The mere mention of the words “social media” gets some businesses in a tizz, but why? Isn’t using the internet to achieve communications objectives second nature to us now? Still, it continues to throw many into a state of wonder, awe, panic, you name it. 

Yet some industry insiders see social media as quite simply the internet and what’s the big fuss about that, everyone’s been using it for years and with that using social media principles for longer than they actually realise.

Without doubt, social media platforms are extrememly beneficial when utilised in the correct way, but remember just that, in the correct way. They are not magic, they are just websites.

But to handle social media in a confident and comfortable manner it’s best to really understand the whole concept. PRs are used to creating stories that get spread by word of mouth, the most basic example is getting an article on the front page in a newspaper that then get talked about. In the digital age, that core principle is still exactly the same; it’s just that your message can spread faster and wider then ever before.

In a similar strand to that of viral marketing that emerged ten years ago, where you could create something and then share it with like-minded individuals to potentially reach hundreds of thousands or even millions of people through the power of email and the web, social media is essentially the next step up.

The basics idea of ’shareability’ is still the same; it’s just that social media has now introduced the element of interaction. I this way, news can spread much faster and links can be shared around the world int eh blink of an eye. The main difference now between the ‘old internet’ and the ‘new internet’ is that now those who are in control of the content are the people, not the originators. It would seem that companies and their communication teams are now simply participants rather than broadcasters.

Times certainly changed. Before social media platforms became the rage, visiting websites and reading or viewing content was as good as it got. And if tehy didn’t like what they saw, well they just moved on didn’t they? Now, however, people can comment on blogs, rate pages, rate videos, write side-wikis, share links, post on chat forums, share photos, become fans, tweet news etc etc. Pretty much what the internet was meant to be all along.

And the main principles behind all this: be transparent, be creative, be helpful and BE THERE. Accept that you cannot control how your output is eventually used, or whether is is used at all. So, when creating strategies, consider how social media can enhance rather than replace your existing PR activity. When creating stories and issuing news think about ’shareability’ and make it easy for people to spread your message through strategic digital pr.

It goes without saying that in-house PR teams must take social media seriously. Media monitoring has to include social media otherwise its just a case of selective hearing. But don’t just rush out and set up company Facebook pages and Twitter accounts before actually researching what is right for your brand. Think about your audience and what their media habits are, same as you would do for print and broadcast.

Also worth noting, treat key influencers almost in the same way as journalists as they are known to have siginificant reach, and this same principle should apply to bloggers and influential social media users. Do your research. Media relations is media relations. PR is still about building relationships and is still about people.

Just make sure your social media activity aligns with your commercial objectives.

With the kick off to the World Cup just days away I can’t help but wonder what PR professionals and brands are doing with the growing excitement (yes, despite some of us being unable to remember the last time our boy’s qualified).

As the 2010 South African Football World Cup approaches, branding activity surrounding the world’s most watched sporting spectacle hits fever pitch. It seems that official and ‘unofficial’ sponsors, celebrities, charities and entire nation are implementing strategies geared  towards capitalising on the tournament’s almost universal appeal, with mixed levels of success.

Yet how well can they bank on success? Can they really connect with football fans, or is this even the point? Are they merely attempting to get a cut of all the excitement interlinked with the event.

Studies have already revealed the successes and failings of the big brands in the days counting down but surely this will alter somewhat in the weeks of the tournament? What they must be doing is continuously driving interest back to their brand through real time strategies, achieved through effective digital PR.

Not forgetting the brands that are not directly sponsoring the sporting event but are still competing for consumers attention. Here they appear to jump on the football wagon by enlisting the use of ex-footballers to front campaigns.

But the attention still returns to social media. It’s a platform to discuss and share YouTube clips, news, opinions, and is all in real-time. Being the first World Cup to engage heavily with social media, this will surely set the tone for future international sporting events, good or bad.

Whether it be news, entertainment, work, lifestyle, a large percentage of people’s lives now incorporate aspects of the digital world and really can’t be without it.

