I wanted to comment on a recent blog posting by Peter Shankman of HARO (@petershankman). In the posting he expressed frustration as to why so many people do not “get” social media.
The points he makes are absolutely spot on, and as a 16 year PR pro and more recently a social media pro, I wanted to add some points of mine, that speak to other social media types as well as potential and existing clients.
1. Today PR is all about publishing meaningful content online. Get it! What I mean by meaningful is something that will in all probability interest the people with whom you want to engage. I still see many tweets saying stuff like “Having bacon and eggs for breakfast”, or “Damn, the subway’s so packed this morning” – my wife and kids don’t care what I ate or how the subway was, why should anyone else? Get it! (again)
2. Peter is right. One’s number of twitter followers seems to be the new penis envy. Really, it’s about quality over quantity here folks. I have been working hard over the past 2 years and now have some followers. Is that impressive? Well, you be the judge. I will say though that my following is of high quality. Again, quality over quantity.
3. Social media is free, right! Wrong!!! Nothing in the world is free. If you’re thinking along the lines of “Like the internet is free, and hanging out on the net is too, and therefore social media should be free to”, I have one thing to say … “You’re dreaming”. Social media and PR types have expertise, devote time and passion to your business and will help, therefore we need to get paid. This is not a new concept folks.
4. Finally, you gotta walk the walk if you talk the talk. Beware of the social media guru who can’t provide references or case studies. Beware if they just have a few followers and never tweet.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Some Positive PR for Toronto's Finest Restaurant
You know, it’s not often that I see something flawless, so when I do, I always like to let it be known. And being in PR, I think it’s important.
So, last week, we organized an event for some of Toronto’s tier ine business reporters at Harbour 60 (http://www.harboursixty.com), arguably Toronto’s finest restaurant.
Well, it did live up to it’s name. It was in fact – unbelievable – the food faultless. There were nine of us in our party – and I think that one thing we often take for granted it service. One thing that becomes critically important at a five-star restaurant is the service – and wow, was it smooth or what?
At the beginning of the evening, we were introduced to our server, Tom. A 30-something year old professional. He reminded me of Cadbury, the butler in the days of Richie Rich. Well – Tom excelled and in fact made the meal (very expensive, I will admit) shine.
So, what’s the PR lesson in all of this? It the attention to the details --- there was no single minute detail that escaped the attention of the talented chefs our the talented Tom. Now, how’s that for some positive PR?
So, last week, we organized an event for some of Toronto’s tier ine business reporters at Harbour 60 (http://www.harboursixty.com), arguably Toronto’s finest restaurant.
Well, it did live up to it’s name. It was in fact – unbelievable – the food faultless. There were nine of us in our party – and I think that one thing we often take for granted it service. One thing that becomes critically important at a five-star restaurant is the service – and wow, was it smooth or what?
At the beginning of the evening, we were introduced to our server, Tom. A 30-something year old professional. He reminded me of Cadbury, the butler in the days of Richie Rich. Well – Tom excelled and in fact made the meal (very expensive, I will admit) shine.
So, what’s the PR lesson in all of this? It the attention to the details --- there was no single minute detail that escaped the attention of the talented chefs our the talented Tom. Now, how’s that for some positive PR?
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The devil's in the details
So last night my wife and I went to Ruth’s Chris (Downtown Toronto) for pre-dinner cocktails. It has been years since I had been to a Ruth’s Chris, but I was excited in a strange way.
My wike (Karen) ordered a strawberry Margarita and I ordered a wheat beer.
“A wheat beer?” retorted the chipper, an about a 19-year-old bartender. “No I don’t think we have wheat beer”.
“You don’t have any wheat beers? Blue Moon? Hoegardern or Rickards White, or any other white beers”, I asked incredulously.
“Nope, sorry, but we do have red beers” – anyway, I settled for a Carlsberg, which was just fine.
Now back to Karen’s Margarita. When you are paying $10.95 for a cocktail, before tax and tip, you expect it to be just right. Make no mistake, it was delicious. But. But. But. You gotta use margarita salt to rim the glass. Plain table salt will just not cut it. And it makes a bug difference.
So, why this posting. PR is like high-end drinking. The devil’s in the details and missing a detail like margarita salt at a high end restaurant like Ruth’s Chris is unforgivable.
Oh, yes, we did split an $11.95 appetizer – mozzarella and beefsteak tomatoes, which was delicious and worth its steep price.
