#MusicWeApprove - iMIKE - Residential Address

With rebranding comes new music, fresh sound and a turn around for the better. That’s the story of MTN Project Fame season 2 Winner, Mike Anyasodo, now known as iMIKE.

Just back from the recently concluded MTN Loud In Naija Tour, iMIKE , Residential Address is iMIKE’s offering to his fans as we usher in the new year.

Listen and Download here: DOWNLOAD

Instagram direct messaging: What brand managers should know

 On Thursday, Instagram unveiled a new feature for its popular mobile app: Instagram Direct. You can read all about it on the Instagram blog.

For many users, this will simply be a more efficient way to share photos with specific friends.

For brand managers, this new feature opens doors and presents opportunities.

Off the top, a challenge for brands will be the ability to segment their Instagram communities and create "groups" or lists of fans/customers broken up by geography, interests, etc. For most of the ideas you see below, this will be crucial. Right now, we don't have many tools to help us do that—just elbow grease.

I have a few ideas on how brands can use Instagram’s new functionality:

Specify photos for certain segments of your audience

This is the no-brainer. Let's say you're a food manufacturer and you want to share photos of a new product—but you want to share it only with certain bloggers and other key people and not your entire Instagram community. With Instagram Direct, you can do that. It sounds as though it limits to 15 the number of people you can include. Now, that will require a little legwork on your end, you'll have to find these influencers/bloggers within your Instagram community, but chances are good that you already have a list of people with those properties.

Social Media Week Lagos partners with Volkswagen & announces 2014 venues

Social Media Week Lagos (SMW Lagos), produced by Dragon Africa and AFRIKA21, is a week long event that is part of the Social Media Week global platform and takes place in Lagos February 17 - 21, 2014.  After a hugely successful inaugural year that hosted 110 events, had over 8,000 registrations and garnered over 31 million online impressions, SMW Lagos looks to build a bigger, bolder and better connected conference.

Bigger. Through a partnership with Volkswagen, the SMW Lagos headquarters (#SMWLagosHQ) will be hosted at the 850 sqm (9,000 sq ft) Volkswagen Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos. This unique venue will enable SMW Lagos to accommodate large groups in a theatre style set up, as well as feature dynamic installations to enhance attendees experiences.

Bolder.  New for 2014 is SMW Lagos #AfterHours. Lagos is known around the world for it’s nightlife.  As a supplement to daytime programming SMW Lagos will curate a week of memorable and shareable post conference evening events.  The SMW Lagos #AfterHours Hub at Club Pravada will host a variety of night time activities and programming.

Better Connected. For 2014, a key goal for SMW Lagos is to engage citizens across Lagos by bringing programming to different communities.  With this in mind SMW Lagos introduces #SMWSatellite venues, smaller venues throughout Lagos that will host engaging programming in a more intimate setting. The newly opened Enterprise Creative HotHouse, a co-working space for creative and digital entrepreneurs in Ikeja, will serve as 1 of several #SMWsatellite venues. HotHouse will host a variety SMW Lagos crowd sourced programming including masterclasses and workshops.

In addition, Terra Kulture located in VIctoria Island, Lagos returns for 2014 as out Music, Arts, Culture & Entertainment Hub (#smwMACE).  SMW Lagos hubs/venues will host a variety of dynamic programming produced by local and international event partners.  Event partner submissions are currently being accepted through this Friday, December 6, 2013.  Event proposals should be submitted via the SMW Lagos webstie at: http://socialmediaweek.org/conferences/become-event-partner/


Social Media Week is built on the belief that we should better understand how technology is providing new inspiration for how we live, work and create. In a little over five years Social Media Week has built a dynamic platform for communities across the globe to discuss how social media and communication technologies are impacting lives on a local level. To date 26 cities and over 80,000 people have participated in SMW.  In 2013 the SMW Lagos Team had the pleasure (and challenge) of widening the lens to include for the very first time an African city – Lagos, Nigeria.

