Matt LaCasse is one of those guys who goes all in on everything he’s working on, even if it’s not his campaign, but something he’s volunteering for. This, in fact, is how I got to know Matt a couple years ago. I was working on #WhyWeCelebrate, an initiative to honor veterans on Veterans Day, and asked Matt if he’d support our efforts. Not only did he get yes, but he got a group of kids to put this heartfelt video together. Matt won me over right then. And, now, I’m thrilled to have him guest-posting and sharing his thoughts on Jelly as a new PR tool.
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Post by @MattLaCasse
One of the worst feelings I can think of is not knowing the answer to something. Sure, Google can answer lots of questions, but there’s something about getting the networks you’ve built to help you out. Quora has been at this for some time (with limited success), and Yahoo! Answers before that (which is…don’t even get me started). Twitter co-founder Biz Stone’s newest venture aims to take over that crowdsourced answer space. Jelly is a very simple concept: Post a photo with a question and have your social networks answer it.
Released last Tuesday, I think it has the potential to be a useful tool. It might take some time for Jelly to really come into its own, but there are a few ways PR pros can take advantage of it today.
- Reach untapped audiences: The questions you scroll through on Jelly appear to be fairly random. They are the questions being asked by not just your network(s), but your friends’ networks, too. With all the various types of audiences brands attempt to reach, they all have one thing in common: they want to connect with that brand. Jelly provides an opportunity to get in front of people you may not have even thought about. Since Jelly allows you to go directly to a questioner’s Twitter profile, a cleverly (or thoughtfully) posed question could entice new fans to connect.
- Grow your own knowledge base: My favorite thing about social media is the ability to connect with nearly anyone on earth. I’m limited in that I can only meet those whose circles intersect with mine in someway on Twitter, Facebook, or wherever. On Jelly, the random nature of the questions puts you in contact with folks who are outside those circles. The more people you know, the better off you are. Two heads are better than one and all that.
- Display your expertise: This is the perfect way to put what you know on display. Yeah, you can do that on any network. Given the reasoning above though, you can dispense your authority on the hibernation patterns of Canadian black bears to an entirely new audience. Before you know it, Bear Grylls is calling YOU on tips about surviving in the wilderness.
There’s a ton of questions about Jelly that will be impossible to answer in the short term. How does it monetize? Can it turn a profit? Can it hold an audience for more than a month? For as many social networks as there are, there are precious few “major” networks. Where does Jelly fit into all of that?
Good questions. Let’s chat about them in the comments.
Matt LaCasse is a professional communicator who specializes in finding success for clients without regard for what is popular. Each client is unique, and he works to find success for each; whatever method(s) that may entail.
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