As part of our work helping USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) re-brand itself to attract top-notch professionals, Mind & Media conducted a focused research and analysis effort resulting in a recruitment branding report. The report included:

A general review of industry best practices in recruiting,

• An overview of competing agencies’ recruiting websites,
• An analysis of the current ERS recruitment approach,
• Recommended changes to enhance the ERS recruitment program, and
• The recommended content and approach for a conference take-away tool.

I was so glad we were able to take this step for ERS before developing the recruiting tool for them. Often government agencies go to contractors just wanting something made up quickly to meet an immediate need. Without the time spent determining the audience’s needs, organization’s value proposition, and key messages, a recruiting product is unlikely to succeed.

The report we created for ERS led to development of an excellent recruiting tool (see it here http://dev.mindandmedia.com/usda/tool/start_here.html). But the report will also guide development of other recruiting and marketing efforts at ERS, as well as help internal stakeholders better understand the key benefits of working at ERS and how to convey them to prospects.

The research and analysis effort was not lengthy, but the impact was dramatic. Just another example of how spending some “mind” time up front can make the “media” part at the end so much more effective.

Our clients often believe they’ve communicated vital recruiting messages, yet a potential hire must dig very deep into busy websites or fragmented recruiting materials to understand why an agency is a stellar career choice.

Recently we had the opportunity to help USDA/ERS develop a recruiting tool to attract top-level professionals.  Though USDA was well ahead of the pack in knowing what set them apart from the competition, they also knew that their message was not getting the exposure it deserved.   And now more than ever, USDA knows it has to put out an inspiring recruiting message so they have the right talent to tackle many pressing issues, e.g. climate change, rural economic well-being, and international food safety and security.

As a starting point for a broader campaign, USDA/ERS tasked Mind & Media to develop a recruiting tool to give out at their national conference.  The tool they had used in the past was a series of fragmented files on a flash drive.  While the information contained on the tool was excellent, it was difficult to use and required a concerted effort on the part of the applicant to glean any value from it.

We recrafted the information to showcase the key recruiting messages and eliminate the clutter that muddled the messages.  We recrafted the tool so that it was transparent and very easy to use, whether being presented on CD-ROM or on the web. We also maximized the use of video to give the agency a human face. Check out what we created:  http://dev.mindandmedia.com/usda/tool/start_here.html.   Wouldn’t you want to be part of the USDA/ERS team?

It’s a bit of a chicken and egg question but some of our blog posts in the past have hinted at the fact that Web 2.0 brings with it not only a change in technology but also a profound change in culture, particularly in the ways that Web 2.0 users are used to doing things.

To buttress this point, I came across an interesting blog post on the confluence of technology, culture and giving and it’s worth bringing it to your attention.  In his post, Peter Dunn points out that the Red Cross has found the right technology (phone texting), for the right purpose (fast fundraising), aimed at the right generation (Gen Y, a group of users who “average 740 texts per month”).

As he points out:

“…often times, charities aren’t meeting the “needs” of those it asks from. No one writes checks, and even online giving isn’t doing the job for Gen Y. The fast-paced, multi-tasking nature of Gen Y often is a hindrance when it comes to charitable giving.

The Red Cross figured it out (or at least I’m giving it credit for figuring it out). It is allowing mobile phone users to simply text the word “Haiti” to 90999. By doing this, it has cracked the code to Gen Y giving.”

I don’t know about the accuracy of the “no one writes checks” statement or whether Gen Y members feel that it’s a hindrance to give online or not but I strongly agree with the underlying meaning of the statement and the overall post.  Gen Y, or more accurately, Web 2.0 users, are used to doing things differently.  Driven by their use of technology first, they expect to be able to get things done online via their computers or increasingly, via their mobile devices.  They want to do things fast, with a minimum of steps and they are used to doing several things at once, with various devices.

I would add that what Web 2.0 has enabled in this case – giving users the ability to help via their cell phones by making a charitable contribution via texting – is not the end of the story in Haiti—or in this case, the beginning.  Most of the reports of the tragedy first surfaced via Twitter and social networks such as Facebook, as most other forms of communication in the country were wiped out in the earthquake.  As reported by James Morgan of BBC News, these social networks were then used very effectively to raise record sums in record time by non-profits helping in Haiti.

It is the confluence of users, their behaviors (and expectations) plus the technology that is giving rise to a completely new way of doing things…the Web 2.0 way.

In the fourth of four social media webinars I’ve been following being given by Matrix Group International, I learned some great tips for “Measuring the Return on Investment of Social Media for Business.” CEO Joanna Pineda and her staff reviewed common ways of measuring ROI on traditional marketing campaigns, but noted that 84% of programs that use social media don’t measure ROI (per Mzinga and Babson Executive Education, August 2009).  There ARE ways to set goals for social media campaigns to determine ROI. The webinar had some great tips regarding what one can track and how.

Quantitative numbers you can track include traffic to your website as well as number of:

Mentions of your organization across the Web (web, blogs, Facebook, Twitter)

• @ mentions and RT (retweets) on Twitter
• Facebook and Twitter followers
• Comments on your blog
• Comments from your organization’s members or feedback from customers
• Subscribers to your RSS feed
• Opt-in e-mail addresses

You can also track hard returns like direct sales, donations, new members, and event registrations. Regarding the how, the presenters were big on Google Analytics, as well as usage reports, marketing codes, URL tracking, and alerts (Google, Twitter, Facebook, RTs and @mentions, blog mentions). The webinar ended with several illuminating case studies and Q&A. See the Matrix Group International, Inc. website to learn about upcoming webinars and events.

