Posted, Thursday, July 22, 2010
Slips of the tongue can be dangerous
We all know that in today’s electronic world what you say and do can easily end up on the internet for the entire world to see. Simply walking down the street and slipping on the ice can end up as an adventure in the YouTube universe. So it makes one wonder about individuals who utter strange things, knowing full well that they’re being taped for posterity.
We have two such examples of recent slip-ups. The first comes to us from the Colorado political spectrum where Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Ken Buck made an off-color remark about his female counterpart Jane Norton. Here is an excerpt from the article that ran in Thursday’s Denver Post:
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Buck was unapologetic Wednesday after a video circulated in which he is seen telling a crowd that voters should pick him over Jane Norton “because I don’t wear high heels.”Buck said the comments he made to a Saturday gathering sponsored by the Independence Institute were meant to be light.”I didn’t want to go into political issues,” he said. “I had 30 seconds with the mike.”In an e-mail, Norton spokeswoman Cinamon Watson said: “Ken Buck made a stupid statement.”
Our second entry comes from football coach Nick Saban, notorious for giving ill-advised quotes. This time he targeted his frustration at football agents, calling them pimps. Here is an excerpt from his press conference from the MSNBC site:
HOOVER, Ala. – Nick Saban didn’t pull punches Wednesday when discussing the improper contact with athletes by unscrupulous agents, comparing their behavior to that of a “pimp.”The Alabama coach was upset about the rash of recent agent-related incidents that have resulted in NCAA investigations at several Southeastern Conference schools.
In both situations, the individual was speaking his mind. The problem is, when dealing with a public that has access to everything and anything a public figure says, what you say is scrutinized more than ever before.
The first example was an attempt at humor. If you’re a small business or non-profit humor can be tricky. What is funny to you, might just be offensive to a large portion of the public. This is particularly true when you’re in public and making a joke. It might seem harmless to you, but to others it can be truly offensive. This doesn’t mean you should avoid humor at all costs, humor can be a very effective tool in your social media efforts, but you have to be careful. Think carefully about what you’re going to say before you say it. In today’s PC world, almost anything can be taken the wrong way, so it’s better to try to mitigate any damage beforehand by simply thinking twice about the words you use.
When it comes to Saban’s quote, he was clearly upset at the recent rash of agents messing with college football players. He has a right to use his analogy, but, not surprisingly some took it the wrong way, feeling he demeaned women who are forced into prositution by comparing them to men who play football. Others took it as racially insensitive. To be sure, Saban isn’t losing any sleep over this, but then again, he’s a championship coach. A small business owne or non-profit can’t really afford to make this kind of mistake lest it cost them money and customers.
You have a right to say what you want to say, just be aware that there are consequences to words, especially with the myriad of cellphones that shoot video and recording devices all around us. Both of these are fairly minor flare-ups in terms of controversial statements. And yet they both received plenty of coverage in print, on radio and on television. It just doesn’t take much to anger people these days. And while you should understand that no matter what you say will likely upset someone, regardless of the conent, context or timing, erring on the side of discretion is generally just good business. You shouldnt’ be afraid to speak your mind, but in the end, remember what your mother taught you, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,” because you never know who might be listening, or where you comments will end up.
Posted, Thursday, July 8, 2010
52 Fun Facts About Social Media!
We all love lists. There’s a reason why David Letterman has been doing a top ten segment for 20 years or so. We all have a top ten list of “Desert Island songs” and “date movies” and “people you’d have dinner with”. We also like facts, particularly fun facts. Things that are interesting and fun to know, but NOT knowing them won’t cost you a free appetizer at some trivia night somewhere.
So with that in mind, Growing Communications, with thanks to Ragan’s PR Daily, presents the best of both worlds. Some of the facts presented are simply just of the “Gee whiz” variety. Others, however can prove to be very useful as you create and implement your social media plan. Take a few moments to look at just a few of the facts gleaned recently by PR Daily:
“2. More than 25 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) is shared each month.”
“9. People spend over 500 billion minutes per month on Facebook.”
“11. Twitter’s web platform only accounts for a quarter of its users – 75% use third-party apps.”
“12. Twitter gets more than 300,000 new users every day.”
“21. LinkedIn is the oldest of the four sites in this post, having been created on May 5 2003.”
“26. 80% of companies use LinkedIn as a recruitment tool.”
YouTube
“34. Every minute, 24 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube.”
“40. YouTube uses the same amount of bandwidth as the entire Internet used in 2000.”
Blogging
“43. 60% of bloggers are between the ages 18-44.”
“44. One in five bloggers update their blogs daily.”
If you want to see the entire list, go to the Danny Brown social media website by clicking here. While these are, indeed, interesting and fun facts, they’re also fascinating because they show exactly how big the social media network is, and how fast it’s growing.
As a small business or non-profit, you can approach these numbers one of two ways. On one hand, you can get overwhelmed by numbers, by the sheer volume and expansive growth of social media. It’s easy to do. One can feel lost in a sea of platforms, Facebook posts, Tweets and blog entries.
