Time Management 101: Part II

By: Peter Girard

If you read the Caster blog from earlier this week written by my colleague Tim Viall, you’d know he ran through five tips for better time management. If you didn’t, well then you need to go back and read his to get the first five, as I’ll be covering another five! (plus if you read his before mine then you’ll be confused as you read “tip 6” and think I have no idea how to count properly…)

To recap why we’re running through some time management tips, last week Tim and I attended 10 Quick Tips for Better Time Management which the Rhode Island Foundation was nice enough to host as part of their Initiative for Nonprofits Excellence workshop. Our boss asked us to go and while we’re trying not to think too much into that, we like to think it’s because we’re awesome at reporting vital information back to everyone at the office and to you, the readers of our blog.

So, kicking it off where Tim left off bring us to:

6. Use a scheduling method

After you run through your time analysis you might find out that you’re not scheduling enough time in your day-to-day for certain activities. For example, if you’re budgeting an hour for an office meeting but they consistently run an hour and twenty minutes, make that change. While that extra twenty minutes might not seem like a lot, by not budgeting for it, you’re automatically putting yourself twenty minutes behind.

Remember to keep your schedule up to date too! Don’t just create one and assume that’s how your work week (or non-work week) is going to run for the rest of the year or even the month. As different activities come up that require your attention, make sure you’re adding them to your schedule or removing activities that no longer require your attention.

7. Learn to say “no”

Often times easier said than done. This is especially true if you’re new to a team. You want to do everything you can to come across as a team player and logically, it would seem saying “no” would be counterproductive to this goal, but that’s not always the case. While you definitely need to show coworkers you’re a team player, constantly saying “yes” to tasks or projects can do you and your colleagues a disservice. Constantly accepting tasks can put way too much work on your plate and if you’re unable to get through it all, you run the risk of letting a co-worker down or forgetting something. Learn to say “no” and stick to those decisions.

Follow a closed-door policy or just simply noting when you’re unavailable. There are just times where you need to buckle down and work through a project. Request that you not be disturbed when your door is closed, or set up a regular time, say Monday mornings between 9am and 11 am that no one interrupts you so you can have that time to focus on projects that require high levels of attention.

8. Control distractions

Now this is one that we all have control over, you just might have to fight with yourself to get into the habit of consistently following this rule. While we might think of ourselves are excellent multi-taskers, the truth is, our brains do not like multi-tasking. If you’re notoriously bad at checking Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. every ten minutes even if you’re working on a project for work, you might need to work on closing out of these sites, or taking more drastic actions. If you can’t help yourself and you’re constantly checking these distraction sites, you might want to look into installing an app that blocks your own access to a site of choice for a set amount of time. One of the most powerful apps of this nature that we’ve encountered is one called Self-Control.

9. Organize your space

A mound of “to-do” papers is depressing and demotivational so try clearing your desk of all the things that aren’t pertinent to the task at hand. If you find that you do better work when you’re facing a wall with no other distractions, move your desk so that it faces a wall. Or, if you find you need to be facing a window so you can glance outside from time to time, move your desk so you can do just that. Experiment a bit and try and determine the work-space where you’re at your most productive and do what you need to do to replicate that environment.

10. Know why you procrastinate

Perhaps one of the most difficult tips to tackle. Procrastination is something we all do so it’s okay to admit it. If you think you don’t procrastinate, you’re kidding yourself. If you find you’re putting off a particular project, take a couple minutes and try and identify why you’re putting it off. Chances are there’s a reason, even if it is deep down, as to why you’re putting off this project. Maybe you’re holding off responding to an email because you’re afraid of the path the conversation will lead down. Perhaps you’re putting off starting a project because you’ve convinced yourself it’s going to be a lot more work than it really is. Break the task down into manageable parts and do your best to accomplish something for that task every day, even if it’s just for five or ten minutes.

We’re habitual creatures at heart, we like familiarity and sometimes it can be extremely difficult to break a habit that’s become ingrained. But there is hope! Set attainable goals and don’t expect change overnight and you’ll already start your journey to better time management on a good foot. If you have any other time management tips, we’d love to hear what they are. Feel free to reach out to either Tim or myself on Twitter!

The Art of the “Unplug”

By: Peter Girard

Let me just start off by saying I’m pretty pro-technology. It has done and will continue to do amazing things for us. Technology has linked us up in ways that previous generations could have never dreamed of. Be that as it may, there’s still something to be said for ‘unplugging’ at the end of the day. The instant connectivity technology permits us to have can be an incredibly powerful tool during the work day, but depending on the time of the day (namely after work), can also be a curse.

