Top 3 PR articles of the week: Friday, July 18, 2014

As more and more social media tools arise, blogging remains popular. Or does it? Read on before you make your decision.

PR Daily
This serves as a good reminder when searching for images to use in your next blog post. Read more.

Social Media Examiner
Have you ever tested blog post titles with Twitter? You should consider it. Read more.

The Guardian
This reporter questions whether we should mourn the end of blogs? Do we see them as work now instead of play? Read more.

Have a great weekend!

Meg Hemmelgarn
PR account supervisor at STIR
Chapter social media and communications chair

Top 3 PR Articles of the Week: Friday, July 11, 2014

I hope everyone had a fabulous and safe 4th of July holiday last week! Now that we’re all back in the swing of things, this week’s Top 3 PR Articles are about understanding today’s consumer, why we spend so much time on Facebook and whether journalists are still reading our news releases.

Bulldog Reporter
The evolution of customer engagement: New research emphasizes the value of understanding today’s consumer Read>>>

Fast Company
We hate ourselves for spending so much time on Facebook. So why do we do it? Read>>>

Bulldog Reporter
Online newsrooms, press releases critical resources for journalists Read>>>

Do you think you spend too much time on Facebook?

Have a great weekend!

Kristin Rabas (@krabas)
Sr. Public Relations Advisor
Aurora Health Care

Top 3 PR Articles of the Week: Friday, June 27, 2014

One of my favorite SNL skits of all-time is entitled #hashtag. If you haven’t seen it, watch it (http://bit.ly/19hfeCY)! While it’s easy to make fun of the way people use social media, it’s definitely something that is here to stay-at least for the foreseeable future. We are continually searching for how to harness the power of social media. Our Top 3 PR Articles of the Week focus on hashtags, Facebook usage trends and the new Facebook Newswire. Enjoy!

Social Media Today
A scientific guide to hashtags: How many, which ones, and where to use them Read>>>

Ragan
What FB Newswire means for PR pros Read>>>

Wall Street Journal
Survey: Teens say they are using Facebook more Read>>>

Have a great weekend!

Kristin Rabas (@krabas)
Sr. Public Relations Advisor
Aurora Health Care

Top 3 PR Articles of the Week: Friday, June 20, 2014

Unlike other Top 3 PR Articles of the Week blog posts, the top three articles from this week do not follow a common theme. Instead, the articles below give our readers practical advice and insights into current trends in the PR profession, the Dockers ‘Dad Pants’ campaign and the dreaded ask for free publicity. Enjoy!

JimRomenesko.com
No syrupy response to IHOP’s request for free publicity Read>>>

Bulldog Reporter
PR profession enjoying a multi-year period of expansion in budgets and staffs Read>>>

PRNewser
The Dockers ‘Dad Pants’ campaign works on a few different levels Read>>>

Have a great weekend!

Kristin Rabas (@krabas)
Sr. Public Relations Advisor
Aurora Health Care

Top 3 PR Articles of the Week: Friday, June 6, 2014

Public relations professionals are commonly asked to predict the future. Ok, maybe that’s a little bit of an exaggeration, but it is true that PR professionals are always trying to stay ahead of the curve and get involved in the next big thing before our competitors. Therefore, this week’s Top 3 PR Articles of the Week concentrate on the future. Enjoy!

Bulldog Reporter
Only 26% of Marketers Can Prove the Value They Bring to Their Business, New Research Shows: 85% Feel Increasing Pressure to Measure Marketing’s Value and Contribution Read>>>

Social Media Today
The New Facebook Page Design Is Coming: What It Means For You Read>>>

Fortune
Words are dead. Here’s what will replace them. Read>>>

Have a great weekend!

Kristin Rabas (@krabas)
Sr. Public Relations Advisor
Aurora Health Care

Top 3 PR Articles of the Week: Friday, May 23, 2014

As PR professionals, it’s typical that working with the media is in our job description. For some of us this might be a daily occurrence but for others, media interactions might be few and far between. Therefore, this week’s Top 3 PR Articles focus on the dos and don’ts of interacting with the media. (Actually, the ‘Shark Tank’ article isn’t necessarily about working with the media but I thought many of these ideas could pertain to pitching media stories). Enjoy!

Ragan
12 most damaging things to say to a journalist Read>>>

Bulldog Reporter
Are We On the Record? 5 PR Tips to Avoid Journalism’s “Gotcha by Default” Trend Read>>>

Ragan
4 communication lessons from ‘Shark Tank’ Read>>>

I know I’ve made some of these mistakes when dealing with journalists (especially my first couple of years working in PR). Anyone else?

