360PR Blog

By John LeRoy

As you may have heard, Facebook announced some MAJOR changes to the platform last week that have already begun to roll out.  The most significant of these changes is the complete overhaul of personal Facebook profiles into the new “Timeline” format.  For a full breakdown of what changes Facebook users can expect to see in the coming days and weeks, check out this Mashable article, but here are a couple of the highlights:

1)    The New “Timelines”: Individual user profiles will now look entirely different, taking more of a “scrapbook” approach to detail a users every move.  Timelines will eventually become the default Facebook profile.

2)    App-roval: Once a user opts-in to share information for any given app, the info will begin to automatically show up on Facebook with each action within the approved app.  Many users have likely already experienced this feature as they see what songs their friends are listening to on Spotify, for example.

3)    Facebook Gestures: Developers are now able to turn any action into a button – such as read, watched, etc.  It will be interesting to see how brands take advantage of this feature now that “Like” is not the only option.

In regards to what will happen to brand pages, Facebook has not made any official announcements and it has many marketers (including us!) patiently waiting to see how clients will be affected and what adjustments to current tactics will need to be made.

While brand pages and their managers wait to see how, exactly, they will be affected, Mashable’s Todd Wasserman gives his thoughts on “What Facebook’s Changes Mean For Marketers.”

Leave us a comment about what you think of Facebook’s coming changes.  A disturbance to the current marketing mix or a golden opportunity to get creative?

Filed under: FaceBook, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking by Admin - 1 Comment →

By John LeRoy

Twitter has announced some changes to its feature-set in recent weeks, some of which will impact the ways that PR professionals and their clients use the platform.  You can read a previous Ragan post about the changes here, but here is a quick overview of some of the changes and what they mean for us:

-       Changing Twitter app landscape:  Since Twitter has purchased Tweetdeck, there is speculation that third-party apps will become more obsolete as Twitter controls more of the action on their own service.  Translation:  Marketers may need to re-acclimate themselves with “Twitter-approved” services for monitoring, managing multiple accounts, etc.

-       Simpler picture-sharing:  This new feature allows individuals and marketers to take and add pictures to Tweets without using third-party services, like TwitPic, making it more turn-key to upload photos.  The photos will also begin appearing directly in Twitter streams as opposed to via a link.  Translation:  Easier real-time photo sharing from events.

-       Ad Platforms: While it is still uncertain of how it will look, there is speculation that ads will begin appearing more prominently in Twitter streams.  Translation:  A potential shift in the trust that consumers have in Twitter as a news source, and also an opportunity for PR to lead news sharing on Twitter.

Time will tell what these changes will really mean for the growing micro-blogging service, but we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section.

Filed under: Digital PR, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter by Admin - No Comments →

By John LeRoy

Many of the “who’s who” of social media converged upon 92^nd Street in New York City for the 140 Characters Conference this week for a two-day session comprised of rapid-fire presentations from more than 140 speakers and presenters.  Among them were TODAY Show’s Ann Curry, Mashable’s Adam Ostrow, Marc Ecko, Cory Booker and Jeff Jarvis, just to name a few.

If you missed it, here is a brief breakdown of some of the topics discussed at the conference:

-       Real-time News Reporting:  One panel examined journalistic issues that must now be considered by news organizations as they vie to be the first to “break” news stories. Recent examples include top-tier news orgs like NPR prematurely Tweeting that Arizona Rep. Giffords had been killed during a shooting five months ago.  Here’s an article about the damages caused by this gaffe.

-       College In Real-Time:  Syracuse University professor, Anthony Rotolo, gave an overview of how he has implemented social media into his courses to conduct conversation during classes via Twitter, perhaps making him one of the few teachers who encourage the use of technology (and social media) as a tool rather than rejecting it as a learning distraction.

-       Happiness (Via Skype):  Author Deepak Chopra addressed an enthusiast from Toronto via Skype to talk about happiness and the “entanglement of minds,” referring to the fact that social media has the ability to affect nearly all aspects of life, including happiness and health, simply by interacting with others.  He went as far as to say that social networks like Twitter and Facebook have become extensions of our neurological make-up.  Talk about mind-blowing!

