Tag Archives: Facebook

The Magic of LinkedIn: Making your PROFILE work for you

October 6, 2009 Shari Weiss 12 Comments

LinkedIn is so much more than a “resume repository” advised Dean Guadagni and Susan Hanshaw in a presentation to Marin Professionals.

The two social media marketing strategists outlined a host of ways that online networking on this Web platform can play a significant role in your professional life.

One tip sent me home to update my profile . . .

But, first, three facts for you:

1 – LinkedIn provides a pathway for users to connect with the right people beyond their own network connections.

2 – A large network increases your ability to rank high in searches.

3 – 75% of employers are checking out LinkedIn profiles on prospective employees.

Below is my LinkedIn profile page:

I’ll show you what I changed — and how:

The “change” was on the bottom of the profile page — the SUMMARY portion:

My summary had only been a few key words until Dean & Susan told me what to do:

FIRST PARAGRAPH: Communicate quickly and clearly the type of opportunities you are seeking.

SECOND PARAGRAPH: Highlight 3 or 4 key career accomplishments that demonstrate your qualifications. [Don’t use bullet points. Make it a friendly narrative.]

THIRD PARAGRAPH: Answer the question: How are you UNIQUE? How are you DIFFERENT?

Finally, there is the SPECIALTIES section which is hugely important. Here you put the KEY WORDS that employers are looking for when they search the LinkedIn site.

When you draft your own LinkedIn Summary, think about this quote from Susan:

“Consider your career as a tapestry of different threads of activities and jobs that you have had.”

Twitter

How to get started . . . using social media for growing your business

September 28, 2009 Shari Weiss 10 Comments

“Overview of Social Media/Internet Marketing”

“Twitterville”

“Groundswell“

“Beyond the Hype”

“OK, already, I’m convinced.
Now what do I pick up first?”

So you finally “get it”:

You can’t Get It without an Online Presence.

But getting started is a lot like being a toddler put into a playpen with a bunch of new toys:

What to pick up and play with first?

Q: I’ve got a small business, and I want to begin using social media, so where do I start?

A: No doubt, there are as many answers as there are “experts” to advise you. However, what everyone agrees is that you just need to get going and DO IT!

MARKETING 101

1. What you SHOULD do is spend some time deciding What you want to accomplish with social media strategies:

Do you want to . . .

Drive more traffic to your website?
Build a closer community feeling with your customers?
Establish or change your organization’s reputation?
Find out what your competitors are up to?
Know how to find and hire the best employees?
Discover trends as they are happening?
Share your knowledge and expertise?
Monitor the marketplace to see what people are saying about you, your products, and/or your industry?
Learn how to be a better, more efficient, effective business person?

Or . . . do you just want to dive in to see what Social Media is all about?

2. Once you have chosen a goal — or goals — from the list above, then you may want to describe what achieving that goal looks like, e.g.,

a) Bring 40 new customers to your website

b) Engage 20 clients in a forum conversation

c) Find three skilled and motivated interns

3. This “description” can be your formal objective, for which you should set a time frame — and then you can measure your results and evaluate your program.

SOCIAL MEDIA 101

Note: Of course the exact route you take can vary — depending on your objective.

But here is a 4-step plan to develop a strategy and answer the question: What should we do first? second? third? fourth?

STEP ONE: Twitter

STEP TWO: Facebook

STEP THREE: LinkedIn

STEP FOUR: Blogging

Today’s Post will help you become a TWEETER

Twitter certainly is one of today’s most popular social media buzzwords, and a platform where businesses are finding real, measureable ways to listen to and engage with customers.

PLUS signing on to Twitter is the easiest social media effort you can make: To take this step, try to allow yourself at least an hour to (a) sign up on Twitter.com; (b) read some how-to information [the four Twitter 101 lessons listed below]; (c) and play — with FOLLOWING people, READING their tweets, and WRITING some tweets of your own.

Click for TWITTER HOMEWORK

NEWBIES: If you have any questions — or cool Twitter experiences — please share them in the comments section below. LOTS OF LUCK!

Blogging

The “Secret” to pumping your own Google Juice: External Links

September 23, 2009 Shari Weiss 6 Comments

Getting started in Social Media is all about JUST DOING IT!

That’s what I continue to do — and exactly what I suggest to those listening to me.

[Those NOT listening to me get the same advice, and I know it’s just a matter of time until they, too, jump in.]

My TWO Biggies this week: Ning & Squidoo

My Performance Social Media Ning site

Q: How many times have I heard people praising the opportunities on Ning.com?

A: Countless times — at least a dozen any way, and three times last week:

During a phone conversation with a fellow social media evangelist
During the #smbookclub discussion I moderated
During the SM ROI panel discussion sponsored by Women in Consulting [for which I took videos now on YouTube@sharisax]

The Time for Ning was NOW

And it was quite easy . . . and more importantly for lots of us . . . did not take much time.

