#LostInSocial: How is social media best managed?

#LostInSocial from Deanna Payson

We reached quite a few people on Twitter with the presentation!

View the Tweetreach report for #LostInSocial

To prepare, I used a variety of social media tools like G+ hangouts, Pearltrees, Twitter, Slideshare and LinkedIn groups.

Syracuse University's Kate Brodock on Social Media

"You will get out of social media what you put into it."

Today in our social media strategies & tactics class, we were given a firsthand look into how Syracuse University manages its social media efforts from Kate Brodock, Executive Director of Digital & Social Media for the university.  Drawing from her experience at Syracuse and elsewhere, Kate provided us with many valuable insights into the world of social media management.  A healthy balance of content creation and curation, providing consistent 'value' to your followers and the importance of social media in a crisis were all stressed.

Particularly interesting were her insights into the use of segmentation of social media.  As such a large institution (somewhere in the range of 14,000 undergraduates alone), Syracuse University has found it necessary to segment its social media outreach.  Users who engage with social media accounts are doing so to serve their own needs; in order to meet those needs, SU has split its main social channels into several social channels.  For example, its main Twitter account (@SyracuseU) serves almost 17,000 followers, all with a variety of experiences, locations and desires.  Some may be alumni, some current students, some faculty and some even local community members.  Rather than 'spamming' all 17,000 followers with content and information irrelevant to them and their connection to SU, the university has divided into several niche accounts, including @SUCampus and @SUSqueeze.  Across all of its platforms and accounts, SU has found a way to brand itself consistently, something many large organizations struggle to do.

"You want likes that will stay with your brand!" 

 In describing the importance not just of the number of 'likes' or followers on a brand's page, Kate stressed that providing consistent value to your followers is key.  Value can be "warm fuzzies," meaning some kind of visual or other content that tugs at a user's heartstrings.  For Syracuse, these warm fuzzies could come in the form of their "Throwback Thursday" photos of SU many decades ago, which engage alumni in a meaningful, even emotional way.  Value can also be humor, however.  Perhaps your organization's users simply want to "crack up" every day, she said, "and if you keep them laughing, you can keep them coming back."  Whatever the type of value your users seek, be sure to provide it consistently in order to increase user engagement with your brand or organization.  

"When a crisis hits, it will hit the social media platforms first, and it will hit us in incredibly high volume!"

As the social media director for a major university, Kate has been exposed to several recent crises at SU, including the Bernie Fine scandal that rocked campus last spring.  While these experiences were by no means an easy job for those running the SU social channels, Kate and her team were able to learn quite a bit about social media's role in a crisis during those times.  Her instructions for crisis response are:

1) When hearing rumblings of a crisis, stop & listen.  Gather as much information as you can.

2) Acknowledge emotions.  People are feeling a certain way, and those emotions are valid.

3) Respond with 1st party content (from your organization) when ready.

Lastly, Kate stressed the importance of coordination and collaboration during a crisis.  "Cross-department coordination can make or break a crisis," she said.  If social media managers are not allowed a seat at the crisis management and preparedness table, they will be incapable of effectively communicating with an organization's publics during a tumultuous time.    

Many thanks to Kate Brodock for sharing these insights (and many more below in my Storify) with our class!  

"Social media tools are not free, unless you consider your time valueless!"

    

Campaigns, Social Media and a Sweaty Nixon

Remember that time Nixon was sweaty in 1960?

I think we all do.  Just as televised debates allowed us to see Nixon's sweaty upper lip, social media now gives us new ways to learn about our candidates.  Television meant that politicians could no longer hide their appearances, and social media means that today's politicians can't hide from missteps or blundered statements.

A recent article on Fast Company had this to say on the issue:

                " Social media has changed the election game forever by shining a continual light, from every possible direction, on every move a high-profile candidate makes."

Political gaffes, juicy gossip in their very nature, spread like wildfire online.  Romney's 47% comment is proof of two new realities in American politics: there is no such thing as a 'private' event, and anything you say can be repeated months later on a variety of social and traditional media platforms.   A political gaffe is the perfect ingredient for a viral piece of content, and a campaign disaster.  The more drastically the politician blunders, the more likely it is likely to echo around the social media stratosphere. 

