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Twitter Chat: A Different Avenue to Engage Your Audience

By on September 3, 2015 in Public Relations, Social Media, Social Media for Business, Twitter for Business

Twitter Chat

Twitter is famous – or infamous—for only allowing its users 140 characters to relay their message. So, why is it that this social media outlet is generally considered the best platform to capture brands’ audiences? The answer lies in Twitter chats, a discussion about an arranged topic. The short messages make it easy for participants to stay involved and interested. The chats create a comfortable atmosphere to connect with a brand, event or product. It can also build advocacy, loyalty and community with participants. Once a topic is chosen that will appeal to followers and future followers, what’s next? Twitter chats can work, but it takes a lot of effort beforehand.

Here are our favorite tips from PR Daily on how to host a successful Twitter chat:

  1. Invite Influential Users

If this is your first time throwing a digital party, it’s best to engage a few well-known tweeters who are experts on your topic. Find and invite some users with big followings who will bring their audience along to your chat and add a respected voice to your topic. Imagine the amount of knowledge available during an effective chat with a number of tweeters who can access real-time, expert advice with the click of a few keys.

  1. Hashtag it

So you have your topic and your special guests.  Now you need a hashtag so your audience can follow along and respond. The hashtag is important so your audience can find the conversation and use it to chime in when they have something of value to add. We’re not sure if you’ve noticed, but there’s quite a bit of activity on Twitter; let’s call it noise. Using a consistent and easy hashtag mean people will notice there’s an organized discussion happening that’s also easy to track.

  1. Go With the Flow, But Have a Plan

Twitter chats are fun, but ensure that you:

  • Promote it.
  • Keep the conversation going
  • Give guests equal time.
  • Don’t ignore your followers
  • Document it

To check out the rest of PR Daily’s tips visit: http://prdaily.com/socialmedia/Articles/19311.aspx.

PR Tips Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Netflix

By on August 21, 2015 in PR for Businesses, Public Relations

Netflix

Netflix, an online video streaming service, is one of the largest and most successful corporations of its kind. It allows customers to stream or rent television shows and movies, and provides recommendations based on what each subscriber has previously watched. Netflix has become a very popular site, and is now a regular part of many people’s daily routine. Along with all of their success, Netflix has also gone through some of their own crises. Public relations professionals and business owners can learn from some of the difficulties that Netflix has had, and use that information to help make the best responses for their own companies.

Here are our three favorite PR tips from the Huffington Post that entrepreneurs can learn from Netflix:

  1. Always Be Transparent With The Public

When Netflix split their service into two different sites, streaming and renting, consumers who enjoyed both of the Netflix services were upset by the change. The second site, Qwikster, caused Netflix to lose the trust and business of the public, so Quickster was eventually shut down. Companies can learn from this Netflix experience that it is always better to gauge potential consumer responses to a change before making it.

  1. If You Want to Stay Relevant, Change With the Times

A big part of public relations is staying relevant in your current market. Netflix had to make changes when physical DVD rental became a thing of the past. The company saw the opportunity to add the streaming service and now it is the main aspect of the Netflix brand. Yet another way that Netflix has changed with the times is when they began creating original content. Their series Orange is the New Black, Peaky Blinders and House of Cards have grown into some of today’s biggest shows in entertainment.

  1. Damage Control Will Always Be Important

Keeping current customers happy with your product or service is important for every company. Netflix came under fire when they raised their monthly prices. The stocks plummeted and the public started firing back against the company, making damage control essential. Netflix focused on current customers in order to maintain their business and continue making money. In the end, smoothing the tension with current costumers lead to overall success.

Learning by example and taking a moment to find the important PR lessons from any situation can help companies and entrepreneurs succeed in today’s market.

To learn more visit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-lorenzen/pr-tips-entrepreneurs-can_b_7840628.html.

Taking Control of Your Personal Brand

By on July 24, 2015 in Career Talk, Communications, Media, Social Media, Social Media for Business

personal-branding
Building a personal brand, or the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers, has become an important tool in becoming more successful in the age of technology. Due to the quick spread of social media, online profiles have become some of the most effective resources to enhance your career and personal brand, as well as build boundaries between your professional and private life.

