#smmeasure Twitter chat recap

Although our weekly Twitter chats (#smmeasure) have been going strong for nearly a year, we took a brief hiatus from posting recaps, but we’re bringing them back! Moving forward, we will hand-pick the chats that provide the most significant insights and comments and share them with you on the Marketwire blog.

In one of our recent chats, we based our questions off a HubSpot webinar that brought some of the most burning social media measurement questions to light. (more…)

For media professionals, communication is what it’s all about — clear, concise and sometimes clever messaging is essential. But, if you’ve ever flipped through a technical journal on immunological bioinformatics or a dissertation on electrophoretic systems (both of which are actual disciplines), you probably didn’t understand, much less were able to pronounce, many words even though these documents are (seemingly) written in English. That’s because they were written for an audience that has the vocabulary to understand those concepts. They’re “all Greek” to people within the general population. (more…)

At the inaugural DemandCon conference, recently held in San Francisco, willing volunteers were called upon to role-play in a day-in-the-life scenario of a potential buyer. I raised my hand meekly, but was not chosen, primarily due to my conditioned response not to volunteer for an assignment that would add to my existing heavy work load. My real motivation, or lack thereof, was based on the fact that I really didn’t want to spend the time. It was then that I realized my reaction must be similar to that of our own potential buyers. (more…)

I recall my unintentional reaction some years ago when our newsroom manager in Shanghai told me they would be closed on a certain Friday for “Tomb Sweeping Day.”  Jokingly, I recall responding to her with something to the effect that Fridays can be “dead” around here, too. The problem: It wasn’t funny to them. Qingming is a traditional Chinese festival for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime and tend to the graves of their departed. (more…)

A rash of incidents in recent financial quarters has seen public companies (including Disney, Microsoft and others) prematurely disclosing their earnings information — from news posting early to their website, to lags between the time of distribution and posting, to files containing material information made available online ahead of time. With the rising importance of investor relations websites as recognized communications channels, it’s only getting worse. In addition to individual snoopers, news agencies and market intelligence firms now have automated crawlers that scour corporate IR sites during earnings season, looking for news ahead of an official announcement or posting. (more…)

Earlier this year, a group of 60 senior-level investor relations officers (IROs) gathered at IR magazine’s invitation-only West Coast Think Tank in Palo Alto, Calif. to discuss pressing issues and trends affecting their profession. Hot topics included equity research challenges, say-on-pay, trends and pitfalls in disclosure, and working with various stakeholder groups.

The first issue in the discussion on disclosure was “The State of Social Media and IR.” Panelist Darin Wolter, Marketwire’s EVP, global sales, asked a question of the audience: “How many of you represent companies that have a social media policy”? Only a very small number of attendees raised their hands. (more…)

Nobody ever said communications was easy.  Building great content, finding the right audiences to share it with, and having your messages resonate in a way that makes those audiences take notice and take action involves more than just luck and some clever copy.  Today, successful communications is about conversation and engagement with your customers and key stakeholders, and it’s about building strong relationships with those who can impact your brand and your business.  (more…)

Social media and public relations innovator, thinker and lecturer Todd Defren kicked off the Marketwire/HubSpot six-part webinar series, “How to Supercharge Your PR Program with Social Media.” Todd’s session on May 5, “PR: That Was Then, This Is Now,” was filled with tips and insights for PR pros who are serious about making social media part of their overall strategy, and it helped set the stage for the next five sessions of the series. Here are some highlights: (more…)

There are no hidden secrets or short-cuts to editorial proofreading, even though, as writers and editors, we sometimes wish there were. Proofreading requires a meticulous attention to detail and a little patience.

Below is a good checklist to ensure your conscientiousness pays off with well-written, easy-to-understand and error-free content:

(more…)

At the recent Ink+Beyond 2011 conference, the Canadian Newspaper Association’s annual convention in Vancouver, Geoff Tan, SVP of Business Development at Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), delivered a presentation that surprised the crowd of 200 media execs, based on what he and his team have been able to accomplish. (more…)

Branding is important.  The perceptions that customers have about a company, and its products and services, play a big part in how they make purchasing decisions.  Personas are important, too.  Social media has changed how brands are defined online and enabled companies to create more robust, almost lifelike, personalities.  Increased brand loyalty, customer acquisition and retention are high on the list of goals for marketers, and branding efforts, be they online or offline, and through digital, social and traditional channels, play a critical role in helping to achieve those goals.   (more…)