With a full-time team of five, the social media staff spends all day online reading tweets, Facebook posts, blog comments and foursquare check-ins. Because of the urgent and sometimes desperate nature of people when they’re doing their taxes, the H&R Block social media team prides themselves on urgent and timely responses.

If you check out their Twitter feed, you will see that they are actually responding to people in real time. In some cases they literally know which H&R Block location someone is tweeting from because they have also checked in on foursquare.

They also have a very active blog and Facebook page because they get that people should be communicated with on their channel of choice.  And it’s worth mentioning that they have over 83,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook. Not to shabby for a tax preparation service.

According to Zena Weist, Director of Social Media at H&R Block, the goal with people who are using social media to complain is to take them offline with a customer service representative. Once this happens, most people’s issues are addressed, and a majority go back online to express their gratitude.

The social media savvy of the folks at H&R Block is worth emulating for a few reasons. Not only are they extremely responsive and on top of all channels, but they also know how best to respond. First, they show empathy. You’ll notice in many of the responses on Twitter, they first acknowledge that something is “unacceptable” or express that they are “sorry you feel that way.” Second, they provide a solution. Sometimes it’s a number to call, sometimes it’s a request for more information about which location they are in or specific person they’re working with. The idea is that they are going to do something to solve the issue. Lastly, they work to transform a bad experience into a good one because they know that good experiences typically result in referrals, which is just about the best thing you can ask from your customers.

It’s also worth noting that not only are they problem solving in the moment, but they’re also using Twitter as an early alarm system. If more than a few people are having the same issue, they make a change before it becomes a bigger problem.

Despite the fact that no one like doing their taxes, those of us in the social media trenches can at least admire this aspect of the season, thanks to H&R Block.

McDonald’s handled this by ultimately pulling the hashtag.  Rick Wion, McDonald’s social media director said:

“Within an hour, we saw that it wasn’t going as planned.  It was negative enough that we set about a change of course.”

But there is something to be learned from McDonald’s misfortune.  Social media marketing can be guided, but only to a certain extent.  This could have happened to anyone, as social media marketing depends so greatly on consumers, stakeholders and the company.  It is how you respond that will define your company.

While social media marketing can unveil consumer grievances, it also allows for a way to reach individual consumers to solve problems.  With Twitter, McDonalds had the opportunity to reach out to each person who complained using the hashtag.

A great example of using a company Twitter account to resolve consumer complaints is JetBlue airlines, explained in The New York Times article, “How to Fight Back When your Flight is Canceled.”  After suffering from constant flight cancellations, consumers turned to Twitter to express their frustration.  JetBlue offered support through social media and followed-up on specific consumer problems to make sure they were solved.  JetBlue used social media to reform what would have been poor consumer sentiment.

Description:

Account Management

• Understand and support client goals and objectives
• Participate in the creation of strategic communications plans, including suggestions for specific strategies and tactics
• Have knowledge of clients’ industry, competitors and marketplace
• Apply problem solving skills and offer suggestions before a problem occurs
• Identify relevant trends in the market and understand how they apply to the client
• Understand the budget process and work within the allotted budget and hours
• Have the ability to work on multiple accounts simultaneously

Client Relations

• Support/act as the day-to-day client contact
• Participate in face-to-face client meetings and conference calls
• Coordinate client meetings, compile agenda and conduct follow-up
• Work with PR team to strategize short-term and long-term strategies for client

Media Relations

• Research, write and distribute press releases, pitches and other written materials to targeted media
• Develop relationships with the media who cover the client and marketplace & serve as the liaison between the two
• Assist in the planning and management of client events, including press conferences and promotional events

Social Media

• Understand client’s social media strategy and how it ties into the larger marketing strategy of the company
• Participate in all client social media channels including regular postings and feedback
• Contribute at least one blog post/month for the agency blog on a communications-related topic

Requirements

• 2-5 years corporate communications or agency experience
• B-to-B or professional service industry experience in the professional services, technology, or real estate industries preferred
• Social media proficiency using tools like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter for business
• Proven national and regional media relations experience
• Excellent writing skills

Think you have what it takes? 

