When it comes to using social media, do what feels right

You probably weren't expecting me to include AARP.org in my blog post about my recent column! But here it is. One of my social media tips in this week's column in The Post-Crescent includes not overlooking the baby boomers when it comes to social media.

Click here for the complete column: The Post-Crescent. Let me know what you think. I always welcome feedback.

Google Alert: Bing falls short on content and public relations

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of weeks ago I tweeted that I was only going to use Bing as my search engine tool of choice for the next five days. As a result of my experiment, this blogpost will be short.

I did my best to break my Google habit but, wow, is that hard. Every gadget I own is set up to naturally access Google. Funny enough, I found myself Googling Bing to get to their homepage. 

Available Wisconsin news was also very limited. Only news generated out of Milwaukee or the Journal-Sentinel came up in searches. I know for a fact we generate quite a bit more news from around the state so I was surpised at the lackluster search results.

Many in my social media circles had plenty of opinions as I set forth in my non-scientific experiment. The majority sang high praises for the map offerings. Which I admit are pretty cool. But, my life requires a bit more than beautiful maps. I need content at my fingertips--quick! 

Another interesting thing that I became aware of during my five-day odyssey? Bing has no credibility. Because I don't hear anything about it since it launched, there's no social media chatter ... nothing. Which equates to little if any credibility and that lead me to doubting my search results. And then wanting to double check my searches with a comparison of Google's results.

Google searches are a great reminder that content is truly king when it comes to the Internet. Forget the imagery, bring on the content.

My observations are also a good lesson for any company: Don't forget the power of generating continuous buzz --especially when you are launching a new service or product. But you better have the product or service to back up the buzz.

 

 

Don't forget company culture when evaluating next career move

Right after my initial contact with Red Shoes PR, I knew that their company culture must be a little different. As hardly any PR agencies had entry-level openings or internships posted at the time of my job search, I began emailing different places asking if there were any openings. I probably emailed about 25 agencies, and Red Shoes PR was the only place that didn’t send me a generic, “No, we have no openings at this time. Please check our Web site for postings.” Karen responded to me and said that while they didn’t have any openings, they were always up for connecting with PR students and invited me in for a meeting.  I was impressed with this response and with their openness.

After my first informational interview with Red Shoes PR, the vibe I got about their company culture was confirmed. I immediately went home and told my roommates that Red Shoes PR was exactly the type of place I wanted to work. Observing the way employees interacted with one another, dressed and even the colors of the walls made me excited about the possibility of working there.

I believe that company culture plays a major role in the attitude, productivity and motivation level. Some aspects of company culture that I think are important are:

1.  Mission and purpose of the organization. Does everyone in your company understand the overall big picture and long term goals of the organization? If employees know what the company’s goals are and feel like their role in the company is valued and contributing to the big picture, they are more likely to have a positive attitude towards their job. Red Shoes PR does an excellent job of communicating to employees what the long-term goals are and how employees contribute to the big picture.

2. Organizational structure. Is your company structured as a traditional vertical hierarchy or is it more horizontal? Are employees encouraged to be competitive with one another or take on more of a team approach? Red Shoes PR aims to lean towards a horizontal structure and definitely takes a team approach. For us, this really seems to work well. Being able to share ideas and have candid conversations has helped me to learn at a much quicker pace than if it were a strict hierarchical structure.

3.  Work environment. Do people in your office sit in their offices with their doors closed? Do you work in cubes? What color are the walls? Do you have strict office hours? These are all details that can affect your productivity and attitude towards work. Until August, all five of us at Red Shoes were packed into 400 square-feet. So, we had no choice but to work closely together. Even as our space has expanded, we try to work collaboratively and spend time working in community spaces. We also have a bit of fluidity when it comes to work hours. We do not have a strict beginning of day/end of day. Everyone works hard and is accountable to one another.

4.  Work/life balance and values. Does your company take a stance on this? Is work supposed to come first? This is one of the most important aspects to think about when seeing if you will fit in with a company, yet often times I think it is overlooked. Red Shoes PR aims to be a company where employees and their families come first. People perform better at their jobs if their lives are balanced and other areas of their life are in check. It is also important to take vacation time and personal time. If work becomes the number one priority/only priority in your life, it is only a matter of time until you are burnt out.

