Required Reading
Required Reading: Social media platforms and best practices are evolving rapidly. Rather than rely on a conventional textbook, students are required to read/view various online content (news stories, blog posts, videos, infographics, etc.) assigned each week via the links below.
Suggested Reading: Students should also follow the blogs and twitter streams of PR thought leaders listed on the course blogroll (see blogroll links in the footer below).
REQUIRED READING
Week 5:
WEEK 5 Class PowerPoint
https://www.slideshare.net/secret/cA56SGaUqMq3T
(Includes additional Final Project info)
WEEK 5: 7 SEO Basics Every PR Pro Should Know
http://www.prnewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/7-SEO-Basics-Every-Communications-Pro-Should-Know.pdf
RE: SEO basics (This story was posted some time ago, but it’s still one of the best summaries I can find for reference when you want to dive a bit deeper into SEO)
WEEK 5: Interview: RyanBorn (VIDEO)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYIi_fgzEcY
RE: SEO basics — how to protect your brand on social media
WEEK 5: How to Optimize Your Social Profiles for Search
https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-optimize-your-social-profiles-for-search/
RE: SEO and social profiles – make yourself easy to find (yes… this post has also been around for awhile, but it’s still a useful overview)
WEEK 5: How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform in 2021
http://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-choose-the-best-blogging-platform/
RE: Blogging basics – platforms (good reference material if you need to select a blogging platform – we didn’t cover this in class, but give it a quick review)
WEEK 5: 24 Ways to Feed the Blog Beast
http://www.arikhanson.com/2010/11/17/24-ways-to-feed-the-blog-beast/
RE: Blogging basics – how to feed the content beast (this post is from 2010, but is still relevant and provides a very good summary)
Week 5: Is it a Bad Idea to Delete an Offensive Tweet?
http://www.mrmediatraining.com/2015/07/20/is-it-a-bad-idea-to-delete-an-offensive-tweet/
RE: The permanence of what’s posted on social media (interesting discussion). Yes… this wasn’t posted yesterday, but strategies endure (whereas tools and tactics change frequently)
Week 4:
WEEK 4 Class PowerPoint
https://www.slideshare.net/secret/dQ77n4D3qrLLKZ (Includes additional Final Project info)
WEEK 4: Guest Speaker Shareen Cooper Presentation
https://www.slideshare.net/secret/3tdUzkuDdSXuHl
WEEK 4: 10 Social Media KPIs You Should Track and Monitor
https://bit.ly/33LzBOe
RE: Key performance indicators / measuring ROI
WEEK 4: Micro-Influencer Marketing: A Comprehensive Guide
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/micro-influencer-marketing
RE: Working with influencers
WEEK 4: Branding Together: Inside Influencer-Targeted Events From Don Julio and Princess Cruises
http://bit.ly/2P9iD3z
RE: Quick story I wrote about different types of influencer events – involves an event developed by Week 4 guest speaker Sara Dunaj when she worked at Princess Cruises
WEEK 4: DNA Day Social Media Toolkit
https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/files/2021-02/SocialMediaToolkit2021.pdf
RE: Sample “toolkit” for encouraging influencers to post and share a brand’s message on social media.