My wike (Karen) ordered a strawberry Margarita and I ordered a wheat beer.
“A wheat beer?” retorted the chipper, an about a 19-year-old bartender. “No I don’t think we have wheat beer”.
“You don’t have any wheat beers? Blue Moon? Hoegardern or Rickards White, or any other white beers”, I asked incredulously.
“Nope, sorry, but we do have red beers” – anyway, I settled for a Carlsberg, which was just fine.
Now back to Karen’s Margarita. When you are paying $10.95 for a cocktail, before tax and tip, you expect it to be just right. Make no mistake, it was delicious. But. But. But. You gotta use margarita salt to rim the glass. Plain table salt will just not cut it. And it makes a bug difference.
So, why this posting. PR is like high-end drinking. The devil’s in the details and missing a detail like margarita salt at a high end restaurant like Ruth’s Chris is unforgivable.
Oh, yes, we did split an $11.95 appetizer – mozzarella and beefsteak tomatoes, which was delicious and worth its steep price.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The power of social media
I was again reminded about the power of social media today. Here’s what happened:
1. I logged into tweetdeck and by coincidence saw that @ashleybal (located in Toronto) was having a plain lunch while others in her office were having other stuff. One was having poutine, from who knows where??
2. Within seconds, I contacted Ryan (@poutine) – a client and asked if he would be able to deliver his delicious pioutine to @ashleybal
3. For sure he said yes
4. Minutes later, @ashleybal was enjoying yummy poutine
5. I was smiling some 40 miles away (as if distance is relevant)
6. She tweeted to a number of people including @rockitpromo, @momwhoruns, @avdequerre, @bigail and @christinallison – and likely others
a. All this happened in like 4 minutes
Yikes, said I as I sat in my comfy office. And than I started to do the math … some 14,000 people across the world now know about this. Cute huh!
1. I logged into tweetdeck and by coincidence saw that @ashleybal (located in Toronto) was having a plain lunch while others in her office were having other stuff. One was having poutine, from who knows where??
2. Within seconds, I contacted Ryan (@poutine) – a client and asked if he would be able to deliver his delicious pioutine to @ashleybal
3. For sure he said yes
4. Minutes later, @ashleybal was enjoying yummy poutine
5. I was smiling some 40 miles away (as if distance is relevant)
6. She tweeted to a number of people including @rockitpromo, @momwhoruns, @avdequerre, @bigail and @christinallison – and likely others
a. All this happened in like 4 minutes
Yikes, said I as I sat in my comfy office. And than I started to do the math … some 14,000 people across the world now know about this. Cute huh!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
It’s all in how you say it
For the past several years, we have used GreenLawn Lawncare to tend to our lawn in the summer. I’m not ,much of a garden guy myself, but it makes the boss happy – so I shell out the bucks diligently every spring and my wide smiles during the summer, and if the weather’s nice – well into the fall. A pretty lawn equals a happy wife.
But I have to give GreenLawn props for branding themselves professionally.
Two days ago, I got a call, from a chipper sounding lady “”that went like this …
“Hello Mr Sacke, this is GreenLawen, how are you?”
“Very good, yourself?”
“Good thanks – I just wanted to let you know that the technician will be visiting tomorrow at 6:00pm”
“The technician???” (At this point, I’m thinking cable? Check! Phone? Check! Internet? Check!) “Which company are you with?”
“GreenLawn Lawncare – the lawncare specialists”
“You have lawn technicians?”
“Of course, caring for lawn is very difficult. It requires technical knowledge and our lawn technicians are highly skilled”
“Ok, sure”, I mumbled. “Sure, send over your technician”
A lawn technician? I did not know there was such a thing.
Anyways, uniformed lawn technician showed up at the appointed time. He (unlike most other gardeners), was clean, bright-eyed and bushy tailed, despite it being 5:00pm on a blazing hot day.
What to learn? Brand yourself right. Gardeners, you are not gardeners anymore, you are lawn technicians. And I have a new-found respect for you all, whether you call yourself a gardener, horticultural specialist or a lawn technician.
For the past several years, we have used GreenLawn Lawncare to tend to our lawn in the summer. I’m not ,much of a garden guy myself, but it makes the boss happy – so I shell out the bucks diligently every spring and my wide smiles during the summer, and if the weather’s nice – well into the fall. A pretty lawn equals a happy wife.
But I have to give GreenLawn props for branding themselves professionally.
