Timing is Everything: When to Blog, Tweet and More

caitlin — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:31:48 +0000

The popular link-shortening service Bitly recently released a study determining the best times to post on various social networking services, based on their real-time link tracking data. They based this study on click-through rates, virality of posts and sharing rates that occurred at different times of the day (Eastern Time) and different days of the week. As this study supports, the time or day that you post something can have a significant impact on who views it, how much it gets shared and how many times it gets viewed. This article will provide readers with a guide of the best times to post on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and blogs.

Facebook — The main thing to remember about Facebook is to avoid posting on weekends, starting on Friday afternoons. According to Bitly, the highest average click-through rates for posts containing links on Facebook are between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. More specifically, posts on Wednesdays have shown to be most effective.

Twitter — Similar to Facebook, it’s best to avoid tweeting on weekends if you want to secure as many click-throughs and shares as you can. The best time to post on Twitter is between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, since these are peak traffic times. Like Facebook, it’s ineffective to tweet at night, specifically after 9:00 p.m., on any day, and after 3:00 p.m. on Fridays.

Tumblr — Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Tumblr users seem to be on an entirely different schedule. Bitly found that on Tumblr, posts sent between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Fridays, Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays received the most clicks and shares among users.

Blogs — According to Shareaholic, the leading global social share widget, the most sharing of blog entries takes place on Thursdays with 10% more shares than any other day. If you’re looking for page views, the best days to blog are Mondays and Tuesdays. As for the best time of day to blog, various sources have found that the best time to update your blog is during the morning or early afternoon on weekdays.

Of course, it’s impossible to make sure you’re at your computer desk to post at these exact times. This is where social media publishing tools come in. By using programs such asHootSuite, Tweetdeck or Social Oomph to update social media profiles, you can schedule posts in advance and make sure they’re updated at the exact times you prefer them to appear. You can also schedule blog posts to automatically publish themselves at any time in the future on WordPress, Blogger and other popular blogging platforms. For more information on these helpful programs, refer to our article, “Social Media Publishing 101.”

For more information, please contact The Public Relations and Marketing Group at (631) 207-1057 or johnzaher@theprmg.com. You can also visit our blog for more valuable articles, advertising spotlights and more.

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5 Web Skills Every Public Relations Professional Should Have

caitlin — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:17:01 +0000

More than ever before, we live in an age of lightning-fast exchanges of news and a seemingly endless stream of information at our fingertips. While traditional public relations techniques are still important, being able to adapt to recent Web and social media trends is essential for success in this industry. The ability to create content, build relationships and convey information is as important as ever, but there are a variety of new, digital methods to doing this. This article will provide you with an overview of five important skills that every public relations professional should have, including creating content for online sources, proactive monitoring, visual communications, adaptation and consistency.

Online Content Creation — It has always been important for public relations professionals to create strong and compelling content but, especially in this age, it is equally important to optimize this content for the Web. Even if your online press releases or social media updates contain quality content and writing, your efforts will go unrecognized if no one can find it online. Using methods to optimize your content for search engines will help your content get found. Make sure to always include keywords throughout your copy and include hyperlinks and relevant tags whenever possible. For more information on content creation and search engine optimization, read our articles, “Why Quality Content Reigns Supreme” and “What You Need to Know About SEO.”

Proactive Monitoring — It’s important to set aside some time for a Web and social media monitoring strategy to keep informed of what’s being said online. For anyone in the field of communications, it’s helpful to monitor conversations, mentions of brands and businesses and current trends and to get involved in online discussion groups. If you haven’t already, set up Google Alerts for phrases that either interest you or are related to your business or clients. For example, create alerts for business names, products and areas that you want to receive updates from. Always keep yourself informed with what’s being said about your business or client on the Web and stay up-to-date with industry updates and tips on how to grow professionally. For more information, please refer to our articles, “Social Media Publishing 101” and “How to Monitor Your Facebook and Twitter Success.”

