Fuse Me

In this insane world of PR, we’re constantly juggling multiple conversations with colleagues, reporters, clients and even our clients’ customers. In this age of instant connectivity, that usually means an inordinate amount of e-mails, Facebook wall posts and tweets. Maintaining these online conversations can be challenging, even overwhelming at times. I’ve tried adhering to the principles of Inbox Zero or GTD, but truth be told, the only time I clear out my inboxes is when I’m on a transatlantic flight. And usually, I just want to sleep or watch a few really bad movies with subtitles.

Enter Fuser.com. Fuser.com is an online tool that lets you to check your e-mail and social networking accounts (Facebook, Myspace and Twitter) in one secure place, so you don’t have to log into tons of different Web sites each day. Once you’ve registered your accounts you’ll get your messages delivered to one online inbox that you can access from any Internet connection. You can reply, send, forward – basically do all the things you’re used to doing already – from within Fuser.com. It’s free and you don’t have to download or install a program to use it, so you can access it easily from work or home.

Now, for the disclaimer… we began working with Fuser last year when they unveiled the initial version of Fuser.com. As one of the first companies to offer Internet users a way to avoid “inbox overload” while also helping them increase their connectivity, it was easy to understand why people instantly starting using it. Earlier this month, Fuser unveiled a new version of Fuser.com that is 40% faster, offers a completely new user interface and a slew of more message management features. Once again, the response has been great and we’re excited to be part of the Fuser.com fan club.

Fuser also has a cool viral marketing campaign going on that includes a microsite with some pretty hilarious videos and emails. You can see it at http://www.nevermissamessage.com/ (as in, “with Fuser.com, you’ll never miss an important message again). Here’s an example of what may happen to you if you miss a message:

Religion, Politics and Burritos

Two topics we’ve all been taught to avoid in business meetings and casual conversations are religion and politics. But when GroundFloor Media looked for a way for Qdoba Mexican Grill to enter the world of social media, we decided to enter a conversation already taking place, rather than trying to create a new one. And what better topic to enter than one about the upcoming election?

That’s how TasteBudPolitics.com was born, and nearly 100,000 unique visits later, it seems to be a great strategy. Qdoba’s campaign is a nonpartisan look at 1) how Mexican foods describe people’s personalities – or Q-dentities – and 2) which candidates and issues are important to those people who take the personality quiz.

Personally, I find it fascinating how closely the national Taste Bud Politics results have tracked with national voter polls. And I find it extremely interesting that the only Q-dentity that supports John McCain more than Barack Obama on the national front is the “chips & salsa” group and that, based on analysis conducted by Dr. Alan Hirsch, director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, Mc Cain is a chips & salsa personality. There are a couple of great articles about consumer product marketing campaigns that are playing on the election; if you’re interested see Joy Davis’ article in the Rocky Mountain News (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/oct/25/companies-rev-up-ballot-games/) and Mike Beirne’s article in Adweek (http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/esearch/e3i6d1955ff988810b8dcab2f3399bcf90e).

No matter your Q-dentity or your political party, I urge you to get out and vote! In Colorado, you can vote early in a variety of locations through Friday. To find your early voting polling place, contact your County Election Officials (http://www.elections.colorado.gov/DDefault.aspx?tid=147).

Child Abuse is Not to be Ignored

A cause that is very near and dear to my heart is hosting its annual fundraiser event tomorrow evening. Like many people that get involved on a board level of a non profit, it is often easy to lose sight of the real issues at hand. Instead, we get caught up in the development plans and the lack of available grant money, HR issues, event logistics, and other areas that while absolutely necessary for the viability of an organization, are often a far cry from the real social issue at hand.

The Tennyson Center for Children (www.childabuse.org) is an unbelievable organization. It is Colorado’s leading residential and day treatment facilities, serving the most abused and neglected children ages 5 to 14. Why is this so important?

You may not know that Colorado has the ninth highest rate of children living in poverty and Colorado experienced the nation’s fastest rate of growth among impoverished children from 2000 to 2006, according to a recent study. Clearly, children in our state are not getting a fair shake – and the results can be downright devastating. Since 2001, the number of child abuse reports has risen by more than 60 percent in our state – yet the number of child caseworkers has only increased by 8 percent. Almost half of the child abuse reports made in Colorado in 2007 did not have the proper follow-up because our system is by all accounts over-burdened. Colorado continues to investigate 13 child deaths statewide that were reported cases of child abuse that “fell through the cracks.”

