Girls In Tech

About two weeks ago, I had reached the end of the road with my cable company – Time Warner Cable. For the past four months, my service had been spotty at best, non-existent at worst. And believe me, I wasn’t just upset that American Idol wasn’t being DVR’d…my Internet service, which is also provided by TWC, was experiencing the same spotty service. And being that I run a business out of my home, spotty Internet service is 100% unacceptable.

I had called TWC customer service many times over the months – demanding a pro-rated fee for the service I wasn’t receiving, asking for help, a solution – and the feedback I would always get was, “restart your cable box.” I began restarting my cable box at least once a day – and it never solved the problem I was having. My picture was still pixilated and frozen – my Internet service down.

Over the phone, TWC customer service told me there must be an issue with the signal getting into my house…and, basically, “oh well.”

Oh well? OH WELL??

I did not take this lightly. If I pay for something, in a timely and consistent manner, then I expect to get functional service in a timely and consistent manner. I would have dropped TWC altogether except that they have a monopoly on cable service providers in my area. I was stuck (no thanks to you Fios and Uverse-why haven’t you rescued me yet?).

Until, that is, I decided to take to Twitter and vent my frustrations there. At the very least, I could make myself feel better by telling my 6,300 Twitter followers how frustrated I was.

So, in my frustrated rampage I created the hashtag, #dietimewarnercable and began pummeling out Tweets about my “dislike” for TWC. Harsh? Yes. Did it feel GOOD? Oh yes…

In my rampage, I did a search for Time Warner Cable and could not find any Twitter handles associated with the cable giant. I believe I even wrote a snarky Tweet about corporations who don’t have a social media presence, and how people like me can help contribute to a negative online image.

About 20-30 minutes went by of me Tweeting, my followers responding, asking questions about what had set me off, etc. And then it happened. TWC reached out to me via DM. I quickly learned that Time Warner Cable actually has several active Twitter accounts including their PR person, tech support, a social media expert, among others…all of whom personally reached out to me:

@TWCablePhil @twcablebrienh @twcablehelp @alextwc

They apologized, asked what my service issues were, and how they could help. I don’t say this often, but I was wrong.

I. Was. Wrong.

Not only does Time Warner Cable have a social media and Twitter presence, but they monitor it late at night, and actually responded – in a timely, caring way to my disgruntled Tweets. They scheduled a service call for technician to come to my home and solve my service issues. The technician showed up a day later, fixed the problems, and sure enough, everything has been working perfectly since his visit.

What could not be accomplished on the phone with customer service was quickly and effectively taken care of via social media. To me, this is a wonderful example of how an age-old practice – customer service call centers – can take major notes from a new-age practice, social media.

What the call center could not solve, social media did. And that is precisely why it’s here to STAY.

Christine Kirk is founder and principal at Social Muse Communications, a PR and social media marketing consultancy firm for food/beverage, travel, luxury, technology, and lifestyle brands in Los Angeles. She also holds the position of PR Manager for the Los Angeles chapter of Girls in Tech. She can be reached via e-mail at christine@socialmuse.com or on Twitter @luxuryprgal.

I’m thrilled to announce that earlier this month I launched Social Muse Communications, a social media marketing consultancy firm for food/beverage, travel, luxury, technology, and lifestyle brands in Los Angeles. While bringing my social media expertise to traditional PR agencies over the years was incredibly fulfilling, it was time to branch out on my own. I’ve already been successful in building up my client list and am consulting brands seeking ways to integrate social media within their overall marketing programs and providing guidance, expert advice and strategic direction for participation across various social networks such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, FourSquare, MySpace and LinkedIn.

Social media “experts” are popping up left and right and many business owners ask how they can know they are hiring the real deal instead of someone who’s here today and gone tomorrow. First of all, anyone who says they’re an expert is kidding themselves. This industry is too new, and changing too fast for anyone to truly be an expert. Those of us who have experience with social media are all learning together, and frankly, the reason why I’m so passionate about social media, is that we each have the ability to contribute to the direction this new medium takes – and that gets me excited. PR, marketing, advertising – those industries have been there and done that and are established. While that’s great, what gets me going is helping to create the parameters and guidelines that most make sense for my clients – instead of being told “this is how it’s been done for 30 years.”

Below are three things you should do (at the bare minimum) before hiring the social media consultant for your brand.

