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FieldEddy and GCAI Bring QR Codes To Local Print Advertisement

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QR Code From FieldEddy AdQR Codes have landed in Springfield thanks to a new ad campaign launched by Garvey Communication Associates Inc. (GCAI) for longtime client, the FieldEddy Insurance Network. While some are still trying to decide whether QR Codes, otherwise known as Quick Response Codes, are the latest fad or in fact a game changer, GCAI has begun to adopt the new technology for virtually all the projects it undertakes. With close to half of the US population using smart phones, QR Code use is expected to expand rapidly.  Essentially, anyone with a smart phone can download a simple to use, free app that will allow them to scan a QR Code and be immediately linked to Internet based content.  Already, most major retailers are using them to link to videos, special offers, and additional product information that would not fit in conventional printed space.  FieldEddy Print Advertisement Featuring QR Code

According to John Garvey, president of GCAI, “The FieldEddy Insurance Network ‘Shopping’ ad was the perfect way to leverage other Internet-based media that was available. Last year, the boys at viz-bang! produced a terrific commercial for us. It built upon the popular ‘Shopping with Wendy’ campaign we launched in 2009. By employing QR Code technology, we were able to leverage that popular video and essentially add Internet capacity to a print ad.”  GCAI already has several other QR Code projects on the design table and will launch several additional ads employing the technology this spring.

Social Media In Ireland: Twitter, Smart Phones, The Next “Big Thing”

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Eoin Kennedy

This week’s social media news has a special St. Patrick’s Day twist because it comes to us from across the pond written by Eoin Kennedy of Dublin, Ireland.  Eoin is the Associate Director at Slattery Communications, where he heads up their digital offering Engage Online. Eoin has 15 years of experience in corporation communication with multiple degrees in public relations and marketing. He was an associate lecturer in Marketing with NCIR, a lecturer on Irish Times Digital Diploma in Digital Marketing, and the list goes on. To learn more about Eion’s experience read his LinkedIn Profile. Eion is also active on Twitter and writes his own blog, Thoughts on Communications in Ireland. He has a deep interest in social media and how it impacts public relations which is why we’re so excited to ask Eion a few questions.

1.       What is the most brilliant use of Twitter and/or Facebook that you have seen employed by a SMB recently?

Finding truly brilliant examples is difficult within Twitter and Facebook but there are lots of examples of Irish companies using the platforms in very effective ways and leveraging real business opportunities.  It is also a highly subjective exercise so instead of trusting my own judgement I crowdsourced some opinions of fellow Irish Twitter users.  The results were interesting and although they included some self promotional responses they uncovered some interesting examples. The short list included:

GoHop
Coffee Shop 3FE
Lake Hotel Killarney on Facebook
Car Spare Parts Mick’s Garage
Jameson Whiskey
Various Diageo Brand Guinness
Smirnoff
Captain Morgan
Renvyle House Hotel
Italian Restaurant – La Cucina
Burrito Restaurant – Burrito Blues
Business Support organization – Business Start-Up
Ethical Online Shop – Coze De Roze
Entrepreneurship Support – Social Entrepreneurs Ireland
Media Buyer – Media Works

Childrens Waterproof Online Clothing Store who have won numerous awards – Puddleducks Twitter and Puddleducks Facebook.

The hospitality industry generally scores well in use of twitter and social media but the one that was references most was Irish Weather Online with their use of Twitter.

The service earned its stripes during particularly bad weather in December in Ireland with timely and accurate weather reports.  It was not the only weather service during that period and they was plenty of collaboration of fellow twitter users sharing stories and warnings but the consistency won them great praise.  To me this reflects the characteristic of good Twitter and social media use in that they are highly focused, very time sensitive, engage/converse a lot and reach great heights in a short period.  Within social media great heights can be reaches but maintaining attitude can be very difficult.

The list above is not exhaustive but Plenty more great examples at Brendan Hughes Blog and Your Social Monitor Ireland.

One voluntary project we are involved with at the moment is an attempt to harness Irishness and affinity to Ireland through a Shamrock Urself .  Driven by social media enthusiasts its objective is to give a sense of unity in troubled economic times.  Many of the best social media projects take this form of using collective goodwill rather than straight forward commercial exploitation of the platforms.

2.        How will the rise in adoption of smart phones impact PR in the near future?

Smart phone adoption in Ireland is reasonably solid but not near global penetration levels.  One piece of research by Return2sender show that one-fifth of Irish adult population owns smartphones with the expected smartphone ownership to grow to 1.5 million by spring 2011.