On the other hand, you can look at the numbers as evidence of opportunity. Clearly, there are millions upon millions of users online who are browsing websites, reading blogs, posting their thoughts on Facebook, Tweeting articles and links, uploading video and pics on YouTube and Flickr, and recruiting potential employees on LinkedIn. This is an enormous segment of the population you can be reaching through your social media efforts.
And yet, the question still remains for some, “why get involved in social media?” When really, the question should be, “How can I use social media to grow my organization?” Even if you are a little intimidated by the mass of social media, just remind yourself that you don’t have to become immersed right away. Start off small with a simple Facebook page and a Twitter account. Then, as you grow and feel more confident, add a blog, begin posting videos, try your hand at a podcast.
In the end, your business will reap the benefits of the numbers. Your reach, your profile and your bottom line will grow in a way you couldn’t achieve with just traditional marketing strategies and you’ll do it at a fraction of the cost you would normally pay for the same kind of exposure.
So enjoy the numbers, but remember, it’s never too late to become one of those statistics and help your organization thrive.
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Posted Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Where The Women Are:
Demographics. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of marketing, PR and social media when it comes to figuring out a strategy, putting together a plan and creating a message. Small businesses and non-profits depend on demographics as much, maybe more than TV stations, radio stations and print outlets. So any new information that comes out about the spending habits, online habits, viewing, listening or reading habits of potential customers is greeted with open arms.
So sit back, get ready to embrace the latest demographic information on one of the most powerful spending groups in America today; the 18-34 year old woman. A recent survey conducted by Oxygen Media has shed some light on how these women are using the power of social media as compared to their male counterparts. Click here to read the entire article. Here is an excerpt from the study.
OMG! I’m Addicted!
Today’s tech savvy woman 18-34 has a fixed dependence to social media networks. An overwhelming majority (57%) admit to talking to people online more than face-to-face, while 34% say checking Facebook is the first thing they do when waking up in the morning – that includes brushing one’s teeth or using the bathroom. Even more surprising is the 26% who get up in the middle of the night to read text messages and the 21% who confessed to checking Facebook during the night.More than one third (39%) are self proclaimed Facebook addicts; 37% have fallen asleep with their PDA in their hands; 84% believe its okay to update your status more than once a day; and 78% think it’s okay to check someone else’s Facebook profile more than once a day; 19% say they have gotten into fights with loved ones about how much time they spend with their PDAs/cell phones and 31% feel more confident about their online persona than in their real lives.
• 34% women 18-34 say checking Facebook is the first thing they do when waking up in the morning
• 26% women 18-34 get up in the middle of the night to read text messages
• 37% women 18-34 have fallen asleep with their PDA in their hands
Clearly, women are using social media, this isn’t such a surprise. But the study does show that this particular group of women are using social media at a much larger rate and for a variety of different reasons than males who fall into the same age group.
This matters to all businesses, particularly small businesses and non-profits who increasingly depend on this demographic to raise their bottom line. The study provides more ammunition to those who believe that social media can help an organization reach out to exactly those kinds of individuals that will help them grow and thrive in a difficult economy. These women are online, and they are online a lot. This means you have a chance to reach out to them on your different social media platforms.
If you haven’t started reaching out to this important and powerful demographic, get started. Begin posting messages that appeals to this demographic and you should start to see your business or non-profit grow by leaps and bounds.
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Posted on Thursday, July 1, 2010
Stupid Twitter Tricks (and other social media gaffes)
Small businesses and non-profits are always living on the edge. In a poor economy, they try to do whatever they can to attract potential customers, keep the ones they already have and raise their profile. But sometimes that desire to grow can have some, umm, unfortunate results. A quick look at some historic Twitter missteps says all you need to know how a simple posting online can have disasterous results.
These ill-advised Tweets were featured on the erelease website and illustrates how little it takes to find yourself in a PR mess. Click this link to read the entire article.
- Courtney Love gets sued – Back in March 2009, an Austin, Texas fashion designer announced she was suing Courtney Love for slanderous Tweets Love made about her. The libel claim said that Love exhibited an intense level of animosity that was unreasonable and unacceptable. There was also plenty of vulgarity and name-calling from Love.
What can you learn from this? The lesson here is that there are legal implications to what you say on Twitter, your blog, or elsewhere online. If you’re using Twitter to promote your brand, everyone in your company needs to be made fully aware of this fact, and they need to be trained on the best practices for using Twitter professionally.
- Larry Johnson’s offensive Tweets get him fired – Athletes and Twitter don’t seem to mix well. The most recent Twitter controversy involving an athlete centered on former Chiefs running back Larry Johnson. The trouble began when Johnson criticized his coaches on his Twitter page. Then, a Chiefs fan Tweeted some negative to the running back, and Johnson’s response landed him in an even bigger world of trouble. Johnson hurled a gay slur at the fan, which led to a suspension and eventually his firing from the Chiefs.
What can you learn from this? There are many things you can learn from the Larry Johnson incident, but the most important takeaway is that offensive language can cause serious damage to your and your company’s reputation. Remember, people from all different backgrounds and with different beliefs are following you, so you need to maintain a healthy balance between being personable and remaining professional. The last thing you need is someone picketing your company because an employee Tweeted an offensive slur.
