This is my old blog address, which changed over a year ago. Please head over to Communications Catalyst to read my latest takes on integrated communications, public relations and social media.

See you there!

It’s not every day you get to do something selfish and selfless at the same time, but today is your lucky day.

The selfish part – A new book on marketing in the social media era is available to help you navigate your way through the amazing opportunities and interesting challenges marketers face in today’s Web-powered world.

The selfless part – Every penny of the book’s profits will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure to support its dedication to education and research about the causes, treatment and search for a cure of breast cancer.

One of the most interesting things to me about Connect! Marketing in the Social Media Era is that it’s a collaborative project. One hundred marketers representing every discipline within the marketing mix each contributed a 400-word chapter for the book. People like Ann Handley from MarketingProfs, Adam Broitman from Crayon, Brian Morrissey from Adweek and David Mullen from Mullen. (Hey, that’s me!)

Okay, I’ll step out of the way so you can skip on over and buy a copy. While you’re at it, buy a few and give each person on your team a copy. You can justify it. Not only will it help them all get even smarter than they already are, but you also are supporting a great cause.

But first, can I ask a favor? Please share this post within your social networks – Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, etc. – and help us spread the word about the book. There are several buttons below to make that as easy for you as possible. Our goal is to raise $5,000 for Komen and we need your help to get there. Thanks!

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A couple weeks ago, a virus had its way with my family. Within a four-day span, all four of us were incredibly sick for 24 hours at a time and it seemed there was nothing we could do to stop the next person from getting it.

That’s because despite how careful we were – quarantining the sick one to a bedroom, dispensing large bottles of hand sanitizer, etc. – it’s impossible to be fully conscious of every single time your hand touches something else in the house. For example, we each hold the handrail when coming down the stairs by habit without even giving it a thought.

It’s not much different for companies that have employees who are active in the social media space. And, honestly, what company doesn’t have at least one employee with a Facebook page or Twitter account?

Social media is like a rabbit hole and it’s easy for employees to either not be fully conscious of all the places they touch or forget that Google can find just about anything. A rude comment on a blog post here. A disparaging Tweet about a client’s home city there. Posting unapproved client work to her online portfolio because she really liked the concept, even though the client picked a different direction.

They can seem harmless enough at the time, but each of these can have a negative impact on your business and strain client relationships. That’s why all companies should have guidelines for employees that outlines what’s acceptable in social media participation and what’s not.

This isn’t to keep them out of social media networks because these tools can bring a lot of good to your organization. But the guidelines remind employees that their online actions can have consequences for both the company and them, and it gives them guardrails to help keep them from mistakenly going off track.

Does your company have these guidelines in place? If so, do you feel they’ve been helpful in better protecting the brand? Should companies have any “say” in what employees do online with personal accounts?

(Image by Fred Armitage.)

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This is a guest post by Chuck Hemann.

What do you think when you hear the word “measurement?” What about “evaluation?” If you are planning to roll your eyes or let out a heavy sigh don’t. While measurement and evaluation are concepts that don’t always come naturally to public relations professionals, knowing how to talk about them (and ultimately implement them) is critical to your success.

So if measurement and evaluation are so critical, why aren’t more plans building in measurement and evaluation programs? My feeling is that we haven’t seen more widespread adoption because we have not spent time educating account executives on how to do it. When they do hear about measurement, it’s usually advertising value equivalencies (AVE) and impressions.

So, how can we help make it more approachable? Here are four tips to help you get started down the road to better measurement:

1.    Take considerable time setting MEASURABLE goals and objectives. It’s amazing to me how many companies jump into a program without ever considering what they are planning to accomplish by spending the money. Ask your clients what they want to get out of the efforts. If the answer is “We want to improve our communications,” help them narrow that down to something measurable like “We want to raise the visibility of XYZ widget.”

2.    Don’t be afraid to evaluate the qualitative. When we hear measurement or evaluation our minds typically turn to numbers and advanced statistical formulas. While excluding quantitative metrics would be a mistake, including qualitative performance metrics in your analysis can really help show your client the ROI.

