Creative Marketing and PR Tips

MICROBLOGGING

Microblogging is an online form of communication in which people compose short posts (140 characters or less) on a microblogging platform, such as Twitter. People also microblog on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Good for
• Reaching other communicators and digerati with late breaking news and links to interesting content.
• Quick updates, as long as it’s not critical that anybody reads it.
• Monitoring any unhappy comments about your company or its brands.

Not good for
• Sending media alerts to reporters. Call or send email, instead. However, plenty of reporters are on Twitter.
• Research and networking. Tweets are not authenticated and there have been imposters who claim to represent other people or companies, and even criminal activity.
• Forget about reaching a wide audience with Twitter. Twitter’s audience is still quite small, and its functions and search engine optimization benefits are limited in comparison to blogging and other social media.

Cost
It is free to post on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn but the time you spend to post and follow other posts is not free. You don’t have to post more than once a day on these networks to maintain a brand presence.

Did you know?
• Twitter’s subscribers increased eight-fold since last year.
• More than half of Twitter subscribers live in California.
• More than half of Twitter subscribers are young, male, affluent, and tech-savvy.
• Almost all Twitter subscribers identify with Democrats or liberal politics.

Tips
• Post links to your blog posts and press releases on Twitter.
• “Always think before you tweet.” Wait a day before posting, if needed. Stick to business content.
• Follow people you know personally who post useful links and information.

Try this
• Create a branded page for your company on Twitter.
• Follow “Fletcherprince” on Twitter.
• Monitor the conversation. Visit search.twitter.com.

Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at Fletcher Prince.

We feel very lucky and grateful to have such wonderful friends.

Thank you for your business and support.

Please remember us for your next project!  We are always looking for new business, and appreciate your kind recommendations and referrals.

• Advertising
• Email Marketing
• Copywriting
• Graphic Design
• Brochures and Newsletters
• Website Design
• Public Relations
• Podcast Production
• Social Media
• Video Production

There never seems to be enough time in the day. With the recent downturn in the economy, many people are forced to work harder than ever to make ends meet – therefore, minutes in the day can be precious as dollars. As a result, very few of us have the time to devote to dozens of web videos, despite the fact that the breadth of online video content available gets larger every day.

That is why is so important, as a small business, to capture the audience’s attention, whether it is with a logo, video, press release, or blog posting. Once that attention is captured, the rest comes easy; wowing potential clients or buyers with your expertise is the easy part – making them listen in the first place is what’s difficult.

As I begin to navigate my way into the entertainment industry, I have started to understand that the ideas we stressed during my time at Fletcher Prince are applicable to so much more than simply PR or marketing. For example, working with a production company, I am privy to the entire development process of a film, starting with the most basic element: a script. It doesn’t matter if you’ve written the next Gone With the Wind – if you’re unable to describe this script in a few sentences, to really get to the essence of the story, it will probably never sell. This encapsulation of a story is known as a “logline,” and it is used to succinctly convey the content contained in a script. Should the logline be satisfactory, the script will then be read; whereas, if the logline is boring, unoriginal, or poorly written, the odds of the script actually being read go down considerably. The same thing is true for new media and online content.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mary Fletcher Jones will be attending The DC Podcaster Alliance on Wednesday, December 3^rd at The Washington Convention Center.  The event will discuss such topics as:

1.       Deciding on a Topic and Developing Show Ideas

2.       Reaching and Audience with a Blog

3.       Video Podcasting Tips

4.       Audio Podcasting Tips

5.       Monetizing a Podcast

For more information about the event go to http://www.meetup.com/podcasters/

Kristen Powers will be attending The Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) event for Doorways for Women and Children.  They’ll be hosting their Fourth Annual Crate and Barrel Holiday Shopping Event on Wednesday, December 3^rd at 6 p.m.  Ten percent of each purchase will go to support Doorways for Women and Children; there will be amazing food and raffled prizes.  To learn more about the event go to http://www.doorwaysva.org/events/crateBarrel.cfm

Mary and Kristen will be joined by David Hyson as they attend the IPRA Holiday Party on Thursday, December 4^th at Maggiano’s in Tysons Galleria.  IPRA will be celebrating the holidays with this festive luncheon and networking event.  Check out more at: http://www.prsa-ncc.org/option,com_events/task,view_detail/Itemid%20,63/agid,238/year,2008/month,12/day,04/

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESS RELEASES

Social media news releases are online press releases incorporating any of several Web 2.0 features that make it easy to add and share content, such as website links, email links, video, audio, photographs, social bookmarking, and comment features.

Good for
Detailed stories and advance campaigns with a long “shelf-life” that have associated video and high-resolution photographs.

