Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
Corporate blogging can benefit your business no matter what industry you’re in, but for companies in the travel industry it should be considered an essential marketing strategy. In addition to driving website traffic and generating new leads, blogging helps build credibility. For travelers deciding which trip planning service to use, knowing that the company has firsthand experience and has “been there, done that” is huge influencer.
It’s simple for travel companies to start a blog, but maintaining it by posting valuable, engaging content on a regular basis isn’t always so easy. One travel company in particular got it right – Utrip, a travel planning service that uses machine learning to create personalized itineraries, has an inspiring, informational blog that serves as a resource for everyone from seasoned travelers to newbies with wanderlust. Following are four key reasons why Utrip’s blog is a success
- Cites Personal Experiences – Travelers feel more confident taking a company’s recommendations if they know it’s based on personal experience. When I was researching before my trip to Thailand, I searched for posts by travel bloggers who had been to Thailand recently – I don’t want a hostel recommendation from someone who has never stayed there. Utrip does a nice job compiling guest posts from international travelers and interviewing subject matter experts to inject personal experience into its blog. For example, the post 8 Cheap Eats in East London from Around the World was written by David Heimowitz, a food blogger who lives in London.
- Fuels Inspiration – Reading about other people’s incredible travel experiences and seeing breathtaking photos can help bring a destination to life and inspire hesitant travelers to book their trip. Utrip’s blog inspires wanderlust by featuring popular tourist activities as well as lesser known attractions in major cities.
- Provides Useful Information – A key factor for the success of any blog is providing information that is useful for your audience. Utrip’s entire platform does this well, but the “Travel Planning Tips” section of its blog is particularly helpful for travelers, offering advice around what to do if your valuables are stolen and how to save money on transportation.
- Includes a Call-to-Action – Including an appropriate call-to-action (CTA) in your blog post helps guide readers to learn more about your company, leading to more conversions from your blog. Utrip nailed this by including relevant CTAs at the bottom of its blog posts (for example, Quick Tips for Travel Savings includes a link to Utrip’s featured trip Poor But Sexy in Berlin) and linking in-line CTAs when a related term is mentioned in a post.
These best practices are important for any corporate blogger to keep in mind, particularly those in the travel industry. What other tips for corporate blogging success should marketers consider?
It’s no secret—Seattle has a hot tech scene. From the industry giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Expedia and Zillow to the new Google and SpaceX offices, Seattle has become a technology powerhouse. The city is also home to an abundance of startup companies that continue to innovate and disrupt countless industries. Given that our firm has worked with a number of tech companies, I like to believe that I have a sense of what is going on in the Seattle tech environment.
However, a few months ago I stumbled across Arivale, a company that is using tech and personal data to develop individualized wellness plans that allow people to improve their health. Arivale collects personal information through tests conducted on DNA, the gut, blood and lifestyle assessments, then provides individuals with their data and assigns them a personal coach to assist in making actionable changes to improve their overall wellness. Once a colleague and I saw that co-founder and CEO, Clayton Lewis, was speaking at Xconomy’s Seattle’s Life Science Disruptors 2016 event, we decided to take the opportunity to hear exactly what the company was up to by attending the conference.
Initially, the company worked with 1,000 clients or pioneers as they like to refer to them, to refine the program, information dashboards, communication styles between coaches and pioneers, etc. From their pioneers, Arivale has come to understand a couple of items. First, that the pioneers value the time with their coaches and the advice they provide that allows them to turn information into action. Because of this, the coaching aspect will continue to play and integral part in the company’s program. Second, people are not focused on the long-term effects of their choices. For example, Lewis mentioned that when presented with the opportunity to eat a cupcake, the initial thought is that it will taste good right now, not, that the choice of eating it may lead to diabetes ten years down the line.
Arivale has come to understand that people want experiences and by explaining that wellness will allow them to partake in the experiences they want to have, whether its attending their child’s college graduation or climbing Mt. Everest, it makes their health more tangible and inspires them to make the necessary changes.
In order to make the program available to a larger audience, Arivale is working with a few major corporations to roll out availability of their program, though Lewis didn’t mention which ones. He also mentioned that the data they collect through testing has made a significant impact on people’s health and a lot of people that stand to benefit from their programming. In the future, Arivale is hoping to work with breast cancer survivors, people whose bodies have experienced harsh treatments and need help getting back to a baseline of normal health. Arivale has a number of exciting items planned for the future and we are looking forward to watching them develop!
Fortunately, Arivale was not the only company that left us impressed. M3 Biotechnology founded and led by CEO, Leen Kawas, is tackling Alzheimer’s disease by targeting small molecules and focusing on specific targets. Currently there are no therapies, cures or preventions for this disease, simply treatments that slow the disease or cover the symptoms. While Kawas made it clear that M3 is not creating a cure for Alzheimer’s, it is developing an anti-aging, disease-modifying treatment. Ideally, once the treatment is finalized, it will be in a form that people could easily use in their homes, something like a pill or EpiPen. She realizes that by making the treatment simple and accessible, it will have the largest impact on people affected by the disease.
