Picture yourself walking down the street and being noticed by strangers.
They know YOU, know what YOU look like and what YOU do, they know YOUR story and are happy to see YOU in 'person'. 

We are not talking 'stalker-like' knowing you, more like ; "I think  I know her", "That's the lady from the Sunday Mail article about..." "That's that woman who started that company who ...' "He's the founder of that shoe company who ... "  Those kinds of comments.

Would you LIKE it?

Building a great public profile means putting yourself 'out there' to be noticed. Not so much the product or business - it's more about YOU, the person behind the business, the brains, the passion, the driver.

Here is an interesting summary of the online and public exposure surrounding the recent 2011 New Zealand Rugby World Cup 

TV

In Australia, Channel Nine’s coverage of the Australia-New Zealand semi-final and the New Zealand-France final attracted capital city audiences of 1.79m and 1.22m respectively and were the most watched programs in the history of pay TV, with national audiences of 719,000 and 648,000, respectively. 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media and social networks have had a major influence on the Rugby World Cup. On Facebook the RWC 2011 page was receiving on average 2,700 comments or likes per post. They gained more than 25,000 new fans over the last 7 days and gained almost 100,000 fans over the last month. With 1,453,916 fans on 24 October, the RWC 2011 have a fantastic social space to hand over to England for RWC 2015. On Twitter, the competition final generated more than 150,000 tweets. Over the whole tournament tweets mentioning all RWC 2011 hashtags, the word 'Rugby' or any of the teams exceeded 4.1 million.!!!

What do they have in store for 2015?  

As far as #SocialMedia goes, four digital years is a LONG time online. There will most likely be a new #Facebook or #Twitter  - I can't wait to find out. How about you?

Thank you to Jason Greenhalgh, Director Major League Corporate Marketing  for this fabulous information!! www.majorleague.com.au     www.linkedin.com/in/jgreenhalgh   www.twitter.com/jasongreenhalgh

Social Media Policies are set to be as common as standard workplace agreements across all industries and will also become common  additions to existing  staff handbooks and induction procedures.

Here are some interesting articles on this topic which are worth making the time to read.

1. Five rules to protect your online reputation
2. Be careful what you post; social media can cause problems
3. Enterprise: List of 40 Social Media Staff Guidelines
4. COURSEWARE: social media and PR Crisis Communication  ( This one has an awesome free downloadable paper to go with it!) thanks to @Silkcharm ( Laurel Papworth)

PLUS - listen to  David Meerman Scott, Author of the #1 bestseller The New Rules of Marketing & PR , and the Wall Street Journal bestseller Real-Time Marketing & PR, talk about why companies need a social media policy.

Video interview conducted and posted by Vivienne Story, General Manager, Blands Law. (twitter @mysocialmediapolicy )

 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the way Social Media Policies are  currently being used or how you can see them being used in the future.

City Publicity in conjunction with BlandsLaw has available for purchase a Social Media Policy for $500.00, including GST. Can you afford not to have one?

 

Cheers, Peta. 

Who are you - REALLY?

I have been thinking about posting an entry about  letting the world and your customers know who you are behind your logo. Who is in there? Who  is the entrepreneur/business-owner behind what you are selling?



Brands & logos are 'people' now and social media is the window for your customers to look in at you.

In the current market people like dealing with people, so it is time to come out of hiding, remove the barrier, the  staff or anything else sitting in between you and your customers.

Brands are people and conversations about them should be engaged. Don't just hope people are saying good things about you, find out what they are actually saying, LISTEN & RESPOND. 
( you can actually do this very easity by setting up google alerts )

Most companies are full of crap, they want to sell stuff and they don't  want to care. Social Media translates into TRANSPARENCY. No more hiding.

3 Ways you can be more REAL and transparent in your business today;

1. Use a personal photo for your Twitter Avatar, reveal the person behind the logo. ( Logos have a purpose for many other things including Business Facebook Pages)

2. Be contactable and approachable, invite feedback & questions. Contacting you or someone within the company should be easy.

3. Do not sell all the time. Share & engage and sell sometimes.

So..... reveal yourself :)

 


If I am posting such info I had better start by introducung myself.

