Lisa Larranaga
Chicago
- 43 comments
- 42 likes given
- 31 likes received
Social Media Manager of Cision NA
@TaraGeissinger Aw, thank you Tara! That made my day. And you ROCK too :)
@Howie Goldfarb @ginidietrich HAHA! Forget a 401K, you've got a more profitable retirement plan! :)
Hi Gini & community!
Believe it or not, we officially retired the Bacon's books this year. People love those big books & it's still hard for some to part with the print version for an online database, but that could be a whole 'nother discussion :) One small correction, Bacon's was our former brand name. We rebranded as Cision in 2007 to better fit where we were moving as a company: an innovative, tech-driven solution for PR & Marketers.
But now on to the more important discussion! I was nodding in agreement to every question you asked, and every PR/marketing company should read through this list to make sure they're on-track. It's so easy to look at the shiny new thing - measure! analytics! content marketing! - and do it, but not have a strategy in place to do it well.
I especially love these two bits of wisdom from you. On Content Marketing: It must be educational, valuable, and not self-serving for it to work. On hyper-targeting: The idea behind blogger and media relations has never changed: It’s all about relationships.
I think you should end this post with: #BOOM! Thank you for giving us all a place to talk PR & Marketing, and to learn and grow our careers. And thank you for the mention!
Happy Monday!
Lisa
This is a great reminder for all of us who have a social presence, but also a reminder that we should be genuine and transparent on social networks, just as we would be in-person :) As I was reading this post, I said out loud - to no one in particular - 'Shonali is so funny!' I especially laughed at the 'beeyaatch' reference, which, would never be how someone would describe you!
Strong and opinionated is always a good thing in my book :) Can't wait to meet you IRL - hopefully very soon! I will definitely give you a hug; handshakes are for strangers!
Happy Friday!
Best,
Lisa
@ginidietrich @yvettepistorio I know - I'm getting out of control here! YES! We would love to meet you two there. That and seeing @crestodina would make our day! It doesn't look like the event is active yet on eventbrite but as soon as it is (ahem, @crestodina !) we will register & share the detes with you!
Have a good night, all!
Best,
Lisa
@ginidietrich You're quite welcome! It is a really interesting idea because you are showing some negativity toward the brand, but hopefully in the end are showing it in a positive light :)
If I may take the liberty of adding one more thing: given the discussion taken place, I think this article by Business Insider fits right in! Ford Found an Extravagant Way to Deal with Negative Gawker Commenters: http://read.bi/XpyKx6
Not everyone has the budget to do that, but look at the publicity they're already getting!
@yvettepistorio I love this story, Yvette! Emily Z. still has her card at her desk, too!
@crestodina I agree, Andy! It was so nice talking to you and hearing your insight on the PCC panel. Will try to drop by Wine & Web SOON! Take care until then!
Firstly, great post, @ginidietrich - as always! I love the idea of hosting 'group' events like Andy's Wine & Web. It's not exclusive and you can talk with several people at once. Plus, the laid-back nature of it seems inviting. I'll have to try and attend soon!
Also, if I may add: love @crestodina ! Spoke on a panel with him at the PCC luncheon last month & he's hilarious & insightful.
It was a great panel all around, but it was especially nice to meet the other panelists, like Andy!
Have a good day!Best,
Lisa
Hi there!
I love talking about content. It's all-encompassing, after all :) As an extension of #3, I would say: find out what your audience struggles with, or think about your own struggles.
A good example is Mark Schaefer who recently wrote a blog post about not being able to think of a topic for a blog post [http://www.businessesgrow.com/2013/01/09/how-i-totally-screwed-up-my-blogging-strategy/].
Brilliant, right? :) Not only did he write about that topic, he offered the solution he came up with for this problem and asked readers how they generate blog ideas.
A few more tidbits:
- Someone just recently sent me a Will It Blend video. Hilarious.
- Random but what is the FADS logo that pops up in my tab when I open SpinSucks? I've always wondered! Possible blog post? JK :)
Have a nice evening!Lisa
Mack,
I think your rock star insight will come full circle with this post. We have long been a fan of yours and this post solidifies why - you truly have great insight and can explain concepts in a new and unique way. So well that I think this post will resonate well with our followers and I will tell them how amazing you are!
