(W)right On Target

Elevator pitching: taking you to the next level

2011-07-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

You have a brilliant idea that’s going to change the world (or at the very least give Angry Birds a run for its money). Now all you have to do is come up with the dough to make it happen.

After tapping out all your friends and family for money, you realize it may be time to hit up some VCs for investment. Like an audition for the Shark Tank or its Canadian equivalent, Dragon’s Den, you may only have a few seconds before one of your “judges” hits the buzzer sending you packing.

The secret to a successful meeting? Having a strong elevator pitch that captivates your potential investors within the first few seconds and has them wanting to hear more.

The summary of your product or company should be delivered within the time span of an elevator ride (hence the suitable name) and is your opportunity to leave a memorable impression and get your audience hooked. A well-crafted elevator pitch is also helpful during interviews when asked to “describe yourself”, when meeting people at trade shows and networking events, when speaking to reporters or marketing products. This is your movie trailer, and you want your audience to leave thinking “I want to see that”.

Tuesday, July 26, (W)right On Communications’ Julie Wright (President) and Tomica Divic (Vancouver office Account Exec) will be hosting a presentation on Elevator Pitching at Wavefront in Vancouver. Wavefront, the commercialization centre accelerating the growth of Canada’s wireless companies, will bring in a slew of innovative start-ups seeking seeding. The session will include everything from key content elements to how to effectively deliver your message in person.

The following day Julie and Tomica will attend a session where Wavefront companies pitch one another. Stay tuned as we’ll plan to be tweeting live from the event, from 11 to 1:30 Wednesday, July 27th . Follow us at @A_tomica and @juliewright.

In the meantime, check out these fun examples of a winning elevator pitch and one that’s sure to leave your funder stunned.

(W)right On's Julie Wright Talks Social Media at June 29 Next Steps event

2011-06-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

By Elyse Charlesworth, Account Coordinator

Julie Wright will speak about social media and marketing along with GrowBiz Media’s Rieva Lesonsky and others at the California Small Business Development Center’s Next Steps for Small Business event on June 29 at 1 p.m. The event will bring entrepreneurs the latest techniques to maximize access to capital, leverage social media and marketing, succeed in international sales and sell to the government.

The event will be held at the San Diego Doubletree Hotel in Mission Valley from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This all day event will be a great resource to small businesses looking to grow and expand their networks. In addition to listening and engaging during panels, there will be ample opportunity for networking. This will be a great time to speak with other members of the business and communications industries and gain insight. Other notable speakers include:

• George Chamberlin, The Daily Transcript, KOGO Radio
• Cheryl Protzeller, Business Matchmaking
• Chuck Ashman, Business Matchmaking
• Darnell Holloway, Yelp

Join us for the free event, registration is required and lunch is provided. It’s a great opportunity to network and learn useful tips for your biz. For full details and to register: www.californiasbdc.org/nextsteps/sd

Learning Your Agency's Culture

2011-04-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

By Elyse Charlesworth, SDSU Public Relations Major

It’s your first day as an intern or new employee at a marketing, public relations or communications agency--what’s priority number one? Learn your agency’s culture! Here are a few tips, in no specific order, to help with a successful submersion.

1. Know thy colleagues

First and foremost, get to know the people you are going to be working with everyday. Observe and ask questions about who their clients are and what they do on a daily basis. See how they go about managing and prioritizing their time. Become familiar with their strengths and weaknesses so you can learn and perhaps share your expertise with them. On a personal level find out what kind of music, sports and hobbies they are into so you can better relate with them. Assuming everyone is on Twitter, follow them and respond to their tweets.

2. Internalize the agency’s vision, mission and values

One of the first things you should do going into a new agency is obtain a copy of their vision and mission statements and their values. If they haven’t captured them in hard copy, ask your manager to express them to you. You may even want to suggest creating a presentation that can be shared as a teambuilding experience. In any case, it’s important to note how the agency views its values to make sure your own values combined make for a good fit.

3. Use wardrobe common sense

You don’t want to show up on casual Friday wearing a suit when everyone else is in jeans. Similarly, you don’t want to show up in jeans on Monday when everyone is wearing a suit. For your first week or so, play it safe and dress to impress. As time goes on, notice what other people are wearing – or not wearing –and make your own fashion decisions accordingly. When it doubt, err on the side of being conservative, especially if you will be meeting with clients. Remember how you carry yourself, attire included, not only speaks about you but about your agency as a whole.

4. Get the 411 on communication

Find out how everyone within the agency communicates with each other. Is the main vehicle of communication through email, face to face or internal social media? It’s important to know when each type of communication is appropriate. Make sure your emails are detailed and well thought out so you don’t confuse your colleagues and most importantly proof read! Get in the habit of proof reading everything you write even if it’s just internal emails because writing WELL is the bread and butter of the communications business. As a side note, become familiar with the way files are named. Many agencies are particular about this and for good reason--it keeps documents organized and easy to find!

5. Know thy clients

When you work for an agency, you also need to respect the culture at each of your clients. Learn about each client’s history as well as their current issues. Get to know the clients you will be working with and seek to build and maintain good relationships with them if possible.

Good luck out there newbies. Stay positive!

An Intern’s Guide to Survival in the PR World

2011-03-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

By Jason Kirstein, SDSU Public Relations Major

They can teach you a lot in school, but they can never fully prepare you for the real world and your future profession. Being new to anything is a challenge, and in the fast-paced world of PR there are a few tips that will help you climb your learning curve faster and get you into the swing of things. This brief “Intern’s Guide to PR Survival” was obviously not created overnight but through a number of rough or ‘learning’ moments. However, without those moments you will never learn what it takes to make it.

1. You’re a Communicator…Communicate!

At any job, you need to be comfortable working with the rest of your colleagues. But in public relations, especially at full-service firms, it’s even more important to have good dialogue with your colleagues because everyone must work together to serve the needs of clients. Your first few weeks are critical for asking questions, but it can also be the hardest time to ask for help because you are trying to prove that you belong.

Being an intern puts you in a tough position because you are there to learn, but you might lack the confidence to ask questions. Remember that you’re in place to learn. Build the courage to speak up if you are having trouble -- you’ll be surprised how quickly people will step up to help—or at least that has been my experience at (W)right On Communications.

Once you’ve met everyone at your firm, actively engage your new colleagues in dialogue. Seek their opinions and input. This might not be the case at other businesses or firms, but at many PR firms, communication is lateral. If you need help or an opinion all you need to do is ask.

2. Understand Clients are Different

This might seem like a simple point, but unless you take the time to learn about your agency’s clients, you will never be able to perform at your full potential. Granted, you are not expected to be an expert on every client right away, but you should generally know each client’s industry and their current PR initiatives. For example, a hospitality client may be hosting an annual festival or a sustainable energy client may have just earned a major award.

One thing for certain is that every client is different, and each one presents its own opportunities and threats. The quicker you immerse yourself in your clients, the quicker you will be able to identify what needs to be done and what can be improved. This also allows you to bring something to the table, which will give your opinion and input more weight, and ultimately lead to others asking for your input.

3. Have an Open Mind

I learned the most important lesson thus far during my internship on my first day. You need to have an open mind. Whether you are a seasoned professional or an intern, there is always something new to learn. Companies and firms don’t all do things the same. Sure there will be similarities, but if you go into any job or experience with your mind already made up, the potential lessons will be missed. As an intern, your mind has to be open in order to soak up information like a sponge. Every day presents something new and you have to be able to digest and retain as much as possible.

Learning the ropes at any job is a tough and scary thing. It will not always be smooth and you might need to ask a lot of questions, but trust me -- you’re better off doing it, even if it feels intimidating at first. Interning teaches you a lot about the public relations world, but it also teaches you how to deal with new professional scenarios that school can never prepare you for. All you can do is take a deep breath and dive in head first, but with these tips, you’re sure to do better than just survive!

Three communications lessons based in science

2011-03-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

By Evelyn Nichols, Account Executive

Economists have long believed that people make decisions based on rational analysis of facts, weighing with objectivity the pros and cons of a given choice. However, marketers and public relations professionals have always known that people make decisions based as much, if not more, on the way they feel about their choices – rather than on actual facts and figures. The question is how do you make someone like your product, service, event or story more than your competitors’?

To the rescue is the rising field of behavioral economics. Scientists now use social, cognitive and emotional factors to understand decisions made by individuals and institutions. Although the theory that people tend to make predictable, rational decisions has been debunked, there is evidence to suggest that people have predictable patterns of irrationality, called cognitive biases. Understanding these patterns is key to creating effective messages for your products, services and pitches.

Here are three common cognitive biases and take away lessons for marketing successfully:

1. Denomination Effect
The denomination effect is the tendency to spend more money when it is denominated in small amounts rather than large amounts. Spending money can be a painful experience for many consumers. It’s important to understand how people do their mental accounting. People tend to think about income in shorter time frames such as on a weekly or monthly basis and make mental trades to “afford” what they want.

Lesson Learned:
To help your customers feel a greater sense of control over and, in turn, like their spending decisions more – help them by framing payment options in smaller, less painful amounts with a comparison to a familiar, regular expense.

For instance, when you’re fundraising or marketing an iPhone app or internet service, try stating the cost in monthly amounts such as “only $2 a month–that’s less than adding chips and a drink to your lunch.” Or “make a monthly contribution of $5– that’s the same as a cup of coffee to feed a child for a month” rather than “a $60 contribution feeds a child for a year.”

2. Bandwagon effect
We all know of the bandwagon effect but its importance and relevance can result in powerful behavior changes when used correctly. In a recent energy study carried out by Cal State San Marcos in the San Marcos, Calif. researchers found that they could reduce people’s energy consumption with the help of peer pressure. Households were provided information about the average consumption of comparable households in their neighborhood. Researchers found that people who used less than the average began to use more electricity based on this information, and people who used more than average began to use less. That wasn’t exactly what energy conservation researchers intended. When they began adding smiley faces to households who were below the average in addition, both over-users and low-users reduced energy consumption. The combination of facts about normal usage rates and the cultural approval provided by the smiley face produced the desired behavior changes.

Lesson Learned:
The take away here is that people have an innate motivation to move to the social norm and, to motivate them to act outside of the norm, they need to know that their behavior change is accepted and valued. While doing outreach, try framing your messages in terms of social norms such as “everyone is doing it” or “we’re expecting record turnout” as well as providing rational information to get them to act. In addition, social media can help you visually reach “critical mass” through viral posts, retweets, and recommendations that leverage the bandwagon effect because the medium is based on it.

3. Paradox of Choice
Research has proven that complexity delays or prevents choice. People avoid making choices they view as complex because they are difficult and should be deeply considered. Less is more, as the old adage goes. But when your new product has so many awesome bells and whistles, and your audience is varied, it is hard to hold back and restrain your marketing messages to a few of the simplest and most compelling. However, that’s exactly what you have to do: Information overload causes would-be consumers to think the decision they are about to make is a complicated one rather than providing them just what they need to make a decision. A recent study of how much internet users read, found that most people spend less than four seconds on a page and get through 100 words before deciding to click to the next page.

Lesson Learned:
When writing for the web, printed materials or a pitch, know that you should keep your message to three main points and less than 100 words if you hope to keep your audience’s attention and convert them to a decision or an idea.

Based on the last comment – congratulations if you got to the end of this blog post! You have a longer attention span than the average person.

3 Tips for SEO-Friendly News Releases

2011-03-10T15:28:00.000-08:00

By Rebecca Chappell, Account Executive

Did you know more than 70 percent of Americans read their news online? Research also shows that 19 out of 20 journalists use search engines or news search engines during the course of their research for a story. So in a galaxy of thousands of possible search results, how can you make your news stand out?

Use keywords

One of the easiest ways to elevate a news release in a search is by the use of keywords or phrases. Choose terms wisely, and limit them. Overuse of keywords risks confusing both the reader and the search engine. A good ratio is three to five per 400-word release. But don’t count your company’s name a keyword. People who are conducting an online search for a company by name already know it exists. Instead, count more generic terms such as “San Diego PR firm.” And don’t overlook the power of a strong headline. It’s your first, and perhaps only, opportunity to grab your audience’s attention!

Integrate Hyperlinks

Also known as anchor text, hyperlinked keywords and phrases allow you to offer readers the option to explore additional information. It’s also a chance for you to direct readers to other relevant pages. For this reason, make sure at least one of your links asks for a call to action. For example, rather than always linking to a homepage, why not provide a link to where a customer could book an overnight stay, make a reservation for dinner, or purchase a product or service?

Include multimedia

You know the old saying: a picture is worth a thousand words. In addition to keywords and anchor text, today’s most effective news releases often contain photos, graphics, video, and more. Apart from helping your release visually stand out from the pack, one major advantage to including multimedia is that search engines index images and video separately from text content. Not quite sure how to embed video into a document? Why not just provide a hyperlink to a video uploaded on YouTube? Bam! Now you’ve got a “multimedia press release.”

Of course there are many other SEO techniques available. It’s when you put them all together that you greatly increase the likelihood that your news will be picked up by media, consumers and search engines. What’s more, an optimized release will rank higher in search results and therefore have a longer shelf life on the Web. Love that!

Don’t Block Your Own Shot

2011-03-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

With newsrooms downsizing and the subsequent workload being shouldered by journalists lucky enough to retain their job, knowing a reporter's pet peeve could mean the difference between your news being covered or disregarded.

Here are a few journo pet peeves that you’ll want to be conscious of.

Sending a press release as an email attachment

As a PR professional, you have to assume every pitch you send is just one of over 250 emails a reporter receives per day. With this volume of emails, the two seconds it takes to open the attachment is two seconds too long and you can bet the house your email will be deleted. What’s more, attachments are known vehicles for viruses and phishing scams. They pose a real threat to everyone, but especially journalists. To increase the odds that your press release will get read, take the minute and a half to copy the text of your press release into the body of an email and format the accompanying image; it’s the golden rule when pitching.

Typos

Typos happen. However, make sure they don’t happen when initiating dialogue with literary professionals. These people spent countless hours, and big bucks, studying and perfecting their use of the English language. Overlooking simple rules – using “then” instead of “than” or mixing up “there” and “they’re,” for example – can be interpreted as careless. If you don’t care enough to get your press release right, why should a journo care to read it? Try thinking of all journalists as the fictional author Hank Moody from Californication, an individual whose personal mission it is to protect the written word. Proofread after you proofread.

Lengthy subject lines

Crafting your subject line can be a real balancing act. The key is to grab a reporter’s attention without your subject line getting cut off in their inbox by their email server. Typically, subject lines should be about 40 characters, including spaces. Write subject lines using the inverted pyramid model, placing less meaningful words, which may be cut off, toward the end. Emphasize the most important information, the attention-grabber, at the beginning of the subject line.

Late Friday pitching

Some argue that there is no best day to pitch journalists. With that said, journalists are people, too, and unless they’re weekend assignment editors for a news station, their weekend starts Friday at 5:01 p.m. It’s easy for journalists to disregard information over the weekend and when they’re cleaning up their inbox Monday morning, including your pitch in the list of highlighted emails destined for the trash folder is even easier. Unless you’re sending your news to a weekend assignment editor or a nightclub’s VIP manager, pitching on a late Friday afternoon should be reserved for breaking news necessitating an immediate release. Do yourself and your client a favor: get the news out earlier in the week and in the morning whenever possible.

Acknowledging these pet peeves won’t guarantee your press releases will get read, but ignoring them pretty much guarantees they won’t.

Size Matters as PR Goes Mobile

2011-02-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

By Grant Wright, (W)right On CEO

Is smaller better? This has been on my mind lately, especially since reading that for the first time smart phone shipments have surpassed PC sales.

According to the analysts at IDC, in the 2010 fourth quarter 101 million smart phones were shipped, a whopping 87 per cent increase from the same quarter a year prior. Meanwhile, only 92 million PCs were shipped with this representing just a 5.5 per cent increase from the same period 2009. On entire year sales, PCs still ruled at 346 million to 302 million smart phones.

But with smart phones increasingly capable for many of the functions that PCs are bought for – surfing the web, checking email - I think the trend is clear. Why lug your PC around (or camera and camcorder for that matter) when you already have much of what you need in your pocket?

From a PR industry standpoint, this has profound implications. ‘Surfing the web’ no longer means just looking up a coffee shop or checking a company’s website in a passive sense, and it no longer means using a computer to do it.

Pew study data from May 2010 found that 38 per cent of US adults who have a mobile device access the Internet with it, up from 25 percent the year prior. Pew also found that 82 per cent of US adults have a mobile device, meaning just more than 31 percent of all US adults use a mobile device to log into the Internet. And what are they doing there? 23 per cent accessed social networks, 20 per cent viewed a video and 11 per cent even contributed to a charity. With cell phone carriers’ push to implement 4G wireless networks throughout the country, these percentages will continue rising.

