Social Media & SEO

Data is critical to measurement. But what about data privacy? And why do communicators need to know about data privacy? In short, privacy laws are everywhere, argues Stephen Payne, the veteran communicator at Feld Entertainment who now also has responsibility for privacy. PR pros can benefit from at least a basic understanding of how data privacy laws work, he writes.

It’s been an tumultuous week in Menlo Park, California. Facebook once again dominated the news cycle with a widely-maligned public speech from Mark Zuckerberg. Next was a series of new policies intended to curb hostile foreign governments from once again weaponizing the social network to influence our 2020 elections. For communicators, this saga has proved to be many things—a lens into the distrust that engulfs marketing communications, a lesson on the power of self-regulation, and a reminder of what transparency does (and doesn’t) look like in action.

If it’s done right, SEO can improve both the quantity and the quality of your web traffic. SEO usually plays off of communications quite well, too. When used cohesively, you can build a powerful, integrated marketing campaign that produces data-driven results. If you recently started an SEO campaign, you’ll need a way to track the performance—and success—of your work. But which analytics are the most important to track? Here are five SEO metrics you simply can’t afford to ignore.

The digital era is wonderful in many ways, though social media can sink a brand that runs a tone-deaf ad campaign quicker than you can say, ‘Why didn’t we have a PR pro at the table in the first place?’ Here are seven tips for PR pros to consider that will help brands avoid cultural missteps when they roll out ad campaigns.

You think it’s too early to begin preparing for Halloween? What a ghostly thought. In fact, Halloween is a wonderful time to dig up some fun for your brand and its followers. Accordingly, here are three scary tips for injecting some excitement into your brand on October 31 that even the devil will find thrilling.

There are some roadblocks unique to the B2B space, from using social to win customers to translating complex technical language into accessible messaging. Four B2B marketers shared their approach to tackling these challenges with our sister publication, The Social Shake-Up.

How can senior executives establish themselves as thought leaders via social media? Authenticity, transparency and timeliness are crucial, says Dominique Scott of APCO, who offers a four-point plan designed to launch a successful thought leadership effort.

The Fraudnomics Summit last month in NYC made one of its goals eliminating the estimated $1.3 billion in influence marketing fraud. Unilever N America’s Casey DePalma McCartney told us communicators must think long term and holistically about the influencer ecosystem.

Data integrity and privacy issues are ubiquitous, yet so few firms are addressing them. We asked Dan Linton, the newly minted lead of the global data privacy unit at W20 Group, what PR pros should be doing on data protection and data privacy.

The global vice chair of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Peter Zandan, PhD, argues that communicators must self-police themselves or risk the weaponizing of communications.