To be effective in communicating with a millennial consumer base, you need to be utilizing specific resources that will allow you to more readily be in contact with that demographic and appeal to them. Here are four resources you should be using when targeting millennials in your digital marketing strategies.

1. Blogging. Having a blog section on your website and keeping it fresh with new content is a great way to get your name and brand out there. Even just publishing a new blog post once a month can bring in new customers and draw traffic and attention to your company’s website. Additionally, if you implement some SEO practices, your content may end up ranked highly in a web search that leads users to your products and business. Aim to have more evergreen content on your blog so the bulk of your content doesn’t become dated — but a blog is a great place to post your press releases and news, too.

2. Press Releases. Press releases are some of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to quickly relay news to a large audience. Utilizing the idea of press releases can help you get news out in a timely manner and offer another means of getting your company’s name into the public’s minds. Further, your press release may be picked up by other websites or media and written about more expansively, which will only help you more broadly appeal to a millennial demographic and push your brand.

3. Social Media. When used correctly and productively, social media channels are great outlets to publicize your company and interact with existing and potential customers. Don’t just post your own content or push your products on your social media; share other interesting news, develop a voice, and be publicly present and available. That being said, you can post new blog articles on your social media to direct traffic to your blog and website at large. No matter your business, your company should have Facebook and LinkedIn pages and Twitter and Instagram accounts that you post on at least once a week to keep it active.

4. Email Marketing. Though no one, and especially not millennials, wants to be bombarded with emails or seemingly spammed by a company, email marketing can be useful when attempting to communicate with a millennial audience. Make sure you are sending an appropriate number of emails a week and that they have catchy headlines and interesting information within them to optimize your open and click rates and truly engage your recipients.

Of course, when utilizing these different resources, it’s important to keep in mind that many millennials will be reading your blog, interacting with your company on social media, and opening your emails on their phones. All your digital marketing strategies should be mobile-friendly so it’s easy for millennials to read and engage with your business from any piece of technology they may use. Keep these four resources in mind when considering how to communicate with a millennial demographic and you’ll be set!

via Pexels.com

Utilizing social media in your marketing strategy when it comes to reaching college students and millennials is crucial. Social media and all its users greatly influence millennials when it comes to where they shop, the sites they click on, and what they buy. Here are three ways social media plays a role in millennial decisions.

via Pixabay.com

As social media has become an increasingly important part of public relations, most of the best firms out there have learned to adjust. NKPR is no exception, and that’s probably why they landed at number 15 on our list of the top PR firms on social media this year. We asked Natasha Koifman and her team at NKPR to let us hear how they do social media, and what sets them apart as a brand.

For your clients, which social networks have been the most effective for PR?

At NKPR, we develop tailored strategies for each client that we represent from lifestyle to non-profit and corporate sectors. Based on their objectives and target audience, we recommend the social networks and programs that can best move their brand forward and tell their stories!

With that in mind, some of the best social tools out there right now include:

Twitter: We love Twitter because it allows us to create ongoing conversations with consumers, media and influencers alike. With daily trending topics, brands have the opportunity to form a lifestyle portal, contributing to discussions that are authentic to who they are and what they represent. The best brand messages are short, sweet and to the point and Twitter challenges us to stay true to that in 140 characters.

Facebook: With 1.5 billion users, Facebook still remains the social outlet with the largest audience and potential brand reach! For large-scale campaigns, Facebook offers an extensive range of customizable apps and advertising opportunities to really make a strong impact.

Instagram: With high engagement and a strong visual component, brands with a younger target demographic can build buzz and gain a strong following on Instagram. The mobile platform has been growing rapidly and shows no signs of slowing down, especially now with the introduction of video content.

How do you go about handling a social media PR campaign?

At NKPR, we have a unique approach. We always start off by asking our clients “What does success look like?”. Based on this, we build our social strategy and recommendations to align with those measures.

We provide a variety of social media services for our clients from social media audits that help to guide and evaluate their internal campaigns to full-scale community management and campaign development.

What advice would you give when it comes to using social media for a public relations campaign?

• Take a 360-approach to the campaign, always looking at how social can push the envelope further
• Know your audience and target them accordingly with the right message and social platform
• Content is king and well-thought out creative campaigns will make a stronger impact then content for the sake of content
• Establish an authentic brand voice, your social accounts should be a lifestyle portal and not overly promotional. Stay consistent

How would you recommend that a client handles a screw up on social media?

