Clicking through on the link leads you to this image.

It’s hard not to get choked up looking at that photo. Now think about the intense message delivered through that single shot and minimal caption.

It’s not always about the big spend or huge creative idea. Sometimes it’s a simple matter of capturing the right moment and finding the right words to set the scene.

That’s why I love photography. That’s why I love digital storytelling.

Amy Sample Ward

Hmmm…I guess I wouldn’t say that my focus has changed. I’m certainly able to connect offline with organizations working in a different geography and being in Europe means there are far more groups working “internationally” than in the US, so in those ways there’s been opportunity to shift. But my work with NetSquared has stayed the same and we have always been a global-facing organization and community (with now 70+ groups in 21+ countries).

I’ve enjoyed the local work here quite a bit as it seems that the distance between organizations using new technologies and those not doing so is much larger than it was in Portland. Part of this comes from the very structure (both cultural and organizational structure) of the organizations in the UK and the US, and the way work of government, nonprofits, and citizens crisscross. It’s been a challenge at times but it’s also been really exciting to help share lessons from one country to another, and back again.

I think nonprofits often get seeded with a reputation for being behind the curve on social media but in my mind, nonprofits have the advantage of being nimble and able to take a bit more risk in the space. What are a few nonprofits that stand out in your mind as leading the way in the social space that are able to demonstrate the benefits of being engaged online?

I think nonprofits and businesses are alike in that some are early adopters of everything, whether it’s technology, advertising, engagement, or marketing; and some, well, they just like to keep on doing things the way they always have. It’s even the same with agencies, governments, and communities. Why? Because it’s not about the type of organization or group, but about the culture and environment that group operates in.

Organizations that are able to move quickly, operate nimbly, and adapt to/adopt the tools their communities are using are most often community-driven organizations. 350.org is a perfect example.  But, that doesn’t mean large, traditional institutions aren’t able to drive the space forward as well. Great examples – the National Wildlife Federation, American Red Cross, and even museums like the Women’s Museum in Texas and the Brooklyn Museum in New York.

In your experience, what are the top 3 reasons nonprofits fail to dive in head first or hedge way when results aren’t immediate from utilizing social media?

First, I think many organizations may adopt a tool or try out a platform without knowing why they are doing it, and thus what kind of metrics to look for. It’s really difficult to say something is or isn’t working if we don’t know what we’re looking at. So, not having a strategy and measurement plan in place is definitely the biggest reason organizations fail to more forward with social media.

Secondly, and this ties in to the first part, is the failure to do the homework: not knowing who the community is or which tools they are using already. Imagine how hard it would be to show up to the playground that none of your friends are at, instead of calling around and seeing what part of town everyone was already in. Doing research before adopting any tools will put you in a much better position to succeed.

Last, I would point to support. I know many instances in which maintaining the social media presence for an organizations fall to one person and is only one small part of the work on their plate. Social media is really all about communication and engagement, you get back what you put in. So, if there isn’t support for the work, it can’t be expected to go very far.

The Big Bang – #1 trend you’re seeing on the nonprofit social media front that you think will carry well into 2011 and beyond?

Blending online and offline. Whether it’s through hyperlocal tools like foursquare or Meetup Everywhere, or it’s campaigning around the world with 350.org, we see the opportunities to use online media to actually blur the lines between engaging on and offline growing.  I’m really excited about this because I really believe that an online-only campaign, program, and even message will never take you or your organization as far as something that puts clicks and status messages together with feet on the street.

You’re a staple in the nonprofit community and I’m sure many folks would love an opportunity to chat with you. Should people stay tuned to your calendar for a good opportunity to connect offline at any upcoming conferences?

Wow – thank you! I try to keep my presentations page as updated as possible, so that is a great place to check in to see if we’ll be in the same place at the same time. I am also happy to connect with people on my blog and Twitter.

Image by OrkyDorky

Last weekend I had the pleasure of seeing Ira Glass speak in Seattle about the history of This American Life and the masterful art of storytelling that goes behind each and every episode. Interestingly, one of the very first posts I did on this blog more than two years ago was about Ira’s storytelling techniques. Yup, here I am again.

I flat out love Americana. I also thrive on nostalgia and have a driving interest in exploring the hidden stories behind the people, places and things that we encounter each day. In essence, TAL is perfectly suited for me. The stories are somehow so simple and tangible and yet so emotionally complex and humorous.

Therein also lies the beauty of how Ira piques the interest of millions of Americans each week with his show. As Ira described this past weekend, his storytelling approach is actually quite simple and breaks down to one easy formula.

