Dealing with Social Media Feedback
By · CommentsAt our agency, we generally have the rule to respond rather than ignore any post. As long as the post does not violate Facebook or other social policies it is not removed and we tend to respond even if we are still looking into an issue. Sometimes the response may be as simple as, “Thanks for your feedback, we will definitely look into that and get back to you as soon as possible.”
Overall, when responding it’s very important to remember that managing social media feedback is all about providing excellent customer service and applying the “golden rule”.
10 Ways to Deal with Upset Customers Using Social Media
Public relations is just schmoozing and spin, right?
By · CommentsArticle originally appeared in the February 20, 2012 edition of the Northern Nevada Business Weekly.
Over the last year, public relations has had the dubious honor of being listed in the top 10 most stressful jobs in the U.S. In one report, it was listed as number two under firefighters, which really got me thinking, “Maybe I’m doing it wrong.” However, it’s almost guaranteed that when someone reads these rankings and sees public relations listed, they either question what they know or they laugh thinking, “how hard is it really to plan a party?”
The perception certainly exists that PR is all about throwing parties and schmoozing. What challenges public relations professionals most about the profession we’ve chosen is that it is constantly evolving. To identify an excellent PR person look for the following traits to be demonstrated by these workhorses of the marketing world: adaptability, embracing new technology, thinking “big picture” and looking out for the best interests of those they represent.
Imagine working in a profession that no one really knows what you do? In fact, in a survey conducted by the New York chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), 92 percent believed that most people do not understand what public relations is. And no wonder, in a world where international relations is referred to as “PR” in newscasts or the word “spin” is bandied about when referring to politics or a celebrity miss-Tweet, it’s obvious there’s a credibility problem. So in an effort to showcase the why and how of public relations, here are 5 myths often overheard in the industry.
- PR is about cocktail parties and schmoozing. Now wouldn’t that be the life? When you do see PR people at these events, we often come haggard from a busy day at the office where there are 500 other things going on that need immediate attention. And if they had a hand in the event itself, they’ve spent hours, often weeks, beforehand making sure every detail is taken care of and more importantly anticipated.
- PR is about controlling the media. Far from it. If it was that easy, newspapers would be filled with fluff pieces like, “Conference Room Receives a Makeover with New Paint,” all with a “world is hunky-dory, no need to worry” outlook. It’s about news and relationships. If there’s news value, the media will be interested. If there’s a relationship, the media will start calling you instead of you stalking them.
- 3. PR is just like advertising. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Advertising is paid. Public relations is earned. And by earned, it means that feature article in the local paper or in a national magazine took time, sometimes months, to cultivate and place. Ideally, the two disciplines support each other and when strategically aligned add power to a marketing campaign. Public relations and its new shinny sister social marketing can help launch a campaign before the first ad ever hits.
- PR is just a press release. It’s so much more. Yes a press release serves a role often for Board of Directors, publicity traded companies and for your website. True success lies in strong newsworthy content and storytelling. The ability to tell a story that incorporates key messages and is targeted to the journalist, blogger or customer you are trying to reach. When specifically tailored, it’s a very powerful tool.
- PR is easy. True, it’s not brain surgery. It would be safer to say PR is simple, not necessarily easy. If it was that easy it wouldn’t be listed as a stressful job. The fact is public relations professionals think beyond the boxes of “the message” to who could be hearing a particular message, how the audience would respond, what’s really going to move the needle and what could happen. Personally, I’m thankful for the clients I’ve worked with that challenge and believe anything is possible. With that attitude, it is.
So if you know someone in this stressful world of public relations, tell them you now have a better understanding of what they do. Maybe even give them a hug or better yet get them some caffeine or buy them a beer…after all they may just need it.
It was the year the snow came…a little later than anticipated. So what’s at tourist based economy to do? Bring in heavy hitters to tell the story.
