Sharing Your Social Part 2: Getting Started With The Right Communication Strategy And Social Media Tools
I love public radio. In fact, I'm a public radio junkie. I worked for New Hampshire Public Radio as the Senior Director of Marketing and Development, and it was there that I fell in love with social media.Public radio is leading the way in social media innovation and there is much to be learned from stations across the country doing good work in this realm. Stations like Vermont Public Radio, New Hampshire Public Radio, KCRW, KEXP, WNYC, and Chicago Public Radio are experimenting with social media and finding ways to start meaningful conversations with their listeners. Community engagement at its finest.Today, we presented the second in a series of webinars on social media: Sharing Your Social Part 2: Getting Started with the Right Communication Strategy and Social Media Tools. Check out the presentation and get some great ideas from all the cool things that public radio folks are doing.
And if you missed the first presentation, you can check that out here. While you're cruising public radio social media presences, remember that it's fall fundraising pledge drive season and consider making a donation to your favorite public radio station today!
Please welcome Frujen Bridgewater (@Frujen) as our guest Media Words writer. He too is a student embracing social media, your comments are welcomed.
DreamWorks Animation is a film production studio that specializes in computer animated films. DreamWorks has developed an international presence operating out of the US, London, England, and Toronto, Canada. They have dominated the box office with films such as Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda.
So I wondered if they have implemented social media into their marketing strategy? They have a large outreach program working through schools to inspire and discover the next generation of animation superstars which dates back to 2005. I got in touch with the folks at DreamWorks to ask them more about their Social Media strategy but no one knew who was responsible for it. In many ways that's ok, proof that the many DreamWorks groups out here have grown organically.
DreamWorks is currently promoting on their homepage that they are on Twitter. They can also be found on networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and YouTube, and it seems they are creating a stronger presence all over the web. I've been able to see that they use these social networking tools for recruiting employees, promoting the business, and most obviously for promoting their products. The are using Twitter and most recently tweeted about Shrek the Musical. Twitter is also where they dropped the news, they'll increase their film quota to producing a total of 5 new movies every other year and included a link to see what's on deck.
By using social networks such as Facebook to spread the news, DreamWorks is able to push its newest productions into the minds of their fan base. Perhaps even more importantly, they enable their fans to stay connected and continue to enjoy their favorite characters and films. In Facebook alone they have fan bases that break 600,000 members just in Shrek fan clubs alone. With this kind of representation it is no wonder that films such as Kung Fu Panda are grossing approximately 632,000,000 dollars worldwide. Also while promoting the sequels of their box hits to the public, they are introducing three new movies: How to Train Your Dragon, Oobermind, and The Guardians (the title isn't set in stone).
I can't help but imagine the connection and additional loyalty that could be harnessed if DreamWorks were listening to the voices in these social streams with more focus. The additional value they could bring into the business and to their customers has tremendous potential.
Please welcome Jenn Staretorp as a guest blogger on Media Words. Jenn is one of my Social Media students at Daniel Webster College this term and this is her first blog post (ever). We welcome your comments and continued support of her social media experience.
Whole Foods Market - Fortune 100 Company #22
When one thinks of the word ‘organic’, technology is the farthest thing from one’s mind. One well-known company however, has taken their natural and organic food store from a small one-store location in Austin Texas, to a dominant web based presence: Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods Market can now be found chatting away with customers and fans on one of their two blogs (Whole Story and The CEO’s Blog) Twitter (@WholeFoods), Facebook, and sharing pictures on Flickr.
Giving Social Media a Try
Since WFM first delved into the social networking world in 2005 they have become known as one of the best social networking companies. Rated #1 on the Top 3 List: Brands Using Social Media by The Beacher Agency, and can now be found ranked at #32 (based on the number of followers) on Twitterholic.com. Although their progressive attitude towards social networking is commendable (especially since most companies are having a hard time understanding the value of social media), their record in using social media sites is not completely clean.
