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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.

Going Beast Mode on PR: Three Lessons From Seahawks Player Marshawn Lynch

Amid the excitement of the Seattle Seahawks’ run to the playoffs, the team’s explosive running back Marshawn Lynch was fined $100,000 for violating the NFL’s media policy, which requires players to speak with the media after practices and after games.

There’s been much debate about the fairness of the NFL’s policy and whether players should be “forced” to speak with the media. On one hand, many feel that Lynch, who is clearly uncomfortable in interview situations, should be left alone and allowed to do what he does best: play football. Others believe that rules are rules and part of Lynch’s job description as a professional football player in the National Football League requires him to fulfill his media duties.

No matter what side of the argument you’re on, here are three lessons we can all learn from the Seahawks’ most reluctant spokesperson:

No matter the question, find a way to transition to your key messages:  So maybe Lynch’s message delivery could use a little refinement and his single-word and mono-phrase responses take the consistent messaging rule a little too literally. However, his recent interactions with the media are a great example of half of the “ATM” method for fielding questions of all sorts: Address the question and Transition to your core Message. Lynch has his messages down, but what company spokespeople should take away is the need to address even unwanted questions and skillfully transition to the key messages that they want to relay. This takes practice and adroit spokespeople know how to communicate the gist of their messages in multiple ways so that they avoid sounding repetitive.

Develop a deep bench of spokespeople: According to the NFL’s media policy, players (there are 53 on a team’s active roster, though only 46 are eligible to suit up for games), the head coach and assistant coaches must make themselves available to speak with the media. As one of the Seahawks’ star players, it’s no wonder Lynch is in high demand. But with so many other players and coaches available to do interviews does he really need to be put in the media hot seat? The lesson here for companies is to ensure that you have multiple people within your organization – from the CEO to product experts – trained to speak with the media.

Find other avenues to communicate your messages: Traditional print, broadcast, and online media are not always the best ways to reach your target audiences. For some companies social media may be a better medium. And within social media, not all networks or platforms may be optimal for reaching the right decision makers and influencers. When developing your communications programs and campaigns, know where your key audiences are. In Lynch’s case, while he may be unwilling to speak with reporters, he (or his proxy) is active on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram where there appears to be high engagement with his followers and fans. Arguably, they could be Lynch’s most important audience.

There’s a lot of speculation about why Lynch shies away from the media, but one thing is certain: His actions on the football field do the talking for him.

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History Provides Insights That Can Help Shape Successful Strategies

George Bernard Shaw famously wrote, “We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.” Even the most cursory review of our society’s recent history would prove his sentiment. However, smart business people know that historical perspective is key to achieving success.

The start of a new year provides the perfect excuse for the busiest of us to pause and reflect on the year we’ve just left behind.  This simple exercise allows us to better understand what worked, what didn’t work and what have we yet to try—and if you’re in the business of PR, you know there’s always something new to try!

Last month we spent time looking back at work we conducted in 2014 on behalf of our client Mobidia.  Mobidia is a mobile analytics provider with the largest global sample of smartphone and tablet users. The company provides unique insights into mobile trends. Its data is highly valued because it is based on real usage from real mobile users on both cellular and Wi-Fi networks, providing a comprehensive understanding of what people do and value in the mobile world.

Upon reflection, we learned that trustworthy research and timely data were the most successful drivers of awareness about the company and its offerings—especially when combined with targeted media outreach. We also learned that a steady stream of news continued to drive awareness with journalists about Mobidia’s data and that we could be more effective by proactively providing data around hot news cycles rather than reaching out with general messages about the availability of mobile usage data or to gauge a particular writer’s interest in receiving data.

Over the year, we worked with Mobidia to develop and distribute 10 press releases, many of which were based on solid industry research developed in collaboration with trusted partners such as Yankee Group, IHS and ABI Research. Building off of learnings from 2013, Mobidia’s research and insights were focused on mobile usage research that would appeal to journalists and analysts covering markets including telecom, retail, mobile gaming, and social messaging.

