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.
Pinterest has increased its presence as a tool for businesses with the recent release of business Pinterest pages. On March 12 this year, the site announced it would continue to build on this trend with the introduction of Pinterest Web Analytics. This valuable new tool will allow anyone with a verified website to see how many people have pinned from your sight, how many people have seen these pins, and how many people have visited your site from Pinterest (source: Pinterest).
What does this mean for PR managers?
Well, if you’re currently executing a Pinterest campaign or thinking about suggesting one for a client, you’ll now have a way to measure results. Here are three examples of how it can work.
Create Pinterest friendly content
If you’re responsible for creating content for a client’s website and have been focusing on a more Pinterest-friendly approach (i.e., featuring infographics on the company blog, adding “Pin It” buttons to images, etc.), you’ll be able to deliver the client metrics around how these efforts are paying off.
For example, if you are working on social media for an app developer and you’ve added a “Pin It” button to screen shots of apps on the company website, you’ll be able to track if these images are getting re-pinned, how many times they’re re-pinned, and how many people are visiting the company’s site as a direct result of Pinterest.
Launch a Pinterest page
With the roll out of business Pinterest pages, quite a few brands have jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon (Etsy, Mashable and General Electric all have large Pinterest presences).
If you’ve recently helped a client launch a Pinterest page, you can now deliver precise numbers on how much website traffic Pinterest is generating for a client’s website. Pinterest often spreads content virally with captions like “Need this!” that can get re-pinned by thousands; now you know how many people are spreading a client’s Pinterest content, and how much of this is resulting in direct website traffic.
Execute a Pinterest campaign
If Pinterest is an integral part of the social media plan you’re executing for a client, you’ll now be able to pinpoint and measure what worked – and what didn’t.
For example, say you’re executing a Pinterest campaign for an online clothing company to draw more viewers to the company blog. For this campaign, you might consider “Pinning” a variety of different things from the company blog – images of the clothing, lifestyle images, typography, video, etc. With Pinterest Web Analytics, you can now directly measure what content drew the most visitors to the blog, and what didn’t. This knowledge not only helps you accurately report success metrics to your client, but also gives you a knowledge base to frame future strategies.
Communiqué PR is a strategic communications firm, so our main currency is words. However, as a team, we’re extremely results driven – ROI is an important part of all the work we do for clients. Anyone in public relations and communications can appreciate that it’s difficult to track some metrics communications activities – how do you measure the impact of an executive’s industry thought leadership on a business? How do you measure the value of a Facebook like?
Because of the sometimes immeasurable nature of communications, we’re excited to see sites like Pinterest roll out analytics that can help inform and validate social media campaigns.
If you’ve made use of Pinterest Web Analytics since its release, let us know about your experience below.
For more on Pinterest from Communiqué, look to:
The Rise of Pinterest: Can It Benefit Businesses?
Ground Rules for Harnessing the Power of Pinterest
Honda’s Pinterest Campaign Encourages Pinners to “Take a Break”
This week, the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism released its annual State of the News Media report. Not surprisingly, the findings were dismal for some traditional news outlets. Local TV ratings across the country saw a steep decline, losing 6.6 percent of their audience over the previous year. Readership at local newspapers held steady, though circulation overall is still down more than 11 million readers over the past decade. For the first time since 1978 fewer than 40,000 full time reporters remain in newspaper newsrooms.
So where have all the readers, viewers and journalists gone? To digital media, according to Pew. In 2012 traffic to the top 25 online news sites increased 7.2 percent and 39 percent of the people in the survey received their news from a mobile device within the last day. In terms of journalists leaving newsrooms, one place they be finding jobs is the offices of PR firms. A recent analysis of census bureau data by Robert McChesney and John Nichols found that public relations pros outnumber journalists by a ratio of more than 3 to 1.
So what does this decline in traditional news delivery systems mean? Here are a few of my thoughts.
