iRlease: the Social Media Press Release

The social media community (bloggers, podcasters, online forum participants, Facebook users, etc.) is not a big fan of old school news/press releases in which companies issue news about themselves, usually only from the marketing and/or sales point of view, in a manner of one-way communication.

The social media community demands news/press releases to prioritize values to viewers without trying to directly promote or sell. Thus, the releases should be communicative, interactive, educational, inspiring and sharing.

That's where social media press release (SMR) comes into play. It takes into consideration their particular demands for information. In nature, it's a two-way dialogue that the readers can engage in. Some of the characteristics of SMR are --

1. Headline is optimized for search.
2. Formatting is attractive.
3. Has a precise to-the-point writing style.
4. Includes how-to information to guide and help readers.

In fact, Tod Defren from Shift Communications has introduced the first-ever template of the social media press release in 2006 and the social media press release template version 1.5 in 2008. Some other very helpful FREE resources regarding this topic include-

1. PitchEngine offers a full suite of Web 2.0 tools for PR professionals and journalists (i.e. links to your social network profiles, video and audio capabilities, etc…). Readers may opt to receive a release on any social networks they belong to.

2. Pressitt is a free service that allows you to create, publish and share your news to an online, socially connected audience.

Like any other communication approaches in the era of Web 2.0, SMR is about telling good stories, and having good conversations with the key publics to establish meaningful connections. I'd like to hear your thoughts concerning SMR. Thanks!

Do's and Don'ts in Blogger Relations

Nowadays, much news is generated and disseminated from the blogosphere. According to comScore, there are more than 77 million blog visitors in the U.S., a number greater than the total audience of Facebook or MySpace. While some of these visits are casual or entertainment-oriented, 50% of all readers report that blogs influence their purchase decisions, and the majority report that online reviews are often more helpful than speaking with a sales associate.

With such a captive blog audience, organizations need to be ready to cultivate positive relationship with the relevant bloggers to interact on content, image and influence. I've come up with a very short list of do's and don'ts when organizations approach and communicate with bloggers.

Don'ts --
1. Don't spam bloggers with irrelevant information to influence stories.
It’s easy for bloggers to spot who reads them and who doesn’t, and guess who gets the welcome?

2. Don't try to pay to get your products/service favorably blogged.
90% of bloggers claim that they talk about brands in an unpaid manner. Exchanging content for cash is not widely accepted. Tapping into this existing behavior is really important.

Do's --
1. Know your bloggers, and know them really well.
Dedicating time to read and interact with the target blogs. Think in their shoes; help make their work easier; be the kind of blog participants you wish to have with your own blog.

2. Respect bloggers' decisions.
If your target bloggers decide not to review your products, you'll need to be able to respect the decision and continue cultivating relationship with them. After all, the power of the blogosphere lies in its truth and authenticity - bloggers' decisions are part of it, so embrace it.

What do you think organizations should/can (not) do in terms of blogger relations?

Facebook vs. Twitter: Which is Better for What?

Facebook and Twitter, both are too important to miss when it comes to social media marketing communication. However, when we need to closely strategize when to use which, an essential question would be: Facebook or Twitter? Which is better for what? That is to say, which social media platform offers the best strategies for the specialized needs of business, market and the key publics?

A recent analysis by Irbtrax may help answer the question. The highly triangulated study compares social media marketing strategy benefits of Facebook verse Twitter. Results are summarized as below.

Facebook wins in these areas-
1. More effective in driving traffic;
2. Better social media intimacy, or interactivity;
3. Direct Internet communication from a client contact and human resources management perspective;
4. A better platform for Business to Consumer marketing.

Twitter wins in these areas-
1. Better for viral marketing;
2. More effective in market research and trend identification;
3. A better platform for Business to Business marketing.

I think the comparison analysis is very interesting and useful, especially when social media choices are made for a marketing communication project with specific objectives, timetables, budgets and evaluation criteria. After all, the desired mutually beneficial relationship needs to be cultivated using the most appropriate tool. It's important that we understand each tool we have.

Location-Aware Text Messaging

Text-messaging is getting more and more location aware. Mobile phones influence how we interact with space when mobile interfaces “know” their location. By being able to connect to satellites, cell phone towers or wireless routers, mobile devices acquire geospatial coordinates which allow users to access location-based information about that space and to find other users in the surroundings, depending on their relative distance to one another. The trend, which Dr. Silva describes as "network locality" (being connected to a network with local information embedded) can be found in corners of lives. I'd like to bring to you an application in China.