Here are our four favorite tips from Forbes on how to control your personal brand on social media in an authentic way:

  1. Embrace your story: Get used to sharing how you landed your dream job, the mistakes you made or where you went to college with others because it will ultimately help you make relationships and market yourself to influencers. Make sure you’re the primary force in telling your story to the rest of the world.
  2. Reach out: Some people go too far in trying to keep their privacy and reputation from being damaged on social media by shrinking their digital presence. When doing this, a digital search of their name means nothing. Be your own advocate and don’t be afraid to market yourself based on who you are, what you do and what you stand for.
  3. Make an impression: Your picture and profile content heavily influence a first impression. Make your profile true to you but remember to always stay professional. Sharing and publishing ideas that can help other people get a better understanding of who you are and what you’re passionate about can also help make lasting impressions on future employers or clients.
  4. Know your limits: When it comes to building a personal brand, the challenge is to portray yourself in the best light as well as being authentic to who you are. Know when posting pictures from last night is a good or bad decision. Understand the boundaries of your personal and professional life by thinking “would I want to explain this to my boss?” before you post it. Everything on social media can be seen by employers so if you are questioning whether or not you should post the picture – don’t do it!

Snapchat: Sharing Stories Between Strangers Around the World

By on July 17, 2015 in Community, Media, Snapchat, Social Media, Social Media for Business

SnapchatStories_Skift

Snapchat, an app that hosts 10 second long user pictures/videos and aggregates content into live stories with a 24-hour shelf life, has grown into a mobile-first visual-based company with 100 million daily active users, 65% of them uploading at least one snap a day.

Over the past few months, Snapchat has increased its viewer base by targeting users based on their location. Users get a look into other people’s daily lives ─ music festivals, sporting events and reactions to breaking news. Snapchat recently made it easier to view content when they launched a Tap to View feature where users only tap their screens to view snaps rather than holding down their screen to view.

As a way to diversify content and broaden their reach, Snapchat launched City Life in April 2015 as a feature that collects moments from various cities. In the span of 24-hours, moments are picked and strung together to show what everyday life is like in that city. Users that select their photos or videos to be included in their city’s story become part of geo-tagged content that Snapchat’s team chooses to display.

The City Life feature can inspire people to consider those cities as future travel destinations by promoting the city and various attractions in the area. To date, Snapchat has featured users’ snaps from over fifty cities in thirty countries including Brazil, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.

Snapchat’s travel features help the world see how users’ are communicating and living their lives. The 10 second moments connect users by allowing them to look into other’s lives and share in their unique experiences, if only briefly. As an outlet for displaying global experiences, Snapchat can be a tool for travel brands to effectively convey travelers to visit their cities, musical festivals and restaurants by wanting to share in locals’ experiences. Using Snapchat’s excessive outreach, users can easily connect to others and see how people like them around the world are living.

Chevrolet Shakes Up Their Latest Press Release

By on June 26, 2015 in Communications, Media, Press Release, Public Relations

Microsoft Word - 0828-Chevrolet-Cruze-3-Million.docx

Chevrolet is bringing things further into the digital age with an all-emoji press release. Emojis are small pictures frequently used in text messages to convey emotion.

The new 2016 Chevrolet Cruze was announced in a press release Monday, and was decoded the next day for those who were unable to read the emoji message.

Why did Chevrolet decide to write an emoji press release?

Previously, Chevrolet’s attempts to reach a younger demographic have been underwhelming. Creating an all-emoji press release was their way of appealing to the demographic that would have the greatest likelihood to buy a car that is priced around $16,000 such as the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze.

According to PR Daily, Chevrolet’s new technique will likely bring in more interest from the targeted audience for the new Chevrolet model. With this departure from a normal press release, PR Daily said Chevrolet is trying to attract younger consumers who use emojis often.

