Thanks to the recent explosive growth of social media, the practice of public relations has been changed forever.

That’s not to say that public relations as a business tool is dead. To the contrary, public relations may be more important than ever. The goals of public relations remain the same, but the strategies and mechanisms for carrying out public relations have changed drastically in the last few years.

What are the typical goals of a public relations campaign?

Generally, it is to convince the public that your organization/company is one with which they should do business. It is about communicating the message that the company, its executives and its employees are highly skilled at what they do and have either the products or services that will be of great use to the targeted audience.

Traditional Public Relations

In the old model, the practice of public relations was primarily a one-way street. A company had a message to deliver and reached out to the media in hopes of delivering that message to a wide audience. Whether it was a new product launch, an announcement of a major executive hire or news of the company’s most recent charitable efforts- the public relations team would:

• Send out a press release
• Hold a press conference
• Initiate direct media outreach

If all went well, the message would get the attention of the local newspaper, magazine or broadcast outlet and the company would get the equivalent of “free” advertising.

Public Relations 2010

The traditional model was based on the notion that the power to provide positive information about your company resided exclusively  in the hands of newspapers, magazines and broadcast outlets. They were the “influencers” who had the tools and the scope to reach your target audience.

Thanks to the explosive growth of social media, both the targets of public relations and the dynamics of public relations have been changed forever.

Reaching Traditional Media in 2010

Don’t get me wrong. It is still important to target traditional media. Despite the decline in the newspaper business, reporters and columnists remain extremely influential. A positive mention of your company or products in a major metropolitan newspaper or a respected industry magazine can have a significant impact on a business.

While the traditional targets of public relations campaigns are still targeted, but no longer does it suffice to send out a press release or call to pitch a story idea.

Members of the traditional media have jumped onto the social media bandwagon. Not only are they using social media to broadcast news, they are using it to converse with their constituencies.

If there is a reporter you want to target, then follow them on Twitter, “friend” them on Facebook, connect to them LinkedIn and comment on their online articles and blog posts.

There are many resources for locating reporters on the major social networking sites. To find them on Twitter, for example, you can use resources like: http://journalisttweets.com/ or http://muckrack.com/

New York Times columnist Maureen Down on Twitter

This is a terrific way of not only getting direct access to the members of the media, it is also a smart way to see what’s on the reporter’s mind at any given moment and what kinds of topics they are currently writing about.

By engaging the reporter in conversation (offering timely information/advice/expertise), you engage the reporter instead of merely “pitching” him. By commenting on points made by the reporter, you can demonstrate your expertise and get the reporter’s attention. This process can take weeks, or even months, but it is a worthwhile pursuit.

Reaching New Media in 2010

Social media has proven to be the great equalizer. There are powerful figures on blogs, on Twitter and other online media. On any given topic, there are hundreds if not thousands of bloggers. Every second, there are thousands of people communicating on Twitter and people are discussing brands, products and individuals on Facebook.

These “influencers” reach thousands, even millions of people online.

The easiest way of finding these influencers is through a simple Google Blog search. It will show you who is talking about you, your company, your products or your industry.

A Google Blogs search for “Online Marketing”

There are also plenty of online lists of the most influential bloggers and Tweeters in most industries.

Once you know who’s talking about you or your industry, then it is simple to reach out to them.

• Comment on their blogs
• Provide them with links to content you’ve created
• Try to e-mail them
• Do everything in your power to convince them that you have a product or service worth talking about.

A Warning

Getting a reporter’s or a blogger’s attention is not always a good thing. When you place yourself and your company on their radar, it can open a Pandora’s Box. If you are confident of your expertise and your offerings, then there’s little to worry about. On the other hand, if a reporter doesn’t like you, your company, your products or services, they are in a position to broadcast their views to a wide audience.

This kind of negative publicity can be devastating.

In Conclusion

PR does not stand for press relations, it stands for public relations. The web gives you many more tools to get your message out to the public. Use those tools wisely and your business will thrive. Use them poorly and you can do damage to your company’s reputation and your bottom line.

If you lack in-house public relations expertise, it is wise to work with professionals. At Blue Fountain Media, we frequently counsel clients on how to find and take advantage of online public relations opportunities. If you have any questions, or would like to work with us on your public relations strategy, please do not hesitate to call us 212.260.1978.

At Blue Fountain Media, social media marketing is a major part of our business. On a daily basis, the marketing team works with clients on their blogs, their use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, FourSquare and numerous other social media platforms.

Because social media marketing is a relatively new field and because most of our clients were in business long before the advent of social media marketing, many clients and potential clients are skeptical about the benefits of social media marketing.

Because we can show potential clients the success we’ve had with our current clients, they generally come on board.

As a business, Blue Fountain Media actively engages in social media. We employ multiple platforms (including the Business Learning Center) to raise awareness about Blue Fountain Media and provide useful information to our clients and the business world at large.

A recent study confirms what we’ve known all along. Even a relatively small investment in social media marketing can have major payoffs for businesses of all size.

Michael Stelzner, Executive Editor of Social Media Examiner, produced the white paper: 2010 SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING INDUSTRY RE PORT.

For the report,  Stelzner canvassed nearly 1900 marketing specialists and asked them dozens of questions about their use of social media marketing. He found that even with as little as a four hour per week investment in social media marketing, companies reaped significant benefits on a variety of fronts.

