Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
It started with Sponsored Stories early last year and now, Facebook continues to encourage user activity and promoted content with the recently announced new Timeline apps. These Timeline apps allow users to broadcast their daily activities, such as “cooking,” “hiking,” and “knitting,” moving beyond the traditional “like,” “read,” “watch” and “listen” buttons. These actions are chronicled through the use of specific applications connected to Facebook; you may have already seen many posts on your news feed from connected apps such as Spotify and The Washington Post, for example.
In January, Facebook announced the expansion and enhancement of action-based interactions and added 60 more Timeline apps, with many more to be added as the new feature grows in poularity. This advancement creates a new way for users to interact with apps, content and brands. Think of actions as creating a virtual, public diary chronicling everything you do throughout the day and “expressing who you are; a runner, foodie, traveler, music fan, movie buff and more” (Facebook.com).
According to TechCrunch, each app will have anywhere between two to ten verbs, which will then show up in Ticker (a feature of the Timeline profile). At the end of each month, all personal activities will be summed up on your timeline in the format of a visual graph. An article on Fast Company outlines the idea behind actions and Timeline apps:
Let’s say you listen to a particular song on Spotify. That action, “listened to a song,” gets passed back to Facebook (assuming you’ve given Spotify approval to do so). The action gets listed in your friends’ Tickers, where all their friends’ actions inside Facebook (like when they Like a page or comment on a picture) gets displayed in real-time. The action also gets listed on your Timeline as a permanent part of your history. (Though you can choose not to have that listed, or limit the people to whom it gets displayed.)
VentureBeat describes actions as “the holy grail of semantic data,” defining relation types between people, objects, content, places, businesses and more. Carl Sjogreen of the Facebook product team states,
Ideally, any app you find meaningful will be able to connect to Facebook in a way that’s more meaningful than just clicking a ‘like’ button or automating shares from that app on your wall – and that all your stories will be told, not through a universe of apps, but universally on Facebook and with a structured context.
These new Timeline apps create an opportunity for businesses and organizations to further understand relationships between consumers and products consumed. According to an article on Forbes.com, actions and Timeline apps allow for more targeted marketing, which means businesses will need to begin harnessing beyond “likes” in order for people to demonstrate their loyalty and connection to a brand. Furthermore, the article states that for marketers, this means “new ways to target, reach and engage consumers.” Forbes.com also noted that studies show incorporating social information and connecting ads to friends’ actions on Facebook make people twice as likely to click an ad and the intent to purchase increases fourfold.
This means that people will spend more time on Facebook than they already do. Using these apps and allowing them to structurally organize your actions onto Facebook means news feeds and profiles will see a lot more traffic. Users will be more connected to Facebook as it will chronicle and track everyday actions, subsequently encouraging and allowing friends to participate in the same activities, purchases, and more. With this increased interaction on Facebook, comes more ad inventory, increased options for social ads and improved ad targeting.
Privacy is the main concern over the new Facebook Timeline apps and their actions. Many users have fear around the publicity of location apps such as RunKeeper, which uses a GPS function to map the route of your run, walk, hike, etc. Furthermore, it will take some time before Timeline apps will create a big impact on Facebook and outside developers. In order for the action features to truly launch, everyone must be on Facebook’s Timeline format, which is predicted to be mandatory very soon.
We recommend looking into Facebook Timeline apps and mapping out how it all might drive consumer awareness, participation and overall success for your business or organization. Make the transition from Facebook Pages to a Facebook Timeline so you are ready to utilize actions in the near future and stay ahead of the curve.
Katherine Turney
Last week, Susan G. Komen’s decision to cut breast-screening grants to Planned Parenthood dominated the headlines across countless media outlets and conversations in the world of social media. The story was first reported by the Associated Press on Tuesday, Jan. 31, highlighting that Komen would cease funding under new eligibility rules that precludes grants to groups under government investigation.
Within 24 hours, the groundswell of backlash from politicians, celebrities, activists, advocates and general supporters quickly became a PR nightmare for the breast cancer organization. In a survey conducted by a Washington-based public relations firm, 75 percent of the people posting about the decision on social media shared negative comments about Susan G. Komen, and more than 20 percent said they would not give money to Komen because of the move.
In previous blog posts, we have discussed the importance of analyzing how a change in a company’s policy or service will be perceived by all stakeholders, and developing the appropriate messaging that provides transparency around these changes. In addition, we have also discussed the importance of developing a crisis communication plan to help you react faster and make more effective decisions when in the midst of a crisis. It is the actions a company or individual take within the first 24 hours that sets the tone for how the media and general public will react.
