October – 2011 – The Buzz Bin

Oct 12 2011

The Rise of Texting, The Fall of Phone Calls: New Options like Apple’s iMessage Makes Texting Free

October 12, 2011 – 2:44 pm

I admit it. I’m slow to embrace change. The older I get, the more that seems to be true.

Case in point, text messaging. I text. Not because I particularly like it. It’s out of necessity. I have friends and family who refuse to pick up the phone to talk, yet will respond to text messages almost instantaneously.

Which makes me wonder, is the old-fashioned phone call becoming a dinosaur?

Not yet, but it could be heading that way.

According to a study released in September by the Pew Research Center, nearly three out of four Americans send text messages, and among those who do, 31 percent prefer texting to talking.

Not surprising, young adults are the biggest “texters.” The study states that cell phone owners between 18 and 24 exchange an average of 110 text messages a day, which works out to more than 3,200 texts in a given month.

Free Texting Coming to a Phone Near You

The one drawback to text messaging has been price, with wireless carriers still charging up to 20 cents to send a text message and another 20 cents to receive it. But even that could soon become a thing of the past.

“There are now a growing number of ways to bypass text-message charges using an Internet connection — much as Skype allows people to make calls without relying on a traditional telephone line. If these services catch on in a big way, analysts say, they could take a big bite out of the profits that text messages generate for wireless carriers,” The New York Times reports.

The launch of Apple’s new iMessage will allow iPhone users to send messages with text, photos and video to other iPhone owners over a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection. The service, part of an update to Apple’s iOS mobile operating system, will automatically handle messages sent between iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users who have upgraded to the latest software free of charge.

The Apple Insider calls iMessage Apple’s answer to the popular Blackberry Messenger (BBM) application that allows BlackBerry users to instant message each other.

Samsung and Google also are reportedly working on similar services that would allow Android users to communicate via free messages instead of pricier SMS texts. Meanwhile, Microsoft is said to be readying its own instant messaging system for the Windows Phone platform, according to Apple Insider.

The Pitfalls of Texting

While the ability to text more without added charges is a good thing, we should still remember the pitfalls of texting.

Texting – or emailing – while driving slows reaction time and makes drivers more likely to miss a flashing light, according to new research from Texas A&M University’s Texas Transportation Institute.

In the study, 42 drivers between the ages of 16 and 54 drove on an 11-mile test course while sending or receiving text messages, and again while focusing completely on the road. The researchers asked the drivers to stop when they saw a flashing yellow light and recorded their reaction time.

The typical reaction time without texting was between one and two seconds, but while texting it increased to three to four seconds, regardless of whether the driver was typing or reading a text. The researchers also found that a texting driver was 11 times more likely to miss the flashing light.

The Loss of Interpersonal Connections

Don’t get me wrong. Texting is good. It’s convenient. And it isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

But I do wonder about this upcoming generation of kids I see with heads down and fingers feverishly texting away almost constantly.

Are they losing some interpersonal communications skills? If so, how will this impact them in the future, particularly in the workplace?

Only time will tell.

By Jeff Wilson | Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends | Tagged Apple, cell phone, crt-tanaka, crt/tanaka, iMessage, Jeff Wilson, Mobile, Mobile App, Mobile Marketing, PR Industry Trends, texting, wireless | Comments (1)

Regional Wine Week: My Love Affair with Virginia (and #DrinkLocal )

October 12, 2011 – 10:54 am

THE BOOZE BIN

By Pia Mara Finkell (@piamara)

Eating local is all the rage. But what about drinking local?

You’re already growing your own tomatoes, peppers and basil, because they just taste so much brighter when plucked right out of the soil. And, of course, you are a big supporter of your local farmers and take your eco-bag to the farmer’s market every weekend for the fresh veggies, berries, jams and plants you don’t grow yourself.

