Reaching out to bloggers by @LibertyLndnGirl

A guest post by Sasha Wilkins aka LibertyLndnGirl

I've been fortunate enough to collaborate with Sasha on a couple things relating to London Fashion Week over the past 12 months (it turns out we are both gadget fiends!) so I thought it would be nice to hand COMMScorner.com over to her today so she could share some real-life blogger / PR experiences with us.

Sasha is not only one of the world's most influential fashion voices but she runs LLG Media, which encompasses LibertyLondonGirl, her award-winning blog & Twitter feed, and her social media consultancy business LLGConsults, which helps brands enhance their on-line presence and reputation.

Let's hand things over to Sasha...

Reaching out to bloggers by @LibertyLndnGirl

You have an amazing event coming up and you want coverage from bloggers. Great idea. Here’s how not to reach out in three easy examples:

1. Don’t go for the one size fits all email blast. Identify your potential key influencers, then research their background to make sure the event is the right fit.

Real life example: I’ve been a fashion editor & journalist for over ten years, so yesterday’s email asking me to a fashion event where I can experience a real life magazine fashion cupboard and improve my creative fashion writing didn’t go down so well.

2. Don’t plan an event weeks in advance and then think, s**t, we need some on-line coverage and invite the bloggers two days in advance. Just because we work in an immediate medium doesn’t mean we can attend events immediately.

Real life example: Way too many to list. Happens every day. I am busy. Very, very busy running my business & I can very rarely attend events at less than a week’s notice.

3. Don’t blow your budget on the event and then think, fantastic, we can get shedloads of free coverage by getting a blogger to come to live blog the event for us. They’ll be super grateful for the opportunity & the access.

Real life example: I was asked to come to a department store and live blog for three hours from the event. For a pair of jeans.

There IS a difference between asking a blogger to attend, and hoping they MAY cover the event, (as you would a journalist), and asking them to write what is essentially promotional copy for your client/brand on their own time. Bloggers are a lot more sophisticated these days and can smell blog-sploitation a mile off.

____________________________

Thanks again goes out to Sasha for writing this piece up for us.

60 social media tools and platforms you may have missed

At the start of 2011, I started a weekly feature over on the Paratus Communications blog called Platform Five.

The concept was pretty simple - keep my eyes peeled for new online tools and platforms and review five each week.

We've almost completed three months of 2011 so I thought it was worth bringing all the posts together in one place.

Each link takes you through to a summary of each online property and why they are worth watching.

1. January 7 - Quora, Timely, YouTubeTrends and OneTrueFan
2. January 14 - Foursquare for Business, Trunk.ly, Google Translate and FB.com
3. January 21 - BranchOut, PeerIndex, Conversocial, Google Offers and Fifty People, One Question
4. January 28 - Deck.ly, Ge.tt, Philanthroper and The Daily
5. February 4 - BlogDash, GetGlue and more
6. February 11 - My6Sense, WhereToGet.It, SoundCloud and Wunderlist
7. February 18 - PRFilter.com, OnePass, XYDO, Klout and Foursquare 
8. February 25 - tru.ly, wanderfly, bufferapp, bigimg.it and Where My Friends Be?
9. March 4 - Facebook likes, Gobbler, Ditto, Bing and EverytimeHQ
10. March 11 - WePay Giving, Ushaihidi, LinkedInToday, Facebook URL Checker and Yobongo
11. March 18 - Spread.us, Moviecom.TV, SwipeGood, Agora and Broadcastr.com
12. March 25 - YouTube Create, TiltView, Color and Thoughtbox.es

Hope you find this stuff useful.

Adam

Content publicity: PR's biggest digital opportunity yet?

Welcome the the latest installment of the chicken / egg debate...social media style.

It is widely recognised that when it comes to social and digital media, original and compelling content is a pivotal ingredient.

And, in a perfect world, content should be created and shaped based on the preferences of the target audience.

But guess what? We don't live in a perfect world.

Due to the fragmentation of social media, and the desire of so many people to get involved, content is often created without any understanding about where it will live and breathe online.

An example scenario

Let me bring this to life with an example...

