Through my work with Happy Valley Communications, I have given several presentations and seminars on how companies should begin to include social media communications plans in their overall business strategies. The presentation, “Get Social, Get Results: How to Make Social Media Work for Your Brand,” features 4 different case studies, highlighting companies who are using social media well and companies who have struggled with their social media campaigns. The seminar also includes tips and best practices for engagements, steps on how to plan out an effective campaign and information tools.
Our next presentation is on Wednesday, April 4 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. as part of a seminar being hosted by the Penn State Small Business Development Center.
Last weekend, I tuned into the 84th Annual Academy Awards. I joined millions of others who turned their TVs to ABC and then turned on their computers to log into Twitter. On the night of the 2012 Oscars, the online conversation included 3.9 million tweets worldwide discussing the red carpet arrivals. It was followed by another 4.2 million tweets mentioning the Academy Awards and the #Oscars.
One of my favorite uses of Twitter is for coverage of large-scale events such as this. Through the website’s use of hashtags, it is easy to join a conversation, connect with others around the world and follow the latest content shared on any given trending topic. These informal “chats” are an additional form of entertainment to the social media user. They are not only experiencing an event, but sharing their personal thoughts and opinions and discussing the event with countless others via their personal Twitter accounts. With large events and the ease of social media, these conversations are happening quickly. At one point in last weekend’s ceremony, tweets were being published more than 31,000 times per minute.
For organizations and people who are just beginning to use social media, it is important to understand the potential reach available through these online platforms and the best way to participate in popular conversations. The organizations that were apart of the #Oscars discussion last weekend had the potential to reach millions of other Twitter users with their brand name and the content that they were sharing.
Online trackers were able to determine the most popular advertisements that aired during the #Oscars ceremony through the night’s “social buzz.” According to a February 27 article, “Oscars 2012: Who Won the Award for Most Social Buzz?” featured on Mashable.com, the McDonald’s “She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not,” ad spots were the most talked about online that evening. Other popular ads from the night included Samsung mobile, Coca-Cola’s “Hooray for Hollywood” campaign, Samsung TV, and J.C. Penney’s new ad campaign featuring Ellen Degeneres.
TV and social media integration is one of the top technology trends predicted for 2012 according to a January Socialmediaexaminer.com article. It is important for marketers and public relations practitioners to understand the opportunities associated with social media and popular events and develop ways to effectively participate in these conversations. Social media statistics, such as those from the Academy Awards, should motivate all organizations to become involved in the next big event’s “social buzz.”
Last week I read an article in the Wall Street Journal, “Psychologists Identify Twitter and Facebook Personality Types,” and it left me thinking about the differences between the two social media platforms as well as my personal preferences. Understanding that the two sites have different purposes, I still tend to find myself drawn to one over the other and found it interesting that this study offered possible explanations for why that is.
It’s obvious that the point of both of these online networks is to be able to share content, but that content varies depending on the platform that you are using. Effective Twitter accounts share quick comments and include links to information that the user finds interesting and believes others will as well. In contrast, Facebook posts tend to be long winded and provide insight into the users’ thoughts, feelings and social interactions. It shouldn’t be surprising then that a person’s personality can be reflected in whether they choose to post more often on Twitter or Facebook, and what type of content they choose to share.
The study looked at 300 social media users and tested their personalities based on the Big 5 personality traits: agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and extraversion.
Facebook Users: The study suggests that people who more often socialize via Facebook display higher levels of neuroticism and sociability. Researchers believe they tend to be alleviating loneliness through their posts and crave other user interaction.
Twitter Users: Results from the study suggest that Twitter users also score high on openness and sociability but low on conscientiousness. The authors suggested that Twitter users would be more likely to use the platform to procrastinate a task (something I’m sure a lot of us can attest to!)
As an upcoming PR professional, the most important information to come out of these study were the results regarding users search preferences. The study also looked at the differences between people who seek out information on Twitter vs. Facebook. They found that:
People who used Twitter to search for or spread information scored high on the conscientious scale and low on the neuroticism scale. In other words, they had a high need for cognition and were looking for quick and accurate news updates.
People who used Facebook to search for or spread information tended to be less intellectually curious and instead were focused on the social aspect offered by the platform.
These types of findings are important for companies who are planning to launch social media campaigns and develop communications plans using these platforms. The content that is being shared on these websites should be tailored to the user and their personal preferences. Based on this study, and other similar research, organizations should be using Twitter to spread information and news, while focusing their Facebook efforts on more creative and interactive content.
Last week I was asked to comment for a story about the PR efforts on Penn State in the wake of the recent scandal, what it’s like being a PR student on campus this year and how the community has reacted to the passing of Joe Paterno. It took some time to put the words together but after reflecting on my past few months in State College, I was able to wholeheartedly say that I’ve never been more proud to be a Penn Stater.
