Trevor Young | PR Warrior blog | Where PR meets social media meets content marketing

Will JB HI-FI's Twitter Crew Become Australia's Equivalent of Best Buy's @Twelpforce?

Australia's largest home entertainment retailer JB HI-FI appears to be gearing up for a major tilt at incorporating a grassroots 'shop floor' Twitter army across its business.

At first blush it appears JB HI-FI is modeling its approach on US chain Best Buy's @Twelpforce - "A collective force of Best Buy technology pros offering tech advice in Tweet form".

Not that there's anything wrong with that; indeed, it's a smart strategy. Best Buy has long been regarded best practice when it comes to customer care and brand responsiveness on Twitter.

JB HI-FI has assembled its Twitter presence across multiple fronts:

First, there is the @JBHiFi Twitter account, which at this stage is like most corporate accounts - non personal, not following anyone and pushing out one-way sales messages.

Secondly, individual stores are getting into the action, like @JBChadstone and @JBSpringvale. Their activity currently is similar to the corporate account i.e. one-way messaging. 

And thirdly, and more impressively, employees from different stores are also becoming involved. Their presence in terms of Twitter handle and avatar appears pretty consistent - i.e. @danh_jbaus (personal, but tying back to the brand) along with a photo that reflects their personality, but each one has a yellow wash through it, once again to reflect JB HI-FI's trademark yellow branding (see some examples below).

Whereas the corporate Twitter accounts need a bit of work (granted, it's early days for the brand), the individuals involved appear to be getting right into the swing of things and obviously have the imprimatur to do so, which is very cool.

So what is JB HI-FI doing right?

It's still very early days by the looks of things but decentralising much of their Twitter activity gives JB HI-FI not only additional 'arms and legs' in the Twitterverse but importantly injects authenticity into the program. People want to hear from the experts who walk the floor, not necessarily someone cloistered in a head office cubicle.

Also, I like the way individuals can tailor their Twitter accounts to their personality. Once again, this provides a sense of genuineness so often lacking from corporate activity, but doesn't detract from the JB HI-FI brand. Getting this balance right is critical.

#jbhelp hashtag

A hashtag has been created and promoted - #jbhelp - that makes it easy for members of the public to tweet a question which, in turn, can be responded to by any one of the JB HI-FI Twitter army, not necessarily one designated Twitter account. This is similar to how Best Buy's @Twelpforce operates.

And finally, the company has been smart in how it has asked for volunteers (employees with Twitter experience along with those eager to learn); they've trained them up and, according to Yvonne Adele from Ideas Culture who has been advising JB HI-FI, provided guidelines that give clarity on what is and what's not acceptable behaviour on social media when representing the brand.

All in all a pretty good start on Twitter for a major brand. We will watch with interest!

Emmy Buzz: Media Vs Twitter {INFOGRAPHIC}

The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards are on tonight. Like the Oscars, they create massive buzz online, offline and in the media.

I spotted this infographic yesterday via Mediabistro.com.

Zinio and Webtrends have teamed up to measure word-of-mouth hype surrounding nominees from the main categories. Interestingly, they have compared the buzz generated on Twitter versus what's coming from traditional media outlets, thus painting an interesting picture as to who people think will win.

Quite a bit of disparity between the media and Twitterverse. I wonder which medium/s will prove the most accurate come awards time?

(Infographic Source: Zinio and Webtrends.) 

How to Integrate Twitter on TV {VIDEO}

Stumbled across the 'Twitter and TV' video this morning. It's pretty cool.

It highlights the best integrations of Twitter on TV including hashtags on-air, handles on-air, live-tweeting and curated Tweets.

If you liked this video, you might like to visit Twitter's YouTube channel.

(Hat-tip David Wesson).

How a 'Little Crappy Ass Theater' Turned a Disgruntled Customer into Marketing Gold!

This is gold!

The owner of the Alamo Drafthouse Theater in Austin, Texas threw out a young lady who was caught texting during the film. His beef was that she broke the rules of the house:

"If you talk or text during a movie, we kick you out".

The texter cracked it and left an angry retort on the cinema's voicemail, which the theater promptly used as the basis of its 'Don't text in the cinema' public service announcement currently screening before R-rated features).

By the way, at time of writing the YouTube video (below) had notched up some 350,000 views (no doubt helped along by a tweet from famed movie critic, Roger Ebert, who alone has 460,000+ Twitter followers!

N.B. if you have sensitive ears, you might like to check out the censored version (which has only 9000 views).

 Lesson for marketers?