- We’ve seen the decline in news outlets over the past few years and now we are seeing declines in staffing in the surviving newsrooms. From a PR perspective, this means fewer reporters to pitch story ideas to and more competition among other PR pros trying to get placements for their clients. As a news consumer it is troubling to me that there are fewer trained reporters to dig deep, seek truth, and investigate thoroughly..
- Businesses and organizations today have greater opportunity to reach their audiences more directly than ever before. As increasing numbers of us have turned online to fill the void of news reporting, there are an infinite number of ways for organizations to leverage online and social media to get their messages directly to their audiences without a third party filter. Content marketing using blogs, advertorials, videos and sponsored posts are gaining traction among company marketing departments and also news consumers. There are many opportunities for storytellers (i.e., former journalists) to bring credibility to this growing industry by transferring not only their creative skills but also their training in ethics and integrity.
- There is a blurring of the line between word-of-mouth and journalism. Confidence in the reporting that traditional news outlets distribute is declining (48 percent of those interviewed for the Pew study said coverage was not as thorough as before) while most respondents (71 percent) said the most common way to get news is through a friend of family. Most then go seek out the article themselves.
I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts of the implications of the pivot in the news media industry. Is this just a natural disruption of a tired old industry? Is the decline in traditional reporting dangerous to democracy? What are the opportunities and pitfalls for companies trying to navigate the rapid change and get their messages heard?
By now, you’ve likely heard about the Carnival Triumph debacle: In early February, the Carnival Triumph cruise ship was on day three of a four-day outing when a fire broke out in the engine room and the ship lost power, leaving passengers and crew members stranded on the stalled ship in the Gulf of Mexico. Tug boats began towing the ship toward Mobile, Ala., after it was decided that towing it to Progreso, Mexico, would not be the best option, given the ship drifted northward in currents and many passengers did not have passports.
Through social media and communications with family members and friends who contacted news outlets, it became clear that living conditions on the ship were less than favorable (and potentially dangerous). From human waste to sleeping on mattresses dragged into common areas on the vessel, along with limited food supply and waning patience, the situation – and the public’s perception – deteriorated quickly.
Regardless of your company’s industry, there are a few lessons to be learned in handling a crisis:
- Prepare in advance. You can’t control whether a crisis situation will happen or not, so it’s best to be prepared for the worst case scenario. Identify all (or most) of the potential issues your company could experience and develop an overarching reactive plan (or multiple plans) to address them. These plans should include some standard components:
- Determine roles and responsibilities, such as identifying spokesperson(s), assigning materials development, naming approvers for statements and other public-facing materials, etc.
- Set the communication channels, like Twitter, Facebook, direct mail, the company blog, etc. This will differ based on your audience, so make sure it’s an outlet they’re familiar with and in a format they prefer.
- Identify who is in charge. This person will assign tasks, determine priorities and next steps, and manage the issue. This should be someone who has authority to make decisions quickly.
- Outline general reactive statements (example below) and include a FAQ to handle potential media questions and inquiries.
- Communication is key. In a crisis situation, a company has a number of audiences with which to communicate: affected customers, media, company stakeholders, the general public and more, depending on the situation, company and industry. Communication should be tailored to each audience as much as possible and given in a timely manner. What constitutes timely? In the current 24/7 news cycle, when word travels globally within minutes thanks to social media, timely means as soon as you know about the issue. You don’t need to know all the details, but an immediate response, even if it’s as simple as, “We heard about X problem and we are working to investigate. We’ll provide more details and guidance as we learn more. We apologize for this inconvenience,” can work wonders. Carnival’s CEO Gerry Cahill didn’t apologize until two days after the issue, and passengers reported getting news slowly from staff while onboard the ship.
