Lacey Washburn

Howell Marketing Strategies, LLC

408 S. Front Street, Loft 104

Memphis, TN 38103

(901) 521-1453 office

howell-marketing.com

Posted via email from howell-marketing's posterous

When a crisis comes knocking-no matter how prepared companies may think they are-generally speaking, the first 48 hours will set the stage for how a company will respond and deal with the crisis. Clearly, in the case of BP and its recent disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, nobody was prepared for the magnitude and impact of such a horrific accident. Not only were there human casualties, the environmental and economic casualties continue to mount-likely for a long time. A few things make this crisis unique: first, it is not a single event that is over quickly like a hurricane, earthquake or on-land explosion which passes in a relatively short timeframe. Secondly, the "fix" is miles beneath the ocean so access has proven to be challenging. It is also unique in that it will impact the Gulf of Mexico's natural habitat with unprecedented damage to the environment-maybe permanently for some areas but it's still too soon to tell. Finally, this crisis could have long term, devastating economic implications for the entire coastal region from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama to Florida. These states are the "coastal playground" for the entire Southeast and are dependent upon tourism, fishing and recreation.

In short, so much devastation paints a nasty picture for BP and its Top Brass. It's what I call "bet the company" crisis communication and it requires immediate, transparent and straight forward strategies from day one. BP has done the exact opposite, waiting until last week to unfold their high profile (and expensive) ad and messaging campaign which I believe will be wasted on a large population of angry people whose emotions will run high as the consequences of the spill continue to lap onto the beaches, the marshes and wetlands and creatures of the sea.

So here's what BP didn't exactly "get" from day 1 and here's what companies and organizations can learn:

. The first 48 hours of the crisis is the time for the top management to respond in a straight forward way armed with facts as they know them and the appearance of being transparent and honest with the public, the media, employees and stakeholders. There's been a lot said about the lawyers involved and while I know legal counsel is there to protect companies from themselves, when you have a crisis of this scale, you have to weigh the risk of not following legal advice-which unfortunately in many cases is to say nothing-against the risk of having your case played out publicly in the court of the viral internet! Instead, BP issued gag orders and stayed quiet too long. Huge mistake.

. BP grossly understated the magnitude of the spill. Another terrible mistake to make. Even if you aren't sure how many gallons are spilling into the Gulf each day, you'd better have your facts straight. Accuracy and facts are extremely important in crisis PR; No matter how "bad" it is, you have to tell your story-good, bad and ugly.

. BP waited too long to tell their story. It took them almost 45 days to roll out their message? Their expensive PR consultants, lobbyists and legal team will not be strong enough to spin anything positive out of this story. I can't believe I'm saying it but at this point, they are wasting their money on consultants. A better strategy would be to give that money to the fishermen who now face unemployment or worse, bankruptcy.

. BP underestimated the importance of digital PR, the internet power and Twitter. BP's twitter account has only 8,000 followers (or about at last count). A "fake" Twitter account called @BPGlobalPR was established and has over 120,000 followers. PR is now 24/7 and it's viral, global and permanent. Unfortunately, most legal teams advising their corporate clients don't understand social media tools like Twitter, You-Tube and Facebook. These tools play a tremendous role. Today, anyone with a mobil device is a reporter. You cannot hide, cover anything up or try and keep anything like this under wraps.

. If BP had a crisis plan in place, we sure didn't see it. Don't wait until you have a crisis to get a plan in place. Although you cannot predict what might happen, you can get ready by asking yourself these things: do we value transparency and straight talk? What would our lawyers tell us to do in certain situations and are they right? What kind of crisis could we envision happening to us? Is HR communicating with PR and would our teams be ready immediately? Do we have the communication tools in place to handle a crisis? Have we had media training? Who would our point person(s) be to talk with the media? I think having a plan in place before something happens is much better than nothing at all. Even though no plan can be followed as predicted, going through the exercise of a plan will take a company closer to handling it better.

This crisis is far from over and these are just a few lessons we can learn. Time will tell if this is a "bet the company" crisis but unfortunately BP isn't the biggest loser in this deal. Far too many others will lose more-some have already made the ultimate sacrifice: their lives.

