Are You Following Me?

by Mary Kate Smither, Vollmer Public Relations

At the end of July, millions of tweeters logged into their Twitter accounts and noticed a decrease, sometimes significant, in followers. For once, a drop was positive, as Twitter took measures to eliminate spam accounts and correct data inconsistencies. When I noticed the drop of about 40 followers from my account @mksmither and discovered the reason it brought to mind a question we often receive when working with clients to help them engage in Twitter: “How do I know if the people following me are the ‘right’ people and how do I attract them as followers?”

This is an excellent question as we strive every day to make sure that our efforts impact upon the correct audiences to achieve measurable, successful results that will help meet our clients’ end goals. Luckily, there are some simple ways to help make sure you’ve got the right followers. First, make sure you’re following the right people that fall within your brand’s target audiences. This can be done easily enough just by using Twitter’s advanced search capability that allows you to search by keywords, hashtags, people, places, etc. Other services, like Twellow, which acts as a yellow pages for Twitter, offer lists of Twitter users broken down by industry and topic. In addition to using tools such as these, here are some questions to ask yourself that can help determine whether or not the people following you are the right targets to help further spread your messages.

• How often do they tweet?
• How often do they tweet about topics similar to the issues surrounding your brand?
• How often do they retweet your tweets or ask you questions that engage about your brand?
• Who are their followers, and how many of them are common to your followers?

Looking to take your Twitter feed to the next level? Contact Mary Kate Smither, Vollmer’s social media practice leader, at marykate@vollmerpr.com or 972.488.4790.

Adding a New Face and Singing the Benefits of Retail Healthcare

by William Melendy with Nisha Gidwani, RediClinicWilliam Melendy

Four years ago, a little known concept arrived at five Houston area H-E-B stores. The concept was simple: take away the hassle of seeing a healthcare provider for common healthcare needs. You know the ones, they usually take about 15 minutes to diagnose, but take several weeks to get an appointment or require an unwanted visit to the emergency room.

Enter RediClinic. Today RediClinics are open seven days a week with extended hours in fifteen Houston and six Austin area H-E-B stores. These clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants who treat 25 to 30 of the most common medical conditions and provide preventive care.

So how do you communicate a totally new concept in healthcare that matches the way that we live today, in a totally new way? Armed with this challenge, the RediClinic marketing team developed a social media strategy incorporating Facebook, Twitter and website enhancements to complement its traditional marketing tools.

Setting up Facebook and Twitter accounts seems like a simple process. Personal accounts take mere minutes. However, setting up business pages to have a professional and consistent look with a company brand is a bigger challenge. Two full days into the process and our pages were far from complete!

Bring in the professionals! Vollmer social media expert Dayna Steele spent a few hours at our offices and we were on our way learning the tricks of Facebook. Dayna was able to show us the nuances in both Twitter and Facebook to ensure we posted in the right format, communicated effectively with our targets and used the tools available within the social networking sites to create the look that we wanted. With Dayna’s guidance we were able to direct our web designers at First Creative to use FBML coding to create a location search and newsletter sign-up option on our Facebook page. Who even knew FBML existed?

On our own it would have taken time, effort (and maybe tears) to get to the point we are now. The experts at Vollmer were able to teach tricks of the trade and in the end save us time, money, and frustration.

So become a fan of RediClinic on Facebook and Twitter and I’m sure that you will agree that we have brand centric and professional pages. All thanks to our social media experts at Vollmer.

Tackling the Green Giant

by Kiska Workman, Vollmer Public Relations

We’re not talking about the jolly guy in the green leotard selling peas, but about corporate America’s desire to be environmentally friendly. Clients of all shapes, sizes and industries come to Vollmer so we can help them communicate and integrate their various green initiatives, which is how we have come to be ranked as one of the nation’s largest environmental public relations firms.

So, what does it mean to be green?

We’ve heard it over and over again, but the fact of the matter is that going green means something different to everyone. It can mean a complete carbon footprint overhaul, to something more subdued, like replacing water bottles in the office or offering incentives to employees electing alternative forms of transportation to work.

Here are just a few ways our clients are going green and helping others do the same.

• Houston - Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) – with programs like Advancing the Choice and Commute Solutions, H-GAC is raising awareness about how to reduce pollution and emissions related to transportation. We work to support programs that promote alternative fuels for fleets and campaigns targeted to commuters about alternatives such as car pooling or telework.
  