Visual Communications — Strong visuals have always been powerful in regards to public relations efforts. Many people are able to connect stories and information more easily on a visual level rather than through text alone. Infographics, charts and traditional photographs have become immensely popular online thanks to the rise in photo sharing websites such as Pinterest, Flickr and Instagram, which can be downloaded on iPhone or Android devices. It’s important to include a multimedia element, such as a photo, video or graph, in press releases, social media updates and blog posts whenever possible. You may even consider creating a Flickr or Pinterest account to store and categorize your photos. For more information on the importance of visual communications, refer to our article, “How Photo Sharing Sites Can Help Your Business.” Public relations professionals should be able to harness multimedia to engage audiences and encourage them to share this content.

Adaptation — Especially in the ever-changing realm of social media, there are constantly new updates and tools to be explored. With Twitter redesigning its interface and Facebook’s new Timeline for business pages, professionals should be prepared for these changes and implement new strategies and techniques accordingly. Being able to adapt and take advantage of new tools can keep you one step ahead of the competition.

Consistency — With the majority of online and social media outlets, it’s imperative to find the right balance with your efforts. If you don’t update your pages enough, your efforts will go unnoticed. Yet on the other hand, if you overdo it with postings that are too frequent, you could push your audience away and this could work against you. It’s essential to commit to a consistent updating schedule. Updates don’t have to be exact, but at least have a loose idea of how often you should update each platform. For example, blogs should be updated twice a week while Twitter should be updated daily, if possible.

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Advertising Spotlight on Milieu: Long Island Press’ New Bimonthly Supplement for Women

caitlin — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:13:40 +0000

In March, the Long Island Press published its new women’s supplement, Milieu, for the first time. It was well-received by women between the ages of 30 and 55 across Nassau and Suffolk Counties. This month, 80,000 copies of Milieu will be distributed as a pullout in the Press. Milieu will be distributed to more than 2,100 Long Island locations (including 4,000 copies handed out at Penn Station to homebound commuters, 10,000 home-delivered in Nassau and 5,000 mailed to female-targeted locations).

Women are making buying decisions for their families and companies, now more than ever. With content designed to pique the interests of successful local opinion leaders, Milieu delivers your message with confidence and grace. If your business targets women, or if you want to reach Long Island’s decision makers, you should consider advertising in this new and vibrant publication.

Display ads will run in both counties, and in the digital edition. Rates start at $195 for an eighth of a page, and go up to $1,200 for a full page. All ads are in color and can run in one county for 65% of the island-wide rate.

For more information on advertising or design services, please contact The Public Relations and Marketing Group at (631) 207-1057 or email johnzaher@theprmg.com.

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Advertising Spotlight: Knicks Playoffs Packages

caitlin — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:32:33 +0000

This weekend may have been the start of the New York Knicks’ playoff season, but it is not too late to get in on the action! Cablevision is still offering a few discounted packages to advertisers that are looking to capitalize on this exciting sports event.

Twenty-spot packages for Round 1 start at just $405 for the Riverhead zone. Advertisers get five in-game spots on MSG, five 9 a.m.-midnight rotators on MSG, five on ESPN News and five more on ESPN Classic. This offers the frequency needed to reach fans at a low discounted price; island-wide, this package costs $7,000. Compare that to the retail rate of $1,360 per spot for island-wide Round 1 playoff games — the rotators are basically free.

The excitement and the ratings increase when the Knicks get to Round 2! The same package will run at $505 in Riverhead and $8,800, island-wide. These island-wide spots retail at $1,725 each.

For more information on advertising or design services, please contact The Public Relations and Marketing Group at (631) 207-1057 or email johnzaher@theprmg.com.

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Advertise with The Gazette this Spring

caitlin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:59:53 +0000

With Mother’s Day around the corner and spring in full bloom, Long Island businesses may benefit from advertising with The Gazette’s May issue. The Gazette features community events, children’s happenings and local news surrounding individual towns on Long Island. This free publication is dedicated to providing residents with a community-oriented and localized view of the news.

