L&S Unscripted

A few months ago I blogged about the trending loss of landlines due to the volume of people switching to mobile phones, well as it turns out there is now another reason people might be ditching the old home phone – Google.

Just recently Google announced the release of a new option in your Gmail account – calling your contacts on a phone! Yes, that’s right folks. You can now e-mail, G-chat and CALL all of your contacts in your Gmail account.

How does this work you ask? Well next time you log in to your Gmail account, notice the new phone option on the left sidebar of your page. Click on the phone option; download the voice and video chat feature and give your best buddies a buzz. It’s that simple!

I will caution you that some rates may apply depending on who you are calling. Nonetheless, as long as you have a decent wireless connection, you can now successfully place a call right from the convenience of your e-mail account. No need for patchy cell phone reception or that old ball and chain of a landline, Google has saved the day once again!

I rely on technology everyday for work. If you look at the arsenal of hardware on my desk at home, you will see four computers (both Mac and PC), a smartphone, an IP phone, an iPod, a webcam, a wireless router as well as my most recent toy, the iPad. All of these gadgets keep me connected and let me do my job, and I’ve totally convinced my husband that they are a necessity. (ahem)

About three years ago, I realized that my children will grow up in a very different world then I did, both for work and play. This is the age of information, where amazing amounts of knowledge are at your fingertips. Today, words like “apps”, “tweeting” and “friending” are commonly used and part of my daily vocabulary. And when I need to learn something new, I go directly to the internet.

As I type this, I have a three-year-old clone sitting next to me learning her shapes, tracing, matching and coloring, not on paper mind you, but rather on my iPad. She is absorbing and learning at an alarming rate and our iPad, in my opinion, is helping. This is the same girl that mastered the Nintendo DS stylus at age 2 and would beg her older cousin to play with the iPod Touch on a long family trip to Canada, so a touch screen is nothing new. It is only natural that she would steal the iPad from me.

When we bought the iPad, it was supposed to be MY toy. I’m in that “mom demographic” Apple was gunning for! I had visions of using the iPad to surf, check Facebook, read books and watch movies. But that’s not quite what it’s being used for now that my daughter has got a hold of it.

Since I didn’t want her surfing around my Tweetdeck app and replying to my followers with nonsense, I found myself searching for “age appropriate” apps that SHE could enjoy. First, I searched for “Toy Story”, since she is in love with that movie, and low and behold, I find a free Read-A-Long book to download. Boom, installed! She loves to draw, so I find a Doodle app. Boom, installed again! After that, it all went downhill. Now before bed, I find myself searching apps for HER to play with and less for ME! (I also suggest keeping a password prompt on your iTunes account so your child isn’t “auto” buying apps! I might elaborate on that story in another blog post…)

8 Apps My Three-Year-Old Loves:

1. Tangrams

I myself liked tangrams as a kid with the “real” blocks, making shapes and simple pictures. It took her one trip in the car to master this app. Dragging and dropping blocks onto shadowed outlines allowed her to make fun designs with the apps’ easy user interface.

2. Fruit Memory

This recent purchase is a well-designed matching game. If I had a dollar for every time she asks “Mom? Where’s the lemon?? I can’t find it!!” I’d have… well maybe only 40 bucks, but still. This is the game that we can play together since it supports up to four players.

3. Doodle Buddy 

Since I myself am an artist, I found it necessary to have an app where she could draw. I use Sketchbook Pro but I needed something a little less robust for her. And although my daughter likes the drawing part with all the colors, she like the stamps that make funny sounds better. (Especially the smiley face that makes the “sick” sound. Thanks for that.)

4. Disney Movies

Disney Movies lets you preview movie trailers and then takes you to the iTunes store to purchase. (clever and sneaky) But the reason that I put this in my post was because Disney Movies was the app where my daughter REALLY learned the “pinch and grow” sizing technique and the “moving and sliding” of information. It blew me away how quickly she picked this up.

