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.
In our constantly evolving world of technology, emerging platforms and, as a result, changes to how news and entertainment is consumed, have become the norm. Accordingly, PR and communications professionals are challenged with keeping pace and updating strategies to align with new media platforms.
Cision’s recent State of the Media 2016 Report takes a look at media trends, a crucial aspect of any communication strategy that PR pros must understand, and hone, in order to secure results on behalf of clients. The report, based on a survey of more than 300 print and digital journalists, highlights the four top media trends. Given the changing landscape, the following should be key considerations in PR and communications recommendations and strategies:
Mobile: 72 percent of Americans own a smartphone and media outlets are taking advantage. According to the survey findings, 92 percent of media outlets have or are currently adopting mobile-friendly Web design. As smartphone use continues to increase, pitching content that’s easily transferrable for this medium will increase PR professional’s pitch value. Visually appealing or easily digestible content are suggested.
Multimedia: The next most important trend is multimedia, according to 25.8 percent of the surveyed journalists. Multimedia content, such as infographics, helps with the above mentioned visual appeal, and helps differentiate content, as well as bring stories to life. Nearly half of the journalists indicated they include this type of content in their work, making it a key element to consider in any PR effort.
Native Advertising: Cision’s report also found native advertising’s importance among the surveyed journalist fell compared to last year, from 43 to 24.6 percent. There are conflicting opinions about native advertising within the industry, but regardless, it will be an important element for those in communications and media to monitor. Cision’s Media Research Team predicts that native advertising use and adoption will boom as traditional print publications continue to evolve.
Social Media: Finally, Cision found that 21 percent of the surveyed journalists use Twitter as a reporting tool and expect the platform to grow in value the most. Even though the report found social media to be a low-ranking trend—only 9 percent found social media to be the most important trend—this medium may be one of the most crucial elements to watch. New platforms and apps are constantly popping up, creating new opportunities for PR pros to communicate and reach target audiences.
Take for example, Periscope, Meerkat, and Snapchat, all of which have created new means to consume news and entertaining content in real-time. Nearly two-thirds of American adults use social media, making these mediums important ones to watch, particularly as they look to include publishers—in the way that Snapchat and Facebook have begun to share content in recent years.
As technology continues to change how we consume news—whether it’s via digital outlets, our mobile devices, or through social media platforms, PR pros will be challenged to adjust to the burgeoning influx of mediums and adjust strategies accordingly in order to be successful.
For more detailed findings, be sure to check out the full Cision report here.
In public relations, you’re constantly developing relationships with journalists and clients. Another relationship that is especially critical for PR practitioners to seek out is with a mentor.
The best mentors are a valuable professional asset and can serve as a sounding board to help guide you in your career.
Here are five dos and don’ts to get the most out of a mentor.
Do – Know your objectives: First things first, before approaching someone to be your mentor, you need to have a clear understanding of your goals and objectives. Do you want to become a better leader? Figure out why you’re not getting promoted at work? Ask yourself what personal areas you want to improve so you can determine how a mentor can help you accomplish your goals.
Don’t – Waste your mentor’s time: Come prepared to your meetings and be respectful of your mentor’s other commitments. Be open to all advice and suggestions and resist the urge to get defensive when critical feedback is provided. Ideally, mentors are also benefitting from this relationship so don’t hold back from expressing your opinions even if that means disagreeing with them. By challenging their beliefs, you’re offering a fresh perspective and earning their respect.
Do – Steal their Wi-Fi: I recently read Mindy Kaling’s book “Why Not Me?,” which included the essay “On Being a Mentor” from Kaling’s former boss Greg Daniels. Daniels is a writer, producer and director who has worked on such television series as “The Office” and “Saturday Night Live.” In his essay, one particular piece of advice comparing finding a mentor to borrowing someone’s Wi-Fi resonated with me:
“You take your mentoring where you can find it, even if it is not being offered to you. Have you ever used your neighbor’s Wi-Fi when it wasn’t on a password? If you have the opportunity to observe someone at work, you are getting mentoring out of them even if they are unaware or resistant. Make a list of people you think would make the greatest mentors and try to get close enough to steal their Wi-Fi.”
Even if you don’t formally ask someone to be your mentor, you can still learn a tremendous amount by simply surrounding yourself with people you admire and incorporating their work habits.
Don’t – Be afraid to move on: Like any relationship, sometimes you outgrow your mentor and that’s normal. While you may move from a weekly coffee date to the occasional “like” on a LinkedIn update, it’s important to thank mentors for their guidance and acknowledge the time they invested in your professional growth. Besides, this is PR and you never know if those relationships may prove useful in the future.
Do – Pay it forward: Look for ways you can share your newfound knowledge with rising PR professionals. By volunteering for a mentors program through your local PRSA chapter or other PR organizations, you’ll reinforce the lessons you’ve learned and have the opportunity to shape someone else’s career path.
