Measuring Social Media Campaigns

Each week, my strategic social media (J412) class is responsible for finding and analyzing an organization that uses social media in a business-context for a campaign or case study. The assignment allows us to understand why the organization chose to participate in social media, whether it was a success or failure, and to provide us with an opportunity to review and critique, identify alternative actions, and recommend future actions. So far, each of the campaigns and case studies I have analyzed, have used the same continuous platforms: Blogging, Twittering, Facebooking, YouTubing and RSSing. All of these are terrific platforms to use in order for organizations to meet, engage, communicate and listen to customers. Because social media is a two-way street, it is important to remember that these platforms need to be measured for the campaign’s overall effectiveness.

Recently, Chris Lake, editor in chief at Econsultancy, explains his top 10 ways to measure the effects of social media campaigns. They are as follows,

1. Traffic
This includes number of Facebook fans, Twitter followers, Digg links, Delicious bookmarks, social media site referrals, existing Web site traffic, blogging comments and many more. Lake reminds his readers that quality often beats quantity.

2. Interaction
Customer participation is a valuable indicator for many organizations, publishers and brands. It says something about the kind of traffic your campaign is attracting. This can range from leaving customer reviews, comments and ratings, to participating in support forums. Lake believes that an engaged customer is a highly valuable one, so keep your eyes and ears open!

3. Sales
Lake explains how his company, Econsultancy, is tracking sales from organic Google referrals and also paid search. It didn’t seem like much of a leap to track other channels, such as Twitter. When Dell tried Twitter, they discovered that they made $1m from Twitter in 18 months. Blendtec’s ‘Will It Blend?’ campaign on YouTube helped to drive “a five-fold increase in sales”.

4. Leads
Some companies simply cannot process sales online, because their products or services do not allow for it. For example, the automotive industry, which tends to measure the effects of its online ad campaigns by the amount of brochures requests, or test drives booked in (as opposed to car sales, which is, in marketing terms, an altogether more macro effort). B2B operators are in a similar position. If you are a consultant and spend time interacting on LinkedIn Answers, then there is a way of tracking that activity to enquiries about your services. The same applies across the spectrum of social media sites.

5. Search marketing
The SEO factor cannot be understated and social media can be far more powerful in this regard. For example, a well-placed story / video / image on a site like Digg will generate a lot of traffic and a nice link from Digg itself, but the real win here is that it will generate a lot more interest beyond Digg. One link and 20,000 referrals from Digg might lead on to 40,000 referrals and 100 links from other sites. With 100 links from other sites, this means that your page might well wind up being placed highly on Google, resulting in lots of ongoing traffic.

6. Brand metrics
Word of mouth and the viral factor (inherent in sites like Twitter, Facebook and Digg) can help shift the key brand metrics, both negatively and positively. These include brand favorability, awareness, recall, propensity to buy, etc. Expensive TV ads are measured in this way, so if these metrics are good enough for TV then they are surely good enough for the Internet. Positive brand associations via social media campaigns can help drive clicks on paid search ads, and responses to other forms of advertising. We know that TV ads boost activity on search engines, resulting in paid search success stories, so I’d bet that social media can do the same.

7. PR
The distinct world of PR, customer service, and marketing is fusing. Twitter means everybody has a blog these days and somewhere to shout about things to their friends (and beyond). Social media sites are the biggest echo chambers in the world! In any event, if you can measure PR then you can measure social media.

8. Customer engagement
Engagement takes place offline and online, on both Web sites and other sites, particularly social media sites. Customer engagement is key to improving satisfaction and loyalty rates, and revenue. By listening to customers, and letting them know that you are listening, you can improve your business, products, and levels of service. Research finds that an engaged customer will recommend your brand, convert more readily and purchase more often.

9. Retention
A positive side effect of increased customer engagement – assuming certain other factors in play work in your favor – is an increase in customer retention. This is going to be a crucial factor in the success of your business in the years to come.