Now the purpose of this quick blog isn’t to convince you to cancel your internet package or limit yourself to 1 hour of access a day. If you are however feeling a little hyper-connected, here’s a couple reasons to unplug after the work day is done.

This video went viral a while back and does an awesome job of visually representing our ‘addiction’ to technology and need to be connected. If nothing else, the video is a great PSA, hits you right in the feels, and might motivate you to leave your phone untouched for a couple hours.

“Goosfraba”

Disconnecting after work has its benefits. One huge one is stress relief. Researchers at Kansas State University have determined that we indeed need down time after work to prepare ourselves mentally for the next day. Denying yourself that ‘me time’ can lead to your stress level reading a little high and stress can lead to a whole host of health problems if not managed properly.

Continued work-related communication after hours can prevent your brain from relaxing and you may actually be robbing your brain of the time it needs to recover after a long work day. Again, this isn’t to say that come 5 pm you should shut off your phone or refuse to respond to work-related text message or emails because sometimes, situation call for that level of dedication. Just be mindful of how frequently you’re partaking this habit and if it’s something that can be tackled during regular business hours, consider worrying about it then.

Get those Zzz’s

Regular computer use (or smartphone, tablet, or other connected device in this case) has been linked to sleep disorders. Some research has indicated that the light put off by your device may be linked to reduce serotonin levels, and since serotonin is the body’s natural sleep hormone, that could mess with your sleep.

Though there’s no magic number the recommended amount of sleep adults should get is anywhere between seven and nine hours. However, on average in the US adults are getting about 6.8 hours of snooze a night.

There you have it. At the very least I hope this has inspired you to look a little more closely to how you spend your hours after work. There’s always work to do, just keep in mind your brain and body need time to unwind and prepare for the next day. Staying plugged into the matrix may lead to you taking one too many ‘mental health days’ than you’d like! Any questions/comments please feel free to reach out to me via Twitter!

When Opportunity Knocks…

By: Peter Girard

This will be a short blog post but it’s too awesome not t0 share so here it goes.  As I said in my last blog post, I’ve been on a bit of a social media kick lately.  For clients who hand over the reigns of their social media accounts to us (be it completely or partially) one of the struggles of maintaining an account is content.  Content is king after all and while you always want the content you’re sharing to be meaningful to your brand, the true focus needs to be on your customers.  Something useful to them, educationally, or just makes them smile or laugh.

Knowing which ‘type’ of content to share is dependent on your brand personality but a mix can be good.  This is exactly why I was so excited to see an email come in this morning from one of our clients.

SVS is a leader in high performance home audio products.  As a brand that successfully balances business through dealers and e-commerce, many of their orders come through electronically.   Through the online ordering process, consumers have the ability to include a note with their order.  Usually this is just the space where customers put additional delivery instructions like “Leave it by the back door” or “Just a heads up I have a dog, but she’s a sweetheart.  All bark no bite.”

But occasionally a unique customer comment comes in.  Case and point, the customer this morning who had this to say:

So what did SVS do? Well…

Now maybe it’s just because I like to geek out about social media but I loved this.  It took the SVS employee who saw the note all of 5 minutes to do the drawing and rather than feature the art on the box, they put it in the box with the customer’s order.

This is a perfect example of taking something common place in the work environment and making an opportunity out of it.  If you’ve ever struggling as a brand for content to share with consumers, sometimes all it takes is a fresh look at what you do every day.  What may seem so common place to you, a customer might find interesting or entertaining.

In either case, a tip of the hat to SVS today.  A quick, simple response to a customers’ albeit random request is guaranteed to make that customer feel appreciated, and above all, listened to by a brand he supports.  Because at the end of the day, it’s all about the customer.

Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

By: Peter Girard

Admittedly, I’ve been on a bit of a social media kick lately. With my last blog detailing how to use Instagram for your Business and the one before that highlighting ways to do the same with Pinterest, I’ve been thinking about social media a lot. You can’t really blame me though, with so many different social media platforms, each with their own benefits depending on what you’re looking to accomplish online, social media is relevant, interesting, and becoming more valuable and more integrated every day.

So for this blog, I’ve decided to shift my focus to LinkedIn. Unlike my previous two posts, your key take-away won’t be how to use your LinkedIn profile to benefit your business, but how you can use your LinkedIn profile to benefit someone a little closer to home, aka, yourself. How optimized is your LinkedIn profile? For this blog, we’re going to run through some LinkedIn must-haves and review some common LinkedIn mistakes to help you obtain the rank of LinkedIn All-Star.

