At least, I’m willing to bet it is. But spicing it up isn’t hard, you just need a spark of creativity and a bit of hard work.
WebUrbanist have collected 25 excellent Timelines – use these as jumping off points for your own creativity.
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Mandy and Karen from the Adelaide store of Dymocks, the book people for discerning readers, let me in on why, how and when they got involved with social media.
Dymocks Adelaide on Facebook and on Twitter and on Pinterest
Technorati Tags: dymocks, adelaide, books, social media, pinterest, twitter, facebook, business communication, lee hopkins
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Guest post by Alia Haley.
For an organization to meet new heights of success and flourish in its endeavors, in an effort to meet its pre-set goals, it is very important for it to maintain a strong public relation with the public, at large, its investors, employees and stakeholders. Research says that a good relationship with its public effects a company’s leadership, products and political decisions, as it calls for indulgence in conferences, winning business industry awards, active involvement with the press and a sound and transparent communication with the employees too.
However, the new modern age technologies and inventions have lead to decrease in dependency on usage of paper for formal communications. Giving way to e-communication strategies, on-line interactions and communications have, by far, taken over the previous and obsolete mode by completely outcasting it.
Electronic communication, or e-communication, is becoming the primary method of formal communication for a business organization in an attempt to co-relate and function in accordance with its public and press. Not only is this system more efficient, economic and user-friendly, it even requires less manpower, is eco-friendly, and enables your organization be aware of current affairs and latest technologies, which in turn adds to its USP.
However, to ensure the best results for your company to touch the skies of success, it is very important to opt for the most effective and efficient method of electronic communication, as per your organization’s requirements and needs. Maintaining proper strategies and formatting skills for all your data needs is the key to the communication success of your business.
Some files are best viewed when linked with the HTML software formatting, while some others operate best on Abode PDF (Acrobat) files, while still others would be most suitable when categorized under text-only files. Let’s take a closer view of how to distinguish and establish different formatting strategies as per your file requirements, so as to be made available for most effective public viewing and response.
Pumping up public relations through electronic communication
1. HTML Messages
Newsletters, daily news, feedbacks and marketing material seem most effective when listed and e-mailed as HTML messages, without attachments, as it enables the company to include colors, pictures and larger fonts, for a more engraving effect on its public. It transforms the very image of the e-mail page into a web-page. However, you should be careful to use smaller amounts of content and add your website link to access further information. Further, you can create a more personalized effect by segregating and sending only those newsletters and stories to preferred members as per their requirements and needs, instead of dispatching the full content to one and all.
2. PDF format
The main aim of any electronic newsletter and marketing effort is to diversify and drive traffic to your website. By converting a paper copy to PDF format, along with an e-mail link, helps to measure the effectiveness of your communication. It assists you to track the popularity of any particular story by ascertaining the number of times it has been clicked and viewed by the public.
However, easy opt-out options should be made available while using this formatting for the convenience of the users.
3. Microsoft Word
The use of Microsoft Word, with a linkage of Mail Merge to send e-mail messages, can also prove very effective in increasing a company’s PR outreach. This strategy helps to personalize the messages by attaching the name and address of the member. It can easily extract information of a member from the database, but you cannot attach your web-link or easy opt-out options on it.
4. Fee-based services
Specialized fee based services like iMIS, Destination 3000 or Olive Software can enable a company to appoint and subscribe to a third party named Informz. The latter mixes data with the created message directly from your database. The popular member database systems like ASAE and Avectra endorse products like Magnet Mail and other communication partners to ensure the desired result. A linkage with any of these can ensure excellent reputation for customer support and services.
5. Hard-copy substitutes
In case of event confirmations, receipts, invoices and education certificates, a web-based service may not be congenial and feasible. It requires a hard-copy document for which the user has to upload and to install an application called Communicate, which would modify itself to work with other systems, against a nominal charge. This again plays a pivotal role in boosting public relations of a company, by highlighting its excellence and leading-edge position within its industry through its use of the latest communication technologies.
Important points to remember, which help to enhance public relations:
1. Create alert-based communication
No matter which strategy of e-communication you choose for your organization, for posting any new information, updates and reports, you should show promptness in notifying your audience with quick mails so that they can access it with immediate effect. Being on your toes in providing these services would pave way for a stronger PR at a faster rate.
2. Create customized views based on user profiles
Each segment of your audience should be provided and channeled to view only that information which is relevant for them, rather than sending them irrelevant (to them) messages, with the risk of those messages being considered spam.
3. Build private sites for media contacts
Media linkage determines the ladder to the success of a business, so a private website should be created solely and specifically for journalists alone. This website link should provide press releases, photographs of latest events organized by the company, and other related timely information.
