Tag: Largemouth PR
My name is Casey Sheets and I am joining the Largemouth Communications team as an intern this fall. While at Largemouth I am excited to be taking on numerous tasks such as tracking media coverage, writing blogs and press releases, and generally learning more about the world of PR.
I am a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill majoring in communications with a minor in public relations. This is my first internship and I am eager to learn everything I can while here.
At UNC, I participate in many activities such as Blank Canvas Dance, Carolina Fever, and the General Alumni Association. I am also an active member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority. During my spare time you can find me dancing, traveling, and enjoying my favorite food on Franklin, Gelato!
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It is amazing how fast time flies when you're busy! August just flew by and it is already time for our second Shout Out blog post where we shout through the Megaphone our top hits from the last month and give you a glimpse into just how great our clients truly are. Enjoy!
Road and Track covers Eaton's Electrified Highway event
For Eaton Corporation's Power Quality division, a client working on the forefront of electric vehicles and electric vehicle chargers, Road and Track magazine is a top trade publication. Targeting automotive enthusiasts, Road and Track featured Eaton in an article about Eaton's Electrified Highway event. For this event, Eaton set up a demonstration of their iMiEV car and Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment. The electric vehicle charged on an Eaton charger for 30 minutes to enable its electrified travel from San Francisco to Sacramento.
News & Observer "Pantry Tries to Tempt Tummies"
Largemouth reached out to Sue Stock, the business reporter for the Raleigh daily newspaper, News & Observer, for a story on The Pantry's new fresh coffee and food program. The resulting article "Pantry Tries to Tempt Tummies" featured an interview with CEO Terry Marks and two high resolution pictures that captured the new clean layout of the store, the newly added fresh food and coffee and a friendly hospitality associate. The story was picked up by tier-one trade publications Convenience Store & Petroleum and the National Association of Convenience Stores.
Cary Citizen "Hidden Giant: Lonesource"
When Bradley King, CEO of Lonesource, started his own company, he did it right in his hometown of Cary, N.C. Largemouth searched for a way to tell the story of King's loyalty to his hometown and found the perfect opportunity in the Cary Citizen's Hidden Giant series that highlights large businesses that chose to place their headquarters in Cary. The story, "Hidden Giant: Lonesource," features an interview with King that highlights the Lonesource motto, "Customer first, company second and people always."
ComputerWorld, "Hurricane Earl may test IT teleworkers"
While many are altering their Labor Day plans in preparation for Hurricane Earl, Largemouth took the approaching hurricane as an opportunity to pitch Eaton's 2009 Blackout Tracker Report, a report of last year's reported outages and the affects they had on productivity and monetary loss. The report is a great resource for reporters covering power outage stories. ComputerWorld used the report in their article, "Hurricane Earl may test IT teleworkers," to discuss last year's slow hurricane season. The article featured an interview with Mike DeCamp, marketing communications manager for Eaton, who discussed how the 2010 Blackout Tracker is showing an increase in monthly power outages since 2009.
Eaton's 9395 UPS achieves SMaRT Gold certification
When Eaton's 9395 UPS received SMaRT Gold certification, the first product of its class to do so, Largemouth shouted out with a release and pitched industry reporters on the accomplishment. The story was covered in the July issue of Processor and the August issue of tED magazine as well as on online publications including DatacenterDynamics, Distributed Energy, Data Center Journal, Power Systems Design, Consulting-Specifying Engineer, Thomasnet, Green TMCnet, Electric Light & Power, ZDNet and more.
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Deep in the Florida swamplands there is a gator with a stare so deadly it is guaranteed to freeze anything...and anyone...that dares look him in the eye.
Imagine that swampland is The Swamp, the home field of the Florida Gators football team, the gator is the student section and that deadly stare is the roaring cheers the crowd produces. Now imagine you're the opposing team's kicker hearing the thunderous applause - you're frozen, right?
