PR Methods for
Social Media Initiatives
PRSA / San Antonio / April 2, 2009

About
• PR guy for 25 years
• Social Media for the last 4 years
• Blogger with.... 4 blogs
• Journalist.... columnist “Express-News”
• Content producer

I eat my own dog food
• working directly clients
• working with Agencies
• I am my own client
• I’m on Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn, etc.
• Find me on the Social Web:
• www.weinkrantz.tel

social
media
social
networking
Is this really “Social Media?”
social
computing

for the purpose of this presentation,
let’s go with....

The Social Web

what do you do?
Who’s in
the room?
are you personally online?
does your company have
social web policies in place?
are you involved in the Social Web at work?

Two Parts to Discussion
• Social Web strategies from the mind’s
eye of a PR / blogger and content
producer
• Personal branding in your company and
in your career

Two Core Principles
• #1. Does not substitute traditional PR;
complements and becomes part of your
overall communications strategy
• #2. Must tie to messaging, strategy,
metrics, business goals, etc
• end result is that you should combine PR /
Social Web to elevate communications
strategies and get measurable results

The Social Web:
• how do your customers / partners /
stakeholders / media, etc “socialize” in
relation to your company on the Internet

The Social Web
• You no longer control the message
• You can participate, contribute and
advance the conversation
• Engage with stakeholders

But we have a web site...
• static content does not lend itself to the
social web
• your “publics” are going to the social
web with or without you

Temporarily...
• Forget the social web and ask...
• what are we trying to achieve?
• how are our stakeholders changing the
way they communicate and interface
with our company?
• how can the social web potentially
grow or obliterate our company?

This has to start upstairs
• Senior Management must buy in
• Baby steps and trials generally work best
• The good news is that you can offer
metrics to prove your case

Where to start?
• Study your competition
• Monitor related industries
• Become your company’s internal expert
source
• Educate with baby steps
• Use analytics and measurability

static VS. active
Web Site
Brochures
Press Releases
Trade Show Booth

How I’ve used the power of social web to get
media coverage, gain credibility and
demonstrate thought leadership as a pro-
active consumer of AT&T’s three screen
service offering

trade business/financial broadcast radio

Traditional PR
• Messaging
• Press Releases
• Outreach
• Pitches / Causes
photo of telephone by Alan Weinkrantz - shot @ SpaceCity near Moscow (c) 2008

Traditional Distribution

Going to the Social Web
• Complements PR efforts
• Gives your company or management a
human voice
• Impacts search results
• Lets you be “found”

YouTube -great way to pitch the media

Re-purposing content...
Industry leaders
demonstrate
N-trig technology

Industry leaders demonstrate
N-trig applications & product
differentiation

How To: How I watch Internet TV - U-verse and Internet TV

Building an Eco-System Through
Member Participation

Conversational tone simplifies messaging

Thought leadership in VoIP Security

The social web is a new way to
think about listening,
participating and building
community for your company
and its stakeholders

How I am branding Alan
• Social Networks
• Blogging I’m a mini
• Journalism broadcasting
network
• Self PR
• Photography
• Videos

My brand qualities
• Expert in PR / Social Media
• Focus on technology
• Connected in Israel
• Track record
• Having fun
• Human / Real

I “tweet,” engage in conversation,
give away information

My business blog demonstrates
expertise and helps clients and projects
I am involved in “be found”

Consumer facing blog covering AT&T positions
me as an authority in triple play services in
telecom

Branding You!
• Join a few networks
• Determine what you want to
communicate about yourself
• Make sure you have an up to date photo
• If you are on social networks, make sure
you have an up to date profile

Branding You
• Is there a company policy regarding
personal branding?
• Could you become or create a new
position for yourself as a company
evangelist?

Facebook connects me to
friends & business associates in
the U.S. and Israel

LinkedIn - business focused social
networking in the U.S. and Israel

Flickr photos....I always carry my
camera when I travel for fun or business

Monthly columnist for San Antonio
“Express-News” covering AT&T
and Social Media

I do interviews / reviews over at
Redbone Guitar Boutique

B.B. King, Tom Petty, The Who
in Concert

My “Conversations Series”
with San Antonio’s Social Media Superstars

Contact
• Alan Weinkrantz
• 210-820-3070
• alan@weinkrantz.com
• @alanweinkrantz - Twitter
• FaceBook, LinkedIn too!
• The Social Web: www.alanweinkrantz.tel

Copy of presentation
• online today:
alanweinkrantz.typepad.com
• copy and share with others
• this is just what I believe and seems to
work
• your mileage may vary

Thank You
© 2009