Dave Haan has been named the new Director of Public Relations and Digital Development at Lawrence & Schiller. Dave will oversee all traditional and digital PR projects – working closely with all of the agency’s clients and teams. Dave’s nine years of experience as a news reporter at KELOLAND TV and 12 years as a web producer and interactive team manager position him well to maximize future PR and social media opportunities.
Dave will continue to act as a key resource for the Lawrence & Schiller’s Web team. However, many of Dave’s day-to-day duties as Director of Digital Technology will be assigned to Eric Ellefson, who has been named Senior Interactive Producer, and Eric Cross, Senior Interactive Programmer. In his new role, Eric E. will act as the primary entry point for all digital development projects and be the primary scheduler of projects and personnel. Eric Cross will supervise the agency’s team of programmers, focusing on the development of new interactive products and technologies.
Over the past five years, Jeff Hanson has spawned countless ideas for L&S as the leader of the agency’s Public Relations team; including the Zip Feed Mill BOOM demolition, the launch of the Sioux Falls Green Project and last year’s Pheasantennial promotion for South Dakota Tourism. His great grasp of what’s going on in the world, storytelling skills and amazing weight loss abilities have made Jeff a truly unforgettable character at the agency.
Now Jeff is moving into a new chapter of his life. He’s going out on his own as an independent PR consultant. His last day with Lawrence & Schiller is March 12th.
In lieu of a big send-off party, Jeff has asked L&S to donate any dollars budgeted for his gathering to one of his favorite personal charities, the Argus Leader Backpack Program. His wish will be granted – another great idea from a man who hatched plenty.
If you live in the small communities that make up Middle America, you are used to hearing about new technology… and not having it available in your area. It’s the ultimate dangling carrot. The technology tease.
But not this time! Midcontinent Communications is bringing DOCSIS 3.0 to the heartland. In fact, West Fargo, ND is getting the high speed Internet network before Manhattan!
In this issue of The Extra Minute, hear how Midcontinent Communications is using digital public relations and social media tospread the word of this exciting technology advance.
For the Social Media Boot Camp season finale, we brought in the ratings boosters –a.k.a. VP Dan Edmonds (@monkeyboy5280) and VP John Pohlman (@johnpohlman) to discuss the impact of social media on our design world.
For those not familiar with the history of social media design, let me give you a brief overview. In the mid-1990’s we entered the era of Early Static Websites. These websites allowed users to view the website’s message but only accounted for one-way communication, similar to traditional advertising. The era of Early Web Applications was soon created and those applications allowed online users to interact solely with the propriety content on the website, but two way communications started to take hold; Oh No! What’s an advertiser to do! (j/k J)
Today, we have entered into the golden era of Social Web Applications, which allows for multiple-way communication, promotes interactions and connects people together. This is why design is so important, people are using these websites to interact with other users and the brand, and users don’t need a poorly designed website getting in their way.
To succeed in the current era of Social Web Applications there are two important rules to follow:
1. Don’t Do Anything without a Plan
2. No Need to Invent the Wheel Twice.
These may seem like very basic rules to follow, but it’s good to remember that though the medium of interacting is new and different, the design concept behind the interaction is at the core, the same.
The Best Practices of Social Media Design (summed up in webinar 10): Make Interacting Easy. When a user comes to a website they need to be able to engage quickly and without a long search for the content they want, or thought they would find. Think of how many times you have gone to a website and quickly wanted to make a purchase, upload a file, or find a link, but the icon seems to have disappeared from the site! I know I get irritated when I spend too long on the website; for some reason my frustration “rope” is much shorter when working with technology than in the off-line world. Technology is here to make life easier, not more complicated; a website should be designed with the users’ intentions in mind.
In the era of Social Web Applications, users want to become a part of the website, so it is important to design and support the development of online communities. Everyone always wants to feel connected and a part of something, so design your website as a place for members to share interests, join groups or post blogs. As we have entered the web applications era, we want users to become part of the site and have it be a place to communicate and connect with others of similar interests.
At the end of the webinar, @johnpohlman and @monkeyboy5280 didn’t leave any cliff hangers but they did leave some words of wisdom: Make sure the experience belongs to the user!