10. Profits
If you can reduce customer churn, and engage customers more often, the result will surely be that you will generate more business from your existing customer base (who in turn will recommend your business to their network of friends, family, and social media contacts). This reduces your reliance on vast customer acquisition budgets to maintain or grow profits. It makes for a far more profitable and more efficient organization. Remember that old adage about it being cheaper to keep existing customers than to seek out new ones.

I found Lake’s Top 10 extremely valuable measurements in order to pinpoint a campaign’s overall effectiveness. After reviewing case studies and campaigns for the last six weeks, I wholeheartedly agree that a numbers-drive approach for organizations is not an accurate measurement of campaign’s effectiveness. Even if some of the social media platforms that these campaigns and case studies use are not measurable, it does not mean it is useless. If this were true, than many PR professionals would be out of work! If a social media campaign can prove to drive sales, leads, sign-ups, as well as create awareness and conversation, then the campaign should be deemed a success.

For more information about how to measure social media campaigns and case studies, look at the links below,

http://leftthebox.com/archive/social-media-metrics-modeling/#why
http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2008/10/28/what-is-the-roi-for-social-media/
http://www.netstrategies.com/2009-march/chris-lakes-10-ways-to-measure-social-media-success.html
http://social-media-optimization.com/2007/08/measuring-social-media-campaigns-2/

It’s about that time of year, again!

With the holidays just around the corner, many of us may find ourselves attending multiple holiday parties. One of the many aspects of public relations is event planning, which especially comes in handy during the holidays. Event planning does not have to be stressful or overwhelming if you remember to plan accordingly and keep things simple. Parties are supposed to be fun for everyone, including the host! If you plan to host a holiday party this season, I have put together a few of my favorite articles I’ve read recently that provide a great list of suggestions, reminders and tips that will make your party unique and stand out among others!

I read a great article from Delish magazine that gave great tips as to put together a simplified and “green” holiday party. For example, Karen Delzell, an event producer in New York prefers to use styles and trends instead of selecting a theme for a holiday party. “People are very anxious for parties to be less expensive, organic, and generally green,” Delzell observed. “Comfort is also big. A lot of our events have started to be warmer, fuzzier, with comfort foods and fewer small bites.”

Phyllis Cambria and Patty Sachs of PartyPlansPlus.com, offer their best tips for holiday party success.

Jason Capps has 20 years of experience in the catering industry and sure knows how to throw a holiday party. Jason and executive chef Drew Hebson teamed up to offer a holiday cooking class to share some great recipes and ten tips to hosting a great holiday party at your home. Check it out here! Here is a short video that reiterates Capps and Hebson’s top ten tips!

Prowl Public Relations shares four fantastic PR tips for planning your very own holiday event this season.

Looking to cut back on calories but still throw a delicious holiday party that will leave your guests satisfied? The University of Virginia put together a great spread on how to host a healthy holiday party by using substitutions and simple tricks to satisfy your guests.

Whether the theme of the holiday gathering you’re going for is unique, healthy, simple or cozy, one of these four articles will be sure to guide you in the right direction to help make your customized holiday party a memorable occasion. Good luck and happy holidays!

 

Victoria Secret Fashion Show

 

It’s almost that time of year for the glamorous Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. The annual lingerie show entails flawless “Angels” such as model Heidi Klum and a performance by Usher. Additionally, the show will feature the 2008 black diamond fantasy miracle bra at a cool $5 million.

Taping of the show finished in Miami at Fontainebleau Miami Beach on Nov. 15, and the show will air Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 10 p.m. on CBS.

I do not consider myself a “fashion guru” but I cannot help but admire the hard work and planning that an event this large must take to run successfully. Personally, it is not the elaborate and intricate lingerie that captures my attention, but rather the amount of time, detail and work force that comes when putting together a show this large. The Victoria Secret fashion show is truly a lavish event with the intricit costumed-lingerie, varying music, and set design that matches the different themes running within the show. The show attracts hundreds of celebrities and entertainers, with special performers and acts every year.

