Welcome to PR + Social Media Summit Blog!

This blog is set up to report presentations, insights, views and feedback at  PR +Social Media Summit held at Marquette University, April 8. It’s a one-day summit focused on the convergence of strategic communication and social media.  Contributors are students enrolled in the Social Media in Advertising and Public Relations course in the Diederich College of Communication. Comments are welcome!

Tarik Moody – Radio Milwaukee

I just recently started listening to 88nine Radio Milwaukee. I don’t listen to the radio that often, only while in the car these days. With Pandora, iTunes, and iPods regular radio channels have some steep competition. Tarik Moody of 88nine Radio Milwaukee came to the PRSM Summit and shared a lot of great ways that Radio Milwaukee is staying in the competition as well as expanding their audience.

Christine Beuchert…on FourSquare

By Frank P. Michael

I have just started to use Foursquare and am still trying to get a hang of how to use it and how business could utilize it as well. At PR +Social Media Summit last Thursday, I attended Christine Beuchert’s discussion on how Marcus Hotels and Resorts uses social media and Foursquare.

Media Panel: Interaction is key!

Last week’s PR + Social Media Summit held at Marquette University brought about great conversation on social media and how it fits into strategic communication. A panel of five Milwaukee journalists gave interesting perspectives on how to leverage social media in the realm of journalism. With Sara Meany (Comet Branding) as moderator, the panel included Alysha Schertz (BizTimes Milwaukee), Jeff Sherman (OnMilwaukee.com), Jon Anne Willow (Third Coast Digest), Mark Kass (Milwaukee Business Journal), and Sharif Durhams (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

Andrew Wintheiser on Search + Social

The many speakers who came to speak at the PRSM Summit 2o10 at Marquette University had alot to say about social media and how it relates to the Public Relations industry.

I was able to go see speaker Andrew Wintheiser who talked about how social media is changing search engine marketing

Andrew Wintheiser is a founding partner of Lightburn, an interactive agency focused on helping clients secure new business  and communicate with customers online. At Lightburn Andrew works with clients to ensure a consistent and rewarding  experience that is focused on measurable results. With over a decade of experience, Andrew’s hands-on approach helps bring  clients’ ideas and strategies to life. A published technology author, Andrew doesn’t just service his clients: he helps educate  them on technology choices, opportunities and market place trends.

Tim Cigelske: Social Media @ Marquette University

On October 14, 2008 when Marquette University was looking for someone to do social networking and writing, little did we know the way Tim Cigelske would change our community.

Did you know you can actually do something with social networking?  Through social networking “you are part of the community, not just us and them..it’s we. “ And this is exactly what Tim Cigelske has done with Marquette University.

Casey Kohner from Trek

For Trek, a global leader in bicycle design and manufacturing, social media is not about building a community, they  have one – their customers.  Instead it’s about interacting one-on-one with customers and taking care of them.

Casey Kohner, the Online Marketing Manager for Wisconsin-based Trek Bicycle, spoke at the PR + Social Media  Summit at Marquette University about Trek’s digital marketing and media strategy.

According to Kohner, cycling is a very social sport so social media was a nice compliment to Trek.  The company uses  YouTube and Flikr to post video and pictures to keep consumers visual connected with their brand.

Morning Keynote Speaker: Tim Blair of IBM

Many professionals and students anxiously awaited the day of the PR and Social Media Summit at Marquette University, so when the Morning Keynote Speaker Tim Blair took the stage, there was a buzz of excitement in the air. Blair is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for IBM.

As a ’91 Marquette grad and co-founder of the popular Cracked Sidewalks basketball blog, Blair opened with how excited he was to be back on campus to share his experiences with the IBM Marketing and Communications function. He began his presentation with the evolution of communications at IBM; Blair explained how communication has moved from a linear method to a full-circle method where message control has shifted and the extraordinary level of transparency has made audience segmentation virtually impossible. This creates great opportunity for communication specialists, who have now become even more valuable to their companies.

Blair spoke of how the traditionally clad IBM salesman is no more and though IBM remains conservative, the corporation has opened its doors to a relatively liberal method of public relations and social media, incorporating tools and strategies to enhance its brand.