Our client Kangaroo Express is introducing ICEE products to the Gainesville - Ocala market with its "Freeze The Swamp" campaign. During University of Florida home games, the stadium's LED screens will encourage fans to stand up, cheer and "Freeze The Swamp" during the opposing team's field goal attempt. For every kick the fans are successful at freezing, attendees in one lucky student section will receive a coupon for a free ICEE.
Today is the campaign kick-off party at a Gainesville Kangaroo Express location. Largemouth is working with local broadcast and print media to encourage them to attend or cover the event. Stay tuned for media coverage and get ready to be FROZEN!
You can follow the campaign on Twitter @KrooExpress, hashtag #FreezeSwamp.
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It may sound cliché, but here at Largemouth our clients are part of our family and we take pride in the work we do for them. That is why, starting today, we are dedicating the first Thursday of every month to our clients and the coverage we help garner for them. We will shout through the Megaphone our top hits from the past month and give you a glimpse into just how great our clients truly are.
But wait! What about the coverage already obtained? We've decided to spend this month's post highlighting a select few of the greatest hits obtained for our current and most recent clients.
Distributed Energy "Risk and Interruption"
For Eaton Corporation's Power Quality Division, a client in the data center space, Distributed Energy magazine is a top-target trade publication. After working with the author over several months, an article highlighting a customer success story titled "Risk and Interruption" ran in the July/August print issue of Distributed Energy. The story includes the client's targeted messaging, descriptions of its products and on-site photos of the customer facility.
Draft Magazine "Consider the Oyster (with beer): 5 questions for Ryan Tyson"
42nd St. Oyster Bar not only has fresh, high-quality food but also extensive beer and wine menus. In fact, when Prohibition ended in 1933, the restaurant was the first establishment in Raleigh to serve beer in a frosty mug again. Largemouth set up an interview with 42nd St.'s wine and beverage director and the managing editor of DRAFT Magazine, a national consumer publication that focuses on beer and beer culture. An article titled "Consider the oyster (with beer): 5 questions for Ryan Tyson" highlighted 42nd St.'s history and key messages and appeared as a web exclusive in May on DRAFTMag.com. DRAFT also posted the article link to its Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Orlando Business Journal "How would raising commercial trucks' maximum weight impact the distribution industry?"
Largemouth reached out to the Orlando Business Journal on behalf of our client, transportation services provider Southeastern Freight Lines, which has a service center located there. They responded with a request to interview the local service center manager for its "Trends" column. The resulting article, "How would raising commercial trucks' maximum weight impact the distribution industry?" positioned Southeastern as a thought leader among its competitors.
Pipeline and Gas Technology "AMI Technology Enhances Customer Service"
In July, Sensus, a utility infrastructure technology provider, was featured in Pipeline and Gas Technology. The article showcased Sensus customer Energy Services of Pensacola (Florida) and focused on the gas utility's implementation of advanced metering infrastructure and smart metering solutions from Sensus. These technologies are driving the adoption of the "smart grid" for electric utilities and that Sensus is now also bringing to gas and water utilities.
Partnership with Steve Kemble
The trade show and events division of CORT, a Berkshire Hathaway company and the only national furniture rental provider, continued its partnership with "America's sassiest lifestyle guru," Steve Kemble. Kemble blogged about the upcoming annual conference for the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) and what to expect from CORT - including the Denim, Diamonds and Disco fundraising event!
Infection Control Today, "Hospitals Leverage Patient Flow Software to Automate Infection Control"
TeleTracking announced their work helping Methodist Healthcare in San Antonio, Texas and the University of Virginia Medical Center leverage patient flow and bed management software for infection control processes, receiving coverage in Infection Control Today and Healthcare Purchasing News.
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Largemouth has been featured in PRWeek twice in the past two months for our new client achievements. As you may have seen on our website, we have been named agency of record for The Pantry, the leading independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern United States, most commonly known for its Kangaroo Express operating banner.
