- Vegas (for a tradeshow)
- Your boss'/client's house (for a meeting)
- The bathroom (to cry)
- The event venue of a fraternal order
- The bookstore (to buy an adult magazine that features your business/client)
- A reporter's house
- A town you've never heard of (for a tradeshow)
- A cab line
- The most expensive restaurant you'll ever dine in
- Somewhere in your boss'/client's car
- Fedex Kinkos (where you will arrive 1 minute after the package drop off deadline and plead for some to take your delivery so you won't get fired)
- Starbucks
- A farm, data center, manufacturing plant or other location where your company's product or service originates from
- A video editing suite (where you will stay for hours... and hours.... and hours)
- The airport (not to travel but for a meeting)
- A ridiculously expensive hotel (where you will have a room that you will not use because you will be working all night)
- A drug store (for antacid)
Monday, November 7, 2016
Oh, the places you'll go... in PR
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Buy storytellers, not relationships
The first is that they are trying to gauge industry knowledge. While industry knowledge is important and can shorten the learning curve, a close look at a candidate's prior experience or an agency's past clients is a much better indicator than media relationships. Organizations asking about media relationships as a way to gauge experience haven’t done their homework and that indicates to me that they don’t have clear goals for their communications program.
The second reason is that companies are seeking a quick way to buy relationships with media so they can accelerate their growth. Unfortunately, this is a wrongheaded approach and doubly so if it comes at the cost of hiring a great storyteller.
Here's why:
Companies, especially start-ups, frequently miscalculate their importance in the market. They’ve invested so much time, talent and treasure to developing their products, routes to market, partnerships, etc., they believe they've created the "next big thing." They may have, but getting a reporter to believe that is a tall task. Reporters need facts, data, third party validation, customer stories, etc. to be convinced. They also need to see a company consistently deliver over time.
A company who hires a candidate or agency with existing media relationships in their category can certainly expect that a reporter will more readily take their call but if they don't have a strong, convincing story to tell, that advantage quickly evaporates.
The key to success in this approach is transferring the trust a reporter has in the new hire or agency partner to the company brand. To accomplish this, the PR professional has to be able to credibly deliver a story that resonates with the reporter. Reporters will take the call because of a preexisting relationship with the PR representative but if they can't deliver something newsworthy, they won’t write. Not only that, but the company's brand and the PR manager's or agency's relationship with that reporter will have been damaged. Just like Persian kings, they will kill the messenger if they don't like what they hear.
The PR agent’s relationship that was an advantage for the company no longer exists and the company will quickly find it has to make a new hire because media will no longer take their calls.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Seattle Interactive Conference Day 2 Round-up for Comms Pros #SIC16
Using Video: Interviews don't work as ad units, no matter how cool your CEO is. Celebrities are the only exception. @ArmoryPacific #SIC16
— Jonna M Bell (@Jonna_MBell) October 19, 2016
Don't buy a video. Buy video assets. #SIC16
— Rival IQ (@RivalIQ) October 19, 2016
Neat to see how @Sonos used research and data as a marketing campaign. #SIC16 https://t.co/5YQEkLyZyc
— Houston White (@houstonw) October 19, 2016
Neat to see how @Sonos used research and data as a marketing campaign. #SIC16 https://t.co/5YQEkLyZyc
— Houston White (@houstonw) October 19, 2016
Treat a video as an introduction. It's leading to another step. #SIC16
— Rival IQ (@RivalIQ) October 19, 2016
"We're happy to have finally proven the relationship between sex and rock and roll" - @pete_pedersen at #SIC16 pic.twitter.com/1rqmE2dBad
— ashmatty (@ashmatty) October 19, 2016
Playing music out loud at home makes people do more & spend more time together #SIC16 @Sonos
— Natasha Jarmick (@NatashaJarmick) October 19, 2016
The dirty secret behind good video: "Platform X Purpose = Concept" courtesy @ArmoryPacific #SIC16
— Jonna M Bell (@Jonna_MBell) October 19, 2016
Real estate at the front end of your Facebook videos is invaluable. More than 5 sec of viewership is a rarity. #sic16
— Jess Columbo (@JessColumbo) October 19, 2016