For example, Verizon’s brand new LTE 4G wireless network launched in December achieves 10 times the speed of their EV-DO 3G network and is already available in about 40 cities and growing – the wireless brakes are off! Stream a two hour hi-def movie to your pocket without annoying buffering? No problem!

So what are the PR implications? Well, like the devastation wrought on traditional print media when consumers could go to their computer and receive richer content faster, consumers are about to be unshackled from their chair and computers when interacting with content.

But here’s the catch – the experience is crammed into about three or four inches of screen. Your favorite artist’s new music video? Chances are increasing that it will be consumed from a four-inch window. Imagine the fourth row of dancers behind Lady Gaga now being a fraction of an inch tall and you get the idea. The great new splashy online ad? Yep, four inch window. And how many screen changes will it take to scroll through a news article? A lot.

“Ah!” you say. “Screens can be bigger!” What about the new iPad or the new Samsung tablet!? Cool, yea, but there’s a limiting factor - the form-factor of the lowly pocket or that cute little purse! Who wants to look like Urkel, all device bulked up? Most guys I know still haven’t figured out where to comfortably carry their wallet. And I just can’t see anything bigger than a smart phone as the grudging must-have accessory in women’s fashion.

And for the argument that people just won’t want to consume multi-media on a tiny device due to the inferior experience, well, that’s what the music industry thought about inferior MP3 files and their inherent quality loss. iTunes seems to be doing just fine, and in the “Price, Quality, Speed – Pick Two” game, quality of multi-media consumption so far seems in a losing battle.

I think history will record that 2011 was another game changing year, when size really came to matter for how good communications should best be adapted for an increasingly tech savvy world.

So is smaller better? It better be.

5 Reasons it Pays to Pitch the Competition

2011-02-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

When I suggest pitching your competitors, you might think I'm talking about pitching them overboard.

I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but including information on your competitors when you pitch your company/client to the media can be a best practice.

Here are at least five reasons:

1. They will look at your competitors anyhow
Any journalist worth his or her salt is going to dig around to see what other company, venue or event is similar to yours. Save them the time while also putting your competition in context. [TIP: Never say anything distasteful or disparaging about your competition.]

2. You need other examples to show a trend
Trends are newsworthy--they're current and topical, but one company's experience is not evidence of a trend. Go ahead and share data in your pitch like market growth statistics or scientific research to substantiate a trend, but also share examples of other companies or events that prove out your point. If the reporter does the story, typically he or she will lead with your client/company as the primary example. [TIP: It takes three exampeles to support a trend.]

3. Profiles are the exception, not the rule
Journalists occasionally profile companies and leaders, but typically that is a once per publication opportunity, and even in a profile of a successful company or CEO, you'll see the reporter cite examples of similar companies or the experiences of similar executives. If you don't have a stand-out product, service, event or leader to submit for a profile, try positioning your story in terms of trends in your industry (see #2) and seek to be the lead example. [TIP: This is particularly effective in more mature industries or with products or services that are viewed as commodities like financial services.]

4. It enhances your credibility
When journalists see that you've included competitor information in a pitch, the very fact that you acknowledged other companies builds your credibility and shows you understand the information they need to do their job.

5. It works
When I have used this technique, I've had journalists respond telling me how much they appreciated it. Plus, it has produced coverage, and each time, the coverage focused on my client, and the effort and extra work paid off.

It's not always the answer but can be an effective technique when needed.

A Taste of PR and Guitar

2010-11-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

Why is SDSU senior and classical guitarist Pauline France serenading the (W)right On team? Call it a quid pro quo.

I spent the morning of Oct. 29 sharing my passion for PR with Pauline through the "Taste of PR" program organized by the local PRSA New Pros committee. The program matched seasoned professionals as mentors with young, promising professionals just starting their careers. In exchange, after lunch, she rocked our world with a taste of her passion for music.

Pauline was an excellent candidate for this kind of program. She shared in advance what she hoped to get out of the experience so that we could do our best to deliver. And she asked terrific questions. Best of all, she captured the experience in a great blog post of her own. She seems to have taken away some of the key principles of agency life and, possibly even more impressive to this agency president, knows how to use the plural possessive (*swoon*):

"Some of the things I learned at the firm include time management, managing conflicting priorities, managing clients’ expectations and developing PR proposals. A topic that was often brought up was keeping a healthy balance between your personal and professional life, something that Julie does admirably well!"

Not sure where she got the idea I've figured out how to balance the agency with having a life. Let's just say I try...

Having her job shadow me and lunch with Chance Shay, Heather Hinman and I was a pleasure. Kudos to the New Pros committee for this program, and I encourage other agency executives to consider supporting it next year. You'll get as much as you give!

P.S. Shout out to Sandy Young for the push I needed to participate.

Google's first video doodle

2010-10-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

Oh Google! So creative and always pushing the envelope. But also protective. If you click through to YouTube where this video is hosted, you'll see the number of views has been disabled.

Newspaper column born from social network

2010-09-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

Today I helped launch the San Diego Union-Tribune's "Social Media Monday" column in its business section by authoring its first weekly installment. (I shared tips for local businesses trying to grow their following on Twitter.)

But how did I get such an opportunity? After all, authoring a social media column in the market's major news daily is pretty sweet.

The opportunity was all the result of my social network, and I thought it would be fun to show how that worked:

June 2008: Get on Twitter. Figure out how it works. Make friends.

March 2009: When Twitter friend @tawnypress in Orange County offers up her ticket to hear @chrisbrogan speak at @bryanelliott's SoCal Action Sports Network event, I go. I enjoy meeting and learning from Chris Brogan as well as hanging out IRL with another OC Twitter friend @kirstenwright. But I also meet @ronploof. Ron is an author, blogger, storyteller, and speaker who helps executives understand the business of new and social media. I stay connected with Ron through Twitter but also subscribe to his blog. Ron shares great insights and advice, which I often ReTweet or post to Facebook to share with my network. It's really good stuff.

May 2010: Ron suggests I take his place on a social media panel at Cal State Long Beach's Journalism Day since he has a conflict. It's a fun experience, and I enjoy meeting the other folks on the panel including OC Tweeter and blogger @tednguyen. A former Orange County Register reporter, @mcdiana a.k.a. Diana McCabe, is auditing the panel, and we connect after the event on Twitter.

June 2010: @mcdiana becomes a business editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune, with a focus on the interactive side of the paper's business reporting. We share advice and observations on running in San Diego, among other local tips.

When it's time to kick off her idea for a "Social Media Monday" column, I come to mind. Why? Because in 2009, @tawnypress Tweeted that she had an extra ticket to an event, and I went. Because @kirstenwright Tweeted that she would be there too so I wasn't going alone. Because @ronploof and I connected there and then stayed connected via our shared social networks. This led to a shared mutual respect which resulted in a speaking opportunity that led to a column opportunity.

See how that works? It might sound like a lot of work or a long time to work, but it's just one example of the many great connections and opportunities that social networking activities have produced for me and my business.

If you missed it, here's the column:

How to grow your Twitter network
Welcome to the San Diego Union-Tribune’s first installment of Social Media Monday, a new weekly feature that helps businesses and consumers understand how to use social media tools to their best advantage. This week's tips come from Julie Wright, president of (W)right On Communications, a San Diego public relations agency. She frequently speaks and consults on social media best practices. (Find her on Twitter at @juliewright).

SOCIAL MEDIA MONDAY: Building quality connections

The social networking site Twitter has allowed me to make new connections at a pace that I could not possibly have achieved in person or, as they say on Twitter, IRL (in real life).

This ability to connect with others so easily is a seductive feature of online social
networks, but they are not simply about collecting followers. It’s the quality of your connections that makes your social network valuable...: https://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/sep/26/quality-of-connections-content-can-help-grow-your/

Email Tip That Will Save Your Bacon

2010-06-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

Have you hit 'reply all' by mistake? Sent a nasty response and then regretted it? Or simply sent a message and then remembered some piece of information or a question you left out?

(The last one happens to me several times a day!)

How do I avoid sending multiple emails on the same topic when that happens? Easy: I've configured my email to send and receive every five minutes.

That's five minutes to realize I might have hit 'reply all.' Or a five-minute cooling down period. (Some folks might need 10 minute intervals!) And it's five minutes for 'oh yeah, I needed to ask about XYZ too.'

How many of your emails need to be sent immediately? I'll bet they're the exception and not the rule. Therefore, it's no big deal to manually hit 'Send/Receive' in Microsoft Outlook from time to time when you need to send a message right away.

Change your email options in Outlook by clicking the 'Tools' menu. Select 'Options' and then click the 'Mail Setup' tab. You'll have to unclick the 'Send immediately when connected' button--that's actually the default setting for Outlook. Then click the 'Send/Receive' button to the right to specify how frequently you want your email sent.

I've been doing this for years and just told a few of my colleagues who loved the idea. I thought I'd share it here, because in my opinion, it's a 'best practice' when it comes to email. Do you have any tips for email communication to share?

Are your employee communications as productive as your employees?

2010-05-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

With fewer employees doing more of the work, the economy has really put the squeeze on workers during the last 12 to 18 months. For those fortunate enough to be considered in the employed rather than the unemployed category, they’ve stepped up, done more with less, and the statistics show it. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, productivity has increased more in the last year than it has in the last 48 years. Read that again: the productivity of American workers has increased so dramatically over the last 12 months that 1962 was the last time the workforce saw such an increase. Specifically, from the first quarter of 2009 to the first quarter of 2010, productivity increased 6.3 percent.

Can this rate continue? Or is this a cause-effect relationship that will be a mere blip on the radar a year from now? Is your business prepared to make this a long-term trend? Businesses today don’t need sprinters, they need marathoners. It is foolish for employers to do nothing and expect that this trend will continue. It is more important than ever to have a strategic employee communications program in place. Whether your company consists of 5 or 50,000 – employees must feel connected, engaged.

If they are not already, have your corporate communications team work closely with human resources. Make sure employees are getting the need to know information as well as the nice to know.

At (W)right On, we’re leading internal communications programs for small businesses as well as for large, international businesses with tens of thousands of employees in hundreds of locations spread across the world. Don’t let language barriers, multiple time zones or diverse cultures be excuses. If you’re a small business, don’t just assume employees feel connected. Make the effort to communicate, it builds employee morale which will help keep productivity on the upswing.

Paraphrasing our favorite character from "The Office," Dwight Schrute. "Would I ever leave this company? Look, I’m all about loyalty. In fact, I feel like part of what I’m being paid for here is my loyalty. But if there were somewhere else that valued loyalty more highly, I’m going wherever they value loyalty the most."

Five things blogs and dogs share

2010-05-03T19:08:00.001-07:00

1. Both are happier when regularly fed.

2. Both are more bark than bite. (Try it. Leave a comment.)

3. Both alert me when someone visits.

4. I love them both.

5. Despite this, I can't give either the attention they deserve.

Now, excuse me, I see a belly that needs rubbing...

The front line is the only line

2010-04-23T16:05:00.001-07:00

If you have the greatest company in the world, the best finance team, great IT support, well-respected managers, the whole nine yards - that’s fantastic. You should be proud. However, none of that matters if you have poor customer service representatives (CSRs). To the customer, those CSRs are your company. They make or break the sale. They leave the customer satisfied and likely to return or they leave them unhappy and likely to tell everyone they know not to buy your products or services.

Think about it. If Peyton Manning is your quarterback, you’re not going to surround him with a bunch of bush league offensive linemen. No, you want the best.

In a survey, the National Association of Retail Marketing Services found that companies lose 10 customers for every one that complains and 90% of unhappy clients will not do business with the same company again. Considering how much it costs to attract a customer, it makes no sense at all not to invest in a service program and satisfy and keep those hard-won customers.

This isn’t a new concept. It’s one that holds true through the evolution of customer service from face to face, to phone, to online interactions.

The person managing your Twitter and Facebook accounts is one of the most important CSRs there is. Is the person behind those social network accounts familiar with all aspects of your company? Have they been properly trained to respond to customer complaints? Do they follow through with people who connect to them, whether it’s a neutral, good or bad comment? It’s not enough to just be: you must become an engaged and active presence.

Consider this person an extension of your front line, because they’re not just picking up the phone and dealing with 50 customers a day, they’re online dealing with thousands – or more. Without a solid front line…the rest won’t matter.

Social media: the ultimate marketing platform

2010-04-06T09:56:00.001-07:00

Why do I call social media the ultimate marketing platform? A couple of reasons:

1. It allows customers to find you and saves you the expense of finding them.

2. It facilitates a real connection with your customers.

3. It leverages word of mouth which is the cheapest form of marketing and the most effective. (WARNING: It can also spread negative word of mouth so don't suck.)

Let's look at how three clever, risk-taking marketers made the most of these social media campaign attributes:

Last year, Tourism Queensland launched a campaign asking for candidates for what they billed as the "Best Job in the World," spending six months on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef, being paid $140,000 and promoting tourism to the region. The campaign generated tens of millions in publicity as well as many social media conversations where candidates were competing for the opportunity.

One of the serious contenders for this job was an editor from a Vancouver daily newspaper that I follow on Twitter.

This year, an Irish travel agency launched a contest to find two honeymoon testers to travel the world and be paid to review its most romantic destinations. The contest is still ongoing and is generating a ton of buzz on social networks and in traditional media too.

A friend sent me a link today to this article in Canada's Financial Post newspaper detailing how an upscale mall used a similar social media campaign on a regional scale. The 10 winners of the "Yorkdale is Me" campaign would be featured in its spring advertising campaign, get $1,000 to spend at the mall and park in their own dedicated spot at the mall for a year.

But the real winner was the Yorkdale mall which saw visits from its social media, fashion savvy new friends generate 49% greater sales per person. The campaign attracted 1,400 applicants and generated 100 Facebook fan pages created by contestants with 4,500 fans among them.

There are many more examples of creative social media campaigns that generated brand awareness and direct ROI from sales and earned media.

If you're considering such a campaign, you'll need a fresh and creative approach that captures people's imaginations and is worth talking about and competing for. Lastly, make sure the program ties back to your brand and creates stronger connections with your core customers because ultimately that is the point.

Frog legs: an appetite for destruction?

2010-04-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: (4/5/10 7:05 a.m.): Uncle Julio's has changed its Facebook settings so no fan posts are visible and continues to delete posts from people opposed to its choice to serve frog legs. Save the Frogs is mounting protests at all Uncle Julio's locations on April 30 Save the Frogs day. By the way, Save the Frogs has more Facebook fans than Uncle Julio's.

UPDATE (4/4/10 3:55 p.m.): The original blog post below was from 1 p.m. on Sunday. By 3:50 p.m. the Uncle Julio's Facebook admin had simply 'deleted' all of the posts.

ORIGINAL POST (4/4/10 1:00 p.m.): Uncle Julio's restaurant, with 14 locations in five states, has a Facebook page for fans of its border-style Mexican food. But there's an item on its menu that has Save the Frogs fans on Facebook hopping mad.

These frog fans have hopped on over to Uncle Julio's fan page this Easter weekend, while Uncle Julio's staff are off celebrating the holiday, to leave the restaurant chain a message about frog legs.

So far 20+ messages speaking out against frog legs and speaking up for frogs and their protection have been posted: http://www.facebook.com/unclejulios#!/unclejulios?v=wall

Amphibians are currently undergoing what scientists have identified as the earth's sixth mass extinction event in its history. In addition to other environmental causes, a pathogenic fungus is spreading across global frog populations and wiping them out. Frogs raised in India and China for the global frog leg trade are loosely regulated and at risk of spreading this highly virulent fungus.

Now a global environmental crisis is becoming a local PR crisis for this business.

And it's facilitated by the company's own Facebook fan page. Last month, the Nestle company fan page was the target of a Greenpeace-stoked campaign, but Uncle Julio's vs Save the Frogs this Easter weekend shows that you don't have to be a multi-national corporation to be on the receiving end of a very public outcry.

It's what you do with the criticisms that count. Uncle Julio's needs to understand that a large group of people are trying to start a conversation with their chain.

If the restaurant's management listens to these voices, it has an excellent opportunity before it.

It can join this conversation, keep it civil and respectful, and extend the conversation to its loyal patrons who will most likely follow its example of civility and respect.

It can let people know that it has recently been made aware of amphibian extinction rates across the globe. It can share some of the statistics it has learned with its customers. If it can show that its frogs clearly do not contribute to the degradation of other frog habitats or spread disease, it can communicate this to customers. Although, no restaurants serving this product have much of a leg to stand on.