Each year, the hype and talk of the Victoria Secret fashion show continues to grow. The first show took place in 1995. Since then, statistics have fluctuated. Recently, these ratings have declined by almost five million in the last six years. There is no solid reasoning as to why the show has lost its momentum and viewers. Possibly producers fell into a creativity rut where the scenery seems to be the same.

What can Victoria Secret do to help them get their viewers back? What type of PR can help capture its viewer’s attention again?

I think Victoria Secret’s PR department needs to analyze, brainstorm and most importantly, increase promotions! It is important for Victoria Secret to evaluate statistics from previous years to see what may have led them to the shortfall. Also, Victoria Secret should work with their producers, event planners and promoters to devise new, innovative ways to take the runway and overall show to yet a higher level. Since the show is less than one week away, I think they should really push to keep the commercials going strong. This year was the first time I have noticed Victoria Secret’s presence on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. By promoting the event through different and new forms of social media are more great ways to get their viewers back and maybe even attract new audiences.

Here is one of several previews for the 2008 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

New Duck Uniforms

Last weekend, the University of Oregon Ducks unveiled yet another set of uniforms! This time, the uniform was all black. Nike calls it their “lights-out” style. The new uniforms are solid black with silver numbers outlined in yellow and silver wings on the shoulder pads. The wings are composed of a “film” designed to improve the durability of the shoulders. In the last several years, Nike has designed a thinner and lighter jersey for the athletes. Currently, the Duck’s jerseys do not retain any water and are lighter than any other collegiate jersey in the country.

The black uniform now gives the Ducks a fourth option to choose from come game day. While green and yellow are the “official colors” of the University of Oregon, black has slowly made its way into the lineup. Additionally, white has always been present in some form of all athletic apparel for University athletes.

In the past, players on the football team have been involved with the redesigns of uniforms. The past few years, a select few have sat with designer Tinker Hatfield to dish ideas and discuss their likes and dislikes of uniform fit, style and design. This year, however, Nike designed the newest version and presented it to the Ducks for approval.

For those of you who are not up-to-date with Oregon and their recruiting efforts, Oregon uses their world-class facilities and innovative gear (jerseys, gloves and cleats) as a way to stand out among other top universities in the country.

Oregon’s PR efforts to attract 16 to 17 year old high school athletes are what separate them from other universities in the PAC-10, not to mention the rest of the country. This article discusses that uniforms are an important decision in these young men’s decision as to where they will spend their college careers. In fact, they pick or eliminate schools based on the way their uniforms look.

The Register Guard quotes Tinker Hatfield saying, “…the company aims to tell every class of incoming UO recruits it will have a hand in designing a new look at some point during their careers.” This is promising for incoming athletes to hear – especially if they are interested in working in athletic apparel or design in the future.

Involving current Ducks in the design process not only assists Nike and to come up with innovative designs, but it also involves the players to gain hands on experience with something that they take pride in. The uniform is an essential role in each athlete’s experience.

What would you wear if you had over four hundred combinations to choose from to make your game day ensemble?

Controversial Motrin Advertisement

Motrin’s newest ad, read aloud by a 20-something voice on the motrin.com Web site, said this,

Wearing your baby seems to be in fashion. I mean, in theory it’s a great idea. There’s the front baby carrier, sling, schwing, wrap, pouch. And who knows what else they’ve come up with. Wear your baby on your side, your front, go hands free. Supposedly, it’s a real bonding experience. They say that babies carried close to the body tend to cry less than others. But what about me? Do moms that wear their babies cry more than those who don’t. I sure do! These things put a ton of strain on your back, your neck, your shoulders. Did I mention your back? I mean, I’ll put up with the pain because it’s a good kind of pain; it’s for my kid. Plus, it totally makes me look like an official mom. And so if I look tired and crazy, people will understand why.

