Focus Group Project

focus-group-report

Social Networking and PR

According to Nielson Net Ratings, a global leader in internet media and market research, announced today that April’s top 10 social networking sites collectively grew 47 percent year over year, increasing from an unduplicated unique audience of 46.8 million last year to 68.8 million in April 2006, reaching 45 percent of active Web users.

This statistic clearly emphasizes social networking and its popularity. Networking through the internet is the latest trend. From students to businesses, professionals have reached another level of public relations than ever before. Companies are able to discuss issues online through blogs, for instance, and viewers from all over the world can comment and share their thoughts and feelings.

Twitter is a great example of a social networking site that has helped accelerate communication between professionals. The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay has a Twitter and updates viewers about the latest projects or interesting facts that one might not know about the company.

Social networking and public relations seem to work hand in hand. Networking online has only benefited the public relations practice. With this in mind, I stumbled upon an interesting new social media site for public relations. Social Rank has launched a social networking site specifically for public relations called PRVoices.com. According to Shannon Nelson, she  finds PRVoices.com not only a great place to stand among some pretty great PR Bloggers but another way to network with other PR specialists and expand her circle of industry professionals.

Video and Audio Public Relations

The public relations field is stepping out and discovering new innovative technology to reach targeted audiences. For example, BlackPR Wire is an aids awareness site. Their webiste is highly informational and interactive. There video and audio releases are kind of like informational short commercials that are a fun way to learn about the company, rather than just read a media release. This generation has stepped up the bar in technology, video and audio releases are just the beginning. They are extending public relations reach to another level.

Not too long ago companies found audio and video releases to be at best a luxury and at worst an annoyance, according to Nora Carr.  “Online audio and video streaming is becoming a mainstream communications tool,” said Carr.  Parents, students, teachers and other key stakeholders are demanding it. It has become a high demand tool because internet viewers are provided 24-7 access to breaking news and information while in the comfort of their own home.

Another advantage in this digital technology is that you are able to share information freely and easily.  Word of mouth spreads fast as it gets passed along to other people who they think need to see, hear or listen to what they just watched. The American Bar Association has even have jumped on the bandwagon and uses video releases as a way to reach its vast and diverse audience. Most of the video releases gives viewers that ability to watch awards given out and other important events take place.

Inside Look Into the Minds of Public Relations Professionals

You can view our report here. Listen to our interviews either through the widget box on my blog. Or here is Carissa’s and here is Kerry’s.

Social Media Monitoring : SoBe Life Water

Enjoy our report and table data .

Effective Pitching

Pitching requires a certain skill. According to Kristy Wolk, public relations manager for Cinequest, she understands the importance of pitching and how students constantly need to brush up on their pitching skills. In the PRSSA: gets “pitching tips” blog, Wolk suggests  students with pitching stories ideas. It is important to let the reporter know of your interest with their publication prior to pitching your story. The pitch must be short, limited to a few sentences and explain how the content relates to their readers. Wolk also suggests to ask the reporter if they are interested in pursuing the story.

In a related article, Tips for pitching the media, the suggested pitching ideas follow closely with Wolk. One of the major ways to be an effective pitch seller is to conduct your own investigation. Find out what the journalist has written before and do not just rely on media databases as your only source. It is very impressive that you not only do your homework on the reporter but also know their recent works. Familiarize yourself with their written or produced stories. This will make for a long lasting positive impression.

Another important aspect of pitching to remember is that if your pitch falls flat, it’s easy to blame it on an editor. According to Newsroom Politics: pitching a story, not every idea will be effective. Look at your story from every angle. Be willing to explain, negotiate and readjust. If your story matters to you, find a way to recast it and pitch it again so that the editors can see the story from every perspective. If you really have a good idea try, try again!

Tips for writing e-mails

E-mails have become a fundamental part of personal and business life. As a public relations practitioner e-mails are an essential key to communication. Today, being categorized under such a savvy tech generation proves that e-mails are the source for effective communication.

First one must recognize that there are formal and informal ways of approaching emailing. In the article The Difference Between Formal and Informal Writing, details are given on formal and informal styles in writing. For example, informal e-mail writing styles are very casual. Usually friends or families fit under the classification of informal methods. However, formal writing targets business relationships and are held at a much higher standard.

Once the type of e-mail style has been established it will aid in a successful communication message. For business e-mails, sending the proper message with all the correct information is imperative. Begin with clarity as to why you are writing the e-mail. According to the article Writing sensible email messages, think through your email from the recipient’s point of view. If it’s a valuable message, treat it that way. Put in the time to making every word count. Make sure that every e-mail holds meaning, keeping it short and sweet.

Other common tips for writing e-mails are making sure that the message remains short, to the point and polite. The problem with e-mail is that personal contact is lost. Being polite and considerate of your viewer will be reciprocated. In return, the viewer will more likely respond with a fast, simple response. According to The Art of Writing Good Emails blog, the problem with e-mail is the personal disconnection. Make sure when writing a message to express it as if the person is being spoken to. This will bring personality back to e-mailing.

Ethnography Project

The Green Era

Public Relations Takes On the Blogging World

Public relations is a constant, ever-changing field. In order to become a successful public relation’s practitioner, one must always stay up-to-date with communication functions. Social media is a crucial aspect to communication and vital to expanding any business.

Blogging is one of the social tools proven to be successful in reaching a large audience. According to 101publicrelations.com, blogs are easy to use and a great source for internal communications, project tracking, issue resolution, etc. For a company, blogs hold potential for expressing a product, discussing an upcoming event, or addressing a crisis. These messages reach not only their customers but the press as well.

Organizations that use blogs tend to bring more visitors and attraction to their business. Blogs convert into sales and profit, according to 101publicrelations.com. It has been discovered that a high percentage of those who visit a blog will buy from the company.

One advantage blogs bring to a business is customer relations. According to www.aimclearblog.com, firms use their sites to engage, enchant, and enlighten. Public relations organizations are able to highlight new products and provide technical solutions while customers review and respond. This enhances the customer experience, which improves business.

Practitioners Use of Social Media

Social Media is taking over this generation of professionals. The Web and other online informational outlets are tools professionals use in communication. Today this age is all about emails, texts, and technology based communication that public relation practitioners have become aware of. Practitioners are increasingly recognizing that it is necessary to utilize social media tools in order to reach their target audience.

Social Media tools vary among companies. Websites are not enough to reach the public. Businesses can research their product or topic of discussion through blogs. Blogs are a great way to have two-way feedback, where the companies receive reviews or other insightful information from the product user. Blogs are also useful in networking with other related companies. Today, social media unites business ideas or used for competing purposes.

Other social media tools that are commonly found in companies are Twitter, Facebook, freewebs, Linkedin and Myspace. Companies, with these resources, reach a whole new level of publics that they would not have ordinarily been able to connect with.