When it comes to talking about the efficacy of investing resources in social media, one of the popular comebacks that has made more than its fair share of rounds is, “What’s the ROI of your mother?”

Personally, I prefer the “what’s the ROI of pants,” a question that my friends Katie Paine and Shel Israel have had an enjoyable back and forth about on and offline.

Seeing as how I’m not nearly as smart as Katie or Shel, I’m going to suggest that, instead of equating the measurement of social media to one’s mater (yes, that’s a word for mother) or clothing, you and I lesser mortals focus on what we can actually measure.

1.    Forget about social media. What’s your overall goal?

What many people forget about, in the rush to adopt new social media tools and platforms, is why they were invented in the first place. Social media – and networks – while wonderful technologies, do one thing very effectively: they help people connect.

Remember your strategic plan? It’s ok, I’ll wait while you go dust it off. Now, in there, you probably have something about reaching your target audiences in a Citius, Altius, Fortius kind of way.

OMG. Guess what? Connecting with your target audience is what you need to do! OK, now that we’ve gotten that straight, where are they congregating?

Yup. More likely than not, in some social network or platform. But you’ll have to do your own research to figure out which one(s) exactly. There are plenty of tools to help you do this but, believe me, you’ll still have to put some elbow grease into making sense of what the tools tell you.

2.    What do you need these people to do?

I have a favorite “Burkeism” when I speak/teach/write on public relations/social media/measurement. And that is, “begin at the end.”

What are you trying to achieve? Higher sales? Lower acquisition costs? A more engaged donor base (for nonprofit organizations) that you can move into your conversion funnel for long-term donors? Whatever it is, that is what you should be connecting your social media efforts to.

Don’t get me wrong. This is not going to happen overnight.

You will still have to invest in a social media team (or consultant/agency) to manage your social media efforts, all the while building community while participating in the conversations that permeate the Interwebz. There is a definite cost to that, because even if many of the tools are free, the human resources are not.

But as you start getting more familiar, more at ease in these mediums, you need to start connecting and correlating your (or, rather, your team’s) efforts, to what, if any, impact they are having on these end-goals.

Focus on what you are trying to get people to do – the actions you want them to take – as opposed to meaningless (in my opinion) metrics such as how many followers you have, the value of a Facebook fan (a terrific read by Olivier Blanchard), etc.

3.    Did it make a difference?

This is the money question. Did your efforts make a difference to achieving your end objectives?

Did your social media efforts result in the actions you need your customer base – actual and potential – to take?

Because action is what makes our businesses tick. Whether it’s a purchase decision, or a referral, or signing up to an email list (for conversion to future customers), we need our audiences to do more than just follow, like and share.

We need them to “do” in real-world terminology. And only by tracking which tactics get more people to do, as opposed to those that don’t work, can we make our outreach programs more effective… and more measurable.

 Shonali Burke is one of 25 women that rock social media. Her business turns your corporate codswallop into community cool. She also blogs, teaches, and cooks.

If you’re new to baseball, this is an initiative that the MLB launched on the first day of the season. Two fans were selected to watch every single game of 2011. That’s no small feat as their total has hit 2,429 games! But they’ve mixed in appearances by celebrity guests, and documented it all through blogs, video, Twitter and Facebook.

The success was immense. According to ESPN, the two celebrity couch potatoes have built a fan base of a combined more than 150,000 fans on Twitter, while also creating more than 300 blog posts and 200 videos (some of which have gone viral). Tweets about the Fan Cave were 45% positive which far exceeds the 15%-20% average.

Now those numbers sound great, but have they had an impact? Even if you ignore the fact that all the material that was created over the past year can be repackaged for further marketing material, there’s a more tangible success. According to the ESPN article, the average baseball fan is 45 years old, but the average Fan Cave follower was 28. That’s reaching a new market, and an impressive feat.

