Taking a Look Back at PR in 2010 - The Good, Bad & Ugly

It can take a few days to really understand and reflect on all the great PR stories of 2010. Some of these stories have down right changed the way PR professionals do our job. Communicating with the media has fundamentally changed in the way in which we pitch news stories. Not to mention, in some cases a PR story can go directly into the hands of the consumer without being seen on the 5 p.m. news.
In all, five PR stories stand out in my mind from 2010:

The Good.
1. Shoutout to Facebook. Here's what happens when a great product gets a good solid PR plan in place. Not only does your product hit 500 million users (likely the most cited/well-known statistic of 2010), but your founder and CEO becomes Time Magazine's "Person of the Year."

2. Oh when the Saints go marching in. Big congratulations to the Saints and their management on a successful run at the Super Bowl in early 2010. The spirit of New Orleans and their team was shown to the world through a 90-minute football game. The positive media coverage almost surpassed the number mentions of Hurricane Katrina.
The Bad.
3. Cecil says show me the $$! It was rather difficult, as a college football fan, to watch an extremely talented player endure the onslaught of media coverage following the news that his father put him up for sale. Heisman trophy winner, for at least the next few months, Cam Newton could be one of the best college players of all-time, but his name will always be followed with "whose Dad wanted $120k for his son to play football." Cam will need his own PR team ahead of the NFL draft to do some much needed image repair. To credit Auburn University though, they did a pretty good job of keeping the media straight that Cam was "not involved."

The Ugly.
4. Tiger Woods fails on the golf course and in the press conference. I followed this story from wrecked Cadillac Escalade to Elin's tell all in People Magazine. I won't deny it; I spent 2010 transfixed on this story. Admittedly, I was fascinated with how such a well disciplined golf player could let their personal slice into pieces. Then again, Tiger may fit the profile of a socio-path. At the end of the day, we learned that while your client may think silence and being nonresponsive to the media will make it "go away," in the world of a 24/7 news cycle it most certainly will not!

5. BP oil spill. Not only did 11 people loose their lives, a fact that many failed to report, but BP never gained control of the story. They refused to use social media until @BPOilSpill was finished ruining their brand on Twitter. For any company with a crisis communication plan, please be sure that social media is a part of it NOW!

Three Social Media Trends to Watch

One of the biggest questions facing social media strategists all the time is "What's next?"

As Facebook is set to unveil its latest attempt to take over the world via email, we're watching closely to see what new trends may pop up.

There are three trends that I am tracking very closely:

1. Location-based social media platforms. Gowalla , Foursquare , Facebook Places , Whrrl, etc. are all an interesting concept to watch unfold. Right now, all are still in the innovator and early adopter phases. It remains to be seen if they will achieve mainstream status. One thing is certain, location based social media platforms offer businesses the best chance at measuring their precious ROI in a dollar amount. 
2. Content clutter. In today's online world "everyone can be a publisher of content!" The interesting trend to watch however will be, "whether or not the number of people publishing content will decrease to a small confined group?" With so much information all over the internet it can be difficult for an unknowing consumer to judge the quality of content posted on a website, blog, etc. Will the top media dogs such as CNN, MSNBC, and Fox find a way to rule in the online market? We'll see.
3. Social Media Optimization. Since the dawn of search engines SEO has reigned supreme. But now with strong partnerships between Bing and Facebook and the growing use of social media influences in search, social media optimization will slowly take over. 

These are trends that I'm watching, would love to hear what your watching for in the world of social media?

Follow Whitney Breaux on Twitter @wbreaux or on Facebook . Connect with Whitney on LinkedIn. 

Why Republicans Taking the House is Obama's Best Chance at Reelection

As a student of the political process, we are taught to never drink too much of the party kool aid. Instead, take a step back and really evaluate the pros and cons of each political parties decisions.

In a land side, Republicans swept up over 60 seats to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Many political analysts cited the anti-Pelosi; repeal Health Care Reform rhetoric hit home in almost every congressional district in the country. One highlight and pick up for Democrats, would be right here in Louisiana as State Representative Cedric Richmond reclaimed the age-old democratic congressional from Republican Joseph Cao. 

