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Calling all C-suite residents. Paging senior marketing experts. Heads up to most Boomers. Social media is not just an individual sport for youngsters. It’s not an exercise in online advertising. And, it’s not Reach and Frequency or a CPM formula.
How do I know? I’m a long-time marketer. I’m a Boomer who wandered into the C-suite. And, I’m a novice when it comes to social media. Sound familiar? There are lots of us out here.
So how can we put social media to work for us? How can we use it to make our company achieve its goals? And, how can we figure all this out without looking like idiots?
Here’s what I did. I went out and found the best group of social media experts I could find. They demonstrated that they can kick butt within the blogging, Facebook, Twitter and entire interactive world. They know traditional marketing disciplines, so they understand my world. They have a proven track record of leveraging social media by integrating with other PR and marketing tactics. And, they have delivered great results for major, Internet-savvy organizations.
So, what did I discover from my new experts? They showed me that social media is a logical extension of media relations (something we pride ourselves in doing quite well). They took the mystery away from social media and showed that it’s not a trendy tool. Actually, it is quite simple. It’s about creating an honest dialogue with interested or like-minded people. It’s about how we talk to one another. And, it works very well when properly integrated with traditional PR and marketing initiatives. Just ask the experts.
So what happened to the social media experts who helped me? We bought them.
I’m proud to announce the acquisition by CRT/tanaka of Livingston Communications. Geoff Livingston and his staff add remarkable bandwidth and expertise in social media to our arsenal. Now, we can offer our clients and friends “expert” social media counsel. If you are a blogger, you probably already know Geoff. He is one of the top communications bloggers and is the author of “Now Is Gone” – a must read about the art of social media. He teaches at Georgetown and owns a top social media conference. Although the Livingston staff will become our Washington, D.C. office, the expert social media support will be available to all clients through all CRT/tanaka offices (Los Angeles, Richmond, Norfolk and both of our New York locations).
Geoff (and your wonderful staff), welcome to the CRT/tanaka family. With you, we will reach more customers for our clients. With you, we will shape more opinions. With you, we will help millions like me understand the power and value of social media.
CRT/tanaka is serious about integrating social media into our whatcanbe approach. We are serious about adding value for our clients. And, with the addition of Livingston Communications, we just made great strides in both these directions.
I guess old dogs like me can learn new tricks
>> Check out our thoughts on the growing imperative of social media and some best practices for incorporating it into your PR and marketing efforts: The Cultural Challenge to Integration (PDF 448KB).
>> Learn more about the acquisition from Geoff Livingston, CRT/tanaka’s newest senior vice president on Geoff’s blog, The Buzz Bin.
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April 8th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Thanks, Mark. It’s an honor to join the team! We look forward to integrating social media across the line, and advancing the state of communications with CRT/tanaka.
April 8th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
The honor is all mine. I’m excited — as are our clients.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:01 am
Excellent white paper Geoff. A must read for all of us in this profession.
April 9th, 2009 at 7:05 am
[...] Personally, I am thrilled by this move. As I mentioned in a prior post, social media adoption is in full swing now. The time is coming when this media form will no longer be special and become fully integrated into the larger communications mix. I’d rather not wait three years for it to happen. You can see CRT/tanaka CEO Mark Raper’s views in his blog post. [...]
April 11th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
A hearty congratulations to Geoff and the crew at CRT/Tanaka is definitely in order! You do have one of the best, an actual “expert”, even though he may want to be called that.
Good luck Geoff in your new role and I look forward to learning more from what you share with the community.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
[...] to congratulate Geoff and the team at Livingston Communications have been acquired by the PR agency CRT/tanaka. This is great news for Geoff and for all of us involved in social media. In fact, what it [...]
April 25th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Hi Geoff and Mark: Wow, this is a great development–for Geoff, I go back to CRT when they provided very much needed and helpful support to the national “Court Technology Conference” (a project of the National Center for State Courts, my former organization) and for Mark, I am now tied into a new Dublin-based technology enterprise called “ammado” (www.ammado.com)which combines social media and giving tools to change the world. Congratulations to both of you and CRT/tanaka!
June 13th, 2010 at 5:03 am
Street traders across the city be offering plants, fresh fruit and greens, apparel and footwear at knock down prices.