360PR Blog

To call all PR people social butterflies would be a generalization. If you don’t consider yourself an extrovert, however, you’re probably in the wrong profession. It’s our job to gain awareness for our clients, and in doing so, we do a LOT of talking. The panel I attended yesterday, Successful Social Marketing: Cultivating Advocates and Driving Sales, served as a reminder that listening is equally, if not more, important. And, as we all can attest here at 360PR, listening to a brand’s chatter online across forums, blogs, Twitter, Facebook and beyond takes time, patience, and an analytical eye.

The discussion was part of a series of events hosted by Mitx, a group of industry thought leaders dedicated to, in part, keeping on top of trends. Speakers from BzzAgent, New Balance and EMC offered their experience and expertise on utilizing outlets including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to assist in a successful campaign – from planning stages, through launch, and beyond.  Among their suggestions: leverage employees to be brand ambassadors, engage influencers in the early stages, map your content to what people are already searching for, and strike a balance between knowing your brand and listening to your customers.

As speaker Polly Pearson wisely said, social media is a relationship accelerator. So save your breath, because tapping in and listening to the conversation regarding your company/brand/product could prove more valuable than all of your planned email and phone pitches combined.

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Digital PR, Events and Conferences, Industry Organizations, Interactive Marketing, PR Industry, Social Marketing, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - 1 Comment →

By Caitlin McNamara

Every day, PR professionals write thousands of words. We draft and finalize press releases, write client emails, create business proposals and so on and so forth. With the written word playing such a key role in our day-to-day life, a few of us here at 360PR attended a Publicity Club of New England seminar to get a writing “refresher.”

Below are some key take-aways. While these are basic tips, they are also essential for PR industry pros, no matter how many years in the industry are under your belt!

• Remember to read. When you read, you learn.
• When writing, consider your audience and voice. Think to yourself, “who will read/hear this?”
• Embrace the style guide (i.e. AP Stylebook).
• Do not trust Microsoft Word’s spell check and grammar check… always proofread carefully!
• Consider your quote structures and remember that the commas and periods are always within the quotes!
• Be aware of the pronouns. Make them agree!
• And lastly… always, ALWAYS give time for your work to breathe. Step away and come back to your work to proofread it one last time!

Filed under: PR Industry by Admin - 1 Comment →

After almost 7 years of being a part of the 360PR team, I can tell you first hand that 360 is a great place to work and thrive! We are honored to be a part of The Holmes Report’s list of the 30 Best Agencies to Work for in 2011!

And, we’re always on the lookout for talented and passionate PR professionals to join our team! For more info, visit www.360publicrelations.com.

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, PR Industry by EliciaBasoli - No Comments →

This was a week for the books!

The 360 crew headed down to NYC for The Holmes Report’s annual SABRE Awards dinner on Tuesday night. Cipriani was buzzing with all of the industry’s biggest and longtime players. Our own Stacey Clement shared the stage with Harold Burson. And Ray Day from Ford was among those honored for individual achievement.

As the world’s largest PR awards competition, we are extremely proud to have walked away with the honor of being named “Boutique Agency of the Year.” It was truly a special moment….and we’ve all been soaking it in!

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Industry Organizations, PR Industry by EliciaBasoli - No Comments →

By Kerry Murphy

Last week’s Sandbox Summit at MIT left us thinking a lot about play. The power of play. The necessity of play. And most of all how we could incorporate play more into the way we do business here at 360.

When we talk about play, it is not just about games. It’s about the way we think and the way we interact. It is about effective communications and public relations in a multimedia, fast paced world. About flexibility, being nimble, knowing your next move, and enjoying it all along the way.

That’s play, right?

We liked how in the same day, at the same conference, play was talked about as something that can improve the future of our national education system (as Diana Rhoten from Startl told us) but also help to stimulate million dollar business ideas and strategies (Brendan Boyle and Duane Bray from Ideo).

What do you think? How do you think the power of play can best be harnessed?

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Events and Conferences by Admin - No Comments →