Category: Social Media + Influencer Engagement

Social Media Lessons from… a Taxi Driver?

Dana PhelpsBlog, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , 12 Comments on Social Media Lessons from… a Taxi Driver?
I'm not the first person to notice @ChicagoCabbie's social media savvy. Chicago Dispatch just wrote about him, too.

How many times have you heard someone say “social media doesn’t apply to my business,” or “we can’t really use social media for what we do”? Are you guilty of saying that yourself? If so, this post is for you! I hope it will open your mind to new ways of working and thinking about customer service.

It all started when I was in Chicago a few days ago. My friend and fellow PRSA‘s Counselors Academy member, Lisa Gerber, offered to tweet me a cab. That’s right. Not call me a cab. Tweet me a cab. Lisa is social media hip like that.

I eagerly awaited the arrival of @ChicagoCabbie as my mind flooded with questions I wanted to ask this tweet wielding taxi driver. Based on his answers, here are my top three lessons that could apply to any business (or person) looking to create or raise a social media presence:

  1. Be curious. @ChicagoCabbie was an early Facebook adopter. When he heard about Twitter, he wanted to see what it was all about, too. Initially, he didn’t love Twitter, but he continued to experiment and wonder how he could use it.
  2. Ask yourself: What can I offer? After 13 years of driving passengers around the Windy City, @ChicagoCabbie knows a thing or two about the taxi industry. He also has a lot of general knowledge of the city and how to get around in it. People have questions. He has answers.
  3. Be honest about what you want out of it. And what you are getting out of it. “Are you getting more customers?” I excitedly asked, thinking I knew the answer. “There are still the same number of hours in my shift,” @ChicagoCabbie answered. True, very true. But consider this — as his last customer of the day, I was the fourth out of eight or nine passengers who requested pick-up via Twitter. Let’s just go with the easy math and say that’s 50 percent of his customers that day and think about the experience for the “Twitter half.” Qualified customers. Satisfied customers. Customers who like to tweet about his good service. And for @ChicagoCabbie, maybe it isn’t more customers, but I have to think these things ultimately mean more tips for him and I suspect increased job satisfaction.

Are you in a business that you think can’t benefit from social media? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Challenge us to help you come up with some ideas!

 

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QR Code Goodness: Hunt for the Green

Dana PhelpsBlog, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, Sustainability

Oh how we love the creative and strategic integration of a QR code into a communications campaign, initiative or event. I couldn’t resist blogging again today about Briar Chapel (client), and am eager to take part in the community’s Hunt for Green tomorrow as part of its Earth Day Celebration. Read more about how this QR code scavenger hunt will educate participants about the green benefits of living at Briar Chapel.

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QR Codes in 2011

Dana PhelpsBlog, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , 1 Comment on QR Codes in 2011

When we sent out the Clairemont holiday card with a QR code, we knew that everyone wouldn’t access it. While QR codes (and the smartphones needed to read them) are gaining in popularity, it was a bit of a test to gauge where our peers, clients and media friends stand with this “new” technology.

 

So far, no complaints of the card being elitist… in fact, a few smartphone-less recipients had as much fun trying to find a friend with a QR reader as they did actually seeing what was attached to it. And speaking of that, if you haven’t been able to follow the code yet, here’s the video:

 

 

Look for more and more QR codes in 2011. Think about the opportunity they allow to tell your customers more about your company, your products or your services. And stay tuned as we share how are clients will be using them in the coming months!

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Holiday Quickie

Dana PhelpsBlog, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , 4 Comments on Holiday Quickie

Typically our Mondays are Myrtle Mondays, and this week is inspired by Myrtle. We chose to do a holiday postcard for Clairemont’s first holiday season. Not as traditional as Myrtle’s postcards, we’ve attempted to combine a classic form of communications with a little something-something more current. Did you get our card? What did you think? Did you already have a QR code reader or did you have to download one? If you haven’t seen our card, take a look below and let us know what you think.


Don’t have a smartphone? Don’t worry, you can still see our video and get your holiday quickie!

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Social Media Audit for UNC’s Kenan-Flagler

Dana PhelpsBlog, Clairemont Client News, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , ,

Today we excitedly announced a social media audit and analysis project that we completed earlier this year for The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Joining forces with our friends at Addressable Media, we assessed the school’s existing social media efforts and made next-step recommendations. What a great assignment! Here’s the release we issued this morning that has more details:

UNC Kenan-Flagler Social Media Audit Conducted by Clairemont Communications

–Clairemont, Addressable Media Joined Forces to Make Phase Two Recommendations–

Raleigh, N.C. – December 1, 2010 – Clairemont Communications has completed a social media audit for The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Clairemont, a public relations agency with a focus on blending traditional communications and social media, partnered with Addressable Media, a leading digital communications firm. The project team conducted an analysis of the social media effectiveness of UNC Kenan-Flagler and its direct U.S. competitors. Considerations included traffic and content, viral scoring, social media mention, share of voice, sentiment, email effectiveness and traffic generated from third-party sources.

“UNC Kenan-Flagler had established a strong social networking presence, as part of phase one of our social media strategy,” said Heather Havenstein, director of public relations and new media, UNC Kenan-Flagler. “The recommendations made by Clairemont Communications and Addressable Media are allowing us to further engage key audiences including students, perspective students, alumni and donors as part of our phase two outreach.” Continue reading “Social Media Audit for UNC’s Kenan-Flagler”

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