Trevor Young - PR Warrior | Where PR meets social media meets content marketing

Curated Brain Food to Kickstart Your New Year of Awesomeness!

Happy new year to you - I hope 2013 will be an exceptionally productive, prosperous and positive one for you!

To get the 2013 ball rolling, I have curated a bunch of stuff which I hope you will find interesting, maybe even inspiring.

So let's rock this bad boy!

Four 9 books you must read this year

1. THE IMPACT EQUATION - Chris Brogan and Julien Smith

Brogan and Smith follow up their previous best-seller by asking the question: Are you making things happen or just making noise?

The Impact Equation, in the authors' words, is about "getting a large audience to see and act upon your ideas and learning how to build a community around that experience to take it to an even higher level".

Brogan and Smith's book is based on an 'equation' for ensuring your brand has meaningful impact; to explain it, they use the acronym C.R.E.A.T.E., which stands for:

• CONTRAST - differentiating your idea in the marketplace (standing out by being remarkable).
• REACH - the greater the number of people you can connect with, the more influential your idea can become (audience).
• EXPOSURE - how often you connect with your audience (frequency).
• ARTICULATION - ensuring your idea is easily and quickly understood.
• TRUST - building a trusted bond with your audience.
• ECHO - the "feeling of connection" you provide your audience with your idea.

 The Impact Equation is an interesting and insightful read. It packs a heap of ideas and 'mini-stories' between the covers, and is designed to make you think. I reckon it succeeds!

2. POWER STORIES - Valerie Khoo

Valerie Khoo is a journalist and entrepreneur who has done a mighty fine job of seamlessly combining her two loves of business and storytelling, not just in this book but in her life generally.

As the founder of the Sydney Writers' Centre (recently renamed the Australian Writers' Centre), Khoo has been teaching people to tell stories for years.

In Power Stories, she outlines  the eight stories you must tell to build an epic business. Given much of marketing today revolves around the ability of company executives to effectively be able to tell a yarn that engages people, this book is right on the money, perfect for the times.

3. PLATFORM: Get Noticed in a Noisy World - Michael Hyatt

I'm a fan of Hyatt's work (his blog is also worth a look) - this book might be a bit basic in parts if you've been in the blogging and social media space for some time, but it's always good to have someone join the dots for you and remind you of what works in terms of increasing your profile in today's noisy and congested world.

According to Hyatt, great ideas are no longer enough.

As the former CEO and current Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers, one of the largest publishers in the world, Hyatt says he has met hundreds of hugely talented people with outstanding ideas.

Unfortunately he says, most of them couldn’t get published. Why? Because they didn’t have a 'platform'.

But it’s not just authors. In the past ten years it’s been increasingly difficult for anyone to get the attention they need to succeed in such a noisy world. This includes: public speakers, bloggers, recording artists, politicians, business owners, entrepreneurs, sales and marketing people, corporate executives etc.

"Basically anybody who has something to say or to sell," Hyatt says.

4. CTRL ALT DELETE - Mitch Joel

Okay, you'll have to hold your horses on this one until May when it's released, but I reckon it's shaping up to be a ripper read.

Joel's first book - Six Pixels of Separation - was excellent; I also religiously listen to his weekly podcast (also called Six Pixels of Separation), you can back it in his follow-up release will be provocative. Indeed, the subtitle certainly gives that impression:

Reboot Your Business. Reboot Your Life. Your Future Depends on It.

Okay, and you can also add these five 'honourable mentions' (three of which are from Seth Godin).

Marketing guru, power blogger and business disrupter, Seth Godin, has gone and released three new books over Christmas. I think I want them in hardcover, and haven't got around to ordering them yet, but they're definitely on my to-read list.

They are:

• The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly?
• V Is for Vulnerable: Life Outside the Comfort Zone
• Whatcha Gonna Do with That Duck?: And Other Provocations, 2006-2012

 I'd also like to think my forthcoming book through Wiley Publishing - microDOMINATION: How to Leverage Social Media and Content Marketing to Build a Mini-Business Empire Around Your Personal Brand - will be a 'must-read' :)  Keep an eye out for it early in April.

