What You Must Know About Google +

The Publicity Hound’s
Tips of the Week
Issue #563 July 12, 2011

Publisher: Joan Stewart
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“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

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In This Issue
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1. What You Must Know About Google +

2. Don’t Let Interns Pitch

3. Secret Tool to Get Facebook Likes

4. Use Flickr to Promote Your Business

5. Social Media Webcast

6. Best-seller Blueprint for Authors

7. Hound Joke of the Week

8. And at My Blog & Mobile Site…

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1. What You Must Know About Google +
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If you’ve been searching for a good explanation of Google +, the
social media platform that’s the newest hot thing, you may have
been frustrated, as I have, by the lack of helpful content.

But I found a really good explanation of what it’s about,
including lots of links, at Janet Fout’s blog. Take a look:
http://janetfouts.com/google-and-world-domination/

Google + makes it imperative that you update your Google profile
now. If you don’t have a Google profile, create one at
https://profiles.google.com.

Do yourself a favor and double-check all your links to make sure
they lead to the right pages. If you’ve created new social media
profiles, or Facebook pages, be sure to add those to the list of
links.

Is the explanation of what you do recent?

Do you have new bragging rights to add to your profile? Last
week, the Business2Community blog at
http://www.Business2Community.com named me to their list of the
40 Most Approachable A-Listers on Twitter. I added that to my
Google profile and noticed how quickly it had gotten stale.

Update yours today.

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2. Don’t Let Interns Pitch
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This time of year, the debate about whether PR interns should
pitch stories to the media surfaces.

There’s a good discussion at the Get Social PR blog at
http://www.getsocialpr.com/2011/07/11/public-relations-
professionals-should-pr-interns-pitch-to-the-media/

Rodger Johnson, a PR counselor and blogger, argues in favor of
letting interns pitch, with supervision.

“Interns need to learn how to pitch and the best way to do that
is to pitch,” he says.

I disagree.

If they fail–and that’s entirely possible, even with a PR pro as
the coach–the client’s reputation is on the line.

Put yourself in the client’s shoes. What would you say if you
knew that an amateur was representing you and your brand?

Besides, too many interns are ill prepared to answer a reporter’s
questions about the company.

I wouldn’t let most virtual assistants pitch on behalf of clients
either. I know of one or two who specialize in PR and work more
as publicists than virtual assistants. But the vast majority of
them should not be pitching. It sends the message that “Miss Big
Shot is too important to be calling you herself, so she sent me.”

Am I wrong? Comment at my blog at
http://publicityhound.net/?p=8854

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3. Secret Tool to Get Facebook Likes
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Thanks to Greg Mischio, a member of The Publicity Hound Mentor
Program, for this tip on how to encourage people visiting your
business to Like your Facebook page.

Let them borrow your iPad, suggest they visit your page and Like
it, and then tell them to look around on the page. They can sign
up for your newsletter, write on your wall and leave a comment on
something you’ve written.

Greg manages PR and social media for his client, The Vision
Therapy Center, Inc., in Brookfield and Madison, Wi. He thinks
that would be a great way to occupy patients who are waiting in
the lobby to see the doctor.

His idea can work at lots of other businesses, too. Just be sure
your customers don’t walk off with the iPad.

During our conversation, Greg and I used the 33-point checklist
that I compiled last week, after the webinar I hosted with Mari
Smith, on “33 Ways to Attract Facebook Fans, Provide Sterling
Content and Keep Them Coming Back for More.” We discussed which
tactics on the list his client should use first.

You can download the checklist, the video replay of the webinar,
and Mari’s slides, at
http://publicityhound.com/facebookpages.htm

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4. Use Flickr to Promote Your Business
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What if photos of your products appeared all over the Internet–
at blogs, to illustrate other people’s articles, and at other
people’s websites?

And the people who see your photos could also click on the link
that leads them to your website.

For many companies, that’s nothing more than a dream.

But not for Publicity Hounds who know how to use Flickr, the
mammoth online photo management and sharing website that makes it
easy to:

–Make your photos available to the people who matter to you,
including current customers and your target audience.

–Organize your photos in one place online where people can share
them on the web, on mobile devices, from the users’ home
computers and from whatever software they are using to manage
their content. Flickr lets you push them out in as many ways as
possible: on the Flickr website, in RSS feeds, by email, by
posting to outside blogs or numerous other ways that tie into a
PR campaign.

Flickr calls itself “the WD-40 that makes it easy to get photos
or video from one person to another in whatever way they want.”

Are you using it yet to promote your business?

If not, guest blogger David Murton has nine ideas for using
Flickr to promote your product, service, cause or issue.

Even if you don’t have a treasure trove of photos, I’m betting
you have at least several that you can upload today.

Read David’s tips at my blog:

http://publicityhound.net/9-ways-to-use-flickr-to-promote-your-
business/

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5. Social Media Webcast
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I’m flying to San Diego today to be one of Don Crowther’s guests
on a live webcast tomorrow (Wednesday, July 13) to discuss my
successes with social media.

I’m scheduled to be on at 6:40 p.m. Eastern Time, though that
time might change. I hope you’ll join us. In fact, check out the
entire live webcast from 5 to 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time. You’ll see
Don interviewing lots of other people who have great social media
tips to share.

We’re all case studies he’s using to promote Social Profit
Formula 2.0, the new, updated follow-up to the original Social
Profit Formula course, which I’ve taken.

Even if you don’t want to spend a penny with Don, you can watch
the entire webcast for free by using this link:

https://btconsulting.infusionsoft.com/go/livecast/a342/

Because it’s live streaming video, we’ll be taking your questions
and responding to your comments.

(Tune in to see if Don lets me wear my Publicity Hound T-shirt!)

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6. Best-seller Blueprint for Authors
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Want to find out how one author made her book an Amazon.com,
Barnes & Noble and New York Times Bestseller?

Join my friend, Steve Harrison, on Thursday, July 14, for a free
webinar (or telephone seminar) and discover the ingenious, yet
simple “best-seller blueprint” you can use to sell more books in
a week than most authors sell all year. I promote this webinar as
a compensated affiliate because I’ve heard from far too many
authors who are doing it the hard way.

You’ll hear from four authors who’ve used it to make their books
bestsellers and one who sold $184,256.00 of copies at zero cost!

To register go here now:
http://www.bestsellerblueprintcall.com/?10011

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7. Hound Joke of the Week
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Thanks to Publicity Hound Sophie Wajsman of Melbourne, Australia
for this one:

If a fire hydrant has H2O inside, what does it have outside?

Answer: K9P

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8. And at My Blog & Mobile Site…
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9 ways to use Flickr to promote your business
http://publicityhound.net/?p=8739

5 reasons why PR interns shouldn’t be pitching the media
http://publicityhound.net/?p=8854

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Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound