Amber Naslund, the director of community at Radian 6, posted a story over at Marketing Sherpa last week called “Measuring Social Media’s Contribution to the Bottom Line: 5 Tactics”. (This story is useful, as is most of Amber’s stuff, so if you’re not already following her, you should be.) Measurement is something we talk about a lot around these parts – amongst ourselves, with our clients and with industry peers. It’s a historically tough nut to crack for PR pros and social media has made the formula even more complex. Watch this space for more on the measurement topic from me in the coming weeks.

Today, though, I’m taking a step further back from measuring social media to look at the decision of when is it (actually, “are they” is more accurate I suppose) an appropriate path for an organization to explore. My initial thoughts are summed up in my comment to Amber’s story, which you can check out below. (Another topic you’ll hear me start to bang on about is efficiency, so I’m taking the opportunity to avoid wheel reinvention by re-purposing my own words here!)

Very good stuff, indeed, Amber. One thing I’d add (realizing you weren’t trying to do everything in one article!) is that organizations need to take a hard look at whether they are the type of business that should be embracing social media from a cultural / philosophic standpoint.

For example, is Virgin considered a customer-centric business that drives loyalty b/c of how well they do social media? Or is it that customer-centricity is at the core of the Virgin business, so they naturally do social media well (further benefiting both their customers and the business)?

A related element to this is understanding and accepting what social media is good for (and, hence, really should be measured against). Your mileage will vary depending on whether you are all about customer acquisition or if you place an emphasis on lifetime customer value.

Probably seems self-evident / blindingly obvious, but too many companies rush into the “let’s use to social media to drive sales” mindset without first taking a look at whether what social media requires and delivers fits with their core business philosophy and strategy.

What do you think? Is social media right for every company? What should the criteria be?

The Associated Press Stylebook has been guiding word usage, punctuation and grammar for countless reporters since 1953, and while it’s not the only style guide out there, it’s certainly the most popular. AP reporters are known for their strong reporting, and the Stylebook is constantly referenced to ensure consistency and excellence in writing. But as newer forms of media evolve, is there another set of rules needed for online content creation? Yahoo! thinks so.

Yahoo! has launched The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World, whose purpose is to provide a framework for grammar, punctuation, writing and editing for the Web. Some of the article topics in the guide include, “Streamline Text for Mobile Devices,” “Be Inclusive, Write for the World,” and “Construct Clear, Compelling Copy.” It also includes a word list and an “Ask an Editor” page to help clear up questions about word usage and upcoming developments for the guide.

As Mashable points out, there are a few points on which Yahoo! and the AP disagree, including whether to hyphenate e-mail (the AP says yes), and “smart phone” or “smartphone” (one word, according to Yahoo!). The overall topic is particularly timely, as Matter recently held a training session to refresh everyone on strong writing practices. We explored common mistakes that writers make and looked at the differences between the AP Stylebook and Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style.

But the debate came down to two core factors that guide Matter’s writing: consistency and client preferences. Often, Matter’s clients want their teams to bend AP writing rules, and as long as we’re consistent in our deliverables, the content we generate passes their tests. For example, serial commas are a source of debate between teams. Some clients require them (X, Y, and Z) and others don’t want them (leave out the comma before “and”). For the clients that don’t have a preference, we simply use them or don’t use them throughout all our writing.

It will be interesting to see to what degree writers gravitate towards the Yahoo! guide over the AP Stylebook, if at all. What do you think will happen?

Three years and three months ago, my father died. My dad was a wonderful man who could wax philosophical and dream big ideas, but who found deep and lasting joy in his practical, everyday life. On this past father’s day, while giving due attention to my loving husband and the father of our three children, I took time to consider all the gifts my father gave me – some intentionally, others by example.

