PR and marketing

Measuring the value of social media with Tracey Brown

With growing numbers of Australian businesses using social media, the need to measure the effectiveness of social media activity is becoming increasingly important.

Surprisingly, many businesses do not measure the effectiveness of their social media activity, or they’re unsure what to measure or where to start.

Tracey will discuss the importance of measuring social media activity by looking into how success can be defined and measured using simple tools.

She will explain how to get the most out of your social media measurement tools, how to measure the success of a social media campaign and what the future holds for social media measurement.

About Tracey:
Tracey Brown has worked in online for over 15 years, from Westpac eBusiness, to co-founding Tipping Point in Sydney, before moving to London as Head of Digital for Schroders. She also held a global online CRM role for Vodafone Group.

Now back in Sydney, Tracey co-founded eMarketingConnected in December 2010.

Her breadth of experience ranges from online strategy, strategic email marketing, social media strategy, benchmarking and optimisation strategies, to user experience definition and content strategy.

Tracey has delivered workshops and training programmes in USA, Asia, Sth Africa, UK & Europe. She also conducts events and workshops for clients and members.

Tracey’s company eMarketingConnected has recently produced a comprehensive report on the social media activities of Australia’s 500 largest organisations, ‘How the Largest Australian brands use Social Media’. The company has also produced other reports such as ‘Why The Largest Australian Retailers Are Losing The Online Battle’ and ‘How Are Australian Brands Using Facebook’.

Twitter: @traceybrown74

Please note: This month's Social Media Women is being held on the FIRST Tuesday of the month as the second Tuesday falls too close to Easter.

A not to be missed event - learn about the importance of measuring your social media activity by using simply tools.

LUCKY DOOR PRIZE - You could win a corporate headshot session from Polly Street valued at $385! This includes: 30 to 45 Minutes on location photo session, an online preview gallery to select your favourite shots, 3 Edited and retouched high res image files.

Register now for our April event at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1933221317

Date: Tuesday 3 April 2012 (First week in April)
Time: 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Venue: The Supper Club at the Oxford Hotel,
134 Oxford St, Darlinghurst.
(Enter the Oxford St side of the hotel and walk up the stairs. Metered parking is a few steps away on Bourke St, $1.10 per hour)

Meet amazing women as well as discussing the ever changing world of social media.

Website & Ecommerce - Set-up and beyond: tips, trends and ideas with Nancy Georges "The Retail Miss Fix-it"

Most Australian households now have the internet, which means Australian retailers have an easy path into their customers’ homes.

Online presence, e-commerce and social media are now necessary in every retailer’s marketing strategy. Websites and online stores are no longer optional extras – they are a vital necessity.

Technology is driving business more than ever. Nancy will give you the information to get you started in the world that we are now operating in.

Websites and online stores are essential for EVERY business. There are so many options and decisions to be made, which makes it harder to get started. Once you have the cart, you need to ensure it is future proof.

Your online store needs to be an extension of your existing fabulous customer service, so what questions do you need to ask yourself? Shopping cart format sorted? What about the payment gateways and options available to you? What is the best one for your needs? Integrating your website into your social media & offline activity? (which is as important as the site itself!) - what are the "do's & don'ts"?

Nancy will discuss her own experiences with a wide range of products and services.

About Nancy Georges:
Nancy, "The Retail Miss Fix-it", is a Retail Strategist and owner of Magnolia Solutions, offering retail marketing consultancy, strategy and solutions.

She has over 20 years industry experience; in-store management, customer service, product development, manufacturing, wholesaling and marketing. Evolving from a wholesaling business - Paper Magnolia - she moved to marketing support & consulting.

She has built her own websites and online stores, as well as publishing her first printed book and e-book. Her knowledge and references are all from her own first hand experiences.

Working with retailers, wholesalers, brands & manufacturers to navigate the ‘new world’; Nancy strategically integrates and implements sound retail practices with websites, e-commerce and social media. Nancy is one of the Social Media Women founders.

Nancy contributes insightful retail and marketing articles to trade magazines and websites, and is often asked to provide comment for newspapers and radio.

Nancy has just released her new book “7 Powerful Ways to Boost Retail Profits in Any Economic Climate” to help retailers identify the foundation they need to ensure a profitable retail store and business in today’s economic climate. Retailers need the information and support so that they can adapt and navigate the new retail climate.

Nancy is a speaker at industry conferences and events as well as holding seminars focused on retail and the transition actions needed to navigate the ‘new world’.

Follow her on Twitter: @NancyGeorges

A not to be missed event - learn the ins and outs of websites, online stores and offline integration.

Register now for our March event here.