I take great pride in everything our team has accomplished and look forward to continuing to work with such distinguished clients. Here's a look at some of our most recent accomplishments for our clients:
Eaton: Largemouth has been focused on highlighting Eaton customer success stories, recently receiving coverage in the May/June print issue of top-target trade publication, Mission Critical with the story "UPS provides service to troops."
Sensus: Largemouth demonstrated the newly launched iPERL water management system at the American Water Work Association's (AWWA) Ace10 conference in Chicago where we also surveyed attendees on industry concerns.
The Pantry: Largemouth helped with the grand opening of a Dairy Queen in Statesville, N.C. attached to a Kangaroo Express. The event was attended by Statesville mayor, Costi Kutteh, and received coverage in the Charlotte Observer.
Southeastern Freight Lines: Largemouth recently promoted Southeastern Freight Lines' 60th Anniversary through a media outreach campaign.
Lonesource: We are soon approaching our 25th newsletter written for Lonesource. Largemouth handles both their external newsletter, published quarterly, and internal newsletter, published once every two months.
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We're cheering into the megaphone at the Largemouth office
as we celebrate five years as a premier public relations agency in the
mid-Atlantic region. The cliché holds true that time flies when you're having
fun working for fantastic clients and with truly talented people.
The five years since Largemouth's inception in 2005 have been packed with securing results for a myriad of admired institutions such as Eaton Corporation, CORT, Dollar Tree and Southeastern Freight Lines. We've also had exciting growth from our home in Research Triangle Park to Charlotte and Pittsburgh. While our primary focus is in the B2B sector, we've made a big splash in the B2C sector recently. I'm excited for the growth and challenges we'll see in the next five years.
But for now, I'd like to take a moment to show my personal appreciation for the people that have made the past five years a success - The Largemouth team and our awesome clients.
To celebrate, we had the whole team at our headquarters. We enjoyed a limo ride to dinner at 42nd Street Oyster Bar in Raleigh. Tonight, we are headed to a private box at a Durham Bulls game.
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To learn how to take full advantage of our snazzy Flip Video HD camcorder, Kelly, Alex, Clarisse and I attended a Business Wire "Meet the Media" lunch yesterday that discussed how to add video to maximize reach, exposure and pick up. The three speakers on the panel were (left to right):
Valerie Aguirre, multimedia producer, CBC New Media Group, WRAL.com
Scott Sharpe, director of multimedia and photography, News & Observer
Rachel Toole, sales and marketing manager, MEDIAmobz
The speakers offered tips on producing and distributing video that effectively garners desired results.
Producing Quality Video
The first step to having an effective video is producing one with quality, but quality doesn't have to mean professional. A quality film is certainly feasible with a Flip cam, sans film crew and expensive equipment. The criteria for quality video have evolved and thanks to sites like YouTube raw footage is now more widely accepted. Nonetheless, quality sound is always vital. Sharpe referred to bad sound as being a "video killer." You can achieve quality sound with a Flip cam by filming in close proximity or incorporating voice-overs.
Adding utility or humor to a video is the next step to increasing its reach. If the video can help or show someone how to do something or simply entertain them by making them laugh or smile, they are more likely to send the video to their friends and share with their online networks. As technologies progress, new waves of utility are coming into video, including programs that allow you to put clickable links right into videos. Aguirre gave the example of WRAL's interactive grocery list tracker, which enables users to compare prices for everyday purchases among local grocery stores. Toole's company can also incorporate lead generation and registration tools into videos. They helped Business Wire, for example, create a video invitation for a social media conference where a viewer could plug in his or her name and e-mail address to RSVP immediately after viewing the video.
Applicability is another key step to consider. Be sure the story fits with the audience you are targeting. Consumers today expect videos to come from a human perspective and can always recognize a promotional video. Internet videos should also be brief. Few viewers have the time or attention span to watch a long video from start to finish.
