Lavish parties, high-profile celebrities, an outdoor zip line – the city of Indianapolis is transforming in front of our eyes and I, for one, couldn’t be more excited. I look forward to enjoying the ultimate fan experience in Indy and want to be able to share that with others, both in Indy and around the country. So how do all of the fans come together to do this? They buzzfunnel.me!

Here at Borshoff, we wanted to create a buzz and serve as a grassroots “hub” for a behind-the-scenes look at Indianapolis and Super Bowl XLVI. We wanted to allow everyone, no matter where they’re located, the opportunity to enjoy the “every day” fan experience.

So we created buzzfunnel.me, a fun and dynamic, mobile-optimized website that will connect people now until  the Super Bowl by capturing people’s interests, experiences and comments about the event via video. We’ll be out in Street Teams all week, capturing videos and interviewing fans, so be on the lookout. The site will also feature Twitter feeds and variety of Quipol polls.

Whether or not you’re going to the Big Game, buzzfunnel.me will provide the ultimate fan experience this Super Bowl. And if you’re out and about in Indianapolis and/or the surrounding Super Cities over the next week, upload videos to YouTube or Vimeo and tag with “buzzfunnel” or find a member of the Borshoff buzzfunnel street team out and about around the city. And follow us on Twitter: @buzzfunnelme. We’d love to feature you on buzzfunnel!

Most businesses and brands have a Facebook page these days. But simply having a page isn’t enough. You need to know what to do with the account once it’s created. Recently, I watched a webinar that challenged the way I think about social media marketing.

Facebook has 750 million users and half of them log in every day so there’s definitely potential to strengthen your customer base. But how? Here are a few tips I learned that anyone can do to enhance social media marketing efforts.

• Did you know that only a portion of your Facebook friends see your posts in their newsfeeds? I sure didn’t. A Facebook algorithm determines how many people see your posts and photos. If you want your content visible in more newsfeeds, increase the amount of activity your content generates. For example, ask questions in your posts or ask your friends to “like” a video if they enjoyed it.

• Did you know that companies that run contests and promotions have twice as many “likes” as companies that don’t? People like the opportunity to win things. And the most successful contests are simple, social and personal. Simple promotions are those that don’t require much effort from the participant – they’re easy and convenient. Social contents tend to do well because they encourage people to participate with their friends, or they offer group prizes, such as a girls’ night out. Contests with a personal touch tend to draw more participants as well. Inviting fans to share a photo of their pet or their tattoo will likely make them eager to join in.

• And did you know that cross promotion really is important? Most businesses and brands already have a Facebook button on their website. Consider doing the same on your electronic newsletter and other external communications.  You can also encourage fans to spread the word. Don’t underestimate the amount of buzz that internet users can generate for your business. Many people will decide to like a business after they notice that it’s liked by another friend on Facebook. This type of earned content can pay off.

Are there any other tips you would suggest to improve marketing on Facebook?