• STAND FOR SOMETHING - by taking a zero-tolerance stance on people who text and talk during a movie (everyone's pet hate), the Alamo Drafthouse sets itself apart from its competition; it must be working - the brand has received some pretty decent accolades - Entertainment Weekly (#1 theater in America - "One of America's most fanatically unique moviegoing experiences"), Wired.com (Coolest Movie Theater in the World) 

• BUILD A COMMUNITY OF FANS - the Alamo Drafthouse has a solid following on both Twitter and Facebook, so when the boss blogged about this story (and posted the clip on YouTube) they had a ready made audience.

• GIVE PEOPLE SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT - this feeds into the point above ... by creating and posting the video the theater gave its fans a reason to propel the story throughout their own personal networks.

• HAVE SOME FUN - some brands might cringe at the thought of taking the piss out of a disgruntled customer, but for the Alamo Drafthouse irreverence is all part of the package, and what you see is what you get.

Great stuff!

(Hat-tip Lester Francois via Scott Kilmartin).

Three Years on Twitter, What Have I Learned?

Last week I notched up three years on Twitter.

Time flies when you're having fun, eh?  So much has happened in the social media space during that time, looking back it's pretty incredible. As I write this post, I have tweeted close to 14,000 times (although somewhat bizarrely, Twitter claims I have tweeted only 30 times!).

That's a lot of links, retweets, conversations, connections, missives, rants, views and opinions, observations, Twitpics, jokes, quotes, comments, responses, witty comebacks, clunky retorts, plugs for blog posts and 'chest-beats' for business wins.

So what has Twitter done for me personally and professionally, or more importantly...what have I learned?

My absolutely number one observation?

Twitter has a disproportionate number of 'inhabitants' who are smart, witty, generous and respectful.

That's a lot of positive attributes and I'm happy to announce there are many people in the Twitterverse who fit this bill. 

It's been an absolute privilege to share ideas, opinions and information with them, to engage in general banter, to agree to disagree...to learn new things, to better understand causes and social issues, to swap war stories (in 140 character bursts!) and generally increase the richness of our lives through ongoing interaction.

5 stages of Twitter acceptance

I once read there were five stages of Twitter acceptance (along the lines of):

1. Twitter is the greatest waste of time. Ever!
2. Okay, I'm getting on to this Twitter thing because everyone else is.
3. I'm on Twitter and I've got to say it truly is the greatest waste of time!
4. You persevere - "Okay, I think I'm maybe getting the hang of this."
5. Twitter becomes a day-to-day part of your life.

Believe it! I certainly went through that process. What about you?

Dispelling the biggest myth

One misconception that continues to dog Twitter is that it's full of people who have nothing better to do than tell everyone what they had for lunch - err, no.

Three years ago when I first started, yes, there seemed to be quite a bit of that. Nowadays, even people who chat about their lunch understand you also need to take a Twitpic of your meal and make some sort of recommendation about the restaurant (is it a good 'un or one to avoid?) thereby adding value to the conversation.

 

Twitter is great for personal and business profile

If you own or manage a company, run a nonprofit organisation or you're in a business that requires some semblance of a public persona (e.g. consulting), then Twitter - indeed social media generally, and if used strategically - can help enormously.

Over the years, I have used Twitter to launch businesses, promote thought-leadership and recruit staff; it has also directly/indirectly helped me win new clients, secure speaking gigs and media interviews, and develop opportunities that otherwise I would have been blind to.

(By the way, this is not just a Twitter thing - running a regular blog and/or podcast and being an active participant on LinkedIn, Facebook, Foursquare etc are all part of my social web equation).

Twitter is all about OFFLINE

Okay, time to bust another myth...while a lot of Twitter action takes place online (obviously!), the SECRET of Twitter is offline connection. You know, good old-fashioned face-to-face!

* KER-THUMP! * (that would be the sound of Twitter critics falling to the floor).

People on Twitter are some of the funniest, intelligent, most interesting and generous folk I have ever met. The thing is, when you finally get to meet someone you've previously engaged with on Twitter, it's as if you're at meeting number three or four because the relationship has already been well-advanced. 

It never ceases to amaze me how powerful that can be!

Respect - trust - transparency

Hopefully I didn't need reminding too much on this score but there is no doubt Twitter helps reinforce the need to be respectful to others, to be open to new ideas and opinions, to be transparent in your dealings online and, importantly, that trust and goodwill are the cornerstones of relationships. Good values, all the more amplified on Twitter.

Twitter - the 'oil' in the social media 'engine'

I often refer to Twitter as the 'oil' in the social media 'engine'. In other words, it's constantly circulating across the social web - it keeps all parts of the social media space working in terms of word-of-mouth buzz, distribution of content, sharing of ideas, links and information.

