This fall I had the opportunity to travel to New York and support our client CORT, a Berkshire Hathaway company and the only national provider of furniture rental, as they participated in an episode of Celebrity Apprentice. After a long wait, we are excited to share that the episode has aired!Brett Michaels, Cyndi Lauper and Holly Robinson Peete, team Tenacity, were tasked with staging an apartment for lease by corporate executives. They turned to CORT for rental furniture and accessories to complete the "New York zen" themed environment they were creating in their apartment. Lauper and Peete shopped in CORT's Manhattan showroom, and CORT's signature red delivery trucks and team were featured in the episode.
Largemouth supported the 2009 launch of CORT's national home staging program, connecting stagers with relocation management companies, real estate asset management companies, banks and corporations that own homes purchased on behalf of relocating employees. This outreach resulted in numerous placements including the Chicago Tribune, REALTOR magazine and now, Celebrity Apprentice.
And, what's the value of PR? According to NBC, the value of the placement on "The Celebrity Apprentice" is worth more than $250,000 when compared to the cost of advertising or paid product placement.
Check out the episode and photo gallery of team Tenacity's apartment!
Tags: Largemouth PR | celebrity apprentice | cort | home staging | public relations
Hits: 164 | Read more...
It's no secret that trade show and conference attendance has suffered during the recession, but these events still play a critical role in an organization's marketing strategy. They present an opportunity to network with peers, learn about your competition and share your successes, and they remain one of the best opportunities to connect with a concentrated group of your target audience. But with every dollar closely guarded, it's important to make sure you get the most out of your experience.
Maximize your investment: Have you asked for a list of media registered to attend the event, which is often made available to exhibitors? We help our clients schedule interviews and background briefings at trade shows; these briefings are an important part of the relationship building process with key editors, reporters and analysts. We also support any announcements being released prior to or during a show, the development of media kits, and as Kelly has described, execution of trade show social media strategies. Remember that your competitors will also be racing to make noise with their news during the show, so take the time to craft a communications strategy that will rise above this chatter to deliver the greatest impact for your organization.
We recently wrapped up HIMSS, the major health care IT conference of the year hosted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, with one of our clients. Check out this video from ABC News Channel 8 in D.C. as Dr. Val Jones, their health correspondent and founder of GetBetter Health.com, reports on what she considers some of the key developments that can impact consumers to come out of the show. Listen for her mention of our client RadarFind and Teletracking and their sensor -network tracking system. This coverage was the result of an interview we secured during the show, and the story lives on long after the exhibits have been packed away.
What have you found to be the greatest communications challenges related to trade shows, or your greatest successes? We would love to hear your thoughts.
Tags: himss 2010 | public relations | largemouth | Media Relations | conference | tradeshow | trade show
Hits: 326 | Read more...
I had the pleasure of hearing Dani Burns speak last week at the Charlotte PRSA Young Professionals luncheon. She shared her valuable insights on building your personal brand and advice on managing your online presence. Dani raised a great point when she spoke about using Google reader to aggregate blog content, using the tool to gather information in one place where it can be read at your convenience. This led me back to something I’ve also been thinking about: the power of learning from the ideas and challenges that my peers are sharing via their blogs, content that I have come to think of as my continuing education.
Whether you prefer Google or another RSS aggregator, e-mail subscriptions or bookmarked links, make the investment in identifying and gathering the insights of some current great minds – a form of higher education that doesn’t require thousands of dollars or a break from full-time employment.
There are far too many fantastic resources to possibly list them all here, but I wanted to share a few of my favorites that are helping me learn to be a better communicator. Each of these blogs has a different approach to a range of topics impacting our daily work in communications. Their authors represent many different vantage points but can all agree on at least one thing: working in communications has never been more exciting, and we all have an opportunity to learn and grow together.
I am always looking for new resources so please share your favorite sites in the comments or on Twitter! @amandala or @largemouthpr
B.L. Ochman’s What’s Next Blog
K.D. Paine’s PR Measurement blog
Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang
Tags: Largemouth PR | communications | public relations | blog
Hits: 291 | Read more...
PR pros, have you joined the PR Week Fire Brigade? Paul Armstrong, author of the Don’t Fear the Firehose blog, is directing conversation each week on some of the hottest topics in PR. This week’s topic: Content isn’t king anymore. Free is.
Largemouth was well represented in this week's responses. Our thoughts?
Amanda: You get what you pay for. Free content is important and will always have its place, but quality, trustworthy editorial content is expensive to produce. The ongoing struggle to ensure a fair value exchange between content creator and consumer will continue until we settle on new business models that provide both access and compensation.
