Holiday Bells

The holiday season is coming up fast. One of the traditions at Ohio Northern University is the Holiday Spectacular, a show full of Christmas spirit. Every year, sisters of Tau Beta Sigma ring hand bells before each show and I decided to sign up to ring bells before the shows on campus. This was my first year ringing bells, so I was nervous.

To add to my nervousness, I only had one rehearsal, on Wednesday, before Thursday's show. One rehearsal got cancelled due to weather and I worked during the next rehearsal. There was the idea of making Wednesday's rehearsal a little bit longer, but that didn't happen. After the rehearsal I was able to go to, I started to wonder what I got myself into.

Thursday night came around and I felt like I could do this and not get confused. Luckily, that's what happened! During the week, we added some other songs to play before the show. A number of people enjoyed the music we provided while they waited to enter the theatre.

Even though I came into this with no experience ringing hand bells, it was a lot of fun! I think I got better each time I rang bells. It was great to see people enjoy our music. I hope I can ring bells next year.

Trust and Your Reputation

While chapter 11 of Measure What Matters discusses threats to your reputation. Katie Paine devotes a large portion of this chapter to trust. One major factor of your reputation is trust. It can help build or destroy your reputation. The idea of trust has been studied by itself and as an aspect of the quality of relationships. Paine shares that you can measure three parts of trust, competence, integrity and dependability, with the Grunig Relationship Survey. Next, she explains five characteristics of trust between an organization and its publics.

The first characteristic is trust that it is multilevel. It comes from various interactions that can be as close as coworkers, and as far as different organizations. These interactions can include two people or a lot of people. So, there has to be a huge net when you survey your publics. It cannot be a small group that is surveyed, because you will be likely to forget people.

Trust is also culturally rooted. It is tied to the beliefs of the organization's culture. It is important to know your publics' self-image and definitions if you want an accurate measurement of trust. Also, trust is based on communication. The outcome of communication behaviors is trust. You want to give information that is accurate and explanations for your decisions. In addition, you want to have an appropriate, sincere openness.  Communication is a main aspect in trust measurement.

The fourth characteristic is that it is dynamic. Trust goes through building phases, destabilization phases and rebuilding phases. It has to consistently be measured. Finally, trust is multidimensional. There are multiple factors of trust at the cognitive, emotional and behavioral levels. All of these can affect a person's idea of trust.

It was interesting to learn about these characteristics of trust. The main characteristic I agreed with was that it is communication-based. You want to give the public accurate information and be open to what they have to say. I agreed with these characteristics and realized how important it is to measure trust.

Boost Your Brand's Presence on Social Media

Many businesses utilize social media to reach fans and customers. It can be hard to make your content stand out from the rest. The Huffington Post posted an article that explains how to improve your brand's social media presence. Three tips are shared in this article: nail your brand voice, make it regular and use visuals.

The first tip is to figure out your brand's voice. Author Zach Kitschke states that a brand voice comes from a narrative or authentic story. You can think about the brand as if it is a person. You should figure out who your brand would be, what it would be interested in and what hobbies it would have. By knowing your brand's voice, it is easier to determine what to post and what language to use. Plus, once your brand voice is correct, it will help everything else be correct.

The second tip is to make it regular. It is suggested to post on Facebook once a day so fans will regularly see new content. Posting too much is a risk, so you may have to adjust how frequently you post. It is also important to develop content. You want the content to be consistent so fans are not surprised by a post.

The last tip is to use visuals. A post can have a better response if a picture is included. A study of 1.3 million posts on the top 10,000 Facebook pages found that posts with images tend to get more comments, likes and shares. On Twitter, tweets with pictures get four times more engagement than tweets with no image.

I am not surprised by these tips. Once a brand voice is determined, it is easier to figure out what type of content to post. People want to see a new post frequently. They do not want to see a post from June and the next post in November. Also, people like to see pictures. They don't just want to read the words. They want to see an image with the post. It may take some experimentation, but it will help your brand if you have a strong presence on social media.