How about having Olympic Gold Medalist Jonny Moseley and 3rd ranked in the world freestyle skier Sho Kashima tell the Reno-Tahoe story – that the nation’s leading winter ski resorts are primed and ready for late winter fun. Ensuring the right message got out about what the ski resorts were doing in regards to a “business as usual” attitude and the need for an extra push, made a one-day blast through satellite radio and TV interviews the perfect solution.
Developed for the Reno-Tahoe Regional Marketing Committee (RMC), a consortium charged to maintain and grow air service and brand the destination to nonstop and direct flight markets, and under the expert guidance of Strauss Radio Strategies, the interviews took place over a five and half hour period in the early morning hours of February 17 – the start of President’s Weekend.
In total, 26 interviews took place including all three networks in the Reno area covering the event as news itself. The following are a list of stations that participated in the interviews including clips received.
KFBK-AM, Sacramento, CA
KOA-AM, Denver, CO
KGO-AM, San Francisco, CA
FOX News Radio, National
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT
Eastern Panhandle Talk, North East WV; Northern VA; Washington, DC; West Maryland; and PA
Fox News Edge, National
KYNO-AM, News/Talk
KMOX-AM, St. Louis, MO
KTXX-FM, Austin, TX
Tan Talk Radio Network, Tampa, FL
KESQ, Palm Springs
One thing is for certain, Reno-Tahoe packs a lot of ski star power and being able to work with these two incredible athletes, one a current Gold Medalist and the other a future Gold Medalist, sure does make one appreciate this region and how everyone bands together for the greater good.
A HUGE thanks to all the ski resorts that help in the search for athletes, in providing footage and talking points to make this event happen: Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, Northstar, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Heavenly, Mt. Rose and Kirkwood. And finally, thank you to KNPB Public Broadcasting for the incredible talent (Dave Santina and the entire team) and facility to make all of this a reality.
Food “Truck” and Fashion
By · CommentsWith all this talk around Reno about food trucks, like them or not, it’s all the rage. LA, San Francisco and New York are leading the way in making food fashionable. But what happens when Gap gets a hold of the idea? Kitschy and pure genius at the same time.
The Pico de Gap taco truck asked Celebrity Chef Marcel Vigneron to “bridge the gap between food and fashion.” In a clever and innovative fashion, this public relations outreach and social media integration makes for one unique program. Check out the video and be sure to catch Gap’s 1969 branding and, of course, the denim bar.
Touchdown for Twitter
By · CommentsSomewhere in an unknown stadium, Twitter just high stepped into the end-zone and did a touchdown celebration bigger than the ‘Lambeau Leap’ or the ‘Gronk Spike’.
The NFL announced it would allow players to tweet before and during this year’s Pro Bowl. The league said it would set up a computer on each sideline where players are encouraged to use Twitter to communicate with fans, teammates and even opponents during commercial breaks when their offensive or defensive unit is not on the field.
This coming from a professional sports organization that has been a little less apt to allow players to fully embrace social media. Their current Social Media Policy bans players from tweeting 90 minutes before games all the way until they fulfill their postgame media obligations.
Is this a sign of more social media involvement by players during games across all sports? The NFL said that the Pro Bowl is only an experiment that it is not being considered by the regular season or playoffs.
What’s interesting is the NFL decided to ‘try’ this experiment a week before the event that is largely considered the social media event of the year, especially for advertisers. Last year, 111 million people watched the Super Bowl, according to Nielsen Companies, making it the most-watched TV event ever. This year more and more Super Bowl advertisers will be integrating social media into their TV ads.
So, what’s next? I wonder at some point will players be allowed to interact via social media with advertisers during timeouts? Will we see in the very near future an interactive ad that displays a players tweet or Facebook post to drink Coke during a game? Or better yet, will next year players be allowed to perform a ‘Touchdown Tweet’?
Stay tuned . . .
