They deliver both good news and bad. You see them at murder scenes and crash sites. They stand behind the podium when a company launches a new product or announces a donation to charity. Unlike CEOs and other executives, these folks live for the media spotlight. In fact, they thrive in it, being interviewed by print, television, radio and online media on a host of topics related to a company’s business. They look and perform well in front of the camera. For all intents and purposes, they become the face of the company for anyone out there watching.

There are a number of interchangeable titles commonly used to describe the position: public relations director, public information officer (PIO), media relations director, press secretary and spokesperson are just a few. Even the slang term “talking head” will do is an apropos descriptor for this man or woman who holds press conferences and enjoys bringing the company’s message before the masses.

But what does it take to be a good spokesperson? How do you know if you or another candidate has the “right stuff” to go before the camera lenses and not embarrass the company? Creating a good impression in the minds of viewers is not as difficult as you might think. Interested? Read more now. »

Are tradeshows a worthwhile marketing endeavor? That depends entirely upon a) if they meet your marketing goals and b) how you manage your time on and off the tradeshow floor. For some, a trade show can provide a seemingly unending supply of new contacts – and most importantly – prospective clients, referral sources or potential employees.

For others, the trade show turns out to be nothing more than a dizzying blur of booths, business cards, cocktails and cab rides. It’s a traumatic treadmill ride that fails to bear fruit in the form of new business.

Here are some tips to help your agency make a positive impression on the trade show floor. Interested? Read more now. »

You see their logos at baseball games and trade shows. You often receive their brochures and CD-ROMS just before you hear a celebrity deliver a motivational speech. Even little leaguers bear their messages on t-shirts as they slide into home plate for the very first time.

They’re sponsors – and they’re utilizing a unique form of marketing to build their brand and solidify their hold on the market.

Sponsorship marketing is an effective and accepted part of the world’s business culture. From the moment we first heard Big Bird tell us that this episode of Sesame Street was “brought to you by the Letter Q and the Number 7,” we came to grips with the fact that events cost money, and it’s the generosity of the movers and shakers in a particular industry that make any given event possible. Interested? Read more now. »

We’ve been hearing for months about the role social media can play in a company’s overall marketing strategy, but the interactive technology is not the end-all, be-all for reaching your customers. As with the rise of dot-coms in the Internet’s infancy, there are those who succeed at social media usage and those who simply waste their time. The key to marketing success using social media is identifying the trends and reacting to them. Some forecasted trends for 2010:
1. A focus on getting value out of the networks
2. Discovering ways to save on costs or serve customers more effectively
3. Including some “carrots” that encourage a bit of friendly competition
4. Establishing social media business policy covering rules of engagement across multiple networks
5. Development of more and/or better mobile versions of social media
6. A decrease in email and an increase in sharing over established networksl

For more details on these forecasted ideas, read FutureLab’s David Armano in more detail.

If your business is active in Internet and social media marketing, you may have to make some significant changes by December 1st, 2009

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced revisions to its guidelines for endorsements and product reviews – guidelines, we might add, that before now hadn’t been revised in almost 30 years.

According to an article posted by CNN, the guidelines affect product endorsements that appear in a “New Media” format, such as on blogs and social media sites. The upshot of the revisions is this:  If an individual or company is being compensated in some way – be it money, free products or some other form – to endorse or review a product on a blog or social media site, they have to disclose the relationship publicly. If they fail to do so, they could risk a fine of up to $11,000 per incident.
  Interested? Read more now. »