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Voce NationSeptember 2nd, 2014

Voce Student Weekly Reading 9/2: NatGeo a Top Social Media Publisher, Twitter Testing Favorites in Stream & More

Social Media

National Geographic Is Reportedly No. 1 in Social Media Among Publishers

“National Geographic is the king of the social media jungle, according to a top 10 list released by Shareablee. The New York-based digital data company has ranked NatGeo as the most effective publisher in the social space for the month of July, with 46.4 million engagements on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.”

Voce Insight – While this certainly isn’t the entirety of their strategy there’s a lot to be said about taking advantage of steady access to amazing photography. National Geographic sits on a treasure trove of high-quality pictures and so is perfectly positioned to thrive on a social web where visuals are the native language.

2 Essential Qualities of Successful Social Media Strategists

“Social media now represents an opportunity for PR practitioners and marketers to establish themselves as strategic leaders, with one eye on business goals and the other on budgets and resources.”

Voce Insight – You can’t get to the top without working your way up from the bottom. An effective social media strategist should be knowledgeable about the processes across all levels of the business. You can’t build a successful social media strategy if you do not know the ins and outs of the business, and what their specific customer needs are.

For Its Latest Experiment, Twitter Is Showing Faves As Retweets

“As pointed out by a few people yesterday and this morning, including Re/code’s Peter Kafka, Twitter looks like it is testing a feature that makes favorites (faves, if you prefer) appear in other people’s timelines…just like a retweet.”

Voce Insight – This might be the first move Twitter makes to a more algorithmic Timeline, and many have pointed out that Twitter’s FAQ has already been updated to include things like this. But while it’s already causing much hand-wringing among power users, for whom this is a major change, it’s something that could help Twitter attract and maintain more new users and clear up some of the confusion that often keeps them from participating.

Public Relations

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Has Nonprofits Rethinking ‘Public Relations Dollars’

“The ice bucket challenge’s phenomenal success is making other charitable organizations rethink how they connect with a younger generation of potential donors. Since the ALS Association began tracking the campaign’s progress on July 29, it has raised more than $53.3 million from 1.1 million new donors in what is one of the most viral philanthropic social media campaigns in history.”

Voce Insight – The ALS Ice Bucket challenge’s success is due in large part to the online connections of many people, rather than any one individual or public relations executive. The fact that it’s difficult to trace the origin of this viral sensation underscores this point nicely.

Why Public Relations and Media Relations Don’t Mean the Same Thing Anymore

“The challenge today for public relations is adjusting to the constant drum of news from social media and mobile. No longer are episodic, big budget launch campaigns the ticket to success. Instead, brands must widen the net and maintain an always-on presence. This means using a combination of third-party validation, along with branded content and social.”

Voce Insight – Though reaching out to a select number of influencers with your message is certainly important, it should be remembered that the end goal is always to get the greater public talking to you and amongst each other.

Career

Learning How to Score a Job Using Social Media, for Beginners

“With 92% of companies using social media in their hiring efforts, job seekers can’t afford to overlook social as a vital resource in the job search. While you’re busy job searching, employers are leveraging online resources to find candidates just like you.”

Voce Insight – Treat your job hunt as a client project (you’re the client!), using social media as one of your primary means of communication. That way, you’ll be able to reference your skills in the interview, and companies will see them as more than words on a resume.

5 Ways to Stay Calm at Work

“Work is stressful, especially for PR pros. It’s in the nature of the job, and the stress is well-documented. According to Forbes, the PR professional has the world’s sixth most stressful job, keeping company with enlisted military personnel and airline pilots.”

Voce Insight – A short memory for failure (remembering only the lessons learned) and an always optimistic mind frame are imperative for success in PR. Stress is going to visit you during your PR career, but so will success. Sharing both with your colleagues will keep you even-keeled.

Things I Wish I Had Learned In College to Prepare Me For PR

“Microsoft Excel is one of the most-used tools at a public relations agency, but I spent little time in it as an undergraduate and instead focused on writing and learning AP style.”

Voce Insight – While having an education in PR is beneficial, there are many things you don’t learn in college that could benefit you for a career at a PR agency. Microsoft Excel is an extremely vital program that is used in agencies, and it’s good to know how to use it before entering the work field. Money matters! In undergrad, most college students aren’t taught how to manage reports and budgets. In reality, it’s important to know how to navigate finances.

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Voce NationAugust 26th, 2014

Voce Student Weekly Reading 8/26: Instagram Offers More Analytics to Advertisers, LinkedIn Shares Data on Internships & More

Social Media

How Oversharing on Social Media Can Cost You

“Treading carefully online should start even before you step foot on campus. According to a 2013 survey by Kaplan Test Prep, more college admissions officers than ever are conducting Google searches of applicants (29 percent) or are visiting the applicants’ social networking profiles (31 percent).”