Another Season is Done

Saturday marked the end of another marching band season. Although it was windy, the weather wasn't too bad. It was actually nice during the morning rehearsal. After we went through pregame and cleaned up the halftime drill, we did a run-through of the show and were dismissed to get lunch and get ready for the game.

Eventually, it was time to get ready for the 1813 halftime show. We marched to the first song, Ride of the Valkyries. After that song, we marched to another spot, where we stood and played La Donna e Mobile and The Pilgrim's Chorus. While we played the fight song and marched off the field, I almost ran into two guys who were standing underneath the bleachers. I though that was interesting, considering how that happened two times earlier in the season.

Once halftime was done, the game was a lot of fun. I enjoyed my snack, chocolate chip cookies and Mountain Dew. A lot of people took pictures, and I was no exception. Our section also took pictures, like other sections did. I also got a picture with my ONU twin, Christine. 

ONU twins

We got the win, which was a plus. After the game, it was exciting to see the football team's excitement while we played and sang the fight song.

As fun as Saturday was, it made me realize there were a lot of "lasts" that occurred. In our pregame formation, I stood between two of our "Mister Sisters" in Tau Beta Sigma in the "N." Also, there was a field conductor sandwich I was a part of this season. Neither of those will happen with those people next year. While I will miss the seniors, I can't wait to see what will happen next year!

Communities and Relationships

In today's world, news travels fast. Chapter 9 of Measure What Matters talks about measuring and improving relationships in your community. If you have a good relationship with your community, if a crisis occurs, the community can come to your defense. Katie Paine begins the chapter by explaining what your community may include.

Due to social media, there is a new idea of community. It is no longer limited to people and organizations that are close to your business. Today, a community can include anyone or any group that has an influence on your business. Customers, vendors, partners are just some of the aspects of a community.

The other interesting part of this chapter is how your relationship can influence your business or organization. Paine includes an example of how each type of relationship can affect your business. A bad relationship occurred between Amazon and its Kindle user community. Amazon had to delete books that did not have legal distribution rights and ignored the Kindle users. Amazon's chief executive officer had to apologize and admit the wrongdoing to regain the community's trust.

On the other hand, a good community will defend you when a crisis occurs. After Shamu the whale killed its trainer at SeaWorld, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, formed a Facebook campaign against SeaWorld called "Free All Whales." The Facebook community and Sea World have had a good relationship and that community came to SeaWorld's defense.

I enjoyed learning what about these two things. In the past, it would be limited to people and groups near your business. Now, a community can be much larger. I also learned how important it is to have a good relationship with your community. You may need them to help you out someday, so you want that good relationship.

Using Social Media to Get News

In today's world, it is easy to get news from social media platforms. While Facebook and Twitter are the most common sites to share news, other sites do the same thing. As a result, more people are using multiple social media sites to get news. USA Today recently posted an article that explains how people use multiple sources to get news.

The Pew Research Center conducted a survey to see where social media users get their news. 26 percent of American adults use Facebook and Twitter to get news. In addition, nine percent use three sites to get news. Surprisingly, Reddit, which is used by three percent of Americans, is used by 62 percent of its users to get news. The report also stated Facebook is the most popular social media platform to get news among people who use more than one source. People may get their news from Twitter, YouTube and other social media sites, but they also get news from Facebook.

Overall, these results do not surprise me. This report showed me how we want news now. We don't want to wait for the newspaper or a news program. We want to have the ability to get news instantly. With social media, the news is at our fingertips. Also, using more than one site can be beneficial. We can get more details on a particular story, provided that story is shared on multiple sites. Also, we can get more stories overall. Do you use social media to get stories?

Listening and Responding to the Marketplace

Chapter six of Katie Paine's Measure What Matters focuses on using numbers to get closer to customers. She mainly talks about listening, learning and responding to the marketplace. In the marketplace, there are five things to do.

The first is setting up and refining search terms. You should set up Google Alerts to search keywords your company uses. Next, you need to monitor the results to determine if your keywords are effective. If the keywords are not helping, then they need to be changed or refined. A phrase can be placed in quotes to help refine the search. In addition to your company, alerts should also be set up for competitors' names and brands.