3.    Consider using an outside vendor for support. There are a number of vendors that can help you evaluate performance. You might already be using one of them as a clipping service. They are invaluable assets to you as they live the measurement and evaluation game and know what works and what doesn’t.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY…

4.    DO NOT RELY ON AVE AND IMPRESSIONS EXCLUSIVELY. My apologies for the capital letters, but I can’t stress this point enough. Take it from me, advertising value equivalencies do not work and are not effective. If your clients want to use them, ask them to check out the Institute for PR library. The only way I would recommend using impressions to a client is if it was part of a much larger measurement program.

So, you see there’s a lot more to measurement than meets the eye. If you use these four things when talking to clients, I bet you’ll feel more comfortable talking about measurement and they will appreciate that you brought it up.

What have you found helpful to create more measurable PR efforts? Please share your tips with the rest of us in the comments.

Chuck Hemann is the research manager for Dix & Eaton, a communications consulting firm, where he helps lead measurement and competitive intelligence for the agency’s clients. You can connect with Chuck on Twitter and at his blog on PR measurement. The views in this post belong to Chuck Hemann and do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of his employer.

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We’re one quarter into 2009 and it seems like the only certainty we will have this year is uncertainty. Marketing has often been one of the first budgets trimmed in this tough economy and marketers have not been immune to pink slips and severance pay.

That said, the economy is not the only challenge we face, which made me wonder what you think is the biggest obstacle the PR industry needs to overcome this year to move forward.

It’s hard to pick the toughest opponent, but I think better measurement should be at the top of the list. When sharp pencils are aimed at budgets, the first things typically scaled back or cut out altogether are those which seem to provide the least return on investment. That’s why we need to find better ways to measure our efforts and quantify the value we bring to the marketing mix than simply relying on impressions and advertising value equivalencies. If CEOs and CMOs have a better understanding of PR’s value, then we’ll have a better chance at keeping – or increasing – our budgets and getting a seat at the infamous “table.”

What about you? Which of the challenges below do you think should receive top attention this year? If you select “other,” please share what your “other” is in the comments.

*Image by Damien du Toit.

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As the occupier of a low rung on the blog-o-sphere’s proverbial ladder myself, I’m a big fan of finding people who are producing great content but still flying under the radar. That’s why I loved this post from Lisa Hoffmann, who got the idea from Jessica Gottlieb.

Here’s the gist: use the comments to share a link to your favorite not-yet-discovered blogger or two and a few lines about why their blogs are worthy of your selection. Then we’ll all have a nice list with which to update our feed readers.

I’ll kick it off with a few you may not have heard of yet. I’d highly recommend subscribing to each of them.

Social Media Snippets by Scott Meis
Scott shares great tips and tools for PR pros working in or interested in the social media space. His posts are chock full of practical know-how on leveraging social tools in meaningful ways for brands. (Scott’s RSS feed)

PR Start by Nick Lucido
I sometimes forget that Nick is still in college. He’s a smart kid with a unique perspective. With future pros like Nick waiting in the wings, our industry will only get better. (Nick’s RSS feed)

Client Service Insights by Leo Bottary
Leo freely shares great tips on delivering exceptional client service, all gleaned from more than 25 years in the PR business. (Leo’s RSS feed)

Your turn. Who do you want to spotlight? Please share links to their blogs, as well.

*Image by Colin Alexander.

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You know how some things you buy – gaming systems, golf club sets for kids, etc. – come in starter packs that give you the goods you need to get started right out of the box.

Consider this your Starter Pack for great marketing, advertising, PR and social media people to follow on Twitter. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been tweeting for a while, I’d highly recommend making sure each of these folks is on your list.

