Posts Tagged ‘Facebook’
Monday, July 2nd, 2012
Here we are in Canada. We are smiling. But some people consider traveling to Canada without turning their frown upside down.
If some liberals and conservatives share something in common, they both threaten to move to Canada when elections or rulings don’t go their way. I doubt these angry Americans actually make the move. I doubt most of them even check if the policies they’re upset about are any better with our neighbors to the North. And if liberals and conservatives actually moved to Canada every time they got angry, most of them would simply end up living together across the border.
How does Canada feel about being the back-up plan when Americans get upset? Maybe some Canadians see The Flip Side and are flattered their country is the first choice.
If I were a real estate public relations pro in Canada, I would blast email great deals to liberals and conservatives every time they got angry. Better yet, before big elections or rulings, I would post online videos, plant news stories and strike up some social media strategy about Canada’s virtues. This would start up a subliminal conversation just before the volcano of political anger erupts.
“Like” Canada’s Facebook page the next time your political opponents push your buttons and possibly win a free weekend in your favorite province. Re-tweet “I’m moving to Canada” or connect with Canada on LinkedIn and potentially win an acre in the wilderness. Plus enjoy professional baseball, football and hockey just like you do now!
If nothing else, the public relations pro could probably persuade at least a few people to buy a summer home up North. My question is this:
If you trek up to Canada and then its politics piss you off, where do you threaten to move next?
“I’m moving back to America!”
Tags: America, Facebook, liberals and conservatives, LinkedIn, media, moving to canada, news, oh canada, politics, PR, Public Relations, public relations pros, Social Media, social media strategy, Tweet, video
Posted in Media Relations, Public Relations | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 19th, 2012
I’m not sure but someone is.
I can tell you this. Some TV news managers claim they know who watches the local news. But when I asked how they knew, their answers didn’t satisfy me. In my opinion, their evidence was flimsy at best. But some TV news managers feel obligated to appear they know who is watching. Someone needs to take a leadership role during editorial meetings and provide logic when deciding which stories to cover. What stories do people care about? I heard that question countless times during meetings. Imagine if TV news managers said “I really don’t know who’s watching. So your guess is as good as mine.”
Ratings help break down the age groups watching. But are single moms truly watching a specific newscast? If American Idol airs before your newscast, are music lovers actually watching the news that night? On that night, should the newsroom assign more stories about iTunes or concerts?
Maybe TV managers, similar to Colonel Sanders, have a secret formula tucked away in a safe with all the answers. But when I asked, people in the newsroom never convinced me they really knew who was sitting in the living room enjoying the latest edition of breaking news and brush fires along the highway. I inferred I should simply stop asking the question.
So I don’t know the answer. And I’m still asked the question. When people asked me what I did for a living, they often apologized for not recognizing me, saying they don’t watch the local news. Most of my friends insist they don’t watch the local news. But someone still is. Enough people recognized me or my name over the years that I assumed they watched my station with consistency. Some people were even familiar with my style of reporting. If you need further proof, check out a local TV anchor’s Facebook page. Anchors briefly mention they smoked a cigar or they post a picture of the weather and a gazillion people reply. I mean it! A gazillion!
Businesses hand out company flyers pointing out they appeared on a station. I know one business which mentions its appearance on its outgoing voice mail. Media relations clients tell me about the leads they receive after appearing on the news. Some companies simply believe appearing on the news gives them some extra credibility. And with webpages, phone apps and Twitter updates, you don’t need to turn on the TV for your local news.
I don’t know for sure who watches the local news. I don’t know their wealth or education level. I can guess but not with much certainty. I’ve asked. I’ve debated the topic numerous times, even to the point where a TV manager whispered he honestly didn’t know either. But someone is watching. And at any given time, the news still offers you an opportunity to share your business with a whole bunch of people.
Tags: AZ, breaking news, editorial meetings, Facebook, local news, local tv, media, Media Relations, news managers, newscast, newsroom, PR, tv anchor, tv news, Twitter
Posted in Media Relations | No Comments »
Friday, June 1st, 2012
I’m eating lunch with two friends. One asks, “Do you actually do business with any Facebook Fan Pages you’ve Liked?”
I pause and think about it.
“I don’t know,” I answer.
He explains he thinks Facebook serves its purpose, but people overhype it and consider it more critical than it really is.
I infer from the second friend at the table that he is skeptical Facebook truly helps build his business. He assumes most potential clients don’t care what he posts. He seems doubtful Facebook would significantly convert Fans into new clients.
