Dale Carnege’s influential 1936 self-help book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, proudly sits on many PR professional’s bookshelves and in the Kindle queue’s of the digital library of many SEO services. The copy is usually in pristine and proper condition – because it has never been opened or touched since purchase. While playing a great prop in the professional business arsenal, it gets read as often as The Prince by politicians or The Art of War by generals.

If you are curious as to how the book applies to the current social media landscape, there are six guidelines the book gives to make people like you. Here they are with the proper social media advice to accompany them for our modern, networked times: Continue reading

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It is no secret that if you want to increase your website statistics and increase your brand’s revenue, you are going to have to implement some sort of social media campaign into your marketing mix. Instead of plugging a brand with a press release or an advertisement, Twitter and Facebook are becoming the most relevant forces in a brand’s life cycle. While most of the people on these services can be labeled as followers, a very select few have a certain je nai sais qua and are able to promote beyond belief. Here are 5 types of social media users who can generate buzz for brands:

The One With the Hollywood Credentials

All of the recent celebrity social media news has surrounded Alec Baldwin and his recent “run-in” with an American Airlines flight attendant. Baldwin refused to quit playing the popular game “Words With Friends” and caused a scene when he got kicked off the plane. According to The Washington Post, Baldwin’s tirade caused #letalecplay to trend worldwide and boosted the number of people playing the game. Baldwin’s scene was such an effective form of social media marketing that he will even get cross promotion for his television show 30 Rock out of the ordeal. Continue reading

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Guest post by Mihaela Lica Butler

In developing your communications methods and network, there’s no doubt you’ve been faced with the dilemma, “To what extent do we try and automate the process?” As technology progresses, the fine line between human mechanics and digital automation sometimes becomes blurred. And then a great chasm between them presents itself – your message lost to overdone mechanization.

Any communicator simply has to automate aspects of their marketing and outreach efforts, but the balance between personal resource and marketing machinery has to be maintained. You have already experienced this, the first time an incensed reporter for the New York  Times flamed you or an account exec, the last time a client’s message was tossed aside offhand.

The infographic below from HubSpot, may re-acquaint you with a balance any company should employ. Continue reading

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When introducing potential customers to a product or service, PR professionals know they need to focus on benefits. Features are there to create some sort of gain for those who purchase whatever a company or individual is selling. Ideally, when a new product or service is launched, those behind it think in terms of benefits, be it real ones or just apparent ones – making people feel cool when they need to is just as much of a benefit as helping them grow their business.

We do consider benefits, and those clearly stated, to be a way to help sell more, increase brand awareness and get all the recognition a company deserves. Simply put, benefits return benefits – monetary gain, image boosts, new opportunities. Therefore, to become successful, you need to help your customers become successful.  Continue reading

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