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.
Losing fans, followers or subscribers can leave a painful feeling in the pit of your stomach. Twitter and Facebook don’t offer an explanation for this. Consumers are allowed to “unlike”, unfollow or unsubscribe without reason. This leaves the author or organization asking, why? What did I do? The cliché breakup line “it’s not you, it’s me,” offers us little comfort as we strive to do better.
At Communiqué, we take pride in our blog and work to deliver content that is timely, interesting and relevant to our readers, but we too, have experienced that painful message when we have lost a subscriber. I recently came across an article, “Top Reasons Why Consumers Unsubscribe Via E-Mail, Facebook & Twitter,” on Mashable written by Erica Swallow, which helped put this question into context.
The article gives some great perspective on why readers unsubscribe, “unlike” or unfollow a company. Not surprisingly, most people surveyed unsubscribe because the information is too frequent, irrelevant or boring.
Identifying why people dump brands on social media platforms can help companies understand how to keep them interested. We thought it might be helpful to provide a few key dos and don’ts to follow as you work to develop social media content.
- Don’t over post. The top reason that people gave for “unliking” a brand is the posts were too frequent. Make sure that the content has a purpose. Posting a tweet or blog just to post will not establish credibility with your followers, fans or subscribers. Instead, establish expectations about how frequently you plan to post and then deliver on that commitment. Limit posts to once a day on Facebook and a blog. It is more acceptable to tweet frequently, but make sure you are adding value.
- Deliver creative and compelling content. No matter which platform you are utilizing, developing creative content is essential to maintaining a strong following. By blogging or posting to Facebook and Twitter, you should be offering information that is helpful and valuable to your audience. Many people unsubscribe to marketing emails, Facebook and Twitter because the content is boring and repetitive. Avoid re-posting the same content over and over. A good rule of thumb is 90/10. 90 percent of the time you should be sharing relevant information, 10 percent of the time you can share promotional information about your company or organization.
- Make yourself irreplaceable. One of the top reasons why consumers unsubscribe via email, Facebook and Twitter is because their feed or inbox is too crowded. The only way to beat this is to ensure your content is a must-have. Focus on your target audience and filter all content through that view. Position your brand as a thought leader, speak to trends, and not just brand news. Instead of just posting articles, add context. For example, a roofing company can speak to a growing trend, “Totally agree with this NYT article. We are seeing a significant spike in requests for solar panels. It’s boosting our bottom line!”
Keep in mind that sometimes it is unavoidable to lose a fan, follower or subscriber. However, by keeping these tips top of mind while optimizing content for social media, it will help to make sure that your posts are relevant to the reader.
The field of communication – whether public relations, marketing or journalism – is constantly changing and morphing with the steady flow of emerging technologies. As experts in the field, we must be mindful of the trends and learn to adapt.
This includes becoming savvy with new social media platforms, hip blogs and industry trends, so that we know what is the latest information and where it will be published.
One way to identify changes in the field of communication is to consider how journalism is changing and what that means for communication and PR professionals. Mashable.com recently posted a video from its fifth “NextUp NYC” educational series, which explored the emerging skills of tomorrow’s journalists. A group of panelists touched on the continuing evolution of technology and its effects on the journalism industry, as well as how journalists can better train themselves and improve their skills.
As Technology Reporter Jenna Wortham for The New York Times explains, “The way we read and consume news and everything is totally changing. I mean we get everything from our social networks, our kind of first layer filter and then we rely on institutions and organizations like The New York Times and Mashable to help us filter and tell us what is relevant. There is just so much constantly coming at us.”
The take away from the video is that there is a lot of information available in the world today. The Web is saturated and can be overwhelming. The challenge is trying to figure out how to digest this information as a journalist. For PR and communication professionals, it is essential to understand how much information journalists sift through on a daily basis, and keep that in mind when developing communication plans. We must embrace the different channels of communications and utilize those that are relied on most heavily by journalists, in essence making it as easy as possible for them to find and digest that information.
In addition, the way we consume content is evolving. From tablets such as the iPad to smartphones to laptops, we are more connected than ever before. People are consuming content on the go, with apps that make it easy to access information, which has pushed journalism toward its current direction. Journalists must remain aware and adaptable to these changes. This means that, as PR professionals, we must cast a wider net. Not only do we need to be aware of the many avenues of communication available and utilized by journalists and consumers, but we should be savvy in employing alternative platforms gaining notoriety, such as tumblr and Audioboo. By gaining a better understanding of how the information will be dispersed, we can target journalists in the most appropriate manner.
It is clear that the future of journalism, and communication in general, is digital, and as those in the field adapt more changes will certainly follow in this constantly evolving industry.
Here is the NextUp NYC video, courtesy of Mashable:
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We are excited to announce we are adding to the Communiqué PR team. Currently, we are recruiting for an Account Manager. The complete job description is included below for your consideration. If you are interested in being considered for the position please email your letter of interest and resume to opportunities@communiquepr.com.
