Everyday, marketing and advertisements bombard our brains with messages. Driving to work, we hear commercials about local restaurants, while watching our favorite TV show, we watch tons of commercials about sales at department stores, and while at the airport, we see ads about luxury cars.
Although we hear or see these marketing techniques everyday, many of us zone them out eventually missing that “important message”.
With this said, what will marketing agencies do in the future to creatively send out a message so that the audience will listen? What will the future of marketing hold?
While many of us know that the essence of marketing is the internet, other trends will start to emerge in order to communicate a message that will be heard.
According to a recent study conducted by Anderson Analytics, marketing in 2008 with focus more on marketing concepts like “green marketing”, an emerging concept that 32% of 1700 marketers surveyed for the study believe was one of the trendiest marketing buzzwords. The study also found that 88% of marketing executives believed that baby boomers would be the top target audience for marketers in 2008.
Dilip DaSilva, founder of Exponential, believes that while there is a shift from marketing on TV to online, marketers will focus on online branding campaigns with more measurements and results in order to “guide their future media allocations” online.
Another trend that will continue to emerge is online virtual worlds where advertisers create environments on the internet to target their audience. One example is Coke Studios, an online community where Coke drinkers can go online and mix music.
Through many articles, studies and opinions, I think it is easy to say that the utilizing the internet is a tool that marketers will use for the next 10 years.
After that, what will marketers think of next?
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
The paperless resume
So, we all know the importance and Web 2.0, the social media press release and new internet tools that PR pros should use to send out that important client message.
During my recent online quest to find out as much information as I can about the social media press release, I stumbled upon some more paperless ways to communicate a message. This time however, it is the PR pro communicating him or her self: the social media resume, or the new paperless resume.
In a blog by Bryan Person, some guy who works for monster.com, his reaction to the new social media resume “declares the death of the traditional resume” and he explains that using social media resumes provides so many things paper resumes don’t.
So how does this social media resume work and what can it provide?
According to blogger Christopher Penn who coined the term social media resume, start by using a blog that offers everything a traditional resume would. In his sample resume online, hosted by googlepages, Penn starts off with his welcome message as a video from youtube and provides a biography, contact information, links, a gallery of work and paper resumes available in pdf.
Believe it or not, it is time for the social media resume and the death of the traditional resume has come. Just like the social media press release, this resume is up-to-date, provides more information, is easy for the readers to view, will evolve over time and is environmentally friendly.
Good bye paper, hello social media resume.
During my recent online quest to find out as much information as I can about the social media press release, I stumbled upon some more paperless ways to communicate a message. This time however, it is the PR pro communicating him or her self: the social media resume, or the new paperless resume.
In a blog by Bryan Person, some guy who works for monster.com, his reaction to the new social media resume “declares the death of the traditional resume” and he explains that using social media resumes provides so many things paper resumes don’t.
So how does this social media resume work and what can it provide?
According to blogger Christopher Penn who coined the term social media resume, start by using a blog that offers everything a traditional resume would. In his sample resume online, hosted by googlepages, Penn starts off with his welcome message as a video from youtube and provides a biography, contact information, links, a gallery of work and paper resumes available in pdf.
Believe it or not, it is time for the social media resume and the death of the traditional resume has come. Just like the social media press release, this resume is up-to-date, provides more information, is easy for the readers to view, will evolve over time and is environmentally friendly.
Good bye paper, hello social media resume.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
5 tips for social media press releases
In my previous blog about Web 2.0, I mentioned the social media release (SMR): today, and tomorrow’s, press release. The SMR is currently receiving attention, and more and more companies are starting to use them.
Unlike the traditional press release that millions of PR pros have been using for the past 100 years, this press release offers more for the average journalist and contains modern ways on how to get your message out.
So how do you make a social media release?
Well these tips below will not only help develop the media release but also make it successful.
1. Use the right language.
Just like traditional press releases using the right descriptive wording helps to catch the reader’s attention. Now, writing the precise language helps the release be found through search engines. Instead of the importance of a press release being delivered, know it is important for it to be found.
2. Be brief and pithy.
Write facts with bullet points, use bolding for headlines and be brief with the content. This makes it easier for the reader to read and also enhances search engine optimization(SEO).
3. Embed multimedia.
According to Laura Sturaitis, Senior VP for BusinessWired, incorporating videos, pictures, audio and motion into the press release provides reporters with more than just words. It offers readers the ability to interact and receive more than one message.
4. Provide links.
It’s simple, putting links in the release is another non-linear way for the reader to receive information. Links also help increase SEO.
5. Utilize social search engines.
Search engines like Technonrati, make releases readily available and discoverable. Use Technorati tags in the release to help increase “findability” in any search.
