Geo's Tech PR & Social Media Post

Five reasons why tech companies should blog

Today on our company blog, WaltCast, I wrote a post about how tech companies can benefit from establishing a company and/or executive blog, "Tech PR and blogging -- Five reasons to blog."

At Walt & Company, we spend a lot of time helping our tech PR clients establish and manage blogs. From helping them come up with a clever — and SEO-friendly — title to recommending unique, compelling blog themes and content, our business is more and more about positioning them favorably in the rapidly evolving online world.

The top five benefits I reviewed include:

1. Expanding reach
2. Leveling the tech playing field 
3. Building brand visibility and customer loyalty 
4. Supporting/expanding social media efforts 
5. Improving SEO

Once established, a company blog combined with a strategic PR campaign can go a long way toward helping companies build brand recognition, reach existing and potential customers, and support key business and marketing goals.

Visit WaltCast to view the entire post, and let me know what you think.

Geo2

PR and SEO -- Seven quick tips

Ok, so I've been remiss about blogging lately.  (Shame on me.)

Anyway, I want to get back in the swing of things, and I've decided to start a series of posts about public relations and SEO. In today's professional communications world the two are increasingly interrelated. This means that as a PR pro, you can use a basic understanding of SEO to your advantage -- but only if you know what you're doing.

Over the next several weeks, I'm going to explore this topic more extensively. But for now, I wanted to share some basic tips for you to begin thinking about:

1) Infuse SEO into all aspects of the PR process -- It used to be that 'getting ink' was the PR pro's end game. While this is still important, today you also have to make sure that everything you do also helps clients build and maintain strong online brand visibility. So, every outbound PR document -- releases, white papers, backgrounders, by-liners, etc. -- must be run through the SEO filter for keyword and link optimization. Also, you need to think differently about these documents. For example, consider issuing 'social media releases,' to support -- or instead of -- traditional releases.

2) Optimize "keyword density" for PR materials -- Keywords are key, and when developing outbound PR materials you need to know which words will attract the most search traffic to your client's Web site. The Google Keyword Tool can come in handy here. Once you have your keywords, placement and frequency must be determined. PRNewswire has some helpful resources and tools you should check out, including their SEO tips document and Keyword Density tool.

3) Explore social networking -- If you haven't already, you need to become intimately familiar with the ins and outs of social networking. And, I'm not just recommending this from an academic perspective. At some point, it may make sense for you to recommend/develop a social media program for your clients, so you need to have a working knowledge of this large and fast-growing universe. So, sign up, plug in and participate actively. Whether it's Facebook, Twitter, Ning, or Yelp, it's critical that you get involved.

4) Blog -- Today, many companies blog. If your clients aren't blogging, many probably will at some point. You need to have a real understanding of how to blog, what makes for compelling content and how to promote a blog. And, you need to know how to set up a blog, including using widgets, configuring sidebars and embedding sharing buttons, such as Share This and Twit This. This brings me to my next point.

5) Learn basic HTML -- Once you start blogging, you'll find that you can do more if you have a basic knowledge of HTML coding. While most blogging engines are pretty easy to use and provide plug-ins to enable most of the functionality you'll need, an understanding of basic HTML will give you more power and flexibility. For example: want to drop a Twit This sharing button at the bottom of your TypePad blog post? There's no TypePad plug-in available, to my knowledge, so you'll have to use HTML. Also, some social media tools, like PitchEngine, allow you to embed basic HTML code in social media releases to add links and text formatting, so it's a good skill to have.

6) Read Google's SEO primer --Since Google pretty much dictates SEO, it helps to be familiar with how Google tracks, classifies and ranks online content as it applies to your client's Web site. While most of this document is written for Webmasters, there are some good nuggets of info in there you can use.

7) Practice on yourself -- If your agency web site, press releases or company/personal blog aren't geared for SEO, how do you expect your client to follow your counsel on this issue? Begin practicing with your own blog so that you're better equipped to help clients.

I hope you find this information helpful. Let me know if you have any comments or feedback.

Geo2

PS. Wanted to throw in a quick plug for my company's new blog, WaltCast. We'll be also discussing PR, SEO, technology and other related topics there, so be sure to check it out.

Twitter going mainstream -- good or bad? (Update)

Guess I'm not the only one thinking about how mainstream visibility will impact Twitter in the future.

About five minutes after I issued my original post, I came across a post by Jeremiah Owyang (@jowyang on Twitter), an IT analyst with Forrester Research, and one of the early Twitter/social media pioneers:  'What Happens When Twitter Gets Mainstream Attention.'

