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Infographic: New Year’s Eve on Facebook

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:06:02 GMT

What are doing on New Year’s Eve?

Perhaps you’re attending one of these parties in New York, Chicago, London, Rome, or Berlin. According to the social planning firm Hotlist, the parties in these big cities are among the most popular this year. At least based on the number of RSVPs. Hotlist looked at 127,000 events and ranked them based on replies.

This infographic breaks it down—and, if you’re still looking for a party to attend, offers a few options:

(via Mashable)

Verizon Wireless suffers stiff PR backlash for $2 ‘convenience’ fee

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:20:50 GMT

UPDATE: Verizon reversed its decision to charge a $2 convenience fee for customers who paid their bills online or via phone, bowing to the online criticism.

Obviously, Verizon Wireless didn’t read PR Daily’s list of the top blunders of 2011.

No. 3 on the list was Bank of America, which experienced a PR firestorm after it proposed monthly surcharges. The No. 1 blunder was Netflix; its PR meltdown began with a price hike.

And now Verizon is trying a "convenience fee" of its own.

On Thursday, the Engadget blog published a Verizon memo explaining that on Jan. 15 Verizon customers will have to pay a $2 “convenience fee” for paying their bills each month online or over the phone. Twitter flooded with negative tweets about Verizon; an online petition was started; bloggers opined. Even Time magazine voiced its disapproval.

And, on Friday, nasty comments about the company piled up on its Facebook page. One (of the many) comments said:

“14 months to go for contract free from this bloodsucker company that devote more attention to its shareholders and profit that it's base...Its customers.”

What’s the deal with this charge? The New York Times explains:

“The $2 monthly fee … will apply to people who make one-time credit or debit card payments on the phone or online. Subscribers who write checks or have the company charge their credit or debit cards or deduct from their bank accounts each month will not have to pay the new fee.”

As of Friday morning, Verizon had done little to respond to the avalanche of negative sentiment. A spokesman told the Times: “These fees are going to cover the costs of those last-minute payments. We don’t want anyone to have to pay this.”

On the Verizon Wireless Facebook page—the same one where customers are voicing their disapproval—the company offered a cheery post about gadgets and pets. Yesterday, a Facebook post from Verizon said: “The deals keep getting better and better.”

The company’s formal response has come by way of an announcement on its website. Verizon said:

“The fee will help allow us to continue to support these single bill payment options in these channels and is designed to address costs incurred by us for only those customers who choose to make single bill payments in alternate payment channels (online, mobile, telephone).”

Will Verizon dump the fee or stick with it? We’ll soon find out. Either way, a slow week just turned hectic for Verizon’s PR and social media teams.

11 New Year’s resolutions for PR and marketing professionals

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:10:26 GMT

As we prepare to ring in the new year, let’s take a few minutes to reflect on what’s most important as a marketer or PR practitioner, particularly as the media landscape continues to evolve.

Below are some reminders and/or resolutions related to our practice. These are simple rules. And the best part: they’re fairly easy to incorporate into working life, yet as guiding principals can make a big difference.

Resolve to be a better writer—in 140 characters or less. In an age of tweeting, being succinct is key and helps in making your content viral.

Resolve to think outside the confines of “traditional” PR. Instead of relying on an age-old press release, ask if a topic is better suited to a blog or social media post.

Resolve to know your audience. “Beats” are fluid in these days of the continuous news cycle. Know your audience and their of-the-moment interests. Resolve to check your contacts’ latest posts and tweets before reaching out with an idea or topic.

Resolve to be a storyteller. Some media deal in straight facts and figures; others paint with a different brush. Don’t bore with market potential for a new widget if that’s not their bag; instead tell them what they want to hear, which typically boils down to how it will impact their reader’s life.

Resolve to speak measurement upfront, not when asked by the client. What does the program, strategy or tactic you're suggesting really do to impact the bottom line? If you can't answer that question, both qualitatively and quantitatively, then perhaps it's not the great idea you thought it was.

Resolve to be SEO friendly. Why make it hard to find the product or messages you’re trying to convey? Think of keywords that matter and use them in your blog, release and outreach so they can get crawled and drive traffic.

Resolve to be more visual. If a picture is worth 1,000 words then why not? Multimedia is the new text; incorporating photos and video makes a story more impactful.

Resolve to stay ahead of the game. This is one of the hardest challenges in PR. As fires, last-minute deadlines and “urgent” requests fly into the inbox hour by hour, it’s important to dedicate a portion of the day to ensure you’re staying ahead—or at a minimum on track—of your regularly scheduled program.

Resolve to slow it down and clean up your act. In this age of short, snippy emails and social media postings, it's easy to post quantity over quality. Before you hit "send" take a second (or even third) look. It pays not to be sloppy.

Resolve to clear your head. When the going gets tough, the tough can get stressed. And what good does a foggy, frenetic brain do when push comes to shove? Little. There's something to be said about the five-minute break. Try it. You’ll be better at your job because of it.

Resolve to give good counsel. Tell your boss or client(s) what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. This can sometimes be intimidating, but it's important, and only right. We've all been there—there’s an expectation that PR will simply take orders—but you know in your gut the effort at hand will net nothing but peeved media and bloggers and worse, backlash that could damage several reputations, both the company and yours.

Here’s to a happy and healthy New Year to you all.

Carm Lyman is co-owner and president of Lyman PR, a consumer lifestyle communications agency. Based in Northern California, Lyman PR specializes in PR and marketing for consumer tech, mobile tech, music, b2b, hospitality and sports. She can be reached at carm@lymanpr.com, or follow her on Twitter @carmlyman or @lymanpr.

BEST OF 2011: 53 signs you work in public relations

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:06:40 GMT

All week, PR Daily has counted down the 25 most-popular stories on the site in 2011. This story, which first appeared in October, is No. 1. To see the original version, with all of the reader comments, click here. – editor

PR Daily published a story this year from PR professional Lauren Fernandez on the 11 signs that someone works in public relations. (The story originally appeared on Fernandez's blog.) The article unleashed a flood of comments that we compiled into a second story ("42 more signs you work in PR"). Here, we combined both stories: The first 11 signs are from Fernandez, and the other 42 come from our readers.

1. Your day starts and ends with a cup of coffee.

2. You can power-walk in 5-inch heels with your laptop bag while checking your BlackBerry.

3. Inside jokes with your colleagues will get you through the day—especially the insanely stressful ones.

4. You constantly engage in “PR is dead” and “the press release doesn’t have a place in business” arguments.

5. You are so used to putting the client first that you usually forget to eat lunch.

6. It’s detrimental to your health and workday when you forget your headphones.

7. You can toggle among a PowerPoint presentation, a press release, Twitter strategy, and PSA outlines—all in an hour.

8. You recite billing codes in your sleep.

9. You preface Happy Hour with: “Sorry, I need to keep my phone on the table. I have to be connected to email and phone just in case.”

