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.
Social media has dramatically changed the way organizations interact with customers and key audiences. Opportunities to engage directly and in real-time through social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs have given way to new levels of engagement with instant feedback.
As more organizations evaluate how to leverage social mediums, many are asking questions such as, “How do I measure the impact of social media for my organization and brand?” and “How can I extract insight from social mediums to help improve my business?”
While there are some tools that exist today that can help measure public sentiment and number of company or product mentions in the social media sphere, the practice of measuring the impact of social media is a work in progress and continues to evolve. A recent PR Week article explores the topic of social media measurement and reminds readers that, although social media measurement has come a long way there are still many questions left unanswered.
According to PR Week Editor Tonya Garcia, “Progress has been made on two key fronts: End users have raised their level of understanding the issue and the capabilities of measurement and monitoring technology have gotten better.” In addition, many social media measurement tools now provide information about the age, gender and location of the social media user and also enable companies to determine influencers and brand evangelists.
As a result of this progress, organizations now have access to better social media measurement tools. A few of the social media measurement tools that are helping organizations today include:
Visible Technologies – A provider of online brand management solutions for companies and individuals, Visible Technologies makes two systems for tracking conversations on the Web including TruCast and TruView.
Radian6 – Provides tools for real-time social media monitoring and analysis that lets users track keywords (names of brands, companies, products, competitors, etc.) on all forms of social media including blogs, video sharing Web sites, social networking sites, microblogging sites and more.
Cision Social Media Dashboard – A dashboard designed for PR professionals and marketers that captures data in real-time and delivers it to dashboard analysis widgets. You can set up e-mail alerts and search terms, sort social media coverage dynamically, analyze and compare volume of social media coverage, easily share reports and social media coverage with key stakeholders, and more
As these tools continue to evolve and offer more sophisticated features, organizations will have more opportunity to extract data and leverage customer feedback, measure public sentiment about their products and solutions and monitor competitors’ activities – which will no doubt help them better see the value and impact of social media.
Social media has dramatically changed the way organizations interact with customers and key audiences. Opportunities to engage directly and in real-time through social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs have given way to new levels of engagement with instant feedback.
As more organizations evaluate how to leverage social mediums, many are asking questions such as, “How do I measure the impact of social media for my organization and brand?” and “How can I extract insight from social mediums to help improve my business?”
While there are some tools that exist today that can help measure public sentiment and number of company or product mentions in the social media sphere, the practice of measuring the impact of social media is a work in progress and continues to evolve. A recent PR Week article explores the topic of social media measurement and reminds readers that, although social media measurement has come a long way there are still many questions left unanswered.
According to PR Week Editor Tonya Garcia, “Progress has been made on two key fronts: End users have raised their level of understanding the issue and the capabilities of measurement and monitoring technology have gotten better.” In addition, many social media measurement tools now provide information about the age, gender and location of the social media user and also enable companies to determine influencers and brand evangelists.
As a result of this progress, organizations now have access to better social media measurement tools. A few of the social media measurement tools that are helping organizations today include:
Visible Technologies – A provider of online brand management solutions for companies and individuals, Visible Technologies makes two systems for tracking conversations on the Web including TruCast and TruView.
Radian6 – Provides tools for real-time social media monitoring and analysis that lets users track keywords (names of brands, companies, products, competitors, etc.) on all forms of social media including blogs, video sharing Web sites, social networking sites, microblogging sites and more.
Cision Social Media Dashboard – A dashboard designed for PR professionals and marketers that captures data in real-time and delivers it to dashboard analysis widgets. You can set up e-mail alerts and search terms, sort social media coverage dynamically, analyze and compare volume of social media coverage, easily share reports and social media coverage with key stakeholders, and more
As these tools continue to evolve and offer more sophisticated features, organizations will have more opportunity to extract data and leverage customer feedback, measure public sentiment about their products and solutions and monitor competitors’ activities – which will no doubt help them better see the value and impact of social media.
A recent case study in Advertising Age examined Sharpie’s new campaign designed to encourage consumers to associate the Sharpie brand with creativity and expression. The goal of the “Uncap What’s Inside” campaign was to inspire consumers to “uncap” their creativity and express their individuality as a low-cost way to “accessorize their lives.”