• Be honest and forthcoming
• Acknowledge the issue and present a solution
• Make a quick and genuine apology, taking responsibility for the error
• Address what went wrong and the steps your brand will take to ensure it doesn’t happen again

Do you have any social media success stories you’d like to share?

NKPR integrated a digital division ahead of the curve. We saw the PR landscape changing rapidly with the introduction of social networks like Facebook and Twitter and we wanted to be at the forefront for our clients.

We love that social media gives us the chance to connect with the public directly, something that happened primarily through media relations in the past. As a PR agency, we have built a following of 9000+ highly engaged users on Twitter and many more on our NKPR blog, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and more.

As an agency, we’ve established a strong and authentic brand voice on social media. Many of our new business now comes to us from social referrals and when we tweet or post about a product we love, our followers take notice. As a PR agency, we are now our own media outlet .

What do you think sets your company apart from your competitors?

• Authenticity – Our brand voice and personality is at the core of everything we do and who we are as agency. When we say something on social, It is always authentic to our brand voice
• Engagement – We have built a loyal following online over the years and engagement is very high. This means our posts can have a strong impact for our clients

This week, we got the chance to hear more from the 20th most popular PR firm on social media, República. Like many of the top firms on our list, you’ll see that they emphasize an individualized approach, and work to develop lasting relationships with their clients. Their international expertise and top-notch team work together to provide the best possible social media work for their clients.

For your clients, which social networks have been the most effective for PR?

Depending on the campaign and the strategy, but often times, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are the most common social platforms used for our clients.

How do you go about handling a social media PR campaign?

Each client’s needs are different. We work with our agency partners to determine the best approach for their brand based on their objectives. Our work ranges from basic account set up and branding of a social media profile to content creation, digital media strategy, and community management. For some client’s a hands on community management approach is beneficial, and with others, it’s more about providing strategic guidance in the space.

What advice would you give when it comes to using social media for a public relations campaign?

Social media is the most direct line of communication between a brand and a consumer. It’s paramount to understand that relationship. We recommend using social media channels as a vessel to listen to your audience, leverage that relationship to craft your brand’s story and always engage with followers, making them feel a part of the brand.

Social media also provides a medium to communicate news immediately. With today’s fast-paced news channels, it’s important for brands to leverage their social platforms to convey their message(s) quickly. This is especially important when planning campaigns or PR strategies regarding major announcements or dealing with crisis communications.

How would you recommend that a client handles a big screw up on social media?

It depends on the situation. If a client has tweeted something that was not factually correct or would like to retract a message, a good PR rule of thumb is, “Tell the truth, tell it all, tell it fast.” If you made a mistake, get out in front of it. An honest tweet or Facebook post can go a long way to repair any damage to public perception.

Do you have any social media success stories you’d like to share?

We recently worked with our client, Pernod Ricard Americas Travel Retail, on the launch of a new duty-free exclusive scotch whisky, the Chivas Brother’s Blend. República developed and executed a media relations campaign; social media strategy, content creation and community management for the brand’s Facebook page. Following a teaser campaign within the duty-free market and social media, we were able to garner more than 60,000 Facebook fans around this launch.

What do you think sets your company apart from your competitors?

República is a dream shop, built on guiding principles that stem to the core of our business practices. What sets us apart is our talented team members who are the bloodline of our agency, and without them we could not deliver the high-caliber work that help our clients succeed.

While there are many incredible companies in today’s marketplace, at República, we’re one familia, and that is rarity we hold as a cornerstone to “Who We R.”

If you know a PR firm who would like to offer their social media advice to other professionals, leave a comment or contact info@uwire.com to let us hear about it.

Photo by Alexander Richter, used with permission from Audible Treats

The music industry has embraced social media more than almost any other, so it should come as no surprise that Audible Treats has a worthy presence on social media. In fact, they came in at #11 on our list of the top PR firms on social media this year, so  we got their perspective on what makes a social media campaign work. The following answers come from co-founder and president, Michelle McDevitt:

For your clients, which social networks have been the most effective for PR?