One of those many gifts was a kernel of wisdom that’s been relevant to life in general, my days at work, and my career in PR specifically. I remember I was in high school and made some smart-ass remark about “the way things are” – in that “I know everything” voice which sixteen year olds wield with such mastery. My dad looked at me, the way only he could (nobody has ever silenced me faster, with only a look, than my father) – and he said very quietly: “Patty, one thing I’ve noticed in this world is that it’s terribly easy to be cynical.”

Now, the thing about my dad was that he typically just doled out an unfinished nugget of wisdom, and left you to figure out the rest of it. Maybe it was his training as a college professor – some leftover, distant relation to the Socratic Method he favored – or perhaps it was simply his trust in the intellectual rigor of his offspring, but he never felt it necessary to connect all the dots for me. Either way, his simple sentence fundamentally shifted something in me; made me pause to consider that cynicism may make you sound smart, worldly and sophisticated – but (and here’s the half that I figured out for myself…) it usually isn’t the best way to find a resolution to a problem, or to gain real intelligence, or to live a productive life.

It is easy to be cynical. There’s a lot of crazy in this world, and it’s much easier – and sometimes more fun – to sit back and find something snarky to say than to dig in with purpose and passion, and try to make it a better, less crazy place. But the truth is, if everybody is sitting back and being cynical, nobody is getting anything done.

And that’s especially true when you work in PR. As good PR professionals, it’s absolutely necessary and healthy to ask questions, to poke holes, and to be investigative, curious and sometimes even skeptical about claims that our clients’ products, services and people are the (insert superlative here) in the market. And after almost 20 years in the profession, believe me when I say that I’ve heard a few things (think Internet bubble) that would justify a cynical attitude about “breakthrough technology” or “extraordinary value.”

But the fact is that finding our clients’ right, good and true stories also requires us to remain above cynicism, to have a positive and productive perspective on asking questions, and to maintain a certain sense of wonder for the ingenuity that creates products and services that people and businesses need. And I think one of the many joys of our profession is finding that true and good story, and telling it to the world: ultimately helping people who are looking for a solution to find it – helping our clients articulate exactly the right message for their audience.

Thanks, Dad. In the most important ways, you’re still with me, every day.

We’ve all gone through the pros and cons of whether a client should start a Facebook page, but thanks to a recent survey by social media measurement firm Syncapse, that pro/con list might become a bit clearer.

The survey resulted in some interesting stats – like the average fan is worth about $136.38 – that show social media engagement can be linked revenue generation:

• On average, fans spend an extra $71.84 they would not otherwise spend on products they describe themselves as fans of, compared to those who are not fans.
• Fans are 28 percent more likely than non-fans to continue using a specific brand.
• Fans are 41 percent more likely than non-fans to recommend a product they are a fan of to their friends.
• An average fan may participate with a brand ten times a year and will make one recommendation. But an active fan may participate thirty times and make ten recommendations.

Similarly, social media guru Brian Solis also reported yesterday that social media engagement does indeed have its rewards, quantifying word of mouth leads Facebook and Twitter can generate for brands:

At the end of the day, it’s between you and your client whether Facebook and Twitter are the right move for their brands. But surveys like these showing the potential return on investment make it hard to hold out for much longer.

Peter Shankman makes all the right moves.

The guy is brilliant and, if you’re in PR, you can’t help but know that he has a cat named Karma and, when he’s not jumping from an insane altitude, he’s training for an Ironman. Oh, and he’s the founder and CEO of a PR/journalism game-changing company called Help a Reporter Out (HARO).

HARO was founded on Facebook in 2008 and has since grown to be THE social media services company that connects writers and sources. In my opinion, two things make HARO particularly unique: It’s a free service for all involved and it’s a no-BS community where PR pros are held accountable for the pitches they send. Users get booted for spammy, spray-and-pray pitches and, as a result, HARO is somewhat of a safe haven for members of the media.

The lucrative HARO “sponsorship” program that Shankman created is also noteworthy. He places advertisements at the start of each email, which are chock-full of media queries, and the open rates are said (by HARO) to be about 75 percent.

