Social Media & SEO

When the mighty Google changes its algorithm, all of PR is pushed in the same direction by the shockwave; here’s hoping that the most recent change will nudge us into a better place. The search engine’s latest move is to demote (but not remove) pages that propagate lies, hoaxes, conspiracy theories and other junk content that more and more is collectively being labeled “fake news.”

Daniella Peting follows one cardinal rule for live streaming: Don’t wing it. Peting, who manages Motorola Solutions’ social media presence in North America and co-leads the company’s Global Social Media Center of Excellence, makes a point of fully preparing every element of a live broadcast from conception to execution.

What enables some customer communities to be financially productive while others remain a cost center? In the research study “The Business Impact of Online Communities,” we found that almost half (49%) of community leaders report revenue gains from their online community. This is an exciting proof-point, but it warranted further investigation. So, we analyzed the data to identify the winning conditions of the top communities and identified three key steps toward a better ROI.

How can brands that supposedly lack a visual element create community and engagement on Instagram? One way is to expand the kind of content the brand provides. For example, ForRent.com at its essence is a large search engine for those seeking apartments and homes. On Instagram, though, it offers content about home decorating, entertaining, recipes, fitness and more, its AVP for social explains.

If you have more money than you know what to do with, you’re luckier than most of us, and you might be unconcerned about throwing your wealth around willy-nilly. For the rest of us, we want to know that we’re getting a solid return on our investment when it comes to paid social before we commit any cash. The first step to this is knowing your brand’s audience and where you’re already engaging them. Answering these ten questions will ensure you’re targeting the right audience for your brand and using your budget effectively.

As much as the wisest of the wise encourage us to live in the moment—counseling us that all that exists is this very moment and that focusing on yesterday and tomorrow deprive us of the… Continued

Social media sites are popular targets when it comes to hacking. Just last month, hackers managed to access the Twitter account for McDonald’s and send out a derogatory post aimed at President Trump. But McDonald’s is a well established, multinational brand and they could gain control of their account quickly. Could your business do the same? Here are six steps to help keep your company’s social media accounts secure.

PR pros know it’s important to adapt to change. Yet it’s also comforting when some of the basics of PR can be applied to new platforms. Take Twitter, whose newsworthiness President Trump has cemented. We asked Rebecca Matulka, deputy director of digital, U.S. Department of the Interior, about creating engagement and growing a community on Twitter. Before setting out the tactics her organization uses, she noted that goal setting, a key component of nearly every PR effort you can think of, should comprise the start of your Twitter endeavors.

In Q4 2016 (Oct. 1 – Dec. 31), consumer engagement, or total actions, defined as the sum of reactions, comments and shares on Facebook, rose 6% year over year for U.S. B2B brands, according to Shareablee data. Video engagement jumped 151%, though. Data were provided exclusively to PR News Pro. Enterprise data integration and management software firm Informatica maintained its top spot on the B2B list that it established in Q3 2016. Consumer engagement with the brand’s posts rose 38% compared with the same quarter last year, says Shareablee’s Nathalie Nuta. Video was just 8% of Informatica’s engagement. Its top post was an image wishing all a happy Diwali, which is the Hindu festival of lights.

If you’ve been thinking about starting a blog but worried about the time investment, you’re not alone. In a world where you can fire off a tweet or a snap in second, the prospect of blogging seems daunting from a time management perspective. But there are smart ways to make it work, and Jackie Allder, director, public relations & communications for The Long & Foster Companies, is familiar with many of them.