Google+ is still officially in “beta” right now, but they’ve started opening up the invite process. According to this Wall Street Journal report, the service has garnered 18 million users in its first three weeks.

I was fortunate enough to get an invite early on and be one of the first wave of users to join Google+.  It’s growth has been terrific.  When people ask me “what it is,” I tell them it’s a service that combines the best aspects of Twitter and Facebook to create a social media service that truly values conversation.

That being said — social media tools are what you make of them.  If you’re a politician or political organization that has been fortunate enough to snag an invite to Google+, please read on. While the service is still in its infancy, we try to provide some pointers on how to get started and make the most of Google+.  (And, for the record, the two most high profile politicians to join the service in its early days were Newt Gingrich and Gary Johnson.)

• First, set up a personal profile and fill out as much detail as possible. Unlike Twitter, catchy acronyms or nicknames aren’t appreciated.  Use your (or your candidate’s) real name.  The profile is key, as it allows people to find you via keyword search. As you can see from this recent Google search of my name, your profile is the first thing people will see from now on when they do a general Google search of your name.  Search engine gold!

• You’re probably wondering: “Can I set up a page for my campaign organization, such as ‘Republicans for Fair Elections’ or “Citizens for Smith’?”  The answer is no — not yet.  Google is set to role out pages for campaigns/organizations/businesses later this year. Some organizations have jumped the gun and set up profiles already — and there are some early indications that Google may “clean out” these pages (i.e., eliminate them).  They really want to create a clear delineation between individuals and organizations, which is smart.  They want to do it right.  So, for now, hold off on creating an organizational page.

• Once your profile is set up, use the Search box to search for people who reside in your district.  Look at their profiles to find their interests.  Then start putting them into “circles.”  What are circles?  Basically, it’s a tool that allows you to segment the people you follow into groups, and then, if you wish, deliver customized messages to each circle.  For example, you may want to create circles for people based on the cities in which they reside. This would allow you to deliver messages only pertaining to those cities to the people in those respective circles.  Of course, you can always make your posts “public” so everyone can see them.  But the circles can be a useful tool.

• Start posting.  Not just news releases, but actual conversational content designed to engage fellow Google Plussers. As with other social networking sites, Google+ allows you to humanize your content and provide a personal connection that no other media have ever allowed us to provide.  Just like we tell our clients regarding Twitter and Facebook: 30-second ads can provide a snapshot, but not nearly as effectively as a humorous tweet from the road, or a Facebook picture of you visiting the World’s Largest Ball of Wax en route to an actual campaign event.  Like those sites, Google Plus allows your campaign to provide a real-time scrapbook — showing constant activity.  You can show your supporters and network how hard you’re working simply by posting from the road with anecdotes and pictures of where you’ve been.

• As social media guru Chris Brogan warns: “don’t just post and run.”  In other words — the strength of Google+ (and any social network) isn’t just broadcasting your message, it’s reading the feedback and commenting back and forth.  Throw out questions to see what kind of feedback you get.  It could be anything — from asking whether or not your followers support higher taxes … to asking if any of them have any good summer reading suggestions.  Just get the conversation started.

• The Google+ interface makes it a great photo sharing tool. But, please, don’t just share photos from campaign events.  Share photos of “Americana” as you travel your district, throw on some family photos … make it interesting.

• Sharing is appreciated. People always appreciate having their content shared.  If you see something you like, share it. The social media karma gods will repay you.

• Feel free to +1 the posts you like.  +1 is basically similar to a “like” on Facebook.  It shows you find a post interesting or simply like it.

• You can also +1 content on the Web.  Similar to how Facebook allows you to “like” content around the Web, whether it’s a story in your favorite newspaper, or a post on your favorite blog, +1 buttons are starting to pop up all over the Web.  In addition, if you do a Google search, you’ll also notice that you can +1 various search results.  Theoretically, this may help boost search rankings for piece of content — but these +1′s also are catalogued in people’s Google Profiles and can help lead to more viral traffic to your site. Encourage your supporters to +1 your Web content in the Google search results.

