I’m thrilled that my good friend Rachael Phillips has penned this useful post. Read it and inwardly digest …

“Most companies public relations campaigns revolve around the press release. But let me tell you, the press release is dying.

As a journalist I receive a LOT of emails per day, the majority of these are press releases.

Now, I don’t want to lie to you, I delete around 98% of these releases – without even looking at them.

It’s not that I’m being rude, I possibly could be very interested in your company but if I were to spend my day reading every single release that appears in my inbox then there would be no time for actual work.

As an ex public relations professional turned journalist I know what a long, hard struggle it is getting your company in front of an editor.

Journalists can be a prickly bunch, on the whole we don’t really like to be disturbed so phone calls are a definite no-no and emails are often dismissed.

But one tool you do have at your disposal is Twitter.

Almost all journalists now have a twitter account, whether it’s to find case studies for their latest feature or to keep an eye on breaking news, Twitter is fast becoming an essential tool.

So why not harness that information and use twitter to connect with journalists and increase your chance of gaining great publicity?

Great idea, right?

Well before you rush off to send your favourite journalist a tweet telling them how amazing your product or service is, check out my top 10 tips on using twitter to connect with journalists.

1. Make sure your profile is in tiptop condition. You need to make sure you’ve a profile image (that suits the company, you in Marbella downing a beer bong won’t send out the right message) and an accurate description. It’s also ESSENTIAL that you include your location and website.

2. Journalists get a lot of pitches so don’t just pitch out of the blue. Take the time to build a relationship first, it can be as simple as just responding to one or two of their tweets.

3. Don’t copy and paste your tweet to several journalists. Seriously, this is not cool. Don’t think that once you pitch a journo that they won’t click on your profile to see what else you’re tweeting. If they see you’ve already tweeted other journalists with the same story then they will instantly switch off.

4. Keep to standard practices such as know what the journalist you’re tweeting writes about. There’s no point tweeting a tech journalist information about a new range of beauty products.

5. Check the journalist is active on Twitter. Why waste your time tweeting a defunct account?

6. DM is ALWAYS better than a public @, so if you can, take your pitch out of the public domain. However, don’t beg to be followed – you don’t want to appear needy.

7. Make sure that you contact the journalist not the publication. There’s no sense in pitching to @guardian because that account is an automatic stream and your message will be ignored. Do your research.

8. Keep an eye on the hashtag #journorequest – a lot of journalists will tweet information about stories they are working on and in particular if they need someone to comment.  You could be that person.

9. Use your lists. Create lists that include relevant journalists. You can use it to keep an eye on what the journalists are working on.

10. Never be pushy. Journalists (much like you) are really busy, if they don’t have time to respond or don’t reply straight away then that’s fine, don’t feel the need to tweet them the same thing again.

An extra TOP tip: Try keep your pitch to one tweet (two max.) If it can’t be said in 140 characters then it’s over complicated.

Overall, connecting with journalists on twitter is the easy part. Building a respectful and productive relationship is what you want to achieve, it takes time but it can garner great results.”

You can catch more of Rachael’s great content here: Rachael Phillips • Lifestyle Design • live, work & play better

 
photo credit: paurian via photopin cc

Many wise men and women have commented over the centuries on how negative experience can ultimately shape who we become.

I often think a rejection is the universe telling me “friend, you got it wrong this time; do you know why?” via someone closer to home.

Now that we are all very much in the digital spotlight it would be foolish to suppose that everyone is going to heap praise on everything we do, that there will never be a word of consternation uttered and that the whole process will be nothing other than a blissful journey to fame and fortune.

Life, my friends, is never like that. Because there is always a lesson to learn, no matter how long you’ve been plying your trade, on your social networks or otherwise.

Rejection can be one of the best things to happen to your business

When someone calls you out, unfollows you or makes a negative comment on your blog you have a superb social media management opportunity to ensure that you demonstrate to the world your commitment in the pursuit of business excellence.

“Have you lost your mind??” I hear you cry …

Absolutely not. Here are a few points that I’d like you to mull over:

Have you truly listened to everything that is being said about you and to you? You have? Have you written blog posts to showcase various examples? Mark that down on your ‘to do’ list if you haven’t, but don’t name names! Being seen to publicly acknowledge your shortcomings along with a readiness to take action where necessary is crucial in the digital age. Show your audience that you’re not just full of hot air.

Being unreasonably attacked says more about the other party than you. There is one proviso on this one, and it assumes that you have your own house in order. If you have done absolutely nothing to provoke outright hostility from another quarter then take the appropriate action (i.e. block them) and move on. And remember this: feathers usually don’t get ruffled unless you’re making progress.

You can’t please everyone all the time, and nor should you expect to. There will always be those who decide for their own reasons to walk away. When they do, ask yourself was there anything you did to contribute to it? Anything at all? An ongoing engaged, open-minded two-way communication will often help to iron out little gripes before they turn into a full-blown rebuff.

