Archive for PR
Jeffrey Davis, a partner with Baltimore, Maryland PR firm Sawmill Marketing Public Relations, has been invited to serve as an expert panelist for the upcoming “Social Slam: Building Your Social Media Toolbox,” presented by the Public Relations Society of America, Maryland Chapter. Details:
Social Slam: Building Your Social Media Toolbox
April 25, 2013
8:30 a.m.
Erickson Living Corporate
Catonsville, MD
Gain a better understanding of social media in 2013! Let the experts guide you through the ins and outs of the top social networking services. Panelists will share how they strategically use social media and create effective content, as well as new trends and best practices for a successful online presence.
Panelists:
Linda Bernstein, Social Media Coordinator with City Paper
Jeffrey Davis, APR, partner with Sawmill Marketing Public Relations
Roswell Encina, Director of Communications with Enoch Pratt Free Library
Mitch Case, Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts
Moderator: Tim Parsons, Director of Public Affairs, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
For more information and to register, visit the PRSA Maryland Chapter website at www.prsamd.org
Seven Years of ‘Social Content Integration’
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This year we’ll mark the anniversary of our decision in 2007 to add social media to Sawmill’s suite of services (media relations, media training and crisis communications were the original three). As an early adopter and one of the first PR firms to go in this direction we gained a lot of attention for the move, and the Baltimore Business Journal later marked the occasion with a news story (left) about Sawmill’s role in this emerging trend, headlined: “PR firm trying to get its clients face (book) time with new media”
Back then, we didn’t quite know what to call it and wound up with the moniker “Social Content Integration.” Now everybody calls it Social Media, but we like the original name and that’s what it still says on our agency materials. Since the beginning, we’ve never viewed social media as a separate strategy or tactic. Instead, we believe the content should be integrated with traditional communications and that the emphasis should be on solid and authentic exchanges and not on automated or gimmicky Facebook or Twitter promotions.
Media Relations Tip #23: Prep Before You Get the Call
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I was recently quoted in Wearables magazine about how to prepare a company for publicity. Here is a condensed version of one of my answers:
Q: What is the best way for a business to generate and leverage PR opportunities?
A: You need to be prepared ahead of time to tell your story. That means having your company’s key messages and talking points in order well before you receive the phone call or email asking for a comment.
The PR team should help the media do its job by having information about your company and products readily available, and today that means having a current and easily accessible press section of your website that’s stocked with bios, product fact sheets, recent press releases and images. One of the most important elements of a press room is the press contact – not a generic “info@companyname.com” email address, but a real name, an actual person’s email address and their telephone numbers. That’s typically one of the media’s top complaints about press rooms – there’s no real person to contact when a reporter is on deadline and needs to know someone is available and working to get a response.
Finally, you need to keep your press releases up to date. If the date of your most recent press release was nine months ago, it communicates a lot about what’s going on at your company – or not – whether you like it or not.
So Where Does the Name ‘Sawmill’ Come From?
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One of the most oft-asked question of us is, “where does the name “Sawmill” come from?” I wish there was a more exotic answer than the one I am about to offer.
The “Sawmill” in our name comes from the gentle, beautiful and meandering Sawmill Creek (left) that winds its way from northern Baltimore County, including where I live, through Anne Arundel County until it flows into the Patapsco River.
Sometimes we wish we had a more interesting answer. But in the more than 17 years that Sawmill Marketing Public Relations has been in business the “where does ‘Sawmill’ come from” question is a good reminder that it’s your definition of interesting that matters.
We’re all for continuing to answer “where does the name ‘Sawmill’ come from?” for at least the next 17 years!
Helping ‘Mother Made’ Helps Us All
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Our attraction to Mother Made was instant and compelling: helping single mothers to become entrepreneurs while also protecting our environment. The organization was created and is led by smart, creative, committed entrepreneurs — accessible, caring role models for the people they serve.
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.
Crisis Plans Need to be Continually Refined
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Our client AHC, Inc., a developer of affordable housing communities in the Mid-Atlantic region, just completed a revise of its crisis communications plan that focused on streamlining the notification process in the event that a crisis situation occurs.
AHC, Inc. reviews and revises as needed its crisis communications plan on a semi-annual basis to ensure its plan is up to date, relevant and reflects best practices.
However, this review has the added benefit of keeping the plan and the important role it plays in front of its leadership on a regular basis. Is it time to take a look at your company’s plan?
‘When Handed a Lemon—Make Lemonade of It’
Posted by: | CommentsAfter dinner at Petit Louis Bistro in the Roland Park section of Baltimore on Jan. 31, two women were confronted by a robber who got away with a purse. You could almost script the media coverage and quotes from customers and neighbors, as crime is relatively rare in that neighborhood. But not in this case, as one of the victims was Sally Michel, chair of the Parks and People Foundation, who did not want the incident to harm the reputation of the restaurant or her beloved Baltimore (click the invitation to read the quote).
To “make lemonade of it,” the Parks & People Board of Directors (I am one of the members) moved quickly to organize a “Fill Sally’s Purse” fund-raiser for Feb 28 when Petit Louis has generously offered to donate 20 percent of proceeds that evening to the Foundation. It also happens to be Sally’s birthday!
Facebook Friday: Can’t We Just Be Subscribers?
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The “subscribe” button is a new feature introduced this week by Facebook. Intended for those in the public eye who want to continue posting updates intended for their friends, the button allows them to share certain “public” content to a broader audience, soon to be known as subscribers.
It’s ideal for journalists, actors and other public figures who aren’t in a position to accept every friend request, but who still want to connect on Facebook. If you’re a member of the media, the “Facebook + Journalists” page has all the details, including a “Subscribe for Journalists Guide” PDF they posted today.
No News Can Indeed Be Good News
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s not always the right strategy to seek media attention for your client — especially when it involves one side of a complicated and litigio
us situation. But what if the client wants to react to recent (albeit one-sided) coverage?
Perhaps the best counsel is to view the situation from a reporter’s standpoint, who would be receiving yet a new angle to a story s/he thinks has already been covered. With a little digging how many more sides to the story will now be uncovered? What’s the potential cost to the client in letting the media determine how to use the new angle? Is the risk worth it?
Think of ways other than media coverage to get your client’s story told, including communicating directly with the audience with concise, accurate and relevant information that may or may not touch on the situation at hand — a decision that needs to be weighed carefully and without the repercussions of “he said, she said.”
QR Codes Continue Mainstream Push
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I picked up The New York Times print edition to read the paper old-school style on Sunday but soon had to reach for my iPhone after spotting a QR Code on a full page color ad by Atlantis Paradise Island. The little black icons (similar to the one in this post) are becoming more mainstream in newspaper and magazine ads. Just download a free QR Code reader onto your smartphone, snap a picture of the image and you’ll be taken to whatever the company wants you to see.
The Atlantis QR Code launched a YouTube commercial touting Crush, a new teen night club at the resort. It was kind of strange to be reading the print ad one second and then watching a related TV commercial the next.
Are you incorporating QR Codes into your marketing program yet? We used them to promote sponsors at a client’s golf tournament last year and have heard of them being used on restaurant menus, posters and t-shirts.
