For most companies, there is an appropriate social strategy to explore, identify and define. But you shouldn’t assume it to be so. Our advice to companies is not to jump on Facebook because everyone is doing it. Do the work upfront to truly define your audiences, examine and communicate your overall business strategy, and from there define your marketing strategy, from which will flow your social strategy.
When a co-worker gets a new job, a friend moves out of the state, new relationships begin or old relationships end, your world can feel a little out of control. When the Dow plunges, companies re-structure, budgets change or crisis strikes, your client accounts can take the same overwhelming role. It’s times like these when I have to remind myself that change is the only constant.
It may seem simple, but I think everyone must harness an important skill to deal with the constant changes bound to occur, and, PR pros especially, must own it. So how do we handle so much change so fast? We must learn to adapt.
Few organizations work so hard to discover and define the why—their reason for being…the motivation behind their every action. But this is what truly motivates nearly every purchasing decision. Whether buying a car or hiring a consultant, we are motivated not by the ingredients on the tin, but by what the experience will be and how it will ultimately change our lives.
Cable news has made viewers more accustomed to flashy sets complete with digital touch screens showcasing detailed geographic locations mixed with plenty of multimedia. In more ways than one, 24-hour accessibility of cable news changed the look of the television landscape for the better by incorporating new ways to keep viewers engaged while showing various demographics that news broadcasts can be cool — think Will.i.am interviewing with CNN via virtual hologram minutes before the 2008 election results were announced.
ATTN Social Media, Marketing or PR professionals:
How often has “contact local social media influencers” been part of your communications plan? If you’re anything like my firm, probably quite a bit. Now, I admit, “influencer” is a very vague term, and the fact is, it’s got a very vague definition that varies from person to person.
In most cases, one’s influence or reach is measured in a person’s number of Twitter followers or Facebook likes. For a more complex reading, some trust complex algorithms put together by companies like Klout or PeerIndex to measure influence on a number of factors, including true reach, amplification probability, activity or network influence.
Debates over raising the debt ceiling have consumed communications channels for weeks. With the August 2 deadline quickly approaching for a decision to be made, President Obama and House Speaker John A. Boehner took their battle to the prime time public Monday night.
The next stalemate to face this administration’s congress, the President used his 15 minutes to urge “shared sacrifice” in defining a strategy to tackle our nation’s debt that focuses on deep federal spending cuts and higher taxes for the wealthy and large corporations. He referenced what Boehner has been proposing—including deeper cuts and a vote on the issue next year—with the comment, “We know what we have to do to reduce our deficits; there’s no point in putting the economy at risk by kicking the can further down the road.” With this was also a push for citizens to contact lawmakers and request “a balanced approach.”