10. You know more about AP style than Microsoft Office. Because of this, you’re a regular in the IT department.

11. You proudly put “PR pro” in your Twitter bio, knowing it’s the one place you don’t have to explain your job.

12. Your speed-dials connect to the CEO, CFO, CIO, CRO, and Arby’s.

13. Your BlackBerry sleeps with you every night. Your better half does not.

14. You no longer count calories—just your re-tweets. (Source for Nos. 12-14)

15. You start to rock in your chair when you can't catch a look at your BlackBerry over dinner. (Source)

16. “Relax" time is in the shower when you always seem to come up with the best PR pitches. (Source)

17. After your coffee, you spend 20 minutes deleting Google Alerts of clients, competitors, and everything in between. (Source)

18. Your home number is on your office voice mail "just in case a reporter calls," and non-PR people regularly express surprise that you'd let it out. You don't understand why they even think that. (Source)

19. The first thing you do when you start your day is "communications triage," and it often begins at home. (Source)

20. Your client wants to be on Oprah. Alternately, you are beyond grateful that this is Oprah's final season—so you never have to hear a client say they want to be on Oprah again. (Source) (Source)

21. EVERYTHING in your life—from doing the laundry to playing a round of golf—is recorded in your mind in 15-minute billable increments. (Source)

22. You set three alarms to rise at 4 a.m. to make the early morning in-studio segment. (Source)

23. You engage in weekly conversations with your clients that start with, “Why weren't we included in this WSJ article?” (Source)

24. You've heard all the lines about sleep: "Sleep is overrated." "You can sleep all you want when you die." "Do you ever sleep?" (Source)

25. You start your day by digging out of client and competitor alerts and checking email, all before you're out of bed. (Source)

26. You check HootSuite in the morning before you get out of bed just to monitor what has been said about your clients overnight. (Source)

27. Every Friday around 5:00 p.m. you think, “This could be crisis time!” (And sometimes even look forward to a good one.) (Source)

28. You know what time it is anywhere in the world and every country's phone code, all without having to look at a reference guide. (Source)

29. You're afraid to go more than 15 minutes (max) without checking Twitter/Facebook/news feeds to make sure you're not missing anything. (Source)

30. You rely on to-do lists (yes, plural) to get you through your day, but often don't get to cross anything off until 4 p.m. (after managing a few surprise crises). (Source)

31. You wake from a dream in the middle of the night, rolling over to grab the pen and paper you keep on your nightstand to jot it down so you won't forget an idea for yet another crazy PR stunt. Work on the mind during the day and work on the mind while you sleep! (Source)

32. You can't look at or listen to any form of media without thinking, "My client should be on/in that." (Source)

33. My iPhone is my girlfriend. My MacBook Pro, my best friend. (Source)

34. You're the only person groaning out loud when reading the paper on the bus. How were we not included? (Source)

35. You check your smartphone before brushing your teeth. (Source)

36. People have asked you if you sleep in your office and you've actually thought about where you'd put the sleeping bag…if it ever got to that. (Source)

37. Checking of smartphones and news becomes an everyday routine before bedtime and in the mornings. (Source)

38. You read/hear about a company's crisis and instantly think, "I wonder who their AOR is." (Source)

39. You have one copy of the AP Stylebook at work, one at home, one on your Kindle, and the app on your phone. (Source)

40. At cocktail parties, you speak in quotable sound bites. (Source)

41. You never plan meetings on Fridays afternoons or make personal plans on Friday evenings. You know that “the call" is coming at 4:45 p.m., and everything will need to be dropped anyway. (Source)

42. You actually take surveys. It's good client karma, right? (Source)

43. You think and speak in 140 characters or less. (Source)

44. You call taking any photo a “Photo-op.” (Source)

45. Post-it notes are your lifeblood. (Source)

46. You almost die if your BlackBerry is sent for servicing! (Source)

47. Your friends think you're crazy for your undeniable attachment to your social networks.

48. Client's products are decorations on your desk.

49. You eat every meal at the office and have a shelf dedicated to your favorite snacks, most of which include some kind of protein or snack bar. (Source for Nos. 47 – 49)

50. You work out at 4:00 a.m. (Source)

51. You watch televised press conferences for fun and to steal really good talking points. (Source)

52. Your morning consists of simultaneously pitching different campaigns, for different clients, across different media markets, and often, in different languages. (Source)

53. Something really bad happens and you're the first to announce, "We don't have problems; we have opportunities." (Source)

(Image via)

BEST OF 2011: 21 signs you grew up in the ‘90s

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:05:20 GMT

All week, PR Daily has counted down the 25 most-popular stories on the site in 2011. This story, which first appeared in November, is No. 2. To see the original version, with all of the reader comments, click here. – editor

As a Gen Yer, I’m aware that I was part of the first generation to grow up with the Internet and cell phones. But I can’t help to think about all the things that I grew up with that Gen Z (that’s anyone under the age of 18) and future generations won’t know about.

Here’s my somewhat nostalgic list of all the things people who grew up in the ‘90s know how to do that is now obsolete.

1. How to save a file on a floppy disc

2. The Dewey Decimal System

3. Dial-Up Internet

4. When AOL used to be the sh*t

5. How to record something on a VHS tape

6. When all you could do on a cellular phone was talk

7. The point of a pager/beeper

8. Walkmans

9. How to place a collect call

10. How to find your way using only a map and no GPS

11. Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

12. How to get a Furby or Tamagotchi to shut up

13. How to write in cursive

14. How to do the macarena

15. Just how awesome the original “Double Dare” and “Legends of Hidden Temple” TV shows were (and how awesome ‘90s Nickelodeon shows were in general).

16. How awesome and frightening AOL chat rooms were

17. The secrets to collecting the best Beanie Babies and POGs

18. How to entertain yourself without YouTube videos (oh wait, the Internet in general)

19. The thrill of using Napster

20. How to send a fax

21. How to survive high school without Facebook

Jessica Malnik is a PR/marketing coordinator, social media specialist and videographer. She writes on her personal blog, where a version of this article originally ran.

(Image via)

BEST OF 2011: Students: The 9 things that matter more than GPA

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:04:59 GMT

All week, PR Daily has counted down the 25 most-popular stories on the site in 2011. This story, which first appeared May and November, is No. 3. To see the original version, with all of the reader comments, click here and here. – editor

A friend who works with the alumni association at my alma mater asked an interesting question on Twitter.