ZOMG! I've made so many new friends and contacts!

If nothing else, Twitter has expanded my network of friends and contacts exponentially. Think: Rolodex on steroids.

This needs little extrapolation - Twitter expands your universe and, here's the kicker - it helps people of like-minds to gravitate towards one another because of the tendancy to share similar values and interests.

I am humbled by many of the friendships I have made via Twitter (in the first instance). My life is all the richer for it.

Get free stuff! 

And finally, Twitter sometimes has helped me score free stuff!

Thanks to the gang from Charlie's who brought smoothies into the office the other day!

 

 

Why Radio 3AW is a Social Media Stand-Out

I've been pretty impressed of late with how Melbourne talk-back radio station 3AW has been approaching social media.

As a rule, broadcast and print media outlets have struggled to get their heads around the nuances and dynamics of the social web. Understandably, I suppose...it's the antithesis of what they've been about for decades.

If you look at commercial radio, it has been such a successful and well-entrenched business model, I mean, why change?

Well, of course you do need to change if you want to adapt to, thrive, indeed remain relevant, in today's hyper-connected marketplace.

Which is why 3AW - the conservative and well-entrenched entity that it is - is starting to stand out like the proverbial.

Several things have caught the PR Warrior's eye of late:

The station's main Twitter account (@3AW963) is a joy to follow.

Where virtually every other media-based Twitter account I've come across is all one-way traffic with zero interaction with fellow tweeps, @3AW963 is not only timely and informative but also funny, incisive and inclusive. Interaction blended with headlines, a really good mix.

The station's main Twitter account - driven by Ben Wise (@benwisemelb) - also manages to bring its on-air talent into the equation but not in a way that's overtly promotional.

Another indicator of getting amongst it on Twitter? The station - which is followed by 4327 people (at time of writing), follows back 3422. By contrast, Radio 744 Melbourne (@744melbourne) has 18,500+ followers (I believe it's been going a lot longer though) but only follows 935.

The station's heavy-hitting talent has also embraced social media, specifically Twitter - check out:

• Ross & John Breakfast Show (@RossAndJohn) - initially dismissive of Twitter, the high-rating pair are starting to find their feet, albeit in one-way fashion; some more interaction from the fellas would be great.
• Neil Mitchell (@3AWNeilMitchell) - still very one-way broadcast mode, but his tweets are generally interesting sharp bursts of opinion.
• Derryn Hinch (@HumanHeadline) - Hinch is really getting into it after (if I recall rightly) being somewhat anti-Twitter in the early days. His tweets are hard-hitting, questioning, often amusing...and he's pretty good at interacting with 'the great unwashed'. Also, loved the Derryn Hinch Caption Competition (below).

The competition had its own hashtag (#hinchpic) - check out the responses here.

But wait, there's more...

Other 'social media elements' 3AW is incorporating into its mix include:

• blogs (reflecting content from specific programs, albeit they're a bit hard to find on the website);
• podcasts (of each show so people can catch up if they've missed their favourite program)

I also like the video below - a behind-the-scenes look at the 'work' that goes into making a 3AW Breakfast Show on-air promotion.

Social media is not just about the tools and the technology. It's not just about having a Twitter account or a Facebook page.

It's about the spirit in which you use such platforms. It's about the content you create and share, the connections you make, the relationships you build, the interactions you have with your network, the broader community in which you operate, and broader still, the online world generally.

Importantly, it's this social media spirit that appears to be permeating the walls of 3AW. I shall continue to watch with interest but suffice to say, there are huge opportunities for the radio station should it go further down the 'social path'!

NOTE: I believe the ABC generally has led the way in terms of social media adoption; they're very good at packaging and distributing content but not as good - as far as I can see - with loosening up and interacting with the public. Unless I have missed something?

What are your thoughts about the media in Australia and their attitudes towards the social web?

Would love to hear from you :)

What Celebrities Can Learn From Dannii Minogue

Can't say I ever thought I'd write a post like this, but here you go...

In one fell swoop, Dannii Minogue - sister of singing star Kylie and a recording and TV personality in her own right - has managed to change public perceptions of her 'brand'.

Unless you've been living in a cave, you'd know that Dannii and boyfriend Kris Smith have just had a child, a little boy named Ethan.

Now, Dannii has always been a bit of a publicity junkie and is no stranger to the tabloid press or women's glossies. 

We quite rightly could have expected her to do what most other celebrities seem to do after giving birth - keep the bub under wraps before emerging several weeks later in some lowbrow glossy rag. 

The story would be an exclusive, of course, complete with airbrushed photos of the couple gushing about the new addition to their family. 