And finally, for something a bit different, a friend of mine Cameron McLellan has launched his first book called My Four-Year-Old: The Property Investor. Cameron is a successful property investor and businessman; in this book he shares the knowledge that has allowed him the option to retire in his 30s, amass a substantial portfolio of property and build a group of companies that have been listed in five BRW Fast Growth Lists. (Disclosure: I have been advising Cam around the launch of his book and personal brand).

7 blogs to keep an eye on

1. Social Media Examiner - dubbed "Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle", Michael Stelzner's online magazine continues to regularly serve up huge dollops of well-researched, high-value information pertaining to the world of social media marketing. Whether it's a how-to around a particular social networking site or case studies of brands that are doing things well in the new media space, IMHO Social Media Examiner should be atop your weekly reading list. 

2. Web Ink Now - David Meerman Scott's blog has been a must-read of mine for several years now, and continues to be one of the blogs I read religiously every week. David, who was one of the pioneering authors in the social media and content marketing space, uses his blog to chronicle the new realities of marketing and public relations on the Web

3. Dionne Kasian Lew - The Social Executive  - Dionne is a friend and collaborator (we'll be giving a joint presentation at the first IABC Victoria event for 2013 on February 21) who, having left a remarkably successful communications role at VicRoads, has launched her own consulting and advisory practice. Very few senior communications executives in Australia have the practical insights into, knowledge of and progressive thinking around social media as it pertains to the enterprise. Dionne does. Her recently launched blog (and business), The Social Executive, is worth keeping tabs on if you want an insider's view of how social media is affecting the 'C Suite'.

PIC: Dionne Kasian Lew ~ The Social Executive

4. Grow - Mark Schaefer's blog is a veritable treasure trove of great insights and ideas; the title is apt - Schaefer's thriving online community is all about helping you to grow your company, reputation, customers, impact and profits.

5. CIPR's The Conversation - a thoughtful curation of terrific PR content on the web, run by the UK Chartered Institute of Public Relations and featuring multiple authors from around the world. If you're in PR and communications reading this blog on a weekly basis will 'up' your knowledge of the new media landscape 10-fold! (Disclosure: my PR Warrior content is syndicated to this blog).

6. Spin Sucks - a multi-author blog for PR and marketing pros that covers issues and trends to do with communication, social media, advertising, SEO and entrepreneurship. It's credo? “Fight Against Destructive Spin!”. 'Nuff said.

7. Content Marketing Institute (CMI) blog - if content marketing is your thing (and let's face it, if you're in PR, marketing and communications today - it needs to be), this blog should be on your weekly 'to-read' list. Jam-packed with rich, informative and practical articles authored by a range of experts from across the content marketing realm, CMI will arm you with plenty of insights and practical know-how to help you in your content marketing efforts, whether you're a newbie or an emerging expert in the space.

5 posts to blow you away!

Here are five posts that contain a broad spread of awesome information, links and advice across PR, social media, personal branding and content marketing. 

• 31 Must-Read Social Media Posts

• Develop Your Personal Brand Strategy: 15 Must-Read Articles

• The Ultimate List of Content Marketing Awesomeness

• 21 Social Media Predictions from the Pros

• The Best of Copyblogger in 2012 

 

11 people to follow on Twitter

 

• @tedrubin - Chief Social Marketing Officer Collective Bias™

• @jayrosen_nyu - teaches at NYU and blogs at pressthink.org

• @LisaPetrilli - great source of all things to do with visonary leadership

• @servantofchaos - chronicles the ever-evolving digital landscape

• @lucymarcus -  leadership thinker and doer

• @jangles - Neville Hobson: UK-based communications blogger and podcaster

• @mitchjoel - Canadian digital marketing podcaster, author, speaker

• @briansolis - digital analyst, marketing futurist and best-selling author

• @steverubel - EVP/Global Strategy and Insights for Edelman

Also, as per the bloggers above, @DionneLew, @dmscott and @markwschaefer provide terrific value on Twitter as well.

6 tools, apps & platforms to check out 

• Mightybell - creative online spaces for groups; what can you use a Mightybell space for? Start a group, organise a class, create a project or plan an event.

• Bufferapp - simple scheduling app that makes it super-easy to share your tweets or Facebook (or LinkedIn) updates during the day/across the week.

