A 20-something's Perspective

In an effort to keep this blog updated more regularly, I have decided to share insightful and relevant content from other sites from time to time. Let me know if you like it, love it or think I'm a cop-out for not writing all my own content.

Today Mashable posted one of the best case studies I've seen about the Old Spice campaign. (Hey, maybe this blog post will get me my own Old Spice video!)

So here it is: The Old Spice Social Media Campaign by the Numbers.

Enjoy.

Remember when Facebook was hip and cool? When only you and your 10 best college friends from that Fourth of July kegger had access? Yeah, me too...

Video is courtesy of AgencySpy.

A link to the article I wrote for the latest Boelter + Lincoln newsletter. Keep in mind that this piece was written for Milwaukee area businesses that have varying levels of social media knowledge. Enjoy.

There is one argument as a PR professional that I am forever having with my tech-obsessed boyfriend. That is the idea of personal branding. The argument goes like this:

Me: Everything you do is branding. Even if it’s not your intent. When you post things on Twitter you are adding to your image, people’s idea of who you are. In other words, your brand.

Him: I am not a brand. I don’t care how other people see me. I’m going to do and say what I like. If people don’t like it, (expletive) them.

Me: And that’s your personal brand!

I will leave the rest of the argument to your imagination.

My point? Today the tech-obsessed boyfriend (who I love dearly) passed along a great post on personal branding by author Maureen Johnson. She has developed her own manifesto on the subject:

“The internet is made of people. People matter. This includes you. Stop trying to sell everything about yourself to everyone. Don’t just hammer away and repeat and talk at people—talk TO people. It’s organic. Make stuff for the internet that matters to you, even if it seems stupid. Do it because it’s good and feels important. Put up more cat pictures. Make more songs. Show your doodles. Give things away and take things that are free. Look at what other people are doing, not to compete, imitate, or compare . . . but because you enjoy looking at the things other people make. Don’t shove yourself into that tiny, airless box called a brand—tiny, airless boxes are for trinkets and dead people.”

If you haven’t guessed, she agrees with my boyfriend. But I have to say, I don’t really disagree with her statement. The Internet is made up of people, and when I talk to others about social media I try to make it a point to say it’s a two-way street. Yes, company XYZ, you will need to log-on several times a day and actually talk to people. After all, social media is about building relationships.

The term “personal branding” has gotten a bad rap among those who don’t work in marketing. It’s the same as the term “networking.” Ugh. Networking. Who wants to be forced to talk to a bunch of strangers and push business cards? Tweet-ups are much more attractive. At a tweet-up I get to have a few drinks, and meet new people!

It’s all a case of you say tomato, I say to-mah-to. In fact, I encourage people to post Lolcats photos, join causes and produce wacky videos. Just make sure the things you’re sharing, and the image you’re putting forth is one you’re OK with having. If that’s the image of someone who doesn’t care what anyone else thinks, more power to you.

Everyone has a different policy about "friending" people online. Some will accept any request, while others are a bit more selective. The duck in this video reminds us to take a second to think before we hit "accept."



What is your policy on following, fanning and friending online?

Yesterday was the big day. The PR + Social Media Summit at UW-Whitewater. Apologies to all my Twitter followers who were annoyed by my frequent #PRSMS updates.

Overall, I thought the summit was very informative and provided some great networking opportunities. My one recommendation for next year is to supply extension cords and power strips throughout the conference rooms. Those of us using laptops were forced to either drain our batteries, or sit on the edges of the room in search of an outlet.

My favorite presentation of the day was from Paula Berg of Southwest Airlines. Paula told the story of Southwest’s journey into social media and provided some very valuable case studies. Here are a few takeaways from Paula’s presentation:

• Where social media is concerned your first job is to listen, second is to engage and third is to address criticism.
• Southwest started the “Nuts About Southwest” blog by handpicking 30+ employees from all different departments. Southwest let their employees blog as often as they wanted and encouraged them to blog about things they were passionate about.
• Once Southwest added more valuable content to their blog (photos, news, podcasts) page views rose.
• Southwest's blog proved to be a great resource for conducting focus groups. A blog post about their open seating policy resulted in hundreds of comments. Most praised the company for its policy and gave them the courage to stick it.
• Rapping flight attendant video resulted in coverage on Oprah, CNN, Tonight Show, etc.
  