Often, money has changed hands. Celebrities and their babies are popular with readers so the glossies don't mind spreading the cash to get the 'behind-the-scenes' story.

Refreshing Tweetphoto

Thus it was refreshing for Dannii and Kris to take a Tweetphoto of their happy moment and share it with the world via Twitter. No exclusives, no fashion spreads, no airbrushing.

Just an 'real-life' shot of the happy couple. Now, I don't know about you but I reckon Dannii looks the best she has like, forever! Glowing, happy, authentic...real.

By eschewing the exclusive in a women's glossy and instead sharing the special moment with her fans, Dannii's image has not only received a credibility boost but she may well have won herself a slew of extra admirers. Oh, and the rest of the media probably loves her that little bit more 'cos they got the pic the same time as everyone else.

Other celebrities - especially the B-graders - take note. You could do a lot worse than what Dannii Minogue did this week.

 
Here are a couple of comments made to the story on The Age website:

Good on you Danni - nice to see a celebrity who is just happy to share with her fans. You've gone to the top in my estimation!!

Congrats Danni and Kris......and thanks for sharing your precious moment with us....for nothing. You have certainly gone up many MANY notches for this act..

Best practice celebrity PR in action!

I Urge You to Ignore Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare et al

With all the noise about social media today, it's very easy to get caught up in the hype of Facebook, Twitter Foursquare et al.

So here's some sage advice for companies and organisations from the PR Warrior.

Ignore 'em!

DO NOT set up a Facebook page or open a Twitter account. 

DO NOT blog. 

PUT AWAY that video recorder and under no circumstances should you record a podcast or attempt to get involved in a geo-tagging service such as Foursquare.

Not yet anyway.

Okay...now, take a deep breath.

What is it you're trying to achieve from a marketing and corporate communications perspective?

Answer that question first.

Then - still resisting the urge to rush head-long into social media - start thinking about a few other 'big picture' questions:

• What do you want people to think or talk about when they hear the name of your company or organisation?
• What topics do you want your brand to be associated with?
• What 'category' do you want to 'own' in the mind of consumers and stakeholders?
• What conversations do you wish to ignite/be part of?

Content = 'building blocks'

Social media can be used for a lot of things including customer service, recruitment, brand communications and customer engagement.

Whichever way you slice and dice it, however, it still has a lot to do with content. 

Think of content as the 'building blocks' of your social media efforts - in this case content could be a blog post, a free downloadable e-book, a video interview, a podcast, a tweet, a comment on someone else's blog...even a simple link.

That being the case, if you haven't thought through answers to any of the questions above, then you could be muddying the waters and not being anywhere near as effective as you could be with your communications.

Only then should you start letting the 'tools of social media trade' invade your headspace.

Twitter Turns Four - How's It Been For You?

On the eve of Twitter's fourth birthday, I thought it apt to reflect a little on the micro-blogging platform and how it's affected me personally, the PR/media/marketing industry specifically, as well as broader populace generally. 

In true Twitter form, I've kept my snippets to 140 characters. A hard call, I know, but my sweat is your gain! (Inspired by @AdamVincenzini)

But firstly, how's Twitter been for you?

I would love to hear from you - in 140 character bursts if possible :) - how has Twitter affected your life? Your business? Your cause? Put it out there folks! I would love to hear from you...as would other tweeps!

Before we kick off, here's the first tweet - from one of Twitter's three founders, Jack Dorsey (the other two are Evan Williams and Biz Stone). Not exactly awe-inspiring, but hey, they've had a pretty big impact, heh?

 

Okay, on with the rest of the post:

Through Twitter I have been lucky enough to have met some of the most fascinating, interesting, clever, motivating and inspiring peeps!

My company @parkyoung was launched on Twitter - I took a pic of my new business card & put it out there for all to see (making it official).

Twitter is the 'glue' that holds together all of my social media efforts - the oil that keeps my 'connection engine' running at full steam!

Twitter provides momentum for my thoughts and ideas - it takes readership of my blog posts and Posterous posturings to the next level.

When bored, I can always count on Twitter to provide me with endless laughs and opportunities to interact with a whole bunch of cool tweeps!

Twitter has significantly expanded my network of friends and contacts - who I hang with today doesn't resemble who I hung with 1-2 years ago.

Twitter allows me to share the shizzle with @sammartino and @IdeasCulture at the RACV Club.

If it wasn't for Twitter, there would be no Tweetupmellers events or, for that matter, Social Media Melbourne brekkies or @SMCmelb.

Twitter enables me to see 'the other side of the story' It's always good to take into consideration other points of view!

Twitter is proving to be one of my key sources of news and information - if it's not my number one source, it's damn well close to it!