Maximize Distribution
The final step to having people watch your video is proper distribution. Even if you follow all of the steps above, the best quality video fails to meet its purpose if it is never found. Video sharing sites, such as YouTube and Vimeo, are great places to host your video. The more places you post the more chances people will have to see it.
You can also post your video on your blog and Facebook account but it is also important to always include a link back to your website. What's the point in sharing your wonderful content if you're not driving your captivated audience to learn even more about you or your company? In YouTube, a link to the website can be included as the first part of the description. In social media platforms where you cannot post the video itself, such as Twitter, link to a video with an easy link to your website.
Video can also be included in your traditional public relations pitches. Whether included in a social media press release or pitched as an item itself, video can help visualize public relations stories. When pitching the media, it is important to keep in mind what they would get out of the video. Trade magazines may be more inclined to post informational product videos while general news stations may be more interested in video that fits your product into a news story. Although each publication is different, one recommendation is to send the video as a link to a FTP site where it can be downloaded. From here the reporter can then repurpose the video and edit useful clips if necessary.
Video has the potential to grab the attention of customers and allow your client's story to reach more people than otherwise possible. How are you using video? We'd love to hear from you on Twitter at @largemouthpr.
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I recently started working as an intern at Largemouth Communications. Everyone here has been so friendly, welcoming and helpful! I am very excited to start learning new information every day and get first hand experience of working in the public relations field.
I moved to North Carolina in 2007 from Belgium when I decided to come to the United States to attend a university. Although it was a huge culture shock at first, living in North Carolina has been great. I have met people from all over the country who have been very accepting and understanding of my different culture.
One big difference that I noticed after moving here was how friendly people are. The waiters at restaurants or sales people at the clothing stores in Belgium do not give the customers a warm welcome or ask if they need help. This is not considered rude by the Belgians because that is the culture! This is one of the many differences I experienced that at first might have been shocking, but is now one of the reasons why I love North Carolina.
I am a rising senior at Elon University with a major in strategic communications and a minor in business administration. Over the last three years, I have taken several classes that have prepared me to join the world of public relations.
This is my first internship so I am quite nervous but excited at the same time. Largemouth offers me a great opportunity to really apply what I have learned throughout my college career.
My first few days have been great so far and I look forward to working here for the rest of the summer!
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I recently joined Largemouth Communications as a project coordinator and could not be more excited about the opportunities this position has presented. Although I have only been here a few weeks, the amount of information I am learning on a daily basis can only be described as a young public relations professional's dream. (And no, no one is making me say this.)
I gradated from Pennsylvania State University in December of last year with a B.A. in Public Relations and a B.S. in Commercial and Community Recreation Management. I moved to North Carolina a few months after and have been blown away with all that Raleigh area has to offer - and I know I have only scratched the surface!
During my college career I had the great opportunity to complete three internships, the most recent developing and marketing The Green Careers Initiative at The Center for Sustainability at Penn State University. I also held multiple leadership positions in Circle K, a collegiate and community service organization sponsored by Kiwanis International, and volunteered over 150 hours each school year.
Since moving to North Carolina, I have joined the Young Professionals of Raleigh Kiwanis and have enjoyed exploring an exciting new area!
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This fall I had the opportunity to travel to New York and support our client CORT, a Berkshire Hathaway company and the only national provider of furniture rental, as they participated in an episode of Celebrity Apprentice. After a long wait, we are excited to share that the episode has aired!Brett Michaels, Cyndi Lauper and Holly Robinson Peete, team Tenacity, were tasked with staging an apartment for lease by corporate executives. They turned to CORT for rental furniture and accessories to complete the "New York zen" themed environment they were creating in their apartment. Lauper and Peete shopped in CORT's Manhattan showroom, and CORT's signature red delivery trucks and team were featured in the episode.
Largemouth supported the 2009 launch of CORT's national home staging program, connecting stagers with relocation management companies, real estate asset management companies, banks and corporations that own homes purchased on behalf of relocating employees. This outreach resulted in numerous placements including the Chicago Tribune, REALTOR magazine and now, Celebrity Apprentice.
