Eric Schwartzman

The B2B Social Media Marketing Show #6 - LinkedIn launches a news aggregation service, analysts predict B2B marketing spending will rise 6.7%, and a brand's reaction to a mistaken tweet with guest panelists Jeff Cohen of Social Media B2B and Rick Short of Indium Corp. and its constellation of bloggers.  

B2B Marketing Discussion Items:

LinkedIn launched a Social Aggregated News Service using its strength to profile its members professionally. Are the opinions of other professionals more valuable than those of your immediate social circle? We don’t think so, but we’re nevertheless impressed with the longtail targeting of LinkedIn Today’s subtopics.

B2B Marketing Budgets will Increase 6.7% in 2011, according to research by Forrester principal analyst Jeff Ernst. Really? No one on the panel can quite believe this number based on their experience. Rick notes that industry averages are almost meaningless since marketing budgets focus on micro-categories.

Chrysler fired its social media agency over a misdirected tweet with the “f” word in it by an employee at the carmaker’s agency New Media Strategies. Our panel discusses the company’s reaction and New Media Strategies public affairs person Lyndsey Medsker’s response.

When every cell tower in a nation is down, channels soon become overloaded and communicators must depend on disaster communications systems.

Social media marketing for travel has become more critical to the hospitality industry and the public relations firms serving it since the economic downturn hit the travel industry in 2008.  

Digital PR consultants, in particular, are also becoming more vital with consumers demanding incentives, requiring more online touch points to make decisions and deals in real time via social networking, says Karen Gee McAuley, executive vice president of Blaze PR and a 25-veteran of the travel and tourism industry.  

Online travel agents like Priceline, Orbitz and Travelocity have grown dramatically through the recession, forcing consultants to promote discounts these services offer on their client’s properties with Twitter-like speed.  

Karen sat down with “On the Record…Online,” the official podcast of the PRSA International Conference to discuss social media marketing for travel and hospitality in hard economic times.  

This episode is guest-hosted by Joann Killeen-Furtney of Killeen Furtney Group.

Social Media Marketing Travel Insights

1:11 Travel marketing has been shaped recently by the recession that hit in 2008 and by the mistakes of insurance giant AIG, which achieved notoriety by holding a luxury event at a hotel just after it had received federal bailout funds. Hospitality public relations pros were left to grapple with the “AIG effect,” with companies becoming wary of travel spending, just as leisure travelers were scared into staying home by the residential real estate crash.  

5:10 Hotel marketing strategies to emerge during the recession included “keeping the guest dollar on property” with stronger promotion of in-house spas, restaurants, and golf courses.    

5:37 Recession marketing plans began to reflect a change of focus in the hospitality industry, with marketers switching to a regional “drive-in” strategy to attract the “staycation” customers in their backyard who were now less willing to fly.   

6:34 Recession marketing PR programs shifted as “the deal” became all-important to consumers. Customers wanted a reduced rate and at the luxury level, demanded extras be thrown in with the price of the room (a spa treatment or a round of golf).  

8:02 Social media travel PR, more than ever, had to advance client priority metrics, whether it be message delivery, preserving the rate charged, driving click-throughs to a website or capturing data to guide distribution of an email newsletter.    

9:06 Online travel marketing gained added credibility when a survey by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International found travel consumers need seven online touchpoints to influence their travel decisions. If travel companies are not working online, they fail to affect half of a given consumer’s buying decision.  

9:45 Online travel marketing has grown dramatically on the backs of online travel agents like Priceline, Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity. However, travel agents still play a crucial role for people who want more than just a room (packages, advice, personal service).  

10:33 Social media travel marketing in the last three years has become a central role in outreach by public relations firms to media that customers consume, along with an upswing in direct communication to customers. 

10:47 Social media travel PR includes pushing out promotions via Facebook and Twitter pages that the travel customer communities have learned to pay attention to, including online venues of major traditional media outlets. Every major daily newspaper now has an online operation that often offers content unavailable in that newspaper’s Sunday travel section. The Los Angeles Times, for instance, has the Daily Dish and the Daily Deal blog. The perishable product does well online, and this impacts media targeting.    

13:09 Travel industry prospects should begin to recover shortly. Still, marketers need to focus on population segments that have continued to spend money on travel despite the recession, including baby boomers with intact nest eggs.  

13:58 Travel PR has changed in recent years, but some essential elements remain central, including the need to craft messaging points and to choose the best strategic outlets for spreading the message. Also, PR firms must continue to identify and influence key influencers and take mass approaches, depending on client priorities (less can be more).   

Apps like Omniture and Google Analytics can capture 18:01 Social media metrics.  The results of client social media campaigns can be measured daily or weekly and should focus tightly on which sources drive most people to the website.  Click-throughs are the key, and it may not be a mention in the Wall Street Journal that drives the most traffic.  A niche online article may deliver more click-throughs and may keep delivering over time.  

