One of the challenges public relations (PR) professionals face today is that many people associate PR with traditional processes rapidly becoming outdated. This misconception creates an uphill battle to convince potential clients that PR is an industry still very much alive and needed in today’s crowded media landscape. In fact, it’s more important than ever. With social media’s 24/7 conversation, some companies would have a nearly impossibly time digging themselves out of crises without proper PR guidance. But crisis communications isn’t the only need for PR now – a digitized…

Google performed a study not long ago to better understand how today’s consumers are utilizing their many devices. They found that around 90% of all of our media consumption, or 4.4 hours per day, is happening across four screens. Not only does this reveal the little attention given to traditional print media or terrestrial radio, but it opens our eyes to how important smartphones and tablets are becoming. Computers, televisions, phones and tablets. On any given day, we communicate, research and are entertained by two, three or perhaps all four…

I remember reading in my college textbooks how public relations professionals used to actually fax pitches and press releases to media outlets. Don’t laugh. I’m serious! It may be hard to believe now but there was a time when reporters received actual hardcopies of these documents. Media kits were built to be quirky, fun, and creative to catch attention and inspire a story idea. Reporters spared a few minutes on the phone for a quick download of a new product launch. My, things have changed. Today, these tactics belong in…

If I hear the word “engaging” one more time, I just might start to cut myself. I admit it, I still use it constantly. But when a term is thrown about so often, it starts to lack substance. As social media continues to grow and the mobile revolution shapes the way brands communicate with consumers, we need to better understand how to instigate these worthwhile conversations. “Be engaging” no longer works when selling clients on a social media campaign. And yes, these conversations you want to start? They must first be instigated.

In honor of Independence Day and the refreshing alcoholic beverages that we hope to enjoy, below are five types of Twitter users and a suggested mixer.

If you are anything like me, you scroll through your Facebook feed and either roll your eyes or laugh in disgust at posts your quote unquote friends make. “Friends” has become a rather blasé word over the past five years with the rise of social media. Went to a party in college and met your friend’s brother’s cousin? Friended. Held that one summer job where you mowed lawns with that toothless dude for $5 bucks an hour? Friended. Your college professors want to stay in touch after you graduate? Friended……

It’s pretty incredible how much the music scene has changed over the past 10 years. I never listen to terrestrial radio anymore and I’ve since stopped reading print music magazines. Everything has gone digital. That includes the way we as consumers access new music and stay in-tune (pun intended, yes!) with the latest news. Smartphone applications are the best way to do this. Many of us have already embraced YouTube for music videos, SoundHound or Shazaam for music identification and lyrics, and Pandora, Spotify, or last.fm for music streaming. So…

When browsing websites, you often see companies’ social media icons – the “T” for Twitter, the “F” for Facebook, etc. Sometimes, you see an orange icon with wavy lines that look like radio waves. That orange icon is for the site’s Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feed. RSS is a news aggregating feature which collects continually updated posts from a website and presents them in a straightforward reel, saving time and energy for the user. Instead of visiting the New York Post, Mashable, VentureBeat, Fox News and my local news station,…

With Instagram in the news often recently, we’ve been asking around to see who has used the application and had some fun with it. Tom and Patrick gave us some interesting feedback, and we wanted to pass it along.