How companies can use social media for better investor relations
Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 7:16 p.m.
Social Media Monday is a weekly feature that helps businesses and consumers understand how to use social media tools to their best advantage. This week, Abe Wischnia, president of Abe Wischnia & Associates (www.Better-IR.com and on Twitter @awischnia) an investor relations and PR firm, looks at the use of social media for investor relations.
Publicly-traded companies, especially those with little or no analyst following, can benefit from enhanced shareholder engagement that can result from thoughtful application of some social media tools.
More and more, sophisticated investors are already using social media in their daily lives. They’re coming to expect interactive communications and engagement from the companies they do business with and that expectation will increasingly apply to companies they invest in.
Yet very few public companies are using social media in their investor relations efforts. Most are, in a sense, paralyzed with fear. That’s because the term “social media” is too loaded, problematic and scary in the context of shareholder communications.
So I say, don’t think about the words “social media” for investor relations. Instead, think about using Web-based tools to better engage directly with shareholders. If you change the terminology, you’ll see that we’re really talking about tools that can make you more effective in the way you communicate with the investment community.
Here’s an easy way to start: Add an interactive “ask management” page to your existing IR website. Use it to let investors submit their questions online so that the questions and your answers show up on your IR website for all to see. You could also use it to solicit investor questions in advance of an earnings call.
Taking questions online may sound scary, but the questions they’ll type are the same ones they would ask you on the phone. The answers you’ll post are the same answers you would give on the phone. The real difference, and I know this from experience, is that it will save many of those hours that you’ll otherwise spend on the phone answering those same questions over and over.
Another benefit: I’ve seen shareholders copy those questions and answers and repost them on Internet stock message boards — spreading the company’s message points even further.
Don’t think about social media — think about adding a CEO’s blog to communicate directly with investors without depending on the news media as intermediaries. A blog, appearing once monthly, for example, would allow the CEO to provide additional detail and color about information already disclosed in news releases or to enable a deeper discussion of the company’s plans, products and other matters. Investor comments on the blog can give you valuable feedback about how they’re responding to what you say.
The blog idea might seem intimidating. But it’s a lot less so if you approach it as essentially another form of a news release — but one that just uses less formal and more conversational language than a standard press release and without the structural constraints or distribution costs. Just make sure the blog text gets the same review and vetting that you use for a news release and file an 8K in conjunction with the posting.
Don’t worry about the social media label for Twitter. Instead, think of Tweeting as an easy way to call attention to things such as new blog postings, news releases, SEC filings, or website updates. It’s easy to do and there are no fair disclosure issues if you’re just alerting investors to an existing disclosure. It could pay off in the trading of your stock. A recent paper by the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan says there is a correlation between company Tweets around news events and tighter bid/ask spreads in the company’s shares.
By putting these and other interactive Web tools to work, you will be increasing your shareholder interaction while allowing investors to self-select how they want to engage with your company. And you don’t need to dive in. Rather, apply them at a pace that fits your comfort level, testing one before adding another.
Whether you’re trying to sell a product or an investment thesis, it’s no longer good enough to just keep pushing out press releases and hoping that pick-up in traditional media will get your key messages to your investor audience.
Instead of talking at them, use these social media tools to talk with them and make it an interactive conversation that really engages them. Doing so will help you improve your investor relations.
Join the conversation: Are you a social media professional in San Diego County? We’re looking for tips and advice. Contact Money Editor Diana McCabe on Twitter @mcdiana.
Monday, January 31, 2011
How companies can use social media for better investor relations - SignOnSanDiego.com
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
A Resolution for Your Business
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Social Media: A tool for instant networking at conferences
Social Media: A tool for instant networking at conferences
By Elizabeth Glau, Special to the U-T
Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 6:14 p.m.
Social Media Monday is a weekly feature that helps businesses and consumers understand how to use social media tools to their best advantage. This week Elizabeth Glau, owner of Building Blocks Social Media (basicsocialmediatraining.com and @elizabethglau ) who has been a planner and supplier of meetings and events, looks at the uses of Twitter in the hospitality and events industry.
Planners and suppliers can benefit from social networking, just as you can benefit from networking at face-to-face events. Like face-to-face networking, social media is best used as conversation, not direct selling. Twitter is one of the most commonly used platforms.
