by Cheryl Gale, managing partner and co-founder, March Communications

NBA teams and players are embarking on a savvy business move by embracing social media tools to gain more publicity and give fans more interaction — and the lessons for those of us in PR, financial communications and marketing are many.

Having an office right across the street from TD Garden, it’s safe to say that I’m a Boston Celtics fan. And just like most teams in the NBA, the Boston Celtics are using social media in an effort to increase team loyalty and revenues.

Fans can go to YouTube to see exclusive locker room footage and to Facebook to play an interactive stats prediction game called 3-Point Play. Thanks to Twitter, fans can follow seven Boston Celtics players. Want to know Ray Allen’s favorite gum? Fans following his Twitter handle, greenRAYn20, know he chews Big Red during the games.

Boston University advertising professor Chris Cakebread said in a Boston Globe article that it is smart for the Celtics to use social media as a marketing tool:

“The Celtics have a very affluent, techno-savvy fan base. They would be crazy not to do this as it reinforces their hipness as a sports franchise to their older fans…And this clearly helps reach their younger fans, who, the Celtics hope, will one day be wealthy and can afford to become season ticket-holders."

The Celtics may be eager to be the basketball team with the largest social media presence, but the NBA wants to be social media’s leading sports league. Rather than restricting social media, the NBA is expanding its presence on social media websites. During the Celtics-Lakers Finals the NBA tested ways to use social media as a PR and marketing tool, such as creating a Facebook version of its online NBA Store and using SayNow to allow players to send voice messages to fans. Instead of banning Twitter, the NBA hosts TweetUps gatherings of Twitter users—featuring previous NBA players.

The NBA is embracing social media tools, a tactic that other leagues are not pursuing. In fact, the US Open banned twittering from the tennis courts, and the NFL has a social media policy that prohibits tweeting 90 minutes before and after games. Luckily for Celtics fans, Ray Allen can tweet all he wants about gum.

Smart Business Moves: PR and IR Takeaways

The NBA and the Celtics recognize the business benefits that social media has to offer. Using social media allows businesses to build relationships with customers, find new partners and investors online, and increase brand awareness.

Businesses need to go where the customers are, and the customers are on social media sites. In December 2009, there were 248 million monthly users on the top eight social networks in the U.S., an increase of 41 percent from January 2009. Twitter had a 2,681 percent increase from 2008 to 2009.

Research shows that businesses and investors using social media experience successful results. JetBlue website visitors who also visited Twitter in July 2009 were 35 percent more likely to complete booking than visitors who did not go to Twitter.

In December, the PC firm Dell more than doubled its sales via Twitter to $6.5 million. Robert Williams, investor relations director at Dell, said that the investor mix checking the Dell Shares IR blog is 60 percent buy-side and 36 percent sell-side, underscoring that analysts and investors do use social media in research and information gathering.

Further highlighting the importance of social media, Q4 Web Systems reported that 79 percent of the Fortune 100 are using one of the following SM tools: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or corporate blogs. Q4 also said 47 percent of institutional investors read financial blogs for investment research and ideas.

A business wanting to thrive and stay relevant should use the social media boom to its advantage. The NBA and Celtics know how to navigate the social media game. With the odds of success in their favor, why would businesses forfeit the chance to play?

Cheryl Gale is the managing partner and co-founder of March Communications. She has nearly 20 years of experience driving and executing global B2B and B2C public relations campaigns. Having spent half of her career in London and the other half in the U.S., Cheryl is well-versed in both the European and American business landscapes. Check out March’s company blog, PR Nonsense, or follow March on Twitter: @MarchPR.

by Megan Parks

With the development of new technologies, the print industry is drastically changing, and to say it’s changing fast may be an understatement. Throughout history, there have been countless life-altering inventions. The car, light bulb and computer are just a sample of inventions that forever changed the way humans function. With new inventions and advancements comes a shift in the way people travel, work and communicate.

Communicate is a word with which all public relations professionals associate themselves. PR is all about communication — it’s who you know and how well you can convey a message that determines a job well done. As print technology constantly evolves and improves, is it moving so fast that PR professionals can’t keep up?

Hard-copy versus digital

The print industry is currently going through a huge revolution as new technologies threaten the consumption of hard-copy publications. In past years, PR professionals could count on most print publications to reach the public eye. Now, digital media has become the more preferred source of news, mainly due to the convenience it offers.

In a presentation at The Eth-X Factor regional activity, NewMediaRules Communications owner Carl Carter, APR, said newspaper circulation in 2008 went down by 7 percent and since Jan. 1, 2009, 15,000 newspaper jobs have been lost. These job cuts were made to try to compensate for change in media consumption and loss of revenue. Also in 2009, 143 newspapers ceased printing.

“We live in a fast-paced world. Digital media provides a wealth of information in one click, which is a lot faster than flipping through the pages of newspapers,” The Southeast Sun and Daleville Sun-Courier staff writer Casey Strickland said. “The Internet has changed the way the public is informed, and that change led to a decline in the number of newspapers. The public demand for easy access to the more information in less time has caused many news outlets to rely more on their Web sites and less on the printed word.”