  
• Air Liquide America – one of the first global companies to practice sustainability manufactures industrial gases that help its customers reduce emissions. Additionally, Air Liquide is involved in hydrogen fuel cell development, carbon capture and sequestration technology and utilizes a highly sophisticated logistics system modeled after ants, that eliminates waste and streamlines efficiencies.
  
  
• Greenstar North America – single stream recycling technology has increased the ability for America to recycle more and put less in our dwindling landfills. In cities like Pittsburgh, PA; Paterson, NJ, Dallas and San Antonio, Greenstar is working to help significantly reduce what goes into the trash vs. the recycling container by making it more convenient and easy for people to recycle.
  
  
• Skanska Building, USA – not only is Skanska, a global commercial construction management company, involved in green building on a global scale, but it also practices recycling on the job site and at the office. From recycling concrete and other materials to recycling paper, Skanska is working to pull green initiatives all the way through its supply chain.
  
  
• Travelocity – traveling isn’t considered green, unless you can Travel for Good™. This Travelocity program was one of first to offer carbon offsetting for air travel and to work with Nature Conservancy in tree plantings.
  
  
• Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America (MCFA) – practices zero waste manufacturing to reduce noise, conserve energy and eliminate waste that would otherwise go into the landfill. Additionally, MCFA is working with fuel cell technology and manufacturing forklifts that help its clients increase efficiency.

What’s your green story?

Whether you are ready to tackle the green giant in its entirety, or bit by bit, it is important to recognize that there are major advantages to taking any step in the right direction. It is the way of the future and influences everything from potential recruits and existing employees to investor relations, marketing and public relations efforts.

So, how can we help tell your green story?

Tips from the Desk Side in New York City

by Kate Sutherland, Vollmer Public Relations

One of the best ways to build awareness for your client is by introducing them to key members of the media in New York City. When establishing relationships for your client at print publications, whether it’s magazines or newspapers, a face to face introduction is a good approach. Plan a few days with your client to coordinate desk side appointments and keep in mind every detail counts.

Here are a few tips below to make your New York media tour a success!

• 30 Minute Rule: Schedule all interviews AT LEAST 30 minutes apart to allow for travel time and meeting running over, I tend to stick with 45 minutes if possible
  
  
• Cision LIES!!! Double check all addresses with editors email signatures or by calling
  
  
• Cross Streets are KEY! The difference between 400 Madison and 600 Madison is 10 blocks which is 1/2 mile, know your cross streets or you could end up running to your next appointment!
  
  
• ID Please: The new Hearst building has tougher security than the White House. All parties will have to show ID at the door…this goes for many of the major magazines so be prepared
  
  
• Rain = No Cabs: If it’s going to rain, you will not get a cab. For one appointment you can roll the dice, if you have a full day I recommend a car service. If you get a car service, they still get lost. Always know all your cross streets and make sure you have their cell numbers…they will drive away and leave you stranded!!
  
  
• Starbucks is not your friend: If you have to meet an editor or freelancer outside an office, I would suggest staying AWAY from Starbucks or other smaller coffee joints. You never know if you will walk into a Starbucks that is completely full, that has no seats, or if you will have a weirdo sitting next to you. I recommend meeting at restaurants – I can suggest good ones for coffee, lunch or drinks.
  
  
• Too many is better than too few: ALWAYS have extra press kits – editors love to bring in others to meetings unannounced. Nothing is more awkward when you only have one gift bag!
  
  
• No brainers, but friendly reminders:
  o Client’s cell number
  o Business card for you and your client (if you have them)
  o Press Kits
  o Editors’ phone numbers and emails
  o Notebook, pens
  o A laptop in case you need to illustrate something online
  o Samples if you’re talking about a product

Spending even just a few minutes with writers can go a long way. Prepare your client to share their key messages in the most time efficient way possible – and don’t forget to send a thank you from both you and your client!

Dr. Syntax or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Grammar

by Ryann Malone, Vollmer Public Relations

After the long, slow march up to the black-board you pick up the chalk with trembling fingers. Heart pounding, palms sweating, the hairs on the back of your neck begin to stand up as you realize your worst nightmare is becoming a reality. Quickly, your eyes dance around the room, looking for someone, anyone who will save you. But you find no one, you are alone. Your blood begins to curdle as you stand paralyzed, racking your brain – is that…a…subordinate clause? Past participle? Coordinating conjunction?

All eyes are on you and the sentence you’ve just been sentenced to diagram.