So what's next?

While the 2012 election is certainly an interesting case study of social media's role in shaping elections, the 2028 cycle will be even more interesting.  In 2028, my generation (the Millennials), will be approximately 35-40 years old.  In 2028, we can run for President.  Not only will social media have relevance in terms of campaign messaging and gaffe-spreading, but it will have relevance in terms of how we vet our potential candidates.  Take a drunk picture at a frat party in 2011 and post it to Facebook? Look like an idiot in said picture? Odds are, someone will have it, and it will come to light when you run for office.   

What can we do?

It is vitally important that we use the power of social media to our advantage as voters (and future candidates) in elections.  We must fact-check and keep tabs on the candidates, and, perhaps most importantly, we must be sure that our own social media use will not be costly if we should enter the political ring several years from now. 

What do we DO, really?

While this comic from All Things D is humorous, it brings up a good point.  What are we DOING really, when we use social media in our professional lives? And if we are truly doing something, how do we prove that to our co-workers and superiors?

When we check our favorite blogs and news sites, we are not just glossing over news for our own entertainment; knowledge of global events, trends and industry-specific news is paramount to the success of a public relations team.  In order to successfully tell our organizations' stories, we must know what is going on outside of our organizational cocoon.  What is the media (both bloggers and traditional media) talking about? And by direct association, what are our publics talking about? In order to partake in the conversation, we need to listen first, and speak second.

Once we have an idea of the conversation taking place online and in the real world, it is time for us (and our organizations) to take part in the conversation. This brings us to the second panel of the cartoon.  Note that it is not simply about 'speaking' in the traditional sense; while posting to Google+ and Pinterest is important to provide relevant content to our publics, we must also engage with them.  "Liking" things on Facebook (and commenting back) is a great start for our organizations.

Lastly, we must prove that what we have just 'done' is truly relevant and vital to our organizations.  As a student of the social media-centric Newhouse school, I see the value of social media management.  However, my future bosses and co-workers may not immediately see that value.  Just as the ROI of public relations can be difficult to prove, so can the ROI of social media management.  We must use social media measurement tools to show that we are influential, relevant and connected among our publics.  Only then can we say, yes, we are actually doing something!


For people currently working in social media management positions, or PR in general, what do you think? How do you prove that you are 'doing' something each day?

CEO Blogs

For this week's PRL614 blog, we were tasked with reading a CEO blog and evaluating it.  Is it an effective form of public relations for the organization? Is it in sync with the other communications by the company? Is there more risk or reward in a CEO blog of this nature?  I chose to use the blog of Dallas Mavericks' owner, Mark Cuban: "Blog Maverick". 

The most recent post was about Wall Street.  Others below it touched on issues like CEO pay, corporations, taxes, even politics.  My first instinct: what are the Mavericks doing allowing their CEO to comment on such highly-politicized and potentially-alienating topics?!  It seems to go against many principles of public relations to allow a CEO, on a blog associated with the business (the Mavericks' official website even links to Cuban's blog), to make such bold statements.

Reading on, I came to realize that Cuban is a masterful writer and a very smart man.  Topics that most people would butcher, he easily navigates, making effective arguments based on intellectual thought.  While his blog still runs the risk of alienating publics of the Mavericks who disagree with his ideas, his ideas are at least articulated in a mature, thoughtful fashion. Inherent in his blog's name (Blog Maverick) is the expectation that this blog will be honest, even rogue.  Cuban will express his ideas about the world in an authentic voice, and he won't sugar-coat hot topics. 

I would be curious to see analytics on his blog.  How many people read this, and who are they? Are they reading this as Mark Cuban, CEO and voice of the Dallas Mavericks? Or are they looking to him for his business expertise? 

I believe Mark Cuban has struck an often-elusive balance in a CEO blog; he is being true to himself in his postings, and is using this blog to build not only his personal brand but that of the Dallas Mavericks.  Who wouldn't want a savvy businessman running their sports team?  In this unique case, Mark Cuban's opinionated CEO blog is a successful use of personal blogging by organizational leadership.

