You are here: Home / Archives for Facebook for Business

Nestle faced with Facebook fiasco | Thoughts on Blogs | Wk 03-21-10

March 22, 2010 By 3 Comments

Back in September, I responded to a post by  Rick Speciale, a fellow Social Media Academy alumni from Australia who had been

Nestle is learning the hard way about listening to its audience

Nestle is learning the hard way about listening to its audience

researching various blue chip companies and how they were managing their social media efforts.  His post Nestle Social Media: “Nestea plunge in sentiment and how to fix provided some insight into what, at the time, seemed to be steps into social media – even if it was pushing command and control mentality.

Well, apparently they didn’t learn anything.  Here is a copy of a Nestle post from Tech.Blorge off their FaceBook fan page

“The moderator of the Facebook page didn’t take kindly to this, and warned, “We welcome your comments, but please don’t post using an altered version of any of our logos as your profile pic–they will be deleted,” before responding to one reply to this by saying, “Thanks for the lesson in manners. Consider yourself embraced. But it’s our page, we set the rules, it was ever thus.””

Here is my September response to Rick’s original post:

My response is backed by information from the Social Media and PR Summit I had recently attended.  Paula Berg of Southwest Airlines (and chief social media / blogger) who gave an interesting assessment of what they did wrong in navigating the social media world as they started to blog. They did learn from it and then did do more things right than wrong in the use of social media – specifically blogging, during some troubled times.

Overall, being upfront when problems occur, getting others, including the company to explain how they interpreted the issue, and
being actively engaged with the conversation helped to reduce the sensationalism of each occurrence.

The three examples she provided were:
1) a customer was asked to change their clothes (too revealing). That story hit the bloggers as discrimination and SWA tried to just ignore it.  Wrong effort.

2) The second example was a decision to eliminate open seating on SWA flights. It was going to be eliminated based on internal
company opinion. Instead they asked the blogosphere. Over 700 comments were received that indicated they should keep it. And they
did.

3) Last was an incident involving 2 girls who were so badly behaved on a flight that the police were called when they landed. The girls
immediately made videos and held press conferences, claiming they did nothing wrong except they were good looking. This time SWA took immediate action and released interviews from people on the plane, SWA representatives, talked to bloggers and posted their own story on the SWA blog.  A much reduced situation to be sure compared to the prior incident.

Listen to your audience

I don’t want to say that issues about airline seating are exactly comparable with dealing with a repressive regime, but what I think this
points out is that authentic communication, listening to your readers and customers, reacting quickly via Internet can help manage
problems and overall keep the trust that customers have with companies.

I think that you are right in suggesting that Nestle needs to have a more visible dialogue with people who eat and invest in Nestle.  And what if the overall sentiment is that they should pull out of the current supply chain because of the negative sentiment? I would think they should take the advice or leanings of the public since we know what a viral, Internet-connected crowdsource can do to spread bad info.

Apparently Nestle has not learned much?  What do you think?

Related articles by Zemanta
Share
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Social Media Breakfast Madison | Do It Yourself Video | February 2010

March 16, 2010 By 1 Comment

SMB Madison February Meeting Covers Video

In February and March 2010 Social Media Breakfast Madison is covering Do It Yourself and Professional Video topics.  Brandyn Olson of Requisite Video provided the presentation for February and Sandy Kallio provided reporting duties.

First steps

  • Set goals for your video.
  • What are you trying to do?
  • What results do you desire?
  • Have a call to action.

Other points to consider

  • Research your audience and have a strategy.
  • Where is your target audience active online?
  • What are the problems and issues they are talking about

Choose your tool (s) carefully with resources in mind.

  • What tools will you use?
  • Where will the video be hosted or embedded?
  • How will you get people to view it?
  • Where is your target market active online and can you reach them through the tools and resources you have?

Test & measure.

  • How will you know it’s working?
  • Views can be misleading.

His example:  Client’s goal was 10 new members in three months. Video by Requisite Video had 100 views, obviously focused on the right audience because 13 converted memberships to the customer in the first month.

FaceBook page considerations

If  you’re on FaceBook have you built an audience so they’re ready and willing to receive your video message?

What do they need to see, hear, feel? Consider your Web page a 24-hour channel. If there’s no video, nothing’s on.

Brandyn Olson talked about Requisite Video’s  FaceBook fan page being more active than his Web site.  He also shared his strategy to spread content over FaceBook and YouTube vs. pages hidden behind pages on the company Web site.

Making the best of what you have.

At the meeting we had a High Definition and regular Flip video, a camera and tripod on display as examples.  In most cases, HD is not crucial. For clients who shoot their own video but want a more professional look, Requisite video will re-edit and post it for them.

Other products to consider are the Kodak Xi8 which has an external mic, or the Sony Bloggie which is HD and allows you to take 5MP stills.  The external mic picup is an important feature for interviews.

Viewers expect quality.