Failing Fast
In 2007, WFM was faced with a major social backlash from customers when it was found that CEO John Mackey misused the powers of social media when he trashed Wild Oats, a WFM competitor, onYahoo!’s stock market forum under the pen name ‘Rahodeb’. His postings had gone unnoticed until WFM began looking at acquiring the Wild Oats company, followed shortly by the Federal Trade Commission filing and administrative complaint against the merger containing the anonymous postings.
Coming Out On Top
It is safe to say that WFM learned their lesson (and were able to settle with the FTC) as they now employ a social media staff, whom probably monitor the CEO’s online posting activity now, and have become one of the top SM users. WFM now boasts a stunning 63 Twitter accounts (not including the general @WholeFoods) as well as over 84,000 fans on Facebook.
They recently challenged Ashton Kutcher (@Aplusk) to a “Tweet-Off” which, if accepted, could launch them into the social media record book with CNN. On the other hand, is there such a thing as too much social networking? Seeing as how multiple attempts to discuss WFM social media use was met with silence or a polite “Sorry but we can’t help you” one begins to wonder if they are reaching their limit.
Businesses are still wary of social media, and our clients often ask us for examples of companies that are making social media work for them. Our plan is to profile the social media strategies of Fortune 100 companies to give you the scoop on what they're doing internally and externally, and what the results have been. One that stood out to us was Ford: Their Ford Fiesta Movement makes use of the creative and communal nature of social media to create a buzz about their new subcompact car.
In 1976, Ford began manufacturing the subcompact Ford Fiesta in Germany. Sure, it went over well in Europe -- they sold more than 10 million autos there -- but would it fly in a country filled with the precursors to SUVs and Hummers?
When gas hit $4 per gallon, the answer became "yes." Ford, which plans to bring the car stateside in early 2010, set aside 100 test cars for the U.S. market and held a blue-sky meeting to decide on the best way to use the Fiestas. Hoping to attract a younger crowd, Ford decided on a social media campaign and held a contest to find 100 people to test drive the Fiesta for six months and to create a record of their travels on social media platforms like YouTube and Flickr as well as the Ford Fiesta Movement website.
Four Thousand Applications
To be chosen, hopefuls had to fill out an application demonstrating that they had a strong presence on social media and knew how to use it to generate buzz. Applicants were asked to create YouTube videos describing why they deserved to win and to solicit votes from their social media followers.
The result? More than 4,000 applications and 640,000 views by the contest deadline. Hopeful "agents" put their all into their applications; take this video by "MysteryGuitarMan" which, as of June 1, has had more than 133,000 views and 1,300 comments, and was "favorited" 810 times.
Five Million Impressions
"The movement works on two different fronts," says Sam de la Garza, Ford's small car marketing manager. "First, people are developing some fun and innovative content. Second, we need to learn more about how people are driving this car. Ford hasn't had a subcompact for 15 years, so we need to understand the customer again."
One month into the Ford Fiesta Movement, they've logged close to five million impressions on the various social media, there are around 300 videos uploaded to YouTube, and one agent has already driven 11,700 miles. Agents are sharing their experiences with the Ford Fiesta in creative ways; for example, agent Brad Nelson twittered, "Look even a knocked up woman can fit in the hatchback of the Fiesta!" Attached to that was a photo of a pregnant woman happily curled up in the hatchback of the car.
It's too early to tell what the ROI for Ford's social media campaign will be. "We'll have to wait until we get final awareness numbers and summer sales numbers," de la Garza explains. "But we're really encouraged for the first month." One thing that's for sure is that the campaign has generated buzz -- and it's an authentic buzz, as Ford does not control what their agents write on their social media accounts such as Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and blogs.