Scientific evidence shows that the trade in frog legs may contribute to the spread of diseases that are a major cause of this mass extinction event. When you consider the risks against the benefits, serving frog legs just doesn't make sense. They're a delicacy and not a staple, are imported from long distances, and don't support a local industry that creates employment.

If Uncle Julio's were (W)right On's client, we'd have them primed to answer tough questions about their choice to serve this product and ready with a plan to announce a change.

Assuming Uncle Julio's took our counsel, we would make this announcement before Save the Frogs Day on April 30; educate loyal patrons about the change through point of sale materials in the restaurant, talking points for servers and online communications via its website and Facebook page; engage directly with those who criticized the practice to build new relationships; and develop a program and promotion to raise funds for amphibian protection and engage patrons in making the world a better place for frogs to strengthen their relationship with the Uncle Julio's brand.

What at first appears to be a crisis can often become an opportunity, but with social media giving a platform for these kinds of communications, a company has to be ready to engage.

Don't let by-lines pass you by

2010-03-26T05:59:00.000-07:00

If you work with the media, you need to pay close attention to by-lines.

By-lines tell you who wrote the story you are reading. The Economist has a policy of no by-lines, but that's the exception to the rule and is supposed to reflect that every article in that magazine is the work of the entire masthead.

A PR professional has to make note of what kind of stories each reporter follows or produces. We approach the Sunday morning paper a little differently than the average reader.

While this practice seems so obvious to me, a number of times I've been in conversation with a journalist and brought up a story they wrote that I remembered and found interesting.

Their reaction is often surprise. They so rarely get direct feedback from their readers. Most feedback these days appears to be via online comments--and much of that is ranting, complaining or name-calling.

So the next time you read an article and appreciate the content, information, angle or the writing style, drop the author a note. Their emails are usually at the end of each story. He or she will surely appreciate the feedback, and it may lead to a relationship with that writer too.

5 ideas for a better Team Canada chant

2010-03-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

A long-time client with business on both sides of Canada-U.S. border was telling me how much he enjoyed the Vancouver 2010 games. And then he threw down a great and fun challenge.

Dave is a proud American, but he found himself pulling for Canada during the Olympics while he was in Vancouver on business during the games.

He could not bring himself to audibly cheer for the Canadian athletes, however, and not for the reason you think! His problem? Canada's chant of 'Go Canada Go' was just too goofy.

My challenge, with your help, is to draft a new Team Canada chant that Americans can comfortably use. Let me know if you have a favorite or an alternate suggestion:

1. Apology Chant: This is a 'when in Rome' strategy and can be country-specific such as "Sorry Sweden! Sorry Sweden!" (Note: it's 'sore-ry,' not 'sahr-ry.') Or, it can be generic and fit all occasions: "Pardon us! Pardon us!"

2. Anthem Chant: "O Canada O!" While Canadians are famously polite, their national anthem carries a more-in-your-face message: Canada is "the true North strong and free." (The civility thing is just a facade. Don't believe me? Consider the brawling nature of Canada's national sport. This hommage to the anthem is all about the subtext.)

3. Obama Chant: "Yes we Canada!" About 45% of Americans will either love or hate this chant. The other 10% are undecided and could swing either way.

4. U-S-A Chant: "Ca-Na-Da!" (Chant and repeat).

5. Bilingual Chant: "Allez Canada! Go Canada!" or "Vive la Canada! Long live Canada!" If you're the guest of a Canadian government official, this is the recommended chant.

What would you propose?

Five Tips for National Grammar Day! #GRAMMARDAY

2010-03-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

What a great excuse to write about my favorite grammar gaffes! This blog post is intended as a friendly refresher to all who email, text, type, blog, post or copywrite for a living. (However, like good table manners, good grammar is an asset no matter what you do for a living.)

1. It's or Its

This has to be the most common grammatical error. It's just too easy to slip up. The only solution is to carefully proof every its/it's in your writing and ask your colleagues to do the same when they proof it. (You do have a second set of eyes to review your writing, don't you?)

2. Commas

Here's the deal. When two independent clauses (i.e. clauses that stand on their own as sentences) are joined with a conjuction (and, but, so, etc.), a comma is required before the conjunction.

However, if you're connecting an independent clause and a phrase, no matter how sorely tempted you are, don't use a comma. E.g.:

(W)right On Communications is up for an InfluenceSD Agency of the Year award, and our team would be honored with your vote. (correct)

(W)right On Communications is up for an InfluenceSD Agency of the Year award, and would be honored with your vote. (incorrect)

3. Possessive or Plural?

The possessive s, like it's and its, is something to proof very closely. Most often, I find that the possessive is omitted. E.g.:

The cars horn blared. (incorrect) vs. The car's horn blared. (correct)

Neither fear nor forget the possessive plural. Approach it as a thing of beauty and a sign of your awesomeness every time you get it right: The cars' horns blared. (I'm awesome.)

4. Compliment vs. Complement

This is another common grammatical challenge, especially for people who write restaurant menu descriptions, apparently.

The cabernet reduction compliments the beef. (incorrect, unless the sauce can talk)

The cabernet reduction complements the beef. (correct)

The waiter compliments your good grammar. (correct)

Complement means to go well with something. E.g. Julie, blue complements yours eyes. If you were to say this to me, you would be paying me a compliment. (By the way, feel free.)

5. Creative Prose vs. Gobbledygook

Grammar is the difference between creativity and gobbledygook, in this blogger's humble opinion. Rules are meant to be broken, of course. But it's only creative genius if you're breaking the rules intentionally. Otherwise, it's wreaking havoc.

Trying to write creative, colorful copy without a basic understanding of the fundamental building blocks of the English language is like auditioning on American Idol when your only singing experience is in the shower or for your mom. You might think it sounds good...

Respect the rules, but experiment.

Two Questions for Others

Where do you stand on commas before "and" in a list? I had a client early in my career who insisted on using one, so I adopted that practice for her and hung on to it by habit. Since that time, I've had another client who prefers no comma before "and." I have two rules of thumb: 1) whatever you choose to do, be consistent, and b) if you're writing for a client and he or she has a strong preference, adopt it and be consistent.

I proofed this post as best as I could, but if I made any typos, misplaced commas, etc. please let me know so that I can improve. Thanks!!

Curiosity: cool for cats and communicators

2010-02-23T09:40:00.000-08:00

Curiosity is a very useful, if not essential, character trait in great PR consultants. If you’re not naturally curious about a wide range of subjects, you’ll struggle to get up to speed on your clients’ businesses and industries. You’ll also be less likely to muster a contagious enthusiasm for the subject you’re communicating.

Curiosity is helpful if you’re an in-house practitioner, of course. But for agency consultants, natural curiosity has some other major career benefits. Let’s break them down:

1. Curious consultants dive into topics and, thus, acquire an impressive knowledge of their clients’ subjects. This makes them an invaluable media resource as well as a credible spokesperson, advisor and strategist.

2. The curious are driven to follow through. Once they sink their teeth into a story, they have to know how it ends. So, they follow up with clients, media, partners, vendors, colleagues and other stakeholders to see through the story or project.

3. When you’re naturally curious, your mind likes to turn over a topic and you’ll think about it in the car, shower or post office line up. And that process is often when the best ideas magically materialize.

4. Curiosity fuels an inquisitive nature too. Curious people ask questions. And asking good questions is critical to developing a good strategy. Good question often lead to tough questions, and a good practitioner must get the tough questions on the table with the client before the media or other stakeholders do.

5. Curiosity can also help build relationships with clients. What does it say to a client when a consultant thinks to ask “how is the Australia expansion going?” or “has your son picked a college yet?” It shows them that you care about their business or about them as people, and that’s invaluable to the relationship. It has an added benefit in that you might learn something about the client’s business that gives you a broader perspective. It helps position you as a collaborator and helps take you out of the box that clients can sometimes put their subject matter experts in. Lastly, it’s helpful to understand what’s happening in your client’s personal life so you can take that into consideration.

The benefits above are tough to achieve if you have to fake or force curiosity, but if you foster it and encourage it in yourself, you’ll be rewarded.

What do you think?
What are the benefits of curiosity that I missed here? Share below or on our Facebook page.

Is curiosity always good?
Curiosity can have its pitfalls such as miring client discussions in trivial questions or nice-to-know tangents. You don’t want to be that kid on the grade school field trip who won’t stop asking questions. So, keep the questions on point.

It’s also important not to assume that your clients’ audiences have the same level of curiosity (a.k.a. interest) in the subject. As a rule, never underestimate their total apathy to your clients’ subjects, and work hard to find ways to drive and encourage curiosity and interest. Without either, there’s no basis for engagement.

So, ask why, how much, when, where and how. Ask them early, and ask them often. But remember that the question good practitioners really need to be curious about is this one: so what?

Be curious and pursue the answer to that question relentlessly on behalf of your clients’ audiences, and you’ll be at the top of your game.

Part 2: The Pressures of PR in 2010

2010-02-15T12:34:00.000-08:00

If you’ve always thought that PR is just putting out press releases, think again. The press release is the least of it, folks. That said, it’s where clients often put the bulk of their attention.

Clients want coverage, of course. That’s how they most often measure the return on their investment, but when they don’t take the media’s needs into account and emphasize press releases over targeted story pitches or newswires instead of exclusives, they are putting their PR professionals into a box and, therefore, confining the reach and results of their own campaigns.

As your agency, we work on media relationships continually, we study the media landscape, and we identify coverage trends to ensure we’re able to be most effective for you. We understand the need to do more with less, but we cannot afford to shortchange any of our relationships or cut corners on best practices in our interactions with others on your behalf.

To understand the pressures of PR in 2010, we’ve collected below, in their own words, what journalists expect from PR professionals today. With thousands of pitches coming at them every week, trust us when we say that you cannot succeed with cookie cutter approaches, un-researched pitches or weak news angles.

And if you haven’t already, we also suggest you read Part 1 of this two-part post on the challenges journalists are facing today as well as our previous post about what makes a good story. After you’ve read through these comments, please share with us below whether this re-affirms what you already knew about PR or if it has caused you to adjust your perceptions.

NATIONAL BUSINESS NEWSPAPER:
"If you're pitching a small startup that's not publicly traded, tell me why it's part of a bigger trend. Product pitches aren't likely to succeed. I don't really care for press releases announcing a new product debut at a conference or trade show.”

"It must be something done by a big company or an action of a small firm that affects the bigger players. I don't want product announcements or minor management activity."

REGIONAL BUSINESS:
"The best PR pros are candid. In these difficult economic times, I still expect truthful answers to questions about a lack of funding or other problems. Don't be overly aggressive and keep trying to pitch deals I am not interested in."

NATIONAL NEWSWIRE:
"I never do a story based on a single pitch about a company, person or product. The best PR pros frame their pitch as part of a trend."

"I would cover a show that a celebrity is appearing in, but I wouldn't write about a charity that person is promoting. I prefer exclusive pitches, but they don't have to be just for me. However, I don't want something that's already been exclusive to someone else."

NATIONAL TV NEWS BUREAU:
"I look for character-driven topics with really amazing people. I want exclusives. Don't pitch my show if you're also trying to be on other networks too. Links to video of your client is very helpful. I can also use b-roll."

NATIONAL NEWS MAGAZINE:
"The best PR people provide exclusive information and a unique angle to the story. We'd never write about a particular product and sometimes get those types of pitches. It's obvious when PR people don't read the publication and suggest things we'd never cover."

NATIONAL FINANCIAL NEWSWIRE:
"Give me a unique insight into what you do and give us access to people who aren't normally available for interviews. If we won't use the pitch, we'll let you know quickly, so you can offer it elsewhere. Don't include us in shotgun blasts that go out to everyone.”

MAJOR MARKET DAILY NEWSPAPER:“"I don't do stories about individuals hired to run a company. I want to be connected with experts who have knowledge of a specific issue in the news. Don't be cute. Be succinct. Tell me in the pitch what the news is. Don't pitch me ‘Joe Blow' who can talk about the economy or the markets."

Part 1: Pressures of Publishing in 2010

2010-02-03T10:31:00.001-08:00

The last 18 months have been hell on journalists and, therefore, to a lesser degree, on media relations professionals too. To adequately explain what late 2008 and 2009 have been like in our field, we’ve got to start with the journalist’s view. Hence the two part approach to this post.

In 2008 and 2009:

• Journalists feared for their jobs. Therefore, they wanted only to cover the most compelling stories. (To understand what a compelling story is, see our last post.)

• Journalists were forced to cover more beats. One columnist we work with had his column frequency and coverage area doubled, was assigned obituaries and asked to contribute regular human interest profiles. Another had to produce streaming video product reviews for the paper's website while blogging and producing daily business news coverage.

• Journalists had less space to cover stories. Page counts shrunk in print publications and with them coverage opportunities became tighter too. A story that might have merited coverage two years ago now literally had nowhere to run.

• And, of course, journalists did lose their jobs in layoff rounds and many of the press contacts we'd made over the years were downsized.

In this environment, (W)right On Communications simply worked harder and smarter to give our clients' stories the edge.

In 2008, we began adopting more social media strategies to find additional avenues to deliver client messages and help our clients engage with their audiences and stakeholders. We watched as traditional reporters and columnists joined Twitter and Facebook and news media began to embrace real-time social media tools to break news and encourage reader participation and commentary. (In that regard, the trends weren’t all bad – given a different set of circumstances, this would have been pretty cool. But the triple threat of Craigslist, media fragmentation and decimated advertising budgets took a lot of the fun out of it.)

Our support of traditional media relations continued, however, with a greater than ever emphasis on best practices.

What are these best practices you ask? At their heart, they’re consuming traditional and social media in frequent and large doses. We read a lot! That means blogs, newspapers, and magazines as well as journalists on Twitter and Facebook. This is how we know who’s writing what, what’s new with who (or, er, with whom), and what they’ve been writing about lately as well as what they are likely to write about in the future. In addition to this, we’ve had to stay on top of trends in our own industry, first and foremost, but our clients’ industries as well.

Such research has always been necessary to produce results for our clients, but never more so. It’s not just the current economic environment. It’s also the low barriers to entry in the PR profession--from easy leads via HARO to easy and cheap press release distribution via PRWeb. These tools as well as more expensive but convenient databases like Vocus and Cision that allow people to send thousands of emails with the push a button mean that journalists are receiving 400 emails or more a day—and many to most of them are either completely outside of the journalist's beat or perhaps in their beat but containing no real news.

So, yes, sticking to best practices is, unfortunately, the way to stand out and serve the last journalists standing.

And, no, 2009 was not an easy year for media or PR professionals and 2010 may see some small improvement, but for those who haven’t cut corners and have kept their skills, knowledge and relationships fresh, the outlook is much brighter.

Stay tuned for our part two post, in which we acknowledge more of the perils of our industry.

Using Twitter to monitor or boost your brand?

2010-01-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

Business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers surveyed recently reported that half used Twitter to monitor for PR problems, but only 22.4% actually contacted Twitter users who posted negative Tweets.

Monitoring is fairly easy--if time-consuming--but it's also reported to be the most effective use of Twitter for these brands. This makes it even more surprising that 1 in 2 brands is not monitoring its image via Twitter at all. That's too bad. Twitter's beauty is giving you a real-time window into what people are saying and thinking about your business or industry.

Only one in four brands on Twitter actually reported using it to reach out and engage people directly when they had a complaint or criticism. Monitoring or listening is important, but reaching out and dialoguing is what really make a difference. Yet, going that extra mile appears to be a little more difficult for brands.

Is this a classic case of activity (monitoring) over productivity (acting on the information)? What do you think?

Here's a little advice for organizations that are monitoring but not responding:

+ Have a social media policy that makes it clear what scenarios are important to respond to.
+ Develop key messages, FAQs and some tough Q&A so that your employees have the tools to respond accurately, confidently and on message.
+ Assign responsibility and accountability to an individual or team of individuals (in-house or agency or both) to manage these social media interactions (not just Twitter but blogs, Facebook, and more.)
+ Now track and evalute this outreach to learn what works and continuously improve your online image management

What's your idea of a good story?

2010-01-09T16:36:00.000-08:00

The media's idea of a good story and the client's idea of a good story are rarely in perfect sync.

That's the job of a good PR team: to find the client's news value (e.g. what the media wants) while crafting key messages that the coverage can deliver (e.g. what the client wants).

"Man bites dog" is the quintessential news hook because it's out of the ordinary. It also conveys many news values such as peril, conflict, controversy and human interest. These factors contribute to a good story. (If the dog is particularly cute, even better.)