In addition to securing coverage through press releases, we placed Mobidia’s data in articles associated with hot news cycles by providing journalists with charts that could easily be dropped into a story to prove or disprove a particular theory or provide visual support for a topic. We used this strategy successfully to secure inclusion of Mobidia’s insights in articles covering Facebook’s purchase of WhatsApp, Wi-Fi usage trends in the U.K., and the competition between Uber and Lyft, among other topics.

Using what we learned from 2013 to help guide our strategy for 2014, we achieved more than 180 articles and mentions for Mobidia, not including article reposts. In addition, we secured more than 10 briefings with journalists and analysts—independent of a news release or cycle—many of which have contributed to the company’s bottom line by driving sales of the company’s data.

Here are just a few coverage highlights from the year:

Looking forward to 2015, we will build on the successes of 2014, providing targeted and relevant data and research to an audience hungry for data that can help businesses—and media—better understand the people they are trying to reach. In addition, we plan to capitalize on Mobidia’s new app leaderboard and data infographics which have only recently been made available on the company’s web site. Finally, we look forward to incorporating new, consumer-facing strategies into the mix, such as the development of a consumer survey or social media campaign to generate awareness about the company’s data management app My Data Manager.

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Best Practices for Online Surveys

When is the last time you participated in survey? Chances are it was recent. As the New York Times points out, businesses are clamoring for your input, and “their requests for feedback, like relentless tugs on the sleeve, now seem to come with every purchase, every call to a customer service department and every click of a mouse that is followed with a pop-up ad pleading with users to take a survey about the ‘Web site experience.’”

Just yesterday I had three different requests to provide feedback on a variety of things – my ordering experience for holiday cards, my recent experience with car service provided by Carter Volkswagen, and my perspective on 2015 PR business.

Beyond getting a sense of customer satisfaction or perspective, surveys can be a wonderful fodder for PR campaigns. Just check out this case study published by the Bulldog Reporter about how an SAP company leveraged a single survey to drive more than 54 articles, many in top-tier news outlets, as well as to secure more than 1100 visits to its web page, and generate 41 leads and approximately 800 report downloads.

As we look to the coming year, we have several clients who have interesting survey data to release or who have plans to design, develop and implement a survey to position their company as a news source. It was with this in mind that I thought it would be helpful to revisit best practices for survey development. Here are my tips:

1) Know your objectives for gathering the information.

The folks at Survey Monkey suggest that you spend a few minutes thinking about “the point you are trying to prove, or the question you’re trying to answer.” Having clarity around what you are trying to achieve and how you will use the information will have a significant impact on the types of questions you ask.

For instance, let’s say you want to know how people feel about their cellphone bills. The first thing you should figure out is why you and others in the media might be interested in this information. Is it because bill shock impacts a large percentage of Americans or cellphone users? Or because more kids are getting mobile phones at a young age and don’t understand how they can run up a surprisingly high bill?

2) Carefully design your questionnaire.

Make sure your survey length is appropriate. With a longer survey (more than 20 minutes in length to complete) you run the risk of respondent fatigue, which can impact response quality. Some market research experts believe “if researchers work to keep surveys shorter, it will not only help ensure response quality, but it will also make for more motivated and responsive respondents.” Keep in mind, “yes/no” questions can be good because they can be very quickly answered and are easily quantified. Other easy, and often important, questions might include participant gender, age and geographic location.

It is also important to minimize question bias. Question bias is the ability of a question’s wording or format to influence respondents’ answers. For example Stephen Colbert is a master of inserting the question bias with his question:  “George W. Bush: Good president? Or best president ever?”

3) If possible, make it a statistically significant sample.

For many researchers, the decision about sample size comes down to a decision between what is theoretically picture-perfect and what is realistically feasible. It would be realistically impossible, not to mention ridiculously expensive, to survey the entire population. A random probability sample is truly representative of a population, and the larger a probability sample is, the more accurate it is. The bottom line is that samples that are too large may waste time, resources and money, while samples that are too small may lead to inaccurate results. Given this, you may want to enlist the help of a statistician with a market research firm or use an online sample-size calculator. Survey Monkey has a good one.

