With every unique industry, social media moves at a different speed and takes shape in different forms.  Consumer products, health care, restaurants, real estate…each industry takes a unique approach to social media.

One of the most interesting industries TVG works with in social media is agriculture.  As an industry driven by farmers who often have limited access to high-speed internet, and who are rooted in a strong tradition and history, social media has been perhaps a bit slower to catch on.

2010 has brought into focus two main ways in which social media will grow and benefit agriculture. These two elements can also be applied to many other industries. 

• Collaboration and best practice sharing among the industry.
• Building a stronger brand among industry influentials and the general public.

Collaboration and Best Practices

Social media uses technology to build and foster communities and conversations.  It is a resource that allows barriers of time and space to break down and it creates more opportunities to communicate and collaborate.

There are some great examples of how this is already working. As of early 2010, more than 25 different state farm bureaus were on Twitter, in addition to many commodity groups, industry media and individual farmers. Planned weekly Twitter conversations like #AgChat bring together the industry to discuss hot topics on a weekly basis.  Commodity groups are also funding social media efforts. The National Corn Growers Association has a multitude of social media channels, including a blog, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and a newly launched Podcast. And one of the best examples, the Future Farmers of America, is bringing together young farmers on various social networks like Facebook, as well as their own micro-social network of more than 5,000 members.

These groups are setting a precedent for how to communicate and collaborate as an industry. As the Future Farmers of America take their place as the new leaders in agriculture, their enthusiasm for new media and communication technologies will continue to move the industry toward new methods of communicating.

Communicating with the Public

The second focus of social media – targeting external audiences – presents a greater challenge and yet perhaps the greatest reward for agriculture.  The social media world we live in has changed the way consumers want to relate to the companies, brands and products they purchase.  Consumers want a more personal connection to companies and want companies to be more socially aware and transparent about their practices and products. 

In agriculture, consumers want to know more about their food, where it comes from and who the people and companies are who produce it.  Films like Food, Inc. and authors like Michael Pollan have been a part of this trend and are aggressively using social media to spread their opinions and perspectives on food.

Often that perspective on U.S. food and the image of the agriculture industry is missing one important voice—that of the American farmer.

Because of this, many industry corporations and commodity groups are helping farmers to get their voice heard. Some good first steps to get more engaged include social media training, online videos featuring farmers and commenting on blogs or news articles you agree or disagree with.

It is important in 2010 for all industries to become more involved in discussions and communities in social media so an accurate and informative image can be delivered to consumers. 

The U.S. consumer is craving information and a direct connection.  Social media is providing that direct connection, a connection that has the power to bolster the U.S. farming brand and the brands of countless industries and companies around the world.

What I found particularly interesting about this story wasn’t the fact that mom’s were using Facebook to voice their concerns (the term ‘mommy bloggers’ was born due to their large influence in the social media world), but rather P&G’s response which is highlighted in a Social Media Influence article. They acted fast, distributed SEO friendly content, used an integrated media approach (local TV news and YouTube) and they were clear on the product changes.

Too often in a crisis situation, organizations tend to remain quiet and address the issue with more of an internal focus versus responding immediately to public outcry. P&G did the exact opposite and set up an immediate, integrated media effort to respond to the comments being made on social media. From interviews with local TV stations to posting videos from experts on its YouTube channel to address concerns, it was obvious that P&G was monitoring the conversation taking place on multiple channels and responding when appropriate. It is clear they have previously discussed possible online crises and developed a plan that allowed for quick response within the correct channels.

To me the most impressive part of their response was the way that they acknowledged and validated the parents’ concerns. P&G even added additional customer-service representatives in order to provide additional time to speak with consumers with questions about the Pampers product. They have admitted that their initial launch of the product lacked detail and may have caused some confusion with parents. I find some comfort in the fact they are listening to their audiences and taking action to rectify the issue.

It will be very interesting to watch the debate continue between consumers and P&G. Will the social media storm continue to grow? Or will P&G’s efforts successfully satisfy shoppers and the media. We can praise the transparency and speed in which P&G responded to the complaints – a practice we should all learn from.

