Anyone who works in a social media role for a company would be lying if they said they didn’t keep tabs on their counterparts at other companies and what they are doing. To me, some brands make more sense to be in the social space than others. I really get inspired when I see brands that would not seem like a fit do really cool things and just get it and I love to get an insight into their heads and see what makes them tick.

The latest case came from Chobani Greek Yogurt. My first insight into their work came reading an article on Fast Company on their work with Pinterest. I Tweeted out the article. Not even five minutes passed when boom, I got a Tweet thanking me for sharing their post. A few follow ups and I was in contact with Chobani’s Communications Manager, Emily Schildt, who granted me the interview below:

One of the things I always find interesting is why companies got into the social space. Chobani is not something that I would immediately associate with social. What was the deciding factor to get into the space?

Social media and food are very closely connected. When you eat at a delicious restaurant, what’s the first thing you do? Tell your friends! Now, that’s amplified by posting on Facebook or checking in on Foursquare. So naturally, as a packaged good, social media became the very heart of our company. It’s where our fans go to share their love for our products, and first and foremost, we go to listen. Our CEO reads each of our Facebook walls every day, likely before he checks the morning news or grabs a cup of tea.

It looks like your company has a lot of super fans. What has been the most interesting conversation that you have had with a customer?

Oh! There are so many, I don’t think I can choose just one. But, I think what’s interesting is just that. We haven’t let these conversations become one-off; rather, we’ve built real relationships. Yes, we tweet about yogurt. But, we also tweet about other things that matter to our community: food, technology, philanthropy, pop culture. We use all of these things combined as the foundation for relevant, ongoing communications.

What was the first network that your team started on and what is your strategy for adding new networks to the mix?

We began on Facebook, followed closely by Twitter. We simply joined the conversation our fans had jumpstarted for us. That’s pretty simply how we choose what networks we’ll add to the mix. Instagram, for example, was an obvious choice for us because we saw that people were sharing photos of their Chobani cups. We thought, hey, there’s value here in hosting the conversation ourselves. On Pinterest, we took it a bit deeper. On average, we see 7 recipes a day online using Chobani as an ingredient. Pinterest is a great way to visually display this creative talent our fans have.

My wife and I are looking to try one of the recipes on your Pinterest out any suggestions?

Have you seen the 3 ingredient Peanut Butter Pie?! Or the Baked Potato Bread Bowl? We can’t pretend to be the geniuses here- our fans are our inspiration.

What is next for Chobani in the social space?

The world of social is an unknown. I would never even attempt to be an expert! How can you in an ever-changing space? But, we know we’ll be a part of whatever space our fans live in, or we see value in asking them to join us in.

Last question – how do you manage/balance your work/personal time on social networks?

Ha! I literally laughed out loud at this one. I’m not sure you can have a balance in this field. I think you have to adjust to the fact that we don’t live in a 9-5 world and we have to find a way to make work and personal life one in the same. I’m fortunate that I’m crazy passionate about what I do, and same goes for my colleagues. We all work together in figuring it all out… and consoling each other.

I am not going to lie, but Groundhog Day makes me smile and giggle like a

schoolboy. Seriously who has the time to go out and watch a guy grab a pampered groundhog that “predicts” the end of or extended winter. That and it always reminds me of Bill Murray who also makes me laugh.

For the second straight year, you can celebrate the day with a foursquare
badge. What, What, What you say?

You heard me you can get your hands on your very own Groundhog Day badge. All you have to do is follow VisitPA on foursquare and then according to Aboutfoursquare, check into any venue with the word “groundhog” in it and you will get the swanky badge commemorating the day.

Badgewhores, geeks and people with too much time on their hands rejoice!

You never get a second chance at a first impression. And perception is reality. We all know this but often miss opportunities to capitalize on them as do companies. One of the reasons for this is that at times, we cannot communicate with everyone successfully.

