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Read our Q&A transcript summary from this live webcast event to learn how to get more from your IR budget and transform your online annual report into an effective communication piece.

1. Is there a role for web 2.0 or social media in online annual reports and are there some examples you can share?

Dominic: I don’t have any examples that spring to mind but there are a handful of companies that are trying to engage their shareholders in discussion with a feedback form. There’s a lot of opportunity for social media in OAR. Think about using a video that might accompany a CEO Letter. You can use social bookmarking  for your OAR publicly and you can widgetize your reports and make them shareable. The reality is, there is going to be discussion about your annual report, whether you like it or not. It will happen on your site or off your site.

2. How long do you see annual reports and sustainability reports existing separately?

Tim: This is a good question and one we consider all the time. Every company has a different view, but from our perspective they are different reports, different users, and different time frames. Sustainability information is not available at the same time our annual report is released. Although we produce a summary manual we separate them. The user experience is different, too. If we did it all in print it would be trashed—no one wants to read a 200-page book anymore.

3. What is the use of videos in OAR and is there an opportunity for an OAR to be exclusively in video only?

Kate: Absolutely not. You want to provide your reporting information in as many different ways—that’s the point of the web—you need to give users options. The user might want to watch a video or download a pdf—let them do that. Barclays Annual Report provides a very good example of custom video just for their OAR; there is a section that includes six to seven speakers.

4. Regarding concepts of engagement in a sustainability report. Do you think companies always need to produce a complete printed report?

Tim: We look at who our primary users are. We have about 90% institutional shareholders. Our European base is far more concerned about sustainability than our North American shareholder base. As a trend, sustainability reports are becoming increasingly important for investors. Our perception studies show that investors think we are doing a good job in sustainability; we do focus on our user but we cannot plan our IR program around a very small portion of potential users. We still print a summary report but there is cost benefit for us to publish online.

5. What is your opinion on putting videos on YouTube? Are there any issues of disclosure?

Dominic: I don’t see any issues. As long as you enable people to share and interact. YouTube is also cheap.

6. As far as someone getting started with producing on OAR, what are the basics for functionality?

Dominic: As per my presentation, these are the minimum requirements:  HTML, searchable and print-friendly.

7. How big is the IR team at PotashCorp and how do you manage the process of producing so many online reports?

Tim: We have a small team and draw on additional support. One of the best things about PotashCorp is that everyone gets involved in disclosure. We have great support from the legal and financial side. We only produce one OAR a year so it isn’t that many to manage. As far as our overall focus is concerned we rely heavily on our investor relations team. It takes a lot of responsibility and we rely heavily on Creative Fire, zu and one or two other key players.

8. How about doing OAR for your mobile devices?

Kate: I think this is a forward-thinking question given the majority of people aren’t quite on the web properly. I think it’s important to get online first in the appropriate way we’ve discussed today. I would look at having an IR mobile site which has your stock price and news feeds for easy access. A mobile device has it’s own rules and limitations and it needs to read from a special browser script to display properly. Get your corporate site on your mobile device first then worry about your AR for mobile. I would challenge everybody to check out their own website on a mobile device.

The Best in Class award is the highest honour bestowed by the Interactive Media Awards; it represents the very best in planning, execution and overall professionalism.

In receiving the Best in Class award for the PotashCorp 2008 Online Annual Report zu would like to recognize the collaborative efforts of Creative Fire, and of course, the industry leading efforts of the PotashCorp Investor Relations team in striving for excellence in all areas. The ongoing teamwork continues to generate recognition for this world-class website.

twitpitch: zu wins Best in Class from Interactive Media Awards in Financial and Arts and Culture categories.

TransCanada rose above more than 2,100 entries from 28 countries to establish Bronze excellence. The TransCanada 2008 Online Annual Report was judged on cover design, Chairman’s Letter, writing, interior design, financial presentation and overall corporate spirit represented in the report.

zu is proud to be representing TransCanada and their efforts in producing Online Annual Reports for the past four years. Recent enhancements include improved site navigation including a site search, strategic information architecture, and best practices for cross-browser compatibility and accessibility. We congratulate TransCanada on this most highly respected and prestigious competition in the field of corporate communications.

