Social Media Platforms

While traditional social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have held their own in PR and marketing, in 2012 we’re going to see a huge rise in Google+ usage and other social media platforms such as Pinterest. With the increasing popularity of these tools, companies can extend their reach and engage with their consumers more than ever before.

While Google+ was quickly adopted by techies, as Peter Pachal from Mashable states,

“Google+ has had favorable growth and many positive reviews, but it’s still relatively unknown among “real” people. And those that do know it have the distinct impression that it’s the social network for hard-core nerds. That’s something Google has to change if it wants people to use its service instead of competitors, and going mainstream has to be a primary goal in the New Year… and most of all it has to find its voice — its one-sentence description that doesn’t have the words “like Facebook” in it.”

So watch out in 2012 to see where the Google innovators take Google+, and how it’ll appeal to the masses, not just the “nerds.”

Pinterest on the other hand has proven to be a quick and easy way for companies to engage with their consumers, techies or not. Companies have become increasingly present on the Pinterest prowl and many have found that this platform is a quick and easy way to improve business. With Pinterest seeing a 4,000% increase in visits over a 6 month span, it’s no wonder why businesses are jumping on the bandwagon. Pinterest is an effortless way to collect your favorite images  (products, clothing, furniture, art, you name it, it’s on there!) and pin them onto inspiration boards. Just click your images, and you will be taken to the original site that pinned it and voilà, just like that a business can make a sale.

Reputation is Everything!

Maintaining a strong reputation online is going to be more important than ever this year.  With social media spreading like wildfire, it has never been easier for consumers to quickly voice their satisfactions or lack thereof. Instead of allowing negative feedback to impact your business, devote several hours a week to clear up any misunderstandings or complaints you may receive.  Keep those Facebook accounts clean by determining when and how you will deal with an issue. It’s the best policy to maintain responsibility and offer a resolution if one of your consumers is upset. Better yet, give that consumer a specific person and email to direct their concerns to. Not only will it help resolve their problem, but it also takes the conversation off social media. If you are proactively showing your followers that you are willing to fix the situation and doing it publicly, other followers will see that your company takes responsibility. Your responsiveness will NOT go unnoticed.

Specific Pitching

Let’s face it, people are not picking up their phones and they’re barely replying to email. So, as a PR professional, how are you going to stay ahead of the game when it comes to pitching?

A Few Rules of Thumb to Use in 2012

Take the time to build some meaningful relationships. Are you pitching mom bloggers or tech ninjas? Then you need to start following their blog, Twitter and Facebook and comment on their work! As we learned from BlogWorld 2011, bloggers respect and notice when you write meaningful comments and in turn will be more likely to recognize your name when you officially pitch them. Pitching editors and journalists? A little background research can go a long way. If you are writing a customized pitch, do your homework! Always mention a previous article in your pitch, it shows you took the time to read their work and therefore gives you more credibility.

With more and more agencies moving towards “niches,” it’s important that your media lists are continuously evolving and being updated. Starting from scratch with those bad boys? Start with the basics and go through all your media lists. Are they out of date? Are they relevant to what you’re pitching? If your company has moved away from representing clients from all walks of life, to specifically just food and beverage, then maybe it’s time to re-think having all those “other” lists.  If you don’t need them, throw them away.

Next, start building from the ground up. Even though it’s tedious to pull new media lists, you won’t be sorry if you take the time to do it right. You would be amazed at how far a few good media lists can take you. Lastly, once you’re ready to pitch those amazing bloggers, journalists and editors that you have cultivated relationships with, make sure you are using an attention-grabbing, quick and to the point, informative subject line (did you get all that?)

Follow Up? Yes Please.

Like we said, a phone call won’t cut it, so instead of wasting precious time. Get online! Using social media is a great way to connect with the people you’ve pitched. Second, don’t be afraid to send multiple emails. Oftentimes, journalists and editors are inundated with emails from people just like YOU (yeah, you). If you have done your research and you know your story is exactly what that writer covers, keep emailing them because they might’ve erased your original message. Don’t forget, nothing beats face-to-face interaction. Go beyond normal office hours (who are we kidding, we’re in PR) and take the time out of your schedule to attend events and meet the people you are pitching, this will make future pitching that much easier and fun!

