Be Your Authentic Self

Michael Stevens from Vsauce

In June, I attended a Children’s Media Conference in Sheffield, England while I studied abroad. The conference had various sessions and keynote speakers that talked about how children in the United Kingdom get and use media. One topic I heard a lot during the sessions was the importance of children being authentic with their online profiles. Several professionals shared how sometimes children develop an online self and authentic self that tend to conflict and present different images.

Michael Stevens, one of the keynote speakers and creator of Vsauce, shared how being authentic has led to his success on YouTube. He began Vsauce in June 2010 and has expanded to three YouTube channels with about nine million subscribers.

He relates his success to him being authentic because his subscribers see him being very candid and they form a friendship. Stevens also explained how he films the videos alone and being real leads to viewers feeling like they are hanging out with him and that there is not a barrier between him and the audience. His videos are very conversational and use plain language that makes his content easy to understand and is friendly to people of any ages.

In his keynote, he also pointed out how Echosmith singer, Sydney Sierota, is a great example of being authentic on social media. She regularly uploads videos on her YouTube channel and other social media profiles from her iPhone. The videos are very causal and creates a dialog between her and her fans. Stevens also praised Sydney on how she replied to comments fans leave on her videos and shows she cares.

Whether you are a celebrity or not, being real and authentic on social media is key to maintaining a strong, relatable presence. Some other keys to staying authentic on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and other social media outlets include using your own photos, genuinely engaging with your followers and replying to comments and having a unified brand and purpose.

What are some of your social media tips that allow you to grow your following and stay real?

This blog post was written by PRowl Secretary Shaun Luberski. You can follow her on Twitter here. 

The Social Media High School Yearbook

For most college students, high school seems like it was just yesterday. We all remember the cliques that made up the student body like the nerds, the athletes and the band geeks. Each group had their own interests and similar personalities that set them apart from the rest.

In the dawn of the social media age, I guess you could say that social media sites are the high school of the Internet.

Wix, a popular web desgin company, took a look at social networks and found out which site fit each cliche high school stereotype. Based on what we all are sharing, Wix developed this inforgraphic comparing each social network to a high school stereotype.

For example, YouTube is the drama enthusiast. Twitter is the Chatty Cathy. Instagram, naturally, is the flirt of the bunch.

Check out the rest of the social media yearbook to see where you fit in:

Can you think of any other social media stereotypes? Let us know!

We Are the Twenty Percent!

In the world of business, ROI is everything. In order to increase your ROI, you need to ensure you are delivering the right message, to the right audience, through the correct channel.

Online, there are seven types of audiences: altruists, selectives, passionates, connectors, trendspotters, provocateurs, and careerists.Of these consumers, only 20% are high sharers, active users, like us, whom generally create original content and whom are loyal to online brands, and the other 80% are considered low sharers, consumers not loyal to a specific brand and whom are not very active on social media. In general, campaigns should be tailored to your company's or organization's high sharers. Below, I will highlight the characteristics of each type of high share consumer and how to cater to them.

1. Altruists account for the largest percentage of social consumers. They re-tweet, post and share because of a desire to help others. Altruists are especially important to focus on for non-profits and fundraising endeavors. The most effective way to engage altruists is through Facebook and email.
2.  Selectives make up the second highest percentage of social consumers. They strategically share information and content with specific users. These consumers use email most frequently to share content.
3. Passionates share content and information because of a common passion they share with their followers and friends. They can be frequently found on Facebook and on customer review sites.
4. Connectors share information in order to create opportunities. They generally will link multiple account to optimize their social experience. They are most commonly found and can be reached on Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr and Facebook.
5. Trendspotters want to be in and let others know they are in the know. They attempt to increase their credibility via multiple social channels and can be found on YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, foursquare, Flickr, Facebook and Delicious. 
6. Provocateurs are always looking to get a reaction. Bloggers are generally included in the this category and can be reached on YouTube, Wordpress/Blogger, Twitter, LinkedIn, foursqare, Flickr and Delicious. 
7. Careerists general use social sites for business and networking purposes. In general, Careerists utilize YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr and Facebook.

The number of followers and analytics of your company's page are no longer an appropriate measure of a campaign's success. Targeting high share consumers to generate recommondations and inspire creation of content is the appropriate means to increase engagement, brand loyalty, and ROI.

This post is based on the Huffington post article written by Jennifer Nagy,  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-nagy/social-media-marketing_b_1695186.html 

The Social Celeb

When it comes to social media, how celebrities use their accounts is really no different than the rest of the world. However, their communities, reach and relevance is much more prevalent and on a much larger scale.

