Just shut up and tweet

Can a business survive in this world without tweeting? I don’t know, but they certainly can’t ignore the fact that everyone else is doing it anymore. There was a time five years ago or maybe even three years ago if you tried really hard, where you could get away with ignoring social media. But ignore it now and the experts say you’re ignoring a business goldmine. There are even people who have gone as far as adding to their business empire and leveraging their fame to sell their tweet space. Take Kim Kardashian’s $10,000 per tweet deal. We’ll that’s cash for comment and I disagree with it entirely. However, times are changing and tweeting is where it’s at right now.

For businesses, it’s about building brands and PR. It’s another way to get known and promote a business so it can grow and become bigger. People become more aware of your brand and you get more sales or clicks or enquiries or customers. Your business makes more money and it’s a success. In times of crisis it’s also a great communications channel – an instant way to reassure customers or clients of the situation.

Facebook is the same. With more than 500 million users worldwide it’s undeniable that it’s having an impact. And businesses are likely to benefit. Founder Mark Zuckerberg will never have to work again. He’s hit the goldmine that is social media. So if you’re not on it, chances are you’re missing out on something pretty big.

The modern, social world we live in is all about competition, and there’s a big chance your business rivals are tweeting their praises right now.

Don’t know what to tweet about? I was given some advice about six months ago by a mentor of mine which I’m happy to share – ‘just shut up and tweet.’

When PR goes too far

Kenneth Cole is packing his favourite pens after being enrolled in sensitivity school along with Groupon’s head of advertising. Let’s learn from them so we don’t have to join them. PR can go too far. There is a fine line (a very fine line) between genuinely linking your product or service with world affairs and making a link which isn’t there. It’s tasteless, and it won’t win you any fans.

Mr Cole would know. The fashion designer has apologised for his tasteless tweet where he tried to promote his new spring collection, using the unrest in Egypt as a springboard. "Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online"

He later apologised on twitter for his insensitive comments: "I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt. I've dedicated my life to raising awareness about serious social issues, and in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate.”

Cole is famous for being quick off the mark and has cleverly used world affairs to benefit his business before. After the Gulf oil spill last year he opened an online T–shirt store to raise money for the cleanup with shirt slogans lincluding "I Clean Up Well." After a plane landed safely on the Hudson River in 2009, he plastered a billboard with: "In tough times, some land on their feet (others on the Hudson)." He should have known better. But this is a textbook example of getting it very wrong.

Meanwhile a Groupon Super Bowl ad that makes light of Tibet’s political situation has offended viewers not only in China, but worldwide. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the thoughtless ad could stifle the company’s expansion plans.

These are both prime examples of PR being taken too far. The lesson here is that if the links are there, by all means connect them, but if they’re not you’re going to have to get creative and think of something else, or end up in this middle of a media furore like these two find themselves in today. PR is a balancing act - you need to get your message across but don't rely on connections that aren't there.

Why you can't have your cake and eat it too

We pay for a lot of things in the world. Almost everything in fact. What was the last thing you got for free? I’ve spent five minutes trying to think of the last thing I got for free and all I've come up with is a piece of cake my housemate gave me last week – and to be fair, that's more of a customer loyalty gift as my rent is paying his mortgage!

I can log onto a news website and read stories. That is free, as long as I have a computer and an internet connection. But not probably for long. Three of News International’s publications have already disappeared behind a pay wall – The Times, News of The World and The Sunday Times. The only one still available for free is The Sun, but by the end of this year that too will be a pay-for service.

When News Corp’s boss Rupert Murdoch installed a pay wall on The Times’ website, it cost them 66 per cent of their readers - a dramatic decline, but not as steep as many had forecast. The site had been expected to lose 90% of its traffic. There is something stopping me paying for news online. I am happy to buy a newspaper because I have something tangible to show for it. I can get annoyed at the newsprint in leaves on my fingers and I can feel guilty at the end of the day when I realise I haven’t had a chance to read anything other than client-related stories and the front page. Having worked on a weekly newspaper myself, I also know the amount of work it takes to produce the finished product.

But I don’t like paying for something and having nothing to show for it. So I will continue to buy newspapers, but I won’t pay for the same thing online. I’m not saying I will never pay for online content, but for now I’m not convinced.

When it comes to PR there is nothing like presenting a client with a newspaper clipping – it’s seen as the pinnacle. But why? Maybe it’s the newspaper print. Maybe it’s holding something solid, something that won’t change or disappear. Sure, a new edition will be out tomorrow, but you can keep that old one forever. There is a certain charm and traditionalism about newspapers that people just don’t seem ready to let go of. Will paid-for online content hold that same charm for our Grandchildren? I can’t imagine a world without newspapers, but I guess we will have to wait and see.

