In a previous post, we talked about the different factors that form your overall online reputation.
In this post, let’s talk about the actual tools you can use to monitor how your online reputation is doing.

By using these tools regularly — daily in fact — you’ll know:

• what PR, branding and marketing strategies are working

• what your prospects and clients are saying about you and your competitors online

• what makes up the current discourse about your market or industry

Think of these tools as your way of keeping your ear to the ground and your finger on the pulse of your industry.

1. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free tool that lets you know how well your website is doing. Among other things,  you’ll know how much traffic you’re getting, where they’re coming from, what keywords they’re using to find you through search engines, and what specific pages they’re looking at.

A cool new tool is Google Analytics’ real-time reports. You’ll know how many visitors are at your website Right Now, what page they’re reading, how long they’ve been there, and more.

With Google’s website optimizer, which is also free, you can split test different versions of landing pages so know which ones work best with your prospects.

Data from Google Analytics will help you optimize your website so you can provide content that resonates with your prospects and turns them into leads and clients.

2. Hootsuite or Tweetdeck

Hootsuite and Tweetdeck are two of the most popular Twitter dashboards that let you manage your social media activity. You can link them to your Facebook and LinkedIn accounts as well, so you only need to open one application to administer your activities in different social networks. Note that Tweetdeck is a program you download on your computer, and Hootsuite is accessed by a web browser and so is hosted “off” your computer which means team members can also access your account if you are co-tweeting with someone else for example. Both have apps for your iPhone or other smartphone and the iPad as well.

These applications aggregate your messages and retweets, but they also provide so much more. You can set up columns, for example, to display all mentions of a particular keyword or hashtag. This lets you monitor what people are saying about your brand, your competitor, and other relevant topics.

But there’s more. Hootsuite, for example, gives you a report so you know which of your tweets got the highest number of clicks and which influencer is talking about you. Use these results to learn how to write compelling tweets and links.

3. Google Reader or other RSS Reader

With over 60 new blogs created and nearly 100,000 new tweets posted every minute, how do you keep track of online content? With your Google Reader or other RSS reader.

Subscribe to the RSS feeds of the top blogs in your industry, Google blog and news search results for your product name, company name, names of executives, and top keywords. You can also subscribe to RSS feeds for Twitter search results. Sometimes these results are different than what you’ll see on Hootsuite or Tweetdeck. By using an RSS reader as well, you can capture everything.

4. Hubspot Grader

Hubspot’s Marketing Grader looks at the various factors we’ve talked about and gives your website and social networking efforts a grade. Along with a free report, you’ll get recommendations to improve your online marketing.

Use the Hubspot Grader every six months or so to see if your score is improving.

5. Email Marketing Analytics

The final tool for you to use is the reporting mechanism from your email marketing provider like Mailchimp, Aweber or one built into your shopping cart. Your email marketing software will tell you how many of your recipients opened your emails, and how many clicked on the links in your emails. You can experiment with different types of subject lines, days and times for sending messages, and email content to maximize your email marketing results.

These are the 5 tools you can and should use to monitor and continually improve your online reputation. They will help keep your online PR and marketing machinery running smoothly.

Do you currently use them? What information has been most valuable for you? Are there other tools we and our readers need to be aware of? Do share! Post a comment below, or  connect with me on either Twitter or Facebook.

Image by Patrick Hoesly

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Public relations professionals need to keep our finger on the pulse of the media. But with so many changes happening, and the speed with which information travels, it’s hard to keep up.

Fortunately for us, Vocus, maker of cloud-based marketing and PR software, puts out an annual State of the Media Report. These reports give a summary of big changes that took place in media in the previous year, as well as trends to look out for in the year ahead. The 2012 report is now available for download, for free, here.

Below are some of my take-away insights from the report:

Insight:  Newsrooms are shrinking and journalists are expected to do more than ever

With budget cuts making news staff smaller than ever, journalists who do have work are left with many tasks to complete. They’re also forced to cross over from one medium to another, including digital media.