Chevrolet was able to create a press release that not only drew the desired attention, but required active participation for those who were interested in attempting to decode the emoji message. The car brand also took to Twitter to tease their press release by using even more emojis and the hashtag: #ChevyGoesEmoji. Commercials starring celebrities Norm Macdonald, Zendaya Coleman, Jamie Chung and Ashley Benson were posted on Chevrolet social media accounts. The commercials show the young celebrity women teaching the older generation how to use emojis.

Chevrolet’s goal was to reach a young demographic who can afford a car like the new Chevrolet model. Because consumers respond more favorably to celebrities that they recognize, Chevrolet chose young celebrities that are popular right now and are heavily followed on social media for the campaign. The celebrity and consumer interaction on Twitter is evidence that Chevrolet succeeded in making their announcement interactive. Twitter was torn as to whether the press release was effective, but it definitely drew attention and sparked a discussion.

The method was attention-grabbing, but even though this was the first time that emojis have been used in PR, other companies have used emojis as part of their marketing strategy. According to Mashable, today’s marketers have to “speak their language” to appeal to the younger generation—and emojis are part of the language.

According to Digiday, many companies are trying to be more appealing to the younger generation. Companies are using trendy words like “fleek” and “bae” in attempt to appeal to the younger audience. The incorporation of pop culture into marketing shows that marketers have realized that the younger generation is becoming increasingly important to business.

Will other companies follow suit and get creative with their press releases?

3DPrinterOS and Ultimaker Host Free 3D Printing Classes at the Brooklyn Public Library

By on February 13, 2015 in Clients, SEO

3D Printing Classes

Interest in 3D printing is steadily increasing—according to CNET, this past year at the CES Conference in Las Vegas, 57 3D printers were showcased, double the amount from the 2014 show. As the popularity continues to grow, an effort to make 3D printers more accessible and affordable for consumers and hobbyists is growing. Ultimaker, a leading 3Dprinter manufacturer, and 3DPrinterOS, the cloud operating system for 3D printing, are teaming up together to offer free classes on the basics of 3D printing technology.

An upcoming class free of charge will be held on February 28, 2015 at the Brooklyn Public Library in New York. This class is perfect for those looking to start learning about 3D printing technology and its applications. Attendees are given a chance to ask questions, become familiar with how the printer works, how the print process happens and different types of printing technology. All guests will be given free access to 3DPrinterOS and can expect to take home a 3D printed object. Ultimaker and 3DPrinterOS anticipate hosting more classes in other communities in the near future.

Ultimaker 3D Printer

Ultimaker has recently launched the Ultimaker² Go and Ultimaker² Extended at CES 2015, two cutting-edge desktop 3D printers that are available for pre-order in March 2015 and will be made available in April 2015. The releases of these two new 3D printers are following the success of its top-rated Ultimaker². The Ultimaker² Go is compact 3D printer that is the perfect solution for makers who want to start with 3D printing on a premium level while the Ultimaker² Extended is a larger 3D printer that boasts some of the highest speed and accuracy found on any desktop 3D printer.

For more information and to sign up to attend the class visit: http://learn3d.nyc

Twitter Hashtag #JeSuisCharlie Demonstrates Global Solidarity over Paris Shootings

By on January 16, 2015 in Media, Public Relations

piccc

Last Wednesday, Paris and the world were both shocked and devastated after the recent attack at the headquarters of satirical French magazine, Charlie Hebdo. While this is not France’s first threat on its national security, the shooting is currently the worst to date. Like so many others, this tragic event has sparked vast media attention and people around the world expressed their support within hours of the massacre. This article written by The Huffington Post explains how the #JeSuisCharlie Hashtag is “a message of solidarity” and the powerful effects of Twitter after the shooting at Charlie Hebdo.

Hashtag activism allows a simple phrase to turn into a powerful utterance that embodies sympathies of goodwill. The phrase #JeSuisCharlie or “I am Charlie” which emerged in the after math of the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo office is proof alone to cite the ever-growing presence of current events being integrated into social media. Twitter has become an online forum where people have the ability to connect to vast networks with updates of breaking news as well as free expression of their emotions and according to the Huffington Post, “thousands of Twitter users posted the hashtag in support of those killed and freedom of the press.”

