Photo credit: Hank of @TheGhermGuys

Last week my firm broke new ground in blending business with social media. Just typing this sentence gives me chills--in a good way. New territory, learning and doing is just part of my DNA. Maybe that's why I love meeting new people and truly have a passion for using social media for business growth.  My client, @SwankysTacoShop (www.swankystacoshop.com) asked us to create some buzz (and business) in their Franklin (Nashville, TN) shop. As a regular participant in the most popular chat on Twitter, #CMchat (Country Music Chat) established by the fabulous @JessicaNorthey (see her blog post about this here), I thought why not do a live #CMchat in Swanky's Franklin, bring in Jessica and create a first-time chat in the store.  At first I thought Steve Shotsberger (@sshotsberger) was going to fire me for being crazy.  Instead, he said, "Amy, that's a great idea...write it up, get me a budget and we'll look at doing it."  The rest is history.

Not only did we get results for Swanky’s, but also Jessica started talking it up and before you know it, we had 7-10 people (probably more) flying and driving from other cities, states and even Canada to participate in this chat.  AMAZING doesn't do this justice.  I got to meet the fabulous friends @AnnTran_ (here’s a link to her blog post), @joycecherrier, and @MomsOfAmerica as well. You can see all the pictures from other blogs so I won't recap that in this post. Special thank you to Nashville native and huge promoter of #CMchat, @MelissaOnline.  Another big thanks to Dr. Buddy Lee; with his help we were able to stream this event live on the web from Swanky's on Ustream.  

Jessica Northey with @DrBuddyLee

A last minute surprise and twist was author, friend and wonderful teacher, @MarkWSchaefer's announcement that he wanted to come and see this for himself.  He did; Now this is key for me as Mark and I have worked together and he's a good critic.  I knew if he saw this live #CMchat for himself, he'd give me some good, constructive feedback. This is the man who told me a year ago, "Amy! Your blog content is great but your blog sucks as a format."  I fixed it fast and love Mark for telling me the truth and always helping me. 

Mark Schaefer and the ladies of #CMchat Franklin

Now, onto the ROI for Swanky’s and the reasons why every business that ignores this is nuts.  There are so many great benefits that I'm just going to bullet point them:

* Increased followers by the hundreds and continued benefit from tweets.

Nice feedback from @StephenCaggiano

* Packed the house: Steve Shotsberger told me #CMchat was extremely successful and generated great sales. What?? I SAID IT: SALES, BABY! THERE'S the ROI for you CFOs!

* Not only did we do this in the Franklin store, but I also drove this crew back to Memphis for round #2. Double your pleasure, thank you very much!

* New faces in the house.  Swanky's saw new visitors who will surely return.  Building relationships with your current and future customers is an essential part of the social movement. 

@LewisPoretz, myself, & @CharlotteAutry

*Publicity: five blog posts, hundreds of pictures and counting...the vibe is still going.  Google Swanky’s and note the difference a week & an event like this can make!

*Future events for Swanky's: we had some great artists in the house and performing at both chats.  Management liked what they heard and there are talks of booking the artists to perform again.  A big shout out to @ben_gallaher, @leegibsonmusic, @CraigMoritz and @natalieharperPR, and everyone else who shared their talents with us. 

The Howell Team with the very talented @Ben_Gallaher

* “In real life” fan creation.  Swanky’s has real friends who are talking to them on Twitter and they'll keep talking.  Our strategy: #CMchat is now part of Swanky’s Monday night menu items! And, we've recommended that Monday nights (typically slower for most restaurants) be "Music Monday".

*The fans are asking for more locations...Swanky’s might see Twitter as a research tool for feasibility studies on expansion ideas down the road.

*Great training experience for the Swanky's team as well as my own team. Special thanks to Lindsey, Lacey, and Kiersten for all the assist. I took two of my staff to Nashville to participate and learn--all in all it meant two days out of the office, which is clearly an investment in social and our learning by doing.

Swanky's Team chatting with Jessica on the UStream

*STATS: Over 110 million impressions for #CMchat this week.  Staggering!

