Solomon McCown &

It's increasingly obvious that Facebook isn't just for college kids anymore. With over 500 million active users, 61 percent of whom are age 35 or older, businesses have discovered Facebook is a powerful tool to reach and engage target audiences. Of course, you already know all this, which is why you went ahead and built a beautiful Facebook Page for all your fans to like. But where are those fans?

Getting people to "like" your page isn't as easy as building it. Here are some tips to help get you started:

• Be Active: As with everything social media, the more you use it, the more other people will too. Keep content fresh (and interesting), respond to comments, send regular updates, and join the conversation however and whenever you can. Try integrating applications into your Page to increase interaction opportunities. If you engage and create and opportunity for your fans to reciprocate, they will.
• Reach Out: Once you're sure of your Page, you can begin actively inviting people to "like" it.  Send an e-mail to your list announcing the page and inviting your contacts to check it out. Include a Facebook logo or badge in all mass marketing or e-newsletters. Add a link to your Page in your e-mail signature.
• From Within Facebook: Chances are you already have a significant network on Facebook. Leverage it. Put a link to your Page on your personal profile, and even ask your friends to spread the word. When you leave comments elsewhere, include @yourfanpage to create hyperlinks and pique interest. Put lots of photos and videos on your Page, and be sure to tag people whenever possible.
• From Everywhere: In an era of Inbox Overload, many potential fans won't take action from e-mails alone. Instead, reach them where they already are. Link your Facebook and Twitter accounts to reach your fellow 140 character friends.  People coming to your website probably like who you are or what you do. But have they told the Facebook universe that they "like" you? If you embed a widget or "Like Box" on your site or blog, your fans can show their loyalty with a single click. For fans who prefer sms, you can invite them to join via text message (once you've secured 25 fans and a username for your Page). To join a Page from a phone, Facebook users need only to send a text message to 32665 (FBOOK) reading: "like yourusername" (without the quotes).
• Offer Incentives: Contests are a great way to boost people into action. In fact, any reward for "liking" you will help. Facebook enables you to show one thing to people who are fans and something else to visitors who haven't committed to "liking" you, which makes it easy to offer "exclusives" -- be it videos, news articles, or whatever. Studies have shown that Pages with built-in incentives enjoy a 200-300% higher click-to-like rates than static landing pages.
• Beyond Virtual: Put a link to your Page and the Facebook logo everywhere you touch people: on business cards, letterheads, brochures, advertisements, and even your office desk!
• Buy Friends: Facebook ads are remarkably effective and relatively affordable when trying to expand your network. The most consistent piece of advice, should you use this route, is to rotate your ads often. People get sick of seeing the same thing over and over, even if the viewers have been carefully targeted.

Speaking of... Have you "liked" the SolomonMcCown page yet?

Where have you seen this funny black and white square before? On a building? In a magazine? A poster? A business card? All of the above?

If you're observant, you've probably noticed the image -- called a QR code -- in a myriad of places throughout your everyday life. If you haven't caught one yet, get ready. They're coming.

Quick Response (QR) codes are similar to barcodes but, because they can hold more data, they trigger action -- like opening a website, downloading a file, "liking" a Facebook page, following a Twitter feed, or revealing a picture or video. And all you need is a smartphone to start "decoding." Since almost 46 million Americans (and growing) use their smart phone to access the internet or download information, you can imagine the power of having a customized QR code that allows people to quickly and easily access your content on their mobile, without ever typing a url.

The possibilities are endless. Here are some particularly effective examples of QR codes in action:

• Business professionals everywhere are using QR codes as digital business cards that share LinkedIn accounts or vCards.
• Cities from San Francisc, CA to Bordeaux, France post QR codes that provide links to information on landmarks, reviews of restaurants, and/or directions to nearby shops or parking locations. Audio snippets and video clips enable tourists and locals to take self-guided, social-media-rich tours of their favorite cities.
• Eventbrite and others use QR codes for paperless concert, conference and party registration.
• SWSX and other conferences put QR codes on badges that connect attendees in social media networks or link to a vCard, Twitter feed or Facebook page.
• Several magazines use QR codes that take readers directly to the product in an online store.
• Newspapers, including The Sun in England and the Mid-Day in India, print QR codes on its pages that when scanned direct readers to the latest news. Some believe QR codes may be advertising phenomenon that saves newspapers from further financial crisis.