So what is Ning and why did I create my presence there?

Ning is a tool/platform that allows you to set up YOUR OWN Social Network — with what appears to me to have different capabilities and ease-of-use than, say, a Facebook Fanpage. To my mind, it is more personable . . . and, well, less Facebook-y . . . which means more of you, and what you want.

While my Ning site is far from “complete,” what it does have now is a FORUM I set up so that “newbies” can ask me [and my interns] questions about HOW TO GET STARTED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA — the question that plagues so many small business people [mostly Baby Boomers] who are gradually “seeing the light” but don’t have a clue where to begin.

There are a lot of people like me “out there” who do want to help. The people I’m meeting are invited to ask me their questions on the Ning forum.

If you are reading this post, of course, sign in to the Ning forum and ask away.

Here’s a question for starters: Just how do external links help pump your Google Juice?

* * *

My first Squidoo lens:

Reviewing and chatting about social media books

My Performance Social Media partner Les Ross has been hounding me for months to begin Squidoo-ing . . . yet another link to drive traffic to my blog.

And yesterday was the perfect day, especially since Squidoo founder Seth Godin announced his own new Squidoo launch Brands in Public. You can read on his blog post about how companies can now aggregate everything being said about their brands in one place WHERE they can comment right alongside.

I do want my readers to check out my own Squidoo site, but I just got it started . . . and that is the key: JUST GET STARTED.

BTW, Good luck to my brother Chuck, who is going to start a Facebook fanpage for his Temple in Hawaii. He told me he was going to follow my advice and learn a new social media platform/tool every week.

Next post: NEWBIES, How to Get Started with Social media for your business

Sharisax Is Out There

Change is never, never easy: The Old PR Pitch must evolve to PR 2.0 Dialogue

September 20, 2009 Shari Weiss 5 Comments

“PR 2.0: A Promising Future” — Part 4 of Putting the Public BACK in PR is quite an ambitious undertaking

I covered the first section, ch. 15 on Community Managers in an earlier post. And today’s article only begins to summarize some of the key points in the three very diverse chapters remaining in Part 4.

You’ll find many resources referred to but much deeper explanations are offered in links below, and, of course, the book itself.

Notes from Ch. 16: Socialization of Communication and Service

One of the true values of our technological capabilities is an opportunity — and a responsibility — to “become experts in the markets, products, and services we represent.”

Do not fear negative comments as they can help organizations improve their processes and offerings.

One goal: pull your company into online conversations to help influencers, customers, and prospects gather the information they need. Also empower people to help one another.

MONITORING TIP — Use Google Alerts and “search.twitter.com” –You receive email notifications through Google Alerts for key words that you sign up for. If you use a desktop application like Tweetdeck, then you can set up columns to regularly stream mentions of your keyword from search.twitter.com. You could be receiving regular updates about your company, your products, and your competitors.

NING.COM: A new one for me, but I tried it and like it. Here you can set up YOUR OWN social network. For example, in my fledgling social media consulting business, I can offer SM Newbies a “comfortable” place to gather online and ask me and my interns questions about social media in a Newbie forum.

Finding WHICH communities your customers participate in is critical if you want to engage them where they are.

“Feel the pain and deliver the painkiller.”

If you are listening to problems, you can address them before your customers go elsewhere for solutions.

REVERSE ENGINEERING [one of my favorite concepts to (a) deliberate over and (b) put to USE

Here is the PPBPR 3-step reverse-engineering model:

Determine Who, Where, How — prospects are communicating.
Listen.
Adapt to their needs.

Notes from Ch 17 – The Rules for Breaking News

Concept of embargo: When PR people distribute news to those who will write about it [e.g., reporters, bloggers], the “embargo” sets a time WHEN the news may be broadcast.

Some bloggers are now saying that . . .

“PR agencies are no longer necessary”

Do you agree? Who does — and why? Who doesn’t — and why?

Here’s an opinion on the topic from Steve Rubel – thought leader, lifestreamer, and top PR guy for top international PR firm:

“Does the thrill of the chase make PR obsolete? It’s our view that increasingly, bloggers (and maybe journalists too) simply don’t want our help. Many bloggers — particularly those who cover tech — love to discover new things and experience them on their own.”

Key difference between bloggers and journalists: many bloggers want the news way before the story — because, in many cases, They are the Innovators and Early Adopters.

One key similarity: RELATIONSHIPS are All Important, no matter the medium or the writer/broadcaster.

Ch 18 – A New guide to metrics

The whole idea behind PR 2.0 is that the Old Ways of PR no longer work with today’s audiences OR the people who influence them. Same goes for Old Measurements: Organizations should NOT determine the ROI of their PR campaigns by the number of stories written in newspapers or broadcast on TV.