• Do thank your new followers personally. People decide to follow for a reason; they think your tweets are interesting. Manners shouldn’t stop at your computer screen.
• Don’t use Twitter to take out personal anger or frustrations. You are always being watched. Case in point: http://yhoo.it/p8mzGs.
• Do use shortening tools. For example, to share pictures, try twitpic.com. To compress long URLS, bit.ly and tinyurl.com  are useful. Long URLS may activate Deck.ly, causing users to go over their character limit, which leads to my next don’t…
• Don’t go over your character limit. Long ago, I blogged about Dabbling in Deck.ly. Now, after seeing tweets go over the 140-character limit, I’m not a fan. Don’t make your followers open a webpage to finish off a couple words. Keep it concise. In fact, it’s best to keep them at 80-100 characters so others can RT and not have to cut down your tweet.
• Do have a personality. Humans are not robots.  Keep it real.
• Don’t use Twitter (or any social media platform) to pitch, blog or tweet fluffy stuff following a tragedy. Respect what happened, and give it a few days.
• Do update your profile bio. It is the first thing people see about you and makes an impression on you or your company. Make sure it is accurate and appropriate.
• Don’t fall off the face of the Earth. If you create an account, use it! What’s the point in having an inactive account? Deactivate it.
• Do interact and engage with others. Respond to mentions and RT others. You lose a major benefit of Twitter if you don’t engage in conversation. Open doors for dialogue, ask questions and follow up with people to build relationships and network.
• Don’t overload. No one wants to see one Twitter account taking up the entire feed. Remember, tweet responsibly.
• Do use social media in your client strategy. Have a plan, and convert fans and followers into customers.
• Don’t tweet the same content over and over. You will bore your followers. Mix up those tweets to gain followers and increase engagement.
• Do measure your social media analytics, and I don’t just mean followers. How do you know if you are growing if you don’t have a benchmark? How many Twitter referrals are bringing unique visitors to your company’s website?
• Don’t use corporate rhetoric. Avoid confusing jargon that makes it difficult for followers to learn more about your company.
• Do set social media objectives. What do you ultimately want your business to achieve from social media? Brand awareness, networking opportunities, SEO benefits? Pick one and stick with it.

Google and I have had a mixed history. Gmail was love at first sight, Buzz never got off the ground, Docs is brilliant, and Wave came in and was washed up. For as many innovative, successful ideas as they’ve brought to the table, there have also been a few bombs.

On June 28th, however, they may have released a gem that could even turn their failures into successes. Google+ is the latest social media platform to hit, competing directly with Facebook. Certainly the privacy issues plaguing Facebook will make the fight a little less lop-sided, but Google+ can stand on its own regardless.

Here are some highlights:

Clean and easy

One of the reasons I’ve always thought Facebook could dominate MySpace was the “clean,” unchanging aesthetic. Google+ is far cleaner and more intuitive. Effective use of white space, easy to understand privacy controls, and a solid navigation structure make it much easier to use. The drag and drop functionality of Circles and for uploading photos is an upgrade that is desperately needed by Facebook.

Privacy

Facebook’s privacy issues have always been a nightmare for me. Just trying to navigate to the settings to fix them is a nightmare, much less having to do it all the time on a whim. Google+ has made this easy to set from the get-go, and Circles makes it simple to set privacy on individual posts. Facebook has that functionality too, but it’s nowhere near as intuitive to find and use.

Ownership

Facebook has made it nigh on impossible to easily take your information (photos, contacts, etc.) with you if you leave. Not only that, but it’s not always clear if you actually own all information you upload. Google has always made it simple to move your information around and download it, and Google+ is no exception.

Functionality

While there are still a few features I have to figure out, the Google+ interface takes the best of Facebook and Twitter and puts it in one place. I still believe Twitter has a more permanent place in its pure form, and this new style of posting and sharing makes Facebook just feel clumsy.

I’m still getting use to some of the features like Sparks and conversations, but overall I can see myself moving over. As more people are able to join, new problems and features will roll out and we’ll see what happens. As far as I’m concerned, however, Google+ is the future of social networking. Your move, Facebook.

Everyone is talking about Facebook incorporating video chatting into its repertoire of ways to connect with friends online. All Facebook users can access this new feature in the chat tab at the bottom of the Facebook page.

Choose the friend you want to video call then click the small video camera icon in the top right of the chat box to begin. The first time you click to initiate a video call, you will have to go through a short, one-time setup process. Once you finish the setup, your call session will begin. A window will pop-up on screen for the person on the other end to accept the call to initiate it. It’s free, it sounds extremely easy, and I’m sure I’ll be using it. I can’t wait to see my friends from around the globe and have face-to-face conversations with them. What do you think of this new Facebook feature? Will you be using it?

Is the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) on your radar? Until earlier this month, it wasn’t on mine. How could I have missed the think tank commonly called “snicker?”  After all, one of the founding fellows is social media guru Shel Holtz. I learned about SNCR at the PRSA Digital Impact Conference in New York City, where several of its fellows presented on the latest in digital trends and award-winning case studies.