In the past week, #JeSuisCharlie has become the trending hashtag bringing together journalists and citizens alike in support for the victims. Looking back to other past political movements in the last few years, such as the Arab Spring uprisings (#arabspring) or more recently, the Occupy Wall Street (#occupywallstreet) protests, hashtags are becoming increasingly powerful as they become a symbol for a global voice.

Read the full article written by The Huffington Post here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/07/jesuischarlie-charlie-hebdo-shooting_n_6429712.html

 

How to Make the Most of LinkedIn

By on August 15, 2014 in Career Talk, Social Media, Social Media for Business

LinkedIn is one of the most valuable resources for working professionals, but few users understand every feature the site has to offer. Sylvan Lane shares “8 Tips and Tricks for LinkedIn Power Users” on Mashable and here are our top 3:

1. Set up anonymous profile viewing

Though Lane admits “it’s natural to want to delve a little deeper into someone’s professional past,” LinkedIn automatically notifies users when their profile is viewed. By changing profile settings to anonymous, one can search the LinkedIn network without the fear of appearing creepy.

2. Ask connections to leave you recommendations

The point of making connections on LinkedIn is so friends and colleagues can bolster your professional profile. While it might be awkward to ask for these endorsements, “these recommendations add immediate credibility and depth to your experience,” Lane notes. LinkedIn connections are mutually beneficial relationships, so don’t forget to recommend others as well.

3. Save job searches and receive email alerts

One of LinkedIn’s most helpful resources is its job search tool. Don’t have time to sift through lengthy job postings? Save searches and opt to receive email alerts daily, weekly or monthly. This is the perfect way to make LinkedIn “work for you, as you look for work yourself,” Lane concludes. Your dream job could be hiding in your inbox disguised as an email from LinkedIn!

Get more tips and tricks to step up your LinkedIn game here: http://mashable.com/2014/08/07/linkedin-tips-and-tricks/

How to Avoid Time Traps: A Lesson on Productivity

By on August 1, 2014 in Career Talk, PR for Businesses

Time

In the busy day-to-day work of a PR professional, there are many days where it feels as though there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. Some weeks this cannot be helped—but other times it is more about how we use the time we have. PR Daily’s article “The top 5 workplace time traps,” demonstrates how getting everything done in the workday is all about efficiency. The author, Laura Stack, has been a productivity expert for over 20 years and lists the five major problems workers face as the following—poor prioritization, distractions and interruptions, overwork, poor self-discipline and poor organization.

Having a strong game plan when entering the office is the first step. Whether using lists, flagged emails or calendar alerts it is necessary to stay organized. The best PR professionals understand that efficiency is all about prioritization—knowing what needs to get accomplished by the end of the day and in what order. Stack recommends when feeling overwhelmed with work to “drop anything you can, give misallocated tasks to the people they really belong to, and delegate whenever possible. Move ‘someday’ tasks back to your Master List until you have time to deal with them.”

Stack also speaks about distractions in the workplace, whether it be coworkers, email alerts or other office conversations. These distractions can make workers unfocused, causing valuable work time to be lost. Her recommendations in a time crunch is “don’t answer emails and phone calls as soon as they come in. Turn off email alerts and let calls roll over to voice mail.” The distractions themselves not only waste time, but even more time is then lost trying to find our place before we were distracted.

This advice can help guide workers towards a lifestyle that is productive and therefore allows them to enjoy their lives outside of the workplace. Laura lists overwork as number four in her list of problems, stating that as employees are assigned more and more work, “Time remains our most precious resource; we can give up only so much of the time we need for sleep, good health, socializing, family, and the other things that make life worth living. You have no choice but to more firmly control your behavior. Trim away the unimportant and tightly control how you spend every minute of your workday. Firm, consistent time management and hard work are the only ways to pull out of this trap.”

While breaking free of these habits is not easy, learning how to become more productive will allow for better time management and more activities outside of the office.

Read Laura Stark’s article about how to tackle work efficiently here: http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/17029.aspx

 

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