Come September, you can’t wait to pick apples and pumpkins at your local farm, and your kids look forward to blueberry and peach picking every spring. Eating local just makes sense, both to support local businesses and get a fresher product without fear of listeria from that harmless looking supermarket cantaloupe. Even more importantly, the local products actually have an aroma, and just taste better, right?

But let’s get serious…what about the booze? Everyone loves their local brewpub, and regional craft beers are on the rise. Next to our locally raised pork and backyard tomatoes, there’s usually a six pack of Blue Mountain Brewery Full Nelson in my fridge at any given time. Mostly because it’s delicious, but also, because we are proud of the awesomeness of our regional brews.

So, what about local wine? This is where it seems to get stickier. Personally, I have a love of wines from France and Spain, and given my work over the years with Rioja, Rhone, Burgundy, Alsace and Provence, I still lean towards these wines. But, I moved to wine country for a reason and the local wines are taking over my collection these days.

No, I’m not in overpriced Disney World Napa Valley (sorry Paul), sunny Sonoma or sleepy Walla Walla. Moving 3,000 miles west was not an option for someone with an outspoken Italian mother (I believe “over my dead body” was her exact words). Instead, I fell in love with romantic Virginia wine country and moved south. When I tried to tell my fancy wine geek friends how good the local wines are down here, it was either met with a goblet full of eye rolls or complete dismissal as they continue to sip their 15% alcohol Cali jet fuel.

Times they are a changing and the #drinklocal movement is on the rise, catching up with the ever-popular #eatlocal and farm-to-table movement. This week marks the 4^th annual DrinkLocalWine (DLW) regional wine week, founded by regional wine supporters Dave McIntyre of the Washington Post and Jeff Siegel of The Wine Curmudgeon, encouraging people to drink local wines outside of California and the Pacific Northwest. From Texas to Virginia to New York, there are local wine supporters that will talk your ear off about how good the wines are from just down the road. Just search for #drinklocal handles on Twitter, like #vawine, #txwine, and you’ll see how passionate the base is about locally produced vino.

It’s not just local politicians or us yocals pushing this juice. Well-respected palates, from England’s Master of Wine Jancis Robinson to Eric Asimov of the New York Times, are starting to appreciate the high quality wines made in lesser known wine regions like Virginia and New York. Com’on y’all, all the cool kids are doing it!

Join me in celebrating Regional Wine Week with your favorite local wine. If you’re in Virginia, here are a few of my favorites: Veritas, Keswick, Blenheim, King Family and Barboursville.

Support your local farmer on your plate and in your glass. Cheers!

Photos courtesy of EatDrinkBetter, New Horizon Wines and Hawk Haven Winery.

By Pia Mara Finkell | Posted in The Booze Bin, Wine, Food & Nutrition | Tagged #txwine, #vawine, Barboursville Vineyards, Blenheim Vineyards, Blue Mountain Brewery, Dave McIntyre, drinklocal, Eric Asimov, Jancis Robinson, Keswick Vineyards, King Family Vineyards, local food, local wine, Regional Wine Week, The Wine Curmudgeon, Veritas Winery, Wine | Comments (8)

Oct 11 2011

NASCAR for Kid’s Cancer

October 11, 2011 – 9:49 am

By Mike Mulvihill

Cookies for Kid’s Cancer was created by a former colleague who lost her six year-old son Liam after a four-year battle with a form of childhood cancer called neuroblastoma. She and her husband founded the non-profit Cookies for Kids’ Cancer early in Liam’s battle when they learned that 25 percent of kids diagnosed with cancer do not survive because of a dearth of funding to develop effective therapies. They pledged to support the development of new and better treatments by giving people a simple way to get involved – by buying cookies.

Since then, our firm (CRT/tanaka) has been involved, along with many other local public relations practitioners, PR refugees and even those who have no clue what PR is, in raising up to $30,000 per local CFKC bake sale.