In completely random order…

Amber Naslund (@ambercadabra)               Matt Batt (@storyassistant)
Scott Meis (@scottmeis)                                    Arik Hanson (@arikhanson)
Beth Harte (@bethharte)                                   Shannon Paul (@shannonpaul)
Edward Boches (@edwardboches)                Narciso Tovar (@narciso17)
Rachel Kay (@rachelakay)                                Lauren Fernandez (@cubanaLAF)
Jason Falls (@jasonfalls)                                    Geoff Livingston (@geoffliving)
Jack Wojcicki (@prjack)                                     Danny Brown (@dannybrown)
Ari Herzog (@ariherzog)                                    Adam Needles (@abneedles)
Brad Mays (@bradmays)                                    Chuck Hemann (@chuckhemann)
Dave Fleet (@davefleet)                                      Patrick Evans (@patrickrevans)
Rick Liebling (@eyecube)                                   Heather Huhman (@heatherhuhman)
Justin Levy (@justinlevy)                                  Kelley Crane (@kellyecrane)
Sonny Gill (@sonnygill)                                       Kirk Phillips (@kirkphillips)
Todd Defren (@tdefren)                                       Lisa Hoffmann (@lisahoffmann)
Libby Krah (@libbykrah)                                    Lara Kretler (@larak)
Sarah Evans (@prsarahevans)                          Mack Collier (@mackcollier)
Ann Handley (@marketingprofs)                     Terry Morawski (@morate)
Richie Escovedo (@vedo)                                   Linda Jacobson (@quepr)
Amybeth Hale (@researchgoddess)               Jen Wilbur (@rockstarjen)
Rohit Bhargava (@rohitbhargava)                  Scott Hepburn (@scotthepburn)
Susan Isk (@susanisk)                                           Kathleen Moriarty (@trendsaddict)
Scott Stratten (@unmarketing)                         Lauren Vargas (@vargasl)
Olivier Blanchard (@thebrandbuilder)          Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan)
Mandy Vavrinak (@mvavrinak)                       Lisa Dilg (@pprlisa)
Christine Perkett (@missusP)                             Chris Abraham (@chrisabraham)

Wait! Before you run off and follow these great minds, do us all a favor and share a comment with a few of your favorite people to follow on Twitter.

*Image by Ibrahim Iujaz.

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Unlike many professions, most members of the general public have no idea what public relations is or what PR pros do. You know what I mean. You’ve been met with the “I’m going to nod my head like I know what that is but my face will give away that I’m clueless” look before.

Doctors don’t have this problem. Nor do insurance salesmen. For that matter, even our brethren in the marketing mix don’t have this issue. Tell Joe Normal you’re in advertising and he knows exactly what you’re talking about.

Part of that is probably due to the fact that much of the work in PR lies behind the scenes. We pitch the stories, but journalists write them. We write the speeches, but executives deliver them. We plan the corporate social responsibility campaign, but the CEO accepts the accolades.

Our daily professional lives cover such a broad range of strategic initiatives and tactical activities that it can be hard to even know where to start when explaining PR to a non-marketing person. So what do you say when they ask, “What’s that?” I try to make it relevant for them by putting it in terms of what they experience. Something like:

“I help companies communicate with people – customers, employees, legislators. And with you! If you’ve read a story in a newspaper or on CNN.com on a new product, a PR pro shared that with the reporter and lined up the interviews. If you see a business leader delivering a speech, a PR pro probably wrote it. If you happen across a really cool event in Bryant Park, a PR pro likely played a major part in the idea behind it. We work with executives to figure out the smartest, most effective ways to engage with people, let them know what’s going on with the company, and get their thoughts and feedback.”

What about you? How do you explain PR to your Aunt Martha or the guy sitting next to you on the airplane in a few sentences?

*Image by Keven Law.

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I saw an interesting book on a coworker’s desk last week – The Art of War for Executives by Donald G. Krause, based on Sun Tzu’s classic text The Art of War. As I cracked it open yesterday and began reading it, a particular paragraph stood out to me and I found myself yelling “YES!” in my head.

“Sun Tzu warns us about relying on ‘folk wisdom.’ Folk wisdom is the body of unproven assumptions, unwarranted speculation, and generally accepted opinions that is present in any group of people. Great danger lies in not challenging folk wisdom. Reliable facts always precede successful actions.”

How much “folk wisdom” weighs us down daily, whether we’re talking about marketing, PR, social media or [insert your craft here], despite evidence that a new way may be better? One of the things I’ve said since the first post on this blog is that I want to use it regularly as a discussion starter to challenge the status quo and make sure we’re doing things because they are the best solutions, not simply because it’s the way we’ve always done them. Here are a few of the posts that have appeared here attempting to do just that.

I’m interested in your take. Do you notice any “folk wisdom” at work? Does it hold back your brand or the work you do for clients? Do you challenge the status quo even though it’s easier to go along with your boss or the crowd? What are ways we can challenge folk wisdom positively, constructively and effectively?

*Image by Kevin Dooley.

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A lot of people say that many C-suite executives don’t truly understand and appreciate the value public relations brings to an organization. There’s lots of talk about the PR industry being chock full of strategic communicators who can’t or haven’t successfully communicated their own worth to the business world.

