BroadBased Communications: Marketing, Public Relations, Graphic Design

In November, BroadBased worked with Gate Gas Stations on a quick and successful Facebook sweepstakes campaign to increase its fanbase.

“Gate’s overall goal was to increase interaction with customers by doubling its 432 Facebook fans in three weeks,” says Despina Pappas, BroadBased’s public relations and marketing coordinator.  “We administered a sweepstakes offering in which the winner received two UF vs. FSU football tickets and a $100 Gate Gift Card.”

At the end of the campaign Gate had far surpassed its goal, finishing with 1,921 “Likes.”

To be eligible to win, a sweepstakes entry was required on a custom-designed Facebook landing page. The sweepstakes was promoted in stores, on Gate Station social media and with three weeks of regional Facebook advertising. Social media support by the University of Florida rounded out the awareness strategy.

That’s what we call a winning effort!

Posted in Social Media Planning

You’ve heard the stories of how one social media slip-up can damage a person’s livelihood or reputation. Remember Gilbert Gottfried and the fallout of his poorly timed tsunami jokes? It cost him his job as the AFLAC spokesman. While social media is a wonderful tool to expand your personal credibility and reputation through public conversation, it’s also helpful if you establish guidelines for your tweet messaging. Following are a few tips from us on how to keep your personal Twitter account from causing a public relations nightmare.

Choose wisely: If you have a ghost-tweeter, determine the tone of the messages you’d like to relay. Make sure you have a person in place to create and deliver them who truly understands your “personal brand.”

Don’t be a Weiner: Don’t say anything that you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of the newspaper. And know that the media views social media as quotable without your “permission.” It is in the public domain. Period.

Stay focused: Once you determine your tone, stick to it. Don’t stray too far from the voice of your brand.

Have fun: It’s ok to show your sense of humor but remember your dinner party etiquette – taboo subjects like sex, abortion, off-color jokes, religion and politics will probably lose you followers.

Contribute to the conversation: Jump in the conversation and make some new friends. Comment on the tweets of people you follow and speak freely and often on topics geared to your industry.

Don’t tweet after happy hour: Enough said.

All in all, have fun but remember that Twitter is a representation of you. Refrain from saying anything that you wouldn’t want a client, partner, employee, vendor or reporter to ask you about. For information on how to design a personal Twitter account – complete with best messaging practices – email BroadBased’s director of public relations, Maria Coppola.

Posted in Public/Media Relations, Social Media Planning

The digital learning seminars at BroadBased provide inside information and guidance on the latest digital media strategies. Current topics are listed on our website, and presentations can be hosted in our office or yours. These informal sessions are an efficient way to “ramp up” management on a particular topic they may not be familiar with (social media, apps, analytics, QR codes) or show a group how these tools are being used in a particular industry.

Posted in Social Media Planning, Web/Interactive Development

A recent article by MarketingProfs.com highlighted the use of social media among Fortune Global 100 firms and reported that the firms were “getting savvier.” The article presented data from the Burson-Marsteller Global Social Media Check-up, which was issued in February 2011. Top reasons identified for using social media:

• Sharing Company news (88%)
• Providing Customer service (40%)
• Promoting Deals (28%)
• Recruitment (10%)

Twitter and Facebook are the top two social platforms used among the 2010 FG100 companies, followed by YouTube (57%) and corporate blogs (36%). Interestingly, a full 25% of Fortune Global 100 firms utilize all four platforms.

Posted in Social Media Planning

Recently we presented our “Social Media in The Real World” seminar to a group of college students studying PR. In the presentation, we highlight examples of companies using social media, along with the types of jobs and skills necessary to manage social media for business.

About a third of the students in the class had experience with social media through internships at local companies. Yet when asked if the social media efforts were measured, not one person raised a hand, and few indicated knowledge of any set corporate goals for social media.

There is no doubt that students “get it,” and they’re eager to be part of a team actively using social media. But companies can do a better job of tapping the new media — and engaging the biggest users. We believe a solid strategy for social media with defined rules of engagement and established corporate goals can better manage expectations, deliver measurable results, and provide a valuable learning experience.

Posted in Social Media Planning

Our digital learning seminars are designed to answer questions on popular online and digital topics. These gatherings are limited to eight people per session, and you needn’t be a client to attend. Attendance is free for current clients and private presentations are also available. A full list of topics is available on our website at bbased.com.

Topics and dates for April include:

Social Media Immersion – Learn the basics of message planning and interaction for social media, measuring response and impact, as well as how social media impacts search.

• Date: Friday, April 8
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Fee: $50 with lunch provided

App Development – Learn if your company or organization would benefit from a custom-branded smart phone app, and the associated expenses.

• Date: Wednesday, April 20
• Time: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Fee: $30 with lunch provided

Please email Tonisha@bbased.com with any questions and to make a reservation.