While thousands of supporters on both sides voiced their opinions, Planned Parenthood and Susan G. Komen utilized their social media channels to communicate their position on the decision. Planned Parenthood used their social media channels to galvanize supporters in not only raising awareness, but also created a call to action for supporters to donate funds. By Wednesday evening, the organization had received more than $650,000 in donations, which nearly matched what Komen had pledged the previous year.
In an effort to correct the negative perception of Komen’s decision, the foundation issued a number of Tweets responding to the public scrutiny, and also created a YouTube video featuring its CEO Susan G. Brinker. While both approaches are acceptable means for disseminating the organization’s key messages, they were remiss in their decision to remove negative comments posted to its Facebook page, which does not help in rebuilding trust among its constituents.
Komen’s recent PR blunder is yet another reminder of how powerful social media can be. Not only does it have the power to connect with target audiences, increase brand recognition, and convey key messages, it can also be a driving force in creating change. By Friday, Feb. 3, Susan G. Komen announced the reversal of their decision to cut breast-screening grants to Planned Parenthood, and said they would continue to fund existing grants and preserve the eligibility for Planned Parenthood to apply for future grants.
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend Macworld|iWorld 2012 on behalf our client the Omni Group, a leading developer of productivity applications made exclusively for Mac OS X, iPhone and iPad. There was much to see during the show from gymnasts jumping on trampolines to showcase Polk Audio’s UltraFit sports headphones to the Silent Frisco dance party. And I can’t forget to mention comedian and The Daily Show contributor Rob Cordrry’s Macworld appearance and visit to the Omni Group’s booth.
While speculation continues around whether Macworld will remain relevant and well attended given Apple’s departure from the show three years ago, many agree that the show is alive and well. In fact, given the increased demand and fanfare around iOS devices, the conference has added “iWorld” to its name in a nod to the importance of the iPad and iPhone.
For the Omni Group, Macworld has always been and will continue to be a key event to attend. Unlike other companies who may have brick and mortar retail stores allowing them to chat with customers on a day-to-day basis, Macworld provides a unique, ideal platform for the Omni Group to reconnect with its customers, meet with the media, continue fostering industry relationships and showcase its latest offerings. In fact, many consider the Omni Group a Macworld veteran and admire its dedication to the show as 2012 marked its 12th straight year of attendance.
In the weeks leading up to Macworld|iWorld, Communiqué PR helped the Omni Group secure 17 briefings with both tech trade and Apple-focused publications such as Ars Technica, Macworld, GigaOm, The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW), Technologizer and The Register, among others. The goal for these meetings was to share the Omni Group’s 2012 vision and product roadmap, provide a sneak peek at upcoming products and offer perspective on current trends in the productivity apps industry.
While at the show, I had the privilege of hosting these interviews and spending time with the Omni Group’s CEO Ken Case, who has a clear passion for his team and the productivity apps that they create. His passion, industry expertise and highly regarded productivity apps are already resonating throughout coverage. Thus far, these meetings have resulted in more than 15 pieces of coverage from outlets such as AOL/TUAW, Macworld and Ars Technica.
Attending the conference was definitely a great experience and opened my eyes to all the great innovations taking place in the Apple community. And if the packed show floor is any indication of Macworld’s future, I think it’s safe to say that the conference is here to stay.
Every February, I gear up to watch each and every major film nominated for an Academy Award. I fully trust these films will impress and entertain me because of the credibility bestowed by their nominations. They are, by the simple virtue of their selection, deemed to be the best. Everyone may not necessarily agree, but we come to know popular and successful actors, actresses, musicians and the like through these award-winning nominations and achievements.
The same can be said for business. How often do we find ourselves looking for credibility before we purchase something new? With websites such as Yelp and CitySearch, we constantly seek companies boasting four or five stars in ratings or with a “Best Of” award under their belts. In this type of environment, it is crucial for any business to gain recognition for its outstanding achievements and innovative services or products in order to distinguish themselves from competitors.
Therefore, business or industry awards must not be overlooked or forgotten, especially given the current economic climate where competition for new customers is fierce. Discovering appropriate awards for your company can be difficult, but using an outside source may help the process. Your PR partner may be able to suggest awards to pursue, or you can do research using online tools to find information about a variety of award programs.
Awards can contribute to successful public recognition in the following manner:
- Visibility. Awards can help garner a significant amount of visibility in a certain market or industry, and attract new customers, investors and donors by giving an organization an edge over its competitors.
- Validate. Awards speak volumes about a company’s products or services and substantiate their credibility. Even an award nomination can be helpful because it validates a company’s leadership in its given market and proves it is ahead of the curve.
- Testimony. Winning an award or even being nominated serves as testament to a company’s work ethic, dedication and unique specialty. New customers will likely consider a company or organization’s work over another if it has won an award. Furthermore, current customers may view the award as a good thing, reinforcing their loyalty and willingness to share information about a product or service.
