Big3 Conference Executive Summary

PR News' Big 3 Conference – Executive Summary
August 9, 2012, The Hyatt Regency, San Francisco.
By Bill Miltenberg and Jamar Hudson
Click here to see photos of the event. 

Opening Keynote Presentation: The Big Picture on the Big 3

Speaker: Jon Swartz, Technology Reporter, USA Today, @jswartz
Moderator: Jamar Hudson, Senior Editor, PR News

In this opening Q&A session, USA Today technology reporter Jon Swartz provided the inside scoop on new business developments at Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, and on how those new directions will transform the platforms and create new opportunities for communicators to engage their audiences.

Jamar Hudson: How does Facebook look after its IPO?

Jon Swartz: "It doesn't look good. Five top-ranking Facebook officials have left the company since its IPO. When Xynga and other social companies have their IPOs, there's this idea that if the stock doesn't perform well, what's the incentive to stay? More top people will leave, and out in San Francisco and Palo Alto, there are so many startups and work opportunities. It's also a snowball effect with Facebook. Once things start going wrong, it’s hard to stop. There’s a lot of doubt about what those companies do and there's a reciprocal effect on things like Twitter. 

Hudson: How Facebook can improve its business?

Swartz: (Mark) Zuckerberg isn't afraid to totally change everything up. Twitter is terrified of tinkering with their product. Facebook doesn't care—they will up-end everything, and the things people initially object to often become Facebook's most popular features. Among people under 25, Facebook probably isn't as popular as it is for those over 40. There's a Facebook burnout for some.

Hudson: How should PR pros approach Pinterest copyright issues?

Swartz: PR people should be very concerned about copyright. Everyone is looking for an intellectual copyright advantage. As of now, the copyright issue is a minefield, and it's something that will continue to be an issue."

Hudson: How can Twitter progress as a platform?

Swartz: "I was always skeptical about Twitter and its ability to monetize, but it has taken advantage of Facebook's stumble with mobile. Twitter is making money in terms of advertising with mobile whereas Facebook is struggling."

Hudson: What did you think of NBC's decision to delay its Olympics broadcast despite the 24-7 media machine?

Swartz: "NBC did such a bad job in the real-time era of covering the Olympics. Old media is rooted in old idea, and it's going to take years to fully break that mindset."

Hudson: How has technology affected your job as a reporter?

Swartz: "Technology has made filing a story easier and possible from anywhere. It's good and it's bad—reporters now run out early with stories trying to beat one another, and often times, none of them are right.

Hudson: What are other social media platforms PR pros should be aware of?

Swartz: There are a lot of smaller, and more specialized social media platforms used by people that are specializing in the same fields and having conversations, rather than on Facebook and Twitter when people are talking to one another above everyone else.
 

Must-Have Social Tools for Your PR Toolbox

Speaker: Brad McCormick, Principal, 10 Louder Strategies, @darbtx

There are some tools that all PR pros must have to manage their social media programs efficiently—and the good thing is not all of these tools have a price tag.

The most important communication skill of the future is coordination, said Brad McCormick, Principal, 10 Loud Strategies. “Strategic planning and tactical execution are important, but complexity is the nature of the beast, and increasingly, coordination between departments and times is necessary—and tools can help towards that end.”

McCormick explained what he likes to call “barely-used shiny tool syndrome:” When we buy something because it looks good and we think it’ll do this and that, but it ends up unused. So how do we decipher what tools we really need and what will just end up in our unused tool draw?

McCormick’s “Four Tips to Avoid Busts:"

1. Make sure it’s a tool you really need. “Social media is hard to do and takes a lot of trial and error.  Think about what you are trying to do,” said McCormick.

2. Select the right tool for the job. Concentrate on the job you’re trying to do, and find one that does what you need it to do well.