However, most organizations should tread carefully where CEO blogs are concerned.  Something tells me that if the CEO of Chick-Fil-A had a personal and political blog, it may not go over as well as Mark Cuban's blog... What do you think?   

Social Media Professionalism

One of the overarching themes of our Newhouse graduate school education in public relations seems to be the power of social media.  In nearly every course thus far it has had applications, and in many ways this contributes to our value as future employees of organizations in need of some social media expertise.  Our generation (the Millennials) has grown up with the internet as an everyday reality of life.  We've been taught for years about online etiquette, what to post, what not to post, and that nothing is ever truly private online.  But an interesting question has arisen recently, over the idea of shifting every one of our personal social networks to a professional social network.  For most of us, shifting our posts on Twitter from pictures of our dinner to content relevant to our careers has been a no-brainer.  Google + and LinkedIn are the same; we see clearly the value of using these social platforms for professional networking and personal branding.  Facebook, however, presents an interesting dilemma. 

While us graduate students are certainly not advocating posting about binge drinking or inappropriate behavior, Facebook is our final connection to our personal lives. We post about our interests, our friends, our fun adventures in Syracuse and Central New York.  We connect with family and friends who live across the U.S., or even across the globe.  We are so busy building our professional lives here at Newhouse, that Facebook often seems the only communications platform upon which we can be ourselves.  

Must Facebook too be a platform for solely 'professional' posts? I'd like to think not.  Our personal brand that we work so hard to build is just that  ̶  our personal brand.  Posting about going to the Syracuse football game, going apple-picking, or on wine-tasting trips in the Finger Lakes is part of that personal brand.  We are students, and we are serious about our professional ambitions, but we are also multi-dimensional.  We have personal lives.  We have loved ones, and passions and hobbies.  Facebook is the final frontier, the last untouched platform.  We certainly won't be posting anything inappropriate, but allow us to post about what matters most to us as people.  I'd like to think employers want to hire people, not simply robots. 

Additionally, I believe the value (both economic and intangible) of Facebook lies with its promise of personal connections.  If all the users of Facebook were to suddenly transform into exclusively-professional-posters, I don't think I (or many people) would access the site as regularly as we do now.  The social media platform would certainly not hold as much value to marketers or public relations professionals.  I once heard a public relations pro say that social media is all about meeting people where they are.  If Facebook becomes impersonal, solely a source of artificial, manufactured professional postings, it no longer is 'where people are'.  It loses its value to marketers, public relations pros and the everyday consumer.

For these reasons, I will not be transitioning my Facebook to a solely professional platform.  My connections with friends and family will be most valuable to me in the long run if I keep these connections personal.  One of the most powerful pieces of advice for social media etiquette is to be authentic, and I intend to keep my personal brand authentic in every social platform on which I post.    

#NBCfail: A for effort

               During the 2012 London Summer Olympics, NBC was eager to stretch its social media wings, hoping to make use of its Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram and Google+ expertise to engage with viewers of its TV and online coverage.  NBC provided a comprehensive guide to its social media 'coverage' (here) and had every member of its team contributing to it.  From broadcasters to analysts to Ryan Seacrest, NBC provided viewers with countless lenses through which they could experience the games.

So how did NBC and its good intentions become #NBCfail?  

                The answer: easily. Just as is the case with all public relations or audience engagement efforts, social media provides the tools for audiences to revolt.  NBC was fighting an uphill battle by attempting to please all of its diverse viewers in its coverage of the foreign events.  Some viewers wanted timely delivery of events, while others wanted to be kept in suspense if they could not feasibly tune in to the live coverage online.  Evening news viewers heading to bed early wanted to know what happened at the Olympics earlier in the day, while night-owls wanted to wait for the primetime coverage.  Workplace multi-taskers wanted to join an online conversation about the events they watched live online, while busier workers wanted to wait until the 8-11pm hours to enjoy the games.  It was simply impossible for NBC to please the divergent desires of its audience simultaneously.