20:24 Social media travel PR jobs are available, and working at a hotel is often a good preparation when combined with a journalism or PR degree.  An internship at a niche travel PR firm is another good move because it exposes the specific writing style used in the industry.  Goal: learn the “experiential” writing that captures and creates memories.  

21:12 End podcast

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The B2B Social Media Marketing Show #5 - In this Episode:

Twitter encourages the developer community to find new, useful ways to use their platform to do more than share tweets

Twitter platform says 90% of active Twitter users now use official Twitter apps every month to access the service, but Marketwire’s Sysmos says 58 percent is a more accurate number

Spiceworks launches Vendor Pages.

Ajilitee tries B2B marketing on Groupon

Paul is looking for B2B case studies to feature in BtoB Magazine and Eric’s controversial SXSW panel on outsourcing social media without selling your soul.

The B2B Social Media Marketing Show #4 - Eric Schwartzman and Paul Gillin, co-authors of Social Marketing to the Business Customer – the first book devoted entirely to B2B digital marketing – discuss developments in and best practices for marketing to business customers online.  

In this Episode:

A surge in LinkedIn integration by B2B membership sites indicates its star is rising as the business social network of choice.

A relatively new report says content marketing is growing in importance, but content marketers are still struggling with creative issues. Traditional media like webcasts and print advertising are more effective than new social channels.

Also, check out our FIR Live discussion with Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson from Feb. 16 and Eric’s discussion with Donna Papacosta on Trafcom News.

Eric heads to SXSW for a panel on Monday, March 14, at 9:30 a.m. with Nicole Simon, Kate Buck, and Elizabeth Bellanti on Outsourcing Social Media without Selling Your Soul. And on Monday in the SXSW Bookstore, Eric will sign books at 11:30 a.m.

Social media advocacy and activism are tremendously impacting the national debate surrounding healthcare reform. AARP serves as a case study for efforts to shape public policy in the age of digital public affairs advocacy.

Paul Anderson, vice president for Communications Strategy and Public Relations at AARP reports on fast-growing social media action and adoption by the AARP membership and on the power of new media advocacy to drive engagement as part of a call to action.  

Paul sat down with “On the Record…Online,” the official podcast of the Public Relations Society of America 2010 International Conference, to discuss managing online public relations advocacy programs at AARP.  

At the conference, Anderson participated in a public affairs panel focused on public policy issues stemming from the healthcare overhaul.  Anderson joined AARP after three decades in journalism and public service. He has worked for The Miami Herald and in 2001, became deputy chief of staff and communications director for former Florida Sen. Bob Graham.

Following Graham’s retirement, Anderson became managing director of public affairs for the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Social Media Public Affairs Campaign Highlights

2:10 Social media advocacy case study: senior citizens represent the fastest-growing segment on Facebook.  In response to growing adoption, AARP has moved aggressively into social media advocacy, activism, networking applications, and blogs.

2:37 Social media advocacy drives community engagement more efficiently than ever before. AARP research determines which members will take suggested actions on the organization’s behalf and will follow relevant AARP social media campaigns.  

3:02 Healthcare reform served as the perfect example of how AARP uses social media for geographical and demographic targeting.

3:56 Social media activism requires that advocacy groups find people who agree with an institutional position and ensure their members take the right form of action.

4:12 Multiple social media communications channels represent a strategic challenge for the AARP.  Its leadership employs matrix management to integrate AARP channels and communities and ensure its content can be repurposed regardless of medium.

5:54 Mobile online communications enable organizations to create value for members through accessibility and ease of use.  AARP just launched several iPhone applications that leverage its publications and services, including a scan-able bar code app that enables members to get AARP discounts at participating stores using their iPhones.

6:51 Social media content must balance what is most helpful to audiences and move institutional priorities forward. The AARP editorial team offers a wide variety of guidance, news, and information on everything from recipes to vacations to medication. It also seeks to lead the community as it engages around policy positions.  

9:25 Social media listening supplies lobbying efforts with genuine conversations to bolster arguments. AARP seeks to start dialogues through its social networking sites, and listens closely to the comments on its blogs and articles.

10:09 Social media public affairs has come to depend heavily on social media as a lead vehicle for driving change.  The change, however, requires a true commitment to real-time conversation monitoring and to placing trust in members and staff.  Set your social media policy, distribute your messaging priorities and be prepared to debate robustly.

11:15 Creating a social media organization requires the opening up of communications and the crafting of social media policy. AARP staff in all 50 states are now empowered to blog, post their own comments on social networking sites, and to run their social networks.  

12:06 Social media outreach fuels lobbying efforts by supplying personal stories from any given Congressional district to reinforce an argument made to that Congressman on a policy position. During the health reform campaign debate, AARP used social media to collect and vet 15,000 stories from AARP members that reinforced policy positions around insurance coverage.  

14:19 Social media lessons learned for shaping public policy: organizations must build the capability to monitor comments on a website and in social media applications and to respond quickly and professionally.