Tips to help you avoid mistakes on social media:

Social media is a great marketing avenue for you and your business, free to access and if used correctly, a wonderful and rewarding tool for increasing brand awareness and business inquiries.

We must though pay special attention when using social media to make sure that we maintain a professional profile and presence. Remember, that once an update or comment is made, though able to be deleted later, is still released into the viral world and can be subject to much debate and negative feedback if what you have shared is viewed as incorrect or debatable by others.

With newspaper, radio, television adverts etc. you are able to review what you have done and even share it across the office or further feedback, whereas social media is more responsive, impulsive reactions. Once an update is released, just like when a deadline for changes have passed for that newspaper advert, it is out there to be viewed by thousands or millions.

Tips to help you avoid mistakes on social media:

    Review all posts before releasing them.
    Make sure you stay clear of debates as your opinion may offend other users.
    Topics to try and avoid include religion, politics and football.
    Try not to spam on your timelines as this can annoy others.
    Don’t include people in groups / pages / spam Tweets without permission.
    Use your own content only, do not infringement copyrights.
    Check your account for hacking regularly, change password every month.

As you build your social media presence it is important to consider more and more not only the marketing opportunity it offers you, but also your need to protect your brand identity for the more people that follow you, the bigger any mistakes you make can become.

SOURCE: http://www.marketme.co.uk/

PR PICTURE OF THE MONTH!

Need i say more??

From PR Daily: 4 listening styles communicators should know

 Hearing is the practical, and listening is the strategy. And as with most things strategic, there's more than one way to listen.

As a communicator, you should know which type of listening to use in every situation, as well as how to use those skills to your advantage. Here are four (of many) types of listening:

1. Appreciative listening

Appreciative listening is exactly what the name implies — listening to enjoy the story, music or information you hear.

The American Society for Training and Development recommends that, to truly embark in appreciative listening, you should avoid engaging in other communications and focus solely on the sounds or words.

So, when someone is speaking to you, put your phone down!

2. Critical listening

Critical listening involves hearing what someone says, identifying key points and/or arguments and solidifying your opinion. Think of a debate, or how you feel when you listen to a politician speak.

When you engage in critical listening, your goal is to analyze what the speaker is saying and determine his agenda.

3. Relationship listening

Relationship listening is one of the most important skills to have when dealing with people. Relationship listening is also known as therapeutic or empathetic listening.

You would use relationship listening to help a friend through a problem, solve a conflict between co-workers or prompt people to open up through support and honesty.

4. Discriminative listening

Discriminative listening is when you look past the words you hear to detect the underlying message. It might be one of the most important types of listening for online marketers.

This works best in person, as you can look to body language, tone changes and volume to determine what the speaker really thinks and feels.

However, these days we're not often face-to-face with clients or customers. We need to adapt to become better online discriminative listeners as we engage more and more via texts, Facebook comments and snappy tweets.

Understanding the difference between hearing and listening is a vital skill, whether you deal with people in the boardroom or through comments on your brand's blog.

Which types of listening do you practice most?

Lindsay Bell is the content director at Arment Dietrich. A version of this article originally appeared on the Feedblitz blog.

EVENT: TRADERSBALL SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING

The battleship is a full social media training practical class, where you will be taking into the world of social media brand marketing. 

You will know how it works, and why it works that way. Also with this training you will be able to attract major clients to your company and understand how social media trend moves plus how to do social media analysis, competitive and more.

For registration

Call: 08179852082 or 08023227775
Pin: 29AC98A8 or 27FCC0F2
or send a form request mail to info@tradersball.

Date: Sunday, December 1, 2013 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Venue: LCCI Conference And Exhibition Centre ikeja

{Behind M.K.O Abiola Gardens, 
parallel to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway}

ANNOUNCEMENT!!

Attend The Social Media‬ Plus December Edition | December 04 2013 In Lagos Nigeria.