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Heaven Forbid Twitter and the Internet should *go away* but given the current state of *crazy* in our world, I have to ask the question.  If you think about it, BP is now saying they had no idea things could get this bad—oil spill.  Look at the banking and real estate sectors: Who would have thought our banking world would come crashing down and need Federal help. The real estate industry is not far behind. So, what makes you think our internet could not fail?  I was inspired to write this post because today, my own e-mail went down (my IT guys took awhile to fix it—grrr) for about 4 hours during *prime time*.  I quickly called and emailed (from other accounts) my clients to let them know to call me on the phone if they needed me fast (my normal “MO”).  So it got me thinking and wondering, inspiring me to post this: What if the internet went down? Here are my thoughts…..(add more please)

·         Technology is great but don’t rely on it as the conduit  (what do you rely on?)

·         Have a backup plan! What if you can’t communicate with your clients? Does it matter? Will you get paid if the internet crashes?

·         Do you have your client’s home phone numbers, cell numbers?

·         Twitter, FaceBook and YouTube won’t work if the Internet goes out, right?

·         If a cell tower near you goes out….are you prepared?

·         What is important to your clients in a crisis? What will *they* need? How can you add value?

·         Do you have back up batteries, cell phones and extra cool stuff?

·         Who would you call (I want “Ghost Buster type Geek Help”)?

·         Today I did a test and asked for phone numbers for some of my *power tweeters*..Guess what? I have a great spread sheet I’m putting together in excel in case….Thanks to all of you who trust me to store your phone number. We may need it someday.

·         Ask yourself: What would it mean to me and my business if the internet (and Twitter) vanished for a month or so…

Please feel free to “DM” me your phone and private contact information as I’m happy to keep it all confidential and not “for sale.”  This is my promise and I hope we never have online “crisis” but I fear we certainly will.  All the best, thanks for reading this and cheers to all you fun Tweeps who sent me your information. Keep it coming.  Amy

Amy Howell

Howell Marketing Strategies, LLC

408 S. Front Street, Loft 104

Memphis, TN 38103

(901) 521-1453 office

(901) 351-7186 cell

howell-marketing.com

Become a Fan

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I wanted to do a quick blog post about the past few days leading up to Chris Brogan’s speaking, our events around his speaking and the cool things I learned…I spent most of yesterday in a client strategy and execution meeting where we talked about how these social media tools give us bigger ears (to borrow Brogan’s phrase).  Amazing, fun and exciting times we live in and I have had more fun in the past two years than I have had in my 25 years doing marketing and PR for corporate entities. So, here are a few highlights from the last few days I thought I’d share:

·         Never think you know someone until you meet them IRL (in real life). I’m not just talking about Brogan—who by the way is a great person, fun, funny and well, a “duck master” now for crying out loud (thank you Peabody Hotel)

·         Plan early, get up early, stay ahead of it all, anticipate what’s coming and stay calm.  Our success was totally attributed to good planning, smart strategy and execution

·         Ignore people who are negative: There will always be at least one person who has to be the jerk and try and rain on your parade….you have to learn to keep your eye on what’s positive, productive and profitable (I will say that having kids has helped me with this for some reason..someone gave me some cocktail napkins that say “you can’t scare me…I have children” and it is sort of true!)

·         You cannot thank people enough: Thank you all the sponsors, FedEx, The Memphis Daily News, The Judy Mac Team, Vanick Group, Pinnacle Airlines and the Peabody Hotel.  Also, thanks to *everyone* who attended, especially those FRIENDS who came in from out of town (even Canada)—I love my gift of the I-pad and the “Memphis Power Tweeter” Award!

·         Even though the schedule is crazy, stop and enjoy the minutes: I didn’t want it to end and at several points I forced myself to just stop and watch, look around, listen in on the *serendipity* of the magic!

·         Learn as much as you can by asking lots of questions—amazing how much social media gives us *sharing* on steroids

·         Don’t rely on others to do your job for you—it’s hard work and you have to do it: Get help of course but accept that if it’s your event with your name on it, you own the successes and the speed bumps!

