• On-screen promotions of hashtags, Twitter handles and/or Facebook Pages
• Promotions of network and show-specific second-screen apps
• Contests or sweepstakes that incorporate some sort of social interaction

In fact, a recent study by Accenture found that 64 percent of consumers recall seeing social prompts on TV. Which means all of the above is actually sticking with viewers.

Still don’t believe me? Log into the App Store or Google Play, and take a peek the growing number of Social TV apps dedicated to allowing you to earn rewards, check in, access exclusive content and interact with your friends in real-time. This isn’t surprising, because according to Nielsen, 68 percent of tablet owners and 63 percent of smartphone users are on their devices multiple times a week while watching TV – a phenomenon known as the second screen.

And let’s not forget about Twitter, who recently embraced its role in Social TV. If you’re looking to put money on a trending-topic-to-be, look no further than the next big TV event.

Now that Social TV is here, what makes a solid second screen experience?

Being an avid TV watcher, Social TV enthusiast and strategist for a Social TV client, I’ve taken the time to dabble in as many second screen opportunities as possible. And to be truthful, my experiences have varied greatly – from “wow, this is really cool!” to “hmm, this is kind of pointless.”

Below are my five ingredients for a successful and sustainable second screen experience.

1. Seamlessness

Attention spans are short, and patience is even shorter. This describes the majority of people who are testing out new apps and social experiences. Second screen providers are not exempt from this and need to ensure that their app or platform runs near perfect – all the time. From an intuitive, quick-responding UI to easy, socially-infused functionality – the whole experience should be seamless. That or risk the chance of users jumping ship and not-so-kind reviews.

2. Engagement

Social TV and the second screen are commonly associated with the concept of the Digital Water Cooler. This is due to how conversations about TV no longer have to wait for the office. They’re happening in real-time and online instead. This is one of the most revolutionary aspects of the second screen, and in order for it to appeal to the eager-to-chat TV fanatics, second screen providers need one-tap integration, posting and sharing with existing social networks. Anything slower or more complicated will result in the missing out of conversations.

3. Incentives

Found the app? Check. Downloaded the app? Check. Tried the app? Check. Neglect the app? Check. Like any other mobile app, second screen experiences need mechanisms to keep its users coming back after the initial trial run. Whether it’s rewards (like stickers or gift cards) or exclusive content (like behind-the-scenes videos), a successful second screen experience needs compelling incentives to keep its users tuned in for the long haul.

4. Integration

One of the key differentiators for second screen providers is the depth of integration with the top shows on TV. It’s a difference-maker because of its power to attract scores of users that are passionate about the shows they watch. These fans crave new ways to enjoy and interact with their favorite shows, and a second screen provider that can deliver an integrated experience will surely win them over and keep them coming back for more.

5. Contagiousness

Does it have a wow-factor? Is the app cool and/or compelling enough to spur viral download recommendations both online and off? Well, I would argue that if it makes the grades in terms of seamlessness, engagement, incentives and integration, it has a pretty good shot. The bottom line is, if it doesn’t have the potential to grow and carry via word of mouth, it’ll likely share the same fate as many of this year’s new shows: cancellation.

What are your thoughts on the Social TV movement? What about the keys to a great second screen experience?

Crown photo by pupismyname, licensed under Creative Commons.

Now here is where I feel awful and yet gets me thinking…

Instead of reaching for the phone to call 9-1-1, like you have been trained to do since a little kid, I did what I have been trained to do in my career and grabbed my camera (iPhone camera bc it was at arms length). I started taking a video of the car on fire as others ran across the street trying to help. I admit writing this I feel awful, as I mentioned, but stay with me. As I shot this video, my wife ran to the phone to call 9-1-1and report the crash and I kept the camera rolling. What was I hoping for? I remember thinking in my head, “this is going to go viral, this is going to be on all the news stations and look at these great angles I am getting.” What did I do with the video you ask? Nothing! I’m ashamed I even shot it instead of running outside to help. However it did start a conversation in my head.

