Shannon's thoughts on marketing, public relations, social technology, entrepreneurship and other things

On Thursday October 28th, Network Solutions hosted a Twitter chat, You Don't Have to be BIG to Get Media Attention: PR Tips for Your Small Business. PR expert Shonali Burke (this week’s Awesomely Fantabulous Woman) and Washington Business Journal blogger Jennifer Nycz-Conner, along with the collective brilliance of the Twitterverse, shared valuable information on how small businesses can generate buzz about their organizations, products and services.

Below are some of the edited nuggets of knowledge from the chat. The complete stream is found at #netsol.

Where do I start with my public relations strategy?
@Shonali: Far too often we focus on PR tools & tactics without laying a foundation to tell a good story. That should be #1.
@Shonali (cont): I wrote this for @ownersonly recently: first lay the PR foundation for your biz: Three Keys to Laying a Strong PR Foundation
@CathyWebSavvyPR : PR strategy starts with goals - what do you want to accomplish, who is your audience, etc.
@ShannonRenee: [PR] strategy is like planning a road trip, gas up car, get snacks, map out direction, hotels, sites along way...then hit the road

What makes a story newsworthy?
@WBJonline: Newsworthiness comes down to one thing: News.
@WBJonline: For us, news means: Something new. Something different. Some big change that our readers will want to know about to run their biz.
@WBJonline: For #WBJ, news can be company A buys company B, or trend X is happening here.
@Susan_w: News = change or controversy!
@WBJonline: Also, exclusivity is important. By the time a press release goes out, it's no longer new news usually.
@CathyWebSavvyPR: A story's next steps are matching it 2 the right publication & writer & crafting it 2 meet needs of their readers
@WBJonline: Timeliness is key, too. We used to have weekly deadlines. Those are now daily, hourly.
@Baskervill: news is anything that is of interest to your audience

How can I get the media’s attention?
@WBJonline: Get our attention by knowing what we care about on behalf of audience and when we need it.
@Shonali: Remember the media are getting pitched a ton of stuff all the time. If you start using [social media] smartly, you can use that to get attn.
@CathyWebSavvyPR: PR is not about getting "THE MEDIA'S" Attn - but about finding the right media outlets that match your audience & theirs
@WBJonline: Getting media's attention is like anticipating client needs.
@Baskervill: You need to build a relationship with the media prior to submitting to their publication.
@WBJonline: Know what we're looking for. In the #WBJ case, we write stories about local businesses. Don't pitch non-local companies w/o DC tie.
@WBJonline: What does get our attention: Good, targeted, short pitches with exclusive info.
@WBJonline: Example: "Company A is about to hire 150 people because they landed client X. Would you like to know more?"

How do I dertermine what outlets would be interested in my story?
@WBJonline: I know this sounds totally obvious, but read them. Know what we have written.
@WBJonline: Oh! And don't, for the love of everything, try to interest us by telling us a competitor wrote about you. Please. Please.
@WBJonline: Nothing makes my eyes glaze over faster than "XYZ publication just wrote about us, so you should too."
@WBJonline: When someone else has written the story, it's no longer news. (See A2)
@Shonali: No way around it, gotta do your research. Learn who the media/bloggers are that are important to you/your biz. Local + national.
@Shonali (cont): there are several databases you can subscribe to to build media/blogger lists. Note: they are usually not cheap.
@Baskervill: You have to research the publication. You can't send a press release to everyone.
@Baskervill (cont): It needs to be specific to that audience
@Shonali: When you're doing your media research, CRITICAL to find out more than name/contact. What are they interested in? Recent stories?
@scottstead: great resource for getting ur story in front of reporters, is be a source
@Baskervill: You have to remember that the journalist is more than an email address to send a release to.
@WBJonline: Re: Best time to contact: Deadlines, in a way, are dead. We're all publishing around the clock.
@WBJonline: Best thing to do is pitch short, bulleted, and if on phone, ask if it's a good time.
@WBJonline: Also, when pitching, keep in mind newsrooms are small, open spaces. If you pitch my colleague, and then me right after, I know.
@WBJonline: This is off Q, but something a lot of people don't know: Skip the attachments. Please. Keep emails short and attach free.
@WBJonline: Don't worry about making releases pretty. Just get us a few lines of text with the important why we care stuff first.
@WBJonline: Being a source doesn't always mean revealing a massive story, or even talking about yourself.
@WBJonline: Some of the best sources just call and say, hey, did you hear about XYZ... Or, I heard this thing is happening, did you know?

These are some of the other questions posed during the chat, along with resources:

What online tools can I use for public relations for my business?
Using Online Smarts to Become a Media Source

What are the best strategies & tactics for blogger relations?
The 5 C’s of Blogger Relations

Moving forward, How do I make a plan/set goals for PR for my small biz?
STACK the Deck in Your Favor

This is short, sweet and to the point, let's go:

1. Boost your SEO by spending the little bit of money required to purchase your domain --> once you have it, it's yours


2. Ask open-ended questions and request comments at the end of your blog post --> see the bottom of this post


3. Write about something other than your organization, your products and your services --> remember, it isn't always about you


4. Mix up your type of posts: long posts, shorter posts, lists, videos, interviews, audio, polls, photos, testimonials, reviews, etc. --> mixing the format keeps your readers interested


5. Have your blog posts go to your other online properties --> whether someone reads it on your Facebook page or goes to the URL, they're reading it


6. Bring in guest bloggers and be a guest blogger


7. Participate in other online and IRL social networks: Twitter chats, networking events, blog commemorative days, meetups and tweetups --> constantly work for new readers


8. Have your blog as part of your email signature, most services allow for hyperlinking --> easiest way to increase passive traffic


9. List your blog on your business card, your Facebook page, your LinkedIn profile and your Twitter bio --> let people know where to find you


10. Regularly read and leave valuable comments on other blogs in your niche, such as "nice post, have you considered...," "I disagree because..." or "these are additional resources..." -->conversation, conversation, conversation

What techniques have you used to increase your blog traffic?
What seemed like a good idea to increase your blog traffic, but turned out not to be?

