Employees come to work sick more frequently now, because they are afraid to lose their jobs. Bullying and harassment by managers is on the rise.  Although the survey was conducted among human resources managers in the U.K., I am seeing this play out daily in Falls Church, Virginia.

Employees are a company’s ambassadors
What is the public relations and marketing lesson here?  As I have said before, marketing and public relations efforts will help a business or organization achieve its goals, but it is not a magic bullet.  Imagine how an advertising and public relations campaign can be sabotaged by a disgruntled employee.

Example: Overworking Employees at the Grocery Store
For example, my neighborhood grocery store (a major brand) fails to staff its store sufficiently on a regular basis, obviously trying to control costs.  Ironically, the store recently invested in a complete redesign.  It looks better, but since the economy worsened, so have management conditions at that store.  The employees are being worked to death.  A sad example happened just before the Superbowl.  The young man checking out my groceries appeared so fatigued and ill, I was afraid he was going to lose consciousness.  He told me he had not had a break all day.  We both tried to signal his manager; she saw, but ignored us.  That is just one example of many I have seen at this grocery store.

Example: Public Humiliation at the Post Office
Last month, I visited a large, busy post office I frequent often.  Anyone can see the employees there are conscientious and work very hard under less than ideal conditions.  An employee requested a break to use the bathroom.  I could tell he was almost afraid to ask.  The manager, who had been communicating disrespectfully to the employees the entire time I was there, denied his request in a humiliating way, that all who were in line and at the counters witnessed.  I was mortified and disgusted by her treatment of him.

Example: Disregarding the Communications Power of a Single Employee
I visited a business that offers copy services last week.  The employee and I were having a casual conversation as I checked out.  He proceeded to tell me, in great detail, how he and the other employees were being denied their promised bonuses in a corporate restructuring, as well as deceptions and other unfair practices.  Before he was done, he had told me enough inside information to write a revealing article, had I chosen to do so.  You don’t think the employee was a spokesperson for that company at that moment?   He was intelligent, articulate, and very angry.

Mistreat Employees, Expect to Lose Business
There is a cost associated with doing business. Minimum standards must be met, even in a recession.  Companies cannot continue to exploit their employees and expect to stay in business long.  For many companies, their employees are their best spokespersons, and all the advertising and public relations in the world will not erase certain negative perceptions communicated by them to customers.  No customer can feel good about frequenting a business where employees are not treated respectfully.  Companies and organizations clearly need to reset their priorities, treat their employees fairly, and invest more heavily in employee communications strategies.

Related articles

• The Value of Internal Brand Advocates (theprsanccblog.wordpress.com)
• A New Twist on Boosting Employee Morale (themarlincompany.com)

Gumbo and PR networking at RT's restaurant in Alexandria

Our first network-and-lunch event on Mardi Gras Tuesday was lots of fun.  We enjoyed getting together for lunch at RT’s Restaurant in Alexandria with independent communicator buddies Vicki Robb, Heathere Evans-Keenan, David Hyson, Robert Udowitz, Susan Rink,  and Lorelei Harloe.

Did I mention the lunch was outstanding?  Susan and I both got the shrimp and grits special, Vicki and Robert opted for traditional gumbo, David had his favorite Oysters Nezpique, and Lorelei and Heathere were good and got salads

The first question was: is there an agenda for this lunch?  Do we have a topic?  And my answer was: no there is not.  Not for this lunch, or any of them.  The purpose of these monthly network-and-lunches is just to get together and get to know each better, and find out what everyone is doing. Everyone is there to share information and help each other.  If we hire each other, or connect each other to paying projects or speaking engagements, wonderful.  But first — the connection.

We need more of that, right?  I go to a lot of networking events, and I always end up feeling a little let down because it seems just as the conversation starts getting interesting, it’s time to listen to the speaker.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  But I think these lunches fill that networking need I was looking for.

Register now and join us in March and throughout 2012

These small group (8-10 people max) networking lunches are going to help us all get to know each other much better, and hopefully we’ll meet some new people, too.  So I’m hoping I will see my blog subscribers, Facebook friends, and Twitter followers at our monthly Fletcher Prince networking lunches.

