This post was inspired by a tweet by my friend and media professional, Tamara Floyd. Tamara referred to me as a "Good example of a publicist doing their own PR," on Twitter a few weeks ago (I'm still blushing, seriously;).
I was honored to be included as an example, and was grateful for the observation, as it provided me an opportunity to reflect on what was really going on here. What was my uncultivated strategy and how was I measuring it? My response to her was that most of these opportunities are a result of using social media daily. I wanted to expand on my response, but obviously couldn't fully express myself in 140 characters- and to use an app such as Twitlonger would have been a total hypocrisy of what I do...so...here we arrive.
I was honored to be included as an example, and was grateful for the observation, as it provided me an opportunity to reflect on what was really going on here. What was my uncultivated strategy and how was I measuring it? My response to her was that most of these opportunities are a result of using social media daily. I wanted to expand on my response, but obviously couldn't fully express myself in 140 characters- and to use an app such as Twitlonger would have been a total hypocrisy of what I do...so...here we arrive.
Here are my 4 tips on creating organic PR opportunities through social media and branding:
1. Be Consistent in Branding- Determine the three things you want to become known for and create interesting updates that relate to those things. Because social media is often the first, lasting and only impression thousands of people will have of you, it's important that you leave a memorable one through your updates. When they think of you, they think of _______, _______ & _______?
2. Engage- The biggest mistake I've seen on social media is when people use social media solely for the purpose of self-promotion. Whether you like it or not, people are online to interact. Engage with your audience. Ask interesting questions and return the favor by answering interesting questions that are posted by your friends/followers.
3. Remember to Personal Brand- We're now in an era where audiences wants to know the person behind the brand. Take, for example The Old Spice Guy or theDKNY Girl, these are people (or, in the case of The Old Spice Guy...characters) with interesting lives, commentary and opinions. Much like in real life, people want to know what new restaurant you think is worth trying or what you're dealing with on a personal level...and to my surprise, people love to hear about love stories.
While I do caution you to have boundaries on how much of your personal life is worth divulging- keep in mind that people want to know that your purpose is to do more than promote who you are, as a professional. They want to know you.
4. Be Authentic- I would never recommend aggressively pursuing the media on social media for press opportunities. Tagging, posting on their wall, tweeting @ them- is all a bit invasive. I do think those relationships should still be established in person, on the phone or through email.
Don't post with the goal in mind to secure a media placement. Post to share information, inspire others and occassionally, brag on yourself. I got over the fear of sounding self-absorbed a long time ago...it's the nature of what we do. I spend a great deal of my time bragging on my clients, my team and the successes we share. I spend equal amounts of time sharing knowledge and asking questions.
Good luck out there! We're in a brilliant place for media and PR right now and there are plenty of opportunities to be seized.