Pierpont Communications, Inc.

Pinterest continues to grow in popularity and we can’t blame them. How easy is it for your friends to go back through your Facebook profile and find all the things you like and want to try? Not as easy as Pinterest made it. We had written about Pinterest's growing popularity back in November, so we are not surprised to now see that non-profits and other organizations are joining in for brand promotion efforts. It’s become so popular that a “male friendly” Pinterest counterpart was created, as reported by Mashable.com, called Gentlemint. Are you finding Pinterest to be of use to you personally?

And now the Digital Influence Weekly…



The day of online protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act has come and gone. For that one day, no one was able to escape the presence of social networkers, entrepreneurs, business owners, politicians and the general public discussing this hot issue. The outcry against this legislation was significant enough for senators to drop their support for these bills.

You likely saw posts, images, charts and clever phrases poking at the implications these bills bring upon the general public. Google, Wikipedia, Mozilla Firefox, WordPress and many other online giants blacked out content or even shut themselves down for the day to illustrate a world without the internet. A great recap of the events can be found at the Houston Chronicle TechBlog.

We addressed this a few weeks ago discussing some of the implications for online marketing and what it means for businesses. If you rely on online networks to meet your marketing goals, then this issue is absolutely something worth investigating.

Still, no matter what is passed and what is not, there are some simple rules that social media professionals should follow to adhere to social media ethics and etiquette best practices:

Ask permission. If you are using content someone has created and you want to use it for your purposes, ask the creator first. I’m not talking about infographs or other forms of viral information created to be shared by design. I’m talking about images you find on Flickr or original music you find on someone’s personal account.

Site your sources. Site the sources by text or by linking back to the content creator. They will appreciate the extra traffic and exposure you send their way. It’s a quick way for you to say “thank you for posting this, we’ll be sure to let our audience know where it came from.”

Check your sources. Are you posting a YouTube video from the official YouTube channel of the creator or is it something someone uploaded to their personal account? This is important because if the personal account is forced to remove the video they put up, it will also be removed from your page.

Be responsive to requests. If asked to remove content, be polite and take it down. Avoid any trouble that comes with refusing to remove someone’s copyrighted content. Go the extra step and respond with a request for something which might be ok to replace it with. The creator might be able to provide something comparable and you will have created a mutually beneficial relationship.

Thanks and have a great weekend!

Google+ quietly caused a stir in November when it officially introduced its brand pages platform. While it paled in comparison to the fervor Facebook elicited when it did the same thing several years ago, its launch has been considered a success by many since 61 of Interbrand’s Top 100 Brands have already set up pages as of late December.

Although Google+ provides another avenue for connecting with customers, it may come with some concern to marketers and communications professionals. Some, already feeling stretched by managing Twitter and Facebook presences (not to mention blogs, YouTube and more) may be asking: “how important is it to also have a Google+ page?”

Here are some things to consider when deciding whether or not you need to launch a Google+ page for your brand:

• SEO. A few months ago, Google stated it intended to integrate real-time search with Google+ data. Well, guess what? The search engine has followed through with its promise – and not without some controversy, too. Put simply, marketers who promote themselves on Google+ will increase their brand’s search engine visibility on Google, which is never a bad thing.

• More targeted connections. Unlike Facebook, Google+ offers marketers the ever-important ability to target specific audiences through the creation of circles. Instead of blasting a communication to everyone who likes your page (as with Facebook), Google+ allows you to send content to specific segments of people – whether customers, employees, board members, etc.

• Analytics. Many companies and businesses already use Google Analytics to track their website traffic. Soon, they will be able to do the same thing for their Google+ pages. Expect the analytics to be more in-depth and powerful than those offered by Facebook now.

• Open and easy to find. Although Google+ pages currently lack the “beauty URLs” that Facebook has capitalized on so well (such as facebook.com/BudLight or facebook.com/cocacola), they do incorporate unique features like “Direct Connect.” This allows anyone to jump straight to a Google+ brand page by searching for “+[name]” using Google.