For businesses this is where logos come in. A lot of money is spent to identify the heart and soul of what the business is. So it is safe to say that everyone gets what these logos represent right? Well not always as we can see in this video with a 5-year old.

What does your logo say about you?

This post contains video, click here if you cannot view it.

I like to read, a lot and learn a lot via reading books. With that said, I really wish that Christopher Barger had written The Social Media Strategist four years ago when I was getting into the space. What took you so long Barger?

Not only does the book offer things that you should be doing out of the gate, but also offers what you should be doing as you look to expand your program.

If you are a college student or someone getting into the social media space, you should read this book. If you’d like to get a copy for less, click here (Amazon affiliate link) where a new copy is under $16.

Today I will be presenting at the Social Commerce Strategies Conference in Las Vegas on measuring social media. Four key takeaways are:

1. Traditional and non-traditional measurements
2. Measurement is not one-size fits all
3. Social customer personas
4. How Vistaprint got started in the space and what we measure

Hey everyone, just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas from my family to yours (if you don’t celebrate the holiday, Happy Festivus, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa or Happy Holidays).  So with that said, here are two pretty cool videos that I came across for tonight that mixed Christmas with geekiness. Enjoy

If you have kids, you might also want to check out this personal letter to Santa (its also fun for adults too). We made the one below for my son.

With just two weeks remaining in 2011, I figured that instead of reflecting on the past year, like I did with the Tweets of the year, I would look ahead to 2012. While it was truly exciting to be a part of the social media sphere in 2011, I think that 2012 will be even more interesting and filled with new twists and turns. So with that in mind, here are what I think will be the biggest trends or buzz words of 2012:

Measurement is King – we have all been beat to death with the phrase, Content is King. While content might be a strong driver, it has never been looked at in a measureable way within the social media space and is kind of like the underwear gnomes in South Park. If you are unclear as to the reference, click on the video below before continuing reading.

In 2012, I see companies really focusing on the fruits of their labor in the space. Social mediums have become part of business and top decision makers will not be satisfied with folks who can’t show results. While I anticipate companies really jumping on the measurement train, it doesn’t mean we are going to see industry-wide standards. The main reason for this is that companies have different goals for participating in the plethora of content and conversations and there is no one-size fits all cap.

Institutionalization – many companies have scraped by in social media, building success from a small team. Oftentimes these teams are early adopters or communications teams. In the New Year, these teams are going to have to partner with other sections or silos within companies. As mentioned in the previous prediction, decision makers are looking for measurable success in social media. This will present both an opportunity and challenge for companies. Since social media has more touch points than a Kardashian sex tape, teams focused on social media will have to learn to partner with other areas of the business to make it part of business DNA. If you are interested in learning more on ways to get started in this area, check out my series on institutionalizing social media.

Consolidation, acquisition and mega networks, oh my – The social networking space is going to get a heck of a lot smaller in 2012 and could wind up being a two-horse race between Facebook and Google. Much like Microsoft v. Google in the search arena, social will be dominated by the big G and Facebook. The niche and smaller networks are going to start to be gobbled up by these behemoths (like Facebook buying Gowalla) in an effort to offer a network that we’ll all be addicted to and share our data with them.  I also don’t think my favorite social network; Twitter is immune to this and think that Google will buy them in the new year.

I plan on revisiting this post in December of next year and will see if these predictions turn into trends or if I was just full of hot air. What do you think will be the biggest trends for the New Year?

Over the course of the year, I have had many great conversations on Twitter. When I come across a Tweet that makes me smile, laugh or think hard, I tend to favorite them and go back and reread them from time to time. The slideshow below contains my top 50 Tweets of 2011.

Hope you enjoy and find something to smile about.

Over the past year or so I have been fascinated by how non-profits utilize social media. Aside from building awareness of their causes through engagement, many of these organizations use the space to drive donations.