And, what's the value of PR? According to NBC, the value of the placement on "The Celebrity Apprentice" is worth more than $250,000 when compared to the cost of advertising or paid product placement.
Check out the episode and photo gallery of team Tenacity's apartment!
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On Friday, April 16, philanthropy and field day competitions were combined in the inaugural Bull City Blowout, a fundraising event that benefited SeeSaw Studio. Nine Durham, N.C. creative agencies went head-to-head in a series of fun games to raise money for the local nonprofit, a free afterschool program that fosters design-focused art and entrepreneurship skills for teens. Through event sponsorships, individual and corporate donations, the Bull City Blowout collected nearly $4,000 for SeeSaw Studio.
Click here to see our photo album on Facebook.
Some of these photos are courtesy of Mark Yonjof of Vertis.
To see more of the action, check out these photos from RichdDesign.
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Largemouth is competing for bragging rights and a good cause in the first annual Bull City Blowout. The fundraising field day event is being organized by nine Durham creative agencies and will occur this Friday, April 16 from 3-5 p.m. in Durham Central Park. Donations are still being accepted for SeeSaw Studio, a nonprofit art enrichment program for teens. The event is open to the public, so feel free to stop by, enjoy the weather and see some crazy competitions!
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I had the pleasure of hearing Dani Burns speak last week at the Charlotte PRSA Young Professionals luncheon. She shared her valuable insights on building your personal brand and advice on managing your online presence. Dani raised a great point when she spoke about using Google reader to aggregate blog content, using the tool to gather information in one place where it can be read at your convenience. This led me back to something I’ve also been thinking about: the power of learning from the ideas and challenges that my peers are sharing via their blogs, content that I have come to think of as my continuing education.
Whether you prefer Google or another RSS aggregator, e-mail subscriptions or bookmarked links, make the investment in identifying and gathering the insights of some current great minds – a form of higher education that doesn’t require thousands of dollars or a break from full-time employment.
There are far too many fantastic resources to possibly list them all here, but I wanted to share a few of my favorites that are helping me learn to be a better communicator. Each of these blogs has a different approach to a range of topics impacting our daily work in communications. Their authors represent many different vantage points but can all agree on at least one thing: working in communications has never been more exciting, and we all have an opportunity to learn and grow together.
I am always looking for new resources so please share your favorite sites in the comments or on Twitter! @amandala or @largemouthpr
B.L. Ochman’s What’s Next Blog
K.D. Paine’s PR Measurement blog
Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang
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I recently attended a trade show with one of our clients to leverage its social media presence as a strategic part of its event outreach. In this instance, we wanted to share information about our client’s participation and plans for the event through the company’s Twitter account. The strategy Largemouth PR developed for the show was structured to support the launch of an industry-leading technology, as well as promote several cool features on display at the booth and encourage attendance and share highlights of presentations delivered by two company representatives.
From this process, I decided to pull together a few general tips and considerations when it comes to “live Tweeting” from an organizational perspective during an event:
Build your followers
We all know that Twitter is not just for gaining as many followers as possible—right?! Building, nurturing and communicating with your online Twitter community is an ongoing process, but prior to an event you should consider taking inventory of who is following you—who will be reading your updates?
There are ways to reach existing Tweeples that may be interested in specific event updates, and in turn realize that they are interested in your organization. If you are participating in an event with a booth or as a sponsor, you may have access to a contact database of attendees. If it is an event you have attended before, reach out to your own contact list of past attendees. In no way shape or form should you spam people to insist they follow you. Simply add it to your marketing mix with a link to your account profile and say, “We will be sharing insights from XYZ Conference. Follow us on Twitter to receive updates about the event.”
Who will be Tweeting?
Determine in advance who will actually be posting Tweets during the event. Decide if the updates will come from the company account or from an individual employee’s account. Either way, the person should attend the trade show so he/she is able to contribute in real-time with accurate information.
