Here at Social Driver we love technology and exploring the latest trends and how they could be used to benefit our customers. To make sure we’re keeping up with the latest technology, our company meets every Tuesday to talk about “Hot Topics.”
The most recent tech trend to catch our eye is Vine. Vine is a new app that allows iPhone users (sorry Droid lovers) to turn photos into short videos and share with their friends. The videos, similar in style to animated GIFs, range from funny art to advertising. Now that Vine has been around for a couple weeks, organizations are getting in on the action and posting fun videos with Vine as a new way to share content with their audience.
Could this new trend be used for your organization? Here are some things to consider when evaluating whether to use Vine to connect with your organization’s audience:
1) Are most of your audience members actively using Twitter? – Vine was developed by a Twitter-owned company and currently can only be shared over Twitter feeds, not on Facebook. If your audience is actively engaging others through Twitter, Vine could be a great option for connecting with them.
2) How concise is the message you want to deliver? – Vine videos are only 6 seconds long which means you have to get your message across within the blink of an eye. This still leaves time for making an impression, but it must be thought out and intentional.
3) How much time can you commit to planning and execution? – Even though the videos are short, the impact can be lasting. You should plan your Vine content and message just as you would messages communicated through other means of social media. There should be an obvious message and call to action for viewers of your Vine videos
If you decide to explore marketing with Vine we’d love to see your videos in the comments below! Feel free to reach out to us at info@socialdriver.com if you would like information on how we could help your organization use technology to reach your target audience.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking on a panel at an event for the Public Relations Society of America – National Capital Chapter (@prsa, @prsa_ncc). We fielded some fantastic questions from the audience, and many asked how many social media channels, tools, or platforms is the right number to use.
I reused a very appropriate analogy I heard last year (more about that later). Have you ever been to a house party, where everyone ends up crowding around in the kitchen, while the host tries to herd folks out to the living room, where the cupcakes and comfy couches are? You have to decide what type of host you want to be – the ones who tries to interrupt good conversations and push people into the other room, or the one who goes with the flow and remembers that the point of the party is to have a good time, not to show off the new furniture.
When it comes to reaching your audience online, you need to figure out where they are, not where you want them to be. That probably means:
So what’s the right social media channel, tool or platform for your organization? The answer is, find out where and how your audience is spending time, and go to them. So go ahead, grab that tray of cupcakes and take it into the kitchen. Your audience, and your sanity, will thank you.
I’ve taken the liberty of appropriating and modifying the kitchen analogy from the very insightful Mary Nahorniak (@maryvale), Social Media Editor at USA Today, who spoke at the “Get It Online” lunch discussion group I host at The National Press Club (@pressclubdc). She probably tells it better than I do!
Popularise is an online crowdsourcing platform focused on local development. They are our new favorite startup in Washington, DC. Popularise buys commercial real estate, renovates it, and leases it to local businesses. However, instead of letting the businesses decide who should get the lease, Popularise asks the local community. They created a platform where a user can login, vote for a specific project, post an idea of what they think should be in the building, comment and discuss. It is sold as software as a service so anyone who has a project where they want to engage the community can use it as a tool to reach
out to their customers.
Popularise recently launched Fundrise, a crowdfunding platform for commercial real estate. Anyone can logon and for $100 a share, buy into the building that they are developing, help get the tenant into the building, and support the concept. In just 3 months, Fundrise has raised $325,000 of shares to locals in the H Street area of DC to fund 30% of a new development there. This gives people the power to help develop their neighborhood. Incredibly awesome.
Around here, we like creative ideas to circulate the office on a daily basis. To keep you in the loop, we will post our favorite links each week. This week’s What We’re Reading offers tips on your favorite social media tools to keep you on your toes with the latest happenings!
A Social Media Evangelist’s Survival Guide
Alexandra Samuel from the Harvard Business Review Blog writes how early social media adopters can share their love of new media without overwhelming their co-workers. These are 8 helpful ways for going against the grain in acceptable and welcoming ways. If you see yourself as ahead of the new media game in your office, read this article to help tone down your excitement in ways that others can understand.
8 More Key Insights Won’t Hurt, Right?
8 is the magic number today as Haydn Shaughnessy from Forbes emphasizes the importance of social media measurement. This article has great detail to pair perfectly with the infographic below. Shaughnessy shares specific tools and strategies that are useful when measuring your data. He also advises which measurements take prominence in your business and how you can monitor these more closely.
