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.
With the New Year upon us, many people are taking stock of their accomplishments from the previous year and setting goals for 2018. If you have decided that one of your goals for this year is to learn something new, I would encourage you to sign up for the free, four-week online course “Learning How to Learn” from Coursera.
The class is designed to help individuals gain a new understanding of how learning happens, diminish frustration when learning, and help people learn new subjects more deeply — all practical objectives if you’re trying to learn or attempting something new.
I’ve begun the course and some of the information presented by instructors Terry Sejnowski and Barbara Oakley is immediately applicable to the work I do for Communiqué PR, as well as for the novel I am writing in my spare time. For instance, I was not familiar with the difference between focused and diffuse modes of thinking and when one might want to apply them.
Focused mode is the state your brain is in when you’re concentrating deeply on something that you’re trying to learn or understand. Diffuse mode is the state your brain is in when you are more relaxed and in a neural resting state. For instance, your brain is most likely in a diffuse or relaxed state when you’re are a passenger in a car, about to fall asleep or out for a jog. Interestingly, when you’re trying to learn something new, you can harness both the focused and diffuse mode to achieve success.
Now that I’m familiar with how my brain works in focused thinking versus diffuse thinking, I have a deeper awareness about which mode I am in and whether it might make sense to try to switch to the other mode. In the course opening, Oakley explains that you are either in one mode or another – but not both at the same time. She uses the analogy of a coin to emphasize this point. When you look at a quarter, you can see one side or the other, but not both at the same time.
I’ve only completed the first week of the course, so I’m still gaining insight how to switch between focused versus diffuse modes to ramp up my learning. However, one exercise that I might try is focusing hard for 30 minutes while writing, for example, a new scene for my novel. I’ll set a timer and after 30 minutes, I’ll take a break and go for a walk. This will allow my mind to relax, and for my subconscious to continue to work on how to make the scene as compelling and interesting as possible. It is very clear from the course material and the work of neuroscientists that in order to learn more deeply, it is important to be able to go from one state to another – focused to diffuse, and back again.
Another key aspect Oakley explains is the power of metaphors and analogies in learning. As communicators, we often use these elements to help people understand what we are trying to say, but they’re also very powerful if you want to understand something more deeply, or if you want to grasp more abstract concepts. Metaphors and analogies are helpful because they enable you to take an unfamiliar concept and relate it to something familiar.
Finally, if you’re in a management or leadership role and helping others in your organization to learn, this course could be helpful for you. Helping another person gain and master new skills is often part of a manager’s or leader’s role. Maybe you want to help a co-worker improve his or her writing, presentation or negotiation skills, and to become better in these areas they are likely going to need to grasp new concepts. It’s your job is to help them accomplish this. If you understand how people learn, you’re likely to be a better teacher and manager.
My goal in 2018 – and one of the main reasons I’m taking this class – is to continue to help others learn and grow. Hopefully my own insights from this class will help me as I strive to be the best leader I can be.
Happy New Year! If you have a goal or learning objective for 2018 and want to share it, I’d love to hear from you.
The past year proved to be a busy, productive and fun year at Communiqué PR. In addition to continuing to partner with our existing clients, we started working with several new clients during 2017, including Phytelligence, Whitepages, and WGU Washington.
Below is a summary of the activities and results we secured on behalf of some of our clients over the past year. Look for future blog posts to capture the work we have executed on behalf of more of our clients.
Our work with A Place for Mom continued to build momentum throughout the year. We had a steady stream of news and other content to share with content. To learn more about the work we did throughout the year, check out these two blog posts.
· A Place for Mom’s Walkability Findings
Darigold invited media to one of its member farms this summer to speak directly with the farmer to understand the daily operations of a dairy—everything from the cow nutrition plan and milking the cows to nutrient management systems and sustainability practices. Learnings from Hosting a Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Rickreall Dairy
In the fall, we had the distinct pleasure of tasting Darigold’s new Heat n’ Serve Hot Cocoa before it hit the shelves, and in preparation for driving editorial and blog coverage. Redefining Hot Cocoa: Darigold Releases New Heat N’ Serve Hot Cocoa
We also had the opportunity to support Darigold’s partnership with MilkPEP and Olympic hopeful Breezy Johnson, to reinforce the health benefits of white milk, and align its brand with the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. In addition to social media activities, we secured editorial coverage with The Ski Journal, “Too Fast to be Scared with Breezy Johnson,” Bellingham Herald, “She’s never skied Mt. Baker, but this WWU sophomore hopes to compete in the Winter Olympics,” and Idaho Statesman, “She might be America’s next downhill skiing star. And she’s from Idaho.”
In partnership with Darigold, this year we also helped place several op-eds related to the NAFTA trade negotiations that are taking place, including “Canadian trade policies hurt U.S. dairy farmers,” which ran in the Seattle Times.
