Balcom Agency

Want to dive into social media, but not sure how? Below are a few best practices I've learned in my time as Social Media Manager at the Balcom Agency. 

Be Strategic – Consider your overarching social media strategy and goals when posting to social networking sites. Ask yourself, “What do I want my fans or followers to do when they see this post?” Each post should, in some way, further the goals of your strategy.

Consider Your Voice – When posting content to social networking sites, be mindful of the tone of your message. Ask yourself, “Is this message consistent with the personality of my brand?” A consistent tone of voice ensures fans and followers see posts as being representative of a cohesive organization. 

Provide Diverse & Rich Content – Vary the type of content you post to your social networking communities so as to keep your fans and followers interested and engaged. For example, if you’ve just posted a link to an article on your page, consider posting a photo or video next. The more diverse and rich your content, the more likely your fans and followers will frequent your page to stay abreast of updates and information, as well as share the information with friends. Rich content includes media such as photo, audio, and video. 

Leverage Existing Tools – Take advantage of the multitude of features offered on social networks. For instance, Facebook offers users many diverse features, including links, photos, videos, events, discussions, notes, polls, favorite pages, and the ability to create custom tabs. Twitter allows users to reply publicly to other Twitter users (@username), send a direct message to followers (DM username), and include hashtags to group tweets (#hashtag).

Post Frequently at Key Times – Research shows that posting at least two to three times per day keeps an online community thriving, as does posting at times when people are most likely to be engaged in social networking. Some research suggests that social networks are most active between 9 and 11am and between 4 and 6pm. Posts on weekends – especially Sunday evening - often yield the best results.

Ask Questions – Users of social networks want to share their thoughts and opinions. Asking questions is a great way to engage your fans and followers, show you care about their involvement in the community, and encourage robust dialogue between the organization and its fans and among fans themselves.

Monitor & Respond – Keep a close eye on your social networks and respond to fan questions and complaints. Monitoring Facebook comments and Twitter mentions offers opportunities for reputation management and brand growth. It is considered a best practice to respond in some way to fan comments or questions within 24 to 48 hours, even if the response is a promise to return with more information. Delete inappropriate or offensive comments, but be thoughtful before deleting a comment that disparages the organization. This can provoke further negative commentary.

Measure & Adapt  – Bi-weekly or monthly, measure the growth, fan engagement, and sentiment on your social networking communities. Use Facebook Insights to measure Facebook fan growth and link spikes in fan interactivity to corresponding posts to determine popular content. Use Twittercounter.com to measure Twitter growth and Bit.ly to determine successful tweets. Review fan comments to determine the overall sentiment toward your community. Adapt your content according to what spurs the most positive and prolific fan interaction. 

Keeping these key concepts fresh in mind will help you develop a thriving community on social networks. 

What best practices have you learned? 

Writing related sites from practical and tactical to whimsical and witty – because you never know what will move the muse.

Blue Pencil Editing
http://bluepencilediting.blogspot.com/

Copyblogger
http://www.copyblogger.com/

Magnetic Poetry
http://www.magpo.com/play.asp

RhymeZone
http://www.rhymezone.com/?loc=bar

Six Word Stories
http://www.sixwordstories.net/

The Onion
http://www.theonion.com/

ThinkExist
http://en.thinkexist.com/

VisualThesaurus
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/

WordSpy
http://www.wordspy.com/

Word Swimmer
http://wordswimmer.blogspot.com/

What word-centric sites inpire you?

Happy Memorial Day weekend! While you're sitting around the pool this weekend, barbecuing with friends and drinking beer, wouldn't you like to treat your guests to an interesting rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner? Here are five solid choices, guaranteed to spark your guests' interest.

1) Jose Feliciano

Here's a fun trivia question: Who was the first artist to ever perform a non-traditional version of the national anthem on TV? I'll bet you didn't guess Puerto-Rican Jose Feliciano. You hear Jose Feliciano every Christmas singing "Feliz Navidad," but in 1966 he sang the national anthem for game 5 of the Cardinals/Tigers World Series. It was met with a huge controversy. Furious viewers were calling in to protest the perversion of the national anthem, it was even reported that veterans threw shoes at their TVs. Radio stations stopped playing Feliciano's songs for three years, but to this day Feliciano considers it an honor to have opened the door for reinterpretations of the song. This heart-felt, latin-jazz rendition is my #1.