I echo what @ginidietrich said - cannot wait for your book! I just pre-ordered it through Amazon.
Have a good night!Best,
Lisa
Hi Jayme!
Great post that really hits home for a lot of brands now that content marketing is popular. I would say the best element of our blog has been the team. I love that you put it first on the list because without a consistent blog staff - or blogger - nothing else on the list matters. We have invited all our employees to pitch blog ideas and have diversified authors that have different topics they're passionate about. Everything on your list plays a role on our blog, but I would say the biggest element is our team and editorial calendar (or topics).
Hope you're well!Best,
Lisa
We signed up for Triberr awhile ago but just hooked up our RSS feed about a month ago, and can't get enough of it.
I think part of the reason it is manageable for us is because we are only members of a few tribes and each of them seems to align perfectly with the industries we focus on, so it's a win-win: we are constantly finding great content to share and building relationships, while also receiving an uptick in visitors to our site.
This post does serve as a good word to the wise, however, and we'll be careful that we don't inundate ourselves by getting too Tribe happy :) I can see how it can get overwhelming quickly, and Amy's outline will help guide us in the right direction as we carve out more time on the site.
Thank you for the tips, Amy!
Best,Lisa
@ginidietrich Yes, this is very true - we have to allow time to learn about & properly use tools so they make us better & more productive ... says the girl who has had the Evernote app on her phone for MONTHS but hasn't started using it :)
Really, I think it comes down to prioritizing and making time for learning things that will help us in the most important areas of our lives. I personally think career is one of those Top areas and your passion shows that you do, too! We can only hope others follow suit and decide quality matters more than quantity.
Have a great night, Gini! REALLY enjoyed this post. Talk soon!
Best,
Lisa
@ginidietrich Yes, we work best when paired with a PR pro's knowledge/research of the subject and can team to be a power couple if used well :) We do offer lengthy profiles on a lot of journalists that list their preferences, topic coverage, etc., but it takes time to read those notes as well.
Either way, great tips - we're thankful to pass them on! Here's to the betterment of the industry :)
Ah, we always love 'reminder' posts :) This serves as a great read for novice and veterans alike. We'll be sending this out on Twitter as a gentle reminder that in the case of pitching, slow and steady (and researched!) wins the race.
Hope all is well! And happy birthday to Lindsay!
Best,
Lisa
Love this, Shonali. Firstly, you're hilarious. You had me at "Rats behind" :). The examples you gave painted a really bold picture of influence and how subjective it can be. We have done a few webinars on influence and try to keep people from falling into the numbers trap. If someone has 100 followers and they're the RIGHT 100 followers, you are connected with your target audience.
Needless to say, I think you're on-track, and especially agree with your opinion that social scoring does have a place in our marketing efforts, just not the only one. I wonder if social scores are popular because it masks itself as a simple way to measure. We know by now that nothing good comes easy :)
I wish we could make your talk at xPotomac; we know you'll rock it ;) Hope to see you soon!
Best,
Lisa
PS. We are not yet on Listly but do follow its co-founder Nick Kellet on Twitter (@NickKellet) and enjoy his content. I also saw him at IMS and he had some great questions during a panel :)
Way to make us laugh, Lou :) We look forward to a successful 2013 for all of PR and Marketing, and continuing to laugh and talk more with both communities. Our comment isn't tongue-in-cheek, but we fully enjoyed yours!
Best,
Lisa
@yvettepistorio @Gini Dietrich I sure will! And thank you for sharing Gini's post from November. I wonder if brands will spend less time using over time Facebook because it doesn't allow them to connect with their entire audience? It will be interesting to see where it evolves over time and if brands keep a spot on the platform but don't spend as much time engaging, because the return is no longer there.
We definitely see more engagement with photos and short posts, and tend to stick to that strategy as it's what our fans seem to enjoy the most.
Aside from creating budget (which, as you mentioned is not possible for most businesses - especially when it's $25-30K as Gini mentioned, geesh!), I think it will be a mixture of content, measure, analyze, repeat - which we're used to, but it's exhausting just thinking about it!
Look forward to seeing any spin offs of this post, and that secret sauce @jelenawoehr has :)
Talk soon!
Best,
Lisa