While sometimes corporate communication becomes bogged down with red-tape, there are times when they get creative with their PSAs.
Here are my three favourite:
1. North Carolina Department of Transportation: Yadkin River Bridge Replacement
2. Public Service Announcement for Recycling from Sweden
3. Dumb Ways to Die: Metro Trains Melbourne
What are your favourite PSAs?
This past week, while I was on vacation with my husband, I was reminded that social media doesn’t have to be complicated.
During our time off we visited Konzelmann Winery, one of my favourite wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. The winery is situated on the southern shores of Lake Ontario overlooking the lake. Konzelmann recently completed renovations on their property, which included the construction of an elevated viewing platform that overlooks both the vineyards and the lake.
Listening to Customers
While on this viewing platform, visitors, myself included, take pictures of the vineyards, the lake, the view of Toronto… and of themselves (aka Selfies).
During this visit I noticed that the viewing platform included a simple sign that said: “Don’t be selfie-conscious. Share with us. #Konzelmann.”
Konzelmann clearly understands what its visitors are doing on their property: they are taking photos of themselves from the viewing platform. With this observation in mind, Konzelmann created a sign that would prompt to visitors to tag Konzelmann winery using #Konzelmann when uploading selfies to Twitter or Instagram.
Benefit to the Business
Once a visitor uses the hashtag #Konzelman on either Instagram or Twitter, it is simple for the winery to track interaction and engagement.
First, Konzelmann can track the organic number of photo uploads to Instagram, as well as Twitter tweets. This is measurable, and can be recorded and compared with weekly and monthly statistics. More important, however, Konzelmann can easily engage with users who upload photos. This additional level of interaction will further develop Konzelmann’s brand with its customers.
This task has been rated as medium because although creating, printing, and hanging a sign is easy, the difficulty lies in understanding what customers are doing when you may not be watching, as well as the follow through once the photos are uploaded.
Time: 10-15 minutes
Budget: $0.10
Difficulty: Medium
You may see it popping up on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
You may also see it appearing on websites, and traditional marketing forms like business cards, banners, and posters.
This blog post seeks to shed light on the #YGK craze in Kingston.
Crews will continue to repair #ygkroads on Hwy 2, Alfred St just north of Princess St, Woodbine, Front Rd and King St. Weather permitting. — City of Kingston (@cityofkingston) June 12, 2014
#ygkc
For those that don’t know Kingston this is very central area 1/2 MT @niicruttaan_: Massive fire #kingston #ygkfire pic.twitter.com/Xb2zy5srB0”
— Colette Kennedy (@colettetown) December 17, 2013
#ygkice
#ygkstorm
One of many signs in Kingston celebrating downtown, applies to all great cities! #ygklove @darnkingston @ednns.ca pic.twitter.com/MOVGsMRuRK — Brian Aird (@brianaird) May 11, 2014
#ygkarts
Am I missing any #YGK variations? Let me know!
In this article I compare tips to a successful relationship to a successful presence on social media!
Be Transparent
Have you ever hidden something from your spouse? Perhaps you bought one too many pairs of shoes and hid them in the back of the closet; or, perhaps you hide the fact you still email or text your ex. Yikes. “If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.” Mark Twain. Companies should always be honest and transparent with their customers and clients. Whether the company’s customer service department is dealing with a higher-than-expected volume of calls, or has completely lost your order – they should tell you just that. Your customers will value your honesty more than your false niceties.
Admit Mistakes
Last night I planned to make a batch of my delicious homemade granola bars. About half way through the prep I realized that I was about a ¼ cup short of rolled oats. Thinking that it wouldn’t affect the recipe too much, I continued. After compiling the ingredients and placing it in the oven for 16:30 minutes, I realized something was wrong. My favourite granola bars hadn’t cooked through. Placing them in the over for another 20 minutes, double what the original recipe requires, they finally were baked, but not as impressive as previous batches. I let out a sigh and admitted to my husband: “I messed up the granola bars.” He said, “Oh, don’t worry about it. It happens from time to time. I am sure they are fine.” If you screw up your social media – wrong link, misspelled word – admit your mistake. Don’t try to sugar-coat or gloss over the mistake because people will notice and call you out. Rather, admit there was a mistake and provide a solution.
