Social media has exploded over the past few years. It's rare to encounter someone who either does not use social media or who is not aware of it. The question on many people's minds is, "Where is social media going to go from here?" Many people, especially people in my generation, already use social media sites almost daily and business are starting to get their feet wet too. So what happens next?
Honestly, no one really knows where social media is going and what is going to be the new hot thing in the coming years. It doesn't take long for a social media outlet to take off and be on everyone's radar. Twitter is a prime example of that. Twitter only launched about 4 years ago and now everyone from private individuals to celebrities to huge corporations are using it to connect with people. In class we talked about a few things that we thing are going to really take off in the next few years in regards to social media.
I personally think that the use of smart phones to engage in social media is going to be huge in the next year or so. Smart phones are already very popular and I think there will be a big push for people who do not already have a smart phone to get one. With more and more people having phones with the capability to download apps and use the internet, I think we are going to see companies take advantage of that more and more. On my iPhone, besides games and apps of that nature, I have at least 15 that can be considered social media. Of course I have the basics like Facebook and Twitter, but I also have an app for Digg and ESPN. I think as more people get smart phones, companies are going to develop apps so people can connect with their company and products via their cell phones.
I also think social media is going to further integrate with smart phones with the developed of more social networking programs like Foursquare. These types of programs allow the user the "interact" with specific places by checking-in. Foursquare is now even partnering with some companies to give prizes or coupons as rewards for checking-in to a place a certain number of times. In the near future I think we will see more and more companies getting involved with things like this in efforts to connect more their their publics and better build positive relationships with them.
Social media is already a big part of today's society, and it is only going to keep growing. As PR professionals, we need to keep up with what is going on in the world of social media. We need to be knowledgable of these technologies so we can determine if they could be useful in furthering our companies goals. It's an exciting time for PR professionals and I an eager to see where social media will take us in the future.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Some of Hollywood's Biggest Stars Digitally Die
In hopes to raise money and awareness for World's AIDS day, some of Hollywood's most hottest stars "digitally died" on Wednesday. Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, and others agreed to not log into their social media sites until $1 million is raised for the fight against AIDS. You would think $1 million would be raised in no time, but on the second day of this campaign only about $190,000 has been donated (according to the Yahoo celebrity blog).
From a PR perspective this seems like a great idea. Why not have a bunch of popular celebrities with huge fan bases to get their fans to donate money in order to stay connected to them online all in support of a good cause? Obviously the campaign has some flaws or else the million dollars would be raised by now. Having all theses celebs with massive online presences not allowed to tweet or Facebook about the campaign while it is going on loses a ton of online marketing. Yes, the concept of the campaign itself has gained a lot of traditional media attention, but the media are not the ones who are going to donate money. The celebrities' fans are the people who need to be reached with this campaign, and the one of the best ways to reach them is through social media. This form of communication has been eliminated and that might be why the amount of money anticipated to be raised by now has not been raised.
On the Yahoo celebrity blog, the author suggested that whoever created this campaign should have made it to where there was a threat of the celebrities "digitally dying" if $1 million is not raised in a certain amount of time. I think that route might have gotten the more of the response people were looking for simply because the celebs could promote the campaign every day that it was going on, not just the days leading up to it.
All in all, getting famous people involved in raising money for a certain cause is usually somewhat effective. The campaigns just has to be developed and promoted in the right way for it to work the way it was intended. Kudos to all the stars to chose to participate in this campaign. Raising money and awareness for AIDS is an important cause that needs to be addressed on a regular basis. I think if the campaign was tweaked just a little bit, the goals that are set would be reached sooner rather than later.
From a PR perspective this seems like a great idea. Why not have a bunch of popular celebrities with huge fan bases to get their fans to donate money in order to stay connected to them online all in support of a good cause? Obviously the campaign has some flaws or else the million dollars would be raised by now. Having all theses celebs with massive online presences not allowed to tweet or Facebook about the campaign while it is going on loses a ton of online marketing. Yes, the concept of the campaign itself has gained a lot of traditional media attention, but the media are not the ones who are going to donate money. The celebrities' fans are the people who need to be reached with this campaign, and the one of the best ways to reach them is through social media. This form of communication has been eliminated and that might be why the amount of money anticipated to be raised by now has not been raised.
On the Yahoo celebrity blog, the author suggested that whoever created this campaign should have made it to where there was a threat of the celebrities "digitally dying" if $1 million is not raised in a certain amount of time. I think that route might have gotten the more of the response people were looking for simply because the celebs could promote the campaign every day that it was going on, not just the days leading up to it.
