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!

It can happen to any company, you get into a situation over your head and need to react fast to fix a problem. Most of the time, we can detect potential issues and work to nip them in the bud before they explode, but what about the issues that we can’t plan for? A crisis communication plan is an important PR strategy to diffuse negative situations by showing a proactive attempt to alleviate a problem.

Why is it Important to React Quickly and Launch Your Crisis Communication Plan?

As crisis communication expert Gerald Baron says, “If you’re not quick, you’re not relevant” and he couldn’t be more right. Time is of essence when dealing with company crisis. For example, Sea World managed to promptly address the tragic incident where one of the park’s 12,000 lb. killer whales drowned a seasoned trainer.

What Worked?

Sea World did an excellent job of implementing a quick and effective crisis communication plan by releasing a company statement of what happened (although they changed the trainer’s cause of death later). In addition to the all-important statement, Sea World hit the social media platform running and addressed the situation on their blog and via Twitter. Sea World even suspended the @Shamu Twitter handle because of its controversial voice.

You Can Run, But You Can’t Hide!

Sea World did a great job of utilizing their President, Jim Atchison to address and ensure viewers and media that Sea World would not take the situation lightly, and would be conducting further investigation into the incident.

We’ve all seen it happen, (ahem… Tiger Woods). People and companies make poor PR moves to avoid a negative situation all together. Instead of taking responsibility, they hide to avoid public scrutiny, hoping the action will eventually be forgotten. Conversely, Sea World addressed the killer whale incident head on. In the grand scheme of things, Sea World’s responsive, hands-on approach saved their brand from a lifetime of negative publicity.

5 Steps to Crisis Communication

1. Create a crisis team:  It is critical that this team consists of the most senior-level executives, public relations professionals, corporate communication and marketing departments, etc. Furthermore, a crisis is NOT the time, I repeat NOT the time to receive media training. Anyone on this team must be previously trained in dealing with the media and ready to address the hardest-hitting questions publicly.
2. Monitor potential risks: CEO’s and top executives usually have a good idea of what kinds of risks their company might encounter, whether this stems from the state of the economy, to potential government regulation or even potential threats from competitors. Although these are mostly foreseen issues, there is always the chance that lower-level employees can encounter unique problems that your crisis communication teams needs to be aware of. Keep communication channels wide open, every employee offers valuable input. Think of potential risks as an ongoing project, if you continually monitor your risks, then you will always be in a good position to handle a problem if it arises.
3. Pre-planned processes and protocol: If a crisis occurs, it’s imperative to have processes and protocol in place for quick reference. Who is your chain of command? Do you have pre-approved information and protocol set up to address the media? Crisis can happen at any time, will you be ready to address issues and answer questions on behalf of your company?
4. Keep a close eye on social media: More than ever before, social media can be a blessing and a curse. In a time of crisis, companies need to consider the fact that traditional means of communication such as a press conference is not necessarily the most effective way to extend your message. Instead of sticking to traditional mediums, companies should think outside the box and remember that people get their information from a variety of sources these days such as, blogs, discussion forums, Facebook and Twitter to name a few….plan accordingly. Careful monitoring of company Facebook and Twitter accounts is key. Social media can be your quickest medium to media and consumers to address difficult questions, correct false assumptions and in general, be a voice of reason – since you know your company best.
5. Q&A, role-play:  Companies can easily identify potential risks and monitor them, but there’s more to that. Role-playing can offer tremendous insight into how to deal with a company crisis. After identifying potential risks (see question 2), come up with dialogue to address each of those problems. If you have a good idea of what could happen, then you should be able to establish some dialogue on that issue. Think of questions the media might ask and come up with answers…you won’t be sorry you did this!

Blogs, in particular, are growing in popularity, and can be a great resource—whether, as a parent you are looking for insightful behavioral wisdom, observations on the joys of raising kids or helping your family to eat better—if not a great escape to hear from other moms and dads facing similar challenges.

But just as your needs for information vary, so too do blogs, in the ways that they provide it. The following are just a few examples of the types of blogs out there:

• Writers from major newspapers or parenting pubs that have a blog. Increasingly publications are moving a portion, if not all of their content online, as well as making online-exclusive content available.  Take the Wall Street Journal’s “The Juggle” and The New York Times’ “The Motherlode”  from KJ Dell’Antonia’s, for instance.  More and more, reporters and writers are being asked by editors to generate blogs and other fresh content on the web.
• Moms who blog for the fun of it, or to make money, and have their own sites.  These blogs are also spouting up, but don’t underestimate them, because they don’t belong to huge publishing companies. Sites like DomesticBuzz, and MommaSaid for instance, can draw thousands of loyal visitors per month.
• Bloggers for major web sites—like Babycenter’s Momformation Blog, BlogHer, or others—that have a parenting or mommy channel.  Major women’s and men’s sites like these are packed with great info that address all of the facets of being a women or man (style, beauty, dating, careers, etc., in addition to parenting)

Why is important to know the nature and type of blog that you are contacting?