  • 256,000 people own an iPhone in Nov 2010 – expected to reach 630,000 by end of 2011
  • Some 8.4 million apps have been downloaded by almost a quarter of Irish consumers, with half a million people downloading them on a regular basis.
  • One-third of these apps were paid and two-thirds of them were free. Music and games were seen as the most popular apps.
  • Men were the most dominant in the Irish market – 64pc of smartphone owners were male and 59pc of people who download apps were also male.
  • Broader Smartphone adoption breaks 50% in November 2010

There a number of ways that the smart phone will impact PR including:

–          Content filtering based on user preferences online means that news is delivered to user tastes – our choice of media will change and we cannot guarantee outreach to audiences
–          Need to ensure platforms, sites, apps are optimized for mobile use
–          Need to generate timely and consistent information and news on the move rather than traditional media peak times.
–          Need to have capability to build and create mobile video content
–          Skimming of storing by users and rapid sharing
–          Social TV (see below)
–          Need to build location based offerings and promotions
–          Additional social media activity
–          Increased posting and photo uploading sharing by consumers – positive and negative.  Organisations with physical premises could benefit greatly by user generated content but it bring adherent risks.
–          Increased need for continual monitoring as comments, posting from smart phone can arise at any time.
–          New tech that will change mobile behaviours – RFID and NFC.  This could impact from registering to events and ability to seamlessly purchase using smart phones.

In general peoples relationship with their smart phones is extremely personal.  This allowed better one to one relationship but access is guarded more carefully by users so there is a need to exercise caution in this approach.

3.       From a PR and small business PR and marketing perspective – what is the next “big thing” on the horizon in IE/UK/EU?

PR as a discipline had always sought opportunities in new communication modes and in theory as owners of messaging should always be deeply engaged in all communications.

PR practitioners will continue to look at ways of harnessing social media and there will be increased use of SEO PR especially as the number of traditional media outlets drop.  Search will continue to be important and an increased importance will be put on areas like article links with large traditional media website than the traditional press cutting.

There are many developments on the horizon or currently par boiled but developments will be rapid due to the speed of innovation but also the degree of competition between SEO companies, ad agencies, hybrid consultancies and web development companies, all looking to own this space.

Some of the immediate ones are

  • Increased use of multimedia content and its generation
  • Building of large social media databases and communities that can be utilized to evangalise on brand behalf
  • PR companies grabbing increased SEO and online advertising budget
  • Online response timing will continue to be cut shorter
  • PR companies themselves investing in life streaming and greater transparency
  • Blogger relations and online planning will become a normal part of PR life
  • Increase focus on creative online solutions and pure social media/digital campaigns
  • Organisations will invest further in online reputation management and online crisis management
  • This will be the year of Facebook places and geo locations services

One of the big development I think the industry is relatively unprepared for is the rapid emergence of 24/7 PR.  The evolution of social TV, whereby people discuss, comment and share what is happening on TV is a growing phenomenon.  On a personal side it is a superb addition to TV viewing and equivalent to sharing the couch with a huge variety of people.  It makes life as a channel hopper even more distracting and results in even better dialogue as people are discussing live issues rather than from memory at the water cooler the next day.

As usual technology evolutions will be key to moving this from niche to mainstream.  Using a PC for social TV is clunky, lap top less so, iPhone or smart phone even less and iPad a much more enjoyable experience.  Even with all these devices the level of social TV is pretty small and confined to short comments , conversations and observations on talkshows and current affairs programmes but it  also extends to soaps.  However the advent of internet enabled TV along with enhanced cloud services and the inclusion of movement sensor technology such as Microsoft Kinect will change all of this.   These technologies changes will change a trickle to a flow and a flow that the PR industry looks unprepared for.

Consider the difference between a few avid twitters commenting on a news piece versus the unstoppable gush of the total TV viewership in pure numbers terms.

In the not too distant future instead of a multitude of devices we will have one extremely large screen with a ultra fast internet connection.  All photos, games, documents will be accessed in the cloud rather than the current collection of PC, DVDs, Games Consoles etc.  People will become familiar and comfortable with using the TV for things other than watching programmes.  Similar with current gaming with the Xbox Kinect manipulation will be through the person themselves.  A simple wave will bring up a menu, a hand pointing in mid air will reveal a key board.  The senor will interpret these movements so the person needs not move from the seat.

Now consider a company you represent is in the middle of a crisis that is airing on a current affairs programme.  Imagine ,if at the wave of a hand, that the thousands of viewers were able to pull up all their social media properties, blogs and websites.  Imagine the level of live tweeting, retweeting, @comments, Facebook tagging, Linked In searching and flash mob organizing that could be done from ones couch.

