One of Full Circle’s clients, Progress Lighting, was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal as “One of Five Products” that caught the eye of an WSJ blogger.

Being recognized by one of the nation’s most respected media outlets is no small feat.  So, how do you maximize this coverage to promote third party credibility of a product to continue the momentum within the lighting and design communities?

We took Bingo on a social media tour to communicate the coverage both internally and externally:

• Progress Lighting’s Facebook and Twitter feeds communicated the coverage to its audience that is made up of lighting designers, interior decorators, home builders – and other media contacts.
• We promoted the Bingo lighting designer, James, who is also active on Twitter and Google+.  Being a designer of a product that caught the WSJ’s eye is obviously exciting – so we helped to promote his reaction on Progress Lighting’s channels.
• Through conversations with lighting showroom owners and distributors, we’ve mentioned this national coverage about one of the newest collections they are carrying.  This has excited them – and, in turn, they want to promote the new product to their customers.
• Last but not least, we have included the piece in an internal newsletter that goes to sales representatives.  This is a great conversations starter when visiting with customers!

But what if journalists began posing queries on Facebook. Or what if we broke news on Twitter? Truth is, these are no longer “what if” situations – so how can we position ourselves, our companies and our clients as the best possible resource via social media?

First, consider the strengths of all of the communication options we have at our disposal, and tailor messages to these media.

Phone – A phone call to a journalist or reporter is a great tool to introduce a non-pressing subject or follow up on an online communication. When we don’t have the option to meet face-to-face, a phone conversation is the next best option to clarify details and make more personal connections.

Email - Email is best for private or individual communication, especially notes that are not time-sensitive, given delivery delays. Use email also for planning, especially for alerting reporters to upcoming Twitter announcements, as well as for scheduling interviews and sending documents. If you use email blasts, tailor them to sharply defined audiences.

Twitter - With short nuggets of information delivered instantly, Twitter is the best medium for breaking news. Train your followers and reporters to expect to see public announcements here first.

Facebook - Facebook is a better option for conversation and reaction than Twitter. This is likely the best place to engage in casual conversations with your community.

Websites (including blogs) - Websites and blogs are great for communicating longer, more in-depth information to an audience of dedicated followers. The problem with websites is that they require readers to come to you – so they’re poor places to reach large audiences instantly (unless you’ve referred them from another medium, such as Twitter.)

If you choose to take the leap into media relations through Facebook, Twitter or blogs, always remember that everyone is quotable, regardless of the platform.

As PR pros explore this new territory, let’s hear about your experiences and trials merging social media and media relations.

Source: Robert Niles http://www.ojr.org/ojr/people/robert/201109/2009/

We all know: When talking with the media, always be upfront and honest about who you represent. When using social media, don’t censor your fans’ thoughts and comments, even if they speak negatively about the brand (unless they’re derogatory or offensive to other users). Always be transparent.

While it’s necessary for brands to keep an honest face and always be clear about their motives, transparency might not be the most accurate word for the goal we’re all trying to achieve. Seth Godin makes an interesting point in his recent blog post, Transparent or translucent?

Here are his thoughts: 

There’s an argument for transparency. If you make it easy for people to see right through you, the thinking goes, you are easier to trust.

The market, though, often seeks out the translucent. Things that glow. We’re drawn to the glow, to the illumination and warm feeling it brings.

We’d like our tools and our replaceable institutions to be transparent. We want the bank and the radiologist and the tax man to be totally clear and invisible, so they can get out of the way and we can focus on what’s true.

But the brands and experiences and legends that lead to stories and affection and connection–it would be better if they glowed instead.

My thoughts: 

Seth makes a good point. We don’t want to be clear and invisible – a state that makes us easy to look past and ignore. We want to be clear enough to show our heart, our intentions and our goals, but bright enough to capture the attention and affection of the audiences we’re trying to reach.

Would you rather be transparent or translucent? What do you or the brands you represent do to be more translucent?

As I prepare for one of our client’s biggest event of the year, it got me thinking about how important preparation is to coordinating a successful event. There is no such thing as being over-prepared in the realm of public relations.

