EMA's Mary Beth Popp Shares Keys for Success in Social Media

01.26.2010

BUFFALO, NY — Mary Beth Popp, director of brand public relations at Eric Mower and Associates (EMA), turns to the fundamentals of communication when implementing social media tactics into public relations strategies for the agency's clients.

Objective, commitment, and listening are the age-old elements Popp calls "essentials" for companies looking to effectively use social networking tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, SlideShare, and YouTube to increase customer interest and loyalty. When approaching social media, Popp stresses the importance of defining what you wish to accomplish. Commitment is a reminder that relationships are built over time, whether virtually or face-to-face and listening helps marketers create benchmarks to improve a company's online presence.

Popp also credits listening as the technique she used when researching social media: "I learned almost everything I know about social media by following smart people on Twitter, then subscribing to their blogs and interacting with them one-on-one."

In her byline "Social Networking is the New 24/7 Virtual Cocktail Hour," which appeared in the Central New York Business Journal, Popp explains: "The rules of the networking game remain the same, but the tools have changed."

Popp discussed the topic further when featured on a social media panel with regional business publication Buffalo Business First. Read the discussion here.

A graduate of St. Bonaventure University, Popp leads EMA's brand public relations practice. Most recently, Popp earned recognition for the "Make it a Genny, Mr. President" campaign for The Genesee Brewery. The Wall Street Journal awarded the campaign "Savvy PR Move of the Week" for becoming a part of the national conversation around President Obama's Beer Summit. Contributing to the success of the campaign was a social media release that was circulated using PitchEngine via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, resulting in hundreds of online views.