Read our Q&A transcript summary from the Social Media for Sports Webcast to learn how the strategic use of social media tools in professional sports can boost your brand, expand your marketing reach, engage your fan base and create new sources of online revenue.

Q: Are teams scaling back on social media or are they adding social media to their existing programs and how does social media cost compared to traditional media?

A: Kathleen
The cost of using social media is miniscule and applying user-generated content to marketing programs is growing rapidly. But applying social media to programs should not be a standalone initiative. It needs to be an integrated effort.

A: Mike
I agree. Social media and traditional marketing needs to be put together—it is a joint effort. However, there is a time investment in applying social media to your programs; it takes time to upload your pics into Flickr and videos into YouTube but if you are already engaged you’ll find there is little cost if any. Social media should drive traffic to your existing programs and vice versa.

A: Trevor
If you apply social media to your programs you can extract trackable data from your campaigns, just like traditional media programs. You can monitor traffic to and from your site just like zu has done with StampsConnect. A lot of people ask me about ROI using social media; it is difficult to measure ROI but you can measure ROE [return on engagement].

Q: Aside from the social media tools discussed today, what other technology should teams and executives be aware of?

A: Trevor
Mobile technology, most definitely. Today, smart phones are outselling computers these days. The applications for iPhone and Blackberry phones are becoming more interactive. All the social media tools we have implemented into StampsConnect can be done on iPhones—it’s something we’re currently discussing with the Calgary Stampeders. Mobile technology allows for additional advertising revenue, too.

A: Kathleen
I’d like to add that our Buzz Manager application is another technology that teams and corporate executives can use to monitor your reputation and social media activity online. Widgets are another tool that showcase twitter feeds and customizable data. Our new website will be widgetized in the near future.

Q: I’ve created an animated character called ‘Mike’ and it will appear on jumbotrons in stadiums. Is it ok to ghost twitter as this fictional character ‘Mike’?

A: Kathleen
I will go on record as saying I am against ghost tweeting. At 140 characters anyone can do it. However, if ‘Mike’ is a mascot or sports character it does make a lot of sense for ‘Mike’ to tweet.

Q: What are the revenue opportunities for StampsConnect website and are there any challenges to get sponsorship because your website is powered by user-generated content?

A: Mike
There are lots of opportunities for revenue in StampsConnect. You could sponsor the entire site and gain even more exposure with our other traditional media [including our GameDay marketing]. You can also sell individual elements of the site; source out a camera brand name to sponsor our Flickr feed, for example. There are a lot of possibilities, and user-generated content has never been an objection I’ve had to deal with from sponsors. I would suggest integrating sponsorship opportunities into your online and offline marketing.

Q: Do you have any advice for young sports professionals that want to integrate social media into an organization?

A: Trevor
First of all, a person needs to set up Twitter and LinkedIn accounts and start joining groups and joining the conversation. This is how I initially connected with Sports Media Challenge; I was tweeting with Ryan Stephens, an employee at SMC a few months ago. One word of advice: instead of asking for things of value on Twitter, start giving and you’ll see how easy it is to become recognized and generate value from social media.

A: Kathleen
We are always looking for interns at Sports Media Challenge. Feel free to contact us if you would like more information. One word of advice is that you need to showcase what you know; just because you are on Twitter or Facebook it doesn’t mean you are an expert.

Q: If a sports organization had to choose between Facebook and Twitter, is there one you would recommend over the other?

A: Kathleen
In order to answer that, let me say this: remember who it is you are trying to engage—are you trying to deepen your relationship with fans you already have or are you trying to generate new fans? Facebook = people you already know, although this is a different age group than Twitter [34 years and younger]. Twitter = people you don’t know. At some point, your older fans will eventually drop off so you need to continuously generate new fans and keep getting younger people engaged.