The next step is reviewing and tracking results. A majority of results are irrelevant or not interesting to you. These results have to be discarded. Paine recommends creating an Excel spreadsheet to track items. The date the item appeared, source, author and subject should be included in this spreadsheet.

Once that is done, you have to check which outlets matter. After a month, there will be a list of channels and outlets that mention your company, products or market. A way to refine your list is determining the ratio of comments to posts and rank them from highest to lowest. You can assume that posts with the greatest amount of comments have a greater interest and influence to more people. Other things to pay attention to are channels, outlets and writers who get the most comments, as they are normally more influential.

The last two steps are closely related. The fourth step is figuring out what the market things of you and your competition. You have to learn what issues have the most concern and your position. Finally, you have to see how you are positioned in the marketplace against your competition and use that knowledge to gain an advantage. When you learn your competition's strengths, you can work to improve your products. Likewise, when you know the competition's weaknesses, you can determine the best way to gain an advantage. This exercise provides you with great information. However, the most valuable information is what the market likes best and least about your competition.

I think this exercise is important for companies to do. The exercise can show companies how effective their search terms are, as well as the keywords of their competitors. Companies can learn the most influential outlets and pay attention to them. Also, they can learn how to get a step up on their competition.

Sister Week

Every year, as part of recruitment, Tau Beta Sigma holds Sister Week. During the week, there are events each night for the sisters and potential members to attend. This allows potential members to learn more about the sisters and how we serve the bands and the community. It also gives current sisters the ability to spend time together outside of marching band or wind orchestra. There is a mix of service and social events throughout the week. The week ends with Rose Tea, which is our formal event. Potential members have to attend two events to get an invitation to Rose Tea. It is the last recruitment event for the semester and the last chance to get to know sisters and potential members.

It is hard to pick a favorite event, because all of them are so much fun. This year, I would say my favorite event was performing at Elmcroft Senior Living Center. Friday evening, we carpooled to Elmcroft to perform a short concert for the residents. It was a lot of fun and everyone had a great time. Afterwards, we went to Kewpee to eat and socialize. The car ride to and from Elmcroft allowed me to get to know Andrea and Kaitlyn, two potential members. We had so much fun. On the way back to campus, we started to create a song. It was a great night.

Even though it is busy, Sister Week is one of my favorite weeks of the semester. I get to spend time with sisters and potential members I normally don't get to see on a regular basis. Plus, our events are very fun. They are a great way to relax after a day of classes. The week allows me to remember why I wanted to join Tau Beta Sigma.

Using Social Media Effectively

It is common for companies to have multiple social media platforms. However, each site should not have the same design and information. Each platform has a different target audience and different purpose. Companies should figure out the appropriate social media strategy for each platform. New Media Campaigns shares three tips to have effective strategies.

The first tip is to understand the audience that utilizes each social media site. The article states how Pinterest and politics would not mix well. Pinterest's target audience is women between the ages of 18 and 34. The purpose of Pinterest is to share lifestyle tips and design inspiration.

The second tip is to find unique ways to present content to people. Videos and pictures are a great way to share content. A how-to video or a photo album are great ways for people to see your content.

Lastly, incentives should be offered for people to engage with the company. People can use social media to promote and share a company. There are various companies that post a picture of an item, whether it's an article of clothing or an accessory, on their Facebook page. Fans can like the photo and enter to win a gift card or the item that is in the picture. A fan that wins a gift card or the item could then promote that company on social media.

These are great tips to use social media effectively. The target audience can help a company determine how to post content. Unique ways to share content can help create more interest in your company. Also, people should have the opportunity to get something from engaging with the company. When you post content that can make an impact, you have a better chance of reaching more people and keeping them interested in your company.

Band-O-Rama

The marching band has finished another Band-O-Rama! What is Band-O-Rama, you may ask? For the audience, it is an annual marching band concert with great music. A wide variety of music is played. Music from pregame, the halftime shows and other band favorites is performed. Generally, there is a great turnout for the event.