For more information on how to right a social media release visit Shift Communications or download this template.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
PR pros on Web 2.0
In a recent PRSSA lecture that I attended presented by Aurora Alert and Netra Ghosh from VisiTech PR, I learned how the integration from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 developed a tool for PR pros.
Reading vs. blogs, companies vs. communities and 2-step flow of communication vs 1 step flow, all define the change from 1.0 to 2.0, that puts into perspective just how important 2.0 is.
According to research they found and presented in their lecture, today, the New York Times has about 45 active blogs thanks to Web 2.0. These blogs include writings about technology, fashion, books and baseball, and are being read by millions of bloggers everyday.
And the New York Times' writers are not the only ones creating blogs. According to VisiTech, everysecond 1.4 blogs are created but still, only 10% of CEOs from fortune 500 companies are blogging.
PRSA’s news publication Tactics, states in their November 2007 issue that Boston is the U.S. City with the most amount of bloggers followed by Philadelphia and Portland, essentially spanning the bloging world across the entire nation.
So what does all of this really mean for PR firms?
Not only does Web 2.0 bring things like blogs, RSS feeds and Pod/Vodcasts into the mix of PR and marketing communication, it also allows PR pros to utilize blogs to build trust, be personal, participate in a flow of conversation, appeal to the mass media and become knowledgeable in multimedia.
Even better, companies like Sun Microsystems, are creating a new kind of press release, to include the same traditional writing as original press releases, but now offer links and videos providing more information for reporters just by the click of a mouse.
So with all of this notion of Web 2.0 and the reaping benefits for PR pros, what will become of Web 3.0, 10.0 or maybe even 15.0.
Well according to VisiTech, websites like Twitter, Facebook and Blogger, will continue to grow in their efforts to communicate in a non-linear way.
Overall, the point taken from this lecture that every PR student should regret not attending: multimedia is key and utilizing up-to-date forms of press releases and communication tools through the web will help you strive in the PR industry.
Reading vs. blogs, companies vs. communities and 2-step flow of communication vs 1 step flow, all define the change from 1.0 to 2.0, that puts into perspective just how important 2.0 is.
According to research they found and presented in their lecture, today, the New York Times has about 45 active blogs thanks to Web 2.0. These blogs include writings about technology, fashion, books and baseball, and are being read by millions of bloggers everyday.
And the New York Times' writers are not the only ones creating blogs. According to VisiTech, everysecond 1.4 blogs are created but still, only 10% of CEOs from fortune 500 companies are blogging.
PRSA’s news publication Tactics, states in their November 2007 issue that Boston is the U.S. City with the most amount of bloggers followed by Philadelphia and Portland, essentially spanning the bloging world across the entire nation.
So what does all of this really mean for PR firms?
Not only does Web 2.0 bring things like blogs, RSS feeds and Pod/Vodcasts into the mix of PR and marketing communication, it also allows PR pros to utilize blogs to build trust, be personal, participate in a flow of conversation, appeal to the mass media and become knowledgeable in multimedia.
Even better, companies like Sun Microsystems, are creating a new kind of press release, to include the same traditional writing as original press releases, but now offer links and videos providing more information for reporters just by the click of a mouse.
So with all of this notion of Web 2.0 and the reaping benefits for PR pros, what will become of Web 3.0, 10.0 or maybe even 15.0.
Well according to VisiTech, websites like Twitter, Facebook and Blogger, will continue to grow in their efforts to communicate in a non-linear way.
Overall, the point taken from this lecture that every PR student should regret not attending: multimedia is key and utilizing up-to-date forms of press releases and communication tools through the web will help you strive in the PR industry.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Dime Design
In today’s graphic design, one of the most important creative tactics that helps communicate the client’s brand is Web sites.
Although creating Web sites seems like they have become easier to produce because of increases in technology, there are still many simple things to remember during design.
With help from an article by Jakob Nielson, guru of web design, below are ten tips to consider when creating a Web site.
1) Choose one: liquid design or grid
Many Web sites on the internet have two different types of design in one, both liquid and grid. For consistency and organization, choosing one design style and sticking with it is better on the viewer’s eyes.
2) Focus on font selection, typography and color
One of the most important thing to remember when design a Web site is the viewer can be any age. Creating content using easy to read colors and fonts provide readability and legibility online.
3) Utilize style sheets
Using style sheets helps the Web site to have minimal problems when uploaded to the net. Style sheets keep files organized and are user friendly.
4) Write for online readers, not print
Approximately only 25% of text is read online. Cutting text down provides easy-to-read, scannable text.
