Okay, so I’m dating myself but Billy Crystal’s old (very old???) SNL character “Fernando” posed the bottom-line question when it comes to social media content. We have an internal argument at THP (please become an FB fan here) every time we debate things like videos, attachments, pictures, etc. for blogs, websites and social media platforms. There are some in the group who think these should be works of art, and others (me included) who think some of that quality should be sacrificed for timeliness when…
Read MoreTonight (Thursday), we at THP had the opportunity to sponsor our second event in about a week at the public radio and TV studios in Richmond. It was the annual donor appreciation event and the guest speaker was Judy Woodruff, the legendary televison news journalist who currently reports for The News Hour on PBS. (Blogger note: I know the picture stinks but I’m still getting the hang of my Bberry Storm, sorry.) Ms. Woodruff was engaging both up close and in front of an audience. …
Read MoreSo I’m really focusing on events. First because we just did one ourselves. Second, because we have a flurry of them coming up for clients and for prospects. So I’m looking at them with this new filter of the combination of the shrinking old media and growing social media. So here are some thoughts in no particular order, hopefully you can find them helpful. The old rules apply but are on steroids: An event for the sake of an event is a big “no.” Media…
Read MoreOn Sunday, I won’t be rooting for the Steelers, or the Cardinals. I will be rooting for halftime. On Monday, I have already cancelled a meeting and probably pissed off my business partner. You see at 10am sharp I HAVE to be in front of my computer with three browser screens open and and hands poised for action. That’s when tickets for the next Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band tour go on sale. No, I’m not one of those people who can recite…
Read MoreAs you probably can imagine, I have been thinking a lot about social marketing in the wake of Peter Shankman’s visit and our event. The “thinking” has been helped along by a follow-up presentation by the wonderful Shonali Burke in a presentation to a client in Northern Virginia on Wednesday and by meetings and conversations with others including other clients over the course of the last few days. While the good wishes and good thoughts from others keep coming our way, so does the reality…
Read MoreWow. This has been a pretty incredible morning. We at THP would like to once again thank everyone who braved nasty weather to hear HARO’s Peter Shankman speak this morning. We raised about $3000 and all had our social marketing consciences raised as well. Thanks also to Jen Pounders who sent over the yummy Two Sweet Cupcakes (shameless plug for more in the future) after the event. He ate one and was bummed he couldn’t take the rest on the plane. Now for the good stuff. …
Read MoreI just wanted to thank the 150 or so folks who have registered for the “Shankman in Richmond” event on Tuesday morning (7:30 nosh, 8:00 program begins) at WCVE’s studios. The folks at THP and the Community Idea Stations are very excited about hosting and even more excited that all the proceeds will go to FightSMA.org. (Editor’s note: For now we are ignoring calls for bad weather on Tuesday but for those who have registered, we will be sending email updates tomorrow and Tuesday AM if…
Read MoreDo you ever “know” something in your head, can envision how it works, but when it comes time to take it through step-by-step it is hard to explain? That’s how I felt about explaining social marketing until I reached out to the Twittersphere and found the calming words of Julie Bonn Heath (Julie’s blog) and Sonali Burke (Shonali’s blog). They urged me to trust my instincts and apply my PR 1.0 thinking to explaining the new social marketing world of PR 2.0. What helped me explain…
Read MoreIt’s pretty hard to learn if you don’t identify your teachers. In school, they were for the most part either chosen for you or limited to the school you went to, your major, or in my case the time of day the classes started. In this new world, you can sample the teachings of many. Blogging on the web has made that world a lot easier, as has the world of Google searching and SM launch pads like Twitter. Over the last few months, I have…
Read MoreOne of the many things I love about Twitter is the ability to share ideas and thoughts about marketing with people from literally all over the world. It’s great to hear different points of view from marketing vets to those still in school. One such moment came the other day in the form of a Twitter reply from @tyfn or as he is known to his friends, Phillip Jeffrey from Vancouver. Phillip posted “@jonnew The future of news may be in collaborative efforts (e.g. pooled…
Read MoreIf I look back a year from now and can point back to one period of time when I made the quantum leap in my journey from PR 1.0 to PR 2.0 (+), I will likely be pointing back to this week. This is the week where everything sort of clicked in. This week I: Approached 500 people following me on Twitter (I know for some that’s not a big deal but for me it is). Used my new found Twitter friends to make connections…
Read MoreGuilty as charged. Today I succumed to the annual disease that hit all parents of small girls with brown vests and patches, the dreaded “I want to help my daughter kick ass and sell the most Girl Scout cookies in her troop” disease. I apologize to everyone who read by FB status and pledged to buy boxes out of friendship or pity. You can recind your order if you wish. Not that she needed help. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. She…
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