Below are two quick reads on assisting the communications professional on working in social media and adapting our messages to mobile communications. Both are from prnewsonline.com written by Lucia Davis, community editor for PR News.
6 Pointers for Taking PR’s Role in Social to the Next Level
See online
New York: Social continues to create new possibilities for public relations. As brands continue to move further into the social media space, the opportunities (and risks) have never been clearer.
This morning at PR News' Digital PR Summit, Maggie O'Neill, partner and senior director at Peppercomm, kicked off the day with a look at how PR pros should be tackling the new social landscape. Here are six pointers she provided.
1. Listen first: This is journalism 101. Take the time to see what your audience is talking about before diving in.
2. Think outside the norm: Houzz, Mobile, Vine. Facebook isn't the best option for every company. Explore all the social channels to determine which one is best for your client.
3. Take B2B business beyond LinkedIn. Enough said.
4. Don't generalize (i.e. Women Love Pinterest). One size does not fit all.
5. Develop communications campaigns by plot, not platform. There is a social platform that fits your needs—you shouldn't have to tailor your content for the platform.
6. Look beyond engagement to make your case. Quantifying social's value is still tricky. You can't boil it down to the number of people talking about your brand.
4 Essentials for Writing on Mobile
See online
Forty-three percent of emails are read on a mobile device, according to email analytics company, Litmus. If you haven't already been writing with mobile in mind, it's time to start because that percentage is only going to grow, and probably faster than we care to think.
Ephraim Cohen, executive VP of technology and digital content at MWW Group, says mobile distribution is about targeting and timing. Cohen recommends four guidelines to ensure your mobile dispatches tune consumers in to your messages, product and services.
• Maximum info, minimum words: Cut the fluff and get to the point, but don't bore them. Some mobile channels are optimized for images, transforming "writing" into "shooting" or "drawing." Take advantage of the visual capabilities smartphones provide.
• Know your context: Facebook is more personal and fun, whereas Twitter is more of a news source. Platforms like Instagram and Vine can be both creative and business-centric.
• Visualize your content: Cohen found that blurbs that included visuals received roughly 150 more retweets than those without on Twitter. On StumbleUpon, those without images received less than 300 the shares that visual posts garnered.
• Know the structure: On Twitter, consider every punctuation and know your hashtags and @ signs. When it comes to Facebook, think images and captions. Finally, with email, you want to aim for "above the fold" (roughly tweet length) with a single column and compelling subject line.