5) Know your target audience
Create the Web site’s design around your target audience to appeal to them and provide the content that they are looking for.
6) Provide easy navigation
Use necessary navigation bars to organize the site and make it easy for readers to use. Don’t not make readers have to click more than three times to get to a final destination.
7) Usability is key
Make sure that they Web site is not only easy-to-read but also easy-to-use.
8) Keep load time low
Optimize and save pictures for the web by using specific file extensions and medium to low quality. This provides quicker load time on all pages.
9) Remember search engine optimization
Make the site easy to search for by embedding links into content, creating and using headers and titles on pages and utilize tools like Yahoo’s overture to keep track of your web site’s hits.
10) Create simple, modern Web sites
Use Adobe Flash to increase creativeness in a Web site. Simplicity is modern and using a tool like Flash sets your website about the rest.
Although creating Web sites seems like they have become easier to produce because of increases in technology, there are still many simple things to remember during design.
With help from an article by Jakob Nielson, guru of web design, below are ten tips to consider when creating a Web site.
1) Choose one: liquid design or grid
Many Web sites on the internet have two different types of design in one, both liquid and grid. For consistency and organization, choosing one design style and sticking with it is better on the viewer’s eyes.
2) Focus on font selection, typography and color
One of the most important thing to remember when design a Web site is the viewer can be any age. Creating content using easy to read colors and fonts provide readability and legibility online.
3) Utilize style sheets
Using style sheets helps the Web site to have minimal problems when uploaded to the net. Style sheets keep files organized and are user friendly.
4) Write for online readers, not print
Approximately only 25% of text is read online. Cutting text down provides easy-to-read, scannable text.
5) Know your target audience
Create the Web site’s design around your target audience to appeal to them and provide the content that they are looking for.
6) Provide easy navigation
Use necessary navigation bars to organize the site and make it easy for readers to use. Don’t not make readers have to click more than three times to get to a final destination.
7) Usability is key
Make sure that they Web site is not only easy-to-read but also easy-to-use.
8) Keep load time low
Optimize and save pictures for the web by using specific file extensions and medium to low quality. This provides quicker load time on all pages.
9) Remember search engine optimization
Make the site easy to search for by embedding links into content, creating and using headers and titles on pages and utilize tools like Yahoo’s overture to keep track of your web site’s hits.
10) Create simple, modern Web sites
Use Adobe Flash to increase creativeness in a Web site. Simplicity is modern and using a tool like Flash sets your website about the rest.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Go green, be green, stay green
Green, green, green. Once a simple color, now an effort put forth my multiple corporations and organizations around the world to keep planet Earth green, help save the environment and consume earth friendly products.
In the last couple years, green products have increased tremendously while more and more people are starting to become environmentally conscious.
Consumers are buying organic products like Kashi’s natural foods, organic lawn care like TruGreen and hybrid cars like Toyota's Prius. And companies are starting to drop subtle hints of becoming green in order to increase public awareness and tell the world “look, we are green!”
But are these companies that are starting to focus on sustainable living using it as a marketing tool because becoming green seems to be the trendy thing to do?
It seems as though going green is a great marketing strategy for companies to start increasing public interest in their products or business.
According to E Magazine, IBM has started recycling defective semiconductor chips, then sending the silicon to manufacturers of solar cells which saves money, reduces waste and contributes to the solar power industry. E Magazine gave IBM coverage because of their small effort in becoming a sustainable company.
Toyota’s new hybrid car the Prius, is named one of the best cars for sustainable living. Car companies like Toyota are discussed everyday in the media for their work in starting to make living environmentally friendly. All at the same time, Toyota’s trucks seem to be the complete opposite of a sustainable product making their Prius look like a minor change in the “save the planet” theme.
NPR recently recognized Georgia company Range Fuels for starting to develop a plant that will be devoted to making cellulosic ethanol- ethanol from waste. With this Georgia plant becoming first to start making celluslosic ehtanol, maybe other fuel companies will follow these sustainable footsteps.
Companies are starting to make minor changes in saving the environment that impacts the entire world. Companies are also utilizing sustainable efforts as a marketing tool which seems like a great idea because it benefits the consumer, the company and the planet.
However, while all of these small changes are a start, hopefully every company will start contributing significantly to going green, being green and staying green.
In the last couple years, green products have increased tremendously while more and more people are starting to become environmentally conscious.
Consumers are buying organic products like Kashi’s natural foods, organic lawn care like TruGreen and hybrid cars like Toyota's Prius. And companies are starting to drop subtle hints of becoming green in order to increase public awareness and tell the world “look, we are green!”