Ignore the fact that Ira happens to have incredible, tone, inflection and a unique sense of timing and think about the fundamentals here for a moment.

How often do PR folks spend time creating the perfect headline or carefully crafted quote in a press release only to hear reporters pass because of the bland topic being pitched?

A LOT. Thousands and thousands of times each day. So, what are folks doing that are captivating the eyes of morning show producers, feature editors and program directors to land stories? They’re casting away the superfluous BS and telling real, authentic stories that prompt real emotional reactions.

Far easier said than done but a much simpler process if you keep Ira’s formula in mind from the start. Whether you’re crafting that press release, drafting a pitch, writing a video script or recording a podcast, think about keeping your narrative short, sweet and poignant.

Need a good example of how to make this work? Hop over to Vimeo to check out this Moments spot. Seemingly mundane moments made incredibly moving. This is obviously an artistic piece but apply the same mindset to a client project with a final call to action and you’ve got a pretty powerful piece of content.

One thing is for sure. If Ira is visiting a city near you, you should attend. In fact, this should be required attendance for any PR agency and Ira’s marketing team would be smart to pitch agency’s on some private appearances. Just sayin’.

Get ready. The giant social networking behemoth known as Facebook has finally stirred from its hibernation in location-based land.

A move of this nature by Facebook is undoubtedly always followed by a flurry of activity by communications pros as everyone races to establish a POV, spotlight bugs or issues and highlight best practices.

A quick blog, Twitter or news search this morning around “Facebook Places” is enough to produce a whirlwind headache before you even reach that slew of 30 client e-mails with subject lines similar to the title of this post.

Ready? Deep breath. WE’s got your back.

First, it’s important to note that not all 500 million Facebook users are waking up to find that they have access to Facebook Places this morning. As opposed to blasting the entire community, Facebook is being smart, testing the waters and assuredly waiting to gather feedback as they slowly open access to all users.

You’re also not going to find a new ”Places” tab simply by logging on to Facebook via your desktop or laptop unless you visit here — http://touch.facebook.com. In addition, unless you have an iPhone, you’re out of luck until Facebook rolls out versions for Android and BlackBerry.

If this is the first you’re hearing about Facebook Places or have only heard mentions of the service, here are some helpful resources to get started:

3 Resources to Help You Learn About Facebook Places

1. Mashable. A Field Guide to Using Facebook Places

2. All Facebook. Complemented by Inside Facebook, but both will help you stay on top of the latest happenings.

3. Techmeme. Another good resource to follow key updates and changes. If you need the minute-by-minute, nitty-gritty details and insight, following the topic Twitter stream is probably your best bet.

Yada, yada, yada. Great, I can “check-in” now using a platform other than Foursquare. Why is this stuff at all important to me, my company or business or my clients???

I highly encourage you to hop over and check out Tracey Udas’ post about 5 Things You Need to Know About Facebook Places Right Now. To summarize Tracey’s post, Places impacts the following:

Check-In Integration. Facebook is working with Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp and Booyah’s InCrowd to integrate and allow users across any platform to share their check-ins on Facebook.

Business Presence On Facebook. Facebook is hedging confusion around how Places will impact businesses that currently have pages, be it robust or minimal.

Privacy. A unique and possibly controversial aspect of Places is the fact that you will be able to check friends into locations similar to how you tag friends in photos. This is currently a DEFAULT setting and needs to actively be changed by users. No fear, it’s a simple process, and LifeHacker has provided an excellent step-by-step video to guide you through the process:

Feeling calmer? Good. Mission accomplished. Now, let’s get strategic…

How do you plan on using Facebook Places personally or professionally for your own business or clients?

Sure, it may be a word that you haven’t thought about since half hearing it uttered by a droning professor during a random communications class back in college. But, as communications professionals, “pathos” or the art of emotional appeal, is something we all embrace as a core function of our job. Whether drafting a press release, brainstorming around a campaign brand or developing a video script, we are constantly working to build a strong emotional connection with our target audience.

Emotional Appeal = Audience Action.

I could repeat that line five times but I’ll spare you the eye strain. When it comes down to it, building a connection with your target audience takes work. A lot of work. Your messaging and storyline needs to be authentic, aligned with the core values of your brand and most of all – you need to strike the magical chord that resonates across your audience base.