This case study is a perfect example of how you can successfully combine SOCIAL with traditional media to create awareness, new customers and revenue for a business.  We'd like to think we'll be doing this a lot and who knows where we'll take this show next time? Jessica and I are forming #CMchat Live.  Join us, won't you?

If you'd like to know how to schedule a #CMchat for your brand, business or event...contact me at Team Howell by emailing me: Amy@Howell-Marketing.com or call us 901-521-1453. 

Interesting to wake up early and see a tweet that said "Oh MY, look at @Markdavidson's twitter feed"...The person who tweeted that is someone I respect so I decided to take a look and lo and behold, the picture here tells the whole story!  This may be Mark's idea of a joke or a self-promoting marketing stunt of his own (as some have said) but this is an issue that continues to be an issue in social media--especially for brands and big names.  I have often promoted that for a brand or individual to be real and authentic, you have to tweet for yourself. That is not to say a big corporation can't have hired tweeters.  We see this daily and in most cases, they identify in the Twitter bio that there are multiple people tweeting.  What I'm talking about is an individual  allowing others to tweet for them. How can anybody tweet for me? I guess if they stayed away from anything controversial or negative, politics and religion, they might be safe.  However, it has long been my opinion that nobody can replace another person's real character and personality.  Afterall, isn't social media (especially Twitter) about engagement and building relationships? Further, how would a ghostwriter know the people I joke with vs. the people I am serious with, etc.  

As I type this, the twitter account is now awake (TechCrunch gave a shout out this morning for Mark to "wake up" and look at his stream) and there are even more mysterious tweets coming forward.  Joke or no joke, the fact that someone can post for you is downright disturbing. As the tweets come in to Davidson's account--he's wondering what's up this morning! Is it really him or is it another ghostwriter?

One thing is certain, Twitter is a-buzz about Davidson and his followers are going up for sure.  I wonder if his @klout score will too.  What do you think? Pros and cons of letting someone tweet for YOU?

@markwschaefer

Congrats to the Memphis Daily News! 

125 Years LOCAL

Through some recent debate about which social tools are best and why, I have been listening and reflecting on how my own business has been impacted.  It is one thing to spend your time researching and writing and another to spend your time helping 20+ clients win everyday in this 24/7 viral world we live in. The challenge is surfing through it all to find what works for you and your business.  Time will limit what resources companies can dedicate to the social channels.  I think some channels are better for certain businesses. Digital and social don't mean a "one size fits all" strategy.  Here at Howell Marketing, we've been using the social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, You-Tube primarily) for clients and our firm as well and here are 10 wins for my business from Twitter alone:

• Our real estate client has been featured in the press due to their embracing technology and using social media for marketing and sales. They told us recently this: "OMG, the social media is critical to what sets us apart and we love it."--they are using social as a differentiator and this is what it's all about;
• A prominent insurance executive and client known nationally (you know who you are) started a blog while he was chairman of a national foundation board of directors.  This blog is helping him tell his story and give his own opinions about important changes in his industry that impact his customers;
• A medical group we work with is using Facebook as a prime way to connect with its patients and has successfully launched a new program that has people conversing and engaging. We are integrating it now with some paid advertising on television.  I love mixing social and traditional for great results;
• We found a great intern through Twitter or rather, she found us. We hope to hire her when she graduates which means my team is contributing to Mayor AC Wharton's initiative to attract and retain key young talent in our community.  I am happy to be doing my part which is satisfying as a small business owner.
•  We were recently (very recently) called to present at a Fortune 100 corporate meeting on social media & digital tools.  They tweeted that they liked it! I think this means a small shop like mine can have a strong voice which means that you don't have to be huge to be successful;
• We have connected with other executives and social media pros that have brought real value to clients in our day to day management of social tools and monitoring.  We landed a new contract this year because I knew I needed to add people to my team who are a lot smarter than me on the technology & digital front.  
• We were invited to NASDAQ and got to meet the famous and wonderful Mark Ragan.  He and his team are worldwide examples of leading in the industry.  I read and learn from him PRDaily and this information adds value for my clients;
• Through Twitter we have made contacts nationally and internationally who are there to help us when we need it. This crew of professionals has been a powerful force behind the blog "The Social CMO" --a source for marketing information and idea exchange.
• Our phone calls lately are from new sources of business and they are saying they found me on Twitter and more importantly, they like what I'm doing in that space (and when they hire me, there's the ROI we all need to make it work). 