• Think of creative ways you can use “Google Hangouts.” In short, Google Hangouts is a group video chat tool.  You can have video “hangouts” of up to 10 people.  Yes, it’s limited, but it can be powerful.  Newt Gingrich got some buzz for being the first politician to hold a Google Hangout.  Imagine holding hangouts with 10 volunteers or voters in each town in your district.  Or perhaps holding hangouts with your regional campaign directors.  Conference calls are so early 2011.  It’s time to start hanging out.

• Remember that Google+ is going to keep evolving, so be ready to adapt.

Most importantly — always be testing.  See what works.  Learn what doesn’t.  Measure the feedback you get on certain kinds of posts — and watch closely the analytics on your Web site (which posts drive most people to your site, keep them there longer, etc.)

As with any social networking effort, have fun, be conversational, and act like a human.  The days of one-way broadcast communication are coming to a close.

It’s all about engagement.  See you on Google+!

Please also check out these additional resources:

• Google+: The Complete Guide (Mashable)
• 10 Things You Never Knew Were Possible on Google+ (Business Insider)
• Google Plus Best Practices: Trey Ratcliff, Artist (ReadWriteWeb)

Of course, that’s been true throughout history.  Any communications tool — be it Twitter, Facebook, a typewriter, a phone — is only as effective as the content being delivered.

So it should come as no surprise that the fast-growing online “coupon” company Groupon is staffing up with … writers.

That’s right, Gigaom has this great story today (we love it because it exemplifies our core philosophy):

“…while the popularity of group-powered buying accounts for a large part of the company’s growth, many supporters say that a key strength is the writing talent Groupon displays in its email offers. A piece in The Atlantic entitled “Forget Journalism School and Enroll in Groupon Academy” notes that the company has more than 100 writers, editors and fact-checkers on staff — more than a lot of medium-sized newspapers — and adds that “journalism majors should rejoice” because the company is hiring and training writers.”

I hope all the businesses, non-profits and political campaigns who are currently suffering from “shiny new object syndrome” read that article.  Groupon is focusing on content first — and growing as a result.

The content is what matters.  Start with hiring great writers.

Boy, have we heard that line before.  I’m willing to bet you have, too.

Believe it or not, there is still a misconception that online communication is only effective if you’re targeting young voters or consumers.  There’s only one problem with that assertion:  it’s wrong.

There is a growing body of evidence that shows older segments of the population are the fastest-growing group of online users.  Just this past week, the Pew Internet and American Life Project released a new report that shows that older users are outpacing Millenials in social networking growth:

While the youngest generations are still significantly more likely to use social network sites, the fastest growth has come from internet users 74 and older: social network site usage for this oldest cohort has quadrupled since 2008, from 4% to 16%.

Millenials are also getting beat by the older Generation X in terms of diversity of online use, as Gen X’ers (age 34-45) are more likely to engage in several online activities, “including visiting government websites and getting financial information online.”  That may be of particular interest to financial services companies and political campaigns.

So, the Web isn’t just for kids anymore — and if you want to target Americans of all ages, your best, most cost-effective bet is doing it online.

Republican Senatorial candidates for the 37 seats in play this year have 1.43 million fans on Facebook pages linked to their campaigns, while Democrats have less than 300,000. On Twitter, Republican Senatorial candidates have close to 520,000 followers and Democrats have less than 90,000, according to the report.

That’s an average of more than 38,700 fans for each Republican candidate and more than 8,200 for each Democrat on Facebook. On Twitter, each Republican averages about 14,000 followers to each Democrat’s roughly 2,500.

I know that those who don’t understand Facebook and Twitter still pooh-pooh it in favor of more “traditional” means of voter education.

But think of it this way:  if you were a politician, wouldn’t you be excited at the possibility of reaching an audience of more than 38,000 every time you click a button?