Here’s the entire list of sessions that took place over the course of the two day conference. If you were there, what sessions stood out for you?

Filed under: Digital PR, Events and Conferences, FaceBook, Internet, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking by Admin - No Comments →

Earlier this week Facebook launched a new website for ad and PR agencies. Facebook Studio showcases examples of organizations that are using the platform to reach & engage with consumers and the site includes a Gallery of work, a Spotlight section, and an Awards section. The Studio also provides a venue for discussion around the use of Facebook for brand marketing and features a Learning Lab with general information about Facebook marketing.

According to this Ad Age article, this is Facebook’s way of  establishing more of a “give-and-take relationship” with agencies. Not only does it make sense…it is about time! If you think about it, you might say that agencies / brands have partially helped Facebook grow into what it is today. For years, brands have experimented with and used the platform for promotions, which has ultimately led to more revenue for Facebook via it’s advertising service. With so many brands and agencies using the platform for marketing in recent years, it is surprising that Facebook hasn’t reached out to agencies in this way sooner. This is a step in the right direction and I look forward to seeing if Studio flourishes into an active community!

Filed under: Digital PR, FaceBook, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking by EliciaBasoli - 1 Comment →

…they were all topics discussed in yesterday’s 360PR Tweets & Sweets meeting! The 360PR crew gathered around bowls of delectable spring-themed candy and salty snacks to chat about interesting social media and digital case studies from recent weeks. I took note of three trends based on the discussion:

- Late Night Social: PR people and brands aren’t the only ones integrating social media into communications efforts. TV producer’s have been getting creative with ways to keep audiences engaged via Facebook and Twitter. For example, Conan O’Brien recently live-posted on Facebook during an episode of his show, conducting hilarious video Q&As with fans during the program. The videos led to tons of engagement on the Facebook page. In addition, Jimmy Fallon has integrated social media within his show with the popular “Late Night Hastag” segment, which garners thousands of tweets surrounding each segment.

- Social Election 2012: The 2012 presidential election is right around the corner, believe it or not. And following President Obama’s heavy social media campaigning in 2008, candidates for the 2012 race are getting out in front with social media communications. For example, Mitt Romney released a video on Monday on YouTube announcing his entrance into the race. It has received over 80K views thus far. And, following Obama’s announcement on Twitter, Romney quickly tweeted back saying “@barackobama I look forward to hearing details on your jobs plan, as are 14m unemployed Americans.” This will be an interesting race to watch!

- Social Coupons: Some brands are taking advantage of the social couponing craze on Facebook, including Healthy Choice and Pretzel Crisps. Healthy Choice launched a “progressive” coupon on Facebook and the value of it increased the more people “liked” the brand’s page. The campaign was supported with a Facebook ad buy and “likes” jumped from about 6,000 to 60,000! In addition, Pretzel Crisps (a snack food favorite here at 360) has also gotten some positive attention lately, for their Facebook coupons. With a couple simple coupons, and Facebook’s viral nature, Pretzel Crisps was able to double their Facebook “likes” in about 36 hours!

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Digital PR, FaceBook, Interactive Marketing, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking, YouTube by EliciaBasoli - No Comments →

Google announced a new addition to their suite of products last week, +1, which integrates social sharing functionality into Google’s search algorithm.  A new +1 button will be added next to every search result and, if you are logged into Google, you can click the button to give your stamp of approval, sharing the search result with others. In Google’s words, +1 is shorthand for “this is pretty cool” or “you should check this out.” Sound familiar? It did to me… +1 is very similar to Facebook’s “Like” button, or even to Digg.com.

How will +1 affect consumers? Well, search results will now be impacted by the number of people that have +1’d a site. In other words, the most popular searches will bubble to the top. This could make finding products and information easier. Instead of Google bots generating every result, other searchers will have input on results, making search a more social experience.

