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Missed out on past newsletters - or perhaps you'd just like to get a flavour of our regular advice and ideas. You've come to the right place!
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PR and Social Media
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Some of my clients love it, some hate it, some spend so long doing it they find it hard to get any proper work done and some even refuse to even try it. Yes, it's social media!
PR and Social Media - the good, the bad and the shortcuts
PR used to be simple. But PR is changing fast. As we market ourselves we're expected to embrace the likes of Twitter and Facebook. We're also told we need to blog, and hang out on forums. PR and marketing a business has become a full time job in itself.
I often see clients who have started a blog, made an account on Twitter and joined Facebook, but are wondering why it's not working for them. And I often say the same thing to them.
1. Focus
Be kind to yourself and chose one thing and commit to that. You can't Tweet all day, do a decent blog post three times a week and connect to every man and their dog on Facebook. You will have a nervous breakdown trying to do it. And the very few that do, look as though they:
a. don't have a life and spent all theirs online
b. don't have any clients and are desperately trying everything that might work
c. automate everything, and where's the human connection in that?
If you like writing - quality as well as quantity - then try blogging. It's a great way to connect with your readers and show the human side of your business. If you're great at humour then have a go at Twitter - the limited word count means that you'll need to get your message over succinctly. If you value person to person contact, concentrate on forums.
2. Branding
Think of it as marketing a brand. It may be you, or it may be your business name, but be sure which one it is. I Tweet using my PR name @doyourownpr and this ties in with my business name and my website address.
3. Research
If you decide you're going to blog, spend some time looking at other people's blogs and work out what you like and don't like. If it's Twitter that's more your thing, just join and follow other people for a while. Look at the people with lots of followers. What is it that they Tweet about that is so interesting? How can you offer the same value or entertainment?
4. Keep It Professional
Whilst a little personal detail is nice and gives an impression of you as a real person, don't get carried away. Likewise, if you are using a social networking tool for business then keep it business-like. Don't be afraid to say no to a friend request from Jason Kennedy from primary school who used to wipe his snot on your skirt. You can keep it friendly, saying something like "I'm sorry but this is for work colleagues and you'd find it incredibly boring".
5. Offer value
Use forums to offer advice, Tweet your own expert opinions. Don't be afraid to show what you know - be generous. Guarding your skills and knowledge for paying clients only is not going to attract new ones.
6. Don't be Afraid to Sell
I'm not talking about pushy sales here, but you are after all, spending time on what should be a money making exercise. If you have a special offer on, Tweet about it, put it up on your blog and Facebook page. Don't be too shy!
7. Persistence
Give it time. You are not going to build up 1000 twitter followers in a day. Think of this as a 6 month experiment. Want a free PR resource pack? Click here
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| Posted: 06/01/2010 16:35:56
Last Updated: 06/01/2010 16:50:51
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