A: Mike
I would add that there is value in teams using Facebook and for players to use Twitter. I find that Twitter is a more intimate exchange of information between players and fans. For example, a player can be on the bus arriving at a game and will tweet spontaneously. With Facebook, by the time you log in to your computer and start sharing your thoughts, that emotion or idea could have already changed. Twitter is immediate and spontaneous and the message can be shared with hundreds or thousands of followers.

A: Kathleen
Remember that using Facebook you have to invite people—this is a one-to-one relationship; with Twitter it could be a one-to-a-million relationship.

Q: What is more important: the number of fans following you or the quality of engagement?

A: Kathleen
In my opinion, quality of engagement is by far most important. This is what zu has built into StampsConnect. When fans share their passion online, their participation is more important than being a team that claims to have tens of thousands of fans that don’t participate in the conversation.

Ryan Lejbak will engage in a brief discussion on utilizing social media to augment your current communications plan without costs and with limited time investment.

Register for the  webcast replay.

Join us for an exclusive LIVE Webcast:
Wednesday July 22
12:00pm PT | 1:00pm MT | 2:00pm CT | 3:00pm ET

zu social media experts Ryan Lejbak and Trevor Turnbull will explore how strategic use of social media tools can help you monitor and engage your audience. They will take you across the key social media platforms, providing tips and tools you can use to develop a successful strategy. In addition, this webcast will provide current examples of how companies are integrating social media tools into their online marketing strategy.

This webcast will provide you with social media tools you can apply immediately to enhance your communications strategy. A must for beginners in any industry!

Register for replay.

What’s all the buzz about SMPR?
You could say that the SMPR began as a mere glimmer in the eye of content sharing and voting websites, social media networks, podcasts, and blogs. In layman’s terms, SMPRs are designed to drive news stories to online conversation forums and get the conversation going; they provide readers with the ability to disseminate information and multimedia along with bookmark and sharing tools. They are multimedia press releases that function more like a webpage than a static text document. SMPRs often contain images, video, links, and have distribution through online networks outside the traditional press wire.

Making a case for SMPR
Until recently, our marketing department channeled PR efforts through the traditional media streams of newspapers, magazines and radio—and like most organizations, we’ve garnered positive attention to our business developments by posting news releases on our website. From the outside looking in, there really wasn’t anything lacking in our existing marketing strategy that would give cause to jump on the SMPR bandwagon—except that my marketing DNA would win the battle and have me try anything bright, shiny and trendy.

Baiting the hook
I decided to bait the hook with the recent success and recognition of zuLabs TimmyMe and BucksMe iPhone apps. My involvement with production of the actual Marketwire SMPR was minimal; I crafted a text-based, traditional news release and sent it off to Jay, our Account Executive at Marketwire. I had to package up a few other details in order to build the SMPR, including creation of the following:
• keyword cloud
• video clip
• images
• Technorati tags
After a few emails back and forth, I proofed the document and it was distributed through Marketwire’s traditional and online networks. Access to the online networks is really the strongest benefit the Marketwire SMPR service provides.

Just the numbers
I set up Google Alerts and watched our SMPR take effect: we generated two interviews [including CBC Radio] and 18 online news stories in only a few days. We also observed a 60% increase in TimmyMe downloads during the two weeks following distribution of the SMPR. Collaborating with our resident SEO experts, I initiated some statistical research surrounding the traffic that was generated to our website via the online SMPR during a specific time frame: one month after distribution our unique visitor traffic stats increased 75% compared to our monthly average.

At the finish line
I would have to say that the SMPR is the BMW of news release distribution—it looks sexy and it performs. If you’re anything like me I fuss constantly over brand presentation and lead generation results, and the Marketwire 2.0 SMPR gave me both, loaded with options like: text, audio, video, bookmarking and tagging tools, content voting and sharing portals, keyword-optimized text and images. With one click, the reader can submit the SMPR to Digg, Deli.cio.us, Technorati and other social media content portals. The list of social media aggregation features in the Marketwire SMPR is long and impressive, including a social media newsroom that receives visitor feedback directly from a comment box in your press release.