3. Training and practice are essential parts of the process.

4. Not all tools are created equal.

 

Listening Tools:

• Social Mention: Provides “a mile wide and an inch deep view,” said McCormick (free tool).
• Social Radar: Has an elegant interface with much deeper analytics than Social Mention. It’s going to give you volume and sentiment—a degree of passion tool. ($5-$6 a month)
• Crimson Hexagon: Needs high volume of activity to be effective, between 200-400 on topic conversations each day on topic and requires a lot of training, said McCormick.

• Netbase: The cream of the crop product. “Does what Crimson Hexagon does, but better,” said McCormick. “Divides proportion and type of what people are saying.”

Influencer Engagement Tools:

• Klout: Gives score on 1-100 on social media score—which has been controversial (free).

• Traacker: Best of class—a really deep influencer analysis tool, said McCormick. It requires 20-50 keywords, and analyzes six months worth of data to show who the top influencers for each topic based on three scores: reach, resonance and relevance, and changes every 24 hours, said McCormick.

Monitoring and Management Tools:

• Google Alerts: An industry standard, but the caveat is lots of spam (free).
• Muck Rack: A journalist specific tool that features the top 1,000 journalist in America.  You can follow a journalist’s social media presence and set up alerts.
• TweetDeck: Free tool that allows you to manage multiple accounts. TweetDeck allows you to monitor different conversations in real time, driven by keywords or by hashtags.
• HootSuite: Free/premium model that allows you to incorporate different channels externally, as well as internally manage your social networks as a team.
• Spredfast: Enterprise level version of HootSuite. “At present is has fixed prices, but you can negotiate down,” said McCormick.

Revenue Tools:

• Google Analytics: Deep analysis on social engagement and social value thanks to new features.
• Adobe Digital Suite

When asked if there was any type of Swiss Army Knife tool for someone just getting started, McCormick said it’s most important to focus on listening. “If you don’t know what people are saying about your products and services, you’re behind the times,” he said.  

In terms of Pinterest tools, McCormick said one of the better tools is Pinerly, which is in beta. It's a dashboard for Pinterest that treats photos and videos on Pinterest as if they were campaigns.

 
Pin for Success: How to Engage Your Audience with Pinterest 

Speakers:
Callan Green, Senior Social Media Specialist, Sony
Staci Perkins, Senior Director, Marketing & Communications, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, @DTFA
Claire Tindall, Brand Manager, Crocs Inc.

Pinterest, the two-year-old image-based network, is now the third-most-popular social network in the world. It drives more referral traffic on the Web than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined, and 79% of Pinterest users rate themselves as more likely to purchase an item seen on Pinterest than one seen on Facebook. Food, fashion and media brands have notably tapped into Pinterest's rapid growth and ability to drive sales, but brands of all kinds can leverage its power. 

Rapid Pinning

As Pinterest, still in its infancy, continues to grow, it’s important to keep an eye to how other communicators are using the social network. With any tool, especially a new one, you don’t want to be left behind.

“See what others in your industry are doing,” said Staci Perkins, director, marketing and communications, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “You have to look for inspiration in what others are doing on Pinterest.”

At the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Perkins said their organization “pins” often. If it’s something of interest to the company, it’s going up on Pinterest. The challenge as Perkins sees it is many companies getting their name out there and managing the new social network. The solution is simple: “Start following other pinners and comment on their posts,” Perkins said. This makes others aware of your Pinterest account and helps build a following for your organization.

Credibilty

Callan Green, senior social media specialist, Sony, said that it’s not so much about driving traffic when you use Pinterest, but building a credible brand through your posts. Once that is established, increased traffic will be reflected.

Green’s three keys to success on Pinterest:

1. Create a commerce-driven strategy

2. Create commerce drive pins and programs.

3. Utilize unexpected imagery

Pay Attention

Want to know how to get people to your site via Pinterest? It’s very simple, according to Claire Tindall, brand manager, Crocs Inc. The success on Pinterest for your organization hinges on whether PR pros are really paying attention and listening what consumers are saying. If that happens, and organizations really know what consumers are interested in, the rest is simple:  

“Spoon-feed them content and make sure it’s visually appealing,” Tindall said. 

