Dans Rush le réalisateur Ron Howard raconte la vraie histoire sur la vie des coureurs automobiles en Formula One James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) et Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) dont la compétition pas très amicale culmine en l’une des rivalités les plus excitante du sport des années 1970. Basé sur les années entre 1970 et 1976, […]
Dans Rush le réalisateur Ron Howard raconte la vraie histoire sur la vie des coureurs automobiles en Formula One James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) et Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) dont la compétition pas très amicale culmine en l’une des rivalités les plus excitante du sport des années 1970. Basé sur les années entre 1970 et 1976, Rush juxtapose les deux conducteurs de leurs débuts en Formula Three jusqu’à qu’ils deviennent des célébrités à part entière en Formula One. Hunt est charmant mais impulsif (sans mentionner le fait qu’il est un buveur et un coureur de jupons) et sa vie es pas moins intense que quand il passe son temps à défier la mort derrière son volant de course. A l’inverse, Lauda est discipliné mais au cœur froid (et un maître de la réingénierie des voitures de Formula One), dont le seul focus dans l vie est de gagner – souvent au détriment de ses amis et de ses compagnons personnels.
Après que Lauda signe un contrat qui lui permet de passer de la Formula Three à la Formula One, Hunt et ses bénéficiaires d’Hesket Racing font de même et lui sécurise une place dans le circuit de 1973 de F1 – laissant place à une querelle féroce entre les deux conducteurs. Cependant, alors que les deux hommes tentent de s’ajuster à la pression du championnat automobile, leurs motivations (avec leurs forces individuelles et leurs susceptibilités) amène à des ravages dans leurs vies et leurs relations – tout en se poursuivant l’un l’autre pour être meilleurs, plus rapides, et plus dangereux sur la piste.
Rush aurait pu être dilué pour descendre en dessous de l’interdiction pour les moins de treize ans, mais Howard a fait un choix audacieux en montrant les vrais dangers de la Formula One (dans un film interdit aux moins de 17 ans) – qui, comme le film le signale, est responsable pour (environ) deux morts par années dans les années 1970. Ce n’est pas pour dire que Rush montre gratuitement des carnages sur les pistes (sans mentionner les ébats sexuels de Hunt nombreux) mais le film n’y va pas de mains morte quand il parle des effets émotionnels que les périls ont sur les conducteurs.
Au final, Rush excelle dans l’exploration de la relation entre Hunt et Lauda tout autant sur la piste qu’en dehors. Quelques moments rigides où la réflexion philosophique tout autant que les leçons de valeurs du respect de la rivalité sont durement traité, les performances de Brühl et d’Hemsworth garantissent à cette histoire sportive avec un mélange aimable de charisme, respect, et vitesse.
It’s only a matter of time before someone at work asks you how the company can use Vine videos to promote itself. Before venturing into this new video sharing space, you need to considered several issues. Vine is a video sharing website. Unlike YouTube, Vine videos are limited to six seconds. Company co-founder Dom Hoffman […]
It’s only a matter of time before someone at work asks you how the company can use Vine videos to promote itself. Before venturing into this new video sharing space, you need to considered several issues.
John Janney’s Vine – Not Much Activity Yet
Vine is a video sharing website. Unlike YouTube, Vine videos are limited to six seconds. Company co-founder Dom Hoffman said that his team settled on the six second limit as an ideal amount of time for everyday users to share brief life moments with friends and family members.
So, Vine was created to make it easy for average smartphone users to capture and share personal moments. Vine videos of your baby’s first steps, dog’s new trick or cousin’s latest skateboard stunt are examples of the site’s intended content. It wasn’t long, however, before corporations saw commercial opportunity in the 40+ million-strong video sharing community.
Are Vine videos a good fit for your PR strategy? Here are five questions to help you decide.
1. Does your brand fit into the Vine culture?
It doesn’t take long to realize that the Vine community is about fun. This is understandable because it’s difficult to make a serious six-second, looping video. In fact, if dramatic Vine videos exist, I haven’t seen them — and I’ve looked. Perhaps a Vine version of the House of Cards Season 2 trailer could be a start.
Six-second Vine videos are ideal for physical comedy, one-liners and routines with a quick setup and punchline. One of the key elements in humor is surprise, and it only takes a few seconds to deliver a humorous twist.
