News from Vehr Communications

October 5, 2009

Media Relations and Social Media: Are You Ready?

Blogs, wikis, YouTube, Twitter, forums, LinkedIn, podcasts, Facebook, Flickr, crowd sourcing ... anyone else feeling a little overwhelmed with the abundance of social media?

Despite the proliferation of traditional media, the role social media plays in our Web 2.0 world is growing. It seems as if everyone you know is friending, following, connecting, posting and publishing. The truly dedicated are also monitoring and measuring.

Today, your media relations plan is incomplete without a social media component. Keeping up with the evolving pace of social media trends can be overwhelming. Understanding the basics can open up a whole new way of communicating your organization's mission.

Find your Fit
In the world of social media, one size does not fit all. Chances are you don't need accounts on every social media outlet available. The best way to learn social media is to do it. Think about your target audience. Pick channels that are relevant to your company and your message. Go from there.

Keep on It!
Regularly monitor your accounts. Update statuses and link articles. Keep discussion going. The goal of social media is to encourage dialogue. Make yourself known and join in the exchange of ideas about your company or industry. Offer your opinion and ask for feedback. Suggest resources that may be useful to your followers.

Follow Along
Just as with traditional media, staying up-to-date on posts is vital to getting your company's name mentioned. Join industry publications and subscription media databases, read posts and links. Make yourself familiar and actively participate.

Respond Quickly ... Or Else
Pete Blackshaw, author of Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000 will agree that our digitized world has forced businesses to find new ways to stay competitive. Information is shared quickly and constantly on the web. A bad post, tweet, or comment will be evaluated by thousands and can remain in a search for years. Respond to accusations and disgruntled customers in a composed, efficient and honest manner.

Understanding and utilizing social media will undoubtedly help your company build and manage relationships. While social media may not require large capital investment, it certainly requires time, attention, and commitment. Invest in your company by developing a social media plan. You'd do no less for any other new initiative in your company.

At Vehr Communications, we can help you better understand the changing media environment and how to leverage social media. Please don't hesitate to contact us. Check out our Web site to learn more about us.

Our Blog on Media Relations and Social Media
Read our most recent blog post about out how "everything communicates." From the work of the Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau to a Trendwatching.com article titled, "Perkonomics: Why Perks and Privileges Are the New Currency," this post shares perspective on earning customer value through communications.

Please visit our blog regularly. It's called Vr3. The "r3" stands for reputation, relationships, and results. That's what we post about in Vr3. We appreciate your feedback.

Good Reads on Media Relations and Social Media Groundswell

1. Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff

2. Public Relations and the Social Web: How to Use Social Media and Web 2.0 in Communications by Rob Brown

3. The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success by Lon Safko and David K. Brake

Vehr Communications CEO Featured in Cincy Business

Featured in the October/November edition of Cincy Magazine, a magazine for business professionals in greater Cincinnati, was Vehr Communications founder and president, Nick Vehr. The article surrounding Nick's career focuses on his entrepreneurial spirit and his ambition in forming Vehr Communications. With the company's primary focus of building communication and maintaining relationships, Vehr Communications has more than 20 clients and seven employees since being founded in 2007.

Check it out!

Vehr Communications' Global Reach Grows with IPREX

Vehr Communications is the Cincinnati-area partner of IPREX, a global corporation of more than 80 leading independent public relations firms in major markets in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Vehr Communications' global reach has been expanded with the formal addition of the following firms to the IPREX partnership:

Barcelona (Spain)- Arenalia PR (http://www.arenalia.com/en/home.php) Arenalia PR utilizes strategic communications to serve clients throughout the country.

Kosovo and Albania- Paper Communications (http://www.paperconsultancy.com/) Paper Communications has partnerships and affiliations expanding its reach in markets throughout the region and also partners with ZenithOptimedia.

Our partnership with IPREX allows us to couple our local expertise with global reach for the benefit of our clients and the clients of other IPREX members.

PR News, PR Insights

This edition of March Forth provides links (on right) to some excellent blog discussions for building strategic communications plans.

As practitioners, we use communications to manage reputations, build relationships and deliver results. The Internet is changing how we do it, but how we have always done it is just as important.

We hope the connections we provide here, and the various additional news outlets and blogs we connect to on the Vehr Communications' website, help you to understand this rapidly changing industry as much as they help us.