Delta-Q announced a new product, the ICL900, which is an extension to their family of lithium battery chargers. Through our media relations activities in support of this announcement we secured nearly 20 articles regarding Delta-Q’s new product, including:
- CHARGED Electric Vehicles Magazine: Delta-Q expands family of lithium battery chargers for EVs and industrial machines – 10/21/17
- Power Electronics News: Delta-Q expands family of battery chargers for EV and industrial machines – 10/23/17
- Battery Power: Lithium Battery Chargers for EVs and Industrial Machines – 10/23/17
- Lawn & Landscape: Delta-Q technologies expands family of lithium battery chargers – 10/24/17
- Engine Technology International: Delta-Q expands battery charging line-up – 10/27/17
During the year, we drafted more than 20 blog posts for Dell EMC in 2017 across verticals such as automotive, media and entertainment, financial services, analytics, and surveillance. We secured several briefings for its automotive vertical, including this podcast with Varun Chhabra as a guest, and supported PR for Dell EMC at IBC2017, securing numerous briefings with media and a podcast with Thomas Burns from Dell EMC as a guest.
In addition to a steady stream of editorial coverage with tech and industry media, Flowroute secured coverage via King5 highlighting how its technology is helping Polaris in its fight against human trafficking: Seattle company improves calls for national human trafficking hotline
We recently kicked off work with one of our newest clients, Phytelligence, which was recognized as one of Geekwire’s Seattle 10: Hot Startups. We are excited to help build awareness and demand for its propriety MultiPHY technology and tissue culture process among growers and producers in the U.S. and around the world!
Spaceflight continued to build momentum with its business units with the following key announcements:
· Spaceflight Purchases a Rocket Lab Electron to Expand its Dedicated Rideshare Service
· Spaceflight Reaches Two Impressive Milestones in One Week
In 2017 we started working with WGU Washington. The nonprofit university now has more than 10,000 graduates! Recently KAPP-TV developed a segment on the role WGU Washington is playing in addressing the need for more teachers in the state: WGU Washington Training Teachers Online. Additionally, we were able organize interviews with WGU Washington Chancellor Rich Cummins, as well as WGU Washington Teachers College graduates to raise awareness about the teacher shortage statewide: Responding to teacher shortage, Washington schools look to expedite training and Western Governors University looks to expand local footprint.
It seems you can’t open a newspaper or turn on the TV without someone talking about the inevitable future of self-driving (autonomous) cars. Forget stressing over parallel parking – take your hands off the steering wheel and your car will do that for you in the future, if it’s not already!
Just like computers, cell phones, and even household appliances, cars are becoming more connected and intelligent than ever before. Whether your vehicle can provide you with better visibility when merging into traffic, or enable you to engage with Amazon’s Alexa from the road (coming to BMWs soon!), your car is the next internet-enabled device.
The types of technology enabling this transformation in the automotive industry are many, and varied. They can range from in-car Wi-Fi and “infotainment” applications embedded into your vehicle’s dashboard, to enhanced electric car batteries that provide longer range, to automated driver assistance systems (ADAS) that enhance vehicle systems for safer and better driving.
It’s not just the cool factor that’s pushing this intelligent vehicle momentum forward – there’s big money behind it as well:
- In November, Uber agreed to purchase tens of thousands Volvo XC90 SUVs, specifically modified for autonomous driving, between 2019 to 2021. “Right now, Uber’s ‘best guess estimate’ is that it will purchase around 24,000 vehicles. … the Financial Times estimatedthe purchase agreement could be valued at over $1.9 billion,” said Forbes.
- In March, Intel purchased Mobileye for $15.3B. Mobileye is a “maker of automotive vision technology used for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and fully autonomous vehicles. The deal … would set up Intel as the premier provider of autonomous vehicle chip and machine-vision technology for the ADAS industry, which the company estimates will grow to $70 billion by 2030,” according to Computerworld.
- In February, Ford announced an investment of $1 billion over the next five years in Argo AI, a startup founded by former Google and Uber employees to further the development of autonomous vehicle technology. “Ford said its relationship with Argo AI … will combine its existing autonomous vehicle development program with Argo AI’s robotics and ‘startup speed’ on artificial intelligence software,” reported Computerworld.
The common denominator and underlying factor enabling all of this automotive innovation is data. Ultimately data will be the true competitive differentiator for car manufacturers that learn how to harness it.
To create and develop these technical advancements, car manufacturers need to capture and analyze an incredible amount of data. Our client Dell EMC has been front and center in discussing the evolution of data in today’s automotive industry and the impact that data will have in shaping the business models for the industry in the future.
We recently conducted a series of briefings with Dell EMC’s Varun Chhabra, senior director of product marketing for storage (cloud, object and file) and analytics to introduce Dell EMC to the key automotive trade media.