Two days ago, I got a call, from a chipper sounding lady “”that went like this …
“Hello Mr Sacke, this is GreenLawen, how are you?”
“Very good, yourself?”
“Good thanks – I just wanted to let you know that the technician will be visiting tomorrow at 6:00pm”
“The technician???” (At this point, I’m thinking cable? Check! Phone? Check! Internet? Check!) “Which company are you with?”
“GreenLawn Lawncare – the lawncare specialists”
“You have lawn technicians?”
“Of course, caring for lawn is very difficult. It requires technical knowledge and our lawn technicians are highly skilled”
“Ok, sure”, I mumbled. “Sure, send over your technician”
A lawn technician? I did not know there was such a thing.
Anyways, uniformed lawn technician showed up at the appointed time. He (unlike most other gardeners), was clean, bright-eyed and bushy tailed, despite it being 5:00pm on a blazing hot day.
What to learn? Brand yourself right. Gardeners, you are not gardeners anymore, you are lawn technicians. And I have a new-found respect for you all, whether you call yourself a gardener, horticultural specialist or a lawn technician.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Shankman vs. Kami
So, I have been following the Peter Shankman/ Kami “thing” the past few days. It sure is interesting.
For those who don’t know, I’ll sum it up in a nutshell. Appears that Kami asked Peter to pick his brain. Peter tweeted to his many thousands of followers, “New Rule: If your email starts off with “I want to pick your brain,” my reply starts off with “at $400 per hour.” And while Peter appeared not to make reference to Kami’s request, it did come back to her and then a tempest in a teapot begun, with both parties throwing mildly sarcastic barbs at the other.
And the really cool thing is that since both are so well connected on the web, it has elicited lots of online chatter (On Shankman’s blog, close to 120 people have commented at the time of me writing this)
So what’s interesting about this sorta heated exchange? Here’s my take:
1. Kami (and I have never had the pleasure of even speaking to her), asked Peter a seemingly innocent (yet loaded) question. Perhaps Kami did want to pick Peter’s brain, and while there is nothing wrong with picking someone’s brain, one has to pay the person whose brain you are trying to pick. Did Kami want to pick Peter’s brain for free? Hell, I don’t know. Maybe yes and maybe no --- but that really is kinda not the issue here. The issue here is how both parties reacted
2. There for sure is some arrogance/ sassyness here --- by both Peter and Kami. And let me say that a little arrogance/ sassyness is not necessarily a bad thing. Arrogance may be a little strong, but sassy may be more accurate. I have traded many emails with Peter over the years – arrogant he is not. Au contraire. I have found Peter to be one of the most approachable and regular guys in the biz. My emails are acknowledged and Peter for sure, is an all-round nice guy. Kami? Never met or spoken to her, but I am sure she is also a “nice guy” who likely resented being chided in so public a forum
That said guys, you both a solid social citizens.Keep it up … I am watching from a distance.
And as Shankman says, “Blue skies and long surfs.”
For those who don’t know, I’ll sum it up in a nutshell. Appears that Kami asked Peter to pick his brain. Peter tweeted to his many thousands of followers, “New Rule: If your email starts off with “I want to pick your brain,” my reply starts off with “at $400 per hour.” And while Peter appeared not to make reference to Kami’s request, it did come back to her and then a tempest in a teapot begun, with both parties throwing mildly sarcastic barbs at the other.
And the really cool thing is that since both are so well connected on the web, it has elicited lots of online chatter (On Shankman’s blog, close to 120 people have commented at the time of me writing this)
So what’s interesting about this sorta heated exchange? Here’s my take:
1. Kami (and I have never had the pleasure of even speaking to her), asked Peter a seemingly innocent (yet loaded) question. Perhaps Kami did want to pick Peter’s brain, and while there is nothing wrong with picking someone’s brain, one has to pay the person whose brain you are trying to pick. Did Kami want to pick Peter’s brain for free? Hell, I don’t know. Maybe yes and maybe no --- but that really is kinda not the issue here. The issue here is how both parties reacted
2. There for sure is some arrogance/ sassyness here --- by both Peter and Kami. And let me say that a little arrogance/ sassyness is not necessarily a bad thing. Arrogance may be a little strong, but sassy may be more accurate. I have traded many emails with Peter over the years – arrogant he is not. Au contraire. I have found Peter to be one of the most approachable and regular guys in the biz. My emails are acknowledged and Peter for sure, is an all-round nice guy. Kami? Never met or spoken to her, but I am sure she is also a “nice guy” who likely resented being chided in so public a forum
That said guys, you both a solid social citizens.Keep it up … I am watching from a distance.