Internet access
This sounds pretty basic but if you don’t have Internet access, it can derail your whole Twitter update plan. Find out in advance if the expo floor or conference area will have Wi-Fi access. Do you have to purchase it in advance? Will you tote around a laptop or make updates through your mobile phone?
What will you share?
As with any approach to a social media outlet, you want to ensure you are sharing valuable content with your followers. If I were following a company to receive updates about an event and all they did was post things like, “Having a great time at XYZ Conference.” What does that tell me?
Determine what information will be important to share with your particular audience. Inform them about the keynote speaker and share takeaways from different presentations. Tell them information about your new product offering or insights from visitors to the company booth. Post photos during the event using applications such as Twitpic (if you have a Twitter account you already have a Twitpic account). Monitor for responses and reply to questions by following the event hashtag. What is a “hashtag” you ask?
Hashtags
Most tech or social media conferences are Twitter-savvy and determine a hashtag in advance. A hashtag is a way to label or codify your Tweet to make it easily searchable and associate it with a common discussion. If you’re not sure if your event has a hashtag, reach out to the event organizers and ask for it specifically. Who knows, you might even inspire the event team to create one!
Often times the information you share on Twitter during a trade show will be most helpful for those who were unable to attend. However, select conferences will have live Twitter feeds of the event hashtag on display during the show so attendees can see what people or company representatives find interesting. For a great summary and example of using a hashtag for an event, read Mitch Wagner’s post on the InformationWeek Global CIO Blog that summarized his plans to use #iw500 for the InformationWeek 500 Conference. One thing to remember, hashtags are great for real-time discussions but they don’t have a never-ending online shelf life.
These are just a handful of ways to leverage your Twitter account during a trade show or event. I’d love to hear about your personal experiences or suggestions – feel free to share a comment!
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I can't tell you what the next crisis to affect your company will be, but I can promise you this: there is a crisis out there with your name on it, and you'd better be ready. Be it a traumatic event at your location, a lay-off or a problem with a product or service, crisis will come knocking - and happy is the communicator who feels confident and prepared when it happens.
Confidence comes from having a crisis communications template in place before disaster strikes. Largemouth Communications recently developed a communications training presentation for one of our clients, with the goal of helping human resources and facilities managers at this company feel confidant and prepared to handle media inquiries in a crisis situation. We recommend a simple, three step process to prepare for and manage crises.
Step One: Do Your Homework
Before a crisis occurs, it is essential to identify specific individuals in your company who are authorized to speak to the media. Make sure all employees and anyone who answers the phone know who these individuals are.
It is also useful to outline your approval tree ahead of time. By this we mean the people (executives, attorneys, etc.) who must approve any internal or external communication before it is delivered.
As soon as you become aware of a crisis, immediately get to work gathering the "5 Ws"
What - what happened?
Who - who was affected?
Where - where did the event occur/where do those affected live?
When - when did this happen?
Why/Significance - why did this happen, or what is the significance of this event?
Use this information to craft the appropriate communications to internal and external audiences and route them through your approval process.
Step Two: Manage the Media
An asterisk to this step would read "*to the extent this is possible." You can't control the media, of course. What you can do is manage, to the best of your ability, the flow of information out of your company about the crisis. Here are some key tips:
1. When a reporter calls, find out the nature of their inquiry and their deadline.
2. Respond to reporters promptly, but only after properly preparing and gaining approval of the information you plan to share.
3. If you can't meet the reporter's deadline, be honest. There are few times when having a good rapport with reporters matters more than in a crisis situation.
Step Three: Control the Message
You can't control the reporters you deal with or the stories they write, but you can control your company's message - and you must.
Here's a simple fact: if your statements to the media only include the messages you want to deliver, then you ensure that those messages will be represented in the coverage. Why? Because you've given them nothing else to use. I'm not suggesting you play coy or stonewall - in fact I would strongly advise against these tactics. Craft a statement that gives the media as much information as you responsibly can, and stick to it, even if you have to repeat the same three or four sentences over and over.
