Public relations and publicity:
current news and resources

1. Israeli government pays students to spread propaganda online (January 6, 2012)
   The Israeli government has launched a program to pay students to promote the Israeli agenda on Facebook and internet chatrooms.
2. Speaking of Success (2012)
   
3. The 10 Dumbest, Most Offensive Political Ads in Recent Memory (December 27, 2011)
   Not a single election cycle goes by without some attempt to use fear of the "other" to win votes. Sadly, the results are sometimes successful.
4. Conservative Frank Luntz Has Set a Trap for Progressives -- Here's How to Outsmart Him and Boost the Occupy Movement (December 6, 2011)
   Luntz doesn't want progressives pointing out that corporations govern our lives far more than any government does - and for their profit, not ours. He doesn't want any discussion of corporate waste, or military waste, which is huge.
5. Workshop: Getting Our Message Out (October 29) (October 25, 2011)
   Workshop: Getting Our Message Out: How can progressives become more effective in presenting and communicating our messages?
6. Advertising is a poison that demeans even love – and we're hooked on it (October 24, 2011)
   We are subjected to ever more pervasive messages to consume, encouraging dissatisfaction. Yet this column depends on it.
7. Shifting the frame – and getting our message out (September 6, 2011)
   Beit Zatoun offers two workshops to help progressive communities and organizations better develop and communicate their message using the general media. Sat. Sept 24 & Sat. Oct. 29, 2011.
8. Rightwing Manipulation of the Wisconsin Revolt (February 25, 2011)
   Manipulation of opinion surveys is easy enough for those seeking to muddy the waters of political debate regarding the current war on unions.
9. A Back-up Objective for the B to C Exhibitor (2011)
   The opportunities that may be slipping through your fingers are with those attendees who are not ready to buy your product or commit to the appointment and need more time before placing an order.
10. Making Forms Perform (2011)
    A good form is one that is easy to complete from the user perspective, but not the technical perspective. One area frequently missed during testing is how user-friendly and accessible the form is.
11. Moving Beyond Notes on the Back of Business Cards (2011)
    Business has moved beyond taking lead information on the back of a business card. To be truly successful at your next show give some serious consideration to the technology you will use to record contact information.
12. A Paperless Exhibit (2011)
    Within five years trade shows will be completely paperless is a prediction I heard at a recent conference.
13. Public relations at a trade show: A little effort goes a long way (2011)
    The media is constantly on the look-out for interesting stories, and not just the ones everyone else is covering. So, being big is not the panacea to PR; being prepared with a well thought-out plan is.
14. The Right Place to Exhibit - A Strategic Approach (2011)
    Finding the right show is difficult. Don't jump at the first opportunity that knocks on your door. You have lots of choices. Take your time and do your homework. The right show is a blend of audience, cost and logistics. Good event selection is a solid base upon which the rest of your exhibit program is built.
15. ROI or ROO (2011)
    Exhibiting is part of the marketing process and doesn't always lend itself easily to comparing dollars received against dollars spent. Marketing looks at other issues such as branding, generating leads, customer engagement and so on and whether these tasks have been completed successfully determines the success of the marketing exercise.
16. Setting Goals and Objectives That Focus, Motivate and Stimulate your Trade Show Program (2011)
    The trick to getting your trade show program off on the right foot is to spend time well before you take any other steps to decide exactly what you want your exhibit to accomplish and how you will measure your results.
17. Staying Relevant in a Changing World (2011)
    The trick is to focus your exhibit plans around the question, "What is most relevant to my customers?" If you are not sure then you need to do the research. We are entering a new era where many of the rules and techniques that worked so well in the past are no longer producing results.
18. Two helpful bits of data for your exhibition program (2011)
    As you are gathering the R.O.I information, it will be helpful to also look at two additional bits of factors: Your success ratio and your sales and buying cycles. Both are intertwined and will help you immensely.
19. Website Woes: Are you making these mistakes? (2011)
    Even the most simple website can be difficult to navigate, and I'm regularly frustrated by sites hosted by major media or large corporations that are annoying for one reason or another.
20. Your Customer Profile 1 (2011)
    