This advertising opportunity is appropriate for companies that are active in the springtime and looking to reach their target audience. For example, landscaping companies, lawn services, home improvement organizations, flower companies and gardening services may benefit from placing an advertisement in this issue. Businesses who buy three months worth of advertisements can also get the fourth month free of charge.

Please keep in mind that the deadline for this issue is May 8. If your business is interested in placing an ad, please contact The Public Relations and Marketing Group as soon as possible at (631) 207-1057 or johnzaher@theprmg.com.

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5 Blogging Mistakes and How to Fix Them

caitlin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:40:41 +0000

Anyone can create a blog but at the end of the day, the question is whether or not your blog is getting results and generating leads for your business. If the answer is no, you may be committing one of the following blogging sins. This article will provide an overview of five common mistakes businesses make when blogging, including not understanding their target audience, not providing any contact information, inconsistent updating, bad writing and not including multimedia.

For those who are new to blogging, read our article, “Should My Business Have a Blog?.”

Not Understanding Your Target Audience — One of the most common blogging mistakes is when a business doesn’t understand the needs of their audience. The key to successful blogging is focusing every post on what your prospective customers or clients would find most valuable or interesting. Readers are looking for information that can directly benefit them. Businesses should place an emphasis on creating interesting, helpful and engaging content rather than pure self-promotion.
For more information and tips on creating content, read our article, “Why Quality Content Reigns Supreme.”

No Contact Information — Without clearly displayed contact information, your business can miss out on a number of leads and potential customers. Ensure your contact information is clearly displayed and include your business name, address, phone number and an email address. Also, don’t forget to complete the “About Page” of your blog with a well-written, concise description of your organization. This way, readers can easily find out more information about your business and contact you, should they have any questions.

Inconsistency — Perhaps the biggest mistake that bloggers can make is inconsistency. If a reader stumbles upon your blog and sees that it hasn’t been updated in a month or two, they won’t be likely to give it any credibility. This is a sure way to lose potential leads. By establishing a publication schedule, whether it be twice a week or weekly, it’s far more likely that your blog will be successful. Updating your blog with strong, well-written posts on a consistent basis will drive high-quality traffic to your site.

Bad Writing — If your blog is riddled with typos and bad grammar, it will reflect poorly on your business. Poorly written articles will turn off readers and discourage them from reading future entries or contacting your organization. Writing concisely, using spell-check and taking the time to proofread your writing can go a long way. Also, it’s essential to fully research any facts that you may not be sure about to prevent inaccurate or misleading information from being published.
For tips on achieving flawless writing and grammar, read our articles, “Proofreading — The First in a Series of Three Articles,” “Write Like You Mean It: 5 Ways to Use Better Grammar” and “Words Mean Things: 5 Tips to Avoid Spelling Errors.”

No Images or Videos — Whenever possible, include some kind of multimedia with your blog entries. Even if your content is strong, it’s important to include some kind of visual or audio element to supplement the text. Readers are very responsive to articles that include photos, videos, graphs, charts, podcasts and so on. Also, having an image or video helps draw people in and make the post more eye-catching.

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Advertising Spotlight: New Products from All Island Media

caitlin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:05:54 +0000

All Island Media publishes the Pennysaver/Town Crier in many regions across Long Island. They have recently launched a number of new inserts that can be added to the weekly free paper to communicate your company’s message more effectively. All inserts can be distributed by zip code and are charged by every 1,000 households (cpm). Below are three of the inserts most worthy of your attention:

The Frequent Flyer program offers the largest insert at 10”x11½”. Printed on 50# glossy paper stock, the flyer is perfect for the advertiser that has a lot to say — or a lot of photos to show. It extends far outside of the parameters of the 6¾”x10” booklet and costs as little as $49 cpm.
The VIP Card is a 5”x11” postcard that is placed into the book on top of the flyer. This postcard allows the advertiser to print on both sides, without requiring space for mailing information. The lightweight cardstock also makes this product a good vehicle for coupons. When purchased by zone, the card costs only $35 cpm.
The Mega Card, a 7”x9” flyer, is printed on a heavier stock and glossy on one side. The advertiser gets printing on both sides of this product as well and the glossy finish displays photos crisply, with bright color. This eye-catching card is available for as little as $54 cpm.

