1. What SOPA Means for PR Professionals (Ragan’s PR Daily)

SOPA was a major industry topic this week, with a large amount of websites, including Wikipedia, protesting the act. It’s interesting to see how this act influences public relations. For example, did you know that if you represent a client with a non-U.S. website that hosts offensive content, Google will be required to exclude the website from their search engine?

2. PR: The Best Insurance in a Crisis? (PR News)

After the sinking of a Carnival Cruise ship off the coast of Italy, there was a lot of discussion on how large companies should handle this type of crisis. PR News wrote an interesting story explaining that many insurance companies are partnering with public relations agencies to offer crisis management services to businesses.

3. Interview: Mark Cuban On PR’s Value For Startups (PRSAY)

Last week, Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, wrote a piece in Entrepreneur advising startups on how to have a successful start. One of his rules was to “never hire a PR firm.” After receiving a large amount of feedback on his advice, Mark Cuban spoke with the PR blog, PRSAY, to provide more details on his response.

If you find any additional great public relations articles that you’d like to share, get in touch in the comments section.

What most folks have not yet discussed, are the implications for businesses and consumers after Google+ takes over the world of social media. As Google leverages the rich information and data it will be able to collect from the interactions and interests of Google+ users, it has the power to change and improve existing Google services as well as push Google into new business categories. Some of the many possible outcomes we discussed in our session included:

Announcing via its AdSense blog, Google has launched an ad version that includes the “+1” tool, now synonymous with Google+. Google+ users can click the “+1” on the ad to share the advertisement with their community on Google+. This is a tool that advertisers will jump at to use. But will anyone else?

Obviously, Google ad network has become the dominant tool in display advertising. Having a way to take that advertisement, and grow it further (free of charge) can be powerful.

Of course, you also have to wonder how many people will want to share advertisements with their friends? And that will come down to the social media strategy of the advertiser. With this tool, we could see a number of changes in Google ads, which will open up advertisements to interactions and community involvement, as opposed to simply encouraging users to click on a link.

For instance, having advertisements that encourage users to spread information about a new product could proliferate. Maybe attached to these advertisements are dedicated links that provide users with a freebie of some sort, if they spread the word of the ad to enough people. It’s something that social media groups have done on Facebook for some time, but now it can be accomplished through an ad that is targeted to a specific group. That’s very powerful, and something that could further grow Google+ to the non-tech world.

And if those ads are social enough, then it won’t just be advertisers excited about this announcement.

If you haven’t had a chance to experience the Plus yet, imagine a mash-up of all the social media tools you have used, with the Google twist. For example, there’s something called “Circles,” which will allow you to filter your community into groups. You can separate your community into two different groups – lets say healthcare and education. You can include any healthcare contacts in the healthcare circle and do the same with education. Then you can send messages, information and statuses only to that specific group. While some doubt the importance to regular folks at home, it creates a very useful feature for marketers. It allows for a more dynamic way to interact with a group then say separating your network into Twitter lists or simply emailing your entire Facebook network.

Already, reports have come out announcing more features expected soon, like gaming capabilities (similar to Facebook apps), ways to check-in for deals (watch out Foursquare) and a questions platform (Quora). Could this be your one place to go for all social media needs?

I wouldn’t jump ahead in naming Google+ the end all; be all of social media feeds quite yet. While there may be a lot of marketers and PR professionals on the site right now figuring out what ways their companies can use the tools, there’s little proof that a large mass of people will use it. And without that, there’s little Google+ can do but promise.

However, in the meantime, it’s important for those in charge of brand presences online to do three things on the new platform:

1. Monitor: This adds a new way for people to communicate about your company’s offerings. It also offers another place where you can interact with a community interested in your products. It’s definitely worth joining those conversations, whether they are on Twitter, Google+ or whatever other platform comes in the future
2. Target: With some of the capabilities highlighted in the first installment of Google+, it provides the opportunity to target the message. This could become the greatest asset that Google+ provides, and definitely worth trying out
3. Experiment: With the new tools, the winners on the platform will be the brave. Those who jump on the platform quickly, with a clear message and fun tools could find a large network, very quickly, once Google+ moves out of beta and creates tools for companies to add presences

Has anyone seen any really interesting Google+ presences yet?