If you can imagine, moms did not respond positively to the commercial, especially “online” moms. Moms are offended by the suggestion that their babies are “fashionable” or made them look “tired” or “crazy.” In response, these “online” moms fired back using social media tools such as Twitter, blogging and YouTube. Personally, I thought the 20-something voiceover was mocking mothers, referring to babies as a trend. Although I’m not a mother, I understand the beauty and gift that motherhood brings and why these mothers are responding this way.

The negative responses make me question what Motrin expected in return from their viewers when they released the commercial. What kind of research did they conduct – if any? Did they consult mothers or hold focus groups to determine whether the claims their ad made are true? Mothers and fathers have been carrying their babies for a long time now. The ad implies a negative tone about mothers having to carry or take care of their children. This also makes me question, why is Motrin referring solely to mothers in the commercial? Is Motrin implying that fathers do not carry or take care of their babies?

After an incident like this, which brought a bombardment of negative responses from angry mothers and more, how does Motrin respond?

An apology letter was released from Vice President of Marketing Kathy Widmer, which states:

With regard to the recent Motrin advertisement, we have heard you. On behalf of McNeil Consumer Healthcare and all of us who work on he Motrin Brand, please accept our sincere apology. We have heard your concerns about the ad that was featured on our website. We are parents ourselves and we take feedback from moms very seriously.

We are in process of removing this ad from all media. It will, unfortunately, take a bit of time to remove it from our magazine advertising, as it is on newsstands and in distribution.
Thank you for your feedback. It’s very important to us.

Sincerely,

Kathy Widmer
VP of Marketing
McNeil Consumer Healthcare 

The letter, short and sweet, took responsibility for their advertisement and apologized for their content. However, the apology was not as sincere as I would have expected. If anything, I thought the tone was a bit condescending and negative. However, this evening I went back to visit their Web site where I saw an updated note from Widmer. Her follow-up letter, this time, was better.

November 20, 2008

So…it’s been almost 4 days since I apologized here for our Motrin advertising. What an unbelievable 4 days it has been. Believe me when I say we’ve been taking our own headache medicine here lately!

Btw – if you’re confused by this – we removed our Motrin ad campaign from the marketplace on Sunday because we realized through your feedback that we had missed the mark and insulted many moms. We didn’t mean to…but we did. We’ve been able to get most of the ads out of circulation, but those in magazines will, unfortunately, be out there for a while.

We are listening to you, and we know that’s the best place to start as we move ahead. More to come on that. In the end, we have been reminded of age-old lessons that are tried and true: When you make a mistake – own up to it, and say you’re sorry. Learn from that mistake. That’s all… for now.

Sincerely,

Kathy Widmer
VP Marketing, McNeil Consumer Healthcare 

If there are any mother’s out there, or women in general who saw the commercial, what is your initial reaction to the ad? What are your thoughts on the two apology letters Motrin released? I’m curious to see what other perspectives are out there!

The University of Oregon Alumni Association’s cool, new look!

 

Since August, I have interned with the University of Oregon Alumni Association (UOAA). The UOAA helps alumni stay connected to the UO through events such as pre-game football parties, regional events, special alumni gatherings, class reunions and homecoming. As their events assistant, I have helped the staff prepare and work some of these events.

This year, the UOAA has a new lifetime member and face to their association, Dennis Dixon. Dixon graduated from the UO last spring. He was also the starting quarterback for the 2007 football season until he suffered an ACL tear, which unfortunately ended his senior season. Currently, Dixon plays in the NFL for the Pittsburg Steelers.

Some of you may wonder why or how Dixon is connected with the UOAA. Dixon was the PAC-10’s second-team academic all-conference quarterback; 2007 PAC-10 conference offensive player of the year; winner of the Hayward award, for the state of Oregon’s best amateur athlete; and finished fifth in the overall voting for the Heisman Trophy. Besides his remarkable honors and accomplishments; Dixon is a well-rounded individual. The UOAA recognized his sense of character, leadership abilities and bright future as qualities that would make him a great candidate for their campaign. When asked to participate in the campaign, photo shoot and commercial, Dixon was honored and more than willing to participate.