In Case You Haven’t Heard…

Given the chance, (albeit rare chance) you don’t know what LinkedIn is, it is a social networking website for people in professional occupations. LinkedIn has been around for over a decade (hence why it would be a little on the strange side if you had no idea what it was) and is mainly used for professional networking. To help put it into perspective, many describe it as a ‘professional Facebook account’.

Okay, so all of that sounds wonderful right? Now first things first, if you don’t already have a LinkedIn profile, you need to create one, ASAP. While a how-to is not the focus of this particular blog post, there’s plenty of material online on how to create a LinkedIn profile including this wonderful wikiHow, complete with pictures. For those of you that already have a LinkedIn account, read on because now we’re going to get into what you can do to make that profile even better.

If a picture is worth 1000 words then no picture is, well, worthless…

Out of all the things you can opt-out of putting on your LinkedIn profile, make sure a picture is not one of them. Ever been house/apartment hunting online? If you came upon a listing that show no pictures of the property did you spend a lot of time considering that listing vs. one with beautiful pictures that showcased the property? Chance are no, you were likely drawn to postings with photos. The mentality is the same on LinkedIn. The fact of the matter is, you’re seven times more likely to have your profile viewed if you have a photo. Beyond increasing your chances to be seen, having a photo on your LinkedIn profile can lead to more connections as it’s easier to remember you if there’s a face associated with the name.

Now what type of photo should you have on your profile you ask? Well, you can communicate a lot through a photo with good posture, open eyes, and a smile. Some argue that you should gravitate towards a professional profile photo but I think it’s pretty field dependent. A professional profile picture certainly won’t hurt your profile but in any case, the photo you choose should be a photo of you. Not your dog. Not your significant other. Not your baby (no matter how cute). It’s important to accurately represent your appearance too. Individuals who are a little bit older and that are worried about age discrimination might be tempted to put up a much younger photo of themselves but if you do land an interview, your interviewer may be confused as to why you look much different and you run the risk of coming across as dishonest.

Optimize your LinkedIn ‘header’

The above picture is what I mean when I reference your LinkedIn ‘header’. It’s the first thing someone sees when they view your profile and it’s important for a number of reasons. Here’s what to do to make sure it’s in tip top shape:

• Use your professional name. In other words, no silly names. LinkedIn is about business, save the silly names for your Facebook or Twitter account. Basically anywhere you’re not trying to professionally represent yourself.
• Optimize your location. More times than not, people search for professionals in specific locations. Adding your location can help you be found when people are doing those searches.
• Align yourself with your industry. Perhaps more important than being found by people in your area is being found by the right people in your area. Link yourself to your industry to ensure relevancy.
• Customize your profile URL. My custom URL is linkedin.com/in/petergirard because I decided to customize it. It’s much easier to remember and looks more professional than the default profile URL LinkedIn provides.
• Make the most of your professional headline. You’ve got 110 characters (30 less than a full sized tweet) to encourage potential visitors to find out more about you. Use this space to showcase your title or anything else you want to be one of the first things a potential visitor sees.

Don’t skip the summary

The summary section on your LinkedIn profile is there for a reason and it’s directly underneath your LinkedIn ‘header’ meaning if someone is scanning through your profile, it’s the next thing they see. You don’t have to put a novel in this space but it’s where you have the opportunity to express yourself, voice a little bit of your personality, and sell yourself. A well-written summary is what may ultimately give you an edge over someone else with a prospective employer so take some time to think about what you want to share but definitely do not leave it blank.

No lurkers allowed

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges with LinkedIn is being active on it. Too many people think simply having a profile is enough but chances are, simply having a profile isn’t going to land you a new job or any great connections. Here’s how to avoid the ‘lurker’ status:

• Join a LinkedIn group related to your field or based on personal interests. There are a TON of groups on LinkedIn that are excellent places to make new connections and engage with individuals either in your industry or who have similar interests as you. Network!
• Be actively posting. This can sometimes be difficult and because this is LinkedIn and not Facebook people sometimes struggle with what to post. First off, there’s no pressure to be posting something every day. Work out your own schedule but some ideas might include sharing some industry-specific news or an article you wrote.
• As a LinkedIn user, you can also follow companies and monitor who’s coming and going. If you see someone leave a company you’re interested in working for, it’s the perfect opportunity to reach out to their HR department and gives you the added benefit of appearing really tuned-in.

There you have it folks, hopefully by now you’ve got a better handle on how to fully take control of your LinkedIn account to reap some of the opportunities it can offer. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me via Twitter or take what you learned here and connect with me via LinkedIn!