Did this plan work? Well today, we let the ideas flow to see what people came up with, and the amazing thing was, not only did everyone

come up with an idea, they came up with an idea that was nearly a no-brainer. Many were easily implementable, while others will take some time, but better serve our clients.

Some of the ideas included:

• An Affect Style Guide – Outlines how to write the Affect way
• Monthly Team Lunches – Provides time to get us out of the office, away from the computer and a chance to spend lunch as a team
• New Office Design – Creates a place for clearing our minds and have a chance to breath, if needed (and possibly a little Wii)
• Green Office Initiative – Outlines steps to save paper, electricity and better recycle
• Mentor Program – Provides assistance and guidance to junior staffers, giving them someone to work closely with

And there were many more ideas that we will talk about later. But what was surprising to me was just how varied these ideas were. Sometouched on aspects of our company that will help recruit more business (not mentioned) while others were

all about crafting an already solid work environment. It’s amazing what employees can come up with when they have the chance.

We will let you know how our ideas come out as we work to implement them. Have your companies done anything similar? What was the result?

The Facebook and Twitter for businesses event at Social Media Week 2011 saw Mark Shaw and Julie Hall up on stage to discuss strategy for establishing a successful corporate presence in social media. Although the platforms are different – Twitter is a “cocktail party”, while Facebook is “an invitation into someone’s front room” – the message was broadly similar: interaction with users is key.

Mark kicked off with some interesting Twitter stats:

• Twitter has 300,000 new joiners per day
• There are 200 million accounts
• 57% of FTSE 100 companies have a Twitter account
• 72% of these have not used their account to contact customers

What is the point of a Twitter account if you are not going to interact with customers? Highlighting the importance of using a Twitter presence for communication, Mark cited the Costa Coffee page (drawing gasps from the audience).

To state “We’ve finally arrived on Twitter” and leave it at that for three years certainly comes across as more than a little bit lax. It seems that Costa have missed the brand development boat with regards to Twitter. By interacting with customers, brands have a great chance to present their corporate personality, rather than remaining as a faceless vendor of goods. A search of Twitter reveals hundreds of people currently Tweeting about Costa Coffee, a perfect opportunity for the company to interact with them, address any issues and promote brand loyalty.

So, it’s high time brands ditched the notion that social media is simply a tool for blasting their ‘fans’ with self-serving updates and flipped it on its head – it should be all about listening and it’s about giving back to your fan base.   In essence, be less pushy and more helpful.

The first step is to learn how to find out what people are saying about you out there in the digisphere.  Twittersearch.com is great place to start –just tap in your brand name to get going.  From there, the key is to respond, respond, respond!   Your fans (or critics!) are bound to feel more valued if you engage with them directly, and this will almost always generate more conversation about your brand both online and through that holy grail of PR tools – word of mouth.

You can step up your game with tools like Twitter Analyzer – basically Google Analytics for Twitter – which provides all kinds of useful data you can use to enhance your Tweeting strategy.  This blog post from @BenTremblay should point you in the right direction.

While Twitter is clearly the new digital ‘must have’ for any organisation looking to harness the power of social media, the nature of Facebook makes it generally more suited to consumer brands or generating hype around specific events.  Our advice would be to think carefully about whether it’s the right medium for you before jumping in and setting up a group.

The overall message we came away with was that it’s time to get brave with social media – the key to success is to humanise your brand’s digital persona.  So, drop the corporate language, give yourself the freedom to respond to messages instantly and don’t get hung up on perfecting everything that you post.  If you can crack this change of mentality, you’ll soon start reaping the rewards.

SURVEY ALERT!

We’re in two minds about whether or not you should delete negative content from your social media accounts.  If the content is offensive then fair enough, but what about dealing with constructive criticism?  Should your response be made publicly on you Facebook wall or Twitter feed, or is it better to switch to private messaging?  Let us know what you think by voting in this poll.