Municipal governments in China often utilizes the database that contains all mobile phone numbers, sets up a public text messaging terminal and sends one-to-all SMS for various administrative purposes. During the Beijing Olympics, the Beijing municipal government frequently sent messages to all mobile users within the network of Beijing, notifying them of temporary transportation issues. Also, mobile phone users who take an intercity trip in China will receive automatic text messages as soon as they cross a city limit (departing one city and entering another). The text messages welcome them to the new city and provide local information such as famous places of interest, weather forecast, and accommodation hotlines. The government-initiated one-to-all text messaging can be seen as a unique appropriation of the Chinese society because on the one hand, it is enabled and complies with the centralized authority, and on the other, it reflects the cultural orientation of collectivism that bases decision-making on what is best for a group.

I believe location aware text messaging is a promising application not only for government initiated public administration. Welcome text message travelers receive as they reach new cities benefit local commerce, tourism and the general city branding. I'd like to hear your thoughts about the possible organizational use of location aware text messaging. Thanks!


P.S. Above is an example of the possibilities of being location smart for organizations. Mobile phone users who pass by the billboard can scan the QR code (something similar as bar code but more advanced) on the billboard with their mobile phone and access a website embedded. Instead of sending text messages to everyone, you can let others go to you.

Good Medicine Tastes Bitter, Like Negative Online Reviews

"Come on, good medicine tastes bitter," whenever my mom made me take the Chinese medicine when I was a kid falling sick, she would say this Chinese saying to me. Until today, I still firmly believe that the good medicine, a.k.a the brown-ish liquid slowly cooked from all kinds of herbs with bizarre names, is, and is going to be the bitterest thing I've ever had!

Actually, there is another part of the saying: "Good medicine tastes bitter; sincere advice jar on ear." Well, I am not sure if all sincere advice has to sound jarring, but I guess it certainly applies to those negative online customer reviews that may sound really unpleasant to business owners and product/service providers.

Of course, nobody enjoys hearing criticism. It hurts feelings. In terms of online reviews, while good reviews are considered to be reputation boosters, bad ones are usually not- they are discouraging, disappointing and uninviting. But let's face it, although everyone wants to have, and only have customers that put the sweetest words about their most satisfactory five-star experience ever, many would use the online review service to let others know they are not happy or not sure about whatever they have received from organizations reviewed. Oops, jarring words. How would they ever help?

First of all, they do help. Instead of thinking about how to fire back, how to erase bad words, or how to bribe happy patrons to write good reviews, businesses need to have the right attitudes toward negative online customer reviews- they can hep, and they do help! Here's how-

1. Helping Customer Communication
According to a 2009 Nielson report, 90% consumers surveyed trust recommendations from people they know, and 70% trust consumer opinions posted online while 70% trust brand websites. Your customers want to listen to what fellow customers have to say about you, exactly as much as they want to hear what you say about yourself. Your customers would appreciate you facilitating authentic and transparent communication among them. That customer review system is just too important not to be provided. Besides, 87% of consumers tend to write reviews when they have positive things to say, which means opening the door to reviews helps you to have probably more good reviews.

2. Increasing Sales & Decreasing Cost
Many cases have taught us that things with customer reviews (positive or negative) sell better than those without. A good way to look at the benefit of bad reviews is through this formula I learned in my marketing class back in collge-

Satisfaction = Experience / Expectation

This means, bad reviews help decrease psychological expectations, and thus increase the chance of satisfaction. When weaknesses of products are exposed through bad reviews, customers are likely to have a more realistic expectation, which can reduce the number of complaints or returns.

3. Free Customer Insight Research
You get to know what customers don't like. Is it the product, or the pricing, or the promotion, or the competition... Those good or bad words about you are your first-hand customer insights, and the best part- this valuable information is completely free!!! With it, you can stop guestimating, and get to improving things. Please don't ignore the jarring words. Listen and learn! Good medicine is bitter, but it heals.

Social Media: Gaining Executive Support

Social media transforms organizations. However, in the real world, not every organizational leader are Steve Jobs or Twitterpreneurs. To make some executives realize the strategic advantages social media brings to organizations takes efforts. To help them understand it, we PR and social media practitioners need to show to executives how big, dynamic and relevant the groundswell is, and maybe even get the executives into the groundswell. The persuasion would be no easy task, and several things need to be paid attention to.