5. Alphabet Tracing

Again, learning disguised as fun. She doesn’t get very far into the letters but understands that she needs to follow the dotted lines. This is my attempt at being a “responsible” mom and telling myself: She WILL learn something playing with this thing!

6. Virtuoso – Piano 

I actually first saw this app being used by the 3-month-old son of Miles, an interactive programmer at L&S. My daughter plays it much like she plays a regular piano, sliding her hands across the keys or poking them one by one. She isn’t a Mozart yet but enjoys the sounds and I find myself looking for more instrument type apps.

7. Toy Story Read-Along

This was one of the first apps I downloaded and installed because of her love of the movie (and my love as well). Basically it’s an e-book with puzzles and coloring pages in between story pages that can be read out loud as the words are highlighted. I’m hoping this one will help her with words and reading. It even has quick video clips that play as you are reading.

8. Default iPod App 

(preinstalled with the iPad/iTunes)

Listening to music is a given and she has her own playlist with “girl” songs. Usually I will find her jamming out to some hippity hop song in the living room with the iPad cranked up to 11. Yesterday I walked in to check on her as she is getting her groove on and she turns around, points at the door and says, “Mom, you go back to work, I’m dancing.” Le sigh.

Don’t worry, she still likes drawing with REAL crayons, running around outside, NOT cleaning her room and playing with toys. But on a side note, I’ve had to limit her time on the iPad since she is so addicted and we’ve even had to take it away during timeout.

Rather than “No TV young lady!”, it’s “No iPad young lady!!!”

If you have any favorite iPad/iPod apps you’d like to share, post them in our comments. 

April Johnston is the Senior Interactive Art Director at Lawrence and Schiller and an awesome mom according to her daughter. And yes, there is an insurance plan on her iPad.

Last Thursday’s keynote speaker at Search Engine Strategies proved to be another valuable voice of the conference. Tim Ash, current CEO of SiteTuners.com, is an expert site optimizer with several years of experience in the industry, as well as author of the bestselling book Landing Page Optimization.

Tim began his presentation by melting away the perception that a landing page full of information is a good page. The science behind SEO and attracting users to your site is one that involves breaking down the uber complicated algorithm of Google among numerous other factors. Then there is the bigger question of what users will do once they arrive at your site.  Well, Ash showed that building an effective site is really quite simple – it’s not about technology, it’s about humans.

In the ever evolving world of the web, it can be difficult to manage all of the necessary components of your site, but Ash shared a reassuring message – humans are predominately very similar and there are fundamental parts of our being that seldom change. One such part is the idea of trust. Ash explained that building instant trust online is key, and that web site owners only have one-twentieth of a second to gain that trust among users. This trust not only needs to be built quickly, but anonymously—you are lucky if a site visitor takes the time to navigate several pages and figure out exactly what your business does. Chances are if they don’t trust your site at first glance, they are already gone.

The brunt of Tim’s presentation focused on the “four pillars of truth” as they apply to gaining trust on web sites, emphasizing the underlying message of simplicity. The following points break down four important areas to keep in mind when building trust with your web users, along with a few pointers to keep in mind when sizing up your site.

•    Appearance – Leave the creative at the door, less is definitely more when it comes to your site
-    Professionalism of design
-    Sparseness and neatness
-    Organization and clarity

•    Transactional assurances – Don’t buy trust symbols such as VISA to only put them below the fold
-    Forms of payment and delivery
-    Data security and privacy
-    Policies and guarantees

•    Authority – Place important logos on your site and put them before your call to action button
-    Reviews and awards
-    Marquee clients
-    Media mentions
-    Trade associations

•    Consensus of peers – Build that “social proof” on your site so users know  you’re legit
-    Objective large numbers
-    Likeness

Tim urged the crowd to take off our rose colored glasses and get real about our sites. Is it simple? Do people know that you are credible? Can a major credit card be used as a form of payment? These are all important questions that users need answered upon visiting your site, and they can make all the difference to your bottom line.