Newell Rubbermaid – which owns the Sharpie brand – decided to take a new approach for the campaign that incorporated the company’s traditional print strategy with elements of social media via Flickr, Facebook, Twitter and a community Web site, sharpieuncapped.com, to showcase user-generated Sharpie creations.
“Traditionally we have had a really strong return from our print buys. That is why print continues to be a critical piece of our plan,” said Sally Grimes, vice president of global marketing for Newell Rubbermaid. “But I would say we absolutely acknowledge it’s a new world out there in how brands interact and engage with their consumers. And that’s a reason why social media has become part of our plan with our community site.”
We have help many of our own clients recognize the potential impact that social media can have on their brands. Social media gives organizations a new platform to actively engage with their customers, monitor perceptions about their brand and disseminate news and other information in an unfiltered way. More and more our clients are coming to us asking for counsel on how to develop and integrate a social media strategy into their existing PR and marketing plans.
Here are some things to consider if your organization is looking to dip their toes in the social media waters.
Know your business objectives – It’s important to understand that social media is another tool in the PR toolbox. Any social media initiatives should be tied directly to your organization’s overarching business objectives in order to have a positive impact.
Know the medium – Before establishing a presence, it’s critical to understand what type of audiences each social media platform attracts. For example, the audience for Twitter may be thought of as younger, technology savvy youth. However, because so many businesses and professionals are active on Twitter the age brackets with the highest number of users are 25 to 54 years old.
Anticipate what could go wrong – There are several widely-known examples of companies whose social media campaigns backfired. Because of the viral nature of social media, there is always a possibility a campaign could go sour. Consider possible worst-case scenarios and potential solutions before rolling out a campaign with social media elements.
For more information on developing a social media strategy send us an email at [email protected].
It recently became public knowledge that potential job candidates for the city of Bozeman, Mont., were being asked not only to reveal their online social media affiliations, but also release their username and passwords during the application process.
The request for applicants to submit their social media usernames and passwords has stirred mixed emotions with some individuals praising the city’s thoroughness while others claiming the city of Bozeman is invading the personal privacy of the applicants.
In a recent ReadWriteWeb blog post, writer Frederic Lardinois explores the issue further. He includes a quote from Greg Sullivan, the city’s attorney, to further explain why the city requested username and password information from applicants.
Greg says “So, we have positions ranging from fire and police, which require people of high integrity for those positions, all the way down to the lifeguards and the folks that work in city hall here. So we do those types of investigations to make sure the people that we hire have the highest moral character and are a good fit for the City.”
While the city may have had good intentions, public reaction has been negative and brought on a slew of media attention. The city’s application process caught the attention of several local reporters as well as national outlets including the New York Times, U.S. News & World Report and Human Resource Executive Online.
Whether it was the public outcry or simply a change of heart, on June 19 the city of Bozeman revised its application process. As a result, applicants are no longer required to submit social media usernames and passwords on their application.
This story is a great reminder of two things. The first, is hiring processes and policies can easily reach the eyes and ears of the public. If these policies are perceived negatively, it can quickly create bad publicity, build a negative image of your company and brand, and hinder recruiting efforts. If your organization is faced with bad publicity, remember to first gather facts to ensure you are prepared to answer questions; however, it is important to respond quickly and truthfully
The second reminds jobs seekers that more organizations are looking online at social sites like Facebook and Twitter to gather more information about candidates. As a best practice, professionals should refrain from posting anything online that you would not be comfortable having your employer see.
A radio media tour (RMT) is defined as a series of interviews offered to radio stations throughout the country during a specific time period. RMTs are typically conducted via telephone with radio reporters, news producers or talk show hosts. The interviews are either live or taped and typically last about 10 minutes.
While RMTs are great for companies and organizations that are trying to convey a complex message to a specific audience and demographic, the success of RMTs depend on a variety of factors.
According to a PRWeek article, these factors primarily include relevance and choosing the right spokesperson. The story should be timely and encompass a broad topic or trend that a broad audience can easily grasp. For example, let’s say your client was looking to raise consumer awareness around a new smartphone device, you could consider pitching an RMT around ways to quickly organize your life and include details about how the device helps consumers and professionals stay organized.