Please send your resume, salary requirements and any portfolio examples to:

Jessica Sharp, Principal

jsharp@mavenagency.com

- Design and management of e-mail marketing campaigns, including template development, testing, copyediting, layout, and dynamic content as well as assessing and addressing any deliverability issues and risks.

- Creation of marketing collateral materials including PowerPoint templates, marketing presentations, brochure design, print newsletter design, infographics, etc.

- Create or modify images to be used for various online and email purposes.

- Stay abreast of the latest developments in website, e-mail, and social media tools and technology to continually improve digital assets.

Desired Skills & Experience

- 1-3 years experience e-mail template creation, digital advertising, and social media

- Previous exposure to email marketing required, with hands-on experience building and deploying email campaigns (familiarity with programs like MailChimp preferred).

- Demonstrated ability to use Photoshop,  Adobe Suite software suite and HTML design

- Social media campaign experience a plus

- Strong problem assessment and solving ability

- Excellent communication skills

- Detail oriented and good time management skills

Time Requirement

•  10 hours/week (approximate)

Company Description

Maven Communications is a results-driven public relations, social media and issues management agency headquartered in Philadelphia.  We’re communications specialists with in depth experience in real estate, professional services and technology industries. For more information, please visit www.mavenagency.com.

Contact:

Please send your resume, salary requirements and any portfolio examples to

Rebecca Devine, Principal

rdevine@mavenagency.com

215-434-7191

Hsieh’s never-give-up spirit is impressive. Zappos’ survival was touch and go for a while in the beginning years and his determination to make it work is never ending. Having a good amount of cash didn’t hurt either. Once he gets the company on good footing he comes to the realization that an excellent customer experience is what is going to set Zappos.com apart and he commits fully to making this happen, beginning with creating a positive cultural experience at the company.

While much of what he provides to employees to make their work experience a great one isn’t always appropriate for a company of five people, like Maven, the concept of creating an amazing culture translates. His emphasis on investing in the company culture and employees’ personal and professional development are elements that really hit home.

Hsieh demonstrates that company culture is worth investing in because your culture is essentially your brand. This is an especially poignant point for me, as we recently invested in hiring a business consultant for some guidance on growing the firm in a purposeful way. The hardest questions I had to answer during that process was “what is Maven’s brand?” At the time I couldn’t answer it.

Now that I’ve had a little time to think about it, I’ve come up with a few elements of what I hope it is:

• Deliver the best client service possible
• Be creative, but results driven
• Strive to never stop learning
• Build a positive team spirit, internally and externally
• Work with passion

My hope is that all of us at Maven will strive to meet these cultural elements in 2012 so that all of us, clients, employees, vendors and friends of the firm enjoy the best possible experiences possible. Here’s to a prosperous 2012 for all!

Maven Communications offers our insight and annual list of the top 11 news stories of 2011. These are the stories that captivated and fascinated the nation throughout the year.

#1. Gabrielle Gifford’s Resilience & Recovery (January 8, 2011)

#2. Arab Spring: A Path of Protests Throughout the Middle East (January 25, 2011)  

#4. Great Quake Shakes Japan (March 14, 2011) 

Undoubtedly the most well-known wedding of the year, the Royal Wedding garnered media attention around the world.  An estimated 2 billion people in more than 180 countries around the world were expected to see the Royal Wedding on April 29th.  The event was covered by more than 8,500 journalists in London alone. Facebook calculated that 2.8 million people in Britain and America alone had written status updates about the royal wedding in the 24 hours before the event began.

On May 1 at 11:35 pm, President Obama announced to world that the leader of Al Quada and Public Enemy #1, Osama Bin Ladin, had been killed. Even as traditional news outlets struggled to confirm the reports, the news became global instantaneously, bringing a surge of patriotism among Americans and an outpouring of global support.