Information for this article provided by:
NFL to allow Twitter during Pro Bowl
Super Bowl becoming the social media event of the season for advertisers
5 Tips for Creating Content When You’re Stuck
By · CommentsOkay, I have to admit that when I first starting drafting this I Googled “creating content” and found an article titled, “21 Ways to Create Compelling Content When You Don’t Have a Clue.”
The first tip, “Steal content and ideas. If you’re flat-out exhausted and out of ideas, then get them from somebody else — either content, or ideas, or both.” Huh, I said, “Well, I guess I’m on the right track.”
However to make it mine, I really wanted to own it. So the following are my top 5 tips for creating content.
- Relax.
- Be curious.
- Go to your reader.
- Coffee with someone in your same profession.
- Go to Facebook and Twitter.
Don’t feel pressured to find the perfect article, resource or original idea. If it’s your idea, it’s already uniquely yours. Have you ever had a difficult time recalling someone’s name or that restaurant you love at the precise moment you needed it? Yet a few hours later out of the blue, you snap your fingers and say, “I got it!” That’s because your mind continues to work for you, even though you’ve moved on. The same thing with creating content. I find the more I pressure myself to find that idea, it doesn’t happen. Ideas typically don’t come on demand. However, much like this post, the ideas came to me after I determined this was my topic and I stepped away from it. So pick up a book, go for a walk, watch a movie or just grab a coffee and people watch. The ideas will start flooding in.
We’ve all seen those unique ads or videos show up in our friend’s feed on Facebook. Or you’ve seen an interview or commercial on TV and it piqued your interest. If you find one that’s interesting, click on it and then go deeper. For instance, I was watching an interview on NBC’s Rock Center with the creators of the viral videos, “Sh*t Girls Say.” The two creators have become Internet sensations with three videos. Well, I’d only seen one so I decided to check out the series while the interview was taking place. Not only did the videos make me laugh out loud, they gave me an idea. You see, the reason the videos are successful is because women can relate to it and men know someone like that. It crosses all boundaries. From there I became curious about why that is and after a few videos learned more about a topic that I haven’t even thought of and now have increased my knowledge and feed the content machine. You’ve got to be willing to go the next step and be curious. I swear if I was a cat I would have gone through my nine lives by now.
If you don’t have a reader, then the first thing to do is set one up. I’m a big skimmer (which also means I probably miss more than I catch, but I’m okay with that) so I can quickly search out titles or topics and determine if I want more. I usually always find the one gem that makes it worth it. There’s a wealth of information out there so go out and get it. After reading a handful of posts, you’ll feel energized and ready to tackle your project.
As a public relations professional, I’ve learned that there’s no point in explaining what I do to my family and friends. Typically after such an explanation, the first question is, “so who have you done ads for?” I just hope that at that point my eyes aren’t visibly rolling. However having coffee with someone in your same profession can be very empowering. We understand what we’re up against. We understand wins. We can talk about industry trends and how we’re using it. We can talk about our crazy days and all the caffeine we need to make it through it. And we can talk about what we do for fun. Typically following such a discussion, I walk away feeling energized and with a handful of new ideas…and that leads to more. See number two above.
With the greatest crowdsourcing at your fingertips, why not? What’s interesting is that during the day, there are groups of topics that rise to the top. Much like conversations, the hot topics get the most attention. For instance, check out Twitter trends and then click on topics that might interest you. Skim and find other topics or individuals that look interesting and then click, click and click. Before you know it, you’ll find something that has sparked your creative juices. With the new Facebook feed it’s easy to see what topics everyone is talking about because it groups similar topics together. Today in Reno-Tahoe for instance, the main topic was snow and the coming series of storms with everyone either playing in it or excited for more. It gave me an idea for a new client blog, “online excitement builds on prospect of more snow.”
I hope you’ve found these tips helpful. And if all else fails, steal it…figuratively, of course.
Oh, blog where have you been?
By · CommentsIt’s great to see you again. I’ve neglected you but that’s all about to change. You see I have lots to talk about.