Thank you for participating in our webinars, and see you next season!
South Dakota’s Small Business Administration and the Small Business Development Center Network provides programs and services to help businesses start, grow and succeed. This month, the small business education series will venture into marketing and how, in today’s changing business environment, it can help your small business survive and thrive.
“Marketing Matters,” a four-week educational web series, kicks off July 9 to educate business owners on the value of marketing plans, social media and other ways to better position themselves in today’s economy.
As a leading regional advertising and marketing firm, Lawrence & Schiller is proud to support the: South Dakota’s Small Business Administration and the Small Business Development Center Network to help lend insight and experience to the conversation.
Thursday, July 9: Roadmap to Marketing Success: Simple Steps to Writing a Successful Marketing Plan
Courtney Davidson and Micah Aberson, Lawrence & Schiller
Wayne Wagner, CFGear
Thursday, July 16: Google Matters: How Does Your Website Measure Up?
Krista Gussiaas and Eric Ellefson, Lawrence & Schiller
Greg Jasmer, DAKOTACARE
Thursday, July 23: The First Impression: Building a Positive Customer Experience
Natalie Eisenberg and Courtney Lotzer, Lawrence & Schiller
Michele Slott, Prairie Berry Winery
Thursday, July 30: Social Media Marketing: How to Start Your Online Conversation
Robin Temple, Lawrence & Schiller
Paul Ten Haken, Click Rain
Sessions are free and begin at 10:00 am (CST) via webcast. Learn more and sign up by calling the SBA at 605-330-4243 and press 0.
Your brand’s message matters but more importantly, what is the message the consumers are sending? Word of Mouth conversations, and advertising, are becoming one of the most influential and credible forms of publicity for a brand, in part to the growth of social media. Session 8 of our L&S Social Media Boot Camp kicked off with a discussion led by Jeff Hanson and Molly Schenkel.
Long before blogging was available, consumers relied purely on the message the company was delivering to make informed purchase decisions. Gradually, consumers started talking amongst themselves about what they liked and disliked about brands, but there wasn’t a way to spread the information very quickly and consumers still turned to the brand for the main message. In today’s world, consumers and brands have the ability to talk together and create a message that matters.
Think of the last time you purchased a new brand or product, most likely it was because you heard from someone that it was worth a try. Companies have quickly realized that consumers are turning more towards digital influencers and bloggers than “ads” for product information. For these influential bloggers, some companies have begun to send thank- you’s and sometimes have even tried to provide incentives for promoting the product. But do so carefully . . .even with a relationship or incentive, the messenger doesn’t work for your brand – they will act on behalf of the consumer, not you.
Digital communities are another great way of getting the message out there. By creating a community in the digital world it allows an infinite amount of users to discuss how they use the product, new ideas for the product, or to simply connect together with a common interest. These forums or chat areas are a great avenue to gain feedback from consumers, which can lead to new product developments or a more user friendly version of existing products.
An example given in the webinar was on Barilla Pasta. As an incentive for consumers to try the new line of pasta’s, Barilla gave consumers a sample of the product to host their very own ‘Pasta Party’. The party thrower was then asked to simply blog about the party, the pasta and the fun. This was a perfect way to connect the brand and consumer together to create a positive message.
For your message to be heard however you also need to make sure you are using the right channel so your audience will be able to find you. Do your homework and start with a keyword search on your company or brand to see how relevant you are, where you rank, and review what others are saying about you – is it how you want your company to be portrayed?
You want people talking about you, and hopefully, its in a positive light. Make sure the message you are sending matters to your audience but don’t forget to listen to the messages your consumers are sending you!
There’s nothing funny about drunk driving. But who says campaigns to curb the dangerous behavior have to play it straight?
Lawrence & Schiller recently launched the Act Civilized campaign for the South Dakota Department of Public Safety. Writer Kristy Andersen joins The Extra Minute to discuss the story behind the campaign.
Talk about mobile marketing and most people will picture text messaging or web browsers on smart phones. But for the South Dakota Office of Tourism it has another, very literal meaning.