Listening to students worry about their GPA, does it really matter what it is? Is that an accurate summary of how you'll be as an employeeless than a minute ago via Seesmic for Android Favorite Retweet ReplyTim Bograkos
timbograkos

The tweets poured in, and the overwhelming sentiment was that college GPA matters very little in professional success.

Grades are the determining factor for performance in school. But in the professional world, that’s not how it works. Your bosses won’t tell you which questions will be on the test.

Your college GPA is a combination of several factors but isn’t really the best indicator of how you’ll perform in the working world. We all know that person with perfect grades who struggles socially or that person who couldn’t care less about school but seems to have no trouble making great things happen in their life. Book smarts and street smarts are very different things.

Take your classes seriously. Do the work. Show up and learn something. Meet your professors. But I’m here to tell you, the GPA you achieve in college doesn’t matter.

Here’s what does:

Knowing how you learn

Spend time during college determining how you best learn and retain information. Some people need to see it, some need to hear it, some need to write it, and some need to practice it before it sticks. As an employee, you’ll need to learn new things as you go, remember them, and prove you’ve absorbed the information.

Applying theory to real-life situations

It’s one thing to recite the 4 P’s of marketing or learn how the purchase decision funnel looks on paper, but things won’t always happen in the marketplace the way they do in your textbooks. Learn how to take fundamental information and proven best practices and apply them in new situations or projects. The real world will always throw new variables at you, so knowing how to adapt theory to practice is crucial.

Time management

Learn how much time you need to research and write a paper, get to your classes and jobs on time, fit a workout in your day, and still have something of a social life. Time management is a vital skill. In your professional life, you’ll need to know how to manage your time to meet deadlines, tackle to-do lists, and avoid banging your head against the wall in the process.

Relevant professional experience

Jobs, internships, student organizations, and volunteer projects in your industry will prepare you best for the working world. Do as much as you can to work in your field during college and learn about what you want to do (or in same cases, what you don’t want to do). Your future employer will take your experience as the absolute best indicator for your potential in a new position.

A portfolio proving you can produce work

Keep samples of your best work from classes and internships. Many employers will want to see your work before hiring you. If you’re not building a portfolio through things you’re required to do before you graduate, then produce these things on your own time. Practice writing articles, press releases, pitches, designing publications, compiling clip reports, research summaries, or anything else you might be hired to do. Practice is important.

The ability to give and receive feedback

Learning to accept praise and criticism is incredibly important. You’ll participate in employee reviews with your boss someday, so the ability to hear different types of feedback, internalize it, and adjust accordingly will matter to your job performance.

It’s also important to learn to how to give feedback to others. When you collaborate with colleagues, you’ll have to offer positive and negative comments on others’ work.

Presentation skills

Offer to be the speaker on behalf of your group in your classes, and learn how to present your projects as an intern. The ability to convey ideas clearly, speak confidently with your bosses, and discuss your experience in interviews will be an important part of your professional life.

Writing skills

It’s sad how many students leave college lacking solid writing ability. Focus on developing this skill, because it will matter in everything from reports to pitches to emails. You don’t have to become a blogger, but finding places to practice writing content and have it edited will really help improve your skills.

Your network

You’ve heard it many times: “Who you know is more important than what you know.” It’s true. (It’s what you need and who you know.) Start building your network right away. Get in the habit of meeting new people, nourishing your relationships, and helping others by making introductions. You are most likely to find job opportunities through your network. Build it!

What else matters more for students than GPA? Or am I wrong? Is GPA more important than I’ve made it out to be?

A version of this story first appeared on Becky Johns’s blog.

(Image via)

BEST OF 2011: 20 things every PR pro should know how to do

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:03:59 GMT

All week, PR Daily has counted down the 25 most-popular stories on the site in 2011. This story, which first appeared April and October, is No. 4. To see the original version, with all of the reader comments, click here and here. – editor

Do you have one foot on the PR banana peel?

If you’re like me, part of you is in “the old world” of PR and the other foot is sliding into the new digital landscape: excited, nervous, learning, kicking, and screaming.

Despite the changes in the industry, PR pros must remember the basics.

The following 20 items and links will serve as reminders and resources.

1. Grab a reporter or blogger’s attention with your words. Words wield power. Choose them carefully. Be relevant.

• How to pitch Mashable
• 3 tips to pitching your story to The Wall Street Journal
• How to effectively communicate with the media

2. Email a three-line pitch. Target your pitches, and understand what each reporter is looking for. Sum up how your pitch/story will benefit his or her audience.

• Think like a reporter
• 6 tips for perfect email pitches
• Email pitches cheat sheet

3. Use social media monitoring tools. Make use of Google Alerts, trending topics, and other tools to keep an eye on hot issues, competition, and your own name.

• 5 social media measurement tools for PR pros
• How Google’s SEO algorithm is changing the web
• 20 free and extremely useful social media monitoring tools

4. Pitch, arrange, and attend an interview for a client. Know the process from beginning to end. Hold your client’s hand as you prepare them for an interview you’ve arranged. Be there for them when they need you. Equally as important: Know when to step back and simply listen.

• Teaching the PR pros of tomorrow

5. Stand up to a client or reporter in a firm yet polite way. Like your clients or managers, journalists can be testy, abrupt, and downright rude.

• The grumpy old reporter

6. Generate valuable content on a regular basis. Identify trends and lessons that can benefit others. Be a constant source of solid information that people trust and respect.

• Social business vs. social marketing: Understanding the fight over content
• The influencer and the Give factor
• 7 ways to fuel your writing

7. Coach your clients or executives on interview techniques. Prep them prior to interviews so they feel comfortable with being on camera or using a microphone.

• 10 ways to feel comfortable on camera
• Everything is on-the-record
• How to do a better phone interview

8. Train top management in crisis communications. Have in place a complete and current written plan that includes training.

• 4 steps for effective crisis communications

9. Use a hand-held camera. It’s important to know how to record a short interview or breaking news story, but it’s essential to grasp how technology helps you disseminate it to the masses. Think Twitter. News breaks there first. Know some basic video editing, too.

• How news spreads online
• 5 insights on citizen journalism

10. Ask good questions. Quality questions bring you quality information. Get people thinking, feeling, and reacting.

• 7 questions PR pros should ask before emailing a pitch
• A PR pro’s secret weapon: Asking smart questions

11. Collaborate with others. Don’t view people in ancillary departments like marketing, advertising, branding, and HR as the enemy. Go for integration, not silos.

• Tear down those silos!

12. Use traditional and social media press releases. I don’t see press releases going out of style anytime soon. Do you?

• 7 unglamorous steps to better writing
• How to write a great press release
• SEO for press releases

13. Use keywords, links, and SEO to give your press releases legs. Do your homework on keywords and search engine rankings. It might make or break your website and blog—and maybe even your business.