He makes some really good points about how the expected rush of new celebs joining Twitter will impact the service and existing users, including:

"Being world famous comes with challenges, it’s hard to tell who your friends are, and as a result, they will likely use these tools to communicate with each other, or talk about their personal insights. We shouldn’t expect them to engage in individual conversations with their community."

and

"This increase in people, and brands of all sorts joining Twitter will cause more noise and content to be created....The ‘A-Listers’ are now just ‘B-Listers’ again...Expect the early adopters to shift back to blogs, Friendfeed, or put up stronger filters in Twitter. The power is shifting back, and the bruised egos will force them to move on."

What do you think?

Geo2

Twitter going mainstream -- good or bad?

A recent Mashable article about Ashton Kutcher's race to reach 1 million viewers before CNN got me thinking.

From Oprah to Ashton Kutcher, there's no doubt that social media has hit mainstream consciousness.  But, I wonder if is this a good or a bad thing.

On one hand, one could say that it 'legitimizes' the growing role of social media properties like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as real communication, marketing and/or news-delivery tools. On the other, at least in the case of Twitter, it almost makes it look more like a toy or a fad -- not a serious communications tool.

Granted, Kutcher used his recent bid for 1 million followers as a fundraiser for charity (donating bed nets to help fight malaria), which is a good thing and clearly demonstrates the value of Twitter. 

But, at the end of the day, will all of this new-found attention help or hurt Twitter? I guess time will tell. I just hope that the mass influx of new, consumer Twitter users -- most of whom clearly are joining because it is the latest 'thing,' not because they are genuinely looking to network and share information -- doesn't dilute and further fragment an already fragmented, yet valuable, tool.

I don't know, but I see tremendous value and potential in Twitter as a business tool, and I'd hate to see that ruined.

What do you think?

Geo2

Citizen 2.0 Training

I've never been what you would call a 'political activist,' and historically I never spent much time considering political matters.  Sure, I'd try to learn about key issues and candidates, and cast my votes accordingly, but that was about it.

One of the reasons for my lack of interest and participation was that I didn't believe that I -- one single individual -- could really make much of a difference, if at all.  I'm sure many Americans feel the same way I did.

However, now that I'm...ahem, older...and having just lived through a historic presidential election, I've changed much of my thinking. 

This was the first election in which social media was effectively used to reach, draw and harness ordinary people into a collective force.  President Obama successfully used the Internet and tools like Twitter and blogs to not only bring people together with common ideals, concerns and objectives, but also to speak as a larger, stronger and unified voice.

I believe that this will serve as a model for future political elections, which is why I'm joining with like-minded individuals next Sunday (March 29, 1-3pm) to offer a free 'Citizen 2.0' Training in my home town of Dublin, California.

The goal of the training is to teach citizens how to use current Web 2.0 and social media tools -- Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, blogs, etc. -- to not only build community and business, but also to engage in and influence local politics.

Joining me in this training are Adriel Hampton, a Gov 2.0 expert and social media enthusiast, and Jonathan Flemming, an accomplished Realtor who is using social media as a core element of his business communications today.  We'll cover the culture of collaboration, transparency and immediacy of Web 2.0, and give an overview of blogging and an introduction to and demo of the social media tools. 

We'll also help people learn to 'talk the talk' and understand the nuances of the various social media tools -- from hashtags to pokes to Tweets.

This should be a great session, and if it goes well, ideally it could be used as a model for other local communities. 

If your interested in attending, you can RSVP on Facebook or email adriel@adrielhampton.com.  You can also find event details at Zvents.

Geo2

Why I use Twitter

Lately I've been getting more questions from friends and family about Twitter. The fact that my Twitter feed automatically posts to my Facebook status updates might have something to do with it.

Anyway, the conversation usually starts something like this:

Friend: "So, what's this Twitter thing all about?"

Me: "It's a social media tool to connect with other people with whom you have shared interests. It's also a great way to exchange information and learn."

Friend: "So you can only type 140 characters? How can you get anything across in 140 characters?"

Me:  "You'd be surprised. Sometimes, the shorter the message the more relevant and powerful it can be. And, you can also include links to other information, like articles and blog posts."

Friend: "I just don't get it. Seems like a big waste of time. I don't really care about reading about how Mary just washed her dog or about Bill's nasty case of hemorrhoids."

Me:  [frustrated and annoyed at this point] "That's not what it's about..."