Full-size, semi-tractor trailers have been wrapped with South Dakota images. Now the rolling billboards are traveling from coast-to-coast raising awareness of the Mount Rushmore State.
Some might say there are no rules of conduct within the realms of social media. And they’re right. Hard and fast rules haven’t been adopted.
At the same time expectations of etiquette clearly do exist. 57% of the people attending Week 4 of the Lawrence & Schiller Social Media Boot Camp webinar series say they consider etiquette every time the post online. The remaining 43% think about it occasionally.
What are the behaviors to avoid? What things must you do? And what workplace considerations should you take into account? Click on the player below to view the recorded archive of “Social Media Dos and Don’ts”. Or scroll down for a brief recap along with poll results collected during this webinar.
Social Media Don’ts
Social Media isn’t show & tell. Don’t use it to brag about, or worse yet, exaggerate your experiences and accomplishments.
Don’t be pushy. No one wants to be spammed or read a post stuffed with keyword phrases or follow as your status is updated every five minutes or be invited to every Facebook group under the sun.
Don’t be a headcase. Social media can be a place to vent (in moderation) but it isn’t therapy. Not a good place to complain about your boss or swear how much you hate your job.
Don’t be sinister. Don’t try to hide behind someone else identity and be careful with the party pictures. Snapshots uploaded after you’ve had too many shots will come back to haunt you.
Don’t be offensive. “Funny” is subjective. Your sense of humor may not translate well online. Don’t cross the line into offensive. When in doubt, don’t do it.
Social Media Dos
Do showcase your personality. This is what makes you interesting and fun to follow. Remember there is a difference between showing your personality and giving out too much personal information.
Do consider limiting the number of groups you join. If you can’t keep up with all of them, it may be time to scale back.
Do manage your tools. Take advantage of the applications which connect your blog or tweets to Facebook… IF your audiences are similar and the message is appropriate for all destinations. Learn more about Connecting the Dots in week 7 of our webinar series.
Workplace Considerations
There is no privacy. Especially if you’re using a workplace computer.
You represent your company online even if you’re posting on your personal account.
If you work for a publically traded company, your tweets and blog pots can fall under SEC jurisdiction.
The FTC is proposing guidelines for online marketing.
Bottomline, if you wouldn’t say it in person to your boss, you probably shouldn’t say it online.
South Dakota Tourism’s “All Aboard South Dakota” campaign was honored as a finalist at the Minnesota Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Awards on March 27. The awards banquet attracted over 300 communications professionals from large-scale agencies, corporations and non-profit organizations.
Selected as a finalist in the Integrated Communications Services category, the “All Aboard South Dakota” campaign stood next to work from global organizations like Doremus (Omnicom Group), Fleishman-Hillard and Carmichael Lynch.
“All Aboard South Dakota” commercials, print ads, web banners and emails connected visitors with travel deals exclusive to Minnesota residents. Trains on the Minneapolis Light Rail were wrapped in stunning South Dakota imagery, and six authentic cowboy re-enactors roamed downtown Minneapolis, talking to commuters, attending local events and handing out sheriff’s badges to kids. Eventually, the Light Rail train conductors were shouting, “All aboard…next stop: South Dakota” and taxi drivers were humming the state’s jingle as they drove past.
The train wrap garnered an estimated 30 million impressions, and the campaign earned 1.6 million impressions from media coverage by MN Public Radio and the MN Star Tribune. As a result, vacation inquiries from Minnesotans were up 22% during the peak tourism season.
Minnesota PRSA is the tenth-largest chapter of the PRSA, the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 members. Since 1978, the Minnesota PRSA Awards have honored the best in the public relations field.
In 1979, the U.S. was facing an economic crisis not unlike today’s. The Dow Jones plunged as low as 742 and our dependence on foreign oil led to swelling inflation and unemployment.
Sounds familiar, right? Today, we’re right back in 1979 with the same problems and dire outlook. People have lost jobs, homes…and basically their hope in the American dream. Failing banks and businesses. Failing consumer confidence.