Date: Tuesday 13 March 2012
Time: 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Venue: The Supper Club at the Oxford Hotel,
134 Oxford St, Darlinghurst.
(Enter the Oxford St side of the hotel and walk up the stairs. Metered parking is a few steps away on Bourke St, $1.10 per hour)

Christmas is on its way and Social Media Women are celebrating the end of another fantastic year filled with a range of amazing speakers who have contributed to the success of Social Media Women.

As a thank you to everyone who has attended and contributed to our Social Media Women events we would like to invite you to help us to celebrate its success on the last Social Media Women night for 2011.

Feel free to join us anytime from 7pm on the 13th December at The Oxford Street Hotel. We would love to see you there!

Register now for our December event at http://socialmediawomendecember.eventbrite.com

Date:    Tuesday 13 December 2011

Time:    7:00pm-8:30pm

Venue:  The Supper Club at the Oxford Hotel, 134 Oxford St, Darlinghurst (Enter the Oxford St side of the hotel and walk up the stairs. Metered parking is a few steps away on Bourke St, $1.10 per hour)

Meet amazing women as well as discussing the ever changing world of social media.

The open discussion about social media is one of the best parts of the event. So bring your social media questions for the group to answer.

We often think about using PR and social media to build a company’s profile – and that it only benefits the company as a whole.
 
But what about your profile and your reputation?
 
If you work within a company, or run your own business, you can use PR and social media tactics to build your reputation and increase your profile. It will enhance your chances of landing a position on a board, help with your next career move or assist in sales for your business.
 
Often as women, we think we have to be amazing experts to even talk or write about a topic. But the more you accept that you are an expert, the more everybody else will accept it too.
 
So, it’s time to step into the spotlight. It’s time you acknowledge your experience and do what women do so well – share it!
 
At this October Social Media Women event, Catriona Pollard will share with you her secrets on how she built up her profile and positioned herself as an expert in her field through the use of PR and social media, and how you can as well.
 
About Catriona Pollard:
Catriona Pollard is an expert in public relations and social media with more than 18 years experience in developing and managing PR and marketing programs.
 
Catriona is the Director and owner of CP Communications, a public relations and social media agency and is a co-founder of Social Media Women.
 
Catriona was one of the early adopters of social media in the Australian PR industry and is an advocate of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs.
 
She writes the popular blog Public Relations Sydney that led to her being labelled as a leading public relations blogger. Catriona is also listed as one of the top 100 PR people worldwide to follow on Twitter.
 
Catriona is regularly approached by the media to provide expert comment on public relations and social media and teaches a course she designed called PR and media releases that get results at the Sydney Writers’ Centre.

A not to be missed event - learn how build your profile and increase your reputation through the use of PR and social media.

Register now for our October event at http://socialmediawomen.eventbrite.com

Once upon a time, in a non-digital world, people met in real life and got to know each other as people rather than as brands. Business and branding were an extension of a person but they didn't make a person.

Today everyone is, in one way or another, digitally branded. Whether it is through Facebook, Twitter, a blog or LinkedIn, your personality and your brand - in both colour and design - are online for all to see.

So what happens when you meet your friends and contacts in real life? Does your personality in real life match the experience people have of you online? In real life do you reveal another (better or maybe worse) aspect of yourself? How do you live up to the expectations that have been created by you online?

Mariette Rups-Donnelly will share with you some tips, tricks and techniques to make sure that when you meet your contacts in real life you live up to every expectation and perception that they have of you.

Mariette will explain that in order for your physical being to compliment your digital one, you must first understand that people have created perceptions of you because of what you put out there both in branding and online presence.

When you understand that, then you can actively work to make sure your real life presence is just as strong.

About Mariette Rups-Donnelly:
Mariette has taken her years of experience as a leading actor and teacher of actors and combined it with an astute business understanding to create programs that go to the core of presence, presentation skills and business performance.

Through her company, Powerhouse Presentation, she runs a wide variety of one on one programs and customised workshops for small business owners, professional speakers, executives and corporations.

As a professional speaker and MC she is becoming more and more aware of the disconnection between people's online presence and their 'In Real Life' presence and performance.

She draws her expertise from a 34-year career as an Actor/Singer/Dancer and 26 years of teaching in some of Australia's leading acting institutions.

Her professional acting work is both national and international and includes theatre, television, film and cabaret with leading roles in A Chorus Line, Annie, Big River, Company, The Seagull, Hamlet, Emerald City, Away, among many others, and the title role in Evita, twice.

With her experience both in the performance world and the business world she has a wealth of knowledge to share.

A not to be missed event - learn how to match your real life presence to your online presence.