Proven Twitter Tactics to Gain and Retain Followers

Speakers:
Amy Gilmer, Social Media Manager, Stella & Dot
Krisleigh Hoermann, Community Manager, American Heart Association, @KrisleighH
Lindsay Kniffin, Community Manager, Global Corporate Communications, Cisco, @lkniffin

Refresh your Twitter engagement strategies by learning how consumer, b2b brands and nonprofits are successfully growing their legions of Twitter followers—and keeping the ones they already have.

Engagement

The beauty of Twitter is the ability to have direct contact with other users. For communicators, the key is being able to create engagement with consumes and conversation that brings attention to your brand.

“You want to have that conversation and build trust with people around you who are interested in your brand,” said Krisleigh Hoermann, community manager, American Heart Association. “Build your brand on Twitter to gain trust.”

But that won’t happen immediately. Hoermann said that finding what works for your brand on Twitter will take time. It may take trying varying tweet types to come up with works for your brand.

As you figure out what works for you brand, how can you retain those new followers?

Amy Gilmer, social media manager, Stella & Dot, suggested hashtags as an important way to continue the conversation while making it specific to what your organization is trying to achieve. Hashtags ultimately become identifiable with your brand and consumers look for them and use them on Twitter.

Direct Connection

Retaining followers also requires you to personally engagement with them. The beauty of Twitter, as Gilmer sees it, is that the messaging system offers a perfect way to do this.

“(Direct message) is a good way to introduce yourself to new followers,” said Gilmer. “Be sure to reach out and thank individuals for sharing your information on Twitter.”

Lindsey Kniffin, community manager, global corporate communication at Cisco, agreed, saying that communicators must create a two-way dialogue between the brand you’re representing and your fans.

Kniffin suggested that organizations build Twitter programs that reward engagement as a way to continue to build relationship with followers.

Facebook's Top Developments and Features for PR Pros

Speakers:
Joe Ciarallo, Vice President, Communications, Buddy Media, @joeciarallo 
Dan Gould, Manager of Digital Public Relations, Sourcefire, @Sourcefire
Samantha Willems, Brand Marketing Manager, Old Navy, @OldNavy 

It's been a busy year for Facebook (and not just because of the IPO)—it launched Timeline brand pages, promoted posts for brand pages, the Reach Generator paid ad product and its revamped ad platform.  

With so many new things going on the leading social network, it’s key that communicators are keeping up with the changes and applying them

Samantha Willems, brand marketing manager, Old Navy, suggested that organizations take advantage of the visual aspect of Facebook by capturing the essence of your brand with the cover photo and choose your three most important tabs when providing information.

Dan Gould, manager, digital public relations, Sourcefire agreed that organizations must keep things photogenic on Facebook, but the understanding of metrics must be just as important.

“To be able to effectively promote your posts, you have to have at least 400 likes on your page,” Gould said.  “Three days or 72 hours is how long Facebook will promote a post before it disappears.”

Effective promotion of posts on Facebook will ultimately draw more views to your organization’s Facebook page, which will increase likes and visibility for your brands. 

 

Keynote Presentation: The Age of Context

Speaker:
Shel Israel, Author, Twitterville and Naked Conversations - How Blogs Are Changing the Way Businesses Talk With Customers, @shelisrael

Even as many brands are just beginning to integrate social media across their organizations, big changes in technology and social platforms are on the horizon. In his keynote presentation, Shel Israel, who writes The Social Beat blog for Forbes.com, provided insight into the driving forces behind these changes and what communicators can do to adapt to them.

As social media continues to become more prevalent in organizations, there’s no time to get comfortable, as more changes are coming and coming soon. The transformation is happening seemingly at lightning speed, especially when many communicators were completely against social media when the new practice first burst on the scene.

“Social media was distained, disliked and completely unimportant to serious marketing people,” said Israel. “Now, in seven years we went from first blogging into an entire era of a more conversational way of doing things.”

