No Press?

I learned the hard way this week about making your brand consistent. Over the years I have activated several social media tools including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Wordpress, Google Profile (the list is endless). Word to the wise, when you update one, update all of them. You never know what information is out there about you. You can only be in control of your own accounts and the image you are projecting. Perception is reality.

I took the time this week to go through each of my accounts to double check the information I was sharing with the public about myself. I am very careful about the personal information I share in general, but still checked it all. Projecting the same image to everyone supports your own personal brand. You share the information you want people to know, that is how it works. My advice is to go through all of your profiles and double check the information, make it all consistent. We are all so wrapped up in social media sometimes that we forget to double check the small details.

Review each social media profile for the following:

1. Double-check for spelling errors, punctuation and other minor errors
2. Clarify the image you are projecting – Ask yourself do you want people to know this about me?
3. Keep it simple, keep it genuine. Be a person.
4. Share truthful information, do not make up any information. It could come back to bite you if caught!

If you couldn’t make it last night, here is a recap of our #AZPRC meeting with the talented Jeff Hecht. During our meeting he made several relevant points, mentioned great case studies and even intertwined his personal love for “The Bachelor”.

Below are some key points Jeff went over personal branding:

• Twitter is a new tool to brand yourself, but you still need old school traditional tools too (phone, coffee dates, lunches)
• Work on your elevator pitch – Realistically, you only have  6 seconds to make the first impression. The goal is to get your foot in the door and get them to learn more about you. Work your way up to 30 seconds.
• A great way to brand yourself/network is to work the registration table at a local event.
• Know your audience, do your research before going to a networking event (with branding in mind)
• People will invite you into their house but not necessarily in their bedroom (Facebook Policy). You can add people onto your Facebook, but certain people should only have access to certain things. Keep what is personal, personal.

Thanks to those of you who came @cliquekaila @magpie247 @amandamarker @RedlinCook @CCPolitico @JennMcPhee@AlixSteinPR @abbygilmore @AshleyOakes @JeffHechtAZ

Today Maggie and I attended Social Media AZ and saw many familiar faces.  The raw materials, organic conversation and slate of industry professionals created quite the impact on our young minds. I am sure you were all affected in some way or another, it might have been the delicious Quiznos cookies or the unlimited Einstein’s coffee, whatever flighted your fancy is all that matters.

If you were unable to make this event today, here are a few tips and tricks we learned. I for one, learned the most from the “Social Media for Small Business” panel featuring @jaybaer @kinchie @joemanna and moderated by @kathysacks. The panelists covered a variety of topics from what social media tools they find most useful to blogging tips. I value their opinions and realize that a lot of their suggestions are meant for each individual to interpret.

• Trial and error –  take into account what someone else says and apply it to your own knowledge. We should take advantage of social media and the endless possibilities. Try things on your own, find out when your messaging is most effective (8am, noon, 2pm, 9pm?). It is not just what you say, but when you say it!
• There are definitely faux paus of social media (i.e. -not tweeting the same thing 40 times), but who says you cannot bounce back? We are all in this together. Try rewording your message, instead of re-tweeting the same thing,
• Simply put, “You need to care about what your audience thinks, and if you don’t then you’re an “ass”  - Jay Baer
• Utilize tools like Seesmic, HootSuite, Tweetdeck - for multiple accounts. And while your at it, check out  phone apps too, they can make your social media presence known from anywhere!

I could rant for hours about my interpretation of that session, but instead I encourage you to check it out yourself!

I unfortunately missed the entire Jay Baer blogger session after this panel. If you are not already following his blog (which I highly suggest you should) check it out! Also, a complimentary post written about the event by @LindaVandaVrede on ValleyPrBlog today! Remember, know your audience (and hopefully they have a sense of humor).

We had another successful meeting this past Tuesday night, January 12th. We met at Hob Nobs Coffee House for a few hours to go over several topics related to the PR industry. Aly Saxe was our guest speaker and she is owner of Ubiquity PR out of San Francisco and Phoenix. She gave interesting insight on her experiences owning a PR firm and participating in the Phoenix community. Aly also highlighted on how her company uses social media, reaffirming that there are more tools than just Twitter and Facebook.

We are looking for more guest speakers for our February meeting, so if you know of anyone please contact me!