All in all, getting famous people involved in raising money for a certain cause is usually somewhat effective. The campaigns just has to be developed and promoted in the right way for it to work the way it was intended. Kudos to all the stars to chose to participate in this campaign. Raising money and awareness for AIDS is an important cause that needs to be addressed on a regular basis. I think if the campaign was tweaked just a little bit, the goals that are set would be reached sooner rather than later.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Use Social Media During a Crisis
With social media exploding in almost every aspect of people's personal lives, it seems natural that it is taking on a bigger role in people's professional lives. In the public relations world, we are increasingly seeing social media being utilized during crisis situations. I think using social media during times of crisis can be very beneficial for companies, but only it social media is used correctly.
During times of crisis, communication is key. People want to know the facts; who, what, when, why, and how. They also want to know what is being done to resolve the situation and what will be done to prevent it from happening again. Not only do people want this information, but they also want it fast. This is where having established social media presence can be a huge asset. Companies can now disseminate important information to their publics in real time. Using a company's Facebook and Twitter to drive traffic to the company Web site can help reduce the frantic phone calls from people trying to figure out what is going on.
If companies decide to use social media as one way to communicate with their publics during a crisis, they need to keep a few things in mind. Making sure that all the social media outlets and Web sites are putting out the same messages and information is crucial. If Facebook says one thing and the Web site says another, it will lead to more confusion and craziness. Organizations also have to realize that by using social media during a crisis that they are losing some control over the situation. It is very easy for false information to be spread over the Internet in a very short period of time. This is something that companies will have to monitor closely during times of crisis and respond to it false information is being spread.
Taking advantage to social media can be very useful for companies experiencing some sort of crisis. Social media creates a dialogue between the company and its publics. Using the already established relationship and dialogue with publics to put out information during a time of crisis can help inform the publics of what is going on and keep them updated in real time. In the end, this can lead to a stronger relationship with key publics because they trust you to keep them informed with the correct information when it is most important.
During times of crisis, communication is key. People want to know the facts; who, what, when, why, and how. They also want to know what is being done to resolve the situation and what will be done to prevent it from happening again. Not only do people want this information, but they also want it fast. This is where having established social media presence can be a huge asset. Companies can now disseminate important information to their publics in real time. Using a company's Facebook and Twitter to drive traffic to the company Web site can help reduce the frantic phone calls from people trying to figure out what is going on.
If companies decide to use social media as one way to communicate with their publics during a crisis, they need to keep a few things in mind. Making sure that all the social media outlets and Web sites are putting out the same messages and information is crucial. If Facebook says one thing and the Web site says another, it will lead to more confusion and craziness. Organizations also have to realize that by using social media during a crisis that they are losing some control over the situation. It is very easy for false information to be spread over the Internet in a very short period of time. This is something that companies will have to monitor closely during times of crisis and respond to it false information is being spread.
Taking advantage to social media can be very useful for companies experiencing some sort of crisis. Social media creates a dialogue between the company and its publics. Using the already established relationship and dialogue with publics to put out information during a time of crisis can help inform the publics of what is going on and keep them updated in real time. In the end, this can lead to a stronger relationship with key publics because they trust you to keep them informed with the correct information when it is most important.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Some Facebook Posts Considered Free Speech
From a PR perspective, this decision is quite unsettling. Now it will be very difficult to enforce social media guidelines. Employees can now post basically whatever they want online about their company or the people they work with/for without the risk of punishment. A PR professional's job is to create and foster positive relationships with their company's various publics. That job just became much more difficult. The difficulty lies in the task of preparing for and combating the possible negative comments made about the company from unhappy past and present employees. While not all things said on Facebook are protected by law (it depends on where the discussion takes place, the content matter, and whether the comments were provoked by an employers unfair labor practice) there is still great risk in employees making negative remarks that could possible hurt the company's relationships with certain publics.
I would hope that if someone has a serious problem with something going on in the workplace they would turn to someone within the company for assistance rather than bashing the company or person online. But I know that is not realistic. There is no way to make everyone happy at the same time. Since it is going to be much more difficult to enforce social media guidelines, public relations professionals are now going to have to develop a strategy to handle comments made by employees via Facebook and other social media outlets. The ruling of the National Labor Relations Board once again emphasizes that social media is still very new and not all the kinks are worked out. As the rules regarding social media continue to develop and change, so must the ways companies and PR professionals handle the situations that arise from personal and professional social media use.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Athletes and Twitter
Most people with Twitter use it to connect with others. Some people use it to feel connected to people they probably will never be able to meet and connect with in person like actors, musician, or athletes. I myself follow some of my favorite athletes on Twitter. I like the feeling of "connecting" with them via reading their tweets about everyday life and having the option to personally tweet them with my thoughts and feelings. It is exciting to know they have the option of responding back to something you said to them. For many of us, this is the closest contact we will have with these people.
