June 11, 2009
Going to BlogPotomac? If so, let me know. Leave a comment here, email me at james.walker@prprescriptions.com, @ me or DM me. I won’t make the happy hr tonight, but it would be great to meetup with you during one of the breaks tomorrow.
I know it seems like I’m writing a personal letter to the world, but just throwing out the line… See yall tomorrow!
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PR, Professional Development, Public Relations, Social Media | Tagged: BlogPotomac, Gen Y PR Prescriptions, James S. Walker, James Walker, jaywalk1, PR Prescriptions | 
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Posted by jaywalk1
June 8, 2009
Entrepreneur magazine’s June 2009 issue featured a short piece titled “Get Thee to a PR firm.” In the article, 5 Entrepreneurs shared thoughts on when they knew it was time to hire a PR firm. Stories varied, but here’s when it clicked for them:
- People started talking.
- The specialty niche became a trend.
- The entrepreneur dreamed of going national.
- Sales came to a halt.
- It just became too much.
So, is there a specific point in the business growth process when you should hire a PR firm?
No, I think that’s clear from the range of responses provided from this small sample of entrepreneurs. Each business and circumstance will be a little different, and you will be looking to communicate a variety of different things from updates on the business to awards to new focus/products/services/offerings and the list goes on.
There IS, however, a specific point when you should engage a PR professional.
When? Five minutes after you begin to think about engaging with the public.
Why five minutes? It’s enough time to figure out if you’re ready to take that step (budget), but not so much time that you begin to brainstorm and become wedded to your own ideas. That’s why WE are here!
I was being a bit cheeky there, but in all seriousness, it may take days, months or years before you truly need a firm to assist you, but you should be engaging a PR consultant from the very beginning to discuss your strategy.
How can a PR consultant help? There are millions of ways, but here are a few keys areas:
- Providing an outside perspective on messaging - How are you describing your business and the service it provides? Is it as effective as you think it is?
- Defining and Targeting audiences – Most of the entrepreneurs whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting generally have a great sense of who they would like to target. However, knowing who your audience is does not directly translate into knowing the best ways to communicate with that audience.
- Strategy and Solutions - PR pros rarely get the credit we’re due for strategic thinking. We are, at our core, strategic thinkers who come up with solutions. Note that I didn’t limit this to communications solutions. The truth is, depending on the pro, we do a great deal more than that. Our work and experience can blend in other functions (marketing, advertising, fundraising, etc) and several sectors (health care/ health policy, technology, corporate responsibility, etc).
- Getting Funding - This one comes straight from Entrepreneur. According to a survey they conducted, “Companies engaging in PR campaigns were 30 percent more successful in attaining funding within 1 to 3 months than companies without a campaign.”
It may be wise to hold off on hiring a firm for long-term work, but a working relationship with a solid PR consultant is definitely an extremely valuable thing to have in your arsenal as you set out to grow your business or organization.
2 Comments | 
PR, Public Relations, Resource, Resources | Tagged: defining audience, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur Magazine, Get Thee to a PR firm, James, James S. Walker, James Walker, messaging, PR Firm, PR solutions, PR strategy, Public Relations, Public Relations for Startups, Public Relations Strategy, target audience | 
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Posted by jaywalk1
June 2, 2009
I may not have many things in common with Alltop founder and walking success story Guy Kawasaki, but it turns out that we share a common distaste for a few things that people do online.
His June 2009 Entrepreneur magazine piece titled “Website Marketing Turnoffs” lays out 13 “silly and even stupid ways some companies are hindering adoption of their products and services.” One place where I’ll deviate from Guy’s thinking is his application of these things to companies. To me, this applies to everyone online, companies and definitely anyone blogging. As I read the list, I couldn’t help but think: “Yes! Right! Seriously! EXACTLY!!”
A few that made me mad just visualizing the offenders in action include:
#1 Forcing immediate registration: Requiring a new user to register is a reasonable request—after you’ve sucked him in. The sites that require registration as the first step are putting a barrier in front of adoption.
I hate this. As a PR guy, I know the value of capturing the email, but as an online PR guy, I also know how fast a visitor can click off a site if something jumps between them and the content they seek. Something to think about…
#3 Windows that don’t generate URLs: Have you ever wanted to point people to a page, but the page has no URL? Did the company decide it didn’t want referrals, links and additional traffic?
Yes, yes…oh and yes! And bloggers, please do both me and yourself a favor, make it easy for me to point to specific posts. There is nothing like trying to send a post to someone only to find that my sole option is sending the main URL with a date and title.