Action:

Do whatever you can to make the journalist’s job easier. Provide information — but not too much — and make them available in different formats. Create photos, videos, and slideshows and other multimedia materials to support your key messages.

Insight:  Increasing digitalization of traditional media also increases the demand for content

Nowadays, journalists don’t write a story and get done with it. They’re often also expected to update the story as new developments unfold.

Action:

Be a useful and trustworthy resource in your industry and market. Keep abreast of the latest developments, using social media tools, because they are faster than traditional media. Be the one who gives the journalists in your beat the latest news.

Insight:  Journalists are using social networks, particularly Twitter, to get real-time feedback and updates on stories

More and more journalists are becoming social media savvy. They know Twitter and other social networks are the best way to get the fastest news and stories from the ground.

Action:

Be social media savvy yourself. Connect with relevant journalists on Twitter, and monitor their streams. Be ready to respond and offer help when you can.

Insight:  Bloggers are the new journalists and broadcasters

I may make many journalists angry by calling bloggers “journalists.” But the truth is, bloggers reach large audiences, and, more importantly, the audiences of successful bloggers TRUST them.

Action:

Reach out to bloggers who reach your target audience. Read their blogs, find out what types of content their audiences enjoy. Find ways to make it easy for bloggers to create those types of content.

Hit Or Miss?

Do you agree with these insights and action points? What do you think is on the horizon for media, and how will those changes affect the way we do PR?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Let me know by posting a comment below. You can also reach me via Twitter or Facebook.

PS: There’s more to learn from the Vocus State of the Media Report, including two electronic gadgets you should invest in (Hint: You may already have them, but how well are you using them for PR? See page 15 of the report). Sign up for your access to this free report here.

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One of the best ways to keep abreast of any expertise is to populate your RSS reader with feeds from high-quality blogs.

Below, I share the 10 blogs I think would be most helpful to PR professionals or business owners who do their own PR.

I culled this list from AdAge Digital’s Power 150 blogs, a ranking of the top English-language marketing blogs. Each blog is scored depending on quality of content, as well as how frequently the posts are shared in various social networks.

Let’s get started!

Social Media Examiner

Because PR work must now be part of your overall social media strategy, learn how to use social media from the top blog on the topic: Social Media Examiner. SME covers the full spectrum of social media tools and resources. Their posts are practical and immediately actionable.

Copyblogger

Copyblogger is all about delivering quality online content — a critical element of all PR and content marketing. Each post is a model of how to create content for the web. No wonder it’s hugely popular.

Brian Solis

Brian Solis is an author and thought leader in new media. If you want to be ahead of others in understanding how new and emerging media will change the way we do things, then read his blog regularly.

Marketing Pilgrim

What began as a blog on search marketing now covers everything about Internet marketing and online advertising. The posts are short, evidence-based, and compelling.

Occam’s Razor by Avinash Kaushik

If you want to learn more about tracking and analyzing your web metrics, then better go straight to the source. Avinash is the author of two books, Web Analytics 2.0 and Web Analytics: An Hour a Day. Posts include detailed tutorials with screenshots. Best of all, you can ask him questions if there’s something you don’t understand.

HubSpot Internet Marketing Blog

HubSpot, the company that offers marketing automation software, also puts out tons of high-quality content on all areas of inbound marketing: SEO, blogging, social media, lead generation, and analytics. Don’t just read this blog. Watch and learn from everything HubSpot does.

PRNewser

This is the highest-ranking PR blog in AdAge’s Power 150. It covers PR news, events, research, pop culture, and even jobs. A fun blog to read.

PR Squared

Another PR blog that ranks high in the Power 150 list, this blog covers not just PR, but also social media and marketing.