“PR 2.0 favors engagement more than hits, referrals more than eyeballs, activity more than ad value, sales more than mentions, and market and behavioral influences more than the weight and girth of clip books.”

People = Power

Perception = sum of all the conversations on the Social Web

Measuring the frequency and tone of conversations is the new measure of effectiveness, and here are some tracking tools to check out:

Google Alerts [mentioned above]
Radian6
BuzzLogic
Neilsen BuzzMetrics
Blogpulse Conversation
and a host of social networks from Facebook to YouTube.

Tracking conversations finds you WHAT?

When you listen, you will likely hear seven different types of comments:

Asking for info or help
Answering questions related to your brand
Sharing opinions/observations
Offering suggestions
Expressing dissatisfaction
Promoting competition
Reposting relevant content and market data

“Through proactive and consistent listening, measurement, and refinement, PR will not only justify its role in social marketing, but also more effectively enhance relationships, build trust, cultivate communities, and increase sales . . .”

i.e. INCREASE ROI

What’s YOUR TAKE on the new methods and measurements of Public Relations? If you read this post BEFORE Tuesday, Sept 22 at 8pm EDT / 5pm PDT, you can join me and others for the social media book discussion on Tweetchat. Just put in the hashtag #smbookclub and comment OR just observe.

An archive will be available after the discussion, but you can always weigh in with a comment below.

Yes, Shari, Micromedia can support and inspire great conversation

September 16, 2009 Shari Weiss 1 Comment

When I first read chapter 13 in Putting the Public Back into PR, I had my doubts as to whether Twitter was really the place for great convo — i.e. conversation.

But two recent experiences convinced me that rapid-fire, off-the-cuff, succinct wordings could in fact power “engaging” and “enlightening” experiences — not to mention the opportunity for community-building.

Last night I moderated the #smbookclub discussion for Part 3 of Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge’s Putting the Public Back in PR. This morning I participated in their discussion at #PRStudChat. Both complete discussions are archived and be followed simply by searching the hastags.

Content/conclusions from the book discussion:

“Relax and let chaos reveal its relevance to you.” Susanna Stinnet

The conversations [“convos”] are happening. If you are part of them, you can affect change and make a difference.
Companies that use today’s tools will be ahead of the game, even if those particular tools change or lose their vitality.
Social media will continue to evolve; it will not go away.
Social media platforms are great ways to meet people.
Before engaging anyone, first observe and understand the cultures and behaviors necessary to participate in these communities.
Marketing jobs have moved from monologues to dialogue.
Avoid the clutter and build relationships.
Build meaningful relationships that will contribute to company’s brand equity, resources, and overall bottom line.

“Twitter and Facebook are really good for listening and developing relationships — and then driving to where you can talk in more depth either via email or phone.” Paul Salinger

“Social media is forcing changes that should have happened a long time ago in everything related to business.” Cherisse Rivera

Notes for further “conversation/content”:

1) Check out #PRStudChat for hour dialogue between Brian, Dierdre, PR students and pros.

2) Read my reviews of Putting the Public Back in PR:

Part 1: True Value of New PR
Part 2: Facilitating Conversations
Part 3: Social Media Tools – topic of this week’s social media book discussion
Part 4, ch. 15: Community Managers – first chapter in section to be discussed next week #smbookclub

3) Join the chat next Tuesday on Tweetchat.com #smbookclub 8 pm EDT/5 pm PDT

For those of you who do check out #PRStudChat OR if you attended, please comment with your favorite quotes from that conversation.

Facebook, Guest Post, Twitter

Our Future Around Facebook and Twitter — guest post from Gen Y-er Zahid Lilani

September 14, 2009 Shari Weiss 17 Comments

I couldn’t wait.

Sharisax Is Out There has been featuring a series of reviews on the book Putting the Public Back in PR, but one of my most conscientious SFSU students wrote this wonderful article on Gen Y and social media.

Without further ado, here is Zahid:

Guest Poster Zahid Lilani: Voice for Gen Y

Social Media has changed the way we communicate and stay connected. Not that it will ever replace face-to-face interaction, still it has become a popular way to communicate for Generation Y. 90% of U.S. adults are online and 80% of U.S. online adults participate in social media.

“Social Media is no longer the cool and fun thing that fascinates imagination with all the bells and whistles, it is more like a necessity for Generation Y.”

Who is the Generation Y? I am the Generation Y, my generation created Facebook and Twitter and my generation will dictate the future of social media.

The idea behind Web 2.0 or social media revolution was to change the way our generation communicates, we now decide what’s worthy, what to vote up and what to vote down. Being more well versed with Facebook and Twitter, this is what I think our future will look like:

Facebook ID Implementation Across Major Platforms

Most websites are implementing an excellent feature on to their websites, it is called Facebook Connect. In plain English, if you go to a website and have to register to login, you won’t have to create another user id and password. You will be able to connect using your Facebook ID and Password. Still in its earliest stages, most developers are implementing this concept into their programming because of the immense power of social media. You can read more about Facebook Connect here.

