In case you missed it, yesterday marked episode No. 3 of Marketwire and HubSpot’s  free 6-part webinar series, “How to Supercharge Your PR Program with Social Media,” hosted by the always-engaging and thought-provoking Rebecca Lieb,  globally recognized expert on digital media and content strategy.

For anyone involved in public relations, marketing or digital communications, “content” has become more than just collateral and web pages; it’s become a strategy in and of itself.  But what kind of content should we create, how much and on what channels do we publish it?  How can we best ensure it finds and resonates with the audiences that matter to us, and doesn’t just fall flat or get lost in cyberspace?  Like any other corporate strategy, content creation requires thoughtful planning and execution.  (more…)

As you might know, Marketwire + Sysomos has a vested interest in the world of journalism – primarily because our clients are the ones who look to us as a way to interact with the media. To gain a better understanding of the state of journalism today, the Marketwire + Sysomos marketing department went on a field trip to check out Page One: Inside The New York Times, a behind-the-scenes documentary that provided a year-in-the-life glimpse into a publication that is experiencing insurmountable challenges and unforeseen changes, rocking a 160-year-old institution to its core. (more…)

The social media landscape has become more vibrant than ever before as an increasing number of companies are using these channels to their advantage for building online credibility.  Considered to be a social media leader among public companies, NovaGold Resources Inc. has used social media tools to spread its corporate brand and expand stakeholder reach, as described at a recent seminar — Social Media: Best Practices for Canadian Public Companies – that was put on by Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, a leading international business law and litigation firm. (more…)

A recent BBC One documentary about the triumph of Homo sapiens over Homo erectus was an excellent and insightful look at who we are today. H. sapiens was pursued and killed by our much larger Darwin cousins, H. erectus, for thousands of years because they were physically stronger. However, over time, and due to a greater ability to share ideas with each other, H. sapiens was able to merge with other tribes and pass on knowledge to overcome the threat of their arch rivals. (more…)

When Barack Obama campaigned and won the US presidential election in 2008, one of the driving and deciding factors in his road to the White House was his use of social media. Obama’s campaign is one that has gone down in history for its innovation. He still had to uphold American campaigning traditions – kissing babies, shaking hands, attending rallies, holding fundraising dinners. But he also used social media and web-based technologies to reach a younger, “wired” generation – a strategic approach that John McCain, his Republican opponent, failed to take full advantage of. (more…)

This is Part 2 of a two-part Q&A with communications consultant Shonali Burke, ABC, principal of Shonali Burke Consulting and adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins University. In Part 1, Shonali talked about about social media and its effect on public relations. In this article, Shonali discusses integrated communications and describes the “hub-and-spoke” approach — both of which she discussed during a recent webinar, “How to Supercharge Your PR Program,” sponsored by Marketwire and HubSpot. (more…)

The business of journalism revolves around the creation of news. But, recently, journalism has become news itself with the phone-hacking scandal that took place at the British tabloid, News of the World. In the May/June 2011 issue of the Columbia Journalism Review, Archie Bland, the foreign editor of The Independent, wrote an article, “Anybody There?,” describing the sequence of events that led to the News of the World permanently closing its doors after 168 years. The article is an astounding account of human greed and secrecy in a profession that typically upholds the highest moral standards.  (more…)

Award-winning communications consultant Shonali Burke, ABC, principal of Shonali Burke Consulting and adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins University, delivered a webinar on designing a social media-optimized PR program. This presentation was part of an ongoing six-part series sponsored by Marketwire and HubSpot titled “How to Supercharge Your PR Program.” (more…)