1. Uncertainty stops executives from acting.
Executives may have already been informed how important and helpful social media is, but lacking first-hand experience of using social media makes them have second thought about implementing a customer centric communication program. Also, they may think what awaits organizations in the groundswell may be an organizational opportunity or threat, creating the impression of uncertainty and out of control with social media. Two things need to be clarified to reduce the anxiety- 1) how is social media transforming the organization in a positive way; 2) a fully developed plan to reassure that social media helps relationship building (maybe by using ROPES model, and including case studies).

2. Approaches should reflect each executive's current level of support.
A scale should be introduced to measure different levels of support. Some executives may be blind about the value of social media. You need to educate them from lesson one. Some executives may be positive toward social media, but may need your help with a specified plan of action. Other executives may be social media enthusiasts, and they'd be your important assets for selling the social media plan to other executives.

3. Be ready to walk a long way for support.
PR practitioners should be prepared to take a long road gaining executive support on embracing social media. Timing (when to approach executives), information (what to present to executives) and manner (how to talk about it with them) all substantially matter, and all takes time. You need to be faithful and persistent in face of all kinds of challenges.

A Brainstorming Exercise for Organization Vlogging

As an owner of a very popular vlog, Philip DeFranco has actually made a vlog on how to make a popular vlog.



In summary, DeFranco mentioned (in an entertaining manner of speaking) three important elements of a vlog-

1. Has a theme/themes a vlogger is passionate about;
2. Gives interesting/innovative input;
3. Solicits audience feedback.

All these elements are actually applicable and critical to organizations’ vlogs, too. First, a theme sets the tone for the vlog and the perception of the organization in the vlog audience’s eye. Second, interesting input is the key to identifying with the audience. Jason Calacanis, enabler of the vlogging sensation Mahalo Vlog Idol believes that a great corporate vlog needs to be: a. entertaining, and b. informative, and that the order is important. Lastly, vlog, as a form of social media, needs to be interactive and participatory. Philip DeFranco solicited feedback from other vloggers by promising to publicize the best vlogs; Blendtec invited the audience to tell them what to blend next time. In essence, vloggers need to have ways to ensure viewers that feedback is expected and worthwhile.

So, how about some brainstorming exercise for organization vlogging? It only takes two steps-

1. Name an organization you want to work for (ideally or realistically);
2. Help the organization come up with a theme for a vlog.

Toyota’s Hibernating Blog

Once bitten, twice shy.

To owners of 8.1 million Toyota vehicles worldwide, this idiom has become increasingly relevant. A massive recall due to a sticking accelerator problem has made a substantial number of loyal Toyota customers reevaluate the reliability of their Toyota cars as well as the maker of them.

Toyota has, gradually, implemented crisis communication programs (here’s a timeline regarding Toyota’s responses to the incident). Social media wise, Toyota has, again gradually, addressed issues on Youtube, Facebook fan page and Twitter. But with this post, I’d like to direct your attention to an official Toyota blog that is fast asleep during a whole winter of crises.

Our Point of View is a blog written by Toyota associates that aims to “explore current issues in the automotive industry”. A frequent author is Irv Miller, Toyota’s VP of Environmental and Public Affairs. The first post was written in January 2008, and the last in December 2009. As the tag cloud indicates, the blog makes the most effort to inform/educate/promote “hybrid”, “Prius”, and “Venza”. It’s interesting that though tags of “recall” and “recalls” are listed in the tag cloud, they don’t link to any related posts.

Also as said, the blog stopped being updated since December 2009 when the floor mat problem started to hugely affect the carmaker’s reputation and revenues. Information related to the most recent recalls is not available on the blog; nor is a hyperlink to Toyota’s official recall website. The last post has generated 205 comments, but none of them were responded. Speculations, anger, and disappointment were everywhere yet unheeded-

“You asked for it..You got it Toyota”

“The problem is not the pedal but the electronics. Toyota needs to come clean and tell us the real problem. And then fix it.”

“Be a company of integrity, if there is a problem admit there is a problem, and fix the problem. be a company of integrity, honesty, open communication and be responsible and do your part, so step up to the plate.”

……

I feel that since Toyota has decided to open a blog in the first place to directly communicate with its stakeholders, it needs to carry on the communication, and make efforts to turn the hatred into discussions- before the place becomes a recycle bin of hatred and negativity.

I’d like to hear your opinions on Toyota’s hibernating blog. Do you think they have stopped updating the blog for a reason? Or do you think the carmaker needs to wake up the blog, and manage the crisis through frequent and genuine communication with the blog readers?