The global nonprofit research and education foundation and think tank was founded in 2005 to focus on the advanced study of the latest developments in new media and communications and their effect on traditional media and business models, communications, culture and society. SNCR is comprised of professional communicators, members of the media, business leaders, scholars, futurists and technologists – all focused on research, education and the establishment of standards and best practices.

Its website, www.sncr.org, hosts a robust assortment of resources, including surveys, case studies, white papers on best practices in social media, and more.

Media is constantly evolving, so it’s good to know there is a group dedicated to keeping up with and assessing new trends.

I recently returned from the annual IPREX meeting in Washington, D.C., where I enjoyed the collegiality of our partners from around the world and picked up plenty of good information along the way. IPREX is an international network of independent public relations and communications agencies, so meetings always offer great discussions about creative ideas on how to run our companies.

During the D.C. meeting, we also heard from several presenters ranging from a Reuters deputy bureau chief to a social media pro to a political columnist. Below are some interesting data points and insights.

David All, chief creative officer, David All Group:

“Never let an intern run Twitter.” You want to put a senior person on it: one who understands the strategy, can deliver the right messages and will watch grammar.

George  Vrandenburg, chairman, Alzheimer’s Action PAC; William Rebeck, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience, Georgetown University; Michael Hodin, Ph.D., executive director, The Global Coalition on Aging:

Alzheimer’s disease is bigger than HIV/AIDS. We don’t need to find a cure for it; we need to delay its onset. Half of the 85+ population has Alzheimer’s . This has huge economic and quality of life implications as our population ages.

Kristin Roberts, Washington news editor and deputy bureau chief, Reuters:

Journalists are nasty, cranky and don’t want to talk to you. Reporters spend their time trying to build relationships [to get sources]; you [PR people] should do that too.

On Reuters: If we’re not exclusive, we have to be distinctive.  This means being smarter, doing critical analysis, being more sophisticated.

The Honorable Joao Vale de Almeida, European Union ambassador to the United States:

Common values are the real foundation of the relationship between the European Union and the United States. The economy drives the relationship.

Ron Brownstein, editorial director and columnist, National Journal Group:

Today 80 percent of seniors in the United States are white, while 47 percent of Americans under 18 are non-white. They are the two fastest growing groups, and this has significant implications for our society.

Here’s a non-news flash: At 600,000,000 users and growing, Facebook offers marketers the potential to reach large amounts of consumers.

It’s the “how” of reaching audiences that spurs countless discussions, debates and arguments.

Help has arrived, however, from Facebook itself. With the creation of Facebook Studio, advertising agencies and marketing professionals can get a glimpse of how brands big and small are using the world’s leading social media site to sell their wares.

Facebook Studio features a Gallery section highlighting creative campaigns and their performance; a Spotlight area for the newest work; an Awards page dedicated to recognizing the most creative usages of the site; a What’s New blog; and the Learning Lab, a Facebook marketing primer.

Upon early review, the site seems like a useful (and overdue) resource. While predictably showing international brands like BMW and Coke, we also see how smaller concerns like OurJewishCommunity.org and the Boston Public Health Commission have used Facebook to effectively communicate to their core audiences.

It’s still up to agencies and businesses to decide the appropriate approach for their social media strategy. But Facebook Studio offers a helpful starting point.

“Information overload” is the subject of a recent article in The Telegraph, a UK newspaper.  The article discusses the findings of a USC research team that set forth to amass all forms of media stored and sent in the world – from movies and books to e-mails and text messages.

The study concluded that in 1986 the average person received roughly 40 newspapers’ worth of information each day; in 2007, this figure leapt to 174.

For those of us who are active participants in the digital age of smartphones and social media, “overload” may be an understatement. How do our minds process it all? Reading with purpose and filtering information for significance becomes critical.

Reading with purpose is particularly relevant for one aspect of client service in which I engage on a daily basis: media monitoring.  We scan print, online, TV and radio media for content with relevance to our client’s products, brand and industry. On any given day, our team receives hundreds of articles via search engines that seek out specific key words.