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Kristin Rabas (@krabas)
Sr. Public Relations Advisor
Aurora Health Care

Top 3 PR Articles of the Week: Friday, May 16, 2014

Top 3 PR Articles of the Week: Friday, May 16, 2014

As I looked through the articles I set aside this week for this blog post, I noticed that one word was repeatedly jumping out at me; Millennial.

Someone is considered a Millennial, or part of Generation Y, if they were born roughly between 1980 and 2000, myself included. Right now, that’s anyone between the age of 14 and 34. This group is tech savvy, civic minded and has extreme purchasing power (important information for anyone trying to communicate to or sell to this group). Therefore, this week’s Top 3 PR Articles focus on the Millennial Generation and what we can do to attract them.

Bulldog Reporter
Millennials have no fear of big data—In fact, new SDL Global study finds Gen Yers expect brands to use their unique data for hyper-targeted experiences. Read >>>

Forbes
5 ways to attract and keep top millennial talent. Read >>>

Bulldog Reporter
Mountain Dew’s PR win: Fuse Marketing explains how top brands reach Millennials, teens and youth consumers. Read>>>

Leave us a comment and tell us what you’ve been doing to tap into this demographic.

Have a great weekend!

Kristin Rabas (@krabas)
Sr. Public Relations Advisor
Aurora Health Care

Top 3 PR Articles of the Week: Friday, May 9, 2014

Public relations experts typically wear many hats. Besides working on traditional public relations strategies or tactics, we may be asked to manage social media accounts, purchase advertising, draft a marketing campaign and more. So, it’s important that we all stay educated in a number of communication vehicles.

Many of us no longer consume news by watching TV or picking up a newspaper; we have the USA Today app on our phones. We don’t watch the new episode of Modern Family live; we DVR it so we can skip the commercials. To combat this way of consuming information and entertainment, many organizations are turning to digital advertising. Therefore, the week’s Top 3 PR Articles focuses on that exact topic.

Social Media Today
Online advertising case study: Facebook Ads vs. Google AdWords vs. LinkedIn
http://bit.ly/1g4dfv3

New York Times
The great unwatched
http://nyti.ms/1kEyqPU

Digiday
The age of big data won’t be easy for marketers
http://bit.ly/SrzDDZ

Leave us a comment – Has your organization seen a shift in where advertising dollars are spent?

Have a great weekend!

Kristin Rabas (@krabas)
Sr. Public Relations Advisor
Aurora Health Care

Top 3 PR Articles of the Week: Friday, May 2, 2014

As PR professionals, we are always trying to stay one step ahead for our clients and organizations when it comes to ways to communicate with our stakeholders. In an industry that is constantly evolving, this isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

It seems that the million dollar question is always, “what is the next big thing?” While it’s almost impossible to answer this question, this week’s top 3 PR articles of the week try to shed some light on that question by focusing on the future.

Ragan
11 alternatives for a news release
http://bit.ly/1i1kfqX

CNN Money
The key to Facebook’s future?
http://bit.ly/1oanSvL

Fast Company
Snapchat grows up, adds text messaging and video conferencing
http://bit.ly/1iDfoh7

What do you think the next big thing will be?

Have a great weekend!

Kristin Rabas (@krabas)
Sr. Public Relations Advisor
Aurora Health Care

Top 3 PR Articles of the Week: Friday, April 25, 2014

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock this week, I think it’s safe to assume that most PR professionals somehow heard about the New York Police Department’s hashtag promotion that didn’t go as planned.

While it was a good idea in theory, the plan to have people post photos of themselves with New York police officers with the hashtag #myNYPD quickly turned into a rash of photos that did not depict the department in a positive light.

As PR professionals, this incident should remind us all to think about every aspect of what we want to accomplish but also what can go completely wrong with a social media promotion.

The Wall Street Journal
NYPD Push for Tweets to Continue
Thousands of Posted Photos Show Police in Bad Light
http://on.wsj.com/1k1m3OV

The New York Times
Lesson for the Police: Be Careful What You Tweet For
New York Police Reach Out on Twitter but Receive a Slap in the Face
http://nyti.ms/1iIuctw

Ragan
NYPD’s hashtag promotion goes awry
http://bit.ly/1mLHt7Q

What would you do if this hashtag mishap happened to your organization?

Have a great weekend!

Kristin Rabas (@krabas)
Sr. Public Relations Advisor
Aurora Health Care