Sprechen Sie Texan?

By Kim Tillinghast, Account Director, Austin

A few weeks ago, I attended the annual Society of American Travel Writers convention in Germany, representing our client and convention sponsor Texas Tourism (http://www.traveltex.com/). It was an invaluable opportunity to promote Texas’ diverse sights, sounds, tastes and experiences to a captive audience, and for me, it offered face time with many writers with whom I’ve exchanged countless e-mails over the years, as well as PR representatives from convention and visitors bureaus and airlines. We spent five days exploring Dresden and Leipzig, in the southeastern state of Saxony, with a combination of tours – quarters, castles and zoos, oh my! – professional development sessions, round-table discussions and media appointments.

The variety of professional development sessions included a panel focusing on destination press trips. Tips included requesting a list of recent press trips taken from each journalist; being mindful of photographer needs, including adequate time to shoot and best available daylight (30 minutes pre-sunrise to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 30 minutes post-sunset); and most importantly, checking participant blogs/social media channels throughout the trip.

A round-table discussion with other PR firms yielded insight about shared challenges and solutions. A discussion of social media strategy and measurement led to an interesting debate about whether Facebook or LinkedIn is the more appropriate medium to build media relationships, and where the line between personal and professional communication is (perhaps strategically) blurred.

Our keynote speaker, John Chow (http://www.johnchow.com/), lent insight about professional blogging and his road to success. He identified the important distinction between bloggers and Internet marketers, and the fact that the low barrier of entry (e.g., free sites such as Blogspot) can cause bloggers to not treat their work as a business. The key to success lies in a strong business model that focuses on monetization of traffic as a goal, versus simply gaining traffic. According to Chow, those who blog consistently, surround themselves with success, actively pursue their brand and – most importantly – enjoy the journey, are far more likely to find success.

The entire experience was a vibrant meeting of the minds. It reminded me how much I enjoy the relationship-building side of public relations, and what valuable conversations and ideas can spawn from a change of scenery and a room full of creative brains. I plan to keep that same inspiration with me back in “reality”, knowing that whether I’m brainstorming in the picturesque German landscape or downtown Austin, amazing ideas and partnerships can bloom and take life.

Taking Calculated Risks in Digital Health

By Emily Downward, Sr. Vice President Digital, Austin

The intersection of social media and health is a tricky one. Social media allows everyone to have a voice. Patients can share their personal stories and challenges, learn from each other and find support. But is the information always accurate? Companies involved in healthcare, from hospitals to pharmaceutical companies, are regulated by the government on what and how they share information causing many companies to limit or avoid joining the online conversation.

People are flocking to the Internet for health information. The Health Engagement Barometer showed that globally, four out of five people turn to digital media to help inform their health decisions (Edelman, 2010). In the United States, three out of four consult digital sources for health information. The Internet has become—and will continue to be—a major source of health information for the general public. It’s also potentially a breeding ground for misinformation, which is why we strongly believe we need regulated players to be engaged. Conversations about health are taking place online already—and without the appropriately regulated voice of the manufacturer, consumers and health care professionals are missing valuable, accurate information.

As a communications agency with thriving digital and health practices, Edelman counsels many of the nation’s leading health companies. Edelman has long advised companies that health is a business imperative and that they must engage proactively, transparently, and in real time with all stakeholders about health and wellness. Health companies must play by the regulations, such as providing balanced information (claims and safety) and maintaining patient confidentiality, but there are ways to use social media and abide by the existing regulations and guidelines.

The risks to health companies of engaging in social media are well-known, such as FDA warning letters. What is not as frequently mentioned are the risks of NOT engaging, which include the risk of your brand being defined by others and the lack of balanced information. We are counseling our clients on how to get involved in social media, following the existing guidelines and applying them to this medium in a responsible way.

Tagging: The Next Generation of Mobile Technology

By Mauren Kunz, Sr. Account Executive, Houston

“Excuse me,” shouted a random man who ran up to me as I was leaving the exhibit hall at a recent conference in Washington, D.C. “Can I scan you?”

