THE PRACTITIONER

CNN Parts Ways with AP

In an interesting turn of events in the news industry, CNN, a Time Warner Inc. company, will stop using service and materials from the Associated Press to focus on developing and delivering its own news and information to CNN, CNN.com and CNN Radio, reported several news sources yesterday and today. As part of the change, [...]

Is Social Media a Crutch for Media Relations Pros?

For many PR professionals, picking up the phone and calling a reporter can be a daunting task. Why? Because you have to be intimately familiar with a client's product, how it works, what benefits it provides, what the ROI is and an idea of why each and every reporter might be inclined to write a story for their readers. It’s the power of persuasion at its best, and you have to be prepared for anything since you can potentially secure new media opportunities by thinking quick on your feet and offering something different than your planned pitch, if that isn’t resonating. Although it sounds elementary, it seems social media has allowed us to move away from smart, carefully planned media relations. For example, can a conversation like the one I just described go on in 140 characters or less? No.

Social Media: Breathing New Life Into The Press Release

Many PR experts believe the traditional press release is dead. Others believe that there will always be a place for traditional media. Face it, few tools are more old school than the information-laden, albeit newsworthy, press release. Others, like myself, prefer a hybrid approach of the traditional, social and digital. As it turns out, Todd Defren, the inventor of the social media release, agrees.

How to Reach the Social Media Influencer:

Recently, Forrester released a study that showed 80 percent of impressions and posts about products and services come from a mere 16 percent of individuals. This is a media pain-point that marketing and public relations professionals know all too well. From a strategy standpoint, targeting the right social media influencers is much more critical than playing a numbers game.

Social Media Tools: A Sticky Situation for Many Marketers

The sheer volume of social media tools can often seem overwhelming. However, a critical aspect of any social media strategy is determining which tools will be most effective in achieving the desired end result. Whether that end result is to increase sales, build brand awareness or promote the most famous Australian opera singer the world has ever known, knowing which tools can provide the most leverage is key.

Social Media Scorecard Continued: Fortune 500’s Adoption and Usage of Blogging

In January we announced the findings of our first annual Georgia Social Media Engagement Scorecard, which found that the state’s top public and private companies have a long way to go toward reaching out and responding to online audiences. In fact, we found that only 7 of the top 50 companies have a corporate blog. Yikes!

Company Blogs: An Opportunity to Connect

How corporate blogs provide a unique opportunity to build credibility and a following for a company by maintaining content that is transparent and authentic.

Where’s the Engagement? The First Annual Georgia Social Media Scorecard

Today we announced the findings of our first annual Georgia Social Media Engagement Scorecard and found that Georgia’s top 25 public and top 25 private companies just aren’t making the social media grade. Now, don’t get us wrong, there are some standouts such as Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola (witness Expedition206.com) representing the B2C crowd, [...]

White Paper | B2B Social Media: An Essential Business Tool or a Waste of Time?

. Social media has forever changed the way people find and share information. The widespread adoption of social media tools to communicate and connect has significantly changed the landscape for all companies. While most of the buzz surrounding social media has focused on B2C companies, the same concepts apply to B2B marketers. Wunderkind Public Relations’ [...]

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