If it’s a great story, they’re willing to sit, listen, watch longer. Tips to improve quality:

  • Stabilize with a tripod, your body, bean bag. Brandyn demonstrated walking, crossing leg over leg facing subject and using both arms for slow panning. Emphasized slow movement to avoid stutter problem.
  • Follow the rule of thirds and focus on the intersections of those spaces for subject placement. Avoid distractions in the background (such as a plant growing out of your subject’s head).
  • Frame so just the top of the head shows.Typically, there’s too much room above the subject. Better to get more floor in the image than than ceiling.
  • Lighting it up. LCD/laptops can make the image darker, so this is essential.
  • Audio quality – or lack of – is the biggest problem with flip cameras. If you need an option for an external mike, consider the Sony camera.
  • Avoid noisy coffee shops, find a quieter place such as a conference room, get close to the subject – especially if a soft speaker, and be aware that as the interviewer your voice will be heard well.  A small tabletop tripod is important and warned about pointing it up and filming your subject’s nostrils.
  • Once you take your video, don’t forget to think about how else you could use the content.  Make it into a podcast, video-cast, and transcribe for a text-based post.

Video content is not search-able… yet.

Until the technology is greatly improved tagging, meta descriptions and file titles on video are the only way anyone can find your information. Don’t forget this step.

The search engines can see that its a video, but unless you tag and describe the contents, its an unknown.  Pay attention to how you tag, and where you post. All of the social sites allow you to tag and add a description which is critical. this is also a good reason to transcribe your video for text-based post. Phonetic searching is coming, but Brandyn sounds less hopeful  since he tried “Sauk Prairie Bald Eagles” and got “George Washington Cape.”

Distribution channels: YouTube, Website, blog, FaceBook, paid placement.

Brandyn talked about YouTube as the hosting platform and that he used to be concerned about traffic loss from his site when the video would end and other video options would pop up for viewers.

He created his own YouTube channel and has two categories for his videos posted there: testimonial videos and promotional videos.

It is suggested that paying attention to how you title the videos, using a video  interview of Midwest Airlines staff as an example of how one could capitalize on that name.

Brandyn talked about the benefits of posting on YouTube: free to start, optimized – the most active place for video.

Brandyn and others talked about archiving video and labeling drives so can find what he needs later. He keeps a list via Google docs but it’s not searchable by key word. Al Falaschi of Widen ( a Madison-based company specializing in digital asset management) said he uses Final Cut Server asset management as a software tool.

Brandyn showed how his company created four videos for a martial arts business, with the first piece short and very upbeat – and with an embedded play list with the other three. Viewers could watch all four or pick what they wanted to see without scrolling down a page.

When NOT to do it yourself.

  • When you’re not sure what results you want
  • When you’re not sure what your message is
  • When your goals are not achievable with the tools and resources you have
  • When you’re branding yourself or your company. Consider professional help for this opportunity to make a great first impression.
  • When your time is worth more than the cost to hire a professional.

Our March Social Media Breakfast Madison on Tuesday, March 30th at Talula Restaurant (802 Atlas Avenue Madison WI), will cover video from the point of view of having others do it for you. Final speakers to be determined.

Please share your video experience and stories in the comments.

Related articles by Zemanta

Share
Filed Under: Linkedin, Social Media Breakfast Madison, Social Media Tools, Video Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Art of Filming an Interview | Top One Report | In My Opinion

March 11, 2010 By 3 Comments
Image representing YouTube as depicted in Crun...
Image via CrunchBase

“First and foremost, interviews are connected to credibility. We have been trained to think that if a person is interviewed about something, then they must have a special insight into the topic about which they’re being asked. In other words, if you’re worthy of an interview, you must know what you’re talking about. And do you realize that you can interview yourself? It’s quite common to see an interview on the nightly news that only shows the interviewee, and never the person asking the questions. Sometimes you don’t even hear the questions being asked. So instead of looking right at the camera, look off to the side and pretend to be answering someone’s questions. See how that could be good for selling something?”

via The Art of Filming an Interview | Top One Report.

In my opinion

If you are thinking about doing video interviews of yourself or your clients, this is a must read article.  I myself have been doing interviews of Wisconsin businesses who are using social media using my Flip Video camera.  My intent was to find more examples of business using social media and try to document the answers to the very questions being asked of me.

Breakfast and Video

The Social Media Breakfast Madison just had a great presentation by Requisite Video on video guidelines.  We talked about how to make choices when it comes to video.   Sandy Kallio one of the attendees was nice enough to provide a good recap of the event and I have added embellishments so please check out that post here: Do It Yourself Video | Requisite Video Speaks at SMB Madison

FaceBook Fan Page Ideas

Brandyn Olson , Requisite Video talked about Requisite Video’s  Facebook fan page being more active than his Website during the recent Social Media Breakfast Madison.  He also shared his strategy to spread content over Facebook and YouTube vs. pages hidden behind pages on the company Web site.

There is a strategy of posting video to different social sites.  There is a different appreciation of the narrative that should be placed in the specific social site context.  That strategy for posting to Twitter vs. LinkedIn vs. FaceBook vs. YouTube can really help the link follow and interest by your followers.

Wendy Soucie Consulting Facebook Fan Page - Youtube tab

Wendy Soucie Consulting Facebook Fan Page - Youtube tab

Some people don’t believe that FaceBook is the best place to upload your video. The more common approach is to upload to YouTube and link to FaceBook.  It means that you friends and Fans cannot easily find those videos again from the video page.  If you are posting your videos solely to FaceBook page, you should watch your Insights and track the activity.