WEEK 4: Disclosures 101 For Social Media Influencers
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/plain-language/1001a-influencer-guide-508_1.pdf
RE: Working with bloggers – official FTC guidelines
WEEK 4: Air Force Web Posting Response Assessment (Infographic)
https://d.wildapricot.net/images/newsblog-old/18173.png
RE: Dealing with empowered consumers (click on the graphic to enlarge image)
WEEK 4: 8 Ways to Deal with Negative Comments (Infographic)
http://laurelpapworth.com/8-ways-to-deal-with-negative-comments-on-blogs-and-social-media/
RE: Dealing with empowered consumers (click on the graphic to enlarge image)
WEEK 4: Sample Employee Social Media Policy
https://resources.workable.com/social-media-company-policy
RE: Instituting a social media policy (useful resource)
WEEK 4: Social Media Policy Examples
https://www.firmplay.com/social-media-policy/examples
RE: Instituting a social media policy (no need to review sample policies in-depth now – keep this link as a resource
Week 3:
WEEK 3 Class PowerPoint
https://www.slideshare.net/secret/bpDiS3KocCgPmu
WEEK 3: How to Use Instagram as a PR Tool http://bit.ly/2VY6Gkc
RE: Major social media platforms – Instagram
WEEK 3: 10 Musts of Using Instagram for Business (INFOGRAPHIC)
https://www.techwyse.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Instagram-For-Business1.jpg
RE: Major social media platforms -Instagram (click on the image to magnify)
WEEK 3: Twitter Marketing: The Complete Guide for Business
https://blog.hootsuite.com/twitter-marketing/
RE: Major social media platforms – Twitter (scroll to see the “List of 11 Twitter marketing tips, ranked from easiest to most advanced”)
WEEK 3: List of Twitter Chats
https://www.tweetreports.com/twitter-chat-schedule/
RE: Major social media platforms – Twitter (find a chat that’s relevant to you and check it out)
WEEK 3: 9 Tips to Craft the Perfect LinkedIn Marketing Strategy
https://influencermarketinghub.com/linkedin-marketing-strategy/
RE: Major social media platforms – LinkedIn
WEEK 3: How to Create a YouTube Channel
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-create-a-youtube-channel
RE: Major social media platforms – YouTube (consider this a reference if/when you want to set up a YouTube channel)
WEEK 3: Snapchat for Business: Everything You Need to Know
https://shar.es/1PZz8y
RE: Major platforms – Snapchat (this may be a bit basic, but it’s a good reference)
WEEK 3: When to use a photo release form
https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/when-to-use-a-photo-release-form
RE: Content creation (good info for staying out of trouble when you own the photo/video/audio)
WEEK 3: FLICKR – Creative Commons Landing Page
https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons
RE: Content creation (sample of how Creative Commons works on a photo-sharing site)
WEEK 3: Creative Commons: Get Creative (Video)
https://youtu.be/io3BrAQl3so
RE: Content creation (good info for staying out of trouble when you don’t own the photo/video/audio — yes, this video was posted many years ago, but the info re. Creative Commons is clear and concise)
WEEK 3: 21 Social Media Mistakes to Avoid
http://bit.ly/2Xp70Zo
RE: General best practices
WEEK 3: 8 Questions Your Social Media Marketing Strategy Must Answer
http://www.toprankblog.com/2017/03/questions-social-media-strategy/
RE: A good overview on planning and strategy to get you in the mood for our Final Project (the Social Media Plan Outline)
Week 2:
WEEK 2 Class PowerPoint
https://www.slideshare.net/secret/LE3MokXyFmjsqo
WEEK 2: Animated Infographic of the PESO Model
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-QmjwqjUP8
RE: The new media landscape
WEEK 2: 4 Simple Steps to Creating a Content Marketing Strategy
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/298090?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=webfeeds#
RE: RE: Branded content strategy (4 key points that will remind you of our discussion regarding “POST” and the social media playbook – all good stuff to keep in mind for your final project/social media plan outline)
WEEK 2: What Should Go Into Your Social Media Editorial Calendar
http://www.smartinsights.com/content-management/content-marketing-strategy/editorial-calendars-for-social-media-marketing/
RE: RE: Feeding the beast – building a social media content calendar (a key tactic for any content marketing strategy – keep this in mind for your final project). Yes… this link is from 2013, but it’s still timely and the best blog post I can find outlining what should be in a content calendar)
WEEK 2: Content Marketing’s 15 Biggest Milestones to Date
http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/10/content-marketing-industrys-biggest-milestones/