For my clients, most of whom are musicians, producers, rappers, singers, performers, Twitter and Facebook have proven been the most effective networks. Both Twitter and FB are easy for them to manage and update on their own and through them, they can extend their persona and brand with fans easily. More recently, Instagram and depending on their personality, Vine too, have become great tools for them too. Soundcloud and YouTube aren’t social media platforms but they have a similar metrics measuring component to them and they have proven to be indispensable to measure the efficacy of our campaigns.

How do you go about handling a social media PR campaign?

It depends from client to client. To be honest, most of our clients have a pretty good grasp on how to use social media so we usually only do light consulting in the form of passing along good press hits to share with fans, making sure they tag media publications when they tweet about their press hits, making sure their accounts aren’t auto-updating/syndicating across platforms (it’s lazy and can turn people off) teaching them the basics do’s and don’ts, etc. We sometimes come up with creative social media-driven contest and activation ideas to incentivize fans to become more involved and help spread the gospel too.

What advice would you give when it comes to using social media for a public relations campaign?

Don’t rely solely on social media to raise awareness and likewise, don’t ignore it. I consider social media to be complementary to a traditional PR campaign. There’s hundreds of blogs dedicated to “best practices” – read those and choose which ones apply best to your industry.

How would you recommend that a client handles a big screw up on social media?

Owning up to mistakes and apologizing for gaffes is usually the best way to handle them. I would also suggest a more extensive apology on the company blog or doing an interview after extensive media training.

Do you have any social media success stories you’d like to share?

Several of our clients have been trending topics on Twitter, Facebook Likes have doubled or even tripled within a month, we’ve launched several clients’ first interactive campaigns on their social media platforms that have resulted in increased sales, awareness, and an uptick in ancillary areas, such as new show bookings, getting higher profile mangers, getting record deals, etc.

What do you think sets your company apart from your competitors?

We get results in a variety of media platforms and clients can tell that we’re personally invested in our projects. We consult on everything from image to branding to asset roll-out and we have honest conversations with a client if something isn’t up to par and will ultimately hurt the campaign.

If you know a PR firm who would like to offer their social media advice to other professionals, leave a comment or contact info@uwire.com to let us hear about it.

With the #19 spot on our list of the top PR firms on social media, we were excited to hear what rbb Public Relations could tell us about how they find success through social media campaigns. Rather than have just one employee give us answers to our questions, rbb took a team-based approach that really drives home the point that individualized attention is a key trait of a successful public relations campaign.

For your clients, which social networks have been the most effective for PR?

Maite Velez-Couto, Vice President:

In simple terms, it depends.

Facebook continues to be a powerful tool to connect with currently engaged audiences and those that are already “fans” of the brands because they already love the product and are there to listen and engage – when done well. It works very well for our hotel brand clients. The platform gives us a forum to mine information to make the guest experience that much better, learn their needs on real time and offer meaningful rewards and insights. The conversation also informs the direction of future promotions.

We find Twitter more effective when trying to engage those that may not be as familiar with a brand or product. Also, the “simplicity” of the platform allows us to move more quickly and perhaps test things without committing too much time or resources. When used creatively, Twitter is also a great way to amplify the reach of a PR program like a media “Fam” trip to a resort or a product sampling tour.

Pinterest is a great place for our travel clients. It’s a strong traffic driver to the brand sites.

How do you go about handling a social media PR campaign?

Christine de la Huerta, Vice President:

This is not a one-size-fits all type of business. We manage these assignments in different ways, to adapt individually to client policies, comfort level and resources.

For some clients, we do it all: create content, handle engagement, manage the online communities and fully run their online channels, soup to nuts. For others, we may ramp it up for them, create a content calendar and engagement strategy, then conduct training for their communications staff to take it over and we hand it off. Still other clients have us create the content strategy and the proactive content on an ongoing basis, while they do the actual postings and engagement. In any of these scenarios, and all the hybrids in between, the most important step is to have a strategy, know your audience and provide value along the way.

What advice would you give when it comes to using social media for a public relations campaign?

Abdul Muhammad II, Vice President of Digital Development:

Let the PR team drive the social media!

You get the best results from an integrated communications campaign, when the message, distribution, and engagement takes place under one umbrella.
Be a #BreakoutBrand and use real-time data to better inform, connect and build long-lasting relations. The new PR is SOCIAL!

How would you recommend that a client handles a big screw up on social media?