Image courtesy: vechtrack.com

Recently Comcast and Universal announced plans to merge their two houses.  Every time I hear about two large communications corporations merging I remember what my Communication 101 professor said about such things, “Nothing good can come of this.”

What’s so bad about it? Consider that the entertainment behemoth would control the content and the means to distribute that content. In other words, they control the shows and how those shows get to your television.  Think such a thing couldn’t happen? It already has.  This year if you wanted to see the show Friday Night Lights, you needed a DirectTV subscription. If you didn’t have one, well maybe you can buy the DVD in 2010.

Should this merger go through, I worry for the growing trend of on-demand over-the-internet providers like Hulu.  They answered a decades-old plea from media consumers—an a la carte cable system.  Only the pluck and grit of a start-up can do that.  However, based on recent examples of large corporate mergers, Comcast-Universal may not even get the chance to execute anything. Even if they pass regulation they have a steep hill to climb—one that is littered with the wrecks of AOL-Time Warner and Vivendi-Universal.  So watch this development with a skeptical eye.

Photo Courtesy: http://gabesguide.com/

Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few.

Pythagoras

Image courtesy: no thneeds needed

What do good photography and storytelling have in common?  When I was a photography intern at the Virginian-Pilot, my editor once told me, “Eye candy sells papers, but good photography tells a story.”  Visual imagery is pervasive in our society today, but lately I’ve been asking myself where the message is.  Photographers seem to have forgotten that a picture used to be worth a thousand words.

As a photographer and videographer, one critical skill that I base my style upon is that for an image to be effective, it has to tell a clear story and it has to put the subject in context.  I teach photography courses on the weekends, and one question I always present to my students is “What are you trying to tell me with this picture?”  With my first-time pupils, I am almost always met with a confused response, because most people initially assume that a picture is just a picture. My philosophy is that a picture is worth at least a thousand words, and if you can’t fill a page with the message that your shot conveys, then you aren’t sending a strong enough message.

Every communication tool should send a well-defined message, always. If it can do so artfully, then your audience is more likely to listen to what you have to say. In today’s visually immersive world, the best way to make your product stand out is with imagery that helps tell your story!

Image courtesy: www.JasonAllenPhotography.com

My video production team was webcasting the Consumers Union’s “Safe Patient Project” Conference. Amidst the public clamor regarding spiraling costs, public options, and liability, the conference stressed the need to focus on the patient and quality of care. One point was made perfectly clear: patients must take a proactive and involved role regarding their treatment.

One method is the My Medication Tracker which is an online tool designed to help the individual in such a way was mentioned at the conference. Vital information, such as dosage, refill information, prescribing physician, and costs can now be organized, accessed, and printed, allowing you to take the information with you to effectively communicate with your doctor and pharmacist. This can reduce the risk of dangerous drug interactions.

Having relatives who suffer from multiple ailments, I know each one of them is on a serious prescription medication regimen. With multiple physicians and specialists, corner pharmacies, and online pharmaceutical suppliers involved, the need to track and organize medication is paramount. This is one online tool that I couldn’t wait to share with my family.

On December 2^nd I listened to the third in series of four social media webinars being given by Matrix Group CEO Joanna Pineda. This one, “Understanding the Art of Tweeting,” covered the basics of using Twitter as a marketing tool for organizations.

One of the key points Pineda made is that an organization should not merely tweet headlines and links to its news items, blog posts, press releases, etc. That’s not adding value to what someone could get from your e-newsletter, RSS feed, Facebook page, or other outlets. Instead, only about 20% of your tweets should be about your organization, and the other 80% should be information your clients are likely to find helpful and interesting.

For example, Mind & Media employees could tweet about new social media tools, examples of effective communication campaigns, or news of interest to our major government clients. Pineda suggests that an organization tweet about 4-6 times per day, with several employees tweeting as agreed on areas of interest to them vs. assigning one person to be the company’s tweeter.

The final webinar in this series will be “Measuring the Return on Investment of Social Media for Business” on December 16. See the Matrix Group International, Inc. website for details.

Image courtesy: twitter.com/

I’ve been reading trickles of information regarding Adobe’s new lightweight application, Adobe AIR, that holds some serious promise for anyone interested in interactive storytelling.  I first heard rumors about it being installed and integrated in all multimedia devices starting next year.

In reading up on its various capabilities (of which there are many interesting ones) I came across the promotion for AVATAR.  Built with Adobe Air, the AVATAR trailer is actually an application that I install on my desktop.  Yes, the bulk of it is a three-minute movie trailer streamed via the web, but this trailer has a number of “hot spots” that over the course of the promotion were updated with ancillary content such as character back story, actor interviews, and production designs.

This got me thinking about how this non-linear approach to storytelling could be applied around the web.  As media and news becomes more of a conversation between author and audience, I could see a single, focused story grow many branches with an application like Adobe AIR, as users contribute their feedback.  Think of it like something akin to Amazon.com’s user-generated reviews, except that instead of text there are webcams and personal stories.  Additionally, you can program YouTube and Twitter feeds that populate the application on your desktop.  As AIR gets embedded in more devices in 2010 it will be interesting to see what other types of interactive applications are built.  You can download the AVATAR application here.

Image courtesy of Adobe.com.