Archive: March 2013

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Introducing Ishmael’s Greatest Storytelling Hits

If bands can do it, why not a blog? Only, I’ve defined a “greatest hit” as having “hit” the publish button in 2011 or later. With the housekeeping out of the way for these business storytelling oldies, here are seven that fit the description: My Aha Moment in Storytelling Being raised in the command-and-control era …more

Monetizing Journalism by Moving It Closer to the PR Business

It wasn’t that long ago that poaching a journalist to write a company blog was considered avant-garde. Now that most major brands have figured out the potential power of owned media, the real experimentation begins. This dynamic isn’t lost on publishers still in search of the killer revenue stream. If companies harbor illusions of cultivating …more

Visual Storytelling and the Not-so-humble Infographic

The value of visual storytelling will only increase over time. You don’t need a research grant from the feds to reach this conclusion. There are only so many words a human brain can process before the overload buzzer goes off (unless you’re Stephen Hawking). Which brings us to the infographic. If a picture is worth …more

The Great PR Debate: Rolodex vs. Content

I met a colleague, Jane Wang, for a cup of coffee at Roy’s last week. Once and for all, she puts an end to the great debate of what’s more valuable in media relations, a flush Rolodex or great content (storytelling). Before going further, it occurred to me that the under-40 crowd might not have …more

Revisiting the Definition of Global PR

At its core, global PR isn’t about infrastructure or titles. The most important factor in the success or failure of an international PR campaign comes down to mentality. Two basic questions go a long way toward revealing the presence of a global mentality: Do the account team members collaborate in a way that leverages content …more

“Natural Link Building” for #SEO (Part II)

Everyone wants stronger #SEO and more qualified traffic coming to their digital properties. Everyone agrees that backlinks play a huge role in achieving this objective. But generating those backlinks can open the door to the murky world of link bazaars. That’s why I shared a case study on natural link building earlier this week, bringing …more

Some Definition Behind “Natural Link Building” for #SEO

For those who don’t live, eat and inhale #SEO, the terminology can be perplexing. Like the emphasis on natural or organic link building. It’s easy enough to understand that you shouldn’t buy a bunch of links from a guy named Borislav with a site in Bulgaria. The price point, 100 links for $9.99, also tips …more

The Flaw in Global PR “Partner” Networks

As U.S. companies increasingly search for revenue overseas, demand for global PR rises as well. For the vast majority of PR agencies without global capabilities, this poses a quandary. Do they start investing in building out a global infrastructure – a pricy proposition with the ROI years down the road – or establish relationships with …more