RE: Producing and distributing content (interesting but no need to read in entirety – give it a quick review for some historical perspective)
WEEK 2: The Best Times to Post on Social Media in 2021
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/best-times-to-post-on-social-media/
RE: RE: Major platforms and content optimization (keep in mind that there’s plenty of data, but nobody really knows the best time to post – give this info a quick once-over so you have something kinda legit to say if someone asks you for your opinion)
WEEK 2: 6 Ways to Use Short Video for Social Media Marketing
https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/use-short-video-for-social-marketing/
RE: Video storytelling and distribution (this blog post is from 2015, but the ideas and concepts are timeless)
WEEK 2: 10 Best Video Hosting Solutions to Consider in 2021
http://tubularinsights.com/list-video-sharing-websites/
RE: Video storytelling and distribution
WEEK 2: The Pros, Cons, and Costs of the Top 10 Content Distribution Platforms
https://contently.com/strategist/2014/04/10/the-pros-cons-and-costs-of-the-top-10-content-distribution-platforms/
RE: Paid content distribution options (note the distinction here between standard video hosting/sharing platforms in the prior story and these paid platforms for syndicating videos –this blog post is a few years old, but it’s the best info I can find on the topic)
WEEK 2: 5 Brand Marketing Efforts That Took Newsjacking to the Next Level
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2014/01/brand-marketing-newsjacking-next-level/
RE: Newsjacking (a few classic examples)
WEEK 2: 5 Examples of Brands Newsjacking Big Events to Shape a Marketing Campaign
https://www.shortstack.com/blog/newsjacking-big-events/
RE: Newsjacking (more recent examples)
Week 1:
WEEK 1 Class PowerPoint
https://www.slideshare.net/secret/pgQxy1EunfzyBN
WEEK 1 Guest Clint Schaff Presentation (“Playbook” starts on slide # 40)
https://www.slideshare.net/secret/AIhn7cLtNoR6fA
WEEK 1 Clint’s “Playbook” Summary
https://www.slideshare.net/secret/mfx9Eq9fCiZm4
WEEK 1: Social Media Expert Checklist- How Expert Is YOUR Expert?
http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/social-media-expert-checklist-how-expert-your-expert
RE: What makes someone a social media expert? (this is a very long list – no need to read it all, just give it a quick once over
WEEK 1: How to Pick The Best Social Network For Your Brand
http://outspokenmedia.com/social-media/best-social-network-for-your-brand/
RE: Avoiding “shiny object syndrome”
WEEK 1: The CMO’s Guide to the Social Landscape (infographic)
http://www.cmo.com/content/dam/CMO_Other/articles/CMO_Guide_Social_2014.pdf
RE: Major platforms (click the magnifying glass icon to enlarge image)
WEEK 1: 48 Social Media Channels for Marketing Your Business: The Ultimate Guide
https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/09/social-media-channels-marketing.html
RE: Major platforms. Things change quickly – some of the platforms listed (e.g., Vine) are defunct.
WEEK 1: The Decline of Organic Facebook Reach & How to Outsmart the Algorithm
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/facebook-declining-organic-reach
RE: Major social platforms – Facebook (good discussion on organic vs. paid reach and FB’s algorithm
WEEK 1: How to Use Instagram for Business (Infographic)
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/how-use-instagram-business-infographic
RE: Major social media platforms – Instagram
WEEK 1: The Communicator’s Guide to Instagram Stories for Business
https://bit.ly/2FebuZs
RE: Major social media platforms – Instagram (no need to read this in its entirety – use it as a reference when you need it
WEEK 1: 7 Ways to Use Pinterest to Promote Your Business (Infographic)
http://www.jeffbullas.com/7-ways-to-use-pinterest-to-promote-your-business/
RE: Major social media platforms – Pinterest
WEEK 1: How to Use Twitter to Make Valuable Connections
http://bit.ly/2Ue1NXe
RE: Major social media platforms – Twitter (tips for your personal and brand accounts
WEEK 1: Top 10 Activities that You Must Do On LinkedIn
https://skyje.com/must-do-on-linkedin/
RE: Major social media platforms – LinkedIn (tips for your personal account
WEEK 1: How to Create a YouTube Channel
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-create-a-youtube-channel
RE: Major social media platforms – YouTube
WEEK 1: Snapchat for Business: Everything You Need to Know
https://shar.es/1PZz8y
RE: Major platforms – Snapchat (lots of info here – good step-by-step to get started
WEEK 1: 13 Ways to Improve Your Social Media Profiles in One Hour
https://blog.hootsuite.com/ways-to-improve-your-social-media-profiles/
RE: General best practices