Lastly, remember when you are publicizing your findings, you are likely to receive questions from journalists about your sample size and methodology.

4) Determine how you’ll recruit and incent people to respond.

There are many ways to do this. For instance, Tiny Prints recently sent me a survey with the goal of improving its stationery shopping experience. In appreciation for my feedback, Tiny Prints offered to send me $20 off my next order of $49.99. I am sure the lure of an additional $20 off will motivate some people to take the survey. Beyond offering a discount for a future purchase, you might consider sending recipients a gift card or reward one respondent with a prize.

5) Analyze results and package them into a story.

Once you have the data, make sure you spend time carefully analyzing it. You not only need to make sense of the numbers, but you need to be able to explain why they are important. For instance, if you find out that 50 percent of all families have experienced bill shock, you may also want to explain why this is significant and the impact this bill shock has on their finances.

The bottom line is that the information gleaned from surveys can be very powerful when used in well considered PR campaigns. Survey data can back up claims in press releases and pitches, may be the basis for an entire campaign, or can be used for graphics. The next time you’re brainstorming ideas for your client, make sure you think about conducting research via a survey and keep these tips in mind!

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Infographic: 5 PR Takeaways From Social Media 2014

Before getting too settled into the new year, it’s always wise to take a look back at last year to see what we can learn moving forward. In that spirit, I thought to share an infographic I stumbled across from digital marketing agency Didit that offers a nice, concise wrap-up of social media in 2014. Some of the findings you’ve probably heard before—social media continues to thrive, mobile is huge and Facebook reigns—but others likely not so much.

Below I’ve listed a handful of key facts from the infographic and, for PR pros, a takeaway for each to consider in 2015:

1. Tumblr and Pinterest grew the fastest in 2014, at respective growth rates of more than 120 percent and more than 110 percent.

PR takeaway: Due to their rising popularity, you may want to consider leveraging Tumblr and Pinterest for your brand or business if you haven’t already—we offer some tips for using Pinterest here and here. Note also that a major reason why Tumblr and Pinterest are so popular is their visual appeal, chockfull of images, videos and other media. If you haven’t caught on that multimedia is imperative to effective content, you’re behind the curve. Studies have shown that adding multimedia to your content can increase visibility up to 10x, so be sure to always include engaging multimedia elements in your efforts.

2. Tumblr, Pinterest and especially Snapchat have younger audiences than Facebook. Seventy percent of Tumblr and Pinterest’s users are 16–34 years, 71 percent of Snapchat’s users are under 25, and 25 percent of Facebook’s users are over 45.

PR Takeaway: Mind the age gap when creating and distributing social media content. Teens flock to Snapchat, young adults seem to go for Tumblr and Pinterest while Facebook reaches across the board and above. To have the most impact, you’ll want to think about the audience for which you’re aiming and choose a platform accordingly—or, better yet, craft and tailor your content specifically to a particular network’s audience.

3. Facebook is still the #1 social media network with 1.35 billion active users. Its users also log in more frequently—but the company admits its organic reach is poor.

PR Takeaway: Even with limited organic reach, you can’t ignore Facebook’s massive audience in favor of newer, trendier social networks altogether. Facebook should still be a part of your social media toolkit—just make sure it’s not the only tool in the box. As far as improving organic reach, you’ll want to focus on crafting your posts in a way optimizes their visibility. More on that here.

4. Multi-networking is huge, with 91 percent of people visiting YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Google+ in the past month, and one in five checking out all four.

PR Takeaway: This, to me, is one of the bigger takeaways in showing the value of an omnipresent social media strategy. Going back to the idea of a well-stocked toolkit, you’ll want to make sure to have a presence on multiple social networks to maximize reach and visibility. Reaching the same user across multiple platforms—as opposed to just one—also increases brand recognition, making your brand more familiar to that user and promoting it as one to watch.

