PR is about engaging, so listening is the first step.

14 PR pros chat with Mashable about the future of PR and social media.

As of August 5, it was officially one full year since we launched our new name and identity and started to become known as Pyxl. So where did we come from? And what have we accomplished in our first official year? For those of you who don’t already know Pyxl’s past, we started out as Image Communications, a traditional advertising agency. But by early 2009, we had significantly evolved into a full-service digital marketing services firm specializing in…

I’ve always been a fan of adding blogger outreach to a public relations plan, and lately, it seems that more and more companies are really seeing the value in it. After all, you have to go where your customers are, and that’s not always the mainstream media! As trusted sources of information in many niche markets, bloggers should not be ruled out when you’re looking to spread your message. They often have more influence than you realize…

With 234 million Americans using mobile devices, more and more companies are realizing the importance of creating mobile versions of their websites. Our client, Carpathia Hosting is one of these companies. And with the launch of its new website, we also designed and developed a mobile version optimized for iPhone and Android…

The Pyxl team is involved in quite a few professional organizations — from Social Media Club to AdFed to AIGA and beyond, and we try our best to use our expertise to help these Knoxville-area groups get the word out about their events and be interactive during them. One group that knows how to be social is Social Media Club, and as a co-founder, I can say that we try to do all we can to integrate new media in each and every event…

It’s been almost half a year since Foursquare opened its doors to all cities, including our home-base of Knoxville, yet people and businesses alike still seem confused by its potential. While Knoxville’s social media early-adopters have been checking in all over town for months, only a few local businesses have actually stepped up to offer deals on the location-based service. And with sites like PleaseRobMe.com exposing the dark side of over-sharing, many potential Foursquare users are shying away due to privacy concerns.

Crowdsourcing is a concept that’s really taken off in the past year or so…and for good reason! It’s a really simple way to find answers to questions and solutions to problems. Whether you’re an individual just asking for a recommendation on a good place to eat in a city you’re visiting, you’re a business running a contest to crowdsource the masses for a new name, using social media in this respect can really pay off…

I remember my journalism editing class in college very well, particularly when it came to writing article headlines. We’d be given font and type-size requirements, along with the size of the article in print. Then, we’d have to formulate some cleaver, semi-poetic headline that fit perfectly into the designated space. Now that I’m in the professional world, working at a digital marketing firm and writing headlines for the web, some things have changed. Whether you’re writing a blog post or a press release, there are a few key things to…

There are definitely a few people who are regarded as true thought-leaders in the new media space. Brian Solis is one of those people. And lucky for those of us who live in Knoxville, Brian is coming to speak about branding and social media next Thursday, May 20 at 4pm at the Bijou Theatre. He will also touch on topics from his new book: Engage: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web.