Keeping It Legal

The always evolving realm of social media provides opportunity for growth and advancement. It is also important to stay on top of to the latest developments. In order to use this tool effectively, make sure you’re aware of the legal issues surrounding social media. Even the smallest promotions and contests on Facebook or Twitter are subject to regulations. Learn more about keeping your company out of trouble if you’re thinking of running an online contest.

Blogging Like a Pro

Want to grow your blog like a Fortune 500? There is a strategic way to accomplish that goal. Some of the steps include reflecting on your previous quarter and checking who is reading your blog. These steps, while basic, provide a great insight into how you can attract more readers and increase participation. What tactics have you used to grow your blog?

Social Media Management Tips

If you offer social media services to multiple clients, managing all of the accounts takes preparation. There are a few tips that can help keep your social workflow under control. Remember to delegate tasks from the start of a project, this will help identify problems quickly and avoid confusion. Organizing an editorial schedule and other account details in one location can also help keep the entire team on the same page. Management tools like Pulse, HootSuite and Tweetdeck can ensure your team doesn’t miss anything.  If you need help managing your company’s social media accounts, contact us for a list of services.

Baseball and Social Media: A Great Combo

The St. Louis Cardinals take on the Cubs this weekend in Chicago, but don’t forget about Social Media Night at Busch Stadium next week. Attendees get access to specials and the chance to network with other social media professionals in the area. Will you be there?

Teachers and Students Can’t be ‘Friends’

Recent legislation in Missouri will make it a crime to be Facebook friends with teachers. Beginning on August 28, any contact through social networks like Facebook and Twitter will be prohibited between students and teachers. This Senate bill is meant to deter misconduct and to more clearly define teacher-student boundaries.  Teachers will still be able to create Facebook pages for their classrooms, as long as they do not have direct contact with their students via social media. If you or your company need help establishing a social media policy to help prevent misconduct, check out TVG’s social media services.

Save Money on School Supplies with Social Media

Popular retailers like Target and Sears are using social media to share shopping tips and deals with their customers, demonstrating how social media is a win-win for customers and companies alike. Customers can make electronic shopping lists with their favorite stores and receive 40 percent off of items that they ‘like’.  Companies can drive engagement and sales without expensive TV ads. How do you plan to use social media during your back-to-school shopping this year?

Smartphones for smarter classrooms

Teachers are finding ways to use technology to foster learning and student participation.  Handheld devices called ‘clickers’ enable teachers to administer quizzes and ask for feedback in real time. Clickers are helpful teaching tools, but expensive. Companies around the country are now creating apps that allow students to use their cell phones or laptops to engage in classroom discussion instead of ‘clickers.’  Here at TVG we are using iPads to conduct research and work more easily with clients. How have you seen teachers or coworkers use social media and other technology to their advantage?

St. Louis County Government (@SaintLouCo) experienced this firsthand with their recent minor Twitter misfortune. After tweeting, “@MileyLikeABoss thanks for the #StLCo love,” in reply to MileyLikeABoss’, “STL city is downtown. The county is so much nicer,” the County couldn’t take back what it inadvertently indicated about the City. Twitter lit up, and everyone from businesses to the spokesperson for the Mayor felt compelled to chime in on what was said.

Twitter is a great tool. It not only acts as an instant news source, but enables companies to interact with clients and constituents, and give recognition and thanks. But, even with the best of intentions, it can wreak havoc when used improperly. (And, don’t get us started about U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner.)  Some parties argue that people overacted to the @SaintLouCo tweet, but either way these recent mishaps highlight a rule every company should follow–think before you hit send!

For more information on TVG’s social media practice, click here or check us out on Twitter @VandiverGroup.

Chrysler recently had a big “oops” when someone at a firm hired to manage their Twitter account accidentally tweeted from the @ChryslerAutos account instead of a personal account. The tweet dropped the F-bomb, reading: “I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the #motorcity and yet no one here knows how to f****** drive.” Needless to say, their recent branding efforts (Imported from Detroit) and the company as a whole took a big hit. Oops.

Even though things like not attaching a document to an email or posting to Facebook instead of Twitter may seem like harmless mistakes, we can still set parameters to help us avoid these situations. Here at TVG, we encourage clients to develop cohesive communications strategies that involve consistent messaging across all outlets. This helps ensure that all communications by a company—both online and off—support the bigger picture (i.e. business objectives). It also helps to have a system of checks and balances that focuses on the security and accuracy of all company communications. This can prevent avoidable mistakes from affecting your reputation.

But even with systems and securities in place, “oops” moments happen, especially with the rapid pace of social media. One wrong response on Facebook or one misconstrued tweet can flip the panic switch and send your team into crisis mode. A crisis communications plan is a necessity for any company, but the best way to avoid a social media crisis is to set up a social media policy and teach your team how to use social media correctly. Just as with every medium, make sure you align your social media communications with your overall strategy.

TVG offers social media training and refresher courses that can help you take proactive steps to avoid those “oops” moments. We also can work with your company to develop an effective social media policy to prevent a Chrysler tweet disaster from happening to your company. To learn more about TVG’s services, check out the Services page of our website.

