Adapt or Vanish: 5 Killer PR Tips to Integrate Social Media

Editor's Notes

1. Things are changing..and it’s been changing for quite some time. Today, what PR Pros must ask themselves is “how can I step outside of my comfort zone.” What can I do to adapt and evolve my strategy and tactics to be on the leading edge of this change. PR Pros are no longer just about media relations – they’re brand advocates, customer support, and the main touch point for influencers. But most importantly – it’s about learning new ways to use PR to drive demand.PR is not only about driving awareness – it’s about driving business value.
2. Good times – looking back to the days where there was a plethora of reporters that we can reach out to for company or product news. Good times when reporters had the luxury of being able to cover a niche topic and solely focus on that. Today – with fewer reporters – they have less time and resources to provide the attention you need. This is forcing PR Pros to get more creative in getting their attention.
3. Let’s not forget the analysts. With plenty of analysts firms – from large, med and small – companies had to luxury to tap into the many analysts that covered niche markets. It was a win-win situation. Today – that’s all different. Consolidation and the influencer landscape shifting – companies are now forced to look at less analysts for more money to get that influence lift.
4. I remember back when products ruled – and when we would huddle around with product management, marketing and PR to plan a product launch. And don’t forget the days when we can secretly send product announcements under “embargo” as part of the buzz building campaign. Those were the good old days. I also remember the days when I would ask my PR company at the time Lois Paul and Partners to pull a target media list by tier. Well we all know how that is today – it’s a lot shorter with less people. I witnessed that first hand over the years.
5. Print moved to online. People wanted things in real time. The inconvenience of waiting for news to arrive at the front door. It changed from “oh I’ll have to wait till tomorrow…to I want it now” era.
6. People were spending more time online – faster and easier.
7. Then PR Pros began to ask – is this the end of news? Not really. Print media moved online to follow their readers. PR pros had to change and adapt to respond to rapid and breaking news. They had to be connected at the hip with their resources.
8. This impacted the media industry – where smaller publications were gobbled up by giant publishing firms or went out of business. More publications either replicated their news content online or went online entirely. News moved to more real-time than the bi-weekly or monthly or even quarterly. This meant PR pros who adapted and can rapidly respond to requests got the story.
9. What’s the reality today? Smaller real estate to get coverage – this meant product was no longer the highlight. Companies had to find information, trend-setting news to capture audience. With fewer reporters covering news stories, PR pros had to learn quickly how to get creative.
10. Social media is a growing force in news consumption across the age spectrum, but it is particularly prominent among younger news consumer like the students at American University (AU). Almost 60 percent of those ages 18 to 29, according to a Pew Research Center survey, said it was important to be able to share "news content with others through e-mails or posting to other websites, like Facebook." That was much higher than any other age group.Forget the small talk – people are driving news and sharing content. Facebook and Twitter are all platforms for not just sharing what you ate for dinner or what movie you liked and why – it’s about news consumption. It’s coming to you. Plus, Twitter has become a real-time link exchange, a short-form [freelance journalist] network.
11. Today, it’s about creating the content and pitching it to the media/influencers. It’s no diff than a written pitch but it’s real-time – it’s taking the leg work out for journalists.
12. The face of influencers have changed. Remember your usual suspects – reporters and analysts. Today – there is no category – they could be your customer, user, reporter, anyone who has reach and voice to drive influence.
13. Source: http://www.comscoredatamine.com/2011/02/2010-us-digital-year-in-review
14. http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statisticshttp://techcrunch.com/2011/06/23/facebook-750-million-users/
15. http://blog.twitter.com/2011/06/200-million-tweets-per-day.html
16. http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/friending-the-social-consumer/
17. Today – relationships have changed. We are more connected with our influencers than before whereas everything was all business and phone calls were the norm. Not anymore. You have every way possible to connect and personalize your relationships and get more lift. Also, if you know your influencers are using Twitter or any other social tools heavily – that’s where you need to be to connect and communicate that way versus waiting for a phone call back. Combine traditional but also learn to use the social tools for your benefit.
18. Today’s Crisis Management is Rapid Response Management. Every company should have a crisis management plan in place but should be combined with how the company is going to deal with the new media. This means having a triage in place to deal with all forms of outbreaks.
19. First things first – listening & monitoring & responding. Daily twitter and FB updates
20. Four key things to ask yourself when writing a tweetable press headline are:Is it short enough to fit into a tweet that also includes a Twitter handle and a link?Is the company or product name in the beginning so it won’t get cut off?Does it contain relevant keywords to make it searchable?Is it punchy enough to generate retweets based on the headline alone?
21. Take one big idea and atomize your content. Jason Baer (@jaybaer) blog LINK: http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-marketing/get-more-bait-in-the-water/ for additional information. With fewer resources and tight budgets, Marketing and PR need to look at how you take one big idea and turn use it for blogs, videos, podcasts, webinars, speaking presentations, etc. Get more lift from your investment.
22. Blog is what we’re using to pitch to the media with rapid response so you get more bang for your buck. It’s also a great way to syndicate across channels and send to bloggers. Adding a list of blogs from influencers is key. Also remember – video blogs. If your experts don’t have the time – it’s best to get a Flip or Sony Bloggie to capture the interview and post.
23. Eweek – new way to showcasing products & trends. Pitch it as a visual to run on different websites.
24. If you’re posting slide shows on your site, you can also add share buttons for people. We’re a visual driven society – people want information that is easy to view and digest. Follow what the audience wants to use slideshows as teasers for a deeper content. http://www.marketingprofs.com/pics/2011/5513/a-brief-history-of-content-marketing-slide-show?adref=nlt072211
25. PR is about supporting every facet of the organization – especially the demand side using content and social outlets.
26. Many marketers fail in this area due to lack of integration & readiness. Also, needs to ensure customers/right audience are there to move your efforts.Integrate across social media, marketing, email communication, internal comm. More importantly, give your customers/prospects incentives to join your communities to participate. Having the right audience participate is key and if that right audience is not on your communities, then it’s not worth doing. You’ll get a lot of trollers.
27. #JDAFOCUS11Included in 365 tweets during event; 501 in last 30 daysReached over 637,000 people during event; 752,000 people in last 30 days@JDASoftware26 new Twitter followers; 4 New Lists647 retweets163 mentions 10 Video Interviews On-site2 Analysts 6 JDA Experts2 CustomersPitched content to bloggers and reporters; created content following video interviewsThe best way to promote events is through the content created by attendees during the event itselfWork with Events team on programs to generate maximum content creation during events, including blogger outreach and invitations, live video, blog post and photo contest, etc.