While it may be tempting to get caught up in simply searching for the highest salary during a job search, company culture should definitely be considered. If you are able to find a company whose culture aligns with what you want as an employee, you are going to be much happier and successful in your job.

Red Shoes Speaks No. 8 Social media, strategy or communication channel

Red Shoes Speaks No. 8 Social media, strategy or communication channel from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

Jess and Tommy talk about Jess' blog post called Social media, not a strategy or a tactic…a communication channel. How should companies be using social media and incorporating it into their marketing plans? Jess and Tommy discuss best practices for corporate social media use.

Be a part of the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #redshoesspeak.

Hear Today, Be Here Tomorrow With Social Media

 

For years big brands have been telling us, the consumers, how to feel about products or services. If you drink this Coke, you will feel like you could solve the world’s problems. If you spray your body with Enjoli, you are a woman who can do it all. And if you crunch these Doritos, your wishes and commands come true.

 

Fortunately, over the years, consumers have gotten smarter. We now know that we can’t save the world by drinking a Coke. And we have also found out that it’s more than just a perfume that makes the woman. And what do Doritos actually do for us besides add a little extra padding to a body?

 

What we are witnessing today for brands is actually quite the opposite. We, the people, are telling the brands what they do for us or what we want them to do for us. But, are the brands listening?

 

Through social media consumers have the opportunity to express themselves like never before. However, if some brands are still trying to figure out the social media movement, and doubting its sincerity in staying power, they will be left behind. These companies will simply be left standing with no one left to tell their message to.

 

What has been missing all of these years from the brands’ position is that there was little, if any, humanization of the brands. It was a stagnant logo. A cute, catchy jingle. Actors acting. We may have had a fleeting feeling of emotion but that's all it was ... fleeting.

 

Today, consumers expect brands to demonstrate “the who” behind the logos – that brands are actually people just like you and me … we want to relate. Consumers want their brands to mimic human nature with all of the emotions we experience: joy, sadness, failure, honesty, integrity and yes, humility.

 

It’s strange and exciting, all at the same time, to think that the humanization of brands is thanks to technology. Really, the answer has been in front of brands the whole time. My advice to companies today? Don’t look in a mirror but stick your head out through an open window to see and hear what’s really going on. 

Tis’ the season for pitching holiday cheer!

The holidays are in full swing and for many companies it is the time of year to find ways to give to the less fortunate in the communities that they live and do business in. What organizations often struggle with, however, is how to go about sharing those stories with the general public.

 

What most do not know is that the holiday season is also a time of year when the media is looking for good news stories to share with their viewers. What a prime opportunity for local companies to share these “feel good” stories with the community.

 

But, how do you let the local media know that your organization is participating in such an event? There are a couple of ways.  

 

Send out a media alert to the local newspapers and television stations inviting them to cover your event. Whether it’s a blood drive, holiday party for a local non-profit or spending an afternoon in a soup kitchen, find an interesting angle to the story and pitch away. Make sure to include the details of the event, such as the time; place and a media contact person. Make sure that you have a great visual hook that would partner with the story for video or photo coverage. And always make sure that you have approval from the people or the organization benefiting from your generosity, so they know media may be present.

 

You can also take your own photos or video and submit them to the media or use them in your social media efforts. Does your organization own a Flip camera or is it easy to upload photos to your computer? Make sure to connect this footage to your Web site, e-mail campaigns to customers or your social media accounts often. Many media outlets also encourage you to submit photos with a caption describing the event, which is likely to garner print or Web site coverage.

 

And as always, make sure to think about the following tips for pitching the media, no matter the time of year or event. Is the story timely and involve people in the surrounding community? What is the visual piece attached to the story? Who will be your spokespeople to talk on behalf of the company…and are they prepared for the interview?

 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and the media is looking for stories to keep their viewers in bright spirits. Don’t let the opportunity of finding ways to garner good news coverage pass you by. 