1. Clean Up Your Online Image – First and foremost, make sure that your online image is Google-ready. Most hiring managers will Google a job candidate at some point in the hiring process – sometimes before an interview. Google yourself and find out what happens. Is your LinkedIn profile up to date? Has your personal blog been dormant for months? Do photos from a night of over indulging in Cancun come up in search results? Take a good inventory of how you appear online and prepare the groundwork. Make sure that content that a potential employer can access is appropriate. Use privacy settings whenever possible. Untag yourself in photos if you can’t remove them from the public eye. Ask people to recommend you on sites that allow reviews such as LinkedIn and Guru.com. Create new ‘favorable’ content to hit the top of the search results (see next tip).

2. Make Yourself ‘Findable’ – If you don’t have an online presence, you need one. Social media is a great way to quickly create an online reputation for yourself and build out your resume and profile. Most of the tools are free. Create a LinkedIn profile, a Facebook page, join Twitter and any relevant professional networks or communities in your field. Even adding your name to a directory or commenting on a high profile blog can create new content for a prospect employer to find when searching for information on you. You can create a YouTube video of yourself (but make sure it’s industry/job appropriate) or a a full website resume.

3. Be an Expert – In addition to looking for job opportunities, you should be looking for opportunities to put your skills into action. Consider starting a blog, or at least, a guest blog to highlight your field of knowledge. Create an online portfolio of your work with a Flickr account. If you are a marketer, answer questions on LinkedIn pertaining to marketing (this also puts your name  and business smarts in front of all of your connections.) Participate in message boards and forums that are frequented by prospective employers and be a helpful presence – answer questions, post articles, start discussions, etc. Focus your ‘tweets’ on Twitter to build a following in your field. Share your ideas, best practices, relevant articles and other information that ‘prove’ you are in the know and have up to date skills to share. Post PowerPoint presentations on SlideShare to show off your handiwork.

4. Join the Group – Groups on LinkedIn, Facebook and other platforms offer more opportunities to connect with potential employers and colleagues. When you join a group on LinkedIn, you are often able to direct message members. This can be a direct line of communication to a hiring manager or executive at the firm of your desire.When appropriate, you can also post message to the entire group to help in your job search. In addition to groups, a single connection may be your gateway to the right job opportunity. Leverage individual connections to facilitate introductions to hiring managers.

5. Actively Listen – Don’t just rely on the traditional job boards to find your next position. Set up RSS feeds and Google Alerts to notify you when new jobs have been posted in your field. Check out non-traditional job boards. For example, LinkedIn also has job boards inside group settings where only group members can post job opportunities. If you ‘fan’ a company on Facebook, you might be the first to find out about job openings. Seek out and follow recruiters (professional recruiters and internal hiring managers) on Twitter. Many often post job opportunities on Twitter first before sending out mass communications to their network. In addition, responding via Twitter may separate you from the ‘death by inbox’ syndrome that plunges many resumes into the email abyss.

6. Turn Online Connections Into Offline Connections – Social media offers us opportunities to expand our Dunbar Number (theoretical number of sustainable social relationships that one person can maintain) from 150 to hundreds of thousands. However, when it comes to getting a job, candidates are usually only hired after they’ve met the hiring manager in person. And, influencers still tend to recommend candidates that they know and have met directly. So, take your online relationships offline. Participate in networking events, organize a MeetUp, take a connection out to lunch and ask for informational interviews to get some face-time with potential employers.

Additional Resources:

7 Secrets to Getting Your Next Job Using Social Media (Mashable)

How to Find a Job on Twitter (Mashable)

Finding a Job Using Social Media (SlideShare)

General Information on the Topic:
PR Newswire Toolkit: http://prtoolkit.prnewswire.com
PRWeb Resources: http://www.prweb.com/writing_release.php
Publicity Insider: http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp
Online Marketing Blog : http://www.toprankblog.com/2008/02/seo-tips-for-public-relations/
Why Big Brands Struggle with Social Mediafrom Mashable

Twitter Resources:
Make Tweet Love – Top Tips for Building Twitter Relationships from Brian Solis
Twitter Etiquette: Five Dos and Don’ts from CIO Magazine
Getting Things Done on Twitter from Emily Chang
14 Tools for Highly Effective Twitter Users from Kenny Hyder
How to Get Retweeted from Guy Kawasaki

Presentation
The presentation is available online at SlideShare or here:

UPDATE 2/25: For full webinar replay (slides and audio) click here.