Grammar may not strike fear in the hearts of every man, woman and child as it once did me, but its ins and outs, rules and exceptions can make it far from a warm and fuzzy subject matter. Dangling modifiers are daunting and attributive adjectives seem alien. It seems unnecessary that such a seemingly archaic system would still exist as the authority, would still govern how we write and speak each day. And in our modern world, where information is instant, videos are viral, and a Tweet or text can tell it all, it begs the question: does grammar even matter anymore?

By definition, grammar refers to the logical and structural rules that govern the composition of sentences, phrases, and words in any given natural language. In essence, grammar was created to act as the glue that holds our language together and foster our ability to process and express our thoughts. Grammar is the reason that those who speak the same language are able to understand each other. Without it, there would be no ground rules for how we can successfully communicate.

Instead of viewing grammar as the big bad wolf of writing, try seeing the ability to understand and use its basic principles as the first step in becoming a better communicator. Whether simple or more complex, your writing is certainly more likely to make an impact with your audience without any glaring grammatical (or spelling) errors. You spent the time crafting your words – don’t you owe it to yourself to make sure they aren’t tossed aside because you decided a little punctuation did not go a long way?

Now, I know they say that rules are meant to be broken. Our language is a living one, and in many respects it adjusts and changes along with our culture. The dictionary now recognizes slang like ain’t and modern cultural terms like cyberslacking. William Shakespeare is credited with the invention of over 1,700 words throughout his works. He changed nouns into verbs, verbs into adjectives, and generally misused the language to tell his tales. If you fancy yourself the next great bard, then by all means, twist the English language with all your might and give the world your creative best. But for the rest of us, a good grasp on grammar will prove to be the most effective weapon we have in our communication arsenal. So slow down a little, and take the time to make sure that your writing is the best that it can be. In the end, it will serve as a lasting impression of how much you care about what you have to say. If it seems like you don’t care, then why would your reader?

No one ever said that grammar was sexy. However, the word glamour is actually a derivative of the word grammar, which was once used to describe learning and magical practices. The pronunciation was altered to glam-our, and the word came to mean magical beauty or enchantment. A potentially great piece of writing that utilizes bad grammar is like a glamorous movie star at a cocktail party – she has the perfect hair, the perfect makeup, the prefect dress. And stuck right between her perfect front teeth is a giant piece of spinach.

Let your grammar be a glamorous glass of champagne and not the spinach.

http://www.grammarbook.com/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/
Associated Press Stylebook on Twitter @APStylebook

Howdy Canada!

by Rachelle Khalaf

In living so far down south, many Houstonians miss out on the small nuances that differentiate Canadians from Americans. If you live in a border town like Detroit, MI or Buffalo, NY you might understand what “I’ll have a double double” means or what a tuque is. You might wonder why these nuances are so important, it’s because Houstonians have MANY connections to their northern neighboUrs which can be summed up in two words – oil sands.

So, in honoUr of Canada Day, the anniversary of the July 1, 1867 enactment of the British North America Act of 1867, which united Canada as a single country of four provinces (we’re up to 10 provinces and 3 territories now!), I’d like to share with my fellow southerners some facts about Canada:

1. Canada is the second largest country in the world.
2. Canada has the ninth biggest economy of the world
3. Canada is the world's eighth biggest trader.
4. The most popular Canadian quick service restaurant is “Tim Horton’s” – a doughnut shop famous for its coffee and ordering rhetoric. Double-double = two creams, two sugars, Regular = one cream, one sugar.
5. Every traffic sign must in French and English, unless you’re in Quebec – then it’s only in French.
6. According to the United Nations Human Development Index, Canada has the highest quality of life in the world.
7. Canadians pronounce the last letter of the alphabet as ZED, not ZEE.
8. The longest running TV show in Canada, since 1955, is “Hockey Night In Canada” which airs on the CBC TV network on Saturday evenings.
9. A tuque is a type of hat – typically worn in winter which is usually about 5 months long – from November to April.
10. Of all of the world's producers of natural gas, copper, zinc, nickel, aluminum, and gold, Canada is in the top five.
11. Canada is the home of many great inventions, including: insulin, basketball, baseball glove, the electric light bulb, the electric range, the electron microscope, standard time, the television, the telephone, and the zipper.
12. Canada is the fifth largest energy producer.
13. Canada has the world's highest tertiary education (or post-secondary) enrolment.
14. Contrary to popular opinion, Canada does not own the North Pole. In fact, the North Pole is not owned by any country. It is believed, however, that Santa Claus is from Canada.