But if I want the freshest news from around the world, I’m going to have to face the fact the online news has become a product like a newspaper, in the sense that I will have to pay for it. A newspaper only gets updated daily – at best. I want to read a newspaper, but I want it to be the freshest news. I’ve got a classic case of having cake and wanting to eat it too – but what’s the point of having cake if you can’t eat it?

To check-in or not to check-in?

I 'checked-in' for the first time on Friday night.

People check-in all the time, I know it's not a new thing, but I am one of those people who are avidly against telling the world where I am and who I am with at any set point in time.

I don't know why I'm against it, I don't have any stalker ex-boyfriends who might be trying to hunt me down or anything exciting like that, I just think our lives are already public enough.

I had my friend's iPhone out while we were at a restaurant in Angel, and I checked-in to the Italian restaurant we were at, tagging all the people I was with.

When I arrived home some hours later, all my belongings were still where I left them. Laptop – check. Jewellery – check. Stash of cash kept under my mattress – I wish. Right, so no one had used the knowledge of my being out drinking cocktails and eating pasta to break into my house either. It looks like this check-in thing isn’t such a big deal after all.

But I’m still not a convert. If I start checking in to everywhere I go, what will happen when I want to have a lazy Friday night on the couch? Do I check in to my couch and face the uproar from friends whose invites I have kindly turned down in favour of a much needed night in. Or do I not check in at all and face the “Where are you?” queries from all my followers (Who are watching my every move, right?) So now there’s social pressure to attend the best events in town. Or maybe, people – shock horror - actually just don’t care where I am, who I’m with and what I’m doing. In which case, I won’t take up space in their news feeds by telling them when I’m at the gym, the supermarket, or when I’m on my couch.

A friend of mine has admitted to ‘selective’ check-ins. “I always check-in when I’m at the gym so people can see I’m being really good. But I don’t check-in to Ben and Jerry’s. Ever.” So now we’re life censoring, displaying the best and hiding the worst, making me feel guiltier about my night on the couch while gym bunny over here is slogging it out at the gym – for the sixth time this week.

Not many PR campaigns have tapped into location-based tools yet, but the fact that smart phones are quickly taking over means it’s only a matter of time before there’s a ‘check-in’ element to every event. Before long it will probably be standard.

So is checking-in dangerous? Or is it simply TMI in the social media-frenzied world we live in? Or is it the way forward? In which case ... now, how exactly do I check-in?

It's a 3-D summer - so why does so much PR look flat?

They say it’s going to be a 3-D summer – movies ‘coming at ya’ on the big screen and TV programmes that reach out to the viewer. But is your own company story being brought to life with such dimension? The first wave of the economic upturn is upon us and competition is fierce to get noticed. If there was such a thing as 3-D PR what would it look like? And how would it help your business make the biggest impact?

PR relies on:

1. great stories

2. great evidence to back up opinions of

3. great spokespeople.

Tapping into the media agenda is vital to ensure that your PR resonates and finds an audience. And prepping the content and the spokespeople can make the difference between blockbuster coverage and an empty house. We've made a commitment to work with all our clients in a way that energises their brands - whether they're marketing managers attending a Master class, or clients relying on Wordville to make a splash for their business. Will it be 3-D PR? Sit back, pop your glasses on and watch this space.

PR can’t help you look good naked

Working in communications can feel like walking around bearing a scarlet letter, or rather two scarlet letters – a P and an R. Slightly less trusted than TV evangelists, slightly less reliable than politicians’ expense forms, those who help companies get in the press when they want and keep a low profile when the heat is on, are a varied bunch. We don’t all work in the same fashion – we don’t all work for the same people – and very few of us are happy to work in the dark.

Businesses are under greater scrutiny than ever before with a well-informed, highly vocal audience of customers, consumers and citizens who can cut through the hype long before they’ve reached the first exclamation mark. Old-school PR is dead. It can’t be about the cover up, the distraction or misdirection to put people off the scent. The truth will out. Only those companies that engage in open, two-way conversations with their customers and stakeholders build trusted brands. And the best PRs help them do that without any skulduggery.

PR is about building buzz, sharing the brilliance and letting some light in on the magic. The old puppet-masters of the past belong in the cupboard along with their clients’ skeletons – and the scarlet letters. The modern PR likes this new form of communication, the air is crisper – and our skills are more akin to Trinny and Susanna than Gok. Yes, we can find mainstream beauty in a complicated technical product, we can help shout about the unsung heroes behind a worthy cause, we can shine light on the benefits of a new business. But if the company is not what it seems PR won’t provide more than a surface polish. If you don’t genuinely look acceptable under the harsh lights, better sort out your business before going into the press – we can’t make you look good naked.

The world’s a stage – are you ready for the spotlight?