Not only is the treatment impressive, but Kawas herself has had a very interesting and dynamic background that has led her to her position today. With a passion and drive to create value, she began her career as a pharmacist in Jordan before pursuing her PhD at Washington State University, focusing on cancer treatments. Once she realized that her findings could be applied to Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases, Kawas founded M3 Biotechnology. Once she was able to get people and investors interested in the concept, she did not have plans to stay on as CEO, but her passion and understanding of what M3 needed to be successful, led her to take on the CEO role. We are looking forward to M3’s future successes and the company’s impact on Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.
Overall, the Xconomy event was a great snapshot of Seattle-based companies, non-profits and research facilities that are making innovative strives in the areas of biotech. It will be exciting to follow these organizations as they continue to make ground-breaking strides that impact and improve the health and wellness or people around the globe.
With the closure of Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct, there has been a lot of attention on the progress of Bertha, the tunnel-boring machine carving out the new State Route 99 tunnel to replace it.
Given all this focus on Bertha, I began thinking about the pros and cons of naming tunnel-boring machines. Apparently, it is a common practice for construction workers to name tunneling machines after women. According to an article in the LA Times, “Naming digging equipment after women is a tradition that dates to the 1500s, they say, when miners prayed to St. Barbara to keep them safe underground.”
Today, to come up with names for these machines, many cities hold naming contests. For instance, officials with the Washington State Department of Transportation, the Los Angeles County transportation, and the city of Toronto all recently have held contests or our holding contests to name tunnel-boring equipment.
According to the WSDOT website, “Bertha’s name was chosen as part of a contest for kindergarten through 12th-grade students. Proposed names had to be female and have significance to Washington state heritage, life, nature, transportation or engineering.” A panel of officials made the final selection – Bertha – after Bertha Knight Landes, Seattle’s only female mayor and the first woman to lead a major American city. (She served as mayor of Seattle from 1926 – 1928).
So what are the pros and cons of naming tunnel-boring machines? I thought it would be interesting to consider these from a marketing and public relations perspective.
By naming a tunnel-boring machine, there is a humanization of the machine and the project. It can make a mundane equipment purchase seem more exciting to name it. In addition, if you allow the public to help come up with a name, it raises awareness for the project. Finally, a name makes it easier for everyone to talk about the project. In Seattle, for better or for worse, Bertha is synonymous with the Highway 99 project.
But there can be a downside of naming equipment. The biggest risk is if the project has delays or problems, the name takes on a significant amount of negative connotations. For instance, in Seattle many people are not happy about Bertha. The project is significantly behind schedule, it is the reason for the closure of the viaduct, and it has resulted in sinking ground. Just mention Bertha at a party and Seattleites will likely have a story about how the construction on the tunnel has adversely effected them. You will probably spend the next 10 to 15 minutes hearing about traffic jams and longer commutes.
Finally, some people believe that the names can create confusion. The Seattle Times recently reported that Sound Transit decided to forgo using names (Brenda and Pamela) for its tunneling machines. Spokespeople for Sound Transit stated that they were not naming their machines because they did not want people to confuse their project with Bertha. Instead, they will refer to their equipment as tunnel-boring machine 1 and tunnel-boring machine 2.
What are your thoughts? Was it a positive thing or a negative thing to name the tunnel-boring machine Bertha? I think if the tradition of naming machines continues it would be wonderful to see the tradition updated to include male or animal names.
Savvy marketing teams understand the value of conferences and tradeshows by having the entire process down to a science. Activities like negotiating optimal booth placement, having eye-catching signage with demo stations, and promoting a giveaway to capture leads are fundamental, but massive shows like the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show require something a bit different to get people’s attention.
Last month, I traveled with client EMC to the NAB Show in Las Vegas to provide media relations support surrounding the conference. While I’ve attended numerous conferences throughout my career, this was my first NAB and I was taken back by the scale of this event – the convention center floor was packed with companies from around the world showcasing technologies and innovations in broadcast, media and entertainment. The show floor had over a million square feet of exhibit space, and I was on sensory overload.
One entire pavilion was dedicated to video drones and aerial robotics, while another focused on advanced advertising technologies for broadcasters, and yet another on virtual and augmented reality. There was something for everyone but the noise-to-signal ratio was off the charts since everyone was battling for each other’s attention.
During my breaks, I wandered around the show floor to better assess how companies like EMC, Sony, Adobe, Microsoft and BlackMagic Design approached the conference. I noticed a major trend, that successful companies maximized exposure by leveraging their booth presence as a venue for content delivery – hosting live sessions, trainings and workshops across a variety of topics. Some provided customer case studies and partner panels while others hosted live demonstrations from leading directors and special effects professionals for feature films like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avatar.
