The Newspaper Industry, Continued

Michael Grimaldi

In the marketing communications channels that include owned (your website or brochure), social (Facebook and Twitter), paid (advertising) and earned (news coverage), the general-circulation newspaper remains a choice in each of the latter two categories.

Although many say the newspaper is a dying medium, new evidence has emerged, as we hypothesized last summer, that it’s too early to plan a funeral for the business.

Three things:

No. 1: It’s clear, as previously reported, that wealthy investors find traditional newspapers to be undervalued assets and attractive investments. The latest indication of this bellwether – the speculated interest of the Koch brothers of Wichita in the Chicago Tribune and other papers – was reported by The New York Times in a Page 1 Sunday story.

No. 2: One investor new to the game, Warren Buffett, is figuring out how to help newspapers survive. Two journalists dug into Buffett’s numbers to see how he does it. (Short version: Buy small, manage smart and keep a good balance between online and legacy print subscribers.)

No. 3: Circulation revenue rose in 2012 for the first annual gain in nearly a decade. This happened, of course, because the newspaper industry “has begun to adapt its business model to a new era” as subscribers consume “newspaper content” on tablets and smartphones, and advertisers find them there.

Newspapers need to be thought of – by their owners, journalists, advertisers and readers – as newsgathering organizations that deliver intellectual content to readers, not as factories that deliver a printed document to doorsteps.

The newspaper has always been a total package of paid and earned information, valued by readers for both. When weighing options for marketing, public relations or advertising investments, remember what Warren Buffett and other investors are saying with their dollars: Newspapers again are providing a total environment for your message.

– Michael Grimaldi, senior communications consultant

Social Media. It’s Real Life.

Last week at the Middle of the Map Fest held in the Kansas City Crossroads, I attended a forum panel focused on navigating social connectivity. It was a lively and provocative discussion on the interrelationship between the online and offline communication world, and it sharpened my thinking on the subject.

Wayne Kaufmanschmidt

Drawing Lines
Far too frequently, we see poor online sharing choices. These range from off-color comments on business Twitter accounts, to questionable photograph choices, to acts of deliberate deception. It is easy to claim that we are still finding our way with the new technology, that the allure of anonymity is to blame, or that self-policing will solve this in time. As responsible stewards of brands, it is critical to set up guidelines for online interaction. Consider it an employee online dress code to set the tone for how the company wants to be perceived and the level of professionalism expected.

Personal Integrity
Be truthful. The online space should be a place to better define who you are. It’s not a playground to take out our aggressions or test out crazy theories. What we do online, individually and as business agents, is a direct extension of who we are. We have an obligation therefore to be true, making our online interactions seamless with our personality and position. This becomes even more of an issue in a global economy where online interactions may be the only connection between companies and their customers.

Stay Interesting
The two most frequent questions I hear when talking about social media with our clients are in regard to timing and content. What should I share? How often do I need to do this? The answer to both: Be an interesting part of their day. If you know the interests of your audience and you have something relevant to say, then now is the time. If you don’t, then skip it. Every time you tweet or share, it is another opportunity for your audience to either value your relationship or question it. Not surprisingly, it is the same offline.

The lesson: What happens in social media happens in real life. Your online and offline brand are one and the same.

— Wayne Kaufmanschmidt, Digital Strategy Vice President

#Howto #Hashtag

Jenny Stasi

By now you’ve seen words, names or phrases that use the pound (#) or number sign, whether on Twitter, Instagram or even on prime-time TV. This little symbol, known as a hashtag, is a powerful tool that can do wonders for your message, if used correctly.

Before we get into the power of the hashtag, let’s start by defining what it is. Twitter users invented the hashtag years ago as a way to categorize messages. A hashtag is simply the # symbol followed by a keyword or phrase, with no spaces in between (e.g., #CyberMonday, #Oscars, #NFL, #YOLO, #FollowFriday).

Why are hashtags important? According to Twitter, “People use the hashtag symbol before a relevant keyword or phrase (no spaces) in their tweet to categorize those tweets and help them show more easily in Twitter Search.” Similarly, hashtags can be used on other social media platforms to categorize messages or images, but for the purpose of this post, let’s focus on Twitter.

If you’re running a Twitter handle for your brand or a client, including hashtags in your tweets is a great way to engage with the Twitter community and expand your message to new audiences. Here are a few tips to follow as you think about using and creating hashtags for a brand:

• #ListenFirst. Before you start using a hashtag, do a search to see if it’s already being used. If so, what conversations are happening within that hashtag’s stream? Sometimes it’s not what you think. Be sure to insert yourself into brand-relevant conversations.

• #ShortandSimple. On Twitter, you only get 140 characters. Keep your hashtags short and direct to give your audience more opportunity to engage.