I could add to this list and hope to do another post soon. What would you add about the power of the Twitter relationships and engagement? Thanks for stopping by to read this post! 

I AM WRITING FROM MY IPAD AND FOR SOME REASON, I'M WORRIED ABOUT THIS TEXT BEING TOO SMALL..TRUTH? I HATE POSTEROUS. I AM GOING TO SWITCH TO WORDPRESS. HERE'S THE POST: I REALLY HATE GOOGLE PLUS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT, I AM CONFUSED BY THE DIFFERENT COLUMS AND CIRCLES...I HAVE PEOPLE I DON;T KNOW TRYING TO CIRCLE ME (I FEEL LIKE SHARKS ARE THERE) AND I DONT LIKE THE FACEBOOK-LIKE FEEL OF IT. I BELIVE IT'S TOO LATE FOR GOOGLE PLUS TO TRY AND COPY FACEBOOK. EARLY ADOPTERS WIN: IF YOU'VE BEEN ON TWITTER AND FACEBOOK FOR 2 YEARS...(AND I HAVE) WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU WANT TO ADD MORE TIME CONSUMING TOOLS TO YOUR DAY TO DAY MANAGEMENT? I PERSONALLY DO NOT HAVE TIME. I'M GOING TO GO WHERE THE MOST VALUE AND MOST CONTACTS ARE AND THOSE THAT ENGAGE ME. TWITTER IS THAT PLATFORM AND MY "WEAPON OF SOCIAL MEDIA CHOICE"...I LOVE TWITTER. THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH TIME IN THE DAY. WHY WASTE IT ON PEOPLE WHO DON'T OPEN THE PLATFORM? CONCLUSION: I DON'T CARE ABOUT PRIVATE OR CIRCLE PLATFORMS. I LOVE SOCIAL. I LOVE TO SHARE. I DON'T WANT TO LIMIT WHO CARES NOR DO I CARE TO KEEP UP WITH WHO SEES WHAT. THE BEAUTY OF SOCIAL IS OPEN. THAT'S MY STORY......THAT'S WHY I THINK TWITTER RULES...WHAT DO YOU THINK?

I confess. I should be writing about some new social media trend or fad--maybe even Google+.  Truth is, I'm seeing a lot of great information about that stuff out there.  What I'm not seeing? Experience in the trenches, 25 years of "stuff" that makes you what you are.  In this day of social transparency, it's 24-7 non-stop "streams and screams" of information.  All of this is fine, of course.  The key to success for business is simply this: what strategies work and what channels do we select?  As the channels grow, it's important to remember two things: 1. These are tools; they do not replace what traditional marketing teaches us about relationships and sales and 2.  If you cannot sell, you won't win.  Which leads me to my point of selling is tough and to stay in the game of business, selling is critical.  

Looking back at my career...I was not "mentally tough" until I had the (then) misfortune of working for Robert L. Cox (a blessing in disguise) aka: Bobby the wild card, Bobby the toughest, Bobby the cussing machine, Bobby the almighty.  I say this with the deepest of respect.  Bobby Cox, age 60-ish when I met him fought cancer 3 or 4 times successfully before passing (against his will and Lord only knows he argued with St. Peter and God when he got to heaven) just after 9/11.  Not only was our country in grief, I was in grief over the loss of somebody who taught me the value of being tough and how to do it.  

If any Memphis lawyers over age of 50 are reading this, they might appreciate it.  For you young folk out there--I can only say that things are mighty different now and you are lucky in your career if one day, somebody isn't afraid to "bust you up" and like it.  Without further delay (you know I like brevity), here's why I will always love Bobby Cox and what I learned from him:

(Note: Just a small fact that he helped Fred Smith start FedEx and that when he died he was legal counsel to FedEx and also Secretary of the Board of Directors of FedEx.  He and Fred Smith went way back with college and maybe the Navy. I attended his funeral where Chairman and CEO of FedEX,  Fred Smith spoke at his funeral--I cried like a baby.)