Alexander Graham Bell said it best, “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”

After months of strategic planning, it’s time to execute the plan and get those thousands of puzzle pieces to fit together seamlessly. Here are some tips on how to prepare yourself before and throughout an event:

• Confirm, re-confirm and then confirm again. The last thing you want to do is leave something unconfirmed. Everyone involved has a busy schedule and things can fall through the cracks. Staying on top of people to ensure they are where they need to be, when they need to be there is essential.
• Understand things change. Remain calm. In every event, things inevitably change. It’s important to mentally prepare for this so when it happens, you’re ready for it. Being frantic about it doesn’t help anyone. You have to be able to adjust on the fly and find a solution.
• Communicate. It seems like a simple concept, but you can’t expect someone to know something unless you effectively communicate it to them. Never assume something is just going to happen. Telling a person something twice is better than forgetting to altogether.
• Be visible and accessible. With any size event there’s always something more that can be done. It’s important to show your client that the event is just as important to you as it is to them. Never think something is beneath you, and do more than is required of you. Helping out where you can makes everyone’s jobs easier and things run more smoothly.
• You aren’t the only one under pressure. It’s important to understand that everyone is under pressure during events, especially when it is the biggest event of the year. Don’t take things personally, remain positive and don’t let people see you stress out.

What are your tips for preparing yourself for a big event?

Kim came across this image from Ketchum this week, and we all had a good giggle over it. Comments like, “So True!” and “Amen!” could be heard around the office as we passed it around.

But while we had a good laugh over a picture of how our job is sometimes (okay, lets be honest, most of the time) perceived — it still bothers me that so many people misconstrue what we do.

Public Relations — TRUE public relations — connects people together for a common goal or action.

It connects brands with customers, nonprofits with donors, politicians with voters – good public relations is a mix of strategic tactics working together like the best band you’ve ever heard in concert. The outcome is a group of people connecting on an entirely new level with a shared common interest.

So while PR practitioners wear a lot of different hats — conversation starters, event planners, message connectors — we all have a common goal. Bringing people together for a purpose. It’s as simple as that.

Liza and I like to joke that we are OVER-communicators. We like to share information on our company’s new business opportunities, hiring plans, marketing goals – even about the agency’s finances.  By engaging employees, they have a better sense of ownership (and hopefully happiness).

After reading articles like, “Are your employees engaged or not?” I feel like we’re in the minority.  In fact, this article cites that a whopping 79% of employees who were surveyed were not engaged, not motivated to do a good job – and just downright unhappy.

I’ve certainly worked in environments where I didn’t know – ever – what was going on.  My colleagues and I would endlessly ask questions such as: Was I getting fired? Were we losing a client? What is that new guy doing here in the creative department? 

Thankfully, Liza and I both feel that knowledge is power – and we’re all about empowering the Full Circle team. Before the holidays, Liza sent out a survey to each employee asking them to complete questions, such as:

•  If I were running FCPR, here’s what I’d like to see done more effectively:
•  I wish we could do more of ______________________ at FCPR
• What else would you like to see at FCPR? What are your ideas to make this an even more fantastic work environment for you?

Out of this survey, it came out that employees wanted more team-building time.  And we also got feedback that the staff wanted to choose what we would do (rather than have it mandated from Liza and me).

Easy enough!

For 2012 we implemented quarterly team activities.  We just had our Q1 group outing (which Caitlin blogged about yesterday) – and it was a great opportunity to spend time with each other – and have a little fun – outside the office walls.

What feedback have you received from employee surveys?  And how did this shape your internal communications activities?

At Full Circle PR, we host quarterly “team building” activities for the group. This can involve anything from a lunch outing to shopping to our most recent project – painting. Today we stopped by Vino and Van Gogh in Greenville to take on a challenge none of us have tried before.

Even though we all had plenty of client work to do, taking time for a two-hour painting lesson took our team of six out of the office to do something fun and challenging. We had conversations that didn’t involve clients, and we all got to know each other a little better (even though we spend 40 hours a week in the same room).

The result? We have a refreshed sense of creativity, better work relationships and we have a new story to share when we talk about our team – all totally worth a few fun hours out of the office.

What stories to you have to share about team building at your place of work?

Our masterpieces...we're only missing Liza!