• #DoNotSpam. Aim to use just a few hashtags per tweet (too many can come off as overkill and desperate) and ensure the ones you’re using are relevant, both to your brand and to people following that hashtag.

• #BrandAHashtag. Hashtags are a great way to generate buzz around an event or marketing campaign. Create a hashtag that’s ownable to drive conversation for your brand/campaign. Check out #PepsiHalftime or Kate Spade’s use of #LiveColorfully for a few good examples.

• #CrossPromote. Before someone can use your hashtag, they must be aware of it. Use other marketing channels, such as your website, PR interviews and ads, to promote your hashtag and encourage use.

• #MonitorandTrack. The goal of a hashtag is to expand your message’s reach. If you create a brand/campaign hashtag, make sure you are monitoring it and engaging with those who use it.

• #FindYourVoice. Don’t be afraid to have a little fun with your hashtags. Social media is a great way to let your brand’s personality shine.

Whether you’re looking to share information live from an event or just looking to expand your brand’s conversation online, consider hashtags. It’s amazing to see how people across the world can instantly be connected, chat and share information real-time, all thanks to one little symbol.  #LongLivetheHashtag

– Jenny Stasi, Account Supervisor

Young Ones, Kids, Minions … Interns

Intern. A word that is synonymous with getting coffee, making copies and fetching the C-level’s lunch, right? Wrong. Well, at least at Trozzolo Communications Group.

With youth comes an abundance of knowledge about the latest technology as well as fresh, innovative ideas that invigorate our team. Therefore, we take very seriously the business of selecting and educating interns.

Here, it is not acceptable for these bright-eyed and bushy-tailed kids to simply collect media clips and prepress print ads.

Granted, they do help with that, but they are also involved in more hands-on experiences by presenting to clients, brainstorming new campaign ideas, writing media pitches, and assisting on TV and radio productions. Not to mention each class is given a real-world client assignment.

For example, our 2012 intern class helped come up with a social media campaign for our client, Missouri Credit Union. Many of their ideas have been incorporated into MCU’s Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook pages.

Why do we do all this, you might ask? Because we believe it is our responsibility to help shape and educate the future minds of our industry. It is not enough for our interns to leave with nothing more than the ability to put Trozzolo on their résumé.

We want these students to leave ready to take on the industry with confidence and real-world knowledge once they graduate. Whether it be in KC or NYC. And the ones who really impress us? We often make them part of our family. And, there’s proof. We currently have three past interns on staff.

So, the question then becomes are you or someone you know ready to dive into the industry? Headfirst? Then apply for our internship program and get paid for those creative, strategic and savvy thoughts. We are looking for three interns who rock at PR, advertising, social media, copywriting, programming or account management. We lean toward junior level or above, but have had our socks knocked off by younger students before.

Are you up for the challenge? Then apply at http://interns.trozzolo.com. We are accepting applications through March 1. And please, spell our company name right … it matters.

— Sarah Davis, TCG Account Supervisor

The Not-So-Happy Hour at Applebee’s: Three things we can learn from the Social Media Food Fight

Jeff Madden

I’m sure you heard the news. Maybe even followed the story. Applebee’s became another case study in the age of digital streaming news. If you missed it, here’s a quick snippet.

Large group at an Applebee’s in St. Louis stiffs a waitress with a bad tip and rude message on a receipt. Distraught waitress shares receipt with co-worker. Co-worker snaps a photo and posts on social media site Reddit. Co-worker gets canned due to releasing private customer information without corporate approval.

Then, all hell breaks loose. The public feels sorry for the stiffed waitress and her friend who got the pink slip. In a matter of moments, “boycott Applebee’s” fan pages appear online. Twitter news streams on the Applebee’s website go crazy like tweets during a Justin Bieber concert.

Applebee’s jumps in the mix with a comment that goes viral. Then it backfires because, after all, everything lives forever in the digital world and can go viral in microseconds. Within hours, more than 17,000 comments appear on Applebee’s Facebook page. A response is posted by Applebee’s at 2 a.m. It was like pouring gas on a fire by that point.

The crowd goes nuts. Comments are mysteriously removed, although this is denied. The corporate post gets tagged to various posts. Over and over again. More fuel. Bigger fire. Online arguments break out. It was like watching a food fight in an elementary school.

(I think I need a drink after watching this go down.)

There’s more if you want to check it out online.

Here are three key things we can learn from this event.

1. Prepare. These things tend to happen in the middle of the night or on a weekend when you have fewer resources and less time. Follow your social media plan and flowchart. Hopefully you have one. If not, call us.
2. Respond appropriately. Listen carefully. Understand what the trigger points are and plan an appropriate response. Acknowledge the issue, explain the facts and assure your audience.
3. Maintain open lines of communication. Don’t remove comments during a firestorm unless they are obscene or vulgar. It will rouse the masses. Don’t tag comments with “canned” or “legal” responses. This is your opportunity to be more personable and compassionate.