Twitter is great in that aspect. It allows athletes and teams to establish and build a relationship with their fans and further build the brand they have created for themselves and their respective teams. As a PR person working for a specific athlete or team, the freedom your clients have with Twitter (or any social media outlet for that matter) can be quite terrifying. What's stopping them from bashing a teammate or coach after a tough loss or tweeting something people find offensive or inappropriate? In most cases I think athletes are aware of what is and is not appropriate to put out on the Internet, but sometimes they slip up. There are a few cases where athletes have generated negative press or upset their teammates/coaches because of what they tweeted or put out on social media sites. Those few cases have caused PR people, franchise owners, and even coaches to be wary of letting their players have personal Twitter accounts.
As a future PR professional, I think if athletes want to have a social media presence to connect with their fan base there should be rules and guidelines set for them to follow regarding what they can say and when they can use their accounts. I think it is up to individual teams to determine what the rules should be for their players. Obviously coaches and teammates do not want to be talked about negatively in a public forum like Twitter and it would be very inappropriate for a player to be tweeting during a game or practice. It is essential as social media usage continues to rise for franchises to address players having personal accounts and develop a strategy in order for the team's presence, as well as individual player's presence, to be positive rather than destructive.
The value in sports franchises and players developing a social media presence is great. Connecting with fans and building stronger relationships with them can benefit the players and teams greatly. However, if players do not use social media correctly it can cause big problems for the teams they represent. In order for players to use Twitter and other social media tools correctly they need to be educated on the “do's and don’ts” of social media and what the PR people and team owners deem appropriate usage. This is where the franchise and the PR people need to lay out the rules and regulations regarding Twitter and Facebook, etcetera before players even create accounts. I would personally suggest that players sign some sort of social media contract stating that they understand the guidelines that have been set and agree to follow them. It is up to us as PR people to make sure the people we are representing are aware and understand the dangers of using social media incorrectly and know how to use it in order to establish and develop those long lasting relationships.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
PR Pros Could Learn a Thing or Two from Colbert and Stewart
Comedy Central funny men, Stephen Colbert and John Stewart held their Rally to Restore Sanity/Fear yesterday in Washington D.C. The rallies were announced only a month ago and over the past 30 days have managed to gather quite a large following. How did they do this over such a short amount of time? Besides their television shows being widely popular, Colbert and Stewart perfected their social media campaigns and as a result the rallies have generated a number of mini-web campaigns bringing awareness to the event.
Along with their public relations and digital media teams, Colbert and Stephens penetrated the social media world in almost every way. The web sites for the rallies have ways to engage the visitors. Fans can find updates about the event, merchandise, and interactive activities to up the users engagement with the site. On Stewart's site, people can browse rally signs and vote on whether they are sane or not. On Colbert's site, people can upload pictures of themselves dressed up as their worst fears and vote on the best pictures. Both sites give opportunities for people to donate to their individual charities.
The hosts not only did an wonderful job engaging people on their web sites, but they also offered information about the events via Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare. The goal for using social media was obviously to promote the rallies, but it was also to help people feel like they were participating in the rallies even if they could not attend.
Public relations professionals trying to develop social media strategies for their companies should look at this campaign and take away some helpful tips on how to develop a successful campaign. Colbert and Stewart made information about their event available to many different audiences by reaching out to several different social media outlets. They provided all the information a user would want to know and created ways to actually engage the users through interactive activities and open communication between them and their audiences via live Twitter and Facebook chats and a live stream through their respective shows' website.
I think they planned and executed their social media strategy very well and I think they saw the results from all their hard work through the attendance at the rallies, the donations made, and the basic awareness and chatter their efforts created. If a PR professional is struggling with developing and/or carrying out a social media plan, they should definitely take a few pointers from these two.
Mashable Article
Along with their public relations and digital media teams, Colbert and Stephens penetrated the social media world in almost every way. The web sites for the rallies have ways to engage the visitors. Fans can find updates about the event, merchandise, and interactive activities to up the users engagement with the site. On Stewart's site, people can browse rally signs and vote on whether they are sane or not. On Colbert's site, people can upload pictures of themselves dressed up as their worst fears and vote on the best pictures. Both sites give opportunities for people to donate to their individual charities.
The hosts not only did an wonderful job engaging people on their web sites, but they also offered information about the events via Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare. The goal for using social media was obviously to promote the rallies, but it was also to help people feel like they were participating in the rallies even if they could not attend.
Public relations professionals trying to develop social media strategies for their companies should look at this campaign and take away some helpful tips on how to develop a successful campaign. Colbert and Stewart made information about their event available to many different audiences by reaching out to several different social media outlets. They provided all the information a user would want to know and created ways to actually engage the users through interactive activities and open communication between them and their audiences via live Twitter and Facebook chats and a live stream through their respective shows' website.