Now CFKC has a bigger stage to play on – a Cookies for Kid’s Cancer race car! Through the generosity of The Gene Haas Foundation, Stewart-Haas Racing, and Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Sprint Cup Chase car will be zipping the No. 39 Chevrolet around Charlotte Motor Speedway this Saturday night to raise awareness for pediatric cancer research. The race on ABC will been seen by millions and, hopefully, some of those will become more aware of pediatric cancers and more likely to donate to help children stricken by these diseases.

Pretty nifty coup for a small non-profit, don’t you think? Come on, that kind of moxie deserves at least a small donation. All you have to do is just click here.

By Mike Mulvihill | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged Cookies for Kid's Cancer, crt/tanaka, CSR, NASCAR, non-profit, pediatric cancer, Public Relations, Social Cause | Comments (1)

Oct 10 2011

Hub and Spoke Social Media: How the APTA’s Move Forward Campaign Connects Online

October 10, 2011 – 10:04 am

By Mike Nelson (@Michael_Nelson)

As communicators, we are tasked with what to say and where to say it – a responsibility that is becoming increasingly more complicated with the continued addition of new communications channels. This post outlines one approach to organizing social media campaigns: the hub and spoke.

Hub and Spoke Social Media

The hub and spoke is fundamental to social media, which is why it works. It’s a matter of creating a central online landing page – the hub – to drive people to, and then extending the brand to the surrounding channels where people are – the spokes. Often the hub is a website, but it can be consumer portal, blog, Facebook page, Tumblr, etc. Your hub is central to your brand’s online activities because it allows your audience to fulfill your brand’s call to action. The spokes are all other touch points that communicate the brand’s messaging and drive traffic back to the hub. This may include Twitter, Facebook, a website or portal, media placements, advertisements, etc. Often, these online properties are one step removed from your brand’s ultimate call to action.

The Hub & Spoke in Action: The Move Forward Campaign

The American Physical Therapy Association and CRT/tanaka worked closely together on a branding campaign with the goal of educating consumers about the benefits of physical therapy. At the conclusion of our market research, we developed the Move Forward brand and a toolbox of key messages and content of interest to health-conscious consumers. We then began rolling out the brand with a hub & spoke communications approach, using the following four steps to implement the campaign:

1. Determine communications objective.

The Move Forward campaign’s objective is to educate the public that 1) physical therapists are the experts on physical mobility; 2) physical therapists help their patients reduce pain, prevent injury and avoid surgery and medication; and 3) help the public find a physical therapist.

2. Develop a clear call-to-action.

Move Forward’s call-to-action is to Find a PT. The focus of our communications – whether a tweet, video or tip sheet – is to educate consumers about the health benefits of physical therapy, and make it easy for them to schedule an appoint when they’re ready to move forward.

3. Create a hub.

The hub of the Move Forward campaign is a consumer friendly website. On the site, consumers can ask a PT for advice, watch educational videos, read movement related tips and, of course, find a PT. The site is clear, engaging and relevant. It also sends traffic to other Move Forward social properties, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Livestream.com, and informs consumers of upcoming Move Forward events and mobility related news.

4. Continuously extend the brand’s presence by expanding the spokes.

Move Forward has built an engaged and active Twitter, Facebook, (link to Facebook page) and YouTube community. It also conducts quarterly events such as Twitter parties, livestreams, and, coming this October, is hosting a the Running Experts LIVE livestream, pulished the The Physical Therapist’s Guide to Healthy Running e-book, and is exhibiting at the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. The brand focuses on being conversational. To do so, it publishes weekly profiles of people from all backgrounds living an active lifestyle. These activities also are supported with media outreach and advertising.

The following is a snapshot of the Move Forward brand’s hub & spoke online presence:

A Final Note on Style

A social media campaign can extend a brand’s online presence and make it approachable and relevant. New channels, however, can cause the fragmentation of a brand. On a micro level, it’s natural and okay for each channel to take on a life of its own, as each platform has its own limitations, including: character limit, accepted style of expression, demographics and differing tastes of people using the channel. What’s necessary is staying true to the objective and to maintain brand identity. In short, a successful approach delivers the same brand image through the preferred lens of your audience.

