Every now and then at SJC we like to stretch our legs and see what fun events are going on around town or in the Bay Area.

Since baseball season is in full swing we thought what better way to enjoy a sunny San Francisco day than catching a Giants vs. Phillies game at AT&T Park?

Guess what? Giants won!

Last week, Forbes contributor Haydn Shaughnessy published an article, “Who Are The Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers, 2013?” The list consists of 50 social media savvy men and women whose original content has a large following.

Shaughnessy used the website Peek Analytics to score each person’s “pull”—an audience-based metric that reflect the size and quality of a person’s Twitter following. For example, a pull score of “10x” means that the Twitter account has 10 times more reach and influence than the average user.

Shaughnessy says that, “[Pull] means assessing who has a real following – real in the sense of real people and not just bots, real also in the sense that the following is active in social media and not just a passive consumer.”

With Twitter, Instagram and blogs serving as the main source of information for many people, determining the top 50 social media influencers is not a wild idea. However, Shaughnessy has received a lot of criticism for his ranking.

In a response article, Huffington Post contributor and social media innovator, Jure Klepic claims the standard of pull scoring, “adds nothing to the conversation of influence measurement. Similar to every other list that has been made based solely on Twitter followers, there is no attention paid to the metrics of comments on their blogs, content quality and other social networks.”

Klepic continues to say that the ranking would be more valuable if it included people who have ignited creative and thoughtful ideas via social media. In particular, Klepic feels as if business executive Danny Brown and  blogger Arianna Huffington are individuals that should have topped the list.

What are you thoughts? Should social media influence be measured by the amount of followers you have or the quality of your content?

At SJC, we are passionate about stellar results, creating a buzz and smart social media strategies.  Through the SJC Blog, we hope to provide our readers with a touch of our passions as well as PR and tech trends, our thoughts on current events, SJC news and client updates.

Stay tuned for more!

Yes we can. Most Americans associate this phrase with the presidential campaign that redefined United States election strategies and tactics. Regardless of which candidate you supported during the 2008 election, it’s difficult to deny how Barack Obama reinvented the campaign game.

Obama’s campaign team successfully targeted the youngest segment of voters (at the time I belonged to this group) through social media and unique tactics. His website became the heart of his campaign, linking supporters to his blog, Facebook, Youtube, digg and Twitter. Popular celebrities teamed up to create viral videos. He became omnipresent; I remember seeing the Obama “Hope” poster everywhere—even on billboards in the background of my college roommate’s video games. Everywhere I turned (which at the time certainly was not the Wall Street Journal – sorry!), I saw Obama’s face, heard his voice and soaked in his messages.

The 2012 election calls upon social media tools even more than the last. There have been so many significant advancements in technology, providing candidates with endless opportunities to communicate their messages to different audiences. We are all so connected to each other through our smartphones and social networks that the presidential candidates would be remiss to ignore their ability to constantly reach us. Burson-Marsteller recently conducted the first global study of world leaders on Twitter, and found that the governments of almost two-thirds of the 193 U.N. member nations have joined the Twitterverse. Sixteen of the G-20 leaders actively use Twitter for public diplomacy, however the heads of state and government in China, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Italy have yet to join.

Smart politicians intrinsically link social media to their campaigns and communications. Candidates’ online social presence is likely to heavily influence voters, which is why it’s important for them to develop and execute social media strategies. Former SJC employee Leah Carson praised Obama’s twitter skills in her June 2011 post, “Making History one #Hashtag at a time.” When have the people of the United States ever been able to directly communicate with the person in charge of country operations before? The same twitter Town Halls that Obama participated in 2008 continue to set him apart today, as do his years of experience on the Twitterverse.

If we based election wins on Twitter followers and Facebook likes alone, Obama would prevail as the obvious winner. Currently Obama has 17.8 million followers and Mitt Romney has just over 800,000 followers. However, Twitter is not effective without generating social pull, so having more followers than someone else does not suffice anymore. Social networking search firm PeekYou released data indicating that Newt Gingrich had paid various ‘follow agencies’ to create fake, dummy accounts that comprised the majority of his followers. Today we examine a candidate’s followers with audience based metrics that analyze the transparency and quality of followers. Are they actively engaged with a candidate? Do they share a candidate’s message or tweets with their own online communities? Do traditional media discuss a candidate’s online activity?

