The Matchbox Blog Latest Posts
Curious about our latest PR/marketing insights, news commentary and other thoughts? Visit our blog here, or view these recent posts:
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PR Pulse:
Tips for Success
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With any successful PR initiative, organizations must push the boundaries to achieve a positive impact with their varied audiences.
So, during August - typically one of the slowest times of the year - Young & Associates coordinated a month-long thought leadership social media program for two clients - Localeze and ISM.
Promoted on Twitter and Facebook and teased through a social media press release, both campaigns focused on daily tips and best practices from their respective industries with hashtags to increase social sharing and encourage feedback and engagement.
Through the support of employees, customers and partners, the socially charged campaigns brought added exposure to our clients' distinct views and knowledge in the marketplace.
-- ISM Twitter
-- Localeze Facebook
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Young & Associates Focus
Planning Meeting Success and New Client Scavado 
Summer seemed to come and go in a flash, but not without some client and Y&A excitement. Our crew gathered in St. Michaels, Md. for a planning meeting to focus on the remainder of 2011 and beyond--resulting in creative ideas for both client programs and the agency (and a crab feast).
We'd like to congratulate Lori Fenstermaker on the launch of Scavado, a web-based sourcing tool that helps recruiters find outstanding job candidates using automated, highly-targeted Internet searches. Young & Associates will be spearheading a formal media launch of the company and brand, previously known as AutoSearch.
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Marketing Minute
Corporate Blog Getting Stale?
Corporate blogs have become mainstream, but not all are created equal. In fact, some are created, grown and then abandoned with the most recent post time-stamped months--or even years--ago. This can quickly foster a negative impression of the company among customers, prospects and HR recruits. To avoid this scenario, following are some tips for keeping blog content fresh and contributors engaged.
1) Develop Blog Contributor Guidelines - No matter which staff members are contributing posts, establishing a framework around who is committed to blogging, how often, and the process for submitting and approving posts, is critical for continued momentum. It also sets an expectation for accountability in delivering posts.
2) Create an Editorial Calendar - Finding the time to generate new topics can be daunting and writer's block can easily set in. Combat this issue by developing a slate of "evergreen" topics regarding best practices or ongoing trends and planning for topics around hot conference sessions or webinars.
3) Focus on Thought Leadership - While it may be tempting to use the corporate blog as a way to plug your product or service, resist the urge. Readers visit your blog to learn and gain insights about the topics that affect them, so treating it as a forum for advice, education and valuable commentary is a better bet for building a base of repeat visitors.
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My Two Cents Ah, TechCrunch - The Bane and Boon of Tech PR's Existence by Jennifer MacLeid Qotb, Principal, Young & Associates As the PR holy grail for most tech start-ups, TechCrunch has earned quite an irreverent reputation since its debut in 2005. Many say the founder and co-editor Michael Arrington's holier than though, F-You attitude is what keeps the popular online news source at the top of the tech media  world. But that's no more. On September 1, Fortune broke the news that Arrington was launching a venture fund backed by AOL. Sharp criticism from mainstream media like The New York Times and other popular blogs finally saw the downfall and final termination of Arrington by AOL, reportedly at the "behest" of Ariana Huffington. Working on behalf of many of our clients to garner repeat coverage in TechCrunch, we've seen its successful business model thrive on advances or scoops, which most tech companies decide to leak to the blog due to its influential, large number of readers. However, the popular blog has for many years held a reputation as a salacious brand, a reputation clearly earned by Arrington. While we still believe TechCrunch is a very worthy target for some clients, it certainly isn't the end-all, be-all it once was. With the rise of very credible tech blogs like The Wall Street Journal's AllThingsD, GigaOm, Mashable, VentureBeat, DealBook, The New York Times' Bits, and many others that offer incredibly high journalistic standards, TechCrunch is no longer the only "It" factor. Certainly, a publication is influenced by its editor-in-chief, but it is pushed by the staff who fight the good fight to report with strong journalistic ethics and standards. If the TechCrunch staff is largely comprised of those folks, it is certain to continue to be a force worth reckoning with. |
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