Kevin Quartz
Central PA
- 22 comments
- 3 likes given
- 23 likes received
I have over 15 years of public relations and marketing experience developing and directing a wide variety of communication, social media, media relations and marketing programs. This experience includes marrying traditional marketing tactics with social media tools.
Great post Nean. Personal communication and interaction is very important. I see more and more people and businesses relying on social media as their only form of communication. It's a sad state of affairs when we can't communicate in person with our best friends. I witnessed this at a social gathering with some college friends a couple of weeks ago. One person, who is very chatty on Facebook, sat in a corner and barely spoke to anyone. The following Monday, he was posting all over Facebook about the event.
This applies to businesses as well. Some companies are using social media as their only form of customer service. Sometimes customers have to speak to someone in person or on the phone. We all have to learn how to integrate social and human interaction.
The best way to handle it is to address the issue immediately with the individual. Then quarantine the person by giving them a project to work on independently either out of the office or in another part of the building. If it doesn't improve, nip it in the bud and get rid of them before it spreads. It sends a message to everyone that bad attitudes aren't tolerated.
Now if the problem is more than one person and exists throughout the organization...get out!!!
ginidietrich KenMueller I follow him around to make sure nobody picks on him.
I just poured water on my iPad...thanks a lot Ken.
Nice post. I agree on all acounts. As someone noted on your blog today, at some point it's not social media marketing, it's just marketing. Social media platforms are becoming a must marketing medium kind of like newspapers were the cost of entry for car dealers 10 years ago.
KenMueller Soon my friend. Very soon.
I'm really shocked at the amount of attention given to the definition of PR. I don't let associations, political parties, industry leaders or some bad practicioners define who I am or what I do. I'm responsible for my own reputation and work. I learned a long time ago to focus on my own work and not what others are doing.
If we come up with a perfect definition the majority of people agree upon, will it change anything? Will people judge me differently because some organization has defined my profession? I don't think so. People with negative perception of sales, technology, public relations, advertising or any other industry aren't going to change their minds because of a definition.
Define yourself. Be yourself. Communicate and prosper.
Twitter is a connector for me. It's opened me up to new friends, new loves (ThaSportsChick), new business ventures and new ideas and thoughts.
KenMueller I'm working on that as I type this...
You definitely have it right Ken, we're all influencers. There are so many variables to consider it's mind-boggling. Working with ListenLogic and its research analysts has kept me up at night thinking about influence, business intelligence and how social media is changing innovation for businesses, products and research. It's really an exciting time when you think about the possibilities SM provides. The collective influence is shaping our future on so many levels.
Leave it to Pittsburgh to be on the cutting edge of classical music. Good stuff Ken. Thanks for sharing.
Your bachelor degree is a certificate that tells your future employers you're teachable. It doesn't earn you the right to anything. Your education isn't done, it's just getting started. Be eager to learn and listen. Work hard and good things will happen.
Secondly, clean up your social media profiles and use them to position yourself for a job. You don't have experience, but you can overcome it by blogging, sharing articles and connecting to the right people.
Very nice post Ken. The Joe Paterno death reports have once again brought attention to a very controversial topic and one I've been following for quite some time, journalism vs bloggers. Social media platforms, blogs and video cameras have turned everyone into i-reporters.
This is especially true in sports. Hundreds of thousands of fans perceive themselves as sports journalists because they have a blog covering their favorite team. To make matters worse, teams are issuing official "media" credentials to these bloggers to increase coverage and interest. The line between blogger and journalist gets extremely blurry not only in sports, but all industries. The competition for eyeballs, readers, fans, followers and subscibers is stiff and people are looking beyond traditional media for news. This has these outlets in a bit of a panic and they are trying to compete.
Following is an interesting story about a court case on this issue. http://mashable.com/2011/12/07/blogger-vs-journalist/
For some of us, it's the excitement of what's next? Now that we have devices like smartphones and tablets that enable us to access social platforms as part of our normal routine, it catches the attention of businesses (small and large). Per usual, we must create demand for the majority of businesses to take notice. Then wait for them to understand how to use it and HOPEFULLY make our lives better. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm excited to see how businesses will use social media to change their products and services and how we shop for them. Who will be the next Twitter, Apple or Facebook? What company will use social media data to make products that change the way we live? Social media is changing the way we research products which leads to innovation. This is exciting...at least to me.
Per usual, we are brain sharing. You can sing in my choir anytime Ken. KenMueller@quartz164
Nice post Ken. People should also make sure their contests are part of the brand message. Don't give away an expensive item and expect those new "likes" to: 1. Be your target audience 2. Care about your business 3. Stick around very long after the contest. There are more (an often times better) ways to build your following. I also realize I'm preaching to the choir, but it feels good to sing.
Nice post Ken. I couldn't agree more. I think it also applies to partnerships companies have with ad agencies and other vendors. Sometimes agencies and vendors with long-standing client relationships take them for granted. They stop providing fresh ideas to their clients and constantly use the "we know your business" card.
It's okay to take a fresh approach to business and a good place to start is assessing your partnerships. You won't often get different results by using the same tools. If you want to shake things up and move forward, you need to change the way you look at your business.
I'm not bothered so much by the people that are calling themselves ninjas and gurus. The majority of them will not be in business long. I'm concerned for the businesses that hire them. It's not just a monetary loss on the books, it's the reputation damage of your business that will hurt the most. They people that you associate your business with are a direct reflection of your business.
With regards to education, honestly the only thing a bachelors degree means is YOU'RE TEACHABLE. That's it and that's all. Your real education begins on the job. Every agency, company and/or business defines PR, communications, accounting, sales, etc. differently. Each has it's own definition, goals and expectations. There's no course or degree that's going to turn out better PR people. Our industry is no different than business, legal, health, agriculture or anything else, there are good people and bad ones. Let your own reputation represent you and your business, not the reputation of others.
KenMueller Unfortunately, that's because we're old school Ken! Great post. I love the Wizard of Oz photo as well.
KenMueller I agree, there are a lot of agencies, and I use that term loosely, out there that use social media as a revenue source and just crank out tweets and posts.
As for crisis communications and PR in general...The best complement to me is when nobody knows that I've even worked with a client. All the credit goes to them. It comes across as authentic because they were properly media trained and not only conveyed the proper message, but back up their words. I see the spokesperson of a company as a medium. Some are better than others. The message I've helped create is still authentic. Many times the CEO or company spokesperson just buys into the message, but doesn't really create it...
Anyway, we agree on main issue.