With Just N2,000 You Get A Pass + FREE e-Book. Register Online Here: http://goo.gl/iZozgG

BEVERLY OSU & PRESTIGE COSMETICS! - The Celebrity Influence

 It's a known fact that celebrities are used to promote sales of beauty products, and brands connect with the rich and famous, sending them free samples, hoping for a mention on social media. all aimed at getting media attention for their brand.

Prestige Cosmetics is a relatively new cosmetics company, and Beverly Osu has been unveiled as the "Face" of the brand.

So far so good anyway. they're beginning to get online media attention, thanks to Beverly. Will this sudden media attention yield good returns in sales? that remains to be seen.

Expectations of a brand's social media manager

When I see brands on social media, I have expectations. 

I expect that if I tweet something to a brand, someone will respond. It doesn’t have to be within two minutes—I am overjoyed when it is—but I do expect a response. 

Today, everything is done online, frequently through social media. I honestly don’t remember the last time I called a hotline or an 1-800 number and sat on hold for 10 minutes. Instead, I can Google a company or agency and find out everything I need within 90 seconds. The way people access information has changed; social media plays a big role. 

I expect that brands will have an updated page where I can find the latest information. If I “like” a brand’s page, “follow” them, repin their pictures, or give them +1′s, it’s because a company is branding itself in a positive light. 

If the well-represented brand has a product, I will buy it and tell people about it. If it does not have a product or service to buy, I will still talk positively about the brand. I dislike a social media presence that is careless and not updated. Social media is essential for brands and requires a designated staffer to keep the brand’s presence current. That person must be witty and precise, have excellent writing skills, and be convincing without resorting to the hard sell. 

Community managers must post high-quality content in a timely manner. Because social media never sleeps, a community manager must continually watch for online conversations about the brand, monitoring positive and negative comments. Don’t delete the negative, though; respond in a positive way, reinforcing brand loyalty and appeasing the consumer. 

The role of community manager is a high-stakes job with high rewards. One negative tweet or post can ruin a brand’s identity. It’s said that when a brand does something great, a person will tell a friend. When a brand does something bad, a person will tell everyone who will listen. 

I encourage my staff to think strategically. Think of great content that keeps consumers coming back to the site. Think what we can do to stand out. Think how we can get more engagement on the site and develop a new revenue stream. 

Most of all, I want them to think before they post anything. 

Written By: Christopher Kerney

Christopher Kerney is a digital media professional from the greater New York City area, as well as a proud Penn State alum. A version of this story originally appeared on the his blog.

#MusicWeApprove - MEKA : When A Man Cries

His name is MEKA and I've heard him sing several times and believe me when i say he's really talented. plus he plays the guitar too! (You know I'm  sucker for that right?)

Anyway, here is his new song, produced by Kraftmatics. You're gonna love it!

DJ SPINALL AND HIS CAP

DJ SPINALL

Anyone familiar with Nigeria's entertainment industry will definitely know DJ Spinall.  He's young, fresh, looks good and is successful.

And of course, when you see DJ Spinall, you see his ever present cap. over the years, Spinall has created a brand with THE CAP, and i dare say that the idea is genius.

THE CAP has grown to be a money spinning outlet, with distinctive CAP branded outfits and THE CAP mix tapes.

According to DJ Spinall  "One Of My Ways Of Supporting The African Music Industry Is Via TheCAP Mix Series."

And i dare say the guy is balling! DJ Spinall is often referred to in media articles as "THE CAP".

Bottom line, I like THE CAP and i think as a brand identity, it absolutely rocks!

Letter Of Apology to Victoria Kimani & BlackMagic by iCirculate

 And the twitter drama that ensured earlier today, prompting my earlier blog post here,  has finally been handled by all parties concerened. Here is an apology letter from  iCirculate PR on behalf of their client. 

5 Tips to Maximize Twitter Engagement

Found this very enlightening article by  Caysey Welton and i think i should share it.

Twitter debuted on the New York Stock Exchange today, and is performing exceptionally well (so far up more than 20% on its initial ask).

