StoryTeller Media & Communications | Public Relations | Marketing | Video Production
Minneapolis/St. Paul Marketing and PR agency and video production company|StoryTeller
A High Schoolers Perspective of Social Media
As a small business owner in a space somewhat appealing to the high school senior, we are frequently asked to be part of a job shadow experience. This is a great opportunity for the up and coming business- minded high school senior, to get a peek in the box of how PR and Social Media impact a brands overall marketing strategy. Upon conclusion of our shadowing time together I like to get a perspective from the soon-to-be graduate, their take on what social media means to them. Here is Alex Altman’s point of you… the blessings and the curse. Good luck Alex, and thanks for your point of view! › Continue reading
Who is Following You on Twitter?
It used to be that whenever I received a notification that someone was following me on Twitter that I would get a little excited thinking, “hey, I’m building a nice little group of followers.” However, as Twitter has grown and changed and become infiltrated by marketers and people schlepping product, I find myself asking more and more, “why does this person want to follow me?”
Social Media Promotes Good Business Practices
There is an inherit danger with social media.
From "Social Schmoozing" with Derek Showerman
Platforms and tools like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all bring with it one thing that PR pros of old didn’t have to leverage; automatic and immediate transparency. Yep, we can officially (and I think quite happily) throw that old phrase “spin doctor” out with yesterday’s trash, because in today’s world, spin often gets unspun pretty quickly in the self-policing world of social media where everybody, everywhere is a journalist.
So what does that mean for us PR pros? It means working with clients who bring integrity to the table on a daily basis. For example, at StoryTeller we have MindWare Toys. MindWare is “the nation’s best resource for toys that engage and entertain.” With a focus on creating and selling children’s toys that don’t just entertain but teach, MindWare’s mission is more than just making money …they’re also focused on making the world a better place.
Another client, Helping Paws, is a non-profit that trains service dogs to help those with physical disabilities. Yet another, the Minnesota Section PGA has a goal of growing the game of golf and will soon be offering tips and tricks to anyone who’s interested via their YouTube channel in the near future (stay tuned).
All are great organizations that simply don’t have a need for old PR tricks of deceit and slight of hand.
So beware all you organizations out there that have a lot to hide, social media is ready to make life very difficult for you. Thankfully, I get to work with a lot of clients who don’t have that concern.
Social Media Backlash? Or are we just Getting Smarter?
Remember when you first started tweeting? And how much fun it was talking with other like-minded social media users about the “power of social media?” There was this sense that a new communication technique was here to change the world for the better and that we were all so smart to be a part of it. You know, those of us who “got it” with regards to using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogs, etc?
Now we’re starting to hear a different story. It’s a story of a social media backlash where users are beginning to drop off the radar. (For more on this perceived backlash, check out this post from AgencyBabylon) So that begs the question, is this the beginning of social media’s end?
That’s hard to imagine, considering that in many ways, social media has already changed the world. From the elections in Iran to Ashton Kutcher battling CNN for followers to the first thing you do in the office every morning, the world is probably a different place thanks to the new world of communication ideology (that being a world where you talk with the people who matter to you, not at them). But let’s face it, the social media love fest is over. Everyone knows about social media, nearly everyone has a profile on at least one of the platforms, plenty of people have made mistakes, others have had success …so the novelty is over. We don’t need to spend our time evangelizing about the benefits of social media anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I still love using Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, YouTube and others …I’m just a little tired of talking about how much I love it (which I think is the backlash Mr. AgencyBabylon is referring to in his post).
So now comes social media 2.0; using the new interactive communication ideology affectively to achieve whatever it is you’re trying to achieve. Which means integrating that ideology into all your communication plans. In the past, it was enough to simply be on Twitter or to post something to YouTube …just make sure you’re out there, because “it’s better than not being out there” was the driving force behind a lot of social and interactive media plans.
We’re past that now. Now is the time to start putting specific plans in place with clear objectives and desired results. Then executing those plans to increase sales, raise awareness, build networks or what ever else it is you’ve been trying to achieve since you started trying to achieve things (long before social media came around). That, in my opinion, is far more exciting than sitting around and tweeting about how much we all love social media.
So is there a social media backlash? I don’t think so. We’re all just getting a little wiser about how to make the most out of something we love so much.