Our goal at L&S is to make clients stand out from the crowd. Shoppers at the Empire Mall can’t help but notice the new University Center wall graphics near Caribou Coffee. Check out the install process and take a closer look at University Center.

Without fail, the back to school season seems to creep up every year. And year after year, the same routine of scrambling to get things ready ensues. It is a rather stressful, but exciting time.

As moms and dads breathe a sigh of relief of not having to entertain the children all day, kids are eager to be reunited with their friends, show off their new duds and share the happenings of the summer.

The funny thing is, regardless to whether or not you have children headed to school, the same feeling hits us every late August/early September. It is the official end of summer.  We realize it is time to start putting our noses to the grindstone and make things happen.

Summer is productive – don’t get me wrong – but when riddled with family vacations, half-days and sunshine, it feels as though we all had somewhat of a childhood summer.

Our summer here at L&S was a great one, with lots of excitement and progress. New faces, exciting projects and lunchtime grill-outs were just a few of the summer happenings at the agency. Just last week, we had an enjoyable summer picnic at Riverdale Park, complete with a sand volleyball tournament and iPad giveaway. Check out some photos on the L&S Facebook page.

Summer may be slipping away, but the fun of a quick getaway is not out of reach. If you need a last minute vacation, be sure to visit the TravelSD website for some ideas on quick trips you can take throughout the state.

The excitement of a fresh start also comes with a new school year. Kids armed with new notebooks and backpacks are ready to learn. To be honest, I still enjoy picking out a new notebook and pen for work every fall. Stop by Lewis to pick up a few last minute school or office supplies and check out their great weekly deals or upcoming tent sale.

The back to school air circulating throughout L&S is hard to ignore. We are all excited for upcoming months. We are ready for the great ideas to come, the challenges ahead and the lessons we will learn working with new and longtime clients. Be sure to keep your eyes and ears open to the latest news from the team here at Lawrence & Schiller.

Day two (Wednesday, August 18th) award winners are as follows:

Smartest Person in the Room (Any Room) Award: BJ Fogg, Director of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University, shared some fascinating insights on human behavior and motivation in the morning keynote. And a pretty cute video of his dog.

Best Mobile Insight: If you’re going to market through a mobile device, you have to give people a platform or tool to do what they want or need to do. You’re never going to persuade them through that medium, like when they go to a website or see a TV ad, because it’s too personal. They will feel accosted.

The Look Who’s Talking Award: Yahoo! Buzz – real time insights about what the world is searching for on Yahoo.

Best Display Insight: Banner ads, in most cases, show 10 times the conversion results when you look at post-view data as opposed to post-click data (when someone clicks on your banner, goes right to your site and converts).

Best Ecommerce Insight: 43% of visitors to online retail sites say the first thing they do is type the product name or category in the site search box. So if your site sell something, you best have a good site search (Google’s Commerce Search is an option).

The Come Together Insight Award: Because search engine optimization is affected by ANYONE that touches a web site (PR, product marketing, web development, social media, etc.) SEO needs enterprise-wide buy in to be successful.

Best Trivia: There are 100 billion searches performed online each month, comprised of over 800 million different search phrases. There are one billion websites online and one trillion unique URLs.

Stay tuned for more insights from SES Day 3.

Search Engine Strategies (SES) has got to be one of the most intense and prolific conferences out there, with three full days of over 80 different sessions, daily keynotes, an expo with 100+ plus vendors (and even more presenters on the floor), forums, labs and social events, plus specialized training days before and after the conference. Whew!

So in order to synthesize some of the hottest topics and trends in search and online marketing, we present to you, the SESpys (es-eee-es-pees)!! Of course, these take into consideration only the relatively few sessions the two of us could attend in the grand scheme of the conference. Outcomes may have also been affected by the amount of coffee and/or free expo candy consumed at various points of the day. So the SESpy winners for day one – Tuesday,  August 18th – are as follows. Drumroll please …

Best Pay Per Click Insight: Test everything on your landing pages. A slight image, phrase or button adjustment can make a double digit change in conversion percentage.