My friend Arik Hanson and I were talking about this on Twitter a few weeks ago.

Neither of us claim that the lack of understanding about our profession is the sole fault of PRSA nor that educating others about the value we bring is the sole responsibility of PRSA. But I think we’d all agree that, as the main association in our industry, it does certainly play a role.

You’ll notice that I ended the conversation with Arik pointing out that PRSA surely is taking steps to help overcome this challenge that I don’t know about. What I thought we could do is help spur new ideas that the organization may not have thought of yet. You know, be part of the solution instead of part of the problem. I’ll kick it off.

Start at the Beginning. This is a long-term plan, but too many schools aren’t adequately preparing PR majors to understand Business – sales cycles, financials, product development, etc. And too many business majors never learn the benefits that PR can bring to companies beyond writing press releases. These are the business leaders of tomorrow. Could PRSA work with universities to help bridge this gap and require a class or two for each major that focuses on these areas?

Start a Roadshow. Think desk-side briefings for C-suite executives. We’re supposed to be strategic communicators and expert storytellers. Could PRSA create a compelling, 30-minute case for PR and take it on the road?

What ideas do you have? Share them in the comments and then let’s share the cumulative ideas with PRSA.

*Image by Isobel T.

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One of last week’s posts – 10 Clues Your PR Pro is Nothing But Show – generated a lot of great comments that added even more clues to the list. So I thought we’d continue the fun by looking at the flip side and highlighting the things that set great PR pros apart from the rest of the pack.

Here are 10 clues that your PR pro is worth the dough. It doesn’t include the obvious opposites of the “nothing but show” clues, which means there are really 20 clues that your PR pro is worth the dough between these two posts. If you’re experiencing any of these from the folks on your internal team or from an outside agency, recognize their efforts and give them a hearty thanks.

1. They dive headfirst into your business and industry, and immerse themselves in learning every in and out within both.
2. They ask smart questions.
3. They are strong writers and great storytellers.
4. They proactively sync up with marketing, advertising, interactive and media planning to help create compelling, robust campaigns aimed at achieving your business goals.
5. They challenge you to step outside your comfort zones and try new things.
6. They know what they don’t know.
7. They are resourceful and create solutions to overcome challenges.
8. They listen as much as they talk.
9. They bring creative energy and a positive attitude to the table.
10. They own their mistakes, learn from them and put processes in place to minimize the chance those mistakes happen again.

What would you add to the list? What tips you off that the person across the table is worth his or her salt in this business?

*Image by Eric Ward.

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Like most people, I usually spend lunchtime eating lunch. Yesterday, though, I attended a funeral.

One of our friends lost her seven-year-old daughter last Friday. It was completely unexpected and what had started as any other ordinary day in their lives instead ended in tragedy.

As I sat through the service watching a slide show of images from this wonderful child’s life and seeing her father, mother and sister broken by their loss, I couldn’t help but think about how often I neglect those who mean the most to me in a race to get one more thing accomplished at work.

For example, I’ve eaten dinner during the week with my wife and two girls five or six times in the past three months. Last week, my three-year-old asked me why I don’t eat with her any more.

How many times can our presentations, press releases, emails, strategy POVs, and everything in between wait until tomorrow morning? In my experience, most of the time there is no difference between the majority of whimsically-proposed end-of-the-day deadlines and first-thing-in the morning – except a date on a time stamp.

Managers – What kind of work/life balance are you setting for the people you direct? Do you practice what you preach?

Those Being Managed – It is okay to make your family and friends a priority. Step away from the computer more. Set some boundaries and stick to them most of the time (urgent matters do come up after all).

It’s easy to put those closest to us off for work. They’ll understand, right? We’ll have more time to spend with them in a couple years when things will surely settle down a little.

What if we don’t have a couple years, though?

If something were to happen to one of my own children unexpectedly, I can’t imagine being glad I missed all those dinners with her so I could get a few more emails in the sent folder or a draft plan to my team a few hours earlier. Yesterday I decided I’m going to start making it home in time for dinner more often.

Is there anything you could do differently to put a little more focus on the people who matter most to you?

*Image by Travis Miller.

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I’ve read several posts recently on distinguishing the smart social media marketing professionals from the wannabes. It’s great to have guides likes these in a space that is relatively new in the grand scheme of things.

