Just take a look at comScore’s latest online video viewership report for July:

• Google Sites, driven primarily by video viewing at YouTube, ranked as the top online video content property with 143.2 million unique viewers, followed by Yahoo! Sites with 55.1 million viewers.
• Facebook jumped one position to capture the #3 spot with 46.6 million viewers.
• Of the 178 million U.S. Internet users who watched online video content during the month, also viewed nearly 3.6 billion video ads in July.
• Leading the pack with 783 million ad impressions was Hulu.
• Hulu was followed closely behind by the Tremor Media Video Network at 451.8 million, and the Brightroll Video Network at 248.4 million ad impressions.
• Online video ads reached 27 percent of the total U.S. population an average of 44.5 times during the month.

Online video is single-handedly changing how we get our news, weather, favorite shows, and entertainment. The advertising potential is enormous, and the impact is bigger still.

With 89% of Internet users consuming online video, it is essential to incorporate this valuable tool in your modern communications arsenal.

Foursquare is a social networking platform that allows its users to “check-in” to virtually everything from restaurants to airports via their smart phone and 3G connection. Users can add tips and reviews, or even caution their friends away from an undesirable experience. When you check in, it is linked to Facebook and Twitter, so your friends can see where you are and possibly join you if in the area.

The ability to see your friends recent check-ins opens up a whole new realm of social networking. This new wave of “exploration networking” is allowing businesses to get valuable exposure to consumers who are on the go. Companies are even able to promote specials, coupons, or other marketing strategies directly to Foursquare users.

Click here to see how Foursquare worked for the Charleston Fine Art Dealers Association’s Palette and Palate Stroll, and how it helped create a successful PR campaign.

Should Foursquare join Facebook and Twitter as part of your companies social media communications strategy? We think so.

As more and more users depend on this style of social network to virtually interact with businesses around their area, the potential for promotion and exposure is priceless. So put your business on the map and reap the rewards of the Foursquare revolution.

We are skeptical here at Merc Strategy Group about the death of email.  Actually, email still rules — providing the most powerful and biggest social networking tool.

But like any technology we grow tired of it and look for something new and different.  If anything, email is adapting to the world of Facebook and Twitter in innovative and productive ways.

A recent article from Brian Solis, Think Outside the Inbox highlights a new innovative and productive direction for email — but not killing email.

Solis says, “email remains as the world’s largest untapped social network, with Gmail and Google Buzz offering a glimpse of the integration that looms on the horizon.”

I agree that we are not tapping into emails social networking potential as well as we could but the question remains — how do we better integrate email and the multitude of other social media tools?

In Solis’s article he highlights the company Threadbox — which is focused on how to make email productive once again while introducing alternatives for collaboration and communication.

Basically, Threadbox turns emails into threads that are organized live online in a secure collaborative network helping to better manage your daily workflow.

So, it appears that Threadbox wants to essentially become the centralized hub.  Solis nicely describes it as “Facebook for workflow, where you can create social networks around people and programs.”

What do you think of this new way for managing workflow and real-time messaging?

Will you give Threadbox a try or just stick to regular email.

Are all of your Facebook status updates products of rigorous review processes by your communications, legal and policy departments?

Does the above result in social networks in which you’re only posting one or two times per week?

Then maybe social media isn’t for you (or your company.)  Or, more to the point, maybe your organization needs a communications climate change.

If you think the above examples are overly-exagerrated, think again.  Unfortunately, we’ve run across several organizations in recent weeks where those examples held true.  And yet these organizations were left scratching their heads as to why their online communications programs weren’t bearing fruit.

In their minds, they needed to invest more money in bells and whistles.  New apps.  Fresh widgets.

Wrong.

It’s not about the widgets.  It’s about the content.

We’re living in the age of real-time, folks.  While that may sound scary, it’s reality.  Are you ready to adapt?

It may only have been a few years ago that you had the luxury of spending an entire afternoon running your press releases through a groupthink approval process before hitting the send button on your fax machine.

But times have changed.  We have to be able to react within seconds, not hours.

And different communications platforms require different discussions.  People on Twitter and Facebook don’t simply want focus group-tested talking points.  They want a discussion.  They want a conversation.

So, what we normally tell organizations is this: either change your communications climate, or stop embarrassing yourself with a failed social media experiment.