Believe it or not (I sure was surprised) the October one is almost full already!  So go ahead and reserve your spot today — it doesn’t cost anything except the price of your lunch — and we’ll see you next time!

Did you ever think about historical figures and imagine how they might have used social media, if it were at their disposal in their time?

I see George Washington, the father of our country, on Facebook.  George Washington and his wife, Martha, played host to hundreds of travelers at Mount Vernon.  In addition to being a surveyor, statesman, and general, President Washington was known for his impeccable manners.  I think George Washington would have gravitated toward Facebook to keep up with all the friends he made over the years.  And he would have had LOTS of online photo albums!

Our second President, John Adams, was an influential person known for his ability to connect with and persuade people to his views.  He was sent on diplomatic missions and also served as an ambassador.  A LinkedIn man if there ever was one.

Third president Thomas Jefferson would be a blogger.  Thomas Jefferson also liked to socialize but he spent many solitary hours alone every day, reading and writing countless letters.  He donated his library to form the Library of Congress. And he was a foodie.  He brought ice cream and macaroni and cheese to the United States.  With these qualities, I think he would take to blogging like a fish to water.  And so would have his friend and fourth President, James Madison (but Dolley Madison would have definitely been on Facebook!)

Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president, may have been drawn to Quora.  A self-educated man and a lawyer, who also served in Congress, President Lincoln gave one of the world’s most famous and most succinct speeches, the Gettysburg address (only 272 words).  He had an interest in addressing and solving problems.  Quora would be natural for him.

Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, our 26th President, was a former cowboy who went to Harvard and read more than 10,000 books in his lifetime.  He loved to travel and went on safari in Africa.  He traveled to Europe.  He explored the Amazon River in South America.  He rode in a plane in 1910.  He used to go skinny dipping in the Potomac River in winter time (brrr!).  And he loved nature and established five natural parks.  He was always DOING something and going places.  I think President Theodore Roosevelt would have loved Foursquare.  He would have been the “mayor” of everything

32nd President Franklin Delano Roosevelt would have made videos for YouTube.  The President who invented the fireside chats wanted to connect on a personal level with his constituents.  I think he would have been drawn to the personal nature of YouTube video and the trust-building power of online video communication.

I think our 35th President, John F. Kennedy, Jr., would have preferred Twitter.  Twitter has been the platform of activism and the coffee house of journalists (as well as the playground of celebrities!).  And he was a young president, who was interested in change and cutting-edge innovations.  For those reasons, I believe he would have found Twitter irresistible.  He surely would have had a smart phone!

YouTube has just announced its new program, YouTube Next Cause for nonprofits.  The program provides nonprofits with the tools they need to turn video views into donations, volunteerism and awareness.

Organizations that are part of the YouTube Nonprofit Program (full eligibility requirements) are eligible to apply for YouTube Next Cause.  Apply online http://goo.gl/ODbI6.  Applications for YouTube Next Cause are due February 27, 2012.

Selected nonprofits will be announced on March 5th, and selected participants will be invited to an April 2 one-day summit in San Francisco, where they will receive in YouTube fundamentals and promotion and community engagement tips.  One-on-one consulting sessions to grow their YouTube presence will also be offered.

In this Social Media Week DC presentation, Mary Fletcher Jones of Fletcher Prince http://www.FletcherPrince.com will talk about the marketing advantages of blogging for your business, agency, or nonprofit organization, and identify some of the common challenges associated with blogging.

Mary will suggest practical planning and writing tips, engagement strategies, and topic ideas.

Please excuse the production quality of this video.  I used footage from our Livestream broadcast which required a web cam, so the image quality is not the best. I did insert the slides, though!  So, hopefully you will find it useful, if you were unable to watch last week.

The content level in this presentation is appropriate for people who are new to blogging, beginning bloggers, and intermediate-level bloggers.

This session was recorded live at Thomas Jefferson Library in Falls Church, Virginia on February 14, 2012

Related articles

• Social Media Week DC Recap, Photos, and Links to Resources (fletcher-prince.com)

The gumbo and virgin hurricanes are amazing! You come, we'll bring the beads!

Make plans now to join David and Mary for informal networking and delicious Cajun/Creole cuisine to celebrate Mardi Gras! Tuesday, February 21 at 12 Noon.