  

*Photo courtesy of Abigail Lynn (@justabs06)

During my presentation I discussed ways to create a successful online brand by merging your professional and personal identities. And yes, I also discussed my brief moment of so-called "fame" from February.

Other great presentations from yesterday include:

• Bringing it all together for PR + Social Media Success, Al Krueger and Sara Meaney of Comet Branding
• How Social Media is Impacting Job Search, Jeff Carrigan of Big Shoes Network, Abby Gutowski of VisualCV.com, Joyce O’Brien of Laughlin Constable and Briana Rygg
• How Harley is Revving up Engagement with Social Media, Randy Sprenger of Harley-Davidson

I am told all the presentations will be posted online within the next couple weeks. (I will link to them once they’re up.) If you are interested in learning more about the PR + Social Media Summit, Abby Gutowski has also posted an overview here.

What were your thoughts on the summit?

EDIT: To view photos of #PRSMS visit http://bit.ly/c3DQs. To download videos and audio of Southwest Airlines and Harley-Davidson's presentations visit http://itunes.uww.edu.

Do you think social media is fad? Do you fail to see the value in engaging in one-to-one conversations with consumers?

The following video by Erik Qualman, author of socialnomics, paints a very clear picture. Social media is not a passing fad, and if you and your company don't take the next step, you probably won't be around in the next 10 years. At the very least, you won't be relevant. I'm just sayin'.

A colleague and I had a discussion today about social media and media relations. My colleague's concern is that we are spending too much time on media relations when we could be talking directly to consumers (a la social media). So the question is...

How much time should we spend on social media activities? What's the ratio between time spent on social media versus media relations? I'm interested in hearing your thoughts.

I have also posed this question on Twitter. If you work in the PR, marketing or advertising field, please take a moment to answer the question below. I'll post the results next week.

I came home tonight with the intention of clearing out my Google Reader and hopefully writing a blog post that was worthy of a RT. That was, until I got to Peter Shankman’s blog.

In a world where every marketer is trying to call themselves a social media expert, Peter Shankman is one of the few people who is worthy of the title. For those who don’t know, Peter Shankman is the founder of Help A Reporter Out (HARO) and the CEO of The Geek Factory, Inc.

Earlier today Peter made a keynote address at the Affiliate Summit East. Since I work and play in Milwaukee I was not able to make the summit, but luckily Peter was able to bring the summit to me. So, instead of giving you my take on the latest industry trend or campaign, I give you Peter's keynote address.

I’ll warn you now. It’s long. Like, 60 minutes long, but well worth the time. I recommend starting the video at the 07:15:00 mark (after Peter’s introduction is finished). After the 1:06:00 mark Peter answers questions (one from Chris Brogan).



For those of you who do not have time to watch the video here are a few gems from the speech.

Peter’s 4 Social Media Rules
Transparency

• “Social media is all about trust. A social media trust lends itself to viral behavior."
• “Social media is not broadcast. Social media is two-way communication."
• “Make people feel like they matter.” – Listen to what people are saying to you and respond!
• “The second you are transparent a consumer’s level of trust will go up, and they will be ready to recommend you.”

Relevance

• “Relevance is about giving people what they want when they want it.”

Brevity

• “The average attention span in the 1980’s was three minutes. The average attention span today is 2.7 seconds.”
• “You need to get to your audience in one paragraph.”
• “How do you get brevity? Learn to write.”
• “Learn how to write and you’ll increase your sales.”

Top of mind presence

• “We only talk to three percent of our network on a regular basis.” - Learn to communicate with more of your network, and you’ll be top of mind the next time someone has a question, business lead, etc.
• “Information used to flow from outside the network in. Now information is flowing from inside the network out.” – People use to get recommendations from traditional media, now they are getting recommendations from inside their networks.
• “We are a society that loves to share.” – People want to share their experiences. If you don’t share it, it didn’t happen.
• “Your job is no longer to do your own PR. Your job is to use social media to get other people to do your PR for you.”

