If you handle a social media channel, you know about the constant, never-ending need for fresh content. One of my colleagues calls it “feeding the monster.” And the monster doesn’t like just any content, it likes quality content presented in a unique and interesting way.

To find the best content, you have to be plugged into a variety of channels on a regular basis, from media outlets to bloggers to prominent tweeters, and you need to read them, Follow them, Friend them, Connect with them and possibly even Pin something from them.

Once you’ve posted your content, if you’ve done your job, you need to monitor it. This involves constantly keeping up with the conversation generated by your posts and tweets. You have to handle people with problems, answer questions and encourage feedback, and you’ve got to do it as fast as possible. Of course, this is better than the alternative of not having any feedback at all. That’s when you know you need better content.

Added to all this is the fact that you are working on the Internet, a fun and almost magical place with a myriad of distractions, from hysterical Facebook posts to intriguing website articles to snarky tweets just begging for your attention.

If you don’t have a plan for handling this monster, it’s not uncommon to go looking for something to tweet and coming up for air an hour later, your Internet browsing history a hazy fog of shortened links, @ symbols and hashtags.

Here are a few useful tips that can do wonders for increasing your social media management efficiency:

• Set a schedule around your most productive times - Setting up certain parts of your day to plan, curate and write content for your social media channels is crucial. Find the times in your day when you are most productive on social media and block them out. I’ve found that writing and scheduling multiple tweets and posts first thing in the morning allows me to focus undisturbed on my other tasks, rather than constantly having to interrupt them because, “Crap, I have to tweet something.”

• Learn the tools of the trade – Using the right tools is essential to surviving this business. First you need a social media management platform like HootSuite, Tweetdeck or some of the more advanced ones. These let you schedule posts, switch between brands and manage feedback all in one place. Google alerts, RSS and Twitter feeds are also key to navigating the overload of information out there. Instead of visiting a bunch of websites and blogs searching for content, use a program like Google Reader and get the stories you’re interested in to come to you.

• Focus – The key with social media is to never let yourself get too distracted, but focus on exactly what needs to get done. Save personal interaction for certain parts of the day (like lunch or the middle of the afternoon doldrums). One of my favorite tools is Instapaper, which allows me to quickly save interesting articles that I don’t want to miss but can’t read in the middle of the work day, like this story about J.K. Rowling’s new non-Harry Potter book for adults. Hey, don’t read it now! Focus.

One article in particular sparked a pretty lively email exchange between me and my colleagues Tracy Paden and Holly Grande. Darika Ahrens posits that PR agencies need to “Adapt or Die” and, beyond that, that search/SEO is an area ripe for the picking by PR firms if they would only develop some expertise in the area.  I would first admit that yes, PR firms are – in general – lacking a leadership position in digital. That hurts all of us, even those of us who have been working in the space for quite a while. But digital expertise isn’t the key to long term success for PR. In fact, what makes PR even more viable today than ever before is its ability to connect the dots: online to offline, earned to owned media, IRL (In Real Life) to Facebook fans.

Long before the Internet or the Social Web, PR demonstrated true value in making the right connections between a client and its target audience. Today, the channels and the processes have changed, but not the value.  Replacing a PR firm with an internal staff person to “do” your social media updates or pushing out canned press releases to free press release websites doesn’t replace what an agency can do for you.

And what is that, you may ask? Providing strategic, holistic communications counsel. Looking at the bigger picture of what your company or organization is actually trying to accomplish – your business goals –then developing and implementing an integrated program via communications channels to help you reach those goals. An agency can make connections between ALL the places and ways you communicate to give you the greatest chance of success. A digital agency can’t do that.

Putting each piece in a silo – unless you are storing pieces of corn – is a recipe for disaster. Tracy and I have both written about this over the past few weeks, so I won’t go into much more on this. Check out our recent posts here and here if you missed them the first time.

In the meantime, we’ll continue to provide great counsel, and great results, to our clients. This agency thinks PR has a a lot of life left.

Top executives at public companies are in the unenviable position of knowing that private views, improperly displayed, can seriously damage their company’s reputation. Navigating the complicated relationship between private convictions and public relations involves matters of both conscience and business calculation. The goal of a listed company is to maximize shareholder value, yet business schools are also recognizing that business cannot be conducted in a vacuum and every issue that crosses an executive’s desk cannot be answered by analyzing its impact on the bottom line.

Whether Blankfein did the right thing is beyond the scope of this blog entry. (Lloyd and I differ on the relative merits of disclosing views on social issues while wearing our company hats). I will, however, ask three questions raised by Blankfein’s commercial debut.

1.    If Blankfein deserves praise for publicly supporting something he feels is ethically the right thing to do, should every CEO be encouraged to pick sides in politically charged issues where matters of conscience are involved for them?

