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Keynote: Alex de Carvalho: Social Media - Challenge or Opportunity?

"There are no social media gurus—we’re all learning as this is evolving."  -Alex de Carvalho

How good you get at social media depends on how much you’re doing it.  Like biking or swimming, we all have our own styles. What’s more important is learning the culture, not necessarily in how you do it.

So, social media: is it a challenge or opportunity?

Social networks are like the air. It’s a place you live in 24 hours a day. Your online identity is connecting to others all the time. It’s not a campaign or a tactic.  Especially if it’s successful, it lives on everywhere.

Social media is already in your marketing mix, whether you’re using it or not. People are already talking about you online.

Let's talk about the Kentucky Fried Chicken campaign. Get free grilled chicken by visiting the website, downloading a coupon and printing it for free chicken.  The demand was amazing. Some franchises did not cooperate. Other issues emerged. Very quickly, people on Twitter began talking about it in a very negative light. @Kfc_colonel got on Twitter and began replying.  They started with a traditional campaign and ended up using social media to rectify the situation.

Example 2. Dominoes employees posted 4 two minute videos on YouTube of doing disgusting things to pizza. Yikes! On Dig, “Don’t eat Domino’s pizza” was hugely popular. 

“Any idiot with a camera ad an internet link can do stuff like this...and ruin the reputation of a brand that’s nearly 50 years old” - Tom McIntyre, VP of Communications for Dominos

Yep. And you have to fix it. 

Virtual PR Track: Persuasive Presentations the Jane Barr Way...Good Stuff for ANY Presentation

Every single minute of every single day there are more than 13 hours of YouTube videos being loaded up on the Internet…

It’s been said that “the medium is the message.” 

Sometimes the medium has a much bigger effect than any of the messages being posted there. If there’s that much information and that much focus on the medium itself, what does that do for the message?  A challenge for the PR professional.

How do we get our message out there and gets them wanting to take action? Three things you can focus on:

·         Audience expectations

·         Decisions…how do people make decisions

·         Structure.  It should answer audience expectations and how the audience makes decisions.

The process behind any type of presentation is the same—whether it's in front of people or on YouTube.

Most people don’t care what we have to say, what we know, or who we are.  They want to know “What’s in it for me?”  If we really listen to that question, we realize they are asking a psychological question. You answer it with a psychologically sequenced answer.

How people make decisions: a 3 part process. 

1.       We get our options. (or requirements)

2.       We make an emotional decision.

3.       We validate it with logic.

What does this mean to us in terms of structure?  The five elements of structure are:  the headline, the red flag/problem, save/solution (results), details (meat/potatoes/gravy), and next steps.

You have 30 seconds or less to grab attention and let your audience know that what you’re saying is important. That’s your headline.  The red flag is the problem your audience is going to have if they don’t have your solution.  The save is a high level solution—associating yourself or your organization with that solution. At this point, is the emotional decision. If you can get people to this point, all you have to do is validate it.

Next are the details…facts, figures, and what your audience needs to know to go forward.  Finally, are the next steps, or the close. This is what you want your audience to do.  You may want to write this step first: what do you want your client, or your audience or your boss to take? This will help you formulate your presentation. It's a winning formula.

 

Presenter Jane Barr is the founder of Kinnexion, LLC, providing communications training and coaching to Professional Service Providers. Get in touch at jbarr@kinnexion.com.

 

Posted by Susie Bowie

PR Fundamentals Track: PR Tactics for Today's Media Gains

Coaching to get your organization the ink (or the pixels) it deserves.

Janel Luongo, APR, Founder

Alliance Communications, Inc.

Janet Luongo shared some tips on getting back to the basics and how to use new media to your advantage.