Heck, even the Democrats are reaching an average of 8,000 Facebook fans.

Next time your candidate drives four hours to give a speech to a “chicken dinner” audience of 50 people, remember how easy it would be to reach that same audience (times ten or more) by sitting at your computer and clicking a button.

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.

Similarly, an online marketing strategy cannot be built on Twitter or Facebook alone because they — like a hammer — are just tools. Without a content strategy, those tools don’t mean much.

For many, whether a small start up or a big brand their first venture into social media is the decision to create a Facebook page. They upload the company logo, post a few office photos, and write a status update from time to time.

Most of these same companies would not undertake any other marketing on a whim, but carefully craft their campaigns to target specific markets and plan their marketing strategies to the smallest detail. No company would want their marketing activities to be based on luck alone.

Creating and managing a page in such a cavalier manner, in hopes of becoming a hit on Facebook, is as likely to be effective as say standing at the side of the freeway and yelling to rush hour traffic about your products over the drone of passing cars. No one wants to listen, and if they did, they couldn’t hear you anyway.

In creating and managing an effective social media campaign you should identify your target audience and the platforms they already use. Demographic information is available for most of the major social networks, so there is really no reason not to target your social media activities to your audience.

If you plan how your grow your online following steadily by engaging with the right people, on the right platform, with the right content, you are more likely to get predictable results. Your social media strategy must detail your marketing aims and objectives. If you don’t have a social media strategy, how will you know when you have achieved your goals?

The first step of creating an effective social media strategy is to take an inventory of your organization’s content. It’s as simple as what you produce, or could be producing, on a regular basis. Things like:

• The obvious: Company announcements, press releases, marketing materials, company information.
• Events: Any special events that either your organization is putting on or that is related to your organization, that you can “live tweet”.
• News of the day: Comment on news of the day that is relevant to your organization or your mission.
• Your experts: Who are your organization’s experts and what they have to say about your mission, recent events, or news and world events.
• Human interest: Don’t overlook content about employees weddings, birth announcements, anniversaries, and other accomplishments. Your employees stories puts a human face on your company or organization.

Once you have considered and decided upon your content the next step is to decide what platform would be most effective for your company or organization. Click here to read our previous post in which we provide specific examples of how some companies and individuals are doing just that.

As your organization looks to delve into the world of social media take a good look at your overall content strategy. Without a solid message, the medium doesn’t really matter.

A new report from 360i shows that most brands are coming up short in their attempts to utilize Twitter as a marketing tool.  But let’s be clear — it’s the brand’s use (or abuse) of the medium, rather than the medium itself, that is holding them back.

According to 360i, after a six month study, Twitter users barely know or care about brand presence on Twitter.  When brands tweet and try to communicate with their followers, it’s mostly a one-way conversation.  The study finds that only 1% of consumers who mention a brand in a tweet are in a conversation with that brand. The large majority of users’ tweets are on a personal level.  They tweet about seemingly mundane details of their lives, such as meals, plans, and get-togethers.  360i reports that 94% of tweets are personal, with 85% being original content that is not re-tweeted.  Instead of truly engaging and trying to become of this personal conversation, most brands have resorted using Twitter as a type of press release service.

“There is still a misperception that if brands show up, people will listen to them, kind of like Facebook a few years ago,” 360i Senior-VP Sarah Hofstetter told Advertising Age. “Twitter can be used as a promotional RSS feed, but that’s not going to establish a relationship with anybody.”

Modern communications isn’t simply about “eyeballs” anymore — it’s about engagement.  And those brands that choose to use Twitter as a press release service are simply living in the past.

On the other hands, those brands that are engaging best are seeing the true benefits of this communications tool.

What’s the best way for them to engage?  We’re fond of comparing Twitter to an “online cocktail reception.”

Why?  Have you ever walked into a cocktail party where you don’t know anybody and everybody seems to be already be engaged in familiar conversation?

