It’s 5:00 p.m. What did we learn today?
Phil Gomes believes that the language of the boardroom “does not work very well in Online communities.” In fact, he thinks of these Online communities as cocktail parties. Here’s what he’s looking for in an employee:
Knowing the fine line between the boardroom talk and the living room talk. Confused? Check out Ask a Ninja…
Here’s some other things he (and other employers) want to see:
Anagrams of Public Relations spell a lot of things - most notably, SOCIAL BLUEPRINT. (Much better than some others.)
Just be sure that your social blueprint is in line with your social media use. Combined, they can be POWERFUL tools!
The nuggets to take away from today’s whirlwind conference include:
Ethically and effectively using Online tools (from the students’ perspectives)-
From Edelman’s perspective:
Why use video? YouTube is free and cameras are cheap, so why not?
Well, maybe its not that simple. It takes a little bit of money to produce a corporate video, but often it is worth the dime. Video has the potential to make an interesting story even more interesting.
Companies like Dove have great success with viral video. Dove’s “Self-Esteem Fund” campaign videos have generated over 4 million hits. Platforms like YouTube also allow viewers to leave comments. Each comment provides insight into consumer’s perception of the brand. There’s some free research for you right there.
Interactive games are all the rage. Are they for your client?
First and foremost, make sure your content lends itself to a games. One client wanted to develop a game for their tax accounting firm. No one would want to play that game.
Secondly, consider the type of a game you want to develop. Is it informational, serious, funny, etc.? Is that tone in step with your brand?
Caution: Interactive games are expensive to do right, even when they are outsourced ($5,000-$50,000). Also, they can take time. Sometimes up to a year to develop.
The blog as a social media press release: The blog is a powerful tool for consumer engagement. Companies like Wal-Mart are using blogs to communicate important information via their blogs. Some of the biggest technology news of the year was first released on a blog.
Earlier this year, Wal Mart announced they would no longer be carrying HD DVDs in their stores. This news effectively brought about the death of HD DVD as a format. Was this breaking news announced through a traditional press release? No, Wal-Mart announced it on their blog.
More and more companies are finding blogs as a way to strengthen relationships with their consumers, shareholders, vendors, partners, etc. A company blog provides an immediate way to release pertinent information to the public. What’s more, each blog post is another page on the companies Web site. Many people also link to blog posts they find helpful. These are two key factors in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Meaning, a given companies web site will show up higher when key words are searched in Google. And as we all know, that’s huge.
Laptops and wires everywhere. There are less than a handful of open chairs in the seventy person room. I jumped into the middle of Chris Bromall’s “Implementing Tactics” session. A very sweet girl next to me emailed me her notes so I can get you (and myself) up to speed: DB Implementing Tactics Surround yourself with experts – and be a leader. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Ask questions and demand results. Become a client for your client.You can always get more money, but you cannot create time. Time is your most valuable asset.1st step: Timeline and budget2nd step: Replicate or innovate?
Monte Lutz from Edelman was kind enough to share his cookie break to podcast his “Walk, Crawl, Run, Fly” theory that he explained during the afternoon session with the students. He shares the insight that Edelman uses when teaching new clients how to utilize social media.
Check out the podcast here: Walk, Crawl, Run, Fly with Monte Lutz
Educators representing various universities discussed the methods they use to educate students on blogging. It was a controversial subject because each educator had his or her own opinion about how to go about getting students to blog. Mihaela Vorvoreanu from Clemson University shared her method of teaching blogging. Some educators believe that they should make their students blog and other educators believe that it should be optional. They also shared that it is sometimes difficult to get students interested in blogging.
I think that a lot of students don’t “get into” blogging and social media because they don’t understand the point or relevance of it. We often ask “Are people really reading this?” and “Why would people care about what I blog about?”Educational programs such as the Edelman Social Bootcamp are important because they allow students to understand how and why social media is important and how it can applied.
Kaye Sweetser’s favorite tools