• Informly - provides simple statistics from your favorite cloud services.

• Trendspottr - a real-time viral search and predictive analytics service that identifies the most timely and trending information for any topic or keyword.

• TweetLevel - a nifty app by global PR firm Edelman that calculates a person's influence on Twitter.

• RebelMouse - a cool app that aggregates an individual Twitter account's tweet stream in very visual way.

 + bonus '24 must-have social media marketing tools' (courtesy of Social Media Examiner).

So there you have it folks, plenty of brain food to keep kick off your new year with!

Make it a good 'un! 

 

Connecting Brands & Bloggers: Interview with Katrina Allen, SocialCallout.com

I caught up today with Katrina Allen, one of the three founders of new Australian online match-making service for brands and bloggers, SocialCallout.com.

Katrina (along with partners Valerie Khoo and Michelle Palmer) recently soft-launched SocialCall.com; the website has only just gone into beta phase and already some 500 Aussie bloggers have registered for the service.

As a PR practitioner, one of the greatest difficulties I find is to be across the sheer number of bloggers that are out there. SocialCallout.com solves a particular need in that it allows brands and businesses to post targeted callouts on the website to engage with bloggers and social media influencers. If bloggers/social media influencers find the callout appealing, they connect directly with the brand.

In the video below, Katrina explains how SocialCallout.com works and gives us an update on how the beta testing is going.

Winners of the Best Australian Blogs 2012 Competition

"Blogging is extraordinary. Some see it as a business, an outlet, a diary, or a piece of art. The beauty is, it can be whatever you want it to be. Blogging has changed for me, over the past five years. My blog has actually helped shape my identity."

So says Eden Riley, overall winner of this year's Best Australian Blog Competition, announced today by its founder and organiser, the Sydney Writers' Centre.

Eden's Edenland was also the winner of the competition's Personal/Lifestyle category, which attracted an impressive 526 entries.

Other category winners were:

• COMMENTARY - Feeding the Chooks (Martin McKenzie-Murray)
• PARENTING - Caro & Co (Caro Webster)
• BUSINESS - The Art of Storytelling (Bernadette Jiwa)
• WORDS - ANZ LitLovers LitBlog (Lisa Hill)
• PEOPLE'S CHOICE - TV Tonight (David Knox)

Anna Spargo-Ryan's Judging Your Breakfast was awarded 'Best New Blog', while Alexandra Virgo was named 'Best Young Blogger' for Alive and Blogging: The Life of a Modern Day Cave-Mama.

Underscoring the growth of the blogging movement in Australia, 1024 bloggers entered the 2012 competition - last year the competition attracted 570 entrants.

Check out the full entrants' list here (you'll need to scroll down a bit).

Why Companies (and CEOs) Should Blog

Many Australian companies are missing out on an insanely brilliant opportunity to connect with customers and other stakeholders.

And while the ball has potentially been dropped by the PR or marketing departments, the blame should be sheeted home to the CEO.

I’m talking about establishing and nurturing a content-rich blog (as part of a well-considered content marketing strategy – but it’s the blogging that I want to focus on in this post).

If you’re a CEO and your organisation has not got a blog (or at least a ‘socialised’ online newsroom): why on earth not?

As the leader of an organisation with multiple stakeholders, you could be using a blog as an interactive platform to:

• drive discussion around important issues,
• establish industry thought-leadership,
• educate customers, and
• help provide solutions to their problems (relevant to your business).

This is before the potential benefits of increased SEO are taken into account.

Now, before I drop too much of the blame at the feet of PR and marketing people, I’ve met many clever and passionate people in those departments who were keen to pursue a blog for their organisation only to have the initiative stymied either by the ‘C suite’, legal or IT departments (or combination thereof). 

Spread ideas

When I say ‘blog’, essentially I’m talking about an online platform that can be leveraged by a company to spread ideas, generate conversation and build rapport with relevant and interested audiences.

A blog isn’t necessarily just text, either. It can just as easily house video content, audio (podcasts), photos, charts and infographics etc. Think of it as your own media channel – your company’s ‘digital heart’.

