Brands Are Becoming Media Companies

May 7th, 2012 | by: Jonni Hegenderfer
Jonni Hegenderfer
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Having recently returned from a meeting with my very smart IPREX partners from around the world, I’m slightly overwhelmed by my TO DO list and all of the insights we shared on the digital universe.

One of our speakers, Paul Mabry, CEO of Vintank.com, a B2B site for wineries, emphasized the force of Social Media throughout all areas of business – HR, marketing, advertising and especially customer relations. Mabry’s contention is that brands are transforming into media companies as they tell their stories through multiple communications channels.

According to Mabry, we are doing business in the “most consumer-powered time in history.” The Customer is in charge. They have all purchase information on the phone in their pocket as well as an immediate way to share their delight or disappointment with a product or a brand. As Mabry points out, “It’s the ME in Social Media.”

The numbers supporting this observation are staggering. Facebook now has 845 million registered users (that’s an increase of 45 million since the first of the year) with an average of 130 friends each. They average 40 visits each month and spend an average of 23 minutes each visit with 200 million visits made on a mobile device daily. More than 30 billion pieces of content are shared on Facebook every month.

The numbers drop off significantly after the powerhouse Facebook but they still reflect the growing power of the online community. LinkedIn, the giant for business communities, has 150 million registered users including 2 million companies.

Twitter has been coming on strong in the past year with 127 million users, 13% of the online population.  Even TV news programs encourage immediate dialogue through their Twitter hashtags.

Pinterest, the newest darling of the online sites, has 21 million unique accounts and growing, especially with crafters, cooks, DIY, fashion and media.

You Tube, the largest broadcast channel in the world, boasts 4 billion videos viewed daily, with 800 million unique users per month.  Currently 70% of views are coming from outside the U.S. – an influential network for any global company.

Beyond the force of the numbers are four over-riding concepts to guide all social media efforts going forward:

  • Photos — The new timeline on Facebook and the rise of Pinterest reflect this important trend.
  • Video — You Tube started it, but now videos are embedded on websites, blogs, Facebook, etc.
  • Mobile — Have a smart phone or tablet?  Enough said.
  • Integration — Messages must be broadcast throughout all communities.  It’s not enough to publish a website, you have to integrate at least with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to push your message out and drive your consumer in.

For more fascinating facts and pointers to maximize the online opportunities, check out the recent JSH&A presentation on “Let’s Get Social.”

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Five Sites to Watch in 2012

January 23rd, 2012 | by: Miguel Cano
Miguel Cano
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Each year, hundreds of new startups hit the web seeking attention, but few ever achieve the size of an Evernote, Dropbox, Facebook or Twitter.  Last summer, Google launched its new network, Google+, which many consider the new darling of the social web.  There are certainly growing implications of Google+ and how Google is integrating the fledgling network across all of its properties. However, there are other sites that shouldn’t be overlooked either.

The following is a shortlist of tech companies to watch in 2012:

Pinterest – By the end of 2012, in addition to tweeting, facebooking, and checking in, you will also be pinning your favorite web objects.  Pinterest is a digital pinboard for things you love.  Think of it as a more visual version of delicious.com.  Except instead of tagging, users can create a pinboard about anything.  Similar to other social networks, users can follow other people or specific pinboards of interest and repin items.  Currently, access is by invite only, but with growing popularity the site is expected to open to everyone soon.

SCVNGR – The Google venture doesn’t have the community size like a Foursquare, with about 1 to 2 million users, but the experience is more immersive and engaging because it’s structured around challenges (aka gamification).  To learn more about SCVNGR, here is a link to short video.

In addition, SCVNGR launched a variation of its network called LevelUp, which works with any phone (non-smartphones included).  What makes LevelUp unique is the ability to sync any bank account and makes it easier for merchants to run a loyalty program. Users can pay using a code displayed on their phone and collect reward points. Since launching in late 2011 in select cities, the app has signed up more than 100,000 users with over 1,000 businesses and will branch out into other major cities in 2012.

Storify – Everyday, there are millions of uploads, tweets, news stories, images, and more added to the web.  Storify makes it easy for brands to repurpose existing content and organize into a story.  Using an easy search, click and drop interface, Storify makes it easy for anyone to use Tweets, YouTube videos, Links and more.  It caught on with journalists in 2011, but brands can use this service to repurpose feedback from customers on the web.  The Washington Post embedded a Storify within this article about Occupy Wall Street a couple of months ago.

Path – Conceived as an alternative to Facebook by limiting the number of friends you can have, Path unveiled a new design in 2011 by expanding the types of content that can be shared on the network.  Limiting itself through a mobile application could hinder growth, but so much content uploaded via mobile device, this app/network could easily catch on.

Tumblr – In 2011, Tumblr’s growth exploded becoming one of the top social networks by reaching more than 40 million unique visitors in December, an increase of 142% from the previous year.  Tumblr isn’t the newest player on this list, launching in 2007, but with such incredible growth I expect more brands to explore how to integrate it with other social marketing activities. The platform is a hybrid between a blogging platform and microblogging service allowing posts to include audio and video clips, text posts, images and quotes.