At the MPI World Education Congress (WEC) in July 2009, we were asked for our Twitter name on the registration form for the event. I had been reluctant to join Twitter up until that point. When I saw that on the registration form, I didn’t want to miss out on any of the education at the event, so I signed up for Twitter, then signed up for WEC. They did a great job of providing one-on-one training in an area of the conference where you could go at any time. I started to get the hang of it and am very glad that I was given a good foundation on how to use Twitter to network and learn about topics important to my professional development. If your audience is multigenerational, you might want to consider providing this type of education to your attendees so your Gen Xers and Baby Boomers don’t get left behind.
On Twitter, I have connected to and become better acquainted with many people in the hospitality and events industry who live in different parts of the world. I found a few Twitter mentors whom I could emulate. I quickly found people who were tweeting interesting and educational things. In the beginning, I mostly re-tweeted things I liked sent out from people I was following. Then, I learned how to use a hashtag to see tweets from other event professionals (i.e. #eventprofs or #mpi). Most of them have their blog, website or LinkedIn listed on their Twitter profile so you can click over to it to learn more about them. You can follow big brands and celebrities, but they won’t follow you back and you will quickly lose interest. If you follow real people who are tweeting good content and engaging with others on Twitter, you will have a much better experience. If you want more people to follow you, make sure you say something interesting in the bio section of your Twitter profile.
Lists are also a good way to find people quickly who are in the same industry or have the same interests as you. The people you have already found will have either created lists or will be listed, which you can see on their profiles. You can save a list and view tweets from the people the list is following at any time, or you can simply follow everyone on that list so you will always see their tweets.
By the time WEC 2010 came around, I had a year of Twitter under my belt. I had been using it at smaller conferences and other meetings on my laptop and smart phone. It takes some practice, but you can get the hang of taking a learning “nugget” from a speaker and quickly turning it into 140 characters. By doing this, you are sharing what you are learning with the people who are following you.
At larger conferences, someone will inevitably organize a tweet-up and everyone that has been tweeting from the conference will then meet in person. This is an excellent way to extend your professional network.
In addition to sharing content presented by the speakers, Twitter is an evaluation tool. Your attendees will comment on the food, technical difficulties, maybe even the temperature in the room. If you are monitoring the twitter feed from your conference (i.e. #wec10), there may be issues which you can remedy immediately. Otherwise, you may not hear about it until after the conference.
The feedback you get from your evaluation forms is directly related to the questions you ask. Twitter feedback is exactly what your attendees are thinking, while they are thinking it — whether good or bad! Your audience will increasingly expect you to be paying attention to what they are tweeting.
Join the conversation: Are you a social media professional in San Diego County? We’re looking for tips and advice. Contact Money Editor Diana McCabe on Twitter @mcdiana.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
How To Add A Video To Your Facebook Welcome Page – DIY FBML Tutorial
Facebook account holders know that the simplest way to feature videos on their Facebook Fan Page or Business Page is to go to the “Video” tab and either upload or record a video. But what if you’re looking for additional features for showcasing your video content on Facebook? Do you want to create a custom video welcome page, one where people automatic come to when they visit your Facebook site?
Here's a step-by-step tutorial so that you can decide if doing-it-yourself is right for you.
Add Video To Your Facebook Fan/Business Page?
A Facebook Fan Page is also known as a Business Page. The key difference is: Fan pages are created by users who already have a personal profile on Facebook.com, whereas business pages can be created without having an account on Facebook.com.
“Business prefer to have a fan page instead of a group, because Groups are built around a group of people rather than a business or brand.” Explains Saquib Imran, Head of Technical for the 1 Social Media, a developer of Facebook Fan Pages for businesses. He also explained that Facebook Fan Pages don’t have the limitations on video that Group pages do. “Group owner scan send messages to group members, but this information (including video) can’t be shared among friends of group members.” So what this also means is that you can create a custom page featuring your video app on your Facebook Fan/Business Page, but not for a Group Page.
For more information on this, I recommend reading the Facebook blog post, What’s the Difference between a Facebook Page and Group?
As for why you should add a video to Facebook, do I really need to tell you readers the power of video as a story-telling tool? I didn't think so.
Do-it-Yourself Tutorial For Non-Programmers
Step 1: Setup A Facebook Page
If you don't already have one, go to Facebook.com/pages, and click "Create Page." (If you don’t already have a Facebook account, then you can create just a Facebook business page.) You will want to make a selection from the "Official Page" box.