Imagine the levels of comments on a company’s Facebook page, the searches on executives and the posting of video comments (which the Kinect would easily allow), the parodies of performances, the volume of emails to company contact, texts and calls to spokespersons mobiles and rapid Infographics generation.

This potential flood cannot be dismissed or ignored until the next day so the ability of PR companies to monitor, interpret, engage and respond in a 24/7 basis could be something very real in the short term.  There are lots of implications of this from rapid messaging development, large scale online planning , monitoring and online activation.

What is certain is that technology advancements will happen and bring smaller scale online activity to almost mass medium level.  The PR industry needs to be ready for these changes and able to help guide organisations through the maze – otherwise there are plenty of organisations on the sideline waiting to eat its lunch.

Hope you enjoyed this special post, if you have suggestions for future Social Media News posts, want to ask questions or share thoughts, please feel free to email me. Thanks! – Laura

Do You “Like” The New Facebook Changes? Fan Pages, Movies, and More

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Facebook is once again making lots of changes, but in this case we at Garvey Communication believe “change is good.”  The biggest change is happening today when all Facebook Fan Pages will switch from the current page layout to a new layout that is similar to a personal profile page.  Although some fan pages have already switched over voluntarily, all pages will be automatically changed by Facebook on March 10.

Garvey Communication Fan Page Featuring New Layout

Garvey Communication Fan Page Featuring New Layout

What we like about the fan page changes:

  • The fan page can now post to other fan pages. It can also “like” posts as the fan page (versus the admin from a personal profile).
  • The fan page admin now receives an email alert when someone comments or likes a post on their fan page.
  • A newsfeed for your fan page is now available.
  • The ability to view new “likers” of your page is now in the notifications section.

The article 8 New Facebook Page Changes: What You Need to Know from the Social Media Examiner goes into great detail about the changes and includes many screen shots and instructions to help you make the necessary changes to your fan page.

The second big change is the way the “like” button on Facebook functions. This article, Facebook Like Button Gains Better Sharing Functionality, from Hubspot explains that now when users “like” something it will be shared on their wall and will appear in their friends newsfeed.

The last and most recent change is that Warner Bros. has announced the ability to rent and watch movies on Facebook. The first movie available is The Dark Knight.  I personally like watching movies on Netflix, but maybe this “experiment” will catch on.

That’s it for this week, if you have suggestions for future Social Media News posts, want to ask questions or share thoughts, please feel free to email me. Thanks! – Laura

P.S. This Facebook Infograph includes some interesting statistics about Facebook usage in the United States and is worth a look.  :)

The future in social media is sharing experiences-Brian Solis Video Interview

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Brian Solis is described on his website as being “globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders and published authors in new media.” He is Founder and President of Future Works, an award-winning digital and social media agency in Silicon Valley and San Francisco. We at Garvey Communication love to hear what he has to say about social media and where the industry is headed so we wanted to share the wealth and post this video interview.

If you liked what you saw and want more watch this video of Brian talking about “social currency.”

If you have suggestions for future Social Media News posts, want to ask questions or share thoughts, please feel free to email me. Thanks! – Laura

3 Perspectives On How Social Today’s PR Graduates Must Be – Part 3

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Views from The Student, The Pro and The Professor

Last week we discussed how graduates will use social media to find a PR job. This week’s Social Media News, is the last of our three  part series, and asks what will surprise graduates about social media once they get on the job. GCAI tapped three people for their perspectives.

The Student: @stjackman
Stephanie Jackman, Intern at GCAI, completing a BA in Communication this year from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY
The Pro : @MFallon
Mary Fallon,  Media Director at GCAI and Isenberg School of Management at UMASS Amherst graduate, Google AdWords Certified, PRSA member for 4 years, has led seminars on SEO and SMO PR at UMASS Amherst
The Professor: @FvrythingPR
Dr. Daradirek Ekachai,  Associate Professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI

3) What will surprise graduating college students about social media once they get on the job?

The Student:
Little is taught about social media in the classroom so the majority of experience I have, I’ve learned as I went along. I was surprised to find the amount of time and effort that goes into developing a social media strategy and how essential it has become to a company’s marketing needs. In order for a company’s social media initiatives to be carried out successfully, they must be well thought-out and organized.

The Pro:
I believe most students will be surprised to realize how much strategy goes into social media.  Social media isn’t just about creating and distributing posts; the content must be tied to an overall plan which has been created with the business’ goals in mind. Also, the strategic plan must be constantly evolving as social media does.

The Professor:
 I think students might be surprised that, being seen as a “digital native,” they could be regarded as a social media “expert” with full responsibility in the area “grown ups” are not familiar with. They will have to learn quickly on management (time and organization) issues.