Drama often requires more time to foster the emotional investment required for producing a somber connection with audiences. While it is possible to tell a dramatic story in six seconds, the Vine community culture isn’t likely the right place to share that story.
Vine videos are usually funny. Your brand should also convey levity to thrive inside the Vine community. Otherwise, consider sticking with Instagram, YouTube or Vimeo for your video storytelling needs.
Related questions to ask include: Are your audience members using Vine? Are Vine users already talking about your brand or anything related to it?
2. How do Vine videos fit into your larger strategy?
As with any corporate communication, do not publish Vine videos in isolation. Maintaining a consistent message is essential for properly managing your brand. You can have more than one voice, but those voices should be coordinated.
Many public relations executives provide their staff with social media accounts for communicating with the organization’s audiences. These staff-driven channels are great for building relationships. Openly sharing workplace life and other interesting tidbits online also helps humanize an otherwise faceless corporation.
The multi-staff approach, however, should never be implemented without planning, training and overview. This requires an open, cooperative corporate culture and systems that keep everyone on the same page. Staff on all levels should understand and respect the social media communications plan and how it fits into the organization’s brand message.
Establish the plan, communicate it to the staff and seek feedback. Provide examples of on-message and off-message communications. Give your staff the tools and training they need to succeed in adding some personality to the corporate brand.
Brevity requires as much planning as creativity. In fact, videographers report that each minute of video requires between 2 and 17 hours of production. Sure, videos between family members don’t require such forethought, but keeping your communications consistent with your brand message does.
Don’t Vine for Vine’s sake. If a Vine video is sent from a corporate channel, it is an official communication no different than a brochure, press release or banner ad. Plan each Vine. Plan a series of Vines. Incorporate the Vine video series into your global communications strategy. And definitely make sure your Vine videos are telling your brand’s story.
4. Are your Vine videos building relationships?
From what I’ve observed on Vine, many communicators are failing to engage with the Vine community. The site is full of promotional animations, cute video spots and one-liners. But I rarely see calls to engage in the video content.
Twitter has its 140-character limit. Vine, which is owned by Twitter, has its six-second video limit. As a video microblog, your engagement activities can borrow from successful YouTube channels and Twitter profiles.
Building relationships requires two-way communication. Don’t just push your message. Engage in dialog. Incorporate a call-to-action or call-to-engagement. If you can’t fit it into the video content, include your call in the Vine description.
Twitter enables you to build conversations by tagging users in tweets. You can also tag users in Vine posts. So, if a user asks a question in the comments of one of your Vine videos, why not answer it with a Vine and tag the user?
You can find many different opportunities to engage with audience members. You can use hashtags, request fulfillment, mentions, behind the scenes footage, product demos and creative loops. Just make sure each communication adds value and never spam.
5. Is shorter better?
Even if you can tell a story in six seconds, should you? Shorter may flex our creative muscles, but it doesn’t always produce better or appropriate communications. Just because a communications channel exists does not mean we must use it. A good rule for social media outreach is to research and select channels that fit your brand and then excel within that limited selection.
I have more thoughts on this subject, like how Vines of Post-It notes and other text-based messages are a tragic waste of the medium. But I would like to hear from you. Do you think organizations with serious or dramatic brands (charities, advocacy groups, funeral homes. etc.) can flourish on Vine?
Is shorter better? How short is too short? How long is long enough? Do you think communications departments should provide Vine planning templates for staff members? What are your suggestions for using Vine videos in a public relations strategy?
When I took over the communications department for a small charity, I switched workstations to Ubuntu and installed free open source software equivalents of popular marketing communications software. Employees who were familiar with InDesign, PhotoShop and the Microsoft Office Suite had little problem adapting to the new FOSS setup. They also appreciated the faster performance […]
When I took over the communications department for a small charity, I switched workstations to Ubuntu and installed free open source software equivalents of popular marketing communications software. Employees who were familiar with InDesign, PhotoShop and the Microsoft Office Suite had little problem adapting to the new FOSS setup. They also appreciated the faster performance of their workstations.
Below is a list of 12 free open source software programs that a marketing communications department can use to create high-quality, professional communications.
1. Replace Microsoft Windows with Ubuntu
Linux is a computer operating system. An operating system is the software that runs your computer, like Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X. Linux is distributed by groups who package the operating system with useful applications, much in the same way Windows comes with a calculator and notepad. Unlike Windows and OS X, Linux is free open source software.
