Ways to measure social media effectiveness

Social media can be very much like PR – how do you measure relationships and credibility? In PR we can measure things like the number of key messages in articles and the amount of media coverage. For social media there are many ways we can measure how successful the strategy is:

1. Increased Revenue.
What was the level of business the client was doing before the social media campaign, and what is the level they are doing afterwards? Has it dropped, stayed the same, or risen?

2. Measure Buzz.
You can use online buzz measurers such as Social Mention by typing in key words and it does a real-time social media search & analysis. To find out how influential you are on Twitter you can use Twitter Grader, Klout and DailyRT. Topsy is a search engine powered by tweets and for Facebook try Facebook Grader.

You can pay for comprehensive social media analysis such as Sentiment Metrics which gives the subscriber a report of their progress.

3. Increased Visitor Numbers.
If you have existing social media profiles, have they had an increase of visitors/subscribers since you started your campaign? If you have just launched your social media profiles, keep track of the numbers. Do your visitors/subscribers increase rapidly or consistently or not at all over a set amount of time (weekly or monthly)?

4. Competitive Advantage.
Do a before and after comparison. Are you doing better in terms of media coverage than your competitors? Can you determine whether or not you are doing better than your competitors on social media?

5. Search Activity.
Do more people search your business more after the social media campaign? Do you have a search engine mechanic that allows you view how many ‘searches’ there has been about your business?

6. Links and Sharing.
Do people link your sites to theirs? Are you providing links that are easily shared? Are people sharing your content. For example, Facebook has a share mechanic where users post content on the walls of their friends?

7. Audience Responses.
Are you getting ‘thanks’ or ‘very informative’ comments or feedback from customers on your profiles or posts? Looking at your responses, are they generally positive?

Raising money for cancer research in 2010

Get a team of 10-15 people together and help in the fight against cancer at a Relay For Life event near you. The fundraising event organised by the Cancer Council helps raise much needed funds for cancer and is an opportunity to celebrate the life of loved ones who have survived and remember those who have lost their life to the disease.

Relay For Life is happening across the state on the 27 March 2010. It is not a race, rather teams of 10-15 people take turns to walk or run around a track.

The Northen Harbour Relay for Life is organised by Tony Adamo and team and will be held at Gore Hill Oval, Pacific Highway, St Leonards.  Log on to Relay For Life to find the closest relay near you and sign up your team.

Social media marketing tips

Matt Granfield from marketingmag.com.au has written a great article on Top 10 social media marketing tips. Here are a couple of his tips:

• Use Google Insights to find whatever keywords related to your business are being searched for the most and watch for trends.
• Become an expert, start a blog and use your knowledge for good. We’re operating in a knowledge-based economy. Be the fountain of knowledge, be prolific and people will turn to you, and when they turn to you, you can start relationships with them.
• Start a Facebook group that people will want to join and subtly sponsor it. Don’t just start a fan page for your business, create a community that people want to be involved in. If you sell surfboards, create a fan page for six foot waves. If you sell candles start a Facebook group for people who are afraid of the dark.
• Figure out whoever the key influencers are for whatever it is you’re selling. Read their blogs and leave comments on them regularly.

Read the full article.

Maximise the power of public speaking

Public speaking is a fact of life, whether we like or not. Whether you are doing a speech at a seminar or conference, or a pitch to clients at a workplace, somewhere along the line we have all done public speaking.

It is a known fact that the fear of public speaking ranks higher than the fear of death. This means most people would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy at a funeral! However public speaking doesn’t have to be a traumatic experience; in fact when done right, it can often be to the most effective form of communication. It is so powerful we build speaking opportunities into the PR strategies we do for clients.

Here are some useful tips for effective presentations.

Practice practice practice
If you are a nervous public speaker as most people are, the best way to overcome nerves is to practice your speech over and over. Practice in front of family and friends, the bedroom mirror – wherever.

Practicing a speech is the most important thing you can do before presenting. Familiarisation is the best deterrent to panic and anxiety. When you ‘wing it’ you’re guaranteed to stumble because of a lack of structure and constant over thinking. Remember the audience can sense your nerves and your ‘thinking.’ Practice the best deterrent to that.

Know the audience and the venue
Before your presentation find out who the audience will be and how much knowledge they will have on you topic so you can pitch it at the right level. It is essential that you tailor the presentation to the bulk of the audience and understand what makes them tick and drives them.

Familiarizing yourself with the audience and venue is a great way to decrease nervous tension. Get to the venue early, and speak to some audience members. Also check that your audio visual and PowerPoint presentation is working effectively.

Get to the point
Try and make the point at the beginning of the speech, and let that be the underlying theme that runs through the speech. This will give the speech shape and understanding, and it will allow the audience to connect.

The purpose of a speech is to inform the audience. Also, there is no need to tell the audience everything you know, rather, tell them what they need to know. The expression ‘less is more’ is pertinent in public speaking. There is nothing worse than sitting through a rambling long speech. It is important to be concise and brief.

Use efficient body language
Remember, 93% of communication is nonverbal. The audience will not just be looking at your face; they will be looking at your body as well. Be confident in what you say; stand up straight, look at the audience, and smile from time to time. Put your hands by your side, not in your pockets and not behind your back.