And what about the implications of +1 for brands, advertisers and web developers? For one, this adds a whole new level to a company’s SEO strategy – it is not just about Google’s algorithm anymore. In addition, over time, Google will be releasing a +1 button that brands can integrate within their own websites – again, similar to Facebook’s “Like” button. And lastly, brands will have to consider +1 as it relates to paid search campaigns. Apparently, +1 will not necessarily impact a company’s paid ranking (you will NOT get a better position based on how many people have +1’d you). Rather, you will get the benefit of increasing the click-throughs on your paid link because people have +1’d it. In Google’s words:

We expect that personalized annotations will help users know when your ads and organic search results are relevant to them, increasing the chances that they’ll end up on your site. You don’t have to make adjustments to your advertising strategy based on +1 buttons, and the way we calculate Quality Score isn’t changing (though +1s will be one of many signals we use to calculate organic search ranking). Think of +1 buttons as an enhancement that can help already successful search campaigns perform even better.

With all of that said, +1 is still in the experiment/beta phase (it’s not live for everyone yet, although, you can join the experiment here). While Google has made a previous attempt to implement a social tool (i.e. Google Buzz), only time will tell if +1 will take hold. We’ll be keeping our eyes and ears on +1 as it continues its roll-out. Regardless of the outcome, brands should be prepared if +1 succeeds, thinking about how to integrate the +1 button alongside Facebook “Like” and “Tweet This” buttons on their website.

Check out this video for more info on +1:

Filed under: Interactive Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking by EliciaBasoli - 2 Comments →

By Caitlin McNamara

In the wake of the 8.9 earthquake that hit Japan on March 11, 2011, and a following tsunami, many took out their phones to call their loved ones but soon found out that the lines were down. So what was next? Social media, of course.
 
Under one hour after the earthquake devastated Japan, Google launched their “Person Finder”  application on their homepage. The “Person Finder” was built by the Google Crisis Response team, which is made up of a philanthropic group under the Google umbrella. The “Person Finder” is an interactive database in English and Japanese that allows users to search for missing persons online or submit information about people who are injured or are missing. To date, there are approximately 7,200 records being tracked on “Person Finder.” Not only is this database being used for the Japanese earthquake/tsunami, but was also used for the Haiti earthquake and the Christchurch earthquake.
 
Twitter, with an estimated 10 million active users in Japan, spiked with Japanese related hashtags, such as #prayforJapan, #Fukushima and #Sundai. #TokyoDisneyland also soon shot up in the trending list as a TwitPic was released of Japanese tourists sitting in the middle of the earthquake at Disneyland. Many people have also used Twitter to state their grief for those in Japan as well as their concerns on other aspects of the disaster. 
 
While Facebook is one of the top social media outlets in the world, its popularity has not translated equally in Japan. Similar to Facebook is the social media outlet, Mixi, which is Japan’s largest social network. However, many Americans overseas in Japan have utilized Facebook to spread a mass note to their family and friends letting them know that they are alive and well.
 
Lastly, mobile networks such as AT&T have begun using text messaging to help raise funds. AT&T wireless customers can text “REDCROSS” to 90999 to give a $10 donation to help Red Cross with disaster relief support. No text message fees will apply. This offer lasts until March 31.  
 
As more and more reports are released on the aftermath of the horrific earthquake and tsunami in Japan, many will continue to use social media as a way to communicate not only their locations, but also as a way to vent their frustrations and grieve their losses. Social media has become a way to spread awareness throughout the world in a matter of seconds. We will continue to look to social media as an up to the minute resource on the Japanese disaster, and we will all continue to pray for #Japan.

Filed under: Charity, FaceBook, Social Media, Social Networking by Admin - 1 Comment →

Can you believe it? It has been 5 years, since the first tweet was tweeted. Since 2006, Twitter has permeated our culture and is used by all walks of life around the globe, from politicians and celebrities to charitable organizations and brands! It is hard to imagine our lives without the ability to share a thought or experience via the infamous 140-characters that Twitter allows. So, Congrats to the folks at Twitter and here’s to many more years of tweets to come!

Check out this video released on the Twitter blog, featuring a number of VIPs talking about how they use Twitter. Who knew?! Snoop Dog follows Martha Stewart!

Filed under: Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking by EliciaBasoli - No Comments →

If the Favorites folder on your browser is chock-full or you often find yourself saving links and images to re-visit them down the line, you’ll want to keep tabs on Pinterest, self-described as “a place to catalog the things you love.”