Finding Jobs in Social Media Has Its Dangers
As an employer, the ability to search social media for prospective employees is mind boggling. In the past, you would post jobs in classifieds, use head hunters, university job placement, etc. Even Craigslist seems outdated compared to what you can do today. Hit your favorite social media sites, search for the profile of the you’re interested in and go nuts.
Who’s Your Conversation Manager?
Quick, name your organization’s conversation manager.
So, who is it? How long did it take you to name that person? Do you have such a person employed with your group? Do you know what a “conversation manager” is?
If you’re a communications professional with a knack for interactive (social) media then …rejoice! My guess is there will soon be plenty of conversation manager job openings available to you in the near future, because every organization needs someone who spends a good deal of time managing the social media conversations taking place about their organization.
On Twitter, Facebook, via blogs, in videos on YouTube, message boards (and the list goes on) …there are a lot of places available for members of the public to praise and criticize your organization. The good news is, all of that information is out there, free of charge for you to peruse and respond to, which you should almost always do. The only problem is this takes time. Either you have a number of people with not enough to do or you need help. And that help is out there in the form of what some are starting to call conversationalists, individuals who:
A) Have a passion for multiple platforms of social media
Pretty simple. They use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, have a blog, etc.
B) Have a high degree of real-world communication sophistication
We’re looking for emotionally intelligent people here. If their Facebook page is plastered with derogatory language and pictures of the user shotgunning beers, you might want to look to the next applicant.
C) Understand the personality of the organization
If you’re working with a conversation manager who’s not a full-time employee of your organization (a PR firm, for example), you want to make sure that person has taken the time to understand how your organization thinks, a.k.a. what your organization’s personality is. This goes beyond what you sell or provide your members or customers …it’s more about what someone from your organization would be expected to talk about should they run into someone at a coffee shop. In other words, what matters to you personally, beyond your business goals.
So, I’ll ask again, who is your conversation manager?
Don’t Let Social Media Take Away Your Voice
As we turn the page on 2009 and look ahead to 2010 do yourself a favor-Tweet up. Meet people. Get out and shake the hand of someone you’ve met or talked to online. Look them in the eye and ask them, to their face, “how are you?”
While many of us continue to immerse ourselves in social media, we become more connected in many ways, yet in other ways we are also becoming more disconnected. Words and sentiments that you may share with someone through Twitter, message boards or walls require less human connection than the spoken word in a one on one setting. Body language, facial expressions and unique colloquialisms often speak louder than words.
So in 2010, make it a point to use social media as a way to connect with others, you may be surprised how much you can learn when you can speak in more than 140 characters.
Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency and video production company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media, video production and crisis communications.
Social Media is a Dialogue, Not a Monologue
I was reading a book the other day (PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences – check it out) that suggested that PR is moving back to it’s original purpose – as a two-way street that allows communications pros to help companies both listen to and communicate with their important audiences. Succinctly put, PR has shifted from a monologue – as it has been in recent years – to a dialogue, allowing companies to engage with their customers rather than just speaking at them.
Similarly, in a recent conversation about social media, a colleague lamented, “Everyone is just blurting information out; if it was a conversation, that would be more interesting.” A conversation – an exchange of ideas - is exactly what it should be, and if you or your brand are using social media channels simply to disseminate information, then you’re not harnessing its full potential. › Continue reading
Do the Rules of Blogging Apply to All Social Media?
Long before I had a blog of my own, I did my senior thesis on the ethics of blogging about work. Long story short, the general rule is that if you aren’t comfortable saying it in front of your boss, you probably shouldn’t be posting it on the internet.
I have several friends on Twitter — people that I’ve actually met — who I know to be intelligent, level-headed and responsible. However, they consistently take to Twitter and Facebook to paint their jobs in a less-than-stellar light; things like, “I can’t focus on work at all today,” or “Work is really boring right now.” These individuals make it clear on both their Twitter and Facebook profiles who their employers are. How is this any different than blogging disparagingly about their employer or client? › Continue reading
So You Think Social Media is a Fad, eh?
I have a good friend that is convinced social media is a fad and that it’s not going to last. She, like many others, point to the fact that Twitter can’t figure out how to monetize itself and therefore, it along with all social media will crumble on the side of the road. If you’re like her, check out our Video of the Week and you may change your mind. It’s not new, but boy is it powerful!
