Public Relations Princess

Target Can't Afford a Blogger Relations Specialist? Gimme a Break.

This Target ad, offensive to women as it is on its own, has now sparked a blogger backlash because of Target's obtuse response to the blogosphere. Here is my friend's Peter Himler's take on the whole thing.

In a nutshell, a blogger from the site ShapingYouth inquired about the ad to the media relations team at Target and received this incomprehensible response:

"Unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because Target does not participate with nontraditional media outlets,” a public relations person wrote to ShapingYouth. “This practice,” the public relations person added, “is in place to allow us to focus on publications that reach our core guest,” as Target refers to its shoppers.

Actually, just the fact that they responded to the query at all clearly demonstrates that they have the wherewithall to deal with the inquiry. So, Target is trying to tell us that they don't have the manpower to deal with bloggers? Hiring a few blogger relations reps to deal with this disaster would be a good start.

Target CERTAINLY plays in the social media sphere. It has a group on Facebook. But Target has a much bigger problem than tragically misplaced bullseyes on its ads.

Target's problem? It has blown all the good PR its built up in the last 10 years in one fell swoop. Ouch!

The Blogging Time Dilemna: Long and Juicy or Quick and Dirty

If you ask a group of bloggers: "What is better: A long and juicy blog post, full of orignal thought and links to other resources, or a quick and dirty post that only comments on another blog or news article?" You will get as many answers as there are bloggers.

I am a "long and juicy" blogger. I include a lot of original thought and commentary in my posts. But in the long run, my blog traffic numbers tend to suffer because I am not here posting every day.

My mentor and blog coach, Mike Sansone, author of the critically acclaimed and very popular blog Converstations, has his own formula for blogging success, one that I envy, sometimes follow, but mostly just admire. Just reading his archive on blogging strategy is akin to reading the bible on blogging.

The simple key to your personal blogging style depends on your goal for the blog. Do you want to be a super-star with 5,000 daily readers? Do you want a place to promote your business or give your current Web site a rise in Google searches? The answers will give you guidance on how many posts will get you to your readership goal.

I'll give you a glimpse of the types of posts that I recommend to my clients. Ideally, posts should vary from long and juicy, to quick and dirty, with several types in between. Problogger has an excellent post here that details 20 different types of posts and how to effectively mix 'em around in your blog.

Effective time management is essential to the success of a blog and the person writing it. While writing an actual post may take you no more than 20 minutes, you have to block out time for research, commenting on other blogs, linking, identifying your sources, and tagging posts.

My best advice is to be realistic and generous with your time estimate. Then block it out on your calendar like any other obligation. But don't forget to stay relevant to your audience, and for goodness sake, have a little fun now and then.

Eight Random Facts... I've Been Blagged

My new friends at Prime Advertising & Design have blagged me. That's "blog tag" for the uninitiated. They've challenged me to divulge eight previous undisclosed things about myself on this blog.

This is a PR blog, but I don't really have any secrets to tell about my career, so I'll divulge a little about the PR Princess herself. Ta DA!

1. My favorite color is purple. (Duh!)
2. I have two teenagers and a dog named Trixie. She is the REAL princess.
3. I have thirty pairs of shoes, and none of them are suitable to wear with my princess clothes.
4. My favorite sport is baseball and this summer I get to see the Washington Senators play!
5. Al Gore is my personal hero.
6. Mike Sansone is my blogging hero.
7. I am having a yard sale tomorrow, yet here I am blogging....
8. I am a news junkie.

There you have it. I've survived my very first blagging. Thanks for including me in the game.

PR Professionals as Blog Ghostwriters

As you work with clients on the subject of building social media communities, the question of whether blogs can be ghostwritten will come up.

Most bloggers will instintively say..."Don't do it." But I have another perspective. It can be done, but here are the applicable rules:

1. You must have an actual face and "voice" of your blog who is a real person.
2. That real person has actual collaboration with the people who are writing the blog posts.
3. The real person read the comments on the blog and responds to them personally.
4. Honesty is the best policy. Be honest with your readers.

It's never the ideal situation to have a copywriter writing your blog. But it's better than having no conversation at all.

Chicagoland Blogging Conference

Kammie Kobyleski from St. Louis and Easton Ellsworth from Mesa, Arizona are just two of the fascinating bloggers I've met this weekend at the first ever SOB Blogging Conference in Chicago. More than 100 of us have gathered to discuss the medium of blogging, ranging from how to use social media to build your business, to how blogging can be a transformational experience. So far I've learned that there are as many topics to blog about as there are bloggers, and each has a different reason for putting themselves out there in the world.

My reason for being here is to connect with people. It's so cool to meet people whose blogs I've been reading for months and even years. They are just as engaging and fun in person as they are online.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. I'm sure it will be a hoot!