Searching for key words is a good place to start, but I’ve learned that developing your own filters is important in preventing information overload. Here is what I look for when reading for work or pleasure:

• Reliable source – Do I trust the outlet/ author to provide factual information?
• Relevance – When the content hits home I’m more likely to be engaged in reading and sharing the information.
• Powerful statistics – Study data, sales numbers, rankings and the like can pack quite a punch.
• Striking visuals – Images with impact, informational charts/tables, videos and great design tell stories on their own.
• Creative phrasing – Inventive language catches the ear the same way striking images catch the eye. For example, during the recent Midwest winter storm, my Twitter feed featured a multitude of creative synonyms for “winter storm.” My favorites: “Winter Wallop” (from INside Indiana Business) and “Snowmageddon” (from ChicagoNow.com).
• Out of the blue – A fresh perspective can spark interesting conversation.

I’m interested in hearing your insights – How do you process all 174 newspapers’ worth of information?

As a member of Borshoff’s social media team, I try to stay up to speed on the latest and greatest offered on social networks. Recently I downloaded the newest edition of TweetDeck and was informed that I had the chance to break the microblogging barrier by going over the 140 character limit. “Hmm…” I thought. As much as I like the idea of being clear and concise in tweets, TweetDeck now encourages me to forget all that. Introducing Deck.ly.

Sometimes it’s hard to say everything you want in a short space. Deck.ly allows you to complete that thought. The Twitter Team at Borshoff wasn’t too sure if we should embrace or reject the new benefit. So we decided to see what it has to offer and/or what issues we would run in to.

Here’s how it works: If you keep typing past the character limit, instead of a – #, you see a + #. For example, the last tweet from Borshoff was +6 over the character count. When I went to RT it from @jkoumpouras, this is what displayed:

RT @borshoff: @borshoff‘s @bschultzie, @erikcajohnson & @myrabcook were honored as @HoosierPRSA past presidents at yesterday… (cont) http://deck.ly/~0pE7i

The “…(cont)” is new. If you click on the Deck.ly link, it brings up the whole tweet again in a web browser, picture and all.

No issues appeared when using Deck.ly. In fact, it’s nice to know that I can use at least +1 or +2 characters when I need to. Still, I will try to stay within the 140 character limit going forward. After all, as PR professionals, we like to keep our writing crisp and clear.

If you haven’t yet upgraded, here’s a link to download the newest version of TweetDeck (including Deck.ly).

I have subscribed to both Groupon and LivingSocial for some time. But I never actually bought an online coupon until last week. Apparently I wasn’t alone.

It was the Amazon come-on – buy a $20 coupon for $10 – that finally lured me into action. Me and 1.35 million others!

Surprisingly, in this day of instant online response to a purchase, it took two days to receive the email with the link to my coupon.  For a while I thought I was duped out of $10.

Not so. Since I was part of one of the largest responses to a coupon deal ever, the massive response caused technical challenges causing the delay. Once I did receive, via email, the link to my coupon, I was able to apply it instantly to my Amazon account.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to buy a book.

2010 marked my first year as a full-time professional at Borshoff. I learned something new every day, developed my communications and business skills, and discovered personal and professional strengths—as well as areas of improvement.

With a year under my belt and 2011 upon us, I know exactly what my 5 PR resolutions are for the new year:

