Tuesday’s #PR Tip of the Day!

Today’s tip comes from mBlast, specifically their MediaSync product. MediaSync is a free media database updated with blogs, publications, reporters, and bloggers specific by industry. If only I knew about this service when I was building media lists without pricy Cision or Vocus! The best part of MediaSync is that it’s FREE. Services like this cost a pretty penny, so if you’re interested in taking your internal or client’s PR to the next level, this is a great start.

Here are some specs provided by MediaSync:

• 100,000 new blog sites and publications
• 3,000,000 new articles and blog postings
• Updated search algorithms to improve results
• Nearly 100,000 editorial calendar items
• Thousands of new media profiles

Here’s another tip. If you’re not sure which topic to pitch, editorial calendars come in handy. Publications often have their editorial calendar set for the next 90 days or even year, so if you’re searching by publication or topic, you’ll find when you should pitch your story. Here’s an example:

Looks like they still have some updating to do since the deadline is not listed. So far, I’m liking the product and it totally makes PR on a budget easier!

That’s it for today. Tomorrow I’ll review other services from mBlast (can’t you tell I’m smitten about them!).

 

As always, if you find this post interesting-share it. Sign up for my RSS feed to the right and leave a comment worth sharing! Follow me on Twitter @jackiej04.

 

Friday’s PR Tip of the Day

Today’s PR Tip of the Day is brought to you by HARO, or Help a Reporter. As seen in it’s logo, “everyone is an expert at something”. Here’s how it works: Peter Shankman and his team sends you three emails a day with queries from reporters, bloggers, and writers needing sources for their stories. The beauty of HARO is that it’s free. It’s good karma to connect people with the right sources-when they need it most. Queries come from all different subjects: education, lifestyle, entertainment, and travel (among others).

Why am I telling you about HARO? It’s simple. It’s free and it’s a great way to get some PR with light effort. Reporters post their queries and all you have to do is respond with your pitch (on topic, please) and a way to get in touch. If the reporter is interested, he or she will contact you further. I’ve gotten some good placements, like iMedia Connection and QSR Magazine.

Peter Shankman is a genius for doing this. Just don’t abuse his great service and he’ll keep sending you the emails!

That’s it for today. Have a great weekend everyone!

As always, if you like this post – share it. Follow me on Twitter @jackiej04.

Thursday’s Tip of the Day

Today’s tip of the day is inspired by a tweet I recently received. In order to avoid embarassment, I’m going to leave the Twitter handle out. Let’s just say it’s from a dentist and they definitely abused the art of Twitter.

Twitter is for making connections, sharing interesting content, and learning new things…among other uses. It is NOT an outlet to spam others (intentionally or unintentionally). The tweet I received was among 60 of the same tweets that the dentist’s office sent to others. Same exact tweet, sent to 60 different people. It went a little something like this:

@jackiej04 New patient special for adults $99!! Patients with insurance get a free take home whitening kit!! Call us today. (phone number)

There are many things wrong with this tweet blast:

1. If you’re putting your phone number out there, you might be asking for unsolicited calls. Then again, you could get some potential customers calling. That is, if you’re connecting with your followers and they’re interested in you further. 
2. Twitter frowns upon sending multiple @ tweets with the exact same content, which can be construed as Spam.
3. Twitter is not a sales too, but a social tool.
4. Sending 60 of the same tweet out to 60 potential followers is a waste of time.
5. If you’re going to start using Twitter for business, have a well drawn out plan with a goal in mind. That way, it will be time well spent!

That being said, my goal was not to put this user on blast and put them down. Rather, I’d like to help so they avoid getting blocked. They apologized and said they were new to Twitter. That’s okay…but they might want to start from the drawing board and delete those tweets.

What do you think? No one likes spam, so it’s better to prevent it before it starts. Share this Twitter 101 for Business Guide to those in need.

Here’s a sneak peek at tomorrow’s tip – how to do PR on a budget…or free!

Follow me on Twitter @jackiej04, or speak up in the comments. If you find this post interesting, share it!

Quick tip of the day – Oct. 20, 2010

Today’s social media tip is inspired by Marketing Profs. This article gives some insight on the recent Facebook “privacy breach” and how it has affected user consumption. In my opinion, it’s more like a privacy leak than a breach. More on that in Adota’s article.

As I’ve handled clients in social media, SEO, and marketing simultaneously; I’ve had the pleasure of combining my knowledge to support each segment. If you’re well-rounded, you’re able to improve SEO while using social media effectively. In turn, you’re also adept in website conversion rates.

What does all this mean? Keep an open mind when building your website or social media campaign. Don’t put “all your eggs in one basket” and focus all your time into your Facebook Page. If you’re not seeing engagement or growth, you could change your strategy. In the end, you’re spending a lot of time on something that isn’t working.

Focus on your website, your “home base”, because that’s where you can not only control the information that’s put forth, but also build your brand identity and benefit from your SEO efforts. Then, you’ll be able to push out to social sites and you may see some improvement!

