In search of the next 250

What a ride! I am now fully three quarters of the way to my target of 1,000 followers on Twitter, and I am happy to report that I am one step above ‘quietly confident’ that I will manage to reach my goal before the end of the year.

With that said, after all that I’ve learned with this experiment, from its humble beginnings, to my midpoint achievement, it seems a bit silly to strive for a specific number of followers on any social media platform. Let alone by a specific end date. Quality must trump quantity, right? Well, that remains to be seen.

Crush your next media event

Nowhere does the modern tactics of social media smash against the solid rocks of traditional public relations strategies like the media event. Beyond the logistics of the event itself, I’m going to assume that you have a few of the basics covered:

3 types of PR pros: What’s your sign?

People have been trying to figure out other people for millennia. Some attribute your personality traits to the year you were born [see: Chinese zodiac], the day you were born [see: Western astrology], or right down to the minute you were born [see: Hindu astrology]. In any of these examples, it seems to have nothing to do with your upbringing or cultural influences. It has all been pre-ordained.

I don’t believe that we have a specific destiny, but without getting too metaphysical, I think we can work backwards a bit from your chosen profession to determine what sort of person you are.

3 TED Talks on communications that everyone should watch

Few things get your mind turning like a well crafted TED Talk. They are truly ideas worth spreading. This short collection represents some of the best marketing-related ideas from the past few years that are being felt in the marketplace today. Take a few minutes over the next week to watch and absorb these short presentations and get inspired before your next big communications project.

Crisis Roundup for 2015 (so far)

Not sure if this is just the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon wreaking havoc with my mind, but I’ve been in crisis mode of late, helping others navigate the uncertain waters of unfortunate events in their business, projects and personal lives, and it seems that every day my eyes are drawn to the headlines surrounding PR gaffes, scandals and crises.

Whether it reflects an editorial shift for media, or just my own sharpened awareness, I feel that 2015 has been a bonanza of blunders, and we’re only just halfway through!

But the half-year mark is a good time to reflect on what has transpired and take a look at some of the potential crises that are lying in wait.

Bad bloggers don’t die, they multiply!

As a reader, I have definite opinions about what makes a good blog great, and what makes a bad blog horrible. It’s not scientific by any stretch. It’s actually quite intuitive and visceral. It’s a deep, gut reaction from the moment the link turns purple. It has nothing to do with whether a blogger has a huge audience or not. It has everything to do with the quality of the content. This applies equally to personal and professional blogs.

Now, I’m relatively new to this blogging business, but even I, with my limited exposure and experience, have spotted some examples of absolutely atrocious posts that have to be called out. What’s so upsetting is that they have seemingly ignored some of the most basic blogging advice available. Far more established bloggers than me have addressed this topic, and yet, against all logic, these ‘writers’ continue to pollute my screen with their senseless syllables.

In no particular order, here are some of my biggest pet peeves:

The threefold benefits of tooting your own horn

Walk into the lobbies of any respected communications firms and you’ll see a bevy of trophies, plaques and other trinkets to recognize an outstanding piece of work. Usually they honour exceptional communications planning, execution, or results (although, it’s hard to imagine any of them in isolation). Awards are even more relevant for those who are part of larger organizations where communications is deemed secondary to the product or service.

How to effectively measure public relations

Photo courtesy of Niuton may on Flickr

Rob Swystun, Pristine Advisers

While it’s important to keep track of the amount of content you’re sending out, tracking the effectiveness of public relations campaigns shouldn’t just be about that, as tracking the amount of content won’t give you an accurate depiction of whether the PR campaign is actually working.

The true measure of a PR campaign’s success is outcomes and behavioral changes, according to William Mills Agency account director David Jones, writing for The Financial Brand.

While advertising and marketing initiatives will often have a direct and measurable impact on success, the true impact of PR programs is more difficult to gauge.

The core of any PR program will have the following three goals, Jones says:

1. Reach a particular audience with a specific message,
2. Influence the audience to make a change or take an action.
3. Create a positive effect on the…

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