But what's the difference between an angry voter lashing out at Obama and the democrats versus a student of politics? We knew a new change would come soon. Over the course of history, no political party has truly held onto power for any significant length of time. That is because voters never like too much of something when they have it. They are always looking for something else. This is especially heightened when you consider the economic climate in America right now. Voters are looking for someone to blame. And with Republicans help with a great messaging campaign, they helped voters place blame on Obama and the democrats.

So why is it that Republicans taking the house will likely provide President Obama with his best shot at reelection? 

Two things are important to point out. By having a Republican controlled House, Obama will finally have to learn to govern from the center. This means working with Republicans to solve Americas problems as oppose to telling them to ride "in the back of the bus." But the hit-or-miss mark for Obama and his communications staff will come from whether or not they can spin his work with Republicans into messaging that proclaims Obama as a populist and bipartisan President. For example, see President Clinton post 1994 mid-term elections. 

Finally, while it is not likely that Republicans can demand and pass their agenda through the Senate and over the President's pen, they too must watch out for the "Tides of Consent." Just has the country (or at least most of it) rallied behind Obama's rally cry in 2008, Republicans too could fall prey to voters looking for a change away from their agenda in 2012.

Continue the conversation about the mid-term elections with me on Twitter , Facebook or LinkedIn ! 

Three Easy Ways to Position Your Social Media Accounts in Search

Do you remember how to use a phone book? Or better yet, how do you use a library catalog to locate a book? The best part of being forced to learn these tools as a child is I no longer have to use them! Thank you Google, Yahoo, Bing, and ever other search engine out there.

As I've mentioned before our "instant gratification society" wants news, information, resources, etc. with a few keywords and the click of a button. The same applies for when a consumer is looking for more information about your business/brand. Your website is the front office! But the consumer may want to hang out with you at the bar across the street = social media.

1. Facebook. Populate your business/brand information throughout the fan page. Try not to get too excited that you are now engaging with your audience that you forget others will have to find you too. Use the open text box under the fan page avatar and provide a short applicable description of your business/brand. Also do not take for granted the "Info" tab on the fan page. Put all your information in and as your page grows in information and activity so to will your search engine results.

2. Twitter. Your name and your twitter handle no longer have to be the same name. In theory, you would like your twitter handle to be short in order to maximize the 140 characters you have to convey a message. But you still want users to know your full name, website and more information about you. For example, if you are the United Bowling League of America your full name would be "your name" on twitter and your handle could be @BowlUS. Also, populate the "bio" section of your Twitter page with keywords and phrase that best describe your business/brand. You only have 160 characters so use your words wisely!

3. Publish your social media account information on your website home page. Facebook search is pretty accurate, but Twitter and other social networking sites are still perfecting their search tools. Make it easy for the consumer to find you on social sites by putting your account information where they can find you easiest!

So there you have it! Go and populate the world... with your content!

Follow me on Twitter @wbreaux (Your Name: Whitney Breaux ) and on Facebook . Let's connect on LinkedIn !

"The Social Network" Changes Lives

I just committed the ultimate Louisiana sin. I intentionally missed New Orleans Saints game and escorted myself to the local movie theatre to see the latest movie craze "The Social Network!"

"The Social Network" traces the history of everyone's favorite website Facebook.com. It details the turbulent start up of the now emphasis website that has changed the way we communicate forever. One could spend an entire post outlining what happened in the movie, more importantly is the reaction I had to the number 1 movie of the weekend.

In one word, INSPIRED. Not inspired that I may beat Mark Zucherburg to being the youngest billionare ever (I have two years left), but convinced that great are started around the world everyday. We are all one day away from the biggest idea, moment and action of our lives. Hardwork, late nights and determination will get you across the finish line.

In another sense the movie reaffirmed my belief that Facebook.com is here to stay. Just as the telephone helped change the use of letter-writing, 500 million users from around the country now use Facebook.com more and longer than any other site on the internet. Every business has a place on Facebook. 8 out of 10 a member of your target audience is on Facebook. Now how you find them, talk with them and build a relationship is the another piece of the pie.

Have you seen "The Social Network?" What are your thoughts on the movie?