3 Perspectives On How Social Today’s PR Graduates Must Be – Part 2

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Views from The Student, The Pro and The Professor

Last week we discussed the “must have” social media skills a graduating senior needs to impress PR employers.  This week’s Social Media News, is part 2 of our 3 part series, and addresses how those graduates will use social media to find a PR job. GCAI tapped three people for their perspectives.

The Student: @stjackman
Stephanie Jackman, Intern at GCAI, completing a BA in Communication this year from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY
The Pro : @MFallon
Mary Fallon,  Media Director at GCAI and Isenberg School of Management at UMASS Amherst graduate, Google AdWords Certified, PRSA member for 4 years, has led seminars on SEO and SMO PR at UMASS Amherst
The Professor: @FvrythingPR
Dr. Daradirek Ekachai,  Associate Professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI

2) How can graduating college students use social media to find PR jobs?

The Student:
With graduation only months away, Twitter is one of the first resources I turn to when searching for career opportunities. Following Twitter handles geared towards entry-level job postings is easy to do, yet incredibly beneficial to my job search. By following thought leaders in the social media and PR industry I can engage in conversations, form relationships and show future employers I’m savvy in multiple social media platforms.

LinkedIn is another tool graduating seniors can use to enhance their job search. I’ve used LinkedIn to network with professors, find internship openings and participate in discussion forums. I think of LinkedIn as a virtual resume where each user has the ability to list past work experiences.

The Pro:
Students can use various social media platforms (including Facebook and Twitter) to follow companies they would like to work for and connect with people who work there. They can also post their resume on LinkedIn or upload a video version to YouTube. Overall, it’s important to show employers you have experience with social media, which means students should accurately complete their profiles and stay active on the platforms they are utilizing.

The Professor:
To me, it’s not so much how students can use social media to find PR jobs, but how they can use social media to get a PR job!

The obvious social media platform related to careers is LinkedIn, so that means that students must create and maintain a professional profile on LinkedIn. They can start growing their contacts and build their own network, start networking, and creating meaningful content to show future employers that they are capable and serious about their professional future.

Students also can use Twitter to follow professionals in their field, job sites, and companies that they want to work for.  It’s widely known that job recruiters search for job candidates, using social networking sites, and research candidates before the interviews. Students need to know how to use social media wisely, differentiate themselves from other job candidates in order to be a top contender in the job market.

3 Perspectives On How “Social” Today’s PR Graduates Must Be-Part 1

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Views from The Student, The Pro and The Professor

Obviously, Social Media has transformed Public Relations. Yet, are the PR factories (colleges and universities) cranking out graduates that are prepared to work in, or maybe even lead, this changed industry?  This week’s Social Media News is the first in a three part series that will answer that probing question.  GCAI tapped three people for their perspectives.

The Student: @stjackman
Stephanie Jackman, Intern at GCAI, completing a BA in Communication this year from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY

The Pro : @MFallon
Mary Fallon,  Media Director at GCAI and Isenberg School of Management at UMASS Amherst graduate, Google AdWords Certified, PRSA member for 4 years, has led seminars on SEO and SMO PR at UMASS Amherst

The Professor: @FvrythingPR
Dr. Daradirek Ekachai,  Associate Professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI

1) What are the “must have” social media skills a graduating college student needs to standout to PR employers?

The Student:
Being savvy in the realm of social media is no longer an added bonus, but a job requirement for entry-level PR candidates. The skill that will showcase graduating seniors’ expertise in social media is their ability to be engaging on these various platforms.  Mastering the writing technique it takes to be successful on each social media platform is key. Students must be able to use their writing skills to not only write an eye-catching press release, but an engaging tweet and Facebook post.

The Pro:
My top three are: writing ability, responsiveness, and curiosity. Whether a PR professional is writing a 400 word press release or a 140 character tweet, both grammar and writing come into play. When working in the social media world everything is in “real time” and students need to be able to analyze and respond to issues as they arise. Lastly, a willingness to learn is vital.  Students who are curious about social media and are constantly researching new platforms and methods will be the most successful.

The Professor:
Students should not only possess social media skills, but they also should know how to use them strategically, personally and professionally. They need to understand the sociology and psychology of social communication through social networks and know how to apply them in social media tools. They should keep abreast in current and ever-changing new media trends and be informed of latest research reports.

I also believe that they need to practice social media (Facebook and Twitter, mostly) regularly (everyday preferably!). Social media should be second nature to them and they need to know how to create content, engage and maintain their social relationships with their friends and followers.

