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!

Sports fans utilize social media to stay updated on World Series

Social networking has changed the way people communicate - we all know that. But did you ever think how it has changed the way we watch sports? I know I didn't. But this article focuses on how people will stay up with the upcoming World Series - and it even discusses the types of "voices" people use on Facebook vs. Twitter. It's not the same audience.

I'm not posting this article because of the World Series angle. I'm posting about it because if sports fans are following these conversations (and they are), you or your organization could gain something from these media. Think about it, and make a strategy about the types on information you want to disperse, who you want to talk to, etc.

Read the article here

How serious do you look?

For your reading pleasure, I recommend this Journalistics blog post entitled "Is social media the cause of the casual office?" I think it brings up great points about how social networking has changed the job of customer service and public relations - to a more friendly and casual style. Can you adequately represent your company in jeans and flip flops? Do you think you have to be in a suit to be taken seriously? Or is there a happy medium?

Think about it.

What NOT to do on Facebook

So you finally were able to start a fan page for your business on Facebook? Well, don't let it go stagnant. The only reason anyone will visit your fan page regularly is new, dynamic content.
Check out this article about "The 9 Worst Ways to Use Facebook for Business."

And don't forget - we're bookmarking lots of articles on our chapter's Delicious account.

Social: IRL Coming to Springfield

After a great presentation by Ben Smith (@benasmith) at the recent professional development conference, he decdied to bring one of his Social: IRL events to Springfield - now, do yourself a favor and don't miss it!

Social Media Marketing Boot Camp with Sarah Evans (@prsarahevans)
7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Thursday December 9, 2010
Veridian Event Center, 309 South Avenue

Limited tickets will be available.

You'll spend a full six hours of session time with Sarah, taking an in-depth look at the role of social media in marketing your business or organization.

You won't just learn effective social media marketing techniques, but will look at how social media works in conjunction with traditional marketing and public relations and why that's important. This includes practical ways of engaging customers and prospects, case studies, help with creating a social media based marketing plan, hints and tips, ways to make your brand stand out online, effective engagement, latest trends, tools and resources, and plenty of opportunities for discussion and Q & A. This will be a very hands-on event designed to give you lots of practical experience and learning, and for you to leave with new ideas and tools you can implement in a very real way.

With attendance being limited there will also be some great opportunities for quality networking and building valuable relationships.

Discounts are available for multiple registrations. Special discounted rates are also provided for members of the PRSA or Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, for non-profit organizations, and for students. Standard registration is $225. PRSA members, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce members, and non-profit organizations receive a discounted rate of $195. Discounts available for multiple attendees. Special registration $125 only for full-time students.

Registration includes breakfast pastries on arrival and a day long refreshment station with coffee, tea, water and sodas. Lunch is not included. The Veridian is located in the heart of historic downtown Springfield with great lunch options within a very easy walking distance. We encourage you to use your lunch break to explore the downtown area and connect with other attendees.

A post event meetup will take place in the evening after the event. This will be open for anyone to attend. Watch for details!

Click here for more information about the event or to register. http://www.socialirl.com/events/.