And as Shankman says, “Blue skies and long surfs.”
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Shankman (@skydiver) really gets it
You know, in my 16 years in PR, I have seen a lot of so called “experts” come and go. And please, don’t think that this piece is a proverbial “blow-job” to use a PR term, but there is one guy who “gets it” better than almost anyone else I know. His name: Peter Shankman, the founder of HARO.
So, why do I say that Peter is an expert? Well, there are a few reasons:
1. Peter is not afraid to share. I know it’s one of the cardinal rules of social media. But many, (if not most) social media gurus are afraid to share their knowledge, contacts or experiences. On the other hand, Peter shares a lot. He often bares all, even down to his vigorous travel schedule
2. Many social media types I have met have a fear of giving “props”. For those of you who don’t know what “props” are – a “prop” is a compliment. Many times, in his 3 daily HAROs, Peter will pay someone or so-and-so a compliment. What this really means is that Peter acknowledges that other people know their stuff too.
3. Peter has some interesting hobbies. Like come on – who in their right mind would run Iron Men and jump out of planes – for thrills. No-one that I know of, except Shankman – and he makes no pretences about his hobbies.
4. Peter knows social media very well – and like all all pros, he knows when to hold’em and knows when to fold ‘em. What do I mean by this? For good reason, he has his rules – and he enforces them, even at the expense of being possibly politically incorrect.
a. This is what he sent to his HARO readership yesterday … “Hey guys - It might be a good time to review the rules of HARO again. We only have five, and they're incredibly easy to follow. Here's the thing - When you signed up for HARO, you promised you'd follow them. So the fact that I had to ban someone yesterday for not only pitching BLATANTLY off topic, but then posting about it on a blog, makes me think that it might be a good time for EVERYONE to reread the rules again. It's a quick easy read. I really, really encourage it. OK? Let's keep playing well in this fun sandbox. Read the rules here: http://shankman.com/the-five-rules-of-haro/.
5. Finally, Peter does seem like an all-round good guy. Now, I have traded emails with Peter. He follows me on Twitter (@sackman66) and I follow him too. I have spoken to Peter about a year ago on the phone, and although we have never met – I do get the idea he’s a good guy.
To be sure, there’s nothing I want from Peter, and this is not intended to be a “blow-job”, but it’s just nice to acknowledge the good someone else does.
So, why do I say that Peter is an expert? Well, there are a few reasons:
1. Peter is not afraid to share. I know it’s one of the cardinal rules of social media. But many, (if not most) social media gurus are afraid to share their knowledge, contacts or experiences. On the other hand, Peter shares a lot. He often bares all, even down to his vigorous travel schedule
2. Many social media types I have met have a fear of giving “props”. For those of you who don’t know what “props” are – a “prop” is a compliment. Many times, in his 3 daily HAROs, Peter will pay someone or so-and-so a compliment. What this really means is that Peter acknowledges that other people know their stuff too.
3. Peter has some interesting hobbies. Like come on – who in their right mind would run Iron Men and jump out of planes – for thrills. No-one that I know of, except Shankman – and he makes no pretences about his hobbies.
4. Peter knows social media very well – and like all all pros, he knows when to hold’em and knows when to fold ‘em. What do I mean by this? For good reason, he has his rules – and he enforces them, even at the expense of being possibly politically incorrect.
a. This is what he sent to his HARO readership yesterday … “Hey guys - It might be a good time to review the rules of HARO again. We only have five, and they're incredibly easy to follow. Here's the thing - When you signed up for HARO, you promised you'd follow them. So the fact that I had to ban someone yesterday for not only pitching BLATANTLY off topic, but then posting about it on a blog, makes me think that it might be a good time for EVERYONE to reread the rules again. It's a quick easy read. I really, really encourage it. OK? Let's keep playing well in this fun sandbox. Read the rules here: http://shankman.com/the-five-rules-of-haro/.
5. Finally, Peter does seem like an all-round good guy. Now, I have traded emails with Peter. He follows me on Twitter (@sackman66) and I follow him too. I have spoken to Peter about a year ago on the phone, and although we have never met – I do get the idea he’s a good guy.
To be sure, there’s nothing I want from Peter, and this is not intended to be a “blow-job”, but it’s just nice to acknowledge the good someone else does.
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