1. Is BP doing the right thing? Check out our crisis team’s take on the Gulf oil spill in our most recent Insight publication.  What is your take on how BP has handled communications in the crisis?  Share your thoughts in the blog comment section.
2. Last Friday the St. Louis Business-Journal published a business guide to social media along with their normal weekly print edition.  Be sure to check out TVG’s ad on our social media program and software, Pulse.
3. I go through phases of social media and communication blogs I visit on a regular basis. Lately, I’ve been enjoying Jay Baer’s Convince & Convert.  A recent post highlights some great stats about Twitter.  If you aren’t on Twitter yet, these stats may convince and convert you into a believer.  (Sorry for the pun, I couldn’t resist).
4. You can probably find a new example everyday on how the Internet and social media have changed the way we consume news and communicate.  This week the flooding in Nashville is a shining example.  Hundreds of home videos and first hand accounts of the devastation have been filling the news and social media. Luckily these tools are also helping to drive support and fundraising for recovery efforts.
5. Lastly, happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there.  Need a last minute card for your mom?  Check out one of JibJab’s fun e-cards.

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?  This week we have a last minute bonus item!  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (one of my favorite movies of all time) is being played out on Twitter and Foursquare today. You can follow Ferris, his sister Jeanie, girlfriend Sloane and even Mr. Rooney!  Enjoy all.

If you’ll recall from my blog series back in February, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently enacted guidelines for bloggers’ disclosure of gifts and other forms of compensation.

Last week a Daily Online Examiner article revealed that Ann Taylor Loft received a warning letter last week from the FTC after they provided bloggers with gifts at a January preview of the retailer’s summer line. The warning highlights the importance that bloggers disclose all material connections to companies they write about.

Other companies may not be so lucky to get away with a warning. According to the article, Ann Taylor took a few steps that prevented it from being reprimanded more severely. They posted a sign at the preview requesting that bloggers disclose the gifts if they posted comments about the preview, although the sign may not have been easily seen by all bloggers. Luckily for Ann Taylor, many of the bloggers did disclose the gifts and Ann Taylor put in place a written blogger disclosure policy shortly after the preview.

The fact that the FTC sent the warning letter to Ann Taylor indicates that they are actively investigating companies who may not be taking their guidelines seriously. It is very likely this is the first of many warnings and reprimands the FTC will make as their investigations move forward.

Is your company doing its best to comply with the guidelines? If not, it may be time that you consider implementing a social media policy and training your employees on what your expectations are for marketing via social media. As we learned from this example, simply having a corporate social media disclosure policy in place helped Ann Taylor avoid major fines and repercussions.

• Always remember your audience and the impact that social media will have on them. Sometimes we get so caught up in the tools that we forget to think about how our audience will interact.
• Social media isn’t about controlling a message, it’s how we engage and build channels to facilitate conversations.
• When it comes to social media, measure outcomes vs. outputs.
• Social gaming is a powerful communication tool. Just take a look at everyone’s favorite Facebook game Farmville. Launched in July 2009, Farmville now has 83 million monthly active users.
• Fifty-five percent of social gamers are women with an average age of 43. (I would have never guessed that!)
• One-third of all online participants are conversation drivers, the remaining participants are conversation passengers. Social media can be a great tool to engage both.
• A good coach doesn’t just tell people what to do. They frame the conversation so that people come to a conclusion themselves. (My personal favorite tip of the day.)

With the constant growth and change in social media there is so much to learn about different uses and applications with unique audiences. Have you successfully used social media to engage with an audience? Any tips or best practices you would like to share?

What I find most interesting about this event isn’t so much Biden’s choice of words, but rather what happened after he made the statement and the response from the White House. Sure, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs could have issued an official statement or addressed the press corps directly, but instead he turned to social media, more specially, Twitter, with the following tweet: “And yes Mr. Vice President, you’re right…”

This brief, 41-character tweet is just one of many recent examples of the power of social media as a communication tool. From world events such as the earthquake in Haiti or the protests of the presidential election in Iran last June, Twitter has provided – and will continue to provide – a new way to report on the stories of the day.

Whether you’re a fan or Twitter, or not, the social media tool is here to stay and will most likely continue to explode…and continue to report on explosions (verbal and otherwise) that happen in this world we share.

The FTC’s guidelines have made it increasingly important for companies to be more careful about the bloggers they partner with, check the blogger’s background and insist on disclosure. If a blogger you’re considering partnering with has not thoroughly disclosed relationships in the past, you may need to think twice about partnering with them.

Your organization may also consider utilizing more public relations initiatives that simply present stories you think the blogger will find interesting and relevant in hopes that the blogger will write about them. If bloggers write about your company, product or service without compensation or free products, the post does not require as extensive of a disclosure.

