Four Key Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2012

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Elisabeth

Now that 2012 is in full swing, articles are springing up all over the Internet with predictions for the future of social media as a business marketing tool in 2012 and beyond.

At DJA, we’ve seen a giant leap forward over the past year in client awareness of the usefulness and importance of social media for business-to-business marketing. A year ago, few of our clients thought social media was a marketing tool worth paying for. Many of them did not have social media accounts, or, if they did, they thought simply adding social media links on their websites and occasionally updating their Facebook page or sending out a tweet was enough.

One year later, not only do almost all of our clients have social media accounts, many of them have realized that social media is becoming a key marketing tool for reaching out to their customers and have asked us to integrate social media into their overall PR program.

Which brings me to the point of this blog post—social media is fast becoming an important element of business marketing strategy that demands dedicated, knowledgeable and professional resources to properly implement. In 2012 there are four key trends that appear to be developing for social media as a marketing tool.

The competition for social media mindshare will become even more competitive in 2012 than it was this past year. Angela Hausman points out in her article, Social Media Marketing: 5 Predictions for 2012 that businesses entering the social media marketing scene now will not enjoy the same instant success as early innovators and adopters. Last year’s best practices are old news—in order to compete in an increasingly crowded space, companies will need to invent new tactics and leverage changing social network platforms. The pundits warn that companies who do not get on the social media bandwagon this year are going to be left far behind the competition.

Social media marketing is also becoming more scientific. Sporadic communication will no longer build followings. Companies need trained experts in social media marketing and technology to drive consistency and relevance, essential elements for a successful social media marketing program. In addition, analytics are becoming increasingly important—companies don’t like to spend money on programs that don’t show measureable ROI. Social media is difficult to measure, but PR professionals and other social media marketing experts know the best ways to extract and analyze meaningful statistics on customer engagement through social media.

Integration is becoming extremely important. Social media is not a standalone tactic—it needs to be integrated into all aspects of a marketing program. For instance, a press release should be sent out over the wire and emailed to media contacts, but it should also be tweeted, posted on Facebook and LinkedIn, shared and blogged about. PR and marketing activities should support social media and vice versa.

Finally, social media engagement has changed the traditional lines between customers and businesses. Through social media, customers can become important brand advocates if trained social media experts are used to attract, motivate and maximize the value of customer spokespeople. In addition, because social media has become a means for sharing negative as well as positive customer experiences far and wide, it is important for companies to act instantly to resolve complaints and win customers back with excellent customer service that is broadcast widely through social media. Again, experts should be used to help craft the right messages and respond appropriately to resolve these situations in a positive way.

Social media is a key marketing tool of the future, but in order to get maximum value from social media efforts, businesses need to take their social media program as seriously as their traditional marketing program and ensure that they are leveraging knowledgeable, experienced resources to realize measureable value for their efforts. Now is a good time to consider integrating a social media program into your PR program. DJA is on the cutting edge of the social media world and can help you find and implement the latest tactics that will enable you to compete for your customers’ mindshare.

Posted in Marketing, Social Media | Leave a comment

Advice: Finding Time to Blog

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Amber

Type “finding time to blog” in Google and you’ll get more than 19 BILLION results. It’s something we often discuss with our clients – blogging is great, but requires a great deal of time. And as I sat down to write this post, it had been nearly one month since we posted our last agency blog.

Any great blogger will tell you that consistency is right up there with substantial content as one of the main characteristics of a successful blog, so I thought today would be a good time to round up some of the top tips for finding time to blog.

Stephanie Chandler at BusinessInfoGuide.com suggests that you schedule the time in your calendar and commit to writing just two blog posts per week.

Rohit Bhargava of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide shares his tips, including setting a realistic target, collecting ideas to eliminate time staring at a blank page and composing the post in your head. Keep reading here for more of his tips.

Robert Dempsey of Dempsey Marketing keeps it simple – know what you want to write about, put a high priority on writing and do it.

Kelly Clay at LockerGnome emphasizes allowing your self time to capture ideas and think through blog posts rather than starting out cold.

This are all great tips, but if you have more, please feel free to share in the comments below. Now I’m off to write, or at least think about my next blog post!

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Webinar: Eight Techniques Every PR Champion Should Know

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Lynn

You may be asking yourself, what exactly is a PR champion? Is that someone that knows everything there is to know about PR? Not necessarily. It wasn’t until after listening to a recent Vocus webinar, “The Eight Techniques of the New PR Champion,” that I began to understand the inner workings of what makes a great PR champion.