By contrast, "dog bites man" is not a story unless its Paris Hilton's chihuahua biting David Letterman. The notion of celebrity is another important news value. If it's a name that everyone knows, then it's news (or gossip masquerading as news). This is why the 'red carpet' is a go-to feature at every club opening. Celebrities create news value where there otherwise isn't any--e.g. appearances at fundraisers, being 'spotted' at a restaurant, or being the spokesperson for a cause. How long until celebrity appearances become "dog bites man?" Or are we there already--particularly with reality TV pumping out celebrities faster than the Octomom?

In the world of business communications, "entrepreneur starts and grows successful business" is not a news hook. That's exactly what enterpreneurs are supposed to do--so it's a "dog bites man" pitch.

Did the enterpreneur overcome some adversity to achieve success? What makes this enterpreneur or company's success extraordinary? Is there some peril that threatens the hard-won success?

Just this morning, I read this post from a business magazine feature writer which perfectly illustrates the point: "I look for pitches about intriguing, controversial characters who are challenging the status quo. If you're going to pitch these people, I expect to get access to them for several days—over a period of time. Pitches should be thoughtful. There also has to be some tension. The best pitches make the client a little uncomfortable." [Emphasis added.]

When a great story comes together with strong messaging and a client that understands what it takes to earn the media's attention, it's a heavenly match and one of the real joys of our profession.

Five tips for a great agency relationship in 2010

2010-01-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of the season, here are five back-to-basics resolutions for organizations working with agencies. We hope these are common sense to most people, but sometimes the easiest things are the first to be forgotten.

Please feel free to contribute your suggestions. And it goes both ways. Resolutions for agencies are welcome too!

1. Communicate

If you expect a busy quarter ahead or will be consumed with a project, let your agency partners know. Please don't go dark for weeks and even months at a time in the middle of projects. And avoid following such periods of silence with firedrills where everything is now needed all at once. Your agency prides itself on being responsive and making the impossible happen for you, but it can be done better and for less money with a little planning and communication. That's how everybody wins!

2. Don't box people in

Boxes are made for moving and jewelry (though I like the latter best). Neither is meant for people. The more you box in a person or team, the less you get from them. Stay open to ideas. Containing people contains results. 'Nuff said.

3. Help us help you

Think of your agency as an extension of your team. The same way you would tell internal employees of a new venture, product or hire, tell the agency. Even if it's just a quick FYI email or a simple cc or bcc. It will help the agency better understand and manage your communications needs and reach your goals. It will also save you time (a.k.a budget) down the road.

4. Choose the appropriate contact person

Designate a primary contact for your agency representative but be sure that individual is given at least some responsibility for decision making and accountability for agency communications and the PR program. If the designated contact is not made accountable or is not qualified to be so, we guarantee that items 1 through 3 above are not happening either.

5. Make time for face time

Your agency wants to meet with you. Email is an interim solution for agency-client communications and not the permanent solution. Your agency also wants to see the technology demonstrated, taste the new menu, and experience the new service. If you want the agency to sell the concept to your stakeholders, allow time for in-person and hands-on meetings.

Remember, a good agency is here to help you achieve your goals and help identify ones that you might not have thought of yet.

What's the secret to social media conversation?

2010-01-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

"How are you?" "How's it going?" "What's new?" Most of our conversations begin with such questions. But not so on social media sites. The traditional conversation is reversed on sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare with the users posting statements. Comments and the occasional question will often follow. But is that really effective communication?

Here are some examples from my Twitter stream recently. They're typical social media ‘blurts:’

Blog Blurt: "How my Blog Landed Me a Book Deal: http://bit.ly/....”

Location Blurt: “I'm at Crunch Fitness (330 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn).”

Peeve Blurt: “Pet peeve #1: People who talk on the phone in bathroom. Stop it. Not only is it inconsiderate to your neighbors, but it's kinda gross.”

Quote Blurt: "'Like farmers we need to learn that we cannot sow and reap the same day.’ – Unknown” (Editor: gag.)

Each of these is meant to be a conversation starter. But, do they invite a conversation?

If the woman who Tweeted the inspirational quote above had uttered it in the supermarket as I passed, I’d give her shopping cart a very wide berth. If I met the blogger who Tweeted his blog title at a networking event and his first words were ‘my blog landed me a book deal,’ I’d offer my congratulations and move on.

For me, what makes starting a Twitter or Facebook conversation a little less socially awkward is falling back on a conversation classic: the question.

Blog Query: “How’d You Like your Blog to Land you a Book Deal?: http://bit.ly...”

Location Query: “Who else is at Crunch Fitness (330 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn)?”

Peeve Query: “Pet peeve #1: People who talk on the phone in the bathroom. It’s not just inconsiderate but don’t you think it’s kinda gross?”

Quote Query: “Need a lift? Like farmers we need to learn that we cannot sow and reap the same day. – Unknown” (Editor: still gag.)

Yestereday, I Tweeted the following question: “Who else finds inspirational quotes on Twitter a nice but annoying idea?” I had responses from eight Twitter followers. I enjoyed engaging with them because each response brought slightly different perspectives, felt like a conversation, and kept the social media experience fresh for me. Without such responses and interaction, I can understand why people abandon Twitter at such high rates and that's why I'm sharing this social media secret today. (By the way, thank you @slightlyserious, @cantondog, @evolutionfiles, @keithbooe, @sdtips, @cjsettles, @nicmcc, and @scerruti for the feedback on inspiration quotes.)

For businesses using Twitter, querying your followers instead of blurting your press release headlines, special events or promotions will also make the experience more rewarding. When you get responses, (a) you know people are reading and (b) that they're connecting with your content.

Sure you can use sites like Hootsuite and Bit.ly to track clickthroughs on your hyperlinks, but that only works if you've got a hyperlink or if you are more concerned with clickthroughs than conversations and engagement.

So, if you’re new to Twitter or have a Facebook account that has grown stale, think about the difference between a blurt and a question. And try querying your followers to get real, meaningful connections and results.

P.S. When you get answers or feedback, respond and acknowledge it if you want to reward that behavior.

$10 Saves 18 Puppies!

2009-12-15T15:16:00.000-08:00

OK, I don't know if that headline is true, but that is what made me listen to a guy outside of my local grocery store last night. He was explaining all of the great work a particular not-for-profit organization does and asked me to donate $10 a month "because it saves like 18 puppies".

I already support this organization and know they do great work. I would have donated more last night, but something stopped me. It wasn't the fact that I was in a grocery store parking lot at night being approached by a guy with only a clipboard for credentials, it was that I remembered that I donated to this very organization last month and was never acknowledged for it. I actually opted to receive their newsletters and six weeks later, despite double checking that they received the payment, I still have yet to get even a standard autoreply email. That said, I'll continue to support them because it's the work that's important, not the acknowledgement.

However, that got me to thinking about business. Regardless of the size of the customer, they should all be acknowledged. Many times we get too caught up in saving puppies to thank all of the important people who make our work possible.

Now, back to saving those puppies.

A rose by any other name can't be found by Google

2009-12-03T08:38:00.000-08:00

A rose is a rose is a rose. And nothing smells sweeter for a business than a great search engine ranking in their product category.

So when writing press releases, take a moment to optimize the content to match what your buyers are searching online.

If you sell a new organic fertilizer for roses, be sure to include in your release, not just the word rose, but popular varieties of roses or diseases and funguses that gardeners are likely to research online.

Not only will it show prospects and the media that you know your Floribundas from your Grandifloras but it will help you pinpoint those online targets who are most motivated to purchase such a specialty product.

This applies to companies large and small, and often we see clients get so caught up in the messaging and word smithing, that the release uses expressions or words no human being uses. That's when a rose becomes a 'fragrant petal system with robust stem security.' Can we just call it a rose?!

(W)right On goes to 11!

2009-11-11T08:44:00.000-08:00

Grant Wright sent the (W)right On team this message today, on Nov. 11, to remind our group of its accomplishments in achieving 11 years of growth. But also to inspire the (W)right On team to adapt to the demands in this new era of communications and business as we move forward. It's a universal message and worth sharing beyond our walls.

Today we recognize this auspicious day for several reasons:

In the USA for Veteran’s Day we celebrate veterans who have sacrificed so much to defend our freedom, and in Canada where it’s Remembrance Day we remember the lessons of history so as to never have to repeat them.

And at (W)right On, we celebrate a different meaning on this 11-11… We have our own celebration of 11 years going strong!

For any business, what does 11 years mean? Well, a quick review of business survival rates indicates the vast majority of businesses (something like 90%) that start out do not survive to 11 years. (W)right On has. And maybe it’s worth noting that the statistics for the past decade really don’t incorporate the past 24 month recession period, the most severe since the Great Depression. So I wonder what the stats will look like a decade from now when this period is taken into account.

But ‘surviving’ and ‘thriving’ are very different things. It may be that many companies eking it through over the past 24 months redefine surviving as the new thriving, understandably so. But overall, I think by adhering to the fundamentals that are the foundation of our success (W)right On thrives.

We’re not only here after 11 years putting us in the elite ‘less than one in 10’ category, but our foundation leaves us poised for continued growth and a bright future. The ‘asset’ pieces of the foundation are numerous and remarkable, and I’ll save a review of them for a separate discussion if anyone would like to chat about it. But my view is also that ‘what got us here won’t get us where we need to go’. Meaning we need to never stray from the non-negotiable standards at the core of (W)right On’s success, but leave behind other old behaviors and increasingly adopt new behaviors fitted to a larger enterprise and a future business and communications world for which there's no precedent. Not an easy thing to do, and it means an even greater risk tolerance and stretching our personal and collective comfort zones. But if I know one team that can do it, it’s this one. And I’m very proud to be part of this team, that extends to our external team members, vendors and great clients, celebrating (W)right On’s 11th anniversary on 11/11.

THANK YOU, everybody!

Grant

Rule #1: Know Your Audience

2009-10-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

It's the first rule of good communications: know your audience.

Whatever you're communicating, you need to make the content relevant and interesting to your audience, first and foremost.

After attending an awards event last evening, I believe that this rule needs further clarification: you must also respect your audience.

It is only in the rarest of circumstances that an audience will wish you spoke longer. Therefore, be concise and to the point. Short speeches, I guarantee you, will be remembered as more entertaining than long ones no matter who you are. Even professional entertainers know this: "Leave them wanting more."

When you speak without notes, without preparation and to entertain and amuse yourself, you are not respecting your audience.

So, know who you're addressing, make the effort to connect with your audience, and show them respect by preparing and keeping it tight.

And, one last word on this subject, at risk of stating the obvious: remarks by outgoing presidents should be shorter than the remarks of the incoming president, and similarly, remarks introducing an award winner should be shorter than acceptance speeches. When these natural laws of speaking are inverted, audiences revolt.

Did You Know? 4.0 - Must-See Internet TV

2009-09-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

'Did You Know?', this fantastic presention, debuted as a response to the massive shifts in the global competitive landscape that kids in school today can expect by the time they graduate. Teachers, who realized what they and their students were up against, were the catalyst for the original concept. The world is changing so quickly, it's physically impossible to teach students the skills and impart the knowledge they'll need by the time they enter the workforce.

We wrote a post on an earlier iteration of 'Did You Know?' on Aug. 12, 2008 (see: The Best Thing School Can Teach You These Days is to Adapt).

The mind-altering presentation is back and better than ever with a version 4.0 on YouTube and now co-presented by The Economist. For communicators and their clients, it's an extremely relevant, compelling and inspiring 4 minutes 39 seconds. Watch and learn...

5 Qualities Communicators Need Today!

2009-09-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

The barriers to entry in the communication, publishing and broadcasting fields have crumbled thanks to ubiquitous, user-friendly and largly free web-based technologies. With Twitter, anyone can be a pundit or a pitchman. On LinkedIn, anyone can build a massive professional network. And using YouTube, anyone can share original film productions or star in the their own reality TV show.

But just because you CAN does not mean you SHOULD! (Seriously.)

Since technology is no longer the barrier to entry in our field, what is?

Well, it's many things, but I've boiled it down to what I see as the top 5, and if you've got 'em, you've got it.

1. Talent: natural ability as a communicator -- you can write and present. Plus, you're constantly thinking about how to do these things better and more often as well as share your talent with others.

2. Common Sense: you can work it out for yourself. You've got 'critical thinking skills' and aren't afraid to use them.

3. Motivation: you want to learn, grow, challenge yourself or be challenged by others and are intrinsically curious.

4. Creativity: you approach old problems in new ways or find new ways of saying the same ol' thing. When you're presented with a problem, your first instinct is to find a creative solution.

5. Adaptability: Where others find variety and change threatening or frustrating, you thrive.

If you've got these qualities, you can always learn the technical steps required to become an accomplished communicator. However, if you don't have them, by all means use the technology, but find someone who does have them to guide and coach you (and listen to them).

By the way, if you have a degree in communications or a related discipline and some fantastic life and work experiences that would help you hit the ground running, (W)right On Communications would like to hear from you for our open Account Coordinator position!

In this position, you'll support the agency’s consulting team in coordinating various client activities as well as some of the agency’s own branding and communications activities. You'll also work directly with clients, the media, and vendors and support social media activities across a variety of web-based platforms.

Be prepared for an environment that will have you working your magic on topics of an extremely technical nature to lighter fare such as music, entertainment and hospitality. (Did I mention 'adaptability' is a requirement?)

This is a full-time position and includes benefits. Please review the responsibilities below to get an idea of what the job entails and please forward your resume to career@wrightoncomm.com if you're interested in it.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Provide client account team with professional account coordination support including:
o Gather, compile and research competitive and market information including secondary research and occasional primary research
o Research, update, and maintain listing of public relations opportunities and deadlines via editorial calendars for press opportunities
o Review HARO and ProfNet daily feeds for client PR opportunities and follow up as needed
o Research and maintain the agency’s media lists
o Manage media monitoring activities including reviewing/capturing client press clippings, broadcast coverage, Google alerts, and media monitoring services and generating monthly summaries and reports for client review
o Manage social media monitoring activities including reviewing/capturing client conversations and coverage via the agency’s social media monitoring service and generating monthly summaries and reports for client review
o Coordinate artwork development, production (print & mail), photo shoots, trade shows and other meetings, and PR events as needed
o Coordinate client approvals on collateral and public relations copy and designs
o Contact editors and reporters as directed by consultants to research or ‘audit’ media interest and needs on a per client basis
o Coordinate the dissemination of PR materials through newswires, online sites, and social media outlets
o Assist with drafts of press releases and editing of public relations support materials
o Assist with social media communications to support client programs
o Attend client events and provide on-site event coordination as needed
o Support consultants through handling Constant Contact emailings and other online tools and web-based updates including tracking results

Kanye West: interruption vs. disruption

2009-09-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

The do's and don'ts of civil discourse used to include don't shout "You lie" at the President if you're a sitting U.S. congressman and don't jump up on stage, grab her mic away, and then tell the world that some other performer deserved Taylor Swift's MTV Video Music Award. Thankfully, the past few days and hours have shown via social networks that these interruptions are still social taboo.

Sometimes an outburst or a stunt works because it's disruptive. By disruptive, I mean that the event is one that disrupts your focus but attracts your attention. For instance, Lady Gaga's wardrobe changes and Pink's trapeze act at the VMAs were disruptive.

An interruption is entirely different; it takes away your choice and it's in your face whether you want it to be there or not. Television advertising is an interruption (unless it's extremely well done and then it becomes a disruption.) Panhandling is an interruption whereas street performing is a disruption.

Kanye was once an exciting, disruptive artist but now is in danger of just becoming an another interruption in a world where attention is among the highest prized commodities.

Our dinnertime ritual interrupted by a telemarketer, our social media conversations interrupted by an automated self-promotional message, or an email selling us something we don't want for a body part we don't have--like Taylor Swift, we've got a lot of our own Kanyes in our faces ruining our moments, large and small.

During his hasty apology on the Jay Leno Show premier Monday night, West was asked by the host "What would your mother have thought?" (She passed away a year ago.) But West doesn't need his mother to tell him what's right and wrong. He and all brands today have to answer to the wisdom of the crowd--if they'll just shut up long enough to listen.

The beauty of disruption is that it's unexpected but not unwelcome, distracting yet attractive, has shock value but also some value for the targets and not just the celebrity's ego or brand's self-interest. If that sounds like an art, it is one. And it's why stunts run such a high risk of backfiring and, thanks to social media, backlash

OK, enough about Kanye...

9/16/09 - UPDATE: I know I said enough about Kanye but I could resist this YouTube mashup and, while I've got other things to do, clever people have taken Kanye's interruption and turned it into many fine, fun examples of disruptive communication. Examples follow:

For more examples, check out Mashable.com's Top 10 Kanye Parodies list.