But take a look at this:
In 1979, inflation was 12.5% with unemployment at 11.5%. The same numbers today? Inflation is around zero, while unemployment currently sits at 7.6% and even lower in Sioux Falls. Now imagine you’re an alien who’s just landed on Earth. Would you hope it was 1979, or 2009?
There’s definitely a lot of fear and uncertainty out there right now. But not a lot of perspective.
We’ve been through tough times like this before, and the main thing making this recession more severe is our perception that it is.
But you might know all of this already. What you don’t know is how to communicate it to your shareholders, employees and customers. At L&S, we believe in leading by example. We’re investing more in new business efforts and self-promotion than ever before. Why? Because we know it’s the smart way to react in a recession, and we’re telling our clients to do the same.
Here are six other areas where you can take the lead:
Guard your most valuable assets – customers. Instead of resting on your laurels because you’ve already won them, keep and increase their business through CRM programs, product improvements and value-added services.
Find the people who are ready to buy and give them everything they need to purchase. That means detailed online product information and e-commerce, responsive customer service and open, accessible businesses that invite you to buy.
Optimize your budget allocations. This has nothing to do with the size of your budget, but how resourcefully you’re using it. Pick the right media to do the heavy lifting, backed up by supporting media to complete the circle and guide customers.
Protect your core brand. It’s who you are, and having an identity is even more important now when other brands are losing sight of theirs. Keep who you are and what you have to offer at the heart of all you do.
Deliver a value proposition. We’re all scrimping and saving. So pump some value and relevance into your brand.. Cable television isn’t a luxury – it’s an affordable alternative to nightlife and movies. Baking soda is more than a cooking ingredient – it’s an air freshener, cleaner and facial exfoliant. That’s creating value.
Spend more. Or at least consider it. Market share can be gained more quickly and with less effort during a recession. So while your competition is pulling back, you can pull ahead by leaps and bounds.
The reality is, this recession won’t last. But if you play your cards right, what you do during it can.
True: Often unbeknownst to business owners, digital communities are sharing in the creation of your brand every day. And the power of these collaborative sessions runs high. Online community members cross all audience categories: clients, employees, competitors, business partners and the general public.
True: If you post a brand opinion or response on twitter or in a social community environment, you most likely have followers that fall into all of the above categories for the brand owner. What’s the tone? What’s the underlying opinion? And how do others respond – agree/disagree? If you have a product-driven company, customers and potential customers are talking about your products in forums, are you aware?
True: There’s no better way to learn about your product or service, and you can then instantly infuse that intelligence into your product service or quality plan. The popularity rating of your brand relies heavily on what people are saying about your product or service online.
False: You’re not automatically in control of your social brand. Self-awareness has never been so important. How can you respond if you don’t know what people are saying? Listen through consumer insights research or social media monitoring (twitter: @billiejowaara to learn about free tools) and then respond using your own social skills, digitally speaking of course.
Each day, clients challenge our teams to concept the next big idea, to meet a crazy deadline or to find a way to do both within their budget parameters. We work with great clients who want to be market leaders – its why we love marketing and strategic development.
One of our favorite projects this week is the kickoff of the “Our Community Rocks” food drive for SMG. If you know the Sioux Falls Arena and the Sioux Falls Orpheum, then you know SMG. This group has been bringing great events like Ribfest, concerts with Elton John and supporting arts at the Orpheum in Sioux Falls for the past decade. And today, our agency helped them launch their latest effort to gather food donations for the Sioux Falls Food Bank and the Sioux Falls Food Pantry. Donations can be dropped off around the community at places like Lewis or Sunshine Foods, and those who donate have the opportunity to win tickets to the upcoming Alan Jackson concert.
I love this quote and its worth repeating now, “With great leadership comes great responsibility.” The right campaign for all the right reasons. Thanks SMG, for being a great market leader who helps create “good times for all.”