With that said, do some conversion testing with your website. See which pages are working, and which don’t. Edit the copy to get the desired results. Focus on design, but more from a user perspective. If you can’t navigate your own website, will your customers?

So what did we learn today? Brush up on social media, SEO, and marketing because you’ll benefit from it! Sometimes, take a step back from your efforts and focus on your website. You’ll be glad you did.

That’s it for today! Feel free to speak up in the comments or share this tip!

Follow me on Twitter.

Quick Tip of the Day

I haven’t written in this blog for a WHILE so I thought of a way to keep me blogging. I’m going to start the quick tip of the day

Today’s tip is inspired from #careerchat on Twitter:

Some people say Facebook is for personal use and I disagree. I’ve seen some very good uses of Facebook, particularly in real estate, entrepreneurs, designers and developers. My tip is to create two profiles – one for personal use and another for professional endeavors. This is so you can separate your Facebook content and focus it where it belongs!

Facebook Page or Profile – it’s up to you and what your goals are.

That’s it for today folks – now my focus is updating this blog!

-Jackie

Tips on Effectively Utilizing Twitter

I put together this list for a SEO and Social Media Guide and I think it can really help businesses understand how to use Twitter. Let me know what you think in the comments!

1. Have a plan.

Do some research on the social media networks out there and devise a plan. Target the top 3 sites, create a profile, and answer the question “What’s in It for Me?” You should have a target goal for each social media site. It could be generating more traffic to your site, get more sales, build brand identity but gaining XXXX amount of followers. In the end, make sure the voice is the same throughout, so you keep brand identity. Have commitment, as social media takes time to grow.

2. If you are the expert in your field, show it.

You know the most about your company and your field of expertise. Provide information that will help your followers understand your brand. The more you show brand identity, the more your followers will be your brand advocates.

3. Provide links and measure the click-through rates.

People on Twitter love to learn new things. They follow interesting people because they are adding value. One way to add value is to link out to relevant articles, blogs, or your own website. If you’re having a sale on a particular item, link straight to that page on your website. Be sure to use URL shorteners like bit.ly or budurl.com so you can track the amount of clicks your link received. That way, you can see how many customers are listening on a particular tweet.

4. Measure your results.

Use engagement tools like TweetDeck or Hootsuite to monitor your brand. You can set up keyword alerts so that you see what Twitter users are talking about and who is talking about it. Measuring your results shows you what is working, what to improve, and gets you closer to your goal.

5. Listen to your customers and brand advocates/detractors.

Comcast (@ComcastCares) does a great job in listening to their customers. They ask the question, “How can we help”, and they answer to each and every customer. Even hearing your detractors can help your brand—you’ll learn what can improve about your business. Think of social media like a focus group—you test out your brand and you get feedback.

6. Provide Your Email

Complex problems need more attention. Providing your email will help customers talk beyond 140 characters. Also, when the customer has different options in how they can receive customer service, they’ll be happy to choose their preferred method to contact you.

7. And Most of All: Be Social

Talk to your friends, fans, and followers. Listen to what they have to say and respond to them. Provide new information and link your blogs to your Facebook Page, Twitter, and any other social media site you may belong to.  You’ll see your traffic rise in no time.

The value of social media is endless. Your competitors are out there, are you?

Ready as I’ll ever be

As I sit here, preparing for the Valentines Day festivities, I look back at the past few months. It’s been a whirlwind. I graduated, spent time with the family, got a new job, and am living the post-grad life. I feel blessed that I have a job in this economy. Even though it’s just part-time, I am grateful for what I have, not what I don’t have. I love not having to study or worry about tests. I love coming home from work and not having to do anything else.  I’m looking forward to what is ahead, ready as I’ll ever be.

I needed a pick-me-up!

I run on Dunkin.  Do you?

http://www.dunkinathome.com/

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See my next press release here:

jj-celebrate-your-dallas-thanksgiving-brunch-with-hilton-dallas-park-cities

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Happy holiday season!  It’s NOVEMBER already, gotta get on that holiday spirit.  Nothing does it better than a pumpkin spice latte!

For me, I’ll be nice and warm in Florida for Thanksgiving, then in the festive New York spirit for Christmas.

Get excited and GO KNIGHTS~

-Jackie

My first written (and published) Press Release

As of 9/17/08:

I wrote a press release about the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

See it here:

renaissance-boat-show-plantation-pr

Or in the media:

FreePressrelease.com

24-7pressrelease.com

___________________________

Best Regards,

Jacqueline Jimenez

jackiej04@gmail.com

My 2nd Article printed in the Central Florida Future

So exciting!

I wrote an article about my vacation this past summer and it was printed in the UCF newspaper.

See it here:

The best vacations are often unexpected

Or here in print:

The best vacations are often unexpected

Comments are always appreciated

-Jacqueline Jimenez