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I have been co-hosting a weekly podcast called The Bella Buzz with the CEO of Bella Web Design, Desiree Scales. We have good conversations about topics related to online marketing. Thought I would also post the programs here for the Overflow audience. This is episode 44.
Rebekah Lovell from Renown Promotions is our guest on this episode of The Bella Buzz podcast. We discuss the field of public relations and how social media has changed the game for small and medium sized business. Renown is a communications consulting company that specializes in community-minded marketing and PR for small business. From copy writing, to full campaigns, they are a source for original and creative approaches to communication challenges.
Change is a constant in this day and age, and nothing has been impacted more than PR. We begin by looking at the way a PR professional goes about practicing client communications. Rebekah points to the fact that the old form of a press release is dead. The thought leader David Meerman Scott wrote the book The New Rules of Marketing and PR, and promotes the paradigm shift from a press release to a news release, and advocates that companies become publishers themselves. You no longer have to rely on the media as being the gatekeepers of information distribution.
In the past, a cultivated and proprietary media lists used to be one of the greatest assets that an PR agency could own, ensuring that a client’s story would be seen by the right media person covering that industry. In today’s social world, there are tools available for everyone to access with details about contact information. Sarah Evans has developed the extraordinary resource called Media on Twitter. Using this social form of communication eliminates the prior practices of mailing or faxing, however it has shortened the pitch time for presenting the story and gaining interest from a media contact.
A valuable insight that Rebekah shares with us is how to use Twitter Lists to see what the media is talking about each morning. She can direct client messaging and ensure real relevancy as a source on the latest topics.
The latest form of communication distribution comes from the web site pitchengine.com, which combines written and visual elements into what they term a social media release. Desiree points out that a key feature of this type of release is a “Share” button, allowing for easy re-broadcast of a message. An SMR will also provide good search engine optimization benefit delivery traffic to a web site.
The one thing that has not changed with the implementation of social tools is the clear and concise delivery of a story. There is no time for fluff and filler to appear in a pitch, with the speed of the news cycle, and it is even more of a challenge to pitch within the confines of 140 characters.
When trying to decide whether to work with a PR professional, make sure to look into the ways in which that person is practicing the profession. Someone who is simply spamming and broadcasting re-purposed press releases and calling it social media will not be successful in effectively representing you and your brand. There is a great shift in the balance of power where the smaller specialty agencies can be quick and nimble in applying new technologies as they prove successful, while a larger agency must be concerned with maintaining billings. This allows for affordable, high quality work for clients who might not have been able to use a professional in the past.
In the end, good media relations is a mutually beneficial relationship where the client’s message can be presented to the right person at the most relevant time. A PR person will know what the media member is writing, their niches, how they prefer the stories to be presented .. whatever is necessary to make sure that the reporter / blogger is successful as well.
BTW, we are celebrating our one year anniversary here on The Bella Buzz! We are so grateful to everyone who has inspired us, appeared with us on the show, left us encouraging feedback .. and most of all, to the listeners who graciously allow us to express ourselves each episode! Thank you for all of the great comments and message you send us about The Bella Buzz!
Theme music for The Bella Buzz is Fallen by Digital Chemistry, available for download at the Podsafe Music Network.
You can subscribe to The Bella Buzz directly from ITunes by following this link, and we would be happy to receive listener feedback and ratings at The ITunes Store.