“As a PR student here at Penn State during the past few weeks, the most important thing I’ve seen come of it is an overwhelming sense of community. It’s kind of hard to explain but through the initial reaction to the investigation, to the university’s handling of everything, to the recent passing of Joe Paterno, I think there were times Penn Stater’s felt both singled out yet at the same time we were surrounded by the this unmatched bond that comes simply from being PSU affiliated.
Taking the liberty to speak for others, we were torn between jumping to our defenses to fight back against all the negative Penn State publicity, while at the same time having to grieve for the victims and watch the culture we had known to exist here start to change. Understanding that the media was sharing the information as it came, I wish they could have showed the nation that as these allegations emerged so did a renewed commitment from Penn Staters – everywhere – to support the victims, educate others on abuse and raise awareness through the #ProudtobeaPennStater campaign for RAINN. The passing of Joe Paterno, has now given us all the opportunity to continue on his legacy. His work here, and the impact that their family has had on countless people, is evident in the number of people paying their respects to the Paterno’s this past week. During the Memorial For Joe, Penn State students were challenged to make every day better. Moving forward, as both a Penn State student, and a young adult, it is my hope that I can take what Joe Paterno worked to instill in our community and embody the “Success with Honor,” ideal that my education and time at Penn State has been based on.”
With social media platforms becoming a key source for breaking news, sharing stories and connecting with others, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for users to not get canceled out by the “white noise” circulating on the web.
In the few minutes since I’ve sat down to write this post, I overheard one of my roommates tell another that they don’t need to watch the news anymore because “now we have Twitter.” But with the massive amounts of content being generated each day, it’s important to understand how to effectively use different social media outlets to make sure that your message is being shared.
As a PR student studying strategic communications I’ve also had a hand in running several organization’s social media platforms. While managing the accounts for Happy Valley Communications and Penn State PRSSA differs from generating content through my personal channels, the same guidelines apply.
1. Understand your brand. Like any marketing strategy, when an organization chooses to launch a social media campaign, they must have a clear understanding of what their brand encompasses. The content that is being generated on those social media platforms should reflect the mission, values and image of the organization and match up with the consumers’ expectations when viewing that company’s social media presence.
2. Have a plan. Social media may be cost effective and quick but that does not mean it does not require careful planning and consideration. Strategic thought needs to be given to what information is going to be broadcasted through social media, how the company is going to reach its target audience and what tactics it is going to use to increase overall brand awareness. Creating a social media plan should be the first step in a company’s decision to roll out a new media campaign and should include a timeline for when to release certain information, a policy on how to monitor user interaction and a focused understanding of which social media platforms best fit the company’s goals.
3. Know what your audience wants to see. People interact with companies and organizations through social media for a variety of reasons. According to a June 2011 article by Mashable, a majority of people following brands are interested in receiving coupons and special discounts on products. Those who follow brands tend to be current customers, such as Starbuck’s loyal following of nearly 2 million users on Twitter. According to the poll, social media users want to see interesting and unique content and follow brands not only for perks but also for entertainment.
4. Interact with your followers. Social media has created the opportunity for instantaneous two-way communication between a brand and its public. It has quickly become the best way to drive conversation between a brand and its following. Interacting with customers allows for positive and negative feedback, a sense of inclusion for the customer and also creates the opportunity to strengthen a company’s image. People want their voices to be heard and look to social media outlets as a way to share their individual experiences.
5. Be consistent. If you are going to unveil a social media campaign, it needs to stay consistent and fresh. New content should be regularly shared. Conversations should be continually generated and the organization should be constantly looking for new ways to involve their audience. While social media platforms are easily accessible they are also easily forgettable. Neglecting to keep the content current and intriguing is a sure way to lose that valued following and have to label the social media campaign as having been unsuccessful.
“We are Penn State” video courtesy of Penn State graduate, Alex Cohen.
In light of recent events, I’ve tried to avoid writing this blog post, partly because it saddened me to read Penn State’s name in headline after headline, but mainly because I needed to sift through all the information before forming an opinion on the university’s PR efforts. After being asked to do an interview for the local paper about my thoughts on our PR response I spent some time reviewing the stages of a crisis and reflected on where Penn State should go from here. Below are my thoughts on how Penn State has moved through the stages of this crisis and what we should be doing as faculty, students and alumni in the future.
Stage 1 | Prodromal Stage Every crisis has its warning signs, and the Jerry Sandusky scandal (NOTE: not the Penn State or Joe Paterno or the-anything-but-Jerry Sandusky scandal) had its share of warning signs. Anyone who read the 23-page grand jury report knows that there were numerous instances of inappropriate behavior, strange comments made by Sandusky himself and a suspicious early retirement. The fact alone that young boys were spending the night at his home or on the road with Sandusky should have been a red flag.
Stage 2 | Detection Stage The detection stage of a crisis comes when those prodromes have been recognized and it becomes apparent that a crisis could be looming. This was a three year investigation. University officials were testifying in this indictment. At this point it would be safe to say that a PR crisis was brewing and Penn State needed to start preparing for the storm that was about to hit.