For the band members, it is a very long day. Rehearsal and pictures precede the actual concert. Rehearsal starts in the morning and is pretty long. Along with the music, the band learns how to get in the theatre and on stage. Also, we learn how to head off stage so we can play the final song. Once rehearsal is done, there is a brief break to change into uniform for pictures to be taken. After pictures and a lunch break, we do final preparation and then perform the concert. 

While the day is long, it is also fun. In between songs, there is a chance for funny commentary. During a break from the music, someone in the audience yelled, "Happy Birthday, Dr. Bates!" We broke into song and requested a speech. After his introduction, he quoted "Respect," one of the songs from the Divalicious show. This speech was one of the best I have heard.

Post-concert pictures are very common. Band members typically get pictures taken with their friends and family. This year, I got a picture with one of my section leaders who is one of our "Mister Sisters" of Tau Beta Sigma and a field conductor. This was his last Band-O-Rama and he has been my "BC buddy" for this year. We are the only two baritone players who read bass clef music. The others read treble clef. This made me realize that he won't be around next year and I'm really going to miss him, even if he picks on me constantly.

BC Buddies!

 

Today's Public Relations and Social Media Rules

Social media is constantly changing. Due to social media's nature, people involved in public relations and marketing have to adapt their approaches. Today, these professionals have to listen more. Also, they have to measure engagement instead of how many people visit their site. Chapter five of Measure What Matters shares four new rules for public relations and social media.

1. You're not in control and never have been.

Katie Paine shares the quote, "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it" (p. 74). It is impossible to manage what people say about your company. If you try to dominate a conversation on a social media site, it will not work out for you.

2. There is no market for your message.

It does not matter how many people get your message. The important thing is what people do when they get the message. By listening to the social community, you may persuade them to listen and respond to a part of your message. A two-way synchronous communication method is needed. Both parties have to work together. Fans can decide to agree or disagree with your message. Plus, they can give you feedback on your message.

3. It's about reaching the right eyeballs, not all the eyeballs.

Paine shares two issues with measuring success through eyeballs. First, the numbers do not exist. It is very hard to count eyeballs through social media. The second reason is many influential blogs do not provide circulation figures of other data on people who visit their sites. This means the quantity of people does not matter as much as the quality of people who get a message. Today, what matters is what people will do with the information they find. What should they do? They should read and share your information with their friends, comment on your information or sign up for something. These are things you can measure.

4. It's worse to not be talked about at all.

In social media, it is better to be talked about in a negative sense than ignored. If someone talks about you in a bad way, another person has the ability to write something positive and defend you. Plus, journalists use blogs to get story ideas, check facts and more. If you are not discussed, it is hard to show journalists that you are newsworthy. It also hurts your business if your product category is discussed, but your brand is not included in the conversation.

I think these rules are very useful for social media and public relations. People seem concerned with how many people visit their site more than how many people do something with the message that is sent. I really agree with the third and fourth rules. Instead of focusing on the quantity, quality should be the main focus. Also, there has to be discussion about your company. It can be difficult to hear negative comments, but it will be better in the long run than if nothing is said about your company.

30 Minutes for Social Media

In an organization, you may wonder how you can fit social media into the daily schedule. When you add in the normal work schedule, it can be hard to add in social media responsibilities. Pardot has recently posted an article that shows how you can manage social media in 30 minutes a day.

While the article talks about devoting 30 minutes a day to social media, that is considered the minimum amount of time. You can have a good presence, but having more time helps you have a stronger social media presence. If you're starting out, 30 minutes is a great amount of time for social media management. If may sound daunting, but it's not too bad. If you have multiple sites, it results in a few minutes for each site.

The article also includes an infographic that shows how to break down the 30 minutes among various social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more. The image shows how to divide the time among six social networking sites. Ten minutes is devoted to Twitter, while six minutes is for Facebook and LinkedIn. Four minutes is dedicated to Pinterest. Finally, two minutes is for Google+ and Instagram.

The time devoted to each site will vary, depending on the amount of social networking sites your organization has. I like how some sites have more time devoted to them than others. Perhaps those sites have a stronger following, or there is more activity on those sites. The most active sites should have more time devoted to them, while less active sites receive a smaller amount of time.