Handy Twitter Tools

Public relations is a mixture of social media, marketing, event planning and so much more.  With social media being such a huge part of day to day life, I wanted to share some helpful Twitter tips that won’t only make managing your personal account easier, but tips that will work wonders in dealing with managing your clients’ accounts, especially when staying on top of search terms and hashtags can seem like a full-time job!

Check out these sites that make tweeting, tracking and reporting as easy as a click of a button:

Click to Tweet: This twitter tool provides the press and media with content and also encourages them to tweet about your story quickly while maintaining your preferred message.  All you have to do is go to the site, compose the tweet and then embed the link in the press release or pitch.  How easy could it get!

Mobile Alerts:  One of the best features to Twitter is the mobile alert.  You are able to set up alerts that will be sent directly to your phone via text message for any brand or person you follow. 

To set up Twitter alerts, go onto the Twitter feed for the person/brand you would like alerts from, click on the little icon of the person’s head and the last option in the dropdown menu is “turn on mobile notifications.” Once you set up the first one with your phone number and the times you want to receive the texts, the rest are just a click of a button!

Twilert:  This website is super helpful because it is basically like Google Alerts for Twitter!  You can set up any search term or hashtag and you’ll get a daily email with all the tweets containing that search item.  This tool is really great if you’re keeping tabs on your clients because any news tweeted about them is sent directly to you!

Tweet Reach:  This tool is a great reporting system for tweets.  You choose any hashtag or link that you want to track and you are quickly able to pull a Tweet Reach report to measure the number of tweets, their reach and other cool stats.  It even includes pie charts and a printable PDF that you can send to your clients.

Tchat: This tool is for those who participate in Twitter chats.  If you’ve ever been a part of one, you know how confusing and annoying it is to constantly refresh the tweets with the desired hashtag.  Well Tchat is the saving grace to chats on Twitter.  The site allows you to input the conversation hashtag and then easily follow the chat by logging in; if you want to chime in, all you do is compose the tweet and the hashtag is already attached!  Brilliant.

Try out some of these Twitter tricks and I promise, tracking, researching and tweeting will become a million times easier.

Do you have any other tools that might make social media easier to manage?  Let us know by leaving a comment or by tweeting us at @MonikaDixonPR!

By Ashley Siech, MDPR Contributor 

Propel Forward By Writing Effective Emails

Email has overtaken the telephone as the primary communication tool in the business world. Whether we are looking for a job, trying to keep in contact with clients or simply trying to expand our network, we typically send a quick email. The only problem with sending emails is that a lot of people don’t know how to send a good one. If your email is something someone actually wants to read, you’ll get the response you desire more quickly.

Read on to gain some insight about sending an effective email and increasing your chance of receiving a positive response:

1. Be Concise
If you have to send an email that’s paragraphs long, it might be easier to pick up the phone. Not only are long emails unenjoyable to read, but people will most likely skim them and miss some important points. Try to limit your emails to 50 words or less. If you have to type a long email, try bullet points or bolding important parts.

2. Include a Clear Action Item
If the email you are sending does not have a clear action presented, there is no way for the person on the receiving end to reciprocate! If you are emailing simply to introduce yourself, make sure you have an action, like questions, in mind. You ultimately want to give that person a reason to respond and continue the conversation.

3. Do Your Research
Almost anyone will be willing to help you out if you have done something to help yourself out first.  The most important research you can do when sending an email is finding out the name of the person who will be receiving the email.  Don’t start your email with the generic “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Hello Blogger.”  Most emails that start with a generalized greeting will be sent straight to the trash.

4. Use Flattery
When using flattery, make sure it’s real, authentic flattery— we can all determine fake from real. Don’t be afraid to mention if you’re a huge fan, think this person is interesting or if a company is your dream employer. Not only does true flattery make the other person feel good, but it also shows that you are enthusiastic and an engaged person who goes after what you want. After all, you are writing emails in order to get where and what you want, so you might as well put in these simple efforts to make sure they get noticed!

Do you have any other tips for successful emails?  Share with us by leaving a comment on this post or by tweeting us at @MonikaDixonPR!

By Ashley Siech, MDPR Contributor

A Guide to Conducting Difficult Conversations

Whether it’s telling an employee that their performance is lacking, talking to a co-worker about acceptable behavior in the work place or expressing to a friend that the comment they made the other night was hurtful, discussing sensitive issues is the key to maintaining both positive personal and professional relationships.  But for those of us who tremble with anxiety and experience symptoms associated with the stomach flu at the slightest mention of a confrontation, simply not acknowledging the issue is an attractive alternative. Unfortunately, this method will resolve nothing and can afford serious consequences down the line. Addressing the issue might be difficult, but it will be much easier right off the bat than if you wait for the problem to develop even further. 

It's no secret that the most important conversations are the hardest, but in order to successfully resolve an issue, pre-planning and strategizing are necessary. Because outlining an effective conversation agenda is no simple task, MDPR put together a few tips to help you tackle this uncomfortable task.

Identify the problem or whatever is creating tension.
Focus the conversation on what is really pushing your buttons. You are less likely to succeed if you drag in unnecessary tangents that would detract from the main purpose of the conversation.

Ask yourself what you want to achieve from the conversation.
Set realistic goals for what you want out of the conversation and go into it knowing that you will have to make compromises. Remember that you and your partner are most likely coming from opposite sides of the spectrum, so finding a happy medium is a good place to start.

Do not place blame.
Even if the other person is at fault, placing blame will make your partner feel like she has to defend herself. This will make any resolution nearly impossible. Instead, focus on what you want the future to look like and less on right and wrong.

Use your manners.
Even if you are furious with the other person, good, old-fashioned manners will create a mindset between you and your partner conducive to problem-solving. The other person is more likely to respect you and your requests if you are polite and level-headed.

Prepare for their reaction.
Many times, the other person will graciously accept your complaints, and you both can move on. However, tears, yelling and finger-pointing are also possibilities, so prepare yourself for a variety of emotions. Let the other person vent, but stay focused on the purpose of the conversation.

Listen and repeat.
The other person is bound to voice some of their complaints as well. Listen to what is bothering her and paraphrase it so you all have the same understanding. Do the same after reaching a solution so there isn’t any room for confusion.

Follow up.

It’s a good idea to follow up with the other person after a couple days to ensure there are no hard feelings and that the solution you both reached is still understood. Show that you are dedicated to making it work and are excited about the potential positive outcomes of your new agreement.

These are just a few tips to help you formulate a plan for your difficult conversation. A lot depends on the situation, but keeping an open mind and a clear head will go a long way. For a more comprehensive guide to addressing complicated issues, read Crucial Conversations. 

Let us know if you have any helpful tips by tweeting us at @monikadixonpr.com! 

By Rebecca Taylor, MDPR Team Member