Step 2: Setup The Static FBML Application
FBML Stands for “Facebook Markup Language.” Facebook launched Static FBML application for page owners to create custom landing tabs, and for advanced functionality and Page customization. Here’s what you need to do:
On your Facebook Fan Page and click the "Settings" link in the masthead. From there, click on the “Apps” sidebar tab. At the bottom of this page, you will see the “Static FBML” application. Click “add application.” This application will add a box to your Page in which you can render HTML or FBML (Facebook Markup Language) for advanced functionality and enhanced Page customization.
(Note: When you add the FBML app to your page, you can choose what pages or applications you want to add the FBML to. You can add it to multiple pages, but be aware that you can only have 1 FBML application on a page.)
Step 3 – Add Your Video Using fb:swf
Under the applications list on your Facebook Fan page, you will see the FBML icon Click it and a text box appears. You now add video on your custom FBML tab using FBML tag fb:swf.
Keep in mind that when users see this page, they will have to click on the poster image to access the video controls. As a result, you may want to set your video to autoplay so that they don't have to click twice to watch the video. You can also change background color, add CSS styles using <imgstyle> and have your choice of dimensions.
Here’s some some examples using FBML code:
For YouTube Videos:
<fb:swf swfbgcolor="000000" imgstyle="border-width:3px; border-color:white;" swfsrc='http://www.youtube.com/v/xxxxxxxxxx&autoplay=1' imgsrc='http://img.youtube.com/vi/xxxxxxxxxx/2.jpg' width='340' height='270' />For A BrightCove Video (taken from their homepage):
<fb:swf swfbgcolor="000000" imgstyle="border-width:3px; border-color:white;" swfsrc='http://admin.brightcove.com/viewer/us1.24.04.07.2011-01-10152041/BrightcoveBootloader.swf?isUI=1&isVid=1&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAEMcUfw~,AWP48oYUzyfuRZZHJ28PU6pKctIjV-DP&videoId=49774962001' imgsrc='PATH_TO_IMAGE_HERE' width='340' height='270' />For A JWPlayer Video:
<fb:swf swfbgcolor="000000" imgstyle="border-width:3px; border-color:white;" swfsrc='PATH_TO_YOUR_JWPLAYER_SWF?file=PATH_TO_FILE_HERE&autostart=true' imgsrc='PATH_TO_IMAGE_HERE' width='340' height='270' />Step 4: Set Up Your Page's Default Facebook Welcome Tab
Your Facebook Fan page will already have a “Video” tab, but it's really your “Welcome” page where you want people to first come to when they visit your Facebook site. To change your Default Tab to your "Welcome" page, simply go to the “Edit Page” link in the left-hand sidebar (under your profile photo), click the "Default Landing Tab" menu, and select "Welcome."
edit page -> manage permissions -> default landing tab -> Welcome
The Challenges In Building Your Own Facebook Video Page
Does any of this sound easy? I guess that depends coding experience you already have; and as, explained to me by Saqib, everything needs to be hard-coded. “If you’re going to change any bit of the tab content, one has understand at least the basics HTML, CSS, and FBML.”
So guess what that means? If you wan to do it yourself, then you’ll 1) have to do manual coding, and 2) Have knowledge of coding in HTML, CSS, and FBML at the very least. Now if you’re not a programmer and it’s not your primary job to program code, do you really feel up for learning all that?
Also, is FBML really the right avenue for doing video? Facebook has already announced that they are in the process of deprecating FBML – i.e., they will not be providing any new features to FBML. Facebook has instead recommended that application development, including video on fan pages, should be created using Facebook Developer Libraries. If you are building a new application on Facebook.com, they recommend you implement your (video) application using HTML, JavaScript and CSS; along with their JavaScript SDK.”
Great, so now they recommend you adding Javascript to your list. Not to mention, some companies like 1 Social Media recommend building fan page and video application development in other programming languages, including PHP and Microsoft.Net SDK
Article Update: I recently heard back on this subject from online marketing strategist Nick Shin, who wrote the article featured on Social Media Examiner, "How to Customize Your Facebook Page Using Static FBML," published back in June 2010. Here's what he had to say about building your own video apps in FBML:Nick Shin, MarketingShinDig.com
“I don't recommend people creating video apps with Static FBML because the FBML tags will eventually get broken. The same can be said for embedding video apps that very well could have used FBML code that will be deprecated. It all comes down to how much time and money you're investing.