Infographic: How to Perform a Social Audit
Awareness Inc. created an easy-to-follow infographic for a quick lesson in social media auditing. Not sure if your social strategy is working? Whether you need a refresher on Facebook or Twitter, this infographic is for you. Learn how to analyze your competitor’s numbers and start comparing to make changes of your own.
Make The Most of Twitter’s Makeover
Amber Mac from Fast Company teaches us how to use Twitter’s new features to show off your professional personality. Mac writes about 3 key focuses with suggestions for your new profile options. So, go create a header, update your profile picture, and improve your photo stream for even more social media presence.
Do You Access Social Media While On The Job?
If you just took the advice from above and edited your Twitter photo, than you may be a part of the 75% of workers who access social media while on the job. Blogger John Hollon at TLNT discusses the amount of workers who use social media throughout the day regardless of their company policies that say not to.
Here at Social Driver, we strive to always learn new things and share them with you. To get some inspiration flowing, here are a few of our favorite posts from this past week.
1. The Global PR Network Social Scoreboard
If you’re curious about the effect social media has on your business, head over to to the link above by Sociagility. There you will find the rankings of Global PR agencies making the most of the social media experience for their clients and consumers.
2. Marketing To The Next-Generation Media Consumer
Researchers over at Say Media offer guidance on how to market to the Off The Grid consumers who are straying from live broadcast and traditional easy-to-reach media channels. Read up to find out where these consumers are spending most of their media time.
3. Sketching The Future of App Start Ups
Ellis Hamburger over at The Verge writes about the app, Paper for iPad and her interview with Paper creator George Petschnigg. Petschnigg shares what he and his team have learned from the requests of their users to improve and launch the upgraded app, Paper 1.1.
4. Experimentation Is The New Planning
Dave Gray over at Fast Company writes about the importance of exploring alternative business opportunities since you never know what the fast-paced future of technology will bring. Gray encourages experiments from every member of the workplace to get creative and bounce clever ideas around, so when a curveball hits, you’ll be prepared.
Fran Berkman over at Mashable shares an engaging, witty infographic for you to consider before posting another photo album to your favorite social networking sights, especially if you’re on the job hunt.
Bonus!
And for your end of the week “get me to the weekend” feeling, we give you Screaming Sheep.
Happy almost Friday everyone!
We here at Social Driver believe that everyone can get with the future, governments too.
Government websites may be the perfect case for web usability and good design. These sites have a public mission to serve and inform, both of which can be greatly helped with a few smart webtools and an open eye to innovation. And now, with such amazing tools at our disposal, the opportunity for agencies to build high impact, and highly useful sites has never been greater.
What makes a government site great is different than what makes a conventional site great, of course. Good looks and snazzy graphics alone don’t make for a good use of taxpayer dollars. Like the agencies they represent, a good site is for the people and therefore serves a public purpose. These winners all succeed by looking good and doing good.
Did you know that the polished brass finish on your home plumbing fixtures comes from a space-age technology developed by NASA? You do now and you’re welcome. NASA@Home is a fun and graphically innovative site for understanding all the ways that NASA touches our lives. Fun to explore, loaded with information.
They say that Kentucky is where beauty, excitement, and hospitality come alive. Would you expect anything less from the state’s own website? KY.gov’s maker’s mark feels modern and accessible while providing all of the state’s vital resources. Even better, no wild turkey chases here. The site’s responsive design will beam any Jim straight to the information needed, regardless of device. And if there’s anything we here at Social Driver love, its bourbon responsive design.
Joining KY in the winner’s circle is Utah.gov with its search-centric, Bing-inspired landing page. Why sort for information on winter skiing conditions or dinosaur fossils when you can just search for it? (or, is it “Bing it?” Or, “Ute it?” Yes, we like “Ute it.”) While the site may not be response it is very mobile ready, so you can put on your official Utah state tartan and dance the official state folk dance. What are those, you ask? Ute it.
Governments are complicated. Benefits are complicated. Much to the relief of bureaucrats everywhere, benefits.gov is not complicated. Through their handy ‘Benefits Finder’ you can take a look to see which government assistance program. I, for example, may be eligible for 54 benefit programs. Thanks, benefits.gov!
How strong is the US Army’s website? Army strong, naturally. Backed by alluring imagery of skydivers and wall climbers, GoArmy is the online face of the Army’s recruitment efforts. The site’s appeal is more than skin deep though. Live webcasts, virtual base explorations, and live chats with sergeants aplenty are at the ready to help you choose to answer that call of duty.