Twitter demographics shift

2009-09-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

I'm on the wrong side of 40, but up until March, my age made me part of Twitter's 'in' crowd: 35-54 year olds.

Boomers and gen X'ers were the most likely demographic to be on Twitter. But something happened in April that caused a massive influx of millennials. Comscore released data showing this trend. Look at the top two tiers in the chart below and how they're getting squeezed from April through July.
What happened to cause this shift? Some are suggesting it's the Ashton Kutcher effect. In April, the young celebrity began a Twitter battle with CNN: the first to reach one million followers would be declared the winner (and malaria nets would be donated to Africa so there was a feel good element to this silly competition).

No word on whether malaria rates have fallen at the same pace as Twitter use has risen. But as Twitter grew from 9.3 million users in March to over 50 million users in July, the type of user has shifted and more brands and spam accounts are now joining the ranks of the Twitterati, for better or for worse.

Social Media: are you a consumer, producer or both?

2009-08-27T11:56:00.001-07:00

I've just finished catching up on some of my favorite industry blogs. These blogs--written by my peers in public relations and social media--have replaced trade journals and e-newsletters as my go-to source for best practices, trends, data and industry gossip.

In addition, sites like Mashable.com and the quality links shared by my Twitter Tweeps and Facebook Friends are also major info sources for me.

This shift in my media consumption behaviors began just over a year ago. The 'tipping point' was very sudden!

The communication industry puts me on the forefront of exciting changes, and it might incline me to be more of an 'early adopter?'

I know our tech clients have embraced social media channels like Twitter and Facebook for communication. But what about using these channels as sources for information?

Are traditional trade publications or websites serving your needs primarily or is the bulk of your information coming from social media channels or tools?

Looked at another way, is social media primarily something you produce (i.e. content for your Facebook Fan Page or Twitter feed) versus something that you consume (i.e. reading the content of others such as your customers, competitors, industry gurus; monitoring conversations with search and listening tools)?

Annual event helps keep it all in perspective

2009-08-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

Once a year, Interfaith Community Services holds a meeting for all of its supporters to celebrate their generosity and the community's accomplishments. I started volunteering with Interfaith in 2001/2002 but they've been around over 25 years.

You can imagine what kind of year this past one has been for a lot of folks (and for social services agencies like ICS).

More than 33,700 people in North San Diego County came to it for help this year.

A few of them got up to share their stories today.

First up was a mother who developed a quart-a-day vodka habit to drown her demons. When that didn't work, she tried drowning them once and for all by drinking liquid Drain-O. Her family steered her to get help. She is now sober, beautiful and strong, giving back to ICS by counseling others and donating to the current residents of its amazing sobriety program.

A two-tour Iraq vet spoke about the help he got transitioning from the Marines to civilian life. The job training he received from ICS was the difference-maker for him. (Finding a job in the U.S. should not be harder than dodging improvised explosive devices in Iraq, and yet it nearly was for him this past year!)

A battered wife with nowhere to turn when she needed it most was living in her truck and ready to disable the airbag and drive it into the median. She found ICS and is now in transitional housing, confident and employed.

Stories like these give me hope and faith that people can overcome, but they can't do it alone. That's where Interfaith comes in--people of every faith or simply a faith in the human spirit ready to give a hand up to those who need it.

What a beautiful thing to pause and celebrate!

Internet's Dark Secret: It's Made of People!

2009-06-27T11:14:00.001-07:00

Like 'Soylent Green,' the mysteries of the Internet are easy to unravel when you realize this: It's people. The Internet is made out of people.

Twitter, Facebook, search engines, websites, video, monitoring software...

The point of all of these tools is to help people connect and communicate. You've got to fulfill the expectations of the people on the other ends of these tools for them to work for you.

So don't be overwhelmed, intimidated or turned off by the technology. And conversely, don't make it all about the technology. Make it about the people. (Just don't actually turn the people into food. That's not supposed to happen until 2022, the year in which the film, Soylent Green, is set.)

But do add Soylent Green to your Netflix queue, and while you're at it, add SNL's the Best of Phil Hartman, who could impersonate Charleton Heston like no other before or since.

Think you're following 1,000 Tweeps? Actually it's closer to 40.

2009-06-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

Twitter's supercharged adoption rates have taken it from nine million unique visitors in March to 17 million in April.

But recent scrutiny of Twitter adoption rates have turned up two interesting results:

60% of users who start an account abandon it within a month. (Source: Nielsen)
10% of its active users are responsible for 90% of the Tweets. (Source: Harvard Business School)

Based on these metrics, while my account might indicate that I'm following 2,000 people on Twitter, I'm actually following more like 800 (40% of 2,000). And, 10% of them--80 people--are responsible for 90% of what I see. The other 720 folks are responsible for a smattering of Tweets.

To see if these numbers bore out, I reviewed an hour of incoming Tweets and counted closer to 150 individuals and news feeds of which no more than 10 people or outlets were responsible for multiple Tweets. This is not scientific by any means, but it tells me I'm following users who are twice as active as the average. This is what I'd expect to see since I tend to follow other communicators and journalists; however, it still illustrates the point that only a small percentage of followers are consistently contributing to Twitter.

What do these trends mean for communicators and their clients? Well, for one, it means Ashton Kutcher does not have 2.1 million followers -- he has 840,000, max of which 84,000 would fall into that most active 10% and who are, therefore, likely to be on Twitter at the moment he sends a Tweet. And now the question is whether that's the 84,000 who really care what Kutcher has to say? (And could it be that high? ;-)

But enough about Kutcher. What this post is intended to illustrate is that amassing large audiences is not as important as targeting and attracting followers that care about and share your interests.

And, in that respect, social media is no different than all forms of communication that preceded it. The first commandment remains 'know thy audience.'

If you're being followed by 1,000 people, keep in mind that 600 of them are no longer using Twitter because they didn't get it. Of the 400 remaining, only 40 of them can be expected to really engage.

So take stock and identify who those 40 people are, find more like them, serve that audience as best you can, and consider cutting loose those who may be cluttering your communications rather than adding to them. Approach your social networks with the same discipline you use to build a direct mail or media list--you want the highest response rate possible so pay close attention to your followers' profile.

And if you're someone who is an above average user on Twitter, help newcomers and encourage them to stay by engaging with them, recommending TweetDeck and other tools that improve the experience, and so on. Think of it as your community service.

Communicate at a Glance

2009-06-01T21:41:00.000-07:00

The Internet has changed our reading habits.

If you're like most people, you don't read online as much as you scan. And in all fairness, with so much information available to you, who can blame you?! Reading a website word-for-word makes about as much sense as admiring a field flower-by-flower or a grove tree-by-tree.

As communicators, we recognize these behaviors and preferences and leverage them for better results.

I've been talking about 'at a glance' communication for the last two years, by which I mean information that communicates the message with one look. Headings, subheadings, short bulleted lists, diagrams, images and captions all help to achieve this outcome.

Paragraphs of full prose kill this effect.

With attention in short supply, smart communicators are turning to visuals to engage their audiences. Economy of words and efficiency are essential to getting your point across.

However, there is a time and a place to use a lot of information: when you are trying to show 'at a glance' that you're the experts or the best source for something. In that case, employ the opposite tact and overload your communications with links, words, inserts, papers, slides -- no one may read any of them but, 'at a glance,' they'll get the message that you've got a lot to say or show, which must mean you've got a lot to offer.

Sea Change in Communications

2009-05-25T22:01:00.000-07:00

I've spoken with many communicators who share my awareness and understanding that a sea change is taking place in our industry. The advent of social media and networks coinciding with the historic dismantling of traditional media models are tectonic shifts pushing out this sea change.

Where I see a problem at this juncture is the disconnect between communicators and those that they counsel.

Too many clients and prospects remain anchored to the communication practices of the past and are unable to see or accept what's coming at them on the horizon. What's worse, they disregard the advice of the people who watch that horizon for a living! Yes, this lends itself to a macabre business analogy wherein we fail to recognize the peril we're in until it's right on top of us.

The five primary objections are that (1) social networks are time wasters, (2) social media is too time consuming, (3) these tools are only for teens and twenty-somethings, (4) they are fringe communications activities and are not useful for reaching customers, media or influencers, or (5) they are filled with irrelevant drivel.

All are dead wrong.

If you're a decision-maker with an organization who's realizing a little late that it's time to act, my best advice is that you hire someone who knows what you don't--a communications team with a range of personnel who has invested in understanding these tools, developing best practices and formulating policies that account for a Web 2.0 world.

Take decisive action and get to the social media high ground swiftly; avoid wallowing around trying to find your own way; and recognize that the cost of waiting or going it alone will far outweigh the cost of getting it done right and quickly.

Social Media for Community Leaders

2009-05-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

I've presented on social media to the San Diego Press Club, Southern California electronics industry pros, and, as of today, community leaders from across North San Diego.

Leadership North County is a nine-month program for government, business and nonprofit leaders that takes 30 students from across North San Diego County . I took the program in 2003.

The event was at Oceanside's KOCT studios. Before my talk (see slides below), they heard from a panel led by KPBS's Alison St. John with Tom Fudge of KPBS, Catherine Garcia of NBC 7/39, and Kent Davy of the North County Times. Later in the day, Dick Daniels of RMD Communications led a session on interviewing with traditional media and Brett Sondrup of NCTimes.com shared the innovations taking place at their local daily newspaper (check out http://my.nctimes.com for example).

This was a room full of very smart, motivated and connected people. I really wondered how this group of very involved community members would respond to the seachange in communications that they were being presented.

Social Media For Community Leaders Ss

View more presentations from Julie Wright.

Mark Tucker with AECOM Energy in Solana Beach suggested that whereas newspapers used to drive many of our beliefs and behaviors, the recommendations of 30 regular people on Twitter now seemed to have a mini-Oprah effect, as he put it.

David Tarr, Director of Career Technical Education at Escondido Charter High School noted that with this explosion of outlets for your message, you have to be more careful than ever about what you post because it's going to be there forever. Others echoed that concern, but Tarr also saw the benefits of using social media for communicating with a limited budget as did others.

Tarr was concerned about letting students loose on social media sites which was interesting because several others suggested high school students could be hired to help them get this work started. (I understand people thinking that some young kid is going to make all of this easy for them, but that's a fantasy. FYI, if you're looking for the easy route and that's driving your communications decision-making, you're destined for disappointment.)

Jim Farley, who runs a family foundation, noted that new social media tools allowed you to skip the media and go directly to your audience or stakeholders.

Ligeia Heagy, who works for the City of Vista as a Management Analyst in the Engineering Department, suggested that municipalities need to communicate using whatever tools their residents expect.

Janene Shepherd, Aide to the Deputy Mayor for the City of Oceanside, noted that as soon as you discover what works for you that tool may fade out of fashion.

Jeremy Raimo, an orthopedic service line administrator with Tri-City Medical Center, felt that so many diversified outlets meant that you had to now carefully choose the right one to reach your audience. For instance, Twitter is a great medium for connecting with people aged 45 to 54--a fact that I'd shared and that apparently changed his perception about who's using social media.

Troy Strand, Executive VP of Independent Energy Solutions in Vista, said it's all about time more than anything. He could use that same time to work on the company's strategic plan, for instance, although he could see the value in raising his company's profile via social networks.

After a lot of discussion, it appeared that social media policy was the missing link for this group of leaders--which is the subject of a blog post of its own.

Digital Billboards Getting the Message Out

2009-05-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas loves them and California's trying to outlaw them: digital billboards.

Today, I was talking about digital billboards with Chris Jennewein, senior vice president and publisher at Greenspun Interactive, responsible for the Las Vegas Sun and Las Vegas Weekly website properties, among others.

Jennewein, who led SignonSanDiego.com several re-organizations ago, is now leading multiple news sites in one of the communities hardest hit by the real estate bubble. While the San Diego Union-Tribune continues its slow hari kari, Jennewein is glad to have found Greenspun and be building something up rather than tearing it down. (Yes, there have been some layoffs over the past 10 months, but nothing like what's happening at San Diego's daily and its web properties.)

So, this brings me around to the digital billboards. As the LasVegasSun.com looked at its advertising options a few months ago, it was also looking at its bottom line. It focused on digital billboards as a good value, but also as a medium that would catch Las Vegas residents during their daily commute rituals.

Then the LasVegasSun.com took it one farther and asked the billboard owners if they could change the electronic display daily? Yes, they could. Well, if we could change the display once a day, how about four times a day? Yes, I guess, if that's what they really wanted, they could do that too.

Now, four times a day, the website's 25 character news headlines are broadcast on billboards around the city.

The site gets the branding value but it also gets the benefit of a direct response mechanism in that consumers can take immediate action and log in to read more when they're at their desk.

An interesting example of a news organization interacting with and engaging its readers. It might only work in Vegas, but before California's state legislators get fired up about the evils of digital billboards, they should pause to balance that against the good that news organizations and other advertisers do. And then they should consider whether their bazillion cardboard campaign signs at intersections are a worse blight and distraction!

Wall Street Journal rules more twit than Twitter

2009-05-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal has issued rules for its journalists regarding their Twitter and Facebook behavior. Clearly written without any understanding of how social media works or benefits good journalism, these rules will only serve to handicap reporters and further alienate readers from the paper's content.

Social media is just another way of getting things done -- developing relationships with sources, conducting interviews, responding to readers, and driving readers to the paper's content. Gawker shared examples of how the paper's staff flagrantly (and in the case of @karaswisher, famously) flout these rules. (Thankfully.)

For an example of 'best practices' for journalists using Twitter, check out this thoughtful post by Leah Betancourt, digital community manager at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Minn. A.K.A. @l3ahb3tan on Twitter.

I'll keep the post short, but for the love of the newspaper industry, work it out WSJ!

Social Media: from Denial to Acceptance

2009-05-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

As communicators, we are fully aware of the sea change taking place in communications media. Metaphorically, the microphone has been passed from the news anchor to the viewer.

However, we’ve had clients say ‘I don’t care about blogs or Twitter.’ Or ‘Our customers aren’t reading blogs or on Twitter.’ And last week, it was actually ‘I don’t believe your data.’

So, take a look at what follows and think about the stage you might be in. Do you believe that the most likely demographic to be on Twitter is 45 to 54 year olds? That 19 million people visited Twitter last month? That Facebook has 200 million users? Are you ready to relinquish a little control over your communications and toss out your ideas and activities like a beach ball at a rock concert and see what gets tossed back?

It might be time to stop the denial and live a little.

THE STAGES (definitions and examples sourced from Wikipedia for science-y effect)

1) Denial:
Denial is usually only a temporary defense for the individual. This feeling is generally replaced with heightened awareness of situations and individuals that will be left behind after death.

Example - "I feel fine."; "This can't be happening, not to me."

For PR firms, marketers, journalists and those who employ them: yes, this is happening to you! Go get a Twitter account and follow @themediaisdying for the play-by-play.

Social media is not simply new advertising, PR and communications vehicles—it’s an entirely new methodology or approach. So you cannot keep thinking about your communications from traditional paradigms. (Wow, now I'm sounding all science-y.)

2) Anger:
Once in the second stage, the individual recognizes that denial cannot continue. Because of anger, the person is very difficult to care for due to misplaced feelings of rage and envy. Any individual that symbolizes life or energy is subject to projected resentment and jealousy.

Example - "Why me? It's not fair!"; "How can this happen to me?"; "Who is to blame?"

Oh boy. This is the ugly part and requires tough love. It is only made worse the longer you stay in denial. Stop finger-pointing at Craigslist for killing Classified’s cash cow, or Google for aggregating news content. Quit bawling out your ad team as if it’s their fault no one reads ads anymore. Stop bitching about product placement in TV and film—you know you’d do it if you could afford it! It’s time to GET OVER IT!

3) Bargaining:
The third stage involves the hope that the individual can somehow postpone or delay death. Usually, the negotiation for an extended life is made with a higher power in exchange for a reformed lifestyle. Psychologically, the person is saying, "I understand I will die, but if I could just have more time..."

Example - "Just let me live to see my children graduate."; "I'll do anything for a few more years."; "I will give my life savings if..."

You are more than half-way to a social media breakthrough! You’re putting on your ‘reality goggles’ and starting to see the possibilities! “Maybe if I reconnected with my old colleagues on Facebook or LinkedIn, I’d have a network that could help me in my job search, if needed?” Or, “If I could get followers on my Twitter feed reading my news content or being driven to my YouTube channel, then at least I’d have a built-in audience for my material if I had to freelance for a while.” "Maybe if I gave a recommendation to my old boss, she'd give me one too."