Dan Zarrella

If you want to base your PR and online marketing on hard numbers, then Dan Zarella is the guy for you. He actually counts and analyzes clicks, tweets, and other actions related to social media. Want to know the best time to blog? How to get more people to click on your tweets? Read this blog.

Spin Sucks

Written by PR and marketing consultants, this blog is all about communication, social media, advertising, entrepreneurship, search engine optimization, and marketing. The posts are light reading and sometimes brutally honest. It’s good to know someone’s willing to tell it like it is.

If you want to see the complete list of AdAge’s Power 150, you can do so here.

Which blogs do you regularly follow? Which ones do you think should be included in this list, even if they didn’t make the Power 150?

Share links below! Or let me know via Twitter or Facebook.

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In this post, you’ll find an excerpt of the fourth and final installment of PR Newswire’s ebook, “Unlocking Social Media for PR.” In case you missed them, you’ll find the earlier parts below:

Part 1: Wetting Your Feet in the Pool of Social Media

Part 2: The Evolved Practice of Journalism and Earned Media Landscape

Part 3: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Quora & ProfNet Connect: A Deeper Dive

In this part of the book, you will read about Maria Perez’s experience in tweeting as a brand. Author Sarah Skerik then summarizes her top tips for using key social media platforms:  Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You’ll definitely find a few gems you can implement right away.

Here is the table of contents for Part 4 of “Unlocking Social Media for PR”:

Riding the Social Media Journey

The final part (part four) in this eBook series takes a closer look at the social media journey of Maria Perez in her role as the voice of @ProfNet, Maria shares her experiences and lessons learned as she carefully built a brand on Twitter – and mastered the difference between professional and personal tweeting. The eBook concludes with the author’s, Sarah Skerik’s, thoughtful recap and key takeaways from her ongoing journey through social media.

Chapter 11

10 Tips for Tweeting as a Brand……………………………………………………………………………. 4

Closing

Lessons Learned from My Social Network Journey – So Far……………………………. 7

Click here to sign up for this final part of “Unlocking Social Media for PR” — it’s free!

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It’s time for Part 3 of PR Newswire’s ebook, “Unlocking Social Media for PR.”

Here are the links to the previous parts of this series:

Part 1:  Wetting Your Feet in the Pool of Social Media

Part 2:  The Evolved Practice of Journalism and Earned Media Landscape

In Part 3, author Sarah Skerik dives into strategies for using specific social networks for PR: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Quora, and discussion groups and forums. These chapters contain the nuts-and-bolts of the ebook.

Here’s the table of contents from Part 3 of “Unlocking Social Media for PR”:

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Quora & ProfNet Connect: A deeper dive

Part three (of four) in this eBook series delves a bit deeper into specific social networks and the different approaches necessary for each. Learn how to cultivate and interact with an audience on Facebook, craft an effective tweet and maximize exposure on Twitter, establish company pages and uncover opportunities on LinkedIn and how to strategically involve yourself in the savvy discussions on Quora and other forums.

Chapter 6
Using Facebook for Public Relations …………………………………………………………………….. 4

Chapter 7
Using Twitter for Public Relations………………………………………………………………………… 9

Chapter 8
Using LinkedIn for Public Relations ………………………………………………………………………. 15

Chapter 9
Using Quora for Public Relations.…………………………………………………………………………. 19

Chapter 10
Discussion Groups and Forums: Virtual Focus Groups for  Wired Communicators ………………………………….. 22

Sign up for Part 3 of “Unlocking Social Media for PR” here.

Next Tuesday, December 27, we’ll take a peek into the fourth and last part of the series. See you then!

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Today we continue our series on “Unlocking Social Media for PR,” an ebook by PR Newswire.

If you missed the first part of the series, click here to read an excerpt from the ebook: the Introduction and table of contents of the ebook’s first part, “Wetting Your Feet in the Pool of Social Media.”