2.    Should public pronouncements on controversial topics be reserved for times when taking a stand can accrue public relations benefits for the company, or should companies consider taking bolder positions on issues important to them, even if they carry the risk of backlash?

3.    Will Blankfein’s strategy of reaching out to groups typically ignored by Wall Street – like the gay community – reap business or political benefits for the firm? Or will it hurt the company’s standing among traditional allies and cause more harm than good?

Answering any of these questions would be a blog post – or more – by itself. They are important questions and I predict more companies will have to tackle them as opinionated younger generations, used to sharing their views freely over social media, begin to take over the C-suite.

What’s your view? Please take a moment to share your thoughts.

“Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Of course we’re going to cross the bridge when we get to it! You can’t cross a bridge in advance.  How about just saying, “Let’s worry about that later.”

“Think outside the box.”

The Management Consulted blog and its  Management Consulting Lingo Dictionary has a funny translation for this one:  “Can you creatively anemic people please come up with something?”
Why not just say, “Hey team, we need some new ideas. Something different, unusual and interesting. What are your thoughts?”

“Can I pick your brain?”

This is one of Carol Cookerly’s biggest pet peeves.  She hates this expression.  She says, “Pick my brain? What are you, a cannibal?  If you pick my brain I’ll have nothing left!”

How about asking a colleague for a few minutes of their time?

“I don’t have the bandwidth for this.”

Are you a computer? Then why would you have bandwidth? If you have too much to do, then simply say you have too much to do and can’t get to this right now.

A classic cornucopia of clichés: See how many you can find in this sentence.

“Let’s circle back with Jim on this and try to go after some low-hanging fruit, while building synergies, gaining traction and ensuring that we are providing turnkey, value-added and end-user solutions to achieve results.”

Huh?  I don’t know what this gobbledygook even means, but I’ve heard people use every one of these clichés in some way – and sometimes in combination – over the years.

Let’s translate:

• Circle back = we will get back to Jim
• Low-hanging fruit = results that are thought to be easily attainable, i.e. metaphorically, the fruit hangs low enough on a branch that you can “pick” the fruit from the tree without much effort.
• Building synergies = working together to make something happen
• Gaining traction = the project or task is in the works; something is happening
• Providing turnkey, value-added and end-user solutions = we’re offering something that is supposed to be versatile, easy and does what it says it does. (interesting trivia: Webster’s defines turnkey as a noun: the person in charge of the keys at a prison: jailer)

The paradox is that when using all these clichés, instead of sounding impressive or original you just sound bland and ordinary, because you’re using all the same tired expressions that everyone else uses.

People should say what they mean.  Try being more direct, use plain language and be clear in your communication.  You might be surprised at the reactions you get; people may actually understand you.

What’s your favorite business cliché?

“Because if you aren’t helping your client achieve business objectives, then you’re not really helping your client at all.”

Wow. Is there any other industry where you have to remind people that you’re supposed to be working in harmony with your client and helping them achieve their goals? Why else would someone hire you?

Actually, there are many reasons that companies hire marketing, PR and creative agencies, and often they are the wrong reasons. Here is my list of Three Reasons NOT to Hire a PR firm:

1. Do not hire a PR firm because you want to see your name in print or see your face on TV. That might seem a bit counterintuitive since many PR efforts are focused on getting publicity in one form or another. But my point is that you should know why you want the publicity in the first place. Is it to drive sales? Is it to build your reputation? Do you want to raise awareness of an issue and motivate people to action? Those are all great reasons to hire a PR firm, but they are also intricately tied to your business objectives. It’s a big media world out there, and knowing why you want visibility will drive which corner of the world you want your agency to focus on.
2. Do not hire a PR firm because they have offices in New York, London and Hong Kong. . . unless you have offices in New York, London and Hong Kong. There’s a tendency for companies to think that bigger agencies can bring more (and better) resources to the marketing table. But bigger doesn’t mean better. In fact, unless you’re a pretty big fish, bigger could mean worse. Don’t hire a big name just because you think it puts you in big name company.
3. Do not hire a PR firm because you don’t have time to do X, Y or Z. Yes, an agency can operate like an extension of your in-house marketing or communications team. But if all you really want is someone who can update your website and social media channels, you may be better off hiring a junior-level staff person that you can manage directly. Another way to say it: don’t hire an agency just for tactics. The most compelling reason to hire an agency is to gain access to creative, strategic thinking that helps you accomplish your business objectives.

This list could go on, but the bottom line is that the best client/agency relationships are business partnerships. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone – especially your PR firm.

Just how popular is it? According to research conducted by Shareaholic, in December and January Pinterest pushed 3.6 percent of all referral traffic, which is more than Google Plus, YouTube and LinkedIn combined. That is huge growth from just six months ago, when Pinterest drove only 0.17 percent of traffic, and it shows just how much the service can potentially help your business.