2) Marvin Gaye

I know nothing else about the 1983 NBA All-Star game except that Marving Gaye made sweet, sweet love to the national anthem. His effortlessly smooth rendition is potent enough to get my number 2 spot.

3) Jimi

Arguably the most iconic moment from all of Woodstock was Hendrix's rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner. His version, like Feliciano's, was controversial. Hendrix later said in an interview that he did not think his version was unorthodox, he only thought it was beautiful. Unfortunately, Jimi Hendrix and Marvin Gaye would die one year after their memorable performances.

4) Whitney Houston

Before the crack and before she married Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston really was The Voice. VH1 called her version of the national anthem before the 1991 Superbowl the 12th greatest moment in television history.

5) Mormom Tabernacle Choir

Less than six months after the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center, the US hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. During the opening ceremony, the flag that flew at Ground Zero was carried out by police officers, firefighters and olympic athletes as the National Anthem played. It was an endearing moment, where we stood together on the world's largest stage. Unfortunately, this is a tough video to track down. All I've found is a low-quality video on YouTube that won't even let me embed it here. But if you wish, you can see it here.

That's my top five. If you have any arguments or additions, feel free to add them in the comments section.

Happy Memorial Day!

Sometimes a little eye candy can help get the creative juices flowing. These sites come highly recommended by our art directors and web designers at Balcom.

Adoholik

http://adoholik.com


Core77

http://www.core77.com/

Design Addict

http://www.designaddict.com


Design is Kinky

http://www.designiskinky.net/


Design Sponge

http://www.designspongeonline.com/


Surf Station

http://surfstation.com/


Style Boost

http://styleboost.com/


Smashing Magazine


http://www.smashingmagazine.com/


TenaciousToys

http://www.tenacioustoys.com

The Die Line

http://thedieline.com


What other design sites inspire you?

When my granddad passed this March, I inherited two "motorcycles" - a 1970 Honda Trail90 (red) and a 1970 Honda CT-70 (blue). The bikes have been in our family since original purchase - I even learned to ride the smaller one when I was about 13. They both have less than 1200 miles each and are well-maintained but aged - I'm sure the last time the CT-70 was serviced was when I rode it, circa '88; even longer for the Trail90. So we got these bikes home and, at the prodding of a motor-head friend did a little research on them, only to discover that they are somewhat collectible or at least desirable. But we don't intend to sell them - rather, I'd like to ride them.

I feel compelled to get at least the Trail90 running for lots of reasons:
1) It's the most street-legal, the other isn't.
2) If it gets decent gas mileage it will actually be useful around town.
3) It's kinda cool looking in a retro kind of way.
4) It seems like the right thing to do as a good steward of what I have been given.
5) I'd really like to be able to say I did.

I already know it needs SOME work - battery, tires, tags, title etc - but I for now I want to see if it will run, then we'll get the rest of it figured out. So I gathered all of the necessary pre-flight materials - gas, new battery, oil, grease etc. Replaced the battery. Checked the oil and the drive chain. But when I put gas in the tank, it promptly came out the bottom. Upon further inspection, I discovered the fuel lines were weathered, cracked and broken off. Oh great - looks like this wont be as easy as I had hoped.

And this is where the adventure begins: I have no small engine repair experience. I know very little about combustion engines and even less about motorcycles. I am not mechanically inclined. I do have some experience from the repairs I have done on my own, but I harbor more resentment than satisfaction from most of those experiences. But with the support of my wife and help from a little thing called the internet, I am determined to make this happen. So far I have successfully removed the exhaust brackets to get the gas tank off and remove the bad fuel lines - now I am looking for replacement parts. New fuel lines are too fat to fit throught the hole in the chassis, so I am ordering repro parts off the web. I have kept careful records of where everything goes so I know how to put it all back.

