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Friday, February 26, 2010

How Journalists Use Search & Social Media

A great blog post and the reason you should have an online pressroom!

Posted by Lee Odden on Feb 24th, 2010 in Online Marketing, Online PR, SEO, Social Media

TopRank ran a survey of journalists, reporters and editors on their use of search and social media in 2008. We found 91% use search engines like Google to do their job. 64% use social networks. Published in Jan 2010, a George Washington University and Cision survey of journalists reports 89% use blogs and 65% use social networks to research stories.

As prep for a presentation I’m giving Thursday at Online Marketing Summit on the intersection of SEO, Social Media and PR, I reached out to a few local journalists and industry news contacts and asked for examples of how they used search engines or social media to do story research.

Newsrooms are cutting staff and reporters and editors are hard pressed to do more with less. Tools like search engines and social media make available a tremendous amount of information in real-time. The news world is a world of deadlines and it would seem the use of search and social networks to source experts or people/companies that fit a story angle would be ideal. Even respected news organizations like the BBC are encouraging their journalists to embrace social media.

Read more of this article

Jennifer Fortney
Cascade Communications
@SmallBizPRXpert and @MyStorySource

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

A Negative Attitude is Bad for Business

Last month, I was interviewed to comment in a story on an unlikely industry - horse racing.

The industry has certainly seen its ups and downs. Consumers get revved for the Triple Crown races (aired nationally, internationally), but local tracks are seeing fewer and fewer ticket sales. Maybe this because young people aren't interacting with the sport like their parents and, more likely, grandparents. They are seeking alternative entertainment venues and the sport has lost its "sex appeal". Or maybe the industry has failed to capture the new audience by picking up the same entertainment models the NBA, NHL and MLB have in the last 10 years.

Well, anyway, a few key industry players have sought government funding to keep horse racing alive, that combined with a few stunts. They were hoping to catch the attention of media and customers, and force an uprising amongst fans to fight for the industry, but their negative approach may have cost them more. Now it seems the only way out is to ban together in a united front, pool their money and promote the lifestyle of horse racing nationwide with a number of events to attract young adults. This demographic has to be given a reason to come - and the race isn't enough. But that's just my two cents on saving the industry - an American past time. It would, truly, be a shame, to have only three races a year worth anything to anyone.

What these executives don't realize, and most small business owners don't either, is that the attitude you present to the world, to your customers, can actually dictate whether or not you will be successful. If you're struggling now and acting like its Doomsday, chances are the outcome will only continue to be bad, or get worse. Call me crazy but people don't want to support or buy from grouches, or something far more devious. This is the worst customer service and marketing program you can implement and it continues to perplex me why these people believe that this attitude will take them somewhere.

Call it the Law of Attraction, the power of the universe evening itself out, or you get what you give, all of it is relevant in running and growing a successful business. What you put out, you will get in return.

As I mention in this article, business owners (you) are the most powerful, credible and reliable source for communicating about your business. If you tell people it's failing, it probably will. And I know first hand that the reverse is true as well. So the next time you feel like telling the whole world how bad your problems are, think twice. You just might dissuade customers from supporting your business!


Read more in this article by Vic Zast on HorseracingInsider.com.