My favorite distribution of Linux is Ubuntu. I like the Unity GUI (graphical user interface). Instead of clicking a home button and navigating through a thick, jumbled tree of programs, the Unity Dash offers much quicker access to files and programs. Simply typing a letter into the Dash returns a series of matching programs and files. It’s like having Google’s intelligent search platform for a computer interface.
Type into the Unity Dash to Find Files and Programs
Not all computers are compatible with Linux. You should research your computer hardware to make sure it will work. You can also download Ubuntu and burn a bootable DVD or USB. This is called a Live DVD or Live USB. You can reboot your computer from the bootable media and run Ubuntu without having to install it. It’s a great way to test it out.
For business use, I advise sticking with the Long-Term Support (LTS) version of Ubuntu. Canonical, the company that distributes Ubuntu, releases two updates each year. Some features in the “between-LTS” releases could cause problems with some hardware configurations. It’s best to stick with what works in the workplace.
You can install the following programs through Ubuntu’s Software Center application that Canonical packages with the distribution. Larger companies can manage its multitude of desktops through Canonical’s fee-based Landscape service.
Did I mention that computers run much faster with Ubuntu? I’ve seen Windows computers that crawled become snappy after wiping Windows and installing Ubuntu. So, if you have an older or slower computer that doesn’t seem to run Windows without a lot of drag, try Ubuntu. It will amaze you.
2. Replace Adobe InDesign with Scribus
I love InDesign. It’s easy to use, has an intuitive interface and produces great final products. It also costs several hundred dollars — not to mention the ongoing expense of keeping it updated. For small companies on a tight budget, Scribus can perform the same designs and render professional, printer-ready PDF artwork.
Scribus Interface
InDesign has a few feature advantages over Scribus. For example, Scribus does not have a bulleted or numbered list feature. However, like most free open source software applications, Scribus has an online support community to help you find workarounds. Once you’re familiar with the interface, features and capabilities of Scribus, I think you’ll find that your print shop staff won’t know the difference.
Scribus is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
3. Replace Adobe PhotoShop with GIMP
PhotoShop is a powerful program. The latest release had incredibly impressive features, such as its Content-Aware functions. But if you just need to edit images with a program that supports layers and doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars, GIMP is your free open source software application. That’s not to say that GIMP isn’t a powerful program. It has plenty of powerful features and lots of online tutorials to help you accomplish just about any photo editing task.
GIMP Interface
After you install GIMP, open a photo and play around with the filters. You can also extend the program’s functionality with plugins. Browse the features list and GIMP Plugin Registry to get an idea of what GIMP can do.
GIMP is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
4. Replace Adobe Illustrator with InkScape
I’m not an illustrator or an artist. I haven’t used Adobe Illustrator as often as I’ve used InDesign. However, I’ve used InkScape to edit vector files and found it easy to use. I would love to hear impressions about InkScape from illustrators or digital artists in the comments.
InkScape Interface
InkScape is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
5. Replace Microsoft Office with LibreOffice
Hardcore Microsoft Office users may cringe at the thought of using another office suite. The interface for Word, Excel and PowerPoint seems to be burned into their psyche. However, migrating to a free open source software alternative can save your organization from burning through its budget and offer faster-running applications.
LibreOffice is a community developed project of The Document Foundation. The office suite includes a document writer, spreadsheet application, database front-end, multimedia slideshow presentation creator, a drawing program and a math equation editor. Like all of these applications, it’s free open source software.
LibreOffice Startup Menu
As a writer, I mostly use Writer (the equivalent to Microsoft Word) and Calc (the equivalent to Microsoft Excel). I’ve only run into one feature that needs improving: mail merge. It’s much easier to perform mail merges with Microsoft Word. I anticipate that the community of developers will improve LibreOffice’s mail merge feature. Mail merge will need to run more smoothly before LibreOffice can earn adoption into office environments that need this feature.
LibreOffice is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
6. Replace Outlook with Thunderbird
Unless you’re running a Microsoft Exchange Server, Outlook is overkill for your email needs. Its inefficient management of data files causes the program to run slower as your inbox grows larger. This slowdown can also impact the overall speed of your computer.
I love Thunderbird because it’s fast and has everything you need in an email client. You can install add-ons to extend its features. The first add-on I recommend is the Lightning calendar add-on. I also like Thunderbird’s search feature much better than Outlook’s.
