With the launch of its new service called Vine, Twitter is hoping to do for video what it has already done for text –shrink it into bite-sized bits that are quickly and easily shared.

Available as a free app for iOS devices (with other platforms coming soon), users can splice together six seconds of looping video for quick viewing. The animation can be one continuous shot, or as many quick cuts as one can fit into six seconds. Vine videos can be embedded into Twitter streams, or shared on personal websites or other social media sites like Tumblr.

It’s easy to imagine what some creative public relations managers might do with this new tool. And many proactive brands are already testing the waters. GE, Ritz Crackers, Dove and Urban Outfitters are some of the major brands to have already posted their own Vine videos. Are any of them ground-breaking achievements likely to lead to a boost in sales? Probably not, but that sort of misses the point.

A Personal Touch

Savvy brand managers learned a long time ago that social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are more about interactive dialogue rather than one-way promotions. Social media creates opportunities for more direct interaction, and Vine videos will allow for that interaction to be more personal than ever.

These brief micro-videos can be used to provide a quick, no-budget, no-frills look past the sparkling veneer of finished ads and into the human side of a company. For example, companies might post Vine videos featuring:

• A quick product demo
• Visual menus, or daily restaurant specials
• The view from the trade show floor
• The face of a customer service rep responding to a question or complaint
• A special thank-you to certain customers, clients, or partners
• Holiday greetings
• A teaser trailer for a longer presentation on another channel, such as YouTube

Time will tell whether this new app will succeed. But it certainly creates some intriguing opportunities for marketers who are willing to give it a try.

Groupthink, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “a pattern of thought characterized by self-deception, forced manufacture of consent, and conformity to group values and ethics.”

Such conformity to group opinion can be a real danger when company leaders, believing that they and those around them have an accurate sense of their brand’s reputation, fail to generate external feedback prior to making branding decisions. Brand evaluation and reorganization can be a very positive and healthy thing. Every business must evolve to survive. Messages need to be updated. Websites refreshed. Ads evaluated. But when tackling these challenges, it is important to remember that public perception is what really matters, and that perception can sometimes vary widely from what’s assumed by the top brass.

For example, members of your sales team might not feel comfortable  speaking up about their distaste for the current logo when sitting across from the company’s top executives, who likely approved that very design.

Your company’s clients, however, will probably have no qualms about being more direct.

So, what options are available for gathering meaningful data on corporate brand? Here are a few that can be much more valuable than an internal discussion in the conference room:

• One-on-one meetings with customers
• Focus groups
• Ad Readership Studies (if appropriate)
• Online survey tools like those offered by Constant Contact or SurveyMonkey.

In other words, don’t just make sure you are asking the right questions; make sure you are you asking the right people. Internal discussions are necessary, but the most coveted opinions should be reserved for customers and potential customers.

Simply put, a strategic communications plan is a description of a company’s marketing and communications goals and activities. And it should be treated as an essential document for any company, especially a start-up. While every plan should include a few key sections (outlined below), there is no single, one-size-fits-all approach that works for every business. A communications plan for a restaurant will be much different than one for a hospital, for example. But here is a snapshot of the crucial elements that every plan should include.

An Overview

This opening section describes the nature of the business and how it plans to grow through strategic communications and marketing.

Background Research

Arguably, the single most important feature of any communications plan is the background research and analysis. After all, how can you be expected to tell your company’s story if you don’t know much about the industry in which you operate? Generally this background research will identify the current market size, segmentation, target customers, growth opportunities, risks and competitors. In addition a SWOT analysis for the company itself would be helpful here.

Establish Your Mission, and Your Messages

Now is the time to define your brand, your products, your company and your value proposition to the market.

State Your Goals

Goals should be simply what you want your communications to achieve. These are specific, measurable outcomes: a percentage of market share, annual sales, growth into certain markets, etc.

Define Your Strategy

Strategies are the initiatives that will allow you to realize your goals. These should answer the question of “how” the company plans to communicate to its customers. For example, a restaurant might devise a strategy for becoming a go-to family gathering place on Monday nights, in the hopes of meeting its overall revenue goals. Or, a backup software company might create a strategy for focusing on a certain customer niche, like publishing companies or law firms, in order to support its own expectations.

Define Your Tactics

These are the tools of the trade. Identify the channels of your communications strategy here, such as social media, blogging, digital advertising, direct response marketing, or media relations. Be as specific as possible. It’s not enough to simply list a bunch of marketing channels – describe how they will be used. Consider the strategies you’ve identified above. Do your tactics support them?

Build a Schedule and a Budget

Now that you have a set of tasks to complete, put them on a schedule. Identify who “owns” each task, and list anticipated completion dates. Keep your team accountable and abreast of approaching deadlines. Also, is your marketing and communications budget in line with the strategies you plan to implement? Talk with vendors, publishers, printers and anyone else that can give you the necessary cost information to make sure what you’re planning falls within your budget.

Keep it Alive

You’ll put a lot of work into this plan. The last thing you want is to see it relegated to a dusty corner in someone’s office. Marketing and communications strategies evolve. You might have to prioritize certain goals over others. Test and measure what’s working and update your plan accordingly.

Snow Communications recently posted a new case study that showcases our government relations capabilities. Click here to read about our work with Wolters Kluwer Health – Clinical Solutions.

The press release, that tried and true tactic used by companies and PR practitioners for eons, has gone through quite an evolution over the past decade or so. Before the age of the Internet, the press release was generally only seen by, you know, the press. Companies and their PR agencies would distribute the announcement and hope that it was compelling enough to warrant a story.

Today, the release plays a more dynamic role. Social media and company websites allow for direct communication and interaction with customers. Releases are generally drafted with multiple audiences in mind – including journalists, customers and industry analysts.