Register here for our September event.

Date:      Tuesday 13 September 2011
Time:      6:00pm - 8:30pm
Venue:   The Supper Club at the Oxford Hotel,
                134 Oxford St, Darlinghurst.
(Enter the Oxford St side of the hotel and walk up the stairs. Metered parking is a few steps away on Bourke St, $1.10 per hour)

Enter the draw to win LUCKY DOOR PRIZES, simply by attending!

Meet amazing women as well as discussing the ever changing world of social media.

The open discussion about social media is one of the best parts of the event. So bring your social media questions for the group to answer.

Social Media Women is all about inspiration, collaboration, supporting each other and growing. Join the community:

• Become a fan and check out the launch photos and post comments on Facebook
• See, subscribe and view the guest list on SocialMediaWomen.posterous.com
• Join and start discussions on LinkedIn
• Visit the official Social Media Women Site
• Follow us on Twitter @SocialMediaWomn

Yesterday I had corn & quinoa soup for lunch. So what? I hear you ask. About a year or so ago a cafe in Crows Nest called Montagu started following me on Twitter.

As a result of conversations on Twitter I started going there for lunch and having business coffee ‘catch ups’ there. In the last month or so they have started tweeting me what soup they have on.

Why this is special is because I’m vegetarian. So in winter I struggle to find soup in cafes that I can eat (as most vege soups are made with chicken stock).

Now mid morning, if Montagu have a vege friendly soup available for lunch, they tweet it out and include my twitter handle so it comes into my ‘mentions’ section of Twitter. 

I love it! It means I get to eat yummy soup that I know is vege friendly. And how clever of them to use such a creative way to generate business!

Learn how to do your own PR! – My next one day workshop on PR and media releases that get results is on next Thursday (11 August). Learn how to construct a PR strategy including how to develop media angles, pitches, media releases, articles, case studies and editorials. You will also learn how to strategically use these tools to maximise your chance of achieving your PR objectives. Sydney Writers’ Centre. Book now!

I hope you enjoy this newsletter.

________________________________________
Using PR and social media to engage a community
Macquarie University has been running the annual Women, Management and Work Conference for 23 years, with the 2011 conference focusing on Women and Leadership: Ignite your strengths. Leading women spoke about how women can use their unique strengths to become influential leaders.

This year, Macquarie University once again asked CP Communications to run the PR and social media of the event as well as the sponsorship drive. CP Communications drove engagement and registrations by expanding and renewing the online community, in addition to traditional PR strategies.

The focus of our strategy was to use the various issues the conference would cover, to strike a chord with the target audience. We wanted a long lasting campaign that didn’t end when the conference did.

We reignited the conversation in the online community “Women at Work Australia” which included blogging, Tweeting, Facebook and a YouTube channel. We also added a new platform, a LinkedIn group.

CP Communications identified that the media talent were the conference speakers and invited them to be involved in PR. We sent media releases, various pitches and invited the speakers to provide contributed articles, which were pitched into online publications

Yet again we achieved amazing engagement and print and online coverage.

Read how we achieved these results at CP Communications – Success Stories

________________________________________
YouTube for business - How to create a professional YouTube Channel
We can all be TV stars now by starting a YouTube TV channel. Creating compelling videos helps you engage with your target audience and is a great way to bring exposure to your business and also a way to position yourself as a thought leader or expert in your field.

Here are some tips for creating quality videos:

1. Use a good camera.
   The whole point of a YouTube video is to visually show or demonstrate your product, service or expertise. There is no point in uploading a video onto YouTube that is fuzzy, dull or blurry.
2. Get the lighting right.
   Again the whole point of YouTube is to visually get your message across professionally and that also includes making sure the video looks professionally made. Make sure the lighting is even and that there are no dark shadows.
3. Buy a good microphone.
   There is nothing more frustrating than trying to decipher what someone is saying while watching a video. If you want your messages, tips and advice to be clear investing in a good quality microphone is a good idea. Also, remember to test the sound before doing the whole recording.
4. Aim for one to five minutes.
   Your audience will probably be busy people who have short attention spans. With that in mind your audience will most likely press stop after the two minute mark. If you can, create short two minute videos but if you have to go over be sure to keep within the five minute range.

Read more tips and how to set up your channel on the Public Relations Sydney blog.