This haunts me. As a parent, I can only try in some way to understand the devastation these children must feel. What we do at Tennyson Center is to attempt to save these children from this dark place. We provide them -- most often for the first time -- unconditional love. We give them back their hopes and dreams. We try and become the stepping-stones to a life where again they can trust and love adults.

Board reports matter very little in the grand scheme of things. Don’t they?

How many boxes do you have?

Seth Godin is truly genius. And it’s not just because he says I don’t have to be perfect to succeed. The man just gets it. His recent post “Do you have 16 boxes?” http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/10/do-you-have-16.html puts it all in perspective. We can all sit around and focus on the failing economy and how the next 18 months are going to smell of the new-age-greater-depression or we can look at what’s happening around us and realize that good still exists – in our companies and in our personal lives. If you have built a strong foundation for your business, this economy simply cannot bring it to a screeching halt. Godin mentions that when something is going wrong, when the economy is out of sync, we panic. We obsess about just one of the sixteen boxes and ignore the others. We talk ourselves into hysteria about how, "none of our customers have any money," or, “in this bleak economy, we'll never make a sale." Instead of building up the other 15 boxes, we sit in the corner, worrying about that one box that's completely out of whack.

So let’s all focus on the 15 boxes that really, really work in our businesses and cut the conversation about things that are quite simply beyond our immediate control. Boxes are so much nicer that way.

Cause-related marketing still works, even if this economy doesn’t

With the Dow closing down 400 points today, its good to know that some things are still working. The 2008 Cone Cause Evolution Study, just released by Cone and Duke University http://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/index.php/2008/10/17/cause-related-marketing-still-works-study-shows/#more-462 showed that, once again, consumers feel that if everything is equal, they would switch from one brand to another if the other brand is associated with a good cause. The study also shows consumers spent nearly twice as much time looking at cause-related ads compared to generic ads and that the cause, the nonprofit organization associated with it, and the product itself are all important factors in the purchase decision.


So for those working to maintain their company’s cause-related marketing programs, the study shows that the causes Americans care most about include:

Education 80%
Economic development (job creation, income generation) 80%
Health and disease 79%
Access to clean water 79%
Environment 77%
Disaster relief 77%
Hunger 77%

GroundFloor Media clients including Qdoba Mexican Grill, Morton’s The Steakhouse, and Bellco Credit Union, are shining examples of how, when times get tough, they still embrace programs that support causes that matter to their employees, customers and key stakeholders. Now that is something to smile about as the closing bell rings.

Acting Smart by Acting Small

I just have a few minutes this morning, but I’d like to point people to Seth Godin’s recent blog post about acting small -- because it just makes so much sense, especially during these challenging economic times. As he explains it, “A small acting bank would never have invested in tens of thousands of loans that they hadn't looked at. And a small acting startup wouldn't hire dozens of people before they had a business model...” Check out the entire post at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/. It’s worth a few minutes of your time today!

~Ramonna

A Fan of Roadless Forests

Growing up in Oklahoma, I didn't really appreciate a good forest. Well, probably because the only forest was the one that my dad created when he forgot to trim the shrubs in our backyard. However, since moving to Colorado nearly a decade ago, I have grown to appreciate the roadless forests. They safeguard our watersheds, protect wildlife habitat, and allow us to hunt (even though I am not a personal fan), fish, camp, and hike. As you may have heard, the current administration is moving forward with an 11th hour attempt to open Colorado’s roadless forests to drilling, mining, logging and road building. We have until Oct. 24 to make comments.

Please take a minute and email U.S. Forest Chief Gail Kimbell and ask her to stop the roll back of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule and support the strong protections it guarantees for Colorado’s roadless forests.

http://www.environmentcolorado.org/action/preservation/protect-our-forests?id4=ES

It takes less than a minute and is well worth every second!

Tough Times Call for Strategic Measures

It’s hard to turn around today without hearing news about the economy, and companies large and small are taking precautions to ensure they weather the storm. We’re no different – tightening our belts a bit more than usual and examining each expense to make sure it’s necessary right now.