GCAI’s 2011 Tips and Trends To Take Note Of

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Hey GCAI fans! Since Laura is away, this week’s Social Media News will be brought to you by myself. My name is Stephanie and I am GCAI’s  winter intern. In honor of the new year, John, Mary and I found a few of our favorite social media articles that will be sure to jump start your social media strategy in 2011. Enjoy!

Influencer Scoring – Separating Worry From Want-To-Bes

I think understanding individual influence in social space is going to be a very big issue in 2011.  Almost every day, we are uncovering posts about one of our clients – both negative and positive.  Currently, we are using redundant monitoring platforms to  discover the posts and then manually assessing and scoring the commenter’s influence. Services like Klout are doing the same calculations algorithmically – which does highlight “the way of the future.”  Blogger John F. Moore’s interview with Matt Thomson, VP of Platform at Klout is a good place to start to understand where influence scoring is and where it is going.  – John Garvey (@Jgarvey)

http://bit.ly/aAuSME

Massachusetts Twitter Usage

Massachusetts is one of the top 3 states with usage that is 69% higher than the national average which is also the greatest increase among all US states. In terms of growth, Massachusetts was 2nd with a 24% increase. I think this reinforces the fact that Twitter is an important tool that businesses can utilize, especially in areas where usage is high or steadily increasing. A few tips if you are just beginning to use Twitter: listen before engaging in order to get a feel for the Twitter community, keep tweets to 120 characters which allows them to be retweeted, and restrain from pitching. –Mary Fallon (@MFallon)

http://bit.ly/hh8v2i

Are videos and mobile applications included in the next step of your social media strategy?

This article from ReadWriteWeb.com is an excellent resource in terms of emerging social media trends in 2011. In 2010, iPhone and iPad applications were downloaded over 7 billion times and e-mail access on the iPhone is continuing to rise while access on the computer declines. In 2011, many interactions and experiences will be shared through mobile devices. Additionally, consumer engagement with video continues to grow. Consumers can look forward to relying on video to get information and learn about companies in a way they wouldn’t normally experience with tweets and status updates. I view this as the next, more interactive step in consumer engagement. –Stephanie Jackman (@stjackman)

http://rww.to/eENvbO

Do you have any of your own social media trends for 2011? Please feel free to email me. Thanks! – Stephanie

How Does a Googlebot Crawl Your Website? Trends vs. Insights? What Was “Googled” the Most in 2010?

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Google’s Hidden Gems in This Week’s Social Media News

Most people are aware of Google Analytics and how it can help you monitor your website’s activity, but have you ever used Google Webmaster Tools?  I am by no means a “webmaster,” but the tools offered are easy to use and it gives you a behind the scenes look at what a Googlebot sees when it crawls your page.   Disclaimer: You will need to own the site in order to verify it and have access to all this great information.

Google Trends is an interesting tool for the general public to see what the world is searching for, but it doesn’t give many details that businesses can use. Enter Google Insights for Search, which is like a supped up version of Google Trends.  Insights can compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, time frames and properties. Although it’s still in beta it looks like a great tool that I know GCAI is going to use in the future.

Last, but not least, Google has finished its annual Zeitgeist 2010: Year in Review video that shows what the world searched for in 2010.  It’s a fun three minute break from work.  If you have more time to kill check out Google Zeitgeist 2010 which is an interactive graphic that allows users to find out details about what was searched for most in 2010. Did your top searches make the list?

If you have suggestions for future Social Media News articles, want to ask questions or share thoughts, please feel free to email me. Thanks! – Laura

P.S. Happy holidays and to celebrate check out The Digital Story Of The Nativity.

How Many People View Your Facebook Posts? Confused By Community Pages? Social Media News Explains

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Do you love the information that Facebook Insights gives you as a fan page administrator?  Now you can now see per post impressions and the feedback for each individual post according to this Biz Report article.  But what counts as an impression? According to the Facebook Help Center “the impression number is the raw number of impressions that have been shown to users. These impressions can come from a user’s news feed, a visit to the Page, or through an Open Graph social plugin.”  Seems a little vague to me…please let me know if you have found a more thorough explanation.  Overall, I like the new and improved Insights because you can see the posts that led to engagement and the ones that didn’t.  With the new information you can work to eliminate the later.

While Facebook has enhanced their Insights, their community pages still need some work.  AdvertisingAge reports that there are millions of unclaimed pages on Facebook right now and recommends that businesses claim their community page before Facebook changes again. So what’s the problem? Well, once you claim your community page it may converge with your original fan page which can result in lost content and formatting changes.  Not good! If you have any experience with this we’d like to hear your story.

If you have suggestions for future Social Media News articles, want to ask questions or share thoughts, please feel free to email me. Thanks! – Laura