Also of note is the redesign of the Long Island Trends lifestyle publication. What used to be an ugly, ad-driven paper has morphed into an attention-grabbing resource for consumers, complete with relevant editorial. Advertisers can now purchase the cover and a full-page ad on page 3 (the first right-hand page of the book) for $1,359.

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How to Engage Journalists Using Social Media

caitlin — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:46:46 +0000

A recent survey conducted last month by Text 100 Global Public Relations discovered that a significant number of journalists use social media and blogs on a regular basis when researching a business, brand or organization for an article. A total of 72 full-time journalists working in print, online and broadcast media were surveyed and the results found that, on average, journalists look at 2.6 social media channels for every story they research. Given these statistics, and the rapid rate at which social networking is growing, public relations professionals can use social media channels to engage with journalists and reach out to them in an outlet where they’re known to be active.

This article will explain the best methods public relations professionals can use to engage journalists through social media.

Maintain Social Media Profiles — Since reporters may look at several social media channels when conducting research, it’s important that your organization has a positive presence on all of them. By creating professional, thorough and favorable profiles for your business online, journalists will be able to discover the information that you want to be highlighted. For example, use social media channels to display media coverage, upcoming events, company news and anything else that you would like the public to be aware of.

For information on how to get your business active on social media, please see our article, “Getting Started with Social Media.”

Focus on Twitter — An important finding in this study was that Twitter is the best social media channel for public relations pitches and media relations. The survey found that journalists are far more likely to welcome contact on Twitter rather than LinkedIn, Google+or even Facebook. Public relations professionals can use Twitter to connect with reporters by seeking out their profiles and “following” them. Twitter is a great way to stay in touch with journalists and pitch stories, business news and upcoming events. Of the journalists surveyed in this study, 53% found that a company’s Twitter profile was instrumental in their research when writing an article.

For an overview of how businesses can use Twitter, please see our articles, “Secrets to Twitter Marketing” and “Twitter Unveils Brand-New Design and Special Features for Businesses.”

Create a Blog — Blogs are also an increasingly important venue to attract media attention. According to this survey, 63% of journalists found a company’s blog to be extremely useful in their research. By creating and maintaining an active blog, your business can establish itself as an industry leader and nourish an interactive hub of information about your organization. Businesses should provide useful information and quality content that relates to your organization and industry as a whole. For more information on how important blogging is for brands and businesses, read our article, “Should My Business Have a Blog?”

It is also important to keep in mind that while social media is becoming increasingly important, journalists still value press releases and phone conversations. While the media is increasingly turning to social media and online outlets for information, they still rely heavily on these more traditional methods of contact when covering a story. These social media techniques should be used to supplement press releases, media advisories and other traditional communications outlets.

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Start the Summer With Outdoor Advertising

caitlin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:12:18 +0000

As the weather improves and the school year comes to an end, people move outside. If you want them to see your message, you need your ad campaign to move outside with them. Outdoor advertising presents a message to the viewer that they cannot opt out of. They cannot turn off a billboard, or turn the page on a bus ad.

Outdoor advertising comes in many forms, but the key is always location. Your ads need to be in a place rich with foot traffic. If you are a brick-and-mortar retailer, the ads should be within walking distance from your shop. If you provide a unique service, the ad can be in driving distance, but still within the community. For wider exposure, ads can be placed on public transportation or “mobile billboards”; you can even have your billboard towed by scooter!

Your business may do well to consider some of the following options:

• Bus and bus shelter ads
• Train station platform billboards
• Train trestle ads
• Street and sidewalk decals
• Lawn signs and exterior vinyl banners
• Summer event sponsorships

PRMG can help coordinate a comprehensive outdoor advertising plan to fit in with your company’s marketing strategy.

For more information or details regarding rates and pricing, please contact The Public Relations and Marketing Group at (631) 207-1057 or email johnzaher@theprmg.com.

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