• Bobby Cox let me shoot a Benelli .12 shotgun at Frank Watson's farm-- and until I shot, it was all men.  I won.  I had just had baby #1 and Bobby said, "let her shoot."  I did and from then on some of the attorneys called me Annie-O. To this day, I'll never be able to thank him for telling his boys to let a girl shoot at their event. I don't think Frank Watson was all that happy but I'm sure he got over it.
• Everybody in the law firm was afraid of Bobby (mostly because he'd cuss you out if you looked at him but I loved that spirit and as I grew up in Texas, I had a healthy respect for that) and one day I snuck into his office when he was out- and prank called all the attorneys I could and left messages (this was in 1992 so technology wasn't as good).  I laughed so hard and finally confessed to him. I didn't know if he was going to fire me or kiss me.  He didn't do either but that was the last time I did that.
• Once a new bond salesman at Morgan Keegan parked his new BMW in Bobby's unmarked parking spot.  Although there was an empty space nearby, Bobby--in good fashion--opted to wench the BMW to his old, brown Toyota Landcruiser until the front tires were off the ground.  On the market closing, of course the bond salesman was beyond mad.  When he appeared to complain, I got to be the fly on the wall watching Bobby give him a "touch-up" about parking in "his" spot.  Then, Bobby threw his keys at him and said, "go un-hook your toy and keep it away from my truck."....
• One day--in my work as a volunteer in a civic group, I found out there was corruption taking place and I threatened to expose it.  These were people twice my age.  They, in turn, threatened to go to my boss and get me fired from my job.  What did Bobby do? Stood by me.  We got the bad guys.  True story.  Lesson: Do the right thing.  Bobby was that kind of man.  I'll never forget it.  I was only 27 and had no real political power but my law firm stood by me and more importantly, Bobby told them he'd run them out if they weren't careful.  
• I made a cussin' jar for Bobby when he met with the young associate lawyers.  I'd say, "Bobby...you cannot use the F-bomb on these young, innocent people...You must pay me $5 for every violation. We'll have enough for the partner bonus pool."  He loved it that I stood up to him with respect and admiration.  
• Bobby loved and lived to hunt--especially turkeys.  Anything really but he also loved any challenge.  He embraced difficult. He argued with everyone and he loved to say this, "screw it, I'll do what I damn well want to."  Those who knew him might say that was putting it nice.

In closing, my last few encounters with Bobby were when I started my own business. I still have the letter he wrote (on his lawyer letterhead from Memphis' oldest law firm, Waring-Cox) to me encouraging and congratulating me for my success.  He called me one of his "favorite people" and signed it "all my love."  I have that letter framed.  The last time I saw him was when I snuck into his Baptist Memorial Hospital room while his wife Joel and staff were away.  I just happened on it...He was alone and I walked in.  He was on a respirator but knew me and his eyes lit up when he saw me.  I simply blew him a kiss, told him thanks and said, "now you get your butt out of this bed and kick some ass right now."...He blew me his last goodbye kiss and I will never forget it.  Thank you Bobby Cox and all the great attorneys he hired who taught me "mental tough."  There is no better teacher.  With love to Bobby and FedEx....a salute to great men who helped this woman get a shot off!  Thanks to all the men out there who encourage and support women entrepreneurs and believe in them.  Thanks for reading this!  Inspire someone today! 

Early this morning on Twitter while posting and conversing (my normal routine), a fellow tweeter asked me a question: How do you grow your brand yet remain true to what got you started in the first place? I told him 140 characters was too limited and that I'd think about it and do a blog post. In thinking, I have decided that in order to grow your brand and stay true to your origin, you must do the following:

• Stay focused: It's easier now than ever to take your eye off the target.  In business, just like in shooting practice, you must focus on your target goal.  What are you wanting to do? Is the glory in pulling the trigger (doing) or hitting the target (result)? I personally like both.  I know what I want to achieve for my clients and helping them succeed is like the ultimate bulls-eye. 
• Stay positive: The more you grow (by doing and succeeding), the more people like to try and knock you down.  Don't let them. Negative people are time wasters and by engaging them, you are tarnishing your own brand. I believe you are judged by the company you keep in real life and online. Ignore the haters and negative energy.  Instead, stay positive and you do this by surrounding yourself with other positive influences. Mine are my family, my clients, my great staff and my friends--in life and online. 
• Stay published: If you want successful clients, your brand needs to set the pace. I try hard to lead by example and that has made all the difference (and I love Robert Frost's poem "The Road Less Taken").
• Work hard, especially when you are young: I tell young adults that if they want a serious career, they must work at it. Nothing worthwhile comes on a silver platter unless of course you are the Queen of England--and even then, I'm sure the Queen herself has worked hard at maintaing her brand. Nobody is going to hand you your job or your success--you must earn that and it means more than just putting in the time.  By day you do your job. By night and weekend (or time off) you invest in your career. If you aren't reading, researching and looking for innovation on your own time you probably are not interested in a real career. I'm not saying you must work around the clock but I am suggesting that you invest in your career by doing the extra that will compound over time.
• Nurture your brand: Feed and exercise your brand and your body. What's good for the brand is good for all--Blog and social media is the food for your brand. Are you picking the right content? Or is your content full of carbs and fat that slow you down?  As I'm aging, I know that exercise and eating healthy helps my brain and my body.  Am I as skinny as I was at 27? No way (I was an over-achiever who was obsessed with exercise back then) but I have learned that a balance of good content, some exercise for your brain and your brand is key.
• Find your mentors and watch them: Some of my best practices and ideas have come from mentors and role models I try to follow. The older I get, the more I realize I don't know and the great news is that there are people out there--in social--who will answer questions and help you. On Twitter, there are some great "chats" such as #MMChat #LeadershipChat #blogchat, etc.  I try to join these often and have found a lot of inspiring and informing sources as a result.
• Be Strategic: Do the right things first everyday. On my team we review weekly the tasks and results we are accomplishing for our clients.  It's strategic but it also requires discipline which fosters good habits.  My staff is used to me asking this question: What are we doing that's really valuable today for our clients? Would they want to pay you for it? Think about it.
• Be Entrepreneurial: Take risks, go out on the limb, be a self-starter and think like one.  I'm unemployed everyday if you think about it.  If I don't do great work for clients and succeed for them, they'll fire me.  I have to reinvent myself everyday.  Now I've had my firm for over 15 years so I'm not as afraid of losing but the gut fear is always there no matter how big the payroll is.  I have to think like a hunter: I find it, kill it, skin it and feed my crew.  Not literally of course but it helps to think this way when you own and run a business. I don't just wave a magic wand and clients appear! I once heard a speech from the man credited with turning Harley Davidson around in the late 80's.  His name was Michael Kami and he told the audience that to be successful you must "risk your job everyday."  I didn't get that then, but I get it now.

What are you doing to stay true to your brand or your service? How does success help or hinder staying true to what got you there? Can you add to this list? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading and sharing. 

For those who "get " Twitter, we already know the opportunities for personal and professional enrichment extend far beyond "what I had for breakfast."  Twitter can help you:

·         Increase your personal network

·         Build vital business connections

·         Connect you to thought leaders

·         Keep you up to speed on breaking news

·         Become a daily digest of targeted news, information, and best practices

 ... and so much more.  But one thing that had never occurred to me was Twitter serving as a vital link, a lifeline really, to my family.

Last weekend, my wife and I headed in different directions.  She took some friends and family members to visit her sister in Florida, I took my 9-year-old mentee Elijah to enjoy one of Tennessee's magnificent (and remote) state parks.  My last text to my wife was "Remember, I won't have phone service!"

On Saturday night, we saw a news report that a line of severe storms and tornados were in a direct path of my wife's return trip from Florida.  Basically the storm cells formed a line straight up the Interstate through Georgia.  Citizens were being urged to take shelter and prepare for the worst.  If you have been following the news, you know that these storms have cost hundreds of lives and billions in damage in the South this year. This was a life-threatening situation.

I was concerned for my wife's safety.    I knew that she probably wasn't following the news on the radio.  I could not reach her by phone or text message to warn her -- the nearest phone access was at least 45 minutes away.  The park office was closed.  I could get a w-ifi signal at the state park lodge but she would not be checking her emails while driving.

Then it dawned on me -- Twitter!  I could make an Internet connection through a Twitter friend.

