By John Whitcomb, Social Media Manager, Robin Leedy & Associates

At Robin Leedy & Associates, we are always reviewing the latest in social media/online tools for our clients, helping to assess what may be useful for a particular personal health (OTC) or beauty brand. Many new technologies and methods are emerging to help companies engage directly with their potential consumers…some will likely prove useful…others, just hype. Here are a few we have our eye on now:

Google Buzz

For businesses, Google Buzz is looking to become another social network – like Facebook and Twitter – where companies can find their customers (existing and new) and talk to them directly. One advantage to Buzz over the others is that since it has the Google powerhouse behind it, it will be indexed by the search engine and can help impact Google search results. One disadvantage is that in order to use the tool you have to be a Gmail subscriber, so it just means yet another email account to manage, etc. For a bit more info, you can check out this short demo of how the Buzz tool works:

Foursquare

This is a new, cool tool that uses “geotagging” to create local communities around stores, restaurants and other businesses. It works with a process called a “check-in,” which basically means the user is telling the system “I am at a certain location or I will be at a certain location.” The user is then able to search for other users (friends, colleagues, consumers) who have checked in at that location and read reviews and see comments from other users, or interact with them.

Each location /business receives a profile that can be updated with information and also show recent reviews from other users who have “checked-in.” This is obviously great for restaurants, stores and other permanent locations (e.g., Starbucks gives users who frequently check-in a badge labeled “Starbucks Barista” and offers them badge discounts and special offers at their locations), but clients doing special events, trade shows, etc. can use this technology for on-site communication to users in their temporary event market!

If you would like to discuss these new platforms or how to integrate them into your own marketing strategy, email us at jwhitcomb@robinleedyassociates.com or aomahoney@robinleedyassociates.com.

By Alyson O’Mahoney, EVP/Partner

I will admit it…I’m a Facebook junkie. However, I think because I approach this social network as both a marketer in the space (RL&A has created and continues to manage several successful Facebook pages for clients), and female/consumer/mom/wife/stalker, I find it so interesting to see what is going on in this space on both fronts. Yet, with all the cool ways you can use Facebook, what appeals to me about it as both a marketer and consumer is probably the simplest thing of all….how you can use it to build authenticity.

Since I’m using Facebook for our clients and I use it personally for connecting to friends/family/companies, I find that I’ve become a fan or friend of MANY brands, services, organizations, causes, etc., so I get lots of updates and shared content in my newsfeed on a daily basis. The ones that resonate most with me out of all of them are those that feel believable:

• Jillian Michaels, trainer on NBC’s The Biggest Loser (love that show), who I will swear on a stack of Bibles writes her own status updates (not her publicist or PR machine),
• Lady Gaga (who does her own Facebooking vs. her agent or record company)
• and, even, “the monkey” of our Anti Monkey Butt Powder page (www.facebook.com/antimonkeybutt).

There aren’t endless sales gimmicks posted to get you to buy Jillian’s latest fitness CD, or Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” on iTunes or cases of butt powder, but there are really voices communicating with fans of each of these brands, answering questions, reading comments, giving helpful info or just talking to you…like a friend….and isn’t that what Facebook started out to be?

It is hard to put an ROI on authenticity, but when it comes down to making choices in a cluttered consumer environment on Facebook (or at store shelves), I will listen to those brands who use their own voice (and, on occasion, plug their own products, but that’s okay, because they are my friend now…get it?).

So if you are thinking of doing a social media effort on Facebook, my advice to you is to be authentic, or, frankly, be quiet.

By Nicole Egan

With the growth of social media and digital communication, companies – whether they are actively participating or not — have to be attentive about their presence in cyberspace and become social media savvy in order to prevent a problem, or, address one.