It’s important, however, that you don’t use the company blog for corporate chest-beating (I suppose you can, but only the board will read it and get excited. No one else will – not even your employees).

It’s not for jargon-filled press releases or blatant product plugs. Instead, a blog should inspire, educate, inform and/or entertain its readers. Unlike most company websites, it should give people a reason to come back time and time again.

Passion to connect

Back to the CEO for a minute. Does the CEO need his or her own blog? No, not necessarily. It depends on whether they’ve got anything to say – a point of view – or a passion to connect with their constituents. And they need to be willing to update it at least eight times per month (and the content needs to come from them – it can’t simply be ghostwritten by the company’s PR person).

I think it’s more important for the company to have a vibrant blog the CEO can regularly contribute to, along with other experts within the organisation, rather than having a CEO-only blog that rarely gets updated.

And, critically, if they don’t contribute to the blog, at the very least the CEO needs to give it their full support – otherwise the project may never properly get off the ground.

 

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON LEADING COMPANY. 

How Anecdote Leverages the Power of Blogging to Generate 'Warm' Conversations and Hot Business Leads

In this video interview I chat with Shawn Callahan from Melbourne-based 'corporate storytelling' consultancy Anecdote; in particular we delve into how Anecdote uses a well-nurtured corporate blog to build awareness of the firm's expertise, to educate the market and develop relationships with prospective clients.

Shawn started the blog in 2004 making it (you would think) one of the first corporate blogs in Australia.

Google 'Juice'

Today, some eight years later, the Anecdote blog is still acts as the 'engine room' of the company's overall marketing effort and provides the business not only with excellent Google 'juice' but also helps its partners to develop relationships with professional executives (read: potential customers) all around the world.

However, Anecdote doesn't just blog.

Solid Traffic

A monthly e-newsletter ('Anecdotally'), speaking engagements and whitepapers - along with the blog - form the core of the company's content strategy, while Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook all contribute along the way (listen out for his story about how Facebook delivered Anecdote a major multi-country consulting gig).

While Shawn knows the blog drives solid traffic to the company's website, equally he's not fazed by all the analytics, knowing in his gut that it - along with the firm's other content plays - are responsible for helping the partners to hold 'warm' conversations with client prospects which in turn often lead to new business proposals.

About Anecdote

Anecdote helps leaders create and communicate strategic clarity by turning their business strategy into a story that can be told and understood by everyone in the company.

According to the firm: "We avoid powerpoint presentations and focus people on actually learning and telling the story in their own words, supported by their own anecdotes.

"Each telling is an individual expression of the strategy with a common plot and highlights so no one is left confused to what they should focus on. And the strategic story is just the start of changing behaviours to align with your strategic direction."

 

Love, Support, Positivity, Connection - Welcome to the World of the Mummy Blogger

I was bummed that I couldn't attend the Digital Parents Conference 2012 in Melbourne on Friday but I did manage to keep an eye on the #DPCON12 hashtag on Twitter as well as checked in on the many blog posts that were written during (and post) the event. It looked like it was a ripper of a day!

The conference, organised by Brenda Gaddi, was sold out; according to the attendee list, nearly 200 people - bloggers (mostly 'mummy bloggers' by the looks of things), PR people and brand reps - had registered. 

(NOTE: How many conferences have you attended where the organisers don't provide a public list of participants? It's either a case of 'couldn't be bothered', 'didn't think of it', or refusal to do so on the grounds of 'privacy' or the list is 'our intellectual property'. Hmmm, really? This sharing of attendee names is evidence of what makes the blogging fraternity the tight-knit community that it is - openness and connection is everything).

Love in the room

As is often the case at such events, there was (or appeared to me from the heavily populated tweet stream) a lot of love, positivity and support for one another in the #DPCON12 room. Bloggers are like that, which is something brands need to recognise and understand intimately if they want to play in this space.

“Hello #BlogToBusiness panelists. @stylingyou @braqueen@crashtest_mummy @realityraver #dpcon12” PIC: Brenda Gaddi

The fact (mummy) bloggers tend to be super-connected with each other as well as more broadly with their own communities of super-engaged fans makes them a key target for brands, and we're starting to see a lot of action on this front.

