relases to anyone and everyone in an attempt to get publicity no matter how they have been treated in the past.
I’d also say that in New Zealand we are doing our clients no favours when we use an embargo simply as a scheduled time slot for a release to be made public.
keeping it real, but how real?
‘Authenticity’ is the name of the game with social media campaigns. Real voices holding real conversations with customers. But where is the line between your corporate voice and your personal voice and how (if at all should) should you distinguish between them?
For small business owners, who you are as a person is vitally important to how your business is perceived. Your personal voice would be a real asset online. And you can mix personal stories in with your business messages.
For large corporates, showing a human side is important to personalise decisions made by a company and to personalise experiences for customers.
For example, you can find Vodafone’s external comms guy, Paul Brislen, popping up (casually, but always on-message) regularly on the web with comments on blogs and other online environments in an effort to tell his company’s story and correct information where-ever people are commenting on Vodafone.
Here are two other blog posts on the dilemma of professional/personal online personae:
Social Media Identity: Personal vs. Professional
Can professional and personal social media strategies successfully coexist?