________________________________________
Upcoming events
Here are some events coming up that we thought you might be interested in:

Brand Management 
This one-day master class workshop will equip participants with the core knowledge and skills necessary to successfully and profitably manage a brand. Learn about brand equity, brand research, positioning and managing your brand and brand building. This workshop is designed for marketers and senior managers who have responsibilities over one or more brands within their organisation.
4 August 2011– Brisbane, Queensland

Social Media Women August: Learn about social media's role in the health industry with Heidi Allen of BodyinMind.org
Finding information about health is one of the highest uses of search engines today. Is the information we find reliable? How do we know? Is my doctor using social media? How do I feel about my health information going online? Heidi will help you understand the challenges of implementing a digital and social online strategy in a quickly evolving business ecosystem.
9 August 2011 – Sydney, NSW

Doing Business Online: The Latest Trends and the Legal Risks
The internet and Smartphones are now being used by many for business purposes. During this seminar a panel of expert speakers will present information about the latest trends and techniques being used by businesses. The legal risks of conducting an online business and how business owners can cover themselves will also be discussed.
9 August 2011 – Robina, Queensland

PR and Media Releases That Get Results with Catriona Pollard
Catriona will teach you how to construct a PR strategy that gets results. By the end of this workshop you will understand how to come up with a media angle, write a pitch, media release, article, case study and editorial. You will also learn how to strategically use these tools to maximise your chance of achieving your PR objectives.
11 August 2011 – Sydney, NSW

AFR Leadership Conference
The Australian Financial Review Leadership Conference 2011 brings you a fresh look at corporate leadership. At this one day conference learn about how to get the best out of multigenerational workforces, how to be a leader in the aftermath of a crisis and the importance of strategic HR.
16 August 2011 – Sydney, NSW

Integrating Online Services to your Existing Community Engagement Strategy
The explosion of online communications tools offers an enormous and often untapped potential to address a great deal of challenges faced by community engagement practitioners. Topics to be explored include the integration of online strategy with traditional methods of community engagement and examples of effective online strategies.
30 - 31 August 2011 – Melbourne, Victoria

Finding information about health is one of the highest uses of search engines today. Is the information we find reliable? How do we know? Is my doctor using social media?  How do I feel about my health information going online?

Heidi will help you to understand the challenges of implementing a digital and social online strategy in a quickly evolving business ecosystem.

About Heidi Allen:
Heidi has over 15 years experience in the publishing and health industries, working internationally in England and Australia.

She is a digital strategist working in the health sphere - she blogs, tweets, facebooks and researches health both from the clinician as well as consumer point of view. Using social media and digital strategy has a unique set of challenges in the health care industry: privacy, legal issues, time and patient confidentiality to name a few. Cost benefits and return on investment are also significantly different in this market.
 
Day to day Heidi runs the digital strategy for a clinical pain research site, Bodyinmind.org and presents regularly on social media and strategy to healthcare businesses and at conferences.

Twitter: @dreamingspires
Blog: heidiallen.id.au

A not to be missed event - Learn about the challenges of implementing a digital and social online strategy

Register here for our August event.

Date:      Tuesday 9 August 2011
Time:      6:00pm - 8:30pm
Venue:   The Supper Club at the Oxford Hotel,
                134 Oxford St, Darlinghurst.
(Enter the Oxford St side of the hotel and walk up the stairs. Metered parking is a few steps away on Bourke St, $1.10 per hour)

Enter the draw to win LUCKY DOOR PRIZES simply by attending!

Meet amazing women as well as discussing the ever changing world of social media.

The open discussion about social media is one of the best parts of the event. So bring your social media questions for the group to answer.

Last week I finally did my 24 hrs for B&T. I’m not sure if you know about this column in B&T magazine but it profiles the day of someone in the marketing industry. It has been on my list of things to do for, well.... a year. It’s been moved from my monthly list of things to do so many times I didn’t even notice it anymore.

Our clients’ PR always comes first, obviously. But one of my New Year resolutions was to make sure we focus on our PR to help the business grow but also to showcase our skills. So one of our clients is...us!

Alison is our consultant, and updates our action plan just as we do for our clients. I’m now the annoying client that never gets back to her! In an attempt to get me to do the 24 hrs column, she even printed out a blank document with ½ hour intervals on it, and a motivational quote at the top to encourage me to do it!

It worked. It’s done now and hopefully will be printed in the next couple of months. She has also booked me in to do more videos for our YouTube channel, which I’m told, I can’t cancel!

We are half way through the year and it might be time to reflect on how you are going with your New Year resolutions. Is it time to update them? Reflect on them? Or even ditch them and create fresh goals?

Speaking this month: I will be speaking at the Leichhardt & Annandale Business Chamber breakfast on 14 July and SheBusiness lunch in Balmain on 28 July. The breakfast is booked out, but there are places available for the lunch. 