How often do people go for the picture or video instead of helping someone? In a world where one viral video can launch your career or make you famous, how many people dream of the opportunity I had to shoot a real life car explosion? In my opinion this has everything to do with psychology and how we think and how we think differently now that social media exists. Working in news for years, I know that unfortunately great content can be in the form of bad situations (“If it bleeds it leads”). And these numbers I found support that- how an amateur shot video of a tsunami has over 6 million views:

I even found a video of someone waiting for some unfortunate person to crash in a snowstorm has almost 3 million views:

How many views could I get? As a video guy I think this is the most interesting social debate we can have. Has video become so powerful that the minute we are in a situation we think, “I need to get this on camera!” For me- something daily makes me pull out my phone and shoot a video. What about you?

I believe video in this social world is a game changer. Look at what a video about Kony did, millions more now know about this guy because of an online video. I’m just a little scared of what has happened to us mentally now that video is so easy to shoot. The New York Times released an interesting white paper on the psychology of sharing (2011 NYT POS White Paper 10-18-11). The report starts of with “the basic question of why people share content online has slipped by largely unanswered.” It goes on to state “the compulsion to share and enjoyment in sharing are, on their own, important parts of consumers life’s.” I believe a good video needs to relevant, creative and engaging. My car crash video has all of this but I wish two things. One, I would of engaged in real life and helped the people inside the car (who are fine according to articles I have read). Second, I should of recorded a video about the random people who all bonded together and rescued the people trapped inside the car as it was on fire…. that is the type of video I want to see go viral.

Car photo by Jason Bolonksi, licensed under Creative Commons

In concert with the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association (MIMA), the second part of the gathering will showcase our very own FireBell social media crisis simulator. Attendees will take part in a live FireBell drill, where they will participate in a simulated social media crisis – the type that is becoming increasingly common for companies, consumer brands (and Twitter-aficionado celebrities) to be hit with.

If you happen to be in Minneapolis on May 16, please come on by!

When:
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
7:30 a.m. Breakfast and networking
8:00 a.m. Presentation
9:00 a.m. Networking

Where:
McNamara Alumni Center, U of M Campus
200 Oak Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Please click here to register.

Here’s an infographic that rolls up that conference conversation, sourced from every Twitter post that included the #Mom2Summit hashtag. Note: Unilever is a client of Weber Shandwick, but our agency does not represent the Dove brand.

Click on the infographic for a larger version.

Disney has been actively engaging with this sector of the digital world since 2007, when they launched the Moms Panel, a group of bloggers and brand experts who answer questions and give advice to consumers online. (Disclosure: I’ve been active in this group for several years as a blogger whom the Disney team regards as – and treats like – a member of the press.) Not long after, Disney began to stimulate content generation from their parks, engaging local bloggers to make media trips and treating them to exclusive first-look experiences. Disney went in full steam, acknowledging that social publishers were valuable as both a collective broadcast channel and as individual peer influencers.

So when the entertainment giant created the invite-only Disney Social Media Moms Conference in 2010, it came as no surprise to those who had been watching their love of digital unfold. Last weekend was the third conference, which included a day of heavy-hitting social media speakers, an exclusive after-hours private party inside the Animal Kingdom, first looks at the new Animation Resort, and more. This was a ‘soft pitch’ media event that held off on the constant brand messaging, functioning more as a perk and reward for Disney’s most loyal brand advocates.

As a location-based destination brand, bringing bloggers to a Disney property for experiences provides exposure, giving Disney a tangible conversation that influencers can promote authentically. Content creation is the driving force behind Disney’s on-the-ground activations. After all, you can’t exactly mail samples of the Disney vacation experience to bloggers.

Not sure of the rationale behind the expense and effort of this conference – which allows these VIP attendees to bring their entire family with them (and gives lots of park passes, and Fastpasses for all)? Look no further than the social media output as a result of this year’s conference. Nearly every attendee wrote about the conference on their sites prior to the event, and likely will offer numerous recaps after. As at most socially shareable events, a succinct hashtag (#DisneySMmoms) was created and shared with attendees; here’s a visual summary of the conversation generated across social platforms (click image for full-size version):

What is the benefit to Disney for going to the trouble of planning for (and spending on) these selected 175 individuals? Impressions and engagement, not necessarily in that order. Collectively, the attendees at the 2012 Disney Social Media Moms conference represent more than 15 million followers/subscribers through all their social media channels (blog, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, etc.). With that reach, and the engagement they can drive through “likes,” comments, and content sharing, it’s a smart investment in influencers who can act as some of the brand’s most effective word-of-mouth promoters.

