The Publicity Hound’s Blog  

This is for the doubting Thomases who aren’t convinced that social networking can be profitable.

I promoted last week’s teleseminar series “How to Use LinkedIn to Promote Anything–Ethically & Powerfully” by creating an event on my Facebook page.  My assistant then invited my 1,028 friends.  At $77, I wasn’t sure how many Facebook friends would attend, but it was definitely worth it.

Fifty-four people RSVP’d to tell me that they were attending, or had already signed up.  That’s $4,158 in registration fees just from Facebook!  Something else started to happen.  I started to build the buzz about these teleseminars.  Warren Whitlock, one of my Facebook friends, wrote on my wall:

Kim Beasley, The Blog Queen, who Warren referred to, has more than 400 followers on Twitter, and I have no idea how many of those people signed up after reading her tweet.

If I still haven’t convinced you, you can listen to social media success stories galore at The Social Media Summit Sept. 10-12 in Chicago, sponsored by Ragan Communications.  I attended Ragan’s “Unconference” on social media last year in Chicago.  I made great contacts, came back with hundreds of tips to share with you, and learned about how to incorporate social media into my own marketing campaigns.

At this year’s summit, you’ll learn about Web 2.0 strategies such as podcasts, message boards, video and wikis.  The conference includes one track for internal communications and a separate track for external and marketing communications. Curious about what Web 3.0 might look like? You’ll get a sneek preview.

I hope to see you there.  This conference is so important that I worked out a special arrangement with Ragan.  Publicity Hounds save $100 on the $1,195 registration, plus an additional $100 if you take advantage of the early-bird registration, which has been extended to this Friday.  To get $200 off and pay only $995, you must use this link.

Let me know if you’re going to the conference.  Maybe we can have coffee between sessions.

Posted In: Blogs, Business Promotion, General, LinkedIn, PR Consultants/Publicists, Publicity on the Internet, Social media marketing, Social networking, Video
posted On: 7/22/2008: 10:12 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

Response to the two teleseminars I’m hosting today and tomorrow on “How to Use LinkedIn to Promote Anything–Ethically & Powerfully” has been overwhelming.

I sold the last of the 100 seats on Tuesday morning. (You can still sign up to receive the MP3 audio and electronic transcripts, however.)

Anybody who has a LinkedIn profile must know how to squeeze every last drop of networking out of every single connection.  Or, like many people on LinkedIn have sadly discovered, that long list of names you’ve collected is…well…nothing more than a long list of names.

Many of the 100 people who were on today’s call own a business or work for PR firms.  For them, LinkedIn is a no-brainer.

Social networking is a much harder sell, however, in large companies, based on some of these comments I’ve heard:

“Our boss wants total control over our image.”

(Tell the boss there is no such thing as total control over your image.  Just ask Dell computers, Wal-Mart or any other company that’s been skewered by bloggers and in online discussion groups.)

“We’d rather spend our efforts getting stories in The New York Times and USA Today.”

(Guess where many of those reporters search for sources?  On social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, and at blogs.)

“We’ve decided that Web 2.0 isn’t where we want to spend our time.”

(Too bad.  Your clients, vendors, shareholders, competitors and hundreds of potential customers spend lots of time using social media and Web 2.0 to connect with their key audiences, often with great results.)

Popular blogger and internal communications expert Steve Crescenzo says that two years ago, everybody was talking about Web 2.0 and social media.  Today, the smart companies have stopped talking about it and they’re DOING it.

“I talk to hundreds of communicators every year in my seminars and consulting work, and go into dozens of companies.  And I can tell you this: The time for big talk and theories about social media is over. The time to actually use these tools to dramatically improve how you communicate is now.”

Steve is conference organizer for The Social Media Summit Sept. 10-12 in Chicago, sponsored by Ragan Communications.  I attended Ragan’s “unconference” on social media last year in Chicago and it was fabulous–sort of an unstructured, free-flowing day in which so many tips and ideas were bouncing around that I couldn’t type my notes fast enough.

This year’s Social Media Summit will include example after example of how companies are using podcasts, message boards, social networking sites, video, widgets and other Web 2.0 applications to get closer to their key audiences.  You’ll even get a peek at Web 3.0.

The conference includes one track for internal communications and a separate track for external and marketing communications.

I’ll be there and I hope you’ll be, too.

I worked out a special arrangement with Ragan.  Publicity Hounds save $100 on the price of registration, plus an additional $100 if you register by Friday using this link.

See you in Chicago!

Posted In: Blogs, Business Promotion, Crisis Communications, PR Consultants/Publicists, Publicity on the Internet, Social media marketing, Social networking, Video
posted On: 7/16/2008: 9:34 pm: By Joan
Comments: 1 Comment

Some people collect LinkedIn connections like they collect pennies in a big, empty mayonnaise jar.

They add them one by one, watching the pile of names grow bigger and bigger.  They keep track of how many connections they’ve made.  And they feel pretty darn good when their list grows to 100. ..300…500 names and beyond.