Twitter is not the only trick up the Obama Campaign’s sleeve. In January, Obama held a Google+ hangout video chat room interview with five Americans from various cities across the country. The campaign has also expanded the social media program by establishing a Pinterest account for Michelle Obama, launched on June 13, 2012 (three months later than Ann Romney’s). Followers will see the initials “mo” should the first lady pin anything herself, as she did with eight of the 12 images used to launch the account. Now that Michelle has leveled the playing field, it will be interesting to see the role this social medium will assume during the election.

As far as untapped social media and apps, I wonder if we’ll randomly encounter Obama on Airtime anytime soon!

I look forward to seeing how this year’s candidates will continue to use social media as a tactic and whether or not the social buzz they generate through social media will translate into actual votes.

Tags: Alexis Murray-Merriman, public relations, social media, twitter, trends, elections, Obama, Romney, presidential campaigns

As of March 30, 2012, all company Facebook pages are now Timelines. Of its roughly 37 million brand pages, Facebook says eight million upgraded to timelines within one week of their introduction. For other brands the transition may have come as a shock, but it’s not too late to get in gear.

With Facebook’s frequent redesigns, it’s easy to think of timelines as just another facelift, but doing so would mean missing a great opportunity. Timelines are an unprecedented chance for brands to actually connect with consumers. (Isn’t that why your company got a Facebook page in the first place?) Here’s how to get it right:

Tell Your Story

Timelines have their share of new elements and features, but most importantly they allow organizations to humanize their brands and generate interest through compelling stories and details. This is fantastic for start-ups – and any company with a unique story – because it lets brands share their achievements, what they’re working on, and where they’re going next in an attractive, easily digestible format.

–> Key Feature: Milestones

To highlight a significant event in your brand’s history, make it a “milestone” by clicking the book icon in the status box and adding a headline, location, date, 843×403 pixel photo and details. The event will be a permanent part of your profile, giving insight into your brand. Potential milestones include: date your business started; date your new store opened; date you signed a big client etc.

Remember to incorporate human interest whenever possible. A photo of your CEO in college when he first had the idea for your company will go a lot further than a photo of your office building.

Make it Pop

Central to the timeline interface is the sprawling cover photo. This 851 x 315 pixel image is what users will see first, and likely what they will remember most. The cover photo should be a high-quality, attention-grabbing image that conveys your brand message. Keep your page fresh by changing the cover photo periodically to coincide with seasons, events, marketing campaigns etc.

If you’re thinking the cover photo sounds like a perfect spot for an ad, think again. Facebook has wizened up to the amount of free advertising it was doling out, so timelines come with specific anti-marketing stipulations. Cover photos may not contain any kind of promotional messaging, including calls to action, discount offers, contact info or an invitation to “like” your page.

You’ll also need to update your profile picture, as timeline cuts profile images to just 180 x 180 pixels. In most cases, your logo is the best choice for this spot.

–>Feature: Starring

Starring allows you to highlight and enlarge important posts on your timeline; just hold your cursor above the post and click the star icon when it appears. Starred posts will expand to widescreen, allowing you to attract attention to key information and interesting photos.

Clean Up Your Act

Organizations should be sure to trim any less-than-favorable details lurking in their company past. Your brand’s entire Facebook history – from the first day you signed up to the embarrassing typo you made in a post to the angry rant a customer posted on your wall – will all be visible on your Timeline. Make sure to look closely through your history and delete anything you don’t want resurfacing.

Keep Up the Conversation

Timelines also allow organizations to receive and reply to messages from fans (a Facebook first). Admins for your brand’s page cannot proactively send messages, but will be able to continue user-initiated conversations and respond to questions, making users feel valued. Be prepared to deal with both positive and negative comments, and make sure to respond in a timely fashion.