You see this strategy implemented by nonprofits across the board. On the corporate front, I frequently reference Google’s “search stories” campaign. The original “Parisian Love” ad generated a lot of buzz when it was shown during this year’s Super Bowl. In my mind, the ad is stellar. In a sense, Google represents a creative whiteboard, serving as a portal to churn up a wealth of information around whatever topic a user can imagine. In this case, the creators of the spot did an incredible job of building out a storyline around the notion of love – a theme they knew would connect with everyone.

Beyond this initial spot, Google’s real genius is expounded upon through the way they further developed their Search Stories channel. They’ve even incorporated a search stories video creator tool that allows any user to build out their own Google search story within a matter of minutes.

G-e-n-i-u-s.

Lock people in, provide them with the tools that will allow them to easily participate in your storytelling and make it easy to share the content. Search is our entry to content discovery and Google does a great job of bringing to life all of the moving parts behind their simple interface. Kudos Google.

I had a bit of fun with their video creator tool last night and love the creative door this opens to groups and brands hosting contests or other fun storytelling projects.

How to Land a Job in Social Media

and a bit of cheese to top it off…

Seattle Date Plan

Let’s not forget that Facebook also utilizes a similar tool to acquire user-generated content that helps them demonstrate the value of their platform. In addition, Mashable announced today that Twitter has jumped on the bandwagon with their own version of user story sharing with Twitter Tales.

In essence, it boils down to igniting your brand supporters and advocates to make the shift from being joiners, spectators and critics to actual content creators. Especially from a communications perspective, we want to know how our users are being creative about engaging with our product or brand and how those ideas will influence others to engage with us.

Take a tip from Google, Facebook and Twitter. Now, what can you do to simplify your next storytelling initiative?

Creativity.

In the communications industry, “creativity” carries a wide array of meaning and interpretation. All too often, the word is aligned with designers and marketing specialists who are responsible for creating a fancy brand or dreaming up a viral PR/ad campaign. Dangerous.

For agencies large and small, it’s all too easy to bucket out creativity without recognizing the crucial importance of infusing a creative mindset across an agency setting. In essence, creativity should never be thought of as that “thing” that you focus on only during client brainstorms. Similarly, creative resources should never be aligned with “X person” at your agency that is identified as THE creative head.

The reality is that each and every person at your agency has the potential to be creative. How your agency activates and leverages that potential as an asset to your client base and as an overall competitive threat is a key capability differentiator.

Last week, I had the opportunity to chat with David Mahlmann, VP, Ideation and Creative Insights at Waggener Edstrom to discuss his thoughts on infusing creativity into agency culture.

I couldn’t agree more with David’s thoughts on the topic. Personally, it’s the creative nature of my job and the industry that keeps me excited each and every day. In the world of communications, there are no boundaries to how we craft messages, build narratives and develop compelling prompts to generate action.

Whether it’s the physical environment of your agency, your team’s approach to brainstorming or the unique way you pitch new business and market yourselves online, take a moment to think about the multitude of ways creativity can separate your agency from the pack.

Sidenote, Seattle’s nonprofit community is beyond impressive. Kudos to this city. I need to add two extra days to the weekend and just float around helping out a new nonprofit each week. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?

Back to the point…

Team Up For Nonprofits

During my hunt, I came across a great organization called Team Up For Nonprofits. Like any good nonprofit, Team Up’s mission is simple. Team Up combines two of Seattle’s greatest cultural strengths, music and philanthropy, by hosting music events that raise funds for local nonprofits. The organization’s founder, Ryan Hodgson is a tenacious leader but he also realizes that he needs help and input if he wants to become the Networked Nonprofit (book review coming soon, killer work @kanter) he envisions.

So, this is why I’m turning to you my fellow social braniacs. In the spirit of giving back to the community, I ask that we put our brains together. I’ve labeled this post “Thintank Thursday” in hopes that this can be an ongoing series to help shed ideas for various nonprofits that could benefit from some crowdsourced social insight.

I want this to be an open brainstorm (literally…no idea is a bad idea, it’s free game so let loose on the creativity!) to help provide Ryan with some feedback. Long-term strategy ideas or tips, short-term tactics, nuggets or examples to spur ideas – doesn’t matter, let’s throw ‘em all in the comments below and give Ryan and his board some juice to work with.

Challenge

Team Up’s second event ever will be on Thursday, August 19th at Seattle’s Hard Rock Cafe. Ticket price is $20,$15 of which goes straight to the nonprofit, which will be Seattle Works for this show.

