By now, most people have probably heard of the term “web 2.0.” But for those saying “huh?”, let me bring you up to speed. In the early 1990s, websites were clunky and boring by today’s standards. Images were small and low resolution partly because of limited digital camera technology and slow internet speeds (remember the awful dial-up modem sound?).
Now fast-forward about a decade. As technology advanced and CSS (cascading style sheets) became prevalent, the era of “web 2.0” began. The release of CSS 2 and newer versions of graphic-creating programs, such as Photoshop, gave web designers a new set of tools and the freedom and ability to create webpages that the early adopters of HTML could have only dreamed about.
Visually, “web 2.0” was defined by the predominant use of glossy buttons, color gradients, drop shadows, rounded boxes and large, busy background images. Until then, web designers had been pretty limited in the “visual department.” Like a kid on Christmas morning, they were excited to play with these new “toys”. I call this the “Hey, look what I can do!” era.
On May 4, digital content enthusiasts will gather at Hotel Preston for PodCamp Nashville, a one-of-a-kind Unconference on all things ‘new’ media – online video, blogging, social media, SEO, podcasting, productivity and more.
Now in its sixth year, the volunteer-driven event is FREE to attend and offers sessions led by fellow community members. Not only is DVL a PodCamp sponsor, but I get to host a presentation, “Discovering the good in a social media crisis,” thanks to the random session draw (as is PodCamp protocol).
A crisis often take us by surprise and it can be hard to keep our cool when we’re going through one, but it’s important to take time during and after a crisis to see what good can be gleaned from it. The session will cover:
1. Fundamental components of a social media crisis plan
3. What has (and hasn’t) worked for others in managing online crises
PodCamp is the perfect place to learn new ideas, no doubt about that. However, the best part about PodCamp may be meeting and having discussions with like-minded people – and PodCamp really does draw a great crowd, if I do say so myself.
So you’re interested in branding? What does that even mean? Is the brand your product or service? A logo? A tagline?
When people think of branding, they often think of designing a new logo or developing a new tagline. But your brand is so much more than the logo or packaging—those are just visual representations to help identify it.
Simply put, your brand is the perception people have when thinking about your product or service.
Therefore, you don’t own your brand—consumers do. That might be hard for some to hear, but your brand is what exists in the minds of consumers. This is why it is so important to help form and evolve these consumer perceptions by understanding your brand and utilizing marketing, advertising and public relations strategies.
March can be a time of great joy for many college basketball fans across the country. It can also be a time of great headaches for supervisors and IT departments.
According to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.’s recent survey, the Big Dance will cost American businesses an estimated $134 million in lost productivity during the first two days of the NCAA tournament.
As communications professionals, we understand the importance of staying on top of news, for our personal sanity and also for work purposes. But there are a few issues in today’s news media landscape that can make the time we spend searching for information annoying, overwhelming and just a big headache.
- We’re constantly bombarded with information from traditional and social, relevant and irrelevant.
- Discovering news on social media can be helpful, but difficult to find on social networks. For example, Twitter uses near identical bitly links, feeds and streams, making it almost impossible to find what’s important.
- Sifting through article after article can be time consuming.
These are just a few, but if you’re experiencing any degree of this, you’re not alone and help is on the way. Actually, it’s already here.
Your website doesn’t live only on your desktop anymore. Every day, more and more people are browsing the web via a mobile phone or tablet. In fact, you may be reading this post on your phone or tablet right now. Smartphone ownership and mobile web usage has grown at a staggering rate during the past few years.
Currently, the population of the United States is around 315 million people and according to a 2012 report conducted by Edison Research, 44 percent of which now own a smartphone. Allowing for the continued growth of smartphone users, let’s assume that as of March 2013, around 50 percent of the U.S. population (about 157 million people) owns a smartphone and have option to view your website from a mobile device.
So what do these statistics mean and why should you care? The answer is usability.
A social media crisis can occur at any time and happen to any brand. Just ask Applebee’s, Southwest Airlines, Jeep or NASCAR. The social media world never sleeps. Depending on how you handle the situation, you can have news outlets applauding your brand’s efforts or picking yourself up off the ground from all of the virtual punches you’ve taken.
At DVL, we have developed a number of strategies for crisis situations. It’s important to note that every situation is different. You don’t want a cookie cutter approach because that’s where you can get into trouble. A pre-approved message is great, but it’s important to personalize it and be as genuine as possible.
Here are some takeaways that hopefully help guide your team to a success story:
What Kid President Teaches Us about Success in Social Media
Monday, March 4, 2013
No doubt you’ve heard of Kid President, 9-year-old Robbie Novak from West Tennessee, who’s made rounds on talk shows recently encouraging others to “be more awesome.” In case you’re unfamiliar, watch his most popular video (with 12.5 million YouTube views and counting), “A Pep Talk from Kid President to You,” to witness what makes the videos so infectious.
So what can Kid President teach us, besides to strive to not be boring?
Have a Simple, Consistent Message
In every video, Kid President has one or two catch phrases that are hard to ignore. They all tend to tie back to his overarching theme of enjoying life courageously and compassionately. When developing a campaign, it’s important to think about what you want the key takeaway to be. What do you want the audience to feel every time they consumer your content? The recipe for successful communications necessitates reinforcement of your message with every ad, post, tweet and blog article you publish.
Joke around the office is that I’m the “corporate girl.” Yep, that’s me, a corporate girl in an agency world. I came to DVL after years of working in corporate communications for a vertically integrated entertainment company. Not only did I handle external relations, but I worked very closely with colleagues in human resources, finance and the executive suite on internal communication programs.
I can recall a time early in my career when I was presented with the opportunity for a promotion if I transferred into a strictly internal communications role. I declined. The thought of not having day-to-day communication with the reporters I’d spent years building relationships with and the reality of not having a hand in some of the industry’s biggest announcements proved unattractive to me. I loved the rush.
Race to present—internal communications is one of the most engaging and influential pillars of the public relations industry, and easily an area that has become increasingly important to any organization’s communication strategy.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed – OBSESSED – with news media. I grew up with the Big Four. Brokaw. Jennings. Koppel. Rather. I’d watch Peter Jennings on ABC every night with uncharacteristic rapture. I cried the day he died. Just as I was terribly upset when Rather’s tenure ended in chaos and scandal at CBS Evening News. Not to mention the awful-rotten-no-good-day I had when Diane Sawyer retired from ABC’s Good Morning America.
Like music for most, the news is my underlying narrative. It is this deeply realized obsession that informed my career from day one. And conversely, my career has indelibly changed my interest in the news. Surely you can imagine my glee with 24-hour news channels!
By now, most people have probably heard of the term “web 2.0.” But for those saying “huh?”, let me bring you up to speed. In the early 1990s, websites were clunky and boring by today’s standards. Images were small and low resolution partly because of limited digital camera technology and slow internet speeds (remember the awful dial-up modem sound?).
March can be a time of great joy for many college basketball fans across the country. It can also be a time of great headaches for supervisors and IT departments.