Now in any other situation, such a comment might be cause to grab the mace and sprint towards the nearest cop, especially in a city formerly referred to as the murder capital of the United States. But instead of running for my life, I turned around and with an inner chuckle, asked if I could do the same.

It was part of PR Newswire’s mobile tagging game at the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)’s International Conference in October, and the way people talked about it, you’d think they were playing to win millions.

What’s the buzz about?

The PRN Game was based on a combination of mobile tagging and social media apps used to boost PR Newswire’s visibility at the event and emphasize the company’s new focus on engagement.

While tagging has been around since 2003 and is highly prominent in Asia, it’s just starting to gain widespread popularity here in the U.S. The technology behind tagging allows an individual to create a 2D barcode for mobile scanning through an app, which then directs a user to a designated website for instant access to information, videos, reviews and more.

When first introduced, tagging was available in the format of a QR (Quick Response) code or data matrix, but in 2009 Microsoft announced its High Capacity Color Barcode (HCCB) in hopes of establishing the company’s unique format as the standard in the west. HCCB codes are a series of colorful triangles, whereas QR and data matrix codes look similar to the black and white scanner image you might see on a shipping package.

How it works:

For the PRN Game, the company created more than 70 different tags that were placed in various areas of the conference, including at exhibit booths, on lobby signs, in conference presentations, and even on staff name badges. Additionally, 30 of those tags were available in small stickers that conference goers could add to their own name badges, which encouraged people to interact with each other.

The back end of the program was setup so that the 70 target sites were part of a value system (worth anywhere from 2-150 points) that tracked and added points with qualifying scans. Additionally, tweets using the #prngame hashtag were worth an additional point. In order to engage attendees’ interest in the company’s product offering, PR Newswire also provided in-booth demonstrations for 4 new services, valued at 100 points per presentation.

While only 62 attendees competed in the game, PR Newswire estimates it generated over 1,000 tweets in 3 days. Pretty impressive considering the number of people participating. On top of that, more than 23 percent of tweets that used the official conference hashtag (#prsa_ic) also included the PRN Game hashtag, which doesn’t even account for the large percentage of people who instead used #prsa2010 or #pra10 as their conference hashtag.

In the end, PR Newswire took advantage of an innovative technology to increase the company’s visibility beyond the 6 x 12 foot booth space purchased for the event. The service provider did an extensive job of spreading content such that even those that participated in the game couldn’t help but be aware of it.

What does it mean for you?

With a generation constantly seeking the electronic version of information, tagging is another way to reduce the load of paper hauling and tree chopping to provide audiences with quick and directed materials in the palm of their hands. Vollmer often avoids the paper build up by offering tagging for quick and easy downloads at client conferences where it sponsors social media tutorial booths and needs to provide handouts.

Companies may soon find ways to integrate tagging codes on displays, in press releases and on other materials. Airline companies such as Continental, are already using mobile tagging for electronic boarding passes, allowing travelers to access codes on their phones for paperless flight check-ins. 

As technology improves and smart phones continue to flood the market, tagging will continue to play a role in the evolution of how we consume information. Who knows, now that we're even exchanging business cards via mobile tags the phrase “Can I scan you?” won’t be so strange after all.

Find the app that’s right for you:

QR Code Reader – http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qr-code-software/

Sounds Like a Plan: Yes, it’s that’s time of year. Let the 2011 programming and budgeting begin!

By Teresa Henderson, Executive Vice President, GM Dallas & Co-Manager Austin

Wikipedia gallantly defines planning as “… the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired goal on some scale.”

Most companies approach the planning and budgeting season with a less philosophical point of view and a more pragmatic frame of mind: what does our budget look like, what do we want to accomplish and how do we align dollars and goals to achieve success? And the managers inside those companies often grapple with a smaller question that looms large: where do we start?

Wikipedia also states that “(planning) is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior,” so this year why not activate the process in a smart way by analyzing the results of current programs versus the budget allotted to them? Which ones paid off in the form of leads, sales or increased brand awareness? Are there sacred cows in your marketing pasture such as legacy trade shows, sales meetings or other events that could free up budgets?