In fact, this business model is so remarkable that, just last week, Shankman announced that his little enterprise had been scooped up by Vocus, a company that provides on-demand software for public relations management and manages the press release distribution service called PRWeb.

We join the industry in congratulating Peter Shankman on this significant accomplishment. According to a Mashable story, he will continue to build the HARO brand with the help of the folks at Vocus and, more importantly, the service will remain free. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for HARO – and continuing to use this fantastic service to supplement our daily PR activities and outreach!

We love major life celebrations in Matter Providence. In the past few years our office has seen four beautiful new babies, three engagements and one wedding. Next weekend our beloved colleague, Christina Beavers, will take that next big step called marriage to her one-and-only David. To send off Christina we surprised her with a “Cupcake and Champagne” shower! Fun was had by all and if you ever find yourself on Federal Hill with a craving for some of the world’s best cupcakes, we highly recommend visiting Nancy’s Fancies Cupcake Cafe.

Yum! Nancy’s Fancies

To Christina and David, we wish you all the happiness in the world. Your Annapolis wedding will be beautiful and we can’t to see pictures!

In the meantime, we have the memories of one more way-too-much-fun trip to iparty. A trip that isn’t complete without at least one ridiculous photo….

I sat down to write this blog, ready to tell the people of the world wide web all they need to know about monotasking, and I couldn’t. At the same time I was digging up material to reference, I was sorting through my emails, perusing HootSuite for client mentions, pitching a new story idea, and so on. The longer I had an empty Word document in front of me, the more I realized how many other things I should and could be doing.

At a time when jobs are scarce, competition is fierce, and employees can expect to play various roles within an organization, why should we care about learning how to monotask? Monotasking, as defined, means focusing on a single task. However, I’ve yet to see a job description that reads “monotasker preferred.” Is this not a skill that is desired in the workforce? If not, why even bother trying to master the art of performing only one task? I’ll tell you why: because it works. Seriously. Try it. Look at your to-do list, pick one thing, and do it without any interruptions. Ignore email for a set length of time, hold your calls, and just finish the task. Listen, the world doesn’t stop when you take a break from your desk to grab a bite to eat, so why feel the need to open every email as soon as it hits your inbox once you are back in the office?

The truth is, as PR professionals, we have been trained to perform this way. With multiple clients and the need to always be “connected,” we are multitaskers at heart. Maybe this quality has become so engraved in our minds that we have overlooked the importance of monotasking. I think it’s time we give monotasking a chance.

To the colleague that introduced me to this phenomenon known as monotasking, I say thank you. You may have changed my world as I know it. I’ve always prided myself on my multitasking abilities, but am taking a stand for change. Power to the monotaskers! From this day forward, I strive to perfect the art of performing only one task at a time…right after I feed the cats while cooking dinner, call my mom while washing the dishes, read a book while watching the evening news…

*How (and Why) to Stop Multitasking – Harvard Business Review

*Multi-Tasking Vs. Mono-Tasking – Dumb Little Man

*Electronic Multitasking is a Brain Drain – SF Gate /The Tech Chronicles

At Matter we were honored this week to receive a Bell Ringer award from the Publicity Club of New England for business press coverage for our client Altman Vilandrie & Company. It’s always nice to receive a pat on the back from the experts in your own industry.

The award event, held at a nice hotel outside Boston, was an amusing snapshot of the PR industry – 300 people who talk for a living gathered in one room. If there was a single moment’s pause in conversation all night, I didn’t hear it!

In large PR gatherings I’m always reminded of the predominance of women in our industry – more than 70 percent by some estimates. It wasn’t always this way. In 1981, as this New York Times article points out, female membership in the Public Relations Society of America had risen sharply – to 33 percent!

PR events are always a good excuse to step back from the fast pace of the day-to-day and think about the work we do. One speaker mentioned a Facebook page that had the whole place laughing: “I work in PR and my family and friends have no idea what I do.” I can definitely relate – after years in PR my family still thinks I work in advertising.

“You must love that show ‘Mad Men,’” they say.