From This Just In/PR Tactics
Grocery Rivals Funding Stealth Campaigns Against New Wal-Mart Stores
As Wal-Mart has grown into the largest grocery seller in the United States, competitors threatened by proposed new Wal-Mart locations have often hired a company called Saint Consulting Group to secretly run antidevelopment campaigns against the retail giant, The Wall Street Journal reported this week. Read more. (Related on PRSAY: A Glimpse Into the “Dark Side”)
From Social Media Examiner
Top 5 Social Media Myths Debunked
As with any new technology, social media has spawned its share of misconceptions and myths that keep people from interacting. It’s time to debunk the big myths that are keeping business owners and marketers on the social media sidelines. Myth #1: My Customers Aren’t on Social Media Wow, if I had a dollar for every time I heard [...] Read more...
By Lee Odden (via Ragan)
5 steps for building a marketing strategy on Twitter
Engagement with your target audience is crucial, so follow these guidelines. So you want to succeed with Twitter, eh? Before you run off and chase shiny butterflies and little blue birds, take a seat and collect yourself. Then read the following tips on creating a potential Twitter marketing strategy that will help you become more productive and successful using Twitter for business. Read more.
From MediaShift (via Ragan)
How 6 big summer films are embracing social media marketing
Just as corporations and small businesses alike are experimenting with social media, so are Hollywood studios. “Facebook is rocket fuel for word-of-mouth and studios are experimenting with how to best engage users in order to convert those who ‘Like’ a movie to someone who purchases a ticket,” writes Nick Mendoza, the director of digital communications and ad firm Zeno Group. He explained how six big summer movies are using social media. Read more.
From BusinessWired (via Ragan)
Study: Only 13.5 percent of PR pros put links in press release
Scary statistics on press releases from a study by Business Wire's blog, BusinessWired. It asked 268 PR pros if they include links in their press releases; 85 percent said they do. However, BusinessWired then looked at roughly 1,000 press releases and found that a mere 13.5 percent contain links. Oops. So, what’s the advantage of including links in your press releases? “Relevant, timely hyperlinks in your press release … can amplify your message, help increase your search engine optimization, and drive traffic to your website or other relevant sites,” according to BusinessWired. — Susan Young. Read more.
From TVNewser (via Ragan)
Report: CNN close to dropping Associated Press
If the report is correct, and CNN drops the AP, then the 24-hours news network will operate without a wire service — it dropped Reuters in 2007 — instead opting for its own in-house wire service, which CNN has reportedly nurtured as a potential revenue source. Read more.
From The Christian Science Monitor
Study: Web tools cement local communities
Social-media tools are helping people to renew their ties to their local community and to forge stronger relationships with their neighbors, according to a new Pew Internet and American Life study. Web users are substantially more likely to meet their neighbors offline, the study found. Regardless of Internet use, the study found that knowing neighbors' names was the most important factor in increasing community engagement. Read more.
From The Christian Science Monitor
Primary voters used Twitter to learn about candidates
Confronted by intimidating 80-page voter-information pamphlets, primary voters in California and other states have been using Twitter and Facebook to find out about the candidates. Peer recommendations help voters cut through the clutter and get the information that matters to them, say political-media experts. Read more.
From USA Today
Ford trades auto shows for Facebook
Ford Motor's latest Explorer model won't be introduced at a glitzy auto show -- instead, it will make its debut on Facebook. The company will launch the car with a campaign that focuses on drivers' real-world experiences, rather than glamorous TV ads. "We live in a 140-character society ... When we have people's attention, we want to make sure it sticks," says Scott Monty, Ford's head of social media. Read more.