Using Instagram for your Business

By: Peter Girard

So remember last week when I blogged all about using Pinterest for your business? Well I’m back to drop some more social media knowledge only this week we’ll focus on Instagram and how you can harness its power for your business.

Hello…my name is Instagram

First things first, what is Instagram? Well, Instagram is an online photo-sharing, (and now video-sharing!) social networking service that enables users to take pictures and videos, apply preloaded digital filters (or not, your choice) and share them via a variety of social networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, etc. Have you ever seen someone out at a restaurant, their food arrives, and instead of chowing down, they take out their phone, snap a couple pictures and then start eating? Chances are, those photos are somewhere on Instagram.

Myths Debunked

A popular (mis)conception about Instagram is that it’s an ocean of food and pet pictures, and while to an extent this is true, Instagram is so much more than that. Part of what’s made Instagram so wildly popular (and powerful) is its ability to find beauty in the mundane. You can find some of the most amazing photographs you’ve ever seen on Instagram and that’s good news for you and your business.

Need some inspiration?

In response to the number of businesses that have been flocking to Instagram, Instagram started the Instagram for Business blog. So if you’re looking for some ideas, tips, examples, or brand spotlights featuring companies who are doing Instagram right, that’s an excellent place to start.

Now that you’ve got a pretty good handle on what Instagram is, here are some tips/tricks that will help you start planning the Instagram strategy for your business.

Humanize your Brand

Don’t be afraid to showcase photos of employees or staff! Customers enjoy seeing and getting to know some of the faces behind the brand. Showing off your employees at work gives followers a behind-the-scenes view of your company but is also a great way to celebrate the great work your employees do and makes them feel valued. Aside from photos of employees, experiment with sharing photos from around the office or work place.

Find a Balance

Just like you would do (or should be doing) with all your other social platforms, you need to find that happy balance between fun pictures, and pictures from your business. Some recommend the 80-20 rule which would break down to 8 pictures relating to your business and 2 ‘fun’ or ‘non-business related’ photos. The balance you ultimately decide on is your choice and it might take some tweaking to figure out the ratio that works best for your business but it’s all worth it in the end run. This is also not a fixed ratio, what worked one week might not necessarily translate to next week or next month. Continuously track the engagement on your photos to find out what your followers like best. Which brings me to our next point.

Cultivate a Following

Getting individuals to follow you on Instagram so that you have an audience to share all your awesome photos with is very similar to building a following on any other social media platform. If you already have a successful Twitter or Facebook account, connect those accounts to your Instagram page. You can also encourage fans from your other social media platforms to follow you on Instagram. Hash-tagging on Instagram works just like it does on Twitter so make sure you’re using relevant, popular hashtags when posting your photos. Engage with others on Instagram by following them and liking their photos. You’ll want to find a balance to this too, following someone and then liking ALL of their photos can come off as a little creepy…

Take & Share Video

This is a fairly new feature but when Instagram introduced video, it was a big deal and has since been giving Twitter’s Vine a run for its money. One of the largest differences between an Instagram video and a Vine video is the ability to capture up to 15 seconds of content vs. Vine’s 6.5 seconds. While this does give you some more time to play around with, you need to make sure your videos are interesting. Taking a video is great for showcasing a process that images just don’t full capture and can be a very powerful tool in the Instagram toolbox but don’t share video for the sake of sharing video.

Mix it up a bit

Instagram allows you to add a digital filter to the images you take and make slight edits. Some of these filters can really improve an image you’ve taken, other filters might ruin your photo. Play around with all the filters to find the ones you like best but don’t be afraid to branch out and try a new one. Try to avoid posting pictures with the same filter one after another and remember, sometimes your image might not need any filter! If you’ve taken a truly spectacular photo that doesn’t need a filter, you can always post it with the hashtag #nofilter!

Develop a Posting Plan

Work out a schedule that works for you and your business. Compared to the high ‘feed speed’ of say, Twitter, Instagram is pretty relaxed and laid back. You do not need to post on Instagram every day. You certainly can post everyday but you run the risk of saturating your followers’ feeds and that might turn off potential followers or cause the ones you already have to ‘unfollow’. Instead, work out what you already have that’s ready to post, brainstorm some posts you’d like to make, and create a schedule. Spacing out your posts gives followers time to engage with your content and will also allow you to track what’s working once you get your schedule going.

While there are a TON more Instagram tips, these should be enough to get you started, or at the very least spark the conversation surrounding using Instagram for your business. If you have any questions or are interested in some additional tips, feel free to reach out to me via Twitter or if you’re feeling especially ambitious, check me out on Instagram!

