Starting today, Do It In Public will move from this domain to http://greenlightpublicrelations.com/blog/. All of your favorite old posts have been moved over so you will still have access to them. The only thing that will change is the domain. We look forward to sharing our thoughts with you and providing helpful tips to grow your small business.

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If anything is worth doing, Do It In Public!

-Jim

This quote came to my mind when I began to read Fascinate by Sally Hogshead. When people don’t understand something they take strange approaches to understanding it.  Whether it be by ignoring it or calling together an angry mob to hunt it down, the end result is the same.

A good story relies on this balance to keep the reader intrigued. Constant repetition of facts is only good for one thing, making your readers sleep. So why do we become fascinated with something? As Schopenhauer reflects, we either become bored or fascinated when we are left outside of the situation and haven’t yet come to terms with an understanding. One of the greatest and worse attributes in the human race is our never-ending quest for more. It’s hardwired in our DNA. It causes people to eat to the point of weighing more than their car, drink to the brink of death, and push the boundaries of technology until we create a global arms race.

The question is how do we take this drive for more and the power of fascination and incorporate it into our storytelling as public relations professionals? The first thing that I would suggest is to not dull our audiences. This way their interest is peaked and they want to know more.

After that is accomplished we need to keep them wanting more. We can’t give them everything at once or they will become bored and move on to the next thing. It is the reason why Apple Inc. releases new products strategically throughout the year. You run to the Apple store and pick up the latest iPhone. You enjoy it for a week and then Apple announces the next model is launching in less than 14 days. At that point your stomach drops and you know you want it. You may even upgrade again even know you can’t justify spending another $400 dollars on a phone.  You have to drive your publics to feel that they are an insider and an outsider at the same time. Apple isn’t the only one doing this. When a hot new book hits shelves, how quickly does the author publish the sequel? When a movie franchise is showing promising profits, the studio usually starts the sequel even before the first film has a chance to tank at the box office.

Strive to entertain, innovate, and educate. That is the real way to keep your audience fascinated.

There are a few of us in the industry who are devoted to making a change, and using the powers of marketing/communications to spread positive change in the world. It’s tough to get over the negative side of the communications world but there are reasons why you should care about marketing for your private practice.

1. Marketing for a good cause is not evil: The people who try to make a change in the world need to spread their message. They may or may not be trying to sell something, but they do have a goal in mind and that is to create positive change. As a music therapist, you offer so many benefits to your clients and more people can value from your service. The best way to do this is to have a targeted communications plan. You have to accept that by embracing marketing you are not going to the dark side.
2. Marketing can help you grow your business: You can only expand your business so much by word of mouth referrals (even know they are the strongest form of marketing) but you need to take a proactive approach to spread your business. Developing a targeted marketing plan can help you communicate to audiences that you wouldn’t be able to any other way.
3. Marketing will help you focus on what you want to accomplish: Developing a marketing plan and really focusing your communications will help you strengthen your business. This is because you have to figure out what goals you want to accomplish over a campaign, what groups of people you want to communicate with, and what your central messaging is. Going through a marketing plan will help you view your practice through new eyes and reenergize your business side.

There is a lot you can gain from adding a strong marketing, branding, and public relations presence to your business or practice. So next time you hear the term marketing you don’t need to be afraid or shy away from it. You can embrace it, help it grow your practice, and see the world through a different set of eyes. You can also learn how to recognize the marketing that is only out for the company it comes from and be able to avoid it in the future. If you have any more questions about marketing your practice, please check out our LinkedIn group and feel free to ask your questions.

For LinkedIn:

• Connect: Build your network and make sure it includes people outside of the music therapy or creative arts therapies. People who do what you do, know the importance of it. In order to be an effective advocate, you need to teach as many people as you can.
• Let your profile speak: Put as much information as you can on your profile that relates to what music therapy, art therapy, etc. can accomplish. Make sure you don’t publish anything that would violate HIPPA. But the more you can put that explains what you really experience and accomplish for clients, the better you can spread the power of your profession.

For Google+

Google+ is a tricky social media site. For month’s it was private and you could only get in with an invitation. Then it was opened to the public and many people didn’t find a use for it. But there are some advantages to being on Google+ and how you can use them to be a better advocate.

• Google+ is a Google product. This means Google will naturally favor it in their search engine algorithm. Having any type of presence on Google+ will help your organization and advocacy efforts get higher rankings in Google searches.
• Use the Circles: If you don’t know what circles are, they are ways you can group your Google+ connections. You can easily create lists of people you can advocate to and how people fit into different advocacy outreaches.
• +1: This is like the Facebook “like” button but it works directly with Google searches. You can build the +1 button into your website or encourage people to plus when searching. The more “plus 1s” you get the higher you will show up in searches as well.

I hope you now have the tools to increase your advocacy efforts on social media. Feel free to share your success stories and efforts in the comments below. Join us on Wednesday to learn more about branding and marketing and why it IS important for your private practice.