Don’t forget to dress properly and be comfortable as well. Getting your point across means showing the audience you are confident. Remember, presentation is not what is said but how it’s said.

Don’t read the whole time
Nothing is worse than listening to a speech where the presenter is reading the entire time. If you want grasp the attention of your audience you must keep the presentation interesting. Add some humour, talk to the audience, and use some visual aids. The purpose of the speech is to be relatable; the audience has to identify with you in some way. If you are reading the whole time, you are not identifying with the audience and your presentation will become meaningless.

Clients can share your story
Often co-presenting with a client, or using case studies or anecdotes will help reinforce your story and build credibility. Your clients have a unique perspective that is often more convincing and ‘real’ compared to your story. Often the audience want hear how your service or product was used in real life rather than just a simply description.

Network on an international level at Ibiza

Networking is a vital component of a prosperous business and a successful public relations strategy. We have most recently started working with a new client as a result of attending Wholistic Business networking events. We met the client three years ago, they kept our card and have just begun working with them. It proves that networking really does work and is worth the effort.

Wholistic Business network is organising an amazing event in Ibiza so why not start networking internationally!

Wholistic Business Events are organising “Destination Blue – See(d) a new Dream”, three days of Inspiration, Meditation, Communication & Celebration, from the 10th-13th September 2009 in Ibiza, Spain.

Why can you expect?
You will have the chance to source some of the best networking, marketing, business and technology products & services to support you on your path to making a difference on the planet.

·  Get connected to a world of difference and open doors!
·  Learn new skills & gather new ‘cutting edge’ information & technology
·  Discover joint ventures, affiliate programs & network your business
·  Learn strategies & tools from the symposium to use in your chosen roles
·  Enjoy the magic of so much, much more…

You will walk away at the end of this three day unforgettable event with a greatly enhanced personal & professional network, have insights and techniques you can use on your path to make a difference to our world.

This is a timely opportunity to connect and learn cutting-edge strategies to grow beyond what you originally thought were possible.

To find out more visit the Wholistic Business website.

Pitching & writing articles

Writing and distributing media releases is just one way of getting media coverage. You can also write an article and pitch it to a publication. You can also come up with a story idea and pitch that to a journalist.

Pitching is where you contact specific media outlets to offer them either an exclusive story, and article or a story opportunity that is more specific than a media release topic. Your story idea could be a new office opening, new product launch, and innovate case study.  You can pitch via email or phone, however before contact develop a clear outline of your story and ensure it is succinct and compelling.

Many publications are stretched for resources and welcome well written articles. You can write an article that positions you as an industry expert and offers topical, helpful information. Ensure it is written in an objective, informative and entertaining manner.

It should never be a blatant advertisement or advertorial. Determine which publications your potential clients read, and approach editors focusing on what you can do for their readers.  This is an effective way to generate future requests for comments from journalists as it positions you as an industry expert.

How to write an article:

•    Before starting think about what the readers of the publication you will be pitching it to are interested in. Topics can include: identify a problem & give a solution, suggest a new approach, describe the lessons learnt from a project and their applications to other areas or even how to paint/weave/draw whatever your art is.
•    Try not to use first person, so use ‘you’ rather than ‘I’. Write in short clear sentences, using sub headings, use dot points and bolding to communicate key points.
•    Writings are invariably improved by allowing a few days to go by and then returning to your work.
•    Proof read it and even ask someone else to check it. Other people see things you don’t and their final finesse can turn your article from being good to great.

Have a drunken photo on your Facebook page?

I was speaking to a friend the other day and she mentioned that she is going to start looking for a new job. Sending off a CV and giving a few reference contacts isn’t all that happens now. Recruiters are starting to look online for character references. I know she has heaps of photos on her Facebook page that she would not like a prospective employer to see.

Sites such as MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn provide transparent character references for candidates. Many prospective employees aren’t aware that their profiles will be checked prior to the interview.

Candidates with social networking profiles tend to be transparent about their lifestyle and general character, offering a public insight into their private lives, and an indication of their true character.

A survey by CareerBuilder.com indicated that 26 per cent of US hiring managers use social networking sites to perform background checks on job candidates. A further 12 per cent of those surveyed said that they used social networking sites as a screening tool.

LinkedIn tends to be more about professional achievements, but I would suggest you ensure your MySpace and Facebook are private pages or only have photos that you want the world to see.

Australian Anthill Cool Company Awards on again!

Even though entering business awards can be time consuming, they are a worthwhile activity. Even if you don’t win, just the experience of writing down all of your achievements can be inspirational. As business owners we often just keep moving forward, and awards time force us to sit down and review how far we have come.

When we do PR strategies for our clients we always build in potential awards they can enter – both industry specific as well as general business. One of the business awards worth taking a look at is the Australian Anthill Cool Company Awards.

If you believe your company a step ahead of the rest? An organisation of rule-making and rule-breaking leaders? To put it simply, is your company ‘cool’ in 2008?

Applications are now open! Click here to nominate.

Blogging and PR

Increasingly, savvy companies are turning to blogs to complement their communications arsenal of press releases, sustainability reports and investor conference calls. What’s more, some start-up companies run by recent MBA grads are forgoing press releases altogether in favour of blogs. See original blog