Thunderbird Setup Screen
Email is a big deal. You don’t want to lose anything when migrating to Thunderbird. You can find several online how-to guides for migrating from Outlook to Thunderbird. My preferred method is to install Thunderbird on Windows before installing Ubuntu. This will convert all your email messages to Thunderbird format. Then backup your Thunderbird data to a USB flash drive and copy your Thunderbird profile to the fresh Ubuntu installation after installing the application. You’ll need to import your contacts. So, don’t forget to save them in a CSV file.
Thunderbird is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. (check OS X)
6 More Free Open Source Software Applications for MarCom Departments
Most, but not all, of the following applications qualify as free open source software.
If you use VOIP (voice over IP phone service), Linphone is a VOIP client for Linux. You can make and receive calls from your computer — no need for clunky phones.
Remote computing is becoming common in the modern workplace. I telecommuted for four years in one of my previous jobs. On Ubuntu systems, you can work from home using Virtual Network Computing clients like RealVNC or NoMachine.
Some tech-savvy MarCom pros are involved with website development. Filezilla is a great file transfer protocol client for replacing commercial clients like SmartFTP.
DropBox for Ubuntu works great for saving files to the cloud and sharing files with coworkers. If you want a free open source software solution, point your IT team to OwnCloud.
Linux currently lacks an advanced FOSS video editing application. OpenShot, however, is great for basic video editing. I can’t wait for Lightworks to be ready for Linux. Lightworks is a powerful video editing program that will finally bring cinema quality video production to Linux. It’s currently in beta.
Does Your Workplace Use FOSS?
It’s becoming more common for nonprofits and small businesses to use free open source software. Millions of home users are already running Linux with FOSS applications. Government organizations, nonprofits and small businesses are saving millions by migrating from Windows to Ubuntu. I would love to hear about your experiences with FOSS at work and at home. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Marcom pros debate the practicality of QR Codes, but they provide an easy, low-cost method for measuring call-to-action performance on print collateral. For starters, typing URLs into your phone’s web browser is so 1990s. It’s much easier for your target audience members to scan a code to be sent directly to your landing pages. The […]
Marcom pros debate the practicality of QR Codes, but they provide an easy, low-cost method for measuring call-to-action performance on print collateral. For starters, typing URLs into your phone’s web browser is so 1990s. It’s much easier for your target audience members to scan a code to be sent directly to your landing pages. The trick is to make the URL trackable.
Creating QR Codes
If you do a search for “create qr code,” you’ll get a lot of links to websites that will create QR codes for you. Just enter your URL, click a button and download your QR image. The marketing experts at HubSpot recommend Kaywa and GOQR.me.
Kaywa offers free and paid versions of its service. The paid version includes analytics and the monthly fee increases with the number of QR codes you want to track. Also with a free option, GOQR.me charges a one-time fee to create a QR code with your company’s logo incorporated into the design.
If you’re like me and use Ubuntu Linux, the Qreator app is easy to use and free. You can create QR codes for URLs, text messages, geo locations and WiFi networks. This is my preferred QR app, but you can also find QR code generators for Windows and Apple computers online.
Making the Link
Marcom professionals know that each inbound traffic opportunity is too valuable to waste on the website’s home page. First impressions are important, especially in the short-attention-span internet age. You’ll have only seconds to capture the visitor’s attention when she lands on your page.
This is why marcom pros develop landing pages that tie the content and imagery of the channel (email solicitation, printed flier, PPC ad, etc.) into the landing page. We want to create the mental connection between the CTA and LP so the prospective buyer is well-oriented as soon as she arrives.
Making the Link Trackable
A unique landing page will have a unique URL. However, this creates a problem for QR codes. Marcom pros often create landing pages in subdomains or subdirectories that create long URLs, and long URLs create complicated QR codes. This is especially true if you want to track URLs with source variables (like acct.com/long-landing-page-URL-001/?src=variablegoeshere).
Fortunately, the answer to this problem also provides a solution for tracking website traffic: URL shortening service bit.ly. Simply copy your long, complicated landing page URL and paste it into bit.ly’s form. Bit.ly will spit out a short URL that you can edit. The system will let you know if the edited URL is taken, so you might need to be creative to keep it short while also having something easy to remember. For example, my shortened URL to bit.ly is http://bit.ly/2bitly because http://bit.ly/bitly was unavailable.