Otherwise, you’re throwing good money after bad, and tarnishing your brand in the process.

Are you read for the climate change?

“Email is probably dying.”

Forgive us if we’re skeptical.

While nobody can fully predict what new technology will take hold over the next few years, email is still the fabric that holds together online communications.

For example, Ms. Sandberg should look at her own company.  In fact, Facebook would be a whole lot different without email.  Where do friend requests, event invites and messages end up?  In both your regular email and Facebook inboxes.

Whether or not Facebook launches its own version of email — it’s still email.

Facebook also recently launched a new partnership with Yahoo! in which those with Yahoo! accounts can fully integrate the Facebook experience into their email.

Other newer social networking tools (and, yes, email is a social networking tool) also heavily rely on email.  Twitter, for example, relies on email to deliver you direct messages and new follower alerts.

Further, take a look at this recent study that finds the great majority (58%) of Americans start their day with email — as opposed to 11% starting it with Facebook.  Those numbers could change in the coming years, but those current numbers don’t make it seem as if email is going anywhere anytime soon.

Will email change?  Yes.  Will it adapt?  Yes.

We already see how Gmail users’ experience is changing — with the integration of Google Buzz, Google Voice and evolution of Google Chat.

Yahoo! is changing, as well, with its Facebook integration.

So, yes, email will change.  Email five years from now may look much different than it does today.  But that doesn’t mean it’s dying.

It’s adapting.  And it’s a bit too early to predict its demise.

In this post over on my personal blog, I provide my take — that it’s a good communications move.

What are your thoughts?

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of listening in on a Bulldog Reporter teleconference featuring social media/tech evangelist Robert Scoble, entitled, “2010 Tech Trends and Tactics.”  (You can view the live tweets here.)

What made this teleconference so interesting is that here you had Scoble — a journalist (yes, bloggers are journalists) who is also a brand unto himself — talking to PR flaks about how best to utilize new online tools to engage the media.  I say this is “interesting” because not only are many of these PR folks the same people who are pitching Scoble on their clients’ new apps and wares — Scoble is out there using these tools to build his brand.

But I digress…

The key issues that stuck out for me from the teleconference were the following:

• Know what your story is first and know how to tell it.  That will determine what tools to use. As I’ve written here previously, content and message should always come before tech.  Too many people worry about their “Facebook strategy” or “Twitter strategy” before thinking about their content strategy.  If you don’t have a compelling story — there isn’t a tool in the world that’s going to help you.  Scoble hits the nail on the head with this one.

• Blogs are still the best way to tell a story. Of course, I’m not surprised that Scoble (a blogger extraordinaire) would say this, but he’s correct.  Tools like Facebook and Twitter are great — but blogs really allow you to expand the space in which you can tell your story.  As Scoble pointed out, frequent, unique, compelling content on your blog is also the best way to pump up your content’s SEO value.

• The most effective PR “pitches” Scoble gets are from friends or fans recommending products, rather than press release and pitch calls. This really reinforces the idea that modern communication is about authenticity.  It’s not about slick taglines.  Your product has to be good.  Your service has to be solid.  If those two principles are in tact — your product will create buzz organically.  No amount of tweets or status updates can cover up for a crappy product/service.  And the buzz you create is the best PR you can generate.  More so than any press release you can send to journalists like Scoble.  (Could the press release really be dead?)

All in all, a worthwhile teleconference.  Thanks to Bulldog for putting on the teleconference — and thanks to Scoble for participating.

Last week, my wife and I had the pleasure of spending the weekend in New Orleans to celebrate our anniversary.  On Saturday, we were fortunate enough to happen upon the Preservation Hall jazz club, which is, in my honest opinion, a national treasure.

As the Hall’s Web site explains, the venue was founded in 1961, “created as a sanctuary, to protect and honor New Orleans Jazz which had lost much of its popularity to modern jazz and rock n roll.”

First, allow me to paint a quick picture of the venue:  it was a small room, cramped, and without air conditioning (in 95 degree heat/heavy humidity).

A six person band appeared, wearing white dress shirts, black pants and black ties.  There was a tuba, trombone, trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, drummer and piano.

It was an amazing experience.  For forty-five minutes, we were treated not only to incredible music — we were treated to an American history lesson.

