A Week in the Life of: Carrie Odberg's Week in Photos

Carrie Odberg, director of first impressions at GFM.

Enjoying the creativity at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival.

I love cooking new receipes and this is one of my favorites,
Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew with Couscous.

Book club or wine club? Either way the company is always amazing.

Dylan resting up for his afternoon walk.

My partner in crime. 

Love fresh vegetables from the framers market.

~ Carrie

The Importance of Community Involvement: Reflection on IMPACT Denver, 2012

IMPACT Denver is a six-month leadership and civic engagement program offered by the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation. Several GFM colleagues have completed IMPACT Denver and/or Leadership Denver and raved about the experience, friendships made and community networks broadened.

When my IMPACT journey began in January 2012 our final class day in June seemed so far away. Instead, I blinked and the experience was over.

My biggest takeaway is this: the future of Denver is not as bright as many of us think. Our education system is broken and all Coloradans do not look like the runners, bikers and skiers portrayed in tourism brochures. From appalling literacy issues in schools to miles of food deserts, Denver is at a tipping point.

But there is a silver lining. If even a fraction of my IMPACT Denver classmates stand up and get involved, our community will thrive. I’ve been in public relations since the day I graduated from college but have not previously had the privilege of working and learning alongside professionals from such varied backgrounds of banking, nonprofit, construction, education and law. Even when my clients are from those industries, my contacts at those businesses tend to be in the marketing and PR fields, not the bankers and lawyers themselves.

During every class I was blown away by how differently everyone’s minds worked, yet collectively, our class asked questions and pushed boundaries on the various tough subjects that Denver is facing. We of course couldn’t solve the alarming achievement gap that exists in Colorado in a half-day session, but meaningful and through-provoking conversations took place, and a fire was lit to help drive change.

I’m still searching for the areas of civic engagement that inspire my heart and mind. I am now on the board of Colfax Community Network, a nonprofit that services the families and children who live in the motels along Colfax Ave., but I also have immense interest in health, food access and obesity-related issues. And one day when I have a family, I know improving our school system will become even more relevant and critical in my mind.

Not all businesses or organizations see the value in having employees go through programs like IMPACT. Once a month I was away from my desk and the experience was a financial investment in my professional development. That is why I am so grateful to GFM for knowing that six days out of the office is nothing compared to what I gained professionally – a network of peers that quadrupled in size and a sense of responsibility to improve our city, which is vital to ensuring small businesses like ours succeed. You really can’t put a price on being actively involved in your community.

Thank you, Laura and Ramonna – and my teams, for supporting me on this journey.

~Alexis Anderson is a Senior Communications Director and Social Media Strategist at GroundFloor Media. She loves to participate in GFM's volunteer days and wishes she had more free afternoons to spend with the kids in the after school program at Colfax Community Network.

Social Media: The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of Crisis Communications

We’ve all seen “social media gone wrong” scenarios. Actually, we can’t really avoid them since they pop up on a daily basis. Just this past week we can watch the Viacom/DirecTV debacle play out on social networks and laugh at the staged Nokia After Party tweets from the ESPY’s.

On the flip side, communicating through social platforms can be an extremely efficient and effective means for updating the public in a crisis. During the fast-breaking nature of the recent Waldo Canyon Fire here in Colorado the hashtag “#WaldoCanyonFire” drew 119,000 tweets in just 15 days, reaching more than 54.4 million people.

The beauty of social media is a direct  reflection of the risk of social media – the conversation is open, potentially endless, and you can’t control the spread of information (or misinformation). But there are some fairly simple things you can do to effectively prepare for the good, and the bad, of social conversations:

     1)   Know where the relevant conversations are happening today, not just when a crisis breaks

It’s a good idea to monitor the Internet for your brand and product names, but don’t stop there. Set up Google Alerts, Twitter searches and the like for terms related to your industry and terms that might come up in a potential crisis (e.g., “Colorado fire,” “network scam,” and “@DeseanJackson10” to use examples from above). Broadening your monitoring will help you catch an issues management scenario quickly and interact with a broader community to build your social presence (see #3 below).