The second part of the ebook is entitled, “The Evolved Practice of Journalism and Earned Media Landscape.” In this installment, you’ll gain insight on how journalists use social media. You’ll also learn about “evolved media,” and why all businesses should strive for that ideal combination.

Below is the table of contents from Part 2 of the ebook:

The evolved practice of journalism and earned media landscape

Part two (of four) in this eBook series explores how social media has trans- formed the face of journalism – from the way information is distributed, shared and consumed to how journalists and bloggers now interact with pr profes- sionals. Gain insight to the growing opportunities to capture earned media in the evolved landscape where paid, owned and earned media are more tightly integrated than ever before.

Chapter 4

How Journalists and Bloggers Use Social Media – and the Opportunities for PR ……… 4

Chapter 5

Earned Media:  When 2+2=7 …………………………………………………………………… 9

Click here to access the rest of “Unlocking Social Media for PR.”

Check back on Thursday, December 22, for an excerpt of part 3 of this ebook, entitled “Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Quora & ProfNet Connect: A deeper dive.”

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PR Newswire recently released an ebook, “Unlocking Social Media for PR,” which I highly recommend you download, read, study, and implement.

Written for PR professionals who want to better understand and make the most of social media and how social media has impacted PR, it’s also useful for DIY business owners.

Below, you’ll find an excerpt from Part 1 of the ebook. To access the entire document, click here and register.

Introduction

by Jason Keller, Senior Vice President, Products, PR Newswire

So social media is changing the art and science of public relations so fast your head is spinning. It all may be second nature to kids with freshly minted degrees and new agency or corporate jobs. But if you’re a PR professional just a few years older than that, you may be dizzy.

Luckily, this is the eBook for you.

In an inviting and accessible style, author Sarah Skerik illuminates social media’s plentiful impact on PR. She provides insights you can use right away concerning what social media has changed, what’s not changed and how you can use the new social layer to make your PR better – all leveraged from Sarah’s unique vantage point. Sarah is Vice President of Social Media for PR Newswire, and she gets firsthand insight into the social media best practices of PR Newswire’s voluminous global customer base even as she manages our own social media presence. And that customer base is telling us that you simply cannot escape the influence of social media in modern public relations – and, in fact, it’s leading to entirely new kinds of workflows for the PR industry.

We’re opening up a new discussion forum for this eBook on our ProfNet Connect expert community. At the end of each chapter, you’ll find a linked button that will enable you to join the conversation and agree, disagree or expand upon the thoughts you find herein.

PART 1
Wetting your feet in the pool of social media

Part one (of four) in this eBook series guides you as you’re getting your feet wet in the pool of social media. Based on your brand’s or organization’s goals, needs, interests and resources, these initial chapters will help you determine how many networks are suitable and which are most appropriate to communicate with your audiences. You will also read about the experiences and challenges of various PR professionals that are in the process of incorporating social media into their daily workflow and embracing their changing role in public relations.

Chapter 1
PR and Social Media: A Simple Guide to Getting It by Doing It ………………………. 4

Chapter 2
Selecting Social Networks: How Many Are Enough? …………………………………………. 10

Chapter 3
Integrating Social Media into the Daily Practice of PR……………………………………… 14

Click here to download the rest of the documents (requires opt in) and receive more PR tips and advice from PRNewswire.

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You’ve probably heard by now that having a blog is a great way to boost your company’s online visibility and drive traffic to your website. When you blog regularly and post about something other than what you had for lunch, you build a community of fans and followers who will happily return again and again to learn from you and your business.

But do you know how to leverage your blog posts to get your company more media attention?

When you don’t have anything newsworthy to say about your company, your blog may be all you need to get your business some buzz or at the very least, keep you on a journalist’s top of mind.