Not good for
Time-sensitive media alerts, breaking news, and quick news tips. Many reporters check their email on Blackberrys and cell phones, and some social media news releases may not display well on handheld screens.

Cost
You can create and host your own social media news release. Most wire services will create one for you. Depending on the features you choose, you can pay between $500 to $1,500 and more to have a company produce and distribute a single press social media news release for you.

Did You Know?
• Journalists use search engines to research their stories and online press releases are searchable.
• Journalists rank press releases as the most important resource in an online news room.
• Journalists say they want to read HTML press releases, not download Word documents or PDF files.

Tips
• Use social media news releases to pitch to bloggers.
• Use Flickr to store and link to high-resolution images and video.
• If you use a wire service, shop around. The price differences between competing companies are significant.
• You can create your own searchable social media press release, with embedded video, photo, and hyperlinks.

Try This
• Post your news releases on your blog for social media benefits.
• Check out Fletcher Prince’s HTML online news releases on our website’s online news room.
• Visit free-press-release.com and pitchengine.com to experiment with your own social media news release — free!

SOCIAL NETWORKS

Social networks, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, are online, content-sharing platforms that allow you to post and share information about yourself or your company with people you designate, or “friends.”

Good for
Sharing content, recommendations, achievements, and events with people you know quite well, such as clients, vendors, and colleagues.

Not good for
Communicating to a broad audience or anyone beyond your most familiar contacts (most of the content is not searchable, although your profile will come up in search engine results).

Cost
It is free to post content on social networks, but the time you spend on social networks is not free. Having a presence is important, but balance your level of participation with the value this activity provides to your organization.

Did you know?
• There are more than 52 million users on Facebook, which is valued at $15 billion.
• There are 30 million users on LinkedIn.
• While 30% of Facebook users are in college, the fastest growing consumer segments on Facebook are older adults and business professionals.

Tips
• You can create your own social network on Ning.
• Import your blog and YouTube videos to your Facebook page.
• “Friend” people you know well. Don’t friend reporters and pitch to them on social networks.
• Keep your posts relevant to your business and subject matter expertise.
• Share links and events that will be useful to others in their work. Avoid digressions into politics, overly personal information, and rants.

Try This
• Visit the WWPR, DC Ad Club, and PRSA-NCC pages on Facebook.
• Visit the Fletcher Prince page on Facebook.
• Fletcher Prince can help you create a social media plan, including a strategic approach to social networks.

PODCASTS

A podcast is a digital broadcast available on the Internet, which may be downloaded onto an MP3 player, such as an iPod. There are three kinds: audio podcasts, enhanced audio podcasts (with still images), and video podcasts.

Good for
Communicating detailed information to small audiences who are passionate about a specific subject, or who are members of a defined group.

Not good for
Reaching broad audiences.

Cost
Professional production of an audio podcast episode, including recording and editing, starts at about $1,500.

Did you know?
• 19% of all Internet users have downloaded a podcast to listen to or view later, and 43% of Internet users own an iPod or MP3 player.
• Consumers remember more about products and services they see advertised on podcasts than on television or online videos.
• Only 3% of people who listen to podcasts download them on a typical day.

Tips
• Invest in good recording and lighting equipment, or hire someone to produce your podcast for you.
• Don’t just list your podcast on iTunes. It’s not searchable. List it on other podcast directories to grow your audience.
• Tag your episodes with search-friendly keywords.

Try This
• Download an episode of “The Fletcher Prince Podcast.”
• Find out how to peel a pineapple on “The Produce Picker Podcast.”
• Attend a free meeting of the DC Podcaster Alliance.
• Fletcher Prince can help you create a podcast plan, and help you produce and edit your podcast.

Washington Women in Public Relations is assisting their pro bono client with a holiday fundraiser that should be fun for anyone wanting to take care of their holiday shopping early.

Doorways for Women and Families will host the “Fourth Annual Holiday Shopping Event at Clarendon Crate & Barrel“, which will take place at the The Market Common (Clarendon neighborhood), 2800 Clarendon Blvd. Arlington, VA 22201 on Wednesday, December 3 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

There will be refreshments from local restaurants, including tapas from La Tasca.  There is ample parking, and the Clarendon metro is only three blocks away.
All ticket sales, as well as 10 percent of all purchases made at Crate and Barrel that evening, will be donated to Doorways, an Arlington, Virginia nonprofit organization that provides shelter and services to survivors of domestic violence and to homeless women and their families.

Ticket prices start at $35 and those who attend will receive a $15 gift card from Crate and Barrel.  Shop in advance!  Crate and Barrel will allow you to pre-shop your purchases and hold them until December 3, so that Doorways will receive credit for your selections.
Tickets may be purchased at www.doorwaysVA.org or by calling Doorways at (703) 522-8858, ext. 13.