1. Check the person or agency’s online presence. If I had a dollar for every time a PR agency said they have a social media “expert” or new media department, and then went online and found their Twitter profile hasn’t been updated in the past 6 weeks, well, I’d be very rich. Look online – check their Facebook and Twitter profiles – how often are they updating, what’s the QUALITY of the content they’re populating their profiles with? Do they have a blog? Is the blog updated at least once a month? Does it offer value? If a person or agency can’t maintain their own profiles and blog posts on a consistent basis, what makes you think they’ll be able to do it for you?

2. Case Studies: While social media isn’t a 30+ year-old industry, there are many of us who have been involved with it since its inception – we have experience, stories, and case studies about what works and what doesn’t work online. Always ask for that information.

3. Client Profiles: Always ask to see the online profiles that the person or agency is currently updating for existing clients – right now. Sure, they might have had a fun online campaign idea from three years ago but what are they doing for clients today – how often are the client’s profiles being updated? What kind of content are they being updated with? Take a critical look at all these things.

Christine Kirk is founder and principal at Social Muse Communications, a social media marketing consultancy firm for food/beverage, travel, luxury, technology, and lifestyle brands in Los Angeles. She also holds the position of PR Manager for the Los Angeles chapter of Girls in Tech. She can be reached via e-mail at christine@socialmuse.com or on Twitter @luxuryprgal.

Clients ask me almost every day what they should be doing to respond to negative feedback that appears about them online – in blogs, social networks, and online forums and communities.  Some want to know what they can do to “control” the negative commentary out there. To that I say, it’s impossible. You cannot control what people say about you online – they’re real human beings populating the online airwaves with their opinions and they’re entitled. However, what a brand can control is how they respond to the negative feedback.

In fact, the best way to “control” social media is for a brand to be present, engage in the conversation, and reach out, on an individual basis to those people who might be misinformed about a product or service or had a bad experience. Yes, this is time consuming, but there are many seasoned social media experts that can handle this on behalf of a company, or advise an internal person at a brand on messaging and response strategy.

The best thing to do is to have messaging prepared in advance of launching a social media presence or campaign. This messaging should address the various negative comments you anticipate receiving – and should be approved by all internal parties, including the brand’s legal department, in advance. This way, when issues arise, you can respond swiftly and in real-time. Many brands ask me if they have to “give free stuff away” to disgruntled online consumers and my answer is no, not always. Oftentimes, most people who vent negativity about an experience they had simply want to feel as if they’ve been heard…and that the problem is brought to the attention of an authority within the company who can prevent it from happening again. Knowing that their voice has been heard is often enough.

For negative feedback that you can’t anticipate – and pops up unexpectedly, the key is to respond as quickly as possible – always be monitoring and searching the various online channels for what’s being said about your brand – social networks, blogs, forums, etc. Another good idea (particularly for bigger corporate brands) is to put an online crisis communications plan into place – this way you have a plan of attack in place. Being prepared is the best thing that a brand can do – and the opportunity to engage with your consumers, fans, and brand advocates in real-time is the uniqueness that social media affords.

Two large corporate brands that are currently using Twitter effectively as a customer service tool and to respond to negative feedback are:

@RichardatDell: Dell doesn’t have just one channel on Twitter; it has more than 20 – all catering to different audiences, including international ones. Perhaps the best-known of all their Twitter handles is called “Richard at Dell”- an employee who is a member of Dell’s digital media team. Dell is also one of the first major brands with Twitter channels in Chinese, Japanese, German, and Spanish.

@JetBlue: JetBlue has always been a word-of-mouth brand. The corporate communications manager alerts Twitter followers of weather delays, finds alternate flights for stranded travelers who tweet their frustrations, and fields questions about almost anything including, why JetBlue is now charging $7 for pillows and blankets.

Christine Kirk is a social media marketing consultant for luxury and lifestyle brands in Los Angeles. She also holds the position of PR Manager for the Los Angeles chapter of Girls in Tech. She can be reached via e-mail at christine@socialmuse.com or on Twitter @luxuryprgal.

