Social media marketing is fast becoming an important tool for public relations professionals to deliver a message to a receptive public. But do they know how to get the best, most appropriate leverage from popular social networking sites? Social media is driven by technology, and the primary purpose of such sites is for people to communicate with each other. It is important to become familiar with the technology and know how to navigate through sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and others. (more…)

Technorati Tags: pr firms, public relations, Social Marketing, social public relations

When you go to Google to find information about a particular topic, almost all of the results you get will be to material that has been published in the past. Whether the information was published two years ago, two months ago, or even two hours ago, it isn’t instant news. Online material such as blogging or even news articles are not real-time publishing, because there is at least some amount of delay time between when the material is written and when it appears online. This type of information may take at least a few minutes of research or thought, then it takes at least a minute to post, then it takes a certain amount of time to actually appear on the website where it’s been posted.
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Technorati Tags: google, pr firms, social media, SSPR

FourSquare lets you check in anywhere, anytime

New Internet and mobile applications have arisen that allow registered users to post and update their location around cities like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and exactly where in those cities they are and what they’re doing so their friends will always know where they are at any given moment. Location-sharing applications such as Google Buzz, Foursquare, and Loopt are increasing in popularity very rapidly, because users find it incredibly addicting to post every little detail of their daily activities with friends in their social networks. The appeal is especially strong with the achievement systems in applications such as Foursquare, where you can earn “badges” for checking in at a location more frequently than other users. Although these social networking applications can be entertaining and fun, some people consider them to be risky because the world will know when you aren’t home.  You can always not check in when your out and check in to where you have been that night later, but im not sure if that is a violation of the TOS or not.

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Technorati Tags: Chicago PR Firms, PR Tips

I can’t count the number of clients wanting to know the secrets to creating and distributing a viral video.  Here’s my top-secret formula…

(Create Funny, Timely, or Interesting Video that incorporates company messaging and product visibility) + (Distribute said video to key industry influencers) x (Encourage said influencers to share video with their friends, colleagues, and fans) ^ (Cross Fingers & Pray) = Successful Viral Video

While creating a viral video is simple in theory, it is actually one of the more challenging tasks for a Marketing or PR Professional.   That said, this viral video from Grasshopper exemplifies that the formula really does work. Link here.

Watch the video- It’s a funny, timely parody of Internet Geek culture, our obsession with Internet entrepreneurs and technology.  It is well made, completely professional, and ties in an uber-popular Jay-Z song.

Now Watch again- When Grasshopper created this viral video, they seamlessly incorporated product branding without distracting the viewer.  The video was branded as “The New Dork- Entrepreneur State of Mind”.  It didn’t have flashing neon lights saying come to grasshopper.com- our products are the best!  A colleague and I watched this video several times trying to count the number of almost subliminal Grasshopper mentions.  We are still deliberating on a final number.

I would love to hear from Grasshopper’s marketing team that, as a result of the video, web traffic has increased by X%, or qualified sales leads have increased by Y%.  (Call me and let me know, okay?)  What I can see is that Twitter chatter has exploded not only for The New Dork (expected), but also for Grasshopper as a company (the point of the entire video).

Perhaps the new recipe for viral videos is to commission a professional video that makes fun of the Internet’s obsession with Cat Videos and Farmville games on Facebook, add a half-of-a-pinch of company messaging, and wait for the chatter to begin?

Agree, disagree?  Let me know! @KristinMiller

Technorati Tags: videos, viral videos

My main rule of social networking is that if you wouldn’t tell your priest, rabbi, minister, spouse, parents, kids, grandparents, neighbors, roommate, parole officer, landlord, doctor, or IRS tax man– don’t put it on your social networking site. Same goes for your neighborhood hoodlums.

Foresquare was designed as a way to network with people near you. You can check in electronically at a particular location, meet others around you, and even become the ‘mayor’ of a particular restaurant / store if you have the most check-ins. It’s become a point of pride to oust someone as the mayor of the Starbucks near your house. One thing is for sure, if you’re checking in at an airport or movie theater, you are broadcasting to the world that you are not at your home.

Let the backlash begin.

A new site called Please Rob Me has aggregated all Foresquare check-ins into one location. There is a disclaimer that Please Rob Me’s intent is not to have people’s homes become burglarized, but what it is doing is raising many security issues. How much sharing is too much?

We all have friends who overshare- too many updates on what their kids are doing, inane comments on who got kicked off The Bachelor- even sensitive health issues they should be talking to their doctor about instead of posting on Facebook. (And maybe we’ve all been a little bit guilty of posting things like this?)

We have become complacent in our social networking habits. A friend request comes in from someone you haven’t seen since elementary school. Although you may have had a lot of fun playing on the swings with this person 25 years ago, do you know anything else about them, or what they’ve been doing?

Anyone who is jumping into social networking needs to know that you put on Twitter, Foresquare, Facebook is out there for the world to see.

In the meantime, next time I Twitter about a conference I’m attending or client I’m visiting, please note that my tough-as-nails husband and vicious dogs will be home. I promise.

@KristinMiller

Technorati Tags: Check in Services, FourSquare, Location Based Services, please rob me, social media