According to Carter, news-reading habits have changed greatly due to the development of digital content. For “news right now,” 57 percent of people go to digital sources, 31 percent go to an aggregator and only 8 percent go to a newspaper site. Rather than clicking through articles, 44 percent settle for Google summary (summaries of popular articles on Google News’ landing page).

Some print publications are trying to compensate for the shift in consumption by charging for content on their online sites.

Katrina M. Mendolera, editor in chief of inVocus, wrote a ComPRhension blog post titled “Media Revolution: An Analysis Report" that discussed The New York Times’ decision to begin charging for content on its Web site in 2011. Readers would only be allowed to view a certain amount of content for free before a paywall would go into effect.

“The impact of the paywall may mean less visibility for PR campaigns, as readers drop off when asked to pay for content,” Mendolera said. “However, niche products may thrive in a paywall model as the content tends to be more exclusive.”

Mendolera goes on to write that although the state of the media is in turmoil, it’s still an exciting time as new technologies are introduced. Readers and advertisers are now seeing the value in investing their time and money into digital media.

“It was truly a year for rebranding, and the media will continue to do so well into 2010 as it continually evolves into increasingly digital formats. While traditionalists cling to print products, online dominates,” Mendolera said.

Social media

There is no doubt that social media has made a prominent place for itself in the media world. Sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have become great assets for all PR professionals.

In addition to those sites, blogging has grown to be a large resource for media consumption. Mashable.com is the world’s largest blog focused exclusively on Web 2.0 and social media news receiving more than 15 million page views per month.

In a recent post titled “How PR Pros Are Using Social Media for Real Results,” PR professional Jeremy Pepper said, “There are so many uses — conversational marketing, reaching influencers — that PR is able to participate in conversations and answer questions, be a support system for clients and companies, as well as empowering customers and power users to be a de facto resource for your company, a champion for your products.”

It is imperative that PR professionals better develop their social media skills. Mendolera wrote that PR pros need to embrace all aspects of new media marketing, because utilizing the tools now available online may attract the media’s attention to a PR campaign.

Although social media has proven to be a great addition to the PR world, Carter points out that it can to be too decentralized when it comes to credibility. Social media is not the end to traditional reporting, because posts aren’t always researched thoroughly.

“Professionals and the public alike should be cautious about getting information online and assuming it as fact simply because it is published on a site,” Strickland said. “Sources that can be freely posted to and edited by anyone may not always be accurate. It is important to ensure statements are true by gathering the information necessary to prove them before presenting them to the public as truth.”

E-readers

With digital media already on the rise, should print publications be in even more fear about the development of e-readers? Products like the Kindle, Nook and iPad seem to be the newest craze for technology buffs and avid readers.

Mashable.com posted that Apple iPad pre-orders were well over 100,000 within the first 10 hours of its launch. It is likely that e-readers will become more popular among avid readers, but, according to Mendolera, the debut of the iPad has analysts wondering if the competition between e-readers may not help save the newspaper and magazine from extinction.

“There are several new products which make storing information and documents easy. These products could help periodicals stay alive in a world where up-to-the-minute news is preferred,” Strickland said. “Since newspapers and magazines are beginning to rely heavily on digital content, these products will enable their readers to access the publication in an on-the-go format that’s easy to take anywhere and read anytime. They will bring newspapers and magazines into the digital age, and could keep them in business.”

What now?

New technologies will always develop and improve as time goes on. With new inventions, doors of opportunity and advancement will open, but other doors will close.

PR professionals are already used to staying on top of new advancements in order to learn and adapt quickly. The current revolution in the print industry is no different. As PR pros hang on the edge of their seats for results on where the most media is being consumed, they’re trying to make decisions now on how to best reach their key publics.

Carter advises PR pros to adapt to the changes in media but not get too attached to any specific technology or medium. “Paper will survive, at least locally,” he said.

Carter encourages PR pros to use blogs, social media and other digital media but not to forget fundamental skills. Accuracy and credibility, along with great writing, storytelling and pitching skills are fundamentals that must be carried out on a daily basis – no matter the medium.

Where do you see the future of print media going and how will it affect PR?

by Allison Cook

In the past decade, public relations has grown and expanded; the impact of the Internet and e-mail on the industry has grown as well. Now, news circulates 24/7, and journalists need accurate information quickly. Journalists can’t always wait for the postal service to deliver information to their desks; public relations professionals shouldn’t wait, either. Although traditional press kits have their place, online press rooms and e-mailed press releases provide a quick source of information for journalists, ensuring audiences get the message quickly.

In my experience as an intern at a local publishing company, around 99 percent of the information I post to the Web stems from press releases e-mailed to my editors. While I enjoy receiving snail-mail kits before a big event, it’s a chore to scan pictures from run-of-the-mill releases for Web news. As a PR student, I wonder why I learned to send press releases and press kits that I don’t like to receive as a writer. After starting a discussion on LinkedIn in the group PRwise, I discovered that I’m not alone – many journalists said mailed press releases aren’t relevant anymore.

