Social PR fashion trends for fall seem to be brightening up from a sea of Facebook blue and white to a burst of rainbow as Google+ enters the social network scene with a vengeance. Will Google+ take center stage as the born again social media fashion darling?
If you think blue hues are dull; we now have another social PR color trend for you to choose – adding bright details to your social media plugins and sharing is definitely IN. But what else is on the Social PR Fashion lists of Ins, Outs and Trending?
What’s IN
* Niche Twitter Chats: Monday night duos #socialchat and #journchat give Social PR pros a chance to tweet and mingle with journalists, PR, SEO and social media experts in one fluid hour. Sarah Evans #journchat kicks off Mondays at 8 p.m. ET and #socialchat is hosted by @aknecht and @socialmicheller on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.
* Scores of Influence: Sizing up clout (and passing it out) can now be added to your Twitter stream. Both Klout and Peerindex can give unique insight into a brand’s influence, specialty, and personality. Are you a thought leader or a broadcaster? Although beware: Klout is not very forgiving, going on a one week vacation can bring down a score. So much for social media time “off the grid.”
* Facebook Sponsored Stories: A pay to play Social PR lift, Facebook sponsored stories allows you to go beyond the Facebook newsfeeds. The page post sponsored story allows you to get in front of fans with current wall posts and the post ‘like’ storylets you reach the friends of your fans.
* Local: Optimize for the locals, they are your bread and butter for online rank and reach. Pay attention to reviews and what locals are saying about your brand. You don’t want to end up on the worst dressed, worst service, worst list.
What’s OUT
We’ve all made the social media fashion faux pas, so let’s just agree nobody is perfect. In case you need some social media “don’ts,” here’s the memo:
* Social Media “Experts” and “Gurus”: Will the real social media expert please stand up? OK everyone sit down. “Getting caught up in who is a social media expert versus who isn't can also be unproductive,” says #Journchat Founder Sarah Evans. “Focus on getting great work done.”
* Brochure-ware websites: Think of your website as a publication versus a one-shot a year online marketing tool. Keep it fresh with frequent, newsworthy, and well-balanced content that adds credibility, leadership, and share-ability.
* Press releases announcing your brand's new: Website, blog, social network presence. I agree with @prsarahevans, It just makes you seem outdated.
* Fighting over who owns social media: SEO, marketing, advertising, customer service, PR – we are one. Share the effort and treat it as an integrated approach...think hub and spoke.
What’s Trending?
* PRGenie: More than a message in a bottle, PRGenie brings together a newswire, media relations, social networks, and SEO all in one shot.
* Triberr: Have blog, will follow. Jason Yormark turned me onto to Triberr at SES Toronto when we shared the Social Media on a Budget panel. This is a way to share in thought leadership. Find a category, pick a tribe, ask for an invite and dig into the circle of love. Your clout and Klout will get a boost.
* G+ Hangouts: Bad timing for Twitter, good timing for Google+ with the recent Twitter outages right in the middle of #journchat and #socialchat sessions this week, making it an easy segue to explore Google+ hangouts as a forum. As Google+ stampedes into the “It” crowd, watch for chats to possibly become known as hangouts.
The Social PR Fashion Forecast
So what is the little black dress (or suit) of social media this season? The can’t go wrong, must have? Seems to be the daily fashion report comes via Facebook, Twitter, and G+.
The social PR fashion forecast: Add bright accessories to your look, (think Google+). Be smart and keep the balance. Too many social media colors in one look is proactive, playful, and interesting, but can become brand delusional.
Lisa Buyer