.@facebook: largest social networking site. Facebook videos autoplay in timeline, so active viewership is extremely unlikely. #SIC16 #SIC
— Seattle Interactive (@seattleinteract) October 19, 2016
Vimeo is a platform for hosting artistic works, but it has no reach. #SIC16
— Tony White (@anthonynwhite) October 19, 2016
The first thing to do after you decide you want to do a video, ask yourself what's the video for? #sic16
— Rival IQ (@RivalIQ) October 19, 2016
10% of time on a smartphone is spent in the mobile browser
— Blulink Solutions (@blulinktweets) October 19, 2016
90% of the time is spent in apps@facebook #SIC16
Tag everything. Use it to understand the good, the bad and the ugly. Measure the whole journey. #SIC16
— Rival IQ (@RivalIQ) October 19, 2016
"If your content is interesting to everyone, it's probably not that interesting." - @dtoreilly #SIC16 @RationalAgency
— Katie D'Amato (@ksdamato) October 19, 2016
"You're not just competing with your competitors, you're competing with everyone" #SIC16 #digitalmarketing
— Laura Pflug (@pfluginator) October 19, 2016
Mobile has blown up many of the ways we've been measuring #SIC16
— Ken Gillgren (@kengillgren) October 19, 2016
1000 new mobile apps are submitted to iOS and Android stores everyday #SIC16
— Ken Gillgren (@kengillgren) October 19, 2016
1000 new mobile apps are submitted to iOS and Android stores everyday #SIC16
— Ken Gillgren (@kengillgren) October 19, 2016
Think of content as a gift. You are giving a gift to your audience. Don't just crank something out. Create something of value. #SIC #SIC16
— Crown Social (@CrownSocial) October 19, 2016
The solution to avoiding the creep in personalization: embrace contextualization and design for pull, not push. Shane Alderton #SIC16 @VML
— The Berndt Group (@berndtgroup) October 19, 2016
Red Bull TV mixes planned events and capturing spontaneous moments #SIC16
— Ken Gillgren (@kengillgren) October 19, 2016
Demographics don't really tell you much about individuals #SIC16 pic.twitter.com/UvBwptXS2r
— Katy Thweatt (@katyandthetweet) October 19, 2016
Live Q & A with video is helpful to handle a fuselage of questions. It also allows you to understand sentiment as you go. #LiveVideo #SIC16
— Rival IQ (@RivalIQ) October 19, 2016
5 #livestreaming styles: sneak peak/behind the scenes, Q&A, happening now, planned event, daily recap/insights #SIC16
— Pamela Lamon (@PamLamon) October 19, 2016
Types of videos: (1) Sneak peek/behind the scenes, using narrative style, e.g. Coca-Cola On the Ground series #SIC16
— Ken Gillgren (@kengillgren) October 19, 2016
Use video for launches, sneak peeks, behind the scenes. Narrative style is useful here. #LiveVideo #SIC16
— Rival IQ (@RivalIQ) October 19, 2016
It's the golden age of context! From your phone's contextual data we know where you are, what you're doing, what music you like. #sic16
— Jess Columbo (@JessColumbo) October 19, 2016
On Periscope alone, people are viewing 40 years worth of videos a DAY. #LiveVideo #SIC16
— Rival IQ (@RivalIQ) October 19, 2016
.@ashleyfaus: In the last few years, half of all video has been watched on mobile, primarily smartphones. #SIC16
— Tony White (@anthonynwhite) October 19, 2016
Video works! #SIC16 pic.twitter.com/iWmMZHQsgx
— Pamela Lamon (@PamLamon) October 19, 2016
Branding & advertising must change to build trust. Authenticity, not artifice. Purpose, not personality. Faith, not Fear. #SIC16
— laurel mcjannet (@mrsmcj) October 19, 2016
Some #WednesdayWisdom from @facebook's Eddie O'Neil: "It costs 6x-7x more to acquire a new customer than retaining an existing one." #SIC16 pic.twitter.com/hioS7fIKYM
— Carly MacKinnon (@CarlyMack13) October 19, 2016
Importance of cross-platform identity: 53% of people who own two devices switch between them to complete tasks or activities. #sic16
— Jess Columbo (@JessColumbo) October 19, 2016
"People don't buy what you do. They buy why you do it." Brands need to live their values day in, day out. #SIC16
— laurel mcjannet (@mrsmcj) October 19, 2016
"There are 5 million apps in the world today...and we spend 80% of our time in a total of 5 apps." #sic16
— Jess Columbo (@JessColumbo) October 19, 2016
WeChat provides a glimpse to the future. In China chat is like the internet is to us. #sic16
— Melissa Milloway (@MelMilloway) October 19, 2016
We're now experiencing a shift. Brands must provide value. If they can't, they need to entertain, inspire, or excite. #advertising #SIC16
— Rival IQ (@RivalIQ) October 19, 2016
"Apps are replacing the web and are becoming the best way for customers and businesses to connect." #SIC16
— Seattle Interactive (@seattleinteract) October 19, 2016
Content is necessary for engagement with millennials - not just ads. #SIC16
— Brittany Mosley (@StellaLibretto) October 19, 2016