“I'm not a developer/programmer, but based on my research, [Saqib] hit it on the end. With FBML deprecating this just means more work for programmers. From my experience, I will say that programmers who are competent enough to develop apps are knowledgeable already in HTML, CSS, and Javascript so that's not an issue. However, like the article states, if a non-programmer who's been developing on his/her own free time with no formal training or experience, i.e., doing it for fun, then it's just a matter of learning a bit more. If you were motivated enough to learn it once, chances are, you'll take on this new challenge that Facebook seems to be presenting in or near Q1.”
So does it really make sense to try and create a custom Facebook video page yourself? Well, if you’re not a developer, and not looking to become one, I would say "no" for myself.
Is There An Easier Way To Do This?
That’s why I decided to interview two companies specializing in developing Facebook Fan Pages – 1 Social Media Agency, and NorthSocial, and ask them for some advice on building your own custom video Facebook page. You can read about what they have to say in my upcoming posts!
Learn more with these related posts:
- How To Add Video To Your LinkedIn Profile - A Reel Tutorial
- Should You Hire A Developer To Build Your Own Facebook Video App?
- 10 Reasons Facebook Video Marketing Is Valuable For Business
- On The Importance Of AB Testing To Measure Landing Page Video ROI
- Facebook Is The 2nd Largest Referral Source For Online Video
What do you think? Discuss This On Facebook
Spread the word:
About the Author - Grant Crowell
Grant Crowell is a regular contributor for ReelSEO and a professional consultant and developer in the online marketing space. Grant is also the Founder of Grantastic Designs, an online marketing solutions firm established in 1996, specializing in search-optimized, user-friendly web design and multimedia content, including video and podcasting solutions for commercial enterprises, video solutions providers, non-profits, and academic and government organizations. - View All Posts By Grant Crowell
Great Tutorial for FB and Video
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Social Media: A tool for instant networking at conferences
Social Media: A tool for instant networking at conferences
By Elizabeth Glau, Special to the U-T
Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 6:14 p.m.
Social Media Monday is a weekly feature that helps businesses and consumers understand how to use social media tools to their best advantage. This week Elizabeth Glau, owner of Building Blocks Social Media (basicsocialmediatraining.com and @elizabethglau ) who has been a planner and supplier of meetings and events, looks at the uses of Twitter in the hospitality and events industry.
Planners and suppliers can benefit from social networking, just as you can benefit from networking at face-to-face events. Like face-to-face networking, social media is best used as conversation, not direct selling. Twitter is one of the most commonly used platforms.
At the MPI World Education Congress (WEC) in July 2009, we were asked for our Twitter name on the registration form for the event. I had been reluctant to join Twitter up until that point. When I saw that on the registration form, I didn’t want to miss out on any of the education at the event, so I signed up for Twitter, then signed up for WEC. They did a great job of providing one-on-one training in an area of the conference where you could go at any time. I started to get the hang of it and am very glad that I was given a good foundation on how to use Twitter to network and learn about topics important to my professional development. If your audience is multigenerational, you might want to consider providing this type of education to your attendees so your Gen Xers and Baby Boomers don’t get left behind.
On Twitter, I have connected to and become better acquainted with many people in the hospitality and events industry who live in different parts of the world. I found a few Twitter mentors whom I could emulate. I quickly found people who were tweeting interesting and educational things. In the beginning, I mostly re-tweeted things I liked sent out from people I was following. Then, I learned how to use a hashtag to see tweets from other event professionals (i.e. #eventprofs or #mpi). Most of them have their blog, website or LinkedIn listed on their Twitter profile so you can click over to it to learn more about them. You can follow big brands and celebrities, but they won’t follow you back and you will quickly lose interest. If you follow real people who are tweeting good content and engaging with others on Twitter, you will have a much better experience. If you want more people to follow you, make sure you say something interesting in the bio section of your Twitter profile.
Lists are also a good way to find people quickly who are in the same industry or have the same interests as you. The people you have already found will have either created lists or will be listed, which you can see on their profiles. You can save a list and view tweets from the people the list is following at any time, or you can simply follow everyone on that list so you will always see their tweets.
By the time WEC 2010 came around, I had a year of Twitter under my belt. I had been using it at smaller conferences and other meetings on my laptop and smart phone. It takes some practice, but you can get the hang of taking a learning “nugget” from a speaker and quickly turning it into 140 characters. By doing this, you are sharing what you are learning with the people who are following you.