Bruce Rubin, Crisis Communications Expert:

In any corporate crisis, one size doesn’t fit all, so variables always come into play. But generally, a social media gaffe can be covered with a swift and genuine apology. If this is done on a timely basis, there isn’t much detractors can continue to say.

Do you have any social media success stories you’d like to share?

Rafael Sangiovanni, Social Media Strategist:

We have several passionate pop culture geeks in the office, and there was a lightning in a bottle opportunity where we found a crossover between “Lord of the Rings,” public relations and social media trends.

We knew that infographics get shared on social media like wildfire, especially Twitter. So, when director Peter Jackson announced that he was making “The Hobbit” into a trilogy (a hugely heated topic at the time), our team whipped up an infographic calculating the potential amount of money the new trilogy could make per page of the book, based on the success of the original “Lord Of The Rings” movie series.

It was a unique angle on the conversation – something we always strive to find in PR – and that particular infographic was representative of the type of creative, out-of–the–box thinking rbb applies to all our client projects, while also showcasing our creative services capabilities.

To get the word out, we hit the pavement with search and response messaging, talking to film bloggers, LOTR book enthusiasts, pop culture aficionados, PR and marketing pros – the works. Because of that outreach on social media, the response to the post was so overwhelming that till this day – one year later – “The Hobbit” infographic remains one of our most viewed pieces of content, and it continues to drive traffic to rbb’s branded online channels.

What do you think sets rbb apart from your competitors?

Lisa Ross, President and Partner

Here are the top five reasons clients choose rbb (culled from interviews we conduct after every new business presentation):

1. rbb dedicates the entire resources of the firm to one client in a category to share every opportunity we uncover, and provides up to 10% courtesy hours each month as part of our investment in growing our clients business.
2. rbb delivers PR, B2B communications, digital/social media and graphic design, all in-house.
3. rbb’s dedicated client teams are always led by a partner of the firm guaranteeing a level of accountability that will exceed client expectations. Our staff member’s average tenure exceeds eight years, meaning we deliver a team with deep knowledge and commitment to match.
4. rbb tops off its strategic approach with smart execution, alliance building and realistic fee arrangements (no mark ups) to make clients’ budgets go further.
5. rbb is a multicultural, four-time national PR Agency of the Year, recognized for pushing the creative and strategic envelope and driving meaningful client business results. We strive to continually set the standards for public relations success, with our work garnering Silver Anvils, Platinum PR Awards, and SABRE Awards in nearly every possible category including word of mouth, thought leadership, multicultural, cause-related, reputation management, community relations, B2B markeing, digital/social media, and more.

Bottom line… rbb is a marketing PR firm that offers the creativity and experience of a large agency, packaged as a cost-effective and nimble boutique agency. Our sweet spot derives from our Breakout Brands approach, which drives forward brands that want to challenge the segment and break out from traditional marketing techniques. We do whatever it takes to break through the information clutter, communicate with various audiences, and reinforce our passion for breaking goals and setting new standards of ROI.

If you know a PR firm who would like to offer their social media advice to other professionals, leave a comment or contact info@uwire.com to let us hear about it.

Public relations is a quickly changing field, and little in technology has had as much impact on the industry as social media has.

A decline in print journalism, broadcast radio, and even television has shaken the PR world, but public relations firms who are investing more time and energy into social media are less likely to worry about these technological upheavals. Social media is beginning to play a critical role in reaching customers, so if you’re looking for someone to handle your PR, you should look for a firm that understands social, and holds it at the top of its priority list.

Here are the 25 most successful PR firms on social media in 2013, and some of the ways they set themselves apart:

25. Golin Harris International

Twitter | Facebook

After getting their first client in 1956, Golin Harris has continued to build on that success as the representative for companies like Dow Checmical, McDonald’s, and PetSmart. Golin Harris does a great job on Twitter responding to their fans and customers, and shares fun and personal updates on their Facebook page.

24. APCO Worldwide

Twitter | Facebook

APCO serves many large, worldwide business clients like Sprint and Applied Materials. Besides sharing a wide range of public relations industry news, they cover issues in woman owned businesses, and photos from events they host.

23. BLAZE PR

Twitter | Facebook

With clients in industries like health, hospitality, and consumer products, Blaze PR has gathered almost 6000 followers and fans on Twitter and Facebook respectively. They keep their Facebook fans engaged by asking questions about social media and consumer-related news, and post company updates and advice from around the web on their Twitter account.