4. Pre-build crisis management micro-sites
A mini website, built as a standby to actively handle and deal with crisis situations and communications therein, should be developed and built. It would help reduce customer service calls and encourage flashing of a consistent message that would speak to the public and reply to its queries instantly.
5. Measure activity with dashboards
Based upon ‘open’ and ‘click-through’ rates, page views and downloads, building a foundation of measurement of communication activities helps determine and show ROI, leading to even better communication and dialogue with the company’s leadership and with its publics.
About the author: Alia Haley is very passionate when it comes to blogging and writing. She is a gadget freak and loves to write on technology. Her articles include various aspects associated to Android tablets and currently she is writing on USB flash drive.
Technorati Tags: alia haley, public relations, leadership, strategy, business communication, lee hopkins
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Guest post by Erin Nelson.
If you have read at least one article on B2B Marketing within social media, you understand the importance of knowing your audience and where they spend their time on social networks. You also know you are supposed to engage with these potential partners and lead users in a conversational way, and to maintain this dialogue to engage your user base.
How do you do this effectively?
Without a doubt, there is value in the outstanding volume of people that spend time on Facebook and LinkedIn. If you own a company or are a business professional of any kind, you should know each of these sites intimately. Facebook announces products, events, and is a showcase of your community; LinkedIn is a place to access contact data of any and all professionals. It is important, though, to address the weaknesses of these sites in order to get the most out of your marketing strategy.
The abundant amount of businesses and clients that exist on these networks supports an environment of potential, but if we stop to think about it: can they (and you) actually be found and interacted with?
The cold truth is that as the networks expand, the advantages of having access to large populations are outweighed by the fact that the overload of information makes them very difficult to utilize. How often do you post, comment, blast or tweet and hear little (if anything) in return?
There is a way around this inefficient means of communication:
Add specialized, social platforms to your repertoire.
Specialized, social networks are catered to people with a direct intention in mind. They help you find viable connections. While you may have a smaller number of connections than the Big Guys on Facebook, specialized social platforms successfully bring you together with people who relate to your precise professional needs.
You have the chance to spread your business message, while maintaining a network of people you can actually utilize. Your presence is in no way stunted; instead, you are connected to people who have a vested interest in also spreading your information through their professional (and personal) channels.
exploreB2B is an example of a site where professionals can easily find each other, work together and inspire lead users. The article-based social platform refines connections by linking people who find each other’s articles relevant. Content is never lost or filtered out to an invisible space, because its value is in the information it holds (and not the time of the post or the amount of followers the user possesses). Here, you have the opportunity to develop a solid, content marketing strategy that places your company as an expert within your industry and the markets you serve.
Utilizing specialized networks does not limit or distract your social interaction. Instead, it refines and spreads it to all corners of the social media world that are relevant to your company.
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I’ve been at the Ark Group’s conference on internal communications (today I run a workshop on the social business). Yesterday my IABC colleague Tracey Sen from NSW Department of Education and Communities gave a stirring talk about what she has instigated at DEC and what she sees as the ‘must now know’ requirements of a corporate communicator.
As Tracey sees it—and I fully agree with her—it is no longer enough to know how to communicate with text. Now a communicator must know how to communicate through audio and video channels, too.
That doesn’t mean, for example, undertaking hours of training in videography and editing affairs; it *does* mean knowing how to pick up a Flip camera, or your smart phone’s movie camera app) and edit in iMovie or Windows Movie Maker (both of which are excellent products and FREE!).
Tracey also pointed out that today’s in-demand communicators also know (even if just a passing glance) about technologies and processes like Agile, plus the underpinning platforms of your clients’ or organisation’s intranet technology. You need to know, for example, what Sharepoint can and can’t do and what alternatives exist. Not at a techie’s level of knowledge, but so that you can have informed conversations with the IT folk.
Tracey concluded her presentation with a wonderful soundbite:
“Mobile is now where social media was two years ago”
‘Social media’ as a topic of discussion is now dead; leading organisations are already there. The conversations that more advanced communicators need to have are now around mobile technologies—how can we take what we have on our intranet and our public-facing website and make it available for smart phones?
Australia’s leading intranet specialists, StepTwo Designs, have a plethora of examples of organisations doing really cool and clever stuff with mobile apps; freeing up the data and freeing up the employee or customer to be able to engage even more with the organisation.
Along with Tracey, I urge you as a serious communicator to move on from the social media conversation (‘shall we, shan’t we?"’ – the world has moved on; social is an essential part of the communication matrix) and begin having discussions about how a ‘mobile’ set of tactics can and should be a part of your overall comms strategy.
And ask your IT folk what platforms your intranet and internet sites run on.