Compelling content stole the show. Through the approach of leading with content, attendees were drawn into the conversation and, in many cases, people spilled over into the walkways, attracting others who wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. The conversation was no longer just about broadcast technology products and software but how movie studios and creatives used tech in compelling ways for audiences around the globe. Needless to say, my feet ached after day one.
Here are some tips and recommendations for creating compelling content at conferences and trade shows:
- Know Your Audience – The NAB show was filled with people who love broadcast, movies and entertainment. Beyond 4K, green screens and drones, people wanted to better understand the evolution of media formats, the future of on-premise and cloud-based workflows, as well as the gadgets that streamline shoots and post-production. People were on the search for new, groundbreaking techniques to create more compelling content and to collaborate across geographical boundaries. Cater your session topics around things that people care about and you will be rewarded.
- Be Creative and Different – EMC did a successful job generating buzz around its content sessions by having something eye-catching and different – professional magician Scott Tokar who helped draw crowds into the booth. This individual performed incredible magic tricks that engaged participants and afterward, ushered them into a seating area for the next partner or technology session. This worked wonders and made for an unexpected and memorable experience.
- Amplify Your Messages – Nothing is more impactful than having others share your message. EMC also worked to create a social media campaign with hashtag #emc4media. After each session concluded, the master of ceremonies asked if people were interested in winning a 4K GoPro and selfie-stick by taking a photo of themselves and adding the hashtag. This helped drive EMC’s presence around the conference and captured the attention of online audiences.
- Incorporate Varied Content – Think about the thought-leadership topics you would like to include throughout your session content. Does it reach different audiences like customers, partners and creatives? How can you balance content to match the cadence of news flowing out of the show floor to drive maximum impact?
- Consider Session Timing – Be sure to check out schedules for the on-stage presentations so that the larger-scale sessions don’t compete with your content. This is sometimes difficult to achieve but do your best based on the announced schedules for other companies.
- Leverage News in Meaningful Ways – If your company is making a significant announcement like a new customer or product feature, be sure to leverage parallel content sessions to capitalize on this news at the show. For example, if a new partnership is announced in the morning, host a mini presentation with that partner later in the day and invite media to attend. This will help solidify messaging and provide an opportunity for press to interview multiple participants.
NAB 2016 had over 103,000 registered attendees and featured 1,874 companies. With a show this massive, it is difficult to get a brand’s message heard and imperative that companies lead with content to drive brand awareness, booth foot traffic and sales.
This conference was a great success and here’s to seeing you at NAB 2017. Just remember to wear comfortable shoes. Your feet will thank you.
Last week Communiqué PR hosted a brown bag with Laurie Myer, the founder and owner of Myer Communications. Laurie is an expert in strategic communications and discovers new, creative ways to deliver results for her clients. At these brown bags, Communiqué PR has the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about how professionals in our field are evolving public relations strategies. One topic Laurie touched on that especially intrigued me is the challenge for many companies to generate and distribute content that is creative, compelling, consistent, all done in a way that will produce meaningful results.
Laurie mentioned one way for public relations firms to stay competitive is to focus on content creation across a multitude of channels and departments. For example, we are all familiar with blog posts, e-newsletters, website articles, case studies and e-books. But what new and exciting content distribution formats are available to reach and engage target audiences like never done before? In addition, how can we decipher which formats are appropriate for our clients’ industries to produce meaningful results that meet their communication and business objectives? Lastly, how can companies build customer communities through these new platforms?
The article in Content Marketing Institute, 8 Ways to Take a Fresh Approach to Content Formats answered my questions above and opened my eyes to some of the nontraditional platforms companies are beginning to utilize in order to increase audience engagement and reach. Below is a breakdown of the eight formats discussed in this article along with some powerful examples.
- Infographics: Although commonly used, infographics present a way to distribute content that is visually appealing for quick comprehension by breaking down concepts in a straightforward manner. One of our clients, Fierce Inc., released compelling survey results through creating an infographic. Not only does this illustrate study findings, it presents an opportunity for journalists and companies to quickly reference the data in third-party reports and articles.
- SlideShare Decks: SlideShare is a way to visually stimulate one’s audience and share content in smaller quantities that are easy to digest. SlideShare is owned by LinkedIn and has captured the attention of 70 million marketers. Here is a beginner’s guide to creating a SlideShare deck, with great tips and best practices to build a compelling presentation.
- Quizzes: Made extremely popular by BuzzFeed, quizzes have increased customer engagement, website traffic and according to HubSpot, is the number one way to generate leads.