The stats bit.ly offers are basic, but valuable. The system shows you the number of clicks from your bit.ly link, the number of clicks for all bit.ly links leading to the same URL and the number of times the URL was saved in bit.ly’s system.
Tracking the number of clicks from your shortened URL into your landing page can inform you about which content approaches generate the most interest. Pairing this with Google Analytics Goals will enable you to see how well this traffic is converting into sales, newsletter subscriptions or other actions.
Use Source Variables to Avoid Duplicate Content
Let’s say you want to use QR codes to drive traffic to your mobile donation form. Your donation appeal is relatively standard across all print media, leaving you with no need to have a unique form for each category of print collateral. You like this approach because you don’t want to suffer SEO penalties for duplicate donation pages on your website.
If you use a donation system like Qgiv, it includes a feature for tracking donation sources. The idea is that you should know if an email you sent last week is generating more donations than the email you sent last month. You can track content performance based on number of donations, amount of donations and average donation size to inform you about what issues your donors respond to.
Qgiv’s feature for source tracking is called assocInfo. You can pass a variable from your URL into an embedded donation form using PHP code. If you want to track traffic from your brochure, for example, to your donation page, here are the steps.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Trackable QR Codes
1. Embed your Qgiv donation form into a secure page on your website using the following code:
You can make your donation source trackable by simply appending a code to your URL. Assuming your donation form is located at acct.com/donate/ and following the PHP code convention in the previous step, use “src” to define the code variable that the PHP code will pass into the donation form.
For example, paste https://acct.com/donate/?src=brochure2014a into bit.ly and edit the shortened link to something like bit.ly/br14a. Now you have a trackable URL specifically for your brochure. Use a different “src” code to track fliers, pull-up banners and other print collateral — each generating different bit.ly URLs and respective QR codes.
3. Paste the bit.ly URL into a QR code generator and test it.
Your shortened URL will make the QR code less dense. This makes it easier to read by QR code scanning apps, like Google Goggles. However, you should make sure it works by testing it on different mobile devices. If everything works, move to the next step.
4. Print your QR code on your collateral.
Use a large version of your QR code when designing your print collateral to ensure good quality. This doesn’t mean that your QR code needs to be huge on your collateral, but larger images scaled down typically print in higher quality than smaller images printed at scale.
Don’t make your QR code too small. I won’t go into detail about QR code size. QRStuff has two good articles on the subject here and here. After you size your code image, print it out with a high-quality printer and test it with various mobile devices. If it works and everything else looks good, move forward.
You should save your QR codes with file names that relate to its URL. Save your QR code to brochure14a as QRbrochure14a.png. This will help you keep all the different QR code image files in order and help prevent messing up your tracking program by mistakenly printing your flier QR code onto your brochure.
5. Measure and Adjust.
Once your codes start generating stats in bit.ly, you should see what print collateral pieces are generating website traffic. Using Google Analytics Goals, you should also see which of those pieces are generating traffic that converts.
Create monthly reports and share them with your team. This information can tell you what content motivates your audience and if some print collateral channels are worth the printing costs. You can adjust your strategy based on your findings to save money and improve conversion rates.
Do you use QR codes and URL shorteners?
What has been your experience with QR codes and URL shorteners? Do you love or hate QR codes? Do you think you’ll use the QR+bit.ly technique in the future? Tell me what you think in the comments below.
When Google first launched its Chromecast product, I was eager to learn more about its capabilities. I currently enjoy my Roku, but heard rumors that Chromecast would be able to project anything Android onto TV screens. Better yet, the device was small and inexpensive. I wanted to see more. I turned to YouTube in hopes […]
When Google first launched its Chromecast product, I was eager to learn more about its capabilities. I currently enjoy my Roku, but heard rumors that Chromecast would be able to project anything Android onto TV screens. Better yet, the device was small and inexpensive. I wanted to see more.
I turned to YouTube in hopes that a Chromecast owner would post a demonstration video. I found plenty of unboxing videos, but most did not include a product demonstration. In fact, most didn’t even bother connecting the device to a TV. I wanted more, and I’m sure many other tech enthusiasts feel the same way.
I understand the allure of seeing technology products unveiled outside the corporate stage. Unboxing video fans like to see new gadgets released in natural habitats. But it’s time unboxing videos evolve beyond taking items out of boxes and into more meaningful experiences for viewers and video producers.
So, here are five tips for making better unboxing videos.