Red Shoes Speak: Mobile Communications in Wisconsin Blizzard

Red Shoes Speaks No 6 - Blizzard from Lisa Cruz on Vimeo.

Wisconsin got socked with a huge blizzard that dumped more than a foot of snow in Northeast Wisconsin on Wednesday 12/9/09, but you would not know it by the fact that Red Shoes PR continued without a hitch. Tommy and Lisa talk about advantages to being able to work anywhere ...and in this case working from home in a blizzard.

Like social media, our company philosophy also grew organically

 

 

To work hard

To have fun

To be the best

 

A prospect stumped me the other day. They wanted to know what our philosophy is as a business. In other words what makes us tick-- every day. Hmmmmm.

 

I remember more than a year a half ago furiously writing out our business plan and including our philosophy in the plan but the list was about 10 items long. With a list that long we were bound to fulfill one of them.

 

Out of that list of 10, three things have naturally risen to the top since we launched Red Shoes PR. But it’s funny, I think we had to grow into this philosophy, not necessarily dictate it from the beginning. Which if you think about this approach it is very similar to how social media also grows as well – organically.

 

It’s kind of like when you move into a new house. I remember buying furniture for my living room before really living in it. What a mistake. That furniture was quickly relegated to the basement. After we lived in the house for a year or two, then it became apparent, based on our lifestyle and personalities, what kind of furniture would suit us best.

 

The same thing applies to our company philosophy. I had an idea of what I wanted for an internal culture but I couldn’t quite put it down on paper --succinctly. But now I can. It was so easy when it came time to answer the question. The three principles I have outlined are at the core of who we are and what we do every day.

Twitter stream in Facebook? Not anymore.

For the past few months, I set it up so my Twitter stream flowed into my Facebook page. Today, I reset the application so this will no longer take place. Enough is enough.

I thought maybe by consolidating the two that I would save time. But what I found was that I had a useless stream of updates flowing into my Facebook page, many which were simply not applicable to my Facebook friends. Some of my friends on Facebook are on Twitter but for the most part, I have two completely different audiences.

And, just like anything else, if you have two audiences the same messaging and tone aren’t going to resonate with both. For example, #FF means very little to my Facebook friends. Any sort of hashtag for that matter means anything to my Facebook audience. And for gosh sakes, I have confused more people with the tinyurl spattering of symbols, numbers and letters – they think I am spamming them.

My Facebook audience is more leisurely in their engagement and work at a slower speed than the (sometimes) frightening pace of Twitter. Friends also tend to be more sensitive on Facebook versus what takes place on Twitter. If I don’t respond to someone, they move on … quickly. Facebook friends tend to peruse others' home page, check in, and see what’s going on. On Twitter, I barely look at a bio and find myself responding simply based on the content, not necessarily based on the bio.

So ask yourself a few questions as you look for opportunities to integrate communications across platforms. It might not be your best option, even if you could save time.

1)    Who are your audiences?
2)    Do audience expectations vary?
3)    Do they use different social media “speak?”

Moving forward, you can find me on Facebook having one conversation and Twitter where I might be on a totally different topic. Might take a little more time to update both but I look forward to simplifying my social media life.

Tommytrc's Five Key Ingredients for Social Media Engagement

Today's guest blogger is Thomas Clifford, or tommytrc as his followers know him as. Red Shoes PR first met tommytrc via Twitter during the fall of 2008. Tommytrc regularly ranks as one of the top three Twitterers in Wisconsin and top 100 in the world. Tommytrc's presence on Twitter skyrocketed after tweeting throughout the birth of his son. We asked him to share his passion and expertise on social media. Thank you tommytrc!

I come from a very heavy Italian background. My grandfather on my mother’s side was born in Sicily, so eating and food preparation took a major role in my social upbringing.

Social media is like the recipe for Mom’s favorite spaghetti sauce or chocolate chip cookies. Everyone has a recipe and each is a bit different than the next, though the purpose of the finished product remains bringing smiles to the eater’s face!