- Remain truthful. Prevent a situation going from bad to worse by being honest, even if the information isn’t positive. From investigative reporters to savvy customers, and even employees who like to share information, the truth will eventually come to light. And if your company isn’t holding the microphone when it does, the situation is guaranteed to get worse. What’s worse than a company having a crisis? A company having a crisis where facts trickle out slowly and diverge from statements being given to media. Not only will the company have a negative perception to change, it will also have to rebuild customer trust. Additionally, the accuracy of any future statements, details or information provided will be questioned.
- Investigate. It’s always a best practice to investigate any kind of crisis that arises. Whether it’s a security breach, a downed website or a stalled cruise ship, it’s imperative that the company investigate what caused the issue, how it was resolved and how it will be prevented in the future. Following an investigation, some companies like to publish a post mortem that highlights these details and reiterates the company’s commitment to quality. Amazon Web Services does a great job publishing post mortems following service outages.
- Be human. Lastly, while you’re concerned about your company’s image, gathering details on the issue, communicating with internal stakeholders and other factors, don’t forget to be human. Show empathy, apologize, acknowledge the magnitude of the situation and reaffirm your commitment to customers. When a crisis happens, you’re suddenly the goldfish swimming around while everyone else watches everything you do. Don’t say anything you don’t mean – the public can identify an insincere statement in a flash – but don’t be afraid to show remorse.
What other best practices would you offer to companies dealing with a crisis? How have you successfully managed them in the past?
Does it make sense to measure impact?
This was the subject of a recent article in Harvard Business Review. The article shares the stories of three organizations – Acumen Fund, Robin Hood Foundation, and Millennium Challenge Corporation – aiming to make a major impact on the lives of individuals, including reducing cases of malaria and fighting poverty.
Although these thoughtful organizations seek to assess their programs, none of them measure their impact directly. Knowing the direct results of each organization’s efforts, such as the number of cases of malaria reduced due to mosquito nets distributed in Africa, would be ideal. But this type of measurement is too costly, so these organizations stick to what they can realistically measure, such as how many mosquito nets were distributed, and then, based on research, make an educated guess about overall impact.
One section of the article sums up the author’s opinion on measurement:
Surely measuring impact matters but we need to be realistic about the constraints. It requires a level of research expertise, commitment to longitudinal study, and allocation of resources that are typically beyond the capabilities of implementing organizations. It is crucial to identify when it makes sense to measure impacts and when it might be best to stick with outputs — especially when an organization’s control over results is limited, and causality remains poorly understood.
So what lessons can PR practitioners learn from these organizations? In PR, measurement is key to long-term success and, like the above organizations, the type of measurement can vary according to client needs.
For example, client goals can include changing the perception of a company, person, product or idea. Measurement, in this case, can be a fuzzy and difficult task but there are ways to measure output, as the article mentions, and then apply what we already know (size and type of target audience, etc.) to assess the impact of our programs in a meaningful way.
At Communiqué PR, we follow four important yet simple guidelines for measuring impact of a PR program:
1) Develop tangible objectives that are indeed measurable. Don’t seek out a PR goal that isn’t measurable in the first place. If your goal is to “change perception,” you must first clarify what that means in realistic terms.
2) Develop measurements that include both quantity (i.e., number of articles) and quality (i.e., inclusion of key messages) metrics.
3) Work with clients to understand their measurement expectations and work within those guidelines.
4) Communicate often with clients so that they are educated on the process and the outcomes. No surprises are good surprises.
How do you measure the impact of your PR programs? Please let us know what you do. In addition, for more on this topic, please look at our previous posts:
- Measuring Media Relations Takes a Multifaceted Approach
- Measuring the Value of PR
- The Purpose of Measurement
- Measuring ROI in Social Media
At Communiqué PR we are on a quest to be the strongest PR agency in Seattle – in more ways than one. How? By challenging ourselves to do 100 consecutive push-ups, which we referenced in Monday’s post on sparking creative culture.
For this challenge, we’re talking real, on-your-toes-not-on-your-knees push-ups. Our training began a few weeks ago and almost immediately, all of us saw improvement in the number of push-ups we could do. It will still take some time before we can do 100 consecutive push-ups, but we’re well on our way.