When it comes to social fundraising, I have always been skeptical about celebrities or web-personalities acting as spokespeople. I’ve read countless studies on the folly of using these individuals as spokespeople in the for-profit space. So when I saw a whitepaper from Geoff Livingston and Henry T. Dunbar entitled The Effectiveness of Celebrity Spokespeople in Social Fundraisers, I figured that it was worth the read to see if my suspicions were correct.

Throughout the 20-page whitepaper, Livingston and Dunbar offer example after example of regular people outperforming the celebrities for one simple reason – personal connections. Unlike many of the celebrities who loan their name to a charity for a fundraiser, ordinary participants have a personal story to tell that adds compelling content to their fundraising efforts. This content has engaged their personal networks to promoting the cause and yielding a better output.

The whitepaper is embedded below and if you are in the non-profit space or just interested in the social space, I suggest giving it a read.

Effectiveness of Celebrity Spokespeople in Social Fundraisers

In case you haven’t heard, Google has launched a new network for its users, Google+. Some are calling it a Facebook killer, while others are calling it dead.

Both of these groups are wrong.

Sure Google+ has some social components, but it is far from a social network, rather it’s a means to make search smarter.  Sure it’s 40 million user-base is dwarfed by those of Facebook, Twitter and even LinkedIn, but none of them have the user base of Google.  Think I am wrong? Think again.

If you have used Google search, YouTube, Gmail, Google Analytics, Google Docs or Google Voice, you are a Google User.  Chances are that you rely on one if not more of these (or other Google products) products on a daily basis. In a way Plus is an extension of those products and is a connective thread that allows you to interact with all of them without leaving a single dashboard.

Despite this convenience, Google has two problems. The first is that the network is still in its infant stages and has some maturing to do in terms of features and user base. The other is that the network has an identity problem because it is being looked at as a social network. And yes, I did hear that audible grunt from you with hearing yet another social network.

If I was a member of the Google product or PR team, I would spin the product as search evolved and simplified, mainly because everyone likes easy and everyone knows Google beasts search.

Sure Google laid some eggs in Wave and Buzz but this new network has already shown a few features that have me thinking that Google+ is like an MLB slugger ready to break out of  a slump including:

Circles – have you ever shared something on Facebook and heard about it from a co-worker or family member and regretted it? It’s ok to admit. Even with their new lists it is easy to screw up. With Circles, Google allows you to share an experience, story or image with a certain circle of trusted friends. Heck you could even tell your boss, co-workers and drinking buddies about that recent conference in Vegas in completely different ways.

Hangouts – the hangout feature of Google+ is a lot like Skype, but on steroids. Not only can you have multiple people on the chat but you can also record or live stream. Once you’re done, you can simply discard or share on YouTube.

Photo Integration – I don’t take the world’s most awesome pictures. The new photo integration of G+ allows users to edit photos before uploading them. So while it isn’t Photoshop, it still offers some fixes for straight from camera shots.

Brand Pages – The new brand pages still need a lot of work, there is no question about it. The one thing that I think shows promise is that companies of all sizes can cater a content experience to users by segment by using the Circles functionality. As the pages evolve, brands that cater to a mixed crowd won’t have to man multiple pages but can have either product specific or customer segment specific Circles without the fear of putting off one with heavy messaging for another.

YouTube Integration – I love services like Pandora or Spotify, but at times get a craving for a particular artist after hearing one song. Instead of having to build a new playlist or waiting for an artist to pop up, by simply typing an artist’s name into the YouTube box, you get a generated playlist. I must admit that I have used this a few times and am addicted. An added benefit is that you won’t have to worry about potentially over-share like another service hooked into Facebook.

While I do see these five features as building blocks for Google+, only time will tell if the plethora of Google users will adopt the platform. Until then, I think it’s too early to be playing grim reaper, but still wouldn’t be running to the store to pick up a book telling you how to use it for business. Play around with it and see how it can benefit you or your clients. What are your thoughts of Google+?