Twitter Household
The idea behind Twitter Household is that everything in your house can communicate with you if you provide it with the right tool. The tools are still in its early stages but the technology is already there, it is Twitter. If that was vague, here are couple of examples:

Laundry: The Washing Machine Hack, created by Ryan Rose, sends text message (SMS) notifications over Twitter when clothes are done. You can follow his Washing Machine here.

Power Usage: In future, if you are energy conscious or plain curious about the power usage in your household, you can use Tweet-a-Watt which will update you using Twitter on your power usage.

Both Facebook and Twitter are immensely powerful in what they can accomplish and with time they will evolve and become more mature. What do you think your life will be like around Facebook and Twitter two years from now? What else do you think you will be able to do on Facebook and Twitter besides information sharing and gathering?

Check out Zahid’s blog: his most recent post will help you convert your WP.com blog to a self-hosted one at WP.org in five easy steps.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment or sharing it with your followers on Twitter! You can also subscribe by email for more cool interviews and articles from Sharisax is Out There.

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Blogging

Social Media Tools — are just “tools,” not the all-important-strategies

September 11, 2009 Shari Weiss 2 Comments

Part 3: Putting the PUBLIC Back in Public Relations

If you think about the title of this post, I hope you’ll get the message that even though it’s the SM platforms, i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed, etc. that get the “Buzz,” it’s HOW YOU USE THEM that is their true significance.

Because Brian and Dierdre devote a lot of ink to individual tools in this section of PPBPR, readers should note that some of the content will be outdated by the time they read it — the Web is so dynamic, and the Social Web is even more so.

But that is the Key Point of this section:

“Remember that these are merely tools to communicate with others; they’re not representative of the strategies and methodologies for observing and communicating with people.” — p. 153 PPBPR

Four chapters in Part 3: “Participating in Social Media”

Ch 11 – Technology Does Not Override the Social Sciences

Ch 12 – Social Networks: The Online Hub for Your Brand

Ch 13 – Micromedia

Ch 14 – New “Marketing” Roles

Valuable re-quote from The Cluetrain Manifesto:

These markets are conversations. Their members communicate in language that is natural, open, honest, direct, funny and often shocking.
Whether explaining or complaining, joking or serious, the human voice is unmistakably genuine. It can’t be faked.
Most corporations, on the other hand, only know how to talk in the soothing, humorless monotone of the mission statement, marketing brochure, and your call-is-important-to-us busy signal.
Same old tone. Same old lies.

My take-aways:

Conversations will go on — with or without you. Watch that the competition doesn’t get there first.
Negativity in the conversation can present opportunity, e.g., to change a perception.
Basic PR has not changed: YOU are the communication bridge between your company and the people you want to reach.
Social media helps uncover relevant online communities: LISTEN, OBSERVE and, then, ENGAGE.
Reach out to individuals not audiences.
Everything you do online today, whether it’s personal or on behalf of a company you represent, contributes to public perception and overall brand resonance.
Social networks are forcing PR practitioners to evolve — to step out from behind a cloak of anonymity.
“Socialize to Survive” : The days of focusing solely on Web stickiness, eyeballs, and click-throughs is waning. These are the days of immersion, conversation, engagement, relationships, referrals, and action.

NOW FOR SOME QUESTIONS: (especially for those of you who may want to consider discussing this chapter next Tuesday, September 15, at the 8 pm EDT/5 pm PDT meet-up of #smbookclub)

As a “communication pro,” how do you [or anyone] keep on top of Networks and Apps?
What platforms and apps have you chosen to use and why?
What success stories have you had/or heard about that have impacted the way you feel about social media?
How do you feel about “lifestreams” and/or posting updates on multiple sites simultaneously?
Can discussions really take part in micromedia?
Where would you like to see Social Media go from here?

I hope to hear your thoughts in comments below and/or next Tuesday during our book discussion.

Next Post: Description of Community Manager role as organization’s guide along Social Media Revolutionary Road

Facebook

Is Social Media THE ANSWER when traditional marketing “sucks”?

August 31, 2009 Shari Weiss 15 Comments

Five incredibly talented and deeply entrenched social media THOUGHT LEADERS fielded questions about “How to get the word out” and win more business now that there’s so much FREE stuff out there.

THE VENUE: Grand Hyatt in San Francisco

THE SPONSOR: San Francisco chapter of the American Marketing Association

THE “WHY”: To discuss whether or not today’s marketing and PR “sucks,” and, if so, What To Do About It.