- Alice Hoffman burns bridges – After receiving a negative review of her book in the Boston Globe, author Alice Hoffman had a Twitter meltdown. She blasted the reviewer by calling her a moron and an idiot. The tirade spanned over a few Tweets, and it made Hoffman look like a self-absorbed, whiny celebrity who couldn’t handle criticism (and the review wasn’t even that negative).
What can you learn from this? In the new world of social media, people are going to say things you don’t like. Handling criticism and negative comments properly is a must. Don’t get overly defensive, and never resort to name-calling. If you do respond, make sure you’re professional and respectful.
While these are just Twitter examples, you can just as easily make the same mistake on Facebook, LinkedIn, a blog entry, anything that you post online. One of the biggest issues I run into with clients is their desire to make political comments on their business platforms. This is a big mistake if your overall objective is to reach out to as many customers as possible.
You can certainly have your opinions on things, it’s your right, but be aware that every time you post something people are reading it. You don’t like the President, fine, but by constantly hammering the President or his policies, you risk alienating a good portion of your potential customer base.
And it’s not just politics. I had a client who absolutely hated the clamor over big Hollywood blockbusters like Avatar and the Twilight movies. He made a few comments that he felt were pretty tame. He was shocked at the backlash he received online and on his Facebook page. Something similar happened to another client who loves his Mac and made some disapraging remarks regarding PC’s and Microsoft. In both situations, I had to walk both clients through some minor damage control. While they were able to smooth over the hurt feelings in most instances, the second client did lose a major customer who said he could “never do business with a man who belongs to the ‘cult of Apple'”.
It doesn’t take much to offend people these days and chances are no matter what you post will offend someone. But it’s alwys wise to take an extra moment to consider the words you are using and the tone of your post before hitting “send”. One final thought, sarcasm doesn’t really play well in text form. It’s better to just avoid it at all times.
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Posted on: Monday, June 28, 2010
The Power of Twitter!
A conversation over the weekend frustrated me so much I felt I had to post here to clarify a few things about social media and Twitter. It seems there is STILL some confusion among some small businesses and non-profits regarding the true value of social media, including Facebook and Twitter.
Simply put, social media is the best tool available for small businesses and non-profits to get their message out to the masses, raise their profile and brand their identity. What makes it so appealing is the low-cost, huge reach factor involved with social media.
Twitter as a powerful PR Tool
A quick look at Twitter alone proves the value of the platform. A recent article on Smedio.com makes a great argument that Twitter has changed the way PR does business. I can argue that it has also changed the way news organizations do business. In Denver, as well as in cities across the country, newsrooms are using Twitter to not only gather information, but get direct feedback from veiwers and also solicit for interviews.
A smart small business owner or non-profit staffer will constantly be linked to their local news outlets via Twitter and be constantly monitoring the tweets coming out of those media outlets. It’s a great way to be ahead of the news curve and get in on a story before it airs and thus increase your chances of being featured in a local news story. Smart PR pro’s are doing this already and it’s something easy that every small business owner or no-profit an do as well.
Remember, social media isn’t just about posting your latest special or telling people about yourself. It’s also about listening to others, being on top of the latest information and breaking news and finding opportunities. If you dont’ use Twitter for no other reason than to stay in touch with your local media outlets, you’re still using it as a powerful tool in your PR efforts.
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Posted on: Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Women Wield Their Social Media Power!
Apparently, a lot of women aren’t as fond of looking at skinny little models as men are. According to an article on Mashable, LOFT, a subsidiary of Ann Taylor Inc. got in a little hot water recently when they posted pictures of models wearing their new silk cargo pants. Here are the pants being worn by the models originally posted by LOFT:
After posting the fashion photos, LOFT received thousands of emails and tweets requesting to see the pants on “average” women. The outcry online was such that it couldn’t be ignored. The next day, LOFT posted these photos of the same pants being worn by some of the office staff:
This incident proves once again how powerful social media can be. Also, kudos are in order for LOFT for being sensitive to concerns of their customers and responding immediately to the requests. Small businesses and non-profits take note: Social Media isn’t just for increasing sales, it’s also for listening and responding and being interactive to help build brand loyalty and satisfy customer needs.
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Paint Plus Social Media Equals Success!
Who says small businesses can’t leverage social media to build brand loyalty, expand their customer base and grow successfully? Here’s how one Boston-based paint manufacturer used Faceboo, Twitter and blogs to expand their reach and get the message out about their unique dry-erase board paint product.
This is a prime example of a small, locally based business using the power of social media to connect with potential customers and get the word out nationally about their product. To see how four other small businesses are using social media to grow their customer base and brand awareness go to the Mashable site.
Analysis: The one thing all small businesses and non-profits that have found success using social media have in common is that they understand how all of their platforms work together. They don’t focus only on one single platform like Facebook or Twitter. They integrate their efforts across several platforms, including search engine sites such as Digg, Reddit, Stumbleupon, Yoono, blogs and video. Remember the more active you are on your social media platforms, the more interactive you get, the better reach you have. This is the blueprint to using social media to attract customers.
Growing Communications 