March/April 2008  

Spring is Here!  (Isn't it?)

We hope you can spare 96 seconds to read this issue of BuzzCuts...we promise it'll be a good use of your time. Our first article provides useful and easy-to-understand tips on getting up to speed on the basics of social media - what many experts (including us, we might add) say is the future of PR and communications. Other articles cover media relations, media training and crisis communications.

Past issues of BuzzCuts are archived on our Web site (follow the link at the bottom of this newsletter). And while you're there, click on the link to our new blog, PR Buzzsaw.

Five Quick Tips to Get Underway with Social Media

Take It a Step at a Time if You  Wish - You'll Still Get There

Below are our five recommended tips to begin making social media a new and important tool to communicate with your target audiences:

#1 - Sign up for an RSS feed so you can receive updates from thought-leaders and others in the industry you follow. Just experiment, learn and explore. If that's all you do, it's enough for now. And it's free.

#4 - For PR people, understand how the traditional media are changing and embracing social media. Connect with reporters who are blogging (great entry points for PR professionals) and find out how you can fulfill your local newspaper's multi-media needs. We've had great successes locally with The Sun.

#5 - Finally, explore the world of social media by signing up for webinars, listening to podcasts, learning what a widget is, what a wiki is, how people are sharing and commenting on pictures with Flickr, what Twitter is, how organizations are using YouTube channels, etc. This might sound confusing today, but tackle one new element at a time and pretty soon you'll catch up.

This list is very basic and it's early in the social media game. If you do nothing else after reading this, sign up for an RSS reader to begin your journey.

Media Training Tip #11 - Stay in Control by Counting Down

Use Your Fingers as a Visual Aid for You and the Reporter

Counting down is an easy and effective technique to stay in control during a media interview. 

For example, count down the number of points you wish to make and use your fingers to do so. It will help you to stay on track and signals your agenda to the reporter. Also, you're less likely to be interrupted when you count down.

Crisis Planning Tip #8 - Make Response Time a Top Priority

It Adds to the Perceived Success or Failure of How The Situation Was Handled

One of the top-of-mind reminders coming out of the Virginia Tech tragedy is the vital role that response time plays in a crisis. 

In many instances, the length of time to respond to a crisis will likely help to define the success or failure of an organization's actual or perceived ability to deal with the situation. For example the media used the school's two-hour response time as an ongoing story/interview angle and included it as a key descriptive fact in story leads.

We've seen instances where the media notes how long it took an organization to post information on its Web site, or whether they communicated online at all.

Set aside time to review your crisis communications plan with senior executives to make sure it continues to be relevant, reflects the organization as it is today and incorporates lessons learned from recent crisis situations experienced by others - such as response times.

Media Relations Tip #31 - Understand a Reporter's Need for Relevancy

E-mail is Top Preference for Receiving Information