·         Connect and associate with other “Trust Agents” out there who help promote you and your like minded ideas: The Social CMO “crew” that came in for #BroganMemphis is a case study of what can happen through Twitter

·         Have fun, move forward, finish what you start and know you are never done.  I learned Chris Brogan is just getting warmed up! He is evolving as we all are and that’s the best part of it

·         In the end, doing great work for clients is what matters the most…By bringing Brogan to Memphis, we apply new tools and ideas to help our clients move forward, and that is the coolest of cool.  Thanks for reading this and I’ll be posting some photos of our event soon.

Amy Howell

Howell Marketing Strategies, LLC

408 S. Front Street, Loft 104

Memphis, TN 38103

(901) 521-1453 office

(901) 351-7186 cell

howell-marketing.com

Become a Fan

Posted via email from howell-marketing's posterous

The countdown is on to #BroganMemphis and we are days away from hosting @ChrisBrogan at the Peabody Hotel @PeabodyMemphis May 6th.  It's been one heck of a ride planning it all and I'm excited to get to finally meet Chris and hear him speak. Working with him and his team has been a pleasure!  Thanks to our sponsors too-- FedEx @FedEx The Memphis Daily News @MemphisDaily Judy McLellan Team @JudyMacTeam The Peabody Hotel, Pinnacle Airlines and the Vanick Group. One ancillary and unexpected surprise in our planning has been the number of Twitter friends--successful, busy professionals--who have joined the party from out of town!  Two are even flying in from Canada!  The number is growing and I'm impressed that these folks are spending their time and money to be here.  Memphis, are you ready for the *PowerTweeters*? Not only are we going to get to meet "in real life" but we get to hear Brogan, be with him at the sponsor dinner (The famous Rendezvous) and meet as a group for the 1st "Social CMO" facilitated by Jeff Ashcroft where we will be brainstorming, discussing ways in which we can help each other, send business to one another, share ideas, etc.  A "virtual" powerhouse--literally.  After the Brogan event and our meeting we'll have dinner and probably tour Beale Street for some authentic live Memphis music...I imagine we'll eat our share of BBQ and other Memphis cuisine and finally--it wouldn't be a proper post without me saying--we'll be live tweeting all the way!

So without further delay...I give you the PowerTweeters who will be "walking in Memphis" soon....

@AnneDGallaher: A true PR/marketing Pro who knows how to get it done! Great friend (IRL), fun powerhouse who I'm lucky to know

@TrendTracker:  My "go to" for most things social media/policy/legal...a true professional and valued friend and Philly tour guide

@TheSocialCMO: Jeff Ashcroft high above Canada, our intelligent Social CMO founder, great thinker and organizer. Loves to "horizontal tweet"

@TreyPennington: One of Twitter's most valued, a true South Carolina Gent and author who gets around the T-verse! He's everywhere!

@ProfS: Kathy Snavely is one of the best on Twitter, a true networker, teacher and politico! Can't wait to see you again!

@EricFletcher: My Dallas Follow Friday and everyday good friend, fellow Texan, gracious legal eagle. He and I have much to discuss and he owes me a beer!

@KentHuffman: Kent is Mr. Marketer Monday on Twitter, author of SMMmagazine and a great person! Can't wait to meet!

@AmberCadabra: Amber Naslund is someone I am excited to meet, a superstar in her field and on Twitter!

@sauerscomm: Ryan Sauers and I have had the best phone conversations and I can't wait to meet another marketer! He's also offering to help me drive all of you around!

@MarisaCorser: Works with Anne and I have met twice in Philly! She? is awesome, fun and will keep us in line I'm sure--or try to!

@B2Bbloggers: Jeremy Victor is a machine blogger of great content, fun person (I can tell) and I can't wait to meet!

@BillyMitchell1: Partner at MLT Creative (Atlanta, NY) Billy is doing great work for clients....I want the fish story when you get here!

@DebWeinstein: Another Canadian friend I cannot wait to meet! Very savvy marketer and all around fun person!

@MarkWSchaefer: A true pro, author of "Grow" blog who I met in Knoxville...he's moving heaven and earth to get here (as all are)!