I have read many articles lately with headlines like “Social Media will Save your Business” or “Social Media is the Best New Business Strategy”. This may seem foreign to some – as if you need to launch a whole new line of business or an entirely new effort. Good news: for many people – it’s just doing what you do on a personal basis and applying it to business. You’re using social media tools, but is your content really social-worthy? Is it applicable to a large group of people? Is it content that positions you as a thought leader or provider of tools that will help others in their line of business? It can’t be a sales strategy – it needs to be a relationship strategy. Remember, the reader is always thinking to themselves “what’s in this for me”… and the takeaway can serve a variety of purposes: educational, professional development or pure entertainment. It just has to provide an “ah-ha” moment so that they, in turn, add it to their social dialogue.
What you’re doing:
How it becomes social:
1. Blogging
You blog about something original and interesting by expressing an opinion or providing useful tools or resources. If it’s noteworthy, people will talk about it – either on their own blog, via a twitter post, or they’ll use social bookmarking to promote it.
2. Tweeting
You tweet about an interesting blog post, tools or resources you’ve found, a news story or an opinion. The tweeters that I like best are the people who have found the perfect balance between value-added business-type posts and social comments. They’re sharing intelligence, thus making my job easier, but they’re also fun people.
3. facebooking
You facebook. Mostly to network and re-connect with people old and new, but the community also provides a great platform for group interaction and cause marketing.
4. LinkedIn
You have a professional network, now take this digital by connecting to your trusted contacts and you will then gain extended access to their contacts. The power of relationships at work.
5. Multimedia Sharing
You post photos and videos to YouTube, but you also watch videos on YouTube. Add a rating or comment, if warranted. These comments in turn link back and promote your YouTube channel.
6. Commenting
You like to read industry blogs, but reading isn’t enough – you need to join the conversation. This accomplishes two social media goals: it positions you as a member of the online community and it also helps build digital relationships with others in your field. This will, in turn, encourage them to read and post on your blog. Be
real – show interest in others digitally and they will show interest in you. Relationship building at its core.
7. Bookmarking and Rating
You are doing all of the above, which will lead to social bookmarks to your digital content. For example, if people find your blogs and videos interesting, useful and cool – they will bookmark them. Do the same yourself. You scratch their back, they’ll scratch yours.
It’s the interaction and dissemination that makes content social. There’s no recipe, you just need to join the conversation. It’s fun. The key – keep it real. Oh, and don’t be boring, be social.
Despite a droop in the nation’s economy, there was no shortage of creativity at this year’s 43rd annual Addy® Awards. Lawrence & Schiller took home two Best of Class awards at the February 21 event, with 11 gold and silver awards total.
L&S swept the Non-Traditional Advertising category, taking home the group’s only two awards, including a gold Addy for DAKOTACARE’s “Body Cast Guy,” campaign. Showing up at sporting events and community festivals, street team participants wheeled around a man in a body cast to let consumers know how not having health insurance can cost you. “Body Cast Guy” went on to win Best of Class in the Non-Traditional category.
The agency also took home Best of Class in the Out of Home category with Augustana College’s “Viking Logo Reveal” billboard campaign. For four weeks, the college’s new Viking logo was slowly revealed in a teaser billboard campaign. These efforts culminated in a logo reveal celebration on the Augustana campus and exclusive announcements to alumni and the Sioux Falls media.
Today I was searching for a particular event on a very large national site. I searched a 10-day timeframe in July 2009. I understand that it’s only November 2008, but I found the auto response a wee bit passive aggressive …
Perhaps I was being a little optimistic I’d find information this far out, but I didn’t think I was being unreasonable. While I’m sure whoever penned this line meant nothing negative by it, it’s a good reminder to make sure the tonality of your site copy remains consistently positive and helpful.
More importantly, in this instance there was no clear path to move me forward from this page. Offering a link to last year’s event, other relative content or a chance to revise my search dates would have been more proactive than the response alone.
Ask yourself, if a customer asked you for information face-to-face, would you answer the same way your site does?
Since 2006, Apple has been hammering the PC market (and, in one degree of separation, Microsoft) with its brilliantly simple ‘Mac vs. PC’ campaign featuring Justin Long and John Hodgman.
The campaign instantly created a huge international buzz, and has been customized for markets outside the U.S.