Not only is social media marketing on the rise, but that the marketing efforts are paying off, in a big way. In fact, 91% of all marketers are using at least one social media marketing platform, with the majority using multiple platforms.

Here are just a few of the findings:

Time Investment

• 76% of marketers spend at least 4 hours a week on social media marketing
• 56% of marketers spend more than 6 hours a week on social media marketing
• 12.5% spend more than 20 hours a week on social media marketing

Social Media Marketing Platforms Used by the Marketers

• 88% Twitter
• 87% Facebook
• 78% LinkedIn
• 70% Blogs
• 46% YouTube or other video

Other social media platforms utilized included Digg, Ning, Forums, social bookmarking sites and MySpace.

Payoff

• 85% said the social media marketing campaigns increased exposure for their businesses
• 63% reported an increase in traffic/subscribers/opt-ins
• 56% said the efforts resulted in new business partnerships
• 54% reported an improvement in search rankings
• 52% said it generated qualified leads
• 48% said it helped in sales of products/service
• 48% reported that it actually reduced marketing costs

While the payoff (above) may seem significant, it is really just the tip of the iceberg. The majority of the marketers participating in the survey (65%) said that they were just starting with social media marketing or had been using it for just a few months.

Because these campaigns tend to deliver an excellent ROI, the longer the marketers had been using social media marketing, the more hours per week they invest in social media marketing.

Conclusion

If your business isn’t already employing the tools of social media marketing, it should begin to immediately. Like any marketing campaign, it should be approached and executed in a professional manner:

• Strategize: Which platforms would best reach my business’s target audience?
• Budget: What percentage of my overall marketing and advertising budget am I willing to invest in social media marketing?
• Execute: Who will be responsible for crafting and delivering my message through social media marketing?
• Monitor: How will I quantify the success or failure of my social media marketing campaign?

The key to a successful social media marketing campaign is that the people responsible for the campaign should have the knowledge and experience to handle all of the above responsibilities.

The Blue Fountain Media social media marketing team has vast experience in this area and has delivered successful campaigns to clients in myriad industries. If you are thinking about starting a social media marketing campaign or want to expand your current efforts, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 212.260.1978.

As a company devoted to helping clients achieve, and often exceed, their business goals, it always amazes us when we see how often we see companies that have no idea of how to convert browsers into buyers.

This is especially true when companies try to conduct business online. Businesses do a good job of attracting visitors to their websites, but a lousy job of turning visitors into clients or customers. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are in business, then you are in a constant battle for an online audience and paying customers. Every day is a competition. The more you know about your competitors-the more you understand their business, strategy, and key personnel-the better chance you have of winning on a daily basis.

Perhaps the most important tool for gathering intelligence about your competition is the Internet. The web provides a treasure trove of tools for learning about your competitors, their executive, their key employees, and their business strategies.

To keep tabs on the opposition, make it a habit to thoroughly review the following websites: Read the rest of this entry »

What’s Foursquare?

Foursquare is a tool that helps people track where their friends are and what they’re up to. If your business is based on a physical location, you can use Foursquare to manage–and maximize–its popularity.

Foursquare aims to encourage people to explore their neighborhoods and then reward people
for doing so. We do this by combining our friend-finder and social city guide elements with
game mechanics — our users earn points, win Mayorships and unlock badges for trying new
places and revisiting old favorites.

Read the rest of this entry »

You wouldn’t dream of starting as business without a plan. So why do so many business owners start social media campaigns without any real planning or strategy?

Typically, they start blogging, Tweeting, building Facebook pages and checking in on Foursquare simply because everyone else is doing it.

In other words, they approach social media marketing as if they were a kid playing with a shiny new toy. Ask a six year old what his “strategy” is in playing the toy truck and he’ll look at you like you were crazy.

Ask a small business owner what his social media strategy is, and you are likely to see the exact expression.
Read the rest of this entry »

When businesses are looking to create or enhance a web presence, they go through the often painful process of choosing which web design and marketing team to handle their project.

When potential clients come to Blue Fountain Media, they always bring a host of questions about our experience, expertise and results.

One question that keeps coming up is: How much experience do you have in my industry?
Read the rest of this entry »

Granite Transformations is a company that provides kitchen and bathroom remodeling solutions including granite countertops, cabinet resurfacing and mosaic tiles. Their products have superior durability and a better appearance than the competition, and the installation process is both easier and more ecologically friendly. But the company’s website didn’t articulate this message. They were not converting visitors into customers.
Read the rest of this entry »

It is no secret that creating original content for your website is a terrific way to get your marketing messages across, establish yourself as an expert and humanize your company and its employees.

By writing articles, blogs and white papers, companies can offer a real service to their current and potential customers and clients. It is essential, though, that the content be well-written, informative and understandable for your target audience. It is worth the investment to either have an accomplished copywriter on your staff or to avail yourself of the services of a professional copywriter.
Read the rest of this entry »

Every business owner knows how much is riding on each hire the company makes. A great hire can transform a business, bringing expertise, enthusiasm and increased profitability. A terrible hire, on the other hand, results in wasted time, money and effort. It can result in unhappy clients, workplace tensions and even in litigation.

This is especially true in smaller companies, where every member of team plays an important role. Read the rest of this entry »