The social media sphere isn’t the only place where this is needed, though. PR more generally has a long list of fine folks who help move the industry forward and, unfortunately, a long list of those who help move the industry a step backward.

So I’m passing along 10 clues that your PR pro may be nothing but show. If you’re experiencing any of these from someone on your internal team or from an outside consultant, it may be time to cut ties.

1. They never bring new ideas to the table.
2. Their answer for everything is “let’s put a press release on the newswire.”
3. They think every story idea you want them to pitch is brilliant.
4. They never push back or challenge you. They just take marching orders.
5. They wouldn’t know a measurable goal if it slapped them in the face – hard.
6. They only e-pitch reporters and their phones are collecting dust.
7. Their clever social media strategy starts and stops at “we should get a Facebook page.”
8. Their reason for being in the PR field is “I’m a people person.”
9. They define PR mistakenly by one of its tools (PR is bigger than media relations or events, like social media is bigger than blogs.)
10. They don’t ask you what your business goals are so they can work to align PR goals against them.

What did I miss? What clues you in that the person across the table is a sub-par PR professional?

*Image from Brian Snelson.

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I’m relatively active on the social web and I frequently encourage other marketing communications professionals to at least test drive some of these tools that allow us to interact with customers like never before. However, I was struck by an interesting irony this weekend regarding social media.

It happened Sunday night around 8:30. We had two friends over to watch the Super Bowl. I had my laptop out and was rating Super Bowl commercials in real time with other people on Twitter. After the 10th or 11th commercial, though, I realized that I was so interested in the social aspect of sharing an experience online with thousands of others that I was neglecting the people actually sitting beside me in the same room.

I set my laptop aside and spent the rest of the evening interested in the social aspect of sharing an experience offline with a few people right in front of me.

Do social media tools make us less social where it counts? What do you think?

*Image by Stuart Seeger.

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My last post – Relationships Don’t Matter MOST in Media Relations – sparked some spirited conversations last week. Most people who commented agreed. A few disagreed. One asked if I would share more about what I believe DOES matter most in media relations.

Here’s my take on that. It’s based on what has helped me hit media relations home runs so far in my career. These are the tips I’ve used to land a couple thousand great stories for my clients in places like Good Morning America, People magazine, The New York Times and The Today Show.

T-1. The Silver Platter – This is one of the two most important ingredients in media relations success. It involves going beyond developing a great story angle to pull together everything a reporter would need to tell the story. Dig up stats and trends to support your angle. Find a third-party expert willing to be interviewed on the topic and offer them up as part of the pitch. Make it hard for the reporter to say “no thanks.” Serve the story up on a silver platter.

T-1. Relevancy – Relevancy is the second of the two most important ingredients. The perfect pitch doesn’t matter to the wrong reporter. Don’t trust Cision or Vocus blindly. Before calling a reporter, look at the last five stories she’s written. What does she cover? Is your story relevant to her? Is it relevant to her readers?

3. Relationships – Relationships are very important. You build them by delivering on the first two tips above. Relationships get you returned phone calls, opened e-mails, incoming calls when a source is needed and, sometimes, allow you to mitigate or lessen potentially negative news. (Hey, I didn’t say relationships DON’T matter. I said they don’t matter MOST.)

4. Resourcefulness – Your ability to come through in the clutch will save stories from getting scrapped. I once worked with Good Morning America on a story that took a span of two months to pull off. It almost fell through three different times, but I kept sharing alternative ideas with the producers to keep it going. Don’t easily accept missed opportunities if you believe they are worthwhile. Hustle. Be creative. Be resourceful.

5. Guard the Gates – Protect the reporters you’ve built working relationships with during your career. Don’t hand off their contact info at the request of everyone in your department without first finding out what they are pitching. If it’s a poor pitch, tell them your contact wouldn’t be interested. If you must share the reporter’s info, insist that your colleague NOT use your name as a way into the conversation. Too many poor pitches that start with “David Mullen said I should give you a call” will quickly be bad for me.

What about you? What are your tips and tricks for generating more news coverage for your brand or your clients?

*Image by Rick Harrison.

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It seems to me there are a lot of well meaning people singing the same chorus around the blog-o-sphere on the topic of media relations. Here’s the gist:

“PR people have to spend time building relationships with the people they pitch or will pitch – even if they don’t pitch them for months down the road. It’s all about relationships.”