• The most common SEO mistake in PR and how to fix it
• Press release optimization for search engines
• Key components of a social media news release

14. Decipher analytics. Understand measurement tools and what they mean to your overall strategy and daily activities (tactics).

• The Evolution of Media Measurement
• How to use Google Analytics
• 10 points to understand before beginning a measurement program

15. Listen to a speech, podcast, webinar, or press conference. Be able to pull out three sound bites from a five-minute presentation or 30-minute rant. This one skill alone will benefit you in public speaking, sales, business, and networking. Summarizing something complex with a punchy quote that brings out the essence of a conversation is priceless these days.

• How to pick a sound bite for a TV news story
• Mastering the 9 second sound bite
• How to use quotes in a news article

16. Repurpose content. Reformatting and tweaking a press release, article, interview, or blog post will save you lots of time and energy.

• 5 ways to recycle older content
• 11 ways to repurpose your content

17. Build an online newsroom. Learn the elements of a quality online newsroom so journalists, bloggers, and others can trust you as a credible, engaging resource that has current information.

• 10 ways to create an online newsroom
• 9 ways to transform your website into a social media hub
• 6 essential elements of every social media newsroom

18. Create the subject line of an email pitch in fewer than eight words. Clarity rules.

• Anatomy of a successful email pitch
• Pitching a reporter: 7 tips for crafting irresistible subject lines

19. Follow chats, forums, and lists to build relationships with reporters and bloggers. It’s good to watch, hover, and observe online to learn personalities and styles before jumping in. Weave your way into a conversation without a pitch. That will come down the road.

• Passion + Community = Success
• How to create targeted media lists and build relationships

20. Write and upload a blog post. Be sure you can do this from beginning to end in less than 30 minutes. That means without the help of tech support.

• Best practices for writing and posting
• WordPress for beginners

A version of this post first appeared on the blog Get in Front Communications.

(Image via)

BEST OF 2011: Report: PR pro is the second-most stressful job

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:02:22 GMT

All week, PR Daily has counted down the 25 most-popular stories on the site in 2011. This story, which first appeared April, is No. 5. To see the original version, with all of the reader comments, click here. – editor

Feeling a bit frazzled at work?

Are you finishing your fifth cup of coffee when you hear “Good morning” for the first time—and does that chirpy greeting annoy the hell out of you? Do you find yourself softly chanting your mantra through gritted teeth?

Don’t beat yourself up: A study says the job of PR officer is the second-most stressful career of 2011.

Each year, CareerCast ranks the best jobs and creates a variety of top 10 lists, including most and least stressful jobs. In 2011, commercial airline pilot ranked No. 1 among most stressful jobs; PR officer was No. 2.

Here’s how CareerCast describes the job of PR pro:

“Public relations officers are responsible for creating and maintaining a positive image with the public for many companies and government agencies. They typically are responsible for giving presentations and making speeches, often in front of large crowds. This highly competitive field and tight deadlines keep stress at high-levels for specialists. Some PR officers, also, are required to interact with potentially hostile members of the media.”

According to CareerCast, the average salary of a PR officer is $90,160, and the average amount of hours logged a day is nine.

Question is: Are you stressed out?

Here’s the full list of stressful jobs:

1. Commercial airline pilot
2. PR officer
3. Corporate executive
4. Photojournalist
5. Newscaster
6. Advertising account executive
7. Architect
8. Stockbroker
9. Emergency medical technician
10. Real estate agent

Visit CareerCast for more lists, including the top 200 jobs of 2011. On this list, PR executive is No. 133, between forklift operator and senior corporate executive. Newspaper reporter is No. 188. Roustabout is No. 200.

BEST OF 2011: One word appeared in press releases 776 times—in a 24-hour period

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:01:02 GMT

This week, PR Daily is counting down the 25 most-popular stories on the site in 2011. This story, which first appeared in March, is No. 6. To see the original version, with all of the reader comments, click here. – editor

I hope you’re sitting down.

Last month, PR strategist Adam Sherk took 25 of the most overused buzzwords in marketing and PR—he compiled a list of the top 100 in June—and ran them through PRFilter, a website from RealWire that aggregates press releases.

The results: “Solution” led the pack with 243 appearances.

Shortly after he published the post, PRFilter set the record straight: “Solution” did not appear in press releases 243 times; it appeared 622 times—and it was the second most common buzzword.

The most common word is “leading,” which showed its face 776 times—in one 24-hour stretch.

Here’s the full list—compliments of Adam Sherk and PRFilter:

1. leading (776)
2. solution (622)
3. best (473)
4. innovate / innovative / innovator (452)
5. leader (410)
6. top (370)
7. unique (282)
8. great (245)
9. extensive (215)
10. leading provider (153)
11. exclusive (143)
12. premier (136)
13. flexible (119)
14. award winning / winner (106)
15. dynamic (95)
16. fastest (70)
17. smart (69)
18. state of the art (65)
19. cutting edge (54)
20. biggest (54)
21. easy to use (51)
22. largest (34)
23. real time (8)

UPDATE: As RealWire CEO Adam Parker noted in the comments, there are 23 (instead of 25) buzzwords because PRFilter treats some words (innovate, innovator, innovative) as single words.

Webinar alert: Send more effective messages through video

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:00:17 GMT

Got a camera? Microphone? Editing software?

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Answer “yes” after this 75-minute webinar with video expert Drew Keller:

Shoot videos that engage employees and get media buzz
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
2:00 – 3:15 p.m. Central

During this virtual training event you’re guaranteed to learn:

• Script basics and when to skip the script;
• What equipment you need to get started;
• The production practices survival guide: Camera height, framing, & environment;
• Sequencing and mastering ways to avoid the "talking head" video;
• Why sound is so important and how you can make yours better.

Plus! Get your burning video questions answered during Drew's LIVE 15-minute Question & Answer session!

Register now to receive your promotional discount.

12 common PR mistakes

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:10:48 GMT

My frustration level is at about an 11 right now when it comes to client-created PR nightmares.

Like most marketing/PR pros, I care deeply about my clients and their business. Sometimes it’s like watching slow, self-induced Chinese water torture when I’m forced to watch them self-emolliate via bad PR mistakes.

Do you want to know the most frustrating part of it all? Most PR is based on common sense. So please, save a PR pro’s sanity and avoid the following:

1. Not having a plan

You think this sounds crazy? Well, it isn’t. In fact, it’s common. Many, many small businesses have absolutely zero PR planning. A word to the wise: It’s part and parcel of your marketing strategy. Don’t have one of them? Better get one.