Kelly: Content still reigns! Though there are many "free" channels, you must make sure the content you're offering is still high-quality and aligns with your communications and business objectives.
Agree or disagree? Chime in with your own thoughts here.
It's free and easy to join the Fire Brigade! Just send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Tags: largemouth | public relations | pr week | content
Hits: 351 | Read more...
Governor Perdue released a social media policy and tutorial for state government last week via her Facebook page, recognizing that social media is more than just the "next big thing," but an opportunity for government to operate in an environment of transparency and accountability.
We saw social media's potential for political impact during the 2008 presidential race, and I applaud the state for embracing new channels for communicating with constituents. I thought it was interesting to note that one of the state's goals for engaging in social media is to ensure records are properly managed and preserved. Every organization has different needs and, just as the state has, they should clearly define their goals and priorities for social media upfront.
A policy can help answer common questions:
Who are the company's social media "spokespersons"?
What is the company's social media crisis strategy?
How can employees engage as individuals on behalf of the company as a whole?
How will a company monitor the personal interactions of employees?
Each community has its own etiquette and taboos that are important to understand before launching a company presence. Establishing a social media policy will empower employees to engage on behalf of your company and establish boundaries for what is appropriate. Supporting a policy with employee training will help everyone be comfortable and excited about participating and foster a rich community of organizational users.
Photo credit Chascow
Tags: communications | governor perdue | north carolina government | social media guidelines
Hits: 416 | Read more...
Kelly and I had the opportunity to chat with Laurie Steiner and Andrea Sanchez from the communications team at the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) about their social media efforts. Laurie and Andrea, who wear a PR hat for IFMA and an editorial hat for IFMA's bimonthly publication, the Facility Management Journal, were kind enough to let us pepper them with questions and to share their perspective on how they've integrated social media into their communications strategy.
From managing the social media workflow to tradeshow tweet-ups and the changing role of the press release, we covered a lot of ground, and are excited to share some key lessons learned:
Getting company buy-in
Many organizations still harbor a certain level of discomfort when it comes to social media and the thought of losing "control" of the message. Laurie and Andrea were lucky enough to have an internal champion supporting the association's engagement in social media, but they still faced some initial internal resistance. After investing the time to conduct research to identify which communities would be relevant and how their competitors were engaging, they educated their team on the best opportunities and earned the support of the organization.
Establishing a consistent presence across all platforms
IFMA is actively engaged on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr. When launching their corporate strategy, Laurie and Andrea identified key elements that should be replicated across each social media platform, such as the logo and the "About IFMA" statements. Prior to establishing a corporate presence, some local IFMA chapters had taken the initiative to establish their own social media presence, a spirit that IFMA continues to support. To ensure consistency, each chapter is encouraged to leverage existing IFMA guidelines and messages.
Facility Management Journal and Social Media
We were excited to have the chance to ask Laurie and Andrea about their perspective on social media and the Facility Management Journal. Many PR professionals are experimenting with the best way to interact with their editorial contacts through social media without breaking etiquette.
Laurie and Andrea both have found social media to be a valuable channel for building relationships and finding sources. They have posed questions to their IFMA group on LinkedIn and received a flood of relevant, insightful sources, and have also found sources through Twitter. They are also looking for ways to make the FMJ more interactive, and recently introduced a monthly podcast as a supplement to the publication. It is important to note that these successes have come as a result of building relationships and establishing source credibility by sharing valuable information - not a blanket pitch pushed through social media channels.
In addition to the FMJ, the IFMA team searches for news and information that they can use to update the IFMA home page, and they have partnered with Today's Facility Manager to create FM Alert which is housed in TFM's Facility Blog. The lesson for PR pros? Your editorial contacts are just as interested in leveraging these new channels to share information. Don't forget the importance of finding all the outlets for sharing your news - there are many different ways to engage and raise your voice.
Thoughts so far? We'd love to hear if these experiences match what you've learned, or any questions you may have. You can reach us @largemouthpr or the IFMA team @IFMA. Stay tuned for a second post on all the ways that IFMA leveraged social media at their annual conference, World Workplace!
Tags: social media | Media Relations
Hits: 448 | Read more...
Yesterday the world watched as the harrowing story of one boy, possibly launched thousands of feet in the air in a makeshift balloon, captured the attention of media outlets from CNN to Twitter. Yet today, the boy is happily safe and sound and the height of excitement has diminished. While hot air balloon and weather experts had a brief window in the spotlight, today the focus has moved on. Welcome to the 24-hour news cycle, where news breaks in an instant and may blow over as quickly. How can you prepare to take advantage of this cycle?