     2)   Be flexible with the purpose of your social platforms

If you’ve mainly used Facebook as a means to promote your products and services and Twitter as a customer service tool, what happens when the crisis situation plays out on Facebook instead of Twitter? You need to be ready to respond on the same platforms where the crisis is taking place.

     3)   Build your audience accordingly

There’s no such thing as a “dark” Twitter account. If you don’t have followers, no one will hear what you have to say. Build your presence today, use smart hashtags, and promote your social platforms as a way for your customers to get up-to-date information. The old PR adage still holds true – you can’t buy home insurance when your house is burning.

     4)   Be proactive AND reactive

Social media is a conversation, not a broadcast booth. Post AND respond. No one likes the person who talks about him/herself all of the time.

     5)    Build a social media response plan – today

Every business or organization has a handful of scenarios they’re worried about – customer complaints, product failures, situations that put large groups of people at risk. Whatever those situations are, plan for them. Put a social media response plan in place that prioritizes various conversations, and includes an action and approval process for addressing each priority level.

Jim Licko is a Director of Social Media and Digital Strategy at GroundFloor Media. He helped develop GFM’s Onine War Room™, and frequently uses it to help his clients practice difficult social conversations and develop social media response plans.

A Week in the Life of: Ramonna Robinson's Week in Photos

Ramonna (yep, with two Ns) Robinson, vice president and managing partner at GFM.

My faithful companion, Ri (short for Henry).

I love to hike – and to take photos. This one was taken in Rocky Mountain National Park.

I'm a hippie at heart! I learned to slackline at the Wanderlust Yoga festival at Copper Mountain.

Friends. Wine. Yoga festival. What more do you need?

Bouldering is great exercise – for both the body and mind!

Live music is another favorite pastime. This is MC Yogi at Wanderlust. I'm excited to see JJ Grey & Mofro, Brandi Carlile, Zac Brown Band, Jack White, Dierks Bentley and Mumford & Sons this summer – and to attend Austin City Limits this fall!

~ Ramonna

Let It Be The Day To Celebrate The Beatles

In celebration of Beatles Day today (which marks the band’s triumphant return exactly 48 years ago from their US tour to Liverpool and is regarded as the day that began their rise to fame), we’ve rounded up some of our team’s favorite Beatles songs:

JON:

“Tomorrow Never Knows” -- It was drum & bass music before drum & bass existed. 

LAUREN:

"I've Just Seen a Face" -- It was almost our first dance at our wedding, but it was way too fast for my husband and I to dance to!

JIM:
“Let It Be” -- Anytime I hear that song during a busy day, it always puts things in perspective.

AMANDA:

“Yellow Submarine” -- Because it makes me happy. ; )

CARISSA:

"Two of Us" -- It was the recessional at our wedding!

CARRIE:

“All You Need Is Love” – It’s uplifting and a song of hope.

KRISTINA:

“Blackbird” – I sing it to my children.

BARB:

“Let It Be” – The song is written incredibly well and signals the end of a Beatles era.

Looking for more? Here’s 100 of the greatest Beatles songs according to Rolling Stone that will keep you groovin' until next year's Beatles Day.

If you had to name just one, what would be YOUR favorite Beatles tune?

A Week in the Life of: GFM's 4th of July Photos

So this week's post is not necessarily a documenting a week in pictures, but instead is a compilation of GFM team members 4th of July celebrations. Whether it be strolling with the kiddos in the Wash Park parade, sitting with a coworker at the B-52s/Squeeze concert at Chatfield, taking in fireworks at the City and County building or hitting the Greeley Stampede, the GFM team (and Reuben) celebrated the 4th in style.

~ The GFM team

The Power Behind Social + Traditional Communications

I recently had the privilege of traveling to Alaska with my colleagues David Landis from our PRGN partner agency in San Francisco, Landis Communications, and GFM’s Jim Licko to provide social media training for SouthcentralFoundation, Alaska Breast and Cervical Health Partnership, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and other partner agencies.

The training sessions were well attended and led to great discussions about today’s most popular social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, etc.) and their relevance for various organizations, as well as the importance of measuring an organization’s social media efforts. The conversations also made us very aware of the challenges of communicating with indigenous populations throughout a state that is twice as large as Texas and in which small planes and snow machines are the only way to get to many villages.