Image - flickrized

This post contains video, please click here if you cannot view.

It’s Thursday, so it is once again time for our weekly NFL picks utilizing buzz generated using Lithium’s Social Media Monitoring tool. If you are new to the picks, be sure to check out this post where the social media NFL picks process is outlined. Entering the sixth week of the season, I can say that I am happy to see that after a 7-6 showing in week 5, I am back to batting .500 on the season with a 39-39 record. With six more teams on the bye this weekend, I am hoping to pull into the black with this week’s selections:

• Carolina 22, Atlanta -6
• Indianapolis 10, Cincinnati 6
• San Francisco 6, Detroit 10
• St. Louis 6, Green Bay 10
• Buffalo 16, New York Giants 0
• Jacksonville 0, Pittsburgh 10
• Philadelphia 10, Washington 6
• Houston 16, Baltimore 0
• Cleveland 6, Oakland 10
• Dallas -6, New England 22
• New Orleans 22, Tampa Bay -6
• Minnesota 6, Chicago 10
• Miami -6, New York Jets 22
• Bye: ARI, DEN, KC, SD, SEA, TEN

How are you picking the season’s winners? If you’d like to try your luck against the social picks, I invite you to join the ESPN Pick ‘em league where Matt LaCasse and Mike Schaffer are currently leading the pack with identical 55-22 marks. Winner takes home a $25 Amazon gift card.

Image - Mr. Usaji

There is no question that social media is the most useful innovation or tool for the public relations industry. It has leveled the playing field and allowed easier access to reporters for public relations pros. This has also served as the catalyst for more meaningful relationships between journalists and flacks. That is great for the industry and clients hungry for coverage, but social media also has a dark side.

You see, aside from the improved coverage and relationship angles for companies, social media gives PR folks an easy way to insert themselves into the story.

Over the past few months I’ve been disgusted seeing an increase in blog posts and even a PR chat surrounding that very notion, often called building a personal brand. These posts have championed the mercenary mentality of caring only about yourself and giving your services to the highest bidder.

Having a good reputation, both online and off, is vital to every professional, so what I find interesting about these folks touting of the personal brand is that they are ironically offering advice to tarnish your professional brand. While it is great to have aspirations of getting your name on the door of the corner office, it does not happen overnight. The folks sitting in those chairs worked their asses off learning hard lessons along the way to get there.

So to me the notion of jumping from job to job, simply because you aren’t moving up fast enough is laughable to me, especially coming from the social media echo chamber. This is mostly because the advice given out there is peer-to-peer coming from folks that for the most part have not reached the ripe old age of 30 yet.

While having 10,000 Twitter followers or 25,000 subscribers to your blog’s RSS is nice, they are meaningless unless you can produce meaningful results for your company.  And if you can’t produce results and continue to improve, no amount of job-jumping can help you more than it can hurt you. Not only does it look bad to recruiters, it also can burn bridges within the industry.

At the end of the day, PR practitioners went into the field to promote businesses or clients. The job entails being in the background, a puppet master if you will, not to be Will Smith or Tom Cruise with your name up in lights.

So before you go burning a bridge in putting yourself first, think about how much being your own publicist pays compared to your current 9-5.

Image -  slworking2

This is an interesting video on the amount of time that Americans spend on Facebook from the Wall Street Journal. Would you believe that 16 percent of online time is spent on Facebook? Wonder what the overall time on social networks is.

A few weeks back I read a TIME article on how the poor economy has contributed to a boom in reality TV with shows like Pawn Stars, Storage Wars and American Restoration. The premise of folks looking to save or make money on household items that are just collecting dust. I didn’t think of it too much until my wife and I were looking for a bouncer for our son, scouring yard sales and the like for one.

One thing that struck me on this was that there is really no online resource to do this easy, because if there was I surely would have done it. Do you think the craptastic economy and social graph growth will lead to a peer-to-peer e-commerce platform similar to flea markets or yard sales?