This is uncharted territory for me. I have a feeling this is going to be an ongoing process of repairs. But we are in it for the long haul - determined and motivated. I've got the owner's manual and the Shop Manual as well (my granddad was pretty organized). I've got all the tools I should need (which reminds me about a post I am considering writing on a man's tools and the knowledge how to use them... but I digress). But most of all I am determined. I suppose if it is worth having, it is worth working for. So begins the experiment to see if I can repair this bike and get it running. I'll try to keep you posted of the progress. Wish me luck!

Trey

If you are a freshly graduated advertising or PR major now diving into the job search, here are a few fun tidbits that may or may not impress your future employer (translation: I cannot be held legally responsible if you use one of these in an interview and it totally bombs).

 1.

“Lorem ipsum” which Bs usually refer to as “Greek”, actually comes from the Latin “dolorem ipsum”, meaning “pain itself”.

2.

Check out this must-have t-shirt only art directors, production directors and printers will understand.

3.

When Coca-Cola entered the Chinese market in 1928, they struggled choosing Chinese characters that would approximate the sound “ko-ka-ko-la”. Chinese shopkeepers chose random combinations that translated to mean “female horse fastened with wax”, “wax-flattened mare”, and my personal favorite “bite the wax tadpole”. After sifting through 200 different characters, Coke’s own marketing geniuses finally found the perfect combination, literally translated “to allow the mouth to be able to rejoice”.

4. 

Check out these 15 Brilliant Billboard Ads – just don’t claim any of them as your idea.

5. 

Finally, if you caught the grammatical error in the title of this blog:

When Winston Churchill’s editor rearranged one of the Prime Minister’s sentences to avoid ending it in a preposition, Churchill wrote back: “This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.”  

1  It’s FREE!
Many social media tools like Facebook, Blogger, Twitter and LinkedIn are free, but making them work for a brand takes a great deal of time and effort. Great content is key, so take some time to build a good content strategy. Here’s how: http://www.convinceandconvert.com/integrated-marketing-and-media/build-your-brand-a-social-content-ladder-in-5-steps/

2  Only kids use social media.
Actually, people 35-44 are the most dominant group on social media. You can learn more about who uses what here: http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/02/16/study-ages-of-social-network-users/

3  If we build it they will come.
Creating an active social community around your brand is an organic process – and nothing grows in a vacuum. Think of integration as fertilizer, and consider all these potential catalysts you may already have in place – offline media, email, newsletters, point-of-sale, promotions, partnerships and search.

4  It’s just a marketing initiative.
The transparency built into social media means it’s inevitably going to impact other areas of an organization. Corporate communications, public relations, sales, customer service, legal and even HR need to be part of your internal conversations – because, like it or not, they will become part of your social media conversations.

5  You can’t measure social media effectiveness.
Effective social media plans always include measurable goals. Conversion metrics should be part of any plan from day one. Here are some good case studies:

•    Staples, Steaz (organic tea), Toyota and restaurants: http://socialmediaatwork.com/category/case-studies/
•    Long list of case studies with ROI: http://www.seoptimise.com/blog/2010/05/30-seo-social-media-marketing-case-studies-that-prove-the-roi-of-it-all.html
•    Western footwear manufacturer example (Shameless plug alert, it’s a Balcom client.): http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2010/05/10/from-staid-to-social-a-social-media-case-study/

Any more social media myths we need to debunk?

Last week, I wrote a blog posting about how students could prepare themselves to graduate and move into the job world.  I advised talking to mom’s tennis partner and writing real, pen-and-ink notes to people you meet along the way.

As I drove into work, I got to thinking that this was sound advice for all the professionals I know, as well.  

Several companies that we do business with have had layoffs recently.  People I worked with every week were suddenly unemployed. And I wanted to help…. Because if the shoe were on the other foot, I’d hope someone would help me, as well.

So I started working my network.  I called people, made introductions and know at least a couple of these people are employed once again.  The good feelings are far better than any monetary reward (although a sushi lunch MIGHT be exchanged in one instance!)

Networking doesn’t mean calling everyone you know when you need a new job (although people do that). It doesn’t mean seeing who can collect the most business cards at a chamber function.