Lightning-Quick Internal Communication
While Ford doesn't use officially social media internally, de la Garza finds it useful for getting snapshots of what's going on in the business. "I've been able to communicate with some employees via Twitter faster than via any other means," he says. "For example, I first learned that our website went down through a tweet -- even before our digital people knew it. So I sent a tweet to our digital person, who handled it over the weekend." In another example, de la Garza tweeted that he was about to go into a metrics meeting, and an employee from another division read his tweet and sent him some recommendations. "Employees monitor what's going on on Twitter to stay involved in what the conversation is," de la Garza says.
Watch This Space
While it's not yet clear what the ROI for the Ford Fiesta Movement has been, we'll be checking in to update the status; keep an eye out on this blog to find out how the social media campaign is affecting Ford's awareness measurements and Fiesta test drives and sales. Follow Linda on Twitter Read Linda's blogs, The Renegade Writer, creative paw, or learn to write like her, by signing up for instruction at Write for Magazines.
So, it's been about two months since I left my job at New Hampshire Public Radio as the Senior Director of Marketing and Development to join Aleuromedia and immerse myself in social media and online marketing. I'm absolutely loving working for myself, and having a blast meeting and talking with nonprofit professionals and business leaders looking to put social networking to use at their organizations. So much fun and so much more to learn!
I've been thinking a lot about the things I want to explore with you in this blog... And when it comes right down to it, I want to discuss everything I'm learning as I become more and more obsessed with and excited about interactive media and the evolving online Universe.
Yes, obsessed and excited are strong words - but hey - I'm a superlative sort of person. I really do feel like an adventurer... learning and discovering new things each and every day. The really cool part is I see so many ways in which nonprofits can use the things I'm learning about to thrive, both online and off.
Think of my space within this blog as a travelogue through the social universe, exploring successful online communities and why they work, finding the best nonprofit social and online straetgies and tools, discussing how you can delve into this world efficiently, and have fun doing it at the same time.
What questions do you have? What worries you? What excites you? What confuses you? Let me know and if I don't have answers - you can bet I'll find them for you! I'm having the time of my life connecting nonprofits with the social universe... lucky me!
You can contact me here, on Twitter, through Facebook, through LinkedIn, or email me at tara@aleurosolutions.com.
I'd love to hear from you any time!
Off to distant online lands... Tara Mahady ********* TMahady
I was talking with a friend (we’ll call her Mary) recently and she really worried about what she perceived to be another friend’s (let’s say...Julie) faux pas on Facebook. Julie is a writer, and she posted a fairly revealing and intimate ‘break up’ post. Mary was worried that this would damage Julie’s reputation in some way and advised her not to continue to publish this sort of material.
I had a very different reaction.
“What does Julie write about?” I asked Mary.
“Oh, she writes all about relationships. Intensely,” she responded.
“So - what she wrote on Facebook was very much in line with who she is and what she writes?” I prompted.
“Yes.”
“So why shouldn’t she extend who she is online?” I asked. “I think it reinforces her brand.”
The idea of a personal brand has gone mainstream recently, but it dates back to 1997, and started to gain legs around 2005 with the inception of LinkedIn. But, 2007 is when we started to see articles about it in Fast Company and hear from ‘personal brand’ gurus like Chris Brogan. Now, people talking about online identity management are everywhere. There’s even a site - PersonalBrandingBlog.com.
The basic premise is this... personal branding is essentially all the ways you create a web presence for yourself online that distinguishes you from the maddening and ever growing crowd. This can be done intentionally or unintentionally. It can also be done by omission. If you aren’t participating online in this day and age, that also sends a very distinct message.
Online - you are what you publish. Your ‘brand’ is created by all the content you put out there... pictures, comments, links, etc. (Go to www.pipl.com and search on your name... see what comes up. This aggregated content gives you a snapshot of your ‘brand’). Your online personality evolves over time through the interactions you have with people via social networks, your avatar (the picture or animation you use in your profiles), the information you share, the groups you join, the causes you support, the people you follow and who follow you and anything else you send out into the online universe.