Technorati Tags: tracey sen, iabc, dec, nsw, government, intranet, internet, social media, steptwo, steptwo designs, social business, agile, technology, platform, business communication, lee hopkins
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There’s a fabulous discussion and dissection of the ‘Komen/Planned Parenthood’ PR debacle over at FIR. Shel Holtz, Neville Hobson and Dan York give their views on the kerfuffle.
Definitely well worth a listen if ‘crisis communication’ is within your remit.
Technorati Tags: fir, shel holtz, neville hobson, dan york, komen, cancer, pr, crisis communication, debacle, kerfuffle, business communication, lee hopkins
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Guest post by Kathleen Hubert.
Social media has certainly changed the way that people communicate with each other. The changing social media trends are also forcing businesses to reconsider how they communicate with and attract customers. Whoever thought that driving new business could depend on how many times the phrase "auto loan calculator" was used in website content? As the Internet forces businesses to change the way they communicate with customers, will social media impact how they communicate with each other?
Individual employees benefit from social media
The employees that work for the company certainly benefit from using social media. Career progress usually depends on how many people you know in your industry. A bitter rival could turn into your best friend depending on your job situation. Most employees realize that they have no real job security, so it pays to communicate with as many people as possible. It can be a great place to post your resume while mingling with other professionals on a regular basis.
Social media in the office
Is it practical to use social media in the office? Do we need to use Facebook to announce the staff meeting for next week? The problem with social media is that anyone can access anything you say. Privacy settings are no match for someone who knows how to hack into a social media platform. There may be employees who have no idea how to use Facebook or Twitter. It may not be as efficient to use social media when a memo could accomplish the exact same goal. But equally, and on the opposite side of the coin, social media is making great inroads behind the firewall, as more and more companies see the value of turning their business into a ‘social business’, where social tools are the accepted methods of communicating with Gen Y employees (talk to them where they already are’).
Does social media translate into more money
There is a lot that businesses still need to learn about social media. Just because a business has a lot of followers does not mean those followers are being converted into customers. Using social media is a great way to increase awareness of your brand.
Will social media impact how a business will communicate in the future? There are many ways in which social media has already impacted how a business will communicate. However, there are still some areas where social media will be slower to become an accepted method of communication.
Kathleen Hubert is a blogger who writes on a variety of different sites. Check out more of her work at Auto Loan Calculator.
Technorati Tags: social media, blogging, blog, social business, auto loan calculator, kathleen hubert, business communication, lee hopkins
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The internet is a changing beast and in the next few years it will look very different – not just a sea of .coms, .govs and .nets but a white wash of .whatever .you .can .imagine.
Leading the way is the salacious .xxx but ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is opening the doors to almost everything else afterwards.
So where does this leave credible non-profit organisations trying to differentiate themselves from fraudsters?
The Public Interest Registry (PIR), the non-profit organisation that managers the .ORG domain, is applying for the creation and management of a new .NGO domain that will be available exclusively to NGOs, non-profits and the community sector worldwide.
Unlike .ORG the new .NGO will be a closed domain, meaning that organisations will need to show that they are registered as a non-profit to get a domain.
“.NGO will give immediate recognition for Australian non-profits that do great work in the community, whether locally or internationally,” said Brian Cute from PIR.
“With a large number of fundraising activities now being conducted online, .NGO will help non-profits in building trust with potential donors online.”
.NGO will also provide non-profits to an exclusive directory of worldwide non-government organisations, to help increase links and collaboration within the sector.
Yet in order for this proposal to come to fruition, PIR needs to demonstrate that there is actually support for a dedicated .NGO domain name.
To do this they are calling on non-profit organisations to support the initiative via an online petition.
Applications to ICANN, the body that coordinates internet addresses, for new top level domains is closing soon so support for the new .NGO is needed now.
“We want to prove to ICANN that the non-profit sector worldwide needs .NGO and that they support PIR in this important initiative,” said Brian Cute from PIR.
All non-government charities and non-profits are being asked to support the .NGO initiative before its too late. Visit www.ngotld.org/support and sign the petition. Note that organisations are not under obligation to buy a .NGO domain by signing the letter of support.
Technorati Tags: icann, pir, ngo, nfp, domain, australia, charity, business communication, lee hopkins
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Guest post by Lior Levin
The Baby Boomer generation remains a critically important demographic for marketers that can drive higher sales numbers if reached effectively. Marketing firm Coming of Age Incorporated clearly lays out the benefits of marketing to boomers: “At more than 100 million strong, baby boomer and older customers (born before 1965) are the single largest consumer group in America, and they are the wealthiest, best educated and most sophisticated of purchasers.”