In return, Dixon was awarded a lifetime membership from the UOAA.

The UOAA’s strategic use of Dixon’s campaign has elicited a positive response among students, faculty, alumni, donors and fans. Membership has upped and the UOAA found a new and exciting way to connect with its current and potential members.

When most people hear “alumni” a common response is to think of university graduates or donors. I think the Dixon campaign has enhanced this perception. Dixon’s involvement with the UOAA has brought a significant amount of attention from younger alumni. Because Dixon was a recent graduate and a popular figure in the community, state and now nationally, the UOAA has set its standards high. The UOAA mission is to “…foster lifelong connections with the UO” and their personality is described as “…vital, relevant, respected, cool and fun.” I believe their relationship with recent graduates and soon-to-be graduates can now fall into their personality as “cool.”

Click here to check out Dennis’s commercial!

Fall Career Fair!

The University of Oregon’s fall Career Fair is almost here! The Career Fair is held this Thursday, Nov. 13 in the EMU ballroom. The Career Fair is the largest recruiting event of the term. Recruiters from corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations will represent a wide range of industries and fields. Most of the organizations are looking to hire students from all majors. More than 80 employers will be on campus eager to hire UO students and alumni for full-time and part-time jobs, internships and volunteer opportunities. 
 

 

Employers will also be scheduling interviews for the day after the Career Fair, Friday, Nov. 14.

The Career Fair is a great opportunity for students to meet and interact with employers and to learn about certain organizations. I have several friends who have had successful experiences at the Career Fair, which resulted in jobs post-graduation.

My brother, Aaron, was one of them. Aaron spoke with employees from E&J Gallo Winery at the fair and had an interview the following day with them. This interview led to a second interview in Seattle, which ultimately landed him his job with the company in sales. The best advice Aaron can offer is to conduct research about the companies prior to the fair. If you find one that interests you, contact them and inform them of your interest before the fair. Sending them a copy of your resume is also a great idea. This will give the company a chance to get to know you and the type of experience you have.

As a PR major I am constantly reminded of the importance of being prepared for any situation that may be handed my way. The Career Fair is a great occasion to put these skills to use. I have compiled a list of companies and organizations that will be at the fair on Thursday that are looking to hire those with a focus in communications, public relations, non-profit, event planning, marketing and sales. I hope these help if you are interested in attending!

 

Campus Point

Knowledge Learning Corporation
 

Navy Officer Programs
 

Oil Can Henry’s International, Inc.
 

Peace Corps
 

Portland Energy Conservation Inc.
 

State of Oregon Recruitment Services
 

USDA Forest Service
 

VTM Inc.

If none of these sound interesting or familiar to you, keep in mind that these are only 10 of 80 employees that will be present on Thursday. The UO also offers its students tips to help us prepare for the Career Fair.

1. Study up on participating employers before the fair.
   

2. Dress appropriately. Business dress is suggested.
   

3. Bring a resume to distribute to companies that interest you.
   

4. When you arrive, head for your favorite employer and make sure they know they’re your first choice.
   

5. Ask open-ended questions as you meet with recruiters. Think of some questions ahead of time that reflect your knowledge of the company, industry and field.
   

6. Make notes on companies that you’re interested in after you speak with them.
   

7. Follow up. Write a thank you letter to employers where you feel you made a connection. Keep business cards that you pick up at the fair and reference them for contact information.
   

Good luck and have fun!

Obama’s use of social media

Last night, Barack Obama was elected as the President of the United States. This was a historic and landmark election for America. Today, in my sociology course, the entire lecture was dedicated to an open class discussion on Obama’s victory.