Totally unplugged.  No microphone.  No sound system.  It was all about the music.

I got to thinking about modern communications.  All too often, organizations, campaigns and corporations focus more on the equivalent of their “sound systems” — you know … the tech, the apps, the widgets, the shiny new objects.

They should be focusing more on their music.  As we’ve said here before, message should come first — tech second.

Too many folks worry about what they’re Facebook strategy, or Twitter strategy, or LinkedIn strategy should be — and don’t spend enough time plotting out their content strategy.

Your content is your music.  Unplug.  Focus on your music first.

That’s the key to a great performance.

There are some organizations that “walk the walk” with their social media programs.  And then there are those that merely go through the motions.

It’s easy to tell them apart.

Take Southwest Airlines, for example.  They clearly have taken the social media plunge in a big way.

They don’t just treat their Twitter account as if it’s a glorified news feed.  Yes, they promote their company.  But they also engage.  They serve.  They respond.

Their social media program isn’t a social media program at all.  It’s an extension of their company.

I began flying Southwest last year — partly as a protest against the other, larger airlines that tack on extra fees and have employees who treat their customers like, well, dirty.   In short, I was sick of being nickeled-and-dimed, scolded and talked down to by the other airlines.  I chose Southwest for the friendly service, the clean planes, the easy system of earning free flights … among other reasons.

This past weekend, my wife and I took a trip to New Orleans for a weekend getaway.  Our flight out of Chicago was delayed — by three hours.  As we sat on the tarmac, I grew impatient.  And so I posted to my Twitter account a complaint about the lack of drink service after a two hour delay.  I received a prompt reply from @southwestair apologizing, with the promise to see what they could do about the drink service.

A few minutes later, the crew came around with water (granted, not the Rum and Coke I wanted….but drinks nonetheless.)  Was the drink service a result of my tweet?  Perhaps.  But I was made to feel like my complaint was being listened (and responded) to.

Today, I received an email from Southwest apologizing for the delay, explaining that it was due to weather, but offering me a free voucher for a future flight:

Thank you for your patience while you waited for your May 21 flight from Chicago Midway to be “cleared” for departure.  Though we may not be able to control springtime weather or the rate in which Air Traffic Control releases flights, we do have some say in the way we show our appreciation of your valued patronage.  In this regard, I am sending a LUV Voucher that we invite you to apply toward your next Southwest reservation—I hope this gesture will be accepted as our acknowledgement of the overall frustrations created by this situation.

Wow.

They didn’t pass the buck.  They turned a challenge into an opportunity.  And now here I am writing this post and telling you (potential Southwest customers) my story.

That’s the social web at work.

That’s how you walk the walk.

That’s how it’s supposed to be done.

Well done, Southwest.  You’ve strengthened my customer loyalty.

We’re fortunate to work with a great group of clients that challenge us each and every day.

And we’re pleased to announce the addition of some new clients to our team:

• Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (email advocacy)
• Illinois House Republican Organization (email advocacy)
• Gary DeMoss for Maryland State Senate (online communications … Web site coming soon)

We’re also tackling some new projects for JUSTPAC (the political action committee of our existing client, the Illinois Civil Justice League) and look forward to some upcoming projects for the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.

We’re excited to work with each and every one of these organizations, and look forward to contributing to their success.

I’m quoted in this article from today’s edition of PrairieStater.com about the lack of successful online programs among Illinois campaigns and candidates.

“The amount of political campaigns that are ‘doing it right’ online are actually very few and far between,” said Curt Mercadante, principal of Merc Strategy Group, LLC. “It’s mostly just a lack of committment on the part of candidates and campaign manager to spend the time and resources needed to be effective online. For the most part, they are stuck in the traditional mold of broadcast communications and don’t see the value in building relationships online.”

Just calling it how I see it.  I hope candidates start taking it to heart and realizing the importance of spending engaging online.  Their campaigns — and the electorate — will be better off for it.

I still remember my high school summer at the University of Wisconsin Cross Country Camp, and one of the coaches’ repeated mantra:

“The day before the day before is always more important than the day before.”

What it means is that a good meal and good night’s sleep is more important two days before your race than the night before.  I also took it to mean that it’s better to spend time preparing in the weeks leading up to your race — than waiting until the last minute to train hard.