In testing out this premise,  I found out that you can create a tabbed page with a third party YouTube plug-in.  It seems to be working OK so far on the Wendy Soucie Consulting FaceBook page.

How to measure the impact of video

The way to get new business is through networking and social media interaction. It’s up to you to decide what success looks like and begin to track the key factors that might drive new leads and revenue. Make sure that each video has a call to action at the beginning, middle and end.

  • Track total ecosystem numbers in all social spaces
  • Ask fans questions about video
  • Track comments
  • Track links and embeds
  • Track favorites
  • Track subscriptions
  • Track views
  • Track action by using landing pages for each social site on your “home”
  • Track marketing actions with track able phone numbers.

Through YouTube, you can see how long people are watching before they leave – meaning they might miss the call to action at the end.  This might clue you in to shorten up your videos and insert a call to action in the middle of the clip.

Consider having a script for the interview, to stay on message which can really help you be more organized.

When NOT to do it yourself.

  • When you’re not sure what results you want
  • When you’re not sure what your message is,
  • When your goals are not achievable with the tools and resources you have
  • When you’re branding yourself or your company.
  • When your time is worth more than the cost to hire a professional

Consider professional help for these opportunities to make a great first impression.

Please share your video experience and stories in the comments.

 

Share
Filed Under: Facebook for Business, In My Opinion, Linkedin, Social Media Strategy, Social Media Tools, Video Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

46 Free Social Media Monitoring Tools | In My Opinion

March 4, 2010 By 4 Comments

Who does what, where and how? Are you measuring up against your competition? There’s a lot of social media buzz going on. What are they talking about your brand and your company? We have compiled a list of 46 free social media monitoring tools. Some of the tools have free basic plan or free trial period but most of them are totally free. The list is sorted alphabetically. Enjoy! If we missed any great tools please post them to comments.

via 46 Free Social Media Monitoring Tools | DreamGrow Social Media.

In My Opinion

On March 15, 2010 I will be giving a presentation at the AAF – Madison Social Media workshop. My topic is social media tool selection.  I intend to talk about  social media  “sites” as tools.  These are the social sites that a company would use to implement a strategy.  The other tool is really the assessment and monitoring tool a company would select to find their starting point and monitor success, ROI and change. In an effort to collect some  of the assessment tool information in one place I will build on some of the great posts and research already done on the key blogs I follow.

As I try to follow the “free” first rule of thumb, I currently use Google Alerts, Scout Labs, Technorati and Addictomatic.  I also try different ones during a free trial period to make sure I know the difference between tools.

If you use a tool that has done a good job for your – free or paid – please share it in the comment section below.

Related articles by Zemanta
Share
Filed Under: Social Media Tools Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Social media for the rest of us | Radio Interview | Tips and Techniques

February 19, 2010 By 1 Comment
Opnamen van VARA-TV-programma "1 Mei&quot...
Image by Nationaal Archief via Flickr

Radio interviews are social media too!

Text, video, pictures, and audio podcasts are all pieces of information that can be shared on social media sites. If you get a chance to be interviewed in print, TV or radio, be sure to say yes!  Afterward grab the file to embed in your web page, blog or social networking site. I have been on the radio several times in January and February and intend to post on my blog, share on Facebook, post to Examiner.com, and transcribe for a future blog post.

How do you get on a radio show?

It helps to be in the right place at the right time. Dr. Kathleen Paris asked me to work with a group of her clients on the subject of LinkedIn and improving their online profiles. One of the attendees was Carol Koby, radio show host of All About Living on WTDY.

Carol is the producer and host of All About Living and Living Minutes, is one of the most experienced broadcasters in our market. A former women’s director and reporter for WITI-TV in Milwaukee and consumer advocate for WKOW-TV in Madison, she also moderated the Picture of Health cable television series for University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics.

Carol had a last minute cancellation and I had some time, so I headed over to Clear Channel to record what turned out to be a great time talking with Carol about social media. In the hour, we covered what it is, how to use it, what to be careful of and various personal stories about each of us using our favorite sites.

Do it yourself radio or TV

Find out who the local talk show hosts (TV and Radio) are in your area and supply them a one page sheet on specific topics you are available to speak on. Follow HARO (Help a reporter out site) for postings of journalists needing subject matter experts. If they don’t call you right away, consider recording your own.

With a audio recording device, make it into a mp3 and post it. Itunes is full of podcasts that you can download or upload for little to no cost. Or use a flip video camera or better to capture yourself or others in video and post anywhere you would like.  I have been doing this on my blogs, incorporating my Youtube channel at the same time.

If you want to get a little more sophisticated, get the help of a local Toastmaster International group. This is a public speaking organization that I have belonged to since 1979.  Not only did my self-paced training and practice prepare me for being interviewed by Carol, many Toastmaster participants are preparing themselves for interviewing others and would love to help you record your session.

Listen to the interview here or head to Open Source Audio

Start practicing today for your day in the spotlight! How are you going to more visible this year?

Related articles by Zemanta