I’ll admit that I like Applebee’s, although I don’t go there often. I think it is a good company and employs good people. I’m sure Applebee’s will evaluate this unfortunate issue to create better lines of communication with its customers.

Learn from this so you can keep the food off your face and happy customers coming to your place. It’s all good in the neighborhood.

- Jeff Madden, account supervisor

The Next Big Announcement

It seems every time you turn around, Facebook has unleashed the next big thing to make your life easier, or at least your world smaller. I don’t know about you, but I find that pretty exciting. These announcements keep us on our toes and remind us that we are in an ever-changing media world. The way we gather information today definitely isn’t how we are going to be doing it tomorrow. So, we’d better get used to it.

What was announced?

In case you didn’t hear, Facebook’s announcement last week was “Graph Search,” a social search engine. According to Mark Zuckerberg, “This is one of the biggest things we’ve done in a while.”

This functionality is going to make the content you have shared on Facebook easier to find. You may have noticed that the current search functionality is not very user-friendly. Graph Search will improve how you find information and use it. Hopefully.

How will this impact me?

Ideally, it will make your personal Facebook experience easier. Right now, information you post to Facebook can be hard to uncover. It seems as soon as you share something that you’ve found important, it is pushed further down in the News Feed, never to be seen again. You obviously found it important to post, “like,” comment on or share, so why not be able to find it again once you do?

For example, wondering what pictures you’ve “liked?” Or, what restaurants your friends have checked in at? Or, maybe you’re in another city and wondering what friends have connections in that location so your vacation is a little better. These are the types of things that will be easier to gather through Graph Search.

What about my privacy?

Every time Facebook changes something, users get on high alert to make sure their posts are “private.” If we’ve learned anything, we should know that nothing we post is ever truly private. But, Facebook has made updates and assured us that nothing will be searchable unless you have made it public. If you’ve hidden photos or limited who can see certain posts, your general group of friends will not be able to access them. As with other Facebook roll outs, you won’t be able to opt-out of this. If you’re nervous about that and don’t want something seen, don’t post it.

What’s next?

Graph Search is still in beta-testing and not everyone will get to use it right away, so you have some time. In the mean time educate yourself. Just remember that Facebook is not a static site, so don’t fall in love (or hate) with anything for too long because it may not stay that way. Try and go with the flow or it may be a bumpy ride.

- Morgan Johnson, account supervisor

What Makes News

Michael Grimaldi

A big part of media relations is helping clients break through a heavy news agenda to reach reporters and editors who get dozens of story suggestions every day.

A good example occurred not long ago when our client, the University of Kansas Edwards Campus in Overland Park, Kan., asked us to promote a three-hour continuing education class called “The Birdhouse Project.”

It’s about building birdhouses, but much more. Educator Kris Munsch teaches how building a birdhouse can help conquer the grief of personal trauma.

It’s a good story. Munsch created this coping process after his teenage son died in a car crash, followed shortly by a divorce. He has written a book about the process, taught it in several states and built and hung birdhouses nationwide, including near the White House in Washington, D.C.

That seems like a story any journalist would covet, but we got a couple of rejections right off the bat. Reporters are fewer in number, they are busier than they used to be and it takes something extra to attract attention. We needed to explain better why this half-day class at KU Edwards Campus was news.

So, what makes news? What does a story need to catch a reporter’s attention, get retweeted on Twitter or capture hundreds of Facebook likes? There are many answers, but here is a list we use when evaluating how to make a story compelling:

• Conflict
• Betrayal
• Power
• Heroics
• Big money
• Calamity
• Cultural icons
• Major change
• Insights
• Significant “beginnings” and “endings”
• Trends and fads

Several of these might apply to The Birdhouse Project story. We picked “heroics.” It would take a hero, we reasoned, to confront personal grief and turn tragedy into triumph, as The Birdhouse Project aims to do. We asked KU Edwards Campus if any previous students of this course would be willing to share that story.

Michele Shanahan DeMoss stepped up. Her tragedy occurred in 2011 when a bullet foolishly fired from afar during an Independence Day celebration claimed the life of her 11-year-old daughter.

DeMoss was devastated, as any mother would be, but she courageously stared down her grief and took The Birdhouse Project course at KU Edwards Campus. Subsequently, she has celebrated her daughter’s life by establishing a charitable foundation and promoting organ donation.

With the angle of heroics, both print and broadcast journalists covered the story.

At Trozzolo, we appreciate the challenge of making client stories compelling. When the story can touch lives as The Birdhouse Project has, the work is even more rewarding.

– Michael Grimaldi, senior communications consultant