1. Meet my professional network. As an active Twitter user, I wish I could put names and faces together more frequently. On occasion, like at Hoosier PRSA luncheons or social media breakfasts, I see someone’s nametag and put two and two together. The relationship grows once you have both online and face-to-face interactions. This year, I plan to be more intentional about meeting my growing professional network in person and further developing these important relationships.
2. Speak up. Although I’m a young professional among many accomplished veterans, I plan to be more proactive in sharing my thoughts, concerns and ideas. It’s important for my colleagues and clients to know I’m thinking proactively and outside the box. And who knows? Perhaps my idea may be one that others have never considered.
3. Get involved. Borshoff is big on community involvement, and it’s important to me too. Whether I decide to join a not-for-profit board or committee, volunteer or attend events, I want to be active in my community.
4. Become an expert.  It’s vital to be excellent at a lot of things in our field: writing, proofreading, project and time management, and problem solving. In 2011, I resolve to dig into something I know little about or don’t know how to do. I might just master the flip cam or learn a software program that I can teach my coworkers.
5. Find balance. As many full-time employees have already discovered, often the workday goes well beyond 5 p.m. While it’s essential to keep promises and maintain responsibilities, it’s also important to do something for me outside of work — whether it’s exercising, trying a new Starbucks drink or taking a 20-minute power nap (outside of office hours, of course). When you take care of yourself, you’ll be better able to serve  your clients.

If I accomplish these 5 resolutions, I know that 2011 will be just as great as 2010. Now you know my goals for the new year, what are yours?

Short bursts of news are gaining traction, especially in the Twitter realm. The Journalistics blog recently ranked the top 25 newspapers by Twitter followers. At the top of the list is The New York Times, with 2,668,948 Twitter followers – nearly three times the daily circulation of 950,000 readers.

Other publications aren’t showing quite the same gains over circulation as The New York Times, but the number of Twitter followers is growing. While true journalism is still important to people, we see a trend toward quick hits of news.

Top 5 newspapers, by Twitter followers

(For the complete list, see the Journalistics blog.)

1. @nytimes – 2,668,948
2. @wsj – 464,591
3. @washingtonpost – 204,514
4. @latimes – 83,335
5. @usatoday – 72,929

An interesting article was posted to the Bulldog Reporter site yesterday about the growing influence of social media and need for PR practitioners to keep up. Three take-aways pulled directly from the article:

1. The use of social media at public relations and public affairs firms has jumped 12%-15% in the past year. Currently, the total percentage of work devoted by firms to social media as opposed to traditional media is 30% overall, and next year, the percentage will increase to an average of 42%. In a year or two, the percentage will be over 50%.
2. PR practitioners — and firms in particular — must get increasingly up to speed to know what the online dynamic is all about and how to use it. They will need new skills, because mastering this space is a lot more than just setting up a Facebook account — PR people need to know how to create online advocacy programs that address issues, marketing support initiatives that help to push products, surveys that keep customers and others involved in what their clients do. Most important, they have to understand the of the need to create a strategic plan, not just throw stuff up helter-skelter like it is being done now by many firms.
3. Some people are interpreting our prediction of the dominance of social media as an outright replacement of traditional media — that won’t necessarily happen, but social media will become the primary focus of PR efforts in the next few years, overtaking traditional media as the dominant focus.

Allow us to say a few words about our upcoming contest with the Phoenix Theatre.
Ahem.

Got that? For folks who may be unfamiliar, it’s a Q(uick) R(esponse) code, and it can instantly connect you to information, usually found on the Web. If you have a smartphone, you can simply download a free QR scanner* app, use it to scan a QR code and see where it takes you.

We’re running a print ad in the Phoenix Theatre program that includes a QR code to promote the upcoming ticket giveaways, which will be running all season long. (We actually bought some extra tickets just for us as well — you didn’t think we’d miss out on all these great performances, did you?)

The contest will work almost entirely online. You can sign up to hear about each show’s giveaway by following our Twitter feed, @borshoff. Get the word and you can get the tickets, using a wonderland of web-enabled technology. You may need to retweet something we said. Or use your phone’s GPS to check-in at a given location. Or post a picture of some local landmark. Or track down a mysterious briefcase that glows gold when you open it.

Sound like fun? Just scan the QR above — or, hey, here’s another link to get to the same place (code is cheap) — and follow us on Twitter. We’ll keep you posted on all sorts of interesting stuff, including your next move to win some Phoenix tickets.

*You can download one of our favorite, free mobile QR code scanners at www.biggu.com.