What do you do?  Do you walk up to a stranger and start reciting your company’s latest press release?  Of course not.  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. A few years later, Frank was managing a full team of customer service “tweeters” and he tells us that (as of January 21, 2010) his team 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 article (Daniel 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 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.

The new report from 360i report may seem negative on Twitter on the surface.  But further reading shows that it’s the message, not the medium, that makes the difference between success and failure.

Most small businesses return to traditional advertising, such as the newspaper, Yellow Pages, and radio. But some businesses have forsaken these advertising staples all together, and created successful marketing campaigns online — for far less money.

Facebook and Twitter present a unique opportunity for small business owners. There are currently more than 1 million small business profiles on Facebook which reach out to millions of customers everyday.

Businesses with fewer than five employees “see Facebook and others as a way to reach targeted consumers” while saving marketing expenditures during a rough economy, says Darren Waddell, vice president of marketing at MerchantCircle.

According to the MerchantCircle report, “More than half of the nearly 10,000 respondents to the survey say they plan to create or maintain a social-networking presence in the next three months.”

Some businesses have found a degree of success with their online exposure.

John Swartz writes in USA Today, “Online sales at Southern Jewlz have doubled in six months since recent college grad Randa Yezak, 23, started using Twitter and e-commerce software. Her 2-year-old business also has 8,000 fans on Facebook.”

As with any success stories, we must add the tag “results are not typical.” HipChat, a group chat and messaging service for companies, reports that more than 90% of the 2,000 small businesses it works with use social media, but few have seen a business benefit.

Fact is, Facebook and Twitter offer a way to effectively communicate with consumers interested specifically in your product or services. Small businesses are the only way to steer our economy back on track, and a majority of them are now using social networking to do so.

Will you join them?

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.

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.

– From Betty White’s recent Saturday Night Live Monologue

Betty White’s line (above) got a lot of laughs during her recent SNL monologue.  Of course, she owed her very appearance to a Facebook campaign that garnered thousands of supporters pushing for her to host the Saturday night sketch comedy show.

That’s not to say we don’t think she really believed what she said.  There certainly are a lot of people out there who don’t “get” Facebook.

But just because Betty doesn’t get it — doesn’t mean that all senior citizens feel the same way.

In fact, new survey results from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) shed some light on the social media habits of American seniors.

Mashable reports:

The AARP spent some time last month interviewing 1,360 adults over the phone. They found that more than a quarter (27%) of Americans age 50 and older use social networks. Facebook is the most popular — in fact, 23% of all survey respondents said they preferred it to sites such as MySpace,  LinkedIn and Twitter.

When it comes to general web surfing, 49% of respondents between the ages of 50 and 64 and 40% of all adults age 50 and older, said they consider themselves extremely or very comfortable using the Internet. In other words, we’re very close to seeing the majority of senior citizens embracing the web as a content medium and communication tool.

As for discovery of social services, however, it seems the young folks are to blame for spreading word of Facebook to more venerable generations. Around 47% of AARP’s respondents had heard of social networking from a family member other than their spouse, and of those, 70% were tipped off by a child or grandchild.

The overwhelming majority of these boomers are using the social web — at least to some degree — to keep in touch with family members. Almost three quarters of AARP’s survey group said they’re connected online to relatives other than children and grandchildren, 62% are connected to their children, and 36% are connected to grandchildren, as well.

So, in short, don’t believe the social media naysayers who claim that it’s “just for kids.”  Because it just isn’t true.

These online tools are becoming part of our modern communications fabric.  Actually, they are fast becoming THE modern communications fabric.

Does your company, organization, or campaign have a content strategy to engage with these diverse audiences?

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.

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 video excerpt below is from my presentation last month to the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce Business Expo, in which I discuss getting started on Facebook. Please also click here to get a free copy of our new e-booklet: The Press Release is Dead: Using New Communications Tools to Build your Business, Non-Profit or Campaign.

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 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.