When we get to 2020, 6 billion people will have a smartphone #SIC16
— Seattle Interactive (@seattleinteract) October 19, 2016
2/3 smartphone users have downloaded ZERO apps this month. #sic16
— Melissa Milloway (@MelMilloway) October 19, 2016
80% of users are open to getting ads if relevant to their life, says @PeteKluge of @Adobe on the value of people-based marketing #SIC16
— Mollie Scozzari (@MollieScozzari) October 19, 2016
How to get into people-based advertising? Start with retargeting #SIC16
— Pamela Lamon (@PamLamon) October 19, 2016
'50 billion devices online by 2020' #SIC16 #hackeragency @haydnstuff
— Seattle Interactive (@seattleinteract) October 19, 2016
80% of consumers want a personalized experience. Only 20% believe they are getting relevant ads #SIC16
— Pamela Lamon (@PamLamon) October 19, 2016
Website analytics – people are better metrics than visitors #SIC #SIC16
— Seattle Interactive (@seattleinteract) October 19, 2016
"What about all of these other places where our consumers live?" Games, comic books, etc there are other mediums we miss. #sic16
— Melissa Milloway (@MelMilloway) October 19, 2016
Reporting from @seattleinteract — here are 3 social media lessons marketers can learn from sports teamshttps://t.co/dw6KBeTeZd #SIC16 pic.twitter.com/AAPcIVvzjK
— Taylor Soper (@Taylor_Soper) October 19, 2016
The average #millennial uses 3 devices a day. - @PeteKluge I'm using 2 simultaneously now. How about you? #SIC16
— Rival IQ (@RivalIQ) October 19, 2016
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Seattle Interactive Conference 2016 Roundup for Comms Pros
Seattle Interactive Conference 2016 is underway and there are many key takeaways for communication professionals. Below is a curated tweet stream of all the most important information shared at the conference.
(As of 4:30 p.m., 10/16/2016)
Some comparison: the Superbowl had 165 million views last year. Snapchat had 10 billion yesterday. #SIC16 #CordCutters
— Emily (@EmilyGoll) October 18, 2016
Whoa Forbes works with 5,000 citizen journalists -- that's legit consumer collaboration @fatforehead #SIC16
— allison arth (@arthograph) October 18, 2016
Data in a vacuum is completely useless. Measurement only useful if it drives a decision. @AmberCadabra #SIC16
— Pat Rhoads (@patmrhoads) October 18, 2016
Design cannot save failed content. Neither can post production or technology. #SIC16
— Blulink Solutions (@blulinktweets) October 18, 2016
Great stories can be told on smaller budgets. Storytelling doesn't need to be complex to be effective. #sic16
— Melissa Milloway (@MelMilloway) October 18, 2016
Don't use stock photos, think ahead about the visuals you want to use. Use authentic images, show authenticity. #sic16
— Melissa Milloway (@MelMilloway) October 18, 2016
How we make people feel is important for marketers to think about it. @CrownSocial @nnjashan #SIC16 pic.twitter.com/mm32dqE7nl
— Seattle Interactive (@seattleinteract) October 18, 2016
"Rather than thinking of visuals as an afterthought, think of them as something to build a campaign around." - @jordanbstead at #SIC16
— Seattle Interactive (@seattleinteract) October 18, 2016
If you're using influencers in your #marketing strategy, pick them based on their storytelling capabilities. #SIC16
— Rival IQ (@RivalIQ) October 18, 2016
80% of Instagram users have learned about a new product on Instagram. #SIC #SIC16
— Crown Social (@CrownSocial) October 18, 2016
Ignoring social interaction with target audience can result in 15% churn of potential consumers >> @AmberCadabra #SIC16
— Jonna M Bell (@Jonna_MBell) October 18, 2016
On social media, a brand can act as a person, it's usually the other way round @nnjashan #SIC16
— Charlene Marsh (@charlenemarsh) October 18, 2016
Facebook Live is too new for best practices, but needs at least 7 minutes to reach optimum audience. #sic16
— Kristina Bowman (@Kris_Bowman) October 18, 2016
For shareability, create content that has a sense of awe. #digitalads #socialmedia @goodwaygroup #SIC16
— Sarah Camp (@SMGCamp) October 18, 2016
Everyone is focusing on video everything - but PEW study shows that millennial actually prefer to READ their news vs. watch it #SIC16
— Natasha Jarmick (@NatashaJarmick) October 18, 2016
Only 52% of Americans could recall who published an article they read from a feed. This is not good for newspapers. #SIC16
— Emily (@EmilyGoll) October 18, 2016
Trust on desktop = content, depth, look, illustrations. Trust on mobile = speed, meet expectations, give the next step #sic16
— Charlene Marsh (@charlenemarsh) October 18, 2016
Principals of the naked brand:
— Gregory Heller (@gregoryheller) October 18, 2016
1 Be Honest
2 Be Authentic
3 Be transparent
4 Be personal
- @eecosphere #SIC16
Good advice in general.