More brands would be wise to follow Disney’s lead, creating experiences that leave their most vocal fans with content-generating memories. All of this activity further embeds the brand into these influencers’ lives, with accompanying social amplification to their personal networks. Now the Disney tagline – “Let the memories begin” – takes on new meaning. With this event it might be better to say: “Let the advocacy begin.”

Note: Marcy Massura, in addition to being a Digital Supervisor at Weber Shandwick, has been working with Disney since 2008 as a blogger and has been given access to many press and media events free of charge.

Although age is the primary indicator of mobile influencing consumer behavior today, we know that as demographics change and more users have smart phones, behavior, content consumption and receptivity to marketing messages of the general public will change, too.

The research is overwhelming.

• eMarketer’s Mobile Usage Forecast indicates more than half of US mobile users will have a smartphone by the end of next year, with the highest penetration between 25-55 and the prized 18-24 demo not far behind.
• Pew’s research shows 63 percent of U.S. adults now access the Internet through a mobile device like a cell phone, laptop, ereader, or tablet.
• Two-thirds of US consumers with smartphones have used the devices to aid shopping, according to a report by research firm Leo J. Shapiro and Associates. The February 2012 survey also found that 38 percent of respondents researched products on their smartphones while shopping at a physical store.
• Pew also shows that 58 percent of smartphone owners use “geosocial and location-based services,” like maps, Yelp and Foursquare.

Marketers need to be thinking “mobile first” today. Rather than building a robust website and retrofitting a 10 page mobile-specific site as a tag-on, brands should build for mobile AND THEN build something to work on clunky desktops.

Even if your site today doesn’t have much mobile traffic, it will. Soon. Responsive design and progressive enhancement are compelling approaches to satisfy both audiences by focusing on a longevity strategy that inoculates short-term behavior shifts.

And let’s not just focus on websites. Mobile is… by definition, mobile.

According to Google’s research, 88 percent of those who look for local information on their smartphones take action within a day. That stat is stunning and indicative of where we’re headed… real time mobile search, action and ROI. We need to be thinking beyond URLs on broadcast and print advertisements. Beyond QR codes on event flyers. We need to be thinking real-time calls to action that have immediate payoff. Mobile happens in the real world — untethered from desks and monitors and cables and wires. We need to think of adding value to real-world experiences, which is possible anywhere with a cell signal (i.e. just about everywhere).

Beyond web browsing, social engagement and search, mobile currency is growing from infancy to maturity thanks to near field communication technology and services like Google Wallet and Dwolla. In fact, Pew says mobile payments may replace cash and plastic by decade’s end.

Okay, so mobile is not just coming; it’s here. What now?

1. Research your target audiences, determine their mobile behavior.
2. Design mobile brand experiences that add value based on that behavior.
3. Don’t just put a QR code on stuff (see #2). Add value.
4. Challenge yourself to think mobile first.
5. Measure. Evaluate. Adjust.

Lastly, if you don’t own a smart phone, go buy one. Today. Acquiring mobile and tablet technology should be equated with buying a new suit for that first “real job” out of college. In 2012, owning, using and understanding mobile tech is a necessary cost to do your job.

We will soon scoff at the clunky desktop machines many of us think as the tool for best accessing the world wide web. Market behaviors are evolving, quickly, and I’d rather be steering the boat with the scoffers than swimming after it, choking on the waves.

Recently, I blogged about the power of the “nudge” and how a seemingly small change in everyday activity can generate desired impact on target audience behavior. Through the power of Facebook’s news stream and a quick commitment to updating a life event (and adding a personal story if so desired), the issue now has fuel to take center stage and grab attention in a whole new way. It’s of course still personal choice to add the info, but yet another great reminder of the powerful impact a platform such as Facebook can have in driving impact.

Kudos to Team Facebook and Donate Life America for heightening the issue. Be sure to check out the video below.

And with good reason.  Statistics continue to point to the voracious appetite that consumers have for consuming video, taking, sharing and now pinning photos, reading and sharing articles and infographics and much much more.

In the midst of this, I had the opportunity to host a dedicated content marketing conference last week in Toronto.  The assembled speakers, comprised of passionate content marketers from across North America,  demonstrated in their own content just how aligned this rapidly emerging industry is when it comes to best practices.  Having never met, the lineup of speakers delivered a complementary and cohesive day of programming unlike anything I’ve ever experienced at a conference so highly targeted.