Blogs are personal.  In many cases, they are the writer’s “baby” so to speak. So blanket pitching and blasting out information—if ever appropriate, which it is not—will not be appreciated in most cases.

Bloggers at BlogWorld in LA this past November said repeatedly, that they prefer a softer, get-to-know-you first, dialogue with companies and PR professionals.

As with any communications with the media, understanding the contact’s needs should come first.  And, as with any reporter, it all comes down to how they can also benefit.  What can you or your organization offer the blogger?  Some, but not all bloggers, will appreciate:

• Free content that they can use to make their jobs easier – this can simultaneously offer a great opportunity to expand your company’s reach. In some cases you may even be able to syndicate your content to bloggers or other web sites to increase exposure. In general, content pitched to bloggers should not be promotional in nature.
• Partnerships—many, though not all, bloggers are looking for advertising or sponsorship partnerships to help them to keep their sites going. Some include information about advertising and sponsorships on their web sites. For many consumer companies, advertising or sponsoring key blogs can be a great way to grow your brand.
• Getting and trying your products – Product endorsement can be a great win for brands.  Knowing how to approach bloggers to stand out, from the hundreds of products a month some receive, however, can be key in landing them.  And we can never overemphasize the importance of knowing the blogger’s coverage area to prevent sending inappropriate or unwanted samples–frozen meat lovers pizzas sent to a vegetarian parenting blog, etc.  Some bloggers may have a policy to not endorse products, period.
• Access to experts – Companies can also frequently benefit from opportunities to serve as an expert resource for the blogger, on a topic on which executives are knowledgeable.  This can be a great way to position your company as an authority and possibly also get a link or two to your site or products.

In working with bloggers, it is important to first ask, what are my goals in working with them?  And how can I also best help them to make it an appealing partnership?

You can then hone in on the potential needs and goals of a select few, targeted bloggers that might be a good fit.

For more on interacting with mommy bloggers, please email us at info@zenzi.com

While I puzzled over the appearance of Pterodactyl eggs, a clue appeared that provided a much bigger perspective on an eye-opening grassroots marketing stunt.

Get a behind the scenes look at the Cardiff Kook Dinosaur attack in this video, or read all about it in the UT article.

A few articles this month, for instance, include:

Reporter Buck Wargo writes, “California-based homebuilder saw opportunity in the Great Recession using the down economy in Las Vegas as a chance to enter the market” in his article this month, “Shea Homes aims to make mark on housing with North Las Vegas properties” in the Las Vegas Sun.

Bob Koslow’s recent article, in the Daytona Beach News Journal, “State’s ‘green’ builders arrive: Newest trends in building technology to take center,“ quotes Jeff Gersh, Florida vice president for Shea Homes on green features available in Shea’s Florida active adult communities addressing growing demand.

“Blue skies, green homes: Energy Star-qualified active-adult builder attracts environmentally conscious homeowners,” writes Nathan Spicer in the San Francisco Chronicle this past weekend, in his article recognizing Trilogy at the Vineyards for its 100% Energy Star Qualification.

And the Las Vegas Review Journal included this recent article “Couples drawn to Shea’s active-adult lifestyle.”

Look for plenty more to come from this forward-thinking builder.

Only a few days ago, Congressman Weiner reportedly emailed Lee, ‘The key is to have a short, thought out statement that tackles the top line questions and then refer people back to it. ‘Have a couple of iterations of: “This is silly. Like so many others, I follow Rep. Weiner on Twitter. I don’t know him and have never met him. He briefly followed me and sent me a dm saying thank you for the follow.” That’s it,” according to the Daily Mail.

But reporter and the American public are not so easily deceived and Congressman Weiner did not benefit from his own advice.  Last week he repeatedly pooh pooh-ed the situation, telling the American public time and again, “I was hacked;” “Photos can be manipulated,” and asserting he could not take claim of the pictures as “his own”.

His actions are being called “stupid” on many levels.  First, for doing something as inappropriate and just plain dumb as sending incriminating photos over the Internet (where data can live forever, and doing it, arguably, during government time and with government resources).  And second for lying to the American public.  Now Mr. Weiner can be viewed by many not only as a hyper sexed cheater and sender of inappropriate messages, but also a liar.

