Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category

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4 Facebook House Rules to Avoid a Social Media Meltdown

Thursday, May 2nd, 2013 by Amy Power

Did you know that 80 percent of social media users prefer using Facebook to connect with a brand? Engaging with fans via Facebook could make or break your business so social media marketing should sound like a no brainer. But what happens when users stop playing fair? From irate customers posting obscenities to fans spamming comment threads, we have seen it all.

Having a list of house rules for your brand’s Facebook page can serve as guidelines for fans and set expectations for the community. Each company should tailor their house rules to fit their company values and mission, but here are 4 tips that should be at the core of your Facebook house rules.

1.   Encourage clean and respectful posts

While deleting Facebook posts is social media suicide, there is an exception. Your fans have the right to feel comfortable and safe when interacting on your Facebook page. Let your fans know any inappropriate or offensive post that does not meet Facebook’s Terms of Use will be deleted.

2.   Welcome feedback and concerns

Let your fans know that all feedback, questions and concerns are welcomed on your Facebook page. Give them the peace of mind that you will respond in a timely manner and will not hide or delete their post for any reason other than the previously mentioned exception.

3.   Reply to every post if possible

Fans want to interact on a company’s Facebook page, so pr agencies should try to reply to every post. If you’re a smaller organization you may not be able to monitor the page during nights and weekends. Let your fans know your off hours, but reassure them that you will respond as soon as you can.

4.   Be upbeat

Let’s face it no one likes rules, so it’s good to keep them “short and sweet.” As a publicist, that is one of our mantras. Try not to come off sounding like a legal document or a lecture in your house rules. Your fans are just people trying to interact with your brand, so keep it conversational and don’t sound too bossy.

Still need some inspiration for writing house rules? Check out Coca-Cola, Intel and Oreo’s Facebook pages to see how some of the top brands are setting guidelines for their fans.

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Posted in Facebook, Social Media | No Comments »

4 Big Ideas For Your Pinterest Strategy

Monday, April 8th, 2013 by Amy Power

Recently Pinterest announced that the site would soon launch a redesigned layout with bigger pictures and enhanced search tools. The website, now worth $2.5 billion, also released business-friendly tools including web analytics.

This morning our team sat down and discussed four ideas to apply to our client’s Pinterest strategies.

Pinterest is now the 3rd largest social network in the U.S. and in 2012 Pinterest users spent 1,255,225,000 minutes on the site; it is certainly not a platform that marketers can overlook.

Earlier this month one of our team members went to SXSW in Austin and learned more about Whole Foods Market’s Pinterest strategy. For Whole Foods a Pinterest follower is 15% more powerful than a Twitter follower and Pinterest has become one of their main places for web traffic. Whole Foods currently has 115,313 followers. They are doing something right!

1. Pinterest is like free online publicity for a company:

Whole Foods hasn’t spent a dime on their Pinterest account. Pinterest may be one of the best pr websites for a company, and with new analytic tools marketers can be even smarter about their content strategy.

2. Create a Pinterest presence that is supportive of your customer’s lifestyle:

Whole Foods doesn’t just pin images and articles concerning their products. They’ve thought about what their customers like and what their day-to-day life entails. Whole Foods has 46 boards on Pinterest from “Eat Your Veggies” to “Our Favorite Books.” Their most popular board is “Quest Pinner: Whole Foods” which has 174,305 followers. The board also allows Etsy, a popular shopping site to add pins.

3. It’s not all about you:

Don’t just constantly pin images of products your company sells, pin things that the customer might also be interested in. If your client is a high-end car dealership, don’t just pin cars, pin luxury vacations as well.

For example, Whole Food’s suggests that for every 1 thing of your own, pin 5 other pins from other places.

4. Measure progress:

Top public relations firms need to know how far a pin is reaching and what is and isn’t working. When Pinterest first launched, marketers were struggling to measure ROI. But with third party tools like Google Analytics and PinLeague or Pinterest’s new web analytics, there is more data than ever before to help inform an effective content strategy. For instance, PinLeague can track growth, monitor competitors, identify brand advocates and integrate with Google Analytics.

We’re excited to see what the future holds for one of the youngest and fastest growing social networks. Be sure to connect with Power PR on Twitter, Google Plus and of course, Pinterest for more social media news and strategies.

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Posted in Dallas Public Relations, Marketing, Public Relations, Publicity, Social Media | No Comments »

Power PR To Speak at Fashion Group International Event

Wednesday, March 27th, 2013 by Amy Power

Join us tonight at this month’s Fashion Group International (FGI) networking event. Amy will be moderating a panel discussion on Digital Branding. Kate, our director of client services, will be on the panel with Maxine Trowbridge from Pink Memo and Sabrina Dee from Black Book Ink. We will be talking social media and digital strategy and answering any questions.

To attend the event, register here. And be sure to follow us @PowerPR on Twitter as we live tweet from the event and stay tuned on Facebook for photos. Hope to see you there!