Voce Insight – Social media is great for bringing people together and sharing life events. However, it’s important to distinguish what should or shouldn’t be posted on the internet. In such a public forum, it’s easy for a seemingly innocent tweet or message to turn into a huge controversy.

Instagram Rolls Out Deeper Analytics for Advertisers

“The new metrics, like impressions, reach and engagement, will provide data to marketers almost in real time. The program is being rolled out to Instagram’s several dozen ad partners, including Levi’s, Hollister and Taco Bell. The Facebook-owned photo platform plans to roll out the program to all potential advertisers in the coming months.”

Voce Insight – Instagram is a veritable powerhouse in social media, so it’s no wonder that advertisers want more options to get through to a growing audience. However, Instagram still doesn’t offer a way to embed hyperlinks with photos, which would allow marketers to invite that audience anywhere online from the platform.

Public Relations

5 Ways To Generate Powerhouse PR Results For Your Brand

“Truly know who you are pitching to. Do not send out a generic pitch in a big group email blast; analyze and assess the work of each journalist you are pitching to individually before you pitch. Time needs to be spent on this process and few publicists actually take the time to do it.”

Voce Insight – If you only spend half a minute investigating a reporter and what he or she covers, they’re likely to spend about the same amount of time reading your pitch. Researching what would interest a particular reporter is much more likely to produce a positive outcome.

10 Skills That PR Pros Have That Other Professionals Don’t

“When it comes right down to it, companies still turn to true PR pros when they realize there are certain things that only the true PR pro can do with aplomb. Here are the top 10…”

Voce Insight – Most people don’t understand what skills a PR professional provides to companies and clients in need. A DIY approach to PR may seem like a more affordable option at first, but nothing can compare to the knowledge and years of experience from a seasoned PR professional.

Career

6 Ways to Network More Effectively

“Here’s one of the most important things to remember when it comes to networking; it’s a two-way street. This means that whenever you meet someone, you need to ask them as much as possible regarding their business, as well as informing them them about yours.”

Voce Insight – Networking is one of the most important aspects when it comes to getting a job and career development. The people you meet at a networking event may be your key to landing that first internship, or an even better gig down the road. Start networking early in your college years, so you’re not desperate for contacts senior year.

An Internship Can Lead to a Full-Time Job, But Your Industry Matters

Internships can give you an edge in some cases, but is an internship right for you? It’s a reasonable question – whether internships lead directly to full-time opportunities at the same company, particularly through the lens of specific fields of study. Given how difficult it’s been for recent grads to get full-time jobs in this economy, we wanted to provide some insights into the trends around internships by mining the data in over 300 million LinkedIn member profiles to answer two questions.

Voce Insight – Joining a company as an intern gives you the opportunity to gain invaluable experience by working hands-on in a professional environment. However, many are hesitant to accept internships, as they want to nail down a full-time job right off the bat. This report highlights the trends in how many internship opportunities turn into full-time gigs, categorized by industry.

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Voce NationAugust 19th, 2014

Voce Student Weekly Reading 8/19/14: Pinterest Adds Messaging, Brands Offer Exclusives on Snapchat and More

Social Media

Start a conversation about a Pin

“…now, when someone shoots you a Pin, you’ll be able to reply with a message or send a Pin back! More good news: you can also send Pins and messages to multiple people. Say you’re organizing a camping trip with friends—try sending Pins to the whole gang so you can figure out where to go and what meals to make. If you need a reminder of who’s bringing what, just pull up the conversation right from your notifications.”

Voce Insight – Adding a messaging feature will certainly encourage users to spend more time on the platform, and could prove to be a valuable feature for some. But does Pinterest risk overcomplicating its user interface?

InStyle Uses Snapchat to Reveal September Cover

“Over the past year, Instagram has become a popular channel for fashion brands to introduce new campaigns. (See: Oscar de la Renta, Prabal Gurung, Calvin Klein, Barneys New York.) Now, InStyle is taking the concept a step further by using social photo sharing platform Snapchat to reveal its big September cover.”

Voce Insight – This is one of the first major forays into marketing on Snapchat, a platform certainly less used by brands, for now. However, if marketers can embrace the time constrained, self-destructing messages, they could share some coveted “teasers.”

Introducing Promoted Video on Twitter

“Promoted Video builds upon the Twitter Amplify program, and brings a new set of video tools to high-quality content producers. By using Promoted Video, it’s easy for brands to upload and distribute video on Twitter, and to measure the reach and effectiveness of this content.”