Idea Starters

• What more can Team Up be doing to engage and grow their 3k+ Facebook fan base?
• What blog strategy or content tips would you suggest for the Team?
• How about Twitter engagement or YouTube content? What can be done to ramp up these channels?
• How can the Team make use of their sponsor base or partner nonprofits doing similar work?
• What top social metrics would you suggest the Team be measuring right now as a benchmark that can be used to sell in to larger sponsors and assess progress down the line?
• Where should Ryan and his team devote time for reaching influencers?
• What can the team do to maximize online outreach through sponsors to increase pre-show sales?

If you’re feeling extra motivated, feel free to tweet about the upcoming show and be sure to use the #Gigs4Good hashtag.

Thanks Everyone and please feel free to suggest a nonprofit that you know about that may benefit from a post in this series.

I’m a big fan of YouTube Insight.

As with most content published via social media, there is always a degree of trial and error – especially when it comes to video. It’s the reason so few videos ever actually do achieve “viral” status. Nonetheless, video marketing has become slightly more scientific based on the analytics you can pull from various hosting platforms. In particular, I’ve found the data from YouTube Insights to be incredibly useful for tailoring content to a specific audience’s interests.

Just recently, I discovered that YouTube has now extended access to most of their analytics to the public. In other words, any person watching any video on YouTube can now look at various statistics including total views, comments/favorites/ratings, links, audience demographics, honors and more. This isn’t breaking news, but it also wasn’t something that was buzzing around when it was put in place in June. In my eyes, this is HUGE.

Think about the competitive insight that YouTube has just opened up. Rather than dig deep on details, I highly encourage you to hop over to this fantastic post by CJ Bruce that goes into details about how to maximize use of all the data provided. I’ve also included a quick graphic below so you can see how to access the analytics from any individual video page (note, not a channel).

Cheers,
Scott

2,770 still frames and a 14 day road trip later, the creators of this spot put together a catchy, creative masterpiece that has garnered over a million views since its posting on July 20. Being a photographer myself, the creation of a stop motion, time-lapse visual struck me as unique.

As ABC news reports, the project was shot on a “shoestring budget” but Levi’s did in fact sponsor the spot. According to the film’s producer, Blake Heal:

“We came up with this concept, and we didn’t have the money to do it,” said Heal. “We looked for a sponsor, and we thought Levi’s would be a good fit. So we pitched it to them, and they loved the idea.”

Think about that for a minute. A major, major brand was pitched on a low-budget project that has garnered huge Internet buzz within one week. An incredibly low investment/low risk opportunity for a brand and yet another telltale sign of the powerful possibilities that can surface by being open to new ideas and strategies in social media.

I also love that the team was smart and captured this “behind the scenes” spot to help provide context around the creation of the video. The inclusion of the Google Map pinpointing shoot locations is another nice add-on with tied in photo documentation.

In poking around, I was actually quite surprised to see that no effort was put forth by Levi’s or the filmmakers to create an official blog, Facebook page, Twitter account or YouTube channel. I’m also a bit surprised that Levi’s hasn’t capitalized on the building buzz around the spot. A wall post on their page merely states:

These filmmakers came to us with an idea a few months back. 2,000 miles, 14 days, and 1 pair of 501′s later they have this wonderful piece of artwork to share with the world. Blake, Sam, Peter, Michael, Benji, and Brian… Go Forth!

Given the low front end investment, Levi’s would be wise to brand out a custom tab on their page, embed the video and use Facebook ads to target specific demographics to drive Facebook users to the page. A triple win in my book as Levi’s could A) increase their fan base B) utilize the spot to offer some type of discount code for visiting or interacting with the custom tab C) give these filmmakers that provided you with killer content an extra boost.

My nonprofit mind also can’t help but wonder if a there was a missed opportunity to do more with the spot. It’s a wonderful artistic piece but it seems that there could have been endless potential for Levi’s to ramp this effort up with a strong cause marketing campaign. Why not partner with TOMS for a creative tie-in and partnership?

I think it’s time Levi’s ramp up for round 2…Guy Walks Across America…AGAIN. The attention level is certainly there:

Blog Buzz for Guy Walks Across America

In the meantime, if you’ve latched on to the walking theme and want a bit more insight about America outside of a two-minute spot, I’d recommend checking out this fantastic photo blog documenting a walking journey across the states…or more…http://imjustwalkin.com/.

Cheers,
Scott

Yesterday, Mashable announced Ford’s plan to unveil the new Ford Explorer via a dedicated Facebook page.

Typically, Ford would unveil a new design at the Detroit Auto Show but the team decided to capitalize on an opportunity to make their mark around a product launch.