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Posted in Digital Branding, Facebook, Fashion, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter | No Comments »

Three Ways to Harness the Power of YouTube

Monday, March 25th, 2013 by Amy Power

It used to be that to reach their audience brands had to have large television budgets and a professional recording staff, but YouTube has done away with that model. In fact the platform attracts 800 million viewers per month. Here are three ways you can use YouTube to benefit your brand and complement your social media strategy.

Answer questions. In any industry there are questions that need to be answered; taking the time to answer customer questions not only humanizes you, but it also helps build credibility. Whether you’re a Dallas publicist, a pool business out of Virginia, or a marketing and lifestyle expert like Marie Forleo, you have information worth sharing.

Marie TV: Should I Name My Business My Name or Something Else

You should note that the quality of production is not as important as the quality of information you are sharing  – notice how Forleo’s first videos were done from the comfort of her living room.

The Home Depot: How to Tile a Bathroom Floor

How-to videos. Have you ever tried building something and been completely frustrated by the instructions? Your customers likely feel the same. Think of procedures that could be puzzling to your target audience and create a 2-5 minute videos walking customers through the process. Companies like Home Depot and IKEA are already using YouTube as part of their social media marketing.

Testimonials. Customer testimonials are also a great way to build credibility. Bring in customer for a short interview or encourage them to share their videos with you via social media. You can later favorite their testimonial through your business’ YouTube channel.

Have you experimented with YouTube in the past? Is it part of your top three social resolutions for 2013? Drop us a line; we’d love to hear from you!

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Posted in Dallas Public Relations, PR Campaign, Public Relations, Social Media, Video | No Comments »

Publicist & Social Media Manager

Thursday, February 14th, 2013 by Amy Power

We are seeking two full-time employees, and we want to know why you are a great fit for our organization. Do you like to write in 140 characters? Are you intrigued by headlines? Do you know how to tell a story? We are seeking a publicist and social media manager with amazing reporter-like skills, marketing and PR experience, and big ideas.

The right candidate for this position has 2-5 years of full time, agency experience managing client accounts and proof of secured media placements. In other words, you pitched it … you placed it. You also have experience tweeting, posting and managing social media for brands.

Strong writing and communication skills are required and social media experience is expected. Leading applicants are self-starters with an enthusiastic attitude who can work well independently and in team environments.

In this position you will be responsible for leading and supporting a variety of client accounts. Client support includes writing (press releases, advisories, white papers, social media content), media relations, interview coordination, marketing support, client reporting and the ability to execute flawlessly.

If you fit the above criteria and are interested in working with us, please submit your resume and applicable writing samples to Kate Johnson at kate@powerpublicrelations.com.

Please do not apply unless you meet the exact criteria outlined above.

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Posted in Dallas Public Relations, Jobs, Public Relations, Social Media | No Comments »

Top 3 Social Resolutions for 2013

Monday, January 7th, 2013 by Amy Power

Every year as January rolls around millions of Americans vow to stop something, pick something up or a combination of the two for their New Year’s Resolutions. As we think of goals and themes for our personal lives this year, we are also applying them to work. As social media strategists, we thought of the following “Social Resolutions” community managers could apply to their social strategy.

Be more active

Everyone strives to be healthier and more balanced in the New Year and the same can be true for your social communities. This is a great time to evaluate where you are, how far you have come, and where you are going. What social channels are you underutilizing? Are there new networks you should experiment with? Social media management is constantly evolving with new social features, new tools and tricks, new metrics, etc. Just look at the pending rebirth of Myspace or the recent growth of community sites like Quora or Instagram monitoring tool, Statigram.

Keep track of your progress

As people set their yearly goals, the ones with the highest chance for success will be those that are tracked and measured. How are you doing this with your communities? You should already be measuring ongoing community growth through the number of qualified fans, amount of engagement or an increase in positive sentiment, but be sure you are recording other metrics like when your community is most responsive. Generally, what topics do they like to talk about? What kinds of content do they like to share? And if you are running any kind of contest or app, make sure you have tools in place to measure its success and engagement.

Get organized

Our Dallas PR agency always strives to say organized (see more of the top characteristics of a PR professional in a recent blog post), and your social media communities should be no exception. When you are creating content, developing promotions or handling social media responses, being organized is crucial to executing a successful and stress-free campaign. We develop creative briefs with agreed upon message points, assets, timelines and budgets. We also outline our goals for the campaign, and then create editorial calendars for the content across one (or several) social networks. At the end of a promotion or campaign, we can easily go back through our plans and accurately record results, successes and future opportunities we may have identified.

Do you have any Social Resolutions? What are your community goals for 2013?

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Posted in Facebook, PR Firms, Public Relations, Publicity, Social Media, Twitter | No Comments »

Spring PR Internship in Dallas

Friday, December 7th, 2012 by Amy Power

Power Public Relations is looking for a smart, savvy, motivated intern for the spring semester! If you’re in the Dallas area and want to gain real world experience, check out the job description below. Trust us, you won’t be getting the coffee!