THE PANEL OF NOTABLES:

Moderator & Alltop creator: Guy Kawasaki

The Silicon Valley Blogger: Louis Gray

French entrepreneur: Loic Le Meur

Community builder: Renee Blodgett

LinkedIn Sales VP: Steve Patrizi

Super Tweeter Guy Kawasaki

QUESTIONS POSED TO PANEL MEMBERS:

What would you do if you had a great product in a niche and zero dollars in marketing?

What would you now do if you now had $10,000 in marketing? How would you put it to use?

What is the role of agencies in today’s environment? Should companies simply do their own marketing?

Headlines from the discussion:

PR NEEDS A NEW NAME

NO TRUST IS OBSTACLE FOR PR & ADVERTISING

CROWDSOURCING IS THE NEW INFLUENCER

KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO BE

BECOME AN EXPERT IN A UNIQUE NICHE

“TRUTH IN MARKETING”: [Who’d a thunk?]

EVERYONE IN YOUR COMPANY WILL BE FINDABLE

BE YOUR OWN MOUTHPIECE

PR AGENCIES ARE PASSÈ

Selected clips from the discussion

: Silicon Valley blogger Louis Gray

“For marketing on a shoestring: Tap into personal network for word of mouth. Leverage the people who are your biggest fans.”

Seesmic founder: Loic Le Meur
“The problem with old styles of marketing is No Trust. What I trust are my friends telling me about products they like.”

“Twenty years ago there were 20 influencers. Today there are 6,000.”

“When you engage with customers on Twitter, you can learn what problems need to be resolved.”

“Social Media Marketing: Find the fight people in the right places and offer the right message.”

Steve Patrizi and Renee Blodgett round out the panel of experts

“Online Social Media: No difference between personal and professional.”

“Professionally distributed news releases may only be necessary with major launches.”

“Break out of old marketing by teaching your people to LISTEN and then to RESPOND.”
“The speed of innovation is directly related to the speed at which we are sharing information.”
“Rules are different for social media platforms: MySpace is like your neighborhood bar. Facebook is the backyard BBQ. LinkedIn is your office. You’ll need to act accordingly.”

WHAT DID THE ATTENDEES HAVE TO SAY?

Mark Evans, SFAMA President
Marketing is going through a revolution. The SFAMA is here to embrace this change and help bring together all the moving parts. — Mark

Julia Francis - Ubiquity PR, Wendy Fisher - Moxie Mtkg, Sharon Lee - Shamiko Design, Kelly Connelly - Kelly Connelly Design
MARKETING AND PR “SUCK”? — People will always need them, suck or not. It depends on the approach for them “not to suck”: Change the name of PR to a more friendly and real term like SOCIAL CONNECT, for instance. — Sharon

Bill Bralye
After listening to the panel, I want to devote more time identifying best practices used by companies that are effectively widening their marketing tactics by adding social media to the mix. — Bill

Deb Kockos
I can tell you that most people do not spend their day online exposed to ads or blogs about certain products. Most of the world doesn’t even know what Web 2.0 means. When referencing a conversation on LinkedIn during a recent presentation, the audience looked at me like I was nuts. No one even knew about LinkedIn. We’re definitely in the early adopter stage here. — Deb

John Meyer - UC Berkeley, Laura Dantes - Engagement Strategies
We do need to filter the Hype and remember basic marketing principles. As Renee put it, “What is the problem we are trying to solve?” Focus on strategy, messaging, and reaching the right stakeholder groups using multiple channels. I don’t believe the zero budget Twitter solution is sustainable. — Laura

Cory O'Brien
Marketing and PR don’t suck. They’re just changing rapidly, and the companies that can’t keep up with the changing environment are using marketing and PR methods that “suck.” Social media has closed the gap between the company and the consumer, and there’s a level of speed, honesty, and transparency that is required to play in this field that many companies are not yet comfortable with. — Cory
FOR THOSE WHO’D LIKE TO VIEW GUY’S QUESTIONS AND THE PANEL RESPONSES AND DISCUSSION:
Here are links to several short YouTube videos:
Do Marketing & PR suck? Guy Kawasaki introduces panel.
Louis Gray says BE YOUR OWN MOUTHPIECE
Loic Le Meur says problem with ads is LACK OF TRUST
Renee Blodgett advises companies to ask What They Want to Be
Steve Patrizi says that companies still need ads
Guy Kawasaki asks panel How to Market with $10,000
Renee Blodgett has tip to spike video views
QUICKY: Not much can be done with $10K
Louis Gray says, YES, $10K can fund successful marketing plan
Are PR agencies still necessary and relevant?
Steve Patrizi: Companies will continue to need help getting the word out
PR needs a New Name, according to Loic
TRUTH IN MARKETING: Who would have thought of those 3 words together?
What if your customers are not on Twitter?

