Preparing PR Professionals for the World of Social Media

Topaz is convinced that social media -- blogs, podcasts, RSS feeds and other online communications technologies -- represents some of the greatest opportunities facing PR professional today.  We believe that in the rapidly evolving field of public relations, successful PR professionals are those who embrace the concept of a truly integrated approach to communications, focusing on both mainstream media and social media.

In addition to developing our Buzz Media and Online Communications (BMOC) offerings, Topaz is committed to social media education and training. 

For the Topaz staff this includes regular internal workshops on how to integrate social media and traditional PR -- helping our team better identify opportunities, develop strategies and execute programs that incorporate these new online communications technologies.

At Topaz, social media isn't the focus of a select few "specialists" -- instead, every staff member is given the opportunity to work in these areas and is provided the support of the agency's BMOC team.  Topaz social media case studies and best practices are shared with every team member, and our staff is encouraged to participate in industry events and conferences on social media.

As mentioned in this and earlier newsletters, Topaz has presented at many of these industry conferences and workshops -- and through these presentations and our sponsorship of efforts like the Social Media Club and PodCamp, Topaz is doing it's part to help prepare PR professionals outside of our agency for the exciting world of online communications.

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Ask the Expert – Awards-Driven PR

There are many facets to successful PR programs. Media relations, award and public speaking opportunities, and online communications are just a few. In this and future newsletters we will offer thoughts from Topazers and other industry experts on best practices for various PR initiatives.

In this issue, Lynn Marcus, president of Marcus + Company, shares tips on using awards as part of a PR program.

Finding Awards Competitions Worth Pursuing
By Lynn Marcus, president of Marcus + Company

Prioritizing the many awards competitions just takes research -making sure competitions you enter have two essential elements:

• First, find out what is available. Check the leading publications and associations for your market and add their awards competitions to the list. Then add any competitions sponsored by relevant professional organizations.

• Once you have a list, rank the competitions and establish priorities. Two primary factors in establishing the value of any competition are:

• Who sponsors it? The best competitions to enter are those sponsored by established publications or organizations that are recognized and respected in your market. If you have never heard of the competition sponsor, that doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t enter the competition. Just do your homework to find out more before deciding if it is worth entering.

• How rigorous is the judging? Who the judges are and how they select the winners are also important to your decision to enter. Good competitions use judges who are experts in the subject matter they judge. You may not know all the judges, but you should recognize their firms. The competition should also have a specified and well-understood process for selecting winners so it can defend the judges’ selections. Be wary of any competition that does not clearly describe how judges evaluate entries.

 Lynne S. Marcus is president of Marcus + Company, a communications firm that specializes in awards and recognition programs. She is editor and publisher of the Marketing with HonorsSM directory, a complete online database of awards competitions. She also created and co-chaired the MITX (formerly MIMC) Awards competition for innovation and technology in New England.
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Topaz Headlines

In recent months, we’ve stepped our focus on online communications. In addition to sponsoring the Social Media Club Boston event, Topaz also supported PodCamp Boston, a first-ever gathering of podcasting enthusiasts in Boston.  In addition, Topaz could be seen and heard in several media outlets and at a number of professional organizations, sharing our expertise and experiences about today’s world of new media.

Check out some recent Topaz news and media coverage:

Bulldog Reporter’s Daily ‘Dog - Brave New PR World: Boston Business and Communications Professionals Form Social Media Club, Release Telling Survey On Adoption of New Media

PR Week - E-mail down? You can still virtually work

BusinessWeek - Buttering Up The Blogosphere  

Bulldog Reporter - Tech PR Agency Teams Up With Podcasting Company For Innovative New Venue
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Best in Blogs

The blog phenomena is driving new and exciting changes in the way individuals and organizations communicate opinions, ideas and updates. An early player in the blogosphere, Topaz launched "Tech PR Gems," a blog that looks at issues around public relations and technology, in 2004.

As in every issue, we’re offering a snapshot of topics and trends from Tech PR Gems. As always, we encourage you to check out our blog and take a few moments to join the growing number of visitors and post some of your own thoughts.

Top 10 Most Popular Pages

1. Blog Sex (Okay Not Really)
2. Crispin Porter + Bogusky
3. Releases, RegFD and Blogs
4. Good Business Blog Examples
5. Creativity in Serving Clients
6. SMCBoston Kickoff
7. Snakes on a Cellphone
8. Beth Comstock: My PR Hero
9. History of the Press Release
10. Time for a Dark Website?

Most Commented Pages

Todd Van Hoosear: "Trust: The last barricade to social media success"
http://topazpartners.blogspot.com/2006/11/trust-last-barricade-to-social-media.html

Doug Haslam: "PodCamp post-factum"
http://topazpartners.blogspot.com/2006/09/podcamp-post-factum.html

Todd Van Hoosear: "Second Thursday in Second Life"
http://topazpartners.blogspot.com/2006/11/second-thursday-in-second-life.html

Adam Zand: "Cover article you might regret"
http://topazpartners.blogspot.com/2006/05/crispin-porter-bogusky-cover-article.html 

Todd Van Hoosear: "A little math: Measuring blogging"
http://topazpartners.blogspot.com/2006/07/little-math-measuring-blogging.html

 Most Trackbacks

Todd Van Hoosear: Blog series: Press releases, public companies and blogs
http://topazpartners.blogspot.com/2006/01/blog-series-press-releases-public.html


Best Referring Pages  

PRWeb.com: Releases: "Boston Steps Up Adoption of Social Media, Topaz Survey Shows"
http://www.prweb.com/releases/socialmediaclub/boston/prweb476191.htm

TheNewPR/Wiki: Hot Issues: Press Releases
http://www.thenewpr.com/wiki/pmwiki.php?pagename=HotIssues.PressReleases

PR Opinions: "PR Advice: Making your agency sweat..."
http://www.natterjackpr.com/archives/2006/04/pr_advice_makin.html

Best Meme

Todd Van Hoosear: "pitching blogs" (Topaz is currently #2 ranked for this term in Google)
http://topazpartners.blogspot.com/2004/07/good-business-blog-examples.html 

Todd Van Hoosear: "blog examples" (Topaz is currently ranked #2 for this term in Google) 
http://topazpartners.blogspot.com/2004/07/good-business-blog-examples.html

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