Of course, Google+ has a long way to go before it can equal Facebook. While it has amassed nearly 50 million users worldwide according to recent reports (and is supposedly growing at a rate of 625,000 new users a day), the number pales in comparison to Facebook’s 800 million members.

All that said, marketers debating whether or not to get behind Google+ need to only consider one simple thing before making their decision. While new and still dwarfed by Facebook, the platform has millions of members (and counting) that represent a significant audience which can now be directly engaged in a new way.

Are you on Google+? If yes, check out Pierpont’s Google+ page here.

Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day when we will celebrate and remember his message of nonviolent activism, promotion of civil rights and service to the community. If you are looking to see his legacy’s impact around the world, the web is sure to be alive with videos, stories and projects all about it. Last year, people uploaded YouTube videos reenacting many of his speeches. Right now, there is a huge effort online promoting Monday as a day of service.

I suggest Googling not just the holiday, but terms such as “community service” and “civil rights” to learn about what is happening in the world today and how you can help. If you’re on Twitter, search for the hashtags #MLK and #MLKDay to see how Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is being honored.

And now, the Digital Influence Weekly…



There are so many people upset with Google, you would think they’re Facebook! Google recently integrated Google+ into their search results, giving a huge boost to the +1 functionality and the new social network’s impact on search. Unless you opt out of this option while signed in to your Google/Google+/Gmail account, you will be given the opportunity to see results which are personalized to you. You will see results your connections have +1’d or the Google+ profile for that search term if it exists.

Here are few reasons why people don’t like this.

It narrows the scope of search to the community you have created. In other words, you’re going to see results from your connections which may not necessarily be the best, end-all results. If my Google+ connections have +1’d bad information on something, then my results would reflect that.

One way to fight this is to connect to only the smart people online. Otherwise you can toggle your results with a button in the top right of the page if the new search features have been implemented for you yet.

                  

It promotes Google+ over other social networks like Twitter. There are people noticing that Twitter results are not showing up even if you type in the twitter handle. Google’s response was that Twitter had asked to not have public tweets crawled by Google, keeping those real time tweets out of the results.

I’ve also seen people complain that the right hand column, now reserved for Google Maps or a website preview, will show Google+ profiles. The idea being that if you don’t have a Google+ profile, you are missing out on prime real estate to stand out from search results. If you’re signed in to your Google account, search for the term “sports.” You should see some Google+ profiles for sports figures. Now search for “sports” signed out and you should get the same thing. This looks to be a tactic for Google+ to promote their social network. Don’t worry because for now this only applies to a few general terms and should have no implications for your personal or business search results. If you searched for “oil and gas” or “banking” you would find no Google+ profiles displayed to the right.

Do I need to be on Google+? Like any social network, you have to evaluate that yourself. Activity on other social networks, if successful, can still boost your rankings in the search engines or make you an influencer with your target audience.

For now, I’m enjoying Google+. First, I’m finding new, relevant influencers to follow and learn from. It also allows me to create a new network with some new people to converse with and influence.

Second, if the game is to make sure you or your company appear in relevant Google searches, why not do everything you can? Every little bit helps and leads come from every corner of the world. The argument that, “it’s just one more thing I have to stay on top of,” doesn’t work. This is a new development and progress or change in any industry is full of them.

We will continue to look into new developments with Google+ and update you on new ways to get the most out of it for social networking and search. You can also find our updates and other interesting items on Google+ by clicking here and adding us to your circles.

Have a great weekend everyone!

The New Year is here and everyone is either contemplating or commencing their New Year’s resolutions. Amidst personal goals to eat healthier and spend less money, many also have professional vows they made for 2012 – including me. A big one for me is maximizing my work productivity and being more efficient when managing time.