That mantra always stuck with me, and doesn’t just apply to racing.

Take online communication, for instance.  I can’t tell you the amount of times I’m approached by potential clients who want to treat an email program like their direct mail or TV ads:  wait until the last minute to hit their email lists with a barrage of “e-blasts” (a term which should be expunged from our vernacular) and hope the sheer amount of eyeballs it reaches will have an effect.

It doesn’t work that way.

Online communication doesn’t work like the old ways of communicating.  It’s about slowing down and taking time to engage in conversation and build trust.  A successful email program takes time to build, to allow the people who want to opt-out to do so — and allowing everyone else to open your emails, read, engage, respond and converse with you or your organization.

This can be understandably frustrating for those who are used to the immediate results of, say, a television ad.  And, yes, television ads are a very important, vital tool in your communications toolbelt.

But different types of media require different types of strategies.  And the “immediate gratification” strategy of traditional media tools just doesn’t work online.

It’s not about the day before.  It’s about the day before the day before.  See what I mean?

I wanted to share this article from the latest issue of The Public Relations Strategist about how PR professionals can adapt and score successes in this new media environment.

My favorite point:

“Train your company and your clients to stop thinking of social media as a ‘strategy.’”

You need a content and communications strategy — of which so-called “social media” is one of the tools at your disposal.

Click here to read the full article.

The following post is taken from our new, free booklet, The Press Release is Dead: Using New Communications Tools to Build your Business, Non-Profit or Campaign.

If, by now, you haven’t figured out that Facebook isn’t just for kids — it’s time to get with the program.

As of February 4, 2010, Facebook currently had 400 million users. To put that in perspective, if Facebook was a country, it would be the third-largest country on earth.

And it’s growing — fast.

Facebook is a great way to keep a core group of opt-in subscribers updated and active.

So how do you get started?

• If you don’t already have one, sign up for a personal Facebook account. Facebook will lead you through the set up process, and you’ll start building your personal Facebook network in no time. You’ll be surprised how many of your friends, family and colleagues already have accounts.
• We recommend taking a few weeks to get comfortable with Facebook through your personal account. Observe how other people and businesses are engaging. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with Facebook and gained a comfort level, you can move on to starting a Fan Page for your business or organization.
• Go to http://Facebook.com/pages.
• Facebook will lead you through a simple number of steps to create the Fan Page for your business or organization.
• Once you’ve set up the page, added your organization’s profile picture and filled out the basic info — start loading up some content on your page wall. Do you have any new or upcoming specials, discounts or events? Put them up on your wall.
• Now, use the provided button to start suggesting your page to friends. That’s the easiest and quickest way to jump-start your Facebook page.
• When your friends join your business Fan Page, your friends’ friends will see this and start joining. It’s the ultimate in viral, word-of-mouth marketing.
• Every so often, you can then ask your fans to invite more of their fans.
• Keep feeding your page with compelling content — and watch your network grow.

Don’t get hung up on the sheer number of fans or supporters you have on your fan page. The key is to have a network that is relevant to your business.

For example, if you’re a small storefront cheese shop in a rural town in Georgia, having a following of 2,000 people from around the country may not matter (unless you sell your cheese online.) If you have a Facebook following of 100 local people that can form a foundation of a loyal customer base — that’s gold.

Remember all the content that you used to include in your long, weekly, e-newsletter? Start putting it up on Facebook. This is where you can put pictures from your events or “insider” news. People who join your network Facebook are more likely to want this information, and not be offended by seeing this information on their Facebook news feed.

The key to your Facebook efforts is the status update. When you provide a status update — everybody in your network will see it. The same goes for video and photos that you post on your page. It’s the ultimate in opt-in marketing because everybody has chosen to be your fan, which means they have opted-in to receive your updates.

The next step in maximizing your Facebook presence is utilizing Facebook ads — a tool which we deal with the final chapter of this booklet.

Following are some good Facebook pages to check out. These aren’t high-profile corporations — rather, they are small, local businesses that I follow who are providing value to their customers and marketing to new ones:

• Morris Athletic Club (Morris, IL):  As you can see from this Facebook page, their content strategy rests on providing regular fitness facts to their followers. This keeps their page fresh in the minds of their followers — drawing people to the page to find more about updates, new fitness classes, hours of operation, etc.