                Rather than social media being NBC's legacy for the 2012 games, it became the legacy of the many people contributing to the #NBCfail conversation.  While NBC was certainly very present on a variety of social media platforms during the games, it was simply unable to control the wild Twittersphere in its critique of the network's coverage.  I give NBC an "A" for effort.     

"You Always Have Your Stalkers"...and other social media advice

Professor Christy Perry Tuohey presented to our PRL 614 (Advanced Writing for Digital Platforms) class today, bringing with her a wealth of social media tips, tactics and words of caution.  Perhaps her most valuable tips were those that were most practical:

1. Don't overpost
2. Always give links (videos, photos, interactive content)
3. Use hashtags (but don't overuse them!)
4. Don't duplicate information across social media platforms
5. Give credit to friends, colleagues, and content creators

While numbers 1, 2 and 5 are easy enough for me to put into practice, numbers 3 and 4 are those with which I often struggle.  With twitter, hashtagging provides a great opportunity to categorize one's posts and to have the posts heard on a larger scale.  For example, when tweeting for the LGBT advocacy conference I run, I tweeted a sympathetic post about the Chardon, OH shootings, expressing concern for those affected.  In that tweet, I used the common hashtag, "#Chardon".  Little did I know that that one hashtag would propel that tweet onto the national stage, resulting in hateful tweets from the Westboro Baptist Church being sent to my little, fifteen-man organization.  One simple hashtag brought my organization and our message to a much broader audience, even though that audience responded in hate.  It will be difficult (yet imperative) for me to limit my tendency to end some of my tweets with hashtags categorizing them, as Professor Tuohey recommended.

Number 4 (don't duplicate information across social media platforms) will also be a challenge for me.  It is so easy to simply link one's Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts, and feel that you have all the bases covered.  However, as Professor Tuohey pointed out, one's audience (that of an organization or an individual) does not want to see the same information twice.  The modern attention span is barely able to digest information even once, let alone twice or multiple times.  For this reason, I will be sure to follow Professor Tuohey's advice as I manage the Life Gets Better Together account (and my own personal account) this upcoming year, and tailor the content I share on each platform to the audience/platform needs.

Overall, a very impressive presentation from Professor Tuohey, the woman behind the @NewhouseSU mask!

Tweet Chats: The Recitations of the Future?

                During my first tweet chat this week, (#brandchat) I could not help but wonder whether these pseudo-anonymous, fast-paced conversations could be the 'recitation sections' of the future.  The dreaded 8am Friday discussions with a teaching assistant or professor could take place online, in the comfort of one's own bed and pajamas.  No need to trek through wind, rain or snow (in the case of Syracuse) to a small room to sit awkwardly with fifteen other, equally hung-over undergraduates.  Simply log onto Twitter, and follow the assigned hashtag to participate in and learn from the online discussion. 

                In just one hour, #brandchat covered four great questions about social media/brands/public relations/marketing techniques and evaluation.  Hundreds of people participated, sharing their ideas and expertise on the questions at hand.  I have no doubt I would have been far less vocal and far more loathe to share my opinions on the topics had I sat in a room with my renowned and experienced fellow-tweeters.  However, hiding behind the mask of my Twitter handle, I had no problem throwing my ideas out into the abyss, hoping the good ones would be caught and re-tweeted, and the bad ones forgotten quickly in the deluge of #brandchat tweets. 

                If students were asked to participate in weekly tweet chats rather than weekly recitation sections, I have no doubt that participation amongst the typically less-vocal students would increase, and overall student engagement would rise as well.  The ideas being shared could link quickly and easily to new content.   Want to reference a movie clip from The Great Gatsby or a scholar's analysis of election trends? Simply add a hyperlink to your tweet, and you and your classmates are instantly engaged with the content and ideas on a deeper level.  Want to bring a guest speaker in to mediate the discussion about the week's readings? Simply have them join the twitter chat by using the class hashtag. 

                In the world of tweet chats, engagement and knowledge-sharing reaches a new level.  Higher education institutions would do well to incorporate this new media into their classrooms.