- Reputation. An award can improve the perceived reputation of a company to the general public, new customers, donors, investors and the like. Recognition may transform a company’s reputation from “pretty good”, to excellent.
- Differentiate. An award sets a company apart from competitors and differentiates the quality of its achievements and services from others. An award helps a company stand out for excellence over and above many other agencies and suppliers in the same industry.
Given the contributions and impact awards can have on employees, customers and the company itself, it can be important to make submission for awards a critical part of any marketing or public-relations plan. For tips on how to write a successful award submission, take a look at our previous blog post.
How have awards impacted your business in the past? We would love to know what helped you succeed in winning a certain award.
Email is a primary form of communication for many professionals. What once was a casual correspondence now serves as the primary means for many people to share information.
At Communiqué PR, we ensure we are developing clear messages when communicating over email. To do this, we recommend having someone else review your note. Having another set of eyes look over what you’re communicating will help ensure that you are clearly delivering the best message possible.
I recently came across an article in Ragan.com written by Josh Gordesky that highlights email mistakes you should never make. I’ve included some of those suggestions below, along with examples from my own experience.
Are you guilty of any of these?
- Your email is too long. Emails should be clear and concise. If your email is too long, your recipient will likely lose interest. In addition, long and scattered emails can be perceived as careless or not important. Also, large chunks of text can cause a reader’s eyes to glaze over. Gordesky suggests setting a 300-word limit for email to ensure you have a clear focus and eliminate useless words. When detailing a complicated topic, I like to bullet out information that is most important or limit paragraphs to a few sentences to make the email easy to scan.
- Your email is too vague. Many people scan email subject lines and decide what to open, delete or file in a matter of seconds. If your subject line is vague or the beginning of your message is not compelling, you could risk having an important message be deleted. For tips on making a subject line sexy, read our previous blog post.
- Your email is too self-centered. Consider your audience and their needs as you write an email. As communication professionals, we try to anticipate the needs of our clients when communicating. If your note contains too many “I” statements, your reader could lose interest. Put the focus back on the recipient. Instead of saying, “I will send you a draft tomorrow” try the occasional, “You will receive the draft tomorrow.”
- Your email is too passive. Sentences written in an active voice tend to get your point across more quickly and clearly. For example, a passive sentence reads, “The document was delivered by the Fedex man.” In an active sentence, the message now reads, “The Fedex man delivered the document.” This is a much more concise sentence. For more tips on how to write active and avoid passive, visit Grammar Girl, this is a great tool.
- Your email has too many attachments. Some people include attachments as context for their email, but this can cause information overload that can detract from your message. A reader can be easily confused by too many attachments. If possible, copy and paste the referenced text from the attachment into the text of the email. It makes it easier on the recipient.
As the workforce becomes more mobile in nature, a clearly developed email will save you and your reader valuable time.
Recently I have been reflecting on Communiqué PR’s standard of practice and our philosophy around client service. Colleen Moffitt and I feel passionately about the topic and how we apply these standards.
Here is how we describe our client-service ethic:
1. First and foremost, it means having a client-centered perspective, acknowledging the clients’ needs and putting service ahead of self-interest. It’s about partnership and making the client’s life as easy as possible while helping the individual and her company meet key business and communication objectives.
2. It means delivering quality work as aggressively as possible. At Communiqué PR, this means striving to get work done as soon as possible as opposed to right before it’s needed or due.
3. Client service means adding value with each interaction. To do this, we have to understand what an individual and the organization values. We have to strive to understand this and even be a step ahead of clients.
4. It’s about showing we care about each individual manager or executive. We work to demonstrate that we have a vested interest in the individual’s success. We understand that to achieve client delight and retain business, it is not enough to simply deliver the work. People want to know we care deeply about them.
5. It’s about sharing how we can help as opposed to saying what we cannot do. Whenever possible, we look for solutions to problems and how we can positively impact the outcome.
6. It’s about establishing shared expectations around when work will be completed, what it will cost, and what results will be achieved. Some examples of how we arrive at shared expectations include:
Suggesting a deadline, but asking the client when he/she needs the work. “If I deliver this to you by ____________, will this meet your needs?” Or “If we secure five articles in these publications ________, will that be considered a win for you?” Or “Would it be helpful if we outlined our thoughts on ___________?”
7. And finally, it means having an ability to read between the lines on client requests. What is the individual’s underlying need and message? How does he or she feel about the work or working with us on an emotional level?
It is not always easy to apply these principles, but our goal is to provide exceptional service as we harness PR and social media to drive meaningful and measurable results. And we’ll continue to aspire to uphold these standards with each client interaction.
Jennifer