What can be learned from the Fan Cave’s success? Here are three takeaways to keep in mind, when thinking up your next social media initiative:

1. Use Engaging Personalities – The two fans picked to watch the games in the cave knew baseball, could speak and write baseball and people wanted to hear from them about baseball. That goes a long way in encouraging buzz. Assure your representative knows what he or she will be promoting because the fans can tell the difference
2. Experiment – The content coming out of the Cave changed constantly as the MLB worked to find the right voice and encourage more fans. When they found something that people enjoyed, the Fan Cave team jumped on it to utilize the content, while looking for similar opportunities. That assures fresh, interesting material
3. Fund It – Don’t be afraid to put some money behind the campaign. While this largely used social media to continue the campaign throughout the year, the MLB had to fork up rent for a large studio in downtown New York City. They also paid the two fans for their “work” throughout the year. That can be pricey for social media, but if you ask the MLB, they would no doubt say it was worth it

With more than 200 million users on Twitter, it has become increasingly difficult for people and brands to break through the noise that exists between them and their target audience on this medium. While Twitter may not have a ‘groups’ functionally like LinkedIn or Facebook, communities across the platform are able to directly engage and collaborate with each other through regular Twitter chats.

Similar to other types of online chats and forums, a Twitter chat involves a group of online users who use a designated hashtag on a particular day and time to discuss various topics and trends. Whether you are participating as an individual or on behalf of a brand, these chats are an effective way to grow your following and increase engagement with thought leaders in your target community.

Although joining a Twitter chat may seem intimidating, it can really be a beneficial (and fun!) experience when done effectively.  For those of you who have never joined a Twitter chat before, here are 8 things should do to make the most out of your participation:

1)   Find the right chat. Each week, hundreds of groups and organizations host Twitter chats on a wide variety of topics. From event professionals to Justin Bieber fans, there is a chat out there for everyone. Not sure which chat is best for you? Check out this running public Google Doc that keeps track of all Twitter chat schedules.

2)   Do your homework. If you’ve never joined a particular chat before, it’s important to do you’re your due diligence in understanding the community you are joining. Many chat communities have established their own rules and best practices for participation, so you’ll want to make sure you are in the loop. It’s also a good idea to ‘silently’ observe a Twitter chat before you join it so that you can get a feel for the format and flow of the chat, as well as scope out the key contributors and thought leaders.

3)   Reach out to the chat’s moderator. If you plan on joining a Twitter chat, it’s extremely beneficial to reach out to the chat’s moderator beforehand to see what questions he/she plans on asking. Knowing the agenda of the conversation will help you to determine how you can best contribute to the discussion.

4)   Take the time to prepare. Although Twitter chat conversations happen in real time, the worst thing a person or brand can do is ‘wing it’. Prior to the chat, think about the message you want to get across and how you can do so using the chat’s topic and questions.

5)   Leverage a chat tool. There are several useful social media tools that are designed for participating in Twitter chats. For example, TweetChat and TweetGrid are just two of the many sites that allow you to monitor the chat’s hashtag in real time, while also posting tweets.

6)   Actively participate. Once you’ve introduced yourself to the chat’s participants, don’t just stand by and watch the conversation happen. Find a way to contribute to conversation consistently throughout the chat and take advantage of opportunities to engage with members of the community.

7)   Don’t abuse the hashtag. Keep in mind that the purpose of joining a Twitter chat is to increase engagement and expand your social network, not to promote your product or service. If you begin using the chat’s hashtag in a self-serving or irrelevant way, you will quickly lose credibility and respect among the community.

8)   Keep in touch. Although the chat may only last an hour, the new connections you make can last a lifetime. Therefore, it is important to follow up with those you’ve engaged with and thank them for their insight. If possible, try to take the conversation to another social media platform or offline at the next industry event.

9)   Moderate the next one! Once you have successfully participated in a Twitter chat, offer to be the moderator next time. Moderating a chat opens up even more opportunities for you and your brand (more to come on this in a later post!).

Every once in awhile, media companies pull down the shades and give tips to public relation professionals on how to pitch their journalists. Lets face it; PR folks love this because it gives us an opportunity to refresh our strategy with the outlet. And this refresh can lead to new hits for our clients. What’s not to love about that?

PR Newser recently refreshed their tips, which range from updating your media list to telling your clients “No” when pitching to certain outlets, if the pitch doesn’t fit the journalist’s beat. They consist of more general tips, but would work for PR Newser as well.

