Social Media Monitoring – The Human Touch

At GroundFloor Media, our GFM Digital practice offers what I believe is an innovative and highly customized approach to social media monitoring. Our Digital Snapshot™ is a proprietary social media discovery and competitive audit tool. Each Digital Snapshot combines measurable data with strategic insight to help clients understand what is being said about their brand, key competitors and most importantly, where opportunities exist to launch or improve a company’s social media presence.

I realize that I have an obvious bias as a GFM employee. But as an avid watcher of all things social media, GFM Digital does approach and deliver this research in a way that sets measurable benchmarks for clients and provides numerous recommendations for how to either create an online program from scratch or vastly improve a client’s engagement level in their current social media efforts.

How is this done? Lots and lots (and LOTS) of reading – what I like to call the “human touch.”

Yes, social media monitoring software has improved by leaps and bounds in the last few years. Radian 6, among other offerings, has drastically reduced the amount of time it takes to aggregate keyword-based content. Such platforms have also greatly improved functions such as sentiment/tone categorization, if you are willing to accept a certain margin of error. Going one step further, we can even use software to automatically group conversations by theme, verbs and adjectives, eliminating the tedious task of reading upwards of 5,000 posts or more to determine what the most common conversation topics and consumer actions are for a brand.

But all that data and related graphs are only as good as the people reviewing and presenting the information; social media metrics also need to be reviewed with a keen understanding about your company and industry competitors. The way I see it, new technology simply helps us pull more targeted data in less time. The real labor of social media monitoring and auditing hasn’t changed much – the best research still requires strategic review by a human being in order to provide insight that can positively steer and impact a brand that wants to excel in this space.

And that brings us back to the manual evaluation that GFM Digital delivers for every client that engages in the Digital Snapshot process. We just completed our annual Digital Snapshot for a client that conducts regular qualitative and quantitative reviews of market data, key benchmarks and competitor actions. Our findings were compelling. The good news – our client continues to shape its voice in social media and make progress in engaging target audiences in high-quality online conversations. And the surprising news – their competitors often appeared one way “on paper” and entirely differently once we took a deeper look at the impact that they are having (or not) on social media.

Digital Snapshots can be tedious and often require enlarging an Excel document to 175 percent so that by the 200th tweet, you can still keep analyzing the content and apply it to the social media plan being developed for a client after the research phase. But in the end, the “human touch” and our continually evolving approach to this research process enables us to elevate our conversations with clients about our findings, and hopefully add significant, lasting value to their social media programs.

~Alexis

The Critical Nature of Client Service

I’ve had several experiences lately – both good and bad – that have reminded me just how critical client/customer service is for companies of all sizes and across all industries. And it really only takes a little movement in either direction to make a big impact.

First, let’s get the bad out of the way… One of the simplest – and yet sometimes the most difficult – client service tools is communication. Communication is absolutely key. I’ve personally been working with a service provider who started out on such a high note in this area. My contact’s responsiveness to my questions – and indeed, his proactivity in keeping me updated – were the primary reasons I chose to work with his group over a competitor. However, the really disappointing part is that once the contract was signed, that communication pipeline all but dried up. I no longer get proactive update calls, and when I do manage to get someone to call me back, s/he is generally rushed and distracted on the phone. I certainly understand that everyone is busy, but the dramatic shift in customer service that I’ve experienced has left a bad taste in my mouth.

On the flip side – I’ve also had the pleasure of experiencing some pretty outstanding client service recently. And in these instances, I’m happy to be more specific. I tried a new (to me) Italian bakery recently – Vincenza’s Italian Bakery. I was desperate to find a last-minute solution for an impromptu dinner party. I looked up Italian bakeries, found Vincenza’s and called to see if they had any carry-out lasagna available. The woman I spoke to was incredibly friendly and helpful. Because it was last-minute, their supplies were limited, but she pulled the last lasagna out of the freezer and put my name on it. She proactively offered to prepare a loaf of garlic bread for me as well. And it was all ready to go when I arrived 20 minutes later. Wow!

On a grander scale, last week GroundFloor Media posted a link on our Facebook page to an article about a beautiful example of customer service exhibited by Southwest Airlines – in which a pilot opted to hold a plane to wait for a grieving grandfather. Yes, it delayed the flight a bit and probably angered some of the passengers – but in the end, the pilot helped make a tragic and painful situation slightly more bearable. And, although not as important in the grand scheme of things, his actions generated a great deal of goodwill for the airline in the process.

Finally, I’d like to cite two more examples of laudable client service – examples that are very relevant to the PR industry. And that is the amazing client service consistently demonstrated by our contacts at BusinessWire (Dylan Frusciano) and Cision (Kris Bates). Both gentlemen are always very friendly, incredibly prompt in responding to calls and e-mails, and they are always willing to go the extra mile to help answer questions, resolve issues, etc.

At GFM, I love that we place so much emphasis on exceptional client service. And it’s really the little things that matter – like client birthdays and quick responses. Or, as Seth Godin puts it, paying attention to those “last five minutes.” That being said, I cannot claim to be perfect – sometimes, stress and the frantic pace of a day get the best of me, and I don’t return a call as quickly as I should, or I fail to send a note of kudos to a client on a job well done. However, improving on that is my New Year’s resolution for 2011. And please – help me out! If I drop the client service ball when working with you, I sincerely want you to let me know!