Why do so many politicians cheat when they know, or at least should, that their lives are in the public eye?  Former President Clinton, Arnold Schwartzenger, John Edwards, it’s alleged even John F. Kennedy had an affair with Marilyn Monroe.  And why do so many lie about it?

While it is true that no one wants to admit something as embarrassing as a secret or tawdry affair with one, or many, the repercussions of not coming clean can often be worse, as Congressman Weiner may be finding out as he is being asked to step down today.  Reporters don’t like to be challenged and the American public is usually pretty good at seeing through a bad situation.  Both eventually make sure that the truth comes out anyway.  It’s best to not do it in the first place.  And always tell the truth

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.

…that Japan would experience an earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, being called the worst crisis since WWII and rocking the country and world only a few months ago?

…that Charlie Sheen would seemingly go off the deep end?

…that much of Mississippi would be underwater with flooding, closing highways and being called a disaster in slow motion?

2011 has been a busy year already, illustrating the old adage, if it can happen, it will.

No one has the crystal ball to predict when a crisis will happen, or wants to think that it will… But individuals, corporations and countries can be brought to their knees in a very short time by the unexpected. And living with blinders on or ignoring the possibilities does not serve as protection.

We insure ourselves as individuals with life, health, auto, home and dental insurance, and develop living wills and trusts, and businesses insure themselves too.  But what many neglect is the importance of addressing, upfront, what could happen, and how the company should begin to quickly rectify the situation by having a team and plan in place.

At the very least, every organization should consider a few key things:

Identify your vulnerabilities. No one person or company is a superhero. What are your company’s weaknesses? This is a question that every PR person and executive should ask. It is not enough for marketing and executive level management to meet in an isolated conference room on the topic.  Instead key individuals from every division of the company—customer service, development, fulfillment, etc.—should meet regularly to discuss and lend their perspectives on what could go wrong/needs to be fixed.  This is often not an easy topic to address since no one ever wants to admit imperfection.  However, weaknesses can be identified in terms of areas for improvement in each department, and with a third party approach, similar to a SWOT session.  Are there aspects of quality control running a little light these days?  Employees feeling understaffed in customer service?  Could a recent issue in development be indicative of a larger problem?  What you may uncover, as an added bonus, are action items to make fixes in company processes and procedures, to better address these weaknesses and thwart a crisis overall!

Strive to identify 10-15 potential crises that could happen at your company. These could include everything from a belligerent employee seeking to damage the company’s reputation/give away trade secrets to Domino’s Pizza’s damaging videos of employees coughing, and doing other revolting actions to food on YouTube for all the world to see.  Topics can be general—product defects, injury to a customer resulting from devices sold by the company, etc. What are the potential fallouts of each?  How should the company respond, in general terms to each category? Which constituencies should you communicate with—customers, partners, the general public?  And don’t forget employees

Identify a core team. Again, no one can predict the future, and your potential crisis is a moving target.  Often the thing you least expect to happen—does.  But having a team of individuals identified to respond from each department and a notification process to get your team moving is the first step in quickly determining how to best respond.

Some companies are lucky to go years or even an entire lifetime without addressing a crisis situation. Others, have more than there share.  Since there is no way to know which your company will fall in to, it is critical to start thinking about how you could react swiftly to rectify the problem, address your audience consistently and move forward.

Zenzi’s longstanding client The Keep A Breast Foundation takes an innovative approach to educating teens about breast cancer, with grassroots education and awareness program including the wildly successful ‘I Heart Boobies’ campaign. Recently, a Federal court case overturning a school district’s ban against the bracelets has resulted in incredible top tier national media exposure, including the thought-provoking article below.

Baby-pink ribbons they are not. But a federal judge in Pennsylvania has ruled that “I ♥ Boobies” bracelets — worn as breast cancer awareness accessories — are not lewd, either, and overturned a ban on them at a public middle school there.  After the Easton Area school board’s vote on Wednesday night to appeal the decision, school districts around the country are watching the case, in part to learn the fate of their own prohibitions against the bracelets. But the dispute could also set a precedent for administrators’ authority to determine what is too lewd or vulgar for their schools.

The Keep a Breast Foundation has been making the bracelets since 2004, said Kimmy McAtee, a spokeswoman for the foundation, a California-based nonprofit, but interest in them has been on the rise over the past two years. Their intent is to spark conversations among girls and women ages 13 to 35, Ms. McAtee said.

Read the full article in the New York Times here.

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