Online conversations are effective at generating word of mouth, so it can only be expected that companies will continue to build blogger relationships. However, your company must be careful to create a culture of compliance and work with bloggers who recognize the need to follow the FTC’s Guides.

First, cases from Kmart and Wal-Mart illustrate how companies and bloggers have chosen to or not to disclose material connections and payments for endorsements in the past.

Kmart generated significant positive word of mouth from its 2008 holiday season blogger campaign. Six bloggers received $500 gift cards to post entries about their experiences at Kmart, positive or negative. Each post was identified as a sponsored post. Each blogger was able to give away an additional gift card to one of their readers. For readers to enter the contest to win a $500 gift card from the bloggers, the reader had to promote the contest and Kmart to their Twitter followers or post a blog comment with the item they wanted most from Kmart. This was done more than 3,000 times on blogs, yielding 600,000 network connections. It was also tweeted more than 3,000 times on Twitter which generated considerable discussion.

In contrast, Wal-Mart created a stir with its sponsorship, through Working Families for Wal-Mart, of a blog where disclosure was not apparent. In 2006, a couple made a cross-country trip across the U.S. in an RV, parking at Wal-Marts for free. The couple started a blog called “Wal-Marting Across America”, which frequently posted stories of Wal-Mart employees they met along the way. All of the featured Wal-Mart employees only had positive things to say about the controversial corporation. Wal-Mart denied hiring the couple, but it turned out that Working Families, which received funding from Wal-Mart, decided to sponsor the couple’s entire trip when it learned about their plan. Working Families paid for the couple’s flight to Las Vegas to pick up the RV, extended the trip’s duration, provided an RV emblazoned with the Working Families logo, paid for the gas, set up the blog and paid the woman to write blog entries. While there is a Working Families banner on the blog, nowhere does it disclose that Wal-Mart sponsored the trip.

The differences in disclosure between these examples (and many others) illustrate why the FTC may have decided to create regulations around endorsements and testimonials.

The Vandiver Group is working with the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) to help the industry understand and apply these new guidelines. Donna Vandiver serves on the Membership Ethics Advisory Panel and you can learn more about the guides at the WOMMA web site.

Check in next week to discuss the impact the regulations may have on your business.

Change in how we communicate is certainly a constant in our life today. How are you and your organization adapting to that change? Are you taking advantage of the ways to more efficiently communicate with your employees or with your customers?

The Vandiver Group has utilized the evolving social media technologies to enable change in the way we communicate as employees and as company representatives. TVG’s Pulse program and proprietary software creates an online, social space for more efficient and engaging conversations. Learn more about the Pulse program from our online Pulse booklet.

Pulse for Focus Groups
Instead of taking weeks or months to set up a focus group, Pulse efficiently brings together an online group, facilitates conversation, identifies key trends and builds summary reports. Pulse can gather valuable information from global audiences at the same time.

Pulse for Public Engagement
Managing public comments and responses is tedious. Pulse streamlines the process by taking large quantities of data and creating charts and graphs that capture public comment results.

Pulse for Brainstorming
Instead of scheduling multiple meetings and conference calls, Pulse uses an online platform to facilitate communication and collaboration. Employees in the same office or a network of offices can share ideas and opinions 24/7.

Pulse for Employee Engagement
Pulse engages employees in a two-way conversation to identify hot topics within an organization. Conversations allow employees to become more connect to the organization and builds the employee brand.

As the social media craze took off in the business world, many organizations rushed into creating network accounts and blogs.  Now as we enter 2010, companies seem to be taking a step back and ensuring the proper planning and policies are in place for social media strategies. 

The Vandiver Group has been working with companies to develop and implement these social media policies and is now offering a Social Media Policy Workshop for organizations.

The workshop will review the following:

• Ethical standards for bloggers, social networks and online marketing.
• Creating an environment where consumers trust you in social media- the importance of ethical online practices.
• Case histories where  employee guidelines and corporate standards could have avoided a brand and communications crisis.
• The new FTC guidelines for online marketing and promotion.
• How to develop and implement a corporate social media policy.
• Managing employee use of social media- guidelines and training.
• How to maintain brand consistency and standards within social media
• Special considerations and guidelines based on your industry.

The TVG workshop can be scaled for an organization’s communications staff or for an entire employee population. All attendees will also have the opportunity to work with the TVG social media team to develop a complete and customized social media policy.

To schedule your workshop contact TVG at 314-991-4641 or info@vandivergroup.com.