I’ve been thinking a lot about social media and online identities lately. Some are extremely cautious about what they put online while others let it all hang out. As long as an individual is comfortable with their level of sharing both strategies are fine, but what happens when the individual is sharing more than their life or even their friend’s lives?

Today’s 20-somethings have been participating in social networks since they were pre-teens. But now they are growing up, getting married, divorced, having children… My question is what type of effect will all this sharing have on Gen-Y’s children?

People in my parent’s generation never had the opportunity to share hospital pictures of newborns online or post videos of baby’s first steps. In fact, many are still cautious of social networks, afraid of stalkers and sharing too much with the online world. In contrast, Gen-Y anxiously posts their new relationship status and shares their children’s lives with the world.

One girl I went to high school with actually changed her Facebook status to reflect how far along she was in the birthing process. First, I don’t even know how you can think about updating your Facebook status when you’re in labor. Second, no one needs or wants to know that you’re five centimeters dilated. But I digress…

How will our children feel about all the funny photos and videos we post when they are infants, toddlers, teenagers? For some, it could be like sharing their entire diary with the world. Others might not care at all.

If I had to guess, I imagine most children will be fine with our sharing habits. After all, they are growing up in a world where it’s normal to share your life online. Still, I wonder how many will be embarrassed by photos, or upset by seeing their parent’s friends comment on their divorce. Are there any rules? Any social guidelines?

If anyone has expertise on this issue please leave a comment. I haven’t found any articles written on the subject and would love to learn more. What’s your take?

I hope everyone had a good weekend and is ready for the start of another work week. In this week of links you'll find numerous Twitter stories, sweet Milwaukee airline deals, new studies and much more.

• Great speech by @skydiver about social media and "making it about you." http://tinyurl.com/kwgx6g
• RT @RochelleVeturis HOW TO: Back Up Your Tweets http://bit.ly/FHVut via @mashable
• RT @Razorfish What happens when u deprive American families of TV? @Razorfish did a study: http://tinyurl.com/ljbu54 #CannesLions
• RT @danschawbel REPORT: 88% of millennials said they still counted on their parents for advice http://tinyurl.com/m2ytw4
• NYTimes article on BB etiquette. http://tinyurl.com/nxcfqe What do you think? If nothing else it encourages presenters to be more engaging.
• Cool tool from @Culvers RT @culvers U can use our new Meal Builder tool 2 plan ur meal & learn its nutritional value! http://bit.ly/Z9qt1
• RT @julieannwarner Touche, Dan Bice? MKE Magazine says Bice is the real journalistic shame in Flynn's affair. http://ow.ly/fxnG
• RT @RochelleVeturis 10 useful Twitter presentations http://is.gd/1acjc via @leeodden
• RT @TDefren Wife & I were Alice.com (client) beta users. Love it. So many fewer trips to WalMart. http://www.alice.com. - Looks interesting.
• RT @NancyStall Just in. Vikings equip manager has already ordered #4 purple jerseys with Favre's name on back. http://bit.ly/NAbKq
• BK Blow job ad. http://tinyurl.com/b6sp24 Disturbing and hilarious. Thanks for the heads up @agencyspy.
• If you're planning to fly in or out of Milwaukee book your tickets now. http://tinyurl.com/mw5p7b
• RT @laermer @carlosdiamond Fortune 100 CEOs Who Are Social Media Slackers http://tinyurl.com/n6xwnz - This is kind of sad.
• RT @streetzapizza A listing of all of the summerfest deals and ways to get in for free... http://milwaukee.about.com/...
• Why Google and Virgin Airlines Online Scavenger Hunt Campaign Rocked http://tinyurl.com/lba3z7
• RT @briansolis A List of Top Media Outlets and Blogs: http://bit.ly/5jMRc - A handy list for PR pro's.
• RT @mashable Twitter Guide Book: Mashable Launches Hub for Twitter Resources - http://bit.ly/JfX4H - A great resource 4 everything Twitter.
• RT @prblog: Okay, PR friends, here's the tool for your journalist research: Google News byline search http://ow.ly/fVSS (via @DwriteN)

There are some great studies and surveys out this week on social media users. Also, look below to find out about the new Harry Potter LEGO video game and more.