Now that the social network is a public company, new tools designed for brand marketers are probably on their way too. After all, the company will need to spike its revenue and keep investors happy.

Still, there are several ways now optimize your brand’s Twitter presence now, especially when it comes to engagement. Here are 5 tips on how to do that, compliments of Alexandra Kirsch, digital managing associate at Finn Partners.

1. Position dialogue around your followers, not your brand. All too often brands use Twitter as a platform for promotion. That's fine sometimes, but social media is just as much a platform for relationship building as it is spreading the word about your brand. Therefore, it is to deliver content and messaging that has your audience in mind.
   
2. If you want your content to be shared, then share other’s content. One of the best things about social media is it enables users to share content with their social circles, which is great for brands because word of mouth advertising has proven to be extremely effective for generations. Just remember: it’s not all about you; Twitter is about give and take.

Read The Rest here: http://www.prnewsonline.com/water-cooler/2013/11/07/5-tips-to-maximize-twitter-engagement/

When publicists need to gag their clients: THE SAEON EXAMPLE

It started as a rather boring day full of the usual chatter and banter on twitter, or so I thought, until emerging singer, SAEON decided it was time to stir up a little dust and get some attention.

SAEON

After launching into a tirade against fellow singer and Chocolate City artiste, Victoria Kimani, calling her mix tape a “fail”, she went further to throw words at fans who cautioned her, bloggers who challenged her and any other person who dared say anything uncomplimentary.

I thought it was over until she went further to launch accusations against another artiste, BLACK MAGIC and at that point, I was wondering where her publicist was and why no one from iCirculate MEDIA (The firm that handles her PR) haven’t shut her up already.

I have absolutely nothing to say to SAEON. She’s an artiste. As a publicist and long time media professional, I have dealt with several artistes for me to realize they are like four year olds. They always need watching and they can’t be trusted to handle themselves 90% of the time.

That being said, I wonder why her PR team hasn’t gone into crisis mode already.  Remember when a publicist was called a “press agent”?  Now, to quote the legendary Hollywood publicist Pat Kingsley, “suppress agent” might be a better term.

In this era of social media, any client with a half-baked idea and a cellphone — can quickly undo a publicist’s months or years of careful image crafting.

It’s high time as publicists, we demand that clients refrain not only from talking to journalists, but also from posting anything on personal social media accounts or blogs that could jeopardize their projects. (Preferably get this done in writing, with consequences)

If your client does not understand the value of a public image that has to be managed or considered, it’s your duty as a publicist to school them.  For the simple reason that it will make your job easier.

They need to know how they should handle interviews or manage the stress of fame, and importantly, they need lessons on Internet privacy. Lessons should include why a nude photo should never find its way online (Mo-Chedda could have used this lesson) and how lashing out on Twitter can backfire.

The problem with the Internet is not only the potential for overexposure, but also the quickness of the medium to disperse false or easily misinterpreted information. One comment can become a fiasco in 10 seconds.  Social media gives our clients many new opportunities to screw up, and this is not the time to be sloppy.

 After all, you’re still going to clean up after them.  So be on the look-out and be ready to gag that baby of yours when necessary ok?

REMINISCE’s Album Art. Branding Hit or Miss?

I Absolutely love this! and i believe it represents his image, his rough edges, his music and his personality. This art makes me anticipate the album.

What do you think?

Has social media replaced traditional means of publicity?

There is no doubt that Social media has helped make the work of publicists quite easy. But we need to ask if the easy two-way conversation and quick content sharing on social media has replaced the time tested and trusted press releases and media manipulations of the local publicist.

Some PR practitioners still use social media like they use traditional media. They use it as virtual notice boards, posting messages with little interaction and little feed-back.

However, for clients who have access and total control over their social media accounts, like twitter, the job of the publicist on social media can be a little dicey.  Print journalists, other media outfits are all on social media with direct access to the clients.  What this means is a direct news source without waiting to be issued a formal press release by a publicist.