What we determined is that social media is not THE answer to these challenges, but that it is a great supplement to the various channels of communication available to health providers reaching out to audiences near and far. This is a great point for all of us to remember, regardless of what your products or services might include.

While social media is the newest shiny object, it is not the end-all, be-all and must be part of a comprehensive, strategic communications mix. For example, driving people to your company’s Facebook page via a QR code promoted at a special event can increase traffic to your website – if you provide the right mix of content on your Facebook page to serve those who land there. It could also directly impact the number of people who attend free health screenings or request, in the case of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, free condoms that are shipped anywhere in Alaska upon request.

I’m a big believer in the power of social media, but I also caution all of us not to let more traditional means of communication fall by the wayside while we’re trying to determine the best social media strategies. When you combine traditional communication strategies with your social media strategies your ability to reach a broader audience increases and, in many cases, you’re metrics will be clearer and easier to define. What difficult challenges – like disparate audience or highly dispersed population – have you overcome with an integrated communications campaign? Why did it work?

~ Ramonna Robinson is Vice President and Managing Partner at GroundFloor Media.

A Week in the Life of: Jon Woods' Week in Photos

Jon Woods, senior director of social media & digital strategy at GFM (aka the new guy).

Wednesday wine night with friends is always a hit.

Woke up Saturday morning to the destruction of one of my favorite old buildings. Where on earth will people get their slime tables now?

My wife and I braved the heat to attend the Westword Music Showcase. Time for fall!

 Experimental dinner - Doritos chicken. My hypothesis proved correct, it was amazing!

All smiles from the GFM team before we plunged over the side of a large rock. 

~ Jon

What We're Reading – week of June 25, 2012

Last week’s What We’re Reading focused on engagement, and this week we’ve got the research to back it up. From which words garner the most fan conversation and action on Facebook (hint – avoid “like” or “click”, but “chocolate” will get you everywhere!), to whose recommendation has the most influence on purchase decisions, there are a lot of good stats in the articles below that will help you shape your social media programs.

In one piece of “news you can use,” you might want to check your Facebook profile to see whether your preferred contact email has been replaced with an @facebook.com address. More details below. Have a great weekend!

Facebook

CNNMoney: Facebook Changed Default Emails to @facebook.com

If you’re missing an email from someone who got your address from your Facebook profile, chances are they sent it to your new @facebook.com address. Didn’t know you had one? Neither did a lot of users. Read this article to learn about the new rollout from Facebook and how to switch back if you prefer.

Ragan.com: Words Including “Look” and “Watch” Don’t Engage Facebook Fans

Do your Facebook updates include words such as “like” or “click?” Turns out using these driving words repeatedly isn’t what gets fans to click through to your content. Words like chocolate, shop and wardrobe inspire click-throughs, and the research cited in this article proves posting photos is key to engagement success. 

Twitter

OPENForum: How to Improve Your Twitter Engagement Rate

Is your brand is one of the 77 percent that considers Twitter a priority social platform? Then you should know that tweeting while people are busy (8 a.m. to 7 p.m.) garners 30 percent more engagement, and any more than two hashtags and you’ve gone too far. Read this article for more insights!

Blogs

OPENForum: Whose Recommendation Has the Most Influence on Customers?

A new survey shows that 81 percent of women “trust” Pinterest and blogs equally, but 61 percent say they actually purchased an item after it received a positive blog review (versus 47 percent who made a purchase based on a pin.) Read this post to learn more about the power of bloggers!

Social Campaigns

VentureBeat: This is Why You Never, Ever Start Campaigns on Friday

Most social marketing campaigns kick off on Fridays, but campaigns launched on Tuesdays get the most engagement, according to a new study. Read this article for smart campaign insights including what you can learn from colleagues, what works on YouTube, and best times to engage on various social platforms.

Mashable: 5 Ways Small Businesses Get Social Media Wrong

Social media is everywhere, and most businesses – regardless of size – are getting on board. This article outlines five common errors among small businesses trying to master social media. One of our favorites? You don’t have to keep up with the big brands. Read this article for more!

Best Way to Avoid a Self-Made Crisis? Slow Down!

Image credit: USAToday.com

Depending upon where and when you chose to get your news this morning, this may come as a shock: the United States Supreme Court ruled to largely uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA) this morning. 