• United Linen and Uniform Services (Bartlesville, OK): If a linen and uniform services company can market on Facebook, so can you! As you can see from their Facebook page, they’re not focused so much on attracting new customers, as they are on providing value to their existing customers through helpful online video.

• Union League Club of Chicago (Chicago, IL):  This 120-plus-year-old membership club in Chicago uses Facebook to keep its members updated on key events and updates. It also allows members to comment and network with other members, post photos of club events, etc. Another value added benefit of club membership.

These are just a few good examples of how small businesses and organizations are using Facebook to their benefit. We urge you to surf around Facebook, see what other businesses are doing well, learn from them, and start building your network right away.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is building a large-scale grass-roots political operation that has begun to rival those of the major political parties…

The network, called Friends of the U.S. Chamber, has been used to generate more than a million letters and e-mails to members of Congress, 700,000 of them in opposition to the Democratic healthcare plan. That is an increase from 40,000 congressional contacts generated in 2008.

Please click here to read this full article.

The secret (which will shock many) is to avoid the hard sell. Avoid talking all about yourself, your company or your services. As the author, Joel Spolsky of Fog Creek Software, writes:

An entrepreneur’s blog has to be about something bigger than his or her company and his or her product. This sounds simple, but it isn’t. It takes real discipline to not talk about yourself and your company. Blogging as a medium seems so personal, and often it is. But when you’re using a blog to promote a business, that blog can’t be about you, Sierra said. It has to be about your readers, who will, it’s hoped, become your customers. It has to be about making them awesome.

So, for example, if you’re selling a clever attachment to a camera that diffuses harsh flash light, don’t talk about the technical features or about your holiday sale (10 percent off!). Make a list of 10 tips for being a better photographer.

Exactly.

If you notice here on this site, we rarely post about our new services or company news. Most of what we provide here is tips, advice and news on how to use online tools effectively.

And we recommend the same to our clients (and anyone else who will listen.)

Stop talking about yourself — and start providing value.

The following post is taken from our new, free booklet, The Press Release is Dead: Using New Communications Tools to Build your Business, Non-Profit or Campaign.

Have you ever walked into a cocktail party full of people you don’t know and cringed at the mere thought that you’d have to break into one of the many conversations going on around the room?

Getting started on Twitter can be the same way.

There are millions of conversations going on at once. Who do you follow? Who’s going to follow you? Why are people you don’t know suddenly following you?

What’s the point of Twitter?

Well — the cocktail party analogy is perfect, because Twitter is the ultimate conversation tool.

Let’s take the analogy a bit further …

When you walk into the cocktail party, you usually break into a conversation by making some small talk. Maybe you mention the weather, or the type of drink you’re consuming, or something about the drapes in the restaurant — let’s face it, small talk can be mundane.

But my point is that there are all these conversations going on, and you use some mundane, sometimes personal, detail to strike up conversation. Then that personal conversation may lead to a discussion of business, then an exchange of business cards, then perhaps a business deal.

So it goes with Twitter. Most “tweets” are people talking about what they’re watching on TV, or the kind of work day they had, or what food they’re cooking for dinner, or what they’re doing on their vacation. Those tweets can lead to conversations with other people who have the same interests. Sometimes — just like the cocktail party — that can lead to business.

So is Twitter merely a networking tool? Yes, but it’s much more.

Frank Eliason was a customer service manager at Comcast who, in 2008, started Comcast’s first Twitter account: @comcastcares. Today, Frank manages a full team of customer service “tweeters” and he tells us that (as of January 21, 2010) his team has serviced a total of 160,000 people via social networking sites — more than 50,000 of them on Twitter. That’s just since February 2008. Frank’s team monitors Twitter to find out who is talking (or complaining) about Comcast and reaches out to them to help solve their problems. They also receive a good number of service requests by people who now know they will receive quick replies from Frank’s team via Twitter.

Similar to Comcast, major brands monitor Twitter to find out who is a) Tweeting about their brands, b) Saying good things about their brands, and c) Who is complaining or “trashing” their brands. For example, according to a recent Forbes articleDaniel Adler, “Twenty-One Twitter Tips,” Forbes, July 31, 2009. , there were 3.37 million mentions of “Starbucks” through May 2009. Starbucks follows those mentions like a hawk — using it as a real-time focus group.