This got me thinking, though. Why don’t media outlets include social media in these tips? Social media is everywhere else, but it’s rare to see anything about it in these tips. So, in the meantime, I came up with three tips that could help PR professionals better pitch journalists:

1)   Litter Facebook With Stats: In a recent study by PR Genie, they found that 62% of journalists use Facebook in their reporting. That’s a large group. Besides obviously posting information about a new campaign on the page, you should use the Facebook page to highlight stats that the company wants a journalist to see. It could be stats about the company or stats on a study. But trickling these pieces of information out will help if a journalist sees your pitch then looks at the company Facebook page for more information.

2)   Use Twitter Feeds and Lists to spread press releases: Posting a press release on the company Twitter feed is social media 101. Everyone does it now, but go further, using outlets like MuckRack to post the press release. For a dollar a character, you can post a press release tweet on the MuckRack Twitter list. This is so journalists looking for a quick story can see the press release with a glance in one place, then open it from MuckRack. A great tool, that could be used by more PR pros. This can also satisfy the client, in reaching some journalists that aren’t necessarily a perfect fit for the press release, but still can be reached through this medium.

3)   Interact with a Journalist on Social Media Before You Need Them: This is definitely a long-tail approach, but interacting with a journalist on Twitter or Facebook in a casual way, can help you when pitching. If you create positive interactions (meaning you’re actually helping or conversing with the journalist, not selling something) then they will remember you. So when you send that pitch, and they see your name in their email inbox, there’s more of a chance they will take a look.

Those are my tips, based on what I know about journalists. But, hey, media companies, come on: Help us out with some social media pitching tips as well!

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?

I responded quickly by saying that businesses go on Twitter to connect with existing customers and also to attract potential ones. Then I asked this, “Does your company have a Twitter account?” Out of the eight businesses everyone works for, six companies had accounts. Then I asked what kind of posts were on the handles. One girl said that her firm’s handle consists mainly of company news and updates. I asked if she follows them, and she told me that she did only because she worked there. Then other people chimed in that they wouldn’t follow a company like that because it gets boring.

We ended up discussing what we would want to see on a Twitter feed from a company. The first thing: discounts. After looking past this obvious answer from college students, we developed a short list of rules for companies on Twitter.

1. Tweet when you have something relevant to say. We will only read a few of the tweets, and posting too many times per day could lead us to unfollow you.
2. Use humor to get us interested, or post something we’ll want to talk about with other people. We spend a lot of time socializing offline, and it’s nice to have fresh and interesting topics when you’re with your peers.
3. Talk about things in addition to your company. If you are in the technology industry, post about technology related news. This way, we can get our information from you instead of searching elsewhere. It also keeps us as followers, and we trust your company more.
4. If your post contains more hash tags than content, we won’t read it. Is the only reason you are posting this tweet so that you show up in as many trending topics as possible? Then it’s probably not worth posting or reading.

As the summer continues, I’m excited for more discussions with the other interns. You never know when they will happen, but I was happy to see that the experience I’m gaining allowed me to educate others. Hopefully, I’ve sold them on the benefits of Twitter!

A PR or Advertising person attending Internet Week walks into a bar…. No, it’s not necessarily a joke that requires a fill-in-the-blank answer.

There were many of us PR/Advertising-savvy types at Internet Week (#IWNY), and after the sessions and panels had wrapped, many of us did continue our networking and socializing at the bar parties afterwards. Need proof? Checked Twitpic or Facebook lately?

All kidding aside, there were some rather serious business-oriented lessons to be had from this year’s Internet Week. I’ll share a few of those with you here, keeping with a “bar” theme. (I’ll take some poetic license with the “bar” thing, so just work with me here, OK?)

“Bar” #1: Storytelling, Humor and “Touchy-Feely” Moves to B2B

It’s very clear at this point that “THE BAR IS RAISED” regarding engaging in an effective and relevant way via social media, and that’s no longer limited to B2C companies, but also B2Bs as well. After all, companies are made up of people, and those people have emotions that (whether they are conscious of it or not) are driving many decisions. At Internet Week, there was great emphasis on using strategies in corporate communication efforts that only a few years ago, some might have dismissed as too “touchy-feely” for business.