1. Research before unboxing.
Your unboxing video will go smoother if you have a good idea of what features, quirks or performance promises to test before you record. Print a list of features you want to highlight and post it next to the camera. Work the list as you demo the item, but remain open to spontaneity.
2. Get it out of the box quickly.
An unboxing video shouldn’t be about the box. It’s about the product inside. You risk losing the viewer’s interest if you take too long getting the items unwrapped. Keep commentary brief and don’t let it slow down the action.
3. Hook it up.
OK, it’s out of the box. Don’t stop there. Hook it up, turn it on, activate it, install it or do whatever it takes to get it working. How easy or difficult it is to install a product is valuable information. Your viewers will want to see if you have a hard time getting the item up and running.
4. Demo the product.
Now that you’ve hooked it up, let’s see how easy it is to use. Quickly showcase its features and some potential issues you notice as you demo. The list of features you posted next to your camera will come in handy. Narrate what you’re doing and your impressions as you go so viewers can easily follow the action.
5. End with a question.
Don’t just end with “That’s all, folks!” The web is social, so make the video a conversation starter. Throw in a relevant question or two at the end. Ask your viewers if they have questions about the product that you didn’t cover in your video. Perhaps some viewers also have the product but have different impressions or experiences. Ask for them. Questions give you opportunities to engage with your audience and their comments could lead to a second video.
YouTuber Lewis Hilsenteger of the Unbox Therapy channel created an unboxing video for the Chromecast that follows most of these suggestions. He did an excellent job with the video and it has generated 167.5k views and over a thousand comments. Although it doesn’t pose any questions at the end, it serves as a good example of a well-done unboxing video. Enjoy!
Your Turn
Do you think unboxing videos should include a demonstration of the product? What other tips could help make this genre of videos more valuable for viewers? Tell me what you think in the comments.
How do the leading social media management platforms compare for small and medium organizations trying to get a better handle on social media engagement? I recently conducted a comparative analysis on four social media management platforms in preparation for getting my organization more engaged with its online communities. We’ve been using HootSuite for about a […]
How do the leading social media management platforms compare for small and medium organizations trying to get a better handle on social media engagement?
I recently conducted a comparative analysis on four social media management platforms in preparation for getting my organization more engaged with its online communities. We’ve been using HootSuite for about a year, but I felt the interface and lack of included analytics were holding us back.
I knew about Sprout Social and Radian6, but found Rignite through a Facebook ad. With these options in mind, I signed up for trial accounts and spoke with representatives from each company. While I found Sprout Social to be the best option, I hope my observations and impressions about each service will prove helpful.
HootSuite
The biggest advantage HootSuite has over competitors is that it offers a free version of its service. This lowers the entry barrier for startups, small organizations and individuals. However, there is little benefit beyond unified publishing, scheduled messages and basic analytics.
HootSuite Twitter Stream
HootSuite’s interface is clunky. It’s just a series of same-looking streams organized in same-looking tabs. Add too many streams to a tab and you’ll have to scroll horizontally to see them all.
With the exception of a search stream, HootSuite’s streams don’t offer much additional value beyond having all your streams in one place. When I tested the search stream, the keyword phase I used generated too much noise to be valuable – even after putting the phrase in quotes.
HootSuite Ow.ly Click Report
The included analytics are basic, but provide some useful information. HootSuite’s ow.ly URL shortening and click tracking feature can help you determine which messages are resonating with users. However, once you upgrade to Pro and start adding premium modules to your reports, you might as well pay for a Sprout Social subscription.
Speaking of HootSuite’s premium services, the company charges a low $8.99 fee for the Pro version and then allows users to purchase “points” it can use to pay for premium modules. The advantage to this is that if the user deletes a module, the points are credited back to the account. The disadvantage is that it creates a more complicated service scheme than necessary and quickly brings the price structure out of the competitive zone.
HootSuite Schedule Message
For a free service, HootSuite works. It helps unify up-to five social network accounts under one roof and enables you to schedule posts. The interface is ugly and is geared toward action first, then measure. The reports are basic, but helpful.
I wouldn’t recommend paying for the Pro version unless you need to add more than five profiles without needing premium modules. I also don’t like the nickel-and-dime approach to pricing and the points system is irritating. When I asked the cost of Enterprise, the rep said that it could cost anywhere between $1,000 per year to $1,000 or more per month.