Loren and I have several clients I believe we obtained through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I tell my friends at the table that I don’t believe social media is a strategy necessarily leading to immediate results. We hope to post useful information, positioning ourselves as experts and leaders in our industries. Our hope is when our fans and followers need our services or know someone who does, they will remember and consider us. Aren’t these some of the same reasons business people, now and decades ago, meet prospects at bars, restaurants and golf courses? They don’t expect to sign agreements on the 18th hole. They hope the social experiences eventually pay off.
I practice what I preach. Most of the accounts I follow on Twitter offer information I find useful. Those accounts keep me up-to-date on topics affecting me.
One of my friends at the table explains he searches for information on Google when he needs it. He doesn’t follow people for that information on a recurring basis. Our approaches differ. But I tell him I still think if his Facebook page offers useful information on a regular basis, clients and potential ones will view him as a hub of expert advice and a leader. The other friend agrees that may be true, but that doesn’t necessarily mean people later choose his business when they need his service.
OK. I understand that point of view. But I argue to them the one key reason we at the table are conducting business with each other is because we like each other. There is a sense of trust. And because we don’t have time or don’t want to eat lunch with all prospects, social media helps build trust and relationships in the long term. And if we work at it genuinely, we hope some of our followers will eventually hire us. If not, hopefully we at least offer sound advice. I may not click the mouse and Like everyone’s Fan Page who provides strong posts, but I might consider them the go-to guys or gals when needed.
I’m not sure if the three of us solved anything. But my Caesar salad was pretty good.
Tags: Facebook, fan page, google, LinkedIn, media, PR, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Social Media | No Comments »
Monday, May 14th, 2012
Since leaving college, I’ve thought it odd when bosses feel upset, betrayed or irritated when a good employee decides to take a job somewhere else. I hope if I were an employer, I would thank employees for their contributions and congratulate them on a new position they believe would improve their quality of life.
But I continue to hear stories of employees leaving on uncomfortable terms. I’m not referring to shouting matches. I’m speaking of snarky remarks and ungrateful comments that ensure boss and employee won’t be later sharing Facebook posts.
Employees share these stories. And when awkward goodbyes become a trend, an employer gets a reputation. Some bosses feel no matter how many disgruntled players leave, they’ll simply draft suitable replacements. But I believe one disgruntled good player after another can’t continue to leave without some sort of eventual impact on the bottom line.
Too often many companies seem to forget their employees are customers and brand enthusiasts. The way employers handle a farewell could mean they either keep or lose these key stakeholders.
Our recommendation is for employers to at least try to be the bigger person and be remembered as someone who sent a worker off with a great farewell. Send out a positive memo to the staff. For excellent employees, throw a party or farewell lunch. Don’t allow the disagreements at the end of someone’s stay stain another good relationship. Being nasty at the end could bring negative effects lasting a lot longer than the employee’s last walk out the door.
Tags: boss, brand enthusiasts, communication, Communications, Employee, employee communication, employee communications, employer, Facebook, PR
Posted in HR Communications, Internal Communications | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 10th, 2012
By age 15, Grandpa sold produce off a big, Chevy truck in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He climbed the stairs of tenements, carrying the orders of customers. His customers were regulars. He knew what they wanted. After dropping off deliveries, people sometimes asked, “Got any bananas?”
Grandpa started the business with his father. Grocery stores mostly sold canned goods. A milkman delivered milk and dairy. People bought other items at bakery and butcher shops. Grandpa sold produce all day, every day. Friday nights, he counted his money, all cash.
How great would it have been for me to help Grandpa with Facebook and Twitter in the 1920s, posting the future routes of his truck like drivers do today? He wouldn’t “get it,” so naturally I would have served as his social media strategist. How did his business survive without a Facebook Timeline?
Grandpa drove to customers’ homes, shouting out his arrival in courtyards. Shouting? Exchanging online posts with people who can’t even see you face-to-face is so much more civilized. How did he know if people liked him without the ability for people to “Like” him? No fan page, no easy way of sharing pictures of his Chevy, no call to action.
Without a social media strategist, who would pick out his Timeline’s cover art or update his LinkedIn profile? How did Grandpa start a conversation without 20 social media strategists on Twitter providing him daily tips? How did Grandma know where the heck he was without any way for him to update his status? For goodness sake, how did he build an audience without inviting email contacts?
We’re lucky we live in an age when humans finally found a better way to carry on conversations and conduct business.