22. New Media Strategies

Twitter | Facebook

Since 1999, New Media Strategies (NMS for short) has worked with some major brands like NBC, Adobe, and Domino’s Pizza. Besides managing over 129 social media accounts for clients, they manage their own Facebook and Twitter pages handily as well.

21. MWW Group

Twitter | Facebook

MWW has experience in a wide range of consumer public relations campaigns, and their client list is pretty varied as well. They keep followers up to date with updates from their blog, job openings, and industry related news through both Twitter and Facebook. They also do a good job listening and retweeting people on Twitter.

20. República

Twitter | Facebook

With a focus on cross-cultural campaigns, República offers its clients a wide range of services including social media, advertising, and public relations. Through social media, they showcase awards they receive and highlight relevant news from across the internet.

19. rbb Public Relations

Twitter | Facebook

Among numerous other awards, rbb is also the first public relations firm on this list to crack 7000 fans and followers combined. They stay very engaged with their followers on Twitter, and post lots of fun photos and office updates on Facebook.

18. Trylon SMR

Twitter | Facebook

Trylon’s clients include some of the best names in technology and media. They operate the NY Convergence Blog, where they have over 7300 fans and followers. On both networks, they share news about New York, technology, and startups throughout the day.

17. Max Borges Agency

Twitter | Facebook

While most firms on this list take on a variety of clients, Max Borges focuses completely on tech companies like Philips, ThinkGeek, and MSI Laptops. Their Twitter and Facebook streams are filled with interesting gadget and tech news, and they also do a great job responding to customers and fans.

16. Text 100 Global PR

Twitter | Facebook

Text 100 shares content from it’s own blog (known as Hypertext), as well as from digital communications outlets around the web. They also know to keep their social presence loose, and have fun. Their laid back culture has no doubt helped them gain hip clients like MTV, Skype, Ikea, and Activision.

15. NKPR Inc

Twitter | Facebook

By taking an individualized approach to public relations, NKPR has landed clients like Anne Klein and Skyy Vodka as well as a wide range of consumer-facing brands. Natasha Koifman (the company’s founder) operates their Twitter account, and does an excellent job giving her updates in a personal and well thought out way. It’s no surprise that NKPR has over 8500 followers on Twitter alone.

14. Gregory FCA

Twitter | Facebook

Based in Philadelphia, Gregory’s clients include a wide range of national and international brands. Their award winning campaign in content marketing sets them apart, but so does their solid use of social media. Like many PR firms on this list, Gregory does a great job highlighting industry news on social media as well as recognizing their customers and fans.

13. Waggener Edstrom Worldwide

Twitter | Facebook

Using a mix of traditional and new media, Waggener Edstrom specializes in bringing engagement to their clients, but they’ve also made sure to get some engagement themselves on social media. With around 9500 fans and followers, Waggener Edstrom engages their audience with a mix of fun and interesting news as well as company updates.

12. Hill & Knowlton

Twitter | Facebook

With offices in over 50 countries, the people at Hill & Knowlton certainly stay busy. Still, they haven’t forgotten about social media, where they share a variety of tips for PR professionals as well as job listings and interactions with their customers.

11. Audible Treats

Twitter | Facebook

Brooklyn based Audible Treats offers unique PR services to musicians and artists looking to get the word out through both online and print distribution. Both their Facebook and Twitter accounts are great for audiophiles to keep up with the latest up-and-coming artists, so it’s no surprise that they’ve been able to garner a following of over 11,000 since their founding in 2004.

10. Porter Novelli

Twitter | Facebook

Porter Novelli has some of the most recognizable clients in this list (Pepsi, HP, and Pampers to name a few), and their international presence has garnered them many awards. On social media, they do a great job keeping up with social media, content marketing, and public relations news, especially as it relates to digital technologies.

Congrats to Karen Ovseyevitz, who has been named one of the most influential women in business in Mexico – http://t.co/G1fdCOFRm2 #PNID

— Porter Novelli (@porternovelli) August 19, 2013

9. 5W Public Relations

Twitter | Facebook

With offices in New York and Los Angeles, 5W has a coast-to-coast approach to public relations that has both landed them clients and offered them many awards. Not least among these was being named 2013’s PR Agency of the Year at the Stevie’s. Their social media presence on Facebook offers exposure for their clients, and they have a great stream of interesting news coming in on Twitter.