At larger conferences, someone will inevitably organize a tweet-up and everyone that has been tweeting from the conference will then meet in person. This is an excellent way to extend your professional network.
In addition to sharing content presented by the speakers, Twitter is an evaluation tool. Your attendees will comment on the food, technical difficulties, maybe even the temperature in the room. If you are monitoring the twitter feed from your conference (i.e. #wec10), there may be issues which you can remedy immediately. Otherwise, you may not hear about it until after the conference.
The feedback you get from your evaluation forms is directly related to the questions you ask. Twitter feedback is exactly what your attendees are thinking, while they are thinking it — whether good or bad! Your audience will increasingly expect you to be paying attention to what they are tweeting.
Join the conversation: Are you a social media professional in San Diego County? We’re looking for tips and advice. Contact Money Editor Diana McCabe on Twitter @mcdiana.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Social Media Monday: Is Twitter worthless?
Social Media Monday: Is Twitter worthless?
By Rob Hopwood
Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 10:35 p.m.
Social Media Monday is a weekly feature that helps businesses and consumers understand how to use social media tools to their best advantage. This week, the San Diego Union- Tribune’s social media specialist Rob Hopwood (@sdutHopwood) looks at ways Twitter can be useful.
Not everyone likes the microblogging website Twitter, and that’s OK.
On Oct. 13, three colleagues and I interviewed Twitter co-founder Biz Stone (@biz) at the W Hotel in downtown San Diego. Stone, 36, the San Francisco company’s creative officer, shared plans for making money, addressing privacy issues and cutting through information overload. (CLICK HERE TO READ THE STORY, TWITTER FEED OF INTERVIEW AND TO SEE VIDEO OF BIZ STONE)
After posting the first version of our story about the interview online, a reader wrote, “most worthless website ever conceived.” Other people posted similar opinions.
But a website that helped inform the world about the Iranian government’s crackdown on dissidents shouldn’t be seen as worthless. It’s simply another communication tool. Its value is determined by how it is used.
The U-T uses Twitter to distribute stories and interact with readers. For example, reporter Lily Leung (@LilyShumLeung) says Twitter helps her connect with people. She uses Twitter not only to develop stories but also to get ideas by listening to what people are talking about.
Teresa Siles, (@tsiles) the director of social media at Nuffer, Smith, Tucker, a local public relations firm that also handles PR for the U-T, uses Twitter to help clients learn what people are saying about their companies and brands.
“By listening to the dialogue on Twitter, a company can monitor for mentions of a particular brand and provide resolutions to any issues they see,” she says. “Likewise, businesses can use the platform to identify a brand’s biggest fans, reach out to them directly and amplify their word-of-mouth.”
Rachel Laing, (@RachelLaing) the communications director for the San Diego Yes on D Campaign, says she finds Twitter “incredibly useful.” (Laing is on hiatus from her position as San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders’ deputy press secretary.)
“It allows me to keep up with the conversation about issues I’m working on,” she says. “I know what the journalists, community members and officials I work with are doing — what articles they’re reading, which public meetings they’re attending, whom they’re interacting with, what they think about an issue — even sometimes what misconceptions they’re harboring that I might be able to clear up.”
Should everyone use Twitter? No. Laing admits Twitter can be “an enormous time-suck.”
“It’s important that companies approach Twitter — and all social media platforms — strategically to determine whether or not it makes sense for their business,” Siles advises.
People shouldn’t dismiss Twitter just because they don’t understand it. Take time and learn more about. Start by listening. Then, if you want, join in the conversation when you’re ready. Don’t get sidetracked by how many followers someone — including yourself — has. What matters is the quality of the content being shared, and the interaction between people.
During the next week, open a free Twitter account at twitter.com and start following people. Choose a few to start. If you find their tweets, or messages, useful, then follow some of the people they mention in their tweets. If you don’t like someone’s tweets, stop following them. If you don’t know anyone on Twitter, that’s OK. Go to @sdut’s Twitter profile, where we have a list of our reporters. Start by following them.
Join the conversation: Are you a social media professional in San Diego County? We’re looking for tips and advice. Contact Money Editor Diana McCabe on Twitter @mcdiana or the U-T’s social media specialist Rob Hopwood @sdutHopwood.
