How to Become a Winner with Vine

I am not a betting woman, but I am willing to make a wager you have probably heard about the latest and greatest social media platform—Vine. The fact that you have six seconds to provide relevant content to your brand’s fan base possesses both an upside and a downside.

On the up:

With all of the mumbo jumbo that surrounds us in this crazy world, it is no secret we have short attention spans, which I like to call the Squirrel Syndrome. Vine challenges us to provide a message and engage the intended target audience quickly rather than creating a five-minute-plus video that drags on and on.
Who doesn’t love a good how-to tutorial, behind-the-scenes sneak peek, or a before-and-after transformation? It all goes back to show and tell—we, as consumers, would rather be shown something versus being told something. Check out a few Vine videos from Lowe’s—every bit of awesome!

For all of you sweating over the challenge of creating relevant content in six seconds, do yourself a favor and relax. Lo and behold the Vine description section. Use this to your advantage by offering a brief recap about the video. This also gives you a chance to reinforce your key messages.

On the down:

If you do not have a clear vision of what you want to say, your message will never resonate with your key audience. There is a reason why I keep using the word relevant in this post: You have to offer pertinent content based on your brand’s image and your target audience’s interests. If they do not benefit from your message, you’re good as gone. General Electric does a fabulous job of providing great, relevantcontent to its followers on Vine. Take a look:
It’s OK to have surpluses of shoes, nail polish colors and pieces of pizza; however, you can have too much of a good thing. Some brands try to do too much in one six-second video, flashing what seems like a million images at once. If consumers cannot process what they are being shown, you leave them questioning what they just viewed. Sometimes simple is better.
You wouldn’t purchase a vehicle that did not fit your lifestyle needs, so why would you adopt a social media platform that doesn’t provide value to your brand? Before you make the grand dive into this new outlet, test the waters to see if Vine is right for your brand.

If you embrace all that Vine has to offer and do your best to avoid the common mistakes, there is no doubt you will hit the jackpot!

Social Media Stories are Told Through Cellphone Photography

Note: Although powerful, the following links to certain images are very graphic at times.

Everyone who attended the YouToo Social Media Conference at Kent State University heard and saw the same message loud and clear. When developing communications strategy for social media channels, think visuals. While there were many great examples of visual strategy and execution, I was most impressed with a breakout session on cellphone photography. Increasingly, cellphone cameras capture the videos and images that are shared with the world.

It shouldn’t be surprising to see that Kent State University offers a class in cellphone photography. Do any of us truly know how to use the camera on our iPhones, Androids, or Galaxies? Or as David LaBelle, director of photojournalism at Kent State University would say, a camera that happens to be a phone.

According to LaBelle, cellphone cameras have transformed how images are captured, viewed and shared in a very short time. He gave a fascinating history of how cellphone photography has gone mainstream.

The world first realized the power of pictures captured on a cellphone in 2004 when pictures taken of Iraqi detainees by U.S. Army Military Police were published. While by today’s standards, the images are crude, they exposed rampant prisoner abuse and the U.S. government’s sometimes deadly prisoner interrogation methods. It’s easy to see how these images redefined U.S. foreign policy.

The next big event in cellphone photography was in January 2009 when US Airways flight 1549 hit a flock of Canada geese and made a miraculous water landing on the Hudson River in New York City. While it has been widely reported this was the first major news event first shared on Twitter, it was also the first time a cellphone photo was featured on the front page of the world’s leading newspapers.

Later in 2009, we saw the true power of a cellphone video that brought a nation’s people to its streets with the death of a previously unknown Iranian woman. Neda Adha-Soltan was watching a protest against the results of the 2009 Iranian presidential election. She was randomly shot in the chest by a member of the ruling Iranian Basij party. A cellphone video of her final 40 seconds of life was uploaded onto YouTube and in hours, social and international media had shared her death with the world. She became the face of the Iranian Green Revolution. Be warned, the video is very powerful and graphic.

These are just three examples of how images were captured on cellphones cameras and shared with the world. In less than 10 years, cellphone photography has gone mainstream as quality and accessibility have improved. As you’ve seen, these images can be graphic, heroic, despicable, amazing and terrible. All are powerful, which is why communication strategists need to allow for opportunities to share stories with others through images and video. Consider this amazing photo demonstrating just what I mean.

Social Media’s Hierarchy of Needs for Driving Engagement

Taking the first plunge into a strategic social media initiative can be complicated. Sure, it seems easy enough to tweet every once in a while. But it’s just as easy to become one of the millions of abandoned Twitter handles when you realize it’s a little more complicated than 140 characters.

A lot of organizations want to come out swinging, content-first. Content is important and can ultimately bring in leads and facilitate engagement when done correctly. But understanding the fundamental characteristics that make social media so valuable will lead to content that pays off.

Try using a step-by-step approach to master social-media strategy. Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs from freshman psychology? It’s like that. Understand the base and you are prepared to take on the next step. By the time you reach the top, you are well on your way to a sound social media engagement strategy.

True Digital’s social media engagement hierarchy starts with understanding how to interact on varying social media networks and finishes with creating, distributing and talking about meaningful content you created.

In the coming weeks, we will take an in-depth look at each of these steps. For now, here’s a quick overview:

Network Mechanics

This may be old hat for some, but all too often, we advice clients that automatic cross-posting between Facebook and Twitter is not ideal for either audience. This is one the many rules in the language of social media. How can you have meaningful conversations if you’re speaking different languages?

Conversation

Social media has created the opportunity for complete, unbridled two-way communication benefiting marketers and consumers. While Facebook and Twitter aren’t always the ideal sounding board we expect, there no reason we shouldn’t be encouraging conversation whenever possible and engaging users who reach out to us.