But are these companies that are starting to focus on sustainable living using it as a marketing tool because becoming green seems to be the trendy thing to do?
It seems as though going green is a great marketing strategy for companies to start increasing public interest in their products or business.
According to E Magazine, IBM has started recycling defective semiconductor chips, then sending the silicon to manufacturers of solar cells which saves money, reduces waste and contributes to the solar power industry. E Magazine gave IBM coverage because of their small effort in becoming a sustainable company.
Toyota’s new hybrid car the Prius, is named one of the best cars for sustainable living. Car companies like Toyota are discussed everyday in the media for their work in starting to make living environmentally friendly. All at the same time, Toyota’s trucks seem to be the complete opposite of a sustainable product making their Prius look like a minor change in the “save the planet” theme.
NPR recently recognized Georgia company Range Fuels for starting to develop a plant that will be devoted to making cellulosic ethanol- ethanol from waste. With this Georgia plant becoming first to start making celluslosic ehtanol, maybe other fuel companies will follow these sustainable footsteps.
Companies are starting to make minor changes in saving the environment that impacts the entire world. Companies are also utilizing sustainable efforts as a marketing tool which seems like a great idea because it benefits the consumer, the company and the planet.
However, while all of these small changes are a start, hopefully every company will start contributing significantly to going green, being green and staying green.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
PR's tomorrow
“People do not have a full appreciation of public relations.”
Harold Burson, CEO of Burson-Marsteller, the largest PR firm in the world, stated the above quote during an interview about the future of public relations. This prominent, world-renown PR guru believes that tomorrow’s PR will not focus enough on the traditional history of business and that PR will no longer have a socially accepted definition.
So what does that all mean? Will people learn to not appreciate PR? What will the future of PR really hold?
Well, because I am a PR student and the PR industry’s future is essentially my future, I wanted to figure this out. I wanted to know what my future looks like and understand exactly what is in store for PR pros across the world. And, after some research I found some interesting opinions and facts that PR practitioners and students might want to know about PR’s tomorrow.
According to MarcomBlog, a well-known PR blog site, a blogger of the site recently attended the PRSA Northeast District Conference and found out some interesting facts about the future of PR. The first was that the PR profession will have more than 40,000 jobs by 2014 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Also, he mentioned that PRSSA has 9,000 student members and college chapters, like CSU PRSSA, are continuing to grow. Also, this blogger believes that blogging and social media is a true component in keeping PR and marketing alive.
In another blog titled Bernaise Source, the blogger and business pro discusses his view on the recent Communications 2.0 PR Conference. During this conference devoted to discussing the future of PR, the talk of blogging and social media came up, noting that these two trends will be essential tools to PR practitioners in the future.
Clearly, there is no easy answer as to where PR will be in the next 20 years. However, I think that while PR will eventually merge with marketing, and both will use the internet, social media, blogs and multimedia as communication tools.
Media kits will all be digital, press releases will be paperless and pitch letters will become videos.
No matter what the PR future will hold, I think that people will appreciate PR’s tomorrow.
Harold Burson, CEO of Burson-Marsteller, the largest PR firm in the world, stated the above quote during an interview about the future of public relations. This prominent, world-renown PR guru believes that tomorrow’s PR will not focus enough on the traditional history of business and that PR will no longer have a socially accepted definition.
So what does that all mean? Will people learn to not appreciate PR? What will the future of PR really hold?
Well, because I am a PR student and the PR industry’s future is essentially my future, I wanted to figure this out. I wanted to know what my future looks like and understand exactly what is in store for PR pros across the world. And, after some research I found some interesting opinions and facts that PR practitioners and students might want to know about PR’s tomorrow.
According to MarcomBlog, a well-known PR blog site, a blogger of the site recently attended the PRSA Northeast District Conference and found out some interesting facts about the future of PR. The first was that the PR profession will have more than 40,000 jobs by 2014 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Also, he mentioned that PRSSA has 9,000 student members and college chapters, like CSU PRSSA, are continuing to grow. Also, this blogger believes that blogging and social media is a true component in keeping PR and marketing alive.
In another blog titled Bernaise Source, the blogger and business pro discusses his view on the recent Communications 2.0 PR Conference. During this conference devoted to discussing the future of PR, the talk of blogging and social media came up, noting that these two trends will be essential tools to PR practitioners in the future.
Clearly, there is no easy answer as to where PR will be in the next 20 years. However, I think that while PR will eventually merge with marketing, and both will use the internet, social media, blogs and multimedia as communication tools.
Media kits will all be digital, press releases will be paperless and pitch letters will become videos.
No matter what the PR future will hold, I think that people will appreciate PR’s tomorrow.
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