San Francisco AMA members: Please add your comments below, and everyone else “out there”: DO YOU THINK TODAY’S TRADITIONAL MARKETING SUCKS, and WHAT SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT IT?
Can’t get enough of thought leaders in panel discussions? Here’s my report on Steve Rubel, Michael Brito, Richard Brewer-Hay, and Angela LoSasso discussing “Beyond the Hype: Roadmap for Social Media”
Next post: HOW TO CONVINCE YOUR BOSS TO GO SOCIAL

Blogging, Twitter

Old Hat press releases will no longer cut it

August 25, 2009 Shari Weiss 8 Comments

Part II: My notes on PRWeb Social News Release show

Images are now expected: photo by my friend Susan Ambrosini

For a long time I’ve been telling my students the “dirty little secret” that the term PRESS RELEASE is passè — and people-in-the-know have been referring to these outreach communiquès as NEWS RELEASES.

However in the New Media World, we now have the SOCIAL NEWS RELEASE with entirely new rules and capabilities. Naturally I was excited by the prospect of sharing the tips for online news releases offered in the PRWeb/Vocus webinar.

SNR’s — VITAL SEO TOOL

Here are three of the broad-based benefits of Social News Releases:

Their incorporated “links” build Google juice
They provide content for both news aggregators and bloggers
They can create viral exposure through social networks

The Webinar listed five steps for a Great Online News Release:

Focus on two or three relevant key phrases — and get one of those in the headline and the other in the first sentence.
Content is Key: Make certain that your story has news value and is not just a veiled sales pitch.
Distribute the release to all social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Optimize with key words and videos or images.
Use targeted anchor tags [URLs with recognizable labels].

It’s All About BACKLINKS

Go to slide #26++ on Optimized Press Releases for examples of SEO-enhanced social news releases. Notice the embedded video, social bookmarking, live search tracking, and embedded hyperlinks. Multimedia has become an expectation.

Here are two organizational points from the webinar transcript:

The Process has changed: new way of working, new approval procedures, new metrics
Leadership must discuss and adopt a new way of defining success for Public Relations

You can use this template for a Social News Release provided on the Web by Todd Defren, widely respected PR/Social Media expert whose blog PR-Squared debuted the recommended format. For more information check out this Fact Sheet on Todd and the relevance of Social News Releases.

Next post: SFSU alum John Gumas was one of the SF marketing pro’s “responsible” for sparking my passion for All Things Social Media

Guest Post

No guarantees, but here are tips to “Go Viral”

August 14, 2009 Shari Weiss 8 Comments

The great thing about the Viral Video Phenomenon is that you don’t need a professional film crew. Let your imagination be Director and your “sense of fun” do the scripting.

Although it is virtually impossible to create a Web marketing program that is guaranteed to go viral, according to David Meerman Scott and other pundits, you can stack the deck in your favor by (a) following some guidelines and (b) avoiding the pitfalls.

PR student Synang Chhan wrote this guest post on “Helpful Tips for Going Viral on YouTube” as a result of her classroom research:

Give People Something To Talk About

by Synang Chhan

The whole point of going viral on YouTube is to create a piece of content that goes beyond mediocre videos. The focus is to get people talking about and sharing the content. Here are some Do’s and Don’ts to make that happen:

The Nine DO’s

1) Define the audience: Think about the types of viewers that your video is trying to reach and give them something to talk about with their friends, family, and peers. Keep in mind their thoughts and feelings to create positive feedback. Top Ten Videos list

2) Generate a viral trigger: Pick and choose an element that will “hit the spot.” Start with something shocking and/or hilarious and/or completely unique to get the buzz going. Manhattan Bridge sways with subway traffic

3) Stay homemade: Make sure to be yourself. The best way to gain the audience’s trust is to show a natural and organic personality, so the audience sees a real person, not a robot. Fellow student Christine Ferraris promotes “‘new” company

4) Mimic a public figure: Involving a celeb-inspired imitation may lead to viral success. People take pleasure in getting a kick out of their favorite stars goofing off antics; better yet, people enjoy watching celebrity imposters because there is the added element of checking out how close the copier can get. Also, the high publicity value of public figures makes them especially easy to search for. Who can forget Tina Fey as Sarah Palin

5) Take it to the Max: With more than a million videos uploaded worldwide, you have to give yours something extra to even get noticed. Yours needs to be TEN TIMES BETTER — 10 x Funnier — 10 x More Exhilarating — 10 x More Original — 10 x More Inspirational! The Law of Attraction

6) Bring the exposure to your audience: The purpose of the viral video is to share the content. On the other hand, DO NOT WAIT for people to find your content. Even the most creative videos on YouTube can go unnoticed as a result of lack of exposure. Seeking a platform approach to viral sharing is a good idea. some suggestions are Digg, StumbleUpon, HeySpread, Facebook, Twitvid, and TubeMogul in additiaon to YouTube. Viral Video Blog