Stage 3 | Preparation Stage One of the most important areas of public relations (and one of my favorite) is crisis communications. A company, public figure, or an institution should never be without a crisis plan. The same thing goes for a university like Penn State. When university officials learned of the investigation they should have immediately begun to create their crisis plan and they should never have been caught without one. If Penn State had prepared for the pending crisis they would have appropriately identified their key publics – the first being the victims and the second being those associated with the university, developed their messages and created a timeline of information to provide to the media. Had Penn State built their crisis communication plan around those two groups, their actions immediately following the news of the grand jury report could have better reflected the sentiments of students, faculty and alumni around the world and presented outsiders with a unified response from those who make up Penn State.
Stage 4 | Containment Stage Once the news broke, Penn State made several mistakes and rather than containing the damage, the university’s actions seemed to make it spread. Spanier’s outlandish “unconditional support” for Schultz and Curley should never have superseded an immediate apology to the alleged victims. That Saturday only one message needed to be heard and it was that Penn State was grieving with those victims. Following that, university officials – whether it be the Public Information Office or the Board of Trustees – needed to show the media that we would be as transparent as possible. Regular press conferences should have been scheduled even if they were simply for a Penn State representative to show up and announce “there is no new information at this time.” Instead, officials were keeping quiet, alumni were outraged, students were on the defensive and the media was forced to find their own information and create their own stories. Cue media attention on Joe Paterno or the rioting “Nitt-wit” students who were in a “Penn State of denial.” ThanksNew York Post, for that hard hitting journalism.
Stage 5 | Recovery Stage It’s unfortunate that it took until Stage 5 for me to be proud of our PR efforts, but as I watched our university be forced into a culture change overnight, I’ve seen some admirable and inspirational people and events emerge. The student-organized Penn State candlelight vigil had nearly 10,000 people stand together to grieve for the victims and acknowledge the horrors of child abuse. Our students, faculty and alumni have banded together to raise nearly $500 thousand for the RAINN Foundation to stop abuse through the #ProudPSUforRAINN campaign and last night Penn State held its first Town Hall meeting with students and top ranking university officials to discuss recent events and what the future holds for Happy Valley.
Stage 6 | Learning Stage The events that unfolded here in November have provided a learning experience nationwide. Large universities are reexamining where emphasis is placed and people who were unaware of the warning signs and statistics surrounding child abuse are now informed and hopefully ready to act when they see something is wrong. As Penn Staters, we’ve had a harsh lesson in what it means to each one of us individually to have the “success with honor” that our university has prided itself on. We’ve had to defend dear Old State, grieve with the victims and their families, and begin to rebuild the trust that we’ve had for all things Penn State. The past few weeks here haven’t been easy but as our new President Rodney Erickson told my class recently, “This is our university and nobody is going to take that away from us.”
Social media has become one of the most common topics discussed in the communications field these days. Being upcoming young professionals, it is expected that we not only have a firm grasp of these new forms of communication, but also a deep understanding of how to effectively garner results through nontraditional platforms.
Erik Qualman, the founder of Socialnomics, is quoted as saying, “we don’t have a choice on whether to do social media; the question is how well we do it.”
As social media platforms become increasingly easy to access 24/7, the need for businesses to be using nontraditional media is explicit. Consumers are no longer seeking out information but expect important information to find them. This means that commonly used forms of marketing are becoming less and less effective when not coupled with newer techniques.
According to the 2011 Social Media Revolution video, statistics show that 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations versus 14% who trust traditional advertisements. Those peer recommendations are coming from those who are included in an individual’s networks. Whether they are seeing what their friends and family are doing through Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare etc. people are taking notice of what those around them are doing each day. This means that one bad customer experience can easily go viral and cause PR problems for a company in a seemingly moment’s notice, (does anyone remember the “United Breaks Guitars,” music video?) On the flip side, effective use of social media can cause a company to quickly respond to issues and get their message out to the public, (think Taco Bell and their video response “Of Course We Use Real Beef”).
Social media campaigns are being used by companies and organizations of all sizes and services. Brands such as Coca Cola are using Facebook to interact with their core consumer base and engage in conversation and as of Thursday, October 20, 2011, Coca Cola has just under 35 million Facebook fans on their page.
Knowing what makes brands such as Coca Cola, Disney, and Starbucks successful at interacting through social media will help young professionals stand out as they begin their careers in communications. Using Facebook to post your latest photos with your friends is not enough. Social media and new communications platforms need to be examined and assessed to fully understand how to use social media to your company’s advantage.
To begin learning the ins and outs of social media:
Join multiple social networks and become an active user.
Pay attention to what is going on in the PR world. Make sure to check out new campaigns and see how they are incorporating both traditional and new media. You’ll be surprised how much you learn and how easily you are influenced!