Best News for Math Geeks: The general theme of the “What’s Next in Search” session was data, data, data. The liberal arts and poli sci majors who have found their way into search marketing in the last decade may have to make some room for expert analysts who can look at ever-growing mountains of online data and pull out the key trends.

Best Schwag at the Expo: Rubix cube keychains from the Google booth.

Best Search Engine Optimization Insight: There were some great ones on link building. One was to give something of value to other blogs/sites so they link back to you without thinking too hard about it – create cool infographs that illustrate a hot event or trend, create badges that can easily be embedded on other sites, etc. And make sure you look at low hanging fruit to build links. Who are your vendors, partners, friends and customers? Ask them to link to your site, they’ll likely be happy to do it. And that’ll boost your rankings on search engine results pages.

The Party Like It’s 1999 Award: Linkbuilding. Still as important as ever, the search engines are still looking at which sites link to your site to determine relevancy. Every relevant session we attended reiterated that linkbuilding should continue to be an important part of any SEO strategy.

Best Site Content Insight: Don’t tell customers about what you sell on your website. Tell them what SOLUTIONS you can provide for them.

Most Embarrassing Proudest Moment: Being called out as the only two attendees from South Dakota in front the entire conference population by keynote speaker Jeff Hayzlett. And for the record we have to politely disagree, Jeff, the Spearfish Spartans do NOT suck.

Best Ecommerce Insight: If you can increase the number of people who make it through your site’s sales funnel by even 1/10 of a percent, your return on investment is going to be exponentially greater than any marketing effort to generate new leads. Plus, then any lead that comes to your funnel from social media, email, print, whatever, is going to be immediately more valuable because they are more likely to convert.

Best Tool You’re Probably Not Using: Google Insights – like a more robust version of Google Trends, you can dive into search trends and filter by type of search, geographic area, timeframe, product type and more, so you can really see how and where people are searching for the type of product you’re offering.

Stay tuned for SESpy day two results!

As the only two SES attendees hailing from South Dakota, we were excited to see native son Jeffrey Hayzlett kick off the festivities as today’s keynote speaker. Hayzlett, who recently resigned from his position as CMO and VP of Eastman Kodak, preached a message of embracing change–one that led Kodak to a financial and brand turnaround among the most impressive in the history of American business. Impressive, indeed. Five years ago, Kodak made $15 billion of its profits from film sales. This year, they will make less than $2 billion. Yet they have seen growth in the double and sometimes triple digits, and 19 of their top products (which comprise 80% of their business) hold the 1-3 positions in key markets. Kodakgallery.com has 75 million members and hosts over five billion high-resolution photos, the most of any site in the world.

So why and how did the company innovate so quickly and so well?

Well, the “why” was mostly because they had to. It was “adapt or die”, according to Hayzlett.

And the “how”? Hayzlett’s book The Mirror Test dives deeper into some of these ideas, but here are the highlights from his keynote:

• Invest in technology – Kodak is currently developing products that feature pictures organizing themselves into stories and cameras that can recognize grass and enhance the color (just to name a few). They knew they could no longer rely on just film or printers or cameras.
• No one is going to die – when you innovate, you will make mistakes. Best make them big.
• Get social – what’s the return on investment of monitoring social media and creating a presence? Hayzlett’s response: what’s the return on ignoring? (Hint: nada).
• Go to your core – 80% of Kodak’s business this year is business-to-business, not business-to-consumer. They looked at where they already had the market cornered (medical imaging) and further pursued that.
• We love you, but we’ll miss you – since they knew the company could only move as fast as its common denominator, they had to make some hard decisions. In fact, 60% of Kodak employees started within the last five years.
• Ask yourself – what game are you in? The answer for Kodak wasn’t “film” or any of their other products. It was about preserving memories through “emotional technology”.

To see how major change and a focus on digital can pay off was an inspiring way to kick off the conference, so from the (entire) South Dakota delegation to the big city, a tip of the hat to our fellow statesman.