Deirdre Breakenridge, CEO of Pure Performance Communications shared her eight PR personas that provided excellent insight on how important it is to integrate social media into the rapidly changing world of PR.

  1. The Policy Maker: This champion creates a social media core team of visionaries and strategists. These are the people that need to collaborate with one another on addressing and evaluating the company’s social media platforms. Questions they ask, include: What’s being said about the company? Are we properly engaging with our target audience?
  2. The Internal Collaborator: This person’s key question is: What kinds of information are people sharing and or talking about within the company? Their job is to find out the needs of everyone and establish real-time collaboration.
  3. The Pre-Crisis Doctor: This is a champion that develops a crisis plan – before there is a crisis. This person should be monitoring what is being said about the company, the positives and the negatives in advance of any crisis. It’s very important to be quick and efficient when a crisis hits.
  4. The Reputation Task Force: This champion analyzes the company’s reputation. They consider company ethics, serve as brand police, and create a social voice. They are also charged with setting the tone and emotion of the content.
  5. Master of the Metrics: This person tracks the quantitative and qualitative results of all the social media efforts going on within the organization. This will help with measuring the overall success of the company as well as understanding its social media objectives and goals.
  6. Relationship Analyzer: This person determines who your audience is, and who’s connected to whom. By recognizing how relationships are built, and with whom they are built with, this champion allows a company to better understand their key publics.
  7. Communications Process Organizer: Leave it to this champion to determine how people working within the company are communicating? It’s crucial to share information between departments so that everyone is up to date on what’s going on.
  8. Technology Tester: This person immerses the company into technology. He or she tries out new social media platforms and brainstorms creative ways in which it could benefit the organization.

PR is constantly changing, and it seems to be moving more and more towards social media. Breakenridge provides us with her eight PR personas, but do you have any to add? We’d love to read yours in the comments below!

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Top Hits: Becoming a Subject Matter Expert, Redefining PR and B2B Marketing

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Amber

Be Found in the Media

Alan Weinkrantz shares five basic rules to “…Become A Subject Matter Expert To The Media,” including Pear Analytics and infographics. Let us know – which would you add to the list?

Public Relations Redefined

The New York Times discusses the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) effort to develop a new definition for the industry. Let us know in the comments below your thoughts on how PR should be defined in the 21st century.

Push and Pull of B2B Marketing

Deep <Tech> Dive shares an interesting survey of IT software developers and IT staff and management that revealed younger technology workers prefer a “push model,” – that is having  information pushed to their email inbox, their RSS feed, their Twitter stream, and their Facebook news feed. The post shares ways to navigate this push and pull (loyal readers or site visitors) of B2B marketing.

Posted in Media Relations, PR | Leave a comment

The Perfect Pitch

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Elisabeth

Last week, while I was swamped doing media pitches for a new product announcement, my colleague handed me an article from PR Daily to read for our weekly staff meeting discussion.

I usually put off reading those articles until ten minutes before the meeting, but for some reason, probably because I desperately needed a break, I put down my keyboard and picked up the article.

Titled, “Business journalist explains the perfect pitch,” the article contained some great tips on how to write a compelling pitch to get the journalist’s attention.

The most important thing I learned from this article was to captivate the reader by leading with current news trends or a question, and that the best pitches don’t introduce the client until the end of the first paragraph, sometimes the end of the entire pitch.

That was a revelation to me. I’ve been writing pitches for 20 years and I’ve always adhered to the rule that you need to put your client’s name right up front—if not in the headline then for sure in the first sentence.

Since it was Friday afternoon of a very long and hectic week, and I’d not been having much success with my current pitch campaign, I thought, what the heck. The press release contained a great customer quote, so I started my new pitch by laying out the industry issues my client’s new product solves, then presented the customer quote, which supported how my client’s product helped the customer solve his problem. Although my client’s name was mentioned in the quote, I never directly introduced the client until the last line of the pitch, where I offered the VP of marketing for a pre-briefing.

I chose one editor who was important for me to reach but who had ignored previous emails. I held my breath and hit “send,” then closed down and headed home for the weekend.

On Sunday evening I checked my email before going off to bed—imagine my surprise when I discovered I had received a reply from my experimental pitch requesting a briefing.

With 20/20 hindsight, when comparing the new pitch with the old one, I can see that journalists looking for something exciting to write about would be more attracted to a subject line and opening paragraph that hands them the news instead of being forced to read several paragraphs to try and discern what the interest is for their readers. Further, it was much more interesting to write the second, more creative pitch than the original cookie-cutter one.

Of the many advice articles we share among each other at DJA, this will be one I’ll remember and use over and over.