7) Make it portable: Allowing the video to be shared easily is to make it portable, downloadable, and obtainable. Moreover, allocating friendly links to your video will make it simple for people to spread it effectively. A site for the funniest videos

8- Timing is necessary: Keep in mind that luck and timing is essential because most videos are often “stumbledupon” by someone who then passes it on to another person who passes it on, and so on. Basically, you will need to be in the right place at the right time in order to have the potential for that viral spread. In the meantime, you can acquire lots of views to happen fast after upload by making the front page of Digg or as a YouTube Video of the Week. Top rated videos on Digg

9) Track the viral activity: Since your video has hit the web, you may want to track where all the downloading activities are coming from. many sites such as Unruly Media, Google, or YouTube Insights can tell which keywords people use to find your video, which then helps you effectively advertise it. Unruly Media and YouTube Insight

And NOW what you should NOT do if you really want to go viral

1) DON’T create a fake campaign: Being REAL is essential. If you act insincerely, people can tell. You will be misrepresented in a way that will hurt, not help. Be who you are, not someone you are not.

2) DON’T be a commercial: While a few companies have been able to produce viral commercial videos, most do not make it. Audiences are looking for something to talk about, not something to buy.

3) DON’T post bad quality: While your videos don’t have to be professional, if the quality is too poor, that can be a big turn-off. Keep the style of America’s Funniest Home Videos as a model, not The Blair Witch Project.

4) DON’T make the video too long: When videos play more than five minutes, viewers will stop watching and look elsewhere — in most cases, but not all. Susan Boyle and the Battle at Kruger both went on for more than 7 minutes but were so great that viewers keep coming back.

5) DON’T mislead the content with an SEO title: Keywords in a title will not guarantee viral success and may backfire by misleading the viewer. No one wants to waste time clicking on a video for one reason and then seeing something totally different. You will lose credibility and earn a bad reputation.

6) DON’T pick an unappealing background: If your background is all plain, it will give your video a plain vibe. If you film in a home office with a messy desk, most people will think you are lazy and unorganized. First impressions do count.

7) DON’T keep your videos to yourself: Distribute to EVERYONE you know and to all the social bookmarking sites.

8- DON’T be negative about competitors: Keep your videos classy and sophisticated by avoiding trash talk, which will only be viewed as rude, disrespectful, and in bad taste.

9) FINALLY, DON’T Stop Having Fun!: Although you may have serious messages to get across, adding fun can make all the difference.

Now Just Do It!

Next post: Future of Advertising AND YouTube

Facebook, Guest Post

Viral Video — Advertising left Madison Avenue for Your Avenue

August 13, 2009 Shari Weiss 2 Comments

Who knew that back in Feb 2005 three former Pay Pal employees would introduce a video-sharing website that would be gobbled up by Google a year-and-a-half later and now seems very likely to herald a powerful new way for people to sell products and services?

What’s viral and how do you do it?

My Public Relations students studied many of the top Social Media platforms this summer and one group focused on “Maximizing the Power of YouTube.” This week’s blog will feature three of their reports.

The Viral Virus

Guest Post by Ashley Hall

A few years ago, the term “viral video” wasn’t in the vocabulary of the average person. In fact, the word viral was always considered a bad thing, insinuating an uncontrollable replication and spread. Currently, that is exactly what has happened as ordinary people’s videos have gone viral, spreading to our email inboxes, being posted on our Facebook feeds, and showing up continually as tweets and retweets to our Twitter accounts.

On July 19, a video of a fun-loving wedding party featured the bridesmaids and groomsmen dancing down the aisle to the Chris Brown song “Forever.” Within one week, the JK Wedding Entrance Dance had accumulated more than a million views and was picked up by both local and national TV shows including “The Today Show.”

Amateur production reveals real life

Shot by amateurs, the video lacked professional sound quality and a high resolution image, but it has now received more than 19 million views, 80,000 comments, and a five-star rating.

How is it that an amateur video that wasn’t intended to be broadcast very far from friends and family has now been seen around the world?

Answer: Because it fits the criteria of a successful viral video perfectly: it wasn’t meant to go viral.

The Wedding Entrance Dance is funny and engaging, but most of all, it is real. These people could have been our college roommates or people in surrounding cubicles.

An interesting side effect of this viral sensation is the impact it has had on Chris Brown, the artist of the song used in the video. Chris Brown has had some very public problems with the law. In February, he was arrested for domestic violence against his girlfriend, singer Rihanna. On July 20, a day after the JK Wedding Entrance Video was posted, Chris issued an apology video on YouTube, which to date has gotten just under three million views. There are so many parody videos of his apology that it actually takes a bit of digging to find the original.