Good morning from Search Engine Strategies in beautiful San Francisco! We are looking forward to an exciting week of being immersed in the latest and greatest in online search and social marketing, and plan to share some of what we learn here. Check back regularly for insights and updates.

Almost daily, we talk about, preach, practice and prove that social media is truly important and significant. The evolution of it is remarkable, and it only continues to provide more and more each day.

As of late, the focus has been on the money making – or saving – one can do with these services. Several new offerings have hit the social scene, presenting opportunities to further market and sell products and services. Moreover, consumers can reap the rewards of the special deals. 

Twitter recently released @Earlybird, a new service that gives followers exclusive deals from Twitter’s advertising partners. This is the social media platforms take on the recent upsurge in online deal offerings.

An equally beneficial sales driver, yet slightly different concept by Facebook developers, called Payvment, is a social network ecommerce platform that allows users to set up a free storefront. This application is a one-stop shop, allowing all the marketing, sales and administrative functions to be done within Facebook.

And we would be completely amiss to leave out Groupon, with its daily deals via email and Twitter, customized to your geographic locale. Additionally, it was just announced that Groupon will now be customizing its offerings to the specific users, treading into customer relationship management waters. The daily offerings will start to be geared more towards each individual’s specific interests rather than the entire audience.

These services parallel each other in terms of an overall goal – the utilization of existing social networks to market and sell products. What better way to drive sales and market products than directly with the relationships that are already established.

Making – and saving – money via social media channels is simple and essentially free. See what kind of ROI your business can get with these great tools.

As many as half a million people are expected in the Black Hills of South Dakota this week for the 70th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Most will make the trip without accident or injury. But for some, the ride will be their last. And it doesn’t have to be that way.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one in three motorcycle accident fatalities could have been avoided if the rider had worn a helmet. It’s a warning the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety is literally laying at the feet of riders in the Black Hills. One hundred decals, each measuring three feet square, dot the sidewalks of Deadwood during the Rally. As bikers take a break and walk around the historic Black Hills town, they can read three different reminders to wear a helmet.

When Jersey Shore first hit the airwaves and became wildly popular, I distinctly remember a conversation here at the agency about how and why this new reality show was exploding into the powerhouse that it has become.

The discussion involved trends, both entertainment and economic wise. We discussed how The Hills grew to be successful in a period of prosperous economic times. The show paralleled a lavish and extravagant lifestyle that seemed attainable for so long for so many (against all odds).

Then we talked about how Jersey Shore was The Hills of the new era, appealing to the masses because it speaks to the working class, “common” folk. The over-tanned, over-juiced cast of characters is relatable in spite of itself, and the country traded coveting daddy-funded trips to Cabo and $2,000 hair extensions for all-night beer parties and Snooki’s poof. There was a great analysis along these same lines this week on Slate.com, in fact.

So as marketers, why and how does this consumer behavior matter? What does the shift to Jersey Shore mean for your business?

The answer is simple. Messaging needs to cater to current economic trends, just like reality programming. Consumers are interested in what seems relatable and attainable. In booming times, luxury sells, but in times of recession and recovery, reality comes back into view.

And although Jersey Shore is relevant in terms of marketing, by no means should one find it necessary to partake in the fist pump or preach the practices of GTL.

I’ve never made anyone cry. Well, that’s not totally true.  I’ve never been a part of an ad campaign that made someone cry (or at least admit to it).  However, an ad we just completed seems to have struck a chord—with hunters of all people.

One gentleman emailed saying,  “My heart was so torn up last night as I was reading Pheasants Forever, that I could hardly re- read the ad to my wife.”

Another hunter commented that the ad captured the best part of upland bird hunting and owning a dog.

“As a hunter, a dedicated outdoorsman, conservationist and dog owner/trainer, I can only say that your ad should be marked as the finest,  most powerful ad I have ever seen!  I have never in my life been brought to tears by an ad.”