IMAGE SOURCE: Theroxor 

Twitter has been great for non-profit organisations.

Not a day goes by when I'm not inspired in some way by the odd tweet or five! Keep it up folks! God knows, we all need inspiration!

One of my fave pictures - the Lingerie Football League in action #justsaying. Where else but Twitter could I share such gems?

My company @parkyoung recruited its first employee via Twitter - ladies and gentlemen, introducing Mizz @KimberleyL!

Through Twitter I've met that many new people over coffee that some Melbourne cafes are worrying if Twitter carks it, so will their trade!

Apparently 'We're all a 'Twitter'? If not for Twitter, what would newspapers have to write about?

This Twitpic (actually, yFrog) was one of my more popular offerings (big spelling mistake by the Fin Review). Thank God for newspapers!

This is one of my favourite T-shirts, as announced on Twitter. 

Twitter is the source of a lot of insightful posts & articles - here is a selection! 

Tweeps thought Julia Zemiro looks hot! (ahem...they're RIGHT!).

In April '09, @IggyPintado and I created a one-day 'TweetBlitz' for Iggy's book Connection Generation. Crazy times, huge buzz!

Twitter has become a fertile hunting ground for newspaper and broadcast journalists hunting for a 'news' story. Oh for art thou Tweetdeck!

I love toying with tweeps! Who is this mysterious blonde? Hint, she's a prolific Melbourne-based tweeter!

Quite a few PR Warrior blog posts have been about Twitter - here's a selection. 

If it wasn't for Twitter, I wouldn't have been in The Age newspaper.

Twitter helps tweeps discover the PR Warrior's weakness! Trust me, only in a moment of weakness will I reveal my weakness!

Twitter allows me to convert people to the Geelong Football Club cause! Go boyz!

If not for Twitter, how could I have possibly written this post about 'plundering the Twitter Treasure Trove'?

Without Twitter, you wouldn't need to come up with the 11 Commandments of Corporate Tweeting.

Where would the New York Times be without Twitter?

If not for Twitter, how on earth would the PR Warrior make the Top PR People Worth Following on Twitter?

I bet the producers of the film Bruno wished Twitter never had existed!

Thanks to Twitter, more people are talking (and hearing) about Starbucks!

Apparently Twitter will change the way we live.

Why the New York Times should acquire Twitter.

Apparently Twitter is dead anyway! Who would have thought?

(Oh, and journalists hate Twitter - can't see the need to be on it).

Here is one CEO who loves Twitter!

Who needs 140 characters? Sometimes, one word is all that's needed to create interest!

Would Zappos ever sold for close to a billion dollars had it not been for Twitter?

Crowdsourcing the True Meaning of Social Media

 

UK-based PR consultant Adam Vincenzini called upon the Twitterverse to crowdsource the meaning of social media.

Adam's idea was to get 140 'communications characters' to submit their definitions of social media in 140 characters. Great concept!

Within no time Adam received the full complement of responses which he duly posted on his blog The Comms Corner.

Here is a snapshot of some of the definitions submissions:

@DannyBrown Social media is the human engine oil. It doesn't matter if you're a Mini or Mercedes, you get an equal shot to compete in the race.

@dreamteamroman Sharing thoughts, ideas and experiences with others around the globe in a fast and efficient way. consumer=producer of info.

@ThatGirl_Chloe social media is a way to connect with people around the world & use these thoughts, experiences & conversations within real-life situations.

@hermioneway ''Media that's social ...it's about everyone taking part and having a voice.''

@geetarchurchy Social media is the consumer's realisation that they have the power to induce institutional change through online behaviour.

@NikHewitt Where friends, fans, & evangelists are your PR team. Where everything is immediate. Where personal opinion is valued over direct marketing.

@litmanlive Social media is one of the biggest opportunities to brands online in recent history. It's the real time web in motion.

@dbreakenridge Social media means listening carefully and learning to share valuable information that bonds people and builds strong relationships.

For the record, here is the PR Warrior's contribution:

@trevoryoung Social media is a catalyst for change - change in the way we connect with each other, change in the way businesses communicate with the world.

@EmilyCagle - who submitted this response: "Adapt, answer, broadcast, collaborate, communicate, connect, create, engage, follow, lead, learn, listen, question, share" - subsequently produced a tagcloud of the words used (via Wordle). Here is the result!

Deidre Breakenridge provides her own take on Adam's experiment here.

While on the subject of Deidre, I've read a couple of her books and highly recommend them - 'PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences' and 'Putting the Public Back in Public Relations' (with Brian Solis).

Check out Adam's full post on the Comms Corner.