I sense this year is going to be amazing and filled with adventures, opportunities and incredible success. I want to take you along for the ride.
We’re going to be talking about…
- Why content is king and how to be a content creator
- Developing compelling stories and become the storyteller you’re destined to become
- How to make the right noise in a world that is overloaded it
- Integrating technology, plus a few of my favorite apps and tools
- Turning on your social listening ear
- Open up to a world of creativity
And if there’s something you’d like to see, let me know. See you on the electronic pages!
RKPR Inc. WANTS YOU
By · CommentsRKPR Inc. WANTS YOU if you have successful pitches under your belt, you’re engaged in social networks and have the ability to adapt to the changing world of communications at the drop of a hat.
RKPR Inc. is hiring for a senior account executive with demonstrated experience in the following areas: public relations and media pitching; marketing communications and account management; branding; social marketing strategy, implementation and measurement; and event production and promotion.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: strategic client consultation, planning and recommendations; developing news angles and pitching media via traditional and social channels; writing and editing for press releases, media pitches, social posts, e-newsletters, editorial, among others; ability to determine the “news” opportunities; facilitating requests for information; coordinating regional media visits and tours; special event development, implementation and coordination; promotion development, implementation and fulfillment; program measurement and evaluation.
Must be highly organized and have impeccable attention to detail. Exceptional writing skills are required from 160 characters to editorial and everything in between. Degree in Journalism, Marketing or related field. Proficient in Microsoft Office and design experience a plus. Minimum of five years of experience required and agency experience preferred. Creative thinker and results driven, business to business and tourism experience, as well as knowledge of region a plus. Salary DOE.
Provide your LinkedIn resume to Ronele Kingensmith. Emailed resumes or cover letters are not accepted.
Dealing with Geosocial
By · CommentsKeeping up with social marketing seems as though it’s as much about keeping up with the new changes as it is the names themselves. With words such as Foursquare, Gowalla, Loopt, Groupon, Yelp and of course Facebook and Twitter, it really comes down to engaging the user and now, providing deals.
If you offer a product or service (and who doesn’t right?), then knowing how to use these tools for your business could make the difference in getting and more importantly retaining customers. In recent weeks, there’s been a lot of action on Foursquare with businesses setting up accounts left and right. Right now Foursquare doesn’t offer an easy way to secure a business page so it really is a free for all. However, once you’ve claimed your business you can really start having fun by adding deals and rewarding those who check in.
Gowalla’s newest update allows check-ins on Foursquare, it’s much larger rival in the GPS-enabled smartphone location service arena. According to a Pew Research Center Study released in December, these platforms draw a small audience with 4% of online adults using “geosocial” sites. Remember when you said, “Face-what?” and now it has more than 500 million users. Right now Foursquare is at 5 million members and Gowalla is at 600,000. That’s a lot of people sharing their experience with their friends and associates and, more importantly, a business opportunity.
And not to be left out, in recent weeks Yelp added check-in offers for its members joining Facebook places with its new deals.
How important is all of this? Well let’s just say based on how fast Starbucks and Southwest Airlines jumped at the opportunity, I’d say you might want to take a second look. The day after the Facebook Deals announcement, Starbucks starting advertising that it would donate $1 per Facebook Places check-in up to $75,000 to the Conservation International. And just before Thanksgiving, Southwest Airlines launched its charitable check-ins using Facebook Places. Simply check-in at the airport and Southwest Airlines will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation up to $300,000.
The bad news? You might be saying, “Hey, I think I just got a handle on Facebook and Twitter and now this?” And if you’re not on one of these platforms you can guarantee your competitors are either already on it or looking into it.
The good news? It doesn’t take long to be up and running. You’ll want to work closely you’re your social marketing manager or team to evaluate and determine what’s going to work best for your business…and if it does.
We know that going through this jungle is easier with a little help which is why RKPR offers consultation and training on location-based services as well as all things social. E-mail us to learn more.
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