When it comes to communication strategy, we practice what we preach at GroundFloor Media. We know we must stay the course and focus on our own communication and marketing initiatives as we continue to hit rough waters. Like companies much larger than us, as business owners we all share the knowledge that cutting all efforts to communicate, both internally and externally, will certainly backfire. The messages may change in challenging times, but the communication channels need to remain open so that customers, shareholders and employees can remain confident in our companies.

Those of us who have survived challenging economic downturns in the past know that the first thing many companies cut is public relations and advertising budgets. While this somehow seems to make sense to some individuals initially, it is not a wise long-term strategy. Of course, it can’t always be “business as usual” during an economic downturn; however, strategic communication agencies can help clients make smart decisions and tweak programs so that companies are using cost-effective measures to reach out to their key audiences. For instance, this may be the right time to institute that blog strategy you’ve been considering for so long. Many social media tactics, like blogs, provide cost-effective ways to engage directly with your key audiences and provide your company with instant feedback from consumers, shareholders and/or employees. It may also be time to open up the internal communication channels so employees know their fears are being addressed and that management is available and open to questions and feedback.

Sure, now is a good time to reevaluate your overall communication strategy and shift priorities and dollars toward programs that are more targeted and cost-effective, but as with all decisions these days, it is not time to panic. Following are some links to insightful articles about communicating during tough economic times for entrepreneurs and agencies alike:
http://www.prweekus.com/Challenging-economy-demands-firms-to-focus-on-their-strengths/article/119549/
http://www.briansolis.com/2008/10/in-down-economy-tomorrows-leaders-are.html
http://www.pr-squared.com/2008/10/cut_the_pr_agency_are_you_sure.html

~Ramonna

Gotta Get Chipped

Get on the cat-wagon and take advantage of 150,000 free microchips for cats in metro Denver.



My colleague, Amy, will be the first to admit that her two dogs are microchipped, and her old cat (that she had for 16 years before he passed away) was not. She thought since her cat often never left the couch that he wouldn’t need to be found. But in reality, fewer than 10 percent of cats that are brought to shelters are ever reunited with their owners. The rate of reuniting dogs with their owners is two to five times higher than with cats.


So cat owners in metro Denver now don’t have any excuses. Time to get your cat chipped! Yesterday, the Denver Area Veterinary Medical Society (DAVMS), Dumb Friends League and participating members of the Metro Denver Shelter Alliance launched the CHIP YOUR CAT™ year-long program to provide 150,000 free microchips and lifetime registration for cats residing in the six county Denver metro area (Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties). The launch event was held at the Dumb Friend’s League Quebec Shelter and more than 28 cats showed up for free chips. The microchip procedure is simple, routine and virtually painless, and it doesn't require any anesthesia. The microchip is the size of a grain of rice and is injected just under the loose skin between the shoulder blades. The kitties at the event were braver than I was. The first time I saw a cat chipped I was waiting for the claws to come out. It was rather uneventful. The procedure is similar to a routine vaccination.

Want more information?

1. Go to www.ChipYourCat.com to find the nearest participating veterinary or shelter clinic near you
2. Print out a microchip coupon(s)
3. Make an appointment and take your cat in for a complimentary wellness exam and microchip
4. Maintain your cat’s microchip registration online by checking and updating your contact information on the appropriate Web site (You will get information upon registration)
5. Update your contact information on a regular basis

PICTURE CAPTION: Officer Kent Ferris of the Jefferson County Sherrif’s Office with Mr. Hudson the cat at CHIP YOUR CAT launch event at the Dumb Friends League. Mr. Hudson had been adopted by the Ferris Family eight years ago and lives with two German Sheppard’s.

The Seven-Year Itch.

The seven-year itch. Is it the same with a business as it is in a marriage? I honestly can’t speak to the scratching that allegedly occurs when one crosses the seven-year mark with a spouse, but I can tell you that having crossed that mark with GroundFloor Media, I am not sure how one would have had time to even stop and scratch.