• Think about the last post you wrote that got a lot of attention from your network. Why did it get so much buzz? Is it because you hit the nail on the head about a problem your industry is facing? Did you write a commentary on a controversial issue that people are on the fence about? Turn that post into a pitch and send it to your media list. In a short introduction, tell the reporter why she should be interested in your post and what other information you could offer if there’s a related story they are working on. Be sure to follow up in a few days with a phone call to that reporter.
• Another way you can use that same post to get more PR is to send it out through your social networks (which I hope you do with all of your posts anyway). You never know who will see your post or pass it on to a friend who just might be a journalist looking for a new story idea.
• Conversely, you could also simply tweet your blog to a journalist. It does save you the effort of having to write a pitch, but there’s also a chance that it won’t be enough to capture the interest of a reporter. A better strategy may be to create an army of adoring journalists by regularly tweeting a reporter and engaging them in conversation while occasionally sending them links to your posts that they would find interesting.

Now it’s your turn. How has your blog helped you with your PR efforts? Leave a comment below or send me a message through Twitter or Facebook!

Photo Credit: Techie Mania

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Newsletters not only help you attract new clients, but they can also help attract media to your business.

Think about it. You probably subscribe to someone’s newsletter because you want to receive their insider tips and be updated about any news on a regular basis. You want the latest scoop before everyone else who isn’t on their subscriber list.

The media are just like you: searching for the next big news item and trying to get it down in print before someone else does. When filled with the right content, your newsletter can be just the thing that a journalist needs to write their next article, or consider you as a source for their next story – leading to a possible media hit for you.

Here are five ways that newsletters can be used to your PR advantage:

1. Become the expert

Most newsletters have a “letter” section where you can talk to your subscribers about anything- insider tips, a hot button topic, etc. Use this section to talk about something that shows off your industry knowledge and establishes you as an expert in your niche.

2. Pitch the media…without pitching the media

Newsletters let you share company news on a regular basis without having to write a formal press release or pitch.

3. The long reach

You never really know who’s subscribed to your newsletter. It may be a journalist, a blogger or even a friend of a niche influencer who decides to pass on your newsletter one day.  A company I co-founded several years ago was included in someone else’s newsletter and a reporter from Maclean’s Magazine (a national magazine like the “Newsweek” of Canada) was subscribed.  The reporter then called us for a story and after the story appeared – we attracted a buyer and then sold the company!

4. Follow up, follow up

Newsletters are a great way to follow up with a reporter you’ve met and keep in touch with them. Send them an e-mail following your meeting, share with them your latest newsletter as a way to give them more information about you and mention why you’d think they’d find it handy.

5. Increase the number of eyes on your website

You always want to get more people looking at your website, which increases your chances of a sales or PR conversion. Pepper your newsletter with a few “go to my company site to learn more” links and get those eyeballs there.

How do you use your newsletter in your marketing or PR efforts? I’d love to hear your suggestions and experiences in the comments below or send me a message via Twitter or Facebook

Photo Credit: DTM Software

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If you’re here, in all likelihood it’s because you “liked” my Facebook page when I was named in All Facebook’s “10 Facebook Pages Every PR Professional Should Follow”. To show my appreciation, I’m devoting this post to give YOU some exposure.

Why?

1. I myself hire freelance PR pros on an ongoing basis to work with my corporate clients at Cross Border Communications. If you want to know more about Cross Border and how I built a 7-figure PR agency from home, watch my interview with The Rise To The Top.

2. My PR in Your Pajamas do-it-yourself clients are often on the lookout for PR freelancers, contractors and consultants to support them, especially when I’m unable to work with them.

I’d like to be able to refer them to this single page of PR professionals who are available for contracting work.

If you want to be included, post the following information in the comments below:

• Your Name
• Your Business URL
• The Number One PR Service You Provide

Please be specific and name only one service you not only excel at, but love to do. Choose the one thing you’re really good at that that would make it easy for my readers to say, “Aha! That’s exactly what I need!” Don’t try to be a jack (or jill) of all trades and a master of none.

I can’t wait to learn more about you, and start sending leads your way!

Image from Crestock Stock Photo

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