Voce Insight – In addition to the video ads, Twitter also mentions an expansion of the reach of their native video uploading service. It will be interesting to see how the performance of embedded YouTube videos compares to the natively-uploaded videos.

Public Relations

5 must-have qualities of PR pros

“When filling open positions at your PR firm or company, you want to choose individuals who not only have the necessary skills, but the willpower to live up to their potential. That said, it can be difficult to identify the best traits in a potential candidate.”

Voce Insight – Boiling down big ideas (like must-have qualities of PR pros) is difficult to master, and could probably also be number six on this list.

Back to School: 10 Tips for Newly Declared PR Majors

“The new semester is the perfect time to develop time management skills that will support you in your career. If you prefer digital, start using Google Calendar to sync your activities across your devices. Being informed will give you an added advantage in class and in your career. Create time in your schedule, between classes, work and homework to read PR and marketing news.”

Voce Insight – Choosing to major in PR is a step in the right direction for your career. However, getting a job in PR is extremely competitive. Stand out from other job applicants by making the most of your college years. Now isn’t the time to be lazy, it’s time to work hard and set yourself apart from other candidates.

Career

Job Seekers: 5 Ways To Go Undercover To Find Your Perfect Job

“Employers prefer to hire someone they already know, or who is known to a trusted contact such as an existing employee, rather than throwing the job open to candidates unknown to them. Consequently, restricting your job search to jobs boards means you could miss out on job opportunities.”

Voce Insight- Everyone has heard the phrase, “it’s not what you know, but who you know.” Now more than ever, it’s important to make personal connections with people in your future career field. A personal connection doesn’t make up for a lack of knowledge or skills, but it may go a long way to setting you apart from other equally qualified candidates.

5 Things to Do After Job Interview Rejection

“The phone rang; the letter came. You didn’t get the job. And you thought you nailed that interview…or maybe it didn’t go so well after all. Hey, don’t let it get you down! Here are five things you can do to turn a job interview rejection into a positive professional relationship.”

Voce Insight – With a great deal of the working world on Linkedin, it’s easy to see how everyone is interconnected. Just because a company chose someone else this time around, it doesn’t mean that relationship loses value. Thanking them for their time and keeping your head up could result in an opportunity further down the road.

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Voce NationAugust 15th, 2014

Voce Student Weekly Reading 8/12/14: Twitter Testing Abounds, Facebook Ditches Like-Gating and More

Welcome to the Voce Student Weekly Reading, your guide on the latest communications industry trends, job listings and career information. It’s everything you need to know to go from aspiring communications professional to interview-ready applicant!

Social Media

Your Twitter Feed May Soon Be Filled With Accounts You Don’t Follow

“The social platform, which is known for subtly trying out new features among a small pool users, is experimenting with its core feature: the follow system. This week, a Twitter user reported seeing tweets in his feed from an account he didn’t follow, because that account was followed by someone he did follow.”

Voce Insight – Suggested Twitter content for new users could help them become more engaged, but Twitter also risks irking existing users. Adding to the already considerable noise on Twitter might be a bad idea – but this is why the company is “testing” and not “implementing.”

bethere: A new social network to help you have a great night out

“bethere is designed from the ground up to help you socialize with friends better. It lets you share where you’re going to be, and see where everyone else will be too – think of it like ‘checking in to the future.’”

Voce Insight – bethere sounds like a direct competitor to Foursquare’s Swarm, which was created to help users make location-based plans with their friends and also features a check-in component, as Foursquare once did. It will be interesting to see the growth in location-based planning apps like these two.

Facebook nixes ‘like-gating’

“If you’ve been telling people who visit your brand’s Facebook page, or apps on your page, to “like” those things to get coupons, enter contests, or otherwise earn special rewards they wouldn’t otherwise get, you have until Nov. 5 to stop.”

Voce Insight – Everyone will like your free stuff, but it doesn’t mean they like your brand. Emphasis should always be placed on quality content that garners genuine interest, rather than schwag and artificial likes.

Public Relations

Is Soft Language Killing Your Pitch?

“Soft language can ruin your pitch regardless of how well-intended it might be. My favorite example of soft language is from a student’s resume I received for an internship. To dress up the description of a waitressing job, she noted she excels in suggestive selling.”

Voce Insight – Honesty and economy with words will be appreciated by your readers. Being direct increases the chances of your message being received and understood.

Pitching tips from 500 online publishers

“Writers are receiving more pitches than ever. At some top-tier publications, writers receive more than 38,000 emails each year, and two-thirds of those emails are from people vying for press attention. About eight percent get pitched more than 100 times. With that much volume, it’s easy to see why every pitch isn’t going to make the cut.”

Voce Insight – In order to save journalists time and foster good relationships, first know what they write about before reaching out. Second, get to the point quickly in your note – what product or service are you pitching? How much does it cost? Is is available yet?