• RT @SocialMedia411 Poll - Business People Say Twitter More Important Than LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/hpHtl
• RT @mashable YouTube Brands: 5 Outstanding Leaders in YouTube Marketing - http://bit.ly/KhIA9
• RT @SaraMeaney Harvard study says men have 15% more followers on Twitter than women. http://tinyurl.com/lyjs9u - NE1 else think this is sad?
• I don't play many video games, but I'm kind of excited for this one. http://tinyurl.com/pgpjda
• Study shows some men experience pregnancy symptoms like weight gain. http://tinyurl.com/paw78q
• Trend: More and more high school graduates are looking to Canada for college. http://tinyurl.com/qd3jmp
• RT @danschawbel REPORT: Social networking up 83% for U.S. http://bit.ly/1a3Ieq
• Yay New Hampshire! http://tinyurl.com/q49jvj
• RT @boelterlincoln Do you want to build an audience or community? Great post via @chrisbrogan. http://tinyurl.com/oe2j5c
• RT @laermer (I love amusement): @skydiver Amusement: Top 100 movie lines in 200 seconds. http://tinyurl.com/cbfs87 (!)
• RT @BradleyWill 5 Reasons People May Follow You on Twitter http://bit.ly/2fH7c
• Are you buying tactics or strategies? http://tinyurl.com/pkczhx Thanks for the great post @tdefren!
• RT @boelterlincoln Reading: Your Network is Your Only Insurance Policy http://tinyurl.com/o67emr
• RT @danschawbel REPORT: 53% of females participate in social media at least once a week http://tinyurl.com/ogu7pm

For real time updates follow me on Twitter. http://www.twitter.com/ladyhero

There were a lot of good stories out last week. Read below for articles about social media, travel, some of the best cookies ever and WolframAlpha (It's like AskJeeves, but better).

• RT @danschawbel RESOURCE: Twitter Bible: Everything You Need To Know About Twitter http://tinyurl.com/q6apm7
• Personal-care services are up 4.5% this year. Find out what other sectors are doing well. http://tinyurl.com/owbfom
• RT @TDefren @briansolis updates his Blogger Relations ebook. Download immediately. http://tinyurl.com/qe6gnb
• In defense of Twitter by @PRluna. http://tinyurl.com/przlar
• Non-Profit Social Networking survey results http://tinyurl.com/oqm9tz (via @rohitbhargava)
• RT @wisdells Cool Tool for calculating travel costs for upcoming vacations. Cost To Drive http://bit.ly/UwU4w
• A great post on social media expectations & commitment. You can't go from 0 to 1,000 friends overnight! http://sturly.com/026
• These are some of the best cookies. http://www.k-suerte.com/coo... Thanks Spot Filmworks.
• RT @ironhorsehotel Motorcycle rentals & self-service bike wash are now available. http://twitpic.com/53sds - How cool!
• RT @AlKrueger How cool is that? Milwaukee is the 11th most uniquely American city http://digg.com/u13GPt
• How to get journalists to open your pitch e-mail (via @laermer). http://tinyurl.com/qbh9sl Hint: The subject line is important!
• Need to get away? Check out T+L's 45 best new hotels. http://bit.ly/Ntmiv
• Holy crap! I predict that my kids/grandkids will say, "What did people do before WolframAlpha?" http://tinyurl.com/q735x7
• RT @danschawbel REPORT: 50% of women say no to dating a jobless man http://tinyurl.com/pl6rp8 - Would you date someone w/o a job?

Last Friday I attended Ragan’s Social Media Unconference in Chicago. For those unfamiliar with an unconference it’s kind of like a big brainstorm session with a couple moderators to keep everyone on topic.

One comment that has stuck with me is, “It is better to engage in one social network and do it really well than to engage in many and do them poorly.” This statement really resonated with me. How often do we join social networks only to forget about them a few months later? How does this help our personal brands and our clients’ brands? Perhaps, more importantly, how does it hurt them?

The one social networking account I have fallen behind on is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a great professional networking site, but it seems that I (like many people) only use it when I’m looking for a job. I hate to admit that I often only log-in to accept friend requests. Who has time when they are busy Twittering, Facebooking and blogging? Okay, poor excuse.