Posted in Social Media Planning, Web/Interactive Development

Members of the BroadBased team are honored to once again take part in the Flagler College Communication Week, scheduled for the second week of March. Sponsored and hosted by Flagler College’s Communication Department and the campus PRSSA chapter, this student-led and planned event brings together students and industry experts for an analysis of, and education about, issues facing our professions.

BroadBased CEO Jan Korb and Digital Media Strategist Tonisha Landry-Gaines will team up for a guest lecture to the public relations and social media class. This class is relatively new to the curriculum and is focused solely on the study of social media. PR Director Maria Coppola, APR, will be guest lecturer for a public relations writing class and will also participate in a panel of journalists and editors for a discussion on media rhetoric, which will be focused on anonymous online news comments.

The Flagler College Communication Week event to be held March 7 – 10 is in its sixth year. For more information, please contact Professor Rosemary Tutt, APR, Assistant Professor of Communication and Faculty Coordinator for Communication Week.

Posted in BroadBased, Public/Media Relations, Social Media Planning

In 2010, BroadBased hosted a series of well-attended learning seminars designed to answer questions on popular online and digital topics. As technology evolves, so will our seminar topics. These gatherings are limited to eight people per session, and you don’t need to be a current client to attend. Additional dates will be added upon demand. Topics and dates for March include:

Social Search – Learn how social media can impact search results to your website, and ways to organically increase your rankings in this 1.5-hour morning session. $30 with continental breakfast provided. Wednesday, March 9, from 9-10:30 am.

App Development – Learn if your company or organization would benefit from a custom-branded smart phone app and the associated expenses in this two-hour lunch & learn. $50 with lunch provided. Wednesday, March 30, from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm.

Social Media Immersion Experience – Learn the basics of message planning and interaction for two popular social media sites, as well as how to measure response to see the impact on your business in this 1.5-hour morning session. $30 with continental breakfast provided. Wednesday, March 23, from 9-10:30 am.

Please email Tonisha@bbased.com with any questions or to make a reservation. All presentations are made at the BroadBased office, and seating is limited to eight attendees per session.

Posted in BroadBased, Social Media Planning, Web/Interactive Development

Who manages your day-to-day social media communications and marketing? The answer is important, because tasks assigned to non-exempt employees could result in overtime pay liability. To avoid that possibility, employers need to develop and enforce specific guidelines for when this work is supposed to be performed, says Marc Mayo, a Shareholder with the Rogers Towers law firm in Jacksonville and a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice Group.

“The hours that non-exempt employees spend performing social media functions in the evening ’after work’ are still compensable hours worked under the federal wage-hour law and can result in unexpected overtime liability,” said Mayo. “They may begin monitoring or responding to social media after dinner by thinking they are doing this on their own time to catch up on their work, but when it starts taking up more of their time or they are terminated, they may take a different view and contact the Wage-Hour Division or a lawyer to collect unpaid overtime pay for hours worked ‘off the clock,’” Mayo explains.

Of course, an obvious way to avoid the issue altogether is to outsource certain implementation and monitoring tasks.

Another aspect of social media to consider is your employees’ personal use of them during work. It’s important for your company handbook to include a social media policy that clearly states what employees can and cannot do at work with media such as Facebook and Twitter. An Inc.com article advises that including a statement in your handbook to raise awareness among employees that their confidentiality agreement also covers social media interaction may suffice, but advises having a separate policy to be sure you’re covered. Read the entire article here.

Posted in Social Media Planning

Moving closer to an official pricing resource

Given the hundreds of blog and newsletter posts that cross our desk each week, yet another “How to Drive Traffic to Your Blog” article isn’t exactly a cause for excitement. But a recent article by blogger Mack Collier really caught our eye as fresh and useful content. Collier surveyed colleagues to come up with a much-needed guide of the sort we hadn’t encountered. We would love to see his article entitled How much does Social Media cost companies in 2011? expanded by an industry association into something similar to the Graphic Artist Guild’s Pricing and Ethical Guidelines handbook.

But for now, here’s a sampling of Collier’s findings:

Looking to launch a blog from the ground-up, outsourcing all content development? You can expect to pay $1,000 to $12,000 a month, with most firms charging in the $3,000 to $5,000 range. That narrower range sounds right to us, depending on scope of work, of course, since social media marketing isn’t a turnkey product with turnkey pricing.

How much does it cost to launch a new presence on Twitter, complete with ongoing training and consulting? Collier’s answer: $1,000 to $6,000 a month, with most firms charging in the $1,000 to $3,000 range.

How about launching a Facebook Page from the ground-up, outsourcing all content creation and customer interaction? Expect to budget $2,000 to $9,000 a month, with most firms charging between $2,500 and $5,000.

While Collier’s article is by no means scientific or comprehensive, we are happy to see the concept of a pricing guideline being explored. And, of course, these prices include the assistance of an experienced social media partner. If you choose to navigate the complicated waters of social media on your own, we recommend you read this nuanced article by Danny Brown: Why Your Social Media Strategy Sucks.

Posted in Social Media Planning