For those of us in the PR world, it’s amazing to look back and see how our industry has evolved so quickly. Back in 2001…
• People heard “Facebook” and thought, “what a great new name for the yellow pages”
• VNRs were all the rage
• Local newspaper reporters had specific beats
• $25 gift limits for reporters were laughable
• PR agencies barely looked at a start up unless they were willing to fork over at least $20k per month
• Farm reporters and kindergarten teachers were being hired to run major accounts at technology-focused PR firms – because there were no other warm bodies to hire
• Press conferences were still in vogue.
• Tracking a crisis happened on the evening news; not on Twitter
• An opt-in SMS campaign sounded like a public health program for teens
• IM was cool and the word “blog” sounded like a bad bug bite
• The SEC didn’t dream of recognizing Corporate Blogs as public disclosure
• Newspapers wouldn’t have discussed integrating their online and print news operations
• Many of us still had dial-up Internet access
• Faxing press releases was still commonplace
• Telecommuting was frowned upon

Now, traditional advertising dollars are being siphoned over to implement strategic, creative, viral PR programs; clients are (rightfully) demanding a strong ROI on their PR spend; and as practitioners, we are constantly challenging ourselves to stay ahead of a curve that keeps bending by the minute.

My guess -- anyone who has time to even think about stopping to scratch that itch won’t need to worry about what’s next.

Chicken Little

It’s true. The more things change, the more they stay the same. It was just about this time, seven years ago, when our little world was inundated with visions of Chicken Little and his falling sky. Literally. The technology boom – turned bust – had swept through the nation as friends and colleagues in the tech world were scrambling to determine how to navigate the maze of the unemployment process while trying to find a new job that would pay half of what they had grown accustomed to; housing prices were softening (although no one told the folks in Boulder), and you couldn’t pick up the paper or flip on CNN without reading about the latest dot bomb crisis du jour. Then came September 11. I am fairly confident everyone remembers exactly where they were when the second plane crashed and New York erupted into mass chaos.



I can’t forget it. I had just decided to launch this consulting business called GroundFloor Media, hadn’t even taken the time to buy a real desk and was getting ready to launch a nationwide program for breast cancer survivors. Then it all stopped.



While today’s headlines “U.S. Bends the Rule of Free Markets” and “Leaders Meet to Plan a Rescue” fill the pages of USA Today, I realize it’s not too different than the stories that filled our morning papers back in the spring of 2001. Sure, the content is different. We didn’t talk about irresponsibility and greed and the government bailing out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; we focused on irresponsibility and greed with young entrepreneurs and the venture capital community.



As a country and as a community, we bounced back. When you start a business in the middle of one of the greatest tragedies to hit American soil, with unemployment rates peaking and not a good news story in sight, you begin to see that the more things change, the more they truly stay the same. Sit tight. Stay awake. This too shall pass.

Top 100 PR, Marketing, Advertising and Social Media Blogs

Get ready to start bookmarking... Our friends at Spotlight Ideas just posted a list of the top 100 blogs related to PR, marketing, social media and advertising. While the GFM Glog did not make the cut (don't worry, I'm not bitter), there are a number of great blogs listed that I highly recommend you add to your own blogroll or at least, to your IE favorites. All the biggies are included (i.e., Seth Godin, AdRants), but there are a couple of less notorious ones that I would also recommend, including Customers Rock!, Make the Logo Bigger and the Diva Marketing Blog.

You can check out the entire list here.

Enjoy!

Social Networks Get Down to Business

There has been a lot of discussion recently about whether B2B companies are really utilizing social media to grow their businesses. Given the fact that social media is about, well, socializing, it's a valid question. According to a new report released by eMarketer, the answer is a resounding yes. According to the report:

As the number of business users of social networks continues to increase, advertising expenditures will rise, too. In the US this year, advertisers will spend $40 million to reach a business audience on online social networks, and that is just the beginning. According to eMarketer projections, that ad spending will reach $210 million in 2012.

"As compelling as the ad growth is, marketers will spend far more over the next few years to create and manage their own social networks for business customers, partners, suppliers and vendors," says Debra Aho Williamson, senior analyst at eMarketer and author of the new report, B2B Marketing on Social Networks: Engaging the Business Audience. "These business networks will serve a range of purposes, from improving customer communication and collaboration to aiding product development."