Rejection sets you free. Maybe, just maybe, that connection or prospect you were chasing was never going to blossom into a meaningful business relationship … In which case, go and sow your social marketing oats elsewhere. Once you’ve learned any applicable lesson that may be hanging around in the aftermath, that is.

Act swiftly, act positively. If you have legitimate questions to answer, be they service or product-related, don’t try and brush them under the fear of rejection carpet. Tackle them head on and do it (for the most part) in the public arena; that is to say you should thank people for taking the time to bring the matter to your attention before you outline how you will deal with it. Don’t deliberate on this one; speed is of the essence.

Lose the emotion. It’s so very easy to take criticism or rejection personally, particularly if it’s your business or personal project that is under scrutiny. No matter how strong the urge is to lash out publicly, don’t. Count to ten, and then don’t. Count to ten again, and then don’t. Repeat this process continuously until you’ve accepted that despite every fibre of your being wanting to let rip, you don’t.

A rejection is a golden opportunity to do better next time. Try harder. Be more responsive. Listen more intently. Step it up.

Your social media activities are an ongoing representation of your values, your approach and your methods

Make sure you use social media to develop a reputation for being responsive, attentive and positive. Always.

top photo credit: Alex E. Proimos via photopin cc

Let’s cut to the chase: if you’re a business using social media, you’re there to sell. Of course,  you’re there to find new prospects, make new connections and to keep an ear to the ground of your industry, but essentially if none of this activity is resulting in increased business then either something is going very wrong, or you’re wasting your time.

Phrases like “improve brand awareness” and “engage our customer base” get bandied around when we discuss our social media goals, but doesn’t it all boil down to wanting to sell more? There are a number of steps we need to successfully complete before the cash starts rolling in, but the cash does need to roll in. Otherwise we might as well put our feet up and try to complete the next level on Candy Crush Saga.

I can often sense unease when I talk to clients about this. Sometimes we get ourselves into an apologetic mindset when it comes to the fact that we accept money in return for our product or service. This is wrong.

But it’s all about balance.

If we have our customer service house in order, we have a high-quality offering and we’re committed to continuous improvement then we have nothing to feel sheepish about.

Moolah. Dosh. Wonga. It makes the world go around. It keeps people in work. It’s why we get up in the morning, put our best foot forward and go to work.

Why aren’t you selling as much via social media as you thought you would?

Everybody is raving about the benefits of being on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, so why isn’t it working for you?

I want you to sell more, so if you’re struggling take a look at these common factors that prevent businesses making positive progress and see if they apply to you:

You sell too hard, and too soon – We’ve all walked into a shop and been pounced on by a sales assistant, right? It’s not great. It feels clumsy and obtrusive, despite the fact that the assistant probably had the best of intentions. Doing something similar on social media is worse. At least when you walk into a shop there’s a chance you want to buy something. If I decide to connect with you online there could be a host of reasons why I’ve done so. Wait until you have a clue what they could be before you start with your sales patter. Buying online may not be one of them. Yet.

You want me to validate myself – OK, so nobody likes a spambot, but you’re a business; do you really expect that people should be willing to jump though a virtual burning hoop to prove that they’re real before you decide whether to follow them? Really? Doesn’t a quick glance at their profile tell you all you need to know at this stage? My advice is to drop the validation service if you’re a business; it sends out a message of mistrust from the outset.

You don’t know me – The biggest mistake you can ever make when trying to sell to anyone is to not have taken the time first to find out what they want. It’s elementary. Sending out blanket sales messages on social networks without any prior research of what your audience wants is a total waste of time, and guaranteed to switch them off. Once they’re disengaged you need to start over in the bid to win hearts and minds.

You’re an automaton! – Are you still selling out automated messages when someone follows you? Even worse, is it some sort of sales message? Here’s the headline: just because someone follows you does not mean they want to buy from you. Read that headline, read it again and reread it once more just before you disable your automated messages! If you can’t take the time to engage with people personally then maybe you need to reassess why you started using social media in the first place.

It’s all “you, you, you” – Don’t get me wrong, I like to hear what you’re up to, but when your feed becomes a self-obsessed stream of updates about what you’re doing, feeling, seeing and thinking … Well, I think the emphasis on customer service has been lost. Just a little.

You’ve padlocked your account – Really? You’re a business and you’ve made your account private? If you had a bricks-and-mortar shop would you lock the door and expect people to ring a bell to gain entry? My advice is to think long and hard before you do this. Some may think it gives off an air of exclusivity. Many will see it as having something to hide.

I like your competitor better – Ouch! This one hurts, right? The sad truth is we all have competition. Some are better are engaging with potential buyers than others, but it isn’t about being blessed with the “gift of the gab” or having a silver-tongued answer to every question. They’re just good at listening and responding according to what they hear. Be interested in people. It’s well nigh impossible to dislike anyone who is fascinated and taken with what you have to say.

Actual sales transactions don’t take place on social media but it is possible to propagate the buying mindset

Pay attention to the underlying message of your updates, and see how that impacts on the responses you get.

I offer social media coaching, training and advice for business and individuals. Email me here to find out more.

photo credit: Thomas Hawk via photopin cc