With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that Facebook is now the top mobile service on smartphones.

Facebook is the app most popular with American smartphone owners, according to a report by Nielson. In fact, Facebook is the most popular app even for BlackBerry users who are typically seen as more business-focused.

Nielson’s mobile application report found that Facebook was the most used app on iPhone and iPod Touch, BlackBerry and across all other smartphones, other than devices running on the Android platform.

More than 4,200 people were surveyed who had all downloaded an application in the last 30 days, with 58% who own an iPhones and iPod Touch, use the Facebook app on their device. This was closely followed by Google Maps, which 47% of iPhone OS users use the most after the Facebook app, and then the Weather Channel – a forecasting app.

The report also found that the average number of installed apps on a BlackBerry device was 10, while this nearly quadrupled when it came to iPhone’s average of 37, and doubled when comparing to Android’s average of 22.

21% of American wireless subscribers now own a smartphone – which is up from 19% on the previous quarter. 14% of mobile subscribers have downloaded an app in the last 30 days.

Overall, social networking, maps, weather and music were the most popular app genres across all platforms. Thus, also highlighting the ever expanding areas of opportunity for companies to reach out to consumers, especially through successful forms of digital PR.

As has been discussed more and more in recent times, content is the new attraction. It’s substance isn’t it, and some brands are fully aware of it.

Ebay is launching its first content site, using third-party contributors including writers from Glam Media to promote its Ebay Outlet store.

The auction site opened the online high street outlet store last month and is promoting it with the launch of a fashion blog, live4less.ebay.co.uk, using contributions from women’s vertical media network Glam Media.

Live4less is set to feature content on several topics covering fashion and lifestyle, which will link to tips and inspiration about products on Ebay Outlet. Just what you need right?

The online brand is supporting its site with activity on Facebook and Twitter, while online PR, outdoor and press campaigns have been running since the store launched in April.

Ebay are aware of the strengths that social media can offer, “we want to talk to our audience in their own areas, because that’s the best way to engage them” said Ebay spokeperson Ruth Szyszkowski. 

The contributors from Glam include a fashion journalist and a mummy blogger. Using established bloggers added credibility to the site and enabled Glam to spread its content, expressed Ally Pyle, editor of Glam.com. From this, the content is both crerative and will have a variety of voices that can give credible fashion advice.

It seems M&S is on the right path at the moment, developing a mobile site that doesn’t just target iPhone app users.

M&S is doing a lot of things pretty well recently, notably its succesful presence on Facebook, and now its smart mobile strategy. Congrats to them: smart enough to see the value in recruiting intelligent, innovative thinkers and allowing them to make their mark effectively.

This is also evident in the rebranding of men’s fashion and golf brand Lyle &Scott who are ramping up its search activity to increase visibility internationally and has launched its first transactional mobile site.

Along with this, the company’s communication campaign has centred on increasing its social activity, launching a one-day promotion on Facebook to highlight its next-day delivery, as well as creating closer engagement through Facebook and Twitter.

Following this, Cadbury is one of the latest brands to abandon campaign sites altogether for social media, launching a game on Facebook to support its ads for Crunchie Rocks.

The launch of Crunchie Friday will be supported through its digital PR by paid-for media on Facebook, search ads and display ads on gaming-focused websites. They opted for the option of not investing in consumers coming to them but rather going to where their fans are already engaging.

This launch of the social media game is the latest move by Cadbury’s strategy using social networks to promote awareness of their individual brands.

Its a given right to most. Well not entirely.

First it was China. Following the deadly riots of last summer, its central government took the usual steps to block its’ citizens from accessing foreign web services. Aside from crippling internet service in general, the authorities blocked Twitter, removed unapproved references to the violence from search engines and barred access to Facebook altogether. This was two weeks after the government had already blocked just about every Google service, including communication tools like Gmail, Google Apps and Google Talk.