Meet us at RT’s Restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia at Noon on Tuesday, February 21.  The food and service at RT’s are outstanding.  It’s one of our very favorite restaurants.  If you haven’t been there before, it’s very close to the Birchmere.  Street parking.

Please arrive ten minutes early (11:50 a.m.) so we can group and get a table together.  The cost of lunch is on your own (range, about $10-$15).

RT’s Restaurant

3804 Mt Vernon Ave.
Alexandria, VA 22305

Phone
703-684-6010

Directions from Interstate 95 (The Beltway) and Route 1: 

Take Route 1 north for approximately 4 miles till just before you reach Crystal City. Make a left onto South Glebe Road (at the Heischmans Porche/Audi Dealer on the left). Go to the second light and make another left onto Mount Vernon Avenue. RT’s is about a quarter of a mile on the right. The address is 3804 Mount Vernon Avenue.

Directions from Interstate 395 North and the Springfield Interchange: 
Take 395 north to the sixth exit and get off at South Glebe Road (the first Glebe Road exit). Including the light you come to at the bottom of the ramp, go to the fourth light and make a right onto Mount Vernon Avenue. RT’s is about a quarter of a mile on the right. The address is 3804 Mount Vernon Avenue.

Directions from Interstate 395 South and the 14th Street Bridge:
Coming over the 14th Street Bridge you will take a left exit following the sign for Crystal City/Alexandria (Route 1 South). Go through Crystal City. After you leave all the tall buildings look for the sign at a light for South Glebe Road. Make a right and proceed to the second light. Turn left onto Mount Vernon Avenue. RT’s is about a quarter of a mile on the right. The address is 3804 Mount Vernon Avenue.

Directions from Interstate 66 East and Rosslyn: 
Take Route 66 down to the last exit before entering Washington DC (exit 110 Alexandria). Follow route 110 past Arlington Cemetery and the Pentagon. It will turn into Route 1 South going through Crystal City (stay to the left). Go through Crystal City. After you leave all the tall buildings look for the sign at a light for South Glebe Road. Make a right and proceed to the second light. Turn left onto Mount Vernon Avenue. RT’s is about a quarter of a mile on the right. The address is 3804 Mount Vernon Avenue.

Mary Fletcher Jones, presenter, Social Media Week, DC with Susan Rink, guest speaker, and David Hyson, designer and Fletcher Prince creative director

It was a tremendous amount of work on the part of many people, but I am happy to report that our three presentations for Social Media Week DC on Tuesday, February 14 were a resounding success!

Keep reading below for links to the presentations online, and our report on the results of this presentation…

Thank You, Presenters

Thanks go to our special guest presenters who joined Mary Fletcher Jones at the podium, and who did a fantastic job!

• Susan Rink, Rink Strategic Communications (subscribe on YouTube)
• Brad Simmons and Mehreen Sheikh, The World Bank (subscribe on YouTube)
• Brittany Brown, The U.S. Army (check out the social media strategy here)
• Kristen Milhollin, The GoodSpeaks Project (nonprofit news calendar resource here)

We had a packed room for our Social Media Week DC presentations on February 14

Thanks, too, to Tim Fahey of the Dirigo Agency for capturing some video moments of the day, Thomas Jefferson Library for allowing us to use their room and equipment for the Social Media Week DC presentation, and to iStrategy Labs and Social Media Week for organizing the registration.

Results

We were very pleased that 250 people registered for our Social Media Week DC sessions in advance.  By noon, we had standing room only (80+ attendees) in the conference room at Thomas Jefferson Libarary in Falls Church.   At one point, 174 viewers were tuning in remotely via our Livestream broadcast.  We also increased our Facebook Page friends and Twitter followers.

The feedback we have received has been gratifying — here are just some of the comments

Brittany Brown, Social Media Manager for the U.S. Army, presented an impressive editorial calendar example

we received!