Using Pinterest for Your Business

By: Peter Girard

Social media for business is becoming more and more important, especially for search engine optimization.  With the recent shifts in Google’s search algorithms placing emphasis on linked social media accounts, it’s more important than ever to utilize social media for your business.

Which social media platform is right for you and your business?  While we can’t answer that question for you, we certainly can give you some of the information you need to make an informed decision.  For this blog, we’ll focus on Pinterest and how you can use it for your business.

What is Pinterest?

First and foremost, if you don’t know what Pinterest is, it’s a social media websites that allows users to ‘pin’ highly visual content like images and video to a virtual bulletin board of their creation.  The content you decide to post can be your own or, it can be videos and images found on other websites.  Once you ‘pin’ some content, you can then share it with friends who can in turn ‘like’ or ‘repin’ it to their board and their followers.  Written content like blogs and articles can also be pinned to a page and are displayed very visually.  For an example check out the image below which is a screen shot of the Caster Communication Blog Post board on Pinterest where we pin all our blog posts.

With a wealth of pinnable content at your fingertips, here’s some tips/tricks that will help you start planning your Pinterest strategy for your business.

Be Visual

As a general social rule of thumb, posts with images attached to them see more user engagement than posts without images.  Same rule applies on Pinterest.  The more appealing your pin is, the more likely it is to be repined or shared.  Always do your best to find a really great image to accompany your content.  This doesn’t mean you can’t share data or written content it just means adapting your data into charts, graphs, or even infographics.

Consider a ‘Guest Pinner’ Board

Since engagement is what it’s all about, getting your followers involved in your boards is a great idea for businesses.  Not only will it increase engagement but your followers will feel more personally involved with your brand.  Some ways to go about this might include creating a shared board where followers can pin testimonials or images/ videos of your product.  Or if you don’t want to relinquish posting control to your followers, setting up a board specific to pinning customer feedback/stories is another great way to show your followers how in tune your business is with your customers.

Promote Deals

Think of using Pinterest as an extension of your marketing.  You would share a deal, special offer, or sale with your fans on Facebook or Twitter, why not Pinterest?  Converting any special offers you may be running into attractive graphic coupons can be an excellent way to reach potential customers and demonstrates you’re social-media aware at the same time.

Pinterest Advertising

Although it’s still in its beginning stages, Pinterest announced the coming of promoted pins in late 2013.  They’ll work just like regular pins but will have a special “promoted” label, along with a link to learn more.  Pinterest mentioned the promoted pins where going to be: tasteful, transparent, relevant, and continuously improved by user feedback.  Keeping your eye out for updates to Pinterest’s Advertising options and being an early adopter might give your business the edge you’ve been looking for.

Humanize the Brand

You have an ‘About Us’ page on your website, think about creating an equivalent Pinterest board!  Post pictures of employee’s and attach a little bio/profile about them to help potential customers put a face to the brand.  Posting just one pin a week of office/work space events will slowly grow into an awesome, visual and engaging company profile.

Hidden Benefits

Three words. Search Engine Optimization.  Now we mentioned Google’s search algorithms at the beginning at the post and through all the updates at least one thing has remained constant.  As long as you have original high-quality content, and you have high-quality and relevant websites linking to your website, you’re going to do well in search rankings.  Since Pinterest adds a link to your website on your boards, you’ll likely benefit from valuable social backlinks to your website which can increase website traffic with highly targeted visitors – increasing potential leads and conversations.

Hopefully these tips are enough to get you started, or at least spark a planning conversation on looking to Pinterest as a viable option for your business.  Still have questions? Feel free to reach out to me via Twitter and I’ll try my very best to help!

PR Perfect Twitter Chats for (Almost) Every day of the Week

By: Peter Girard

Are you new to PR, or have you been in the game for a while now? New or vetted, there’s a lot of PR people out there and our industry changes on a day-to-day basis.  Whether you’re looking to learn some new tips/tricks of the trade, hone skills, ask a question, or just simply engage, Twitter chats can be an incredibly powerful tool and they’re right at your fingertips!

There are tons of Twitter chats going on all the time, all covering various topics.  So which Twitter chat should the savvy PR-professional make sure they’re a part of?  I’ve assembled a short list of some of the best PR/social media-themed Twitter chats for almost every day of the week (you owe yourself at least one day off!) but first, a quick recap of what a Twitter chat is.