- Live Streaming: Sharing content in the form of real-time video presents an exciting way to broadcast marketing content with instantaneous results. Marketers have visibility into the number of viewers, the number of likes and number of shares a video receives. Facebook, with the help of client Cape Productions, recently introduced Live Steaming capabilities, opening the door to opportunities for marketing, journalism and creative content sharing, to name a few.
- Video Storytelling: This includes sharing recent projects and company results in a video story takes your audience through the entire journey. It familiarizes viewers with your approach, strategy and results, all in a way that is engaging and entertaining. Video storytelling is very often utilized in advertising campaigns, Target and Coca Cola are two examples of companies who have excelled in digital storytelling.
- Instructographics: Very similar to infographics, instructographics break down material, but in a step-by-step, how-to format. Providing instructions helps your audience solve problems in a creative and manageable way. Not only will you have a happy viewer, you will become a trusted source of guidance and a resource for that person moving forward. B2C shared a great post on the difference between infographics, instructographics and data visualizations.
- Gamification: Distributing content in a game is a fun way to increase engagement through bringing a level of competition to traditional advertising, recruiting, marketing and goal tracking practices. ClickBlog created a list of their top 25 favorite examples of gamification in business.
- Podcasts: Although not a new concept, a large buzz is generated from podcasts given their ability to tell stories in an entertaining and easily consumable way. Companies can create vocal recordings that engage and take target audiences on the journey of a project, or even as simple as a spoken, systematic guide for solving business problems.
The above eight are only a few ways companies have started to increase their creative content marketing efforts to share and raise awareness around their brand and key messages. Other new and innovative platforms include hosting virtual conferences, developing mobile apps and many more!
Deciding which format to leverage your content to achieve the most meaningful results varies depending on the industry and needs of both the company and their target audiences. Lastly, the rate and cadence at which content is developed and disseminated needs to be consistent in order to be a powerful and credible resource for your audience.
I hope that this post has sparked inspiration around new ways to create and distribute content, feel free to share your techniques as well!
With social media becoming an increasingly effective PR and marketing tool, incorporating social media into a company’s business plan is no longer an option, but a necessity. Social media is an excellent way to provide information and have conversations with customers. It is a convenient medium to share what is happening with your company, exciting material, and news articles to your customers.
Following are four social media platforms that your business should be leveraging for PR and marketing purposes:
Twitter: With only 140 characters, Twitter is best used for delivering short and simple messages. Think of it as an elevator pitch – you only get a quick burst to engage your followers and entice them to spend more time looking through your feed or website. One particularly beneficial attribute that Twitter offers is convenience. The platform makes it easy for customers to get their simple questions answered in real-time, without the hassle of sending an email or calling into your company. People use Twitter as a way to stay up-to-date with their friends, sports teams, news and companies they find interesting. As a business you are able to share your status, a promotional deal, or a hashtag, to keep your customers caught up with what is happening with your business. If you are lucky, your post might just be the next viral trend!
Facebook: With the ability to share videos, pictures, links and messages without the character limits of Twitter, Facebook is a more versatile form of social media. Because Facebook is multifunctional it makes it easy to keep customers in the loop on upcoming events and company news articles. Facebook is becoming a more visual platform of social media, which has been extremely beneficial for some companies. For example, Buzzfeed’s “Tasty” Facebook page, which only posts videos, has gained over 52 million followers in less than a year. This is only one example of how adaptable Facebook can be for companies.
Instagram: In order to share a message on Instagram you must post a video or image, making it one of the more visual and eye-catching forms of social media. The picture you post can be behind-the-scenes, hinting at an upcoming project or a funny picture that relates to your company and your customers. Use an image to capture users’ attention about exciting new content, an interesting article, poll, competition or accomplishment, and link to more information on the post in the bio. This brings more traffic onto your Instagram page which will hopefully result in more followers and possibly even new customers.
Snapchat: Despite being one of the newer forms of social media, Snapchat has the potential to be one of the most rewarding, especially when trying to reach millennials. Through Snapchat, employees can share photos of the inner workings of their office, giving customers an exciting behind-the-scenes look. There is also an opportunity to hint at upcoming projects, share events, or even just casually interact with your followers. One of the unique qualities that Snapchat brings is the ability to be casual and show a company’s personality. This allows the follower to connect with the company on a more personal note. However, Snapchat is not the best social media platform for all companies; it is most beneficial for companies that are trying to reach the millennial generation.
Understanding your audience and which form of social media best suits your company may be difficult, however, once you find a rhythm, your company will begin to see the benefits of utilizing the platforms. Social media is an excellent way to keep your business top of mind among your target audiences and keep them engaged with your brand. It is also a great way to stay in touch with your customers by being able to answer questions and assist in addressing any concerns they may have. Social media should be incorporated into all companies’ PR and communications efforts because it offers additional exposure, attracts new customers, and engages consumers.