Qualifications:

  • Must be of junior or senior standing
  • Work a minimum of 15 hours per week throughout the internship period (flexible around your schedule)
  • Must be a self-starter with an enthusiastic attitude and strong writing skills
  • Familiar with social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.
  • Proficient in AP style

Employment Start Date: January 2013

Supervisor: Kate Johnson

Application:

Please send your cover letter, resume and writing samples to Kate Johnson at kate@powerpublicrelations.com

More about the internship:

Interns will gain real world experience working in a fast-paced environment at a full service public relations and social media firm. The internship focuses on press release development, media relations and social media support.  Power Public Relations LLC serves many clients in different industries including: beverage and lifestyle brands, franchising, nonprofits, fashion, technology products and restaurants.

We are a fun agency with great clients. We work hard and love what we do!

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Posted in Public Relations, Publicity, Social Media | No Comments »

Google’s New Feature; Could Your Brand be Affected?

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 by Amy Power

Google is changing the way users receive and view results after performing a search. This new venture, which will take effect over the next few days, has created challenges for the company and angered competitors in the process. The new feature, Search Plus Your World, will show results from Google’s search bar that features comments, pictures and conversations from users’ friends on Google Plus.

In Claire Cain Miller’s New York Times article on January 10, 2012, she breaks down how Search Plus Your World will work.

• When people search for a name, Google will highlight people who are friends with the searcher on Google Plus, or prominent people.
• In searches for general topics, like “cooking,” Google will show Google Plus profiles of celebrity chefs on the right side of search results.
• Google users can click a link on a page of search results to see only personal posts, or turn off the new feature and see only standard search results.
• Users who have not signed up for Google Plus will see any other items they have shared with Google, like photos they have uploaded to its Picasa service, and items posted publicly on Google Plus by people Google assumes they know because they communicate with them on Gmail, for instance.

Since the news of the feature broke, there has been backlash from competitors of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Twitter is worried it could tamper with the timeliness of their information in Google search results. “We think that’s bad for people, publishers, news organizations and Twitter users,” Twitter said in a statement.

For brands, this brings up a few obstacles when people use the new search feature:

1. It will make a mess of search results
When using Google, some users may not want to see comments from their friends or pictures that would get in the way of a quick search. Others may not want to see their friends or their own personal information brought up on search results.

2. There will be new antitrust concerns
The use of the new feature raised concerns about antitrust from experts. When placing a search on Google, results will show information from its own social network instead of others. This goes hand in hand with other antitrust concerns that Google is currently under investigation for. Speculation of whether or not there is tampering for certain products to show up first in search results over others.

3. Google may not be showing you the entire picture
“When Google shifts towards just searching itself, and it directs you away from stuff on the rest of the Web and other social networks, people are forced to stay inside the Google ecosystem,” said James Grimmelmann, an associate professor at New York Law School who specializes in Internet law. “It reduces the conversations that everyone can be a part of across the Web.”

How do you think this new feature will positively or negatively affect the outcome of users who go to search for your brand in Google?

Will Google’s new feature inspire you to get a Google Plus account?

Posted in Social Media | No Comments »

TWEETING @YOURBRAND….

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 by Amy Power

Two weeks ago, around Memorial Day, the US Army was tweeting about social media and how they are trying to beef up their accounts:

@USArmy tweet “HOOAH! Army is ‘working hard’ to increase their #socialmedia efforts.”

That had us thinking: how do you tweet as a brand?  And how could your brand increase its social media efforts?

After an 18 page research paper was filed away on this topic it boils down to these points:

1. You’re not you when tweeting – you’re @yourbrand

This means no complaining about personal matters. And, not everyone will think your joke is funny so your best bet is not to try to be a comedian.  @yourbrand’s tweets should be relevant to @yourbrand and your followers.

2. Leave the drama for the diva’s!

The old adage is true today- when it doubt, leave it out. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.  If you’re not sure if a tweet is appropriate ask a mentor for a second opinion. And, typically @yourbrand should be positive so leave the negative, ranting tweets at home.

3. Follow your followers

If @yourband wants to know what clients and customers are saying, it is essential to follow your followers.  This promotes discussion.  If a follower tweets at @yourbrand you are aware and can tweet back if appropriate.  Also, who doesn’t like to be followed?  If @yourbrand follows their followers it let’s them know that @yourbrand is interested in what’s happening in their lives.

4. It’s a teeter-totter balancing act

It’s important to balance personality with educational tweets.  This can be tricky.  After following a variety of companies and industry accounts, I found that most lacked this balance.  There were tweets about the traffic on the way to work with overwhelming hashtag usage like #annoyed #wokeuponthewrongsideofthebed.  Or there were companies that only tweeted scholarly articles, and let’s face it; your followers probably want more diverse, fun content.

5. Don’t be afraid.

Don’t be intimidated by twitter.  It may be intimating for first time users, but after a while it will become natural.  @yourbrand has the potential to grow and build positive brand association and affinity if this social media tool is used correctly.

How is @yourbrand tweeting?

Posted in Social Media, Twitter | No Comments »

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