If you’re one of the fortunate folks like myself who have the opportunity to work with social media on a professional basis, you probably spend your days trying to enhance the profile of your company or your clients, pondering new ideas to help create a return on investment.
At a certain point, it’s easy to lose what attracted us to social media in the first place: the opportunity to have a deeper connection with the things we love and are passionate about. But in examining social media from a non-vocational viewpoint, we can uncover concepts that translate into digital success in the business world.
Take sports as an example. Beyond the raving narcissists like Chad Ochocinco (@ochocinco), a number of professional athletes have taken to Twitter and, without a publicist or PR person looking over their shoulder, embraced it like a newfound freedom to express themselves.
While this often proves controversial (@charliesheen, anyone?), it’s also very personal and real. How cool would it be to be retweeted by your favorite basketball player? It happens all the time. Or they’ll announce a meet-up or a charity event they’re involved in that you too can be a part of. But it’s not just the athletes. Coaches get involved too.
Former University of Florida football coach Urban Meyer (@CoachUrbanMeyer) and University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) routinely offer up little nuggets, like announcing honors for players or throw out updates on recruiting.
From the fan perspective, this is fun way to engage with our favorite sports brands and figures. The teams, companies and players become more human to us, we become bigger champions of them, and in return we watch more sports, buy more memorabilia, and buy more tickets. This is social media participation that provides us with an experience, not just a Twitter stream with the latest stats or scores, or a team having an online account for the sake of saying they have one.
Interact with the head of the NFL's PR department.
NFL PR czar Brian McCarthy (@NFLPRguy) is an active tweeter as well. Some of my favorite feeds to follow are reporters. I logged onto Twitter during the Heat/Knicks game the other night and ESPN.com’s Michael Smith (@mrmichael_smith) was livetweeting the game. All of a sudden, my experience changed and I was now watching the game with one of my favorite sports commentators.
What could be better than that? Actually being a commetator yourself. I looked up my favorite basketball team, the Los Angeles Lakers on Q&A site Quora.com the other day and saw the question, “Why are the Lakers underperforming this season?” So I crafted an answer (if so inclined, find it here) and responded as though I was working for SportsCenter.
Other people can now see and comment and add their own opinions to my post. Thanks to social media, I’m now part of the dialogue. It’s better than boxscores in the morning paper and, sometimes, even catching a game on TV.
When I think about social media for companies and non-profits, I consider the enjoying experiences I have in my personal life online. If we create this for a client, will people use it? If so, how often? How will audiences use it? When?
Don’t just jump onto the latest social media buzzword hoping it’ll help you move more widgets. Instead, consider the ways it can create an enjoyable experience that people will want to come back to again and again. Do it right, and your returns are guaranteed.
- Thomas (@thomasmcdonald)
05
The Importance Of Bloggers
by FeedbackMost all media plans include reporter outreach, be it newspapers, magazines, TV stations or trade publications. But increasingly, many also include outreach to bloggers and other online personas.
Sending pitches to reporters has been standard for a long time, so why include bloggers? It’s simple: Bloggers and tweeters and the like write because they want to, not because they have to. This means they are passionate about the subject they’re writing on, and they want to cover topics related to it as comprehensively as possible.
As opposed to some reporters, many of these bloggers also have a very loyal readership. Such audiences are more likely to trust their favorite blogger and try a product or service that they reviewed or discussed. Pitching to a blogger has fewer barriers to cross than pitching to mainstream press, too. They are easier to track down. Many appreciate the thought you’ve given to reaching out to them. Heck, you’re helping them fill the hungry beast that is a blog.
But approaching to a blogger is much different than pitching to a print journalist. Here are a few things to keep in mind before you start wildly calling around.
Do your research. Bloggers are not created equal. This means that no matter how cool your pitch is, your favorite mommy blogger probably doesn’t want to get your announcement about a new tech gadget. Start your research by building a list of the right content creators – not only bloggers, but video-bloggers, tweeters, and anyone out there that is creating applicable content related to your needs. Find out which ones are the most influential, and which are the most well-read. Find out who they follow, and who they read. In the end, simple things will go a long way. Oh, and make sure you get the blogger’s name and publication right.
Build relationships. After researching the right group of blogs, get to know the bloggers and their content. Some are bombarded with pitch after pitch, so getting yourself familiarized with their content can make your news more personal. Most people don’t like receiving auto-generated, generic emails, and bloggers are no different. This also includes press releases; most bloggers will prefer something tailored to their blog that their readers will enjoy.
Make it easy. Many bloggers are only blogging for one reason: a creative outlet. If your pitch isn’t easy and straight-forward, your email will most likely find its way into the trash bin. Making it easy includes sending links for reference, sending any video embedding or widget codes if applicable, and most of all, making it short and sweet. You are asking the blogger to do something for you, so the more simple the ask is, the better. These folks also have jobs, so blogging is likely just a hobby that they have relatively little time for.
Be polite. Don’t demand to be featured. At some point in your life, you’ve probably heard the phrase “You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” This is true of pitching a blogger. You’re asking for a favor, and being polite will go a long way.
Give credit for the coverage. After a blogger picks up your pitch, thank them. Providing feedback and following up will show you appreciate the coverage. Instead of promoting just yourself, promote the blogger. They will appreciate you driving traffic to their site.
If you’ve been pitching bloggers on behalf of your clients, what are some tricks you use? Leave ‘em in the comments below.
-Caroline (@carolineradom)