I think they planned and executed their social media strategy very well and I think they saw the results from all their hard work through the attendance at the rallies, the donations made, and the basic awareness and chatter their efforts created. If a PR professional is struggling with developing and/or carrying out a social media plan, they should definitely take a few pointers from these two.
Mashable Article
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Get a Job Using YouTube
Most of us will be graduating soon and the pressures to find a job are becoming more intense as graduation approaches. We are all aware that certain social media tools, like LinkedIn and Twitter, are excellent tools to engage in while looking for a job. There are over 500 public relations jobs listed on LinkedIn and I get at least 20 tweets a day about PR job openings on my Twitter feed. But one social media tool many of us might not think about using to find a job is YouTube.
There are numerous creative ways you can present yourself on YouTube and appeal to potential employers. YouTube is one social media tool that is not just for our generation. Professionals of all ages can use web video to expand their reach and seek out new clients or employees. Mashable.com suggested the 5 following ways to get a job using YouTube:
1. Promote Yourself: it is a free way to market your strengths and creativity; it is instantly accessible and more creative than a plan paper resume.
2. Post and Hope: Perfect example, Justin Bieber. Now while we are trying to get public relations jobs, not be a famous pop start, the same concept can be applied to us. Post videos of something public relations related that you excel in. If you excel in developing crisis communication, post a video explaining what you think a company should do in a specific crisis. Or if you excel in developing social media strategies, post a video with a strategy you created.
3. Build It: This tactic is more for people who are not comfortable putting their face on camera. As students aspiring to land jobs in a field where being the spokesperson for a company is very plausible, most of us probably don't have a problem being in front of people or a camera. This tactic is meant to showcase your online capabilities. If you are really good at build web sites or creating online content, this avenue is meant to make a video showcasing those talents.
4. Be Creative: Show potential employers that you can think outside of the box and come up with unique ideas that would be an asset to their company. Creating a YouTube video showcasing your talents is way more creative than sending in a cover letter and resume. Creating a video also shows employers that you know how to use social media tools and might add to their interest in hiring you.
5. Enter Online Contests: Online contests are huge in social media right now. YouTube has an entire page dedicated solely to online contests. Take a peek at the page and if there is a company offering a contest that is at all related to public relations, enter it! This will show companies that you are proactive, creative, and willing to participate. All of these qualities are appealing to employers and if they like what they see in your entry, you might even get offered a job!
Using social media to find jobs can produce endless opportunities. When deciding what social media tools to engage in, consider the advantages and opportunities YouTube can provide. Using YouTube to market yourself could end up getting you a great job.
http://mashable.com/2010/10/23/youtube-job/
There are numerous creative ways you can present yourself on YouTube and appeal to potential employers. YouTube is one social media tool that is not just for our generation. Professionals of all ages can use web video to expand their reach and seek out new clients or employees. Mashable.com suggested the 5 following ways to get a job using YouTube:
1. Promote Yourself: it is a free way to market your strengths and creativity; it is instantly accessible and more creative than a plan paper resume.
2. Post and Hope: Perfect example, Justin Bieber. Now while we are trying to get public relations jobs, not be a famous pop start, the same concept can be applied to us. Post videos of something public relations related that you excel in. If you excel in developing crisis communication, post a video explaining what you think a company should do in a specific crisis. Or if you excel in developing social media strategies, post a video with a strategy you created.
3. Build It: This tactic is more for people who are not comfortable putting their face on camera. As students aspiring to land jobs in a field where being the spokesperson for a company is very plausible, most of us probably don't have a problem being in front of people or a camera. This tactic is meant to showcase your online capabilities. If you are really good at build web sites or creating online content, this avenue is meant to make a video showcasing those talents.
4. Be Creative: Show potential employers that you can think outside of the box and come up with unique ideas that would be an asset to their company. Creating a YouTube video showcasing your talents is way more creative than sending in a cover letter and resume. Creating a video also shows employers that you know how to use social media tools and might add to their interest in hiring you.
5. Enter Online Contests: Online contests are huge in social media right now. YouTube has an entire page dedicated solely to online contests. Take a peek at the page and if there is a company offering a contest that is at all related to public relations, enter it! This will show companies that you are proactive, creative, and willing to participate. All of these qualities are appealing to employers and if they like what they see in your entry, you might even get offered a job!
Using social media to find jobs can produce endless opportunities. When deciding what social media tools to engage in, consider the advantages and opportunities YouTube can provide. Using YouTube to market yourself could end up getting you a great job.
http://mashable.com/2010/10/23/youtube-job/
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