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Just in case you’ve been living in a cave for the last month, you should know that Facebook is automatically updating all existing business pages to the new Timeline format on March 30. If you have not yet prepared, there are still a few days left before the big switch for our social media Broads to give you a hand and teach you the ropes!
When BroadBased CEO Jan Korb’s stepmother, Gail, passed away in December, she left behind nine beloved housecats — and one of the most daunting marketing challenges of Korb’s career. A family member immediately adopted two of the precocious kitties, but the remaining seven cats also needed new homes, giving Korb a purrfect opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of a well-designed integrated marketing strategy.
Through blogging, social media, printed flyers and word of mouth, the task of finding homes for the cats was accomplished in about eight weeks. “The first thing I did was set up a blog titled Gail’s Kitties,” said Korb. “The blog talked about Miss Gail and featured photos and bios of each of the cats. This was the centerpiece of the marketing effort to which we drove all traffic.” Social media, including Facebook and Twitter posts by Korb and her family directed traffic to the blog, where it was re-shared. Flyers posted in workplaces and pet supply stores also directed traffic to the blog.
“We were amazed that we accomplished our goal in under three months,” Korb said. “Two of the older cats are on medication and we weren’t sure they were adoptable, but they found loving homes.” While the blog and social media definitely helped spread the word, don’t underestimate the power of traditional advertising, Korb said. Four of the cats found homes via traditional flyers placed in pet stores and workplaces. “This is a lesson that correlates to any marketing effort,” Korb said. “Integrated plans using a variety of outreaches touch the most people.”
In the end the cats traveled far and wide to find their new homes. Gandolph currently resides in Jacksonville, Frodo in southern Alabama and Beethoven went to Peachtree City, Ga. Socrates, Hamlet, Sabrina and Pepper remain in the Carrolton, Ga. area.
In March, BroadBased held an educational seminar with BusinessWire to show off all the latest benefits of the company’s mobile, SEO, online and social media technologies. BusinessWire, a Berkshire Hathaway Company, gave our clients and partners an in-depth education on writing press releases targeted for all the platforms. Marketing directors love the awesome analytics that BW offers – and PR pros love the amount of online buzz that BusinessWire gives our business-focused clients.
Would you like an invitation to our next educational seminar? Email Maria Coppola, APR at maria@bbased.com and we’ll put you on the list! (Psst: it’s free!)
In a February/March 2012 media sidebar for 904 Magazine, Jan Korb, BroadBased’s CEO, wrote about her experience last fall in which she voluntarily reduced her online Twitter interaction for a month. In the sidebar entitled “My Life With(OUT) Twitter” on page 19, Korb talks about what she did with the extra leisure time (played more Words With Friends) and discussed the impact on daily peer interactions and her Klout score.
Communications Kudos for Florida Coastal Law
Two Florida Coastal School of Law communications initiatives assisted by BroadBased have won recognition for their effectiveness and creativity. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) presented the school’s Marketing and Communications team with two awards for its internal communications programs and use of original illustrations in “Coastal Law Magazine.” The magazine is Coastal Law’s twice-annual publication distributed nationally to alumni, prospective students, and legal community. BroadBased partnered with Coastal Law to develop brand identity and consistency for both initiatives. The Marketing and Communications team accepted the awards at a CASE conference in late February.
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!
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