With the disintermediation of news and entertainment that the Internet brings, recognize that your communications skills make you a free agent! Start understanding the trade-offs and where there’s opportunity for you. Simply put, if you’ve got talent (like half of Britain, apparently) and an ounce of self-motivation, you can become the Susan Boyle of social media. (If you’ve never heard of Susan Boyle, see Stage 1 and seek professional help immediately.)

4) Depression:
During the fourth stage, the dying person begins to understand the certainty of death. Because of this, the individual may become silent, refuse visitors and spend much of the time crying and grieving. This process allows the dying person to disconnect themself from things of love and affection. It is not recommended to attempt to cheer an individual up that is in this stage. It is an important time for grieving that must be processed.

Example - "I'm so sad, why bother with anything?"; "I'm going to die . . . What's the point?"; "I miss my loved one, why go on?"

Perseverance is half the battle! Do not give up. And social engagement is the whole point—don’t cut yourself off. You’ve got to invest the effort and the energy to get yourself on the social media map and engage with the people you’re seeking to build relationships with. Don’t hide behind ‘protected’ updates.

This process will take time, but believe me, it will happen. And remember, the past is gone. Don’t cling to it. Instead, participate in the here and now of social media. And be open to new connections.

5) Acceptance:
This final stage comes with peace and understanding of the death that is approaching. Generally, the person in the fifth stage will want to be left alone. Additionally, feelings and physical pain may be non-existent. This stage has also been described as the end of the dying struggle.

Example - "It's going to be okay."; "I can't fight it, I may as well prepare for it."

Yes! You made it! You’re seeing the light and you’re ready to go into it. And, best of all, you don’t need to go into it alone. Your enlightened agency is here to take you by the hand and guide you through it. We’ve gone through these very stages ourselves, and we’ve worked it out so that we can be there for you at your time of need!

BBBZZZZZTT..... Okay, sounds like our time is up. You can get up off the couch now. The next time we meet, I’d like to discuss your plan of action and how we can help you launch it, maintain it, and monitor your results.

In the meantime, let’s keep the lines of communication wide open. And if you’ve got any thoughts to share, there's a Comment space below and a link below to share them on Twitter or Facebook. Let's make this sharing a part of your therapy in between sessions.

Social Media and B2B Marketing

2009-05-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity today to share some ideas with professionals in Southern California's electronics industry for using social media in their marketing programs.

I shared some examples of effective B2B social media communications with a technical focus. You can get a sense of the content of the presentation from the slides below.

I did steer the audience toward FriendFeed as a more technically oriented social networking tool. It may have a smaller number of users but when your target audience is limited to the 275 engineers that truly understand your area of electrical design, that's all you need--it's not about attracting thousands of followers, just those who matter.

Social Media & Electronics Industry B2B Marketing

View more presentations from Julie Wright.

The World's Got Talent

2009-04-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

Just because it's been done before doesn't mean it can't be done differently and better. In business, that's the key to competing. When you find a way to do something differently and better, you've created a market opportunity.

Singer Susan Boyle may have 47 million views on YouTube, but when I watch this dance troupe--Diversity--that performed a few weeks after Boyle on Britain's Got Talent, I'm reminded that there's always room for innovation--even in a communications art that goes back thousands of years! Enjoy...

Swine Flu infects the media

2009-04-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

Swine Flu is highly contagious among journalists. In fact, this news story seems to have mutated in the media population and is now more viral than the virus itself. With 40 cases reported by the CDC in the U.S. to date--20 of which have already fully recovered--my research suggests a probable 1:100 patient to journalist ratio.

How has Swine Flu impacted the IT industry and your company's travel or business in Mexico? An IT industry reporter wants to know.

A trade show industry publication wants to hear from meeting and event planners who have cancelled an event because of Swine Flu.

How are retailers keeping the devices customer touch germ-free? A retailing trade reporter is on deadline and needs your 'real-world' stories.

Producers with a cable TV news channel want U.S. tourism experts to talk to about travel impacts.

That last query was 7 hours old. By now, I assume, any pundit worth his or her weight in bacon would have porked up their bio to emphasize expertise in pandemics. And bookers are probably batting experts away like so many malaria-infected mosquitos (malaria, by the way, kills over 850,000 people per year).

So, what's your Swine Flu story? As much as it pains me to ask, if you've got an angle on this story dominating the news cycle today (and for the foreseeable future), clearly there's some media very anxious to talk to you. And, in their time of suffering, you would be bringing them comfort!

And, if you've got some anxieties about Swine Fluenza, the good news is that you can be a shut-in and still stay connected thanks to social media tools, like the CDC's Twitter feed (probably the only Swine Flu source you should pay heed to on Twitter) or, my favorite, this Google map which is tracking and plotting cases worldwide.

By the way, 600 Tweets including the #swineflu hashtag were posted in the past few minutes as I wrote this.

Your Crisis Plan Needs a Web 2.0 Upgrade

2009-04-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago, I developed a crisis communications plan and training workshop for executives of a regional pizza chain.

As part of the planning process, I had to present feasible crisis scenarios that this company might face--a food poisoning outbreak, workplace violence, fatal collision, employee theft, fire, earthquake, high profile lawsuit, etc.

By anticipating these scenarios, I could help the organization's executives prepare and be ready to hit the ground running in a crisis.

If I were working on that project today, I would definitely be incorporating social media into the scenarios both as a threat and an opportunity.

Domino's Pizza showed last week exactly how social media can be both the problem and the solution. In case you missed it, two dimwitted Domino's employees made a YouTube video of themselves tampering with the food they were preparing and acting in ways sure to get them fired if not criminally charged. They uploaded the video April 13 and it got noticed--quickly!

Domino's shut down and sanitized the store, fired the employees (who've also been charged by the local D.A.'s office with a felony), posted a response on YouTube from the company's U.S. president, and launched a Twitter feed from its corporate headquarters to engage directly with customers and commentators.

This example should serve as a wake-up call to any organization that hasn't upgraded its crisis communications plan to include both social media as a communications tool but also social media as a crisis accelerant!

Social Media as Crisis

Social media backlashes now constitute a crisis of their own. Therefore, if you haven't done this already, it's high time your organization thought about and prepared for the possibility of a social media crisis.

Take the Motrin mom backlash on Twitter over the release of a tongue-in-cheek Motrin campaign targeting baby-wearing mothers as an example. The entire crisis was initially confined to the 3.4 million unique visitors on Twitter in November 2008 and a vocal sub-set of those who were offended by the campaign. Ultimately, their complaints and discussions became the number one trending topic on Twitter, which attracted the attention of traditional media like USA Today as well as the Motrin makers. The campaign was pulled and apologies made.

In March 2009, Twitter was visited by 14 million people. This growth in just four months is staggering, particularly now that it exceeds the combined print circulation of the top five daily newspapers in America.

While in terms of website traffic (a fairer comparison), CNN.com had over 30 million unique visitors last month--or double Twitter--Facebook.com drew in 91 million. (See the stats via Compete.com.) Based on their numbers and reach alone, these social media sites definitely matter to anyone charged with managing communications for their organization.

Think of each 'user' of a social media site as a potential 'contributor' with the ability to shape opinion or break news themselves. Then you then get the full idea of how quickly a social media backlash can spread on a site like Twitter and why having a crisis plan ready to trigger in response is so essential.

Social Media as Solution

While the bad news is that social media can wreak havoc, the good news is that you can also harness its power in response to any type of crisis--and, in fact, you should.

In your crisis communications plan, your social media section should set out who is in charge of content for the organization's Twitter feed, blog, YouTube channel, and Facebook updates--to name a few. Login information should be at the ready so that the organization is not inadvertently locked out at the precise moment when these communications tools are needed.

The social media or community manager must be at the table along with the organization's media spokesperson and decision-makers. In a crisis, the social media message must be consistent with all other message points. And because of the immediacy of social media -- which makes it even quicker than a press release -- under no circumstances should social media communications be left to someone without first-hand knowledge of the situation and direct access to the organization's leadership.

Credibility is key in a crisis. And for your organization's communications to hold the high ground in social media circles, they need to be timely, accurate and authentic.

If you're not timely, other commentators will fill the vacuum with opinion, speculation, and innuendo. If you're not accurate, your mistakes will be outed immediately and contribute to the crisis. And if you're not authentic, you'll be ignored or, worse, ridiculed.

With live streaming video possible from a cell phone or laptop, and so many channels for sharing information with stakeholders and the public, social media used correctly during a crisis should be an opportunity for a smart and prepared organization to build its relationships with stakeholders and enhance its image and reputation.

So if your organization has no crisis communications plan or hasn't reviewed and updated its plan in several years, dust it off and upgrade it for compatibility with Web 2.0!

If the economy gives you lemons, open a lemonade stand

2009-04-09T17:24:00.001-07:00

Researchers from the Stanford Business School recently published the results of an experiment conducted with a children's lemonade stand. And the results were conclusive.

Three signs were used to advertise. One said, "Spend a little time and enjoy C&D's lemonade." Another read, "Spend a little money and enjoy C&D's lemonade." And the third sign read, "Enjoy C&D's lemonade."

The sign that mentioned time attracted the most customers and the most money. Fourteen percent of passersby stopped to buy and spent an average of $2.50 in response to this sign.

Only half that volume, seven percent, bought when the "Spend a little money" sign was displayed, and the average amount spent per glass dropped to $1.36.

Conjuring up a personal connection to an experience versus a promotional message focused on cost is more likely to resonate with consumers and produce sales.

Twitter and Facebook growing as MySpace shrinks

2009-03-30T21:25:00.001-07:00

The Guardian reports MySpace had 124 million unique visitors in February, shrinking 2%, according to the marketing research company comScore.

Meantime, Facebook grew nearly 17% to reach 276 million unique visitors month over month. It is now double the size of MySpace, the one-time heavyweight of social media.

Twitter, the Wall Street Journal reports, counted 9.8 million users worldwise, up from 6.1 million just the month prior. That's astronomical growth.

So, why is one site catching on so fiercely while another is losing its grip? And what does it mean to communicators?

For me, the answer lies in the user experience and in the idea that there's a theoretical limit to the number of social networks a person needs to maintain.

I'm a firm believer in good design, both in functionality and form. Facebook has a clean, simple interface that is plain but not unpleasant. MySpace, on the other hand, is an ungodly mess, difficult to read and next to impossible to pretty up without a lot of html coding.

Unless you're a band trying to share music and tour dates, MySpace also lacks the rich functionality to keep each visit fresh and interesting.

Facebook has invested heavily in the user experience. I just checked in on my profile, and saw at a glance a client's weekend camping trip photos, an 80s song lyrics challenge, a request for my birthday -- which is coming up April 9 so felt compelled to respond, links to articles, and so much more.

User experience explains why people are attracted to Facebook and leaving MySpace, and it compounds on itself: as more people leave, there's less reason for others to stick around. Looking at Twitter, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Twitter applications to enhance the user experience, it's incredibly simple to join and connect with people, and the site just made an enhancement to its functionality today: See Twitter Blog: Replies Are Now Mentions. As I told a reporter doing a story for Rhode Island's WPRI.com, it's the functionality that makes a site matter to the user.

I also believe that the mass market has a limited attention span for these networks.

If the average person can get their social needs met from one mainstream site like Facebook plus one niche site for their particular interest, like Twittermoms or Flickr, then they're going to stick with what is most convenient, productive and relevant for them.

It's the same principle to me as Dunbar's number: a theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. The number is somewhere between 150 and 230.

If there's a theoretical maximum for social relationships, then it follows that there's a similar maximum for social media websites.

For instance, I have neglected accounts with BrightKite and FriendFeed. I ignore Plaxo requests but continue to invest deeply in LinkedIn. These are examples of some of the sites that have fallen outside my theoretical maximum, for now.

When it comes to social media survival, MySpace would be wise to borrow a page from Google's successful strategy--and quick: keep it simple, make it easy, and create a rich user experience if you want people to give you their time and loyalty online.

Choice words from Chris Brogan

2009-03-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

I drove up to Orange County and attended my first meeting of the So Cal Action Sports Network tonight, having learned about it via Twitter from @kirstenwright (who referred me to @tawnypress who had an extra ticket). The organization is primarily San Diego-based and was started by Bryan Elliott after many years in the action sports industry.

Hosted at Oakley's formidable headquarters, the event featured a panel of experienced action sports and lifestyle brand marketers to talk about social media followed by blogger Chris Brogan who is social media lightning in a bottle.

The panelists shared a lot of industry wisdom. My favorite piece of advice was from one shoe and skateboard marketer who observed (and I can vouch for this) that parents won't skimp on their kids, though they might skimp on themselves. Therefore, as a mid-priced fashion shoe product, he targets a $45 to $75 retail price so that parents see it as the more affordable choice against other shoes priced at $100 and up.

Hansen's soda and Oakley representatives were both vocal about listening to their customers, being involved directly in the sports and activities their customers care about, and keeping the brand experience authentic despite the economy.

Chris Brogan batted clean up. His opening slide included a hashtag (Note to self: include your own hashtag on your intro slide) so attendees could 'live Tweet' the presentation and make sure all Tweets were aggregated into one feed. See it here.

Brogan queried his Twitter followers prior to his presentation, trying to get a handle on action sports from the 55K+ people who follow his Tweets. He said "I ask Twitter everything, because they're smarter than me and there's more of them." From a communications perspective, Brogan obeys the first commandment: know thy audience. And he makes an effort to speak directly to their interests and needs, despite being, he joked, more of an expert at wiping out and falling down than action sports awesomeness.

Whether it came from Twitter or his own personal insight (a little bit of both, I'm sure) he suggested to the audience that what all the action sports company execs had in common is that they all started out the same: finding something cool and wanting to share it with others.

Sharing, he noted, is at the heart of what social media is all about.

Don't focus on the tools of social media. Keep the focus on the story and enhancing its ability to be shared with others, he advised. An example he cited was touring Oakley and seeing a tester blast pellets into the lenses of a new pair of Oakleys. At first it looked fun, like playing at a shooting arcade for a living, but Brogan realized it would get monotonous fast, and he'd probably turn the pellets on himself. After Tweeting this, a response came from one of his followers: that person's son was wearing Oakleys on duty in Afghanistan and having glasses that could withstand pelting sand and protect him in a truly hostile environment was essential. That touched Brogan, and it became part of the Oakley story that was worth sharing.

On Facebook, "no one cares about your stupid product. Stop blurting it out," Brogan admonished. When brands handle their communications in this fashion, in social media circles, they are quickly unfollowed or unfriended. This is not broadcast media and people don't have to pay attention to unwanted messages. They just drop you from their network.

The metaphor Brogan applied was the difference between someone shaking your hand when you meet and someone sticking their tongue in your mouth. Some things that a company would never do in person they tend to feel they can do in a social network, apparently.

One of the common objections to participating in social media, Brogan observed, was the fear that negative feedback would be posted to a company's blog, but to Brogan, negative feedback is great when you treat it as a learning opportunity. And where better to have people bring their complaints but to your own doorstep where you can respond to them right away and directly.

All good points and choice words from one of the leading advocates and consultants in the social media space.

San Diego media on Twitter - Part II

2009-03-15T15:13:00.001-07:00

I originally drafted a list of San Diego media professionals on Twitter via the San Diego Metblog that I also write for. It has become the most popular blog post on that site because it's information people want.

More journalists and media personalities have joined Twitter, so I have drafted an update here and included the original post below.

Note that some of the additions are because of a new online breaking and local news source, San Diego News Network which launches March 18:

@sdnewsnetwork - News from SDNN
@sdtips – Travel editor for SDNN
@carondg - Food editor for SDNN
@sdradio – KGB radio reporter
@ericcollins - Channel 6 weekend news anchor
@culturelust – KPBS FM news reporter Angela Carone
@michellemowad – San Diego Business Journal real estate and development reporter
@mjdavis – leads strategy and interactive at SDUT
@joshkopelman - publisher of Dining Out San Diego
@krdavy - editor of the North County Times
@tkarnold - editor of Home Media Magazine
@sdmetblogs - citizen journalism site

ORIGINAL POST - "San Diego Media Takes to Twitter"
By juliewright February 26th, 2009 @ 8:04 AM

Whether you call it real-time conversations or microblogging, Twitter is a tool that San Diego’s media are picking up and putting to use. You can follow individual reporters or on-air personalities in San Diego as well as subscribe to Twitter news feeds:

Media Tweeps
@dodgemedlin – San Diego Union-Tribune assistant news editor
@RickyWhy – San Diego Union-Tribune local government editor Ricky Young
@ninagarin – San Diego Union-Tribune ‘Street’ reporter Nina Garin
@jimtrageser - North County Times reporter
@drolland – San Diego CityBeat editor David Rolland
@ericwolff – San Diego CityBeat reporter Eric Wolff
@catherine739 – NBC 7/39 anchor Catherine Garcia
@carondg – San Diego Foodstuff blogger, freelance food, travel and tech writer Caron Golden
@lcaloh – KPBS convergence editor Leng Caloh
@culturelust - KPBS arts and culture producer Angela Carone
@tmack01 – KNSD 7/39 photographer
@helenchang – San Diego News Network business editor (launching in March)
@michellemowad - San Diego Business Journal real estate reporter Michelle Mowad
@Hula933 - 93.3 FM AJ’s Playhouse personality Hula Ramos

San Diego News Feeds on Twitter
@sdut - San Diego Union-Tribune
@utstreet - Union-Trib’s Street section
@sdbackyard - Union-Tribune’s SD Backyard community social media news site
@nctimes - North County Times
@sdcitybeat - San Diego City Beat
@kpbsnews - KPBS FM news
@nbcsandiego - NBC 7/39 News
@10news - KGTV 10 News
@sandiego6 - San Diego Channel 6
@SDSU_NewsTeam - San Diego State University news / media relations
@UCSDNews - UCSD news / media relations
@bizsandiego - BizSanDiego
@sdbloggers - SDBloggers.com

If you’ve got other local media or newsfeeds on Twitter to suggest, send them to @juliewright. And thanks in advance for any contributions.