Career

How to Stand Out at Your Next Networking Event

“Your goal for every networking event is to turn initial contacts into valuable relationships. In order to make this happen, you must overcome the discomfort associated with networking. You also have to be willing to introduce yourself to individuals and make a name for yourself.”

Voce Insight – Remember that everyone at a networking event is looking to make a connection. Keeping in mind that the potential employers you’re meeting don’t want to see you fail makes it easier to talk with confidence.

3 LinkedIn Features That Help You Network Better

“LinkedIn has a huge user base that you can’t just turn you back on and it is indeed a good way to connect with other professionals. It’s also not starved for features and here are three that can help you interact with your connections better.”

Voce Insight – Finding how few degrees of separation there are between brings people together. Moreover, putting a familiar face and a name (and possibly a recommendation) next to your own creates trust from potential employers.

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Matt PodboyJanuary 10th, 2014

Voce’s 2014 CES Media Dinner

As in years past, Voce Communications marked another CES with its Annual CES Dinner, a gathering of Voce clients, employees and the top tech journalists in the industry. Far away from the crowds at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the event offers a reprieve from the CES hustle and bustle, while providing a chance to spend time conversing with peers and catching up with friends over great food and drink.

This year, the lounge at Koi inside Planet Hollywood was taken over by our clients from PlayStation, Applied Materials, Sony Entertainment Network and SanDisk, with more than 30 tech journalists from outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, CNET and others.

You can view more photos from the event on Flickr here.

As we reflect on CES 2014 where wearable tech and curved displays took the spotlight, we want to thank those that were able to share in our very own CES event this year and throughout the years.

We look forward to hosting you again next year!

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Voce NationAugust 15th, 2013

Remembering Amelie

In memory of Amelie LeMoullac, one of our beloved family members here at Voce/Porter Novelli. We miss you dearly. We will miss your smile, your humor, your wit and your friendship. You are irreplaceable and unforgettable.

Our thoughts are with Amelie’s family and friends.

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Voce NationJuly 9th, 2013

Introducing PNConnect

(NOTE: This was originally posted on the PNConnect Blog)

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For several years now we’ve been working with some of the biggest brands in the world on the execution of their digital strategies. Our focus has always been on the new ways we could help our clients create business value, be that for the purpose of increasing awareness, driving engagement, acquiring customers, cultivating loyalty or, as was most often the case, all of the above.

Over the years, how our clients departmentalized our work would admittedly fluctuate: sometimes it was defined as social media marketing, sometimes digital marketing. Often times these definitions stretched across the paid, earned and owned spectrums. Regardless of what definition was used, from our perspective there was always a high degree of overlap in the motivations and mechanics of these programs, as well as patterns of success — much of which we observed was heavily anchored and driven by strong content publishing strategies.

This being our experience, about 18 months ago we began quietly building a new service team within Porter Novelli called PNConnect that was uniquely focused on one question:

“How can we help brands think, act and operate more like publishers?”

We think the notion and significance of “brand as publisher” is a marketing model shift that many companies are just now discovering and discussing. And we think our insight and perspective on this shift is not only differentiated, but field-tested, which is why the time is right to formally introduce PNConnect today: pnconnect.porternovelli.com.

PNConnectSideBar

We built PNConnect to take the best elements of Porter Novelli’s social media marketing, web development, creative production, and advertising services, and blend this expertise together to create a global service team that’s focused exclusively on solving the new content challenges that brands today are facing.

We’re big believers that content publishing is a multi-dimensional sport — that there are premium content experiences that can complement and elevate a brand’s day-to-day publishing cycles; that development trends, like responsive design, can create new efficiencies of scale for reaching people across screens; and that small, smartly timed content promotions can be just as effective (if not more) than big overpriced creative.

Over the next several weeks, we’ll have much, much more to share about our team, our experience and the approach we’re taking with PNConnect. You’ll find all of that here first.

UPDATE: PRWeek wrote this news piece about Porter Novelli/PNConnect earlier today

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Chris ThilkJune 6th, 2013

Voce Weekly Reading: 06/06/13

About the Author
Chris Thilk works on the Client Services team, part of Voce Connect, developing and executing social media strategy. You can follow him at @christhilk on Twitter.

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Voce NationMay 2nd, 2013

Voce Weekly Reading: 5/2/13

Tweet Filed in Weekly Reading

Voce NationApril 30th, 2013

Stop By And Meet Voce

Voce’s having an open house. Come by our San Francisco office and meet the most energetic, creative firm in Silicon Valley and learn what Voce is all about. No need to RSVP. Just stop by and find out what we’re doing to fire up public relations and social media.