While most new phones are ready to read QR codes right from the box, there are many applications available for iPhones, Androids, BlackBerries, Nokias and most other phones. If your phone isn't currently able to scan QR codes, a simple web search of "QR reader for [your phone model] should do the trick.

More important than reading, how can you create a QR code for your product, venue or brand? There are many simple online services, including Kaywa, iCandy, Stickybits or GoQR.me. (Read more about these services here.)

Start experimenting with them now. They are efficient alternatives to typing out URLs or other data on the tiny keyboards of mobile phones, upon which we are increasingly dependent, and they can easily be integrated with geo-location and other services. In the age of social media, mobile devices and short attention spans, QR codes are the key to turning passing viewers into active participants. Isn't that what every brand wants?

SM& President Ashley McCown was featured in this week's PRNewser following the results of the midterm elections. Check out what she had to say below. For the entire article click here.

Midterm Election Lessons for the PR Industry, from the Industry

by Tonya Garcia

Following the results of the midterm election on Tuesday, politicians on both sides came away with their ideas (good and/or bad) about what's important to voters and how they should govern moving forward.

One of the lessons highlighted during President Obama's press conference on Wednesday was the need to  better communicate. We asked communicators in the public affairs arena what they thought the big takeaways from the election were for the PR industry. Their thoughts after the jump.

Ashley McCown, co-founder and president, Solomon McCown & Company: The firm worked on a Massachusetts housing campaign, "Vote NO on 2," which was supported by a coalition of local leaders and organizations.

On Tuesday, voters rejected a proposal that would have repealed a law creating affordable housing for working families and seniors.  The firm has worked on this issue for seven years, and focused on presenting the people living in affordable housing units. They began their work in January and got editorials and other coverage in dozens of local and regional outlets.

"For years, we've done targeted public education campaigns to help people understand what this is.

The key goal was to go out and reset the table with every daily newspaper in Massachusetts… Grassroots was also important to get out the vote.  The takeaway was a great communications strategy married with a grassroots campaign."

Congratulations to our clients Skanska USA, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates and Massachusetts Medical Society for being named to the "2010 Top Places to Work" by The Boston Globe this past weekend.  Check out the full story here and a fun piece on Skanska's Joe Wilcox discussing his experience working in Poland through Skanska's Unlimited Exchange Program.

Vote NO on 2 Campaign Defeats Effort to Repeal Affordable Housing Law

As the agency that developed and managed the strategic communications strategy for the Vote No on 2 Campaign, we are thrilled to have soundly defeated this ballot initiative that sought to repeal the state's primary tool for creating affordable housing for seniors and working families.

Starting in January, we worked hard to re-educate thought leaders, the media and voters about the importance of keeping this complex law. We clearly defined our messages, stuck to them, and took our positive campaign on the road, meeting with 20 editorial boards across the state. We also wrote and pitched op-eds that resonated with each community, where they were placed under the byline of local leaders.

We secured 66 "NO on 2" editorials in 52 papers (some editorialized multiple times) including those in The Boston Globe, Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Springfield Republican, Cape Cod Times, Berkshire Eagle, MetroWest Daily News, Boston Business Journal and WCVB Channel 5. Even more satisfying than the volume of favorable coverage was the fact that we were able to flip in our favor papers that had been opposed to the law for years. We also placed op-eds in 47 newspapers and had letters to the editor in dozens more. Our social media presence also was robust on Twitter and Facebook, platforms that we helped populate and feed content. The campaign website was updated daily with news coverage and videos that we produced, including interviews with affordable housing residents who were passionate and credible spokespeople for us.

The results speak for themselves. While we had the lowest funding levels of any of the other two ballot initiatives, we won by the greatest margin - 16 percent with 1.25 million no votes.

And because we are both a full-service agency and passionate about the issues, we even pitched in with fundraising efforts, housed the campaign in our office, and worked the polls around the state on Election Day.

Best of all, we believe we helped achieve the outcome that was best for the state, the environment, the economy and the hardworking people who live here.