Your online brand should be worth something. The stronger and more dynamic it is - the more it’s worth. Marketers are used to thinking about brand equity - but there is such a thing as personal brand equity as well. If you fully embody your own personal brand, if you are someone online that others respect and follow, if your voice is heard in certain niches, or with certain groups of people, that has value to potential employers. Your successful online brand will elevate their brand (it could also kill it - so do keep that in mind). A strong personal brand can also position you very well to be your own boss. The idea of the valuable rolodex that a person brings to a for-profit or nonprofit business has expanded exponentially.
Your personality and your ‘brand’ are really the same thing, or at least I think they should be. Currently, our culture embraces openness, transparency, and authenticity. The people who have the strongest online personalities are those with acute self-awareness and the ability to just ‘be who they are.’ They love to share information, don’t hold back with their opinions about things, and are often passionate about it. Belief in your own voice is critical to personal branding success. So when you’re wondering if you should ‘share’ something be self-aware. Would you share it in a room full of casual acquaintances. Who are the people in your network? How much would you share with them if you were all at a big dinner table? Then, once you’ve figured that out, just be you.
My heads spinning a little, the new Facebook feed has lent to some fantastic thoughts about the potential consequence of accidental eavesdropping. Yesterday a wall-to-wall conversation between two friends was brought to my attention in the Facebook stream. Something I would have previously not seen or thought about was now front and center in the middle of my screen.
Their conversation was about trading stock and who bought what, when, and other ideas about what to buy and why. It occurred to me at that moment 'what if they or other people were talking about things that I shouldn't know about?' (Enter images of Martha Stewart) I mean ImClone founder Sam Waksal, was arrested for informing friends and family to sell their stock, and attempting to sell his own. How many conversations on Facebook might equate to a similar to situation? What if I never meant to see it, but someone shared something they shouldn't have and now I know? Could I be trouble?
So I settle down and think that people "in-the-know" of that kind of insider information would surely be savvy enough to not post it on a social network and likely wouldn't even use email.
But then...I started to think about the speed at which information travels in these new platforms, specifically Facebook and Twitter. And about what kind of an effect that rapid information disbursement could have on the stock exchange. I mean who's to say some group couldn't just agree to buy company "X" stock one day - all within minutes of each other get the word out to buy,...and then sell six hours later after the price has jumped due to the high influx of interest. I imaged Bud Fox Tweeting "Blue Horse Shoe Loves Anacot Steel." and everyone in the Twitterspehere buying. At very least we have the makings of a great new version of Wall Street.
I'm an eavesdropper. I listen in on conversations everywhere I go, often to the chagrin of whoever I happen to be out with (and probably those whose privacy I'm invading). I can't help it, I'm fascinated to hear little snippets of other people's lives.
Morning conversation overheard in a coffee shop: "My daughter is going to a basketball game tonight. Of course, I only know that because I read it on her status update."
Overheard conversation #2 at lunch: "Did you see on Linda's status update that she and the kids went to the Children's Museum? Sounds like Sasha had a meltdown, poor thing."
Final overheard conversation at a bookstore cafe: "I can't believe that Mike and Allison are going out! I found out on her Facebook status. I'm so happy for her!"
These days, I eavesdrop on these sorts of conversations, in which people's and daily activities are being widely reported and then commented upon - all thanks to networks like Facebook.
Then, just today, I went to my partner's new office and ran into her boss. She's a 'newbie' to the social networking world and a friend of mine on Facebook. She gave me a hug and the first words out of her mouth were "I feel like I know what's happening with you all the time now because of Facebook! I love it!"
Yesterday on my way to the other side of the state for a meeting, I called a colleague about a conference in which I'm participating. 'Hi Tara,' she greets me. 'On your way to Portsmouth are you?' She'd read my status update on Facebook.
The fastest growing demographic on Facebook is women 50+. And you know something has gone mainstream when Oprah has three questions about it on her Hot Topics page...
I love Facebook because it's even better than eavesdropping on people's conversations. You get to be part of peoples' lives and know what's happening with them from the mundane, to the bizarre, to the dramatic. And you can insert yourself into the conversation unlike when you're eavesdropping!
