Content Strategy for Social Media

      As the semester winds down, I've been thinking about what I learned most this semester regarding content and my future profession. We all have social media for personal use but in recent years, social media has become necessary for companies who wish to stay relevant. Therefore an understanding of social media is more than necessary, it is VITAL for today's PR practitioners. 


Let's face it... 
     Whether you're using Twitter, which makes content short and simple, to Facebook posts (a little longer but still simple) or blog posts, which are undoubtedly more complex and involved but not rocket surgery...content can be confusing.


      Click here to download this basic "Content Rationale Worksheet", a great first step to defining the type of content you want to create and giving you a nice direction for your content once you know the answers.

created by: Jay Baer

When you're developing a broad social media content strategy for larger organizations, you have to ask yourself many more questions, of course. Tune-in next week (cliffhanger, alert!) as I discuss some of these organizational, audience and content-related questions that may be helpful as you craft content in the future. 


Love in content,
Austin and Zach

Austin Wildmann

Avoid the Plague of Bad Content

Warning: this week's post topic is bad ... very, very bad.

A few weeks ago, Zach and I wrote about good content and how to create it. This week, we are compelled to discuss bad content - and how you can avoid it.

“Content is king” is a familiar saying for those of us in the communications field.  It's nothing we haven't heard before and yet it is truer than ever before. Good content is not only engaging and interesting but it is also intelligent.

After 10 years of upheaval, the public relations industry is still smack dab in the middle of re-inventing itself. It is no longer enough to tell people that your product is best. Consumers are so much smarter these days. They are through with advertising and PR campaigns that they find insulting. Today's publics demand reality. They want the real story.

Next Stop? Snoozeville

3 Quick Tips to Help Your Avoid Bad Content

•  Do not place search engine optimization above quality: Make sure you aren’t just stuffing a bunch of keywords in a blog or website and calling it content. Don't be boring, be engaging!

•  Follow the 4-second rule: People should know the purpose of your site/blog within four seconds of visiting it. If not, why would they stay there??

•  Keep it simple: Your status, tweet, web copy or blog post must have a clearly defined objective and be easy to navigate. Use fewer words and more powerful imagery.  It's that simple.

We look forward to discussing all the awesome stuff we’re learning this semester. Let's "engage" next week when Mr. Peacock plans to tickle your mind with some grammatical stylings!

Love in content,

-Austin and Zach 

Austin Wildmann

Zach Peacock

 

Release the Content!

Hello, content lovers...

Zach and I are back and rested after a much needed Spring Break.

This week's exciting installment about "content" will delve into the very heart and soul of the public relations industry - and the press release. Press (or news) releases are one of the oldest, most common and most effective forms of PR practice. The thing we've noticed among our classmates is a general sense of fear when it comes to being assigned a press release writing project. The only cure for this, of course, is practice. However, the "content" of any press release is what makes or breaks it.

Tips for crafting great press release content:

1. Remember that your goal is to inform, not sell or promote. This actually takes some of the pressure off the writer.
2. Be sure your news is actually newsworthy. Be certain that you have a real subject to write about. A new offer? An event? A new product or service? Relevance is key.
3. Start strong. Remember to engage the reader within the lead paragraph - the crucial first few sentences must make an impression.
4. End strong. Press releases don't have to be long to be super effective. Write well and give all the necessary information in a clear, concise manner.

Beyond these few simple tips, we can only say PRACTICE, practice and then practice some more. That's how we learn best.

If you're a beginning writer, click here for a link to the basic contents of the press release.  

See you next week right here!

-Austin and Zach

5 tips for writing better and faster

www.boostability.com

Writing: We all do it and we all need tips!                                      

 By: Lizzy Fillback and Robin Ezell 

Have you ever wondered why you chose a career field that focuses so much on AP style, punctuation and using the correct flow in a sentence?

For the majority of us writing doesn’t come naturally. When it comes to creating blog posts, press releases or other marketing materials, we need help. 

So how can you compose unlimited amounts of   flawless content without agonizing for hours over editing? Here are a few simple tips from Mickie Kennedy for writing better and faster.

5 tips for writing better and faster

1.     Always start with a plan.

       Start your plan by brainstorming on a few bullets with your main points, or even a flow map that shows you where to start and where you should end up. When you start with a plan you will avoid the long hours spent staring at an open a Word document with no words on the screen.

2.     Skip the complex sentences.

        Use short straightforward sentences. They keep you from crafting long, scholarly sentences that no one has time to read. Instead, keep your audience in mind. Write with direct and easy to read language. Sticking to simple sentences will help you write faster and make your content more effective.

3.     Make your main point obvious.

       Don’t be repetitive. Make sure your reader can easily grasp the message. Make sure they know what action you want them to take next—especially if they’re just skimming your piece.

4.     Let it sit before you edit.

      This is the most important step, so pay attention!

      Even with a time crunch, editing immediately after you finish a piece doesn't work. After you've spent all day writing a paper, you’re tired and want to move on. Don’t wear yourself out. Instead, revisit it once you’ve cleared your head and rested. You’ll notice a number of things that may have slipped past you the first time. Also, having a classmate or a friend look over your edits is a great idea. Having a second set of eyes helps catch those mistakes that most of us can't. 

5.     Be yourself.

       You should always write in your own style. For most writers finding your style takes time, hard work and many failed editing attempts. But eventually you will get the hang of it, and you will discover your “rhythmic style” in writing. You’ll produce a better pieces of writing and you may actually begin to enjoy writing again.

We hope that these 5 simple tips will help put you on the road to successful writing!

Love in PR,

Robin & Lizzy  

Here, content! Good, content!

Greetings content maniacs, from Zach and Austin! 

Today we will discuss pirates, ninjas and puppies. Not really, but now that we have your attention, let’s talk about “good” content… and how to get it.

It’s true that if you pack a website or blog with keywords, it will increase your SEO but that doesn’t necessarily mean that your content is any good. So once you get them to your site, how do you keep them there? Here is what we’ve learned about creating good content.

Good content has to be created, crafted even. You can’t just “write”. Your readers want to be engaged. So engage them! 

• Write about things that are relevant- make sure you don’t have gobs of information on your site that has nothing to do with your site.
• Write with passion and conviction- write what you love to write about because you love to write about it. There’s no way it won’t be interesting.
• Write with structure and proper grammar- We cannot stress this enough! If you write well and with detail, there will be no doubt that your writing will be understood.
•  Write with accuracy- Make sure you are not giving false information. Take a little extra time to do the research. You won’t regret it. And readers will appreciate it.
• Add photos! Blogs and pictures go together like peanut butter and bananas. (Hey, if Elvis said its OK, its OK.)  Allow readers to become further engaged, a (relevant) photo gives that little something extra that they sometimes need to get through the post.

These are just a few things that we’ve learned about “good” content. Zach and I (Austin Wildmann) look forward to continuing this adventure with you into the magical world of content. Join us next week, when we will examine BAD content!!! *bloodcurdling scream*

- Austin and Zach

Austin Wildmann (left)

&

Zachary Peacock (right)