Last but certainly not least, show your internal audiences the same respect you show the media. That cuts two ways. First, effective internal communication during a crisis helps mitigate rumors and protect productivity. Second, all your internal communications (or the absence of communication if you make that mistake) can and probably will be shared publicly. When it comes to employee communications in a crisis, it pays to be dogmatic about two things:
1. Make sure they hear it from you first whenever possible.
2. Don't share any information internally that you would not be willing to share with a reporter.
I close with a caution for those who think these guidelines seem so intuitive as to be unnecessary: when the feathers hit the fan and the adrenaline kicks in, you'll be glad to have a simple but well-thought-out crisis communications plan to fall back on. Take the time to get it on paper and get the necessary players on board while the seas are calm. You'll be glad you did.
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Just married and finally back in the swing of things post honeymoon! During the sixteen months we had to plan our wedding I frequently found comparisons to working in public relations. I found that wedding planning was much more manageable once I realized that in many ways I thought of "the wedding" as another account.
Communications plays a major role in coordinating any large scale event, and weddings must also address the complexities of bringing two families together. PR challenges abound, but with careful planning, strategy and a clear story, the process can be fun! At its core, a wedding is the culmination of a love story, and sharing that story in a clear, meaningful way with key stakeholders (family, friends and one another) is central to a successful event - and marriage! (Read more after the jump)
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My name is Alexandra Huffman and I am excited to join Largemouth Communications as an intern this fall. I am at Largemouth to help out in any way that I can; writing press releases and blog posts, researching editorial calendars and keeping up with media coverage.
As a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I am double majoring in journalism and mass communication and political science. Prior to joining Largemouth, I served as a public relations intern at Koroberi, Inc. and MMI Associates, Inc. Graduating from UNC this year is bittersweet, but I am enthusiastic about putting my internship experiences towards a career in public relations.
At UNC, I am a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). In my spare time, I love watching the Food Network, traveling (especially in Italy) and running. Look out for me at the finish line of the Raleigh City of Oaks Marathon this year!
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I had to share this exciting story! Largemouth assisted in planning U.S. Senator Arlen Specter's visit to Eaton's (client) headquarters for Electrical - Americas in Pittsburgh last month.
While, on the surface, a simple informational briefing seems easy to plan - there's so much that goes into planning for such a high-profile visit. Since it was actually a Pittsburgh Technology Council event, they handled the invitations. But, as Eaton hosted the event, we were charged with all logistics. I love political events and everything that goes into planning them! And, Senator Specter was insightful with his thoughts on the stimulus funding and key federal issues.
Approximately 40 regional technology leaders attended the event on July 3 in Eaton's new Executive Briefing Center, part of the facility's new "green" expansion.
Here's me with Senator Specter.
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When I first joined Twitter the concept of an @ reply or keeping track of all the tweets seemed somewhat daunting. Why would anyone want to talk to me? How would I build my community?
Yet one day I made that first connection over a common interest – a fellow runner who responded to my tweets about training for a half-marathon. This connection helped me find other runners, tips on training, and support for the miles logged each week. I was sold when I experienced the ease with which I could find and share with other likeminded people.
Today Twitter is one of my first sources for information, a place to connect with friends, and a way to share information that I find valuable. If you’re curious about Twitter and looking for a little direction on getting started, I would like to share a few basic tips:
1) What are you interested in? Your company, hobby or hometown? Celebrities or breaking news? Visit search.twitter.com and find out who’s talking about these things.
2) Follow people sharing information you find valuable. Others will follow you if they find your tweets valuable – at the most basic level this is how you will build your community.
3) @ Replies and Re-Tweets: By starting a tweet with the “@” symbol and an account name, you can send a publicly viewed message to them. To re-tweet another person’s post you found valuable, begin a tweet with RT and copy their post and @username.