Communiqué Public Relations is a boutique public relations firm focused on providing public relations services to a wide variety of companies. Our goal is to secure results that allow our clients to achieve their toughest business and communication objectives. We are seeking entrepreneurial candidates who want to help our clients create awareness, increase their market share and develop strong media relations programs. The right candidate will thrive on hands-on work with a variety of clients.
Account Manager
Primary Responsibilities
- Manage, maintain and grow client relationships while assuring stakeholders are aligned
- Partner with clients to understand communication and business objectives
- Perform analysis of client objectives and make recommendations based on industry knowledge and trends
- Identify short- and long-term strategic goals for client and translate them into a public relations plan/program
- Define and develop successful communication plans for clients and manage client expectations
- Drive day-to-day client activity by overseeing and performing necessary work, including developing and writing interesting and effective press materials, placing stories, leading press tours, providing counsel to clients, etc.
- Manage account activity to public relations budgets and consistently achieve revenue goals
- Lead client meetings, deliver presentations and facilitate client discussions
- Develop strong working relationships with clients, press, conference organizers and analysts while working to create opportunities for coverage
- Sell public relations to key stakeholders in client company and grow client account
- Provide guidance to and mentor junior staff
- Manage third-party vendors and contractors as needed
Requirements (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities)
- Proven ability to write and develop compelling and superb press materials, such as press releases, plans, speeches, and backgrounders
- Excellent communication and organizational skills as well as the ability to prioritize and multi-task in a dynamic, creative, challenging and fast-paced environment
- Ability to establish and maintain effective editor and industry analyst relationships
- Strong understanding of and ability to execute PR plans, strategies and programs based on client objectives
- Knowledge of social media and the ability to identify how it can be leveraged to achieve client objectives and communication strategy
- Familiarity with the Associated Press style guide
- Ability to effectively manage client budgets
- Ability to work effectively independently and collaborate with others in a team environment
- Positive attitude in a deadline-oriented environment
- Strong listening skills and the ability to facilitate meetings and make presentations
- Problem solving skills
- Ability to think creatively and develop new and interesting ideas
Education / Experience
- Bachelor’s degree required in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, English or a related field.
- 10+ years of experience in public relations, preferably in an agency setting and/or within an applicable industry. Experience in the high-tech industry preferred.
- Minimum of five years public relations account management and execution experience, including developing communication plans, launch strategies, product positioning, and pitching stories
For further consideration, please apply online at opportunities@communiquepr.com.
With April Fools’ Day fast approaching, it is a good time to revisit the topic of fake news. While I look forward to Google’s annual tradition of announcing fake features and NPR’s trick segments, it is dangerous territory for PR professionals to disseminate fake news.
If not executed well, an April Fools’ Day stunt can ultimately damage your relationship with the media, your consumers and ultimately your brand. We recapped some April Fools’ Day announcements from years past in a 2009 post, “The Joke Press Release – Is it Appropriate for April Fools’ Day?” and offered some tips to consider if you are going to distribute fake news.
For a successful April Fools’ Day hoax note,
- Timing is critical: “April fool: AbleComm forgets what day it is, retracts Panasonic plasma cellphone release”
- Include some form of disclosure: As Rashmi Sinha, CEO, SlideShare recapped in her “Lessons learned from an April Fool’s prank,” it is important to ensure it is clear to readers/viewers that it is a joke.
- Be careful not to offend: April Fools Day joke goes awry with angry, confused readers
Here are some fun examples from 2010:
“Starbucks Listens to Customer Request for More Sizes” – Last year for April Fools’ Day Starbucks announced two new sizes – Plenta™ (128 fl oz) and Micra™ (2 fl oz) shown in the below photo.
“ProBlogger Acquired by Google” – Interestingly, the idea for this April Fools’ Day fake press release “started with a dream – a real dream where Google actually did buy ProBlogger for a new blogging platform for professional bloggers.” Blogger Darren Rowse recapped the ups and downs of the prank on a follow-up post. As you can see in Darren’s summary, some reporters thought the news was real.
“Today’s vowel outage” – On April 1, 2010, Gmail’s Engineering Director posted a notice for Gmail users stating that “all the vowels are missing. We realize this makes things difficult for all of you who rely on Gmail — whether at home or at work — and we’re incredibly sorry. We take morphological issues like this extremely seriously, so we want to let you all know what happened and what we’re doing about it.”
Later the following updates were posted to the Gmail blog:
“Update (7:30 am): We’ve determined that the letter ‘y’ is not impacted.
Update (3:02 pm): This issue has been resolved.
Update (12:01 am): Also, this issue never happened. Happy April 1st.”
“AceShot XR7000: The Smallest DSLR Camera Ever” – This April Fools’ Day fake product announcement duped at least one viewer for a short time as is stated in the comments, “Great April Fools Day joke. I thought this thing was a real product until you said it was 40lbs and doesn’t actually take pictures (just for those who like the action of taking photos). Hilarious. Guess I’m gonna have to stick with my large Nikon D90.”