If you are interested in learning more about how APTA engaged social media for the Move Forward campaign, please feel free to email me mnelson@crt-tanaka.com.

Join us for a livestream this Wednesday at 8 p.m. Eastern at www.moveforwardpt.com/running.

By Mike Nelson | Posted in Digital Marketing, Healthcare, Search Marketing | Tagged Branding, health, Move Forward, Physical Therapy, social media | Comments (1)

Oct 7 2011

Using Responsive Design to Tackle the Mobile Web

October 7, 2011 – 4:29 pm

By Dave Hess

Browsing the web using a mobile device is expected to outpace desktop browsing within the next three to five years. This explosive level of growth is going to lead many to consider whether “mobile-friendly” is required to supplement their existing website. However, taking such a fragmented approach to the mobile movement could be prohibitively expensive. A mature, content management system-driven website represents a considerable investment. In addition to recreating content, be it blog posts, images or video, site managers now must face the prospective of managing all this content all over again in another instance of the website. Now content contributors have to post to the blog twice? Every content change has to be made in duplicate? This is an unwieldy approach to say the least.

What if the existing website could also be the “mobile-friendly” website? What if it could “respond” to each user and render appropriately based on browser type and screen size? This kind of website could serve all purposes. Using some of the techniques illustrated in Ethan Marcotte’s book, “Responsive Web Design,” such an end can be achieved.

Modern mobile browsers, such as Apple’s Webkit browser, can be found on most modern devices, including iPhone and Android devices. The Webkit browser supports CSS3 and HTML5, and can run modern JavaScript, which are all ingredients necessary to implement a responsive design approach. Using tools such as CSS media queries and grid layouts, a design can be created that can adapt to browsers on all number of devices and render images and typography that is scaled appropriately, and offer alternative page layouts based on screen size.

Check out some of these examples of websites using a responsive design. To see them in action, try resizing your browser window and watch how the website layout changes (be sure to try them on your phone too!):

By Dave Hess | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged mobile websites | Comments (2)

Oct 6 2011

Steve Jobs-Inventor, Designer, Marketing Genius…a Buzz Bin Tribute

October 6, 2011 – 2:00 pm

By Jason Stemm (@NYCubsFan)

A company lost a leader, an industry lost a visionary and a family lost a loved one yesterday when Steve Jobs passed away. He created and rebuilt a company into something than he may never have imagined as a young man in his parent’s garage. It reminded me of a friend I saw this week, Lee Jones, a farmer from northern Ohio who recreated his family farm into a world supplier of unique vegetables at Chef’s Garden.

We reconnected at the Star Chefs International Chefs Congress this week, where they explored the 6^th Sense. For chefs, it is intuition, emotion and experiential evolution in dining. For Steve Jobs it was creating beautiful products that we never even knew we wanted and now cannot live without. He was more than just an inventor, he also became one of the greatest marketers of our time, building Apple into the most highly valued company in the world.

Geoff Livingston beat me to the punch in describing the marketing genius of Steve Jobs. Apple didn’t just rely on its fanatics, which could have led to a cult following providing life support for a fledgling company. They leveraged that fanaticism into creating a cult of cool that everyone wanted to be a part of. Rather than making announcements at major industry events, they created greater buzz with their own. Secrecy and surprise fueled the excitement, but it was backed up with an integrated marketing approach of traditional ad buys, digital bombardment and point of sale attraction down to the design of the box.

It is a formula that we can all learn from when trying to reach the masses. It helps to have deep pockets, but even a small brand or food commodity looking to distinguish itself can continue to draw lessons from Steve Jobs.