Hello!

 

 
This is a photo of me -  Peta Ellis in my office. :)
Here is short snippet of a a video interview hosted by  Good Business TV; a production created by The University of Southern Queensland Media Studies.

 

Below is a list of links to interesting articles and blog posts on PR, Publicity, Online Marketing and Social Media that I have at some stage tweeted about.  They are all  great resources and good reading.  I thought I would put them all in one spot so they can be easily shared.  Enjoy!

1. 30 Twitter Tools for research  via Ana ADI
2. How to get promoted in PR (with the help of social media) via mUmBRELLA
3. What's right with Public Relations? via The Sports Commentary
4. How to (NOT) pitch a blogger via Get Social PR
5. Can Internet Public Relations grow your business? via Get Social PR
6. What CEOs and PR Pros should learn from Oprah via Jack Horner Communications Inc
7. Boosting your traffic and credibility with PR via Feed Front
8. Consumer-facing PR means business via New Media Cowboy
9. Matrix: Evolution of social media integration and corporate websites via Web Strategy
10. The 5 foundations of social media success that no one talks about via ProBlogger
11. 10 questions that will always make you better via ProBlogger
12. Five killer press release tips for small businesses via Small Business Trends
13. 5 reasons to use press releases to promote your blog via ProBlogger
14. 10 things you should not share on social networks via How Stuff Works
15. Why you should blog before you twitter via Jeff Bullas
16. Boost your credibility with article marketing via Strawberry Communications
17.  Why PR Professionals Need to Understand Social Media via socialmediatoday
18.  How is PR changing? by Journalistics
19.  How PR Pros Are Using Social Media For Real Results by Mashable
20.  10 Free Social Media Tools Every PR Pro Should Master  by socialmediatoday

**BONUS 2010 Social PR Summary** 
Best Social PR Guides and Tips of 2010 ( So Far) by Webbiquity

There is no single way to use twitter, there are no 'rules' as such - only etiquette guidelines and suggestions from those who have made it work for them. You will find a million links to various people's guides to Twitter and tweeting successfully - take the bits you can relate to and make sense, then leave the rest. Do your own thing, and you will soon see what works for you. Loads of tweeting suggestions can be found  at The Twitter Agency.

Below is a few ideas from how I personally use Twitter in Public Relations.

Some users I know simply want to see what their favorite celebrity is doing. Others want to keep up on the latest industry news and trends. Others want to share their thoughts and activities with friends or family. Others are there to inform their followers on various issues or share useful or  favorite links.

Twitter is a communications tool. This means that regardless of why an individual is on Twitter, they are there to speak and be heard. As a marketer or public relations specialist, it’s your job to tap into your audience.

It is important to spend time communicating to your followers  as well as  time listening to them.

Here are a few ways you can use Twitter in public relations .

• Consumer Relations - You can open the door to two-way communications by asking questions, answering the questions posed by others, and simply discussing news. You might get others involved by arranging meetings or simply asking for feedback. You have a forum for thanking and helping your customers. This allows your followers to connect with your brand and participate in it.
Great example of:  How not to do customer service on Twitter via social media guru Laurel Papworth  aka@silkcharm

• Reputation Management – By monitoring mentions of your brand, you can see what others are saying about it. Recommendations and mentions by consumers and partners provide free exposure for your brand. If something isn’t right and someone says something negative, you now have a public forum to make it right. This demonstrates that your company does care about its consumers in a very public way.  It is AMAZING how many companies still do not do this. Try it - mention a recent experience of a product/place/dining experience and see if the brand you mention acknowledges it.

Great post by Editor-in-Chief of  Mashable @adamostrow about this: " Not Using Tweetscan to Manage Your Brand? You’re Not Doing Your Job"  The post mentions  both tweetscan and summize ( summize was later acquired by Twitter, as the blog post was in 2008! )
Find out what  Twitter search can offer you and also Socialoomph.
Also read " 8 Easy Twitter Monitoring Ideas" posted on a fave site of mine -  Social Media Examiner

• Media Relations – When it comes to bloggers and other media professionals, it’s becoming a common practice to communicate through social networking. Twitter can also be used to make announcements to the public and share business news. This does not mean SPAMMING - be careful here. Connect genuinely otherwise you may become blocked.