The blogger movement in Australia emerged in a big way last year and continues to grow and become more influential as 2012 unfolds. This trend isn't going to change any time soon.

While the mummy blogger category will dovetail out of this growth of the movement overall, I think what you'll see is a break-out of individuals who not only blog but will create content across multiple platforms while at the same time building their personal brands into valuable, influential assets that companies will want to at some stage tap into.

New Ways

Understanding the nuances of the blogging fraternity in general, and mummy bloggers in particular, is critical for brands wanting to explore new ways to reach young mums, or consumers of other category niches e.g. technology, media, food and beverage etc.

The smart brands will get involved at a deeper level. We've seen this in the US where Ford has very strong ties with the blogging industry, including being a major sponsor of last year's BlogWorld Expo in LA. Closer to home, KleenexMums was a sponsor of #DPCON12.

Sponsorship is one thing, however, but it's another for a company to embrace the blogger movement unconditionally, and this is what's needed if a brand is to succeed in developing partnerships with blogging individuals. Anything else is lip service.

Reality and Personality

Committed bloggers - whether they're 'Mummies' or not - bring a sense of passion and feeling, a heightened degree of openness and transparency, a dash of reality and personality in equal measures. They're connectors, sharers, storytellers ... people. 

If you don't believe me, check out Edenland.

Tap into that passion and from a brand perspective - with empathy and respect - and you'll do well in the blogosphere.  

Following are a number of blog posts from Digital Parents Conference; as you can see, there is a lot of interest in how bloggers can monetize their blogs. Take this as a signpost of things to come! 

• #DPCON12: Blog to Business - Louisa Claire
• #DPCON12: Blog to Book - Louisa Claire
• #DPCON12: Blog to Business - Kellie O'Brien (incl. CoveritLive transcript)
• #DPCON12: Working with Brands - Kellie O'Brien (incl. CoveritLive transcript)
• #DPCON12: How to Turn Your Blog Into a Business - Nikki Parkinson
• What I Learned at DPcon - @katesaysstuff
• On #DPCON12 and Directions, both Personal and Professional - Karen Andrews

 

Blogs Vs Magazines: Trey Ratcliff's $30,000 Experiment

This is an interesting experiment by high profile travel photography blogger, Trey Ratcliff (pictured)

Ratcliff, who runs the blog Stuck in Customs, wonders why blogs such as his don't get more attention (i.e. money) from advertisers.

He wonders this because Stuck in Customs isn't exactly small fry in the world of travel photography. Ratcliff shares the following data on his website:

• Over 200K unique monthly visitors
• Over 80 million total photo views
• New photo posted every day – each one is seen between 500K-1 million times over its lifetime
• Visitor Demographics – mid income and higher – 80% travel enthusiasts, 80% photography enthusiasts
• On average, the photos get 175,000 views per day
• Audience grows 17% by quarter

So, in order to prove a point to himself (and the advertising world generally), Ratcliff decided to try an experiment.

This, from his Stuck in Customs post:

We have a great product we sell here called the HDR Video Tutorial and I decided to experiment on “traditional” media. We know it is a great product because it already sells like hotcakes, HDR is popular and we have less than a 0.5% return rate.

I allocated about $30,000 to buy ads in magazines.

As for the advertising specs, I did the following to keep things consistent:

• Full Page Ad
• First third of the magazine
• 3 months (1 full page for each month, for 3 months in a row)

I chose these three magazines with the following total advertising spend over the three months:

• Popular Photography - $12,000 – April, May, June
• Shutterbug – $6,000 – April, May, June
• Photoshop User (NAPP – Kelby Media) – $8,000 - May, June, July

Want to know how the magazines fared in selling Ratcliff's product (compared to an 'unknown' photography blog)? Here are the results. 

 

From Blog to Brand - an Interview with the Miscellaneous Mum

I recently posted a thought piece around the question: 'Have We Seen the End of Blogging as We Know It?'

A few days later I spotted this interview by Tim Lince with Karen Andrews from Miscellaneous Mum reinforcing my theory there's a bit of action happening out there in the blogosphere. Some bloggers are becoming bona fide multimedia content creators; they're building a trusted personal brand, gaining a committed tribe of followers and becoming more and more professional (and influential) by the day. The more committed are starting to monetise their efforts. 