Essentially, Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board where users ‘pin’ things they find interesting – recipes, images, products, quotes, etc. – to their own boards which are categorized by theme. The option to ‘repin’ an item that another user covets is where the social aspect of the site comes in. Repinning is highly encouraged and you can also “follow” other users and their collections to receive updates on friends’ pins and site activity. Social media junkies will be pleased to find that Pinterest is integrated seamlessly with Facebook and Twitter.

Pinterest is too early in its infancy to tell how it will ultimately affect companies, but judging by its current content, Pinterest could serve as a cultivation point for brand fans and those passionate about spreading the word about everything from diamond-studded shoes to cheese knives to snow globes.

Though it’s unclear exactly when Pinterest began welcoming users, blogs including Apartment Therapy have been buzzing about the Palo Alto, CA-based site since last spring. Still in BETA, Pinterest is currently invite-only. For more information, check out Pinterest’s official blog, Oh, How Pinteresting!, here. Tastemakers pining to pin can request an invite here.

Filed under: Internet, Retail, Social Media, Social Networking by SkyeMcIntyre - 3 Comments →

Over the past year, we’ve seen more and more brands going beyond just using Facebook for pure engagement with consumers. Many are now using it as a commerce platform as well – and it makes perfect sense. For one,  consumers often look for coupons or discounts from brands on social platforms (according to a 2010 study*, when asked what type of interaction people are looking for when engaging with companies/brands online, 77% of respondents said they are looking for incentives).

If consumers are pro-actively seeking sales-related messages, why not actually SELL products where they “live” on Facebook? Go for it. Just make sure that your brand’s sales-related messages are not too intrusive.

So how do you sell on Facebook? Facebook storefronts are often developed by third-party software developers who integrate a ”Shop Now” section into a brand’s existing page. This allows retailers, like Best Buy, and brands themselves, like Pampers, to showcase products on their page and, more importantly, make those products “shareable” to consumers. The Pampers example is particularly noteworthy, as it was P&G’s first foray into the F-commerce space  and they launched their store using Amazon.com’s eCommerce capabilities, last fall.

They’re not alone. 1800flowers.com, diapers.com, and Hallmark are just a few others that have jumped into F-commerce. Mashable lists some other examples in this recent article.

Have you ever purchased anything, as a result of clicking around on a brand’s Facebook page?

*Source: Cone 2010 Consumer New Media Study, October 2010

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, FaceBook, Interactive Marketing, Internet, Social Media, Social Networking by EliciaBasoli - 1 Comment →

If you or your company has a Facebook “Page”, you’ve likely heard about the new changes that will be implemented for brands (the official launch date is March 10th). These changes will require some adaptation in the design of your page, and possibly the administration of it as well. In a nutshell:

• Tabs are now gone and have been replaced with a list of content categories below the profile image. This means content previously viewed in tabs is now less prominent to visitors. Moving forward, brands should prioritize what content they want to appear in this content list and how to leverage other new elements – profile image, etc. to draw attention to certain content.
• A new photo strip appears above the Page wall. Brands should keep a close eye on these photos, to ensure that they display content relevant to the  desired message.  This is going to be challenging to adapt to, as the photo strip is now so prominent. Check out this article on Journalistics.com, which calls this change “Fan Page Photo Roulette”.
• The wall will now feature content from either you only, or from Everyone. And, posts will be organized by the most popular content, as opposed to chronological content.
• Brands can now “Like” more Pages and comment on those Pages, as the brand (instead of the individual).
• Brands can now subscribe to email updates, when new content is added to the Wall. And, more importantly, brands can subscribe to email alerts when any profane language is posted by fans. This is particularly helpful for Brands that frequently have content like this to moderate.

When you play in the social media realm, brands loose some of the control that they have with their own websites, for example. It comes with the territory! Facebook is constantly keeping brands on their toes – whether they are revising their contest guidelines or mixing up brand page designs.

How have these changes impacted your Brand Page?

Filed under: Digital PR, FaceBook, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking by EliciaBasoli - 3 Comments →

Who doesn’t love an infographic? They’re so popular lately I wouldn’t be surprised if the term replaces ‘app’ as the most ubiquitous slang word of 2011. My most recent favorite infographic comes from the team @foursquare and it does a great job of showing the service’s growth (and quirky spirit) over the last year.