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#7. Casey Anthony Trial (July 5, 2011)

Young mother Casey Anthony was charged with first-degree murder when the remains of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee were found in a wooded area near her home in Orlando, Florida. A jury found her not guilty of killing her daughter in a Florida trial that attracted immense media attention and top billing on many year-end search engine rankings.

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#8. 10 Years After 9/11 – Remember, Reflect & Never Forget (September 11, 2011)

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 10 years later, the country is still trying to make sense of it. On September 11, 2011 remembrance events were held across the country. It’s clear that we will ‘never forget’ but it’s also clear that we have and will continue to move on.

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#9. The Occupy Movement Monopolizes Wall Street and Cities Across the US (September 17, 2011)

In the last quarter of the year protesters, beginning in New York and then spreading across the country, camped out (literally) in what was dubbed the Occupy Wall Street movement. While their message was foggy at best, the Occupiers maintained a nonpartisan focus on economic inequality and tried to connect a diversity of issues that impact the 99%. The target of their movement was at big banks, foreclosures, evictions, and housing. While they claim the movement is still alive, it’s on life support at best. Most camps have been evicted from their occupy spaces as cities cracked down on the protesters.

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#10. iCon: Steve Jobs’ Legacy (October 5, 2011) 

On October 5, 2011, Steve Jobs passed away at the age of 56. Even a long life would seem too short to hold the sum of his successes.  However, with his passing the world recounted and relived his achievements and legacy. As founder of one of the world’s most valuable brands, he revolutionized technology, communications, media, music, education and more. An outpouring of emotion and condolences resounded throughout the media, social media, world leaders, celebrities and Jobs’ peers.

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.”

~ Steve Jobs, 2005

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#11. Penn State Scandal: Litany of Trouble for Nittany Lions  (November 1, 2011)

This will be a story that we will see well into 2012. The allegations are that former Pennsylvania State University football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky sexually assaulted or had inappropriate contact with at least eight underage boys on or near university property. The story hit the media on November 4th and within two days both famed football coach Joe Paterno and University president Graham Spanier were both without jobs. As this shocking and sad story unfolds, we will undoubtedly see more victims emerge.

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MAVEN’S FAVORITES: Our favorite stories of 2011 that did not make the list, but made it into our hearts:

Over the last few years, I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that I will never love networking. So instead, I’ve learned to network smarter.   Here are a few tips I use to help maximize the benefits of networking with minimum pain:

1.  Have a Game Plan:  Don’t go into these situations blind – have a plan and execute. Most networking events or conferences will publish a list of attendees prior to the event, so take advantage. Create a list of who you want to connect with and make it your business to talk to them at least once during the event.  If you don’t know the person, take a look at your existing contacts. Is there a client or co-worker who may be able to broker the introduction?  If so, tee it up ahead of time so it will appear seamless when you meet them.

2.  Make People Come to You:  One way to avoid being the stranger in a room is to make your presence known.  For me, one way to do this is to become a panelist, speaker or company sponsor of the event.  By putting yourself in the limelight, you create an opportunity for people to seek YOU out for a change. It also helps position you and your firm as an expert, which makes for easier introductions and follow up after the event. If you are sponsoring the event, ask for the opportunity to say a few words about your company – this will ensure other attendees understand your business and can follow up with you directly  if they are interested in learning more.  

3.  Maximize Your Opportunities: By way of illustration, I recently spoke at a large real estate association event that typically attracts around 3,000 attendees.  These big events are expensive and tend to me a little overwhelming.  To make sure I wouldn’t get lost, I worked with the event organizers in advance and secured a speaking slot on their social media panel, a topic I enjoy and am comfortable sharing my expertise.  Leading up to and following the panel, we promoted the panel via the association newsletter and social media platforms, along with Maven’s own newsletter, facebook and twitter feeds.  During the event, I connected with the association’s director of social media, who then asked me to participate in a video Q&A that would be posted to the national website, association e-zine and e-newsletter.  The panel ended up being standing room only, and afterwards I was able to connect with dozens of people I consider to be excellent new business leads.   By increasing my visibility and leveraging it for additional exposure, I was able to create new relationships with relatively few awkward introductions. 