The changes organizations have seen as it relates to social media are rooted in engagement. Israel emphasized that social media has opened up another line of communication for PR pros, now allowing them to have conversations with consumers rather than shoving messages down their throats.

He said that because of social media’s impact, communicators now can hear directly from consumers and now know what to measure. But in its growth the challenge organizations face is decided who "owns" the social media content. 

So where does social media for from here? Israel outlined five points to consider when looking at the future of social media. 

5 Forces of Context:

1. Mature Social Media

2. Web of all Things

3. Mobile

4. Big Data

5. Digital Mapping

Isreal believes that big data will ultimately provide specific consumer information on who they are and what they want and that digital mapping with one day be able to provide information on exactly where people are and what their intentions are once there.

As a result, business approaches will have to change as technology becomes even more social. 

Those changes will include, but not be limited to:

• Humanized technology
• Predictive behavior
• Hands-free technology
• Augmented reality
• The knowing of where and what

It may sound scary now, but communicators must get used to it and think about now said Israel. 

It's the start of a long journey, and it's important to follow social path and think ultra personal to succeed in this social media era. 
 

Resource Management Clinic: Manage Your Team, Time and Budget for Social Media Success 

Speaker:
Dallas Lawrence, Chief Global Digital Strategist, Burson-Marsteller, @dallaslawrence

Regardless of your own digital expertise, it can be a challenge to lead a communications team on multiple social media platforms and stay within budget.

The average Fortune 500 company now has over 11 Twitter accounts—meaning that one size doesn't fit all, said Dallas Lawrence, chief global digital strategy for Burson-Marsteller. "Our journey in crisis management now is moving from syndication and broadcasting into engagement. We have to stop measuring impressions and start measuring expressions—how are people expressing themselves about the brand."

1. ROI: What is your business case for social media? Whether it’s a tactic, a program or just a channel, it should be purposeful.

2. Governance: Who owns it within the organization? Who is responsible for the feeding of the community? Is it corporate communications, HR, marketing? A third of companies surveyed have no one in change of social media, said Lawrence. 

3. Sustainability: Who will keep it going, and for how long?

4. Metrics: How will you judge success or failure?

5. Champions: Who has the stomach to back you? "If your champion is just your organization's social media guru, you're screwed," said Lawrence. You need a senior leader in your organization to back your efforts.

Crisis Plans and Lessons:

"Only 37% of companies in the US have a digital crisis plan—and for the ones that do, it can't just be 'engage social media,'" said Lawrence.

Lesson 1: Know & Engage Key Drivers Early & Often. 46% of journalists use Twitter for sources, said Lawrence. They're going there to see who is already talking about a subject in a credible and established way. They see Twitter as their resource Bible.

Lesson 2: Actively Monitor Not Just Your Reputation But the Activities of Your Protagonist(s).

Lesson 3: Develop Clear and Effective Platform Appropriate Messaging. "If you've got a story about you that's erupting in video, is a press release the why to respond to that? Probably not," said Lawrence. 

Lesson 4: Own Your Brand in Social Media…Before Someone Else Does. "Pinterest is still something we’re not thinking about in a reputation management perspective even though it’s off the charts," said Lawrence. "Only a third of the top 100 companies have registered their brands on Pinterest, however."

Lesson 5: People, Not Logos. During a crisis, people want to hear from people, not logos. Figure out right now whom the person is going to be communicating for you in a crisis.

Lesson 6: Integration Is Key. Twitter is the best platform for sharing out other content through, said Lawrence. Tweets with YouTube links are two times more likely to be retweeted, and tweets that are 80-100 characters are also significantly more likely to be more retweeted.

Lesson 7: Be Sure You Know What You're Talking About: What’s going against you in the time of a crisis: rush to say something, what are we going to say. We also have to be able to tell clients when it’s not a crisis. "Sometimes it’s not a PR problem; sometimes it’s just a problem," said Lawrence.

Lesson 8: When You Blow It, Own Up to It Quickly. There is an amazing willingness to forgive if you just ask for it, said Lawrence.