While there were many incredible takeaways from the event, the one which stood out to me as the most pervasive came from Rob Yoegel, Content Marketing Director at online marketing software firm Monetate.

His insight: Content is not king.  Great content is king.

Great insight from @robyoegel

 Of course, the next obvious question is: So what makes great content?

I’m glad you asked.

Drawing from Weber Shandwick’s own Content Fusion methodology, as well as the collective insights from last week’s event, there emerged a number of consistently stated best practices, distilled here into six simple but highly interrelated tips.  Without further ado, here they are in no particular order.

***

Start with story: Without a compelling story to tell, it’s doubtful that your content will be great.  Before you open your mouth or pick up a camera, know the key messages you’re looking to communicate and what makes them valuable/interesting/important to your audience.  Once you’re focused on that, everything gets a lot easier.

Listen: You aren’t the only one creating content.  Your customers and stakeholders are creating it every day and the power of the open web allows your business to deeply understand what your audience is talking about, what they’re interested in, and perhaps as importantly, what they’re not interested in.  This insight is invaluable in shaping content that will resonate.

Understand your audience: Listening is only one element of truly understanding your audience.  All of the data you have about your customers, everything you understand from your brand surveys, customer research, web traffic, email clickthrough rates, call centres and more contributes to an understanding of your target.  Compiling all of this can help you build powerful, content-focused profiles of your audience.  What types of content work best at which stage of your customer relationship or sales funnel?  Do they need to consistently hear your story from you or do you have the opportunity to curate content from other like-minded sources?  The answers (or minimally some strong clues) are in there.

Iterate and improve: Every time you produce a piece of content you have an opportunity to improve if you continue to listen to see how your audience responds to your content.  Monitor your clickthrough rates, feedback through comments, email and your Twitter handle, and any other input you have and use that learning to improve the way you tell your story.  This might be an outcome that’s highly tactical to improve conversion or it might be a significant revamp of your entire story.  Either way, your audience will be giving you clues – both subtle and overt – to help you make better content.  Pay attention to them.

Stay within your means: A content marketing strategy is a marathon and not a sprint – for that reason it’s critical to consider your available budget and resources when planning yours.  Your likelyhood to succeed with a one-off content piece is far lower than a sustained program that blends earned, owned, and paid media and is supported by a steady stream of content.  That said, if you only have the resources to create one blog post a month, look at ways you can use partnerships, 3rd party content curation, and other creative solutions to begin to scale your content production.  Use the rest of these tips to drive results and show the value of content with an eye on proving the need and value internally for additional budget and resources.

Be consistent: Your audience is exposed to hundreds, possibly thousands of marketing messages a day.  If your content marketing story isn’t consistent across every touchpoint, your story begins to blend in with all the others.  You’re working hard to stand out so you owe it to yourself to help your audience recognize a story from you.  It breeds familiarity, loyalty, reputation capital, and business results.

***

The staggering volume of stories, images, videos, experiences and information already present in our lives is only set to increase.  Merely having content will not be enough to reach, engage and retain a loyal audience.  The challenge is upon us – it’s time to stop producing content and start producing great content.

Content Fusion: a methodology to help adhere to these steps

Crown photo by Dennis Jarvis, licensed under Creative Commons

Eight years since I first stepped foot into a PR agency and my parents still can’t figure out what exactly I do for a living. They’re smart folks, it’s not their fault. My job and this industry is constantly evolving.

Eight years ago, I, like nearly all of my colleagues, drafted messaging frameworks, wrote press releases, pitched stories and created brochures, websites or other marketing materials for clients to help tell their story and drive actionable outcomes. These elements are of course still a critical part of the mix, but it’s becoming less of a sole reason that clients are hiring PR agencies.

These days, clients want your brain power. They want creative ideas. The want innovative ideas that challenge the norm. They want trusted consultation from specialists who live, breathe, study and adopt communications trends. Fast technology advancements are enabling us all to drum up new ways of connecting with target audiences. It’s up to us as an industry to capitalize on effective ways to maximize these connections.

The end impact?

Titles aside, the point is that old PR agency models are changing fast and for good reason. We now walk into new business pitches against ad agencies, niche social media agencies, marketing shops and everything in between. PR agencies are still often best positioned for integrated communications work as we’ve always been the core behind the message and carrying that message consistently from start to finish. In addition, any good PR agency is now chalk full of a mixed bag of specialists. From media relations masterminds to stunning videographers and copywriters, research strategists to community managers, content marketing gurus to graphic designers. People who truly see the big picture and understand the convergence and integration of owned, earned and paid media strategies.