MEDIA ON TWITTER( Global resource )  www.mediaontwitter.com
UK Journalists on twitter via Stephen Davies @stedavies
AUSTRALIAN Journalists on Twitter via @silkcharm Laurel Papworth 
US Journalists on Twitter created by   @GibertPascal

• Journalism and Reporting – Twitter is often used to report on company events and involvements in public affairs. It can be used to keep listeners informed about events in real time, whether that’s conference events or speaking schedules. I follow so many news outlets, it's awesome to be able to have global current news on tap.
As a publicist - it means you can monitor  news in relevant industries for your clients ensuring you are always up to speed with the latest.

The most important one out of the above for me is by far REPUTATION MANAGEMENT. If people are out there talking about you, you had better find out what it is - good, bad or otherwise....and RESPOND :)

For those who still are not convinced Social Media is the way forward, the future, our new communication medium and basically the platform for our future generations  to learn from  - I recommend you watch this You Tube clip from Socialnomics.


ROI (Return on investment) is hard to gauge at the best of times, yet  it is one of those vital things businesses need to know and calculate to be able  to justify future budget allocations and campaign success in relation to PR & Marketing.
With Social Media (hopefully) at the core of any good marketing plan  statistics like these seen in this clip should not be taken lightly.

I think it is time those who think Facebook is for the 'kids' , Twitter is for  'people with nothing better to do' and posting a blog entry, tweet or review from a mobile phone whilst in a restaurant, out shopping or after experiencing either good or bad customer service is 'too much', had better think again!

 

This is happening - and at lightning speed. There is no going back,  the mediums have been created, the people have a voice and will use it, their opinions will be heard. All you have to do now is work out what you are going to do about it.

Engage?

Still not sure....READ MORE FROM SOCIALNOMICS or follow founder, Erik Qualman on twitter - he is   @equalman

Are you always surprised every time you Google your name?
How long ago did you Google your name? Try it now and trawl through the first 10 pages to see all the listings and see where they all come from and if they relate to you.

Me for example 'Peta Ellis' when I Google my name I appear on the first 5 pages consistently for different postings from my blog, twitter posts/comments/ when my name appears on the bottom of an online press release, my facebook profile, my linked in profile, my twitter profile, radio interviews that have been posted online, social photos from events...and more! After about the 5th page my name starts getting mixed in with 'other' Peta Ellis people or those who have either Peta or Ellis in some part of their name and mostly P E T A ( PETA.ORG)

My reason for doing this regularly is to check what the online world can see relating to me. This is VERY important when you have moved jobs, trying to raise your public profile, find posted comments online that you no longer wish to associate with what you currently doing or perhaps had something in the past posted online that you don't want anyone to see.

For example, when I want to find out more information about someone or an organisation I usually Google their name. Sometimes I can track back to past jobs ( where their name appears on old company collateral which is still sitting online somewhere)
Media do this too. The first place media search information for a story or about a person is online. This is why it is so important to continuously monitor what information is sitting online relating to you.

As a result of searching you may also find there is nothing online with your name on it. This, as though it may be initially a relief - it is not good for business. This clearly means you do not have a strong online presence - you need to boost your online content!
We offer people solutions with our Publicity Audits to help boost the positive online content for you name and business.

So, Google yourself regularly - or use any search engine for that matter, I just use Google most of the time as it is my personal preference as I find it does the best "local" search within the country. Yahoo do also have a fancy "Search Pad" sidebar menu which allows you to search specific names/businesses on Twitter, LinkedIn or All Results.

Take a look : Yahoo!, Bing. Ask , Altavista ..plus many more!

Twitter, tweets, tweeting, twittershpere, tweeps, tweeple, # Hashtags, DM Direct Messages, RT Re-Tweets, Follow, UnFollow & Followers..ahh the life of a twit in the twitterverse!

Twitter, for some it's one of those terms that you have heard of but are not too sure what's it is all about yet, others have heard but not signed up, others have signed up- created a profile and left it as they're not sure what to say or how to say it, others are 'tweeting'  and still not sure how it all works and the rest of us are totally ADDICTED -  and love it.
 