2. No core value statement

To garner publicity and draw attention to your company, you need to have a statement that sets you apart. If you don’t have one, or if it’s confused and muddled, your company voice will be unheard or misunderstood.

3. No distribution of your message internally

It does you no good if you, Mr./Ms. Boss Man, have a clear idea of what makes your company special and your employees aren’t living and breathing that message. It is tantamount to having your light buried under a bushel basket. Every employee you have must be able to tell anyone who asks what your core message is.

4. No distribution of your message externally

If you don’t have the channels of communication set up and regularly used you can’t get your message out. You need to build your community before you try to speak to it.

5. Having no goals, deadlines or follow up

Think that sounds unusual? Well, it isn’t. How many hours-long meetings have you attended in which there was no plan of action set? It happens all the time in business, and it happens all the time in regards to PR. Once you have a plan, have a method to check its progress.

It’s fine to set deadlines and goals, but how are you going to measure success? What measuring tools/methods will you implement and who is in charge of gathering the results?

6. No crisis plan

I don’t care if you sell donuts, shoe polish or consulting services, bad things happen to good companies all the time; most of them aren’t expecting it. Who is the “go to guy/gal” that will oversee your handling of a crisis? What is the approval process to get your message out? How will you communicate/respond?

7. Ignore the importance of timing

The timing of your response has to be as quick as possible. That does not mean knee-jerk or immediately. Certain circumstances may require legal consultation or the input of a busy management team, and it may be many hours before you can respond to PR issues.

Unfortunately, in this day and age your audience expects everything to happen faster. You need respond as quickly as possible while ensuring your response is measured and the right one.

8. Never, ever erase

How many times have I seen the reaction to negative comments on Facebook be DELETE. Every single bad comment is an opportunity for your company to either a) get its side of the story out, or b) explain why it can’t, but tell how much it cares about its customers.

9. Never, ever shut off the channel

If your Facebook Page blows up with negative comments, it may mean working overtime to answer them. Never, ever shut them off. What does that say? I don’t want to play anymore so I’m taking my ball and going home.

It may be painful, time consuming, exhausting and expensive but you must engage during the bad times if you want engagement during the good.

10. Don’t go on the offensive

As irresistible as it may be to try to fight back or point out your attacker’s issues, refrain (this is where a PR pro can help). Going on the offensive will make you look guilty and possibly child like, reactionary, and often mean. This is why experienced, level-headed people must call the shots on your PR crisis team.

11. Don’t be afraid to admit when you’re wrong

No company is perfect, and yours will make mistakes. It is not the end of the world if you do, but it’s a PR disaster of the highest order if you pretend you didn’t.

12. Never try to erase your scars

Any company that’s been in business for any period of time has the scars of its years to show. That means some bad PR issues from years past will occasionally rear their head. Educate your current staff as to what took place and what the company’s reaction should be when and if it is brought up publicly. Every mistake is a learning lesson; you are only foolish if you don’t learn from it.

The reality is that nothing on this list will shock you because it’s rooted in common business sense. Yet, on an almost weekly basis my marketing/PR comrades are shocked by boneheaded moves made by companies that should have the experience and budget to avoid them.

I’m sure you have witnessed the same thing; the positive take away is that each one of these mistakes is a lesson from which we can all learn. What is the most shocking PR gaff you’ve ever seen and how was it resolved?

Amy McCloskey Tobin is the founding Principal of Ariel Marketing Group, LLC. A version of this story first appeared on the 12 Most blog.

BEST OF 2011: With a single tweet, Lance Armstrong’s PR machine blunts ’60 Minutes’ segment

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:06:59 GMT

This week, PR Daily is counting down the 25 most-popular stories on the site in 2011. This story, which first appeared in May, is No. 7. To see the original version, with all of the reader comments, click here. – editor

Cycling superstar Lance Armstrong has figured out that Twitter makes for a perfect sound bite, even in response to a “60 Minutes” expose.

Posted before Sunday night’s program, which said he allegedly took performance-enhancing drugs during his career, Armstrong’s tweet was direct and finely tuned:

“20+ year career. 500 drug controls worldwide, in and out of competition. Never a failed test. I rest my case.”

It was blasted out to Armstrong’s nearly 2.9 million followers, and then retweeted thousands of times, effectively making a clean sweep of the Web. He offered no interviews, a policy he enacted during his seven consecutive Tour de France wins, leaving the media no choice but to quote the tweet in full.

More important, it robbed “60 Minutes” of the drama of two former teammates squaring off on national television—a near-certain ratings booster for a network that has been struggling to retain an audience. And it effectively took the steam out of the much-touted interview with onetime Armstrong teammate Tyler Hamilton.

The “60 Minutes” program was designed to serve as a grand entrance for new CBS News anchor Scott Pelley, who reported the story.

Armstrong and his team of seasoned PR experts didn’t fall for the ratings trap. Instead they responded with the initial tweet, then followed it with another missive linking to a focused response website: www.facts4lance.com

The response site attacks CBS’s journalistic integrity and includes a letter to CBS, a point-by-point breakdown of Tyler Hamilton’s doping history. The site said, “CBS has demonstrated a serious lack of journalistic fairness and has elevated sensationalism over responsibility.”

CBS News chairman Jeff Fager responded to the claims in the Daily Beast, saying: “We have been so thorough and fair to Lance Armstrong. We have shared with them every single allegation in our story … This is a PR game. Our reporters have done a first-class job."

Fager further added that Armstrong should have come on the show to tell his side of the story.

Given how the story has died down—particularly after European testing officials came out on Armstrong’s side and denied allegations that there was a cover-up and Nike stood by Armstrong—sending the tweet may have been the safest and most effective tactic.

Gil Rudawsky is a former reporter and editor. He heads-up the crisis communication/issues management practice at GroundFloor Media in Denver. Read his blog or contact him at grudawsky@groundfloormedia.com.

(Image via)

BEST OF 2011: An ‘awesome’ career: 10 things PR pros do in their jobs

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:05:50 GMT

This week, PR Daily is counting down the 25 most-popular stories on the site in 2011. This story, which appeared in June and in November, is No. 8. To see the original version, with all of the reader comments, click here and here. – editor

I watched the Indy 500 this year. I'm of those people who didn’t care about the Indy Racing League—the cars, the drivers, the sport.

That is, until I worked on the ethanol account at a public relations firm. For two years, my team and I had an incredible opportunity to shape a national debate: Would ethanol be a part of our nation's solution to our dependency on foreign oil?

The people who hired us wanted to build awareness for the corn-powered fuel and educate Americans on its benefits. It proved to be a challenge. Outside of the Midwest—where corn is hauled to ethanol processing plants and turned in to pure alcohol—it did not have much name recognition.