That’s hogwash and I’ll tell you why.

Building relationships doesn’t scale for many PR folks on the agency side. Many PR pros work on multiple clients spanning vastly different industries. We target our media outreach to different beat reporters at different types of publications within different geographies. We’re pitching far too many reporters to develop meaningful relationships with each of them. It’s humanly impossible.

Lots of PR folks on the agency side work on project-based clients. That means the new tourism client he’s pitching right now to travel editors and publications won’t be around in six months. Is he supposed to keep chatting with the 200 reporters he just pitched for the past few months, if though he may never get another client in the travel industry?

Building relationships before having to pitch reporters doesn’t work for him either. How is he supposed to build relationships ahead of time with fashion and family reporters for the children’s clothing client he’ll get next year that he doesn’t even know about yet?

So what does matter most? Interesting, well-crafted pitches that are relevant to the reporter’s beat and her readers are what reign supreme. I’ve single-handedly landed a couple thousand stories for my clients in the last few years and the vast majority of the reporters I worked with didn’t know me from Adam the first time they got a phone call or an email from me. Create great pitches, make sure they’re relevant by reading the reporter’s last five articles and then share your news.

Don’t get me wrong. Relationships are important. You should pursue them when valuable and possible. But they do NOT matter most. That’s easy for people at niche agencies focusing on one industry and pitching the same reporters over and over to forget. It’s also easy for social media types to forget that the vast majority of reporters are NOT on Twitter and that even those who are may not want PR people engaging them there.

P.S. Thanks to Todd Defren for writing recently on blogger relations. He asked an interesting question on that post and the comment I left on it gave me the idea for this post.

UPDATE: If you’re one of the few people who have misread this post and think I’m saying that relationships don’t matter at all, then please read this for some clarification.

*Image by Mike Baird.

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I was chatting with a high school senior a couple weeks ago and Facebook came up. He commented offhand that he may have to find a new place online to keep up with his friends and I asked, “why?” That’s when he tipped me off.

“It was kind of weird when my parents joined and friended me. Seriously, though, my grandma friended me the other day! This isn’t cool. A lot of my friends are talking about looking for something else.”

That got me thinking. Do college students want their parents and aunts and uncles and grandparents walking into their dorm rooms on a Saturday night to jot down something cheesy on the white board over their desk for all their friends to see? If it’s not cool in the offline world, what would make it cool online?

Yes, the largest demographic on Facebook remains the 18-24 year olds. But their reign over the market share has dropped nearly 14 percent in the past six months alone – which validates the “problem” that high school senior shared.

If you market products or services to teens and 20-somethings, I’d keep an eye peeled and an ear to the ground. If an exodus begins, find out where they’re going and figure out ways for your brand to interact meaningfully. Getting in early is a very good thing.

What’s your take on the matter? Will the trendsetting young ones start running for the hills or will they eventually get over the heebie jeebies that come from being friended by their grandmas?

*Image by Tom Rydquist.

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Next week I’m sitting down with a handful of PR students from Iowa State University who are currently taking an online writing/content management class. We’re going to chat about the ways social media has changed/is changing how brands market themselves and interact with consumers, as well as blogging basics.

Another topic of discussion will be tips on landing their first jobs and how to stand out and succeed early in their careers. I’d like your help with this portion. What advice would you share with these future professionals to help them succeed in PR, Marketing, Digital strategy and so on?

Here are three of the tips I’m going to pass along. They may be a bit evergreen, but some sage advice never changes.

Hustle – That’s the way to set yourself apart early on in your career. Of course, I’m assuming you’re smart and can carry a conversation. That goes without saying.

Lots of people meet expectations. Hustle will drive you to exceed them. Make one more pitch call. Think of one new idea for your client each month. Raise your hand to join the fun when new projects come in the door. Don’t be obnoxious, of course. There’s a balance. Find it and hustle!

Networking – Networking is the one of the important ways to both land a job and succeed in this business. When I was in college, networking was limited to people you could physically meet – in college, at local PRSA meetings, at career fairs, etc.

Today, networking is on steroids. It’s never been easier to meet and develop relationships with amazing professionals from across the country – and the globe – thanks to tools like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. There is no excuse not to be using them. These relationships are priceless when looking for a job. Even after you’re employed, continuing to engage with your connections gives you access to ongoing advice and points of view, which are beneficial throughout your career.

