Trafcom News

The next generation of magazine or employee publication?

I love this demo of the next generation of Sports Illustrated magazine on a tablet. Watching it, I could foresee all kinds of print publications migrating to this  format, which seamlessly blends text, audio and video. Even employee communications could take on this exciting new way of communicating.

What do you think? When will this type of publication be coming to a screen near you?

Hat tip to Dave Williams, who sent me the link.

UPDATE: More on this developing topic, as major U.S. publishers plan their own multimedia platform to rival the gray text-laden Kindle.

IABC event: Why you want a digital profile

 

If you're a communicator, you need a digital profile. As far as I'm concerned, this is true whether you're an independent, an agency employee, or work on the client side.

If you’re a Toronto-area communicator and you’re not satisfied with your current digital profile, please plan to attend this meeting on the evening of December 15, where Michelle Corsano, President of Burst Technology Marketing, will explain:

• The importance of branding yourself on the Web
• How to create or extend your digital footprint
• How to use social media to build your brand, generate demand, and engage and communicate with your clients (even in your sleep)
• How to use LinkedIn, blogs, VisualCV, Twitter and Facebook, among other social media tools, in your business.

This meeting is sponsored by the Alliance of Independent Practitioners, a subgroup of the Toronto chapter of the IABC (International Association of Business Communicators).

For details, and to register, please visit the IABC Toronto site. I hope to see you there!

April Dunford discusses social media and product marketing

I was fortunate to meet the well-known product marketer April Dunford at ProductCamp Toronto last month. In the latest Trafcom News Podcast, April shares her thoughts on social media for product marketers.

We also get into an animated discussion  about who should be blogging about products – the PR department or the product people.

Hop on over to the Trafcom News Podcast to listen to this 15-minute podcast and read the show notes.

Photo of April Dunford by Calum Tsang. For more of Calum’s photos from the event go to Flickr.

Why should your event be social-media friendly?

In a recent post, I wrote about HOW to make your meeting or conference social-media friendly. A commenter then asked for more information about WHY you would want to do so.

I have covered the “why” elsewhere in my PodcastYourConference site and in various presentations and Webinars, but here is a quick list of the reasons why you should consider incorporating social media into your event planning.

• Running an event blog, or blogging about the event on your regular blog, will help to publicize the event among potential registrants.
• Tweeting about the event can do the same. In fact, Twitter, which encourages re-tweeting, may help your message spread even more quickly than will your blog. Of course your content has to be interesting. You can’t keep rebroadcasting the same “Hey we’re having an event” message.
• Ditto with building your presence on Facebook or any other venue where your audience gathers online.
• Pre-event podcast interviews with key speakers offer potential attendees, exhibitors and sponsors a glimpse of what they might be experiencing in your event's keynote presentation, workshops, breakouts or other sessions. You’d be amazed at how much interest you can generate with a 10-minute audio podcast.
• Suppose you’re running an annual event, and your members, employees or customers are traveling from all over the world to be there. Do you think this is an opportune time to capture audio and video conversations, presentations, event feedback and so on? In my humble opinion, YES! The cost of recording, editing and publishing this content is likely to pale in comparison to your total event budget. USE this content now and in the future. Repurpose it. Repackage it. Make the most of it!
• If you take a few minutes to create an event hashtag (such as #iabc09), you make life easier for those who are blogging and tweeting about you. You also simplify your own tracking of the conversations about your event. Do you care what people are saying before, during and after your event? You should. This feedback is real and unvarnished, and can help you to organize even better meetings in the future.

Social media can help you to create buzz, boost registration numbers, foster a sense of community among attendees, entice exhibitors, and create relevant content for your Web site and marketing efforts.

Remember: Conversations about your organization and your event are happening, whether you’re listening to them or not. Be a part of them. Doing nothing is not a viable tactic.

RELATED POST: Please see Conference Podcasting: Why and how

Is your event social-media friendly?

Over the course of a typical year, I will attend several conferences, speak at a couple, and participate in others on behalf of clients – producing content, particularly podcasts. Since I’ve been in this arena for a few years, I’ve come to observe organizations that “get it” when it comes to employing social media and new media tools before, during and after an event. This "social-media friendly" list is by no means  exhaustive, but it can serve as food for thought when you’re planning your next conference.

• Is there an event blog and podcast? Have you produced audio and video content before the event, to build excitement? Do these include interviews with key speakers?
• Are you as the organizer posting updates on Twitter before, during and after the event? Are you encouraging registrants to do so as well?
• Are you creating audio podcasts and shooting video at your event? This can enhance the experience of those who are at the event, and help you to create marketing materials for next time.
• Have you considered using a tool like CoverItLive to encourage live blogging?
• Did you create a unique hashtag so that bloggers and Twitterers can use a uniform tag to refer to your event?
• Does the venue have strong, freely available wifi?
• Are there electrical outlets where attendees can recharge their laptops and other devices?

Please contribute your own comments!
You can find more content like this at PodcastYourConference.com.

Next Webinar: Podcasting 101 for Communicators and Marketers

Back by popular demand! Podcasting 101 for Communicators and Marketers.

Sign up for this free Web-based seminar to learn what podcasting is all about, including: how to find podcasts relevant to your interests; how organizations are using audio for internal and external communications; how to create a podcast; how to sell the concept of podcasting to management.