Unfortunately, in the race to be the first to break the news, a handful of major news outlets and a number of politicians (and surely a host of others…) erroneously reported that the ACA had been ruled unconstitutional. And while many of us might have missed the early reports, thanks to social media, screen grabs and other news outlets, the mistakes already are infamous. 

Rule one in a rapid-response situation? Slow down and get all the facts straight before you put your message out there. There’s certainly a risk/reward factor to consider when trying to be “first to market” – but the risk far outweighs the reward if you create your own crisis that requires shifting your focus from the original goal to cleaning up the mess you’ve created in your haste.

8 Reasons Why Sheryl Sandberg is Awesome

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Facebook’s chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg (she’s even listed on our company’s Pinterest board among other influencers and PR crushes we all hold close to our heart).

For those of you who don’t know, this is a woman to watch and it’s not just because Mark Zuckerberg reportedly once declared, “Everyone should have a crush on Sheryl” after he hired her from Google as his COO at Facebook.

If you need more convincing, here are 8 reasons why Sheryl Sandberg is one cool lady:

• Today, it was announced that she will become the first female executive to join Facebook’s board of directors -- a big step considering only 16% of directorships are held by women at Fortune 500 companies. 
• She typically leaves work at 5:30 p.m. How many of us can claim that for ourselves?
• While at Harvard, she donned legwarmers and led the Harvard Aerobics club. Now that’s cool.
• The woman knows how to network. In fact, she met Mark Zuckerberg at a Christmas party. And the rest? It’s history.
• She’s only 42 and has already been ranked #5 on "the world's 100 most powerful women" by Forbes.
• She can give a TED talk like nobody’s business, especially on why we have too few women leaders.
• She’s admitted that she’s cried at work before. C'mon, you know you have too.
• During her commencement address at Barnard last year, she told the young women in the crowd, “I know I need to believe in myself and raise my hand, because I’m sitting next to some guy and he thinks he’s awesome. So, to all of you, if you remember nothing else today, remember this: You are awesome."

Right back at ya, Sheryl. 

~ Lauren Cook is a Senior Director of Social Media & Digital Strategy at GroundFloor Media and is on a quest to meet Sheryl Sandberg in person.

What We're Reading – week of June 18, 2012

Reading through the news this week we’ve seen a strong trend toward the topic of engagement on social media. From how to identify the content your fans really want in video to being in-the-moment and making real-time connections, it seemed tips, trends and opinions on how to connect with audiences via social media was the way to go with our wrap-up this week.

Interestingly the news focused on almost all members of the family this week: USA Today reported on teens losing interest in Facebook, Marketing Pilgrim shared new information about moms and their love/hate relationship with technology, and Ragan’s Health Care Communication News created an infographic about “Digital Dads” and how they’re using social media to connect with their families. You’ll want to read these articles!

Engagement/Integration

MarketingPilgrim.com: Study Shows US Falls Short in Responses to Social Media Fan Feedback

A new study shows that, on average, companies respond to only 30 percent of social media fans’ feedback. The average response time? Twenty-six hours. Unthinkable. Have you experienced this lack of response? Go to GFM’s Facebook page and share your experience. We promise to respond, and in less than 26 hours!

OPEN Forum: The Best Times to Tweet and Post to Facebook

It seems obvious – but one of the best ways to ensure engagement is to ensure you’re posting at the right time to engage with your fans! Here’s the latest research from Bit.ly, a URL shortening service, about the best times to post.

Mashable: Social Integration Adds a New Twist to Olympians’ Stories

Although the Olympics are still about a month away, an integrated campaign called Journey to the Games has already launched and is giving fans an opportunity to connect and interact with athletes at the Games on a whole new level. You can bet this is one campaign we’ll be watching!

YouTube

CommPRO.biz: YouTube Optimization Series: Part 1 – Content Gap Analysis

Did you know that aside from Google search, YouTube is the world’s largest search engine? First in a five-part series, this article will lead you through bite-size steps to identify the content your fans want, assess whether you’re providing it, then prioritize how to get started to fill the gap!

Twitter

Ragan.com: 9 Types of Tweets To Engage Your Audience

This article provides nine simple tips for content to engage your audience on Twitter. From asking questions to offering opinions, promoting links and solving problems – the story offers some easily executed tips and is worth the quick read.