Public has forgotten they disliked Chris Brown

After unsuccessfully trying to repair the damage done to his reputation, Chris’ record label Sony decided to embrace the use of the song in this video. That was the best decision they could have made because just three weeks after the video’s appearance, the public has forgotten they hated Chris Brown.

A year since its release, “Forever” is now back on the iTunes and Amazon Top Ten singles chart and the pop-up ad to buy the song averages twice as many sales as other click-to-buy items.

Good news doesn’t stop there

The Wedding Dance video has increased profits to Google, but also to a new fund set up to dontate money for victims of domestic violence. You simply can’t put a price on this kind of publicity: Without spending any money, Chris has gotten back on the charts with a year old song. When people hear “Chris Brown,” chances are they think about the dancing wedding party, not the images of him pleading guilty to domestic violence in court.

In this case, the viral video was pure luck for Sony and Chris Brown. However, a few companies have successfully released publicity videos that went viral. Blender company Blendtec has released a series of videos showcasing their blenders blending their blenders blending things like glowsticks, and iPhone and Bic lighters.

British mattress company, Bensons for Beds, recently released a video of their attempt to bread the world record number of people playing Mattress Dominoes, which is quickly catching on.

Though Blendtec and Bensons for Beds have successfully created viral videos, the key for success is really luck and timing. You can never predict what will catch on; you just have to be prepared for it when it does.

Have you caught the viral video virus?

Check out these classics: sneezing panda, chocolate rain, laughing baby, and Numa Numa.

So keep uploading your videos onto YouTube. Maybe you will become the next viral sensation.

Next guest post from Synang Chhan: “Helpful Tips for Going Viral on YouTube”

Blogging, Facebook, Sharisax Is Out There, Twitter

How am I doing? My online presence roadmap 2-week checkup

August 9, 2009 Shari Weiss 11 Comments

Two weeks ago I made a commitment to manage my online presence. Discipline is key, but broadcasting intentions into cyberspace has a way of keeping one on the straight and narrow. Too many people to make excuses to if objectives aren’t met.

So how have I done?

Below is my “roadmap” list, followed by my actions:

1) Make a list of WEEKLY goals {I believe I can hold to that) and check off my accomplishments EVERY Sunday night.

OOOps, I didn’t exactly write the list — except on my blog. But I am checking this Sunday night.

2) Prioritize those goals to make certain that the ones on the top of the list are done for sure.

The priorities were in my head since I didn’t write the list . . . except on the blog. Is this admission helpful to anyone? Maybe it’s a way to show the importance of ACTUALLY WRITING DOWN the list, especially if it’s a “check off” list.

3) My original intention, way back when I first posted on April 23, was To Become an A-List Blogger — and that continues to be my Long Term Goal —

Blogging is my NUMBER ONE priority; the first week I only got to write two posts. This week, though, I’m doing well . . . one-a-day since Friday.

🙂

4) Next, because I really believe that Twitter will become all that its creators are envisioning, my goal will be 3-5 Tweets Every Single Day! I will continue to follow my own advice on What to Tweet.

I went to check on my exact progress by looking at my profile page @sharisax: That was actually Cool as it reminded me of some of the “insights” that I’d tweeted, especially one that was RT’d several times: “If success=receiving, then first comes giving.” Anyway, I met my goal of at least 3 Tweets a day.

Most of my Tweets are posted via Friendfeed, but not always. Even though both are “microblogging” platforms, I don’t personally feel they are “interchangeable.” Friendfeed’s capacity for conversation makes some updates more appropriate for that site.

5) Facebook is a HUGE priority, especially since my partner Les Ross and I are building our Social Media/Internet Marketing consulting business Performance Social Media, which recently set up a Fan Page. We’ll be including the opportunity for small and large companies to find social media interns through us, so I’ll be monitoring and updating both my Facebook Profile and my Facebook Page EVERY Day. That means NEW content on the Facebook page at least four days a week.

Check 🙂

I’m even adding more Business Apps to the Page, and I’ll continue reading everything I can on “Facebook for Business.”

6) I may be running out of time for Daily Tasks, but I thinking checking in and updating LinkedIn is essential. So besides that commitment, I plan to contribute to at least two LinkedIn Group Discussions every week.

OOOOps, I really did want to engage with LinkedIn groups, and TSK TSK . . . have not gotten to that yet. 🙁

7) Finally, my new Road Map will highly suggest that I check out at least one New social media tool, strategy or app every week; by checking out, I do mean more than reading about it.

HOORAY, this one I did in spades. My previous blog post is the proof: 15 social media sites my students and I checked out last week.

Looks like I get a few gold stars and a few TSK TSKs. But the great thing is that I’m traveling faster along Revolutionary Road. And I hope I’m pulling some of you along with me. Anyone else want to report progress in managing online presence? Let us know.

Next post: Viral videos – the future of advertising