Can you identify smarter, more economical ways to maintain the nuts-and-bolts supporting programs that have to remain? Recently, we advised a client that her company could save – and redeploy – thousands of dollars each month by revising the use of wire service categories for press release distribution.

Are you in line with your online thinking? According to the 2010 Marketing Trends Survey, 47 percent of industrial marketers reported spending at least one-third of their marketing budget online in 2010. Three of the top four sources for leads for industrial companies were online channels, including the company website, email marketing and search engine optimization. Consider increasing your online programming if you want to connect with your audience in 2011.

Again from Wikipedia: “An important, albeit often ignored aspect of planning, (sic) is the relationship it holds with forecasting. Forecasting can be described as predicting what the future will look like, whereas planning predicts what the future should look like.” As you enter the planning and budgeting process for the upcoming year, keep in mind the milestones that are forecast for 2011. These could include product launches or product updates, new partnerships or mergers, expansion into new markets or entrée into new customer segments. Be sure to factor the support – logistic as well as budgetary – necessary to deliver success.

At the end of the day, smart planning and budgeting comes down to evaluating past initiatives, focusing on new objectives and choosing the right programs to achieve your goals. The process can be straightforward and less taxing if you stay organized, intelligently evaluate and plan against what’s forecast for the future.

So get to it, get it behind you and get ready to blow out the coming year!

Write What You Mean: The ABCs of Grammar and Spelling for Social Media

 By Mary Kate Smither, Social Media Practice Leader

In our business, clients rely on us every day to help reach their business objectives by communicating messages correctly and effectively. While I love social media, and all of the opportunities it offers us to engage with each other about those messages, I also believe that in some ways it has allowed us to compromise our skills for accurate grammar and spelling.

I admit that I’ve always been somewhat of a spelling and grammar snob, and I also acknowledge that we are all moving faster than ever to generate quality content and keep up with each other. But how many times have you read a tweet with so many letters missing you need a code to decipher it, or a blog post about a brand that includes grammatical errors, such as your instead of you’re, its instead of it’s or there instead of their? My guess is that if you’ve noticed some of these errors, your attention was diverted from the true message of the post.

Despite my acknowledged neuroses and the crazy speed of life, I still firmly believe that we all owe it to our clients and to ourselves to slow down long enough to ensure that we’re actually communicating what we mean to communicate. Twitter and Facebook posts, mobile messaging and blog entries are all an extension of ourselves and our brands, and isn’t the goal always to create a great first impression by putting your best foot forward?

As a public relations professional, not only do I want to make sure that my current clients are happy with my work and fans of our agency, but I also want to use my work as way to earn new business. How can I expect a potential client to have confidence in my ability to produce great work if I don’t know the proper usage of a word or its correct spelling?

While we live in a world where social media allows for a more informal conversation tone, and -- as humans mistakes certainly happen -- avoiding spelling and grammatical mistakes can be easy enough. The point is not to stop writing or tweeting, but to do it well. Following are a few resources to help make sure you put your best foot forward.

• Spell Check – While it doesn’t catch words that are spelled correctly but are grammatically incorrect, spell check is always a good first step in proofing a post, text or tweet. Most social media sites and many smartphones offer some form of spell check application.

• Find a Friend – Sometimes we’re so close to our own work, that we miss what’s right in front of our faces. Enlist a colleague or friend to help proof your blog posts, especially if you’re writing them from a professional standpoint or on behalf of someone else.

• Dictionary – Not sure how to spell a word? No problem. It's true that the dictionary is an obvious go-to resource, but now both the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster have made it easier than ever to check the spelling and meaning of a word with their online versions (Oxford English is a paid subscription, Merriam-Webster is free) at http://www.oed.com/ and http://www.merriam-webster.com/.

• AP Stylebook – Vital to those of us in the public relations profession, the AP Stylebook offers a guide to proper writing style, including grammar, punctuation , capitalization and is used by many media outlets as a standard. While many of us still use the print version of the book, AP now offers online subscriptions beginning at $25 (http://www.apstylebook.com/).