Thanks to this crew for busting it to be here. These folks know that anything worth it requires effort, time and resources. It also requires that you put yourself out there, meet new people and sacrifice a bit to do so. So look out Memphis! You might find yourself on Google's hot trends list with this crew in town.  One thing I can promise is that we're going to have a heck of a great time here in the City of Elvis, Music & BBQ! Bring your blue jeans and blue suede shoes!  I'm thankful to all of my Twitter friends and can you tell, just a wee bit excited about #BroganMemphis!

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OK: All the hype about Brogan making money off the social media world: First of all, I am glad to know that we are all in social media to ultimately develop revenue (OK, not everybody but I admit most).  Of course it’s mostly about meeting people and establishing relationships that lead to engagement.  Bottom line is this—tweeting is a waste of time if you can’t show your company or boss how you are helping to contribute results.  It’s not what’s on your virtual resume or “footprint” that counts—it is what you contribute to your team.  REVENUE rules. You would think in this economy people would “get it” and it continues to amaze me that some people feel entitled to their jobs! >> FAIL. If you are not generating revenue, adding monetary value to your organization, you should re-think things.  Gone are the days of cushy corporate 9-5 jobs.  The re-set button has been pushed and we are never returning to what was. The new world is tough and getting tougher. Cheers to those who can add value, be helpful and monetize—fairly—their work.  Chris Brogan is one of them.  I know recently he’s been criticized about this but I can tell you, he is –to me—an innovative businessman.  He’s awesome, geeky, smart, fun and accessible—but remember, he’s in it to build a business and I respect him for it.  As a small business owner, I get it, support it and have been around long enough to know that change is the ONE thing we count on.  Just because someone starts out in one place doesn’t mean they stay there. Today’s businesses that succeed are flexible, dynamic and open to new.   Chris Brogan is evolving as we all are and that’s the fun part about any business.

Social Media 101: Chris Brogan’s new book:  I love it.  It boils down great ideas, Chris’ own experiences, tools he likes, tools he’s not sure about, his opinions on things, examples of folks he respects, the list goes on.  Businesses can learn tons from this new book. Some good points: Twitter is a great way to promote your business blog and links; Photo Share rocks; Clients and how to involve them on your blog; The importance of Strategy (one of my favorite words); Specific uses of social media for industries like real estate, banking, etc.; Blogging tips including good examples for titles (the importance of brevity). GET THE BOOK. You’ll love it if you get what I meanJ

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree:  I have had the pleasure of contacting Chris to invite him to Memphis May 6^th to speak to Memphis businesses on how social media gives everyone a big voice.  In planning our event (check my website for registration/info) I have had the great pleasure of working with Diane Brogan—his booking agent and Mom.  All I can say is that she is a wonderful person, a joy to work with.  We have had phone conversations and some e-mail exchanges.  I haven’t even had to talk to Chris yet (although I look forward to it). It is evident to me that family is most important to the Brogan crew and I think that’s the coolest thing of all. I have tweeted recently that #DianeRocks and she does. If every other speaker I’ve booked had been so easy/fun.  Thanks Diane! Maybe Chris will get to be the honorary Peabody Hotel Duckmaster while he’s here in our River City!

Cool People coming to #BroganMemphis:  We have 14 (and counting) cool Tweeps flying to Memphis for the May 6^th event.  Soon I will list them all as we’re still compiling the list!!! From Canada to  PA to NYC to MO…the CMO crew is coming in. What a huge tribute to Chris and to the Power of Twitter.  This idea came to me while talking with Twitter friends Glen Gilmore (aka @TrendTracker) and Anne Gallaher (aka @AnneDGallaher) and with their encouragement, my being on Twitter and Chris Brogan talking back to me (imagine that)…here we are!  Thanks to all our sponsors: FedEx, Peabody, Pinnacle Airlines, JudyMac Team, The Memphis Daily News…we’re going to “trend on Twitter with the Power Tweeters” in May! Join us if you can. My website has all details at www.howell-marketing.com

Thanks for reading this! I look forward to your comments and any questions you may have.  Rock on!

Amy Howell

Howell Marketing Strategies, LLC

408 S. Front Street, Loft 104

Memphis, TN 38103

(901) 521-1453 office

(901) 351-7186 cell

howell-marketing.com

Posted via email from howell-marketing's posterous

It can also help you tell your story, promote events, promote your news (PR), recruit good people, etc. The benefits far exceed the negatives in my opinion.