Now that you are using your Facebook as an advocacy tool, it is time to expand your reach to twitter. Twitter can be a great
way to advocate. There are over 175 million active users who are willing to connect, and ready to support a cause; you can make a difference. If you don’t believe that Twitter has power let’s look at all of the revolutions that took place in 2011. The majority of them were started because of people connecting on twitter.

Here are some tools and tips to help you be a better advocate:

1. Connect with the Media: There are a lot of journalists that use twitter. What better way to spread the power of music therapy than through the media? Begin to follow journalists on twitter and see what stories they are writing about. Begin to comment on their tweets and show your knowledge and appreciation for the topics in their articles. They more you interact, the more likely you will be able to assist them with a story in the future.
2. Look beyond your network: Start to connect with people outside of the music therapy community. Look at politicians, celebrities, and people who will be beneficial to connect with. See what they are talking about and show them that you can relate. If they are people with celebrity status, treat them like your friends. (Most celebrities won’t open up if you flaunt all over them)
3. Every connection is a new door: Just like advocating in an elevator or to the government, you never know whose life you can touch by spreading your message. If you think someone can benefit from some information, let them know. Twitter can connect you to so many people and you don’t have gateways blocking you. On Facebook they need to add you as a friend, LinkedIn requires approving your connection; twitter can allow you to gain access you didn’t think was possible.
4. Be Human: Here is one thing we often forget when we put on our advocacy hat. You may want to sound formal and stick to a script when advocating. Formality can often be lost especially in only 140 characters. The more human you are the more likely it is that people will listen.
5. Importance & Repeat: Remember to let people know why it is important to support your cause. If you don’t tell them then they won’t know. On twitter, you need to tell them often. There are so many updates that come through on a given twitter feed. I follow 666 people right now, that means your tweet can easily be missed when I log on. Tweak your message a little each time so you stay human but if it is important make sure you keep updating!

Check back on Monday for tips on increasing your advocacy efforts on LinkedIn and Google+.

Facebook is a great tool for advocacy. With over 800 million active users, you have an attentive audience to preach to. Here are some ways you can expand your advocacy efforts with Facebook:

• Gather the troops: In order to be an effective advocate you need to have a variety of people who support your cause. Facebook is a great tool to do this. People actively use the site and spend a majority of their time there.  You can create a page in support of your cause and spread it through your network. Encourage people to like the page and share it with others who will support the cause. The more “likes” you get, the farther your advocacy megaphone will reach. You will have more success getting people to join a Facebook page than subscribing to another newsletter.
• Encourage conversation: What better way to get people motivated? Use your wall to strike up a conversation about your cause. Share your passions and thoughts and encourage others to do the same. The more people talk about your cause, the more support you will get. One great example I have of this is of a Music Therapist who took to advocating for their profession on a blog where people were criticizing it. Her passionate comments caused her to be contacted by people who were moved by the power of Music Therapy and wanted to be a part of it. She not only educated outsiders, but also was able to move people to make a change in their life. (Another benefit of having a running conversation on your wall is that you will have a record of who is extremely passionate. You can reach out to the most active people to get them more involved.)
• Digital Petitions: Ahh, the petition. Going door-to-door collecting signatures to encourage your government to take action on your cause, who has time for that anymore? You can use Facebook to get your petition in front of more people in less time. I highly recommend the site CARE2 (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/create.html). You can create a digital petition and automatically have it available on Facebook. You can easily share it with your own network, your active advocacy page, and encourage people to spread the petition for you. It will help you spend less time on collecting signatures and allow you to actually advocate for your cause.
• Expand: You can’t get complacent with your Facebook advocacy efforts. Too often we encourage people to get involved with a cause on Facebook but that is it. We don’t give them any sort of follow up or action they can take to the real world. Use your Facebook page as a central hub for your efforts on-line, but provide resources to help people get involved offline. Facebook is a vast landscape and people can easily forget about your cause if you don’t get them interested. If Facebook was a country, it would be the 3^rd largest in the world. With so many other distractions, don’t let people get lost in the crowd and forget about your cause.

Try to start incorporating the tips into your Facebook advocacy efforts. Remember to never give up. It takes a long time to grow support for your cause, and the best way to ensure success is to keep moving forward. Check back on Friday to see how to optimize your Twitter account for your advocacy efforts.

