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?

The Vandiver Group is proud to be the Top PR Firm in St. Louis for the second straight year. We look forward to showing you why we’re number #1.  Give us a call or drop us an email today.  And, thank you everyone!

• Alert the media ahead of time, but not too early.  If you let them know too far in advance, the event’s information may get lost in the flood of other e-mails the media receives.  Alerting them a few days prior to the event is generally the best way to capture and keep the media’s interest. Also, don’t forget to follow up the day of the event as a reminder.
• Intrigue the media with enough information, but not too much.  If they have all of the information they need prior to the event, they may see no need to attend your press conference.
• Be accessible and ready to answer the media’s questions in a timely manner.
• Help reporters get the best story they can.  Arrange interviews for the media with key spokespeople where they can get questions answered and have an opportunity to go more in-depth on areas of interest piqued during the press conference.  Explain to the media in advance how the questions will be handled so they will be prepared.
• Supply background materials to the beforehand and bring extras to the event in case the media forgets to bring the materials with them.
• Make your event “one-stop shopping” for the media. Make sure they can get everything they need for their story in one place (visuals, sound, logos, experts, etc.)
• Ensure your speakers have prepared key messages that they can deliver during the press conference in five to seven minutes.  Try to keep the number of people speaking during the press conference to three to five, if possible.
• Don’t forget to use new media tools to promote your press conference and share information during the press conference.  Tweeting is a great way to spread the word about an announcement and gain extra exposure.

Clearly communicating with the media and spokespeople will facilitate a more effective press conference and help ensure successful media stories.  Do you still have questions about planning and implementing an upcoming press conference?  TVG can help.  Our team has the media relationships and event planning expertise to make your next press conference a success. Give us a call at 314-991-4641 or email us at tvg@vandivergroup.com.

At TVG we look for people who smile a lot.  When we’ve violated this rule, it’s been at our own peril.  Of course we want people who are the best at what they do, and first and foremost, they must know how to write.  If they can’t put subject and verb together and have us understand their idea, it’s unlikely they will persuade or be able to inform or educate us or a client or a customer with just their ability to talk to us about it.  A good firm foundation in learning to express yourself will work for you throughout your life.  And, don’t be too wrapped up in what you write.  Be open to the edits of others.  Try to make your writing succinct and to the point.

When we interview for positions at TVG we look for good skills, but also the things you can’t measure, like how often they smile, how friendly they are and how well they are able to laugh at themselves.  And, since most continuing business relationships happen between people who like each other, that becomes very important, indeed.

The other thing we know from looking at trends research for several years is that if a friend tells you something you are more likely to believe it, try it, do it, no matter what the product is or what category you’re in.  Social media is one of the best ways to find out from your friends what they think of a service or product.  With so much information flying around these days, consumers seem highly skeptical of what they read.  This explains why they look for confirmation from a trusted friend to more quickly make decisions about what restaurant to try, what smartphone to buy or what movie to see.  Social media has become the equivalent of sitting around the coffee shop or the kitchen table; it facilitates the exchange of stories and ideas.

So what does all of this mean for brands? If you can offer a good experience to a client or a customer, you are more likely to get a favorable review or testimonial.  A positive review from a third-party is far more valuable than any number of ads you could buy.

So:

• stick with delivering a good service or product
• use social media to get the word out and allow others to get the word out
• keep your information informal
• stay away from the technology of your product, a very small percentage of your consumers or audience actually care

And, because we believe that endorsements of our services are important, click here to see what some of TVG’s clients say about what it’s like to work with us.

It has become common practice for most companies to tell the consumer that they are taking our information and sharing it for purposes of e-mail marketing or handling of a customer account. But they are not really being transparent about where the email addresses are going. Very few companies handle email relationships in-house. This means consumer email addresses are going to firms like Epsilon, who are capable of tracking e-mail response rates, mapping them to in-store purchase decisions and demographic information, and analyzing the data with a host of other marketing tools.

This is all well and good for marketers, but for consumers this means your information is not housed safely within the walls of your favorite company. Some consumers might be outraged by this, but in the end we are the ones who handed over our information in the first place. And so, fair or not, our personal online privacy must ultimately be our individual responsibility.

What it comes down to is using common sense. Don’t provide sensitive information over email and don’t respond to emails from senders you don’t know. This will prevent a flood of spam to your inbox and protect your email account from being mined for other sensitive data. Just make sure you use an extra dose of caution and even an extra secure password to protect your information. Not sure about an email? Check that the recipient URL is it consistent with the URL usually used when you get information from that company.  Worried about a scam?  Search for the email topic or sender address on snopes.com.

For more information on this story, click here.

Here at TVG, we think about what makes up an ideal workplace. What do people want out of their employer? Room to advance; a place where they can explore different avenues to reach a goal; challenging but surmountable tasks; open communication on all levels; or learning and growth opportunities? This is the “human factor” to the brick and mortar.

Every employee out there will want a competitive wage and benefits package — that’s expected. But making your company attractive to the best candidates requires more than a salary and a health care plan. Remember, a company is staffed by human beings and they should be treated as such. Your best workers are the ones who want to make a difference, to excel in their field and continue to grow. It’s important for them, as well, to be recognized for a job well done.

At TVG, we also know employee communication plays an essential role in developing a connection between a company and an employee. An employee is more likely to work hard if they feel connected to the company. Whether it be through a company discussion board, newsletters, emails from the CEO or an employee survey, it’s vital to provide a way for employees to feel they have a relationship with the company and that their voice is heard. One tool we use for our clients is Pulse® Feedback Software, a proprietary employee engagement software that allows companies to connect with employees in real-time.

Good workers can be hard to find, so when you have one, it’s important to provide the incentive for them to stick around. When you invest in your employees, you make an investment in your company. People want to work for a company that acknowledges hard work and appreciates effort. And, when you show you’re willing to listen and help them, they will be willing to help you.

The Community Connections Program is designed to promote public diplomacy through exchanges of cultural ideas and values and create a positive exchange of ideas and business approaches between professionals in Russia and the U.S. The discussion centered on PR agencies and how they are run in the U.S., specifically how they work with non-profit clients to develop campaigns. There were 12 delegates from the Russian city of Novosibirsk in attendance, along with a translator to help facilitate the conversation.

Here are a few photos from the visit. For information about TVG’s non-profit work, click here.

TVG staff members and the Russian delegates

A few of the delegates

Donna discussing PR with the delegates in TVG's conference room

A gift from the delegates' hometown of Novosibirsk

The article, “Midwest vs. coastal PR firms: 6 things to consider”, brings up some good points about the benefits of choosing a smaller agency.  Typically, agencies from the coasts charge significantly more for their services, and while there is a perception that you get what you pay for, smaller agencies offer clients the same level of service for much less money and more personal service.

There is also the issue of priority when it comes to agencies’ various accounts. In bad years, large agencies from the coasts are forced to go after smaller clients to stay afloat. However, this means that when things turn around, those smaller accounts take the back seat to more prestigious ones. With a smaller agency (and I speak from experience) every client is a top priority.

Sometimes a situation calls for one of the big guys. But what it comes down to is that working with a smaller agency closer to home means your account will be run by people who understand your market and your business better. Plus, we’ll have easier access to clients, typically just a short drive or plane flight from the Midwest.  And in these economic times, it makes sense to get the same level of work done for fewer dollars (while contributing to the local economy, I might add). So next time you’re thinking of hiring a PR agency, look close to home first. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you find.

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?