All you have to do to scan a QR code is open a image recognition application on your smartphone (such as Google Goggles or QRReader) and take a picture of the QR code. This will send the barcode image to the web and direct you accordingly. You can lead people to twitter pages for quick follows, a promotional webpage, or even make phone calls or send text messages.

Businesses are starting to take full advantage of the ease of QR codes and are implementing them for marketing purposes. Here are some interesting uses of QR codes:

1. Business cards – Put a QR codes on your business card so that recipients only have to scan the code and the information will store straight to their phone. No manual input necessary!
2. Check-ins – Scan QR codes to check in to businesses such as restaurants in order to receive giveaways or discounts.
3. Promotions, discounts and giveaways – Scan QR codes on products or in stores to enter to win contests.
4. Stickers, signs and ads – Post a QR code in public with an ambiguous description or even no description at all. The mystery itself will entice people to scan your code.
5. Telemarketing – You can direct a QR code to dial a number or text a specific message upon scanning.
6. Tattoos – TATTOOS? Check out the first ever animated tattoo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3qv2dSXQXk

All jokes aside, smart phones have drastically changed anything and everything digital. They have made us more accessible, efficient and ultimately, more mobile in almost every social and personal endeavor. Here is my list of must have mobile apps:

1. Yelp – Yelp is my food and entertainment bible. If I’m ever in a new town or just can’t decide where to eat or what to do, Yelp is my best friend. Yelp’s and its users’ ratings have yet to do me wrong.
2. GasBuddy – Gas. Prices. Won’t. Stop. Climbing. Use this application to find the cheapest gas near you – where ever you are!
3. USA Today – All news outlets now have their own mobile app. I particularly like USA Today’s because of its easy-to-read-on-your-tiny-phone-screen format and sharing capabilities straight from the app itself.
4. Google Voice – You don’t need a smart phone for this app, but the Google Voice App makes managing voicemails a thousand times easier. My favorite feature – it transcribes your voicemails into text messages so you don’t have that annoying cassette symbol in the corner of your phone.
5. Foursquare/Facebook Places – Initially, I was annoyed when people would check in where ever they went. But I admit it, I’ve become one of those people. Restaurants and shops offer some pretty nifty giveaways and deals for people who check in – try it out. It’s also kind of satisfying to oust someone as Mayor..
6. Shazam – Don’t you hate it when you hear a song on the radio that you like and you want to know what song it is, but the radio hosts never says the name? Download Shazam, turn it on, hold it up to the speakers and Shazam will tell you the song name and artist in less than a minute.
7. Pandora – If you haven’t heard of Pandora yet, you’re missing out. They created the “Music Genome Project” that creates playlists for you based on a song or artist. Create as many playlists as you like and take this limitless music player on the go!
8. Drop Box – Drop Box is great not only on your computer, but now you can access your account mobile! I’ve ran into many instances where I needed to access personal as well as business files on the road. Drop box is THE cloud solution for file sharing and their mobile app is excellent for on the go business.
9. Evernote – Evernote enables you to “Remember Everything.” It allows you to take notes and jot down ideas, experiences, store pictures, anything. It connects your account through all the mobile devices in your life so you’ll never forget a thing – theoretically.

• What’s all the buzz about mobile? Text messaging is an easy way to build a database of customers that opt-in to receive  special offers and promotions on their cell phone and mobile devices.
• Text messaging can be a timely and targeted alternative to email, allowing you to reach people anytime, anywhere.
• With over 90% of text messages viewed, mobile marketing is a cost-effective way to increase  awareness and stay top of mind.   

How does it work?

It’s simple! People text a mobile keyword to a pre-publicized short code number to receive additional information and join your mobile distribution list. You can setup a different automated response with each mobile keyword. Promotions, contests and sweepstakes, surveys and photo/ video messages are among the creative ways to capitalize on this new communications channel.

