What to do with the problem poster

By: Kristen Paquet, Sr. Account Executive, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

If you aren’t new to social media, then there is a chance that you have run into the problem poster. You know the one – someone who has posted a negative comment or sent in a bad review of services they have received. Maybe it’s someone that is upset with a decision your business has made. No matter the reason, there are a few things to keep in mind when responding to this type of poster (and yes, you do need to respond).

Take a beat before responding. Suppress the urge to reply right away and be sure that you are being smart about how you respond. If it is a complaint or negative comment, consider consulting with others in your office on the best way to approach the situation.

Be professional and courteous. The poster may not have selected the best words to use when making their comment, but that doesn’t mean you get to do the same. Your online community is watching how you will respond to the situation, so be sure you are acting with a professional voice. If possible, end the conversation by suggesting you take the conversation off-line and supply your email or phone number.

Admit your mistakes. If you’re in the wrong, admit it (without placing blame somewhere else). Apologize for the error. Share how you will fix the situation. Move on.

Not all negative comments should be deleted. You are human, after all. You are bound to get a negative post at some point. But don’t feel like you have to get rid of them all (you do need to show some transparency). If you get negative feedback, do your best to rectify the situation. If the outcome ends on a somewhat positive note, keep the post on your feed. It will show your online community how you handle these types of situations.

If the poster keeps coming back. Sometimes, you just aren’t going to make someone happy, no matter how hard you try. If the comments begin to contain swear words or inappropriate language, feel free to block them.

Be diligent with monitoring. Keep up with daily monitoring of your platforms and check out online reviews to learn what people are saying about you. Social listening is quickly becoming just as important, if not more, as the content you develop.

Negative comments are part online communication. Having a plan to deal with them when the problem poster appears will help your company respond in a productive way.

How Interns Add Value to Your Team

By: Ashley Vickney, Intern, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

As a college student and intern, most of my undergraduate career has been focused on gaining experience. While I know the many benefits that come from completing an internship, I thought that professionals might view them differently. Since completing a number of internships, I’ve gained a unique perspective on how interns can add value to a team of professionals.

1. Fresh Ideas: Interns generally don’t have a lot of industry experience, and that lack of experience can lead to great ideas. Interns have a clean slate when it comes to brainstorming, with that clean slate are able to suggest ideas that may have failed with a different project but would work with another.
2. New Concepts: As students, interns are learning about the latest industry trends, new techniques and technologies. While many professionals stay up to date with new industry practices, students are being taught them more thoroughly. Their knowledge could give your next project an innovative edge and help simplify some of your daily tasks.
3. Value at a lower cost: Interns want experience in the basics, so they are willing to sit there and write all of the news releases and event calendars you might need. This not only gives them the ability to develop their skills, but allows more time for your permanent staff members to work on different tasks.
4. Talent Development: Your new intern may not know everything right away, but developing their talent could lead to a great new hire. It eliminates a lot of training if they become a permanent staff member after graduation. If you aren’t looking for a great new hire, there is something to be said for mentoring the next generation and ensuring the standards of the industry are kept.

While all the benefits may not be financial, training the next generation of professionals is important. There are plenty of us willing to soak up all the knowledge you can give us!

What do you look for in an intern? What value have your interns added to your team?

Dogs and Cats living together. Well, at least on Facebook!

By: Steve Scaffidi, Account Executive, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

As I was scrolling through my Facebook timeline this week I noticed that many of the posts involve people's pets and their occasionally entertaining antics, at least in the eyes of my friends and family members. This made me ponder what actually goes into crafting a good post. Not just why dogs and cats are so popular, but what else makes a person reading or viewing a post want to engage, or better yet share it?

I suppose we all understand the universality of pet ownership and how most people relate to that, but what else "sells?" If you look at the most popular or shared Facebook posts of last year, it's a somewhat revealing list of what makes us tick, and how we are willing to invest our precious social media time.  Amazingly,  pets don't crack the top 50 until number 38, but numbers 39, 41, and 45 all involve dogs or cats, and if you really want to see a dog waiting for a treat, tucking in a baby, or teaching a baby to jump, Google the top 50 Facebook posts of 2014 and enjoy!
Here's a quick breakdown of the list:

• Universal Picture's "Minions" make the top 5 twice, proving that everybody loves animated movie characters.  The trailer for the movie "Minions" also made the list at number 22.
• Weird things couples fight about comes in at number 8, proving that we're nothing if we're not curious about what everybody else's relationship is like.
• Speaking of movie trailers, they are also very popular. The trailers for Furious 7, Minions, Jurassic World, Cinderella and Fifty Shades of Grey all make the list.

What did I learn by searching and watching the 50 most popular posts of 2014? Well, humor is important. So if your goal is to engage as many people as possible with a Facebook post or a 140 character tweet, I don't think you can go wrong with a quick video link featuring your dog dressed up as a minion, or any movie character for that matter.
 

But if you really want to go viral, why not go all out and spend the budget on a really good video camera, and just film everything. At some point, something amazing or wonderful will happen, and your 15 minutes of fame will arrive. But wait, that's just reality TV isn't it?