16:35 End

About the Guest Host Greg Reeder is the director of the Marine Corps Element at Defense Media Activity and Editor-in-Chief at Marines Magazine, USMC, Washington, D.C.

The B2B Social Media Marketing Show #3 - Eric Schwartzman and Paul Gillin, co-authors of Social Marketing to the Business Customer – the first book devoted entirely to B2B digital marketing– discuss developments in and best practices for marketing to business customers online.

B2B Digital Media Insights

FIR Live with Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson is up.

Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Eric Schmidt’s meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama about stimulating the economy

Fareed Zakaria’s story on restoring the American dream.

The Watson Jeopardy Challenge, quite possibly the most significant B2B marketing campaign in history, and eWeek's coverage. Pete Blackshaw goes to Nestle.

What, if anything, can B2B marketers learn from the revolutionary fever sweeping North Africa and the Middle East? Chris Messina’s SXSW presentation on activity streams and data visualizations.

Overcoming B2B marketing adoption challenges and increasing social media literacy inside organizations. New features for administrators of Facebook Pages.

The B2B Social Media Marketing Show #2 - Eric Schwartzman and Paul Gillin, co-authors of Social Marketing to the Business Customer – the first book devoted entirely to B2B marketing – present the second podcast in our series on the developments in and best practices for marketing and engaging business customers online.  

The B2B Social Media Marketing Highlights

Alibaba has invested $4.5 billion in logistics. The exchange will take a cut of transactions brokered with its partners. This is a new role for an exchange, and we wonder if it presages a new business model. Are you using Alibaba? We'd love to hear about your experiences.  

LinkedIn has new features, including a cool visualization tool showing people's relationships in your professional network. It's early stage and not very useful, but it demonstrates how social maps can be applied to rich professional networks.  

Eric says it's a proof of concept at best. He doesn't see much value in the visualization tool and has no time to figure it out.

However, he does see a lot of value in combining relationships with geographic data to improve sales prospecting.  

A recent Wall Street Journal story documented the sometimes nasty surprise of session-based clicks. Buyers can include session-based clicks When they sign up for a pay-per-click marketing campaign.

Depending upon the user's previous behavior, this option may serve their ads against different queries.

Some buyers find that session-based clicks can drive up advertising fees without delivering much value.

A simple way to avoid this problem is to turn off the session-based click option.  

LinkedIn also offers intriguing new advertising options that enable advertisers to target all professional demographics and interests. Every technology has a downside, though.

Eric notes that these new features can also be used for poaching employees by enabling recruiters to target advertising to specific companies.  

Do you use LinkedIn for professional advice and networking? It's the preferred social network for B2B marketing consultants and we provide some examples of how it pays off.

Eric has been spending time in the B2B marketing group on LinkedIn and is impressed by the moderator, who gently but firmly guides the conversation and keeps everyone on topic without alienating passionate interactions.

The B2B Social Media Marketing Show #1 - Eric Schwartzman and Paul Gillin, co-authors of Social Marketing to the Business Customer -- the first book devoted entirely to B2B social media marketing -- kick off a special series on the developments in and best practices for marketing to business customers online.

Public relations agency Weber Shandwick, has developed a social media crisis management simulator called FireBell to provide crisis management training for in-house public relations and corporate communications staffers to avoid critical missteps in crisis management.

In this podcast, Weber Shandwick VP of public relations Brooke Worden joins guest host Sandra Burrowes to give us a glimpse of FireBell’s realism and effectiveness, attributes that recently earned the social media crisis simulation tool a 2010 Digital PR Award for best new digital service/product/app.

Creating a social crisis drill that replicates the urgency of an online attack has been a challenge for PR professionals. For this reason, FireBell’s social media attack simulator is intentionally designed to be stress-producing. Worden highlights the unscripted nature of a social crisis—real or simulated—and the choices companies are forced to make while such an event unfolds.

Using FireBell, realistic scenarios compel company communicators to respond to a crisis in real-time.

Users can tweet, post to Facebook and post videos to YouTube in response to unfolding events, yet do so in a secure, off-the-Internet environment.

A class-action lawsuit, a damaging video by an employee, a product recall, or a fatal accident at a company facility are real-world brand emergencies that happen every day and are typical of a FireBell crisis management scenario.

The goal following a social crisis drill is to debrief the event and combine it with post-drill feedback to forge a realistic, experience-based crisis communications plan.

Brooke Worden, VP Financial Services with Weber Shandwick Minneapolis, led the recent U.S. Census Bureau public relations campaign, working with over 50 public relations agency professionals nationwide in six Weber Shandwick PR agency offices.

ABOUT THE CRISIS MANAGEMENT PODCASTER

Based in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Sandra Burrowes specializing in strategy, media relations and social media management at the Mayo Clinic.

She is an associate with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Sandra Burrowes, Senior Public Affairs Specialist at Mayo Clinic, wrote and optimized these podcast show notes.

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