A clear sign of the revolution in business thinking and behavior is the popularity of LinkedIn—the most widely known professional social network—where the audience has more than doubled in the past year, and the rise of additional business-oriented networks, including a raft of networks aimed at verticals.

Personally, I've witnessed numerous companies successfully leverage social media to help them build their customer base and reach new audiences - especially with blogs and creating their own social networking groups. It will be interesting to watch this trend continue.

Communicating in Beijing

And now a special post from our own Ramonna Tooley who is attending the Olympics in Bejing...

You probably won’t be surprised when I tell you that the little Spanish I know does me absolutely no good in China. That said, I keep resorting to it when trying to communicate because it’s the only foreign language I know. Here in Beijing, however, there is nothing about the language that is familiar to English or Spanish – or anything else I can conjure up for that matter. Regardless, everyone here tries very hard to communicate beyond the “hello” and “thank you” that I’ve learned in Mandarin. The volunteers at the venues are very good at saying, “Nice to meet you” and “Please turn around” (as they wand you in security) and “This way, please.”

My favorite recent example of communication is the sweet cab driver who pulled out a book that listed several countries and pointed to United States of America, to which I nodded enthusiastically. He then did the breaststroke in the air to ask if I’d gone to see swimming at the Olympic venue. I had really gone to see gymnastics, but I didn’t know how to motion that in the air in the cab, so, I said that I had seen swimming.

Upon exiting the cab, I provided my new friend with a USA Basketball Olympic pin, which he seemed to really appreciate. He waved the whole way as I walked through security to go into the hotel. One more good thing on the first sunny day I’ve spent in China and the day I saw the Americans win gold and silver medals at the women’s gymnastics all-around competition!

PS – When I went to Blogger to post this, the Web site was in Mandarin and wouldn’t let me log in. That’s why I asked Ashley to post this for me. So much for communication!

Get Connected: Three Speakers - Three Great Points of View

Last week GroundFloor Media hosted the latest in its Get Connected series, this time focused on the emerging world of social media. The three guest speakers included Tara Anderson from Lijit (http://www.lijit.com/), Tiffany Childs from Yelp (http://www.yelp.com/), and James Clark from Room 214 (http://www.room214.com/).

Tara, Tiffany and James provided insight and answered questions about social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and other technologies that are quickly staking their importance as communications outlets for public relations professionals. The insight shared at the meeting was insightful and had it not been for a necessary stopping point, I think we might still be chatting about best practices, tips and tricks for keeping up with these exciting new outlets! Briefly, here are the top tips given by each of the panelists as parting words for the event attendees:

• Tara suggested that anyone dabbling in social media, particularly those representing a company, don't act robotic. Be yourself!


• Tiffany had two great tips. Since people are talking about you, you might as well listen. And, she suggested that in the case of a negative review or posting or article, you step back, calm down and think your response through before you send it. In the world of social media, a hasty, heated response is likely to be cut and pasted faster than you can say "Whoops!"
  
• James suggested updating your contact book and starting to connect with your friends, family and colleagues through social media. The more you participate in social media on a personal level, the more savvy you'll become and soon it will become a natural part of your business practice.

The New Look of Facebook: Love it or hate it?

I've gotten a lot of questions in recent weeks about Facebook's new user design. (If you haven't seen it yet, just log into your usual account through this URL.) To be honest, I'm still processing how I feel about it. I applaud Facebook for keeping things simple and clean and not being wooed by splashy bubbles or cheesy graphics. This was (and still is) one of my biggest reasons for switching from MySpace to Facebook in the first place. I also like that my profile is now spread across multiple tabs instead of one ridiculously long page that requires about 30 minutes to scroll through. At the same time, I'm a creature of habit and I've really gotten comfortable with the old/current user interface. I know it's cliche, but I have to wonder... why fix it if it ain't that broke?

I'd love to hear what you guys think about the new design. Love it? Hate it? Still deciding like me?

And if you find yourself stumbling around the new design, Laurence John just did a blog post on www.makeuseof.com called "Finding your way around the new Facebook. He has a pretty strong opinion about the design, but also highlights the points you won't want to miss.

Take the Trek

One of the fabulous things about working at GroundFloor Media is that we are committed to working with great clients who have great stories to tell. And that’s not just lip service. That’s why it’s been so wonderful to work with the Denver Story Trek – the epitome of having great stories to tell!