The truth is a social networking profile is only as good as you make it. Profiles aren’t like a pot roast you can set-up and leave on while you’re away at work. It’s important to keep all of your social networks up-to-date and stay engaged. After all, in the event that you have to look for another job you want your LinkedIn connections to be ready and waiting. You shouldn’t be working on growing your LinkedIn presence after you’ve been laid off. By the time that happens you want your connections to be working for you.

To that end I have decided to take a renewed interest in my LinkedIn profile and become an active member in the community. You know, just in case. I hear it can be good for building your brand too. Which social networking sites have you left on the back burner, and how are you planning to resurrect them?

While you're at it, connect with me on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahsoczka.

A couple weeks ago I was having lunch with one of my PR friends when the conversation turned to social media. My friend confessed that he carefully guards his online identities stating the infamous, “I like to keep my personal life personal.”

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I ran/walked a mile this Saturday! Hey, we all have to start somewhere. This week there are many good articles on social media, a new restaurant opens in Milwaukee, we take a look back at Obama's 100 days and much more.

• RT @danschawbel The Future of the Social Web: In Five Eras http://www.web-strategist.c...
• The new @ironhorsehotel restaurant Smyth opens Friday. http://tinyurl.com/dhx9aq The food and wine are excellent! Make your reservation now.
• RT @MikeBrenner: HELP! Need WI folks to do this survey for my MBA class ASAP - http://bit.ly/WfRbh
• RT @mashable Reading: "Where To Find Social Media Power Users" - http://bit.ly/CfUDw
• http://tinyurl.com/d8pnqs -- What Obama's been up to the last 100 days.
• A somewhat sad but true post about the state of news and how PR can make stories more "news-y." http://tinyurl.com/djdz26
• Get your $2 Summerfest tickets! http://tinyurl.com/cndqgd
• RT @danschawbel Let workers text and Twitter, business owners say http://tinyurl.com/crkem8 - Agreed. As long as you're doing your job well.
• Great advice from HR Block’s Paula Drum via @TDefren: 10 Lessons for Social Media Marketers http://tinyurl.com/ct4jdq
• A new service in NC allows teenagers to text their questions about sex. http://tinyurl.com/c8vhjx

Today I ran across an article in PRWeek announcing TEKgroup International's sixth Newsroom Survey. The survey revealed that 70 percent of journalists "want online newsrooms to provide links to every social media platform that corporations participate in." This is in contrast to the less than 15 percent of respondents who use social media sites for company news. To download a full version of the report visit http://www.tekgroup.com/onlinenewsroomsurvey/.

Now think about the clients you represent or the new web site you're building. What does your online newsroom look like? Are you incorporating social media into your overall strategy?

It's becoming clear that more and more people are turning to social media as their primary source for news. I receive a large portion of my news through RSS feeds and Twitter.

Right now I think media are largely using social networking sites for finding sources rather than gathering news. After all, not every company has a Facebook or Myspace. I predict as more and more companies join social web sites journalists will expect to find company information there. Promoting your clients social media efforts via their online newsroom will help journalists keep track of them on their own favorite social network and will in turn bring you consumers there as well.

This week there was a lot of good conversation and posts about the PR industry. Check out a new effort by @PRsarahevans, @skydiver and others called MediaOnTwitter.

• Lipstick Jungle is officially cancelled. http://tinyurl.com/c6p6tw
• RT @PRsarahevans Wish u could sort media by beat, location, name or media outlet? w/ the NEW MediaOnTwitter NOW YOU CAN! http://pitch.pe/7448
• RT @TDefren "The True & Remarkable Fate of Public Relations" http://is.gd/pGoG - Great post about the future of PR.
• Check out Decider's guide to the Milwaukee Twitterverse. http://tinyurl.com/c246oe
• RT @patrickstrother @brandonacox Five Twitter Analytics Tools You Might Find Addictive http://bit.ly/2pl6T
• Calling all linguists, IT, engineering and business professionals. The FBI wants you. http://tinyurl.com/ctg5cn
• RT @SocialMedia411 Who Wins the Struggle for Social Media Control In Your Organization? http://bit.ly/15SrtH - I'm voting for PR!
• RT @OGILVY The Real Joke About Marketing: Lack Of Integration http://tinyurl.com/dxwe6x
• RT @theGlenn Creative Commons usage tracker - Fair Share "Watch how your work spreads. Understand how it is used." http://tinyurl.com/c25yyd
• RT @identify_urself WTMJ4 will have a camera crew at the #milwaukeetweetup April 7th @The Iron Horse-RSVP here - http://kl.am/6k
• RT @prdude 10 hottest PR chick pics on Twitter. Go to: http://is.gd/qwVE - Maybe I'll make the next one. ;)
• RT @russfeingold STAFF: Introducing 'Fein'Tunes http://www.russfeingold.org - Ha! This is awesome. Wisconsin's State Senator rocks.