A Twitter chat is a pre-arranged, interactive gathering/chat that happens on Twitter (duh) through the use of tweets that use a pre-determined hashtag that’s used to link all the tweets together in a virtual conversation.  Most Twitter chats follow some form of flow structure, usually where a moderator/organizer asks a question and then monitors participants responses.  Lurking, also known as strictly observing, is fine, but you’re likely to get way more out of the chat by actually participating.  If you do choose to participate, be sure to use and include the chat specific hashtag to stay linked to the chat.

Alright, now that we’ve reviewed what a Twitter chat is, here’s a list of PR perfect Twitter chats to mark your calendars with.

Sunday

#blogchat – unless noted, this Twitter chat happens every Sunday night at 8 PM Central.  Each week a different professional, business, or personal blogging topic is discussed.  The chat is open to everyone.  Fun fact, in 2013 #blogchat generated over 100,000 tweets!

Monday

#TheSMGirl – one of my personal favorites, this Twitter chat takes place every Monday at 1 PM Pacific.  Moderated by Cynthia Johnson (@CynthiaLive) this chat discusses everything social media.  Have a social media question you need answered?  Submit a question to Cynthia via her website or Tweet it at her!

#Journchat – moderated by Sarah Evans (@prsarahevans) this Twitter chat is a weekly conversation between journalists, bloggers, and public relations folks happening on Mondays between 7 and 8 PM Central.

Tuesday

#PR20Chat – previously moderated by Heather Whaling (@prtini) and Justin Goldsborough (@JGoldsborough) every Tuesday at 8 PM Eastern, #PR20Chat is working on relaunching and searching for new moderators.  Their previous chats were all about next generation PR aiming to help PR pros deliver stronger results by understanding now new media is shaping the PR industry so keep a trained eye for when they come back online!

#SmManners – live every Tuesday at 10 PM Eastern, this Twitter chat discusses general social media trends and engagement and is moderated by Dabney Porte (@DabneyPorte).

Wednesday

#SMChat – as the name implies, this chat explores the evolution of social media.  Running multiple “series” during specific weeks each month you can join the fun on Wednesdays at 1 PM Eastern.  Moderated by a ton of great and knowledgeable people, you can view their Twitter chat schedule on their website.

#RaganSocial – moderated by Sam Hosenkamp (@SamHosenkamp), social media director at Regan Communications/PR Daily this chat runs every Wednesday from 4 – 5 PM Eastern.  Covering social media in the context of the communications field, focusing on an array of topics from content to tools and more, they’re even nice enough to post their Twitter chat transcripts!

Thursday

#PRprochat – founded and moderated by PR professional and author Carrie Morgan (@morgancarrie) this chat is a little harder to catch, taking place only on the first Thursday of every month at 2 PM Eastern, but is 100% worth checking out.  This Twitter chat covers everything from SEO to content creation and social media.  Details on upcoming chats can be found on Carrie’s website.

Friday

#SMEMChat – a weekly Twitter chat happening on Fridays from 12:30 – 1 PM Eastern.  Moderated by (@sm4em) this chat covers social media for emergency management.

Saturday

#TakeADayOff – Take the day off, you’ve earned it!

Well there you have it, a PR perfect chat for (almost) every day of the week.  Have a social media / PR themed Twitter chat you frequently participate in that we may have missed?  Be sure to let us know so we can check it out and add it to the list!  As always, feel free to reach out to me via Twitter and happy chatting!

Become a Journalist’s BFF

By: Peter Girard

Welcome to the wonderful world of public relations!  This career isn’t for everyone, and does require, as Liam Neeson would say, “a very particular set of skills”.  In the PR world, what we know is very important, but who we know can carry a lot of cache too.  We’re in the business of forging (and more importantly, maintaining) relationships.  Says it right in the title.  Relationships with our clients are of course important, but never neglect your relationships with the media for without them, our job would take on a whole new level of difficulty.

So what can you do to improve your media connections? If you’re new to the field of PR, then you can appreciate any tip, trick, or piece of advice you can get on how to be better at your job.  I took to Twitter (again!) seeking sage advice from veterans in the media field for advice on things we as PR pros can do the first time to make our media friend’s lives a little easier.

Do your homework.  These tips are in no particular order, but this one very well may be one of the most important rules you should follow.  Read up on who you’re pitching, get to know what they cover and what they don’t cover and then be sure to use that information.  A huge pet peeve for journalists is receiving unrelated pitches.  The reality of sending a journalist an irrelevant pitch is you waste not only their time, but yours as well.  Take it from John Sciacca who writes for Residential Systems as well as his own fantastic blog:

Be prepared.  Think like a boy scout, and make sure you have everything a journalist is going to need to turn your pitch into a story before you hit send.  Gathering all the information needed pre-pitch increases the chances of your pitch being considered.  Grant Clauser, the Technology Editor for Electronic House had this to say:

He’s not alone either.  Dennis Burger, the new Editor-in-Chief for HDLiving.com recommended the same approach.  “Make sure that if you have info I need to write the story, you give it to me.”  This might seem like a no-brainer but Dennis explained to me that there have been plenty of times where he’s replied to pitches with a few important questions only to get “an almost-immediate reply.  Amazingly enough, that’s annoying.”  Ensuring you have all the necessary information before sending your pitch out will help keep you in the media’s good graces.

