Archive for Baltimore PR firms
Baltimore PR Firms Share Social Media Tips
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Thanks to everyone who came out to the Baltimore Business Journal‘s “Crash Course in Social Media” event yesterday at Sheppard Pratt in Towson. Attendees were treated to a half day of solid content from some of the top PR and social media companies in Baltimore. Here are links to the tools I mentioned during my presentation:
Dashboard for monitoring social media accounts: HootSuite; daily emails with mentions on Twitter: Twilert; instant alerts from across the web: Google Alerts; advanced monitoring and analytics: Radian6
For social media policies, the policies by Southwest Airlines and Ford are good examples. For a searchable database, check out Social Media Governance.
For examples of crisis situations, search for Domino’s Pizza and Chrysler. The new book I mentioned is #FAIL: The 50 Greatest Social Media Screw-Ups by Bernhard Warner.
Finally, here is my slide on steps to take to protect your reputation:
Crisis Communications Tip #4: Now is Not the Time to Be Insular
Posted by: | CommentsThere is an excellent article in the current issue of The Public Relations Strategist about the Penn State child-abuse scandal an
d the role their “we are the school” attitude played in the mishandling of the crisis and the resulting price it will be paying.
In our experience this attitude is prevalent when a crisis hits — regardless of the type of entity trying to deal with it. This includes a client that, just a few months into it, believes it has successfully weathered an ugly headline-generating situation. However, we’ve counseled them that they are instead at the beginning of it. We hope our prediction is wrong, but that sound you hear are their wagons circling.
Media Training Tip #8: Watch ‘Meet the Press’
Posted by: | CommentsNBC’s Sunday morning ‘Meet the Press’ is among our favorite media training tips because of its nearly unfailing showcasing of basic but key interview tips including bridging, flagging and counting. David Gregory asks questions while the guest then acknowledges them before offering information about topics/issues that s/he prefers get aired.
In our opinion, taking control of a media interview, as guests routinely do to one extent or another on such interview shows, 
should always be the goal. A media interview is your opportunity to communicate your messages using tips and techniques designed, crafted and time-tested to help you do so clearly, concisely, consistently.
On an upcoming Sunday, view “Meet the Press” or similar programs with an educated eye and ear towards the guests and their skill with taking control of the interview. You’ll see the results of media training at its best, happening right in front of you.
Kudos to Pro Bono Client The Stoop Storytelling Series
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We’re proud of our long standing commitment to gladly providing services pro bono to a select number of nonprofit organizations that we fully believe offer the community the elusive “something special.” The Stoop Storytelling Series is one such organization.
They will be part of WOW and we urge anyone who has yet to see a Stoop show (they are almost always sold out) to see them at the Meyerhoff in early March. We bet you’ll become a devoted fan as we are.
Effective Community Relations Programs Should Always Reflect Company Passions
Posted by: | CommentsWe like to believe that our community relations program is a model that other companies should follow in designing their own programs: support community efforts that reflect your own passions and do so with time, expertise and, of course, money.
For example, at Sawmill we have a passion for the area’s creative endeavors including The Creative Alliance, The Stoop Storytelling Series and the
Single Carrot Theatre. We willingly support them in every way possible and are enriched as a result which is an added bonus to any organization’s community relations program.
How is your passion reflected in your community relations program?
Sawmill Partner on Social Media Panel with CNN Commentator and Washington Post Editor
Posted by: | CommentsI’m looking forward to being part of a panel on crisis communications and social media Nov.3 that will bring attendees the latest thinking on how news organizations are using tools such as Twitter and Facebook during crisis situations. Find out more about the session, “Crisis Communication in a Social Media World,” and register for PRSA’s Mid-Atlantic Chesapeake Conference here. My co-presenters are:
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.
This week’s Baltimore Business Journal showcases @contactjeff as a Twitter account worth following.
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”
Check Your Crisis Communications Plan’s Expiration Date
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Does your company’s crisis communications plan look like this?
If you went through an expensive planning process that ended up with a bulky three-ring binder that’s now stuck on a shelf, it might have been a huge waste of money if it hasn’t been updated. If the words “Twitter” and “Facebook” aren’t even mentioned, it’s time for a re-fresh.
Today’s crisis communications plans focus less on setting up a media headquarters, holding press briefings and assigning phone tree responsibilities. Instead, your plan needs to incorporate social media so you can monitor and respond quickly – and while mobile – even before you get the first text, Tweet, email or even phone call from the media.
Media Training Can Help in a Variety of Situations
Posted by: | CommentsIn getting ready for an important meeting later this week that will include an in-depth question and answer period, I was reminded of media training basics including answer only the question that was asked and do not speculate.
Learning how to deliver your key messages clearly, concisely and consistently has so many valuable uses beyond communicating effectively in a media interview such as meetings and presentations of all descriptions, employee/staff situations, hiring interviews, and even sensitive family discussions.
There are several other basic media interview tips that can come in handy in a variety of situations beyond those with the media. Email me at susan.anthony@sawmillmarketing and I will be happy to share them with you.