21. Your Customer Profile 2 (2011)
    Do you know your customer? I don't mean whether their name is Antonio or Jessica, but rather, do you understand who they are as people and what motivates them?
22. The Art and Science of SEO Site Audits (December 20, 2010)
    SEO site audits are of critical importance.
23. These astroturf libertarians are the real threat to internet democracy (December 13, 2010)
    As I see in threads on my articles, the online sabotaging of intelligent debate seems organised. We must fight to save this precious gift.
24. Internet Ad Words, a Rough Game (June 8, 2010)
    Keyword advertising has been a huge commercial success fueling many ad-supported websites, but it has not been without legal controversy. The practice has generated a steady stream of cases addressing whether the use of a competitor's keyword raise potential trademark or misleading advertising issues.
25. What do your best customers smell like? (June 3, 2010)
    If you want more 'best customers' then know how to find them. Describe your best customers and post it on your office wall. It's like a wanted poster for good customers. If you know what you are looking for you are more likely to find it.
26. 3 Polarizing Branding Secrets from Death Cigarettes (June 2, 2010)
    Branding is about creating powerful emotions - both love and hate. Figure out who you want to love you. Have you noticed that the strongest brands have lots of enemies?
27. Five Steps to Build a Personal Brand Like Harry Houdini (June 1, 2010)
    What#s important to know is that Houdini did not strive to build a brand. He worked to generate paying customers. All the publicity stunts he did were for the purpose of getting paying customers. Branding was a byproduct.
28. The 6 Cardinal Rules for Finding the Sweet Spot in E-mail Marketing (June 1, 2010)
    There is no doubt about it e-mail marketing can be the most effective form of promotion for small through to big business.
29. Are You Prepared for 21st-Century Interviews? (April 6, 2010)
    Chances are that, if media consider you interview-worthy, you possess a decade or two of experience and knowledge that they believe is valuable. Therefore, the question is not "Do you know enough to answer questions?," but "Can you make your point with clear, fresh 21st-Century relevance?"
30. Measuring the non-monetary value of your exhibition program (April 6, 2010)
    
31. Join the SOURCES Affiliate Program (March 28, 2010)
    Benefit yourself and benefit your clients, associates, customers, members, readers, and visitors to your website by introducing them to SOURCES' powerful publicity and marketing tools.
32. How to promote your expertise with news releases, articles, and FAQs (February 17, 2010)
    Publishing articles and news releases that spotlight your expertise is one of the very best ways to build your credibility & attract positive attention. As a SOURCES member you have Free access to an extremely effective tool for doing exactly that.
33. Funding for Non-profit Media or Public Interest Activities (February 15, 2010)
    A group that launches, or even refocuses, an independent news media project # or raises money for just about any public-interest activity # will probably have success in fundraising if it does the proper research and targets a unique audience. It will need to demonstrate that it offers an important public service, such as providing in-depth coverage of local political, economic, and social issues not covered adequately by other media.
34. Approaching Prospects on the Show Floor (2010)
    A good approach doesn't have to be complicated, rather it should consist of words that the booth person can say comfortably and honestly.
35. Attending a Meeting - How you can Play a Role in its Success (2010)
    From job interviews to strategy sessions, it's important to make a good impression in any meeting. Making a good impression starts with careful planning and preparation.
36. The Benefits of Professional Speaking (2010)
    No matter how good you are, you'll still have something to learn or some new set of skills to acquire.
37. Building on the Emotional Experience of the Brand (2010)
    As professional speakers, we each seek to create our own brand. However, in today's marketplace, aligning everything we do with the brand of the convention or event will assist us in fulfilling the expectations of those who hire us.
38. Business Card Basics (2010)
    Your business card is a miniature representation of your business: your style, your focus, your unique selling proposition.
39. Business Continuity and Crisis Preparedness (2010)
    
40. Comment tirer le meilleur parti de votre annonce SOURCES ? (2010)
    
41. Create a Media Friendly Media Section on your Web site (2010)
    Web site media sections are an opportunity for an organization to provide the news media with an easy-to-use, multimedia platform to disseminate information about that organization and its news.
42. Creating your Key Messages - Part One (2010)
    Key messages are phrases of different lengths that provide a description of your company in very succinct understandable terms.
43. Creating your Key Messages - Part Two (2010)
    Nobody knows your business better than you - so you, as the business owner or CEO, are in the best position to develop or lead the project to develop the key messages for your company.
44. Demonstrating Intangibles (2010)
    In an environment where competition for visitors' attention is at its highest and yet their attention span is at its lowest, using demonstrations is a great technique to help you get traffic to your booth.
45. Des outils puissants pour accroître votre visibilité (2010)
    En tant que membre SOURCES, vous avez une gamme d'outils de relations média à votre disposition. Ces outils sont créés pour être des pièces-clés de vos relations publiques et de votre stratégie média.
46. Dining Canadian Style (2010)
    In western society there are two distinct dining styles. The American Dining Style and the Continental or European Dining Style.
47. Discover the New Way to... Dress for Success (2010)
    It has been suggested that 41% of Canadians now dress casually for work. With numbers that high you would think casual dressing for the workplace would be easy. Not so. Many people are even more confused than before about workplace attire.
48. Downloadable SEO Sources Banners (2010)
    
49. Downloadable Sources Banners (2010)
    
50. Downloadable Sources Banners - Find it at Sources.com (2010)