Follow the lead of these Zenzi clients who are already making the most of mobile:

• Find out what’s cooking with Palm Springs Restaurant Week!  Text ‘restaurant’ to 96362
• Get recipes and more from all-natural, gluten free Wild Veggie.  Text ‘wildveggie’ to 96362

For more information, email Chad Middleton or visit Zenzi Mobile.

Read the full blog post here courtesy of our friends at Bop Design.

1) Get Your Team on the Same Page

• Hold a kickoff meeting to get consensus on the focus and direction of campaign
• Ensure everyone is clear on the process, timing and expectations
• Set specific goals/ metrics by which success will be measured
• Establish a regular schedule of calls, emails every few days to update on activity
• Stay connected with project management tools (we like Basecamp or Producteev)

2)    Be Diligent in the Strategic Planning Process

• Formalize a strategic plan that will guide the entire team’s efforts moving forward
• Develop a 3-6 month timeline with milestones along the way tied to specific goals/ objectives
• Conduct a SWOT analysis; assess trends, market opportunities and competitive landscape
• Evaluate traditional and online communications channels and effectiveness of current efforts

3)   Make Sure Your Message Cuts through the Clutter

• Refresh core messaging, talking points and brand positioning documents
• Update press kit materials (Bios, press releases, company background, boilerplate)
• Research specific editorial focus and topics of interest by key media and influencers
• Monitor industry trends and articles written by key contacts; respond regularly to suggest alternate viewpoints or resources

We welcome your ideas and feedback on who’s got your attention.  Here are a few that we think hit it spot on.

Tall Dark, Handsome and Smells Good Too!

The Old Spice Man is considered by many to be one of the best campaigns of 2010.  In only 6 months the combined PR, social media and advertising campaign with the handsome “Old Spice Man” himself delivered over 1.4 billion impressions, doubled sales, and took the brand to number 1 in the men’s body wash category, not to mention getting a resounding “Yes” for a real live wedding proposal. It was all in a days work for the Old Spice Man, who showed how an unknown spokesperson can be branded and used to add personality to a consumer product in virtually any industry.

Creating Holiday Fun and Traditions

Office Max with its partnership with Jib Jab has made “Elfing” our family a holiday tradition, as it has for millions.  The office supply company has made itself and its holiday gift offerings just a little more fun, and entertained millions in the process, with its ElfYourself campaign that combines social media, viral e-mail and a brilliant dash of PR.  With people, and newsrooms, everywhere sharing their ElfYourself vids, Office Max brings its stores and offerings to mind during the most lucrative retail season, and a time when many are typically not otherwise thinking “office supplies” for gifting.  Office Max capitalizes on the captive audience by sending coupons and other goodies to people that participate.

A Side of Branding With Your Potassium

At Zenzi we can’t help but toot our own horn, especially when even Fast Company recognized Chiquita’s “Eat A Chiquita” campaign with Zenzi best branding campaign, and said, “it has a good shot at keeping Chiquita from becoming second banana to any other brand for years to come”.  Chiquita asked folks to redesign the iconic stickers on its bananas, then produced the 18 designs that got the most votes. Zenzi promoted the contest, which got 100,000 votes for the 50 design finalists; more than 25,000 drag-and-drop mixes in less than five months on EatAChiquita.com and a total of 1,355 sticker submissions.

Real Beautiful

In 2004 Dove launched its Campaign for Real Beauty, utilizing social media and its viral “Evolution” video, viewed by an unprecedented 300 million people globally. Dove and Ogilvy boosted sales and won numerous awards and created big buzz about the topic. Perhaps most importantly they spoke directly to women and helped to change perceptions about what constitutes real beauty. The campaign is based on an initial study from the brand that confirmed that the definition of beauty had become impossible to achieve. Dove found that only 2 % of women described themselves as beautiful and it was not just those in the U.S. that were dissatisfied with themselves; women throughout the world were not happy with their body image or weight.  Dove shows women in all shapes and sizes and ages in its Real Beauty Campaign, revealing that true beauty comes in many packages.