Years ago I’d see “roach coaches” rolling by construction sites and feel my stomach turn – not any more. Recently, LA has experienced an explosion in gourmet food trucks serving every type of food, including mexican, korean, bbq, contemporary american, desserts, ice cream, and various fusion cuisines. With the advent of Twitter, the roach coaches have morphed into gourmet food trucks as high-end fare has gone mobile. Twitter has aided in this explosion by allowing the trucks to Tweet their exact location to hungry eaters in real time. The “mobile restaurant” phenomena has taken off so much that a web site dedicated to the tracking of food trucks on Twitter also recently launched – Find LA Food Trucks – http://www.findlafoodtrucks.com/.

These mobile, kitchens-in-transit use Twitter as a real-time GPS tracking system – just without the GPS. At any time of day or night you know exactly where to find them. This level of accessibility has made these roving vehicles social-networking juggernauts, sometimes drawing upwards of 300 to 800 people (and a bevy of Twitter followers) each time it parks (often several times in a day).

Here is a list of my top 5 favorite to follow – and of course, to eat!

The Kogi BBQ Truck - Yumo-o!

Calbi BBQ (@CalbiBBQ): Followers – 2,190

Calbi is deliciously fresh, high quality Korean BBQ marinated beef, chicken and shrimp served in the traditional style of Mexican tacos and burritos.

Border Grill (@BorderGrill) Followers – 3,011

Border Grill is a Mexican restaurant concept in LA serving gourmet tacos, quesadillas, ceviches, and more from “Too Hot Tamales” chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. It also offers their Twitter followers special deals by using the secret code – like “sweet tooth” for a free brownie.

Kogi BBQ (@kogibbq): Followers: 46,006

Kogi is the Korean BBQ taco truck that has spawned it’s own burgeoning cyber-hippie movement affectionately referred to as “Kogi kulture.”

Sprinkles Cupcakes (@sprinklesmobile): Followers: 7,251

The Sprinkles trucks dolls out delectable cupcakes made famous by their flagship store in Beverly Hills delighting celebrities and hardcore epicureans alike.

Nom Nom Truck (@nomnomtruck): Followers: 3,950

Nom Nom truck is a mobile food truck that serves “Banh Mi”, or Vietnamese Sandwiches, and other Vietnamese-inspired dishes.

Also, The Grilled Cheese Truck has yet to officially start rolling around town but when it does, you can expect to find me there for sure!

Christine Kirk is a PR representative and social media explorer for luxury brands including travel, real estate and food/beverage, at Murphy O’Brien Public Relations in Los Angeles. She also holds the position of PR Manager for the Los Angeles chapter of Girls in Tech. She can be reached via e-mail at ckirk@murphyobrien.com or on Twitter @luxuryprgal.

Momologie, a national e-newsletter launched this past week, spearheaded by two gals who practically define “girls in tech.”

Michele Adams and Gia Russo, former editors at Martha Stewart Living, contributors to Fit Pregnancy, and founders of the successful MiGi brand, launched Momologie.com, a free e-newsletter and website where women who subscribe receive a daily message in their e-mail inbox featuring information for busy moms. Topics include home, style, organization, food, celebrations and travel. Momologie was founded on the principal to be a trusted online resource and community for tech savvy moms interested in making the quality of their family life a priority.

The mom-blog craze has captured the attention of even mainstream media and Momologie is a one-stop online mommy mecca. In addition to their web site and newsletter, they can also be found on Facebook and Twitter (@momologie).

Christine Kirk is the Online Communications Director at Murphy O’Brien Public Relations in Los Angeles executing social media campaigns for luxury brands including travel, real estate and food/beverage clients. She also holds the position of PR Manager for the Los Angeles chapter of Girls in Tech. She can be reached at ckirk@murphyobrien.com or @luxuryprgal.

Back in June I wrote a blog post about the top 5 luxury hotel brands on Twitter and wanted to follow it up with a post about the top 5 food brands using Twitter today. Our food & beverage/lifestyle clients at Murphy O’Brien ask us on a daily basis if and how they should get involved in social media. There are several food brands using Twitter wisely and effectively. They have found a transparent brand voice and engaged their followers all while staying true to their brand essence. Here are my top 5 picks of who’s using this social media tool well and why:

LemonadeLA (@LemonadeLA): Followers – 384

A great new restaurant concept in LA now with two locations – one in West Hollywood and one in Venice, Lemonade offers over 35 varieties of freshly prepared salads, veggies, pastas, proteins, sandwiches and stock-pots all at a reasonable price. Their Tweets are fun, upbeat, full of energy and clever – they created the “Lemonade Girl,” an attractive brunette who bikes around town with a “Tweet This” sign on her back – if you snap a pic of her and TwitPic it, you win a free glass of fresh lemonade. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Fiji Water (@FIJIWATER): Followers – 2,102

Fiji Water company is designer water that some say only snobs would drink but there’s nothing snobby about the brand’s presence on Twitter. Fiji does something right with their Tweets and that is, the @reply. There is nothing worse than a brand who doesn’t write back to their followers. Fiji communicates with their followers, responding, engaging, asking questions and answering them.