When a celebrity tweets or makes a status update it is literally “heard” around the world. Celebrities can use this personal PR tool to provide their fans and followers with a more intimate look into their lives. When used correctly, social media can be powerful and instrumental in taking relationships, engagement and establishing connections to a higher level. The growing use of social media among people in the public-eye is bringing them closer to their fans.

Celebrities utilizing social media can be dangerous though. Since it is an instant form of PR placed directly in the hands of the individual, the reality is that celebs have a lot to lose if they don’t use discretion with their social media accounts.

Here are some positive ways celebrities have used social media to their advantage:

-          Connect on a personal level with fans and followers

-          Rally community support for a good cause

-          Increase awareness on a certain public issue

-          Drive sales

-          Promote contests and giveaways

-          Announce private news before it goes public

Can you think of other ways that celebs can get the most out of their social media profiles? Let us know!

How Youtube Can Help Launch Your Career

We all know the Youtube world is growing rapidly. It has become the go-to site for visual how-to’s and entertainment. There have been many youtubers whose careers have launched because of their channels, and it can help public relations professionals as well. Below are ways that Youtube can help launch your PR career.

1. Promote Yourself: Youtube is not only for aspiring singers and songwriters. Let your audience know your career goals and show that in all of the videos. Be sure to remind the viewers that you are a young PR professional throughout your Youtube career. Many professional companies watch Youtube and contact gurus to represent their companies.

2. Tailor Yourself: Tailor all of your videos to fit one type of genre. As a hopeful PR professional, look into angles that you can take that will help you in your future. For example, if you’re interested in beauty-related PR, make videos of beauty product and company reviews.

3. Build Up Your Audience: When Youtube gurus have a significant amount of subscribers, it shows their knowledge of the genre they are covering. Telling a prospective employer that your Youtube presence was successful with thousands of followers will be sure to impress.

4. Expand Your Network: Once your presence on Youtube grows, begin to build relationships with companies that contact you. Once they know your name, make sure they don’t forget it. It will open many doors of opportunity for your future.

Inspired yet? To get started, brainstorm an idea, open a Youtube account and start filming!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Andrea Jordan.

J.K. Rowling Gifts Harry Potter Fans with 'Pottermore'

As fans of J.K. Rowling's famed series Harry Potter are both anticipating and dreading the last installment of the franchise, Rowling has announced the release date of 'Pottermore', June 23rd. Ten coordinates were sent to some of the many Harry Potter fan sites across the web with the instructions to insert the coordinates into secretstreetview.com. Once the coordinates were entered, ten letters were revealed that spelled out P-O-T-T-E-R-M-O-R-E, a mystery website that has fans reeling.

When fans go to Pottermore.com, all that can be seen are the words POTTERMORE: COMING SOON, signed by J.K. Rowling. The web page also includes two interactive owls, one of which links to a Youtube countdown to the release of the site. Since the website went live 4 days ago, Pottermore's Twitter account has already accumulated over 70,000 followers.

The anticipation is setting in and as fans are awaiting the official unveiling by J.K. Rowling, the rumor mill is spinning into overdrive. Some of the rumors include another book, a role playing community or even a Harry Potter encyclopedia.

What's your theory? Are you going to be logging on to Pottermore.com on June 23rd?

To check out Pottermore yourself, click here.

To follow Pottermore on Twitter, click here.

Heineken Quenches Thirst for New Media

The Dutch brewing company Heineken's new advertising campaign has embraced the newer, nontraditional methods of reaching younger audiences through digital and social media. The campaign, "Open your world," initially began running on Web sites in December, before ever hitting the television waves three months later.

In an article from the New York Times, reporter Stuart Elliot claims that as of Wednesday, the ad, called "The Entrance," had over 3.6 million views on the Heineken channel on YouTube while also available for viewing on the Heineken Facebook page. There are an additional 11 video clips that are run online only which have received an additional million plus views. A new commercial for the "Open your world" campaign was released on Thursday via Facebook and YouTube and is not set to hit television screens until September, making an online presence first.

The idea is “to think digital at the inception, not as an afterthought,” said Alexis Nasard, chief commercial officer at Heineken International in Amsterdam, who spoke during a recent interview at the Heineken USA office in Midtown Manhattan.

With the overwhelming increase of consumers substituting or replacing traditional media with digital and social media, advertisers are more drawn to the concept of online advertisement campaigns that will attract a more diverse audience. Online advertising has become a more cost effective means of establishing a brand identity while engaging with the publics, an element that traditional television advertisement is missing. Through online campaigns, companies can track and respond to comments, gauging the public's opinion on the commercials before they hit television, modifying the content as needed.