Our push-ups challenge got me thinking that there are a few connections between building a solid PR program and working toward 100 consecutive push-ups:
PR, like push-ups, requires discipline and commitment. You can’t get to 100 push-ups through slipshod or one-off training. Despite deadlines, meetings and other potential conflicts, we’re following an ambitious training program and have set aside 15 minutes three times a week to train together to meet our common goal. Similarly, an effective PR program requires buy-in and commitment from all levels of the organization. And, a press release or a tweet here and there does not a PR program make. In order to build awareness for your brand, company or product, you need a solid story, a steady drum beat of news/content, and proactive media outreach. You also need to be tenacious and be creative in working around challenges that might keep you from meeting your objectives.
PR, like push-ups, takes time. Just like getting to 100 consecutive push-ups isn’t going to happen overnight, it takes time to nurture an effective PR program. In our experience, clients who view PR as a long-term commitment versus a one-project activity see the best results. Just as building up the muscles in your arms, shoulders and chest happen over time, building relationships with the media and industry analysts, and securing articles require a commitment of time. A single PR activity, like a press release, will garner results in the short-term. However, if you want to stay top-of-mind with the media and key audiences over the long haul, you need to string together a series of PR activities, press outreach and campaigns.
PR, like push-ups, should be part of an integrated program. Push-ups will strengthen your upper body and your core, but if you want to improve your overall fitness, you need to incorporate other exercises as well. Similarly, to effectively generate awareness and recognition for your company, brand or product, PR should be part of a comprehensive communications strategy which may also include search engine optimization (SEO), social media and marketing communications. Depending on your industry and target customer, an analyst-relations program should also be part of the mix.
Just as we believe that sticking to our program and training together will enable us to meet our goal of doing 100 consecutive push-ups, we also believe that engaging a trusted PR partner, investing in PR and executing against a strategic PR plan will garner results.
For more on perfecting your push-ups, check out Man Vs. Weight’s 113 Killer Push Up Variations and Exercises.
We’ve all been there. It’s 3 p.m. and you’ve hit a wall. Your creative juices are no longer flowing and it seems like every sound, sight and smell is a distraction. But plodding through an eight-hour work day with no breaks doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll get more done. In fact, many studies suggest you are more productive and creative with breaks.
According to an article in Ragan’s.com, “Survey says most PR pros eat lunch at their desks,” 69 percent of public relations professional eat lunch at their desk. That means that 69 percent of PR pros are missing out on a natural break in the day to recharge. I think that the numbers are likely very similar in many other professional services organizations. Of course, there are days when everyone needs to power through, but you can actually increase productivity by taking a break.
I’ve noticed that if I am hungry or tired or mentally drained, I make more mistakes. I’ve made it a point to take time during the day for a walk, run, lunch or errands to help step away from the computer. I often have some of my most creative thoughts away from my desk. I can then incorporate these ideas with a fresh perspective when I return. To this end, an article in Huffington Post, “Nap Benefits: 6 Reasons To Snooze On National Napping Day,” suggests that napping improves your alertness, learning and memory, creativity and productivity. Researchers discovered that after napping there is a burst of activity in the right hemisphere, the side of the brain linked to creativity.
At Communiqué Public Relations, we are continuously looking for new ways to energize our culture and inspire creativity. One of our team members spearheaded a pushup challenge where every other day at 3:30 p.m., we follow a program to get us to 100 pushups! I know that I’ve made some great progress. It is not only a fun team-building activity in which we have the option to participate, but it is a great break in the afternoon. I return to my desk rejuvenated (and a little sore) and ready to muscle through the rest of my to-do list.
No matter what you like to do with your “break,” make a point to take one. It is good for your mind, body and your job.
If you are a PR pro that values productivity and creativity, and are interested in getting to 100 pushups (totally optional), we’re hiring! Visit our careers page for more information.