social media

Integration Tops List of 2010 Words

Each year a list comes out about the top words.

For 2010, Merriam Webster’s year of the word was “austerity.” For me, the word was “integration.”

It was about not working in silos. Public relations, marketing, social media, messaging are distinct, but are so much stronger when integrated with the others. “If you actually mash them up and get them to play off each other it is going to be so much greater, said Scott Monty, who handles social media for Ford. He had been discussing Ford’s efforts in an interview with the Social Media Examiner.

And he’s right. Today, it’s truly about integrated marketing and communications. Ford knows the value of social media and doesn’t consider it a one-off.

The best companies have integrated social media not only into their marketing efforts, but also into their customer service and product development efforts. For many, it’s now part of the overall business model. Examples include PepsiCo, United Healthcare and Dell.

Even higher-ed institutions understand that communications and marketing efforts must be integrated. Degrees are now offered in integrated marketing. In fact, I hired someone with a master’s in that degree because I knew the person would be able and willing to work across all platforms.

Integration also works for the individual. For example, I include the URL for my blog on my email signature and my personal business card. The blog also is integrated with the NFPW website, my LinkedIn account and my Facebook page. By integrating the blog across these platforms, I am more likely to expand my audience.

What are you doing to integrate?

Why I Don’t Like Anything

I’m not any help to marketers. I don’t tend to “like” anything on Facebook anymore. I started off liking a few things and brands, but then my friends asked me to like their favorite things, and then the feeds started and it all just became too much.

So I decided, “I don’t like anything.”

However, I’m the exception. Nearly 40 percent of consumers “like” companies on Facebook and they do so because they want to publicly display their brand affiliation to friends. That’s the result of a recent study as shared on Social Media Examiner.

Of course, I may change my ways. I’m discovering – as many already have – that by liking a company I will receive coupons. In fact, nearly 40 percent of Facebook users who become fans do so to receive discounts and promotions.

And, of course, there are pages that I keep because of what they provide to me. I’m not alone in that thinking.

“A Facebook page should be tool that provides a forum for open and honest communications. If all you are doing is spamming those who ‘like’ your page, then you are not strategically driving a dialog of ideas that can persuade opinion,” says Brian Chandler, APR, president of Commonwealth Public Relations.  

“I’m looking for pages that provide content and create dialog, but are also going to help me as a professional, or generate ideas that I can offer as tactics for clients,” he adds.

What makes you “like” a page?

Cynthia’s Communique Turns One

I can’t believe it!

I’ve been writing this blog for one year!!!

The idea behind it came from conversations with NFPW members. Many expressed doubts about the world of social media. Others said they simply didn’t have time. And some said they wanted to learn about different topics but didn’t get enough of it at conference.

So I started this blog to see what I could learn about blogging and to share what I learned. I also am exposed to lots of great information, either through work or my own research, and I thought, “Why not share it?”

When I first started writing, I wasn’t sure if anyone was reading it. I’m a huge fan of the movie “Field of Dreams,” but I did not believe that “If I write it, they will read it” was going to hold true.

Then my numbers started to go up, as well as my subscribers. People started commenting on the blog, on Facebook or on LinkedIn. And this year during the conference in Chicago, people complimented my efforts.

So thank you for that. Thank you for encouraging me and believing in me. I can now say I’ve written more than 100 blogs!

I’m done yet. I hope you will continue to comment and to suggest topics. Mostly, I hope you will keep reading.

Thanks for a great year!

ChicagoNow Part of Evolving Media Landscape

Is finding a source through Facebook unethical?

Tracy Schmidt, editorial director of ChicagoNow, doesn’t think so. Previously she was a reporter for Time Magazine, reporting on Facebook. She also covered the Virginia Tech shootings. Through Facebook she found a student who had been in one of the classrooms, and she got her interview.

“Some of the other reporters thought I was unethical,” she said. “I see Facebook as a telephone directory.”

Today she is part of ChicagoNow, a network of more than 300 local blogs. She developed its concept and managed its launch in August 2009.

She joined the Tribune in 2008 as a reporter at Triblocal, a reverse-published, hyper-local newspaper group. “We take the best online content and fact check it and then we put it in a paper and include it in the Tribune,” she explained.

Chicago Now bloggers post more than 100 entries to the site each day about local topics, Tracy said. Then Chicagoans begin commenting. “The result is a lively, authentic conversation about all things Chicago,” according to the ChicagoNow website.

Tracy sees many similarities between bloggers and journalists. “They do some of the same work,” she said. “Journalists are amazing investigators. Bloggers supplement those by commenting on the stories.”

She noted that ChicagoNow does not censor its bloggers and doesn’t worry about problems with the blogs. “Other people are going to comment and correct them,” she said. “The community really self polices on ChicagoNow.”

Making the Social Media Commitment

The opening session at last month’s NonProfit 2.0 focused on free agents – those who write about your organization and/or actively volunteer with it. The discussion evolved into a discussion about how to get an organization to commit to social media.

Allison Fine noted that CEOs and Boards know they have to embrace social media, but they aren’t sure of how to go about doing that. “Organizational cultural change is hard,” Allison said. “We’re talking about culture shift.”

Beth Kanter added, “The message you need to send is patience.”

Of importance to executives is measuring ROI. Beth recommends looking at the four I’s.

1)      Return on Insight: You are learning how people feel about your organization and its work. You also learn how to do things better.

2)      Return on Interaction: How well are you engaging with people?

3)      Return on Investment: Are you converting people into supporters?

4)      Return on Impact: You need to track real-world results, both online and on land.

Social media is not simply about using it, it’s about engaging. “We need to engage and energize people,” Allison said.

One way to do that is to use interns to coach senior staff on using Twitter and Facebook. The goal is to leave the organization with capacity. Another way to offer training is to hold a brown bag lunch and provide training to all staff.

“You need courage and patience to do this well,” Beth said.