Additional resources:
Blogging Basics 101
Mack Collier

William T. Dillard is credited with the famous real estate quote, 'location, location, location," simply put, when it comes to real estate, location is the priority and a key to success.

Today, I'm taking credit for the soon-to-be-famous social technology quote, "conversation, conversation, conversation," simply put, when it comes to social technology, conversation is priority and a key to success.

Yes, when it comes to social technology it is all about the conversation. Not the diatribe, though it can be interesting, not the rant, though it can be entertaining and not even the meme, though it can be wickedly funny.

To be clear, a conversation is an "informal interchange of thoughts, information, etc., by spoken words; oral communication between persons; association or social intercourse..." The takeaways from the definition are "interchange of thoughts" and "communication between persons." Based on this definition a conversation requires at least two individuals who share-listen-respond-listen-share/respond-listen-and so on, and so on, and so on. There is back & forth, give & take, call & response.

As you utilize social technology platforms to establish your personal or professional brand, ask yourself these questions:

• Am I asking questions to illicit responses from my fans, friends, tweeps, connections, etc.?


• Am I participating in conversations (tweet chats, forums, discussions), offering my opinions or subject matter expertise?


• Am I only pushing out information, such as my blog posts, links, and RTs?


• Am I responding to people who ask me questions and am I doing it in a timely manner (w/in 24 hours)?


• Am I consistently engaging my communities in "interchange[s] of thoughts?"

Remember, your brand is what people think about you, so talk to them, give them something to think about.

Most Americans begin driving in their teen years. They are woefully inexperienced and highly enthusiastic. They tend to drive too fast, take too many chances and not give the road their full attention.

• When do they become "expert" drivers?
• When do they have "enough" experience that their judgment isn't questioned?
• For that matter, are the automotive engineers experts at driving by the fact they design cars?
• Do mechanics hold the title of driving expert because they know how to fix cars?
• And what about adults, does daily usage give them expertise?

Just as driving has become ubiquitous, the regular use of social technology is quickly becoming mainstream. This begs the question, if everyone is doing it, how can you be an expert at it?

The answer is quite simple, everyone can be a social technology expert; however, only a few will be social technology professionals. In the same vein that everyone can be an expert driver; however, only a few will be professional drivers. This is where the activity of driving isn't a way to get to work, it is the work. When you hear the phrase professional drivers, what comes to mind...race car drivers, truck drivers and bus drivers. These men and women take the simple act of driving to the next level. Professional drivers take extra classes, earn additional credentials and participate in their profession.

This scenario should sound familiar because it is how the majority of professionals are made, with training (education), credentialing (certification) and participating in the profession (publish, speak, mentor). This is true for social technology professionals as well, as you take blogging, tweeting, connecting and engaging to the next level. You attend webinars, unconferences and tweet-ups; you share your knowledge via tweet chats, meet-ups and conferences and your experience level is beyond par because you are power-user with a body of work behind you.

Yes, everyone can be a social technology expert, YOU are a social technology professional.

This is the first in the new professionalism series.

Twitter chats are vehicles to share information with your audience, demonstrate your subject matter expertise to new audiences and learn from your tweeps. However, as with all events, prep work is required to make them educational, interesting and valuable experiences for all involved.

The Hashtag
The hashtag is fundamental; it is the key, the focus and core of the chat. The best chat hashtags are simple, relevant and easy to remember. They convey the chat's topic and don't take up too many of the precious 140 characters. Some good examples are #blogchat, #brandchat and #measurepr, and some examples bad chat hashtags are #beginnerbloggingchat, #marketingandbrandingyourbusiness and #measuringyourpublicrelations. The former are easy to remember and you immediately know the chat’s topic; the latter are disastrous.
Nugget of knowledge: KISS – Keep It Succinct & Simple

Schedule
Setting a regular day and time for the chat is the key to participation and growth of the audience. Many of the established Twitter chats occur weekly. Newer chats start off bi-weekly or monthly, then become weekly as their audiences grow.

Website
As this is a Twitter chat, a Twitter account is the ideal place for information about the event; however, you can only put up so much information there. A static site or blog provides space for all of the chat’s pertinent information: the what, where, when, why and how of the event. A  Facebook Fan page or LinkedIn group are good alternatives or add-ons as well.
Nugget of knowledge: Always keep SEO in the back of your mind, even for marketing your Twitter chat.

Format
Currently, there are two basic formats for a Twitter chat, open mic and moderated. Open mic is just like it sounds, the chat’s host will start the conversation with a question and then the crowd sourcing begins. Tweeps answer, ask other questions, answer and ask follow-up questions. During a moderated chat the host serves as the event’s facilitator, there’s a guest subject matter expert and questions are fielded via the facilitator.

Recognition
It is important to remember, the Twitter chat is only as good as the tweeps. Replying, retweeting and acknowledging them during the chat are great ways to show appreciation for their participation. You can also list them on the website/blog or create a Twitter list for the chat.

Archive
Saving the chat discussion is as important as choosing the hashtag. The archive is a valuable resource for people to review post-chat. It is full of links, authors, books, dos & don’ts, how tos and tips, and most participants will have missed a lot of the information. The archive is also there for those who were unable to attend.
Nugget of knowledge: A Twitter chat archive is chock full of business ideas, potential blog topics and future influencers.

Additional Resources:
What the Hashtag?!
10 Steps to Creating a Successful Twitter Chat
Twitter Chat Calendar