Worse still, for some of us 'plain old' Twitter isn't enough we have extended ourselves to other applications such as Hootsuite, Tweedeck, Twhirl, Seesmic, Tweetie  and many more so we can tweet from multiple  accounts & appear as multiple people/businesses online!

I personally  love it, I am addicted and I find it very useful for business. I signed up in 2008 as @citypublicity for City Publicity, observed what everyone was doing, downloaded as many guides as I could find telling me what to do on there, followed & read blog posts on 'how to' and 'how not to' tweet.

City Publicity, our Brisbane-based PR agency provides Accessible, Affordable Online PR and use Twitter for business daily. We tweet for our own company, and we also work twitter into our client's communication strategies and marketing plans.

For anyone starting out, or those already onboard and want to learn how to get the best out of Twitter for Business I  would  recommend reading Sarah Prout's  "Twitter Success Blueprint".  A truly helpful and informative read!



Click here to view more details

If you have decided now is the time to hit the online ground running, use all the tools available to you!
This one in particular I bought and implemented immediately for my account @citypublicity. 
It is a simple, effective guide which will provide you with tools you need to get started now, plus a few clever secrets Sarah Prout has up her sleeve.
Tweeting for business is not rocket science, however there are a few things you must know before tackling the Twitterverse. Best to do your research first!


 


Remember that every tweet is tracked by Google and other online search engines which reflects on your personal name, business name and brand and overall online identity- so be mindful of what you are saying.

See you in twitterland....... connect with me @citypublicity

Are you READY to receive the exposure you are chasing? 

Getting media attention and coverage is very exciting indeed! Being ready to receive media exposure is the biggest part of the process. Receiving 3rd party endorsements via articles and editorial is one of the best ways to promote and give your business and profile some credibility.
Most people are too keen to tell the world about their business without making sure they are ready for what happens next. It's like standing up and blowing an out of tune trumpet with full confidence. The message gets lost. Best to make sure it is super shiny & uber polished first!
Having a good product, service or announcement is not enough on its own. You need to PACKAGE it the right way and you need to COMMUNICATE your message though the RIGHT channels. Once you have got the attention of your targets/ audience you need to be able to follow though with what they need, to write and talk about you.

The best way to see if you are ready is to give yourself a Publicity Audit.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you have a bio? (Short summary of you, your background and the history of how you came to be in or involved with your business, list full name, accreditations and contact details)
2. Do you have a Media Kit? (Company overview/brochure, Bio, High resolution images) Do you have a website with online Media Room? (Where current info/press releases can be found/linked to)
3. Do you have a comprehensive list of Social Media Network Profiles suitable for public viewing – which reinforce who you are and what you are about? (DO NOT LIST personal profiles you do not wish to be associated with you BRAND) ie Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, MySpace, YouTube etc GOOGLE yourself, your brand, your product – do you like what is there – does it represent you? (This is important as most that come across you will Google you to get more info – make sure what you see there is what you want others to see about you!)
4. Do you have any social Media Profiles? If not sign up to LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or similar– get the ball rolling!
5. Do you have a professional high resolution image for yourself ready to send editors? It should accompany your material & be suitable for printing 1-3MB. Invest in this. Self portrait headshots are not good enough. Think quality – how do you want to be perceived? If you want to look like you took it yourself in your home office/spareroom/lounge with toys or messy bookshelves in the background– go for it.
6. Do you have high resolution product image of your stock (items you sell, market, make or import)? Invest in this –and update them regularly.
7. For service providers – do you have testimonials from happy clients? Share them, post them & make them visble.Use the best ones. They must be genuine too. Made up testimonials are VERY obvious.
8. Have you made yourself available to be contacted by the media (clearly listed your contact details on the HOMEPAGE of your website) so they don’t have to trawl though the pages to find you? Make it easy, quick and simple. Add all contact profiles you have – so they can use what suits them most and most importantly – list your location!

If you can manage most of this you are doing very well! Coupled with a good news-worthy angle, Press Release and the right Media Contacts you will be well on the way to getting some coverage!