Mike’s Points

call someone.

It is so easy to email, DM, Facebook, IM and use other forms of digital communication these days. Too easy, I’d say.

If I want or need an immediate response, I will call someone or IM (if the person is online). If I really, really want a reply, I call. Otherwise, if you email, a response is at the will of the other person — and who knows what else he or she has going on. His/Her timing likely won’t equal your timing.

And, if there’s no rush, that’s fine. There are many times when email and other digital communication is effective and appropriate.

But, for immediate response, don’t forget about the old fashioned telephone. Or, rather, cell phone.

So, for those times when you NEED a response and don’t want to leave a message, when are you best chances to reach out and talk to someone?

I don’t have any cold-hard facts for that answer. Just anecdotal gut-feelings brought about after years of media calling, combined with prospective employer or client follow up calls. Here’s my list of the best time to call AND speak to someone:

Between 8:30 and 9 a.m.: By then, most people are in the office, have had their cup of coffee or tea, and are starting to settle into their day. Typically, most meetings don’t start until 9 a.m. So, when you call within that half hour, you can catch someone after they are ready for work but before they head off into any meetings or dive into any projects.

Just before noon or just before 1 p.m.: Everybody eats lunch, right? Even if they go out, you can catch them just before noon before they head out. Being late for lunch is not as big a deal as being late for a meeting or being interrupted when in the middle of a project. If they eat at their desk or don’t go out, it doesn’t take an hour to eat — even if you include conversations with co-workers. So, they are usually back by 1 p.m. and you can call then without interrupting lunch.

If you are making media calls, you also need to know when deadlines are and avoid them.

Also, I suggest NOT calling towards the end of the day. Typically, people are wrapping up the day’s work and looking forward to going home, or putting out a last-minute fire. Either situation is not ideal for getting a positive response from someone with whom you need or want something.

So, what do you think? Am I off? Do you have other good suggestions of when people can reach out and talk to someone?

-Mike

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/trashit_t-shirt/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

In the relatively short life of work-related and Internet-related software, and the even shorter life of social media, we’ve seen countless products rise to the top — only to be replaced a short time later by something else.

There was Word Perfect…now (and for a while) there’s Word.

There were WebRings…now there’s blogrolls.

We’ve come to accept that the latest new social media site and tool likely may not last long.

But, what about Facebook?

At the October 2009 Social Media Breakfast-Toledo, Curve Detroit’s Charlie Wollborg said that Facebook has staying power because of its “nesting” services. We post family photos and videos. We stay connected with friends and family. We’re not going to leave that behind.

However, I’ve always had a bit of concern over the business-related uses of Facebook. With its servers generally closed to Google, Yahoo!, Bing and other search engines, the only way I saw reaching members and gauging success was through apps and contests. And, I wasn’t alone in that view of Facebook being not business-friendly.

So I am glad to see several recent developments.

One is an opening up of Facebook to search, highlighted by Google’s recent announcements, via Inside Facebook:

This specifically means that any brand, famous individual or other Page owner who shares status updates or media like videos or photos from their Page will get this content showing up in real-time Google search results, which could increase SEO traffic for Facebook Pages.

You also can view AdAge’s story for details.

Combine the search engine news with a study about college students’ preference for Facebook, and you can easily see long-term success for Facebook.

Anderson suggests that this decrease in blogging and discussion-board visits may be because Facebook is quickly becoming more of a communications hub than a social networking site. He noted that its increasing variety of applications, functionality and flexibility enables it to deliver “one-stop shopping” in the otherwise fragmented digital space.

While Facebook may some day fade off into the sunset, it’s the shining star for now.

Point to Ponder: While Facebook may be here to stay and be tempting to use it for your business — with 350 million members worldwide — don’t rush to Facebook. Only start a Page, Group or Cause if enough of your customers and prospects are there, and if it suits your overall marketing objectives. Having a Facebook presence likely will benefit you, but just be sure it’s right for you and you know what to expect. Set objectives! I developed a simple how-to for creating a Facebook Page that you might find helpful.

Thank you.

-Mike

The great thing about social media marketing is how encompassing it can be, and how many parts of business it can touch. With all of its potential and many opportunities, a part of me still likes things to be simple.

So, in this 1:37 video, I try to sum up what social media marketing is. In four simple words.

Please have a look. I very much welcome your comments and if you agree or not — especially if not.

-Mike

I consider myself very fortunate to have worked — professionally — in both journalism and public relations/marketing communications. And, I still do both as I’m a periodic stringer for a couple area newspapers. (Yes, I am careful of conflict of interest and have passed on newspaper stories because of that potential.)

Being on both sides gives me great perspective — and frustration when I see supposed pros on both sides make it difficult for the other to do their job. Like it or not, media relations/PR people need journalists…AND journalists really can do their job better with assistance from media relations/PR pros. Journalists don’t NEED PR pros but do benefit greatly from good ones.

I know.

Because I’m on both sides.

In doing some recent newspaper work, I ran into some, um, issues by companies that do not make it easy for them to receive media coverage. So, let me offer three simple PR tips to help you get better coverage.

If you’re rushed, let me sum up the below quickly:

Do not make it hard for the media to contact you & talk with you for a story. If you make it difficult for the media to talk to you, the reporter more often than not can easily move on to another source. And, he/she will. I did.

Do not make the media jump through hoops to get a few comments or bits of information. Especially in this day in age, “media” can take any form. And, most of it can help you. No, you don’t have to talk to all media representatives but at least don’t make it hard to find out what they want. Example: One company required me to fax or email my request on newspaper letterhead (I’m a freelancer — I don’t have letterhead) to the marketing person who then will present it to the company president when they meet next.

Even if you have a PR agency/vendor, do have someone at the company who can take media calls. This is especially helpful if the reporter is on deadline and can’t wait to contact Mr. or Ms. PR Person first — knowing that the person you will eventually talk with is at the company. Fortunately, I had time to wait in this instance. Trust me, I understand the reasons to out-source PR (and appreciate when companies do to me!). However, there are times when the agency does get in the way. Companies should have a process for those in communications and those who answer the telephone to determine when media inquiries should be handled directly, and when they should be referred to the PR agency.

Do include media contact information on your site — don’t need no stinking forms. Corporate Websites are one of the first places journalists turn to for information, including contact information. On corporate Websites (social media ones, too!), PR contacts MUST include their email address and telephone number. That is their mobile telephone number. In this day and age, PR contacts must be accessible 24-7. It’s just the way it is. Accept it or get out of the business.

-Mike