Great session on Creating Editorial Calendars for Social Media. — Kevin Oliveri

Thank you for all the tips on marketing my blog. I’m definitely learning and I’m going to start scheduling my posts. — Rose-Ellen Eastman

Great YouTube presentation. Thanks for all the takeaways! — Frost Miller Group

Thanks for all the useful blog tips! — Annie Chambers

Thanks to Mary Fletcher Jones for three great sessions today.  Lots to blog and think about.  — Jesse Stanchak

We enjoyed everything we heard today from Mary Fletcher Jones — Carousel 30

Thank you Mary Fletcher Jones and Social Media Week DC — we learned some really great tips from today’s sessions — zcomm

Thank you for your invaluable YouTube, editorial calendar, and blog presentations today.  — Jacqueline Leeker

Thank you for a great presentation.  I’m putting together my editorial calendar today.  — Joanne McAlpine

Sessions Online Now

If you missed our Social Media Week DC sessions on YouTube, Editorial Calendars, and Blogging, or would like to review the content, here are some links to check out

Presentations.  All three presentations are on SlideShare (http://www.SlideShare.net/FletcherPrince).  Be sure to download these presentations and view them in PowerPoint, on Notes view.  You will see additional details that are not viewable on the slides themselves.

Live video clips.  We recorded all of the sessions in their entirety, and they may be viewed on our Livestream archive (http://www.Livestream.com/FletcherPrince).  Just scroll down to the area beneath the player on that page, and you will see those most recent videos in our online Livestream video library.

Livestream does not allow us to edit these videos (unfortunately!) so please skip forward about 25 minutes for the longer one (the first two sessions on YouTube and Editorial Calendars) to get to the start of the presentation, and skip forward about 14 minutes for the shorter one (to get to the start of the presentation of the third session on blogging).

YouTube video.  We also captured some higher quality video footage which we are currently editing into short clips, and we will put those edited videos on our Fletcher Prince YouTube Channel (http://www.YouTube.com/user/FletcherPrince).  Thank you for subscribing!

Flickr Photo Set.  Check out the photos from the day.  We would love to see your photos, as well.  You can share those with Mary@FletcherPrince.com

Thank you to all who attended, and most of all, we appreciate your kind referrals for new business and projects in social media, marketing, PR, and design. We are looking for work! If you have questions or leads, or would like a complimentary consultation, please call Mary Fletcher Jones (571) 269-7559.

Thanks for your retweets and comments.

Download the Fletcher Prince SMWWDC general handout

Schedule for February 14, 2012 PLUS SlideShare Links!

11 a.m.  How to Get More YouTube Video Views

12 p.m. Organize Your Social Media Efforts: Editorial Calendars

1 p.m.    Blogging Tips Presentation

Image via CrunchBase

Here are some lesser-known recent statistics and research findings…

• Online video viewing increased 43% in the United States last year.
• YouTube views increased 25% last year.
• YouTube videos receive 4 billion views/day.
• More than 500 tweets/minute contain a YouTube link.
• Online video is 141 times more likely than a website to generate a “click-through” in search engine results.
•  72% of small businesses say YouTube is highly effective for marketing.
•  72% of senior congressional staffers think YouTube is somewhat/very important for communicating their members’ views
•  YouTube is the second most used social media channel among Federal employees and Federal contractors.
•  More than half of CEOs and senior executives watch a work-related YouTube video at least weekly.
• 65% of senior-level executives have visited a vendor’s website after watching an online video.
• 67% of senior-level executives said an online video influenced them to make a business-related purchase.
•  58% of journalists have YouTube accounts.
• 53% of journalists say online video makes a corporate website useful.
•  47% of charities are on YouTube.
• 86% of four-year colleges and universities have a YouTube Channel

comScore released the 2012 U.S. Digital Future in Focus report today.   Here are some key findings about social media trends you’ll want to know about –

• More minutes were spent on Facebook than any other place online in 2011.  Time spent on social networks accounts for 16.6% of all minutes spent online.
• Online video viewing increased 43% among Americans in 2011. More than 100 million Americans watched online video content on an average day.
• By the end of last year, 8% of all digital traffic was accessed via smartphones or tablets (like the iPad).  The majority of mobile phone owners went online with their phone.
• U.S. retail and travel-related e-commerce increased 12% last year, to $256 billion in 2011.
• The search engine Bing surpassed Yahoo for the first time in its history, snagging the #2 position behind Google in the U.S. search market.  Bing has a social search partnership with Facebook.