Tags: an page, chevy truck, Facebook, fman, Grandpa. communication, grocery stores, Holyoke, LinkedIn, Massachusetts, media, media strategist, media strategists, milk1920s, PR, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Social Media | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
On January, 18, a friend and Star Wars geek sent us a link to a YouTube video entitled “The Bark Side: 2012 Volkswagen Game Day Commercial Teaser.” With the assistance of clever editing and cooperative canines, a chorus of dogs barks out Darth Vader’s favorite tune. The video pulled us in over and over with the power of a tractor beam. When the link was sent to us, the video had 305 views.
Four days later, the video included around seven million views. We’re not surprised. After we watched it, we quickly forwarded the link to several people and posted it on Facebook. More than five thousand people have struck back with YouTube comments, including two video responses of how people’s dogs reacted to the dark side’s Imperial March theme.
Wait a moment … we’re watching the video once more.
Ok, we’re done. Our dog Molly watched the video with us this time.
Anyway, the video’s description includes this link: http://vw.com/star-wars-invite. The link leads to the video “Intergalactic Invite” and talks of inviting your friends to your Super Bowl bash “with a customized Star Wars title crawl.” We’re not even sure we understand the whole thing, but it’s all on Volkswagen’s page where someone can build and price, get a quote or find a dealer.
We don’t know if these dogs will help Volkswagen sell more vehicles or lead to a big return of the Jetta. But the company sure is giving it one heck of a try. Viral videos can feel like the force: Only a chosen few can actually figure it out. But your business doesn’t necessarily need a viral video to get its sales out of carbonite. It just needs a good video … and maybe a few dogs or droids … to expand your universe.
Tags: Arizona, darth vader, Facebook, jetta, Phoenix, PR, Scottsdale, star wars, super bowl, video, video marketing, video production, video production companies, video production services, videographer, viral video, volkswagen, website videos, YouTube
Posted in Video | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
We bought burgers at Costco but couldn’t find French fries. We asked but an employee explained the store didn’t sell that side dish. We didn’t think much more about our plates of lonely burgers until exiting and seeing people hover around a tall, red customer comment box.
A business placing out customer comment boxes is not unusual. But Costco’s is different. The box is not off to the side or tucked away in the corner. The box is not smaller than a breadbox. The comment box is big and bold and nearly impossible to miss at the very time you’re rolling your oversized cart out and wishing the store sold something it doesn’t.
And people appear to buy into Costco’s big red comment box. From what we witness, people don’t ignore it or assume it’s window dressing recommended by a marketing guru trying to score points at a corporate conference table. A nice older woman filled out her card while we filled out ours.
I began to wonder if the big red box fit into a bigger puzzle when I stopped by Costco’s gas station. I thought I was the only obsessive driver who felt he desperately needed a hand wipe or bucket of soap and water after filling up. After all, if you forgot to pack the sanitizer, your gas station hands then touch the steering wheel, radio and seats, meaning the whole car is … well, that’s a blog for Psychology Today.
Much like a kid ripping open the wrapping paper covering the latest, greatest new gadget, I was overwhelmed with appreciation when noticing for the first time that Costco placed near the gas tanks the largest hand sanitizer jugs I’ve seen. Somebody’s listening! Or somebody read my mind! Or Americans are simply obsessed with germs.
When speaking about responding to customers in real time, social media is often considered the Holy Grail. But Facebook and Twitter are new tools, not necessarily replacements. Perhaps the response time isn’t as rapid, but businesses can still use good ‘ole fashion techniques to prove they’re listening. Just be genuine. Make the comment box big, red and conveniently located. And respond. Stock those shelves with French fries or explain why you can’t. I’ll take a huge bottle of hand sanitizer any day. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to wipe my keyboard clean.
Tags: communication, costco, Facebook, media, PR, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Public Relations, Social Media | No Comments »
Monday, January 2nd, 2012
A mom says Target employees humiliated her while she breastfed her baby in the store. To support her, breastfeeding mothers then staged a nationwide “nurse-in” at Target stores. How did the company deal with the nurse-in and media attention? To borrow one of Target’s lines, we “expect more.”
Support Groups: If an advocacy group contacts your company about an event at your business, quickly answer questions. Post comments on their blogs explaining your position. Support groups frequently feel strongest about issues. They pass on concerns to the broader public that may not be paying close attention. Don’t underestimate the power of such groups. Work with them. Be sympathetic. Surprise them and support their concerns when possible. The groups will share the company’s goodwill with the public and explain how the business is turning a problem into a positive. A group describing its mission as “to change the cultural perception of breastfeeding” says it was tough communicating with Target about the breastfeeding incident. The group says someone from Target eventually called back and summarized the call by releasing a statement. Meanwhile advocates pointed to how Whole Foods handled things when facing a breastfeeding incident.