So there you have it; our first four! More to come in a few days.  Be sure to let us know what stands out as your favorite all time campaign in the meantime.

It was every PR practitioner’s nightmare and further evidence of the fact that we as marketers are the most out of control and the most in control we have ever been. Editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine and author of the book The Long Tail, Chris Anderson listed the email addresses of 350 names he has blacklisted from his email inbox on his very public and popular blog, thelongtail.com. The 350 offenders had allegedly sent Anderson irrelevant PR “pitches” one too many times. To the mortification of many public relations people who were on that list (with their company name in the email address), it served to show no one is safe from the fire hose, not even the people you hire to protect you from the fire (or to start it) depending on your needs. Anderson’s public protest sends the message that you must choose wisely when picking a PR firm to represent you, and it is essential you select one that knows the rules of the game and how to create compelling messaging directed at the right audience. The fact that mass distribution outlets for information exist these days is no excuse to spam irrelevant information in the hopes it randomly catches a reporter’s attention.

This principle applies not only in the context of media relations but also to customer relations. Anderson himself is an authority on the subject matter of targeting niches. He coined the term, “The Long Tail” which (according to its Wikipedia definition) describes the advent of economic business models such as Amazon.com or Netflix–businesses with the distribution power to sell a greater volume of otherwise hard-to-find items at small volumes in lieu of selling popular items at large volumes to a general audience. Translation: as marketers we must be prepared send multiple messages to multiple niches. The challenge is researching these markets and crafting specific communications for many distribution mediums, but the upside is precision targeting of your demographic.

Companies and agencies alike are taking a serious look at the way they market themselves. According to PR godfather Edward Bernays, “public relations is a management function which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures and interest of an organization followed by executing a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.” It seems this definition is still intact; however, the “program of action” has taken on an unexpected life of its own. In a world where anyone with access to a computer can shape public perception by publishing exactly what they think about you, your company or your product in a blog, a podcast, or a vlog, this “management function” can seem untenable.

Time Magazine named “YOU” as person of the year in 2006 as a result of this trend to attest to the power of individuals to shape perception and as harbingers of the latest information on new products and services. Two years later, we as marketers are still in the process of determining what this means for PR campaigns and how consumers are responding to this new force. The user-generated information library, Wikipedia, is one of the most frequently visited sites on the web and “Google” is a verb. We now find information and make purchasing decisions based on a variety of sources that include blogs, vlogs, social networking sites, viral emails, and ecommerce rating systems. Each one of us is a journalist if we want to be. Our tendency to trust each other more than we trust institutions, media outlets or even the government prompts us to turn to feedback from one another before we make decisions on everything from politics to product purchases. At Zenzi ,we find ways to manage these data sources and make information on the Internet work to your advantage.

While many companies and marketers have been slow to integrate online and new media tactics into their campaign not knowing where to start, others have been successfully charging this territory with tremendous success. Heavy hitters with the resources and funds to research and analyze trends are increasing their online and new media spends and decreasing traditional media spends. According to a TNS media study, L’Oreal, Procter and Gamble, Unilever, Johnson and Johnson, and Estee Lauder cut budgets on TV and magazine advertising by 10.2% and 21.5% respectively between 2005 and 2006 while online advertising budgets increased by 46%. Another research study from EMarketer estimated an increase in 2006 of online advertising spending by 26% from the previous year amounting to $15.4 billion.

Forward-thinking public relations agencies are naturally taking the same cue and shifting attention to online strategies while still being guided by the traditional principals of PR, defined by The Bernays, to shape and manage public opinion of an organization. The advantage of online PR (just like print/tv/radio) is that it is executed for a fraction of the cost of advertising and continues to have the credibility of traditional editorial coverage. Traditional media is now looking to new media as sources for information, story ideas and for their own gratification and entertainment which further serves companies that are choosing to be a part of online communities.