~Amanda

If you don’t have anything nice to say…

It never fails – your mother is always right. I remember my mother telling me as a child that if I didn’t have anything nice to say, I shouldn’t say anything at all. In this day and age, it is a childhood scolding that would do us all a bit of good to remember. Over the past few weeks, you can’t turn on the TV, flip through stations on the radio, read the newspaper or a magazine, or participate in water cooler talk without hearing debate about the political tone of our nation. But this tone goes far beyond the political arena and has infiltrated almost all of our non-personal interaction.

For example, this past weekend I sadly watched the defeat of my beloved Patriots to the New York Jets. Feeling a bit sorry for myself, I took a few minutes to catch up on Facebook. What is usually a pretty enjoyable experience of peering into the daily happenings of friends was filled with mean-spirited posts about a simple football rivalry. Granted, I did not want the Jets to win, but I was surprised by the tone of the posts I read. I am not casting judgment on my Facebook friends because I am sure that I have posted things that may have left a bad taste in the mouths of others, but instead it made me think about how easy it is to write something negative or insensitive when you don’t have to look the other person in the eye. This electronic dialog has taken away from the art of debate and turned differences of opinion into personal attacks and down-right vile discourses that have moved from the computer screen into daily interpersonal communications.

The tone seems to get even worse when people are able to post anonymously. In April 2010, the New York Times published an article about news organization rethinking anonymous online comments. The article referenced the 1993 New Yorker cartoon featuring two dogs with the caption “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.”

My question is - should it matter? There have been too many headlines over the past few years about hateful speech having negative consequences because the “dog” posting the comment or video forgot that the target was an actual human being with feelings and emotions. Whether posting a comment anonymously, through social media or even when having a good old face-to-face difference of opinion, we may all want to remember the wise words of our mothers – if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

~ Kristina

Keep Your Foot on the Gas

Last week, my inbox alert chimed not once, but twice, with a forwarded message about the recent TED talk by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook. Yes, a woman is the number two behind Mark Zuckerberg – wow! I think many assume another youngish, Ivy League, tech-savvy male works side-by-side with the Time Magazine 2010 Person of the Year, when in fact it’s Sandberg, mother of two.

So, how does she do it – juggling the demands of one of the highest profile and fastest growing companies in the world with the responsibilities of family life?

This is precisely the reason why she was speaking as part of TEDWomen, which took place this past December in Washington, D.C. The event showcased an amazing number of accomplished women including Deborah Rhodes, who developed a new tool for breast cancer detection, and Beverly Joubert, who lived in the bush with her husband to capture stunning images and footage of lions and leopards in their natural habitat. One more time – WOW!

Sandberg mentions up front that she does not have all the answers, not even for herself, but she does offer up some startling statistics and follows up with three pieces of advice for women who wish to continue advancing their careers.

To begin, a statistic that we’ve often heard and hope isn’t correct – success and likeability are positively correlated for men and negatively for women. The “witchy” executive woman stereotype is proven time and again in studies. Ugg! Also, only 15 percent of C-suite and board of director positions are held by woman, and the numbers have remained flat since 2003. Double ugg!

So how do we begin to move the needle in the right direction? Sandberg shared three recommendations. While she’s doubtful that the current generation of women will experience a significant shift in attitudes and advancement in the workplace, she’s hopeful that the next generation – including the new little girl who was born into the GroundFloor Media family earlier this month – will benefit from all of us thinking and acting a bit differently about our careers.

• First, she recommends that women “sit at the table.” All to often, we are comfortable taking a seat on the sidelines and that’s just not helpful for us to be regarded as the leaders and thoughtful contributors that we are.
• Second, she suggests, “make your partner a real partner,” referring to the need for women and men to share equally in the responsibilities at home. How can a woman with a full-time job be truly successful in her career if she’s doing more of the housework, childcare, etc.
• Third, Sandberg encourages women not to “leave before you leave.” All too often, she has experienced women who are opting out of promotions or big projects as they prepare for maternity leave or a transition out of the work place. She suggests keeping your “foot on the gas” up until the moment when you make the decision to take another path.

Sandberg shared a lot more detail along with these recommendations during her talk, and the importance of her points cannot be overstated. Personally, beginning the New Year and looking to my one-year anniversary with GFM, I feel both grateful and proud to have the opportunity to work and continue to grow in an organization that is bucking national statistics and making a comfortable place for all of us – both male and female – to be successful.

Next month, GFM is looking forward to TED2011: The Rediscovery of Wonder. The agency has planned to participate as a video member of the four-day event, Feb. 28 – Mar. 4, 2011, and we will be sharing highlights and lessons learned through viewing parties and blog entries.

Eyes Wide Shut: Arizona Tragedy

Like many of you I was shocked and saddened this past weekend to learn of the tragic shooting in Arizona that left six dead and 14 wounded. In reading more about the shooter, it's clear that he had issues that were becoming more and more apparent to those around him, and it's sad to know that despite warning signs and concerns expressed by his fellow students at a local community college, he didn't get help and was still able to carry out the events of this past weekend.