People who don’t know any better view their LinkedIn connections like the rainy fund inside the mayonnaise jar.  They’ll use LinkedIn when it’s time to job-hunt.  But until then, their list of contacts just sort of sits there.

That’s because in the world of social networking, people have heard that they should never ever use LinkedIn to promote.

Don’t tell that to Scott Allen, an expert in social media and social networking and a columnist for About.com.  Since creating his LinkedIn profile four years ago, he has used LinkedIn to:

—Close a 5-figure consulting deal with a company that found him at that site.

—Find an agent for his first book, “The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals.” (You can download the book for free. It’s chock full of excellent examples.)

—Collect feedback from 100 contacts who read the draft of The Virtual Handshake.  Of those, about 80 had never met Scott face to face.  Yet he established such a strong connection with them on LinkedIn that they took the time to not only read his book but provide valuable comments.

—Generate media opportunities.  How many?  “I’ve lost count,” he says.

—Find joint venture partners.

—Connect with authors who interview him and quote him in their books.

Scott calls that promoting.  Not the in-your-face, obnoxious kind that most of us hate.  But the smart, subtle, savvy kind that makes it easy for people to find him if they need the kind of help and information he can offer.

He goes the extra mile on LinkedIn by answering questions from other LinkedIn users whenever he can. 
Add to his 500 connections an impressive 63 recommendations, almost all of them absolutely glowing.

He stresses, however, that someone on LinkedIn with only 70 or 80 really strong connections can make them go a lot farther than somebody with 500 names of people who they barely know. His own connections, I’m betting, are nothing like those forgotten pennies in the mayonnaise jar.  

Scott says Publicity Hounds who aren’t using LinkedIn to promote are missing a huge opportunity.  He’ll be my guest during two teleseminars from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, July 16, and Thursday, July 17, called “How to Use LinkedIn to Promote Anything–Ethically and Powerfully.”

This series is limited to the first 100 people who register.  On July 16, Scott will explain how to build an impressive profile, use LinkedIn to position yourself as an expert and do all the little extras on LinkedIn that most other people don’t bother doing–things that can really make you stand out from the pack and get found by the search engines.

On July 17, he’ll walk us step-by-step through the entire process of how to use LinkedIn to promote.  He’ll even share case studies of LinkedIn members who have done just that, with great success.

If you haven’t built your LinkedIn profile yet, this teleseminar series if for you.  Even if you’ve been using LinkedIn for several years, we guarantee you’ll learn far more than you know already. 

Posted In: Authors & Publishers, Business Promotion, PR Consultants/Publicists, Publicity on the Internet, Social media marketing, Social networking
posted On: 7/1/2008: 6:56 pm: By Joan
Comments: 1 Comment

Savvy Publicity Hounds are already using Twitter for business and publicity.

Twitter has become so popular, in fact, that almost daily, people are creating a variety of tools and widgets to help you Twitter faster and more effectively, and locate tweets about you and your company. But with more than 350 Twitter tools from which to choose, where do you start?

Today’s issue of Larry Chase’s excellent newsletter “Web Digest for Marketers” includes the top 18 Twitter tools and resources.

Decide which ones you want to use, and then follow me on Twitter.

See “Special Report #52: How to Use Twitter for Business to Network, Promote, Sell, Recruit & Profit.”

Posted In: General, Publicity on the Internet, Social media marketing, Social networking
posted On: 6/30/2008: 3:53 pm: By Joan
Comments: 7 Comments

New Age Directories—sort of a MySpace or Facebook of the New Age, spiritual and alternative communities— has just gone live.

“Create your own online world and promote yourself, your ideas, your dreams; share your thoughts, expertise and advice; share your healing, love and gratitude; find, seek, look, listen, ask; make friends, business contacts, even romance – anything and everything New Age, Spiritual and Alternative.  It’s worldwide and 100 percent totally free.”

The website features:

• News about New Age, spiritual or alternative events, people or services.
• Free music and videos.
• Free classifieds.  Advertise anything.  Buy/sell/swap/barter.
• Free business directory.  Promote your business.
• Forums, blogs and live chat. Make new business contacts, friends & companions.
• New Age dating and romance section
• Show your favorite photos, mp3s or movies
• Have your say, get advice, ask questions
• Create your own clubs, private forums and personal blogs.
• Create your own free website
• Create your own opinion poll
• All blogs have public, moderate or private membership
• Full social bookmarking access
• Entire website has full email security and privacy
• Public, moderated or private membership to all clubs and forums 

This is a great site for anyone looking to connect with others in the New Age genre. If you’re promoting a product, service, cause or issue related to a New Age, spirituality or alternative lifestyle topic, add this site to your publicity plan or media plan.   

Posted In: Blogs, Business Promotion, General, Press Releases/News Releases, Social media marketing, Social networking, Special Events
posted On: 6/10/2008: 9:13 am: By Joan
Comments: 1 Comment