As we move further into the digital age, I believe we will begin to see more companies following in Heineken's advertising footsteps.

Do you think this method of advertising is more effective than traditional methods? Let us know!

Guerrilla Marketing Sensations

Everyone loves guerrilla marketing tactics. They're outrageous, unexpected, creative and ridiculously successful at generating a buzz for your product. They cost little money and are a thousand times more effective at capturing the attention of consumers over standard advertising. I have had the opportunity to help generate stunts for student organizations that I'm involved in on campus and can attest first hand at how effective they are at generating interest (and have helped grow the membership base of my theatre organization immensely).

While coming up with creative ideas for our next big stunt for an upcoming event, I came across a great post from Mashable with 11 great guerilla marketing videos. Some of the videos included were Nike, Ikea, Absolut, UNICEF and Volkswagon. All of the videos were great, however my personal favorites were Ikea and UNICEF (who wouldn't love to relax at a posh bus stop?) The most important part about any stunt is that its memorable and is consistent with the branding of the product or mission. It has to be purpose driven and it needs to provide results. Guerrilla marketing can be an incredibly powerful tool when used appropriately.

Be sure to check out all of the great videos here.

What was your favorite video? What are your thoughts on the use of guerrilla marketing to promote your client?

Let us know!

Do You Follow the Cheese?

Last night, my professor showed a short animated video to my class. The video seemed a bit silly at first, but the message behind it is a pertinent one. The video is based on Spencer Johnson's book Who Moved My Cheese? The story follows two mice and two little people on their search for "cheese." The cheese is meant to represent anything you want in life. Throughout the video, the cheese moves and the characters have to choose whether to follow the cheese. Ultimately, the characters learn the importance of following the cheese when it moves. In other words, the video conveys the message that it is important to anticipate change and adapt to change. I think this message is not only important for attaining what we want in life, but for success in careers such as public relations, which depend on keeping up with the trends. What do you think about this message?

Here is a preview of the video:

New to Twitter: Israel

This week, the country Israel acquired the user name @israel on Twitter.

This speaks volumes for the growth of social media in general--and especially for Twitter. According to an article by Raphael Minder and Ethan Bronner in the New York Times, this move was "intended to help Israel exercise more influence over its image."

The user name was originally held by a Spanish pornographic company, but it went largely unused; "'I was getting dozens of replies every day from people who thought the account belonged to the state of Israel,'" the owner of the Spanish company said.

But now, people who follow the account are in fact following Israel the nation. "'We thought we could put it to better use,'" a spokesperson for the Israel Foreign Ministry said in the article. The sale price for the account has not been made public, but the spokesperson said that "'it was not pro bono.'"

Israel has expressed interest in using social media, and has also launched a YouTube channel.

I look forward to following Israel's tweets. Do you think Twitter is an effective tool for countries looking to improve their image?

Break Through the Clutter on YouTube

In my two years as Firm Director of PRowl Public Relations I have seen a drastic increase in our focus on social media for our clients. While some of our first client work relied heavily on traditional media relations and hitting-the-streets community outreach, we quickly began adding blogger outreach, Twitter and Facebook development, and interactive e-mail campaigns to our PR plans.

Another promotional tool that has been successful in creating buzz around various clients has been the use of YouTube videos. Especially when there is a visual element to be told (for example, a moving dance piece about the genocide in Darfur by the Rebecca Davis Dance Company) we find videos to be especially impactful.

We create these great videos, but then how can we ensure people see them with all of the other video clutter on YouTube?

Sandra Fathi gives seven helpful tips in her article on PR Daily News:

1. Use of keywords - the video title should include keywords that you expect your target audience to search for
2. Video description - the text in the description should align with your title as well as the message(s) you wish to portray
3. Tagging - tag your video with searchable words that are related to your video/client
4. Link back - include the YouTube video link on other social media profiles and pages
5. Give feedback - use YouTube's Video Response tool to search for other videos related to the client/message and post a video in response
6. Gain insight - view detailed statistics about the videos you upload, such as demographic information about your viewers (click "Account" and then "Insight" once in your YouTube account)
7. Promoted videos - pay to promote your videos through keyword searches (if you have a little extra money)

Another simple way to help get your videos seen: include your YouTube account link on all correspondence (as well as your other social media profile links), even if it's just in your e-mail signature.

Any other ideas on how to create buzz around your videos?