Here are a few tips that can help you make the most of your work day:

1. Check Email Sporadically: One of the biggest drains on one’s work productivity is the constant distraction of email. Schedule 1-3 times per day to check email and stick to it. Or, even better, set your email so it only comes into your inbox every 30 minutes or hour. (Just make sure your coworkers know if you decide to go this route, so they can contact you via phone if anything urgent arises.)

2. Use the O.H.I.O. Method: “OHIO” stands for “Only Handle It Once.” So once you start a task, make sure you finish it. If you don’t have time to complete it, set aside time to do it all later. Postponing half-completed assignments will only lead to more clutter and stress.

3. Work in Flights: Studies have shown that taking small breaks throughout the day actually increases work productivity. Each hour, work steadily for 50 minutes (no phone calls or checking email), and then take a break for the last 10 minutes. Doing so allows your brain to “reset” and helps you stay focused throughout the day.

4. Schedule “Buffer Time”: You can be the best of the best at writing a to-do list, but if you don’t allow for “buffer time” – the time spent handling the unexpected phone call, the traffic jam, the meeting that runs way over, etc. – your schedule will inevitably run behind. Leave a little room each day for the unexpected.

Do you have any time management or productivity tips? Share them below!

I was at a wedding in Chicago over the summer and someone approached me and asked what I do. When I said that I work in public relations, the person looked me straight in the eye and said “Oh, you’re one of THOSE people.”

Some people say that you can never please everyone and you’ll always be misunderstood by someone. This statement definitely holds true for public relations professionals. Some call us spin doctors while others call us media flaks. Either way, they’re wrong. Often times I am amused at the conversations my colleagues and I have about what people think of our profession.

Here are a few myths and misconceptions (as well as facts) that will hopefully clear things up!

It’s ok to not invest in PR if the organization is in a financial crunch.

Bill Gates once said, “If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on public relations.” In recent years, there have been organizations that have opted to dismiss their public relations counsel during poor economic times. Business influencers fail to realize that building relationships with key stakeholders (i.e. government, media, shareholders, customers, suppliers, employees) will keep the organization’s message at the forefront. This will also enhance their position in the market as thought leaders and possibly revenue generators. Furthermore, making your business visible during poor economic times makes sense. While other businesses are making cut backs, your message makes it to the front! If a business wants an advantage over its competitors, it’s critical its message is visible during the recession.

Traditional media is not as important as social media.

Despite waning advertisers and cuts in reporting staff, the written word has impact – even if it is online. According to a survey conducted by Scarborough Research, 79 percent of white collar workers, 82 percent of adults with household incomes of $100,000 or more and 84 percent of college graduates or advanced degree holders read online or print newspapers. Social media has its benefits as it engages consumers with interaction, accessibility and immediacy. However, saying that one is superior than the other is a far-fetched statement. Both mediums can and should be used together for an effective PR campaign.

Everything is newsworthy.

Good public relations professionals are media experts, and if the expert says that there’s a chance a particular topic won’t get covered, then it probably won’t. And even if something is newsworthy, there is still no guarantee it will make the news. Recently, I was pitching a story on a medical breakthrough only to have my story overshadowed by other current events. Luckily, some great print and broadcast hits came out of the medical breakthrough story. Sometimes other news items take precedence over your particular item – it’s no one’s fault, just the nature of the beast. This brings me to the last myth…

Public relations professionals control the media.

We do not control or “spin” the media. Covering or not covering a story, whether it is positive or negative in nature, is strictly the media’s prerogative. Honest public relations professionals will never guarantee that something will be covered or not covered. I’ve seen reporters get excited about a story that ends up pushed to the wayside because of breaking news or a story that their editors would like covered first. Even if the client has been interviewed by a journalist, or a television crew has shot the entire story, there is no way to tell if it will run. On the flip side, I have also experienced times where a reporter initially says no to covering a story and then they call out of the blue saying they are interested.

Do you have some myths and misconceptions you’d like to add? Please list them here.