PR Pulse:
Tips for Success
|
 |
With visual media exploding - videos, graphics, photos - it's easier than ever to tell a story, particularly a complex one.
As newswires continue adding social media capabilities,
consider a Multimedia News Release for your next major initiative or news, and
incorporate an interactive element to complement the story.
Working with client The Benedictine School - a special needs educational living and learning
organization - to help educate parents of children with special needs on the
benefits of residential care, Young & Associates collaborated on a
background video to supplement the press release.
Reporters quickly understood the topics, thanks to the visual aid. Interest
from special needs publications, e.g., Parenting
Special Needs, Exceptional Parent,
Autism Family Online, and even
mainstream outlets such as FOXNews,
prove the value of this approach.
|
|
|
Young & Associates Focus
2010: Off to a Running Start
Happy New Year! The year is off to a running start at Y&A, so here's a highlight of some of our good news:
We are pleased to announce the Young & Associates
blog - The Matchbox - which just launched this week. It offers insight into
best practices for the new age of public relations and marketing. Check it out
and don't hesitate to disagree...we love a good challenge.
The agency was recognized for outstanding achievement
by MARCOM awards receiving GOLD for our work with client Pace Harmon, an
outsourcing advisory firm. Young & Associates collaborated with Pace Harmon
to provide commentary on the Satyam outsourcing scandal, garnering coverage in BusinessWeek, InformationWeek and CFO,
among others.
Finally, as this was going to the "presses", Y&A landed a long-term project with PeriscopeIQ, an
established provider of hosted business intelligence solutions.
|
Marketing Minute
Get Your Speakers Program Game On
The landscape of on-site events, conferences and even webinars in the past few years has significantly changed. Conference organizers are faced with restricted sponsorship and attendance budgets, as well as the social media mix, in which those not attending can virtually receive a blow-by-blow of the conference via Twitter or blogs.
For most companies facing tighter marketing budgets, decisions to allocate sponsorship or attendance dollars can be tough. To circumvent this, more companies are vying for speaking engagements to gain access to the conference and yield visibility for the company via thought leadership. The challenge is that competition for speaking opportunities is stiffer than ever. Renewed emphasis must be placed on the execution and planning of clinching that coveted spot - whether a keynote or a panel presentation. Here are four key steps:
1) Start by identifying the conferences that will benefit your company through lead generation and overall thought leadership visibility.
2) Once your team has whittled down the list, it's time to pick the right speakers for the conference. This is critical, as the exec must have the ability to present the topic with both authority AND a bit of controversy.
3) Next, remember - the abstract is king. Conference organizers want to see fresh topics so take a look at previous conference sessions to avoid repetition. Even invite your colleagues and competitors to participate in the presentation.
4) Finally, make an effort to get to know the organizers - drop a line or a direct message tweet. With competition at its toughest, that just might put your application over the top and on the agenda.
|
My Two Cents
Online Communities Pave the Way for Knowledge Sharing
by Jennifer Mirabile, Assistant Vice President
Young & Associates
Chances are you've participated in an online community - whether via a chat room, message board, blog, or Facebook. The concept of online communities has
existed for awhile, but with the vast adoption of social networks in 2009,
they are more prevalent today and more users are sharing best practices and
advice on a professional level.
This is, in part, due to Twitter Chats (like #blogchat and
#smallbizchat) devoted to a select topic with live-streaming dialogue on a
designated date and time. Led by a moderator and often with a Q&A set-up,
these chats cross geographic boundaries for people who have similar interests
and/or professional backgrounds.
Applications like Twibes and Twubs make it easy to find and participate in chats.
But what are the benefits of sharing your
professional/industry strategies and insights with the public, including
competitors? Online
communities offer a fast way to virtually network with experts and peers in
your field - to ask questions, get quick feedback and monitor
thoughts from potential customers on any topic. I've seen
firsthand how monitoring these discussions allows us to learn, share
and network, much like an in-person conference or network
event. Also, by being an active
participant or organizing your own chat, you can demonstrate your industry
thought leadership. Don't be left out
of industry conversations that can impact your business. Instead, embrace the virtual dialogue
and opportunities presented in online communities.
| |
|
|
|