AdWeek: Twitter’s Costolo Touts Real-Time Connections

This article summarizes a recent talk by Twitter CEO Dick Costolo regarding the importance of harnessing the “immediacy, authenticity and emotion” social platforms like Twitter provide as marketers seek to connect with customers. Regardless of whether Twitter is your focus, this is a good reminder about the real-time nature of social media.

Facebook

Ragan.com: 25 Facebook Campaigns to Inspire Brands

Whether your brand is big or small, for profit or nonprofit, there’s a little something for everyone in this overview of some of the most engaging and successful Facebook campaigns to date.

Blogger Relations

EyeforTravel: Bagging the Bloggers: Expedia’s Content Strategy Pays Off

“Blogging is not just a fad,” begins this article, which explains how Expedia, the world’s biggest online travel agent, has developed a highly effective blogger relations strategy. From insights regarding how they got started to realistic thoughts on measurement, this article is a must-read regardless of your industry.

Content vs. Connections – The Push and Pull of Social Media

You don’t have to look through your RSS feed for very long to find a variety of blog posts about the staying power of Facebook, or the adoption (or lack thereof) of Google+. I recently ran across this insightful post that discusses how Facebook is inherently more about connections (people you know) and Google+ is more about content (sharing similar interests). While I don’t disagree with the author’s assessment, I would challenge the fact that one social platform is inherently created for one purpose or the other. As communicators and marketers the conversation shouldn’t be content vs. connections, but rather how the two work together.

To use a personal example, I had never heard of the Adventure Journal until they came up in a Twitter search. As an outdoorsy-type, I enjoyed their content and liked them on Facebook so I could receive their content on that platform as well. It had little to do with a personal connection, and everything to do with content.

On the flipside, I’ve discovered more than a handful of individuals and brands on Google+ because of their content, which have also turned into meaningful connections (in-person meetings, business opportunities, etc.).

Social media offers individuals and businesses amazing opportunities to find and be found, to create and consume. Its less about which platforms serve which function and more about how we make connections (customers, friends, brands) through meaningful content (text, data, photos, video). In order to do so you have to first understand your audience; where they can be found and where they will find you, what they want to create and what they want to consume. Then go find them, create the content that allows them to easily find you and build on that relationship or connection by talking with them, not at them.

Let’s stop looking at content and connections as black and white, separate discussions, and start talking about how they can work together to use social media as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Jim Licko is a Senior Director of Social Media and Digital Strategy at GroundFloor Media. As displayed above, he enjoys ranting about the use and misuse of social media. 

A Week in the Life of: KP’s Week in Photos

Kristina Reilly (aka “KP”), director of business operations at GFM, wife, mother, daughter, friend (in no particular order).

I was pretty excited when I was asked to be the first team member at GFM to kick off our “A Week in the Life Of” blog series since I was in the middle of taking an online iPhoneography class. That said, I should probably rename this post KP’s Week in iPhotos.

What is the odd substance on my sunroof. We haven’t seen much of it,
but I was able to capture the rain through my sunroof. Did a little photo enhancement to capture the blue sky too.

As part of my never-ending quest to shed the “baby weight” and to stay healthy, I completed my second week of foundations work at CrossFit Verve. Take that, baby weight.

Denver offers amazing photo opportunities around the city. I love the pink of the sunset reflection off of the smoke stacks at the Dry Ice Factory.

K, Kristina with a K. Photo of my keyboard while practicing with the
zoom feature on my phone.

The big 6. A whole year in the making, my son FINALLY turned 6. I guess I would be pretty darn excited if I was turning 6 too.

My final photo is not going to win any photo competitions for sure. We have been doing our best to do one family hike per weekend. This week’s hike took us to Ceran St. Vrain trail in Jamestown. This is a picture of my busted up knee. I turned my ankle while carrying my three year old the last 100 yards to the car. My valiant attempt to save her from injury resulted in two bloodied knees.

Well, that’s my week in iPhotos. If you have an iPhone, take some time to play around with the camera. It does some pretty amazing things. And keep tuning in to learn more about our team through our new “A Week in the Life of” blog series.

~ Kristina