IBM has an open Internet and social media policy where all employees are not only allowed but encouraged to participate in all social media venues from blogging and micro-blogging to Facebook and Foursquare. IBM is determined to flatten its organization and decrease hierarchy by trusting and empowering their employees to learn, lead, and collaborate. According to Blair, companies must trust employees because employees are the brand. “Expose them internally if you want them to be active externally,” he said.

IBM’s employee participation in the social media world is remarkable. IBM has around 17,000 employee blogs, 60,000 members on Beehive (a social network for IBM employees), and one million daily page views of IBM Wiki Central. Blair spoke of the company’s InnovationJam which involves its more than 400,000 employees around the world in far-reaching exploration and problem-solving. During IBM’s 2006 Jam, IBM brought together more than 150,000 people with 46,000 ideas. As a result, 10 new IBM businesses were launched with $100 million invested.

Blair closed his presentation by highlighting IBM’s values. He spoke of trust and personal responsibility in all relationships. Blair stated, “Participating on a personal level will promote the values of the company.”

For more information, visit Blair’s profile page on the PR and Social Media Summit website and view his Slideshare presentation. Check out the day’s Tweets at the hashtag #prsms.

Sarah Evans: How to Stand Out Online

Follow Sarah Evans on Twitter @prsarahevans!

Sarah Evans, @prsarahevans, is the founder of Sevans Strategy, where she is a public relations and media consultant. Throughout her career, she has initiated and is the moderator of #journchat, a weekly live chat that creates a conversation for PR professionals, journalists and bloggers and is also a guest writer for Mashable.

During the PR + Social Media Summit, Sarah Evans shared nine ways you can stand out online in a non-spammy way! She pointed out that it’s busy online and everyone is competing for your attention. In addition, Sarah proved this point by saying that one out of every three online Americans update their social media statuses at least once a week.

Before she shared her nine strategies, she said it was important to think about your goal in action. Is it to build a business, become established online, be famous, or connect with peers? Also, think about how you spend your time online. After you have figured that out, here are the nine things that will help you to stand out:

1.) Find an opportunity to showcase what you do best.
For example, when a minor earthquake happened at 4:00 a.m. in Chicago, Sarah Evans tweeted about the event and looked to her twitter to find out more information. She also direct messaged CNN and filled out a CNN iReport. Through Twitter, Sarah shared safety information with everyone and made herself available to the media as a direct source. Sarah Evans was helpful and shared so much valuable information. Her efforts were praised by New York Times for using Twitter in such an effective manner. Overall, there were 6,200 views of her iReport and she had five new and viable business inquiries in four hours.

2.) Hijack a conversation and offer an opportunity for others to share.
It is not always about being the loudest, but providing a quality environment with quality content. Livefyre is a great tool, because it is a medium that can focus on a conversation.

3. Meet a need in an innovative way.
Sarah Evans created #journchat, an ongoing conversation between journalists, bloggers and PR practitioners. She identified a need for communication between these professionals and asked the group for permission to moderate. For the first six months it was the number one trending topic on twitter.  #Journchat has evolved into an online community and is the first live twitter industry chat. Overall, it has more than 6,000 participants and has also sparked 100 plus other industry chats. In addition, it was also the first live chat to land a year-long partnership with Cision.

4. Another way to stand out online is to generate a lot of quality content.
Think about multi media and figure out if you like writing, video etc. Then provide content through that medium.

5. Do it for a good cause.
Sarah used Twitter to fundraise money for four cancer organizations. The hashtag #BeatCancer set a Guinness Book of World Records and has raised over $70,000 in its penny per tweet campaign. Sarah Evans also created a campaign #crisis overnight that rose $161,000 for a local crisis center in three weeks only using social media.

6. Give freely and give often.
On twitter, it is important to share and acknowledge. Tweet any tips, tricks and tools for your industry. It’s karma!

7. Think like those you’re trying to reach.
Get into the mindset of those you’re trying to reach. Find your niche, own it and emerge as an expert in your industry. Also, remember that in the U.S. our relationship with the news is portable, personalized and participatory.

8. Get sourced… a lot.
Anytime you can be picked up as the expert, it adds to your credibility and gives you more leverage. Sign up for Help A Reporter Out and follow journalists online. Identify story opportunities where you are the best source and pitch them. Focus on media, bloggers and online influencers. Bonus: use PitchEngine for your releases.