Final impressions: If you just want a free service that enables you to schedule posts to multiple social networks with basic analytics, HootSuite is your choice. If you’re willing to pay for a service, look elsewhere.
Rignite
Rignite is a relatively new kid on the block. I found the service through a Facebook ad and decided to give it a shot. The interface opens into the Monitor tab, which is a step in the right direction. You can add search streams to the Monitor tab to keep track of specific mentions, competitors or other keywords.
Rignite Cases
The focus for Rignite appears to be enabling teams to be responsive to an organization’s audience members. From the Monitor tab, users can assign inbound messages to social media team members for follow-up. When assigned, the message is saved as a “Case,” which feels more like tech support than social engagement.
The Gallery tab is an odd feature. I’m not sure if it is a media repository or if the system posts photos to social media properties when uploaded to the system. When I clicked on the “?” icon, I was prompted to send a message to Rignite. A quick review of the website didn’t produce any insights.
Rignite Analytics are Lacking
Speaking of Rignite analytics, this is currently the service’s greatest deficit. However, one benefit is its message sentiment metric. Rignite places positive, neutral and negative emoticons next to each incoming message and highlights the tone it assumes for the message. What I saw was mostly neutral assignments, but I can click on the appropriate emoticon to correct the assignment. The more emoticons I click to correct tone, the more the system learns.
Final impressions: Rignite is an immature product with a long way to go. Its pricing is between HootSuite (no premium modules) and Sprout Social, but I don’t think the service is ready for paying customers (see update). That being said, it does have a lot of potential and I look forward to seeing where the development team takes the service.
Sprout Social
Sprout Social Interface
Sprout Social opens to a graphically pleasing dashboard of snapshot analytics. The Messages icon lights up green if you have unread messages. Clicking on the Messages icon brings you to Sprout’s unified inbox where messages from different profiles are filtered into one stream. You can configure the stream to include or exclude profiles, message types and keywords you want to monitor.
Small details tell me that Sprout gets it. The service separates the message and reporting features, which highlights the different functions of listening and monitoring. The post scheduling function includes features that enhance usability. For example, when scheduling a post, I can hover over a date on the calendar to see when other posts are scheduled.
Sprout Social Schedule Message
This feature may seem insignificant, but imagine scheduling a post and forgetting whether or not you already scheduled a 2:30 p.m. message on Wednesday. In HootSuite, you’ll have to leave the posting window and navigate its series of clunky streams. Having this information at the tip of your cursor is valuable when trying to juggle numerous scheduled posts. To top it off, you can add a custom post thumbnail from a URL if the system doesn’t find an appropriate image – another feature I did not see in any of the other services.
Sprout’s Feed and Smart Search features seem a little buggy. When I attempted to connect to Feedly, the system automatically produced a stream of social mentions for #MLFA. I couldn’t seem to figure out how to edit the feed. The result was a stream of junk mentions. The Smart Search feature produced similar results, even when placing keyword phrases in quotes. The Discover feature, under which the Smart Search resides, also provides suggestions for people to follow and highlights potential influencers.
Sprout Social Reports
The system offers enough reports to give users valuable insights. I especially like the Twitter Comparison feature. I enter a competitor’s Twitter handle and Sprout will show side-by-side graphs for engagement, influence, followers and mentions. The Team Report gives a picture of each team member’s activities and the Sent Message reports show how well different posts are performing.
Final impressions: The configurable nature of the unified inbox enhances the value of this listening platform. The graphic-rich reports make quick sense out of your metrics. Sprout’s attention to details, such as its advanced post scheduling features, pushes this platform ahead of the pack. Starting at $39 per user per month, the basic package is affordable for most small organizations.
Radian6
My email exchange with Radian6 ended with “prices start out at $12k per year.” The rep did send me an hour-long video demonstration, which I have yet to watch. It appears Radian6 is a big-fish provider. Small orgs need not apply.
UPDATE: 12/02/2013 — I finally watched the Radian6 demonstration. It has an impressive set of features. It provides as wide or granular a view of your social activities as you desire. SalesForce recently purchased it, and it appears to be a good match from what I saw of the interface. I also like the idea of integrating SalesForce with social activities. However, I still see Radian6 as a platform for larger corporations, although the presenter did mention nonprofit discounts.
Your Turn
Have you had similar experiences with these services? What features did you like the most? What do you look for in a social media management system?