This year amongst business types, there seemed to be an increased appreciation and perceived business value for reaching out for that emotional connection. There were many mentions of “storytelling”, both auditory and visual, within a corporate context. There were a lot of discussions about how “humor” is important and can not only help connect with an audience, but also may help a brand diffuse a situation if there is some unwanted brand-mocking going on.

“Bar” #2: There’s a Social Media Strategy for Every Business (You Just Have  to Figure it Out)

“BAR NONE”, today’s companies, B2C or B2B, can certainly benefit from some type of social media presence. Of course, you didn’t really need to attend Internet Week to know this, but it was certainly reinforced as to how many different shapes, flavors, and textures that social media presence can have and that there is a strategy out there that will be a good fit, if only you just dedicate some time to figure that out. There are so many options, formats and mediums available when it comes to social media, and a much larger price to pay in abstaining. Authenticity resonates, so it’s also important, whatever the approach/strategy, that the social media presence be true to the “voice” of the company/brand.

“Bar” #3: Messages have to Be Crafted With Two-Way Communications in Mind

“DON’T BAR-K”. (OK, so “bar” is in there. It counts!) This year’s Internet Week attendees realize that the era when only one-way communication was sufficient is over.  Barking at people about what your company feels is important with timing of your company’s choosing will no longer cut it. Companies can still craft messages, but that they also need to listen, engage, and do it all in a timely, relevant manner. Just as it wouldn’t be a good idea to crash a bar party and thrust your business cards into everyone’s hands suddenly without an introduction and some conversation, this holds true for today’s online business presence as well. Also, timing is important. Even if you love animals, if you’re not expecting a dog to bark, and he does suddenly, it can be startling. If in real estate, it’s “location, location, location”, then in social media it’s “timing, timing, timing”. People and companies are surely more receptive when the timing is right.

Hope these 3 “bar” tips I’ve shared here are helpful and satisfying. Speaking of satisfying, all this “bar” talk is making me crave a bar of a different kind. (Hmm. Should I go with milk or dark?) It must be Internet Week sweets truck withdrawal.

-Stephanie Grayson (@Critiques4Geeks)

Stephanie Grayson is an experienced corporate communications professional in New York who sometimes guest-blogs on PR and Advertising when cool people ask her to.

While much of the discussion focused on how the comedians use Twitter and Facebook to market themselves, their advice can be directly applied to businesses looking to build their brand on these social media platforms. Here are 5 tips that came out of the panel, to help make that social media feed more fun:

• Find what makes you stand out. A brand often jumps out to consumers because it offers something unique. If you provide your audience with something quirky or different, they are more likely to be interested in what you have to say. Taco Bell is a great example of this. This company often uses comedy through their Twitter handle to engage with customers, helping them to stand out from their competitors.
• Find your niche and market it. Too often a brand isn’t able to identify what makes them successful or tries to become something it is not. Avoid this by embracing those who embrace you. In business terms, cater to those who want to utilize your product or service even if they aren’t in your original target.
• People follow you on Twitter to interact, so interact with them! This social media platform allows consumers to see a more “human” side to your business, and simple interactions with your followers can go a long way. Sara Benincasa described how she became a life-long customer of Delta Airlines because of the company’s witty reply to a tweet she posted praising them. It’s amazing what one tweet can do!
• Internet does not always equate to real life. While the panel illustrated this point by discussing the difference between performing standup comedy and filming funny YouTube videos, it’s important for companies to understand this idea in their interactions with customers. Brands should maintain a similar demeanor online and in the real world, but understand that e-consumers have different traits than traditional customers who still shop at brick and mortar stores.
• Attract people with a humanistic side before hitting them with the business. People want to be entertained on the Internet, so if a company is constantly shoving coupons at people instead of taking a second to truly have an interaction, potential customers can be lost. Get people interested in what your company has to say by tweeting thought-provoking ideas or interesting bits of information. Doing this will make your followers more open to promotions and company updates.