Tools for Twittering

2009-03-01T08:51:00.000-08:00

Thinking about geting on Twitter? There are many do's and don'ts, some of which you just have to learn by doing. (Or contact me and I'll walk you through some of them or present to your organization.)

In the meantime, I've been bookmarking and compiling helpful tools to get the most out of my Twitter experience. And thought I'd share my collection:

tweetdeck.com – Adobe Air desktop app for viewing, posting, replying, and monitoring. I could not Tweet without it.

search.twitter.com - Enter any search term to find out who has recently posted it. For instance, here's s search of the term "WiMAX": http://search.twitter.com/search?q=wimax

tweetgrid.com - Monitor Twitter in real-time for multiple search terms. Here's a search of my Twitter ID @juliewright, 'obama,' and 'ipod.' These last two terms are updated in real time. Very cool.

twittersheep.com - Displays the most common biographical elements in a person's followers' bios--their herd. For instance, mine shows that most of my followers are social media consultants or junkies, PR professionals, bloggers, news hounds or other media connections.

tweetclouds.com - See what kinds of things a person twitters most about. DISCLAIMER: This website is taking so long to load that I abandoned it. Like many Twitter tools, most are free and therefore there's no business model to underwrite additional servers, etc. as they become more heavily used. I'm assuming that's the problem here.

tweetscan.com - Searches Twitter for key search terms and sends you emails with links to relevant posts. This is a very convenient way of staying on top of Twitter activity relevant to your interests or business. As with Tweetclouds.com, I'm having trouble loading their site.

futuretweets.com - Tweets for you while you’re away from your computer/phone, so allows 'time shifting.' Claims to be a great way to create an alibi too. Um, not sure about that.

themattinator.com - Post to multiple Twitter accounts simultaneously.

tweepsearch.com – Find people to follow.

twitter.com/mrtweet - Recommends people to follow.

twitpic.com - Send photos via Twitter; people can comment on them. Your comments on other people's photos will appear as Tweets. See mine: http://twitpic.com/photos/juliewright.

twickie.com – Embed Twitter threads in your blog/website.

twitbacks.com – Create customized backgrounds

twtpoll.com – Create a poll you can embed in your Twitter stream and monitor results.

tweetcongress.org - Find Congress people on Twitter. Apparently 11% are there.

mediaontwitter.pbwiki.com - Find other media on Twitter (also search #journotwit too).

meetup.com/sdtweetup - Meet people you Twitter with in person. This is the San Diego link. But there are usually TweetUps in all major cities.

tweetergetter.com – EVIL. Don’t do it…. This enables you to generate new followers or follow others in a spammish way that is counter to the principles of good social media practices.

Which brings me full circle to the do's and don'ts of Twitter and social media in general which will have to be the subject of another post, another time!

P.S. I do not vouch for the security of these tools. Most will require you to share your Twitter ID and password to fully use them.

San Diego Press Club Social Media Presentation

2009-02-25T08:17:00.001-08:00

The San Diego Press Club hosted a social media presentation last night on the subject of social media.

The panel included me (Julie) representing (W)right On, Caron Golden who blogs for San Diego Foodstuff, Indra Gardiner who is COO of agency Bailey Gardiner, and Ron James who is launching San Diego News Network to rival SignonSanDiego.com.

It was a full house and people were extremely interested in Twitter. There were a few people who already knew Twitter quite well (these include @gbatuyong who was live Tweeting -- *hooray* -- and @thoughtshappen).

As promised to attendees, I've uploaded a copy of the presentation I shared on social media.

Social Media for San Diego Press Club

View more presentations from Julie Wright. (tags: social media)

San Diego's Growing Twitter Community

2009-02-25T08:10:00.000-08:00

If you didn't already know this, San Diego has a great, enthusiastic and powerful Twitter community.

Currently, the city is ranked 13th worldwide for its Tweeples' activity.

The top Twitterers in this region are also some of the top in the world. Twitter Grader refers to them as San Diego's 'elite' Twitterers. @marismith, for instance, is ranked #1 in this region and in the top 100 of all ranked users.

Naturally, many of the people most active on Twitter are 'social media mavens,' so I personally suggest that if you're looking to keep your Twitterstream fresh, diverse, and relevant, be careful not to jump in by following only the top Twitterers. You'd be missing out on a lot.

Mix it up with great San Diego attractions and venues like @gaslampquarter or news media like @sdut. Or how about both with @sdtips which combines local travel tips, news and a lot more. Or journalists like @dodgemedlin who you can always count on to post topical and timely links.

Follow San Diego Metblog authors like @juliewright (me), @thepegisin, @viss, @morrisato and more.

There are personalities to follow here too like @chriscantore who's a fount of local music knowledge and as entertaining ever. Or @sddialedin if you're looking for recommendations on the local music scene--in real-time, by the way, which often means 2 a.m. for her. If classic rock is more your bag, you can't beat @sdradio for his encyclopedic knowledge.

If you're a morning person and preternaturally perky, you'll enjoy the good natured posts of @marismith (see link above), @sugarjones, and @lotusamy.

You can stay connected to the city of San Diego via @mayorsanders.

And if you're interested in San Diego's culinary community and what's fresh, follow @carondg, @aliceqfoodie and @pinchmysalt.

I suggest you chase those food posts down with a beer post or two from @stonegreg of Stone Brewing and @beermolly.

If you're interested in San Diego's biotech industry, follow @sdbn. And if you're interested in the future and health of its fast food industry and leading spokesperson, follow @jackbox (who's apparently in a coma but you can count on his staff to keep his account updated.)

It really helps to get out and meet your Tweeps in person, and for that, you need to follow @jbruin who organizes San Diego TweetUps like the one last Saturday night that brought out over 200 people. Read her blog post and see pictures too if you wonder what a TweetUp looks like. http://www.meetup.com/sdtweetup/ (I wish I could go but I have a 'thing'... I just love saying that.)

This list is just a start. I'll try to share more links to local San Diego Tweeps in the future. And I encourage you to share your favorites by commenting below or reaching me on Twitter @juliewright.

Jack in the Box 'Hang in There Jack' misses the RSS feed

2009-02-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

See yesterday's post if you missed the ad that Jack in the Box ran during the Superbowl. This post is 'part II' or 'the morning after.'

By Feb 2 in the morning, it's clear the www.hangintherejack.com site has a lot of great multimedia and much of it in YouTube format. I believe that all of these videos were posted during and immediately after Superbowl but because the site couldn't handle the traffic, I, like many, couldn't see them.

The 'creative' on the site is fantastic. And that's why I believe it deserves better tactical execution in social networks and that some of the missed opportunities here border on egregious (let alone the $3mil required to have bought the original ad space.)

The site encourages you to make a video response, comment on the videos and order anything off their menu (in lieu of flowers). But there's one H-U-G-E element it's missing and that's an RSS feed. A simple little icon that allows me to subscribe to this blog. That's out-and-out crazy and another big sign that the people behind the campaign don't understand social media.

Another sign? The Facebook page has one update since yesterday and the Twitter accounts are still at odds with @hangintherejack providing fresh, timely updates to 35 (?) followers and the @jackbox site doubling its followers again to over 1400 despite publishing only one update.

Seems this is an advertising driven campaign and expensive TV airtime will be used to push people to www.hangintherejack.com. Meantime, inexpensive and more personalized social media marketing and engagement will be foregone or done haphazardly as the advertising executives learn on the job. (Hey, in these rapidly evolving times, we're all learning by doing, but what small fee could have paid to have a social media consultant contribute to this promotion.)

I am curious to learn what agency is behind the promotion because my money is on a traditional ad agency that has talked its client into an 'interactive' campaign without fully understanding what an interactive campaign should look like in 2009.

Jack in the Box mascot massacre hit or miss for social media

2009-02-01T18:35:00.000-08:00

In a $3 million Superbowl ad, Jack Box gets hit by a bus--his condition, serious. The commercial ends with the url www.hangintherejack.com. Problem?

Well, the promotional website crashes. And, worse, the Twitter account, @jackbox, was not being maintained for the first 30 minutes after the ad.

Unlike @overstockdotcom or @scottmonty, who manages social media for Ford, Jack in the Box was silent in social networks in the aftermath of its major advertising campaign launch of 2009.

In today's connected world, that's a huge missed opportunity to connect in real-time with fans of the Jack advertising, product and mascot.

Even nearly one hour after debuting the ad, the last Tweet Jack showed was that he was off to his ill-fated lunch with executive Phil, the website was still crashed, and no updates were available on the company's Facebook page.

Finally, while the Superbowl was still in progress, a Twitter post was generated by 'Barbara,' Jack's assistant, with an update and more promised.

And following the Superbowl, the website came back up. I couldn't see the multimedia on the site for whatever reason and the only other options were to order something from the menu in lieu of flowers or follow the Twitter or Facebook accounts. In the wake of the commercial

We'll see whether the campaign becomes a social media phenomenon. If the folks behind it adopt some of the approaches that made the Mad Men characters so engaging and fun for people to interact with, it could redefine the meaning of "being hit by the proverbial bus"--at least in advertising circles.

Get well Jack!

Evolution of Dance Star Launching Sequel!

2009-01-09T10:00:00.001-08:00

His dance-craze video has been viewed nearly 110 million times on YouTube, and soon Judson Laipply will launch his sequel live on YouTube and show a sneak peek on the Today Show. PC World got the story while covering the Consumer Electronics Show (CES09) this week.

read more | digg story

Hitting Pause in a Fast-Forward World

2008-12-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

As communicators -- PR people, marketers, media, bloggers -- we're inundated with incoming and outgoing messages. Keeping pace is hard enough, but it's also not enough. We must stay ahead of the curve.

In this day and age, that's what our clients, readers, and viewers expect of us. We live in a hyper-connected world and are navigating it at hyperspeed.

Is it any wonder that from time to time, a communication goes awry or a message astray? In this communications environment, the unglamorous 'check and balance' has been run roughshod by the fast and the furious.

It reminds me of the character Toby, in my favorite TV show, The Office (yes, I'm finally making the connection to the photo above!). He's always trying to put the brakes on his boss Michael's ill-conceived ideas. But the office group-think and Michael's impatience always trump Toby's protestations, and Toby is the office buzzkill. It's good comedy, but it's a reminder that what's popular or fun is not always right or appropriate.

But, back to the real world and what happens when the checks and balances aren't adhered to: The New York Times had to post a retraction yesterday for running a letter to the editor that was supposedly from the mayor of Paris. It was critical of Caroline Kennedy and her senate seat run. New York Times letters are supposed to be verified with the author before being published. This one was edited and emailed back to its sender; however, it was published eventhough the sender -- who, of course, was not the mayor of Paris -- never responded to the Times.

This reminds me also of the French-Canadian DJs posing as French President Nicolas Sarkozy who got past the checks and balances that should have been protecting U.S. vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin from such embarassment.

And, I'm wondering, to borrow a phrase from the French, if "c'est la vie?" I hope not. And as communicators, I think it's imperative that we keep one finger on the pause button, ready to push. Communication is often defined by what you don't say, and keeping quiet can often be the best course (see our blog post from yesterday for more on that topic.)

This season, The Office brought Toby back from Costa Rica. I'll take this as a sign that we're ready to slow the pace down, increase our control over communications, heed and head off problems before they get bail-out big, and live with making unpopular decisions rather than living with disastrous consequences.

What's a Social Media Maelstrom?

2008-12-22T07:27:00.001-08:00

There have been a few 'flaps' that have started as the result of a blog post, comment or social media campaign gone wrong.

In November, it was the Motrin Moms, mothers reacting to Motrin's promotion associating 'baby wearing' with pain and a fashion statement. It was meant to be a light and fun viral post, but the reaction it got was just the opposite. Here's what it looked like when Twitter exploded with moms' reactions:

(This chart is generated by Twitscoop a powerful tool for keeping an eye on what the Twitterverse is discussing in real-time. Last week, it was how I learned about the passing of a good friend's well-known mother and that Mats Sundin had been traded to the Vancouver Canucks--the latter which got me cited in the Vancouver Sun's tech blog.)

If you're interested in learning more about the Motrin Moms backlash, there's a great blog post by Forrester analyst Jeremiah Owyang's blog. Here's the original animation captured via YouTube for posterity, although Motrin took it down shortly after it launched.

This morning there's another example of a social media backlash. This one is the reaction to a guest post by a blogger's boss, and his readers are not welcoming it. The acting CEO of an organization in Washington D.C. called the Center for American Progress Action Fund made a four-sentence post on a blog by employee Matt Yglesias this weekend defending a partner called Third Way that Matt had previously criticized. I don't know either group, or I didn't know either group. But now I do because of her ham-handed communication that like many missives at the heart of a scandal or a crisis had "unintended consequences." Meant originally to appease the partner, what it actually did was anger everyone else. With nearly 500 comments and counting, here are the unintended messages it sent:

m Says: December 21st, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Was this really necessary? if I remember, all yglesias said was that Third Way was more a messaging outfit than a policy research institution. that isn’t controversial or false - it is true.

KCinDC Says: December 21st, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Well, we have learned that Third Way is apparently thin-skinned enough to demand that CAPAF commandeer the blog and post a ham-handed disclaimer late on a Sunday night.

Bill Says: December 21st, 2008 at 10:59 pm
If it’s Matt’s blog, it’s his blog. He should correct factual errors but no one should ever step in and offer a groveling CYA post. That’s just disgusting.

lowellfield Says: December 21st, 2008 at 11:53 pm
How could a person who thinks this post is appropriate also be the CEO of CAPAF? Completely bizarre.

The Motrin Moms and this post above both had something in common. They happened on the weekend, with no one monitoring and no one managing the issues.

Social media is a 24/7 environment. So take care to avoid unintended consequences in your communications, but also resist the urge to launch any kind of campaign or missive going into the weekend without plans to monitor and manage the reactions in real-time.

Most-watched web video Evolution of Dance launching sequel

2008-12-17T11:04:00.001-08:00

Remember the funniest six minutes you ever watched on YouTube? 107 million views and counting, Evolution of Dance is back at www.eod2.com with a viral animation that gives a sneak peek at the new songs and dance moves of performer Judson Laipply. Sign up and be alerted when the video launches. Crank that Soulja Boy! Thank you to the folks at Saveology.com and partner PeopleJam for getting this going!

read more digg story

Avoiding Embarassing Email SNAFUS

2008-12-10T10:07:00.000-08:00

At some time, it happens to everyone. You hit 'reply all.' I know this to be true because today it happened to my mother.

Known for her acidic sense of humor and sharp tongue (at least that's how's she's known within the family), I can only imagine the social carnage resulting from her error.

Let me share a tip for anyone who wants to avoid shooting themselves in the foot via email: Set up your email with a 10 minute delay. If you've got an urgent email to send, just manually hit send/receive so it leaves your outbox immediately. But you will -- as I have -- save yourself grief and regret with this simple 10 minute rule.

And since it won't save you if you accidentally hit 'reply all,' learn to check the To field before hitting send--particularly if you've written something you wouldn't want widely circulated. (And if it's a business communication that's particularly sensitive, mark it Confidential too.)

But another benefit of the 10 minute delay is that you'll often remember a point you forgot to make so you now have time to go back and add it in. In today's world of instant communication, building in a little time for reflection is a best practice.

This holiday season, please, remember to communicate.