The Nigerian music industry has shown how this works in very plain light.  News bloggers and newspaper editors are quick to monitor tweets from musicians and stories are written most times without questions asked or comments received from the artiste’s spokesperson.

Controversies have been generated, and its embers fanned on social media, from artistes making unguarded comments or deliberate aggressive tweets, while the publicist is left to clean up the mess and make it all magically go away by issuing lukewarm press releases.

So what do we do as publicists?  How do we contain our clients and maintain relevance in this fast growing business of Public relations?

We need to understand that social media is not the enemy. In fact it is complimentary and it should be studied and applied to make publicity easier. 

We use social media to quickly share information with our target audience, gather real-time intelligence and feedback, and build relationships with customers, partners and influential people.

WHAT IS YOUR BRAND'S VOICE ONLINE?

"PR should control the social media as all social media should come from the same voice.

---- Elizabeth Trew  Freelance Copy-writing & Marketing Communications Specialist

When the company wants to send out messages using social media, then PR should craft or review the message."

Decide whether your brand stands for ‘freshness’, ‘innovation’ ‘excellent customer interactions’. Once this voice or personality is established, all conversations will be geared to reflecting this online.

Invite conversations- don’t just brag.

In many social media efforts, the PR is aimed at showing of the latest achievements, accolades or awards. Today, you do this at the risk of appearing anti-social. In as much as you should celebrate achievements, invite your fans to discuss around the main topics that define your success and value proposition.

In order to avoid confusion and get the most of all your social media campaigns, it is important that you get a unified approach to your engagement on online. 

8 Things to Do AFTER You Get Media Coverage!

Most of the advice you see on music publicity (including mine) deals with how to get it in the first place. And it’s no wonder. Getting on the mental radars of music editors, reviewers and writers can be a challenge for many self-promoting artists.

But what do you do when you actually land that coveted free media exposure? Should you just sit back, relax and soak up the feeling of victory? Yes, but you must also capitalize on the moment and turn it into even more free marketing!

Here are 10 things to do after you get publicity. Each will enhance the value of the free coverage you just earned, and many of them work together:

    Celebrate that you just got free publicity! Do a happy dance, jump up and down, and have a beer while you do the rest of these things. You deserve to celebrate!

    Add a link to it on your website or blog. Write a quick synopsis in your own words of what it is and where it appears, then link to the article, review, interview, podcast, etc.
    Link to it in your EPK (electronic press kit). It is always good to keep your electronic press kit updated with hot new accolades. Be sure to quote from and link to the write-up or video from within your EPK.

    Tell the world on social media. Why not talk it up with your friends, fans and followers? They may even help you share it – thus making your free publicity go viral to some degree. Make sure you use all of your social media profiles: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, etc.

    Ask people to share and retweet on social media. Sometimes you don’t get things in life unless you ask for them. Sharing your good news is one thing you can and should directly ask for. Don’t just assume your peeps will pass your link along if they want to. Actually say ”Please share” or “Please retweet.” You might be surprised how many people actually do it when you ask.

    Let your fans know via email. Do you have a list of email contacts? (I certainly hope you do!) Send them a quick note. Personalize it and tell them why the publicity excites you, not just that you got some free press.

    If the news source page allows comments, ask fans to leave comments to fan the flames. If the press you got sits on a web page that allows comments (and most do these days), encourage your supporters to leave some. That might push the page into the site’s “most popular posts” list for that week.

    If it’s significant national or online press, let your local media know about it. Write up a quick press release or just send a short personal email to let your regional press contacts know about the cool exposure you just got. That may very well lead to more local publicity.

Always remember that free publicity can easily lead to more publicity, wider exposure, and image enhancement.

Written by Bob Baker

THE ESSENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media requires us to create, curate, and share engaging and relevant stories. Brand journalism, otherwise known as content marketing, is not new to us.
 PR pros have always told stories using a range of communication styles and media. Many of us are former journalists. 
We can turn rocks into newsworthy features (true story), and Social Media is another way to tell and share our stories.