In Illinois, we have a fast food chain called “Culver’s” that has great burgers and custard. The local Culver’s franchise in my town has its own Twitter account (@culvers177) and provides daily tweets of their “flavor of the day.” Many times, these tweets are tempting enough to lure me and my family for dinner (or dessert.)

In Los Angeles, the nightclub crowd is familiar with the “Kogi BBQ” mobile trucks that park outside the clubs late at night and sell Mexican tacos stuffed with Korean-style meat. The company has 52,000 Twitter followers and uses Twitter to send out alerts on the locations of its four mobile trucks. How successful is this marketing effort? The trucks regularly draw crowds in the hundreds — and they have been featured in publications ranging from the Los Angeles Times to the Wall Street Journal.

K9Cuisine.com (mentioned earlier in this booklet) is an online purveyor of premium and organic dog food. They have a Twitter account managed by the company founder and president, Anthony Holloway (@k9cuisine). Anthony uses Twitter as a customer service tool — but also as a way to help answer questions and provide tips and advice to pet owners. Although they don’t overtly use it as a sales tool, Anthony tells us that Twitter is the third-largest source of traffic to the company Web site — very warm leads that could lead to hot sales.

So, you see, different organizations are using Twitter in different ways to communicate with their unique audiences.

There are also a lot of people on Twitter using it to converse with like-minded people about life, politics, hobbies, sports, etc. This provides a huge marketing opportunity for any business looking to market to the more than 75 million consumers who have Twitter accounts.

So how do you get started?

First, go to http://www.Twitter.com and sign up for an account. For your Twitter name, try to pick something personal — not just your company name. For example, if your company name is AJAX Corporation, pick a name like FrankatAjax. Also — use your real picture (or a fun avatar) of yourself for your profile pic. Consumers like to feel like they’re talking to a real person — rather than somebody hiding behind a corporate name and logo.
Now, go to http://Search.Twitter.com. This is like a “Google” for Twitter. Let’s say you are an online purveyor of frozen beef and want to find everybody who is “tweeting” about steak right now. Type in “steak” and you’ll get the results of everybody who is “tweeted” about steak. Go ahead and follow these people. Most of them will follow you back and see your regular tweets — and perhaps become customers.
Are you a small storefront business and want to find people in your town who are on Twitter? Go back to http://Search.Twitter.com and click “Advanced Search” at the top of the page. This will take you to a page in which you can fill out a series of search options. You’ll be surprised at how many local people are tweeting. Follow them. They are potential customers and will most likely follow you back.

I want to caution you that Twitter — like any other communications tool — is not to be abused. Twitter is not a place to merely start robotically tweeting links to coupons or company announcements. You need to build a personal relationship with your Twitter followers.

Frank Eliason from Comcast (mentioned earlier) doesn’t merely tweet about Comcast service issues. He also tweets about what he’s doing during the day. He might tweet about putting his kids to bed, or a sporting event he’s watching on TV. It allows him to build that personal relationship and trust with his followers, which directly benefits Comcast’s customer service efforts.

And Anthony Holloway at K9Cuisine.com tells us:

“I think the most important insight is this is not a sales tool for K9 Cuisine. We never pimp coupons or specials. It is a branding tool and an excellent form of two way communication. The real beauty is the transparency. Anyone can see how we handle problems or respond to customer feedback. It makes helping people very easy.

The benefits are tied to the tips and insights in a way. This really helps us raise the profile of a small company. I have also made some incredible contacts. I regularly converse with journalist from major media outlets and influencers in the pet food industry. Our new team of bloggers are all professionals. They all came from Twitter contacts. They are now cheerleaders for K9 Cuisine. There would no economical way for to have this reach otherwise. It is completely opt in and generally followers welcome we I have to say.”

Transparency. Cheerleaders. Opt-in subscribers.

Are you starting to get the idea of the benefits of Twitter?

The possibilities and uses of Twitter are endless, and companies are finding new uses every day.

If we had to sum our advice on how to get started, we’d say:

Sign up.
Find out who’s talking about your industry, brand or product.
Join the conversation.