Social platforms are source for news and publishers are losing direct relationship with their audience. @vivian #sic16
— Kristina Bowman (@Kris_Bowman) October 18, 2016
Desktop users want to know, #mobile users want to buy @biastoact #SIC16
— Charlene Marsh (@charlenemarsh) October 18, 2016
The Power of Honesty: People make decisions based on emotion. Make sure to answer "Why" they want to engage with you. #SIC16
— Tim Rager (@TimRager) October 18, 2016
#VirtualReality #AugmentedReality landscape is driven by improvements in hardware. 2016 "avalanche" is coming. #SIC16
— MediaPlant (@MediaPlant_US) October 18, 2016
Measuring by engagement is the most important to understand if you're improving fanaticism. - @jeremythum from @warriors #SIC16
— Rival IQ (@RivalIQ) October 18, 2016
— McKenna Moe (@MoeMunyMoeProbs) October 18, 2016
Definitely true. As long as it's not creepy or invasive, customers really appreciate #personalization. #digitalmarketing #SIC16 https://t.co/Qf2y6jb07v— Garrigan Lyman (@GarriganLyman) October 18, 2016
There had to be 1 guy @ #SIC16 wearing a 3 piece suit. Tomorrow I'm mixing it up w/flipflops, speedo and a bow tie #workit— Jason Humeniuk (@VanMortgage) October 18, 2016
#SIC16 PR metrics should be tied to Business goals, not "impressions" on a release. Don't report sloppy numbers. ~ @rebekahiliff @AirPR— Brian Crouch (@BrianCrouch) October 18, 2016
Marketers and PR folks who are critical thinkers will have the most impact for brands. @seattleinteract #SIC16 "Can PR be automated?" pic.twitter.com/zCmbN6EyU9— cponeill (@CPONEILL) October 18, 2016
Struggle to get executive buy in? Speak their language, show the benefit, bring a solution to a problem and come with confidence. #SIC16— Rival IQ (@RivalIQ) October 18, 2016
We need to "start looking at the quality and not the quantity" in the pitches. - @rebekahiliff #SIC16 #PR #mediarelations— Bo Jungmayer (@njung23) October 18, 2016
One of the biggest mistakes that #marketers make: Not using the data from their analytics. When you get feedback, use it! #SIC16 #marketing https://t.co/juazRvFML2— Garrigan Lyman (@GarriganLyman) October 18, 2016
"The vehicle is as important as the idea itself." @alapera from @buzzfeed at #sic16 @seattleinteract pic.twitter.com/laX2TGwF5P— Perry Sjogren (@PerrySjogren) October 18, 2016
Media buyers, take notice: Podcast listenership is increasing, says @larjmedia. #SIC16 @tinanole pic.twitter.com/BQl1LMuV87— Garrigan Lyman (@GarriganLyman) October 18, 2016
— Maria Grady (@mariacgrady) October 18, 2016
“After 2 minutes of video, 60% of your audience is gone. Average podcast is listened to for 22 minutes. 22 minutes!” No ADD here. #SIC16— larj media (@larjmedia) October 18, 2016
Who's doing AR right? Google Translate, Yelp, Best Western, and (of course) Pokémon Go according to @IndigoSlate #AR #SIC16— Cara D'Amato (@ccdamato) October 18, 2016
Consuming news media in AR and VR will immerse us into the journalist POV. Better than paper? #SIC16— //OK (@OuthornK) October 18, 2016
More than 84% of communication will be visual by 2018. Gen Z uses Snapchat more than they text. #SIC16— Ethan Parry (@EthanParry3) October 18, 2016
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Don't forget the last mile
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
PR Needs to Measure Its "Beautiful Snowflakes"
Increasingly PR pros need to understand that articles need to be treated like data points that add up to something much greater than their “feel good” impact that comes from seeing the company's name in print.