9. What else?
Sarah asked audience members to volunteer and share other ways to stand out online. These included humor, unique opinions, deep knowledge, audience focus, and going after key opportunities. If you have any other ideas on how to stand out online please add them in the comments.

For more information from the PR + Social Media Summit check out the event hashtag #prsms. There are also videos available on vimeo.

Jeff Carrigan on the Job Hunt

At last week’s PR + Social Media Summit at Marquette University, Jeff Carrigan of the job site Big Shoes Network spoke about how to find a job in today’s tough economy.  Carrigan promised that the job market is getting better, and – good news, graduating seniors – said entry and mid level positions are the most common.  More specifically, he said the hottest area right now is digital, interactive marketing and social media – even better news for this crowd.

Carrigan discussed a few ways to go about finding a job, and honed in on four specific tactics: a prospect list, executive recruiters, job boards and social networking sites.

First, Carrigan recommended that job seekers make a prospect list of 50 to 100 companies that you would like to work for, and monitor their work and job availability often.  He emphasized that jobs come and go quickly, so it is important to watch your prospects closely.

Executive recruiters are more relevant for high-level positions and harder to find talent, according to Carrigan, but he said they can be a good option.  He recommended Bloom, Gross & Associates and Lynn Hazan & Assocaties.  Locally, he recommended CareerTrac.

Job boards can be broken down into three categories: national, regional and niche boards that focus on certain industries, such as Big Shoes Network.  He recommended a few good job boards including Creativehotlist.com, MarketingJobWire.com and TalentZoo.com.

Finally, Carrigan suggested leveraging social networking sites and to do so creatively. For instance, on LinkedIn evaluate both your contacts, and your contacts’ contacts to search for jobs or browse through group directories. Request introductions and become active in groups to increase your visibility. Moving out of state? Meetup.com may be another useful tool as it suggests opportunities organized by topic and city. Twitter of course is another useful search engine, Carrigan mentioned the following handles to follow: @AConnJob, @JTrantowski, @ArtcelQ, @TwitJobSearch among others.

Carrigan drew out several guidelines to follow in regards to tapping into your social network’s potential.

1. Elevate your visibility – Your profiles and content must be found, and being creative might help!
   a.  YouTube – communicate with your industry and why you’d be a valued member of the organizationCreate a b.  Facebook Ad “I’m for hire” – Join company fan pages
2. Demonstrate your Expertise
   a.  Use the 80/20 rule by sharing more relevant and interesting industry information and minimize personal content.
3. Build and Cultivate your network
   a.  Engage in both your online and offline network.
4. Clean your room – 70% of hiring decision makers have turned down applicants due to questionable online content. Avoid the 5 B’s:
   a.  Beverages, Boobs/Butts, Bad language, and Bad Judgement
   b.  Don’t complain about your current clients, employers, or colleagues online, and don’t advocate strongly for political, religious, or social platforms – you don’t know the hiring manager’s own beliefs
5. Say “Hello” to the New Kid – networking is one of the number 1 skills sought by employers
   a.  Listen to the conversations (online and offline)
   b.  Ask yourself, “How can I be of benefit to other person?”
   c.  Use the Big Shoes Multiple: For every 1 year of experience, make 3 to 5 solid contacts
   i.     These are people who will advocate strongly on your behalf, reach out to their network, make introductions, and recommend you to potential employers.
6. Go Outside and Play – Have fun with your network!
   a.  Stay Current, use the 1-2-3 Rule
   i.     Choose 1 professional group to become active in, attend all the meetings and consider taking a      position.
   ii.     Choose a 2^nd professional group in which you attend meetings regularly but may not take on a leadership role.
   iii.     Choose your 3^rd professional group whose meetings you attend when the topics are of interest to you.
   b.  Follow industry blogs
   c.  Always network. You don’t want to network when you need it.
7. Say your prayers
   a.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help from family and friends.

Now that you’re armed with some of the best job-seeking advice, stay confident, encouraged, and motivated. As Carrigan said, there are jobs out there it will just take a bit more effort in finding them. Good luck!