Back to Basics

• Getting message together, what are we promising
• Be consistent
• Building strong keywords, which the hardest part of “SEO-ing” your PR
• Write a plan: Race, RPIE, GOST
• Goal should be a broad statement
• Objective is a formula to increase, decrease or do the same by a certain deadline.
• Strategies answer what you are going to do
• Tactics are how you are going to get them done
• Results: PR, guest articles, awards, case studies, etc.
• Good writing trumps everything, at least make it interesting
• o PRWEB.com has a great template for those that have no idea about writing a PR
• People want speed, directness and transparency.
• Benefits of new media:
• Easy research, affordable, crisis communications, relationship management
• 99% of journalists want to have access to online media room

Non-Profit PR Track: Build from the Ground Up: Create and Event that Accomplishes your Financial & PR Goals

Build from the Ground Up: Create an Event that Accomplishes your Financial & PR Goals
Build your organizational strategy for a successful event
Jennifer Grondahl, Maestro Events, Founder and CEO

Events are a way to build brand image, cultivate donors and bring in fundraising dollars, if done right.  Event planning extraordinaire, Jennifer Grondahl, President of Maestro Marketing/Events gave us insights and tools to lead an organizational strategy session to successfully build an event.

First have a Reality Check: Know upfront that events take time and consume resources. 

Second have another Reality Check:  It is hard to get people to a new event unless you have a great idea.

Third, run down this checklist first, you do not want to have a bad event, it taints your reputation and could lose you money and hard-earned relationships.
 
How easy will it be to integrate your mission into the event?  Your organization should come up with an idea that is directly related to your mission.  You must brand your name and mission into the event itself. Think critically about how to message your mission throughout the event.

What are trying to accomplish?  What do you want the participants to walk away knowing about your organization?

What kind of event do you want to do? Nine times out ten people say they want to do a walk.  This could cost the organization about $25,000-$30,000.  Tread lightly. There are many other types of events that are less costly and time consuming to produce.

What is the cultivation opportunity after the event? What can you do what that will make attendees remember you when they leave? Perhaps leave them with a subtle call to action.
 
What is a Realistic Budget?

Virtual PR Track: E-Communications for PR Power

Danny Watts from atLarge presented "E-Communications for PR Power" as the second offering in the Virutal PR Track.

This session on how to effectively use Mass Email Marketing was outstanding. Topics covered the acquisition of your database list, planning, design, preparation, distribution, reporting and refinement.

Email communications are personal, digital, non-standard, and have the ability to crossover between business and consumer. Danny reviewed the various types of email campaigns, they are listed below.

·         Educational (informative)

·         Marketing (deals, discounts, cross-sell)

·         Nurturing (communicative and personable)

Acquisition
The next area covered had to do with customer acquisition and building your database. The principal behind this included Engaging and Converting , and Hard vs. Soft Opt-Ins, Double Opt –Ins. Not sure what the difference is between a hard vs soft opt-in? A Hard Opt-In is when some fills out a form, checks a box, etc saying they want to be included on the newsletter. A Soft Opt-In would be if you had already established database and used this list for your email list. A Double Opt-In would be when there is a previous opt-in by the person, they then receive an email for a confirmation that they really want to be included. Various ways you can develop your list is through events, networking, website signup, and social media. There is also list farming, where you purchase information. This is not a preferred practice.

Planning Your Campaign

PR Fundamentals Track: More Bang for Your Media Buy

More Bang for Your Media Buy
Developing a Comprehensive Ad Plan & Budget Using Traditional and New Media
By Anand Pallegar, CEO & President, atLarge, Inc.

Introduced by Cheray Keyes-Shima, APR, CPRC

Anand Pallegar is the techno-whiz founder and CEO of atLarge, Inc. in Sarasota, the prize-winning ad agency specializing in online branding that weaves together technology, design and cutting edge strategic marketing.

How to use both offline and online strategies to maximize bang for your buck…a daunting task.

Anand shared some best practices and ideas:

First some quotes…

“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. The trouble is I don’t know which half.” John Wannamaker

Diverse channels for messaging is overwhelming…where do I begin?

The Advertising Revolution

One message fits all was the common practice in traditional advertising. TV, print or TV. How do you target and segment?

Advent of technology gave us a platform to MEASURE.  How can we better understand then target and segment to our audiences?

Today’s advertiser: a unique dialogue. Message has changed and shifted to engagement, conversation and sharing not just declarations and broadcasts.

A New Advertising Landscape: Social Networks, Mobile, etc.