Eat up Pizza Hut

I’d like to share a story about Pizza Hut in China, but before I do, I’d give some background information: 1) with many remarkable efforts, Pizza Hut has successfully upmarketed itself in China. It is relatively expensive, but offers happy exotic dining experience. Therefore it is typical to find young couples going on a date or celebrating Valentine’s in Pizza Hut (to get a feel of its branding strategy and target consumers in China, here are some commercials of Pizza Hut China); 2) on its menu, there is this all-you-can-eat fruit salad. It is self-served, comes with a tiny bowl, can be fetched from the salad bar only once, and costs ￥30 which is not inexpensive at all considering its regular amount.

Anyway, some three years ago, a post titled “How to Eat up Pizza Hut” became extremely popular and got forwarded onto thousands of discussion forums, blogs and SNSs in China. In fact, a search of the title in Chinese still generates 48,300 exact results now.

The post begins by complaining that Pizza Hut’s all-you-can-eat fruit salad is ridiculously expensive. Then it gives detailed instructions on how to take steps to pile up the salad really high so as to maximize the amount. Here are some crazy pictures from the post-







So the post became sensationally viral, and everyone after reading the post wanted to go and try eat up Pizza Hut. It wasn’t learned until last year that the one that called on eating up Pizza Hut was Pizza Hut itself.

In my opinion, the most amazing part of this social media campaign is that NOBODY, for two years, felt it was a campaign! People went to Pizza Hut out of curiosity. They believed it was one of them that had sent the original message.

Three lessons I’ve learned from Pizza Hut:

Research Comes First.
Pizza Hut obviously had learned what held their consumers back from buying the yummy salad (i.e., the price/amount ratio). When it becomes so tempting to just use the social media to make a buzz (as if such a function were automatic), it is important to make sure that you have carefully listened to and thoroughly understood your consumers.

Choose the Right Channel.
Being able to differentiate various social media technologies and employ them appropriately is also crucial. Pizza Hut ‘made the wave’ (thanks everyone for liking the metaphor!) through discussion forums, blogs and SNS as these social media spread entertaining contents very rapidly, and congregate the most young audience among whom many are Pizza Hut’s target consumers.

It’s a Conversation.
Social media is about communication, connecting, and sharing. Thus, instead of treating it as a one-way marketing channel and directly pushing messages across the board, organizations need to engage in conversations with the audience. Like the post by Pizza Hut, it encourages people to come with ideas of how to pile up the salad higher. In response, many netizens posted their Pizza Hut triumphs. Some even posted salad piling structural charts to teach people how to build a stable salad foundation! The orange bars in the second chart were supposed to mean carrot sticks :)





FYI, the campaign was so successful that recently Pizza Hut China had to take all-you-can-eat fruit salad off the menu. Pizza Hut is happily eaten up.

Into the Groundswell

Imagine a sea of information.

Imagine your Facebook pages, your Twitter updates, your blogs, your comments and reviews being small drops of water in that sea. What would you think if you are told that you have a good chance of making a very big wave, a groundswell in the sea?

That’s what Li and Bernoff try to tell today’s corporations, governments, and all other kinds of organizations in their book Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies. A negative ZAGAT review could influence or change someone’s decision making on where to dine; a Tweet calling on supporting disaster relief in Haiti could be retweeted many times to spread the word and motivate action among thousands of people; a big thumb-up to M.A.C. Brush 187 in some Japanese girl’s makeup vlog (boys, feel free to replace it with, say, Ford Mustang in car blogs) may make you curious enough to get to a local Sephora in Raleigh and try it out. Today’s consumers are no longer their own islands. Between them and the information in traditional forms of pitches from salespersons, commercials, advertorials, news releases and so on, there are fellow consumers that inform, educate, share experience with, and bring changes to one another, making big waves together. Social media is definitely changing the social/economic/political dynamics locally and globally. Thus, traditional institutions like corporations must learn how to become wave makers, or at least decent surfers.

As a marketing communication analyst in a PR agency, my constant interest lies in helping businesses understand, communicate, and manage relationships with consumers. Since most target audience today is in the groundswell made possible by social media, it is thus natural to feature in my blog three key players- consumers, social media, and public relations. I’d keep exploring how businesses can effectively establish and maintain relationship with consumers using social media. I’d look for insights into how leaders of organizations can jump out of comfort zones, and genuinely embrace the groundswell.

Welcome aboard, and let's start the exploration!