• Brand X briefs Agency Y to create some video content
• Agency Y creates a high quality 3-minute video
• Brand X loads it up on YouTube and waits for the views to roll in
• The views barely trickle over and Brand X is left scratching its head

Now, there are a few options available to Brand X here, and in most cases this involves briefing a viral seeding agency to place your content amongst established global networks (delivering one view for every $0.10 - $0.15 invested).

A better way? 

There is a better way of doing this which involves a far more integrated approach, and most of it is good ol' common sense.

Video content needs to be created with a true editorial mentality in place.

By this I mean YouTube is NOT the channel you need to focus on - it is simply a hub.

The focus needs to be on the vertical media who will embed and refer people to your video content.

Ultimately, this is where PR-savvy professionals can play a vital role.

Ideal architecture

Content creators and facilitators need to be sitting in the same room at the concept stage.

Specific questions need to be asked, including:

• Which specific communities / influencers do we want to reach?
• What are the characteristics of the content they'll support?
• Should you consider getting specific members of those communities to help develop the concept?
• What is the broader story for media?
• When in the news / current affairs calendar should you release your content? 

Until the content creators (normally ad agencies) and content facilitators (normally PR agencies) start blending their skills together from the start, the best results aren't likely to be achieved.

Or, a lot more money will be spent by brands trying to attract eyeballs to a finished product that can't be altered or shaped enough to succeed .

While many PR agencies will gladly take on a brief to 'publicise content' they are much more valuable if involved in an advisory capacity during conceptualisation too.

Summary

• Expect to see more and more 'content publicity' briefs
• Understand that editorial content optimization (aka making it truly shareable) is required from the beginning, not just the end of the process
• Content will continue to be created without the right people in the room at the start of the process - just adapt accordingly
• 'Traditional' seeding companies are worth using but only in collaboration with targeted influencer and community outreach
• Think beyond YouTube and video sharing communities and focus on who and where your content will sit to drive people to that video e.g. sector blogs, sections of news media etc

What do you think?

Are you noticing more situations where content has been created and then seeding / publicity support is activated? 

How do you publicise / attract eyeballs to your content?

Adam

9 Essential Gadgets for Marketing and Media Pros

I received a very generous offer to trial some kit today and it got me thinking: Which gadgets help make my professional life easier?

After conducting a search around my desk (coupled with a Google one) this is what I came back with...

iLuv Portable Speaker

What: A simple battery-powered device that can be plugged into any standard audio jack / device e.g. iPhone, Laptop etc

Why: Delivering quality sound when presenting content to a client or prospect is vital. In my case I have a great laptop but the sound isn't very powerful, so I use my iLuv Portable Speaker as an amplifier which helps bring things to life in a much more powerful way.

Cost: £24.99

3M PocketProjector MP180

What: A lightweight and powerful projector that fits in the palm of you hand.

Why: This product sparked the idea for this post as it just screams 'genuinely useful'. With the 3M PocketProjector MP180 the days of lugging around heavy and complicated equipment is a thing of the past and it even stores data on the device eliminating the need for additional chords and controls. Very cool.

Cost: £360.00 (approx)

BlackBerry Presenter

What:This is a nice follow up to the 3M PocketProjector. The BlackBerry Presenter "is a 3.4 inch x 2.4 inch box-shaped gadget that connects to a projector or other display and wirelessly transfers PowerPoint presentations stored on your BlackBerry smartphone via Bluetooth."

Why: Helps make your Blackberry the 'hub' of your business, acting as a 'content facilitator' when out and about.

Cost: £129.00 (approx)

Sennheiser MM50iP Stereo Headset

What: A solid pair of earphones.

Why: To pump out your favourite tunes at your desk (and shut out some noise from your co-workers!)

Cost: £40.00 (approx)

Sony Webbie HD Camera

What: An alternative the popular Flip HD Camcorder, shooting high quality video on-the-go.

Why: Capture media events, press conferences, get behind-the-scenes footage all from one easy-to-use device.

Cost: £100.00 - £250.00 (approx)

Nokia 3G Booklet

What: A clever Netbook from Nokia.

Why: Lugging a big laptop around isn't much fun so this is a great piece of hardware to use on the move. It comes with a 3G modem and long battery life.

Cost: £700.00 (approx)

Sony Digital Dictaphone - ICD - UX200

What: A digital dictaphone.

Why: Record press conferences and download direct to your computer via a built-in USB connection.