2008-12-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

As anyone in Southern California will tell you, it is difficult to get into the Christmas spirit with sunny skies and warm temperatures year round. I'm certainly not complaining, but it seems that without snow, starting your car 10 minutes before you leave in the morning, or seeing your breath in the air - Christmas just doesn't feel the same. Last year was my first winter in San Diego and I even tried ice skating on the beach to compensate, but the slushy mess of an ice skating rink didn't exactly do the trick.

What's a girl from the East Coast with a handful of friends here to do? Force the spirit? Luckily I didn't have to because the answer was in the mail. Literally. Tonight, I received the first Christmas card of the season and it was from my aunt in New York. It wasn't simply Happy Holidays, instead she filled the card with a note catching me up on the day to day activities of the family - how my cousin is doing, hunting season, craft fairs and of course the weather. Things that no one else would be interested in, but I was. I found myself feeling so good after reading her note. I was excited and interested to know what was going on. I was connected. And all it took was a note.

So in this era of blogging, short messaging and communicating in 140 characters or less to as many Followers and Friends as we can, let's not forget that there's no replacement for personal, heartfelt communication. Whether you are a professional communicator or just someone who hasn't talked to their family in a while, good communication can make all the difference. Happy Holidays.

Too Early to Get Your Holiday Groove On?

2008-11-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

Have you Elfed Yourself this year? The website that attracted over 20 million unique visitors according to analytics I ran on Compete.com, is back and groovier than ever. Office Max has better leveraged their popular creation for brand connection including custom coffee mugs and mousepads, etc. But the question for me is whether Elf Yourself -- now in its third season -- is tradition or tired? Watch the video below and then you be the judge!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Oratory Also a Winner in Presidential Election

2008-11-11T20:27:00.000-08:00

There are so many reasons to celebrate Barack Obama’s historic election victory, but one that communicators can all celebrate is the restoration of Presidential elocution.

This may come as a disappointment to publishers of 365-day desk calendars who have made a mint sharing daily George W. Bush malapropisms, known officially as Bushisms, or writers of late-night monologues who are working overtime to craft Obama punch-line material. As for the latter, I have no doubt that they'll figure out how. Yes they can!

But I’d like to take a moment to focus on Obama's rhetorical skills and celebrate what I hope, as a word nerd and communicator, will be four years of articulate leadership.

The crescendo of Obama’s election night acceptance speech is captured below, and I share it with you in the spirit of--nay--the audicity of hope--hope for a day when subjects and verbs can come together in agreement, no participle is left behind, the gerund wars are settled once and for all, and our streets and podiums are free from the dangerous mixing of metaphors.

Enjoy America!

“…If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where
all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive
in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your
answer.

This is your victory.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there.

I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.

And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

Let’s remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity. Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the
divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too. And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we
can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a
bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall
Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see?

What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America."

That's beautiful, stirring and serious stuff. I don't know about you, but I could use some levity. You know, come to think of it, there will be a lot to miss about George W. Bush. Here, also for posterity and equal time, are some of his finest moments in public speaking. Yes he did!

Great idea or great execution?

2008-10-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

It's a chicken-and-egg question. But for me, the answer -- hands down -- is execution.

Take an extreme and recent example: Mortgage-backed securities probably started out as a great idea! But look where poor execution got its proponents. No one has a clue which are the good mortgages and which are the bad.

What went wrong? Greed got in the way of good judgment throughout the lending system, and no one was being held accountable while we were lending and mortgage-backing our economy into oblivion. In fact, those that were accountable were rewarded. So accountability goes hand in hand with great execution, right? If there's no accountability, why care about the result?

Great idea --> Great execution --> Great result

If you're accountable for achieving great results, then there's your basic formula.

Try these others:

Great idea --> Poor execution --> Disappointing result

Lame idea --> Great execution --> Satisfactory result

Even a so-so idea or concept if supported by good execution will generally provide a better outcome than a great idea poorly executed. Albert Einstein gave ideas about 1 percent of the credit and perspiration the other 99 percent.

It was true for theoretical physics and it's true in communications too.

If you can't get the legwork done, or can't keep up with it, and you're not compelling enough or well-enough informed to do the arm-twisting and sell the idea, you won't get the results you're looking for.

This is the reason that the best communicators in the field are those that are driven, passionate and personally invested in the ideas they're communicating. Do you agree?

Beginning a Beautiful Relationship.

2008-09-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

I have to credit social media guru Brian Solis with a blog post that got me sufficiently motivated to discuss what happens when people confuse social media as an end and not a means.

Let me start by borrowing from the Jeff Foxworthy school of self-inquiry -- and, no, I am not referring to 'Are you smarter than a fifth grader?'

You know you're confused about social media if:

...The number of people you follow on Twitter outnumbers those following you 10:1.

...You have 1,000+ contacts on LinkedIn but only 1 in 10 are people you've actually met or worked with.

...You've uploaded hundreds of photos to Flickr, have Dugg dozens of articles or websites on Digg, etc. but have never commented on anyone else's photos or Diggs.

...You hide behind aliases like "Digital Pimp," "Ninja0539," or "XYZcoceo" and it's not clear from your profile who you are, where you live or what you do.

I think you get the idea. Social media is just like one big cocktail party, and there will always be people who think that just showing up is the measure of success. People who are more interested in how they're being perceived than in learning about others. Or who are more concerned with getting their message across than in receiving anyone else's.

Those who thrive on the cocktail circuit are those that know how to work the room, start conversations and make connections. In fact, before they showed up, these savvy people have researched who's attending the event and pinpointed the individuals or types of individuals they hope to meet. They then proceed to seek those people out at the event and leave the encounter with enough information and mutual interest to continue the dialogue.

Social media might initiallly depend on 'what you know,' but before long, your success with it turns on 'who you know.' And, of course, who knows you.

So if you are confused about social media and want to gain some insight on making more productive social connections -- in person or online -- before you read a bunch of thought-leadershippy talk on social media, check out the advice of Keith Ferrazzi in his best-seller "Never Eat Alone." It's a never-goes-out-of-style guide to relationship building in general. Ferrazzi borders on fanatical about networking best practices, so even if you only go for about 60% of what he recommends, you'll be vastly better off.

For Millennials and others who struggle with making the most from their social media connections, this is a recommended real-world read for better social-media-world results. And for the rest of us, it's a good reminder that the only thing really new about social media is the technology that makes it possible.

Google is Your Permanent Record

2008-08-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

This post will go on (W)right On's permanent record.

And so will just about anything you, your employees, friends, enemies, and family post to MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, Del.i.cious, etc.

Critical, unfavorable or downright bad search engine results that appear in your top 10 Google returns can easily become a stain on your record.

There are ways to manipulate search engine results so that favorable items recieve higher rankings, eventually relegating undesirable results, which are often inaccurate or really old news, to the second page of results.

While your online marketing team and SEO experts work hard to move your site up to #1 in the rankings for your category, be sure you have an online PR team working just as hard to keep the other nine results aligned with your desired image and pushing that cheapshot blog post to #11 or higher. (If after reading this, you're unconvinced of the power of 11, please be sure to watch the video primer that follows below.)

Google is essentially your company's home page and first impression. But there's also now a web project called the Internet Archive and, if Google is your permanent record, Internet Archive is your high school yearbook.

Thought you took down that embarassing webpost or terrible first attempt at a website? Think again and surf over to the Internet Archive: you'll find it there in all its former glory. While this can be painful, it can also be an excellent tool for research if you are looking for an old news release or other data that is no longer cached in the Google results. But it could just as easily be a liability to an organization that thought it had rid itself of a bio from a bad hire, content that it was sued over, or similar material. The bottomline is your overall online reputation is more important than a fleeting TV news story or traditional print coverage, except where that material is indexed by the search engines and becomes a part of your online image.

In the event that you've found this post a bit heavy, we will leave you with this excellent primer on the benefits and advantages of eleven, which is not simply restricted to unwanted search engine results but is also a great asset to amplification technology.

Best Thing School can Teach you These Days is to Adapt

2008-08-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

I co-chaired a breakfast session this morning for the Leadership North County Alumni that tackled the topic of education. Gary Moss of the San Diego Workforce Partnership kicked off the panel and his presentation (borrowed from www.thefischbowl.blogspot.com) contained these three slides and an 'aha' moment for me...

In the business of communications today, we are doing things and using tools that were never part of my generation's academic curriculum or early job experiences. But, as with the emergence of the Internet and email as new communications tools just over 10 years ago, social media is something I'm excited to be embracing and incorporating into our agency's toolkit.

Our ability to pick up these new tools and practices and put them to work is aided by our adaptability. We don't fear change and are excited by 'what's new.' That's essential to our business. In fact, the same skills that allow us to meet with a new client and understand their story, their business and their industry so quickly allow us to recognize shifts and adapt to the changing landscape in our own industry.

Getting back to our schools, the best thing we can do for today's students is to teach them the critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, communication, and organizational skills they'll need to adapt to whatever the world of work--five, 10 or 15 years from now--throws at them.

The fundamentals--good writing, solid math and science skills--are necessary to equip students for communicating, calculating and comprehending their worlds. (May b im oldskool but what passes for English in text and instant messages shouldn't carry over into other written communications.)

But if a student has the fundamentals down while having learned to be adaptive and resourceful in their outlook, their future will always be bright.

P.S. If you're a bright young thing and this last statement sounds like you, please email your resume to info@wrightoncomm.com.

Prepare to be Flashed by Esquire Magazine Cover

2008-08-01T05:51:00.000-07:00

The Christian Science Monitor website reports that in October, Esquire magazine will feature a battery-powered digital cover that flashes the tag line "The 21st Century Begins Now."

The cover is embedded with an E Ink display, the same setup used by the Amazon Kindle book reader. However, Esquire commissioned tiny custom batteries to fit into its paper-thin front page.

It required a six-figure investment by Esquire executives who hired an engineer in China to develop a battery small enough to be inserted in the magazine cover. Ford Motor has helped underwrite the cost with an ad on the issue’s E Ink inside cover.

You'll only be flashed for 90 days; after that the batteries die. And only if you buy at the magazine stand because the cover is limited to 100,000 copies to be sold to new potential subscribers at magazine racks.

Clearly there is significant PR value in this promotion that is the bigger outcome than just the 100,000 winking covers. Millions of potential Esquire readers will read about, hear or see this story through other media than will see the covers on newsstands.

So it's not a six-figure investment in 100,000 covers; it's a six-figure investment in the brand. It's bold and different, and in magazine publishing, it's a Purple Cow move!

I don't know about you, but I'm an Esquire subscriber and will be tempted to buy the magazine stand version anyhow if I can get my hands on it!

Taskus Interruptus: the new mode of work

2008-07-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

You probably already suspected this about yourself, but if you're anything like the IT workers studied by Gloria Mark, Professor of Informatics at UC Irvine; you shift your focus to a different task on average of every 3 minutes and 5 seconds!

Half of those switches are caused by interruptions. And, what's worse, most of them are you interrupting yourself! i.e. Checking email while you're doing something else.

This seems like a good counterpoint to our last post about Twittering, which is taking off in popularity exactly because it's just the type of thing you can read or post in 3 minutes and 5 seconds!

Other findings reported in the Fast Company interview with researchers:

"We found about 82percent of all interrupted work is resumed on the same day. But here's the bad news -- it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task."

"I argue that when people are switching contexts every 10 and half minutes they can't possibly be thinking deeply. There's no way people can achieve flow. When I write a research article, it takes me a couple of hours before I can even begin to think creatively. If I was switching every 10 and half minutes, there's just no way I'd be able to think deeply about what I'm doing. This is really bad for innovation. When you're on the treadmill like this, it's just not possible to achieve flow."

That's why, from time to time at (W)right On Communications, we shut down our email and close our doors to make the needed time for creativity and strategic thinking.

However, there's an upside to interruptions and multitasking too. Often solutions can come to you when you're thinking about something else. And task shifting gives you the chance to leave a tough problem and incubate it until the right answer or idea pops into your head.

Twitter, Follow or Get out of the Way.

2008-07-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

Twitter.com lets you post 140 character mini-blogs from your computer or mobile device and monitor those of your friends, professional colleagues or thought leaders who tend to share what they're reading or working on.

Yes, there are some people who Twitter what they're eating for lunch. Don't do that (unless you're a foodie and then it's ok and expected).

Simple rule: If you wouldn't want to read it, don't post it. To follow what we're doing at (W)right On Communications, there is www.twitter.com/juliewright and www.twitter.com/betsybrottlund. You simply visit the page and click to follow the Tweets of people who share your interests (you'll have to join and become a Twitterer before you can be a follower).

We find Twitter extremely useful. We enjoy scanning the Tweets of the people we're connected with through Twitter. But, as with LinkedIn, we're not just connected to the people following our Tweets but to their followers as well. You see, if something we Tweet catches our followers' interests, it could be reTweeted, posted to their blogs, and shared in many other ways -- thanks to the beauty of social networks.

But don't take our word for it. Read this article from the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, written by the chief political correspondent for Slate:

Don't Fear Twitter

Using moment-by-moment observations, 'Twitter entries
build a community of readers who find their way to longer articles ….'

By John Dickerson

If I were cleverer, this piece on Twitter and journalism would fit in Twitter's 140-character limitation. The beauty of Twitter when properly used — by both the reader and the writer — is that everyone knows what it is. No reader expects more from Twitter than it offers, and no one writing tries to shove more than necessary into a Twitter entry, which is sometimes called a Tweet, but not by me, thank you.
... For the rest, follow the link:
http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/08-2NRsummer/p05-dickerson.html

Hear the Buzz, Be the Buzz with Twing.com

2008-07-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

Twing.com is a free service that searches opinions, information, and conversations online —however obscure that particular interest may be.

In our last post, we said that Internet purchasing behavior showed that people still tended toward mainstream buying decisions, but the Twing website was designed to encourage people to find communities relevant to their interests.

We took it for a test drive and searched 'Autism' and 'Nutrition' (since our client Global Health Trax sponsored an autism benefit hosted by actress Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey last weekend. GHT's CEO attended their exclusive autism fundraiser. (Yes, the one where Britney Spears made a rare appearance.) (W)right On supported GHT's sponsorship with an online campaign that we pushed through in about three weeks to prepare and execute.

Here's what Twing.com told us about online conversations:

1,559 results
2,349 views for the top most relevant result: Autismtalk.net

942 views for next result: Forum Garden, which had 13 'replies' to Autismtalk's 3. So less traffic but more involvement.

When we sorted by 'date,' it was clear that right now everyone is talking about radio blowhard Michael Savage's recent assertion that most autistics are fakes and brats.
With one mouse click, the site also produces a graph charting the number of threads and posts for the past week, which is cool.

But, best of all, the site has a 'buzz chart.' So we inserted 'Global Health Trax' and 'autism' to track our PR effort in July for GHT. This is a great feature and allows you to visualize the impact of a campaign like the one we launched only a few weeks ago.

Twing.com just got added to our list of Favorites at (W)right On Communications!

And to reward you for reading this post, here's a photo of gorgeous Hollywood types from last Saturday.

Marketing's Long Tail and YouTube 'murketing'

2008-07-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

In 2007, there were 91 million songs available on iTunes but 91% of them sold only one copy each. The theory of the long tail was supposed to show how the Internet allowed consumers to find and indulge in their niche interests. But research like this on iTunes and similar research on movies shows that consumers continue to 'nibble' on their more obscure tastes and gorge on a small number of mainstream hits.

Read more here: http://www.slate.com/id/2195151/

And while you're visiting Slate, another great article is "Things are not what they Stream: Have corporate pranks gone to far?" It's a look at YouTube fakes, 'murketing,' and the value to the brand in the big 'reveal' when the brands are found out.

Here's the article: http://www.slate.com/id/2195687. Now go watch the video they're talking about where the cell phones pop corn kernels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V94shlqPlSI

The Neuroscience of Decoy Marketing

2008-07-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

In an expirement, two groups of subjects saw one or the other of these offers to subscribe to The Economist.

Offer A:
$59 - Internet Only Subscription (68 chose)

$125 - Internet and Print Subscription (32 chose)

Predicted Revenue - $8,012

Offer B:
$59 - Internet Only Subscription (16 chose)

$125 - Print Only Subscription (0 chose)

$125 - Internet and Print Subscription (84 chose)

Predicted Revenue - $11,444

Take a moment to look at this rather startling result. Both offers are the same, with the exception of including the “print only” subscription in Offer A. Despite the fact that not a single person chose that unattractive offer, its impact was dramatic - 62% more subjects chose the combined print and Internet offer, and predicted revenue jumped 43%. The print-only offer was the decoy, and served to make the combined offer look like a better value.

Read more about Decoy Marketing at the Neuromarketing blog.

http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/decoy-marketing.htm