- Database your and the competition’s coverage - every piece if possible but at the very least a representative sample from key publications, websites and other outlets. Only by looking at coverage in a consistent way over time will you be able to identify the factors that have the greatest impact on your business data. Capturing your competitors coverage gives you a way to benchmark yourself against industry performance.
Databases can be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet or a more complex online system but be careful to distinguish between content collection or monitoring systems and a measurement solution. Content collection systems can help you populate your database and may offer some services to meta tag that coverage with message pick-up, tonality, competitor mentions, etc. but unless you have customized your database to align with your communications goals, you’ll be overwhelmed with data that offers very little value.
- Meta tag based on how you are spending your PR program dollars. If you are spending money to drive product reviews or executive visibility or trade show briefings, you'll need a way to evaluate what coverage resulted and the quality of that coverage based on the goals of those programs. Your database should allow you to identify the factors that drove coverage so you can gauge how those programs are performing, not just in driving coverage but also where they contribute to business performance.
- Start integrating your data into marketing reviews. Only by taking the time to review what you've collected against business data will you start to uncover the impact. It may take several review cycles before patterns emerge as you isolate various factors. Don’t over commit to how quickly you will be able to show value from the measurement program. You may need 6-9 months to get the database structured correctly and find correlations with other marketing and business data.
- Value quality over quantity. Many measurement projects start as an attempt to perform a coverage census – namely, capture every single mention of the company or organization. Instead, look to perform a survey by capturing a representative sample of coverage and focus your resources on improving the quality of insights you are deriving from your database. That could mean improving the meta tag structure to allow for better correlations or spending more time teasing out insights or streamlining the project to focus on only the high value programs so you can better tie those results to the business impact.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
4 Tips for Securing B2B PR's Holy Grail
But getting customers to agree to provide a reference can be difficult for a number of reasons. Customers often cite the belief that your product or service offers them a competitive advantage, a desire to control how their brand is presented to the world or managing the volume of reference requests as factors preventing them for participating. For the individual who fields your reference request, it can also involve securing approvals from multiple layers within the company (departmental leads, the executive team, corporate communications, legal, etc.). At the end of the day, asking a customer to share their success story requires a significant effort and a whole lot of trust.
So, what can PR pros due to lower the barriers for the customer participation while establishing the strong relationship with the buyer necessary for securing a case study? By starting with small asks that are easier to fulfill, you can demonstrate your value while you build a relationship with them.
Here are 4 ways to get customers involved, starting with the ideas that take the least investment on their side:
- Ask for customers to participate in social media - Social media remains a simple way to get customers engaged and offers many opportunities to build stronger relationships. Start by asking customers to share your news. Often times this type of request significantly lowers the internal barriers that your buyer faces. They can use their personal social media channels vs. the company channels to promote your product or service which reduces the internal approvals required. They can also support you without having to share details about their specific implementation. You can amplify that support on your social channels and point reporters to it. Once a level of trust and participation is established, you can
- Write a guest blog post for them - This can be another easy ask of customers especially if you offer to ghost write it for them. If you make your buyer sound like an expert in their field while laying the foundation for future sales, you both benefit. Blog posts don't have to be about a customer's specific implementation, either. Your buyers can lend their credibility by establishing the need for your product or service; outlining key buying decision factors; or reviewing specific features and functionality.
- Logo usage - Asking a new customer to use their logo on your website and press materials might seem pretty straightforward but starting here can be risky. What if the customer says "no?" A company's logo is an extension of their brand and many like to keep tight control over its usage. Being told you can't use the customer logo makes all future requests for support more difficult. Some vendors don't ask at all, either in their haste to take advantage of the new customer win or as a deliberate strategy to avoid being told "no." For PR pros trying to decide how to move forward, it comes down to your organization's level of comfort with asking forgiveness vs. asking permission. If you use a customer's logo in presentations to media without asking, your sales and executive teams may end up having an uncomfortable conversation later when your customer discovers the unauthorized use. Work with your sales leaders, customer relationship teams and executives to develop an approach that best fits your organization's relationship with customers and appetite for risk. The best path forward may be some hybrid approach.
- Event participation - This can be a larger ask but if you are willing to invest to get the buyer to attend, it can yield tremendous benefits. Even if the customer doesn't participate directly in meetings with the press, video of stage presentations at the event can be repurposed with reporters without requiring additional participation of your buyer.