Recently, some public incidents with social media made the “mainstream” news. Over President’s Day weekend, a passenger for Southwest Airlines was asked to leave a flight and buy a second seat because he was deemed “too large.” The passenger, who is a well known movie director, responded by angrily Tweeting about the situation and the company. Southwest Airlines addressed the problem on its blog and Twitter page, but the story made the headlines both on and offline.

Another example was Heinz, which suffered a brand hi-jack on Twitter. A man impersonated the brand on Twitter, created a Twitter page with a convincing handle (name), posted photos of the ketchup brand and tidbits about the company’s history, and linked to recipes on the company’s web site. He spoke positively about the brand in order to make it look like it was the brand’s voice.

After two weeks of tweeting, the man was contacted by Twitter that his twitter handle was in violation of trademark. Heinz had contacted Twitter about the impersonation, stating that they monitor the social media space and believe in transparency in social media. They believed that this twitter handle deceived their consumers, especially the Twitter followers, because he didn’t disclose that he wasn’t an official representative of Heinz.

Although, these incidents were negative for the companies, they were able to respond about the situations quickly. By utilizing the same tools, the companies were able to reach out to the same target audience who received these messages. This is an important lesson for any company about the power of social media. It’s important to monitor your company through every channel, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, etc., and clear up any misconceptions or issues before it hurts the image of the company.

By Laura Giardina

When the new FTC rules were introduced in December 2009 regulating all bloggers and requiring them to disclose any products or services given in exchange for a blog post, we weren’t really too concerned. We actually embraced this level of transparency as a positive and very welcome contribution to social media practices. However, we were a bit worried that the new guidelines would dissuade bloggers from offering their services for product reviews.

With much delight we’re happy to say that since the FTC Guidelines were introduced, our relationships with bloggers keeps growing, enabling us to secure incredible, targeted product reviews for our clients with some of the most influential mom bloggers and vloggers – all with full disclosure. Because of our growing success since the new guidelines were introduced, I wasn’t surprised by the findings in a new survey of mom bloggers recently posted on MediaPost. According to the new survey of 130 influential mom bloggers, not much has changed since the new guidelines; they are still accepting the same number of sponsored product reviews and the number of brands or agencies pitching them sponsored product reviews has remained about the same, as well.

While we make every effort to follow the new guidelines, it’s amazing to us when we see social media campaigns and bloggers still tempting the system and not complying to the new rules; however, rest assured, the RL&A staff prides itself on following these guidelines and will not work with bloggers who are not willing to follow the new guidelines. But I have to say, as a PR executive who executes blogger outreach on a daily basis, I find there are very few bloggers who aren’t following the new guidelines, which is why I don’t think much has changed. Mom bloggers are excited to review products and can be a trusted resource for both the brands they review and their ever-growing audience of consumers.

By Alyson O’Mahoney

In our ongoing efforts to keep abreast of the “next big things” in the PR/marketing arena, we are doing much of our latest exploration into new avenues, such as mobile marketing (think iPhone apps, text messaging, surveys, mobile coupons, etc.). Mobile Internet usage is showing no sign of slowing down…some reports say that mobile web usage will double in 2010 from its current use (in fact, Morgan Stanley predicts that mobile Internet usage will be double that of desktop Internet usage in just two years! I can believe it, since I find myself looking up just as much information on my Blackberry as I do on my laptop…maybe more!).

However, when a new marketing platform comes into play, the question we always get is “what is the value?” Measuring ROI on these cool forms of communication is surely an evolving science, so we can only draw from case studies. In this vein, I found it ironic that the impact of the advancements of mobile can most recently be seen in its best case via the use of this technology to help save one of the poorest, least technological countries in the Western hemisphere – Haiti – in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.

By now, you probably have seen the info on Facebook (social media) or heard it from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as she appeared on the TODAY show (traditional media): text HAITI to 90999 and a $10 donation will go to the Red Cross for their relief efforts (the charge is added to your cell phone bill). How simple! No need to visit the Red Cross’ Web site, enter a credit card, even make a call from your cell phone….with a one-word text, the Red Cross raised more than $3 million in donations in just a few days (I texted my donation this a.m., and I’m sure many others continue to do so, so donation numbers are expected to grow).