Get visual.  It was a tweet that I saw from the A/V Editor for Digital Trends, Caleb Denison that inspired me to reach out and ask what we as PR folks can do for journalists the first time around.  Pre-CES, Caleb’s tweet came up in my feed:

While this tip does fit under the “be prepared” mantra, I felt it was important enough to mention specifically.  Even Grants’ aforementioned tweet mentions getting pictures right from the start.  Dennis Burger puts it into perspective: “I can’t post a piece of news without an image.  It’s SEO suicide.  There’ve been several times when I only had time to write one story and had to choose between two equally compelling topics.  Was it a hard choice? No.  I went with the one that came with better images.”  Be prepared and get visual, give the media what they’re ultimately going to need in the long run right away rather than dragging the process out.

Be personal.  Akin to doing your due diligence on the journalist you’re going to pitch, I’d have to say that if you walk away from reading this blog with anything, make it this piece of advice.  Get to know your media target as more than a media target.  Or as John Sciacca says:

Just like you, these people have lives outside of their work.  They have hobbies, families, and interests so develop a personal relationship!  Remember, we’re in the business of relationships and while maintaining relationship certainly comes with its own set of challenges, it’s certainly easier (and better) than constantly having to forge new ones every time you’re trying to get coverage.  As John points out, “don’t ALWAYS be pitching me.”  Strive to develop a personal relationship where every engagement isn’t strictly about work.  Work to make yourself available to your media friends just like they work to make themselves available to you.

There you have it, sage advice right from the source on how you, as a PR pro, can make the life of your media contacts a little bit easier which, in the end, is a win-win for both sides.  Journalists / media friends, any additional advice? PR folks, any tips you’d like to share?  I’d love to hear from both sides, feel free to connect with me via twitter.

The Tweet Heard Around the World

By: Peter Girard

Well 2014 is right around the corner, Christmas has come and gone and the internet is abundant with “Best of” and “Worst of” 2013 articles, blogs, and video posts.  Personally, 2013 has been great to me.  Kicked off 2013 the right way with a great new position right here at Caster, moved into a new house, I’ve maintained friendships, forged new ones, and traveled for business.  Perhaps most importantly, I’ve grown a lot in 2013, started to hone new skills and learned a great deal.  I’m sad to see 2013 come and go, but I think we’re all excited for what 2014 has to offer.

So, what’s one of the most important things I’ve learned as a budding PR Pro at Caster Communications this past year?  My answer is two part.  1) Be mindful of what you post online and 2) Social media is incredibly powerful.

One of the biggest differences between who I am today vs. who I was one year ago is how I view social media in such a different light than I used to.  It’s somewhat difficult to put into words, and indeed a strange feeling but when you spend all day managing social accounts for clients, usually the last thing I want to do at the end of the day is tell on my Facebook friends what I’m eating for lunch.  I’ve become highly selective of what I choose to share on my personal social accounts, and it’s made me better at my job.  When you’re selective about what you post on your social accounts, you’re less likely to make a move that can cost you your job.  And I really like my job so I am going to do all that I can to keep it.

The best example that fully captures my two points; be mindful of what you post and social media is incredibly powerful is the tale of Justine Sacco.  First off Justine, I’m sorry, much has been written about you this past week but everyone can learn a powerful lesson from you.

Quick back story for those who do not know who Justine Sacco is.  A week ago today, Justine Sacco, a director of communications for IAC, was boarding a plane for a flight from London to Africa.  Before powering down her connected devices for what would end up being an eventful 12 hours, Sacco fired off this tweet:

Twitter exploded into a firestorm. Sites like Gawker, Mashable, and Buzzfeed picked up the story, turning Justine Sacco and #HasJustineLandedYet into worldwide trending topics.  Apparently this wasn’t the first time Sacco had tweeted without really thinking about what she was saying but her inability to get online and defend herself, apologize and delete the text gave the internet all the time it needed to get all relied up.