These actions have been mirrored in the recent activity in Pakistan. Their government has blocked the popular video sharing website YouTube because of its “growing sacrilegious content.” Access to social networking site Facebook has also been barred as part of a crackdown on websites seen to be hosting un-Islamic content.

On Wednesday a Pakistani court ordered Facebook to be blocked because of a page inviting people to draw images of the Prophet Muhammad.

However, correspondents say it remains to be seen how successful the new bans will be in Pakistan and whether citizens find a way round them. 

There are ways to duck underneath a ban – most commonly by accessing the internet via a “proxy” server based abroad. This can fool an ISP into thinking a computer is actually based in another country and therefore not subject to the ban.

YouTube says it is “looking into the matter and working to ensure that the service is restored as soon as possible”. The site was briefly blocked in Pakistan in 2008 – ostensibly for carrying material deemed offensive to Muslims.

Facebook said in a statement that it would take action if any content “becomes an attack on anyone, including Muslim people”, but that in this case its policies were not violated.

“Facebook values free speech and enables people to express their feelings about a multitude of topics, even some that others may find distasteful or ignorant,” the statement said.

Alternatively, the Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said about the page, “Such malicious and insulting attacks hurt the sentiments of Muslims around the world and cannot be accepted under the garb of freedom of expression.”

These examples only magnify the growing importance of these sites. They steer worldwide discussion and are charged with information that covers almost everything and reaches almost everyone. It’s where people sit up and listen and when galvanised, make their mark. If you’re to make your mark, just make sure you have a trusted and experienced digital PR team behind you.

They are more educated and efficient in their online usage than most, putting parents to shame along the way. Youngsters have grown up in the digital age and consider it a natural function surfing around social media channels.

Alongside this, today’s mobile phones are not just phone’s but gateways to the social media phenomenon. Indeed, social media is an enabling framework for brands, parents and educators – its on demand, interactive, sensing and connected, and adds expression and sharing capabilities. A vast menu of web and mobile tools have been developed to facilitate information sharing and commentary on the web, with applications having kept the pace as consumers rush to populate blogs, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, forums, message boards and online communities.

In digital PR, the buzz is all about consumer-generated media. Companies have discovered that no paid-for communicationcampaign has the impact of campaigns driven by consumers grounded in relevant, first-hand experience. Their influence is immediate, highly viral and authentic.

Mobile devices represent a major impetus behind the social media movement, and teens represent 19% of the 12.3million active social networkers. Consider that the average 13-17 year old sends more than 2,000 text messages per month. Compared with the total mobile internet population, teens are much bigger consumers of social media, music, games, videos/movies and technology/science, which is why a company’s digital pr team must be conscious of the possibilities in reaching certain demographics.

Innocent, as in Innocent Smoothies, has tapped into this with a positive intent by launching an integrated campaign targeting children and parents to promote its kid’s range of drinks and encourage them to be more interested in eating fruit. Web advertising focuses around an online magnet swap-shop, where children can register magnets won from on-pack promotions as well as on-pack codes to gain points.

It’s the first time Innocent has created a significant online element for the advertising of its kids’ range. The website includes content specifically for children, including games, competitions and a My Magnets collection area.

Interestingly, MD of their digital agency Public, Rhydian Fisher said, “This kind of integrated campaign is precisely how FMCG brands should be using digital, by engaging with their customers on an emotional and relevant level but tying that activity in directly to sales, brand recognition and sampling.”

I say through gritted teeth that recently, George Osbourne accurately asked why it was that, as yet, no Facebook or Google or Apple or YouTube had been launched on this side of the Atlantic.

He argued that there was something in our business investing culture that made it difficult for innovative winners in the digital world and that the Government had failed to create the right culture of risk taking in business.

There is certainly something in the argument that we have much to learn from what happens in that area south of San Francisco that is known as Silicon Valley.

It is no coincidence that Google, YouTube, Facebook, Yahoo, Apple and Cisco are all headquartered in the area south of San Francisco.