Pinterest is unique because it is a visual way to bookmark all of your favorite things on the Internet and visually aggregate them on a virtual pinboard. However, the social aspect makes popular “pins” spread like wildfire. Therefore, a strategic Pinterest account for your business can potentially create a valuable source for website referrals.

Here are five tips to consider when creating a Pinterest account for your brand.

• Explore. Before determining if/how you should use Pinterest for a client, check out the website for yourself. While the service is intuitive, it takes some time to explore and begin to understand what makes Pinterest tick. Like any new service, the audiences and uses are quickly morphing, and it’s important to stay updated.
• Determine your audience. Not all social networking services will work for each client. First, determine if your target audience already uses Pinterest. If they are already using the site, it’s probably a good fit. If Pinterest hasn’t caught on with your audience, you may want to hold off on directing your resources there and check back periodically to see if it gains popularity with the people you want to reach.
• Know your brand. As with other social media channels, it is important to determine your voice before creating a Pinterest account for your brand. What ideas/products/lifestyles reflect your brand? Figure out if your brand is active, luxurious, environmentally conscious, crafty or something completely different. This will help to guide your brand’s boards and pins.
• Avoid self-promotion. As mentioned in my last blog post, complete self-promotion is frowned upon by Pinterest. To follow “Pin Etiquette” and keep boards interesting, pin a mix of your products/services and pins from other sources that you think your audience might find interesting. Whole Foods is a great example of a company that has done this successfully.
• Refrain from streaming posts. As Pinterest has gained popularity and many users link their account to Facebook and Twitter feeds, some of my male friends have complained about the excess Pinterest posts in their newsfeeds. To avoid a mass exodus from your social media channels, refrain from automatically posting all pins to other social networks. Save the sharing for the best pins.

Is your brand using Pinterest? If so, how are you using it?

First, the initial investigation of Sandusky began in 2008; meaning Penn State could have assembled a PR/crisis communications team to help manage the pending meltdown. Also, a crisis plan for the university should have been developed long before the investigation and updated on a frequent basis. If there even was a crisis plan, it was either poorly developed or never implemented.

Additionally, any initial statements issued by the university should have declared decisive and exhaustive action to make matters right. Instead, university officials initially defended athletic director Tim Curley’s and senior vice president Gary Schultz’s handling of the allegations made against Sandusky. Keep in mind, these administration officials, like Paterno, chose not to report the alleged sexual abuse to the police. It also should be noted that former university president Graham Spanier and Paterno released widely panned statements saying they should be released of any wrongdoing.

Toward that end, it appears Penn State’s external messaging has improved very little since the scandal broke. At an alumni town hall meeting last month in Philadelphia, university president Rodney Erickson said the school’s crisis can be blamed on one person:  Jerry Sandusky. He also claimed this is Sandusky’s scandal, not Penn State’s. Further, Erickson proclaimed to the crowd, “We’re not going to let what one individual did destroy the reputation of this university.”  

Erickson’s statements echo the same denial and shortsightedness that landed Penn State in hot water. I think most would contend the chain of events leading up to the sex abuse scandal was a systemic failure of epic proportion. The continued failure to acknowledge ownership means the university still does not get it from a PR perspective.

Also at the town hall meeting, an alumnus feared the worst was not over for Penn State. She said, “The school wasn’t prepared for the media crush that followed the arrest of Sandusky and the school officials [for perjury] and doubts they’re preparing now for their trials.” If Penn State has not learned anything about the past several months, they had better get busy developing an actionable, comprehensive crisis plan, message points for spokespersons, collateral, etc. to handle the next media circus that assuredly awaits them.

With my mind on spring training this week, here’s an analogy: the pitcher is arguably one of the most important members of a baseball team, but pitching alone can’t carry a team to the World Series. The same is true for social media. Marketing is a team sport, and social media is just one player.

Yes, I understand – and advocate daily – that social media can be a powerful communications tool and has enabled a sea change in how we communicate. But so did the printing press, the radio, the TV, the Internet. There will always be game changers. But that doesn’t make any one of them the Holy Grail.

The reality is this: a winning marketing program is integrated; it includes the best combination of channels and tactics, and although social media may be the newest kid on the communications block, the basics of good marketing still apply.

Social media is not a strategy: Clients often ask, “What’s our social strategy?” While I understand what they’re asking, the preface to the response is that we don’t consider social a strategy in and of itself. Social media are channels – channels which need their own best practices applied to them – but channels nonetheless. Our strategy is a marketing strategy. How and why we use social media (or other PR tactics) all play into meeting the overall strategic framework.