Communiqué PR secured Varun as a guest for a podcast with Ron Hesse, chairman and CEO of Global Auto Industry, which provides information and resources for automotive suppliers, particularly for executives responsible for international operations or development. The podcast was shared via AMN (After Market News), which reaches approximately 20,000 automotive aftermarket industry professionals, and the Automation Alley daily newsletter, which is distributed to 4,000 members and media
You can listen to the podcast, “The Global Auto Industry’s Big Bet for 2018 and Beyond? … Big Data” to learn more about Dell EMC’s work in the automotive industry.
We also spoke with James Amend, a senior editor of WardsAuto, and John Larkin, publisher of Automotive Industries.
Wards Auto has covered the auto industry for more than 80 years. Its flagship product is WardsAuto.com, a comprehensive online resource and community filled with unique news, data and analysis, with full access available as a premium subscription. The online publication gets around 170,000 unique visitors per month.
Automotive Industries provides manufacturers and suppliers with in-depth news, information, insight and analysis on the global events that affect the auto industry. Interestingly, it is the world’s oldest continually published trade publication covering the automaking business. It was founded in November 1895 as “The Horseless Age,” the first magazine created to cover the world’s transition from horse-drawn conveyances to those powered by the new internal combustion engine.
It has been fascinating to work with the team at Dell EMC and to learn more about how these emerging technologies (and the data that power them) will affect what and how we as consumers drive and can expect from connected car innovations.
When conducting a search on Google, how many o’s in the Gooooooooooooooogle do you actually go through? If you’re anything like me, probably two or three tops. Have you ever noticed how the most reputable websites are listed on the top of the page? Have you ever wondered why the top result of your search for “chocolate chip cookie recipe” is bettycrocker.com and not some random undiscovered food blog? The answer all has to do with Domain Authority.
So, what exactly is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority, by definition, is “a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). A Domain Authority score ranges from one to 100, with higher scores corresponding to a greater ability to rank.” Moz combines over 40 elements including the number of links to the site, links from the site to other reputable sites, age of the site and other factors to produce a single score. This score determines how well a website will perform on a Google search, aka, how high up on the results page a website will appear.
How do you improve a website’s Domain Authority score?
Unfortunately, Domain Authority is rather difficult to influence. Because Google uses more than 200 major ranking factors in its algorithm, a metric that combines all of these factors into a single score is complicated to manipulate. This being said, it is still possible to change it over time. The No. 1 priority for improving a website’s Domain Authority should be to increase the number of quality links back to the website. If there are numerous links back to the website on other sites, it tells Google that the website has valuable information worth linking back to and therefore should be located high up on the results page.
To provide some context, a top-tier publication like the New York Times has a Domain Authority score of 100/100, while a travel blog like the GeekyExplorer has a score of 35/100. Judging from the information presented above, this makes sense. The New York Times has thousands of websites linking back to it on a daily basis and is proven to produce content that is worthy of being shared and referenced. While the GeekyExplorer also has fantastic content, it is relatively unknown compared to the New York Times and does not have many other websites backlinking to it. If the New York Times were to reference the GeekyExplorer in an article, this would be a step in the right direction toward improving the 35/100 score. While Domain Authority cannot change overnight, monitoring of the score constantly, publishing consistently good content, and most importantly, patience will help your website’s Domain Authority to grow.
Why does Domain Authority matter for public relations?
Domain Authority can be the key to understanding which publications to target when trying to place content or drive links back to the client’s website. The average Domain Authority score is around 40/100-50/100 with scores of 60/100 or above considered fairly good. Naturally, PR pros will want to target outlets with a high score because a higher score is quantifiable evidence to support the apparent quality of an internet site. The outlets that have a high score will rank highly in a Google search and therefore will receive the most web traffic. What’s the use of placing an amazing article if no one will be able to find it?
Where can you find Domain Authority scores?
Moz, the creators of Domain Authority has made it incredibly easy to find any website’s Domain Authority. Simply go Moz’s website and use the Open Site Explorer tool to insert the URL of the website you want to know the Domain Authority of, press calculate and voila! A score of x/100 will appear. Another free option is the MozBar which is a Google Chrome extension that gives you a website’s Domain Authority score in the upper right corner of the webpage automatically, without pressing a button or inserting a URL. If you choose to pay for a premium account with Moz, you will get more detailed information about how that score was calculated and recommendations on how to generally improve your website’s SEO.
The art of the media pitch is a difficult skill to master. Media pitching begins with a newsworthy story, customized media list and, typically, a strategically crafted email. After delivering what you think is a brilliant, personalized pitch, reporters may take hold of the idea or may not even respond. Many PR pros debate the question of whether to follow up or not after a lack of response. Reporters and journalists, in most cases, do not have time to respond if they are uninterested or if the pitch came at the wrong time.
