Solis spent a year monitoring the social web. The important part is listening, documenting, and reaching your audience where they are talking about you most. This is not just Twitter and Facebook! There is not just one audience. People are going to their networks of influence to learn, ask questions and get feedback.
So, what exactly is influence? It's the ability to inspire action and measure it. If you give people something to do, activity and buzz increases.
It is important to be strategic in titling, describing and tagging your content. Use as many tags as are relevant. Be specific and know what your audience is looking for when creating these items.
We must also be aware that, once we engage our audience, we need to send them somewhere just as engaging. For instance, if someone clicks on your Twitter link because they are interested in a product you mention, would you send them to your homepage or straight to your Web store instead? Make sure you are pointing your audience to a place where they will be able to continue the interaction.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Solis tells us how to get involved - and how to track our efforts
It is ever-important for us to continue to learn about and decide how to reach this new audience. Experimentation is a must, and through that experience we will be able to find out what works -- and what doesn't. Tracking our activity and the response of our audience to each action allows us to really see the impact of what we do online.
But, Solis stresses this point:
Just because we have access to these social media tools doesn't mean we have something interesting to say!
By no means is it OK to post fake reviews, fake blogs or any intentional misrepresentation. These are found out very quickly!
The way social media is influenced (in order):
Customer Service, Communications, Branding, Marketing
For instance, an incident occurs, the organization has a listener to find out about it at which point customer service and communications are the most important responding forces.
We must find a way to keep our audience engaged and compelled. Did you know that YouTube is the second most popular online search engine? More people are going there to search for content - only second behind Google - looking for something to share. Everything begins with search, so we have to make sure that we show up where it matters! On every single social media site, the most important way to find the information we need is the search function!
Instead of using Twitter search, use a service called Collecta. It will bring every tweet as it happens, any blog post, any Flickr image and YouTube video straight to you in real time!
Use a service called Backtype to find information in the comments sections of blogs and other social media - this is where people talk! This allows us to find out what the general public - not just the blogger - is saying.
But, Solis stresses this point:
Just because we have access to these social media tools doesn't mean we have something interesting to say!
By no means is it OK to post fake reviews, fake blogs or any intentional misrepresentation. These are found out very quickly!
The way social media is influenced (in order):
Customer Service, Communications, Branding, Marketing
For instance, an incident occurs, the organization has a listener to find out about it at which point customer service and communications are the most important responding forces.
We must find a way to keep our audience engaged and compelled. Did you know that YouTube is the second most popular online search engine? More people are going there to search for content - only second behind Google - looking for something to share. Everything begins with search, so we have to make sure that we show up where it matters! On every single social media site, the most important way to find the information we need is the search function!
Instead of using Twitter search, use a service called Collecta. It will bring every tweet as it happens, any blog post, any Flickr image and YouTube video straight to you in real time!
Use a service called Backtype to find information in the comments sections of blogs and other social media - this is where people talk! This allows us to find out what the general public - not just the blogger - is saying.
Brian Solis shows us how to put the public back in PR
Our next speaker, Brian Solis, Principal of FutureWorks, visits us straight out of California.
He asks us, "Who is using Twitter and Facebook for business purposes right now?" Nearly the entire room full of people shows their hands.
Solis shows us a comparison of monthly visits to popular Web sites:
CNN - 30 million
Twitter - 25 million
Facebook - 300 million
MySpace - 260 million
Did you know that more than 1 billion photos are uploaded to Facebook each month? Wow! These eye-opening statistics prove to us just how important social media has become in the constantly changing practice of PR.
People have said that social media is killing public relations, but this is actually our opportunity to step out from behind the proverbial curtain and influence this realm. Our audience is becoming more engaged and interested in interacting with us.
Social media is not just a broadcasting medium - instead, it is more about making connections. It's about creating an experience for our audience. It's about telling a story. So when Anheuser-Busch wanted to premiere their Super Bowl advertisements with a social media news release, Solis and his firm created a site that turned the cameras around and showed "the making of" the ads. They included video embedding code, links and other items that his audience could easily access, copy and paste into their own mediums.
If you want to create a social media release yourself, visit www.pitchengine.com. It is a free site!
He asks us, "Who is using Twitter and Facebook for business purposes right now?" Nearly the entire room full of people shows their hands.
Solis shows us a comparison of monthly visits to popular Web sites:
CNN - 30 million
Twitter - 25 million
Facebook - 300 million
MySpace - 260 million
Did you know that more than 1 billion photos are uploaded to Facebook each month? Wow! These eye-opening statistics prove to us just how important social media has become in the constantly changing practice of PR.
People have said that social media is killing public relations, but this is actually our opportunity to step out from behind the proverbial curtain and influence this realm. Our audience is becoming more engaged and interested in interacting with us.
Social media is not just a broadcasting medium - instead, it is more about making connections. It's about creating an experience for our audience. It's about telling a story. So when Anheuser-Busch wanted to premiere their Super Bowl advertisements with a social media news release, Solis and his firm created a site that turned the cameras around and showed "the making of" the ads. They included video embedding code, links and other items that his audience could easily access, copy and paste into their own mediums.
If you want to create a social media release yourself, visit www.pitchengine.com. It is a free site!
What's NOT News Q & A
Is it possible to refocus a story? Example: Client was contacted to provide a counterpoint to the first position, first position was inaccurate.
Everybody has an agenda, people lie to the media all the time. PR needs to talk to the reporter, provide facts to counterbalance, engage in a dialog. Media does not WANT to broadcast inaccuracies.