Two major tap roots are required in order to allow an innovative tree to flourish.

This first being an entrepreneurial spirit in academia and the second, forms of venture capital funding that is willing to take, and therefore understands, risk.  In Silicon Valley, Stanford University has such a catalytic role it is difficult to over-estimate its importance. In fact, many professor’s have their own capital stakes in young entrepreneurs who were their own students.

The other, of course, is money/funding. Reported in the Telegraph this week, one venture capitalist said a single fund in Silicon Valley matched the whole VC funding of technology in the UK. He said this was equivalent to about £800m.

Saying this, there is no doubt that there is a vast amount of stimulating venture capital and angel investing work carried out in the UK, particularly supporting the technology industry. Nevertheless, if even the government is saying “we must do more” then there is an evident problem.

So the answer is what? How do we in the UK foster a culture that will invest the next Apple or the next YouTube?

One thing, once you get your business feet off the ground, the state of your company’s online face is extremely important and thus effective digital PR should be adopted. Meanwhile, there is the arguement that the UK punches above its weight in terms of entrepreneurialism and innovation.  Proportionate to our size, the UK leads the world in IT Development and Green issues.

Not too bad at all. But investment must continue, especially when we are seeing such things as the engineering faculty of Kings College London closing down due to a lack of applicants/funding.

Coming under fire in recent weeks, Facebook is increasingly being regarded as a delicate environment and one that should be handled with a certain amount of care when conducting one’s digital PR.

In fact the Daily Telegraph’s assistant editor (media) Neil Midgley is actually warning off Facebook, saying it should only be used in a ‘personal capacity’. He also criticised PROs who asked to be his friend on the network even thought they had never met him.

Instead, he said PROs and journalists should use ‘magic’ Twitter, which was ‘both a professional tool and a personal pastime’.

Yes that’s right, he praised Twitter’s immediacy and added that it was a great way for him to test stories, get feedback and find ‘tiny acorns’ to lift his stories.

Interestingly though, he told PROs to choose whether to be themselves or be their brand. ‘Don’t suddenly put your propoganda hat on,’ he said adding that PROs should engage with feelings and a sense of humour.

He also reminded PROs that journalists trust other journalists. ‘If I post a tweet with a fact in it, other journalists will rely on me to have fact-checked. We’re a pack, we trust each other far more than we trust you unfortunately,’ he said.

One thing I can say, god bless for Mr B!

Following on from our most recent post, when embarking on a Twitter adventure users (most importantly high-profile companies) should stop and consider the implications.

Take for instance the recent example of Nestlé, who have struggled to contain a barrage of criticism from angry consumers on Twitter and its official Facebook page.

Criticism over the confectionery giant follows reports that it is continuing to source palm oil from Sinar Mas, an Indonesian company accused of illegal deforestation of rainforests.

The story was sparked by Greenpeace, by them posting an online video earlier last week that featured an office worker accidently biting into an orangutan finger instead of a Kit Kat.  The video aimed to draw attention to the NGO’s ongoing battle with Nestlé over its supply chain.

On Twitter, the firm has been bombarded with critical comments. Consumers have also turned to Facebook and accused the company of ‘hiding behind PR spin,’ calling the company’s response to the cristicism a ‘major social media fail.’

Digital PR experts said the situation was quickly becoming a social media crisis.

Porter Novelli associate director, digital, Kerry Gaffney said: ‘Nestle’s status updates are pushing people on to its official site to see its corporate response. Someone within Nestle is also responding to posts, but they are not corporate in tone and are juvenile. The company should be tailoring its response more to the environment with a more human tone.’

A Nestle employee was initially responding to criticisms but appears to have stopped responding on the Facebook page.

She added: ‘The person responding for Nestle seems to be junior. In future they need look at the person who is responsible for monitoring the page and use someone more senior.’

Some serious steps need to be taken by Nestlé for future reference, and other companies should be using this as a successful example of what not to do in the realms of digital PR.