A new study from Bulldog Reporter and the TEKgroup reports that journalists’ use of online newsrooms, blogs, RSS and social media is much higher than most PR professionals had guessed. Corporate news and information can be accessed online 24 hours a day. Nearly half of all journalists reported visiting a corporate website or online newsroom at least once a week. 25% of journalists surveyed reported regularly reading five or more blogs to research desired topics and nearly 70% followed at least one blog regularly. More than a quarter of journalists visit a social media or networking site such as YouTube, Facebook and MySpace at least once a week. Almost 40% subscribed to at least one RSS feed.

Increasingly companies large and small are cutting through the clutter to market to specific consumers niches. Marketing pioneer Lisa Johnson outlines five essential criteria that underlie consumer cravings in her book Mind Your X’s and Y’s: experience, transparency, reinvention, connection, and expression. Web targets that satiate these cravings and segment their audience and content such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Digg and Sugar Inc. are incredible new tools for companies to engage their consumers.

Traditional companies such as Schwab, Chevrolet and Nike all provide excellent examples of campaigns that are hitting the mark in satisfying these cravings. Chevrolet targeted college students to promote the launch of the redesigned 2007 Chevy Aveo. The company selected two students each from seven college campuses across the nation to see who could “live the largest” inside a Chevy Aveo for five days. The students could only leave the car to attend class or for 10-minute breaks while documenting their entire adventure online. The students embraced the idea enthusiastically, creating YouTube videos, LinkedIn and Facebook groups, photos, blogs, and other realistic expressions of their experiences. Result: in just five days, the Aveo Livin’ Large Campus Challenge generated 217 million audience impressions through online, traditional, grassroots and campus media. Over one million students were actively engaged in the Challenge through the Aveo Website and links in each team’s Facebook and MySpace accounts.

In January 2007, Charles Schwab launched its new “Money and More” private online community made up of 350 25-to-40 year old Generation X non-Schwab clients, which acted as a focus group providing valuable market research for the company. Based on insights from the community, Schwab lowered account minimums to $1,000, introduced a high-yield investor checking account and developed an online landing page specifically for the Gen X target. Schwab has added 32% more Gen Xers since the online community was launched.

Nike launched the Breakfast Club to promote the Jordan Brand. The club is an interactive online basketball training community. Customers can select pre-built workout curriculums or create individual programs and hear from celebrated coaches on the pursuit of improving their game. The self-built programs incorporate a social component through peer assessments. 120,000 consumers signed up, and when the Training Tool for the Breakfast Club launched in August 2006, 100,000 more unique visitors came to the site than the previous year. Visitors spent an average of six minutes on the site.

The common thread in all these examples is that the content was relevant to the audience. The companies and their respective agencies were instrumental in coming up with campaigns that were fresh and had a hook to keep customers coming back for more. All good marketing and PR professionals agree that you can be present on Wikipedia, Facebook, Linkedin, Digg and wherever else, but if the content you are pushing is not interesting to your audience, simply being there will do nothing for you. The advantage of being online is that the “stickyness factor,” will have a viral effect.

Even trade shows are emerging online. PR practitioners must begin to navigate how best to leverage these virtual experiences for their cusomters and must elevate the level of content they can provide to make up for the lack of human interaction. Historically, setting up and preparing content for media and analyst interviews has been a primary function of public relations agencies.

Unisfair, a Silicon Valley based software company, powers virtual events for companies like IBM, Cisco, Quest and Adweek. The events include everything one would find at a live event, including a grand entrance hall, exhibitor booths, and networking forums through instant messaging. Attendees can listen to guest speakers, meet in virtual meeting rooms, and download whitepapers, podcasts and other valuable content from exhibitors. Brent Arslaner, VP of Marketing for Unisfair, says the advantage is being able to generate extremely targeted leads by being able to see who clicked on your virtual booth, downloaded your materials, listened to your speakers and chatted with your virtual sales reps. While this forum might not be an avenue that many companies are ready for, early adapters are having tremendous success drawing attendance and generating qualified leads from these events. Arslaner estimates on average that sponsors can expect to generate 10% of qualified leads from the total number of attendees.