What do you do if media gets it wrong, reporting inaccuracies?
Pick your battles. If you call a reporter on the mat on little bits, they will stop calling you to source. If the facts are inaccurate, provide the correct facts. We trade in credibility and we won't run from our mistakes!
Time's up! Thanks so much Judd Cribbs!
Up next...Brian Solis of Futureworks - author of "Putting the Public Back in Public Relations"!
Everybody has an agenda, people lie to the media all the time. PR needs to talk to the reporter, provide facts to counterbalance, engage in a dialog. Media does not WANT to broadcast inaccuracies.
What do you do if media gets it wrong, reporting inaccuracies?
Pick your battles. If you call a reporter on the mat on little bits, they will stop calling you to source. If the facts are inaccurate, provide the correct facts. We trade in credibility and we won't run from our mistakes!
Time's up! Thanks so much Judd Cribbs!
Up next...Brian Solis of Futureworks - author of "Putting the Public Back in Public Relations"!
What's NOT News...Final Tips
Eliminate the words "No comment" from your vocabulary. If you can't comment, explain why. The media wants every side, and wants the story to be accurate. They fact check, but they don't break down doors. Don't ignore them!
Air times are accurate to the second. Always be ready to do the story at a moment's notice!
Staging a news conference? Be aware of camera angles, lighting issues. Have your speaker available after the conference for short interviews - if you can arrange different backgrounds for each network, so much the better.
You may have several people you'd like to have interviewed at an event, but more than likely there's only time for one interview, so make sure you have a primary interviewee selected.
Air times are accurate to the second. Always be ready to do the story at a moment's notice!
Staging a news conference? Be aware of camera angles, lighting issues. Have your speaker available after the conference for short interviews - if you can arrange different backgrounds for each network, so much the better.
You may have several people you'd like to have interviewed at an event, but more than likely there's only time for one interview, so make sure you have a primary interviewee selected.
What's NOT News Continues...
Judd Cribbs continues with examples of using "people words", encouraging us to make sure opening lines are not loaded down with archaic language. (And yes, "archaic" would not be considered "people words"!) In other words, do away with the technological language, make it so easy a caveman could understand it. (And here Judd does his caveman imitation - you really should be here!)
Okay, so you've sent out your press release, what should you do next...
Respond! If you are contacted to provide a source, make sure you find out the reporter's deadline and confirm any appointments necessary to facilitate.
Respond! If your company uses an automated phone answering system, make sure there's an option for media to connect immediately; on your personal voice mail, make sure to offer the media a number to connect with you immediately; make sure the media has your cell phone number; do everything you can to facilitate communications.
Respond! Investigate a little further by determining WHY the media is interested in your story - how will it be presented, what is the media's goal. Open a dialog with the reporter. Both of you have key messages to get across, make sure they are not at cross-purposes.
So, the key for this section is...Respond!
Okay, so you've sent out your press release, what should you do next...
Respond! If you are contacted to provide a source, make sure you find out the reporter's deadline and confirm any appointments necessary to facilitate.
Respond! If your company uses an automated phone answering system, make sure there's an option for media to connect immediately; on your personal voice mail, make sure to offer the media a number to connect with you immediately; make sure the media has your cell phone number; do everything you can to facilitate communications.
Respond! Investigate a little further by determining WHY the media is interested in your story - how will it be presented, what is the media's goal. Open a dialog with the reporter. Both of you have key messages to get across, make sure they are not at cross-purposes.
So, the key for this section is...Respond!
What's NOT News
Welcome to PRU - High Tech - High Touch! Our first speaker is WINK-TV reporter Judd Cribbs, a perennial favorite in Southwest Florida. He's telling us about "the file", where all the press releases, notices, etc. are kept. They get over 1,000 emails a day! And about 20 reporters have access to it, to spread the work around!
So Judd is about to tell us how to get through "the clutter"....
Building the relationship is still important, it can be as simple as a phone call saying "Hi, I'm Jane Smith and I'll be sending you press releases about Company XYZ".
Must grab TV reporters' attention and QUICKLY. "News organizations have about 6 seconds to get the viewers' attention, and you have about the same amount of time to get ours!"
DON'T bury the lead! If your story is about 28 elephants walking down the street, make sure that's in the first paragraph.
Story angle: Make sure you're clear on the story angle in the press release. Remember that stories for TV must have a visual angle.
Looonnnggg press releases will be ignored, there's just not enough time to sift through them.
When you're writing/pitching, think about the viewers - who will care and why.
Don't tax the reporters' "mental energy units"! Write in "people terms". For example "members of law enforcement" = "cops"!
So Judd is about to tell us how to get through "the clutter"....
Building the relationship is still important, it can be as simple as a phone call saying "Hi, I'm Jane Smith and I'll be sending you press releases about Company XYZ".
Must grab TV reporters' attention and QUICKLY. "News organizations have about 6 seconds to get the viewers' attention, and you have about the same amount of time to get ours!"
DON'T bury the lead! If your story is about 28 elephants walking down the street, make sure that's in the first paragraph.
Story angle: Make sure you're clear on the story angle in the press release. Remember that stories for TV must have a visual angle.
Looonnnggg press releases will be ignored, there's just not enough time to sift through them.
When you're writing/pitching, think about the viewers - who will care and why.
Don't tax the reporters' "mental energy units"! Write in "people terms". For example "members of law enforcement" = "cops"!
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