#6 Limiting contact to e-mail: Don’t get me wrong; I live and die by e-mail. But sometimes I want to call or even snail-mail a company. Many companies only let you send an e-mail via their “Contact Us” page. Why can’t companies be honest and just call it “Don’t Contact Us”?
I agree with Guy, but I’m going to take this one in a slightly different direction. When I’m reading up on bloggers, there are times when I’d like to share info or ask a question that is not suited for everyone’s eyes. I have little faith in contact forms (that they work and that they get read), so please people include an email address. Gmail is FREE! Open a new account just for people like me and maintain your privacy with your personal account. You don’t have to check it every five minutes…every ten will do.
Those are just a few that jumped out at me. You can read the full list here.
*Flickr Photo Credit – PaloAlto
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Just Fun, PR, Public Relations, Resource, Resources | Tagged: Alltop, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur Magazine, Gen Y PR Prescriptions, Great Minds Irk Alike, Guy Kawasaki, James S. Walker, James Walker, jaywalk1, PR Prescriptions, Website Marketing Turnoffs | 
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Posted by jaywalk1
April 26, 2009
“Social Media is not short term. When you engage in social media, you’re in it for the long haul.” This is a common idea shared at most social media conferences, and from time to time, you may hear me utter something similar, but it is normally connected to my thoughts on the “social media campaign.”
Yep, I said it: social media campaign (Cue the dramatic music for the naysayers). I know that social media takes time and should be undertaken with a long term strategy in mind, but being in it for the long haul doesn’t mean that your program will run forever. When you are thinking about how you will engage in social media, you need to plan for both your entrance and your exit.
At the last meeting of the DC Chapter of the National Black Public Relations Society, I joined two other great panelists in sharing thoughts for a session on Strategic Social Media. I developed a presentation which focused on the following steps for developing a social media strategy:
- Listen – Learn more about the current conversation.
- Map it Out – Identify key players to connect with.
- Get Help – Read the latest tips from industry thought leaders.
- Do It Yourself (DIY) – Craft a tailor-made strategy.
- Make Rules of Engagement – A guide for assessment and response.
- Exit Strategy – A plan for how to evolve the campaign.
I really drilled down into my reasoning for listening because it is so integral to coming up with a good strategy, but I also wanted to focus a bit on the idea of an exit strategy because I think it often gets overlooked as we move full speed ahead towards implementation.
Here’s a simple illustration of how I view social media engagement:
Layer 1: The Decision to Engage
Layer 1 is very straightforward. It represents the period of time during which your organization is committed to being engaged online in social media, right from the moment the green light is given to begin planning until the bittersweet end.
Layer 2: Communication Channels
The next layer includes a few activities and channels of communication that you may use throughout to engage. For most groups, this will include blogging, podcasting and/or some form of video (Speeches, Events, Members/Dollars in Action).
Layer 3: Exit Strategy
The top layer is where things get interesting. This is where exit strategy comes into play. Many plan for social media campaigns to run like layer 1 or 2, one constant line moving forward or little pieces of activity here and there.
Layer 3 represents my view of how the social media campaign should be for most groups. Note, as we move from left to right, the arrow is getting larger and includes several phases. Your social media campaign, if successful, should be growing and evolving over time. Phase 1 will bring you out of the gate, but as you plan for that first campaign, you should be thinking of what will follow. If you meet all of your goals, what will be next?
If you’re building a social network, is there a plan for adding new features or empowering members to take a greater role in the process?
If you’re fundraising online using social media, is there a plan for how you will involve contributors and share future activity?
The arrow that I have displayed continues to grow, but this may not apply to every situation. At some point the campaign will have run its course. Do you have a plan for how to bring things to a close? To transition from campaign 1 to 2?
Things may change as time goes on, but it is always good to have an exit strategy in place.
12 Comments | PR, Public Relations, Resource, Resources, Social Media | Tagged: Black Public Relations Society, bprs DC, BPRS Washington DC, charity:water, exit strategy, Gen Y PR Prescriptions, James S. Walker, jaywalk1, PR Prescriptions, Social Media, social media campaign, social media exit strategy, Strategic Social Media | Permalink
Posted by jaywalk1
April 23, 2009
When I first read the Washington Post piece titled “To Nonprofits Seeking Cash, Facebook App Isn’t So Green, Though Popular, ‘Causes’ Ineffective for Fundraising,” I got pretty fired up and was ready to blast off a post, but I thought it would be more interesting to hear from you. I polled several online networks (the blog, twitter and linked in), and here’s what you had to say:
“Facebook Causes are great for raising visibility and finding people passionate about your cause/org. It’s also free, so why wouldn’t you?