Until the Indy Racing League announced that all of its drivers would use 100 percent ethanol in each and every race.

The day that Paul Dana, ethanol advocate and first driver of the "E" car, was killed in a test run at Miami Homestead is firmly planted in my mind. I dropped everything to write a press release about Paul's death and his legacy, my thoughts bouncing from the loss, to his grieving wife and their unborn child, to my need to get the facts right.

The experience of working on this project revealed what it means to work in public relations and what, exactly, PR professionals do.

Here’s my take:

1. They shape the debate. Ethanol is a mandated fuel mix in many states. But winning the hearts and minds of the American consumer was the goal. My job was to identify the knowledge level of the consumer, identify strengths and weaknesses, and to use public relations channels to inform the public through a variety of means.

2. They research. The only way to measure consumer awareness was to do national research, which my company commissioned. Then, using the raw data, my job was to identify areas in which consumers needed more information, had erroneous beliefs, or simply didn't care. Knowing how to design and execute a research plan was crucial to my job.

3. They write. After identifying key messages, we wrote them in to all kinds of documents. We wrote an Ethanol insert for all the Indy car programs; we wrote fact sheets, news releases, media pitches, position papers, PowerPoint presentations, op-ed pieces, Web copy, blog posts, and ad copy.

4. They plan special events. The photo above was taken at an event at a Dallas 7-Eleven store. Our second driver, Jeff Simmons, took over behind the wheel after Paul Dana passed away. That event featured two more Indy car drivers, the Secretary of Energy, and ethanol advocates from all over the country. We gave away cheap ethanol and pitched reporters all over the state. It took a lot of time and planning, but it reaped benefits in the local media and taught Texas to pronounce ethanol "Eth-an-ol" rather than "eeeth-an-ol."

5. They manage crisis situations. When Paul Dana died, the ethanol industry suffered a psychological blow. Not only was the circuit’s most passionate and visible advocate dead, but he died in a fiery crash in the ethanol "E" car. Not a great visual. Moving the organization past this loss and regrouping was part of my job.

6. They talk to the media. I formed relationships with media across the country while working on the ethanol account. It was my job to think of as many angles as possible, so my team worked hard on finding reporters from as many beats as we could. We ended up pitching energy reporters, business reporters, feature reporters, and trend reporters. The most memorable and creative pitch my team did ended up appearing as an AP story in more than 140 different media outlets.

7. They find advocates. There were many allies of ethanol, such as corn growers, industry groups, convenience stores, "Clean Cities" initiatives, and of course, the Indy Racing League. It was our job to reach out to them and form alliances for our client, and figure out ways we could work together.

8. They tell the truth. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, it's tempting to skip steps, make assumptions, and push the button before the facts are checked. Sometimes the client is asking you to do things that push the boundary of the truth. Sometimes it's your boss. Don't be tempted to take shortcuts that will undermine your credibility with your team, client, or employers.

9. They educate themselves. PR Professionals should be among the smartest people on the team. They're articulate, well read, and care deeply about the subject matter they represent. They keep up on current events, read the newspaper, and know about what's going on in the world.

10. They use new media tools. There has been much debate about the role of social media in the PR world. Moving forward, I can't imagine a PR professional doing a thorough job in any industry without using all tools as their disposal.

Through my experience working on this account and many others, I've used every part of my brain to help my clients put their best foot forward. I've helped them make business decisions, challenged them to think about certain issues in a new way, and given them fresh perspective.

(I want to reiterate: I was only one person on an entire account team. No one person could have done all this work.)

It's invigorating. It's why I love my job. PR is an awesome career.

A version of this story first appeared on the author's blog Public Relations Princess.

BEST OF 2011: The 12 most ridiculous social media job titles

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:04:27 GMT

This week, PR Daily is counting down the 25 most-popular stories on the site in 2011. This story, which first appeared in June, is No. 9. To see the original version, with all of the reader comments, click here. – editor

Let’s first frame this post with the question:

Why do businesses assign job titles to individuals?

The purpose of titles is to provide a descriptor of the individual’s job function. They are as important to the employee as they are to the customer.

For the employee, they establish ownership over their job responsibilities and maintain structure within the organization. For customers, they establish the expectation of the interaction they may have with this corporate representative.

For the most part, businesses stick with the norms: executive, director, manager, assistant, and so forth. However, somewhere between the tech boom and the development of social media, job titles seem to have become more of a statement on personality than job function. Or maybe social media has simply changed how people operate within today’s business.

Either way, many marketers are taking too many liberties with their job titles and no more so than social media marketers.

In my business and online travels, I’ve seen an alarming trend in the manufacturing of unusual job titles. Someone has to stand up and say, “Enough!” So, I’m going to call out the 12 most ridiculous social media job titles, in no particular order, in hopes of curbing this trend.

1. Web Alchemist

2. Head of Interactions

3. Ant Colony Foreman

4. Chief People Herder

5. Chatter Monkey

6. Community Data Guerrilla

7. Social Media Guru

8. Social Media Swami

9. Public Happy Maker

10. Social Media Evangelist

11. Social Media Rockstar

12. Social Media Missionary

You’ll notice that I left out the ever popular: “Social Media Expert.” It was omitted purposely. It’s simply too ridiculous to make even this list. The reality is Social Media is simply too new and evolving too quickly for anyone to legitimately be called an expert. Even if it wasn’t, a “social media expert” is akin to being a “talking expert.” It has no real meaning.

These ridiculous job titles are the “dress-down Fridays” of business culture. While they may make some people feel more comfortable or relaxed, do they really offer any measurable business benefits in productivity?

Or is the intended wit enough to justify them in our collective business lingo? Do you agree? Disagree? Did I miss any? Share with the class by listing your ridiculous job titles in the comment section below.

Disclaimer: I’m empowered to call out these 12 Most Ridiculous Social Media job titles as I myself have a rather ridiculous job title: “Chief Strategy Sensei.” Yes, it’s the pot calling the kettle black.

Sam Fiorella is a globetrotting interactive marketing strategist who has earned his stripes over the past 20 years in senior management roles with corporate sales & marketing teams as well as consulting for more than 30 marketing agencies. Sam’s experience with over 1600 interactive projects during the past 15 years spans the government, finance & insurance, manufacturing, national retail and travel/tourism sectors. Currently, Sam is the chief strategy sensei at Sensei Marketing, where he is charged with strategic campaign guidance and marketing technology development that power the Sensei Customer Lifecycle Methodology. Sam is a respected blogger and popular keynote speaker on marketing, branding and social media communications having presented at more than 200 conferences in the past two years. Follow Sam on Twitter or Connect with him on LinkedIn.

This story originally appeared on the website The 12 Most … It’s been republished with permission from the publishers.