But there is one additional “audience” that should not be forgotten – search engine spiders, or web crawlers. These automated bots constantly scour the Web for content, and their findings are used to determine which websites are shown when an individual conducts a search using various keywords. If you anticipate that your press release will be posted anywhere online – your website, through a newswire, or any media outlet with an online presence, then it’s important to consider the language used from a search engine’s perspective.

For example, if your business provides computer data cloud storage solutions, and you’re announcing upgraded security protections for customers, give the release a heavy dose of the technical upgrades you’re offering and how your customers will benefit. Generic, over-used language – groundbreaking, world-class, revolutionary – not only gets on readers’ nerves, it also does nothing for search engine optimization. The classic Gobbledygook Manifesto [PDF] shows just how frequently these terms are used – and the more often a term is used, the more competition there is for the attention of the search engine crawlers. Detailed, descriptive keywords are more effective in generating meaningful website traffic.

Press releases are a mainstay for public relations campaigns. By keeping search engine crawlers in mind when crafting the language within them, releases can continue to provide benefits for a long time.

What would happen if the EMR incentive program was halted? The EMR & HIPAA blog has a good discussion of the consequences of a proposal by some U.S. Congressmen to halt the incentive payments begun under Meaningful Use. I believe the incentive program is not only promoting electronic health records in this country but also paving the way for wider adoption of evidence-based clinical decision support, which can point the healthcare system toward more effective treatment decisions and away from less effective treatments that waste money and sometimes endanger patient health.

I’m very enthusiastic about Snow Communications supporting Free Bikes 4 Kidz because biking is a safe, healthy way for kids to have fun and get exercise. No kid should be without one. I ride most days, often commuting to work and even riding in the cold, Minnesota winter. Riding a bike is good exercise, it’s good for the planet, and it reduces  the amount of vehicle traffic on our roads. But most of all, it’s fun, and as one of Dr. Seuss’ characters says, “fun is good.” It’s amazing to me how much fun one can have biking, and that includes the thrill of racing down a hill or riding slowly beside a scenic river or lake. It also includes meeting very nice people who are also biking. So, let’s add community to the list of biking benefits.

Minneapolis, October 2, 2012 – Snow Communications, a Minneapolis-based public relations and marketing agency, today announced that it has once again partnered with Free Bikes 4 Kidz, whose mission is to provide free bicycles to those most in need in the Twin Cities. Snow Communications will provide communications, media relations and social media support to help build on the momentum that’s already emergent for the non-profit organization.

“We are thrilled to once again be able to lend our support on a pro bono basis to such a worthy cause,” said CEO and founder Joshua Schneck. “Everyone should know the joy that comes with owning and riding their own bike. Free Bike 4 Kidz has a fantastic mission and we are glad to help.”

To achieve its goals, Free Bikes 4 Kidz invites communities to donate quality used bikes that are then cleaned, refurbished, and distributed through multiple kid-friendly organizations to children and adults in need. The organization expects to receive and distribute several thousand bikes to Minnesota families in need this holiday season. In 2011, over 5,000 bikes were donated – a marked increase from the 1,500 bikes in 2010, 750 in 2009 and 300 in 2008. Last year, Free Bikes 4 Kidz became the largest single distributor of free bikes in the United States. This is the second annual partnership between Snow Communications and Free Bikes 4 Kidz.

About Snow Communications
Founded in 1985, Snow Communications provides public relations and marketing services for clients in a variety of industries including healthcare, technology, law, food and others. Snow Communications is a privately held company headquartered in Minneapolis. For more information, please call 612-337-0747 or visit www.snowcommunications.com.

About Free Bikes 4 Kidz
Free Bikes 4 Kidz is a not-for-profit organization geared toward helping all kids ride into a happier, healthier childhood by providing bikes to those most in need. More information can be found at www.fb4k.com.

No matter how much the business world changes with the advancement of technology, one aspect remains unchanged – the informational interview. I empathize with recent college graduates who not only face student loan debt, but also have to break into the job market at a time when the national unemployment rate continues to stay above eight percent. More young adults are jockeying for the same positions in an effort to simply “break in” to their field of interest.

This past summer we had a handful of college students stop by the office for informational interviews. We always delight in the proactive efforts of young adults that are still in school but who are also looking ahead to make sure that they are taking the right classes and courses that will set them up for future success. With that in mind, here are some tips for making the most of any  informational interview.

1. Do a little homework. (Not a lot, just a little.) Since this is not a formal interview for an actual hirable position, the conversation can be more general but be sure to read up about the industry and the company you are visiting. Demonstrate that you’ve put in some effort before walking in the door, and you will not only leave a lasting impression, but it shows you are serious and making a concerted effort to educate yourself outside of the classroom.

2. Guide the discussion. Don’t be afraid to ask a “dumb” question – this is the time to do it. It’s wise to prepare and bring a list of questions regarding the industry and company with whom you are speaking. You set up the appointment so it’s essentially your responsibility to drive the conversation. Ask questions that will actually help you in terms of charting a course for your own future success. You may even find out that what you thought you wanted as a career isn’t exactly what you had in mind.

3. If you were me…. This is always a great way to harvest information and gain advice about how to set up a path towards finding a job after school. Whomever you are speaking to, young or not-so-young, has made a lot of choices to get to where they are today. They’ve also made some mistakes. You can always glean useful tips from taking a quick walk in someone else’s shoes.

4. Manners matter. This may seem obvious, but it’s worth sharing. Be on time (be five minutes early). Turn off your cell phone before you walk in the door. When in doubt, dress up. And always send a hand-written, personal thank-you note afterward.

See you in the trenches!