During a breakout session during the Counselor’s Academy conference this week, “Mobilizing Your Firm for a Smartphone World,” presenters Linda W. Cohen, APR, CEO of The Caliber Group, Inc., and Michael Barber, director of digital strategy, Cohn Marketing, shared the following eye-opener facts and insights:

• By June 2012 (next month!) more people will read email on their mobile devices than on laptops or the computers at their offices or at home. No longer are they tethered to the stationary computer work-stations of the past;
• In 2012, a total of 58 percent of consumers will buy something using their mobile device;
• By 2013, half of the internet traffic to your site will be via people on their mobile devices;
• By 2015, more people will access the Internet through mobile devices than through PCs or other wired computers;
• To accommodate and promote all of this, the marketing spend has flipped as budgets for mobile now dominate social. Now is the time to plan your mobile marketing strategy, from providing apps to converting your website so people can access your information when they need it.

If you haven’t done so already, grab an iPhone or Android and visit your company’s website. Like what you see? Ready or not that’s the first impression you’re already offering a significant percentage of visitors to your site.

With all the talk about social media (and all the so-called experts in the latest tools and tactics), speaker Jay Baer, president of Convince & Convert, delivered this reminder: “The goal isn’t to be good at social media…the goal is to be good at business because of social media.”

That’s a point worth thinking about as we take steps to weave social media into our routines which, by the way, need to be just that – part of our days: “There’s no magic answer to how much time to devote to social media,” he said. “You must commit to doing it regularly versus doing it in-depth. Speed and response time is important so be first, fast and mobile. A minute here, a minute there in the tiny gaps in the day.”

Jay also shared why your online/social presence – in addition to using traditional channels – is so important. A Google study (see the Zero Moment of Truth) shows that in 2010 people needed 5.3 pieces of information to make a purchase decision. In 2011, they sought out an average of 10.4 sources of information, including blogs, websites and social networks, before they decided. “When we’re almost ready to buy, that’s when we call,” Baer said.

“When we want to make a purchase decision, we research first.” So in addition to making sure your sales information is accessible and accurate, be sure that whoever answers that call is ready, because that’s an educated and motivated customer ready to talk!

The event is hosted by the Baltimore Business Journal, which says, “This morning event will leave you with the information you need to take your social media marketing to the next level. Hear some of Baltimore’s top social media experts as they give you insights on how to take full advantage of today’s social media.”

For additional information and to register, follow this link.

Their mission is to promote the financial independence and job training of low-income mothers/women in Baltimore by creating and selling products that reduce the impact of consumers on the environment.

We are looking forward to conducting social media workshops early next month — part of the job training curriculum the organization  conducts for the women.

We eagerly anticipate lending our expertise in ways we hope will help the organization to grow, which in turn will help more single mothers in Baltimore to grow as well.

In the meantime, we hope our readers will also help by donating whatever is possible to help fund critical job training activities.

While votes are being counted, what about the still relatively new social media? Here’s a definition I like, from communications pro Shel Holtz, co-host with Neville Hobson of my not-to-be-missed podcast “For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report”:

“The simple, easy-to-use online technologies and practices that people use to share opinions, insights, passions, experiences and perspectives and to collaborate with each other.”

I also like this one from Joe Thornley, CEO of Thornley Fallis and co-host of the other PR podcast that I never miss, “Inside PR” with Gini Dietrich and Martin Waxman:

“Social media are online communications in which we shift instantly and easily between the role of audience and creator – without needing to know how to code. We do this by using social software that incorporates functions like publishing, sharing, friending, commenting, linking and tagging.”

What do you think? Have you come across a better definition? Please share!

The day-long workshop will be held on the campus of the College of Southern Maryland in Leonardtown.

Anthony will speak on “Getting More Mileage from Media: Part One, Traditional Media,” while Davis will speak on “Getting More Mileage from Media: Part Two, Online Media.”  Both sessions will include ample time for discussion and questions from attendees.

About PRISM

Public Relations Individuals of Southern Maryland (PRISM) is a professional organization for public relations and marketing practitioners in the Southern Maryland region, including Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s counties. The purpose of the organization is to provide professional development and networking opportunities to individuals who work in public relations and marketing. The PRISM members serve in various industries such as economic development, defense, retailing, health care, government, non-profit, education, and professional services. For more information visit www.prismonline.info

About Sawmill Marketing Public Relations
Sawmill Marketing Public Relations is a Baltimore PR firm and social media marketing communications agency established in 1995 specializing in the development and execution of marketing public relations programs as business development strategies for business-to-business, business-to-consumer and professional services clients. The Maryland public relations company specializes in social media, traditional media relations, media training, and crisis communications. For additional information, visit www.sawmillmarketing.com

Last week I was on a panel, “Crisis Communication in a Social Media World,” with CNN political commentator Maria Cardona and The Washington Post‘s James Buck. Cardona, also a principal with the Dewey Square Group, provided insights into political scandals and the need to be prepared to move quickly with social media as a key part of your crisis PR plan. Since former Congressman Anthony Weiner is “old news” in the Twitter world, we focused on the Herman Cain controversy and the impact of social media.

Buck talked about how the Post uses social media in its reporting, including live-tweeting meetings and events and verifying sources via Twitter by looking at Klout scores and level of engagement among other factors. Buck has first-hand experience with the power of social media. While covering protests in Egypt in 2008 he was detained by Egyptian authorities and placed in a vehicle that was to take him to a prison. In the back seat, he tweeted one word -  “arrested” – which triggered a response that eventually led to his release. Twitter’s founders use this as an example of how one word tweeted to a handful of followers can have a big impact.

Still think social media is for following Justin Bieber or Snooki? It’s so much more, and you need to have a plan and tools in place – before the crisis hits.

Maria Cardona is a Democratic strategist who recently joined CNN as a political commentator for the 2012 election and contributor to CNN en Español. During the 2008 Democratic primary election, Cardona was senior adviser and spokesperson to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and served on the campaign’s Hispanic outreach team. During the 2008 general election, she was a key surrogate for the Obama for America campaign, and during the Clinton administration, Cardona served as a spokesperson at the U.S. Departments of Justice and Commerce.

James Buck is the Washington Post‘s local innovations editor. He came to the Post in 2010, after working at FRONTLINE/World, The Oakland Tribune, The Center for Investigative Reporting and University of California-Berkeley. While a graduate student at Berkeley in 2008, James traveled to Egypt to cover an anti-government protest and was arrested. He used Twitter on his cell phone to alert his friends, who immediately began campaigning for his release. The founders of Twitter frequently use James’ experience in explaining the power of the site as a communication tool.

Register today and join us! The Mid-Atlantic Chesapeake Conference has an impressive lineup of sessions this year, making it a must-attend event for the region’s public relations pros.

The item in “Smart Strategies” notes that PR firms and advertising folks were among the first to use Twitter to promote clients and engage in dialogue with the media. “One of the early adopters in this field was Jeff Davis, a partner with Sawmill Marketing Public Relations.”

“His tweets offer a nice mix of the personal and the professional — and some are quite funny,” the BBJ says. At least that’s their opinion!

In fact, the BBJ was the first to cover Sawmill’s push into social media in 2007, and then in 2008 under the headline: “What Are You Doing? PR firms answer that question and more via social networking phenomenon Twitter”