BEST OF 2011: The 5 types of annoying Facebook users

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:03:07 GMT

This week, PR Daily is counting down the 25 most-popular stories on the site in 2011. This story, which first appeared in June, is No. 10. To see the original version, with all of the reader comments, click here. – editor

While this infographic from the blog Endless Origami is geared more for the high school and college set, it does highlight some classic social media archetypes.

The self promoter, for instance—I’m sure you don’t know any of those.

(via BuzzFeed)

(Image via)

BEST OF 2011: 5 reasons a reporter will delete your press release

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:02:19 GMT

This week, PR Daily is counting down the 25 most-popular stories on the site in 2011. This story, which first appeared in June, is No. 11. To see the original version, with all of the reader comments, click here. – editor

Getting a reporter to read—and act on—your press release isn’t always easy.

There are plenty of tips that can help make your press release eye-catching and appealing to journalists. But here are a few ways to guarantee that a reporter will absolutely not read your press release, or discard it quickly:

Send it to their personal email. You don’t want to be bothered at home, and neither do reporters. Sending them messages through their personal account is akin to calling their home phone or knocking on their front door. It’s intrusive and annoying—don’t do it. (Unless, of course, the reporter has instructed you to contact him in this manner; then by all means do it.)

Include the phrase ‘For Immediate Release.’ I delete any messages that have the phrase “For Immediate Release,” because I’ve simply never read a good press release that includes it. If you disagree with this, by all means, let me know—just don’t use my personal email.

Fail to personalize it. If you don’t want a reporter to read your press release, by all means just send the text of the release as the body of the email. At the very least, PR pros should acknowledge that they know the reporter’s name and his or her work, and that they sent the press release because they had read the journalist’s stuff and know what he or she covers.

Include a ton of copy and don’t hyperlink. I’ve seen several press releases that, instead of having hyperlinked phrases, include full, clunky URLs. This makes you look as though you don’t know what you’re doing and that you have trouble using email. Also, good pitches needn’t take up a full page. Pare it to the essentials, and I’ll know right away whether it’s something I would cover. Don’t make me read through a bunch of boilerplate nonsense before I get to your point.

Include a typo. As soon as I come across a typo in a press release, I discard it. End of story. If you can’t bother to spell-check or proofread your pitch, how can I assume you’ll get the facts straight?

Kevin Allen has worked or written for a variety of media outlets, including the Chicago Sun-Times, ESPN, The Huffington Post, and Fox Sports.

BEST OF 2011: 6 things you need to know about body language

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:01:53 GMT

This week, PR Daily is counting down the 25 most-popular stories on the site in 2011. This story, which first appeared in November, is No. 12. To see the original version, with all of the reader comments, click here. – editor

In our media training workshops, our clients are usually shocked to learn how much they communicate with their body language—and how little they know about what their bodies say.

They often joke that they wouldn’t want to play poker against me, since I’d be able to easily read whether or not they’re bluffing. I assure them that if that were true, I’d have retired by age 30 and would be relaxing on my private island hideaway.

Still, it’s true that being able to monitor your own body language—and read the body language of others—offers you great advantages as a communicator.

Here are six things you need to know about body language.

1. Most people overestimate their energy level.

When I conclude a mock interview during our media training workshops, I ask the trainee to rate on a 10-scale how much energy she thought she had during the interview.

“Oh, around a seven or eight,” she’ll usually guess.

I then ask the other people in the room to rate their colleagues’ energy. They usually rate it a four or five. Turns out, we’re lousy judges of how energetic we appear to others, and most people benefit from boosting their energy level 10 to 15 percent.

2. Stop thinking and look at me.

When we speak, we maintain eye contact just 40 to 60 percent of the time. That’s because we’re busy trying to access information from our brains—depending on the type of information we’re trying to retrieve, we look to up to the left, up to the right, or down.

But in the context of a media interview or speech, that lack of eye contact can signal nervousness or evasiveness. You can help maintain better eye contact if you pause briefly before answering a question, which will allow you to access the information you need before you begin speaking.

3. Gesturing makes your words better.

Whenever we encourage spokespersons to incorporate gestures into their deliveries, we consistently find that their words get better.

The physical act of gesturing helps them form clearer thoughts and speak in tighter sentences with more declarative language.

So, the next time you give a speech or interview (or speak with your boss or a client), gesture as naturally as you typically would in everyday life. Your words will come to you more easily—and the words you use will be stronger.

4. When you’re defensive, you remember less.

Allan and Barbara Pease, authors of “The Definitive Book of Body Language,” report a fascinating finding from one of their studies.

When a group of volunteers attended a lecture and sat with unfolded arms and legs, they remembered 38 percent more than a group that attended the same lecture and sat with folded arms and legs.

If you see your audience exhibiting defensive body language, change tactics—and don’t try to persuade them to your point-of-view until their body language opens up.

5. Your feet point the way.

Your feet subconsciously tell you where you want to go.

Next time you’re in the middle of a conversation you wish you could exit, look at your feet. You might be surprised to find that they’re not both pointing directly at the person with whom you’re speaking.

The same is true for other people. So, if you’re not sure whether the person you’re speaking with is truly interested in your conversation, just look at his feet.

6. If you smile, they smile.

We subconsciously imitate the things we see. When I look at someone and smile, they tend to smile. When I look at someone and nod, they tend to nod.

Some neuroscientists say that type of mirroring behavior is due to “mirror neurons.” That’s important information, because audiences that are smiling and nodding are more receptive to your ideas. So, smile and nod at appropriate moments, and you’ll be that much closer to accomplishing your goals.

Visit the Mr. Media Training Blog to see the 21 Most Essential Media Training Links. Brad Phillips is the author of the Mr. Media Training Blog and president of Phillips Media Relations, which specializes in media and presentation training.

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Webinar alert: Give a killer media interview

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:00:14 GMT

Americans see more than 3,000 messages daily.

Not every message is an attention hog, but the good ones are.

Part of the reason for getting poor coverage is giving a poor interview. It’s difficult to answer touchy reporter questions and to avoid the pitfalls that destroy interviews without proper training.

Brad Phillips, president of Phillips Media Relations and Mr. Media Training himself is hosting a PR Daily rebroadcasted webinar:

How to develop a powerful message and deliver a killer media interview
Thursday, January 26, 2012 
2:00 – 3:15 p.m. Central Time

In this webinar Philips shows attendees how to use voice and body language for radio, television, web-based interviews, even in print.

At the end of this 60-minute re-webcasted event, attendees will learn how to:

· Develop messages that grab attention and provoke action;
· Use the "CUBE A™" and the "ATMs™" techniques when you create your message;
· Take control of an interview;
· Answer tough questions;
· Support messages with non-verbal communication.