Also, a lot of organizations have had success using the cause to fundraise with specific drives. You can’t expect ANY fundraising initiative to work without a call to action and sense of urgency. People who think you can just create a cause and have cash come rolling in are seriously misguided. That’s my two cents.”
-Emily Carone
“They’re a tactic, not a strategy. Causes work when they are being used in concert with a concrete ask or goal. It’s a vehicle for building support but must have relevance to something bigger.”
-Adam Rosenberg
“It certainly is effective – it just depends on how you’re looking at it -
The Causes application isn’t offering you a magical portal to an untapped fundraising goldmine…and neither is any other online or social media application.”
-Lateef
“All the social networking platforms including Facebook are part of a new social revolution that is initiated from the Internet. This revolution is still in its initial stages, and it is likely to move towards a concept of “instant democracy” where the expressions, choices, and associated impacts are expected to be “instantaneous” and far reaching.
In this context, these platforms and its users are going through an initial exploratory and evolving period, followed by a somewhat “disenchantment” for a while, followed by gradual maturity, leverage, and proliferation.
Looking from bigger perspective, none of these are going to be waste, but from a local perspective of an individual and associated priorities, it can be total waste of time.
- Nataraja (Nats) Upadhya
I use it for a global-type awareness. It is easy to reach my constituency and then it takes old fashioned asking and methods to receive the funds. For example it is easier to tell your friend about the cause and have them pay through Facebook Cause or paypal.”
- Orletta Caldwell
“Some how we (non-profit and for profit organizations) have all been sold on the idea of passive income from the Internet. The internet doesn’t mean less work, It means more efficient work. NO FREE LUNCH!”
- Napoleon C. Birch
“Waste. Everyone adopts the cause because it’s as easy as clicking the mouse, yet I haven’t seen any case studies or analyses illustrating that Facebook Cause pages actually produce action or contributions.
If my client wants a Facebook page, we’ll set it up, but we’ll also manage expectations and point them to other, more effective means of promoting the cause.”
- Kevin Mercuri
So what do I think? I agree with most of you who say that Causes is not a waste. Causes, ESPECIALLY when you’re talking about fundraising, is a tool. When I look at Causes, I am personally more interested in how you can use it and other tools, like the Facebook petition, to raise awareness, rally people around an issue and share information about actions people can take to address the issue. That’s just me.
On the fundraising note, this is a little bit more complicated than “If you build it, they will come.” If you build it, they MAY come, and there’s a CHANCE that they will give, but you have to develop a relationship (between you and them or a least a link between them and the cause) and make the ask. It’s a lot of work, but it’s possible if there’s someone working with you who understands three things:
- Fundraising
- Relationships
- How to use social media to connect the two.
In the case of Facebook Causes vs. Washington Post, we the jury find the defendant, Facebook Causes, effective…for those with realistic expectations and an online strategy tailor-made for their organization and supporters.
1 Comment | PR, Public Relations, Resource, Resources, Social Media | Tagged: Causes, Facebook Causes, Facebook Causes petition, Facebook Fundraising, Gen Y PR, James S. Walker, James Walker, jaywalk1, Online Fundraising, PR Prescriptions | Permalink
Posted by jaywalk1
April 2, 2009
Here’s one for the DC folks. On April 15th, I’ll be on a panel of speakers presenting on social media. The panel is being sponsored by the DC Chapter of the National Black Public Relations Society (BPRS). Here’s the info:
“Strategic Social Media: Engaging Communities, Developing Relationships, Managing Crises.”
The event will be held at APCO Worldwide on April 15th, 2009 at 630pm. Featured panelists include:
We will be discussing the essentials of social media strategy, effective ways to develop relationships online and proven methods for using social media to manage crises.
All attendees are asked to RSVP to bprsdc@gmail.com with your name, company and number of guests. Feel free to share this info with your friends and colleagues. We look forward to seeing you on April 15th!