Professional life can seem like a series of conferences, meetings, product launches, reviews, seminars and road shows. And, for many, that means facing a string of uncomfortable challenges. It’s said that more people are afraid of speaking in public than of swimming with sharks. How are some individuals able to stand on stage with confidence, or make a difficult point in a meeting without sweating and stumbling, whilst others avoid any occasion to speak in front of a group?

If public speaking brings so much stress, what’s the point? Unfortunately, the professional world isn’t fair and those that are unable to shout out or speak up can’t get ahead in the way that they should. In today’s competitive business environment, developing the ability to communicate well is a genuine asset to any employer, and gets you noticed. Practice makes perfect, but there are some techniques that even the most nervous person can use to improve their delivery.

This year Wordville’s summer school is focussing on much-sought after personal and management skills. There’s a list below of what’s on offer for anyone needing to improve their ability to manage a team – communicate with confidence in front of a crowd – or develop coaching skills that will help bring out the best in the people they work with. The courses run throughout August at our training room in London Bridge – can be taken together or as a one-off.

SUMMER SCHOOL 2009 PUBLIC SCHEDULE
· Public Speaking and Presentation Skills (course code: PR-PRESPUB01)

Stepping into the spotlight can cause more stress than any other part of professional life. Master the art of speaking to a crowd by learning the skills you need to make your point in public with confidence and flare. Work with a professional presentation coach to improve your delivery, find ways to beat any nerves, and use presentation tools to become a compelling speaker.
NEXT COURSE - Monday 24th August 8:30-11:30Cost: £200 per person + VAT

· Dealing With Difficult People (course code: MG-DIFPUB01)
Harmonious relationships and good teamwork are essential to the productivity of any organisation. Internal and external pressures can lead to people being difficult, aggressive or uncooperative. Find out how to handle sticky and potentially confrontational situations more confidently and effectively.
NEXT COURSE – Friday 21st August 1:30-4:30Cost: £200 per person + VAT

· Clear Communication – Good News and Bad (course code: MG-COMPUB01)
Effective communication skills make all the difference – in the way you manage, sell, work within a team. Whatever your working environment, learn how to communicate effectively. Understand the barriers to communication, the proper techniques to impart the worst news, how to work with a variety of audiences and make an impact with colleagues, clients and the outside world. A practical session that will give you the confidence to use what you learn immediately.
NEXT COURSE – Tuesday 25th August 1:30-4:30Cost: £200 per person + VAT

· Motivating, Engaging and Re-Energising Your Team (course code: MG-MOTPUB01)
Missed deadlines, mistakes, absenteeism, a lack of enthusiasm – signs of poor performers? Not necessarily. In times such as these, more common than not your team could be worrying about their jobs and the state of the business. Learn the vital steps you can take to get your team motivated, re-energised and facing future challenges with focus.
NEXT COURSE – Tuesday 25th August 8:30-11:30Cost: £200 per person + VAT

· Time Management (course code: MG-TIMEPUB01)
Constantly being asked to achieve more under increasing time pressures can turn the calmest person into a nervous wreck. The current climate demands higher levels of performance but there’s never a moment to spare. Learn how to make better use of your time at work, plan and schedule tasks so that you can keep your head above water, and deliver to deadline.
NEXT COURSES – Wednesday 12th August 8:30-11:30 or Monday 24th August 1:30-4:30
Cost: £200 per person + VAT

· Coaching Your People For Enhanced Performance (course code: MG-COAPUB01)
How much time do you spend every day solving your team’s problems – especially those they could solve themselves? Getting the best out of your people requires more than just throwing them in at the deep end and fishing them out when things get too rough. Knowledge leads to action - and action leads to performance. Learn an effective coaching model to get the most out of your direct reports.
NEXT COURSES – Monday 17th August 1:30-4:30 or Thursday 27th August 8:30-11:30
Cost: £200 per person + VAT

· Running Productive Meetings (course code: MG-MTGPUB01)
If you’ve ever sat through a three-hour waffle session, you’ll appreciate the real art of managing a business meeting. Whether it’s a client meeting, an internal update, or a regular project review learn how to control the timing, gather contributions, prepare and stick to an agenda and use your personal presentation skills to make an impact.
NEXT COURSES – Monday 17th August 8:30-11:30 or Thursday 27th August 1:30-4:30
Cost: £200 per person + VAT

· Problem Solving Facilitation & Brainstorming (course code: MG-BRAPUB01)
Getting the best ideas from a group of creative thinkers is as difficult as working through any problem if you don’t have a method for assessing issues and gathering ideas. Learn the best way to brainstorm, how to prepare and guide the session and work through problems by getting to grips with proven critical thinking techniques.
NEXT COURSES – Friday 21st August 8:30-4:30 or Wednesday 26th August 1:30-4:30Cost: £200 per person + VAT

If the first wave of recovery really does start in October (and let’s hope it does) be ready for whatever the business throws at you.