Developing worthwhile mentor relationships take time, trust, and follow-through from both parties. Although it’s not an easy pursuit, the connection and experience gained by the mentor and mentee makes it more than worth the effort.
Just over a year ago, I walked into Communiqué PR to begin my journey as an intern. Despite having had previous public-relations internship experiences, I was anxious, as being the newbie is always unnerving. At the time, I was ready to work hard and learn lots but had no idea the abundance of information and opportunities that I would be privy to that have allowed me to grow to lengths beyond those I had imagined. As I soon find myself bidding adieu to Communiqué, I reflect back on a handful of the many insights and lessons that I have learned from my internship and will take me on my career journey – including the fact that time really does fly by.
Be vocal – As a new intern who wants to prove their capabilities, intelligence, and not seem like a bother, it is easy to want to try and figure everything out on your own. However, one of the easiest ways to fully maximize your internship experience is to tap into the brilliant brains of your superiors, many of whom have had years of experience in the industry dealing with tough situations. Using my past experiences as a benchmark, I found that public-relations agencies have many similarities but also many quirks and differences that make them what they are. Asking questions is extremely important, especially when you are just starting out, to ensure that you fully understand what is expected of you and just how the company operates as a whole. That being said, it is also important to utilize outside resources and conduct research when appropriate in order to answer more general questions. Being vocal also means knowing when to speak up and bring your own ideas to the table. Although intimidating to have a senior-level coworker asking you for your opinion or edits on their blog post, it is important to remember that two sets of eyes are almost always better than one and your opinion is going to be valued.
There is no “I” in team – The level of camaraderie and collaboration between one another at Communiqué was apparent to me from day one. Communiqué prides itself on strategic thinking in order to deliver results and exceed client expectations. You will find that everyone has checked their ego at the door in order to focus on benefitting the company as a whole. Being a smaller firm, the importance of supporting one another in every aspect is crucial to success. On a daily basis I observed colleagues working together, regardless of seniority, in order to ensure that only the best work was being produced. This collaborative work style also creates a workplace that is very transparent and that much more comfortable to be a part of. Actively listening, offering a hand whenever need be, and communicating clearly are important aspects of a great team member and skills that I will always keep top of mind in my work and personal life, as I have seen the exponentially positive impact that a well-oiled team can have on success at Communiqué.
Take risks – The purpose of an internship is to learn new things about an industry, as well as to learn new skills that will make you a highly sought after commodity when it comes to job recruiting. As humans, we all make mistakes and I have found that taking risks and often learning from your mistakes, or accomplishments, is the best way to expand your knowledge and allow yourself to grow. It is important to remember that an internship should be mutually beneficial for you and the company. While it is undoubtedly the main focus of a firm to focus on client needs and financial stability, there should also be a clause that allows the company to turn its attention to you, as the intern, in order to allow you to learn and take full advantage of your internship opportunity. I can honestly say that at Communiqué, I always felt as though the management team had my best interest at heart, and in turn I had the company’s best interest.
I feel extremely fortunate to have been a part of such a hardworking and supportive team at Communiqué. Each and every day at the office, I was presented with a new opportunity that allowed me to acquire insight into various aspects of the public relations industry and business as a whole. With my internship experience at Communiqué under my belt, I feel well equipped to move onto my next adventure.
When developing a PR strategy for our clients, one of the first questions we ask is, “Does the company and the CEO have a social media presence?” If the answer is yes, then we determine how we can amplify our results through those channels and assist in growing followers for the company and executive. If the answer is no, then we determine what type of voice and personality the company or spokesperson should have, what kind of material should be posted, and how frequently the content should be shared. Our goal often is to provide followers with meaningful and valuable content.
But in November 2015, I began wondering if there was value in being less active on social media. The reason being, Jeff Bezos has just posted his first tweet. Of course, Bezos is a household name and runs a major global corporation, so it would be expected that he would have an active presence on social media. Oddly enough, he didn’t. Since joining Twitter as a user in July of 2008, Bezos hadn’t tweeted until November of 2015, when his aerospace company Blue Origin had a successful launch and landing of a reusable rocket.
This got me thinking and I began comparing him to another prominent CEO and figure in the space and auto industry, Elon Musk. Unlike Bezos, Musk is very active on Twitter with over 1,700 tweets and 3.7 million followers. So the question was: Which approach is better? To better understand this let’s consider both CEOs.
Musk actively shares his vision for alternate forms of energy and getting to Mars. He heads two of the world’s most innovative and interesting brands—Tesla Motors and SpaceX—that consistently share their progress and developments. It makes sense that he would tweet frequently. Because he freely shares his opinions and has access to content people are intrigued by, this is the perfect combination for a successful Twitter handle.