Here are a few ways we can learn from Martin Luther King Jr.:

1. Fight for your beliefs: This is one thing that MLK always stood for. No matter how tough things get you need to be willing to stand up for it. If you back down when things get tough, you will never make a difference. It doesn’t matter what you are an advocate for, as long as you feel strongly about it you should try to make a difference.
2. When the going gets tough: You have all heard the saying, but MLK lived it. He faced many challenges during his life. Instead of deciding to rest he faced everything head on. Not only did he speak out against the inequality between the races in America but he also took a stance on the Vietnam war, compensation, and peace. You need to adopt the same attitude that he had and not back down when things get difficult.
3. Be eloquent: One thing that MLK was a master at was speaking with style and power. His words rang out like poetry and caused people to be moved to tears. Try to become more aware of your speaking style in order to move your audience. It doesn’t matter if you are advocating to a high school student or congress, you can make a difference. Remember words are your best friend and you can master the same ability as MLK with a little practice.
4. Believe: In order to be a successful advocate you need to believe. Believe in what you are fighting for and believe that something will change. If MLK thought equality was impossible, he wouldn’t have taken on such a task. Some things are worth fighting for no matter how tough it seems. Always remember that before putting on your advocacy hat and you WILL make a difference.

We can all use MLK as an inspiration. Lets take a moment to remember this great man and let him help us to remember that we all can have a dream worth fighting for.

How are you an advocate? What have you spoke up in support of recently? If you can’t think of a recent example, try to be more outspoken when you meet someone. You never know when a 30 second conversation with a stranger will change their lives.

Over the next week we will be focusing on advocacy and how to incorporate it into your communications. We will focus on using your social media profiles as advocacy tools. In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. day, we will look at what makes you an effective advocate for a cause in face-to-face interactions. So spend the weekend discovering your advocacy hat and thinking of ways you can be an effective advocate.

Did you know that you can use your social media profiles to benefit your business? In fact each website has its own benefits and you can make them work for you.

1. Facebook: This site is great for keeping in touch with your clients, prospects, fans, and community. The business profile allows you to provide people with a lot of information about your company. It is also a great resource to quickly share videos, photos, and event information. You should focus your Facebook page to be a resource for your community. Give them the ability to share thoughts, experiences, and ask questions. This creates evangelists for your organization and is a great word-of mouth-marketing tool.
2. Twitter: While twitter is great to connect with people in real-time, it also has another great use. Public relations. Many journalists are active on twitter and use this network to find sources for stories. If you take the time to follow reporters you can open up your opportunities to provide valuable information and spread your organization at the same time.
3. LinkedIn: This site is great for connecting with your professional colleagues. You should use this site to promote the business side of you. It can serve as a digital resume of sorts, and you are in complete control of who you are connected with. The new business page profiles are also a good feature to check out. They allow your business to have an interactive presence on LinkedIn. The benefit of this is to share what your organization is doing with colleagues. It would be a great place to share research, new interventions, and networking opportunities.
4. Google +: While G+ is the newest network, it can also be extremely beneficial to your organization. Many of the features are similar to Facebook, but with one bonus: They are automatically connected with Google. Your + page will connect you with SEO royalty. You can also easily integrate with many of your other Google products like YouTube. I would also suggest using the Hangouts feature to create digital networking events.  Instead of waiting for the next tweetup at a conference, you can have a digital meeting with people you follow and increase your networking opportunities.

Here is a Social Media Flow Chart that you can take with you to keep your profiles on track. Feel free to share your success stories with social media and your own best practices in the comments section.

Here are a few tips to make sure that you start 2012 on the right foot:

1. Prioritize: One of the best things that you can do to kick start your year, is to figure out what you want to get done. So if you want to build your business, get in shape, and learn more, then put those at the top of your priorities. We are in control of what we get done and we are our greatest enemies.
2. Schedule: This will be your lifesaver. Schedule out your week. I don’t mean what you are going to do in your workday, but with all of your time. Make sure your priorities are in that schedule and then stick to it. My fiancé and I created our schedule at the end of last year and have been sticking to it religiously. I make sure to get everything I wanted to do in the week done. The things that I am not over excited about, like going to the gym, have their scheduled time and I can’t ignore them.  Here is a Weekly Planner to get you on track.
3. Be Productive: We all get tired and run down, and people who spend their lives working towards helping others get tired even faster. It is important to make sure that even when we feel that we are stuck between a rock and a hard place we are working towards our goals. Everything is worth it and when you accomplish something big you will automatically be reenergized. Having your to-do list build up only slows you down more.  One great way to get yourself organized and maximize your productivity is by using a great notebook system. I recommend using the Arc notebook system by Staples. This customizable notebook has been a lifesaver for me and you can easily design it to fit your needs.
4. Have Fun: One of the most important things to make sure your year starts off on the right track is to have fun. Life is more than a bank account and a big to-do list. You have to enjoy every second, so make sure you are doing things that make you happy. Work with people you enjoy working with, spend time doing things you love, and try to make even the boring things enjoyable.
5. Relax: Relaxation time should be built into your schedule. It can make sure the first four things on this list are successful. Spend time doing what you love and slowing down to take in the world around you. One of my most energizing points of the week is when I take two hours out to sit near the ocean and read. Find a thing that you can do to truly relax.

Follow the above steps to make sure your year starts off on the right track and you can have a successful year.