Morningstar Communications Luminary Blog

 Marketing and communications departments across the country are working on how to integrate social media into the traditional marketing mix – or they are in the middle of implementing such strategies. But let’s not forget that social media is more far-reaching than marketing and communications.

A great article by Jeremiah Owyang jump-started the following tips on how to leverage social media for all areas of your business:

• Sales teams can leverage social networking channels to secure meetings and win deals. Operationally, your sales team can use information found on LinkedIn for their CRM systems.

• HR departments can use Facebook, LinkedIn and internal blogs for employees to feel more engaged, and for education and training. Recruiters can look to LinkedIn and other social media tools to find job candidates.

• Customer service representatives are finding success particularly with Twitter to provide quick responses to customers, often problem-shooting within minutes.

• Research and Development can utilize blogs and Twitter to gain customer feedback on new products. A couple years ago, I heard a Garmin communications director present at a local conference, and she mentioned that one use of their blogs is to gain customer feedback on their products.

• CEOs are finding social media helps them be better listeners and communicators – whether they are focusing on employees or customers. For instance, Cisco’s CEO, John Chambers, has an internal blog to communicate with employees on a regular basis.

What about you? How have you used social media for other areas or departments of your business?

Just five years ago, 51 percent of journalists looked to blogs for story ideas, for research or for finding sources, according to ZDNet Research. Fast forward three years to 2008, and that number is up to 75 percent (Brodeur and MarketWire).

Social media and social networking are changing the landscape of traditional media relations. And so, we adapt.

We optimize our news releases for search engines, we create customized, short email pitches for bloggers, and we get on Twitter and follow specific reporters. But in the end, we’re still after the same thing we were 20 years ago: building relationships.

In my experience working with the media, nothing beats meeting face-to-face or even picking up the phone and having a quick chat. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn certainly have their uses – quite good ones at that. In fact, my colleague Matt Dunn recently blogged about how he developed a relationship with a reporter via Twitter, and multiple media stories have resulted.

In Matt’s case, and the many I’ve encountered working in this business, I’ve been reminded that people want to make a connection. Reporters included.

Here are three simple steps you can take to further build relationships with the media or any other key audience. Consider these a reminder for getting off on the right foot in 2010.

1.    Make the connection. Set up some time to meet with the person. Face time is invaluable and truly strengthens your relationship. If you can’t meet, pick up the phone to check in on a regular basis.
2.    Find the communication channel that works. Does the person respond best via email? Or maybe he or she prefers a phone call or a conversation over Twitter. Use the channel that works best for the recipient and you’ll be more successful in getting your message across.
3.    Be gracious. Whether in media relations or other relationship-building activities, being kind and gracious goes a long way. For example, sending a thank you note after a meeting that expresses appreciation for the time spent is a no-brainer (read Eric Morgenstern’s blog about the importance of a handwritten note).

 Local executives recently attended our final Illumination Session of 2009, an executive briefing with our Public Affairs Practice Director, Neil Dhillon. As Managing Director of our MS&L Washington, D.C. office, Neil discussed:
•    How local businesses can influence government policy
•    Ways to get into the national conversation
•    The Obama administration and its top priorities

Download the podcast to listen to Neil’s interactive session. Hear intriguing questions from the audience, and Neil’s insight on topics ranging from social media and race issues, to new bills in progress, such as transportation and housing.

After you listen, tell us what you think about the session – we’d love to hear your feedback!

Websites, press releases, social networking sites. We know businesses can design and write content through these channels that help boost its search engine rankings. But what about an individual’s name? Can you Search Engine Optimize (SEO) a name?

Yes, you can. According to a blog post by Derek Edmond, there are several ways to boost your name’s visibility in search engines, including:

•    Create “Vanity” URLs for social networking profiles. For example, the URL for my LinkedIn profile is http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jessica-spencer-gardner/6/6b8/a84. When my full name is searched for in Google (Jessica Spencer-Gardner), my LinkedIn profile is the first search result.
•    Write guest columns for online news sources. If you contribute an article to an online news site, most of the time they will link to your company bio or website. These articles should show up in a Google search for your name.
•    Use a service that allows for cross-linking. Social news aggregators, like FriendFeed, allow for cross-linking to all your online social media profiles. This is one I definitely need to implement for myself!