Philadelphia Cream Cheese (@LoveMyPhilly): Followers – 7,966

Philly Cream Cheese does a great job of representing their brand on Twitter – the background of their page perfectly represents the brand and also directs followers to their presence on other social networks including – Flickr, YouTube and Facebook. The company Tweets recipes and also engages with their followers with a steady stream of @replies.

Kogi BBQ (@kogibbq): Followers: 41,239

Kogi is the Korean BBQ taco truck that exploded on the Twitter scene sending out real-time Tweets about the location of their mobile food truck for hungry fans to easily find them during lunch hour. The company uses Twitter as a real-time GPS tracking system – just without the GPS. At any time of day or night you know exactly where to find Kogi’s “roach coach.” This level of accesibiltiy has made the roving vehicle a social-networking juggernaut, drawing 300 to 800 people (and a bevy of Twitter followers) each time it parks (often several times in an evening) and spawning a burgeoning cyber-hippie movement affectionately referred to as “Kogi kulture.”

Border Grill (@BorderGrill) Followers – 1,995

Border Grill is a Mexican restaurant concept in LA serving gourmet tacos, quesadillas, ceviches, and more from “Too Hot Tamales” chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. The Twitter feed models Kogi’s real-time tracking of the Border Grill food truck around LA but also offers their Twitter followers special deals by using the secret code – like “sweet tooth” for a free brownie. Delish!

Christine Kirk is a PR representative and social media explorer for luxury brands including travel, real estate and food/beverage, at Murphy O’Brien Public Relations in Los Angeles. She also holds the position of PR Manager for the Los Angeles chapter of Girls in Tech. She can be reached via e-mail at ckirk@murphyobrien.com or on Twitter @luxuryprgal.

Twitter has taken both traditional and new media by storm these past few months and our clients at Murphy O’Brien have been asking us on a daily basis if and how they should get involved in social media. For the right company, Twitter is a powerful tool for your toolbox but should not be viewed as the end-all, be-all of a brand’s marketing efforts. Marketing should be looked at comprehensively – how are advertising, public relations, social media, and marketing working together to craft a brand image and an authentic brand voice? Over the past few months, several 5-star hotels have emerged as using Twitter wisely and effectively. They have found a transparent brand voice and engaged their followers all while not sacrificing the exclusivity and quality of their high-end brand. Here are my top 5 picks of who’s using this social media tool well and why:

Fairmont Hotels (@fairmonthotels): Followers – 3,531

Providing “Suite Tweets” to its followers, Mike Taylor, designated Tweeter on behalf of the hotel group, does an outstanding job of engaging followers with a flurry of @ replies, behind-the-scenes TwitPics, general hotel industry news as well as updates and special offers from the Fairmont Hotels.

Hotel Casa del Mar (@casadelmar): Followers – 1,035

The Casa del Mar Twitter feed consists mostly of property updates, however, they effectively capture the romantic, beachfront atmosphere of the hotel and provide followers with tips from various property experts – wellness tips from their Wellness Director, etc. Their special hotel rates for their Twitter followers makes me want to pick up and permanently move to the beach.

Four Seasons Resorts (@Four_Seasons): Followers – 2,378

Four Seasons Resorts provides their Twitter followers with a bevy of “insider” views through their Twitter profile. Get spring cleaning tips from their world-class housekeeping staff, the latest information on their Spa offerings with the Himalaya Salt Scrub, and learn about their new Pool Concierge service. You can even learn how to prepare and drink Mate, the national drink of Uruguay. Sign me up!