Photo Credit: jscreationzs

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Why social media is a PR job

January 20th, 2012 | by: jcole
jcole
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Today, more and more consumers are turning to social media to communicate with brands. Long gone are the days when dissatisfied customers write hand-written letters of complaint – now, all they have to do is click ‘like’ on Facebook and comment on the brand’s wall to share their story.

And with 88 percent of consumers alleging they’re less likely to buy from brands that ignore complaints on social media, it’s never been more important to have the right team managing these platforms. Facebook, Twitter and even new platforms like Pinterest are essentially just new methods of communication. As such, it’s only natural that those that manage social media for brands be good communicators.

That’s where PR comes in. We liked PR Daily’s recent take on why PR should handle social media, but here’s ours:

1. We know your brand messaging.  We’ve written your press releases, key messages and we know your communication objectives. We’re already on your team – making us experts on what you would like expressed to your public. What’s more, chances are we’re already well-versed in tough Q&A, making us ready to respond to consumers effectively and quickly.

2. We know your consumer. We know your target – their interests, their media preferences, probably even their average family makeup and nationality. We’re equipped with the vital information to reach your consumer and already have practice using it.

3. We’re writers. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen spelling or punctuation errors on brand pages, whether in posts to the full community or individual responses to consumers. PR professionals are highly detail-oriented writers at the core. We know the right place to put a comma, the correct form of words like affect and effect and consider proofreading to be the golden rule in our work.

4. An integrated campaign is an effective campaign. A deep understanding of a brand’s PR and social media efforts is essential for any PR campaign – and that only comes from integrated marketing approach. Leveraging what PR is doing in social media and vice versa allows for effective communication that creates a more engaged consumer.

5. Listening to consumers helps us plan for the future. By knowing what consumers are saying about your brand and what communication engages them best, we’re better equipped to plan successful PR campaigns in the future.

What do you think? Tweet us at @JSHAPR or leave a comment on our Facebook wall.

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Pin What?

January 13th, 2012 | by: cgeorgas
cgeorgas
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Avid Facebook and Twitter users (and Google+ to some degree) have probably noticed the word Pinterest popping up nonstop in their feeds, leaving many to wonder – what is Pinterest?  The simple explanation is that Pin + Interest = Pinterest.  Okay, I’ll help explain.

Pinterest is one of the most heavily trafficked social media networks of 2011. Currently an invite only platform, the social bookmarking site allows users to “pin” different images and videos from the web to boards that they have created based on their “subjects of interest.”

For example, you can create a favorite bands board pinning photos and videos from various artists to the board for others to see. The boards are displayed on the user’s profile for their network (think Facebook “Friends” or Twitter “Followers”) to see, like or repin on their own boards. Similar to Twitter, you are able to follow others and/or their individual interest boards. Pinterest allows users to sign up through their Facebook or Twitter accounts, making it easy to connect with friends already on Pinterest.

What does this mean for brands? 

While brand pages are not available just yet, socialtimes.com recently posted a great piece on how brands can get in the game early.  Here’s what brands can do:

  1. Create Content for Sharing – Just like on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. content is king. Since Pinterest is about finding and sharing images and video, brands need to create or repurpose old / current assets (think recent ad campaigns) that provide insightful, original or branded information.  These assets should be shared on brands’ websites and other social networks to encourage sharing on Pinterest. Socialtimes.com provided a great example from Cargo who created an image of quick and easy tips on how to use its EyeLighter product to make users eyes pop.
  2. Create a Presence for Your Brand – Again, brand pages are not yet available, but that doesn’t mean your brand can’t have a profile.  The first step is to have someone on Pinterest send your brand an “invite.” This can go to the admin. email that is assigned to your brand’s Facebook and/or Twitter pages. Once created, you can alter the name and email associated with your brand’s Pinterest account, add a location and website as well as a brief description of the brand.  Your brand is now on Pinterest!
  3. Promote You Brand Page – Just like the Facebook and Twitter pluggins, your brand’s website should have Pinterest pluggins.  This will give users the option to follow your brand on Pinterest, look through the images and videos you’ve shared and share them with others in their network by “pinning it.”
  4. Be Social – Again similar to Facebook and Twitter, your brand should not just self promote on Pinterest.  Be social by sharing images and videos from other industry related users’ boards. This will help strengthen a brand’s reach long term.
  5. Draw Attention to Your Videos for Pinning – Brands should add annotations to all their YouTube videos with a call-to-action for the audience to pin videos they like. These annotations should be short, visually appealing, provide value to the community and ask users to “pin this video to Pinterest.”
  6. Cross Promote – Be sure to drive traffic from your existing brand pages on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.  This will help grow your brand’s following on Pinterest.

I suspect this is just the beginning for Pinterest.  We’ll continue to keep an eye on the new platform and how brands are successfully leveraging the network throughout 2012. Stay tuned!

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