I have had the honor recently to speak at the following events: The Memphis Chamber of Commerce Small Business Breakfast, NPA's international meeting this past week at the Peabody in Memphis and also as a panelist on Knoxville's social media club on social media and business...Each session was awesome and upon reflection, I am reminded of the passion I have for social media and the impact it is having on "main street" anywhere. Everywhere! In my daily work with my clients, I am reminded of the "Power of Twitter." Just last week one of my clients had a story that got reported with false information on national news networks. Thanks largely to a real-time Twitter search and my google alerts I have set up, I found it early and we were able to correct it, post accurate information and help our client. Amazing. PR is now 24/7 and viral. So here's the point: Corporate clients both love and hate social media. A valid view. When things are going great and everyone is loving you, life is good. Flip the coin and have something "BAD" happen and BAM! You are the evil corporate empire being judged (right or wrong) in the court of mass internet perception. Wow. Brand Making vs. Brand Breaking in one small keystroke. Gives many CEO's heartburn, let me tell you. OK, so it's Sunday afternoon and you don't have all day (and it's beautiful and sunny 60s in Memphis) so here's what I think is very important to the C-suite (CEO, CFO, COO, CMO):

* When news happens (good or bad) get your facts and talking points fast

* Have a "what if" strategy in place long before "what if" happens

* Make sure your legal team gets social media (if your lawyer doesn't know what Twitter is you might need to re-think things)

* Being "tech savvy" isn't being "business savvy"...don't put a young person in charge of social media without corporate compliance/experience oversight

* Your social media strategy should be similar to your media policy/strategy (see my earlier blog post on "Top Guns" in social media)

* Make sure HR and PR get it and are communicating

* If your PR person/firm doesn't understand social media, get a new one who does

* Monitor, monitor, monitor

* Do not fear noise on the internet: Quality is the ultimate "filter"

* If you have great people, a great service/product, TELL YOUR STORY

* Finally, advice I give my clients daily: Tell your own story or someone else will

Now, go outside and enjoy this great weather....As I finish this post, I'm out on my deck, laptop on lap (hence name), kids playing in the yard, birds seem louder than normal--and I'm thankful and grateful for this day, my family and my friends both online and in real life--they seem to be merging lately...Future prediction? Online and Real life will tend to merge. Thanks for reading this and look forward to your comments. Next post will be about #BroganMemphis and all my *Power Tweeters* coming to Memphis May 6 to hear Chris Brogan. Cool times we live in!

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I have tweeted before about the “power” of Twitter when it comes to connecting people and—although it seems simple enough—the real power comes from turning those contacts into colleagues. Recently I had the pleasure of attending a fundraiser for non-profit “Second Mile” in Hershey, PA where the keynote speaker was FORD CEO, Mr. Alan Mulally.  The invitation came from friend and colleague, Anne D. Gallaher (@AnneDGallaher on Twitter) who owns her own marketing/pr/design firm in Harrisburg, PA. I met Anne on Twitter and have now met with her  face to face on three separate occasions—all of which have resulted in multiple business related opportunities and collaborative sharing of information and ideas.  Through Anne, I have now met a number of others, further expanding my “Twitter network” of great contacts.  A few that you should follow on Twitter are: @ProfS @marketingbyDM @MarisaCorser @RunOnEnergy @piersoncci @RichardEJordan2—all of whom I met at the Ford event! 

Glen Gilmore (@TrendTracker on Twitter) is another example of someone I met on Twitter who is now my “go to” for social media consulting for my clients, keynote speaker needs and a trusted confidant.  By May, Glen will have been to Memphis three times ,  and I have been to Philly now twice.  We are, through real relationships, monetizing social media both for our clients and for ourselves individually.  That monetization—although a result of efforts—should not be where our focus or motivations are.  The real power of Twitter, in my opinion, is in the active building and expanding of personal relationships that can then lead to engagements later. 