In fact, Boomers have led the way even in some surprising markets. Ad Age reported in 2010 that Boomers were actually outspending younger consumers on technology products, to say nothing about their tendency to lead the charge in purchasing new cars and other big ticket items. When it comes to marketing to Baby Boomers, the rewards are tremendous, but tapping into this demographic is not without its challenges.
The Challenges of Marketing to Boomers
According to a 2009 study by Forrester Research Boomers are loyal to traditional and new media. A marketing mix is critical—sometimes using print and televised ads to drive online networking campaigns.
Having said that, Boomers’ usage of online networking is on the rise, even if they are setting their own trends. According to a recent eMarketer report, most activity is centered on Facebook—with 73% of Boomer users maintaining a profile as of 2009.
That number of Facebook users has climbed dramatically according to the 2010 Pew Internet Report:
The number of Facebook users in the U.S. aged 55 and older grew from around 1 million in early 2009 to 10 million in early 2010, according to istrategy.com, a website that tracks Facebook data.
Rather than turning to Twitter or LinkedIn, Boomers see social media as a chance to learn more about what their friends are doing. Facebook remains the most important online tool for reaching Boomers.
Referrals Are Important for Baby Boomers
You won’t find many Boomers willing to create web content, but they are willing to interact and to pay attention to what their networks value. In fact, their high usage of Facebook highlights the tendency of Boomers to make buying decisions based on what a trusted friend shares.
Jeremiah Owyang, when still at Forrester Research, wrote about Baby Boomers:
“more than 60% of them consume socially created content. You’ll also find Boomers leaving their opinions on Web sites and even joining social networks… We also recommend allowing Boomers to share their opinions with others by enabling comments, ratings, and rankings on Web sites.”
In touching on this trend, Mashable reports, “Tammy Gordon, director of social communications and strategy for AARP, says that she believes Boomers use the web a bit differently than younger consumers. ‘I don’t think a lot of Boomers type in ‘AARP Facebook,’ she says, ‘but if three of their friends ‘like’ it, they’ll check it out.’”
Boomers Avoid Association with Aging
Boomers highly value being treated differently from younger generations, but that doesn’t mean they want to be viewed as the “elders” of society. A recent eMarketer report suggested that “Boomers are immediately turned off by association of infirmity, old age and decline,” the report notes. “Most brands don’t want to ‘age’ their products with blatant appeals to older consumers.”
The New York Times also mentions, “‘The No. 1 rule is that you never call an older buyer old,’ said Joseph F. Coughlin, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s AgeLab. ‘And because many seniors rely on their kids for advice, it’s important to talk to the senior and the daughter who will likely make the purchase.’”
Boomers Refined, Individualized Tastes
As marketers consider how to reach Boomers, an emphasis on the needs of individuals who value independent thinking is critical. In fact, the mass-appeal ads targeted at younger generations simply don’t work for Boomers.
The New York Times reports, “‘Seniors, particularly baby boomers, each believe they belong to a market segment made up of exactly one person,’ said Blaine Branchik, an associate professor of marketing at Quinnipiac University who has studied the history of selling to the elderly. ‘Many believe the only thing they have in common is that they are all so unique that they have nothing in common.’”
Boomers Are Willing to Experiment
The over-50 demographic has been written off by many marketers because brand preferences are assumed to be set in place. However, Business Week reports that “today’s over-50 crowd is just as likely, and in some cases more likely, as everyone else to try different brands within a product category. According to Yankelovich Inc., 33% of consumers older than 50 agree that it’s ‘risky’ to buy an unfamiliar brand.”
Far from avoiding new choices, Boomers welcome opportunities to adopt new products that serve their needs and help them achieve the lifestyle they desire.
Baby Boomers represent a significant opportunity to grow your business and to expand the reach of your market. By recognizing the ways that Boomers make decisions and view marketing strategies, you’ll open up new opportunities for your business.
This guest post is written by Lior Levin, marketing consultant for an inspection company that offers inspection pre-shipment services in China and, and who also consults for a company that provides psd to xhtml conversion.
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I’m flattered to be in another episode of Laurel Papworth‘s video series, Social Media Business.
This week there’s Laurel (of course), Tea Smith, Shel Israel and I, talking about six-year-olds receiving iPads at school, Pinterest, The “Almost There Generation” (not yet digital natives), and how to get a cracked iPhone replaced.
Tons of great information, and just for added value I’ve put the previous week’s video up too, with Stephen Johnson.
PANEL Facebook iPad, iPads in Edu SMB14 Feb 5 2012 from Laurel Papworth on Vimeo.
Social Media Business 13: Panel with Shel Israel from Laurel Papworth on Vimeo.
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