While this is an extreme cause that has moved people into quick action, the technology provided a way to tap into the donor – the average consumer – immediately. Mobile provides the ability to mobilize people with a message, and the mobility to go anywhere….maybe now’s the time to get moving in mobile.

By Christina Occhipinti

Back in October, I blogged about how I felt Facebook is a social media tool that can no longer be ignored by brands and the companies that market them. A game changer that has altered the way companies view social media, Facebook has given brands an opportunity to reach their consumers in a much more personal and interactive manner that hadn’t been done before.

Fast forward three months, and I sit here surprised to learn that one of the world’s largest consumer products companies has announced that its goal for 2010 is to embrace Facebook as part of its marketing plan. The package goods giant is encouraging all of its brands to create Facebook pages, and they’ve opened a Silicon Valley office to help “develop social-networking systems and digital-marketing capabilities with the website.”

Often large, global companies are behind the curve when it comes to adopting new marketing technologies and techniques, and that’s obviously the case with Facebook and social media. At Robin Leedy & Associates, we created our first client Facebook page back in 2008 and a large percentage of our clients will have Facebook pages that we’ve created and managed by the end of this year. I think that one of the benefits of social media is that it has leveled the playing field somewhat between large and small companies.

Even the Vatican has accepted Facebook and social media with open arms. Eight months ago, Pope Benedict XVI tapped into Facebook with his own application called Pope2You, which lets users receive messages and photos from him. Pope Benedict XVI even has his own iPhone application, and he has recently encouraged Catholic priests to spread the word of the Church by blogging and using digital communication tools.

I personally will find it interesting to see if latecomers to Facebook are hurt by the decision to enter the social media arena so late in the game.

I have a confession to make…I’m a little bit of a “Scrooge.” While I do love to watch my kids’ excitement during this time of year, I also childishly grumble my way through the list of to-dos and general craziness that seems to have become “The Holidays.”

This week, however, I’ve been reading some things that are warming my curmudgeonly heart. A recent study revealed that despite the recession, 63 percent of Americans plan to make online donations to charities during the Holiday season this year; that is a 12 percent increase from last year! Another poll conducted by the charity World Vision reveals that 3 out of 4 Americans say they would prefer to receive a “meaningful” gift that “helps other people” than a traditional gift of clothes or electronics.

There could be a number of factors influencing this, but I suspect that increased participation in social media networks has something to do with this shift toward a true holiday spirit of giving. Social media is a great, cost-effective way for charities to raise awareness and drive donations in a very personal way. I know that I am more apt to pay attention to a charity that someone in my group of Facebook friends brings to my attention and holds dear to his/her heart. And this year, I notice a lot of creative uses of social media vehicles to help drive awareness and participation in charities – mainly by making it fun and easy to make a difference.

Some of my favorite examples:

• Twitter’s “Turn Twitter Red”Support of World AIDS Day
• The Chase Community Giving page on Facebook, where you can vote for how $5 million in charitable donations are allocated
• Animal lovers can use Facebook Connect to register with BringPetsHome.org, which connects with popular holiday shopping sites like WalMart, Macy’s,Sephora, Amazon and iTunes to help save pets’ lives with each purchase
• With Charity Choice, you can purchase a donation in the form of a gift card that the recipient can give to the cause of his/her choosing
• If you’d like some giving guidance, eHow has a Holiday Charity Giving Guide that can help

That’s some Holiday news we can all feel good about. I feel so good, I’m getting excited for other things I love about the holidays…like the seven-fish Italian Christmas Eve dinner my mother-in-law makes, David Bowie’s rendition of “Little Drummer Boy” and the sure-to-occur multiple airings of “Love Actually,” one of my favorite Christmas-themed movies ever. Bring on the Cheer!