Be beautiful-We first covet with our eyes, as Hannibal Lecter reminded us. Design is important. POM Wonderful created a market for pomegranate juice and had people shelling out $5 for a small bottle of a tart juice that few people had heard of. The bottle was beautiful, and broke through a crowded marketplace with a distinct design.

Start a cult-Social media has provided great tools for brands to have a platform where fans can easily connect and share their passion. I love how Nature Valley uses Facebook to engage with its fans. It can be simple things like encouraging fans to post their own photos of nature, or CSR initiatives like their “Preserve the Parks” campaign. Their 585K+ fans are hungry to connect with the brand. Traditional tactics like building customer databases are also important to keep your customers and fans informed and connected.

Create what the consumer will want tomorrow-Don’t chase the latest fad. By the time you get to market, the market will have moved on. The Chef’s Garden doesn’t just grow a bunch of ramps and rhubarb because they have gained caché in recent springs. They are growing a wide variety of specialty vegetables that are unavailable anywhere else, and shipping them to top restaurants around the globe. They also bring in chefs to the farm where they have a discovery kitchen for inspiration and creation, and to introduce new items.

Bag the soft launch-You have come too far to test the waters. Go big and coordinate your launch to own the day, week or month. Apple was outstanding at generating sales velocity immediately with pre orders and created even more fervent demand with scarcity. It has been a while since Florida’s tomato industry has had excitement, but a new variety, Tasti-Lee, has demand outpacing supply and runs at Publix stores to get their hands on them. It has resulted in greater media coverage, building greater awareness and demand.

Multiple channels reach multiple audiences-Social media is the new shiny toy, but traditional marketing is an important part. Outdoor, print and broadcast media, as well as direct mail, email and in-store channels must all be in play to reach your audience. More eyeballs, more repetition and more coordination will get you recognized and remembered.

Rest in peace Steve Jobs. The reaction to your passing from the millions who never met you is telling of your impact on the world. I never had the honor, so I will leave you with these words from Guy Kawasaki who was there in the early days of Macintosh, and the words of Steve Jobs himself. “Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

By Jason Stemm | Posted in Wine, Food & Nutrition | Tagged Apple, brand, crt-tanaka, Food, Jason Stemm, Jason Stemm Lewis & Neale, Jason Stemm Lewis and Neale, marketing, retail, steve jobs | Comments (1)

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

October 6, 2011 – 12:22 pm

How hospitals can save themselves from unnecessary churn in these turbulent times

by Lisa Kersey

While the mantra in real estate has long been “location, location, location,” the corollary in the communications industry is “communicate, communicate, communicate.” And for hospitals focusing on positioning themselves for the pending changes associated with healthcare reform, communication will be a critical ingredient to their success.

So, whether your hospital is making changes to position itself for the long-run, or whether it’s making changes that impact the short-run, it would be wise to consider the following principles:

Understand the stages of change.
Let’s face it. People don’t like change – even when it’s positive. To effectively bring people along with change, you must recognize the stages of change – awareness, understanding and engagement – and bring people through them. During awareness, employees should learn about the change and the reasons behind it. If communication regarding the change has been done well, people will move to understanding, when they begin to internalize the change and understand what it means for them personally. Then, they will begin to care about what it means to others and to the company, and they can begin to engage in the value of the change for the organization.
Identify and understand the impact.
Understanding who will be impacted by the change and how they will be impacted is a great first step in determining the best means of communicating with them. You will also want to anticipate their questions and identify where you might have gaps in decision-making or need additional information to respond to employees’ questions.
Use key messages.
Key messages are the 2-3 points that you want everyone to remember. They should be short and simple–and if you’re lucky, quotable. Thirteen years later, everyone still remembers the essence of O.J. Simpson’s defense, “If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” While your key messages don’t have to rhyme to be effective, they should be short and they must be repeated. In addition, they should be used to answer every question or serve as a “bridge” or unifying element in all of your responses. This helps reinforce key points you want everyone to remember. Lastly, key messages are not a script – they should not be memorized.
Explain the reasons for change.
One of the biggest mistakes companies make in communicating change is the unwillingness to share the reasoning behind the change. Generally, this is driven by fear that leadership will lose control of the message, or the misguided belief that employees “can’t handle the truth!” But like Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, these executives are wrong. Most people can move through the stages of change if they understand the logic behind it – even if they don’t agree with the specifics.
Acknowledge people’s emotions.
Don’t do warm and fuzzy? No problem. But avoiding this stage could make employees feel cold and prickly! Acknowledging emotions is a critical stage of change that many organizations skip because it makes them uncomfortable. The reality is that change makes everyone feel uncomfortable. Simply acknowledge that you realize change is difficult. And if your company is making efforts to ease the transition, be sure to share these details.
Give people a reason to hope.
Once you explain the change and the reasons for it, it’s time to allow your employees to internalize what it means for them and the future prosperity of the company. Cast the vision – inspire your employees to be engaged in your company’s future. The late Steve Jobs certainly understood the value of casting a vision. This is an important step in the change journey of your employees.
Realize that not everyone will move through the stages at the same time.
People’s ability to move through change looks like a bell curve. In a typical workgroup, about 20 percent of employees tend to resistant change – these are your laggers and draggers. Don’t focus your efforts there! The good news is that you have another 20 percent who are your quick adapters and can generally help lead others through the change. You also have another 60 percent who are in the middle, and with good communication, can generally move through the changes smoothly.
Communicate, communicate, communicate!
It takes the average person needs to see or hear something 7 to 10 times before they remember it. And since people can only take in a finite amount of information at a time, key messages are critical to effective repetition in your communication. It is important to remember that people’s ability to absorb information actually decreases during times of stress. If you sound like a broken record, you’re probably doing a great job.

With healthcare reform, hospitals are experiencing a new wave of change, unparalleled in the last several decades. But a thoughtful and thorough communications plan will be a key to your success.

By Lisa Kersey | Posted in Healthcare | Tagged change, communication, healthcare, hospitals, human resources | Comments (0)

Oct 4 2011

China Clean Air Champion…What?

October 4, 2011 – 8:11 am

By Mike Mulvihill

In Monday’s The Harvard Crimson two staff writers posited an interesting macroeconomic/green tech play that could transform China – and the U.S. – through a modern day space race for green technology supremacy. (A role no nation seems too invested in pursuing at this juncture.)

The article Green Dragon: China’s $200 Billion Clean Energy Power Play by Hemi H. Gandhi and Bruce Peng plays out like a book idea worthy of at least a first draft. Here’s the plot: China divests itself of $200 billion of its $1 trillion in U.S. Treasury Bonds to create a green energy tech development fund. The divestiture reduces China’s dollar denominated asset risk exposure (which is about $3 trillion according to the authors) while allowing China to fuel its growing energy demands with home-grown green technology. This panders to China’s paranoia about dollar dependency and over-dependency on foreign fossil fuels (and the geopolitical conflict that goes hand-in-hand) to power its economic future. With China trying to corner the market on green technology, the U.S. wakes from its Rip Van Winkle-ish green tech nap thus igniting a Soviet Union-U.S. space race type frenzy that intrinsically alters the world’s climate impact trend line.

It may be fiction, but why not? It could happen. Something needs to…and soon. Just a few weeks ago, the U.S. Energy Information Administration forecast that China and India will drive up worldwide energy consumption by as much as 53 percent by 2035 with a corresponding increase in carbon dioxide emissions of 43 percent. The EIA 2011 International Energy Outlook went on to say that fossil fuels (including oil) will still be the world’s dominant source, accounting for about 78 percent of the world’s energy use in 2035. This includes China’s growing need for electricity to power its infrastructure, which will spur growth Chinese coal consumption, which will account for up to 75 percent of the worldwide increase in coal-fired electric generation. China’s emissions alone, which were somewhat higher than the U.S. in 2008, are projected to reach levels that are “more than twice as high” as U.S. emissions by 2035.