Socialbots – designed to sway elections, to influence the stock market, even to flirt with people and one another: http://t.co/LXyZRpddv7

— 5WPR / 5W PR (@5W_PR) August 12, 2013

8. Shore Fire Media

Twitter | Facebook

The second Brooklyn based music PR firm on this list, Shore Fire’s customer-specific approach has garnered them a variety of pop, rock, and country clients. They do a good job interacting with their customers and followers, and make sure that followers get a variety of music-related news, releases, and events.

@MickLangenberg All good choices!

— Shore Fire Media (@ShoreFire) August 20, 2013

7. Burson-Marsteller

Twitter | Facebook

With over 60 years of experience representing brands in a range of technology and human driven industries, it’s clear that Burson-Marsteller knows its stuff when it comes to public relations. With over 18,000 fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter, it’s also clear that Burson-Marsteller knows its stuff in the realm of social media. They share relevant news as well as plenty of shout-outs to brands they support.

Congratulations to @GenesisBM on a Gold SABRE for Pepsi & 3 certificates of excellence for Sennheiser, Earth Hour & Avon at #SABREIndia!

— Burson-Marsteller (@B_M) July 26, 2013

6. Fleishman-Hillard

Twitter | Facebook

Fleishman-Hillard has a long history of pursuing what it calls the “power of true.” Their clients include many internationally known organizations such as the Turkish Embassy, Procter and Gamble, and ConAgra Foods, so it makes sense that they would have a global social presence as well. With over 18,000 followers on Twitter alone, Fleishman-Hillard deserves its #6 spot on this year’s list.

How do you manage bilingual communities? Our own @jenn_shah shares why language tailored engagement matters: http://t.co/MK2Csot1OZ

— FleishmanHillard (@Fleishman) August 14, 2013

5. J Public Relations

Twitter | Facebook

Don’t let their short name fool you. J is widely known as one of the country’s best public relations firms in the hospitality industry, and they’ve successfully managed clients like the Hard Rock Hotel and Sheraton Hotels. Their Facebook page has company updates and fun photos from around their office, and their Twitter account offers some great travel and hotel related advice for followers.

Plan a couples retreat to one of these 7 perfect spots via @lifestylemirror including @SurreyHotelNYC & @TwinFarms. http://t.co/xM3Xo5YzHW

— J Public Relations (@jprpublicity) August 19, 2013

4. Weber Shandwick

Twitter | Facebook

Weber Shandwick’s mission may be to give clients “a legion of believers, supporters and fans,” but that doesn’t mean they haven’t gathered quite a legion themselves. Over 24,000 people get updates from the firm on Facebook and Twitter where they share a variety of public relations news, company updates, and releases from clients.

In @Forbes Weber Shandwick CEO @AndyPolansky talks with @CEOShow about how CEOs can engage through social media http://t.co/rRCe7WMX0w

— Weber Shandwick US (@WeberShandwick) August 14, 2013

3. JESS3

Twitter | Facebook

At the edge of math and art, JESS3 specializes in helping their clients visualize large data sets and present them in the most impactful way possible. With the popularity of infographics and visualized data around the web, it’s not completely surprising that JESS3 would have been able to build such a massive following, but the really interesting thing is that they spend more real estate on Twitter retweeting and mentioning others than promoting themselves. People appreciate this kind of “real”-ness, and it shows in JESS3’s fan base.

If you aren’t having fun making it, they won’t have fun reading it.

— JESS3 (@JESS3) August 20, 2013

2. Edelman

Twitter | Facebook

Being the world’s largest public relations firm already places Edelman in a category of their own, but you can’t discount their commitment to social media either. With over 50,000 fans and followers, Edelman has made a name for themselves in PR news and commentary. Their blog is a great resource for writers and professionals, and they do a great job making sure that their name is front and center in the world of PR.

Motivation from @gailfbecker: “When I think I can’t do something, I force myself to try it.” http://t.co/9KsSEiQQRh — Edelman PR (@EdelmanPR) August 19, 2013

2. [Updated] ALM Public Relations

Twitter | Facebook

*ALM Public Relations was unintentionally left off the list at the time of this posting. Find out more about ALM’s talent and influencers here.