1. Foursquare vs. Facebook

Foursquare has emerged as one of the premier check-in services for your mobile device, but is facing stiff competition from Facebook Places. In response, Foursquare is focusing more on discovering new places, de-emphasizing the gaming aspect of the app. They say they want to be able to make recommendations to users and create a more personalized experience. Will this open more doors for marketers to use geo-location?

2. Twittering Adults

A recent Pew Research survey shows that in the U.S., eight percent of adults on the internet are using Twitter. Although it isn’t very surprising that 18-29 year-olds are the most active; those age 30-64 make up 13 percent of the market.

3. BP and Quick Payments

Although BP has been out of the main news stream for quite a while, the aftermath is still affecting residents of the Gulf Coast. The Gulf Coast Claims Facility has issued more money at a faster rate than BP did, and is working to give expedited final payments in exchange for their right to take legal action. Do you think this will bring good or bad press for BP?

4. The Value of a Tweet

How much is a single tweet worth? If you recently bought a new Toyota, it could have been worth $500. Through this past Wednesday, Toyota was taking $500 off the purchase of a new Toyota to anyone who posted a specific tweet about their Toyotathon campaign. Toyota says the high discount was enough to generate a strong buzz and a stronger call to action. Does your company utilize Twitter to its full potential?

5. GAP PR Problems … Again

GAP has released limited edition FEED bags, as part of its anti-hunger FEED campaign. For every bag purchased, GAP will donate $5 towards the U.S.’s school lunch programs. It also dons a “Made in USA” logo, and advertisements and product descriptions say it’s made here in America. The problem is that the bags’ tags say they are made in China. In a survey, people are saying that because of this, they will not buy the bag. How would you handle this from a PR standpoint?

1. The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds generated the highest rating ever on Fox Sports Midwest this week. The teams were already battling for first place in the NL Central, add to that a few choice words from Reds’ Brandon Phillips and a brawl during the first inning of the series and it’s no surprise people tuned in. 
2. Recent spikes in the heat index have created dangerous conditions for anyone who is outside for prolonged periods of time in the St. Louis region. TVG’s client, Waste Management, compiled a list of warning signs for heat-related illness, which was featured on KMOV this week.
3. This week, TVG’s President and CEO, Donna Vandiver spoke to St. Louis-based InnovateVMS about social media. InnovateVMS is a venture mentoring service of Innovate St. Louis and Donna discussed with the group how to use social media for startups.
4. Twitter launched their new “Tweet Button” this week. The button lets readers share website content more quickly and includes a comprehensive count of how many times a URL has been shared. Any tweet from a site’s Tweet Button will also include an @mention of that site’s Twitter account.
5. TVG’s pro-bono client, the Walk to Washington, sets out from St. Louis this Saturday on the 50-day, 835-mile walk from St. Louis to Washington, D.C.  The walkers hope to get one million signatures on a petition to raise awareness for depression. Click here to sign the petition and learn more.

Make sure to check out TVG on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with all of our latest news. Have a good weekend!

What I find most interesting about this event isn’t so much Biden’s choice of words, but rather what happened after he made the statement and the response from the White House. Sure, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs could have issued an official statement or addressed the press corps directly, but instead he turned to social media, more specially, Twitter, with the following tweet: “And yes Mr. Vice President, you’re right…”

This brief, 41-character tweet is just one of many recent examples of the power of social media as a communication tool. From world events such as the earthquake in Haiti or the protests of the presidential election in Iran last June, Twitter has provided – and will continue to provide – a new way to report on the stories of the day.

Whether you’re a fan or Twitter, or not, the social media tool is here to stay and will most likely continue to explode…and continue to report on explosions (verbal and otherwise) that happen in this world we share.

Last week I attended two well planned, successful events discussing social media, and yes, both were here in St. Louis.

Social Media Club

The first event was put on by the Social Media Club of St. Louis, which is an organization that enables people to share knowledge and build relationships. Their slogan is, “If you get it, Share it.” St. Louis founders, Reem Abeidoh (@rabeidoh on Twitter) and Todd Jordan (@tojosan) started the club this year with the goal of building it as a hub for all social media users to exchange knowledge and develop relationships among people they chat with online. The kickoff event was held back in May, and they have had a meeting on the third Thursday of every month since then at various venues throughout St. Louis. Each month features a different panel of social media experts discussing a variety of topics.

Oh, and did I mention that all of their events are free? Well, they are. You don’t even have to sign up for a membership. The only thing they ask is that you RSVP on their Web site, and after that, you can opt to have emails reminders sent to you for future events.

You can also check out their Facebook page for more information on the monthly events.

This month’s panel discussed new media versus old media and featured Craig Cheatham (@InsideNews4 on Twitter), an investigative reporter at Channel 4 News – KMOV; Erica Smith (@ericasmith), multimedia producer at the St. Louis Post Dispatch; Bill Streeter (@billstreeter), a video blogger (lofistl.com), blogger for the Riverfront Times, and teacher/advisor at St. Louis University; and Mike Flynn(@mikeflynn), a blogger at PunchingKitty.com and a web developer.