If you haven’t explored the page, here’s a quick breakdown on the context of how things came about prior to Ford’s big Reveal day:

• The Ford Explorer Facebook page was created on March 16, 2010. Ford utilized social ads to drive traffic to the page with the promise of giving away a Ford Explorer if the page surpassed 30,000 fans. The giveaway was key in helping build a fan base before launch day.
• A custom tab labeled “Reveal” was set up to serve as a hub for the launch day activity. In essence,  Ford’s newsroom for the day as they positioned themselves as a key media hub.
• A build-your-own widget was created to assist users in creating their own perfect Explorer.
• Planned content was unveiled throughout the day featuring rich content that went live on the Facebook page wall, Ford YouTube channel and Flickr channel. Content includes:
  • A pre-reveal video with celebrity Mike Rowe and Ford CEO Alan Mullaly
  • Video tour of the car and its new features
  • Video interview with Julie Levine, Explorer Product Manager
  • Slideshow from main live event  in New York along with a slideshow from unveil events across the country.
  • Live Facebook chats with CEO Alan Mulally, Sue Cischke ( the VP of Environment, Sustainability & Safety), Julie Levine and Julie Rocco (Program Managers), Mark Fields (President, Americas),  Moray Callum (Lead Designer) and Jim Holland (Lead Engineer).

Though we would all love to think that this innovative launch helped Ford sell zillions of Ford Explorers and created a perfect case study for pairing social media and ROI, let’s look at the approach from a bit more practical standpoint.

Ford was smart. Why? Here are a few reasons…

• INNOVATIVE HOOK: This is the first time that Ford has unveiled an automobile outside of a car show. This is the news hook that various news sites and blogs have been picking up.
• FOCUS ON CONTENT: Appropriate interesting content is necessary to get your target audience involved and enthused about the product. In this case, Ford phased their content so fans were encouraged to return several times today as new content went live. In addition, all content is hosted on familiar social media platforms, encouraging easy sharing and embedding.
• INTEGRATION ACROSS MARKETING: Advertising, PR, social marketing and direct marketing are all in synch to support and  extend the campaign. Brilliant integration of the Facebook “like” buttons into online media ads.
  

  "Like" embedded on ads

• CALL TO ACTION: Besides just viewing the content, visitors were able to enter the sweepstakes contest, find unveil events in their market and easily engage with the “build your own Explorer” module.
• OPEN ENGAGEMENT: The wall posts were honest and seemingly uncensored with good, neutral and negative posts from visitors showing that Ford is interested in real conversation. Ford continues to monitor the posts and is responding to questions and comments.

24 hours later, how did Ford fare from their creative launch?

• Brian Skepys notes that they increased their fan base by 10,000 fans  in one day (currently at 53,000+ fans) and have most certainly prompted competitors to begin thinking about alternative ways to launch cars outside of the traditional auto show setting.
• WE’s Twendz tool shows strong positive sentiment around #fordexplorer hashtag. In addition, kudos for the team for integrating a promoted tweet into search queries around #fordexplorer. While the Ford Twitter profile remained active throughout the day yesterday, it seems that the team could have done more on the stream to maximize utility around the great content they had created and to tap influencers within target market launches nationwide.
  

  Twendz Results

• On the video front, the spots positioned on the page Reveal tab generated a total of 50,857 views – not bad for day one as this will continue to snowball as buzz spreads. Hopefully the Ford team is digging deep on YouTube Insights to assess the demographics of their viewers and look at the referral links and search terms driving views.
• The launch strategy along created significant blog activity helped create a side door entry to garnering buzz:
  

  Blog Buzz for "Ford Explorer"

• All wall post chats throughout yesterday generated strong response and active dialogue. Kudos for opening up dialogue with consumers from a variety of different perspectives. These chats will likely provide incredible direct feedback from some of their most passionate brand enthusiasts. Hopefully the team will create easy-to-access transcripts of each of the full chat sessions.

Did Ford Miss Any Opportunities?

Opportunities will always surface after the fact. Ron Callari does note one important potential miss around focusing on the Explorer’s Web-based features.  As Ron notes, these features may have been of particularly relevant to the targeted social savvy audience base.

Final Takeaway

Kudos. Time will reveal the full impact of this launch but the fact of the matter is that Ford ditched the old school strategy of dumping millions into traditional advertising and instead created a smart, interactive and integrated campaign that took their messaging and content direct to consumers. For an industry that constantly relies and thrives on innovation, Ford took advantage of an opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone and create an alternate strategy to generating buzz.

Last but not least, it will only take a couple handfuls of these to justify the effort:

Twitter Feedback

NOTE: @nathanmisner also provided analysis for this post.