You get the idea. I often find it hard to explain the value and benefits of Twitter, from both a personal and professional perspective. In fact, more often than not I wind up resorting to saying, "Trust me. I didn't understand it at first either. You just have to check it out." But, I'm realizing that this isn't enough, and I need to better articulate why I use Twitter, and what its value has been for me.

So, with that in mind, below is a list of the main reasons why I use Twitter, and what I get out of it.  But, before I get into that, a definition is in order. Wikipedia defines Twitter this way:

"Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Updates are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default). Users can send and receive updates via the Twitter website, SMS, RSS (receive only), or through applications such as Tweetie, Twitterrific, and Feedalizr. The service is free to use over the web, but using SMS may incur fees."

Not bad, but a bit incomplete. I recently stumbled across a video of one Twitter's founders, Evan Williams, speaking at the TED Conference: http://www.ted.com/talks/evan_williams_on_listening_to_twitter_users.html. This is definitely worth watching if you want to learn more about the various uses of Twitter today, and how it is continuously evolving.

Here are some of the reasons I use Twitter. Now, these are just my reasons, and I'm sure other Tweeple (note the Twitter slang; it means "twitter people" -- you'll get used to it) would have other points to share:

1. Professional networking - Twitter has something for everyone. For me, it is a great way to connect with individuals and organizations in public relations, social media marketing and the technology fields: other PR/SM practitioners, bloggers, press/analysts, potential clients, recruiters, etc. It takes time to build the network, but it's well worth the effort.
2. Connect with press/analysts - From CNET reporter Charles Cooper (@coopeydoop)to Wall Street Journal's Personal Tech. reporter Walt Mossberg (@waltmossberg) to industry analyst firm Gartner (@Gartner_inc), more and more press and analysts are joining the ranks of Twitter users. As a PR professional, my job is to build relationships with the media on behalf of my clients, and Twitter provides a great avenue to do this. It should be noted that, it's not about using Twitter to 'spam' these individuals, as some PR folks have already tried. Like the 'traditional PR' approach, it's about building genuine, mutually beneficial relationships.
3. Leverage others' experiences - Twitter provides access to a wealth of information from some very smart and insightful individuals. I've learned a tremendous amount of information relevant to my personal and professional interests. For example, the social media marketing realm is constantly evolving, and there are a number of individuals on Twitter that regularly share interesting insight, research and perspective.
4. Share my knowledge/experience - As a PR and social media professional, Twitter is a great way to share my personal knowledge with other professionals, as well as with potential new clients and business partners. Twitter, like all social media, is all about sharing, and I enjoy helping others by sharing my successes...and sometimes, failures.
5. Get feedback - Twitter represents a vast knowledge base, and is a great way to get feedback on communications strategies and programs I'm developing. You can easily receive input via a quick, informal Twitter poll, or ask industry influencers to provide their opinions on a Web site or blog.
6. Keep current on tech, PR and social media industry developments - I've come across great news and information about the tech and communications markets, some of which I may not have found otherwise. From how to set up a Facebook business page to the latest Green technologies, it's all available via Twitter.

So,there you have it. Again, there are many other potential uses for Twitter, but these are the key ones for me. The cool thing about Twitter is that, because it is an open platform and forum, new ideas and uses appear almost daily.

I can't wait to see what Twitter is like a year or two from now. I'm sure it will have evolved in a number of interesting and unexpected ways.

Geo2

What your Twitter cloud says about you...

I love Twitter!  It's fun and a great way to meet new people and learn new things -- professional and personal.  Since I've been an avid Twitter-er (going on about a year), I've discovered a wealth of info about PR, social media, politics, music -- you name it.  It's all there.

One of the coolest things about Twitter is that there are literally hundreds of free Twitter-related applications out there:  clients/viewers, search engines, measurement tools, and the list goes on and on and on...

I was recently playing around with TweetStats, a free site that tracks various aspects of your Twitter activity:  number of Tweets, Tweets per day, number of @ replies, Tweet density, and other things.  It also allows you to make a customizable (font, size, color, number of terms, etc.) word cloud of all of the terms you Tweet most often.  It uses another free service to create the cloud:  Wordle.  Here's mine:

If you haven't checked this out, you should.  It's cool.  And, it says something about you.  Here's what I learned from my Twitter cloud:

• I Tweet about Twitter-realated issues and topics -- a lot!
• I Tweet a lot about media/social media (no surprise)
• Seems like I re-tweet frequently (see, I told you that there's good info in the Twitterverse)
• I say 'thanks' often...my mother would be proud of my good manners (awww....)

Anyway, just another cool and interesting thing to share.

Enjoy!
Geo2