And this year, we’re helping out with Rack Room Shoes’ “Save the Athletes Challenge” in a similar way. While traditional PR tactics – print and online media outreach – are extremely important, we’ve also found grassroots methods to be highly effective. We’re talking to people who love the company, love their community and love their schools – and they’re talking, in turn, about Rack Room Shoes. It’s organic – and everyone shares a common goal.

Today, I’d like to share a few grassroots marketing tips I’ve learned along the way. Take a look:

• Build an emotional connection. Build an emotional connection with your audience by talking about issues that matter to them. Talk about what’s happening in their lives, not just the life of your company or organization.
• Be authentic. Always be upfront about your intentions. It doesn’t hurt  to say, “I work for so-and-so”, but it can hurt if you don’t.
• Empower participants. If people are willing to help share your message, reward them for their efforts. Whether it’s through shout-outs on social media sites or rewards programs, it’s important to show participants you appreciate their support.
• Build awareness. Utilize social media tools to share your message and talk with participants and volunteers. This will give them a place to easily share your content with their friends, fans and followers.

Have you ever built a movement through grassroots marketing techniques? Let us know what you’ve learned.

http://socialmedialandscape.com

As an adult, you should know by now that you can’t be perfect at everything.  The same is true for brands.  Successful brands know that they can’t serve every market – that is, serve every market well.  Instead they carve out a niche market, and become irreplaceable to their consumers.

This very same idea can – and should – be translated into a brand’s social media strategy.

Not every platform is going to be useful to every brand in every industry.  The key is vetting out each tool to see how using it would benefit your brand – and mainly, your brand’s customers.

When assessing social media applications for your brand, be sure to ask these 7 questions.

1. Is this where our consumers and our industry are interacting?
2. What type of content is currently being shared on this platform and how does it differ from those of other social media tools?
3. How can we use this application to be a resource for our consumers?
4. Does this platform’s personality line up with our company culture?
5. How could you give a different insight into your company through this tool?
6. Can your brand interact on this platform without pushing your products or services?
7. Are you competitors present?

Answering these questions will help give a clearer vision of whether or not your brand should take part a social media tool. What other questions do you ask when assessing social media?

We spend a lot of time in the public relations industry counseling our clients on how to best use social media programs to engage in conversation with customers. We teach them how to not blast messages at people but rather how to listen to people and respond accordingly.

But with all of the social media networking opportunities out there, I never want lose sight of the good old fashioned live in-person conversational exchange.

You know, two people, face to face (or minimally, over the phone) having an actual dialogue.

All the email exchanges, text messages and social media updates in the world just can’t replace the foundation of a real relationship that comes from interacting directly with someone else.

I’m always confounded when someone would rather spend 15 minutes typing out a response to an email when it would have taken 2 minutes to answer the same question over the phone. Or, in an office environment – team members who will instant message each other rather than getting up from their desk and going to talk in person about an assignment.

I even see it in my five-year-old son — when he’s looking at the iPad, iPhone or whatever gadget he’s managed to get his hands on — and I try to have a conversation with him — he won’t look at me. He mumbles some response under his chin while he’s focusing on a new round of Angry Birds.

So I make him put the device down, look me in the eye, and answer my question. (I also had to put a limit on the time he spends on the devices, but that’s an entirely different topic for a parenting blog, I’m sure).

What happens as a society if we stop having real, live conversations with each other?

Let’s challenge ourselves to look for opportunities to “keep it real” in our conversations. Instead of introducing a new idea in an email – pick up the phone and call the intended recipient to run it by them first (email can be used later as a conversation follow up with next steps included). You might find the conversation turns into a brainstorming session and uncovers some entirely new ideas.

Or instead of spending 30 minutes texting someone, find time to meet with them and talk for 30 minutes face-to-face instead. You might be surprised how much more fun it can be than giving your thumbs carpal tunnel syndrome.

Everyone’s busy. Jobs, kids, networking events, volunteer work. It’s easy to become reliant on social media tools to become the basis of your interpersonal relationships.

But just for today – take some time to engage with someone in person. Hear the sound of a laugh. Pick up on a frustration level. Listen to someone else. And have someone listen to you.

Put the “real” social back into your relationships. Bring back the real conversation.