Have Fun
Day-to-day life can become pretty routine and boring. How many of you are stuck in a relationship rut with your spouse or partner? When was the last time that you spent some quality time and had fun together? (Note: I can’t help you with your relationships!) The same concept applies to your social media. Each day you thank followers/fans and share the latest blog post. But have you had any fun lately? Fun can be many different things: inspirational/funny quotes (that relate to your business), a small contest, or asking questions. You will find that having fun via your social media will spark engagement among your fans and followers!
In August (on my birthday actually!), I was awarded a contract through Tourism Northern Ontario, formerly RTO13, to organize and facilitate 6 2-day social media training sessions throughout Northern Ontario. With the proposed start date of October 7th, I was responsible for booking venues and catering in 6 cities, organizing my travel arrangements, as well as planning the curriculum for these training sessions.
Given that I am from the “south” I learned a lot about what our northern counterparts have to offer, including fabulous food, friendly people, and their love of all things LARGE.
Top 5 Things I’ve Learned
Top 3 Places To Eat
1. Best Northern Motel & Restaurant, Wawa, Ontario
The food at the Best Northern is incredible! Owners Teresa and Mark are European, specifically Polish, and showcase their heritage in their cooking. After arriving in Wawa from Sault Ste. Marie on Wednesday evening, I was greeted with a yummy menu full of delicious food, including fresh homemade pierogies! Subsequent evenings included homemade pumpkin soup, and chicken paprikash. Any restaurant that makes chicken paprikash is in my good books!
2. The Cornerstone, Kenora, Ontario
THANK YOU to Lynn from the Lake of the Woods Museum, who attended the social media training, for suggesting this wonderful restaurant. After the first session was complete, she came over to me with a map of downtown Kenora and said: “I think you’ll really like The CornerStone. It’s on Main Street.” So after talking a walk to visit Husky the Muskie, I went to get dinner – and it was DELICIOUS. I had the CornerStone salad, complete with a roasted red pepper, goat cheese, artichoke, chicken sandwich. The waitress was also very friendly and chatty, which certainly helps when you’re dining solo.
3. Gliss, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario
After driving from North Bay to Sault Ste Marie on Thanksgiving, I was craving a good home-cooked turkey dinner. I certainly got a treat when I went to Gliss, the restaurant found within Bay Front Quality Inn & Suites in Sault Ste. Marie. Complete with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and cranberry salsa, I couldn’t have asked for a better Thanksgiving Day dinner.
Top 3 Places To Visit/Go
1. Highway 17 between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa
Stretching 228 km, Highway 17 (aka Trans-Canada Highway) between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa was one of the most breathtaking drives I’ve ever experienced. This was also one of my first experiences with Lake Superior, also known as Gitche Gumee via Gordon Lightfoot, and the landscape that is the Canadian Shield. I was fortunate to drive this path while the fall colours were still in full force, which made it that much more beautiful. Although I stopped to take photos along the way, the photos were unable to capture the true beauty of the landscape. Plan a trip up this stretch of HWY 17 next fall – you won’t be disappointed.
2. Terry Fox Memorial & Sleeping Giant, Thunder Bay, Ontario
This 9’ high memorial statue was erected in memory of Terry Fox, and is not far from the place where Terry’s run ended in 1981, after running more than 5,342 km for cancer awareness. This memorial, located on a hill, overlooks Lake Superior, where the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park can be spotted. The Sleeping Giant is a
provincial park, which from a distance, looks like a giant who is asleep. I wonder who was the first personal to notice this interesting landscape.
3. Wawa Goose, Wawa, Ontario
Located at the Tourist Information Centre, the Wawa Goose was manufactured in the 1963. Synonymous with being Canadian, the Wawa Goose acts as the gateway to this welcoming community. The Wawa Goose is in trouble though. Proudly looking over the community for 50 years, the original goose is tired and needs a replacement. Make a donation so that Wawa can find a replacement!
The conclusion of my Northern Ontario trip was bittersweet, although excited to return home to my husband and life in Kingston, I will truly miss all those individuals I’ve met as well as the true beauty of the Canadian north.