I founded my business on a core value that has served us well and I believe is directly related to all the talk about social media ROI.  That value is simple:  Do the right thing for your client/customer every single day.  Often that means putting your clients'  needs in front of personal  interests.  It sometimes means saying 'no' to new business.  It sometimes means giving a client a lower fee.  It  means dropping everything on a weekend or night to help a client with a crisis or problem.   

I believe if you focus on your client (not the money) and take care of  them, the rest will take care of itself.  I think that’s true of social media networking too.  If your focus and/or motivation is on churning a quick buck or two, you are missing it.  The focus should be on building and nurturing relationships that can lead to real engagements (and plenty has been written here on this).  During Mr. Mulally’s speech last week, he talked about the importance of “doing the right thing” every day.  Inspiring to me!  He also said that “social media is absolutely the way of the future.”  Encouraging to me!  (Glen Gilmore wrote an excellent blog post  about this event!! )

After hearing Mr. Mulally, it is clear that Ford is winning by doing the right things.  They are setting a great example as a company that is working to be honest, accessible and transparent through social media.  What is refreshing to me about Mr. Mulally is his openness, honesty, integrity and pure “down to earth” approach.  He was not in a hurry to leave.  He did not make anyone “pre-screen” any questions.  When someone’s cell phone rang during his speech, he quickly said, “Go ahead, take the order” underscoring that sales are important but more aptly, putting the recipient of the call at ease and making us all laugh.  What a gentleman! We need more corporate executives in the C-suite just like Mulally. 

Oh, and did I mention we had a big snowstorm?

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We've been helping our corporate clients with social media or online social network strategies, uses and policies of late and as I have been reading through the volume of information, I thought I'd post and share the "best of the best" that I've found thus far (I would say Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall, Clint Eastwood if we had to equate these corporate studs to cinema action heros). Jumping into social media if you are a business is intimidating and risky to say the least.  We advise clients to get a strategy in place (based on traditional core values and marketing principles) decide who is responsible for leading the social media strategy, and by all means, develop a policy AND set of guidelines customized to the client needs/circumstances.  I think "policy" and "guidelines" are 2 distinct things but I'll save that for another post. Here is a list combining a bit of policy, guidelines and etiquette.  I'm sure I am leaving out many others we could add, so if you read this and want to comment on other "super-studs" out there, please do so!  I'd love to keep this list going and update it as a reference to post on my website. 

• Remember what you post is 3 things: Global, Permanent and Discoverable (Bryan Simkins FedEx, www.fedex.com)
• Assume that your professional life and personal life will merge online (Los Angeles Times www.latimes.com)
• Realize that social media communities have their own culture, etiquette, and norms--be respectful of them (NPR, National Public Radio, www.npr.org  http://twitter.com/nprNews)
• When in doubt, DON'T POST (Coca Cola  www.coca-cola.com)  For their online social media guidelines, check here:
•  www.thecoca-colacompany.com/socialmedia/
• Be a "scout" for compliments and criticism of our brand (Coca Cola)
• Give credit where credit is due and don't violate others' rights (Coca Cola)
• Adhere to company Code of Business Conduct and other applicable policies (Coca Cola)
• You are responsible for your own actions (Coca Cola)
• Write what you know (Intel  www.intel.com  On Twitter, follow @kenekaplan and @kfcochrane )
• Be transparent (Intel)
• It's a conversation (Intel)
• Be judicious (Intel)
• Be a Leader (Intel)
• Speak in first Person (IBM www.ibm.com  On Twitter, follow @thereyesreport and @ragtag and @IBMEvents)
• Respect your audience (IBM)
• Protect confidential and proprietary information (IBM)
• Add value (IBM)
• Avoid Sarcasm (Xerox  www.xerox.com  On Twitter, follow @arenak for @xeroxcorp)
• Be the first to respond to your own mistakes (IBM)
• Don't forget your day job (I love this!! by IBM)
• Separate Opinions from Facts (SAP, Business Management Software Solutions Applications and Services, www.sap.com)
• Identify yourself (SAP)
• Post frequently (Kodak www.kodak.com  Chief Blogger and Social Media Manager is Jennifer Cisney and you can follow them on twitter @kodakcb )
• Content gathered online is subject to the same attribution rules as other content (NPR)
• We will not delete comments unless they are spam, off-topic or defamatory (General Motors www.gm.com)

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