I scanned my timeline to see who might be online and I saw the happy face of Amy Howell ( @howellmarketing on Twitter).  Amy had become one of my favorite Twitter success stories and I even featured her in my book The Tao of Twitter.  What had started as a casual conversation had blossomed into an important personal friendship and business partnership.

I sent Amy a direct message explaining the situation and asked her to call my wife.   Within a few minutes, I had received confirmation that Amy had spoken to my wife and she was aware of the severe storms ahead of her.

I had discovered a new value to Twitter -- personal lifeline!

Of course I grateful to Amy and relieved for my wife, but I am also amazed at how useful this little communication channel can be.   Twitter -- a life saver!

Guest post by Mark Schaefer: A consultant and college educator who blogs at {grow} . Follow Mark on Twitter @markwschaefer

 

 Social media has been a game changer for PR folks across the board.  No matter what type of business or industry you are in, no matter what size of organization you are in, social media means you can run for a minute but you sure cannot hide.  I have been in PR and marketing for more than 20 years, working mostly in B2B organizations, and I have witnessed the drastic shift in how we communicate the corporate messages: good, bad, and ugly.  I think that in order to appreciate and use what we've learned, it's sometimes important to look back and think on what worked then, how things have changed and what lessons can we carry forward to improve our role as PR professionals.  In the "good ole days" when agencies had fat budgets and big offices, often the PR strategy was crafted to "spin" a story a certain way to try and control the outcomes.  Sometimes it would work, sometimes it would not. Either way, that control is largely gone with the use of social media, smart phones and mobile communications.  Corporations with big news to tell (good and bad) need to understand a few key points: 1.  The art of being proactive means always anticipating what can happen; 2. The discipline to use confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements; 3. The art of telling the story well and through the social channels as well as traditional ones.  

I hear and read often that companies can't control their story.  That's only true if they let it out of control in the first place.  Sometimes it gets out without anyone doing anything.  An explosion or fire would be this type of crisis.  The media is relentless when it comes to a crisis and a company has to be ready to be totally "bombarded" and handle all inquiries.  A very tough skin is needed for this as dealing with a heady crisis and doing good PR is not for the weak or inexperienced.  I have only had two really bad crisis client PR projects and—though we got through them as well as we could have under the terrible circumstances—it's highly stressful and downright scary work.  I've had CNN, AP reporters, international calls and the local media all on my back at once and there is no class or training that can prepare you for the actual day that happens.  I learned a ton, didn’t sleep much and added great depth to my experience in PR under pressure. 

 

 Three important points:

 

1.  The art of being proactive means always anticipating what can happen:  When crisis comes— often by surprise—you must immediately be ready to anticipate what will happen next.  I cannot stress enough the importance of having a crisis PR/communications plan ALREADY WRITTEN before something happens.  The most common thing to anticipate is that people love to talk about a crisis which means you will have two major projects:  one is dealing with and getting accurate information to the media (you want them on your team and they can make or break you) and dealing with comments that are posted in the internet.  Immediately, you need a team that's social savvy to monitor what's being said and you will need this 24/7.  How you handle these steps is critical.  In dealing with the media you must be fair, straightforward and you must set the pace.  When we had crisis #1, I set up a system to communicate with all the media and used different tools to post information.  The first was the posting of updates and statements as they became available to the top of the client website.  This helped us do two things: control information in written statements and mass distribution (we didn't have time to do press releases).  The second tool was the use of the wire; we monitored the internet.  It took a team of 4-6 people dedicated to this and I was with the client working remotely in their conference room for days.

2.  The discipline and intelligence to use confidentiality, non-disclosure agreements:  I hate to say "duh", but I said it.  Companies and organizations that can't keep information from leaking out deserve what they get.  And I would fire any communications staffer immediately if I found out they talked about highly confidential information.  Rumors cannot exist if you want good PR results.  For example, last year, one of my clients (and large employer) announced their decision to relocate their corporate headquarters to downtown Memphis.  The CEO, COO, CFO and legal team made everybody—including me—sign a non-disclosure.  I had the pleasure of coordinating the press for the announcement and the event we held on site (see previous blog post).  That was a difficult "secret" to keep quiet, but we did it and that's proof that companies can indeed control when big news gets announced, how it's announced and to whom it’s announced.

