PR Methods for Social Media Initiatives

PRSA / San Antonio / April 2, 2009

About

• PR guy for 25 years

• Social Media for the last 4 years

• Blogger with.... 4 blogs

• Journalist.... columnist “Express-News”

• Content producer

I eat my own dog food

• working directly clients

• working with Agencies

• I am my own client

• I’m on Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn, etc.

• Find me on the Social Web:

• www.weinkrantz.tel

Is this really “Social Media?”

social media

social networking

social computing

for the purpose of this presentation, let’s go with....

The Social Web

Who’s in the room?

what do you do?

are you involved in the Social Web at work?

does your company have social web policies in place?

are you personally online?

Two Parts to Discussion

• Social Web strategies from the mind’s eye of a PR / blogger and content producer

• Personal branding in your company and in your career

Two Core Principles• #1. Does not substitute traditional PR;

complements and becomes part of your overall communications strategy

• #2. Must tie to messaging, strategy, metrics, business goals, etc

• end result is that you should combine PR / Social Web to elevate communications strategies and get measurable results

The Social Web:

• how do your customers / partners / stakeholders / media, etc “socialize” in relation to your company on the Internet

The Social Web

• You no longer control the message

• You can participate, contribute and advance the conversation

• Engage with stakeholders

But we have a web site...

• static content does not lend itself to the social web

• your “publics” are going to the social web with or without you

Temporarily...

• Forget the social web and ask...

• what are we trying to achieve?

• how are our stakeholders changing the way they communicate and interface with our company?

• how can the social web potentially grow or obliterate our company?

This has to start upstairs

• Senior Management must buy in

• Baby steps and trials generally work best

• The good news is that you can offer metrics to prove your case

Where to start?

• Study your competition

• Monitor related industries

• Become your company’s internal expert source

• Educate with baby steps

• Use analytics and measurability

static

Web Site

Brochures

Press Releases

active

Trade Show Booth

VS.

How I’ve used the power of social web to get media coverage, gain credibility and

demonstrate thought leadership as a pro-active consumer of AT&T’s three screen

service offering

trade business/financial broadcast radio

Traditional PR

• Messaging

• Press Releases

• Outreach

• Pitches / Causes

photo of telephone by Alan Weinkrantz - shot @ SpaceCity near Moscow (c) 2008

Traditional Distribution

Going to the Social Web

• Complements PR efforts

• Gives your company or management a human voice

• Impacts search results

• Lets you be “found”

YouTube -great way to pitch the media

Industry leaders demonstrate

N-trig technology

Re-purposing content...

Industry leaders demonstrate N-trig applications & product

differentiation

How To: How I watch Internet TV - U-verse and Internet TV

Building an Eco-System Through Member Participation

Conversational tone simplifies messaging

Thought leadership in VoIP Security

The social web is a new way to think about listening,

participating and building community for your company

and its stakeholders

How I am branding Alan

• Social Networks

• Blogging

• Journalism

• Self PR

• Photography

• Videos

I’m a mini broadcasting

network

My brand qualities

• Expert in PR / Social Media

• Focus on technology

• Connected in Israel

• Track record

• Having fun

• Human / Real

I “tweet,” engage in conversation, give away information

My business blog demonstrates expertise and helps clients and projects

I am involved in “be found”

Consumer facing blog covering AT&T positions me as an authority in triple play services in

telecom

Branding You!

• Join a few networks

• Determine what you want to communicate about yourself

• Make sure you have an up to date photo

• If you are on social networks, make sure you have an up to date profile

Branding You

• Is there a company policy regarding personal branding?

• Could you become or create a new position for yourself as a company evangelist?

Facebook connects me to friends & business associates in

the U.S. and Israel

LinkedIn - business focused social networking in the U.S. and Israel

Flickr photos....I always carry my camera when I travel for fun or business

Monthly columnist for San Antonio “Express-News” covering AT&T

and Social Media

I do interviews / reviews over at Redbone Guitar Boutique

B.B. King, Tom Petty, The Who in Concert

My “Conversations Series” with San Antonio’s Social Media Superstars

Contact

• Alan Weinkrantz

• 210-820-3070

• alan@weinkrantz.com

• @alanweinkrantz - Twitter

• FaceBook, LinkedIn too!

• The Social Web: www.alanweinkrantz.tel

Copy of presentation

• online today: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

• copy and share with others

• this is just what I believe and seems to work

• your mileage may vary

Thank You

© 2009