Like every good recipe, you start by throwing a few key ingredients together, season to taste and Voile! your masterpiece takes shape. The key ingredients to social media engagement are really simple. Your mileage may vary as everyone’s social media engagement “strategy” is different. Here are my five key ingredients to social media success:

Interaction
It’s next to impossible to be involved in social media without interacting with others. Interaction is one of the main ingredients to a successful social media experience. Regardless of if you are using Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, the base for each of these social media services is interacting with others. This may be the hardest work you do. You must get out there and meet people, strike up conversations and do some old fashioned “networking.” People can tell if you are genuine or not, and in social media, the one thing you cannot fake is interaction. While some people may find it hard to strike up a conversation on social media sites, I say just like the first dip into the pool, just do it! Once people start replying to your questions or comments, you will get the bug. And it’s infectious. Interaction feeds on other interaction, and before you know it, you will be a social media butterfly.

Share
As you build your social media recipe, it’s next to impossible to go through your day without seeing something that is worth repeating. Whether it’s a post on Twitter or a comment on Facebook, if you like it, spread the word. Like a telephone operator in the old days, if you see a comment that you feel your network of friends will like, “patch it on in” and pass the good 411 around. On Twitter you would retweet it, or on Facebook you comment on it. That way people in your networks can be exposed to valuable information and find people they normally would not cross paths with. In the Twitter world, the sincerest form of flattery is to be retweeted by someone else. Sharing is critical for true social media engagement.

Listen
Many times, the most important ingredient for your master recipe is also the one that you are most likely to leave out. Kind of like the salt in your mom's favorite chocolate chip recipe, “Why does something sweet need salt??” You may think that skipping this all-too important ingredient will not make any difference, but have you ever tried chocolate chip cookies sans salt? You get the picture.  In social media, the top engagers are also the best listeners.  Its one thing to want your message heard, it’s totally another to listen to other’s messages.  Like a great parent, favorite teacher or counselor at school, what makes them great are their listening skills. Many times it’s not what you say that is important, it’s the fact you give someone a listening ear.

The same holds true to social media. Just like an IRL (In Real Life) conversation, listening is one of those ingredients that can make or break the interaction. A conversation without listening is just like mom’s chocolate chip cookies without salt. Do not forget to listen.

Moderation
A great cook knows when to hang up her apron and leave the kitchen. Likewise, in social media sometimes you just need to log off, shut down and spend some quality time doing something else. I’m not talking about just going to bed either. You cannot be a top engager in social media if you are not engaged in real life. You cannot neglect your local friends. Things like local tweetups, local Twitter meet-ups, are great opportunities to network and build new friends, while also feeding your hunger for social media interaction. Locally, we have a pancake tweetup every other Friday at 7 a.m. This is a great way to put real faces to the Twitter avatars and talk more openly about issues and situations. These local interactions actually strengthen our Twitter relations because now you are true friends with these people.

Family
Like moderation, family time is one thing that you may not expect to hear in a social media engagement “must have” list. But, family is one of those ingredients that will add so much pizzazz to your social media experience. Looking for content to share on Twitter or Facebook? Look no further than family oriented stories and experiences. Nothing builds more credit on the social media networks then someone who shares true blue family interaction. You can’t build good family interaction if you are on Twitter or Facebook all day, which is why the family ingredient goes hand-in-hand with our moderation ingredient. Showing family pictures and stories not only warms the heart of your friends and followers, but also shows you are a real person, which in turn builds your followers and friends. It’s a vicious circle that works.

Now, just because you talk about your family, does not mean you need to give up their identity. Privacy is one thing we all need to be careful of. I talk about my wife online all the time, but instead of giving up her name, she is referred to as “mrstommytrc.” This makes it fun, while also keeping your privacy level high. You can experiment to see what works for you.

Now remember kids, if your initial blend of herbs and spices isn’t exactly right, no need to worry or fret. Social media is your creation and you make it what you want. I know from personal experience that mom’s special sauce was always a work in progress. A little more of this, or a little less of that. Like all great cooks, experimenting to get the blend just right takes time and practice, but once you hit it, you will be a social media engagement gourmet!

 

Connect with tommytrc:
Twitter: @tommytrc