Got any more tips? I'd love to hear them!

Lately, we’ve had several clients and business contacts ask about social media and how to get involved. We know that social media—whether it is Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or blogs—provides a return for business-to-consumer companies, and it’s application in the business-to-business world is also proving valuable for reaching customers, prospects and other key stakeholders.

Here’s a general guideline to keep in mind when evaluating how to engage:

 
1. Observe. Are you monitoring the social media space? Do you know what is being said about your company, your competitors and your industry? Listen to the conversations that are going on. This is your first step.

2. Participate. Join the conversation in some way. Comment on a blog, sign up for Twitter and follow experts in your industry, link with appropriate business contacts. Gain an understanding for each medium and how to interact in the space.

3. Create. Once you have a good feel for the different social media tools and mediums, start creating your own content, where appropriate. If your target audience is on Facebook, create a Facebook fan page and start engaging customers. If Twitter provides a better avenue for connecting and interacting with your audience, start a Twitter account and begin tweeting relevant content. That's right, like any other communication, your content has to be relevant and provide value to your audience for social media to work.

4. Integrate. It’s essential to glue your social media initiatives and other marketing and communications activities together. When you post a blog entry, tweet about it and update your Facebook status, linking back to the blog post. After you give a presentation, upload the slides to SlideShare, and include a link to the deck in the next email blast your company distributes. You get the idea.

We're seeing that social media has moved past the stage of consideration. Now, many - including our own clients – are ready to jump on board, asking, “What are people saying about us and how should we engage?”

For details on how we can answer these questions for you, read more about our social media expertise.
 

We continue to get asked by clients – especially b-to-b clients – the question, “Does engaging in social media make sense?” A new survey of b-to-b and b-to-c professionals came out, demonstrating social media has seen dramatic growth among b-to-b marketers. Here are some interesting stats:
•    Twitter ranked higher among b-to-b (70%) than b-to-c (46%) of respondents.
•    81% of b-to-b marketers are on LinkedIn, compared with just 25% of b-to-c marketers.
•    Facebook is the most-used social media site overall (74%) and enjoys high use among b-to-b marketers (60%).

So we know b-to-b marketers are using social media – but are their customers and prospects? That is the more important question.

And for that answer, we can turn to Forrester B-to-B Marketing Analyst Laura Ramos, who says:

… at Forrester we’ve studied how B2B buyers participate socially and found that participation is much higher than U.S. adults in general. Second, business buyers are always looking for new sources of information and are actively turning to social media channels these days for information to support their purchasing decisions.  Using social media to engage your target business buyer audience may seem daunting, but it’s possible to be successful if you focus first on your audience and what you want to accomplish by engaging with that audience socially.

Read the entire interview with Laura Ramos.

Forty years ago, businesses or their PR agencies would put a press release into an envelope and mail it out to editors and reporters. Thirty years ago, a fax was used. Then, there was email.

Today, there is Twitter.

With Twitter’s fast rise to popularity, it has become another effective communication channel in the PR toolbox. Although I still email or call reporters much of the time, Twitter has opened up doors to new media contacts.

Here are my thoughts on how Twitter is changing media relations:

It’s easier to develop relationships with reporters. Follow a member of the media on Twitter and you’ll get a feel for what he or she is interested in, both professionally and personally. Interact with them, and not just on work-related items. By following and interacting with media contacts, you’ll provide a more customized pitch when it comes time to send a story idea their way. And, they are more likely to respond.

Pitching reporters is quick, but challenging. Try trimming an email pitch into 140 characters. It’s hard! But reporters appreciate that the pitch is short and to the point. Here are more tips on pitching reporters on Twitter.

Media use Twitter when they are looking for sources. I’ve seen it a few times now – a reporter will send out his or her media query via Twitter. Yet another reason to follow your media contacts.

Got other thoughts on how Twitter is changing media relations?

Here are a few other resources I recommend:

• Using Twitter for Media Relations

• 5 New Twitter Tools You Can Use
  

• 5 Reasons Why Twitter Matters for PR Professionals