Posted in PR, State of PR | Leave a comment

Will Facebook Send Google+ to the Social Media Graveyard?

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Amber

In June we received the news of the summer – Facebook had a new competitor and it’s name was Google +. The web was abuzz with talk of the new social media platform and it’s potential to be a Facebook killer. Fast forward a few months and Google+ is estimated to have hit the 50 million user mark.

While Google+ usage is nothing to balk at, it seems Facebook is definitely in the lead with 800 million active users. Add to that a few new features that blunt some of Google+’s innovation and maybe Facebook will be the Google+ killer?

In August, we blogged on Google+’s key features for business marketing, but in September Facebook added some of these features as well. In response to Google+’s “Circles” feature, which is a way to group connections, Facebook introduced it’s “Lists” feature. In response to Google+’s “Sparks” feature, which is a way to search topics and find relevant posts, Facebook added functionality to search posts by friends, the public and groups for relevant topics. And as for Google+’s “Mini Blogs” functionality, Facebook has always had a “Notes” feature that could be used in the same way.

Furthermore, Ragan’s PR Daily posted a blog post in September entitled, “5 incredibly helpful aspects of Facebook Insights,” on how Facebook Insights can be used to understand your Facebook page’s stats. This feature is extremely helpful in terms of business benefits and understanding what marketing initiatives on Facebook do and do not work for your fan base.

So, while Google+ certainly has some business benefits, Facebook has evolved to enable many of the same features. As for the question of whether Google+ will be the Facebook killer? In my opinion it’s unlikely, because with 800 million active users Facebook is still one of the best places to connect. We’ll have to stay tuned though to see if Google+ can keep itself out of a spot in the social media graveyard right next to Friendster and MySpace.

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Is Going Viral All That It’s Made out to Be? Nope, just ask Chuck Testa

Posted on October 26, 2011 by David

As of this week, the analytics from the Chuck Testa viral video campaign stand at:

  • YouTube views = 6.5 million
  • New sales = $0

The success and failure of the Chuck Testa viral video experience provide a cautionary tale for all of us in the social media world that even outrageous success can be meaningless if the wrong tools are used.

Chuck Testa is a taxidermist from Ojai, Calif., just a short, pleasant drive from the DJA offices.  He hooked up with veteran comedy video producers Rhett and Link to produce an online video showing scenes of animals that look real, but are in fact stuffed. Each scene is followed by the catch phrase “Nope, its Chuck Testa.”

Hey, is that a rhinoceros ordering a drink at the bar?  Nope, it’s Chuck Testa.

Is that a gazelle driving that car?  Nope, Chuck Testa.

The payoff is Chuck Testa’s claim that he can make the most lifelike “taxidermized” animals anywhere.  So, with the right messaging, a catchy tagline and 6.5 million views, you’d think he’d be rolling in new business.

Nope. According to Stephen Nellis, writing in the Pacific Coast Business Times, business has not taken off.

“Aside from selling a few ‘Nope!’ branded T-shirts and receiving a lot of strange voicemails on his answering machine, the commercial hasn’t done much to boost business.  ‘No, none, zero.  I’m still broke,’ Testa said.”

Matching the marketing method with the type of business is as important now as it ever was.  There are so many new social media tools available to get the word out – from viral videos, to infographics, to blogging – that it’s easy to get enamored of the latest and greatest.

I don’t know Chuck Testa’s business plan, but I my first impression is that a more targeted marketing campaign directed at sportsmen in geographic regions where hunting is popular would have been more appropriate.

Of course, this wouldn’t be as much fun or as flashy as a funny viral video.  But, the goal always is to grow sales, which has a quiet, but satisfying appeal of its own.

Posted in Social Media, Viral Video, YouTube | Leave a comment

Five Ways to Use Twitter for Better PR

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Elisabeth

There are many articles on how to use Twitter for business, and DJA takes full advantage of this social media platform to build community and to promote our clients’ news, activities, accomplishments and new product introductions. But I’ve also found that Twitter is an invaluable tool for a more indirect, but equally as important service to my clients: staying on top of their industries, markets and competitors so that I can provide well-informed value to their PR and marcom programs.

This post will share a few tips on how Twitter can be leveraged to provide better service to PR clients.

1. Keep up with the latest industry news and events

I have tweet windows for key industry feeds for each client. This enables me to stay informed about my clients’ industry news and events with a minimum of time investment. Knowing what the latest hot topics and issues are is helpful for positioning in a myriad of client projects, from whitepapers and articles to press releases. Last week, I spotted a tweet from an industry conference organizer who still had open panel speaker slots and passed the opportunity along to my client.