Meanwhile, back in the U.S., we continue to flounder with no consistent national energy policy to help focus new green tech energy R&D and set a stable playing field for private funders to funnel venture capital into risky energy start-ups. The potential of ceding green tech energy dominance to China would generate some badly needed national pride behind what to date has been green economy prattle.

The scenario also perfectly suits Chinese-style government-directed capitalism (a combination that already has China producing 23 percent of the world’s photovoltaic – solar – panels).

Maybe all we need is a modern day U-2 spy plane incident as a catalyst to turn this fiction into a best seller?

By Mike Mulvihill | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged alternative energy, China, crt-tanaka, crt/tanaka, Green, green tech, renewable energy, The Harvard Crimson | Comments (0)

Oct 3 2011

Best Practices in Enterprise-wide Social Media Policy: Four Big Brands to Learn From

October 3, 2011 – 12:10 pm

By Priya Ramesh (@newpr)

Think before you tweet!

The recent Nielsen report was a little bit of a shocker for me when I saw the following stats. I mean, how in the world do we have so much free time on hand? BUT these are key indicators to understand how your consumers (and more importantly your employees!) might be spending their time online, so pay close attention:

Americans spent a total of 53.5 billion minutes on Facebook in May
70 percent of all adult social-network users shop online
60 percent create reviews of products or services
About 31 million people watched nearly 157 video streams on social networks or blogs in May
A growing segment – about 37 percent – access social networks with their mobile phones
More than twice the number of Internet users age 55 and older accessed social media on their phones than a year ago.

Let’s first accept that whether we like it or not, employees in large to small organizations alike are increasingly using social media both during and after working hours. The bigger question that you need to ask as a corporate communications pro is, “Are they saying things online that could potentially jeopardize your brand’s reputation or on the contrary enhance your brand value?” We all know, social media is here to stay and as companies figure out ways to leverage digital platforms for a wide variety of reasons: customer service, online reputation, consumer campaigns, internal collaboration across multiple offices, cause marketing, it is critical that they also implement a SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY FRAMEWORK that lays certain ground rules for engagement. Don’t let the word “policy” alarm you. I will share with you some best practices on how some big brands have laid out their online communications framework to facilitate an enterprise-wide adoption of social media so you can pick and choose what works best for your organization. The key point to remember is your social media policy is an evolving document and must be revisited and revised periodically. I have shortlisted four big brands that represent a range of verticals (B2B, B2C, Hospital, Non-profit) to highlight key fundamentals in creating a policy that works for you. Keep in mind that the nature of your business defines how specific your social media policy guideline needs to be. For e.g. the rules of engagement for a hospital system need to comply with patient privacy/HIPPA regulations while a financial services company needs to adhere to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) guidelines.

Best Buy: Helping Employees Humanize the Brand (Be Smart, Be Human, Be Respectful)

Best Buy does a great job of keeping their social media policy simple and straightforward and the core focus is on helping their staff humanize the brand. The rules of functioning in an electronic world are “the same as the values, ethics and confidentiality policies employees are expected to live every day, whether you’re Twittering, talking with customers or chatting over the neighbor’s fence.” Besides reminding their employees about transparency, respecting privacy, legal use of company and customers’ information and acting as brand advocates, what I also like about Best Buy’s policy is the gentle reminder of the consequences someone might have to face if they violate the online policy:

“Just in case you are forgetful or ignore the guidelines above, here’s what could happen. You could:

• Get fired (and it’s embarrassing to lose your job for something that’s so easily avoided)
• Get Best Buy in legal trouble with customers or investors
• Cost us the ability to get and keep customers

Here’s the link to Best Buy’s Social Media Policy http://forums.bestbuy.com/t5/Welcome-News/Best-Buy-Social-Media-Policy/td-p/20492.