And what about those customers who are simply not behind a computer all day long (i.e construction and even sales people in the field)? How can your company or agency reach them? Vancouver, Canada-based AirG powers mobile technology that enables mobile social networking and boasts the largest mobile community at 20 million customers globally. Most major wireless carriers have a branded version of the technology. AirG says 60% of its customers still do not have computers. The mobile equivalent has the same essential components of other social networks in that users can create profiles, join chat rooms, share photos, and blog through their mobile phone. It does not require a PDA and is accessible on most handsets. The appeal to marketers is that they can zero in with great precision on targets, based on the demographic of the wireless carrier and the profile information of the users in the network.

Companies such as West Coast Customs, creators of the famous MTV show “Pimp My Ride,” used the AirG network to run a highly successful give-away contest aimed at urban youth. The company offered Boost Mobile’s “Hookt” network a chance to win a “pimped out” or customized Dodge Charger. Allison Johnson, communications director for AirG says, “the campaign solicited 1.5 millions entries, which we considered a huge success.”
There are many low-cost tactics companies can do right away to improve their visibility to target customers and ensure they don’t get lost in the information abyss. Creativity is getting companies of all sizes out from under the places they were formerly stuck. In this infinite sea of online outlets for entertainment, communication and information, will your message get lost?

Contact Zenzi for a multi-touch marketing analysis to learn how to best position your company for success.

Increasingly, companies are searching for ways to reach specific niches online and capture customer their information. There are many low-cost tactics companies can do right away to improve their visibility and ensure regular communication with potential customers. Anyone on the first page of Google is your competition, so first identify what terms your customers are using to search for products and services like yours and which online outlets your customers visit for information.

Amy Selbach, Business Development Director for Zenzi, a San Diego based PR and marketing firm offers the following tips:

Make a list of search terms you think consumers may be using to find you online.
Use WordTracker.com and Overture.com to indicate key search terms for your business and include those search terms in your press releases and web content.

Create videos and podcasts and host them behind a registration page. I.e. if you are a tax specialist, offer a tax seminar on the SBA’s Web site or a hyperlink to your site where prospects can download in exchange for their contact information which you can pass off to sales teams.

Use customers to do your marketing for you.

Use sites like stumbleupon.com and del.icio.us.com, which allow members of the community to give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on sites submitted. The more approval votes a site receives, the more it is forwarded to other members of the community who have expressed interest in that type of content.

Establish relationships with key bloggers and Web sites that cover your subject matter. Keep pitching them but also comment on their pages with your product name incorporating key words for your service or product.

Include hotlinks to special landing pages in the first paragraph of your press releases or newsletters rather than your general URL so that you can track where leads are coming from.

No company can go through its existence without being in involved in some sort of a crisis. However, a single incident can destroy years of strong customer and shareholder relations. Competitors will also take full advantage of the situation. While it’s tough to predict when a crisis might occur, it is critical to plan for one in advance. Companies that incorporate effective crisis communications strategies into their disaster recovery plans have a greater chance of mitigating negative media and public perceptions and enhancing their long-term credibility. Tips for designing an effective crisis communication plan:

Determine in advance who needs to be involved:
The plan should include two spokespeople and two assistants to handle media issues, which will ensure at least one person is always available. The plan should enable the team to quickly and systematically increase the number of key people involved in case the crisis should escalate.

Get the facts:
Early access to the “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” and “why” of a crisis situation allows PR professionals to better respond to media queries and disseminate the most appropriate information to the public.

Provide frank, candid responses:
The media will often conclude a company is guilty if its spokespeople try to avoid certain topics or do not answer questions directly. If answering a question would compromise an ongoing investigation or infringe on privacy rights, the spokesperson should simply state so. If they don’t know the answer to a question, the spokesperson should tell the media they will provide them with more information as soon as it is available.

Determine your key messages and stick to them:
All statements to the press should incorporate your key messages. They should be crafted to portray a corporate image that is responsive and proactive.