E-mail: faster, easier, preferred

E-mailed press releases and online press rooms are the fastest ways to get a message to an audience. With a constant flow of news, journalists need information now. “Speed is the essence of news, and in today’s world if it isn’t right now it isn’t anything,” said Jeremy Whittingstall, a media and communications consultant in Calgary, Canada. In his experience, Whittingstall said snail-mailed kits don’t get the coverage he wants.

In order to reach key publics, content creators need to reach the appropriate media gatekeepers as soon as possible; the fastest way to reach them: e-mail. Mailed releases can take several days to arrive and may sit on a journalist’s desk or in his mailbox for several more days. Although some circumstances require a mailed release, everyday releases and announcements require something much quicker.

E-mailed releases and online press rooms are not only faster but also easier for most journalists. Newsrooms are getting smaller, and journalists are under pressure to deliver more content with less manpower. E-mailed releases with attached pictures are easiest to re-post. Instead of copying the release, scanning images and inserting the message into templates, releases attached to e-mails make it easier for journalists to place the message into their publications or on the Web.

Journalists can also access online press rooms easily for more information. Although initial contact through an e-mail with a release gains attention, an online press room with information that complements the release can get even more coverage. In my experience, I prefer to search through an online press release archive to find background information on articles I write for the Web. Online press rooms provide a centralized location for journalists to quickly and easily familiarize themselves with the company and its projects.

Because e-mailed releases are fast and simple, most journalists prefer them over traditional mailed releases. Jacquelyn Lynn, a business writer in Orlando, Fla., said she doesn’t like to wait for a mailed kit to arrive, especially if the kit is unsolicited. Shannon Delcambre, assignment manager at NBC13 news in Birmingham, Ala., said he prefers e-mailed releases because they’re easier to send to producers and other journalists at the station. Delcambre said around 75 percent of assignments come from e-mail because they are “the easiest to use and disseminate in the newsroom.”

Snail mail isn’t dead.

Although e-mail is faster, easier and preferred by most journalists for everyday releases, the snail-mailed kit isn’t dead; mailing a kit still holds its place in PR. Steven Spenser, principal of Praxis Communication in Seattle, said “having something arrive on her desk will definitely get a journalist to open your material — if only out of curiosity and nostalgia — but using this technique for run-of-the-mill announcements just wastes the opportunity to make a golden first impression with a killer pitch.” Journalists are bombarded with e-mails every day; sometimes, the best way to make an impression is to send your best kit.

Big events almost always require a physical kit. In my experience, I prefer to receive a mailed kit before big events; it keeps my thoughts and information in one place where I can easily file away or access key information without searching through e-mails or files on my computer. At many industry events, field staffers aren’t allowed to speak to the media; however, they are allowed to hand out press kits.

Product samples always require a mailed kit. Michael Straus, founder of Straus Communications in the San Francisco Bay area, has worked in food product and environmental issues PR for 15 years. He said that a snail-mailed kit is still relevant when “sending an interesting product sample, or distributing timely information at special events.”

Mailed kits should incorporate online press rooms and e-mail addresses. Including Web site links and e-mail addresses keeps the lines of communication between the gatekeeper and the content creator open — an essential part of PR. Including flash drives or CDs with releases and photos in physical kits allows journalists to choose which medium they prefer; they can flip through the paper kit and insert a drive or CD into their computer for simple copy/paste functions or resizing photos.

Some journalists prefer a mailed kit or release. Spenser pointed out that a hand-written pitch in a kit is rare and sometimes preferred for certain media outlets. He said many smaller publications or niche publications that publish infrequently prefer the personal touch of a mailed kit or release.

How do I know what to use?

With so many options, how do PR professionals know which type of media to use? Put simply: know your recipient and know your message.

Knowing your recipient means knowing their name and their preference. A release or kit mailed or e-mailed to the wrong person is a waste, no matter how beautifully written or designed. At my internship, I open press releases and press kits addressed to editors who don’t work at the office anymore. Receiving an envelope addressed to a former editor or writer shows the journalist that the PR firm didn’t do their research.

Although most of the journalists and PR professionals who responded to my questions about press releases favored e-mailed releases and kits as well as online newsrooms, most agreed that a journalist’s preference takes precedence over ease and speed. Martin Hardwidge, owner of MHA Sales and Marketing in Nottingham, U.K., uses MediaAtlas when constructing media lists and pays close attention to the “preferred” column to decide which medium to use with each journalist. Hardwidge added that traditional kits still have their place with journalists who want them. Knowing the media gatekeepers and their preferred means of communication helps ensure the message will reach the audience. Journalists at small weeklies or quarterly publications may prefer a mailed release or kit.

Almost as important as knowing your recipient is knowing your message. Mailing a release or kit for an event or product sample is necessary; mailing a kit for a job promotion or contest winner is not.

E-mail and online press rooms can be quick and easy sources of information when used properly. However, know when it’s appropriate to call the printer and use a stamp. Keeping up with technology is a key part of public relations, but forgetting the basics doesn’t benefit you or your audience.

Which do you prefer: e-mail or snail-mail releases? Where do you see the future of press releases going?