So, should you make a follow-up call? Do you send another email? What’s next?
Inbox overload. Emails can often fall through the cracks. Journalists and reporters can receive hundreds or thousands of emails per day. If they didn’t respond, don’t assume they aren’t interested. Refresh their memory in an engaging way, such as including a trending data point or reframing your hook.
A second chance. A follow-up call allows you to reframe your pitch. If they didn’t respond well to the original pitch, change your angle and try to reframe your pitch in a different or more newsworthy way. Do your research on each journalist and tailor your story according to his or her particular beat or content produced on the media outlet.
Assignments change. Journalists often switch beats and cover a variety of topics. You may have caught a reporter at a time when he or she is not interested, but know a colleague who would. Make the call to reach the right contact.
Relationships are key. It’s much more memorable to hear a name over the phone than reading it over email. Using follow-up calls can not only secure placements for your clients but can help create a relationship between contacts you only slightly know or with whom you still have yet to connect.
Persistence pays off. I speak from experience, most recently with two different outlets (print and broadcast) of which I applied all of the above tips over the course of five months. Had I not picked up the phone and connected with these journalists several times throughout this engagement, I would not have been able to secure the coverage.
By way of a continued conversation, I was able to confirm their interest, arrange briefings with spokespeople, and provide localized data to round out their stories. Given the investment on their side, I continued to respectfully follow up in an effort to see the finished product through. And, it worked!
It’s no breaking news that social media plays an integral role in today’s business and personal interactions. In 2017, social media took on a new role in reporting, both in the political and corporate arenas, forever changing the “social norms” associated with social media.
As companies plan marketing campaigns for 2018, strategically intertwining marketing efforts with social media activities is guaranteed to be a successful best practice to help companies interact with its target audiences, increase website traffic, attract new talent and simply boost engagement with its current customer base.
Below are four social media trends that both Inc. and Entrepreneur have reported as on the “must watch” list for 2018:
Instagram Stories are in. In 2017, users experimented with Instagram stories. After working out the kinks and quickly ridding doubt, consumers, business influences and celebrities moved away from Snapchat and fled to Instagram’s “Story” feature to promote new products, share glimpses into daily-life activities and more. Now over 200 million individuals use Instagram Stories each month, if this trajectory continues, nearly half of all Instagram users will be using Instagram Stories by the end of 2018. For companies looking to boost engagement with its target audiences on Instagram and hire new employees, Stories present a great opportunity to showcase product innovations and company culture – a feature that is crucial in attracting new talent.
Facebook is ditching the desktop. Unlike predominantly mobile-accessed social media like Snapchat and Instagram, Facebook was originally designed for use on a laptop or desktop. 2017, however, saw an increase in mobile engagement with 88 percent of Facebook’s advertising revenue for Q3 2017 derived from mobile advertisements. In addition, Facebook Live and subtitled videos – content that caters to individuals scrolling through their newsfeeds on mobile devices or tablets, in most cases without headphones or volume – increased in popularity from consumers, celebrities and corporate brands. In 2018 Facebook videos will continue to rise in popularity, and by 2020, experts predict that nearly 60 percent of users in the U.S. will access Facebook using mobile devices. This immense increase of traffic to Facebook mobile presents a great opportunity for companies to get visual content on the social media platform.
Augmented reality (AR) should not be overlooked. In 2017, Snapchat entertained users with AR by combining its 3D Bitmoji and World Lens features to experience their Bitmoji on the screen in front of them. Similar to this use case, this year Wayfair – the home furniture and décor company – integrated AR into this mobile application through its “View in Room” feature, letting shoppers view the furniture in their homes before making a purchase decision. Next year, the AR market is expected to grow to 200 million users, an increase from just 60 million users in 2013. Just as Apple has integrated AR face recognition to unlock its new iPhones, social media platforms will continue to experiment with AR as a way to increase market share and create new opportunities for companies to build following and interact with them.
Influencer marketing is worth the investment. Listed on nearly all of the 2017 marketing predictions lists over the past year, influencer marketing continued to increase in popularity among B2C and B2B businesses because of the added customization and flexibility these programs provide companies for recruiting brand advocates and interacting with customers. In 2018, businesses are going to increasingly coordinate influencer marketing efforts with social media activity. This synchronization will help design brand advocacy programs that add value to customers and help businesses achieve their overarching objectives. Influencer’s activity on social media will continue to grow in popularity as companies turn away from traditional advertising methods to connect with new audiences such as Generation Z who are quickly entering the workforce and becoming more active consumers.
When putting the final touches on social media calendars for 2018, consider these four trends. If utilized properly, they can help boost advertising efforts and increase engagement through maintaining a regular stream of visual and interactive content.
Did your company experiment with any of these social media approaches in 2017? Are they on your radar for 2018? If so, please share in the comments below!