Foursquare’s latest blog post title sums it up: “So we grew 3400% last year.” While this Huffington Post article points out that a mere 4% of adults use location-based social networking tools, over 380 million check-ins is nothing to scoff at. Even more impressive, is a stat gleaned from a Bulldog Reporter session that the 360PR team participated in last week – worldwide, during a randomly chosen time period of 30 seconds, there were 44 foursquare check-ins on a single platform.

So where are foursquare users?  Everywhere from Wendy’s, to wine bars, to movie theaters, to space.  Yes, SPACE! Do you use foursquare or other similar geolocation services like Facebook Places?

Here’s hoping geolocation services continue to feed our love for infographics over the coming months.  (Check out CoolInfographics.com for some more data visualization.)

Filed under: Internet, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking by SkyeMcIntyre - 1 Comment →

You may remember 360 Social’s round-up of 2009 social media moments from last year. Well, in 2010, we turned the proverbial mic over to Lindsay Durr and Skye McIntyre. In this video, Lindsay and Skye recap some of the top moments from this year including everything from the Old Spice campaign and the surge in group deal sites, to the trend of “underage and online” and TIME’s “Person of the Year,” Mark Zuckerberg. Check it out!

Did we miss anything? Share in the comments…

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, FaceBook, Internet, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking, YouTube by EliciaBasoli - 2 Comments →

We’ve told you about our 360 “Tweet and Eat” lunches before. But, this month we put a different spin on it – instead of the middle of the day, we gathered in the conference room at the end of the day, so we could all enjoy a cocktail or two while sharing some interesting case studies around the use of social media. Here are just a few highlights:

Ford Explorer Facebook Reveal – Earlier this year, Ford took a risk by revealing the new Explorer with an online and Facebook-central campaign, something that other auto-makers have never done. They revealed the new Explorer for the first time on Facebook, instead of at a big auto show. In the first day it surpassed its goal of 30K fans and, as a result, gave a free Explorer to one random fan. In addition all of the components of the campaign on Facebook, Ford heavily invested in ad buys as well to drive people to Facebook and to encourage engagement. This is a great example of a fully integrated online campaign. Check out the full case study on Mashable.

Google Zeitgeist Video - Google has compiled a video, with the help of Whirled Creative, showing how the world searched online in 2010. Over 1.5 million views on YouTube thus far! The most brilliant part of this video is that it subtly shows off some new Google features that launched this year, such as Google Instant. We highly suggest checking out the video – well done, Google!

“Rent is Too Damn UP” Spoof Video – By coincidence, another examples highlighted by staff also came from Whirled Creative. If you haven’t heard of Jimmy McMillan he ran for office in NY earlier this fall and named his political party the “Rent is too damn high” party. Really, that was the name of his party. The eccentric McMillan appeared during a televised debate and the video garnered millions of views on YouTube. Whirled Creative created a spoof mash-up, overlaying the voices from the debate onto a scene from the Pixar movie “UP” which has received over 300,000 views. Perfect example of a “viral” video leveraging current events to garner views.

Happy Holidays!

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Digital PR, FaceBook, Internet, Social Media, Social Networking, YouTube by EliciaBasoli - 1 Comment →

There is a little movie that has been getting a lot of buzz the past few weeks. Have you heard of it? The Social Network is about the life of 20-something billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook.com. The 360 team all headed to the theater last night to check it out – we loved it! And, we’re not the only ones. The movie has been #1 for the past couple weeks and is receiving Oscar nomination buzz.

Since seeing the movie, we’ve all been wondering how much truth is in the storyline? You see, the movie is based on Ben Mezrich’s book “The Accidental Billionaires” and on court documents filed in a series of lawsuits by Zuckerberg’s fellow students from Harvard. It is NOT endorsed by Facebook or Zuckerberg, who has been quoted saying that the story is largely fiction. The friends / classmates who sued Zuckerberg claiming that he stole their idea for the website may beg to differ.

Regardless of whose idea Facebook was, what is more important is simply that it was created. Facebook has changed the way millions of people communicate – 500 million, to be exact!

Speaking of Facebook, if you haven’t visited the 360PR Facebook Page, check out our page here.

Filed under: FaceBook, Social Media, Social Networking by EliciaBasoli - 3 Comments →