Brad will join in for a 15-minute, live Q&A session after the presentation.

Anyone who needs to prepare for their next media experience must attend this exclusive webinar.

Sign up now to receive your promotional discount.

Why your brand should be on Instagram

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:10:06 GMT

Instagram is Apple's app of the year. According to Social Fresh, it's soon going to surpass Foursquare as the largest mobile social network—that is, most of users' activity happens on mobile devices. Early this month, the makers of the photo app, which is available only on Apple devices right now, announced it had 15 million users and that an Android app is on its way.

All of which means it's a pretty big deal. But is there a way to use the app, which applies filters to images to give them a retro look, as a commercial communication tool? You bet there is.

"Its visual immediacy means that it's a great way of really capturing someone's attention," says Katie Moffat, an independent online communications consultant and blogger. "From an organizational point of view, you can show the other side of a business, behind-the-scenes, its people, and so on."

Lots of companies are using Instagram to do just that.

How it's different

Unlike Facebook, which is a "walled" network, Instagram is open to everyone, which makes it easier for brands to connect with strangers, says digital marketing strategist Melonie Gallegos. She calls the site something of a micro-blog for images, given that Twitter is mostly text. However, brands can cross-post their Instagram photos to Facebook and Twitter, she notes.

Unlike Flickr, Instagram is streamlined for mobile, says Moffat. "It's simple and intuitive," she says. "Instagram was built first and foremost as a social media tool used on a mobile platform. Flickr started off as a website and hasn't implemented the community aspect as well."

Melissa Liebling-Goldberg, editorial director at Gilt Groupe, says the app is different from other social networks because it aims to "evoke an emotion" rather than drive traffic to a website. It's about creating a world around your brand, she says.

Brand building

Laura Keesee, an account coordinator at Vantage Communications who blogged about Instagram, points to Starbucks and Burberry, both of which have topped 100,000 followers on Instagram, as brands that are using the tool well. Burberry mostly posts images from fashion shoots and of its new designs, she says. Starbucks asks its fans to take photos of their daily coffee and tag them.

Liebling-Goldberg says her brand has drawn nearly 5,500 followers by trying to "bring the lifestyle behind the Gilt brand to life." For example, a stylish photo of some Christmas lights propelled the brand into the app's "popular" section, with more than 600 "likes" in just about 20 minutes.

Another Gilt photo that really caught people's attention was one of a crystal chandelier in the Fontainebleu hotel in Miami. "We didn't identify where it was. There was a conversation going on immediately trying to pinpoint where it was," she says.

The brand's fans often post photos of their purchases, Liebling-Goldberg says, with thank-yous attached. She says Gilt stays on top of those and regularly thanks its fans back.

Style blogger Hilary Rushford says the app is great for building a personal brand. "For me, it saves any time of having to edit photos and compose a full blog posts," she says. "And for my followers, it gives them what feels like a behind-the-scenes peek at my life, since they know it wasn't edited but just snapped and shared in the moment."

If your brand isn't in fashion or style, you shouldn't shy away from Instagram. Any brand can use it to give folks glimpses into what it does, says Liebling-Goldberg. "Having a consistent aesthetic really starts getting you followers much more quickly," she says. "You want to feel like there's one eye behind it, and you're getting a glimpse into someone's world."

Moffat adds that perhaps the worst thing a brand can do on Instagram is load it up with product pictures.

An example of a company that creates a world very effectively is Red Bull, Keesee says. "You won't find photos posted of product; it's all about the culture and off-the-wall extreme environment they have worked hard to maintain."

Measurement

Moffat says companies shouldn't be too worried about measuring how effective using Instagram is, at least not yet. "Those organizations that are leading the way in social media in terms of really engaging with their customers, are doing so because they understand that sometimes you have to just dive in there."

However, Keesee does recommend one tool that could be really helpful: Statigr.am, a Web-based tool that enables you to view your Instagram feed through a Web browser and conduct searches. It also includes metrics such as how many likes you've gotten, how many comments you've received, and what your top photos are. You can even see which photo filters and posting times get the best responses.

Matt Wilson is a staff reporter for Ragan.com, where a version of this story first appeared.

(Image via)

BEST OF 2011: ‘That’ vs. ‘Which’: Easy tips for determining when to use each word

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:06:50 GMT

This week, PR Daily is counting down the 25 most-popular stories on the site in 2011. This story, which first appeared in June, is No. 13. To see the original version, with all of the reader comments, click here. – editor

Recently, I edited a lengthy article written by a fairly experienced author. The article was well written, but there was one problem—“that” and “which” were used incorrectly in most sentences. This is hardly surprising; in my experience knowing when to use “that” versus when to use “which” is one of the most confusing usage issues.

The reason for the confusion?

Those who try to explain their use invariably launch into an explanation using terms such as relative pronouns, subordinate clauses, restrictive clauses, and nonrestrictive clauses. If you’re not asleep after this explanation, then you’re more confused than ever.

I am now going to explain the use of “which” and “that” without using any of these sedating, bewildering terms. But I warn you, this is a tough one. Keep your wits about you.

“That” and “which” are pronouns used to introduce clauses in a sentence. Their use allows writers to combine sentences and avoid choppy prose. For example:

• Our customers were confused by the instructions. + They were not written very clearly. = The instructions, which were not written very clearly, confused our customers.

• The article was clearly plagiarized. + It was removed from the publication. = The article that was clearly plagiarized was removed from the publication.

The confusion sets in when it comes to deciding which pronoun to use—“that” or “which.” They are not interchangeable. And they should certainly never be mixed for the sake of word variation.

One way of deciding whether to use “that” or “which” is to determine if the clause in question can be omitted without changing the meaning of the sentence. If the clause can be omitted, use “which.” If the clause cannot be omitted, use “that.”

“The article that was clearly plagiarized was removed from the publication.”

“That” is used in this sentence because “that was clearly plagiarized” tells the reader which article was removed: The one that was plagiarized.

“The instructions, which were not written very clearly, confused our customers.”

In this case, “which” is used in this sentence because you can remove the clause “which were not written very clearly” without changing the meaning of the sentence. Another way to remember which word to use—always use “that” unless you could justifiably place a comma before the clause. “Which” always mandates the use of a comma.

“The fact that he could not write, which was apparent to anyone who read his work, seemed to escape him.”

You need a comma after the word “write,” so use “which.”

This is all seems fairly straightforward. However, many writers (including me) are often confused when it comes to deciding whether a clause is necessary. This is most likely the result of over-thinking. But that’s an issue we can tackle in another post.

A version of this story first appeared on the author’s blog Impertinent Remarks.