Exciting times! Enjoy the interview.

GUEST POST: Tim Lince, Influencing.com.au (follow on Twitter - @influencingau).

Influencing has a chat with Karen Andrews, the founder and editor of Australian parenting blog Miscellaneous Mum, about how the Australian blogosphere is evolving and how bloggers are creating a brand from humble blogging beginnings.

Andrews is part of a revolution in Australia at the moment, with a number of popular blogs being offered the chance to move to other mediums - such as Lorraine Elliott at Not Quite Nigella signing a book deal with Penguin Books recently. So there’s no doubt the whole scene is growing in popularity and, crucially, in influence.

Miscellaneous Mum is another blog that’s breaking the mould of no longer being just a digital-only platform, and Andrews has moulded a brand and actually created subsidiaries with the ‘Miscellaneous’ title - such as Miscellaneous Voices, the first book about the Australian blogging scene, and Miscellaneous Press, the book publishing arm of the business.

And it truly is a business now, with more books and developments planned in the future. But the beginning of the blog, and brand, began just five years ago.

“Miscellaneous Mum came into being in August 2006, making it one of the more established Australian ‘Mummy Blogs’ around,” Andrews explains. “I set it up for three reasons - to talk about my post-partum depression, to revive my writing life and to keep my family, who all live interstate, up-to-date on what we’re doing.”

She worked in events management before the creation of Misc Mum, before leaving to do freelance writing and concentrating on forging the Miscellaneous blog into a free-standing brand.

The first important decision that had to be made - the name.

“When I sat down to think of a title, which is quite hard to do, I thought about who I am and what I like.”

“I like everything - ‘miscellanea’ - and coupled it with what I am - a ‘mum’. Back at the start, the title was ‘Miscellaneous Adventures of an Aussie Mum’. I put the Aussie in to differentiate it from US blogs. They were most prevalent at the time.”

One particular US blog, ‘Dooce’, was a major influence on Misc Mum from the very beginning. It’s one of the most visited ‘mummy blogs’ in the world, and Dooce’s founder Heather Armstrong is especially well-known for forging one of the first commercially viable parenting blogs and also starting various debates (such as this andthis) that have shaped how PR have approached blogs, both in the US and Australia.

However, blogs are an especially hard avenue to craft a unique regular audience from, especially in the days before a large Australian blogging community.

Committed Readership

“Those were the days when blog carnivals and mass-participation memes were new and fun and generated a lot of traffic. But that was ‘bounce’ traffic, wanting reciprocity (you go back to their site). It was time consuming and not what I was after. I was after a committed readership, the kind good writing makes.”

“I first noticed traffic about six months or so after I began. But more than traffic at first was comments and attention and friendships I’d created, because they left more of an impact.”

The first off-shoot of the blog was the creation of Miscellaneous Press in 2008, and Andrews confirms ​that the name “was a deliberate repetition to capitalise on the brand I’d already spent time growing”.

Major PR offers followed a year later, as Andrews explains.

“The first major PR project I did was working with Soup to road test the new Renault Koleos and do an iPhone giveaway. That was 2009. Since then I’ve worked with many different agencies on many different campaigns, although I am selective about what I choose to do, insofar as I keep my blog’s interests at heart.”

Public Relations

Since then, Misc Mum has partnered with PR professionals on giveaways, sponsored posts and has attended networking and PR-oriented blogging events. Andrews is inundated with public relations offers each day, in fact.

“I get at least 50 press releases a day, every day, and I rarely act on them. Pitches are better than press releases, usually, because a pitch at least is more personally tailored.”

The blogosphere as a whole is a goldmine for PR, especially as it continues to grow, and Andrews has advice for working with bloggers.

“A ‘one campaign to suit them all’ approach isn’t always the best. Honestly, some bloggers don’t like being offered to do what 10 or 20 others have already been given,” she explained, “but depending on the brand, yes I’d say blogging is a great alternative for brands to reach an audience with. I would say that those focused on a ‘mum’ demographic would do especially well.”

One crucial aspect that blogs are developing increasingly well is a strong brand - something that Andrews was aware of right from the start - and it’s something that PRs and advertisers are starting to take serious notice of.