Internships – These have become a given, but I’m surprised that I still meet so many students who’ve had no internships or only one internship. Not only are internships a must, but more than one is a must. I’m not taking anything away from the classroom, but actual experience is where you really start learning the ins and outs of this business.

Actually, I think PR, advertising and digital communications are a bit like the types of careers folks had back in the colonial days – apprenticeships. A basic foundation learned in the classroom is important, but you’ve got to get your hands dirty to pick up the craft. Go get your hands dirty.

Your turn. What would you share with these bright, young minds? I’ll point them to this post and your advice while we’re chatting Tuesday.

*Image by Gusi Lu.

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There are two key mistakes I’ve seen marketers of all disciplines, including myself, make during my days in this business. Okay, so I’ve seen a lot more than two, but these two specifically kill great ideas before they ever get a chance to live and push forward bad ideas that never should see the light of day.

Mistaking yourself for the target audience. This happens every day both on the client side and the agency side. “I would never stop by Bryant Park on a whim and stand in line for a free spa experience.” Of course you wouldn’t. You’re a 52-year-old man. We’re targeting 25 – 50 year old women, remember?

That’s a pretty obvious example, but I’ve seen clients say something along those lines many times. Here are a few examples of different statements used to kick off this mistake.

• “I would never do that.”
• “Would you really take time to do that?”
• “Would that actually be compelling to you?”

Be on the watch for this mistake and, when it rears its ugly head, politely call attention back to the fact that it is intended to connect with the target.

• “I agree. I’d never do that either. Luckily, I’m not the target audience!”
• “It wouldn’t be compelling to me, personally, but our focus groups show that the primary audience loves it.”

Mistaking yourself as the spokesperson for your demographic. This holds as much potential for problems as the first mistake. Let’s say you actually happen to fall within the demographic breakdown of your target audience. That’s great, but it doesn’t make you the spokesperson for the whole group.

For example, I can’t tell you how many times someone has looked at me in a brainstorm or when discussing a new idea and said, “As a dad, what do you think about…?” I’m more than happy to tell you how I feel about anything, but that doesn’t mean all dads feel the same way. Approving or squashing an idea based on the feedback of one marketing team member who falls within the target audience is a huge mistake.

Make sure your ears perk up when you hear a colleague say something along these lines:

• “Well, I have two kids and I would never do that!”
• “There’s no way me and my girlfriends would ever do that.”
• “My little brother is in college and he would love that! We should do it!”

When you hear these things, politely call attention to the fact that the culprit doesn’t speak on behalf of the entire target audience.

• “That’s great to know, Joe. It’ll be good to see how that message does in testing.”

When you ask a colleague for her opinion as part of the target audience, remind the room that she doesn’t speak for the whole group.

• “Liz, I know you don’t speak on behalf of all 20-somethings, but how would you react to that promotion if you saw it in-store?”

Have you been the culprit of these mistakes before? Have your ideas been the victim of them? What other critical mistakes have you seen marketers make that kill efforts before they ever make it past being printed on a sheet of paper?

*Image by tiny_packages.

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I’m still absolutely amazed at the profound, powerful prose penned by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from the solitude of a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama. Yes, I am as moved as the rest of us by his historic “I have a dream” speech, but the first time I read Letter from Birmingham Jail I was stopped in my tracks. As I lingered over each sentence in the nine-page open letter to eight Birmingham clergymen, I was saddened, inspired, convicted.

That letter is what stands out for me about Dr. King. What surprised me most about it is the fact that he wrote this letter from said jail cell. I couldn’t write something on this level even if given months to do so. And I’m a “professional” communicator.

Even though it was written in 1963 and focused specifically on the civil rights struggle going on in our nation at the time, this letter still is relevant today. King eloquently reminds us that silence in the face of injustice is as horrific as the injustice itself. I embarrassingly admit that too many times I sit idly by in the safety of my comfortable life and think nothing of the tragedies going on in my world.

I encourage you to take 20 minutes out of your day and read it. This letter and the truths contained within it will be good for your mind, heart and soul. After reading it, feel free to stop back by and leave a comment on your take of the letter.

What stands out most for you about Dr. King?

*Image from Africa Within.

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