The fleeting attention of media and their audiences necessitates a nimble media strategy that makes information and spokespersons readily accessible to take advantage of news when it breaks. Company Web sites are increasingly dynamic channels for sharing information by taking advantage of blogs, video, live chats and more. Take a moment to assess what your site offers: are spokespersons and contact information readily available? Do you offer in-depth information on your areas of expertise? Have you incorporated search engine optimization (SEO) strategy into your site? When a reporter needs to know now, will they find your site, and will they find what they need to know once they are there?
Is your company engaged in social media channels? By creating an established, credible company presence on social media networks, an organization can open up new channels of communication that allow them to monitor conversations in real-time and quickly respond to a crisis or insert themselves into relevant conversations.
When a story breaks, the window of opportunity for any company trying to assert its voice is narrow, with little room for error. Companies that understand what the media wants and needs and how to provide the most relevant and accessible information will work the 24-hour news cycle to their utmost advantage.
Tags: Media Relations | public relations | SEO
Hits: 676 | Read more...
Just married and finally back in the swing of things post honeymoon! During the sixteen months we had to plan our wedding I frequently found comparisons to working in public relations. I found that wedding planning was much more manageable once I realized that in many ways I thought of "the wedding" as another account.
Communications plays a major role in coordinating any large scale event, and weddings must also address the complexities of bringing two families together. PR challenges abound, but with careful planning, strategy and a clear story, the process can be fun! At its core, a wedding is the culmination of a love story, and sharing that story in a clear, meaningful way with key stakeholders (family, friends and one another) is central to a successful event - and marriage! (Read more after the jump)
Tags: public relations | Largemouth Communications | Largemouth PR
Hits: 403 | Read more...
When I first joined Twitter the concept of an @ reply or keeping track of all the tweets seemed somewhat daunting. Why would anyone want to talk to me? How would I build my community?
Yet one day I made that first connection over a common interest – a fellow runner who responded to my tweets about training for a half-marathon. This connection helped me find other runners, tips on training, and support for the miles logged each week. I was sold when I experienced the ease with which I could find and share with other likeminded people.
Today Twitter is one of my first sources for information, a place to connect with friends, and a way to share information that I find valuable. If you’re curious about Twitter and looking for a little direction on getting started, I would like to share a few basic tips:
1) What are you interested in? Your company, hobby or hometown? Celebrities or breaking news? Visit search.twitter.com and find out who’s talking about these things.
2) Follow people sharing information you find valuable. Others will follow you if they find your tweets valuable – at the most basic level this is how you will build your community.
3) @ Replies and Re-Tweets: By starting a tweet with the “@” symbol and an account name, you can send a publicly viewed message to them. To re-tweet another person’s post you found valuable, begin a tweet with RT and copy their post and @username.
4) Direct messages are a way to send someone a private message. Many people take a one on one conversation to direct message to avoid bombarding their followers with irrelevant information.
5) Hashtags are a way of tracking a trend or specific conversation. At the end or within your tweet, include a designated hash tag so that others following that topic can find your post. For example, tradeshows typically have a hash tag that can be applied to all tweets so that the conference is effectively “live-streamed.”
6) TweetDeck, Twhirl or other third-party applications can be downloaded to your desktop and help manage the flow of conversation by allowing you to create groups and searches and manage multiple accounts.
7) URL shorteners allow users to post links using a minimum of characters. Some services, such as bit.ly, track how many users click on your link.
8) Determine your voice. Are you tweeting as an individual or for your company? A business tone (as opposed to personal) may be more appropriate, but keep in mind that all of your tweets are visible whether or not you are on-the-clock.
9) Make a commitment to building your community. Post interesting articles, search for new contacts and continue sharing information. Being active on Twitter does not have to take hours out of your day or week, but consistent participation will reap the greatest rewards.
10) Be cognizant of how frequently you tweet, and be wary of too many self-promotional tweets. Make an effort to re-tweet others and share content. Twitter is an opt-in service so it is up to you what information you choose to share, but self-promotional accounts will quickly lose followers.
These are some of the key lessons I learned as I began exploring Twitter. Check out these posts with great information to help you get started:
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/how-i-tweet-a-faq/ from @chrisbrogan
http://www.pr-squared.com/index.php/2008/04/doth_milady_tweet_too_much__fi from @tdefren
http://prblog.typepad.com/strategic_public_relation/2008/02/top-10-twitter.html from @prblog
Please share any other lessons you've learned in the comments, or connect with us on Twitter!
@largemouthpr or @amandala
Tags: Largemouth PR | social media | twitter
Comments 1 | Hits: 578 | Read more...