I think twitter user David Flor (@BrainClouds) said it best:

Social media can have a light side and a dark side, used for good, and used for bad.  Within twelve hours, the Twitterverse had effectively destroyed this woman’s reputation.  The eerie part about it though, is Sacco had no idea it was happening.  Effectively the entire world was talking about this woman and she had no idea.  That’s something to sit back and think about for a second.

If you couldn’t guess, Sacco and IAC have “parted ways” and she was forced to apologize as a result of her actions.  The Sacco scandal raises important questions, some easier to answer than others.  Should Sacco have known better given her career?  Yes. But asking if she deserved all the fallout is a harder question to answer.

The ‘Sacco scandal’ exemplifies my point.  Social media isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and Justine Sacco surely will not be the last person to tweet or post something stupid and regret it.  Moving into 2014, the Sacco scandal reinforces a powerful lesson and serves as potent reminder just how powerful social media can be, but you should always watch what you post.

What do you think about the Sacco scandal?  As always, feel free to connect with me (@CasterPete) or Caster Communications (@CasterComm) on Twitter.

Is PR Right for You?

By: Peter Girard

It’s a heavy question, “Is PR right for our business?” Public Relations add an entirely new dynamic to your business, essentially it’s a whole new world, and to a company like us, it truly is ‘a new fantastic point of view’ (cue the Aladdin song).  Much like the song, (if you need to take a moment and reconnect with your inner Disney and listen to it, I totally understand, you can find it here) companies need a guide through this new world.

If you’re seriously considering adding a PR program to your business, or even if you’ve never thought about it before, there are a few key components to consider.  PR is an investment, a sound one, but still an investment, and it benefits your business more in the long run to have specific communications objectives when you hire a public relations firm. Are you launching products? Starting an awareness campaign? Re-branding an existing business? All of the above. These are questions you want to think about before approaching a PR agency to find out if they can help.

So, what can a PR firm deliver? Here are some examples of what a PR agency can bring to your company:

A dedicated team.  As fellow Caster employee, Tim Viall put it in one of his own blog posts, a PR firm is like a gym, and like personal trainers, we’re here to believe in you and help you succeed.  Each team member comes with his or her own special set of communication skills and media contacts that, when combined, give clients valuable outside perspective and reach into new markets. When choosing an agency, it’s important to make sure they’re strengths jive with your objectives, or at least that they are adaptable enough to take on the challenge.

Industry know-how.  A good PR agency should take the time to understand what you do for a living and then apply that knowledge to help you rise above the clutter with a clear and compelling message.  As industries evolve, PR agencies must too and the best PR programs are a marriage of today’s relevant consumer influences, such as social networking, video/visual content and community building, and traditional media initiatives such as press tours, targeted pitching, relationship building, product coverage, expert editorials and more.

Chemistry with your team.  When employing a PR firm, it needs to be the right fit on both ends because without communication, there is no success. PR agencies can be a great resource for finding new partnerships, scoping out the competition, and presenting creative ideas, but the culture and communication must jive with your own organization in order to achieve the highest return. One of the easiest ways to determine compatibility is dinner. Just like dating, when you take the office out of the equation, you get a better sense personalities and motivations.

Trusted, long standing relationships with key media.  Just like you would ask a new hire for their references, one of the best ways to make sure the firm you’re considering is “in the know”, is to ask for their media references, especially ones that are critical to your line of business. The perception media thought leaders have of an agency is perhaps the most important validation you can receive.

Responsiveness and Proactivity.  Certain campaigns or PR items require late nights or off hours, is your prospective agency ready to burn the midnight oil or get up at 6a.m. to do a conference call with Europe? Most PR agencies will promise the world, but speaking to current clients is a better way to find out their level of dedication.

From our president, Kimberly Lancaster, and her 15+ years of experience in the Tech PR industry, all the way down to our newest members, each Caster team member brings their own unique assets and personalities to the table every day. Our philosophy goes far beyond treating the client-agency relationship as strictly a business transaction. We believe in integrity, loyalty, friendship, and partnership.  Moreover, we believe we can make a difference in all our client’s business and we promise brutal honesty or effusive praise when it’s deserved.  We’re a connected bunch who keep a pulse on the current state of the industry, using modern tools to stay ahead and alert of what’s coming next.  We’re tireless coverage hunters who turn social interactions into media placements and provide strategic guidance for all communications objectives.

It is a heavy question, “Is PR right for our business?” and one that undoubtedly demands some serious thought.  But if you’re ready to take your business to the next level, determining if Caster Communication is the right firm for you, is as easy as just having a conversation.  Check out our website, give us a call, shoot us an email, however you feel most comfortable, we’d love to be your Aladdin.  (flying carpet ride not included)