Coca Cola: Investing in Employee Training with Social Media Certification Program

For a consumer brand like Coca Cola that gets over 5,000 conversations a day, the pressure is high to keep it fresh and “happy” for their fans and followers online. If you are a consumer brand with a potential to get a high volume of interaction online, you can imagine the army of social media brand evangelists you need to have to respond in real time. What we can learn from Coca Cola is the investment they have made in the CONTINUOUS LEARNING and TRAINING that’s required to build a cross-functional team of employees who understand different channels. All Coca Cola Associates who wish to officially represent the company online must complete the Social Media Certification Program prior to beginning or continuing these activities. Read more about Coca Cola’s Social Media Policy here http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/socialmedia/

Ministry Health Care and Affinity Health System: Simplifying Your Social Media Policy Sometimes when we communicators followed by lawyers write down the social media policy for an organization, we tend to make it more complex than it should be. The main goal of your policy is to explain in simple terms how your employees are expected to engage online. Ann Tracy Mueller, Co-Editor, Healthcare Communications News in her blog post “Five Healthcare Social Media Policies You Must Read” highlights what Ministry Health Care and Affinity Health System has done to create a comprehensive policy which also has more simplified version to help their staff understand the basics of engagement (see bullet list below).

Don’t betray our patients’ trust (and don’t get arrested).
Don’t cheat your employer.
Don’t think your Facebook posts are private.
Don’t jeopardize your reputation and/or future employment opportunities.
Don’t alienate your co-workers.
Ministry loves the Internet.
We need a tech-savvy workforce.
The best advertising used to be word-of-mouth. Now it is word-of-keyboard.
Share your knowledge.

American Red Cross: Empowering 600 National Chapters to Actively Engage

Wendy Harman, director of social strategy at the American Red Cross has set a great benchmark in the non-profit world by creating a social-media policy based on the work of WOMMA, Dell, Sun Microsystems, IBM, Hill and Knowlton, and Fellowship Church. The Red Cross social media policy guides the charity’s more than 600 national chapters. Wendy does an excellent job of encouraging all Red Cross chapters to blog effectively. The rules of blogging are well laid out in Red Cross’ policy http://sites.google.com/site/wharman/social-media-strategy-handbook . What I really like about the Red Cross social media policy is the tone that Wendy uses to encourage all her chapters to participate online without the interference of the National Headquarters.

Part of my job as CRT/tanaka’s Social Media Director is to ensure our clients have implemented a social media policy that their employees are fully cognizant of and facilitate training sessions to help them get started. Our agency provides a standard social media policy template that you can customize according to your organizational needs. Please drop me a note if you would like a copy of the template pramesh@crt-tanaka.com.

If you are attending PRSA International Conference (Oct 15^th-18^th) in Orlando, FL, please do join my panel on “Identify, Implement and Train: Moving Beyond Social Media Policy” on Sun, Oct 16^th, 4:15-6PM. Details available at: http://bit.ly/nkzKy1. Panelists include noted PR/Digital leaders Diedre Breakenridge (President of Mango!), Diane Gomez (PRSA’s Communications Manager) and George Faulkner (Program Manager, Social Engagement, IBM) who will help you formulate a policy framework that meets your business goals.

Also check out PRSA’s social media policy toolkit http://www.prsa.org/AboutPRSA/GuidelinesLogos/ that was released earlier this year to provide social media best practices for PRSA members and volunteers. If you have a question about social media policies or need help getting started, drop me a line pramesh@crt-tanaka.com. Thank you and hope to see you at PRSA International (@PRSAICon).

Image Courtesy: Internet Marketing and Social Media http://bit.ly/nXL95S.

By Priya Ramesh | Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends | Tagged American Red Cross, best practices in social media policy, CRT/tanaka social media policy, enterprise social media policy, enterprise-wide social media, Priya Ramesh, Priya Ramesh CRT/tanaka, PRSA, social media policy, Wendy Harman | Comments (2)

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