So what moved these avid outdoorsmen? An insight. Hunters love their dogs. They take pride in their four-legged hunting partners and can’t resist those “puppy dog” eyes.

Great creative is more than pretty words and beautiful pictures. Greatness comes from knowing your audience and what moves them.

View the ad.

Selecting a college is often complicated, drawn out and tedious for students. Searching for qualified applicants through tests scores and essays is also a tiring process for admission staffs.  Zinch.com is attempting to make the admissions process a little more interesting and social.

Mick Hagen, a Utah native, left Princeton University to start Zinch. He describes the site as “a tool that allows for high school students to showcase their talents, skills and passions to colleges and universities…”

The service also helps colleges more effectively recruit students. The site lets admissions officers evaluate an applicant based on more than a test score.  Colleges can also search Zinch’s database to find students who match their recruiting criteria. The site helps colleges find qualified students outside their recruiting territories at a low cost.

Two million students have created profiles on Zinch and are using the site to connect with college admissions representatives, find scholarships and converse with other students.

Time will tell whether Zinch breaks down the walls between colleges and prospective students. In the mean time, the site simplifies and humanizes the college search and application process.

A few weeks ago, I was visiting St. Paul with some friends, and we were looking for a new dining experience. I had recently downloaded the Yelp application on my BlackBerry and thought we should give it a try. After going through the broad list of restaurants and reviews, we came across the perfect place with around 30 reviews – a trendy, Asian fusion eatery called Señor Wongs.

The food and overall experience was rather incredible, and I believe that can largely be attributed to Yelp. But, this accolade leads to a larger discussion – is there value in consumer review sites and applications, such as Yelp and Urbanspoon?

These utilities are undoubtedly valuable to restaurants for a number of reasons. First, it gives restaurant operators a way to gauge the popularity and overall quality of a restaurant experience for patrons. If a restaurant is doing a satisfactory job, it will be reflected in their ratings.

Second, restaurant owners and managers receive feedback they might not otherwise get. And with that feedback, they have the ability to respond to both positive and negative reviews, publically or privately.

The majority of the reviews and ratings are favorable towards the restaurant, but pleasing everyone all the time is virtually impossible. Negative reviews happen, but following up on the business end can truly turn a reviewer’s poor experience into a modified rating or even a second chance. And if a restaurant falls short, there is an opportunity to remedy the flaw and improve operations.

If I had I not utilized the Yelp application, we probably would have eaten at a predictable, standard chain restaurant. Restaurant review sites allow smaller, hidden treasures to be discovered.

For the individual chain or franchise restaurants, Yelp and Urbanspoon help them to stand out and differentiate themselves from the overall chain image by highlighting their exceptional service, atmosphere or local specialties.

I strongly urge consumers and restaurants to start searching, reviewing and responding on these sites and applications. Using these tools can transform an average dinner from mediocre to amazing in minutes.

The Vermillion Chamber & Development Company (VCDC) works to foster and promote the retail, manufacturing, civic, agricultural and economic development interest of Vermillion and the surrounding area. In late June, they chose Lawrence & Schiller to help them boost economic development and recruit businesses to their community.

We’re excited to get the word out about the business growth opportunities in Vermillion, and we needed a strong company to help us,” says Dan Kenton, Board President of the Vermillion Area Chamber and Development Company. “Lawrence & Schiller was the natural choice because of their work with the State of South Dakota and their staff expertise in economic development.”

We are equally excited about working with the VCDC. Many of us here at L&S have lived in Vermillion and are passionate about all it has to offer. We are thrilled to expand our relationships in the city and promote this great community.

We will assist the VCDC in diversifying and complementing Vermillion’s industry mix through a targeted lead generation and reputation-building program.

Our years of experience with economic development organizations, such as Dakota Dunes, Northwest Iowa Development Coalition and Forward Sioux Falls, uniquely position us to partner with the VCDC to foster economic development. L&S is also acutely aware of the unique factors that attract people to the community of Vermillion through our work with the University of South Dakota.