Over 175,000,000 people actively use Facebook now, and it's growing to the tune of 7,000 users per day. The company is making accommodations for celebrities and companies so they can act more like 'individuals' on Facebook rather than as static sites without the ability to interact in the same ways. Oprah Winfrey will be one of the first on board, as will be Britney Spears.
"Facebook is such a cool and easy way for me to connect with my fans while I'm on the road," said Britney Spears according to Facebook's press release. "I love that I can update my status, blog and post videos and photos all in one place."
As the Facebook frenzy reaches a feverish pitch, organizations are realizing that for many of them, this is where their audience is spending their time. (This and many other social networks, like Flickr, MySpace, LinkedIn, to name a few.) And, as the old marketing adage goes - you need to meet your audience where they are.
Organizations slapping up Facebook pages, signing up for LinkedIn, or beginning to blog. And they are literally slapping them up with no real strategy in mind, or understanding of how to leverage the evolving communities and their connections. Many are attempting to apply old school marketing practices in this new environment - and it just doesn't work.
If you're going to implement a Facebook page, you need to have a strategy for how to stay connected and remain relevant with your audience. People's attention spans aren't long... so, keeping people curious and engaged is key. (As in shorter blog posts for one thing!) As with anything - knowing what, when, why, and how you are going to proceed is the only way you'll succeed.
You can begin by paying attention to the way people interact through social networks. Sign up for Facebook if you haven't already. Check out Twitter, and Flickr, and LinkedIn. And don't immediately think about what YOU want to get out of it... just be part of it for a little while (existentially FB?). Spend some time eavesdropping before inserting yourself into the conversation... as happens when you are face to face, inserting yourself in the wrong way, at the wrong time, and with the wrong tone can turn people off for good.
We the people of the United States of Facebook... What’s Your Moral Obligation?
The hullabaloo over the recent change in Facebook’s Terms of Service (which today they returned to their previous TOS until they can come up with something better), has been fascinating and all - but something else has captured my imagination.
Just within the last twenty-four hours there’s been a shift in language around this online community that's expanding exponentially as I type. Twice there’s been reference made to the number of Facebook users - now over 175 million. That’s not news to most of us - but what is different is that the language has expanded from referencing an online community - to comparing Facebook to a country. A country people. The first reference was made yesterday in an article by Jessi Hempel for CNN Money.
The second was made by Mark Zuckerberg, the creator and CEO, of FB himself. On the Facebook blog page yesterday, Zuckerberg referenced the size of Facebook and the fact that if it were a country it would be the sixth most populated in the world. He upped the ante even more by claiming that the TOS needed to be something more: “Our terms aren't just a document that protect our rights; it's the governing document for how the service is used by everyone across the world. Given its importance, we need to make sure the terms reflect the principles and values of the people using the service.”
In the true spirit of the new world order in which crowdsourcing is king, Facebook posted a Facebook Bill of Rights (Now catch this - when I just did a Google Search on Bill of Rights the Facebook page rises organically to the top - the US Bill of Rights on Wikipedia is second in line.) and requested feedback and suggestions about how the document should evolve.
The scene is now set for my overactive imagination. I’ll play Angel with my runaway mind today - and Devil in a post tomorrow. The question - what is our obligation as citizens of Facebook?
175,000,000 users - and growing by leaps and bounds - that’s a lot of power folks. So, what are we going to do with it?
If we start thinking of this online international (70% of users are not in the U.S.) community as an online country with governing documents as sweeping as a Bill of Rights - what could that mean for the world? Why not write a full-on Facebook Constitution? (Of course, we have to keep in mind the countries and peoples who have the capacity to participate in this creation. Most 3rd world countries would be left out.)