Facebook: Acknowledge the complaints. Stun the planet and ask people to share stories and post pictures. Respond to questions. Embrace your role in the discussion. Welcome shoppers who may usually favor the competition and prove your company is a different type of business. In the Target case, mothers used a Facebook page to organize. As we wrote this, the page included more than 7500 members. The day of the nurse-in, Target posted on its Facebook page “How long do you leave your holiday decorations up?” Some people used the comment section to discuss the breastfeeding issue.
Twitter: Target was more on target on Twitter. We read several examples of Target responding to people on Twitter about breastfeeding. Here are examples of the company’s posts to Twitter:
- We support breastfeeding too. We have a long-standing policy allowing breastfeeding in public areas of our stores.
- We continue to educate our team members on the policy, and ask guests to contact us if they don’t feel comfortable.
- Nursing mothers are welcome to breastfeed in our stores, including in public areas, wherever comfortable.
- We have a long standing policy that allows breastfeeding in our stores and have addressed the Team Member incident.
- We’re happy to support nursing mothers! Please let us know if you encounter any problems.
YouTube: Post a video. Make clear the services your company offers for, in this case, breastfeeding moms. Video puts a face on your company. A video helps you standout while engaging and educating viewers. Video may capture attention more than any press release. Target has a YouTube channel called Target Theater with more than six thousand subscribers. We didn’t see any videos about breastfeeding or the nurse-in. Watch a recent example of a FedEx video responding to a PR problem.
Pressroom: Provide news releases and links about the situation. Give phone, email and social media information for contacts specifically handling the situation. Give a timeline of what happened. Recognize what journalists want to see. Target’s pressroom states the “Target Public Relations team is always interested in hearing about how to serve the media better.” We searched but could not find news releases about the nurse-in and breastfeeding situation.
Media Relations: We read several statements Target released about breastfeeding. We didn’t see a lot of Target spokespeople on air. We saw a Target manager on ABC News saying “Target is a family-oriented company, so if a guest chooses to breastfeed in our store, Target supports it 100%.” Target’s pressroom lists four media contacts. The efforts of those contacts, management and support staff should expand way beyond news releases. Identify managers in geographical regions the company feels comfortable putting on TV. Fly key team members to areas needing help handing media questions. Consider allowing a “pool camera” in each TV market to shoot video of the breastfeeding moms.
A company might win the war of words by drawing up a conservative game plan, taking a few hits and assuming the PR problem will blow over and be forgotten. If you like to do things the way they’ve always been done, feel free to play prevent defense. But PR problems also open opportunities to establish your company as an industry leader while inspiring trust and growing your reputation. Drop the icy and impersonal company language for something thoughtful and sincere and watch the headlines change. Expect more.
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Tags: blogs, breastfeeding mothers, Facebook, FedEx, journalist, journalists, media, Media Relations, news release, PR, PR pro, press release, Public Relations, Social Media, target stores, Twitter, video, Whole Foods
Posted in Media Relations, Public Relations, Social Media, Video | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011
Tags: Arizona communications consulting, Arizona public relations agency, Arizona small business marketing, branding, communication consulting, employee communications, Facebook, HR communications, HR communications consulting, Human Resources communications, Internal Communications, Keith Yaskin, marketing strategy, media interview, media pitch, media training, Phoenix communication consulting, Phoenix public relations agency, PR, Public Relations, reporter, Rockville Central, small business strategy, Social Media, The Flip Side Communications, TV interview, tv news, video, video marketing, website videos
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Friday, December 17th, 2010
Everybody seems to be trying to get Facebook fans. But do these followers actually represent true fans? Or are they just your everyday friends? People give away prizes and free stuff just to boost their numbers. Hey, I want to get to 300 fans and give away something to my new groupies!
I’m guilty, too, about fooling myself between fans and friends. That number of Likes should represent true supporters of your brand. Enthusiasts. Some companies are doing the right thing. They engage devoted fans in dialogue. And if they do offer contests, those contests are directly related to their product or service. Just seeing numbers increase without making connections isn’t the key. That’s just playing games with your product.
You probably know this. But this needs to be reinforced. A lot of people continue to play the game allowing fans to fake it.
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Tags: Arizona communication consulting, Arizona public relations agency, brand enthusiasts, branding, Facebook, Facebook fans, marketing strategy, Phoenix communication consulting, Phoenix public relations agency, PR, Public Relations, small business marketing, small business marketing strategy, small business strategy, Social Media, The Flip Side Communications
Posted in Social Media | No Comments »