For real time updates follow me on Twitter @ladyhero.

The PR agency Waggener Edstrom has recently launched a new Twitter tool called Twendz. This tool is incredibly valuable for PR people and anyone else who is in charge of managing a brand. By now we are hopefully all aware that the first step to take before using social media is to listen. But even this first step can be daunting. After all, who has time to sift through hundreds of tweets? This is where Twendz comes in.

After entering your keywords the tool pulls the latest tweets and displays the overall mood be it positive or negative. It's a great way to monitor what people are saying about your company or client. My only complaint is depending on your keywords it can take quite a while to load before you have any tangible results.

You can read more about Twendz on CNET. Go check it out and let me know what you think.

The past couple weeks have been filled with valuable and exciting social media events. Last week was Ragan and PRSA's second annual Social Media Conference for Communicators held in Las Vegas. This week brings the much anticipated South by Southwest* festival and conference for the music, film and interactive industries. The festival is being held in Austin, TX March 13-22 and will be the event I kick myself for not attending all year.

But the point of this post (despite it's title) is not to complain about being stuck in dismal Wisconsin where I am excited by a high of 60 degrees. No, the point is to highlight SXSW's awesome use of social media.

SXSW has truly embraced the third component of the conference - Interactive. It is obvious in the blog posts, hashtags, mobile apps and microsites. Here, I would like to highlight a few of the social media endeavors from SXSW that all communicators can learn from (whether or not they are at the event).

1) Blogs
The first is a blog post by one of my favorite bloggers, Rohit Bhargava. On his Influential Marketing Blog he writes "How To Blog, Party, Learn, Promote & Network Like A Rockstar At SXSW 2009." There are many tips in this post that can be used at any large conference or event. One of my favorite nuggets of wisdom is, "Take good notes. In other words, don't write down everything - just the "aha moments" that come from the session. Those are all you'll really need afterwards anyway."

2) Hashtags - #SXSW
By now creating a hashtag for an event is hardly new, but it is incredibly useful. A hashtag allows event goers to communicate with each other and ask event organizers questions. Since Twitter is all about immediacy event organizers can learn about a problem quickly, and hopefully fix it in time to make sure everyone has a great experience. It's also a good way to keep in touch with media.

3) Mobile Apps
Amid many mobile apps making their debut at SXSW, Mashable has dubbed "Foursquare the Breakout Mobile App at SXSW."

"Foursquare, which offers an iPhone app or mobile browser experience, works by letting you tell the app where you are and then lets your friends know where to find you. All you need to do is check-in via SMS (text to 50500) or mobile app.

4) Microsites
Microsites have also been a large component of SXSW this year. There was a lot of hype built around http://www.secretsxsw.com/; launched shortly before the festival. The site allows festival goers to keep track of all the cool stuff they can get for free! At an event this large you want to make sure you don't miss out on the best swag. It also provides businesses with a great way to reach their target market.

The second microsite I found on Kevin Dugan's Strategic Public Relations blog. As a festival sponsor Pepsi went above and beyond the usual in-kind and/or check writing donation with a marketplace booth. To optimize their sponsorship they created a web site that truly provides festival goers value.

Using Twitter, the web site tracks what SXSW participants are doing by breaking activities into six simple categories. The site also tells participants what's popular, where people are, where parties are and what interesting tweets were "overheard." The site accomplishes all this by collecting data from Twitter.

This is one of my favorite SXSW social media examples. Pepsi nailed it. This is a classic example of a company remembering that it's not all about them. It's all about their customers.