Leave a Comment » | PR, Professional Development, Public Relations, Resource, Resources, Social Media, Work | Tagged: Amanda Miller Littlejohn, Black Public Relations Society, bprs DC, BPRS Washington DC, DC Social Media, Gen Y PR Prescriptions, James S. Walker, James Walker, jaywalk1, Lesly Simmons, PR Prescriptions, Public Relations Washington DC, Social Media Developing relationships online, Social Media Engaging Communities, Social Media Managing Crises | Permalink
Posted by jaywalk1
February 22, 2009
February is quickly nearing its end, but I couldn’t let the month close without doing a quick recap on the last Social Media Club DC event.
On February 11th, Alex Rampy and the folks at IQ Solutions hosted the group and led a discussion titled “Engaging the Health World through Social Media”. Alex served as the moderator for the night and there was a great group of guests on the panel:
Dr. Val Jones, Physician & Blog Entrepreneur, Staying UPstream of MAINstream Media.
(http://getbetterhealth.com/)
Christian Olsen, Online healthcare specialist. Connecting companies with communities. (http://www.apcoworldwide.com)
Mark Scrimshire, Change Agent, Blogger and Visionary. Organizer of HealthCamp. (http://ekive.blogspot.com/ or http://barcamp.org/HealthCamp)
Joel Selzer, Entrepreneur and Innovator in Health Care and Social Media.
(http://www.ozmosis.com)
It’s always great to go to these events when there is an active conversation going on between the panelists and the attendees. The group tossed thoughts around on a number of topics including the definition of Health 2.0, adverse events reporting, the current state of doctor/patient relationships, communities of color and the lack of trust and thoughts on potential social media adoption by medical professionals.
At one point in the conversation, an attendee offered online literacy training as a solution to problems we are currently seeing with patients getting inaccurate health care information online. In her mind, the problem was caused by people not knowing the difference between blogs and credible health information sites. Not exactly accepting her point of view, I had to chime in. I think the issues we see today in this area are directly tied to two areas:
1. A breakdown in the doctor/patient relationship
2. A lack of “social-media literate” medical professionals
The latter is being taken care of (to an extent) as Gen Y-ers begin to enter the medical field, but they still need to come up with strategies for ways to include social media in their practice. Depending on the health condition under discussion, I think health professionals should try to work with patients to help them sift through what they find online and help provide them with appropriate online resources. (Might need to run that by my friend at GW Med – might just be seen as extra work)
If you’re interested in the world of Health 2.0 and what is to come, you definitely need to check out HealthCampDC coming up on February 27, 2009.
4 Comments | PR, Public Relations, Resource, Resources, Social Marketing, Social Media | Tagged: Alex Rampy, Dr. Val Jones, Gen Y PR Prescriptions, Health 2.0, IQ Solutions, James S. Walker, James Walker, jaywalk1, Joel Selzer, Mark Scrimshire, Ozmosis, PR Prescriptions, smcdc, Social Media Club, Social Media Club DC | Permalink
Posted by jaywalk1
February 21, 2009
This little gem came my way via Hard Knox Life, but all credit must go to Aki Spicer at Fallon Planning. Too great not to share. Looking at these categories immediately makes me think of Dan Schawbel though. We all have a personal brand that we build, and a large part of that involves our communication with others. Looking at the image below, I think I fit into several categories. How about you?
Leave a Comment » | PR, Personal Branding, Public Relations, Resource, Resources, Social Media | Tagged: 6 Ways to Play Twitter, Fallon Planning, Gen Y PR Prescriptions, James S. Walker, James Walker, jaywalk1, Personal Branding, Play Twitter, PR Prescriptions, Twitter Brand Strategies, Winning Brand Strategies | Permalink
Posted by jaywalk1
February 13, 2009
Nope. Sorry. This is not my offer for you to be me for the day. Hope the title wasn’t misleading!
Seriously though, Test Drive My Job is the name of a series done by Blogger/Journalist/PR pro Amanda Miller Littlejohn (@amandamogul).
Check me and some of her other profiles out on her blog Mopwater PR + Media Notes.
Leave a Comment » | Gen Y, PR, Public Relations, Work | Tagged: Amanda Miller Littlejohn, amandamogul, diversity in PR, entry level PR, Gen Y PR Prescriptions, James S. Walker, James Walker, jaywalk1, pr pre, PR Prescriptions, test drive my job | Permalink
Posted by jaywalk1
Hashtags.org defines them as “ a community-driven convention for adding additional context and metadata to your tweets. They’re like tags on Flickr, only added inline to [your message].”
As someone who tends to throw in my own tags from time to time, I was foolish to think that these were the main ones. In her discussion, she listed a host of others that I had never even heard of and said something that really drove a message home. I use these tags to speak to groups, but I speak to everyone.