You need just a computer and an Internet connection to attend this free 45-minute session. It's at 2 p.m. Eastern on Thursday,  November 19, 2009. Just send an email to receive the login instructions.

LinkedIn 101 for entrepreneurs and business professionals

Last night at a meeting of the Halton-Peel Communications Association, several members ran table-top discussions and demonstrations of various social media and new media tools. Rob Clark talked about blogging, Sue Horner covered Twitter, and Joan Vinall-Cox showed audio and video for the Web. (Here's a link to Sue's blog post on her presentation. You can  see Joan's resources on this wiki.)

My topic was LinkedIn. Although I agree that it’s a powerful social network for entrepreneurs and business professionals, I wouldn’t call myself a power user. Still, I was able to show the basics, while learning a lot from the attendees. Here is a recap of the discussion.

LinkedIn for beginners

Build a better profile

• List your current and past positions and education. This helps people and opportunities find you.
• Be sure to add a profile photo!
• Add a summary paragraph and keywords.
• If you don’t have a Web site, you can use your public LinkedIn profile as your URL. (You can add a custom URL with your full name.)

Be sure your connections reflect your real-life network

• From Gmail, Outlook, Palm, or Mac Address Book, you can import the names of all the people you know who are already on LinkedIn. You can then select those you want to invite to join your network. (Connections are by mutual agreement.)
• You can also see colleagues and classmates who are already on LinkedIn.

Leverage your network

• Post a question in the Answers section and tap into the experts you’re connected to and even the entire LinkedIn network. Remember that asking a question can be just as valuable as answering one.
• Write recommendations for people whose work you admire. Many will reciprocate.
• Look up someone’s profile before you meet them. Learn their background and see who you know in common to get off to a fast start.
• Search for jobs, and use your connections to introduce you to the people who already work in your target organization.
• Add LinkedIn to your browser tool bar to make it easier to visit the site.

Bonus

During our discussion, I learned more about LinkedIn applications, where you can add things like “Company Buzz” to your LinkedIn home page, helping you to keep up with news about people in your organization or your clients, for example. The Amazon Reading List is a nice way to share your favourite books with colleagues.

To learn about LinkedIn, I suggest visiting the Learning Center at LinkedIn, which is well hidden at the bottom of the home page. On that page, also look for the special user guides.

 
And check out these blog posts:

Ten ways to use LinkedIn to find a job

Five steps to a fantastic LinkedIn profile

How to build your personal brand on LinkedIn

33 ways to use LinkedIn for business

100+ smart ways to use LinkedIn

Would you hand your company’s communications over to an amateur?

I know how to swim, and about 20 years ago I took a CPR course. Do you think this qualifies me to be a lifeguard?  I’m sure I could pick up the other skills on the job, right? All that rescuing stuff.

I can cook. Maybe I should set up shop as a caterer. Who needs training?

Some believe that to become the official social media expert for an organization, you need just need mad skilz, but no formal training in communications.

According to this article from the Canadian Press, the hottest job for young Facebook- savvy people is that of social media expert. Although the reporter acknowledges that training is available from educational institutions, she also states that it’s possible to break into social media without formal training. Here’s all you need to do:

1) Clean up your current online social profile. Ensure anything with your name attached to it on the web appears as you'd want a potential employer to view it.

2) Don't limit yourself to Facebook. Start participating is professional-oriented social spaces, like Linked-In.

3) Start a pet project. Show you have initiative and ability to engage others by starting a small project and getting participants.

4) Pick up some traditional communications skills. While social networking may be second nature, you'll win over employers if you also have some classic knowledge under your belt.

It’s the last point that rankles. I wonder what they mean by “picking up” some communications skills. And what is “classic knowledge?”

What do you think? Can a person with no experience in communications, marketing or customer relations become your company’s social media guru? Am I missing something here?

Hands-on social media

 
Blogging, Twitter, LinkedIn, audio and video on Web sites – what are they all about and why should you care? These tools can help you get noticed, get remembered and get business. Last spring, the Halton-Peel Communications Association (HPCA) sponsored a very successful meeting with Dave Fleet as our guest speaker. Dave’s presentation sparked interest among many members who wanted to learn more about social media in a hands-on environment.

Now is the time for this hands-on meeting! At 7 p.m. on October 28, 2009, at the Monte Carlo Inn in Oakville, you can experience blogging, Twitter and LinkedIn, plus the use of audio and video on Web sites, in a fun, supportive environment. Your facilitators are:

·       Rob Clark – blogging

·       Sue Horner – Twitter

·       Joan Vinall-Cox – audio and video

·       Donna Papacosta – LinkedIn

Each will demonstrate the particular tool at a table. You will have the opportunity to visit each table, depending on your interest. Please bring your own laptop computer, if you have one.

Because of the hands-on nature of this meeting, space is limited. Register today by emailing Donna Papacosta at Donna AT Trafcom DOT com. HPCA members can attend for free; guests pay $20.

Sandwiches and beverages will be served. See you there!

An interview with Mitch Joel, author of Six Pixels of Separation

In my latest podcast, you’ll hear Mitch Joel, president of the digital marketing agency Twist Image, talk about his book, Six Pixels of Separation. This business guide integrates digital marketing, social media, personal branding and entrepreneurship, all in a very accessible way. Go to the Trafcom News Podcast page to listen or download and to read the show notes.