My professor asked the class what we thought Obama’s main tool was for receiving donations toward his campaign. Several students responded, “The Internet.” I agree. However, as a PR major, learning about several types of social media, I did some research. I’ve been following the campaigns for the last several months; however, I have not paid as close attention to the types of outlets both candidates have used for their own campaigns. After spending sometime on Obama’s Web site, it is evident that his strategic use of social media had a positive impact on his voters. 

Barack used social media as his main outlet to reach a majority of his voters. Obama was everywhere. Starting with his interactive Web site, his followers are able to navigate to additional media outlets including his blog and BarackTV. Obama’s blog was an extraordinary way for him and his team to reach and directly communicate with his followers on a personal level. BarackTV was another fascinating addition. BarackTV enabled his followers to view any rally, event or conference that he had spoken at in the last few years.

Obama’s Web site leads its viewers to additional outlets such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Digg, just to name a few! I strongly believe that Obama’s interactive and strategic use of marketing for his campaign had a large impact on the outcome.

Obama’s campaign is an example of a real life situation of the influence public relations can have in our world.  Obama’s exceptional presence through social media shows that this generation is continually moving forward, and I’m excited to be a part of it.

 

My First Podcast

These last several weeks I’ve learned about different forms of social media. This week, my class discussed how podcasts are used for marketing, sales, and corporate communications. I also learned how to produce, release and promote my very own podcast.

Podcasts are a fascinating medium on numerous levels. For example, podcasts allow its audience to multi-task and engage in other activities while listening. Podcasts also share specialized information to niche audiences that they may not have access to anywhere else. Like blogging, podcasts can build a loyal group of listeners among its audiences. Lastly, podcasting can convey information by eliciting emotion through voice. Podcasting has the capability to be far more effective than reading text in a magazine or newspaper.

This week, I created my first audio podcast titled, “Creating Meaningful Health Messages.” This podcast discusses why public relations practitioners should use the functional theory of attitudes to create health messages for young men and women on college campuses. I created my podcast using a program called Audacity. Audacity was user-friendly and made the editing process quick and easy. I recommend Audacity to any first time podcasters. Below are show notes from my podcast, enjoy!

Introduction 0-1:11

Instrumental function 1:11-2:17

Value-expressive function 2:17-3:30

Knowledge function 3:30-4:30

Ego-defensive function 4:30-5:22

Conclusion 5:22-5:55

Next week 5:55-6:27

 

I Have My PR Major, Now What?!

The last blog I posted talked a lot about my future and the rocky road I may face when I hit the “real world” and begin my job search. With that being said, I decided to do some research. I found a couple of different sites that caught my eye regarding job options in public relations and what kind of work you can do with your degree, once accomplished.

I have to admit, when I chose public relations as my focus, I honestly did not know exactly what it was. Public relations sounded challenging and versatile. I wanted to major in something that would give me the freedom to explore many aspects in the work field, rather than being limited to one sector.

The Web site I received the following information from is the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Career Services. Here is a list of several types of jobs that one can have with a degree in public relations:

• Director of Corporate Communications
• Public Relations Consultant
• Communications Manager
• Account Executive
• PR Manager
• Newsletter Editor
• Marketing Manager
• Director of Investor Relations
• College Admissions Officer
• Media Relations
• Fundraising or Donor Relations
• Government Public Affairs
• Sports Public Relations
• Alumni Director

One of the most important things that I’ve learned in my public relations classes so far is that public relations requires a multitude of skill and patience. This includes learning to think and act quickly on your feet and being prepared to take on new challenges at any give moment.

Here are a few skills a PR practitioner must possess:

• Effective written communication
• Editing skills
• Persuasive speaking/presentation skills
• Networking/people skills
• Multi-tasking
• Time and stress management
• Problem‑solving & decision-making
• Computer/production skills (Desktop publishing, layout, graphics)
• Research/information gathering

If anything, I hope this post was a reminder to some of my classmates of exactly what it means to be a public relations major, and to also reassure that public relations can open many doors to several fields that are each unique in their own way.

Happy job searching!