What needs to happen?

Act. Now. You better start pulling the right people into your agency or onto your communications team. If you’re hiring junior staff just to fill a perceived “doer” role, you’re doing a disservice to that individual. In today’s world, it’s not enough to just be a “doer”. You better be a doer and a creator. When I look back, I started at an agency where I worked for a senior account executive. From there, I moved on to working for a digital strategy director and my current boss is an executive creative director. Huh? A creative director? Yup, and I love it. I still work at a PR agency but it gives you a sense of how agency models are evolving and diversifying.

Each and every day, I challenge myself and my team to push the limits on learning and development. To constantly stay ahead of the curve. To not just study PR and marketing trends, but design trends as well. We may not all be graphic designers, but we know the critical importance of building and executing strategies with a keen mindset around user experience and design perception. Together, we work to infuse the same mentality into our colleagues – to always extend beyond the status quo and think bigger, better and broader. We don’t just “do”, we create – all the time.

In today’s PR industry, the sky truly is the limit. For any college student looking to crack into PR, I’d encourage you to be prepared for a challenging career that rewards proactive thinking and creativity more than ever before. Be prepared to do, but know that your ultimate value stems from being able to create. If you think you have what it takes, let’s chat, we may have an seat open for you.

Photo by Quinn Dombrowski, licensed under Creative Commons

Unfortunately, while the candidate pool is large, finding talent with a strong understanding of digital communications and strategy, especially for a more junior role, often proves to be a challenge. Sifting through poorly organized résumés, boring writing samples, and mildly creative portfolios can be a huge drag. So how can those seeking work in digital stand out from the crowd?

Digital is a rapidly evolving industry and standards are high. Candidates from traditional backgrounds struggle to shine alongside others who have a potent mix of entrepreneurial experience and creative chops. You’re up against the self-starter who transformed her school’s PRSSA chapter into a functioning agency, the graphic design major who led a small startup company as an “internship,” and the sorority member who doubled the group’s fundraising by moving into digital.

So how can you catch the eye of digital recruiters? Here are a few pointers.

• Show imagination. In the sea of boring black and white resumes, candidates who use imagination by incorporating color, a logo, or even an infographic will immediately stand out. Your résumé is where you make your first impression – and your chance to show that your personality will fit with a digitally creative culture. Such an approach will show that you understand the importance of marketing yourself as you would any brand.

• Experience beats GPA. An A+ in the History of Communications does not outweigh understanding how to use Radian6. College is an investment and grades are a parent’s ROI. But students who remember the end goal is finding a career will successfully juggle a full course load and multiple internships. Show that you’re motivated and have accumulated enough experience to handle more than one task at a time.

• Focus on the “how well.” Make sure you can communicate “how well” you’ve managed your past experiences. Every intern will be assigned the same tasks like writing and research. You want to show exactly how well you executed those tasks and how successful you were. Did your research offer insights that led to winning new business? Were you able to tie your work to underlying business objectives? Measure the heck out of everything you do, and put those numbers front and center.

• Show that social media is something you use strategically and as part of your daily life. Be able to extrapolate your personal experience in digital to how organizations should be using it. Beyond listing your LinkedIn, Facebook, and/or Twitter profiles in your contact information, also be able to demonstrate that you’re au fait with the likes of Tumblr, WordPress, Pinterest, and Google+.

• Realize that “people person” isn’t a differentiator. If the best explanation you can come up with for why you would make a good addition to a digital team is, “I’m a people person, I just love people,” you may be in the wrong business. Period. This answer screams lack of creativity and understanding of what happens in digital communications.

• Position your varied experience as a feature, not a bug. Traveling the world shows a natural curiosity that lends well to trying new things and experimenting in digital. If you’ve tried multiple industry internships, don’t assume these will be seen as a sign of indecision; demonstrate how they exemplify your explorer mentality and commitment to trying new things during a low-risk time of your life (few people have to worry about feeding kids during and right after college). Show how your exploration has helped you develop confidence and skills that are transferable to other assignments.

Good luck in your search, and make sure you check out Weber Shandwick Digital’s career opportunities if you’ve got what it takes to go big in the industry!

Image by Dani Law, licensed under Creative Commons