Companies shouldn’t be afraid to try new things with social media, but at the end of the day they need to do what feels comfortable to them. The great—and potentially hazardous—aspect of social media is the instantaneous feedback that it can provide. As long as companies stick to their core messaging, they shouldn’t be scared to implement these tips to engage with their customers.

What are some of your tips for companies looking to integrate humor into their social media strategy?

Photo courtesy of inevernu

How do you manage a lobster roll? It’s not something I’ve ever thought about, but yesterday at Realtime NY 2011 we learned just how a lobster roll can be a big deal online. That’s because McDonald’s Director of Social Media Rick Wion discussed what happens when people start coming up with new tags like #McSushi and #McLobster when McDonald’s doesn’t carry such a product in the U.S.

And it’s clear from his tale at Internet Week 2011: The best strategy is a good offense.

Here’s the back-story. In March 2011, a rumor of a McDonald’s lobster roll hit the Twittersphere. This rumor hit a tipping point, and became a full-on firestorm on Twitter. But McDonald’s doesn’t have a lobster roll in the U.S., and Wion himself, still hasn’t found out how the rumor got started. And although seemingly harmless, the jokes surrounding the lobster roll quickly turned disgusting and vile. This left McDonald’s with no other option other than to fight back.

First the company tried to simply state that no such product was going to be made available in the U.S. But that didn’t stop the negative tweets. So Wion needed to think of a way to turn the corner on the conversation by changing it completely.

Lucky for him, Charlie Sheen had started his #winning campaign. Wion decided to take a risk and jump onto this conversation, putting out a tweet that said:

According to Wion, the tweet immediately ceased the McLobster mentions. Charlie Sheen retweeted the post (a good thing?) and McWinning got retweeted and retweeted. It changed the conversation and McSushi was dead. But was it worth it? After all, it could have had a completely different reaction from Twitter, considering McDonald’s is a family-centric organization while Sheen was battling a very public drug binge.

But lets face it, the tweet was perfect. It hit light-heartedly on a topic that many people on Twitter was having fun with. Would it have worked in a press release? Absolutely not, but on Twitter it was the right move.

Wion said he wouldn’t probably do it again, but he was in a situation that he needed to change the conversation immediately. So he accomplished what he needed to accomplish without seriously hurting the brand. Not ideal, but the offensive tactic won out. Who knew such an innocent looking sandwich could cause such a reaction?

Does this mean the person McDonald’s really needs to thank is Charlie Sheen? That sounds like a whole other Twitter conversation.

This morning I attended an Internet Week New York session entitled, “Social Media Simplicity Toolkit: How to Avoid Over Complicating Your Brand Online.” The session was set up in a panel format and was made up of the following four dynamic participants:

• Stephen Zangre, Facebook, manager global marketing solutions
• Chris Phenner, TBG Digital, VP business development
• Myles Kleeger, Buddy Media, general manager of strategic brand initiatives
• Jared Feldman, Mashwork, managing partner, founder

As the title of the session suggests, the theme of the discussion was the importance of creating and maintaining a simple social media strategy. This session primarily focused on a brands’ presence on Facebook. While responses to questions varied from panelist to panelist, there were several important messages that kept resurfacing throughout the discussion.

Some of the content reinforced what I already knew through experience with social media, while some new ideas were presented that I’m eager to test out. In an effort to pass along some of the tidbits I picked up, I’ve pulled together an overview of some of the key takeaways.

• Brands need to “get over themselves.” Content posted in Facebook news feeds and on brand pages should be useful, thoughtful and interesting to the readers not as a self-serving page for the brand.
• Understand that “getting lots of ‘likes’” is not a measure of success. Brands need to determine what they want people to do after they “like” them – determine what the desired action is.
• A Facebook page is not a microsite and content should not mirror the website. Facebook should provide unique content that supplements information on and drives traffic to a website.
• Be consistent both in voice and the frequency of posting. If the brand doesn’t have a “personality” (like the Old Spice Man or “The Most Interesting Man in the World” by Dos Equis), the voice in which updates are written should have the same tone, even if multiple people update it.
• Realize that social media marketing is only one part of the marketing mix and should supplement other efforts, both online and offline.