If you haven’t checked it out yet, visit www.denverstorytrek.org to choose your trek through some of the best kept secrets in Denver. The landmark “hubs” of the Trek include the Molly Brown House Museum, Four Mile Historic Park, Black American West Museum, Byers-Evans House Museum and Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art. And while all of these establishments are well worth the visit, there are so many things to see along the way as well – like the Stoiberhof Mansion, which reveals a second Denver connection to the Titanic through mysterious passenger Hugh Rood, who lived in this mansion just blocks away from the Unsinkable Margaret “Molly” Brown.

The coolest thing about the Denver Story Trek, in my opinion, is the Trek Connect feature. By dialing in on your mobile phone, you can listen to stories along the Trek and record your own memories. There are nearly 40 recorded stories to choose from (and the list is growing), all with a unique perspective on Denver’s rich heritage. Go ahead, call in to share your story and become part of history!

TYKES ON TRIKES (and other wheels, too!)

One of our favorite non-profit partners, The Tennyson Center for Children (www.childabuse.org), is launching a huge initiative around the presidential election. If you have kids, get them involved by writing their first letter to the new president. "Dear Mr. New President" is a new Children's Letter Writing Contest that allows kid to have their voices heard in this most important election season. This contest is open to all children 18 years or younger and the top three entries will be given their awards and invited to read their letters aloud on the steps of the Colorado State Capital on Saturday, August 16 during the "Tykes on Trikes" parade at Denver's Civic Center Park. All entries will be forwarded to the presidential campaigns of both candidates. To submit a letter or to find out more, click here: Dear Mr. New President contest

So what is TYKES ON TRIKES (and other wheels, too!)? Hundreds of kids and families will celebrate kids at Denver's Civic Center Park on Saturday, August 16 at 9:00 a.m. With Denver being the center the American political arena and national media attention in late August, Colorado children’s groups are standing together in unity for the welfare and future of the children of our state with a powerful message to candidates running for public office. Denver’s Mayor John Hickenlooper and First Lady Helen Thorpe, along with other dignitaries will lead Children on decorated tricycles, bikes, scooters, wheelchairs and wagons from Denver’s City & County Building, down Bannock Street and 14th Avenue to the west steps on the lawn of the Colorado State Capitol. Once gathered on the lawn of the Capitol, leading elected officials will speak to the importance of this campaign, followed by a series of fun events for young and old alike.

This is a non-partisan, 501(c)3 public education event so come out and join and don't forget your Big Wheels!

- Laura

YELP! (No I didn't just cut myself, I've joined a new online community!)

Several months ago I attended a PR conference for GroundFloor Media client Morton's The Steakhouse. One of the sessions focused on social media, and one of the speakers was Andrea from Yelp.com, an online community where people can review almost anything in their local community (think restaurants, salons, shops - even banks and museums). I have to admit that when the session kicked off I had never even heard of Yelp.com and I was still just dipping my toe into the social media pool. But - after hearing Andrea speak I was intrigued and earlier this month I set up my own Yelp account.

After only a few weeks in the Yelp community I am Yelping every chance I get! To date I've Yelped about restaurants, my dog's veterinarian, local shops that I adore and even landmarks in New York City including Ellis Island and The Top of the Rock! And, beyond what I can share with others, what I'm learning from the Yelp community is tremendous. I've already established some new Yelp friends, determined that I live smack dab between the two best restaurants in Denver for fried chicken (hello, larger pant size), and I'm starting to dive a little deeper into the social media pool which is fantastically refreshing!

See here for a link to my personal Yelp reviews. Whether you decide to become a Yelper or simply want to lurk around on Yelp to find the best fried chicken in your neighborhood, I suggest that you give Yelp a try. Enjoy!

Recent reviews by Carissa M.

What's this?

Small Businesses and Social Networks

When people find out that we have a social media practice at GroundFloor Media, their first question almost always concerns social networking. Should I be using social networks to market my business? If so, which ones? And once I'm on a social network, how do I use it to attract new customers?

All good questions and a recent Forbes.com article offers some good advice for small business owners who are pondering taking the social networking plunge.

Be sure to check out the slide show on how to build your social network too.