4) Direct messages are a way to send someone a private message. Many people take a one on one conversation to direct message to avoid bombarding their followers with irrelevant information.
5) Hashtags are a way of tracking a trend or specific conversation. At the end or within your tweet, include a designated hash tag so that others following that topic can find your post. For example, tradeshows typically have a hash tag that can be applied to all tweets so that the conference is effectively “live-streamed.”
6) TweetDeck, Twhirl or other third-party applications can be downloaded to your desktop and help manage the flow of conversation by allowing you to create groups and searches and manage multiple accounts.
7) URL shorteners allow users to post links using a minimum of characters. Some services, such as bit.ly, track how many users click on your link.
8) Determine your voice. Are you tweeting as an individual or for your company? A business tone (as opposed to personal) may be more appropriate, but keep in mind that all of your tweets are visible whether or not you are on-the-clock.
9) Make a commitment to building your community. Post interesting articles, search for new contacts and continue sharing information. Being active on Twitter does not have to take hours out of your day or week, but consistent participation will reap the greatest rewards.
10) Be cognizant of how frequently you tweet, and be wary of too many self-promotional tweets. Make an effort to re-tweet others and share content. Twitter is an opt-in service so it is up to you what information you choose to share, but self-promotional accounts will quickly lose followers.
These are some of the key lessons I learned as I began exploring Twitter. Check out these posts with great information to help you get started:
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/how-i-tweet-a-faq/ from @chrisbrogan
http://www.pr-squared.com/index.php/2008/04/doth_milady_tweet_too_much__fi from @tdefren
http://prblog.typepad.com/strategic_public_relation/2008/02/top-10-twitter.html from @prblog
Please share any other lessons you've learned in the comments, or connect with us on Twitter!
@largemouthpr or @amandala
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Everyone has those dreadful “learning experiences” at one time or another. With 15 years of public relations experience promoting everything from technology widgets and chocolates, to pet products and even drugs for travelers’ diarrhea, I feel my “learning experiences” may be of value to those currently directing marketing and/or communications strategies.
To that end, I wanted to share a few thoughts regarding agency evaluations. My so-called bumps and bruises, sometimes still visible, were earned while working on both the client and agency sides of business. Through this lens, I would argue that my instincts are darn good at determining when things (basically the performance of public relations agencies) are going well and when they are not. I know when public relations agencies are working diligently and providing great service, and conversely, when you have no choice but to wrest control of the reins and chart your course forward – despite having paid for those services.
Let me know if you find these best practices and lessons learned helpful…and ask yourself these simple questions to benchmark the performance of your public relations agency.
1) Has your PR team demonstrated sufficient industry expertise and account management skills required to serve the objectives of the program? Can they identify trends in the marketplace and apply strategies to incorporate you into relevant industry discussion?
2) After a few short months, the contributors to your program should have a strong grasp of the business and have success promoting your differentiation in the marketplace. If you are not completely confident in the team's ability – you need to change course quickly!
3) Has your PR team developed a synergy and rapport with your internal marketing team? Integration is essential to maximizing the total value of public relations-based deliverables. If program success are not being leveraged across ALL marketing disciplines and sales platforms – this too should be addressed ASAP!
Are you confident that the PR firm represents a professional extension of the business? Furthermore, has the PR team established one-to-one media relationships on your behalf resulting in successful media placements, coverage, endorsement. Writing press releases and posting them on free wires DOES NOT COUNT.
4) Lastly, does your team demonstrate a passion for your business, a passion for PR and an understanding of the best PR strategies to meet program objectives? If you hesitated for one femtosecond (a femtosecond is one millionth of a nanosecond), go through this list again carefully.
At Largemouth we challenge ourselves to ask these questions regularly…and we constantly strive for YES. Contact me if you’d like to share your ideas or if you’d like to see how Largemouth’s clients answer these questions 
. Have a great work week!
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