Consistency is Key! Creating Meaningful Social Media Strategies with Cindy Crescenzo

For the second year in a row, PICA has involved Crescenzo Communications in our annual workshop, with very good reason. Their contributions to our learning have been phenomenal! While we’ve had some primers on the ins and outs of various social media mechanisms, Cindy Crescenzo joined us this year to help us understand how to use social media to our companies’ advantage. Today’s recap is brought to you by Kirsten Faherty.

“Social media is necessary in one way, shape or form. Your customers expect it or you’re shutting them up,” Cindy explains.

After all, social media is cost effective, right? And everyone is online, right? So, does one method of communicating replace another? And how do we know what works best for the communicator and the company?

Cindy broke it down for us by explaining that in order to communicate using social media, we need a purpose, plan, real voice and way to tell if it is effective.

Through a series of examples and studies, Cindy showed us how Facebook and Twitter can be used in ways that guide comments and participation, so your online communications don’t just turn into a giant complaint chat room.

The State Farm example showed us that their Facebook wall could be used for much more than general comments. “It’s a conversation, not a marketing tool,” Cindy shared. So, while it is insurance-related, it’s not blatantly saying, ‘buy our insurance…we’re the best.’ Rather, it’s showing something that State Farm believes in and the insurers commenting on the site are telling the stories for them.

A great tip that Cindy shared with is was to “use You Tube to thwart bandwidth issues.” So, instead of begging for space on your company’s intranet, reserve a You Tube channel and put your videos there.

Twitter is something that has always seemed tricky to me…how can it be taken seriously when so many individuals use it so frivolously?

Cindy advised, “Put a person behind the social media, not just your company’s name. Who is the person? Whoever is closest to the problem.” Makes total sense…let the person in your organization who is in the know and who can resolve the issue be that particular Twitter account’s voice. Brilliant!

Beyond improving and building your own company’s online presence, what can we do to better serve our agents?

Allstate provides templates for their agents to customize and even feeds useful content. The agent’s part is making it happen…they take the initiative to update the information and provide their own Twitter and Facebook information. From our Allstate example of Joe Schneider, we can see how his carrier-provided webpage complements with his more conversational Facebook page.

What about the other things we’ve all debated, like how to handle negative comments, or knowing which method is the best, or finding the time to maintain the sites? (We know firsthand about this, right, PICA? As we build this site and redesign our static site? It’s HARD to keep up with them all!) Measuring the usage through comments, hits and impact can let you know where your time is best spent and also reveal where you’re spending time and don’t need to.

Remember the Six Phases of Social Media that Cindy described? I think a lot of us are still in Phase Two: aware that it exists, but aren’t sure that it applies to our company. I like what Cindy said about this; that we should “consider the end result.” So I think we’re all ready to move on to Phase Three: experimenting with social media.

If that’s where you feel like you are, remember Cindy’s good advice to refrain from being an evangelist about communicating this way, and construct a good case for social media by tying it to and existing business objective.

For more information about Cindy’s presentation, you can click here for a limited time to view her PowerPoint and share the notes with your supervisor as you look for ways to incorporate social media into your business culture and communication plans. Please remember that Crescenzo Communications can work directly with your organization to review all of your communications and help you plan for the future.

Workshop Summary - Steve Crescenzo Reminds PICA Why We're Here

Here is another workshop entry to help you rediscover all the great things you learned during the 2010 PICA Workshop in Las Vegas! Past PICA Chairperson, Kirsten Amspaugh, summarizes Steve Crescenzo's Advanced Writing & Editing session:

I was very proud and pleased to have the Crescenzos join us in Las Vegas for our workshop. For years, Steve's C.R.A.P. Awards and articles have been circulated within my company's corporate communications department, and we've always held Steve's theories about effective writing in high regard. So, it was really a treat to finally get to meet Steve and to receive specific feedback from him about how each of us can improve our publications.

Steve explains how he's taken time from his regular job with the "Thunder From Down Under" dance group in Las Vegas to work with PICA.

Steve takes a holistic approach to corporate communications. Generally, a company's needs to communicate are generated by policy, programs or procedures...but it's all really about people. The best companies use their publications to build communities of people.

Steve's presentation reminded us that any time we put pen to paper - or fingers to keyboard - we have to ask ourselves, "Is this worth doing?" Does the message we need to get out there have a benefit to the organization or to the audience? If not, maybe we shouldn't write it. Steve asked us, "Do you want to be seen as strategic communicators, or do you want to be Julie from the Loveboat?" Before you Loveboat fans get offended, consider that our purpose as corporate communicators isn't to give the audience what they think they want. Our purpose is to give our audience what they need to do their jobs and make contributions that benefit the organization.

Steve illustrated his points through our own publications that we submitted to him prior to our workshop. While some may squirm just a little when their publication is up there on the projection screen, I crave this kind of criticism and really welcomed the feedback, so everytime I saw something from my company appear on the screen, good or bad, I was psyched. To have specific feedback from someone like Steve is a huge benefit of PICA's workshop setting - we actually get to interact with writing experts and see our work through fresh eyes. (Hint: if you didn't submit something this year, do it the next time we have a session like this! You'll really increase your company's return on the investment it made by sending you to our workshop...)

A few examples of the kinds of specifics Steve touched on that we could fix right away:

Write better headlines! Putting words above an article in a larger font doesn't make it a headline. Use verbs to create movement and energy. And don't write the headline last...write it early on in the process while your enthusiasm is high and let that theme lead the article.

Give your publications credibility. How does it benefit your company's objectives to write about how a retiree plans to fish or (surprise!) relax upon retirement? Or to include articles that talk about an employee's favorite recipe or about household issues? While these topics may seem like they're contributing to the human element of your publication, they're really just fluff. Punch it up and include things that will increase your company's overall success. For example, in an interview with a retiree, ask, "What is the one thing you've always done to promote good service?" Now, that is a parting thought that shows a person's value and can benefit those who continue to work for the organization. Or, ask someone else for a story or quote about that person to illustrate the kind of worker they are.

Good writing is talking edited. Given that, when we construct long quotes that our executives supposedly said that sound nothing like talking, it's obvious! And awkward.

While the session was packed with information, we laughed a lot, too. Whether we were giggling over Crescenzo Communications IT Department, or learning how to play Buzzword Bingo, Steve did a great job of keeping the energy high and the mood light. An outstanding session!