Lesson 9: When All Else Fails, Use Humor.

Lesson 10: Integrate Paid and Earned. “Paid” is not a dirty word," said Lawrence. It’s a great way to reach people in a crisis, and promoted tweets can reach the audience you need to reach.

Lesson 11: Make Some Lemonade. There is a point in every crisis when you're past the 'oh sh*t' moment and still have the media world in your backyard— that's your opportunity to grab that spotlight and show what you're going to do next," said Lawrence. "Three out of every four posts from customers contain potentially actionable product improvement insights." LL Bean did this with a line of their sheets. LL Bean listened to social and saw that there was an uptick in chatter about its sheets, so the company went back to the shelves and saw there was a manufacturing error, which it was able to correct their mistake faster than usual.

 

How to Avoid the Legal Land Mines of the Big 3

Speaker:
Allison Fitzpatrick, Partner, Davis & Gilbert LLP, @dglaw

Advances in the use of social media for PR and the rapidity of information flow through all digital channels leaves PR practitioners and their organizations open to charges of copyright infringement and other legal issues.

Unless it's your full time job, you probably don't have time to read the full legal rules on Facebook and Twitter, said Allison Fitzpatrick, a partner at Davis & Gilbert LLP. "Twitter terms and conditions say you still own your posted content, but by submitting it, you grant Twitter a license to make content available to other companies and partners." 

Facebook and Pinterest:
Pinterest, when it changed its terms in April, got rid of the requirement that it could sell what you purchase. In terms of ownership rights you do not lose ownership in your content. However, you do lose control over how it is used by Facebook and Pinterest, said Fitzpatrick.

Social media practices: "In light of all these broad rights you give them, you need to have policies and procedures in place," said Fitzpatrick. What should be in your social policy?

1. Only authorized representatives should post on behalf of the company.

2. Employee training should be a requirement.

3. Employees must fully disclose their affiliation with company.

4. Be respectful—no inappropriate content.

5. Respect third party rights.

6. No competitive, confidential or financial information.

7. Remember the Internet is a permanent record.

"We do this to avoid being the 'tweet heard around the world," said Fitzpatrick. 

On March 14,2012, The Wall Street Journal asked: "Is Pinterest the next Napster?" To mitigate Pinterest risks, Fitzpatrick suggested to keep the following terms of use in mind: You agree that any content that you post to the service does not and will not violate any law or infringe the rights of any third party, including without limitation any patent, copyright, trademark, publicity rights or rights of privacy.

"Pinterest's biggest defense is that you the user is responsible," said Fitzpatrick. "You're indemnifying and holding Pinterest harmless if there is a claim."

As such, Fitzpatrick recommends treating any Pinterest board like a company Web site:

• Only pin or repin images that your brand owns or has appropriately licensed for this use.

• Just because a site includes a “Pin it” button does not mean the site has the proper authority to grant you the rights.

• Do not pin images of celebrities or third parties without permission.

• Do not pin third party trademarks without permission.

• Do not allow users to pin to your brand's board.

Promotions
Facebook: "The most important thing to remember about a contest on Facebook is that it has to be run on an application," said Fitzpatrick. It can't be "post a photo to our page to enter." The act of liking a page alone can't enter someone into a promotion, and it can't be the sole voting mechanism for a promotion, said Fitzpatrick. 

Twitter: In the past, a number of Twitter promotions ran without official rules, but rules are still required despite Twitter's 140 character limitations, said Fitzpatrick. You can use a Bitly shortener to take someone to the official rules. Cmp.ly is also good for this purpose.

Fitzpatrick's Key Takeaways: Monitor what content is placed on social media, ensure you are comfortable with sling some control over it, implement and ensure compliance with a social media policy.

Setting Tangible Key Performance Indicators for Your Big 3 Initiatives

Speakers:
David Anderson, SVP and Head of Digital, Shine America, @ShineAmerica
Maria Poveromo, Director, Social Media, Adobe, @mariapoveromo