WIN a ticket to Macquarie University's Women, Management and Work Conference:
Attend Social Media Women in July to automatically go into the draw to win a ticket worth $2,300 to the Women, Management and Work Conference on 28-29 July 2011 in Sydney. The conference will inspire and inform women who are looking for insights and key tips to develop their leadership skills. Read more at www.lmsf.mq.edu.au/womenandleadership.

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter.

________________________________________
Why 'how to' articles work
Writing articles is a fantastic way to gain publicity. There are specific types of articles that work well – the ‘how to’ article is one of them but there are specific ways to write them.

‘How to’ articles can not only position you as an industry expert, they can offer topical, helpful and interesting information to readers and are one of the easiest types of articles to write because they have a 'tried and tested' structure that works.

1. Know what you are writing about. When writing a ‘how to’ article make sure you do actually know how to do it. Your information needs to be backed up with real life experience and knowledge.
2. Stay on topic. The article should be objective and written in an informative and entertaining manner, but keep on topic. No editor will want to receive an article that goes off topic or becomes a promotional piece.
3. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). Particularly if you are writing a ‘how to’ on something complex. Avoid jargon and write in short, clear sentences, using sub headings, dot points and bolding to communicate key points.
4. Proof read it. Once you are finished, proof read it and then give it to somebody else to read. It is very common for authors of articles to miss mistakes. Allowing another person to read over the article can help. Also, by doing this you can test if your 'how to' article is effective in communicating information to people who are not experts in the area. 

________________________________________
Should you BranchOut?
Most people who have joined Facebook have ‘friended’ everyone they know from people they went to school with 30 years ago to new friends.

Their pages are filled to bursting with both personal and professional information about themselves and yet, in order to network on a professional basis, you need to use LinkedIn and start that networking process all over again.

At least that’s how it used to be until BranchOut was launched.

The BranchOut application, created in July 2010, is Facebook’s largest professional networking service. In many ways it is quite similar to LinkedIn allowing users to create networks, search for jobs or people at specific companies to relay interest to and seek endorsement from previous clients or employees.

BranchOut seems to have one advantage that LinkedIn doesn’t. It uses your existing Facebook network so your contacts are already there, waiting for you to explore as soon as you create your account.

And while on the topic of learning something new, for all you social media savvy people who feel they are starting to get bored by the already existing list of social media platforms – brace yourselves.

Word is quickly spreading about a new social media platform that is yet to hit our Australian social media shores called Kohort. Users are already able to stake their claim by creating their own user account name; however you can’t enter the site yet.

Mysterious or what!?

________________________________________
Upcoming events
Here are some events coming up that we thought you might be interested in:

Social Media Women July: START UPS, Tips & Tools for Overcoming the Hurdles with Catherine Eibner
Starting any business can be challenging. Practical advice based on experience helps save time, energy and money and a free program that helps support a start-up is the cherry on the cake! Catherine Eibner will share her tips and advice for entrepreneurs on starting a business.
12 July 2011 – Sydney

Marketing Women Victoria social media event
‘Social media’ is on everyone’s lips and smart phones, but how many people and businesses actually get it right? The interactive session will be led by an impressive group of experts in the social media space: future leader of Haystac’s newly formed digital and social media unit, Kristen Boschma and fellow social media gurus Yvonne Adele, Eloise Zoppos and Trevor Young.
13 July 2011 – Melbourne

Chamber of Women in Business presents Sofia Majewski – director of Speak2us
Develop and strengthen your public speaking skills and become a confident and articulate public speaker with Sofia Majewski, Director of Speak2us. Learn about where and when you speak, who your audience is and how to manage nervousness and anxiety.
13 July 2011 – Canberra

Online Retail: Differentiating Online Businesses
This event, run by AIMIA, will help retail businesses entering the online space clearly understand how to differentiate their online offering and integrate with a multichannel retail business strategy. It features speakers from the e-tail multichannel space.
12 July 2011 – Sydney
14 July 2011 – Melbourne

Macquarie University’s Women, Management and Work Conference
Learn how to become an influential leader at Macquarie University’s 23rd annual Women, Management and Work Conference. This two day conference will inspire and inform women who are looking for insights and key tips to develop their leadership skills. Speakers include CEO of Medicare Lynelle Briggs Board Director of CoSolve, Anna Booth and Director in the Royal Australian Navy Captain Michele Miller.
28-29 July 2011 – Sydney

PR and Media Releases That Get Results with Catriona Pollard
Catriona Pollard will teach you how to construct a PR strategy that gets results. By the end of this workshop you will understand how to come up with a media angle, write a pitch, media release, article, case study and editorial. You will also learn how to strategically use these tools to maximise your chance of achieving your PR objectives.
11 August 2011 – Sydney