Cost: £65.00 (approx)

BlackBerry Torch 9800

What: The best business smartphone out there.

Why: The QWERTY keyboard makes emailing a breeze in addition to all the other features of this great handset from BlackBerry.

Cost: Varies

PowerMat

What: A wireless charging system for your electronic devices.

Why: With all this kit you are using you'll need some help to keep them on the go!

Cost: £35.00 (approx)

Would you recommend any other gadgets out there?

Adam

Being 'too clever' puts reputations on the line too

Learning is a funny thing.

But more often than not, it is anything but fun.

I don't mean that in a negative way, but you tend to learn more from making or being involved in errors as opposed to sailing through things without bumps in the road.

The marketing and communications industry is going through one of its biggest ever learning phases right now thanks to the continued evolution of digital media channels and the popularity of the participatory social media environment.

Over the last few months I've become an increasingly cautious communicator, which goes against my natural instinct of trying things and throwing caution to the wind (within reason).

The primary reason is a simple one: Reputation.

Not my personal one (a very secondary thing), but the reputations of the organisations I work with or would like to work with.

While the digital space has opened up so many new ways to communicate and engage with audiences the pitfalls are significant too.

One of the things I think we, as communicators, need to potentially do more of is (drum roll) 'do less'.

Bringing this too life...

• Just because you can easily aggregate relevant content doesn't mean it is the right play every time.
• Just because you can directly reach out and communicate with your detractors doesn't mean it will cure all your problems.
• Just because you can have a YouTube channel doesn't mean you actually have the need for one. 
• Just because open-source technology makes virtually anything possible doesn't mean using it for the sake of using it.
• And just because you can add fancy widgets and plug-ins to web pages, doesn't mean you are automatically adding value. In fact, you are more likely to be creating a potential reputational risks and damage as we've seen on so many occasions in recent times.

Communicators and marketers have always struggled with the balance between being creative and innovative while playing the role of brand guardian.

While organisations are increasingly on the look out for that little piece of 'magic' that separates them from their competitors, there's a lot to be said for being magically balanced too.

Whaddya reckon?

Are the limitless digital / social possibilities a gift or a curse?

Do you think you have had to alter your approach more than usual because of the uncertain nature of participatory media?

Or, is it like any growing phase, and maturation will happen in due course?

Adam

COMMScorner.com is the blog from Adam Vincenzini which focuses on social media and PR. Connect with Adam on Twitter or subscribe to his blog.

10 Facebook search tips and tools for PR pros

You've heard of Micro Pigs (oh yeah!) and now I'd like to introduce you to the Micro Post - in other words, I have 20 minutes free to share some goodies with you so this will be short and sweet.

This means putting this post in context must be swift too.

Facebook = important. How people use it = important. Tips and tools to do that = handy.

So, without further ado...

1. Greplin.com - This social search engine allows you to search by keyword and by platform channel e.g. COMMS corner on Facebook and any mentions will pop up in the search results. This is very handy for both planning and measurement purposes.
2. 48ers.com - This is similar to Greplin in that it serves up results by social channel (includes Facebook, Twitter, Buzz, Digg and Delicious)
3. Samepoint.com - Another option worth considering as it includes all the major networks (incl. LinkedIn) and also attempts to provide you with some sentiment analysis - while not perfect, it is handy nonetheless.
4. bing.com/social - Bing Social Search doesn't seem like it is very well utilized considering it is one of the only ways you can thoroughly access Facebook data - the shared links option is also a great way to see what is hot in real-time
5. digitalinspiration.com/tools/facebook-search.html - This allows you to search for vanity Facebook URLs to see if they are available or not - very handy!
6. youropenbook.org - This was originally intended to expose how easily your status updates can be accessed but it actually is a cool tool for marketers and communicators too. Type your keyword in and then you can choose to split by males and females and you'll get some handy results back.
7. Kurrently.com - this was a tool I used a bit before I discover Greplin - it's OK, but I now have a new favourite.
8. ArchivedBook.com - This is more of a personal tool than a professional one but it is handy nonetheless as it provides you with your complete wall comment history in chronological order (and your friends historical data too). 
9. FacePinch.com - A real-time Facebook search engine which provides insights into trending topics, popular likes and more.
10. Folowen.com - This is handy not just for Facebook but for all the major social networks as it allows you to search for the properties relating to a specific person or organisation.