Shifting Dynamic

“Taking steps as to developing what a 'brand' is and what it stands for in relation to your online (or creative, or both) work is something people are having to address sooner and sooner these days - or at least, that's how it seems to me,” she said.

“I was on a panel at the 2010 Melbourne Writers' Festival called 'The Author as Brand' where we talked about this shifting dynamic. From designing a blog header, to business cards, right down to the very niche you're choosing to write in, up and comers are coming in with very specific ideas and direction.”

“This stretches as far as the personal blog world - which I identify with more than a 'mum blog' - where elevator pitches and media kits are important means of communicating what it is you do and why people should notice. Where once we might have typed away in obscurity, suddenly women are  discovering and leveraging their power in an economy which they're realising is partly dependent on the way they shop, how they shop, and how they talk about products. Not only are companies listening, but soliciting their advice.”

As blogs increasingly spread across different mediums, Andrews acknowledges that the social networks are playing an important part in shaping the brand - saying that Twitter and Facebook especially are “increasingly critical to a blogger’s network and means of communication”.

Moulding a brand around subjects that are often uncomfortably personal requires a certain type of character, Andrews claims.

Negative Repercussions

“I’m an open person and think secrets can be harmful. Besides, when writing, I have to be open to being raw and vulnerable - at least, at times! Negative repercussions have happened, but I’ve been somewhat lucky in that respect and I have a pretty tough skin.”

Miscellaneous Mum, and the Miscellaneous brand, is going to continue evolving in the future too, with more books and even a possible smartphone app on the way.

​“I’m writing a memoir which is based a lot on the work and some of the better posts I’ve done over the years. I’m also developing a ‘how-to’ book which is blogging related. I do have an idea for an app (which could also be a book, now I think of it). I have lots of things to do, basically!”

And in terms of the future of the blogging medium, with growth showing no signs of faltering, Andrews is more positive - noting one big change she predicts will arrive in the near-future.

“No doubt blogging will continue to evolve. I predict film will play a bigger part, but these vlogs will have higher production values. Design is crucial – regular templates just don’t cut it anymore. Younger people will come through and will be savvier, quicker. My daughter even wants to blog!”

**********

You can find out more about Miscellaneous Mum, Miscellaneous Press and Miscellaneous Voices at their websites, and you can follow Karen Andrews on Twitter. Influencing subscribers can also find Misc Mum and Karen Andrews on the Influencing database.

Smart Company Announces its Best 25 Biz Blogs

 
The other day Smart Company announced what it considers to be the 25 best business blogs in Australia.

I'm pleased to say PR Warrior was among those named, as were the efforts of a number of local bloggers whom I admire (and read regularly), including Craig Pearce, Valerie Khoo, Darren Rowse, Steve Sammartino, Gavin Heaton and Ross Dawson.

Four Years of Blogging

I've been blogging consistently for four years (click here to find out what I've learnt in that time) and I can say hand on heart it's been one of the most rewarding things I've done in a creative sense.

Professionally it has helped me to hone my thinking in the PR/marketing/social media space as well as give me a platform from which I can regularly share and discuss with others my thoughts and ideas.

If you're interested in starting a blog that focuses on your business or vocation, I can highly recommend it!

Thanks to everyone who has reads this blog, makes comments or shares links - your ongoing support is much appreciated :)

Read the full article here.

Want more? Listen to what best-selling business author Tom Peters says in this video interview about the importance of blogging in a professional sense.

Four Important Things I Have Learned in Four Years of Blogging

The PR Warrior turned four last month. 

Boiled down, that's over 365 posts (roughly eight a month for four years) and 640+ comments from readers.

When I first started blogging in 2007, it was to experience one of the 'wonders of the new media landscape' in an effort to better understand it and in turn be able to talk with a modicum of expertise with my clients in the PR space about what a blog was, how it worked and whether it was something they needed to worry about.

As it turned out, for me at least, blogging set me on a path that led all the way into the heart of the emerging social web, and I've been fully immersed ever since (which in turn has vastly increased my circle of friends and professional acquaintances).

So I can safely say, hand on heart, blogging has helped change my life in many significant ways.

So what have I learned in four years of blogging?