A lot of people are very confused with what to do? How do we track the new wave of our advertising?

There’s a New Media World Order

PR Fundamentals Track: Stretching Your Marketing Budget & ROI

Stretching Your Marketing Budget & ROI
Secure your budget with key performance indicators & value-driven planning
Peter Taylor, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System,Director of Marketing

Jennifer Moss, APR introduced Peter Taylor

We never have enough budget—we have to make difficult decisions everyday

Unlimited options—limited budget

Top ten list to leverage budget and get ROI:

• Keep your message simple
• Read the book: Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz
• Concentrate your paid media mix so you get noticed (into certain areas). As marketers, take chances and try things but choose specific areas and media times. Focus on what will make a difference.
• Manufacture your own PR Story. Find that interesting angle
• Make internet buys—cheap and easy to track
• Manage your digital media footprint. Google news alert. Be cognizant. Generate positive online info and manage the negative. SMH resolves a lot of issues with twitter. Twitter is one of the social media sites they do well with.
• Important to have a sense of humor online
• Choose your social media drug of choice
• Capitalize on free research online
• Know your competition inside out
• Track, Measure and Record. www.Compete.com
• See #1—keep it simple

Posted by Julie Platt, APR

NonProfit PR Track: Empower Through Knowledge, Building Board Support

Empower Through Knowledge,

Building Board Support

Strategies for building organizational knowledge, buy-in and participation                

Brynne Anne Besio,               

South Florida Museum & Bishop Planetarium, Inc., Executive Director

 

You want your board to become a successful group of advocates in the community for your organization and you want to retain them. As staff members, it is your job to give new board members the words and the knowledge to do this.

So, what do you do when a new board member joins the group?

Besio asked the audience to think back to when they were new. How did you feel?
Confused, overwhelmed, lost, insecure.

...

What did you know and understand?

How long did it take to feel part of the group and what made that happen? 

It usually takes about 6 months to 1 year. 

 

When you have a new board member think through these questions:

What do they need to know about this organization? What are the basics? What does the organization do? What is the organizational impact to the community?

Here are some tips for getting your new board member up to speed:

Contemporary Communications

I got a call from Ford Motor Company the other day. I had responded to a direct mail piece that requested I dial a number and take an automated survey about my interest in purchasing a Ford car. I have been eyeing the 41 mpg Ford Fusion and so I answered their five questions. Within a day or two I got a call from Steve and we discussed the Fusion and he set up a test drive; the local showroom called to confirm.   

It's no secret that Ford is moving by leaps and bounds to remake their vehicles, but I have noticed the changes in their communications as well. In addition to using traditional communication lines in seamless and powerful ways as above, they have made a conscious move to embrace Social Media, engaging a director to oversee the national operation. His recent success in using Twitter to defuse some misinformation and satisfy an unhappy blogger, demonstrated a mastery of Twitter in alleviating a potential crisis. 

Ford has been sponsoring American Idol for a few years and is now in the enviable position of being affiliated with one of the most popular TV shows of all times. The .30 sec commercial spots that Ford produces each week on the show with the singing talent as the models, make use of some of the most innovative video techniques on the market. They air on American Idol and are posted on YouTube.

The above are just a couple of examples of what Ford has been doing. Check out their website to find out more about their stands on contemporary issues of design, climate change and green miles as well as their vehicles.

What would it take for you to bring your communications current? What would work best for your company or organization?

Keynote to be Broadcast Live

Since we have a keynote speaker with an international reputation in social media, we wanted to do something extra for Alex de Carvalho's presentation. Thanks to the resources of The Hub, a new business dedicated to incubating creative start-ups, our keynote this Friday will be broadcast live utilizing the services of ustream.com, a free broadcasting social media site.

You can access a link on www.ThisWeekInSarasota.com  -

Or you can go direclty to the live broadcast at  www.hubsarasota.com.

The broadcast is scheduled to begin at 11 am.

Register now for our event for Frugal Communicators Show Me, Tell Me, Teach Me this Friday morning at cwcfpra.com.

Posted by Suzanne Dameron