I was agreeing with his sentiments…

Then just yesterday, Spencer Spinnell, director of Google Print Ads, posted a blog that Google is discontinuing its print ad sales program for newspapers on Feb 28 – a program that includes no less than…800 U.S. newspapers!

Spinnell says Google will continue to devote a team of people to look at how they can help newspaper companies. That’s nice. Maybe open a museum?

“It is clear that the current Print Ads product is not the right solution, so we are freeing up those resources to try to come up with new and innovative online solutions that will have a meaningful impact for users, advertisers and publishers.”

Can you imagine a world with no more newspapers? I’m not sure that will happen. But I do see a trend here. I think this industry is going to shrink enormously in the next few years, especially if more companies like Google start pulling their advertising dollars. And I’m sure they will.

I thought it was a great gathering: The keynote speaker was Ray Kerins, VP Worldwide Communications, Pfizer. The panel that followed was moderated by Melanie Milstein, author of Twitter and the Micro-Messaging Revolution with Dave Armon, President PR Newswire, David Sacks, Founder of Yammer, Paul Gennaro, Chief Communication Officer, AECOM, Morgan Johnston, Corporate Communications Manager, JetBlue, and Marc Monseau, Director, Media Relations, Johnson & Johnson

The forum then broke out into roundtable sessions moderated by professionals in PR and Marketing who are involved and active in social media and real-time communications.

It was exciting to actually meet and talk to all of these good people that are the front-runners in embracing and using social media and real-time communications to strengthen their brand and connect and communicate with their customers.

I must say, it was mostly in a B2C context, but the forum tried to cover B2B as well.

Everyone was fired up; the room was abuzz with talk, questions, and networking. All the social media buzzwords you could find were flying around: Twitter, YouTube, FaceBook, MySpace, Flickr, blogging, tweeting, video, RSS, IM, email, wikis and on and on…

I felt that people could not get enough information. Everybody was thirsty to learn more.

The questions seemed to be unanimous and ubiquitous:
How do I start?
What does it take from a tactical point of view? One person or a team of 10?
What are the risks?
What are the benefits?
Can I calculate ROI?
How do I get executive management on board?
How do I manage a crisis?
What is a fast response? Two days, two hours, 2 minutes or 2 seconds?
How do I control what’s out there?
How do I manage and aggregate all the different platforms for RTC?
What about traditional media?
How do I get buzz going for a small company that’s not a JetBlue or J&J?

Some questions were tackled and answered, some were not, some got an honest “we don’t know the answer to that yet”.

My key takeaways – and I hope this helps all of us – were:
- Start by discovering what conversations are going on in the social media space like Twitter, YouTube and blogs
- Monitor these everyday by getting RSS feeds through Google RSS or Google Alerts
- Make sure you understand and define your goals and what your communications strategy is
- Don’t be afraid to dip your toe into this fast-flowing social media river.
- Conversations are happening about your company anyway, so get involved
- Depending on your corporation or business, you should decide how to become part of these conversations and who should be answering
- Key: BE HONEST, BE TRANSPARENT
- Employees are spokespeople for the company – they are out there using Twitter and the likes, so they should be brought up to speed
- To do this, and do this right, in a big corporation, there needs to be a mind shift from the top down. Changes in the organization need to be made. Processes need to be streamlined. The social media spokespeople need to be empowered to reply quickly
- To quote Morgan Jonston from JefBlue, “This is about humanization of the brand!”
- Be careful not to seem like the overbearing “big brother”, don’t be intimidating
- Open up, LISTEN to your customers, be committed to change
- Remember and be aware: The line is thinning between traditional media and social media – many journalists have left traditional media and are now influential bloggers/tweeters

Lots of *stuff* to take in…

I look forward to a follow up event, which, in my opinion, could be a full day event, instead of half a day.

If you’d like to hear the two main sessions they are available here.

*Please* add your comments – I would love to hear your opinion and additions!