(i)    Blogging is best learnt by 'getting in the trenches'

I was reading and researching blogs (and the art of blogging) for a couple of years before I created PR Warrior. And you know what? I reckon I learned more in my first 4-6 weeks of writing a blog than I did in all that time researching.

While I think it's very important to do your research and become familiar with the space, nothing beats getting down and dirty in the trenches if you want to learn more about this blogging caper.

While you learn heaps about the technology side of things simply by doing it, for me it was the experience of going through the writing process that really resonated.

The fact you're putting yourself 'out there' on the world wide web for others to pat you on the back or potentially shoot you down in a hail of virtual bullets was a real learning experience but it really does ready you for life on the social web.

The PR Warrior in the blogging trenches

(ii)    Blogging forms an ideal 'base' for your personal brand

Whether you're an individual ('personal brand') or a company wanting to leverage your blog to build credibility and perhaps use as a lead generation tool, think of your blog as the 'beating heart' of your brand.

Most companies (indeed, many individuals nowadays) have their own dedicated website. However, many websites don't often change on a regular basis. A blog on the other hand is (should be) undergoing constant change in the form of fresh content (new posts, videos, podcasts etc) being added regularly.

This is important for a couple of reasons:

One, fresh content gives people a reason to return to your site - by having an opinion, sharing ideas and posing questions you are attracting people to your blog who otherwise wouldn't have a reason to check out your website on an ongoing basis.

Two, search engines love quality new content - if you want to figure in Google searches, then there are worse things you can do than have a vibrant blog presence (a second shopfront for your brand, as it were).

(iii)    Blogging helps you find your 'voice'

I love this gem by Tom Peters:

“My first post was in August of 2004 … no single thing in the last 15 years professionally has been more important to my life than blogging. It has changed my life, it has changed my perspective, it has changed my intellectual outlook, it’s changed my emotional outlook … it’s the best damn marketing tool by an order of magnitude I’ve ever had…and it’s free.”

What I take out of this terrific comment by Peters is the act of blogging can have a dramatic effect on one's outlook on life. It's not the blog per se but the act of thinking things through, forming an opinion about a particular subject and researching a topic with a view to publishing content on your blog.

If you're a subject matter expert, this process is incredibly important.

Sure, you might form those opinions as a matter of course in your work or as a result of following your passion (hobby) but there's nothing quite like pushing the 'Publish' button on your blog to bring clarity in terms of forming and expressing a view that is uniquely 'you'.

The PR Warrior has found his individual voice through blogging

(iv)    Blogging builds credibility and leads to interesting opportunities

It's no surprise that many (most?) avid bloggers are also highly connected on the social web - they're generally active on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ etc which in turn helps them to build their online presence and with it, their credibility in the respective space/s they operate in.

I've run my own consulting business for many years. I also speak professionally and collaborate with others on various projects that are of interest to me. My blog has acted as an efficient means of getting my thoughts out into the community as well as attracting attention to the fact I exist and have the ability to do interesting stuff.

Credibility + visibility = opportunity.

Here's an example of the opportunities that came my way during a recent two-week period. 

• Appeared on Channel Seven's Morning Show to comment on a story relating to Twitter and a court case in the UK.
• Participated in a video series for the PR industry's peak professional body, the PRIA.
• Invited to pitch on three new business leads in my role as a PR consultant.
• Presented at events run for small businesses by two Melbourne councils (and received an invitation for a third speaking engagement).
• Invited to attend a Business Chicks event featuring Sir Richard Branson.
• Received an interview opportunity with a business magazine.

Now I understand these opportunities weren't all directly due to my blog but PR Warrior has formed the backbone of my brand for many years and opportunities in the business world often come down to brand reputation.

It comes back down to having a voice and being prepared to put your opinion out there, to develop some degree of thought leadership by sparking conversation about topics that are of interest to you and that you're passionate about, whether professionally or personally.

Bottom line: it's about becoming involved and blogging is a terrific way to do just that.

FURTHER READING:

• BlogHUB Australia - a sideline PR Warrior project that celebrates and promotes blogging (and bloggers) in Australia.
• Three Years on Twitter, What Have I Learned? (PR Warrior post).