1. Ogilvy & Mather

Twitter | Facebook

Finally, at #1 on our list of the top 25 PR firms on social media, Ogilvy & Mather sits uncontested. With a staggering 200,000+ fans and followers, Ogilvy has the big name client list to back up their big name social following. They keep fans engaged with fun and relevant advertising campaigns, and manage multiple social media accounts for their variety of business offerings.

Your Friday Ogilvyism … “The way up the ladder is open to everybody.” #DavidOgilvy #Quote pic.twitter.com/4ixj36VvTy

— Ogilvy & Mather (@Ogilvy) August 16, 2013

Notes: This list was compiled using the total social following of over 200 top-ranked US public relations firms. All inquiries should be directed to info@uwire.com.

With more students getting their news on social media than ever before, it’s no surprise that they’ve learned to be skeptical. In the news media’s desperate attempt to cry out, “First!” when it comes to breaking news, publications are more likely to push content out before it’s been properly checked. 66% of millennials report mistrust in the accuracy of the news they receive, and that matters:

Almost 70 percent of millennials would rather be the last to know the news than receive inaccurate information. – PR Daily

Full infographic at http://www.ypulse.com/post/view/millennials-and-news-fact-checked

Fortunately, there are ways to build trust with readers from the millennial generation. Here are a few ways you can foster trust with young readers:

1. Get Familiar with Their Technology

It seems that every few weeks there’s a new app or social network that kids are suddenly using and spreading like wildfire. While you don’t have to figure out how to use every network out there, you should definitely be familiar with the big ones like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Also, keep your ears and eyes open for new players. Recently, Instagram, Vine, and Snapchat have all found a place into youth culture in a big way.

2. Make Users Your Advocates

Young users are more likely to trust their peers than to trust your marketing materials. They’re used to hearing how great your product is from your commercials or press releases, but they rarely hear it from their friends. It should be easier than ever to give your current users incentives to talk about you on social media, so don’t be shy. You might get really good results if you just try.

3. Know the Culture

In order to be trusted, you’ve got to keep your brand relevant. This means knowing a little bit about the institutions and brands your readers will and won’t trust, and hopefully keeping your company in the former group.

4. Be Honest

Finally, young customers and readers will value honesty over undeserved hype. When you screw up, let people know you screwed up. When you add a new feature or product, don’t make it out to be more revolutionary than it really is. Honesty in news delivery is the same as honesty in press release delivery; it’s always the best policy.

How do you get young, skeptical readers to believe your stories? Leave your ideas in the comments below.

Photo by Eva Blue on Flickr

Unlike most social networks, Reddit isn’t simply a distribution platform for journalists and bloggers. It has the amazing ability to actually “create” news, and that makes it well-worth your time as a PR professional.

How Blogs are Using Reddit

Since I started “redditing” a couple years ago, I’ve seen an increasing number of blogs and mainstream news sources pick up stories from the social network. For example, this post on Reddit of Kevin Spacey photobombing a young woman made it to the front page on April 30th. The very same day, someone from BuzzFeed posted the photo with the headline, “Kevin Spacey’s Awesome Photobomb.” Not exactly hard-hitting reporting, but it is BuzzFeed after all.

The Good

The strange thing about this social-first approach is that most social networks seem to be built for sharing content after it has been created. Twitter might be an exception, but with only 140 characters, you really have to post links to get any substantive stories out there. I for one think that news being created, discussed, and shared on social networks before it hits mainstream media isn’t a bad thing. It’s more democratic, and while it might not work for every kind of news story, it gets the community involved in shaping stories, and takes more of the power away from a seemingly-elite group of newsroom journalists at the top.

The Bad

Of course, there are issues with taking a job previously done by a trained reporter and putting it in the hands of the crowd. One example of this system failing occurred during the Boston Bombings. Redditors created and spread a lot of false rumors that took off without much real evidence. There have also been complaints of sexism, discrimination, and a generally chauvinist attitude, so if you do keep up with the trends on Reddit, you have to keep in mind that not everything you read is true and the viewpoints you’re getting are likely skewed.

The Takeaway

Despite it’s shortcomings, Reddit can be a great place for getting stories or press releases out there in an unconventional way. Use the proper subreddits, answer questions from the crowd, or just start listening and commenting. You’ll pretty quickly see how powerful the network can be. For more tips on using Reddit as a PR tool, check out this post on PRDaily.com.