Louisiana Politics: Bill to Ban Cyberbullying

The Huffington Post ran an article today overviewing a bill moving through the Louisiana House of Reps that would make it a crime to harass someone via Facebook (whitneybreaux) or text message. While http://www.twitter.com/wbreaux grew up in a time where cell phones were cool if you had a flip phone and snake was the game everyone was trying to win, these days the harassment endured by teens is scary. I remember being in and out of the cool crowd and even what it felt like to bully and harass someone else. Some people pass it off as a phase, and maybe in 2004 it was just a phase. But these days the harassment extends beyond the boundaries of in your face or at school tormenting. Imagine it going on 24/7.

I applaud the Louisiana Legislature for taking a step on this issue that has attracted much national recognition lately.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/20/cyberbullying-bill-advanc_n_544937.html

#SoFresh STL Wrap Up by @wbreaux

Now it's time to say goodbye to all your friends, well twitter followers at least.

Social Fresh 2010 in St. Louis was a wild success in my opinion. Yet, another opportunity to meet up with like minded people and discuss the ever-changing world of social media. Although I'm not a graduate from an Ivy League school on the east coast and no I don't operate a mutli-million dollar start up in Silicon Valley, my GRITS (Girl Rasied in the South) attitude proved well.

I would liken my experience at Social Fresh to my brain being put through a series of rat mazes and finished off with a grueling training session on the hamster wheel. Social Fresh successfully stuffed thousands of hours of research, study and practice into less than 12 hours. From corporate blogging to SEO comprehension and back round again to social media marketing.

I did win a free set of Griffin earphones by racing to the front of the room. I beat out @rshrum75, sorry girl!

My takeaways:

• "Discounts are the must sought after information when your audience visits you in Social Media." Some companies are using coupon downloads as a way to measure success in social media.
• I learned the term "c-suite!" Oh and "CYA" cover you badunkadunk! @ambercadabra
• "I'm the mayor of my pants" @jasonfalls
• 80% of corporate blog traffice comes from 1st time visitors. via JasonFalls with http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/.
• "Social media emerged because marketers got out of hand!" @jasonfalls
• End every blog post with a question/call to action. Heard this more than once!
• "Zombies" @ambercadabra Zombies include: ROI, why should I be in social media, etc. very cool presentation.
• New ROI = earned-spent/# of leads = cost per lead!
• "With blog outreach, quality is better than quantity" @daniellesmithtv
• "Submit your blog info to Digg and other feed sources." Reem Abeidoh
• Shorten your "Contact Us" form and offer something useful for the consumer via Mark Roberge, HubSpot
• You're extremely stupid if you don't take advantage of http://www.websitegrader.com/ and http://www.twittergrader.com/. Both are great tools from HubSpot that gives on point advice to get your website higher search engine results!
• Get the whole low down by following the hastag #sofresh on Twitter. http://www.socialfresh.com/ will have video on their website from the conference on their website n June!

Somethings I'm sad I missed:

• The entire @JayBaer presentation!
• The #SoFresh Pre-Party @EnjoyMosaic
• The #SoFresh After-Party at Millennium Hotels RoofTop
• When Jay Baer said "Linkedin(wbreaux) is who you should know, Facebook (wbreaux) is who you've know in the past, http://www.twitter.com/wbreaux is who you want to know!"

Things I'm Looking Forward to:

• www.socialfresh.com/cruise! I've been saying all year I need a vacation and this will be it! Leaves out NewOrleans on my birthday December 2, 2010! Happy early birthday present Whitney.
• Following new and amazing people on Twitter and being friends with them on Facebook!
• Hope to see some faces at http://www.coastalsocial.com/ 2010 in BatonRouge September 29th! It's time for the DeepSouth to make its presence known in social media world! It's a loosen your tie and roll up your shirtsleeve kinda party. As we say in Louisiana, "we work hard and play harder

Shoutout to #SoFresh sponsors:

Blue Sky Factory (@blueskyfactory)

HubSpot (@hubspot)

Radian 6 (@radian6)
STLTweets (@STLTweets)

People I met at #soFresh that you want to follow:
@cnmoody @JasonFalls @bestofjess @CScottCrider @shawnmcpike @jaybaer @kristingumper @DanielleSmithTV

Check out http://www.coastalsocial.com/ for more info on the GulfSouth regional conference coming to Baton Rouge, Louisiana September 29, 2010.

Are you #sofresh?

WB