As a PR professional, I've been contemplating how this type of tragedy affects my view on public events. Together with my clients, I've planned events ranging from press announcements in the park with Denver's Mayor to concerts for thousands of attendees at Red Rocks Amphitheater to sending models with body paint out onto a pedestrian mall – and while crisis planning is always on my mind, I have never imagined a scenario anywhere near the events of this past weekend in Arizona.

How could you possibly guess that an unstable individual might choose that day, that time and your event to act out?

The world we live in has certainly changed. Metal detectors at schools, invasive searches at airports, security cameras on the streets… I'm not complaining, because I appreciate the security that these additional safety measures afford, but I sometimes long for the innocence of the early days of my career.

I know that this event won't cause me or my colleagues to stop planning events, but I also know that while security might have been further down the list than messaging against potentially tough questions from the media, it will be making its way closer to the top at my next event planning session.

At the end of the day I choose to believe that most people are good and incidents like this are incredibly isolated, but I also choose to approach things with my eyes opened more widely now. Leaving them shut and longing for the days of innocence is a risk we as PR professionals cannot afford to take.

The More Things Change, the More they Stay the Same

As we kick off a new year, it’s hard not to acknowledge the more things change, the more things stay the same. This old proverb rings true for life and what we do in public relations.

I don’t think that anyone will disagree about the enormous impact social media has had on our society and certainly, the public relations profession. At the same time, the fundamentals of public relations have not changed. Public relations is, and always will be, about building relationships with your target audiences. It’s a two-way street; there must be something in it for both sides. With that said, following are a few personal observations and things to keep in mind as we move into a new year.

Traditional Media Is Not Dead
While we’re all keenly aware of what has happened to traditional media - the shrinking news room, loss in advertising revenues, fewer reporters covering more, etc. - the fact remains that people still pay attention to and read newspapers, subscribe to magazine, watch the news and listen to radio. Mass media still has a huge influence on our society – even though its delivery has evolved and now includes tweets, video and wall posts. And maintaining positive relationships with editors, news directors and reporters is as a critical as ever. Check out this article that provides some interesting statistics on traditional media and its continued reach:

If You Don’t Want to See it in Print (or on TV, or on YouTube, etc.), Don’t Say It
It’s like my mom always said to me when I was having disagreements with my siblings, if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. And in today’s day and age where anything and everything you say can be recorded, it’s even more critical. We witnessed many examples of this in 2010. In fact, GFM’s Gil Rudawsky pointed out a few of the more public blunders of 2010 in his blog on Dec. 22, 2010:

This is one of the first lessons any PR professional learns as part of media training – if you don’t want to see it in print, don’t say it or put it in writing.

You’re Only As Good as Your Reputation (and Your Good Reputation Can Disappear in a Flash)
We’ve all seen recent examples of individuals and corporations where reputations are damaged, if not destroyed, overnight - Tiger Woods, Brett Favre, BP, Goldman Sachs, to name a few. At the same time, we’re a country of people who believe in second chances and forgiveness. What are you doing to protect your reputation or the reputation of your clients? Do you have the resources in place to quickly address any issues that could arise and potentially damage your reputation? Do you have a social media crisis plan in place? Having an up-to-date crisis plan that you and your leadership team fully understand and embrace is that insurance policy. It won’t prevent a crisis from happening, but it will help guide you through difficult waters and allow you to emerge on the other side.

What are your thoughts on the topic? Are there other examples of how public relations is evolving, and at the same time, remaining true to its roots? We’d love to hear from you!

~ Barb Jones

Here’s to a Happy, Healthy New Year!

It’s that time of year again – everyone is writing about New Year’s resolutions and new beginnings and getting fit in the New Year – so I won’t disappoint…

GroundFloor Media (GFM) works with a number of health care and wellness-related clients including The Children’s Hospital, the Colorado Health Foundation, LiveWell Colorado, St. Anthony Central Hospital and USA Cycling, and our team members maintain fairly active lifestyles for such very busy people.

According to LiveWell Colorado’s Worksite Wellness Blueprint, worksite wellness efforts can have numerous benefits, including a healthier workforce, increased morale, higher employee productivity, reduced absenteeism and a reduction in health care costs. I know from personal experience that regular workouts can be the first thing to fall off of the proverbial “to do” list when things get busy at work. However, I also know that when I make a conscious effort to get those workouts in, even when things are really busy, it makes a positive difference in my energy and stress levels.

It is with that spirit in mind that GFM is announcing a new “active lifestyle allowance” for our full-time employees in 2011. Each employee will be allotted a monthly stipend to use toward their own active lifestyle – it may be used to attend yoga classes, buy that monthly membership at the gym, go toward the purchase of a new bike or sign up for a 5K, 10K or even a half marathon. However it is utilized, we hope that it certainly does result in a healthier, happier GFM team.

Small steps like this can make a big difference with regard to workplace wellness. I hope you have an active, healthy 2011, too!