What are some of your favorite April Fools’ Day hoaxes? Are you planning to distribute fake news this year?
Last week, I read a really interesting article in the New York Times titled, “Don’t Call Me, I Won’t Call You” by Pamela Paul. The story examines the cultural shift from using the telephone (including mobile phones) as a primary communication tool to today’s ever present preference of email and text. Paul writes, “According to Nielsen Media, even on cellphones, voice spending has been trending downward, with text spending expected to surpass it within three years.” The story got me thinking about my own phone habits both in my personal and professional lives.
While a teenager I was obsessed with the phone (the old fashioned kind you plugged into the wall and sat by for hours talking to friends), in my adult personal life, I rarely use it opting to text, instant message (IM) or email my friends and family. However as a PR professional, communication in various forms – email, phone, formal press materials, etc. – is the bread and butter of my job. Many journalists and clients prefer to communicate primarily through email, but there is almost a lost art of mastering the phone conversation in a way that isn’t intrusive to today’s communication standards.
How I approach the phone call is to be thoughtful and respectful. Oftentimes, picking up the phone can not only be more efficient, it can also be critical in building and fostering relationships with clients and journalists in a way that email can lack. Before making that call, I always ask myself the following:
- Is it more effective to pick up the phone and have a conversation with this person?
- Will a conversation positively impact the desired outcome?
- What time of day would be the best time to reach this person?
Additionally, I always try and keep my calls short and succinct. I always preface why I’m calling at the start of the conversation so if the recipient is busy, on deadline or is strapped for time they can let me know right away and we can determine a better time to talk. Lastly, I typically send an email to the recipient recapping the salient points and action items of the call so that there is consensus on what was discussed on the call.
Pamela Paul sums up the piece best saying, “We may be returning to the phone’s original intentions — and impact. ‘I can tell you exactly the last time someone picked up the phone when I called,’ Mary Roach said. ‘It was two months ago and I said: ‘Whoa! You answered your phone!’ It was a P.R. person. She said, ‘Yeah, I like to answer the phone.’ Both were startled to be voice-to-voice with another unknown, unseen human being.”
We recently had the pleasure of working with the founders of the Rwanda Girls Initiative (RGI), Suzanne Sinegal McGill and Shalisan Foster, with an announcement sharing their milestone achievement of opening the Gashora Girls Academy. Their story had all of the right elements for us to share a compelling and inspiring story with the media of how two women teamed up with local companies to drive change in Rwanda.
Soozi and Shal are two local philanthropists from the Bellevue-area who shared a vision of providing high-quality secondary school education for girls in Rwanda. They first began their endeavor three years ago and collaborated with a number of Washington’s top education and business leaders who provided their expertise and resources to the academy, including MulvannyG2, Washington State University and the University of Washington, among others.
Together, they built the Gashora Girls Academy, an upper-secondary boarding school in the Gashora sector of Rwanda, which offers academic excellence for young women and will have a lasting impact on the greater community and the world. The culmination of their efforts was realized on Feb. 7, 2011 when they welcomed their first class of 90 girls to the academy.
To raise awareness for RGI, we focused our efforts in securing interviews with local, regional and national media. It was clear that this story contained a strong local angle, given the regional leaders involved, but it was also a timely for national media to consider as the 17th anniversary of Rwanda’s devastating genocide in April approaches. Furthermore, Rwanda is a country that can serve as a model for stabilizing many of the world’s most difficult crisis regions, including Egypt and Libya whose recent events have taken center stage across the media over the past several weeks. Education – particularly among young women – will play a critical role in Rwanda achieving its goal of becoming a middle-income, knowledge-based country by 2020.
Journalists were eager to learn more about RGI’s vision and share the news about how they developed a replicable model for educating girls in Rwanda. As a result of our outreach, RGI was featured in local and national media including:
- NYTimes.com, “Girls in the Spotlight: A Lesson from Rwanda”
- UPIU.com, “Environmentally Sustainable Women’s School opens in Rwanda”
- Puget Sound Business Journal, “Local donors launch Rwanda girls school”
- Seattle Times (front page NW Monday section and online), “2 Eastsiders give global reach to girl power”
- KOMONews.com, “Bellevue women build school for Rwanda’s future entrepreneurs”
It was a sincere pleasure working with Soozi and Shal, whose enthusiasm and passion for their project has encouraged me to think about what I can do to help make a positive impact in this world. What they have accomplished in just three years is truly remarkable as it leaves a lasting impact on the young women and the country of Rwanda for years to come. I could not agree more with what Seattle Times’ reporter Jerry Large wrote in his column about Soozi and Shal, “They are modeling values in action, and everyone touched by their work wins.”
It was an honor to have had the opportunity to support them in their PR activities and I look forward to hearing about the future success of Soozi and Shal, as well as the young women attending the academy who will most likely become the future leaders and change-makers of Rwanda.