Frequency

You know the language and how to talk. Now, how often should you speak? Understanding when your audience wants to engage can be one of the most difficult steps in outlining your social media strategy – mostly, because it’s different for every audience and every brand. Then, you have to marry their expectations with your ability to provide fresh content.

Tone

Developing a tone that connects with your audience in social is an ongoing process and it certainly can’t be done before taken some time to listen to when and how they talk in social venues. You may have endless market research on your target audience, but all those charts and graphs are no substitute for real conversations with real people.

Content

By now, you know a lot about your social audience. While you may already have content you’ve been sharing, you should have a laundry list for new idea by the time you make it to this point. More importantly, your efforts to this point are likely reaping rewards. That means you should be ready to allocate more resources to social media, and original content is a great supplement for and new social media strategy initiatives.

Author: Tyler Norris [Google+]

The Power of Community

I’m in love and it’s time the world knows about it. Fasten your seatbelts and please meet the Archbishop Hoban High School Lip Dub. (Did you really think I’d broadcast my personal life like an episode of The Bachelor?) Yes, I am an alumna of Hoban, but I promise you I’m not being biased here—at least not entirely. Read on.

“What the flip is a Lip Dub?” you may ask. Well, here’s the 411: A Lip Dub is, for lack of a better term, a lip synching, audio dubbed music video. Video creators and Hoban seniors Mario Micale, Jimmy Martter and Joey Clark took three songs (“What I Like About You,” The Romantics; “Beauty and a Beat,” Justin Bieber; and “Magic,” B.O.B.), meshed them together and invited all students, faculty, staff and alumni to participate in the video. Crazy outfits were worn, dancing talents were revealed and Blue and Gold spirit took center stage as the Lip Dub took us all on a tour of Hoban High and a walk down memory lane. Oh, and did I mention this was filmed in one take? Impressive.

While I’d love to sit here and go on and on about the video and why it makes my heart skip a beat, I totally want to go the geek route and share why this is simply amazing from a public relations point of view. (Check out this blog post if you’re looking for a more colorful, in-depth review of the Lip Dub and why Hoban is one of a kind.)

Here are the reasons why this video captures the power of community:

The people: The number of times I have watched this Lip Dub could very well be considered borderline unhealthy. Regardless of the diagnosis, there is good reason for this slight obsession: Every time you watch the Lip Dub video you discover a new academic department, club, or sport team. It is those people and organizations that make Hoban, Hoban, and what better way to demonstrate this aura of school pride and unity than with a fun, engaging video that shows you what Hoban is all about, rather than tell?
The media relations push: Holy moly! If there is anything I am amazed with in addition to the video, it is the students’ media relations efforts via social media. Do yourself a favor and search ‘Hoban Lip Dub’ in Twitter and you’ll be amazed by the online buzz. If that doesn’t amaze you, then let’s discuss the media pitches taking place left and right on Twitter. Even my main weatherman Mark Johnson from WEWS has taken part in the fun. A few media hits Hoban has received include NBCnews.com, News Channel 5, FOX 8, 96.5 KISS FM, and even a shout out tweet from Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots. Think of all of the followers, posts, retweets, favorites and shares—that’s a pretty incredible reach if you ask me and it’s not an easy task to accomplish. The students’ next goal consists of landing a hit or mention on Good Morning America and/or The Ellen Show. You can do it, Knights!
The outside response: In just a little more than a week (originally published on March 28), Hoban’s Lip Dub video has collected more than 55,000 views on YouTube and has generated tons of positive feedback. I have also come across tweets and posts from proud students and alums who have shared how they have sported their Hoban gear in public and been approach by complete strangers about the video. Cool? I think yes! I also stumbled upon a YouTube comment that reads:
That, my friends, is the power of community!

This power of community has resulted in positive media coverage and word of mouth buzz which, in the end, captures the identity of Hoban. For any school, brand or organization, you are defined by your reputation and identity. Does this mean you all should go and run to film the next Lip Dub video? No. However, the next time you wish to demonstrate what your brand is all about, remember it’s about believing in your identity and engaging those who believe in it.

*Side note: Just so we’re clear (family and friends), I am not the lady referred to in the above tweet. You have my word.

What we can learn from the 1 Million ‘Likes’ Phenomenon

The word ‘Like’ has never meant more in today’s world than it does right now. Just ask the daughters of the Cordell family whose help-us-get-one-million-likes-for-a-puppy photo post on Facebook got them… (drum roll, please)… a puppy!

What started out as a fun, inventive family challenge has transformed into a 1 Million ‘Likes’ Facebook phenomenon. Since the Cordell’s one million ‘Likes’ photo success, everyone and their brother has jumped on the viral photo bandwagon. I’ve seen everything from a child asking others for one million ‘Likes’ for a trip to Disney, to a request for one million ‘Likes’ for a man to persuade his wife to have another child.

So what does all of this mean for PR and marketing pros? “Going viral” is a lot like Northeast Ohio weather; it’s not something that can be planned, it just happens. And although the idea for one million ‘Likes’ was a grand slam to begin with, it’s losing flavor and quickly becoming all too vanilla. When we play copy-cat to these types of tactics, we are adding to the white noise of the digital sphere and will quickly lose that thing we greatly cherish with our audience(s), aka engagement, all going downhill from there.

The last thing you want is for someone to say “Oh, there’s another one of those one million ‘Likes’” photos or whatever the digital campaign may be. Word to the wise: Be unique, keep it fresh, stay true to you, and always think before you jump onto the bandwagon.