–> Key Feature: Pinning

You can also “pin” any post to the top of your timeline by clicking on the pencil icon in the top right-hand corner of the update and choosing the pin option. You can pin content your brand has added, but also consider pinning comments from users. A compliment from a customer is as a free endorsement, and you can keep it pinned to the top of your page for up to seven days.

Study Up:

If you’re still uncertain about the transition, Facebook has you covered. Check out LearnFacebookPages.com and the Facebook Marketing Classroom, both of which Facebook created to help page owners with the technicalities.

Also take the time to peruse some existing brand timelines for ideas. Coca-Cola, Ford, Ben & Jerry’s and Doctors Without Borders are all gaining accolades for their initial timeline showings.

Happy Timelining!

What website drives more referral traffic than Google+, LinkedIn and MySpace combined, attracted 16.1 million unique visitors in January, and is being heralded as the “it” social network of 2012?

The answer is Pinterest, a visually-driven social bookmarking site that allows users to collect images by “pinning” them to various boards. The enormously popular site has a clean, simple layout and functions as a digital scrapbook, bulletin board or treasure trove for users to display their dreams, aspirations and things they love. Like Facebook or Twitter, users can follow one another and comment on or “like” each other’s images, and can also “repin” items onto their own boards.

Pinterest is yielding major attention – it’s mentioned in more than 80 million blog posts – and stands out not only because of its sudden popularity, but also because of its audience. Instead of the hoards of young, tech-oriented males commonly associated with startups, Pinterest resonates most with women. ComScore estimates 68 percent of its users are female, and its largest demographic is women ages 25-34 – many of whom live in the Midwest or central U.S. Frequently pinned items include recipes; interior design, wedding and fashion ideas; and adorably pics of cuddly baby animals.

It might sound silly, but don’t scoff just yet. Pinterest is among the fastest-growing websites in history. Its popularity has skyrocketed over the past few months, and it reached 10 million monthly visitors faster than any other site tracked by comScore, including Facebook and Twitter. Pinterest’s estimated unique monthly visitors grew 429 percent from September to December 2011, and though it’s still in “invite only” beta, it’s already amassed 10.4 million registered users. And those users are highly engaged: American users spend an average of 1 hour and 17 minutes on Pinterest, compared to a measly 36 minutes on Twitter, 17 minutes on LinkedIn and 6 minutes on Google +.

Pinterest may seem like an overnight sensation, but the Palo Alto-based site was registered in 2009 and started gaining traction in summer 2011. The site is privately held, does not disclose its earnings and does not yet have advertisements or a clear strategy for profitability, but its three founders have secured $37.5 million in funding for a stunning valuation of $200 million.

It’s certainly making a splash, but is Pinterest a legitimate business tool? For some brands, including Etsy (53,784 followers), Real Simple (34,517 followers), HGTV (17,824 followers), and Whole Foods (14,217 followers), the answer is a definite yes. Pinned items contain links back to the websites they originate from, so the site is perfectly suited to drive referral traffic. After launching an official Pinterest page, Sony Electronics saw traffic from Pinterest to its online store increase 900 percent from January to February.

Before diving into the Pinterest craze, it’s essential to determine whether your brand has what it takes. Above all, Pinterest is visual. Aesthetically compelling content is mandatory. A boring shot is easily looked over, but an intriguing image will entice users, driving traffic to the image’s origin. If you don’t have a product that looks good, or don’t have access to captivating, high-quality photos, you’re going to have a hard time. As Pinterest co-founder Ben Silbermann explained, “Collections have to be something that you’re proud of. If the collections didn’t look awesome, why would anyone spend time working on them?”

If you can consistently provide intriguing images and content, you’ve passed the first test, and should consider adding Pinterest to your social media portfolio – just make sure to integrate. Your social platforms should work together to convey the same key messaging, and content should be distributed across channels so each social platform supports the others. For example, Sony’s astounding Pinterest success was a result of strategic planning; upon joining Pinterest, Sony created a blog post to drum up excitement, and shared many of their boards on Twitter.

Will Pinterest users remain enthusiastically obsessed, or will the site fade away as a fleeting trend? We’ll have to wait and see, but for now the site presents a huge audience, countless opportunities to spur referral traffic and a can’t-miss opportunity – for the right brand.