3.  Telling a story well through both traditional and social:  I think social media has given us the transparency we need to find real, truthful information and has forced companies and organizations to be more diligent about being truthful.  My Dad always told me that if you tell the truth all the time, you never have to worry about telling a story—a powerful lesson.  Social media gives us great channels to be truthful and to be transparent.  Social media has changed PR in many positive ways and I think that the positives far outweigh the negatives.  All of this is why companies need to already be "in" the game of social.  Establish your footprint and tell your story so that when you have to defend yourself in a crisis—you can.  As my good friend and social media consultant @GlenGilmore says, "Build your Tribe before you need it."  And believe me, one day you will need it.  Thanks for reading this and I'd love to hear how social media has helped you or hurt you in a crisis.   

 

 

 

Memphis in all the big media headlines this week took our community by surprise reporting the historic flood of 2011 and showing the absolute worst pictures and images of a flood that has impacted just 1% of our City. Now I will say right here that this post is not meant to be insensitve to those who are affected.  I am writing this from a public relations perspective and from my own personal observations and experience dealing with media and crisis managment.  I think we (our whole community) underestimated the power of the national media and their ability to portray things differently than they happened.  Am I being to harsh on the media? I'm not sure but when Al Roker is standing in 3-4' of water broadcasting from downtown Memphis (which is not flooded) is that really representing the real story? I don't think so.  Yes, we have a swollen river and record flooded farm land, blown levees and some displaced and some flooded (which is terrible)--but "Memphis Flooded?"  No way. Not even close.  I thought it ironic that Monday the media showcased the worst pictures and Monday night, Memphis was live on TNT showing the dry and packed FedEx Forum where the Grizzlies played another playoff game (go Grizz). And by the way, just how far is the FedEx Forum from the river anyway?  

What I think we missed Monday was the opportunity to tell our national flood story differently--as an event to be witnessed from the safety of our Bluff.  Although flood warnings were issued and evacuations we made by some (less than 1,000), we missed an opportunity to tell the world that Memphis is safe--for the most part--when so much water threatens.  Instead, the media descended upon us and showed the world only the worst of pictures, many of which weren't even in Memphis.  Water under the bridge? I think there are always opportunities for reflection and learning to constantly improve our processes. 

As a result of all this underwater publicity, people have cancelled trips here for our annual Memphis In May BBQ Championship contest, cancelled business trips (I know of several clients directly impacted by this) and no telling what else we don't know.  Further, will people just remember the horrible pictures and think "I'm not going to that city...if it floods like that."  Maybe. Maybe not.  I don't mean to be negative or underestimate real dangers and threats our emergency managment officials were dealing with.  I just think the PR and communications during a crisis is as essential as operations.  That being said, here are some take aways and lessons learned:

• We could have safely promoted the flood as a historic event to be witnessed safely from our Bluff (not a hill) as people are doing anyway.  Downtown has never been so busy with pedestrians coming to see the Mississippi River and Riverside Drive. While we don't make light of those people who are affected--from an economic development perspective, having so many people come downtown is a plus for our city.
• We could have given the national media better places from which to broadcast, asking that they respect our economic development and not allow them to tell their story in 4' of water that obviously sent a different message.
• Our #Memflood tag on Twitter went viral and was picked up by the national media. As I believe Twitter is the trip wire for spreading and breaking news, if I were in charge, the Twitter strategy would have been mandated and promoted by as many as possible.  As a community, we have the opportunity--through Twitter--to be as loud as we want and can talk directly to the national and local media who use Twitter.  Our emergency management personnel and city, county leadership need to understand and utilize this Twitter voice.
• Communications to local media should also be coordinated (and maybe it was but Memphis was never "under seige" as one station reported) and need to understand the long term consequences of sensationalizing events--especially in a crisis. 

As this flood continues, it will be interesting to learn more examples like these when it comes to perceptions vs. reality.  Do you have a story to share about this?  How do you feel about the national coverage of the flood here in Memphis?  I'd love to know. Thanks for reading this! GO GRIZZ! GO MEMPHIS!