There are are couple of other search engines tools that aren't specifically Facebook-related resources, but do help reduce the noise out there.

One option is blekko.com (watch the video explaining it if only for a giggle) as it will get you saying 'slashtags' a lot. It does have merit however, and is potentially a nice alternative to Google if you want to narow your search results by preference.

The other one is Joongel.net which can break a search down by nearly every channel / platform you can think of - it's a little on the ugly side but worth keeping in your toolbox.

If you are a regular reader of this blog you'll notice that the posts produced are becoming more and more resource-focused.

If you're after some deeper thinking (if you can all it that!), visit my SlideShare account or the Paratus Communications blog.

Thanks!

Adam 

COMMScorner.com is the blog from Adam Vincenzini which focuses on social media and PR. Connect with Adam on Twitter or subscribe to his blog.

2011's best social media stats and insights (so far)

Apologies up front but you won't find much original content from me in this post.

Instead, I've put my curation cap on and dug up as many solid links to social media usage stats published in 2011 as I could find.

I originally had these saved in a private folder but saw no point in keeping all this good stuff to myself.

But, in order to get the most value from these links, you'll have to pull out the relevant bits yourself.

Let's get to it...

1. 50 social media stats for your arsenal via PRSarahEvans.com - predominantly North American stats but some global insights included too #general
2. Global State of Social Media in 2011 via Global Web Index - stats from the most detailed global survey into consumer internet behaviour ever conducted #general #global
3. Facebook demographics report 2011 via Amodiovalerio Verde #Facebook
4. LinkedIn demographics and statistics report 2011 via Amodiovalerio Verde #LinkedIn
5. 10 important social media stats from the USA via Jeff Esposito - key stats from the key platforms #general #USA
6. 15 interesting facts about social media usage in the UK -  a guest post I wrote over on Jeff Esposito's blog #demographics #UK
7. Social media facts about the 5 biggest platforms in the Netherlands via Marco Derksen #Netherlands
8. Burson-Marsteller 2011 Global Social Media Check Up - A look at how the Fortune Global 100 are using social media #global #business
9. Measuring the impact of Facebook via Troy Thompson  - Facts, metrics, tools and tips #Facebook
10. The state of the Twittersphere in February 2011 by Kathryn Corrick - this is as detailed as it gets, very useful #Twitter
11. Top 10 mobile internet trends (Feb 2011) by KPCB - some interesting stats on Tablets in here #MobileInternet
12. The SlideShare Zeitgeist 2010 - every stat on presentations you could ever imagine #SlideShare
13. 16 surprising social media stats by Arik Hanson - includes an interesting stat about the percentage of Facebook likes that come via ads #General
14. Social media marketing numbers (infographic) - a look back at 2010 and were the money was spent by platform #general #investment
15. Social media statistics (by-the-numbers) part two (Feb 2011) - some big numbers courtesy of Banking.com #general
16. 20 key stats in Ecommerce and social media via sparxoo.com - includes some interesting stats on Groupon #ecommerce
17. 10 interesting customer service and social media stats via Customer Think #CustServ
18. The Godfather of social media infographics by Tech King - this has almost everything you could ever want including the top 10 global Facebook page #general #infographic

If you want to pay for some specific insights, look no further than emarketer.com who have just published a report on Western Europe Social Media Usage for the tidy sum of $695.00.

To finish things off, it is really worth checking out this free summary from Tom Pick who pulled together a great summary on the best social media stats, facts and marketing research of 2010

If you've stumbled across any other good 'uns worth adding to this list please send 'em though!

Adam

COMMScorner.com is the blog from Adam Vincenzini which focuses on social media and PR. Connect with Adam on Twitter or subscribe to his blog.

The role of PR in social media marketing (presentation)

This is not another 'who should own social media' blog post.

Rather, this is a top line look at the transferable skills PR professionals bring to the social media marketing mix.

Every discipline has a role to play and this presentation simply outlines the specific role PR has the opportunity play.

(Via SlideShare.net/AdamVincenzini)

The role of PR in social media marketing

View more presentations from Adam Vincenzini

COMMScorner.com is the blog from Adam Vincenzini which focuses on social media and PR. Connect with Adam on Twitter or subscribe to his blog.