2 – Mine industry feeds for blogs, tweet topics and retweets

Twitter provides great inspiration for client blogs, tweets and retweets that position them as being well informed about the most current happenings and offerings from industry leading companies, spokespeople and media. With the rule of thumb for successful social media programs being that information is relevant and informative to readers, being able to provide my clients with current and educational information to impart via their social networks adds to their credibility and attracts new followers.

3 – Monitor retweets

In addition to the promotional value of using Twitter to broadcast client news and activities, I have found that keeping track of retweets from client Twitter feeds helps measure interest and provide return on investment in their social media programs.

4 – Keep abreast of clients’ competitor news and activities

Twitter also works well for monitoring what my clients’ competitors are doing and saying. I can keep track of how competitors are positioning themselves around issues, what hot new products they’ve announced, what trade shows they are attending and if they’re doing anything interesting at the shows. Most importantly, I can keep up with the coverage my clients’ competitors are receiving and what outlets the coverage is coming from.

5 – Keep up with industry media and analysts

I follow all of my clients’ key media and analysts on Twitter. I can see what companies and issues they are discussing, what events they are covering and sometimes they even use Twitter to ask for input from followers. Twitter is just a great way to stay in touch with your key media even when you have no important news to email or phone about.

Social media has changed the game for PR professionals, sometimes to the point where it is very difficult to stay on top of all the important information being shared every minute of every day on multiple platforms. I have found that a good Twitter browser like TweetDeck can organize the many industries, companies and media that PR professionals need to follow for their clients and provide an efficient means for staying informed and keeping in touch.

Posted in PR, Twitter | Leave a comment

DJA Clients are Winning!

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Amber

One week down and October is already turning out to be a rewarding month with news Friday that three of our clients had received awards!

First up, FastSoft was named one of 15 finalists chosen from a field of 75 candidates for the Los Angeles Business Journal Patrick Soon-Shiong Innovation Awards. The award program was created to honor and acknowledge the individuals and organizations that continue to stretch the boundaries and have proven to be leaders in innovation.

Next, SEVEN Networks won the 2011 RCR Wireless News Mobile Innovation award for Most Innovative Mobile Traffic Management Solution for their Open Channel solution.

And finally, we got word that another client was named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, which recognizes innovation in the ranking of the 500 fastest-growing technology companies.  More news on this when we firm up the announcement plans.

Congrats DJA clients and here’s hoping we can add even more awards to the list before 2011 is done!

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Marketing Execs Prefer Small Agencies

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Elisabeth

Good news for those of us working in boutique PR agencies! A new study by the Horn Group and Kelton Research says marketing execs prefer to work with smaller firms who operate like collaborative partners and push for innovation.

The study found that 86 percent of the MEs who responded prefer to work with smaller, more specialized firms than with large, all-in-one agencies. They prefer having an agency that specializes in several areas such as PR, social media and interactive design and can bring in partners to add additional services.

Even more encouraging is that 77 percent of MEs indicated that they want to work with agencies they would consider to be partners and about 70 percent already have partnership relationships with the agencies they use.

The study also found that about 70 percent of MEs are aware that their companies are behind the curve in social media and that they are looking to their PR agency to push them for digital innovation.

The digital age has leveled the playing field for small agencies in terms of removing the geography element from the competition for clients. Clients no longer require or expect their PR agency to be local and physically available, so small agencies can expand their reach beyond the city in which they are located and compete with large agencies that can afford to have an office in every major city worldwide.

The same is true for the media. Gone are the days of physical press tours and journalists who only had time to talk to the clients of major PR agencies with a “name” to get in the door. Thanks to email, Twitter and even LinkedIn, virtually any PR person with a good story can get the attention of the media. Webinars, phone and video conferencing and virtual press tours are tools of the digital age that help small firms create as big a footprint for their clients as large firms can.

Today’s PR client, according to the Horn/Kelton study, is more interested in results than in cost or an agency’s reputation. They want a more capable firm that can execute and one that can provide a consistent vision and stronger relationships—and they want that partner to challenge and lead them down the path of innovation.

Small agencies can be more agile and personal simply by virtue of their minimal structure. They can work with clients in a sustained partnership relationship that provides a more cohesive and consistent brand experience across services, from written content to media relationships to social media. Small agencies know their clients well enough to be able to challenge them in areas where they believe there will be a good return on investment for the client’s time and expense.

This fits in with the DJA way of working and partially explains why we’ve had success with our clients.  We like to work as a part of their team and a part of their company’s culture. We execute and we innovate.  We even take calls and emails on the weekend.

Posted in Marketing, PR | Leave a comment