5. Four in 10 use a mobile phone to access social media, and it’s quickly becoming a go-to device.

PR takeaway: We’ve all heard time and time again that mobile is exploding, and here’s more proof that it’s time to listen. In 2015, mobile will continue to become less of an afterthought and instead take center stage, meaning you’ll want to think of ways to harness mobile in your campaigns. When developing content, be sure also to consider how it will appear on a mobile device, and format accordingly to be most effective.

For more insights, be sure to check out the full infographic below, courtesy of Didit:

 

Source: Didit (www.didit.com).
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New Year’s Resolutions PR Pros Should Consider

Every January about one in three Americans make resolutions to eat healthier, hit the gym more and manage their stress better, among other self-improvement goals. This year, PR pros may want to consider adding a few of the following professional goals to their list of resolutions as well.

  1. Tap into your creative side. People remember what they see more often than what they read, so including a visual element in your pitches, press releases and blog posts will grab your audience’s attention more effectively. This year, skip the stock photos and create a unique visual element to help tell your story. Did you include data in your press release? Visualize it in a chart or graph. Does your pitch describe how your client helped one of their customers? Include photos of the customer in action, or better yet a short video clip.
  2. Meet new people. In the public-relations industry, maintaining professional relationships and building new ones can lead to new business leads, increase your skillset, help recruit new talent to your agency and build your reputation. Despite the numerous benefits, making time to network is often easier said than done. In 2015, ensure that you meet your networking goals by signing up for conferences in advance and joining professional groups that hold regular meetings. If you’re not sure how to find local professional groups, Meetup can be a great resource.
  3. Learn from last year’s campaigns. It can be easy to jump into 2015 without a second thought to what happened last year, but sometimes it’s best not to leave the past behind. This January, take some time to look back on 2014 and analyze your efforts. Which campaigns were the most successful? What made them such a hit? Which efforts didn’t garner the results you were hoping for? What could have been done differently? Make note of your successes so you can repeat those actions, and identify what didn’t work so you don’t repeat your mistakes.
  4. Plan strategically. As PR becomes more integrated with marketing, it’s important to consider every aspect of a campaign—measurement, target audiences, objectives and more—from a marketing perspective. In 2015, make strategic planning a priority by ensuring every campaign aligns with the company’s overall goals and marketing messages.
  5. Measure your progress. There are a variety of different ways to measure success in PR, and every client values different measurement methods. As you nail down your quarterly plans for 2015 with each client, be sure to identify which metrics matter the most to them. Then find a tool that effectively measures those metrics so your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.

These are just a few of the many New Year’s resolutions PR pros can make. What PR-related resolutions have you set for yourself?

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Founded by Former Microsoft Data Executives, Parllay Launches to Help Fuel Social Media Management

Much to the dismay of marketers around the globe, the social media landscape has become extremely crowded and noisy. Today, there is an over-abundance of social tools available that include monitoring, analytics and publishing for brands and agencies to drive and manage brand engagement. What has been missing is a way to unify all the disparate platforms into one suite that combines audience engagement, content discovery, and publishing from first interaction to sales.

While Microsoft has been at the forefront of technology over the last several decades, perhaps one of the most valued and less publicized contributions to the tech community comes in the talent they help to produce. Parllay CEO Tarek Najm was the founder of Microsoft AdCenter and the Bing Knowledge Web, and also served as a technical fellow when he left the company to form Parllay, a new social engagement company that launched this month.

Parllay uses semantic knowledge to connect content and display it in an elegant way for brands and agencies to curate content on social channels. Najm created an integrated social media platform that helps brands cut through the social clutter, establish meaningful relationships with their customers, and build branded communities at scale. He founded Parllay to unify fragmented tools and provide brands the ability to create their own social channels, blending user-generated and editorial content in a beautiful online medium.

As a result of our product launch campaign, Communiqué helped to secure the following results this month for Parllay.

Original Articles (11):

Press Release Reprints (8+):

 

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