Social Media Press Release 2.0

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #680 Jan. 8, 2012
Publisher: Joan Stewart

==========================================

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

===================================

In This Issue
===================================

1. Social Media Press Release 2.0

2. Build a Loyal Audience

3. Beef Up Your Email Signature

4. Hound Video of the Week

This Week in the Hound House:

If you’re a 49ers fan, how about betting on Saturday night’s NFL playoff game? If the 49ers win, I send you a $50 gift card for some wonderful Wisconsin cheese. If my Packers win, you send me a $50 gift card for Ghirardelli chocolate. I’m not THAT confident about the Packers, so only one person gets to accept the challenge. (I don’t even know if this is legal, but it sure is fun!)

======================================
1. Social Media Press Release 2.0
======================================

Seven years ago, Shift Communications created the first social media press release, with multi-media, links to other sites and other features that appealed to bloggers.

Many Publicity Hounds wrote traditional releases for traditional media, and social media press releases for social media.

But a lot has changed since then.

“Today, if you don’t treat new media creators with the same level of access as traditional media outlets, you’re in for a bucket of relative obscurity, especially if your product isn’t especially share-worthy,” Shift says.

Social is now embedded in the newest version of the social media press release that can be used for both traditional and social media.

Most important, every piece of content in the newest version can be shared independently on sites like YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and social bookmarking sites.

You can read more about the Social Media Press Release 2.0 and click on the link within it so you can see a very helpful diagram of exactly what it includes.

====================================
2. Build a Loyal Audience
====================================

Amassing huge numbers of friends, followers and fans on the social media sites, or a giant email list, can actually work against you.

Unless your social media friends and fans are liking, commenting on, or sharing your content, those big audiences don’t mean diddly.

If you have an email list or an ezine like this one, unless people are opening your emails, you may be paying an email management company to deliver emails to people who don’t care about them. Even worse, if one of them forgets they subscribed to your newsletter, they might report you as a spammer. Then you have to spend precious time defending yourself.

The real secret to success online is building a loyal audience, even if it’s a small one.

Danny Iny, one of my favorite marketing guys, will show you exactly how to do that during a free webinar from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, Jan. 10. Several hundred Publicity Hounds have already registered for the call. Don’t miss this one.

====================================
3. Beef Up Your Email Signature
====================================

Does every person you email know where to find you on the social media sites?

Nope. Me neither.

I have a Twitter text link at the end of my email signature, but that’s going to change this week.

I’m adding a row of several clickable icons that will take people directly to my Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube profiles so they can follow me there.

For step-by-step instructions, check out this helpful nine-minute video from Cheryl Gnat, who demonstrates how to add the icons in Outlook and Yahoo.

She says the process is similar for Gmail, although she doesn’t demonstrate that one.

Adding the icons was one of 12 things I recommended to people in my mentor program during a private webinar last night so they can promote their expertise, attract a loyal audience and increase profitability. Just one of my tips will save me about $4,800 this year. If you want to join us for two private webinars a month and work one-on-one with me, read more about The Publicity Hound Mentor Program and then call me at 262-284-7451 to see if we’re a good match.

====================================
4. Hound Video of the Week
====================================

You think dogs can’t spell? Watch this German Short-haired Pointer listen intently for its owner to drop the clue that signifies good times ahead. Bogie, my Short-hair, tilts her head to the side, just like this one does, when I’m talking to her. Too cute.