There are cheaper entry point SMPRs on the market like PRWeb and PitchEngine that package up nicely with all the social media bells and whistles [I will leave the cost analysis discussion for another time], but from a marketer’s perspective, I believe the SMPR has more reach, is more functional and makes it easier for media people, analysts, bloggers and consumers to compile information for the articles they research or want to write. The SMPR facilitates this functionality by breaking down the content into logical sections in a way it can be easily scanned and used.

In my mind, the SMPR is not going to replace or kill the traditional press release any time soon. The SMPR is a tool, not a trend. And it simply improves upon the traditional press release layout, evolving and adapting to the 2.0 revolution. More people are accessing their news and information through web channels, so it only makes sense to meet them there.

What reinforces the principles of this CR, is the look and design; quotes and photos of employees were used to add a personalized theme, allowing users to familiarize themselves with the faces behind the company.

The existing corporate design guidelines were enhanced using the implementation of three key features:
• A rotating, click through banner using thematic images and quotes
• A quick reference keyword Glossary tool
• Find Out More generates a form submission page instead of listing contact information

While many corporations rely solely on PDFs to publish their corporate reports, zu developed a flexible communication platform for the TransCanada CR in order for readers to access information easily and get relevant results; readers can click through the website quickly to preview content and download summaries posted at the bottom of every page in the site.

TransCanada provides safe and reliable supplies of energy to millions of North Americans and is shaping the future through its leadership and innovative solutions. We congratulate TransCanada for their efforts!

The 2008 TransCanada Corporate Responsibility Report, and more information about TransCanada, can be found here.

zu wanted to create a rich interactive experience to engage Stampeders fans; the site is a virtual real-time shrine that fans can explore, contribute to and share with friends around the world. Fan generated videos and photos are automatically pulled from personal YouTube and Flickr accounts into StampsConnect when tagged with ‘calstampeders’. New videos and photos uploaded by fans ensure that the content is always fresh and engaging.

Fans can log into StampsConnect using Facebook to comment on videos and photos; they can also post comments on their Facebook profile which ultimately acts as a self-promoting vehicle for the site. Fans can also use the ‘real-time chat’ feature on the Twitter page—among a number of other cool features including News, Blogs, Polls, Ticket Specials, and Promotions that link StampsConnect to the official Stampeders.com website.

“Sports fans are very passionate and love to show their loyalty to their favorite team,” says zu CEO, Ryan Lejbak. “Over the past year, social networking has become mainstream with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr leading the popularity contest for sports fans. Both deeply engaged and casual fans are using these sites to connect with other fans already. What StampsConnect does is collect all of that great fan generated content and displays it in one place, allowing fans to interact with each other and contribute to the growth and success of the website.”

Trevor Turnbull, zu Account Executive adds: “We wanted to create a site that embraced the fact that millions of people are already actively using these popular social websites. So, rather than creating another exclusive ‘social network’ that requires fans to create a profile and upload their content that already exists on their personal social accounts, we implemented a ‘pull’ strategy that brings in content from popular social sites people are already familiar with and actively using.”

“We are extremely excited about this social media initiative,” says Mike Petrie, Director of Communication for the Calgary Stampeders. “StampsConnect allows the Calgary Stampeders to increase fan engagement by integrating a variety of interactive social media strategies and techniques. zu has helped us give our fans a platform to express their passion and connect with the team, players and Outrider cheerleaders in a way not possible before. Although Stampeders.com will still be the main resource of exclusive Calgary Stampeder content, we will utilize StampsConnect to provide fans with unique, behind-the-scenes content that will make it a really fun place to see the lighter side of the team, players and Outrider cheerleaders. Our fans are a major part of our success—on and off the field. We value their opinion and believe StampsConnect will help us further engage with the best fans in the CFL.”

Join the fun here:
StampsConnect
Calgary Stampeders Official Website
Calgary Stampeders Official Twitter Page
Calgary Stampeders Official Facebook Fanpage
Calgary Stampeder Outriders Official Twitter Page
Calgary Stampeder Outriders Official Facebook Fanpage