A few years ago the headline was “A Gift,” last year a major merger with MeritCare in Fargo. Today, Sanford Health is taking another leap forward, emerging as a new organization under one name, a new symbol and refreshed mission, vision and values.

We at Lawrence and Schiller have worked with Sanford Health to develop the “Today’s Pioneers” campaign including TV and radio ads and a series of internal videos.

While many may regard the plains as the last place to transform healthcare, Sanford Health believes that this is actually the perfect place.  After all, the people of the plains have a long history of seeing possibilities where others see none, working hard to get things done and helping our neighbors.

With their vision to influence health and healing across the globe and provide innovative patient care here at home, the people at Sanford Health are truly “Today’s Pioneers.”

Practically everyone – and everything – has a Facebook page now. From your grandparents to your favorite restaurant and even “campfires,” it seems there is a page for all of our interests and connections. So, why does my bank seem to be missing from Facebook?

I decided to look into a few banks in the area, and my findings were rather unexpected and startling. The presence of local banks on Facebook is somewhat lacking.

A bank’s presence on Facebook makes perfect sense. What better way to connect and build relationships with customers, both current and potential. When engaging on a different, digital level, other than within the banking establishment itself, consumers will feel like they have a deeper relationship with their financial institution.

The amount of time people spend on Facebook is significant and growing every day, so there is a great opportunity to spread the word about your bank’s products and services. Let consumers know about the latest offerings, incentives and news going on with your bank. Get them talking, give them feedback and learn about their banking desires.

I personally want to do business at a bank that embraces technology and change, stays on the edge of the latest advancements and services and really shows that they want to build a deep, understanding relationship with me as a consumer.

U.S. Bank has a strong following and does a great job connecting with consumers online, offering polls, encouraging conversation and linking to services such as mobile banking and careers.

Charles Schwab facilitates discussions, informs consumers of their corporate social responsibility efforts and connects to its other social media presences on Twitter and YouTube. 

Another active social networker, Citibank, offers news of its latest offerings, connects to its blog and asks consumers to help in changing Citi for the future.

Local banks need to start building up their online presence, as Facebook is not just a fad anymore. With over 400 million active users, the service will be around for a while and only continue to advance.  The benefits of a social media presence may be surprising.

As the long-awaited news breaks on Twitter and Facebook that a possible end might be coming to the leaking oil catastrophe that has plagued the Gulf of Mexico for months, I thought it might be an appropriate time to reflect on the significance of social media during the BP oil spill of 2010.

These days it’s hard to keep anything secret, and even harder to contain bad news. With the ease of expressing opinions and conversing with others via social media platforms, any news—especially bad news—seems to spread like a rash. This has definitely been the case with the BP oil spill. Everything from mobile applications to Facebook fan pages and YouTube video channels have been created in its name. These social media platforms have provided an area for people to reveal horrifying images of animals soaked in oil, share their opinions on the event and on BP as a company, and, of course, bash those in control.

BP has weathered an exorbitant amount of criticism for the spill and their lack of crisis management on the logistical side of things; the company was also not prepared to communicate with or respond to troubled Tweeters and Facebookers online.

So what digital lessons can be learned from this mess? Well first, crisis management must expand further than traditional media. Companies must be ready to respond online. A good way to do so is to hire a person or delegate the task of social media monitoring and responding to an individual who is currently in your organization. This way there is one person that is always staying on top of the latest comments and conversations taking place online about your business—and they can be the social media point person in case of a crisis.

Second, create multimedia press releases and other online content that can be shared on various sites. Online video viewership is beginning to surpass views of popular news programs on TV. So companies should be sure to cover their bases by spreading video content online.

In today’s world, the public appreciates transparency.  Even if there are no good excuses for a company misstep, sometimes telling the truth can go a long way in diffusing a bad public relations situation. And with social media, people are bound to find out whether you tell them or not, so it’s best they hear it from the source.

Though it may be difficult to foresee worst-case scenarios, make sure you are thinking digitally when preparing your crisis management plan and remember to take action online as well.