4.  Play to your strengths:  Some people thrive in the large “cattle call” events, while others need a more intimate setting to shine. Personally, I get lost in the former and do much better in smaller settings – dinners, smaller cocktail parties and association panels and speaking events.  Know what format works for you and choose events that meet that criterion.

5.  Follow up in a Timely Fashion:  After you’ve collected that business card or had a particularly meaningful interaction, to send an email or thank you card within one week to those you were able to connect with.  Add them to your LinkedIn network and schedule time for coffee, lunch or an in-office meeting. Sometimes it’s hard to remember HOW you met the person, which makes follow up a little tricky.  To prevent short term memory loss, I jot down a few notes about them in my Blackberry or on the back of their business card (e.g. Jack Taylor:  met @ ULI social media panel on Jan. 1; knows Kevin Smith; has upcoming business event that needs PR support). These little notes make follow up a breeze and add a personal touch to your outreach.

The back story is that for “business reasons” the company decided to discontinue their “ultra” product, known for its high-flow absorbency. Over the past year, users of o.b. ultra were finding it harder and harder to locate their favorite tampon, until it was
eventually gone from shelves all together. Enraged and upset, o.b. ultra fans created an “I want my o.b. ultras” facebook page, (which I believe you have to be a true fan to like), and created a website to collect signatures. Now that’s a dedicated customer base.

Realizing that they had made a mistake, the folks at Johnson & Johnson (makers of o.b. tampons), announced that they would be bringing the product back next year. But just to show that they were truly sorry for their misguided ways, they also created an apology video, which can be personalized, and is overly dramatic and hilarious.

Kudus to the o.b. tampon folks for admitting they made a mistake and then doing something to let their customers know that they count.

Click here to watch your own personalized apology video.

• Did I target the reporter correctly?  Actually read what reporters are writing and get to know the publication.  Tracking reporter coverage is the best way you can target reporters effectively.  They notice the difference when your pitch is relevant to their beat and focus, and when isn’t.  Setting up Google alerts and subscribing to RSS feeds are easy ways to keep an eye on what journalists are writing about.  A lack of due diligence is the fastest way to get your email deleted.

• Did I contact the journalist through his or her preferred method?  Do your research.  Journalists and reporters often make it clear on how they want to be contacted.  While it is easy to forget that your pitch is just one of many in an inbox, being respectful of their preferences will get you far.  By making your ideas clear, your recipient will be able to decipher their interest faster.

• Did I market my client’s expertise effectively?  Work with reporters to develop an angle.  Successful correspondence requires creativity and the know-how to market your client’s expertise. Using this formula may spark a reporter to cover something outside of his or her normal beat.

• Have I made an effort to develop a relationship with the media?  Friend, follow, and network genuinely.  Including media relationships in your social media circles is a great way to track what journalists cover, and foster professional connections.

Media relations is an art, not a science.  Always keep in mind that sincerity and due diligence go a long way and will bring you the greatest return on investment with media relations.

To assist legal associates and other legal marketers, Maven Communications has released its list of the Ten (10) Essential Elements for an Associate’s Client Development Plan for complimentary download.

For instant access (no sign-in or contact information required) to Maven’s list of ten essential elements for an associate’s client development plan, please click here. To learn more about Maven and our services, please find more information on our website at www.mavenagency.com.

For more detailed information and counsel concerning client development plans or other legal marketing campaigns, please contact Jessica Sharp, principal of Maven Communications, at 215.434.7192 or jsharp@mavenagency.com.