10 PR tools to be thankful for
Posted on 25. Nov, 2009 by Creatwood in Communications Tools
This holiday season, when someone turns to you and asks, “What are you thankful for?” Don’t forget to recognize all those tools, blogs and Web sites that make your life as a PR professional much easier. Here are 10 easy-to-use tools that will surely give you something to be thankful for at work.
1. E-mail marketing services. E-services such as iContact, Constant Contact, Boomerang and many others allow you to easily create and send out e-newsletters, e-mail cascades and other electronic promotional materials. You can also build a listserv of contacts for each type of communication you want to send out. Some of these services even allow you to track clicks and create analytics charts so you can see which communications have worked and which have not. Best of all, each allows you to sign up for a free trial to test them out.
iContact
Constant Contact
Boomerang
2. Basecamp. This organizational software helps businesses of all sizes to organize projects, delegate tasks and keep track of accomplishments. World-class companies like Adidas, Warner Brothers and Patagonia use this software to keep their companies on track. Basecamp allows you to create to-do lists, assign tasks to individual employees, track time, and chat about projects. Software like this helps companies avoid repeating tasks and overlapping past accomplishments.
3. Networked Blogs. If you are on Facebook – and as a PR professional, you should be – and you follow or write for blogs, you can create an automatic feed to your Facebook profile. With Networked Blogs, you can add a tab on your profile that allows your Facebook friends to see which blogs you follow and which ones you write. This app will also add recent posts right to your news feed, so your friends can see what you’ve written lately.
4. Hubspot. If you have control of or access to your company’s Web site, Hubspot Internet software will help you to edit your site’s pages, add images, enhance search engine optimization, and upload your blog posts to your social media accounts. It also allows you to monitor social media conversations pertaining to your industry so you can add to the discussions. Hubspot is extremely user friendly and will walk you through the best ways to optimize each of your Web pages.
5. Mashable. Mashable is your go-to guide for all that is social media. This site has the latest news and trends for the online PR professional. Posts address issues across all industries and point PR pros in the direction of what’s new and helpful in communications.
6. HARO. “Help A Reporter Out” is a free e-mail service delivered up to three times daily by Peter Shankman, an author, speaker and entrepreneur. The e-mails contain several dozen queries made by journalists nationwide looking for sources for stories. The e-mails are not only helpful for PR people looking for media outlets, but the body of each message is full of fun trends and business news.
7. Free Press Releases. This site is great for submitting press releases for mass distribution – and you can do it for free. Once you sign up, you can review press releases sent in by other companies and submit your own. Your news will now be available for pickup all across the Internet.
8. Google Alerts. If you have a small staff or just limited time and resources in your PR department, Google Alerts will help you take time away from searching for media hits. One of the most tedious things a PR professional has to do is search for published client news, so why not have someone else do it for you – and for free? By signing up for Google Alerts, you can enter specific search names into an ongoing database, and you will receive a quick e-mail each time your client appears in the media.
9. Alltop. Alltop allows you to see “all the top stories” that have been published on a certain topic. For example, if you have a client who is in healthcare, you can look up all recent stories written on almost any health topic imaginable. This site can help you see what’s being talked about so you can figure out fresh new angles to pitch to the media about your clients.
10. Ragan.com. For communication news, hot topics, trends and ideas, Ragan.com is a great site to see what other professionals in the communications industry are doing that is working and that isn’t working. For questions or ideas on almost every aspect of communications, you can visit Ragan for some insight.