Bezos, on the other, hand reflects Amazon’s approach to publicity. The company is notorious for being more secretive, so it makes sense that Bezos would do the same on his personal handle. Also, while Amazon is innovative and largely used, the company doesn’t have the same appeal as rockets and sports cars—maybe when they introduce the use of drones for delivery there will be more public interest. Regardless, it makes sense that Bezos saved his first tweet for an event that wasn’t just newsworthy, it was part of history.
So, the answer to which approach is better? Neither. While Twitter is an effective medium to share information and freely promote your business, opinions and interests, it still needs to remain authentic to the user. In this case, both CEOs have done this. While we wouldn’t recommend staying dormant for seven years on Twitter, take a page out of either Musk’s or (now active tweeter) Bezos’ playbooks: Approach social media in a way that feels natural and matches your personality.
For PR professionals, the backbone of every client relationship is a strategic plan that encompasses what your client is trying to achieve and how public relations can help support their overall goals. Creating a comprehensive plan is critical because it sets shared expectations and defines measureable results. A PR plan is typically comprised of three key elements: objectives, strategies and tactics. Seems simple enough, but understanding the difference between the three elements can be tricky – even seasoned PR pros occasionally refer to a tactic as a strategy. Following is a breakdown of what each element actually means.
Objectives
Objectives are tangible and should be achievable within a year or two. When creating an objective, keep the SMART acronym in mind: Is it specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-oriented?
Many PR plans include two sets of objectives – the company’s overall business objectives and the communication objectives that will help achieve them. Restating the business objectives ensures alignment on the company’s short-term goals and makes it easier to see how the communication objectives fit into the company’s strategy.
For example, if a technology company’s business objective is to execute a successful IPO by the end of 2017, one of its communication objectives may be to raise the CEO’s profile among potential shareholders.
Strategies
Strategies are general approaches used to achieve objectives. A PR plan typically includes three to eight strategies, depending on how complicated the objectives are. Strategies should be actionable and explain how you will accomplish the objective and why you are taking that approach.
Going back to the technology company example, strategies to help raise a CEO’s profile among potential shareholders could include:
- Pursue speaking opportunities at industry events to make the CEO known among key audiences
- Place contributed articles with technology trade publications to establish the CEO as an industry thought leader.
Tactics
Tactics are the activities that you or the team will implement to carry out each strategy. They are the day-to-day steps that will move the company forward towards reaching its overall objectives. Each tactic should help answer the question, what is the next step we will need to take to achieve the strategy?
Using the technology company example, the tactics that support placing contributed articles include identifying an article topic, interviewing the subject matter expert, outlining and drafting the article, pitching it to targeted news outlets, securing publication of the piece and making sure it is showcased on the company website.
Strategic planning is a critical first step towards achieving success across all areas of business. It is particularly important in public relations because ROI cannot be measured solely based on traditional metrics. A strategic plan ensures that there is a shared understanding of what you’re trying to achieve, how you plan to do it and how you’re going to measure success. Just make sure you’re grounded in the difference between objectives, strategies and tactics before diving into your next plan.
A few weekends ago, I read a book called Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg, a New York Times investigative reporter and the author of the best-selling book The Power of Habit.
Smarter Faster Better focuses on productivity and why some people and companies are so good at getting a lot done. Duhigg explores how motivation, goal setting, focus, decision-making and data play a role in one’s productivity.
The book is very well researched and written. The real-life examples animate his points. For instance, in the chapter on absorbing data, Duhigg cites studies that show when people interact with data they internalize it better. He writes about school teachers in Ohio who had fancy dashboards and data on each student, but simply reading reports or charts on each student‘s performance did not help them figure out how to teach better. They really wanted to see their students’ test scores improve, but they were overwhelmed with the data and did not know how to apply the information to see results in their classrooms.
When Ohio implemented the Elementary Initiative, each teacher in this underperforming school had to spend a couple of hours a week in a conference room filling out index cards on each student. At first, they thought it would be a waste of time. However, they were soon able to see patterns and trends they were unaware of before, and they adjusted their behavior in the classroom. Eight months later the kids sat for the yearly assessment test scores and the results were dramatic with overall scores more than doubling over the previous year.
I loved this example and began thinking about how to apply it to our business. We use SalesforceIQ to track business development activities, but looking at the charts on your computer is not the same as interacting with the data.
Motivated by Duhigg’s book, our team is now also keeping track of progress with potential new clients on index cards. Specifically, the manager leading the new business effort gets an index card and notes the stage of the deal in the sales cycle. We also track the size of the deal and record which of us will work on the new business pitch. Receiving an index card also symbolizes ownership.
The experiment with the index cards has been fun, and like the teachers in Ohio, we are able to see some new patterns that were not as apparent from looking at reports in SalesforceIQ. Our sales pipeline meetings have taken on new energy with more in-depth discussions and brainstorming.
If you have a spirit of continuous improvement or just want to learn more about the secrets of being productive, this book is a must-read.
Image by Elizabeth Alter