Lining up the right spokesperson is also important to ensure a successful RMT. The spokesperson should be credible, have wide audience appeal and be relatable. Let’s take the same example of the getting organized RMT. Rather than having an executive from the device manufacturer serve as the spokesperson, you might consider finding a well-known organizational expert who can offer useful tips (including your product) on how to quickly get your life organized. Recruiting an expert can be a win-win situation because it gives them a chance to promote their expertise and lends credibility to your story.
When executed properly, RMTs provide a “cost-effective means of additional insight to a company’s story.” In order to implement a successful RMT, consider the following:
Craft a Compelling News Hook. Like any pitch or story, an RMT should have a sharp news hook that resonates with a broad audience. In order to capture the audience’s attention, make sure the topic is timely and is tied to a broad trend or breaking news. According to Richard Strauss, president of Strauss Radio Strategies, pitching issues that are tied to breaking news, health stories, the economy and the environment are popular with radio stations right now.
Localize the Story. When pitching a story to regional radio outlets, it is important to localize the story. Keep in mind, regional radio often targets not just a specific media market, but also a segment of the market. For example, a regional radio show might specifically target soccer moms or business entrepreneurs.
Set your Spokesperson Up for Success. To ensure a successful RMT, it’s critical that your spokesperson – whether it’s a company executive or third-party expert – is well-prepared. This means conducting media training to ensure they’re grounded in the key messages and practice delivering those messages with mock interviews. In addition, you may want to consider developing an FAQ to outline some of the tough questions you anticipate the radio reporter will ask. This is especially important when preparing for a live interview. To learn more about preparing for interviews, visit our post entitled, “The Importance of Preparing before an Interview,” by clicking here.
RMTs can be a great vehicle for reaching a broad audience in a cost-effective way. Unlike on-camera interviews, RMTs do not require costly preparation such as travel, makeup, and extensive equipment. And while the time involved for spokespeople may require approximately three to four hours, it’s time well spent to secure a handful of wide-reaching radio interviews.
Many of us know or have experienced the benefits of networking. Actively fostering existing relationships and building new ones can lead to new business leads, job opportunities or help you recruit new talent to your organization. It also provides individuals the opportunity to increase their knowledge and skill set and build their reputation in a particular area or industry. For example, ask yourself if you have ever secured a new business lead from a friend or been offered a job because someone you knew put in a good word. Chances are you have reaped the benefits of networking at least once or twice in your professional life.
With the national unemployment rate at 9.7 percent, many professionals are relying on networking to help them land their next job. People are connecting with old colleagues and buildnew relationships in order to grow their business during these tough economic times.
Author Anne Subervi explored this topic in a recent PR Week article that reminds professionals that networking can help fuel business. Subervi also says, “In PR, it’s all about who you know and managing your reputation.” This advice certainly applies for all industries, not just PR. She continues, “Keeping relationships strong can save you when times like these take a toll on your business.”
So how can you make the most out of your networking activities? Whether you are a networking pro or a networking newbie, here are a few best practices to keep in mind to help you make every encounter a success.
Establish your objectives in advance. Just as you would for any meeting, it is important to prepare in advance of a networking event or encounter. Write down your objectives and be clear about the purpose of your meeting. Think about the questions you want to ask as well as how you will answer questions you receive about yourself and your background.
Be an active participant. When you are attending a networking event or meeting an old colleague for coffee, remember to be an active participant in the discussion. Ask open-ended questions that spur conversation, listen and add value. Similar to a job interview, you should look for ways to demonstrate your skills and abilities in a meaningful way.
Be authentic. Building new relationships requires authenticity. A genuine approach will serve you better in the long term so do not try to be something you are not or overpromise on what you can deliver.
Contribute to the relationship. Successful networking relationships provide both parties with value – an equal give and take. Think about ways you can help the other person. In some instances, this may include making an introduction to another colleague or offering a new business referral.
Follow up and follow through. One of the most critical aspects of networking is the follow up and follow through. For example, if an old colleague has taken time out of his or her day to meet you for coffee, be sure to send a thank you note and follow through with any action items discussed. When you drop the ball, it not only tarnishes your reputation, but it also makes the individual less likely to help you again in the future.
These best practices will help ensure you are making the most out of each networking activity. If you have any additional tips, we’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment and start a discussion.