Merriam-Webster defines networking as:

the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically : the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business

I define it as following the Golden Rule. It’s being friendly. It’s being helpful.  It’s making introductions and sharing advice.  It’s good Karma.  It’s not hard and it’s not scary.

Networking starts long before a job search, and you probably don't even realize you are doing it.  Join a professional organization, volunteer at church, participate in a community fundraiser.  You’ll meet like-minded individuals who can enrich you both personally and professionally.  

And if you are REALLY good at it, perhaps a sushi lunch!

Last week I officially completed a comprehensive examination process for the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR). Most people have never heard of this certification -- it is the gold standard for a PR professional.

Essentially, the APR illustrates the focus of the public relations profession as being strategic, ethically-based, and managerial.

You may have heard the pejorative label, Spin Doctor, used for a PR professional. APRs cringe when we hear those words. APRS do not spin. We believe in telling the truth and urging clients to do the same. We represent companies faithfully and help them to achieve their goals while also representing the public good.

During the first quarter of this year, 71 professionals in the U.S. took the computer-based examination for the APR and 53 passed it. The nearly four-hour exam is the final hurdle to a lengthy process of textbook study, portfolio preparation, and a presentation before a team of senior APR professionals called the Readiness Review. It's a challenging, time-consuming process, which is why I waited until my kids were old enough to feed themselves to get it done.

A consortium of nine professional communication organizations, the UAB oversees the APR program. The biggest of these organizations is PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), which has a thriving chapter here in Fort Worth. You can learn more about the APR, by visiting www.praccreditation.org.

The APR process aims to improve the practice of public relations by assessing competence in 60 areas of knowledge, skills and abilities -- everything from research and communications theory to strategic planning and media law.

Only 19 percent of Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) members have earned the APR. There are about 4,300 active practitioners worldwide with the certification. In the Greater Fort Worth Chapter of PRSA, 29 of its 149 or so members have earned the APR. And two are senior staff at Balcom Agency:  myself and Kim Speairs, APR, account services director!

Give us a call and find out how the APR makes a big difference every day in how we help our clients achieve their goals: whether they be to improve sales, retain employees, attract volunteers or gain endorsements. We'd love to hear from you.  

I speak to student groups several times a year about the exciting, glamorous world of advertising.  I usually recommend changing majors immediately.  But if you get the Ad Bug, you can’t imagine doing anything else.  So what can you do now to land that dream job when you graduate?  Be prepared for What’s Next!

Learn to write in complete sentences.  You can’t always communicate in 140 character tweets.  Punctuation is important. Always spell-check.

Mac computers may rule the creative industry, but your clients are using PCs.  Learn to use them both. Learn Excel, PowerPoint and Word along with the graphics programs.

Become a confident public speaker in front of small and large groups.

Learn to deal with difficult people in classroom group projects.  You’ll meet these same characters in the business world. One will likely be your cubicle partner and steal your lunch from the kitchen.

Keep the textbooks for your major classes.  One of my professor’s gave me this advice when I called for help:  “Read the next chapter.”

Don’t waste too much time applying for every job you see online that makes you think, “I could do that.”  So can thousands of others who have seen the ad. Target your job search and find out everything you can about the companies you are interested in.

Experience pays. Get an internship/job in the field.  Volunteer with a non-profit.  Work at the student paper or radio station.  

Network – let everyone you know that you are looking for a job. Don’t be afraid to tell your Mom’s tennis partner that you are looking.  You may be surprised at who she knows!

Get a professional email address.  HotBod123@yahoo.com is NOT professional!  Check the greeting on your cell phone, too. 

Become fluent in Social Media.  Clean up drunken party pix on your FB page before you start the job search. Employers are checking.

Join a club like Dallas Society of Visual Communicators, American Advertising Federation, Public Relations Society of America, American Marketing Association. Then actually PARTICIPATE!

Collect business cards from everyone.  Write notes (with ink and paper) to professionals you meet along the way. Stay in touch, even if you don’t get the job. It took me almost 18 months to land my job at the B.  It was worth the effort!

Cultivate a good attitude.  It’s going to be hard work, long hours and low pay. The grace that you exhibit under pressure will take you far.