Over the past two years, the campaign, created for Apple by TBWA/Media Lab, has won boatloads of industry awards and become beloved by ad wonks and consumers alike. With the spots still running and as iconic as ever, it’s interesting to consider the merits of the two recently released Microsoft campaigns.
The first features Microsoft’s own not-so-dynamic duo- Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates.
I think we could call this a launch pad disaster.
The spot debuted September 4 and has been criticized roundly for its lack of mentioning, you know, the product. Seinfeld’s famous show about nothing has morphed into an ad campaign…about nothing. It fails to entertain…and worse yet, it fails to sell anything. Ouch.
But the news isn’t all bad. Microsoft recently launched their ‘I’m a PC’ campaign, which begs the question- What took Microsoft so long to respond to Apple?
The spots, released September 18, use cameos of everyone from Vera Wang to Tony Parker and include clips of a variety of ordinary (and very extraordinary) people. Is it as entertaining as the Apple campaign? Nope. But does it provide an effective and reassuring message to the 95% of the world that currently works on PCs? Absolutely. With such a predominant market share on their side, it figured that at least a few cool people would be working on PC’s too- and Microsoft did a fine job of packaging that message.
Here’s hoping that they continue down this road and let Jerry & Bill wander off into the sunset.
How do you communicate with teens these days? Since two of them live in my house I think about that every day. I study what they do. How they interact with each other and with the brands they love. In their language I’m “creepin’ on them”.
When I was in high school we lived on the telephone talking to our friends. My parents put in a second line so their calls could get through. Kind of like I have two, OK three, computers in my house. Why? If you don’t live with teens, here is how it works. They go somewhere with their friends. They take pictures. They come home. They immediately jump on Facebook.com to share their pictures and their stories. Then they go to YouTube.com and watch silly videos.
Do they know they spend too much time on Facebook? Yes. At the Roosevelt High School talent show last week several hilarious skits and parody songs were dedicated to their obsession with being on everyone’s top friend list. This is where they live. In the 50’s Fonzie and Richie hung out at the drive in. Today’s teens hang out online.
If you are marketing to them you must have a digital strategy.
Oh yeah, if I absolutely have to get in touch with my teens immediately, how do I do it? You parents out there know. Text messaging. Hmmm, is that part of your marketing strategy? Happy creepin’! Let me know if I can help.
My husband and I are upgrading to smart phones. Up until this point, our cell phones have been, er, not smart (to say the least). We are also combining our single plans into a shared family plan, something that’s long overdue.
So we’ve been on the Verizon web site a lot, without a lot of luck. We found the phones we wanted, but we couldn’t figure out how to get the online discount on both at the same time. And we couldn’t access the family share plan with those phones selected, but we couldn’t figure out why. After a reconnaissance mission to the local Verizon store, we confirmed with their salesperson that our desired combination of phones and plan was a possibility. But as we would save 300 bucks buying online, we left the store and decided to have another go ourselves.
And we almost didn’t make it. Until a friendly chat box popped up – “Can I help you?” And “KaylaK” did, very well. She explained that we first had to upgrade on our single accounts and buy our phones, and then we could combine our plans. She walked us through this, step by step. She stayed online 26 minutes after their customer service lines closed to help us finish. Sure, some of the responses were obviously canned, but they were also thorough and that was good enough for us. Our new phones will arrive in one to two business days.
The more I am exposed to site design and optimization, the more I realize there is no “perfect” web site. While you can provide good paths and clear navigation for your visitors, they are still human and unpredictable. Site visitors are like water in your basement, they will always find the cracks in your foundation. Sites change and evolve constantly as products are added and processes are tweaked, and something in the user experience inevitably gets bumped or shifted. So the answer is to fight humans with humans – provide a real live person who can answer as many questions as your site users can come up with. Live chat is an effective, easy and cheap way to add an element of human interaction to your web site. Because, like Bruce Springsteen says, “I just want someone to talk to, and a little of that human touch.”
In an increasingly plugged-in world, don’t we all?
True: Often unbeknownst to business owners, digital communities are sharing in the creation of your brand every day. And the power of these collaborative sessions runs high. Online community members cross all audience categories: clients, employees, competitors, business partners and the general public.