So - just go with me here a minute... Imagine that Facebook becomes a young country of heavily engaged and participatory citizens who demand - as they are wont to do now - that they help define the founding documents and principles of the nation. Millions have an intimate role in crafting a Constitution in the Facebook fashion of communication. Millions decide what information can be shared and who owns what. Millions begin to define the culture of a country that exists in the online environment - and those millions decide how that culture permeates the offline world. These millions decide what rights are granted to certain groups of people. A multi-national perspective on these issues would result in one interesting Constitution... Could it be an opportunity to craft something even better than the U.S. Constitution? How would it influence the offline world and our daily lives?
So here it is: Is there a way to use Facebook beyond a social networking tool? As it evolves into a larger and larger international community, a country even, are there ways for civic-minded people who care about human rights to take control of the Facebook ‘government’ and influence the world for the better? We know Facebook is connecting millions of people with one another every day... so again I ask - what are we going to do with that power?
My Dad, a judge and constitutional scholar, used to say to me “Tara, you’re privileged and you’re smart. Because of that, you have a moral obligation to give back to society what society cannot give to itself.” (I understand the subtle arrogance in this statement, but the intention is good - believe me.)
What is our moral obligation when it comes to participating in a community of this magnitude? To keep up our 25 Random Things lists? To share silly albeit fun photos and watch all of our friends’ kids grow up? Can’t we find deeper inspiration? How can we put Facebook to use for a greater purpose?
If you had a hand in crafting a Constitution for such an enormously powerful population how would it read, and what rights would you grant your fellow citizens?
We the people of the United States of Facebook...
Tomorrow I’ll tackle what moral obligations Facebook as a company and Mark Zuckerberg as it’s leader might have? Would love your thoughts...
This is personal. My younger cousin Sonya has four young children and she has late stage breast cancer.
I grew up hanging out at her childhood home on the lake in Maine during summer vacations. Down stairs you'd find us drinking Tab and singing to Kool & The Gang - (Joanna), Dexys Midnight Runners (Come on Eileen) and of course we did our share of Blondie and Rick Springfield among many others. We both were sogoing to famous one day. :o)
Sonya and I have another thing in common, both our moms have survived breast cancer. My Aunt Rita got to set the example by going first. Rita is about as strong as any woman I've ever known; she made her way through the challenge with little complaint and lots of humor. My Mom was diagnosed several years after her sister and followed the example well. Mom and Auntie have been cancer free for years now, so when I learned that Sonya was diagnosed I wasn't completely surprised. Cancer is not a stranger to us.
Sonya was diagnosed while her last child was still in diapers. She has been fighting breast cancer for the past few years now and she's just not catching any breaks. If motherhood wasn't hard enough, she's got to pack in as much mothering as she can into every moment because she has to. I'm a mom too, and I know she worries.
The local paper and TV news have run a story about her this past Mother's Day, some folks have come together to help her family get a home. Please take a moment to meet her and to hear her story. Then contribute to my fundraiser for Sonya - I have set a goal of $400,000.00 that I hope to attain in four rounds of fundraising. Ultimately that's 100K for each of her four kids - so that she and her husband wont have to worry about their education amongst all the other financial burdens they are facing. I want to/need to do this soon, so my goal date for the first round ($100K) is my birthday. For my birthday this year I want to fund four $25k scholarships and provide a little peace of mind, I hope that you will help.
Meet Sonya The last quarter of the video on this link has an interview with Sonya.
Kenny ran into this great article on the Non-Profit Times about screencasting. The author Beth Kantor did a great job of going "101" on the topic. It was very cool timing because I've been working with some non-profits and non-profit solution providers to give them insight about New Media and Social Networking. Helping these organization understand what social technologies can mean to fundraising, event, and constituent management, for example using Facebook to work a community based event, or using Inner Circle to connect and stay abreast of what your donors are doing.
Do you use Facebook? I found this great little, very useful, app called "Inner Circle". It lets you group your friends into - groups. The simple ideas are usually the best. Check it out.
And if you missed the first presentation, you can check that out here.