The Citizen Hotel (@thecitizenhotel): Followers – 1,235

The Citizen Hotel is a Joie de Vivre hotel and is Sacramento’s answer to LA’s trendy, “Bazaar” hotels. The Twitter profile has the most unique, quirky voice of this group and does a fantastic job of engaging local Sac-town media through Twitter. They provide followers with information about fun, local area events and generally make the California state capital feel like the next, best hot travel destination we’ve all been missing out on! The hotel’s restaurant has also recently joined Twitter (@DineGrange) and highlight’s the organic and inventive menu.

 The Ritz-Carlton (@simonfcooper , @ritzcarltonpr , @brucehimelstein): Combined Followers – 1,344

Ritz-Carlton’s PR team has President Simon Cooper saying all the right things about the brand’s foray into social media. They’re backing it up, too by having the top execs in this world-renowned hotel group Tweet on behalf of the company – from the President, to the PR team themselves, to Bruce Himelstein, SVP of Sales and Marketing – each and all providing a unique perspective on their respective roles in the company. For me, getting a sneak-peak into the life of an executive as recognized as Simon Cooper is in the hospitality industry, is pretty exciting – even if he’s only Tweeted seven times. From his TwitPics of his weekend hangout spot to his candid conversation with the Luxury Channel in London about how Ritz-Carlton has dealt with the challenges facing luxury brands, it’s an interesting read I want to be in on.

Christine Kirk is a PR representative and social media explorer for luxury brands including travel, real estate and food/beverage, at Murphy O’Brien Public Relations in Los Angeles. She also holds the position of PR Manager for the Los Angeles chapter of Girls in Tech. She can be reached at ckirk@murphyobrien.com or @luxuryprgal.

There are a few remaining industries that have yet to fully embrace online communications – beauty and fashion are a few, and luxury brands is definitely another.

Murphy O’Brien Public Relations, the PR agency I work for, specializes in representing hotel and resort properties, luxury real estate developments, spas, restaurants, and consumer food and beverage brands. In some cases, these markets seem late to the social media game and I’m going to explore a few basic reasons why.

18th Hole at Pebble Beach Resorts

In my experience, I’ve found that one of the primary reasons many clients have yet to fully explore online communications is because their brand goes beyond a product and is about an “experience.” Consumers are willing to pay a lot of money for goods, but memories and experiences can truly be priceless. Some clients believe that to try and recreate the essence of such a luxury experience in the unpredictable landscape of new media could potentially cheapen that experience. However, I view social media as an opportunity to bring the luxury experience to the industry’s target demographic, affluent consumers over the age of 45, directly to where they are spending their time – online and mobile. Back in the late-1990s when company web sites were first introduced into the mainstream, many brands refused to take part because they didn’t understand how to recreate their brand image in an online platform. Obviously things have changed, and for many of us our impression of a brand is based on what their company web site looks like.

Here are a few reasons why some brands have still not tackled this final frontier:

• Social media tools often require one person, usually the CEO, CMO, or COO to maintain these tools to lend them a truly authentic tone. However, most executives simply do not have the time to manage all the online communication tools available.

• There is a lack of resources and understanding that make up the main barriers. While trade publications and conferences are doing good job of educating about this space, there is still a long way to go.

• Industry Experts are Needed: PR as an industry is undergoing a crisis and the education of what PR is and how social media tools fit into our industry is something that needs to change for our industry to become more respected, understood, and recognized as a crucial element of business.

• Education: While social media can be a good way for independent businesses to compete on a more level playing field, clients need to be educated about the realities of approaching social media.

However, not having a presence also makes a big statement. With the advent of social networks and blogs, it is essential for brands to realize that conversations are happening online with or without them. It is always better to be armed with more information than less information – having a direct line of access to listen to what consumers are saying about a brand, is something that was never attainable before social media tools became popular. Adhering to a strict message, pushing out a corporate agenda, etc. are the worst reasons to engage in online communications. The best reason is to LISTEN and even directly respond to customers.

There are several luxury brands that are already doing this well. 5-star hotels like the Fairmont Hotels (@fairmonthotels), Casa Del Mar (@casadelmar), Four Seasons Resorts (@Four_Seasons) and The Citizen Hotel (@thecitizenhotel) have a core following of engaged consumers online. Also, Cartier has started a successful MySpace page with 3,785 friends.

Special thanks to Keith Wiley (@krwlos1), Senior Manager of Corporate Communication at Spot Runner, for his thoughts on this topic.