Keep up!

You've all heard that the zodiac chart changed recently leaving some people with a new astrological identity. Read this Journalistics article that uses this recent discovery as a case study to showcase how quickly news moves and how traditional news stations are being left out.

If you don't follow Brian Solis (and I know several do) you should. Here is an eye-opening piece regarding what he terms the Social Compass.

From the article: "Inspired by a moral compass, The Social Compass serves as our value system when defining our program activities. It points a brand in a physical and experiential direction to genuinely and effectively connect with customers, peers, and influencers, where they interact and seek guidance online.

It was designed to guide us from the center outward. However, it can also impact how a business learns and adapts by reversing the process and listening to customers and influencers through each channel from the outside in."

McKinsey Study: Companies embracing a Social Media Strategy are finding a positive ROI

Not terribly surprising, but telling nonetheless. One very interesting stat mentioned in the McKinsey article is that “…nearly two-thirds of respondents at companies using Web 2.0 say they will increase future investments in these technologies, compared with just over half in 2009.

Opportunities abound to become an expert in your field

Here are two great learning opportunities to kick off the new year!

Explore & Engage


Brian Solis and Jason Falls will be in Wichita for SocialIRL’s “Explore and Engage” event on Jan. 19. There is special package pricing for attending this event and the SocialIRL event with Sarah Evans here in Springfield in early February. If you are interested in the trek to Wichita, please e-mail Melinda Arnold. We’re trying to coordinate a group to share expenses. http://www.socialirl.com/explore-and-engage/


AAF of the Ozarks presents “It’s All Downtown: A Marketing Success Story,” with Rusty Worley, Executive Director of Urban Districts Alliance

When: Wednesday, January 12, 11:30a-1p
Where: University Plaza, 333 S. John Q. Hammons Parkway
Cost: $15 members & first-time guests; $20 repeat guests; $10 students
RSVP: rsvp@aafozarks.org by noon Jan. 10

Thirty years ago, Springfield’s historic business districts were all but abandoned in favor of shopping malls and suburban development. Now, Center City is once again the vibrant hub of retail, entertainment, dining, arts and urban living. Much of this amazing turnaround is due to the work of Urban Districts Alliance and its successful marketing efforts, including the popular “It’s All Downtown” campaign. UDA Executive Director Rusty Worley will show how cooperative branding, advertising and promotions are creating economic vitality in the heart of our community.

This month’s program will also feature brief presentations by nominees for AAF of the Ozarks’ 2010 Jane Meyer Award for best nonprofit advertising/PSA campaign. Nominees include Care to Learn, Springfield Workshop, and Therapeutic Riding of the Ozarks. The audience will have the opportunity to vote for this year’s award winner. Join us in recognizing the contributions of area nonprofits, as well as the creative professionals and media organizations who help to ensure that their messages reach the community.

Start the new year right with AAF, and see how the ad industry promotes positive change. Reserve your space now, and pass the word about this valuable program!

It's not going away - so find your voice!

You may be tired of hearing about social media, the value of Twitter, the need to be social, etc. There is a reason to put effort into this arena, though: it's not going away. Even if it is not the BEST way to reach your target audience, it is a valuable avenue for reaching at least part of a segment.

As we've talked about before, it's all about who you follow and maintaining a consistent voice. You don't need to share the minute details of your day - especially if your audience is primarily clients. Know your audience and share something valuable.

Read this article about sharing valuable information - and how to make yourself re-tweetable.

Social Media Is Not A Miracle Worker

At long last, social media has shown its Achilles’ Heel as a communications tool. It happened over the Thanksgiving holiday. A grassroots movement used social media to get people riled up about increasingly intrusive security screening at U.S. airports. Of course, mainstream media jumped into the ring with coverage. The idea was to get folks to refuse a scanning machine and demand a time-consuming pat-down. That would gum up the screening process. The end result – long lines, long waits and headaches galore for TSA. Thus a social media-generated grassroots protest.

Alas, the protest was a flop. Nothing happened. Judging by the news coverage I saw, few if any people demanded the pat-down and security lines moved efficiently.

So what’s the Achilles’ Heel? Quite simply, even powerful social media such as Facebook and Twitter cannot generate action where there is no passion. Flying over the long Thanksgiving weekend can be frustrating and tiring under the best of circumstances. All people want is to get to gradma’s house as quickly and easily as possible, followed by a repeat performance when it’s time to fly home. Who in their right mind would want to make the experience more difficult? Who would want to slow everything down to the point that they might miss a connecting flight and arrive at grandma’s just in time to leave?

No PR tool can get people to do something they don’t want to do. For PR to work, the recipient of the message must have a passion or a reasonable level of interest. The recipient may even want to know what’s in it for them. Clearly, there was nothing in it for the flying public last weekend. Thanksgiving proved that, regardless of its potential, social media is just another tool, not some newfangled wonder that can perform miracles.

Get everyone talking!

When you can't be there - whether it's an event or the conference - there is a growing expectation of still being able to participate remotely. Here is a good discussion on hashtags, engaging participants in conversation and possible missed opportunities.

Making a Twitter habit

In case you're still getting used to a regular Tweeting habit, all you need to remember is to follow the right people. People who are engaged in the same type of industry, who have relevant information to share. Read and retweet. Engage those in conversation. And find your own bits and pieces to share as well. You have a wealth of knowledge - now share.

Twitter may not be the best for communicating with your audience - it's true. But it can be helpful to you as a professional in staying atop industry trends and information.

Read "Four Reasons Why Everyone's Content is King on Twitter."

Worth a Look!

Check out our Chapter's Delicious account to see all of the latest bookmarks on great articles!

Think before you jump on a bandwagon!

QR Codes are one of the newest tools in the toolbox for many marketers or public relations professionals. As with any new technology or social media, an organization would be best served to approach these with curiosity, flexibility and strategy. Make these things work for you, and not the other way around.

Read "The Marketing Scan-gasm."

Don't forget to check out our newly restyled website at swmoprsa.org!