They discussed the benefits of social media and blogging and how it is changing the face of old media.
Some key points of the discussion included:

• Journalism ethics in blogs vs. print media.
• How bloggers have raised the bar and helped enhance the integrity of journalism.
• Blogs need to be backed up with links and sources in order to be trusted and considered authentic.
• Social media is driving the first response to breaking stories, whereas traditional media is still having difficulty responding as quickly and effectively.

Twitter Co-Founder Jack Dorsey Returns Home to St. Louis

The second social media event I attended was the Jack Dorsey Tweet Up sponsored by Webster University. I was surprised to find out that Dorsey (@jack), the co-founder and chairman of Twitter, is a St. Louis native who grew up in Compton Heights and attended Bishop DuBourg High School. He told an audience of almost 1,000 about his story, how his love of maps led to one of his first jobs as a dispatch programmer for emergency personnel and how he eventually started Twitter with co-founder Biz Stone.

For a recap of his speech, the following blogs offer a nice rundown:

Blogger Erin Eschen’s Notes

In Media Res Blog: The Highlights

The Social Media Report’s Recap

Dorsey also gave St. Louis a hint about his new company that is currently in the works with his former boss, Jim McKelvey of St. Louis-based Mira Digital Publishing. He mentioned health care and financial services as possible industries for the new company and he said St. Louis would play a role.

The Riverfront Times reported that the new company would be based on the “three concepts (of Twitter): immediacy, transparency and approachability.” He couldn’t give us much more information, because it is currently still in “stealth mode.”

I would like to commend Dr. Benjamin Akande (@benjamin_akande), Dean of the School of Business and Technology at Webster University, and Webster University (@websteru) for putting on such a successful event. One interesting feature of the event was a large projection screen that was displayed on the stage showing a live feed of tweets with the hash tag #jackatwebster. Dr. Akande also announced at the event that #jackatwebster made it to the list of Trending Topics on Twitter, to which the audience responded with cheers and clapping. While the Twitter feed was a little distracting, it was an interesting addition to Dorsey’s speech and made the event more interactive for the audience.

After his speech, Dorsey took questions from the audience and the media. Dorsey’s visit to St. Louis caused quite a stir in local media, prompting news articles and blogs left and right. To see a list of the media coverage, as well as video of Dorsey’s speech and photos, click here.

Webster University then honored Dorsey with the Success to Significance 2009 Person of the Year award. However, Dorsey’s day did not end there. After visiting Webster, Dorsey went on to St. Louis City Hall to receive the key to the City of St. Louis by Mayor Francis Slay. Lastly, he ended his eventful day by throwing the first pitch at the Cardinals game that night.

It was a big day for Jack Dorsey, the St. Louis native and Twitter CEO, and yet an even bigger day for St. Louis. This may be the jump start St. Louis needs to become a key player in social media.

The Harvard Business Review has expanded their social media presence from @HarvardBiz to now include @AskHBR, @TheDailyStat and @ManagementTip. Just one glance at the recent tweets by @AskHBR tells you it is a must-add to your list of Twitterpals.

The first post on their page when I logged on read:
Tutorial: What business are you really in? Is your answer the same as your customers’? http://bit.ly/a0R9c Questions?

Following the link, I read through the article and am now thinking about “What business am I really in?” and I want to ask the team I work with what their answers are.

The title of the article is “Marketing Myopia” and seems to be a well-chosen name. The brief presents four myths of marketing positions that, in the writer’s opinion, put a business at risk. The responses are things I believe TVG practices with our client service, yet it requires a deeper look at the “physician-heal-thyself” risk that consulting firms often ignore.

There has been a lot of churn in the economy, the ways clients spend money, the ways clients make decisions and the ways professional service firms in the marketing communications field are positioning themselves. Yet, who is thinking about mar comm from the vantage point of ‘what business are we in?’

If a consulting company turns our teams and our creative talents outward, to serve the marketplace, we achieve success for the short-term. If we focus these teams on looking inward as well, we stand a better chance at long-term strength. We’ve started down a path of rebranding TVG for 2010, and I think I’ll add this question to our next thinking session. So for those of you on my team, be ready to answer: What business are we really in?!

Instead of providing a long synopsis on some of the lessons learned, I wanted to share a few of my favorite tidbits and tweets from presenters and attendees.

I hope these tidbits get your mind going about interactive marketing and social media within your organization. For more of a wrap-up from WOMM-U, visit their conference Web site.

The social media realm has really taken media’s center stage over the last 12 months. With the boom of Twitter and growth of social networks among older demographics, companies everywhere are not only starting to take notice, but they are making room in their budget for social media programs.

What WOMM-U demonstrated was companies are also starting to understand the unique qualities of this medium, especially the need to put some of the control into the consumer’s hands. The common mistakes of controlling the conversation over the past few years seems to be fading and companies are truly embracing the conversations…and it is paying off for their business!