Social media should not be a silo: “If you build it, they will come” is a dangerous approach to embarking on a social media marketing effort. Consider the realities of Facebook: there are 800 million users, and Social Bakers indexes almost 1.5 million Facebook Pages. That is a tremendous amount of information being fed to and from an incredibly large, diverse audience.
Consider further that the vast majority of people who “Like” your Page don’t come back to the Page to get your updates. They get them through their News Feeds, and only a percentage of the news you are posting is reaching those feeds. This isn’t meant to discourage; social media marketing can have a positive impact on your marketing efforts. But you need to make your programs more holistic. Support online via offline with visual reminders and links to your social channels on signage and in advertising. Use email marketing to drive social participation. Just as you wouldn’t put all of your eggs in the TV advertising basket, don’t expect social media marketing to do it all.

Social media is not all about marketing. Last fall, Harvard Business Review published a great piece on social media being much more than marketing or technology. It’s one of the reasons I tend to be adamant about using the term social media marketing – and not just social media. The uses for social media go beyond the marketing realm – it can, and is, changing the way we collaborate with internal teams, gather customer insights and R&D, and conduct customer service.

It’s an exciting time to be in PR and marketing; and social media marketing is an exciting arena in which to work. But unfounded in more traditional best practices – identifying target audiences, determining your business and marketing goals, developing a holistic program in line with your strategic directives – it won’t be your savior.

We’ve known that this was coming for a few days now, but this morning, Google users got this message:

We’re getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that’s a lot shorter and easier to read.

Gee, that sounds great. Thanks Google!  …  Wait, what? I can’t opt out and now you’ll know everything about me??

So are you saying I just agreed to let Google see the pictures I posted to Picasa? (I swear it’s not as bad as it looks!) Store all of my search terms? (yes, I Googled Bieber. Leave me alone.) But do I really want Google reading my mind and telling me that I forgot to leave work in time to make it to my dentist appointment? Maybe.

Here’s the deal. Some will love it. Some will hate it.

If you’re signed into Google, any move you make in a Google product will be stored. The data will allow Google to tailor your online experience. For example, I upload a picture of my cat Victoria, and talk about how awesome she is. Two days later, I search* for images of “Victoria.” Google will assume that I want to find pictures of my cat and not Posh Spice, so they’ll push pictures of my cat to the front of the results. Convenient or creepy?

The scenarios of how Google will use the information to customize your experience, and how it will affect SEO, are extensive. PCWorld and Mashable have good overviews.

What side of the fence are you on?

*Personalized search can be turned off, but for the sake of my example, it’s on!

No one likes to think, “How can things go wrong?” But, in the age of viral videos and Twitter backlash, it is increasingly important for companies to look at all possible directions of public response. Before the editorial calendars and scheduled posts, understand the conversations that are already happening and how your company fits in.

Conduct a Social Media Audit

A social media audit should be the first step in any digital campaign. Social media audits can be used to gage awareness and unearth user engagement, but they can also determine the tone of the conversations that are already happening.

Prior to #McDstories, a Twitter search for McDonald’s might have shown hundreds or thousands of tweets about the company. Most of these were likely neutral in nature—status updates and location check-ins. However, a deeper look might have revealed that a still significant number of tweets were negative in nature. The audit might have clued the brand in on the potential for negative response to  a promoted tweet campaign.

Understand the Medium

Twitter is a highly engaging platform. It democratizes, and users are quick to voice their opinions. If McDonald’s intention was to engage users by asking them to share their stories, they were successful. After all, that is what Twitter excels at.

However, based on the initial tweet, it appears that the campaign was designed to show the connection between farmers and the company, building the brand’s credibility and highlighting its corporate responsibility. While McDonald’s was using a hashtag that seemed to invite followers to share their stories, that was not their intention.

Another hashtag used by @McDonalds is far more understandable on the purpose and the call to action. #LittleThings clearly asks followers to share what makes them happy, and the tag lends itself to a manageable conversation. (Edit: Unfortunately, Hilton Hotels agrees–they had already planned and launched a paid campaign via @doubletree using #littlethings this week.)

Be Responsive, Responsibly

Shortly after the initial backlash, McDonald’s replaced the offending promoted tweet with the less abrasive #meetthefarmers update, but the damage had been done and #McDstories had already taken off. Not only were customers tweeting about poor experiences, but animal rights organization PETA and other activists responded with some harsh criticism and accusations.

Two days later, @McDonalds responded. Not only was this response poorly timed (the Twitterverse had moved on, and it caused Twitter users to further rehash the accusations), but the tweet is unsubstantiated. Unlike PETA and other activists, McDonald’s did not include any links to data or documents to refute the claims. The single, lonely, late tweet did nothing to help the crisis.

Twitter is a crowded and fast-paced medium. In order to successfully manage a twitter campaign, corporations must do their due diligence. Crises cannot be predicted, but proper preparation through social media audits, an understanding of the medium and a responsible response policy can help an organization minimize the damage or avoid the crisis altogether.