PR and marketing

Recently I went off the grid. While I do have hippy tendencies, I don’t mean going solar! I went off the social media grid for a week.

For anyone who knows me, I’m pretty addicted to social media. It’s a part of my everyday life, both professionally and personally. For the week I didn’t tweet, Facebook, blog, LinkedIn or Instagram. I didn’t make a phone call, send or check emails or turn on a computer.

I didn’t take a photo on my phone and instantly share it (a photo is so much better shared don’t you think?). I didn’t even turn on my iPhone!

Did I start twitching nervously wondering if I would miss important conversations? Did I have withdrawals?

No. A very big NO. I loved it. It was great to truly have a break from the world.

Funnily enough, I found myself on an island in Fiji on a yoga retreat, teaching the resort owner how to do social media! They now have an up to date YouTube Channel and a Flickr page. Hilarious. I can’t get away from it, even when I try to!

Speaking this month: I am a panelist on the NSW Government’s Small Business September: PR & Social Media - winning strategies for business success on 16 September. I hope you can join me!

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter.

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What's the real difference between marketing and PR?
As PR professionals we are often asked how public relations differs from marketing. Here are some useful analogies:

1. Activities/tactics: Marketing generally covers promotional, direct marketing and advertising which seeks to return direct sales; whereas PR is focused on reputation management through generating positive media coverage and stakeholder communication.

2. Target audiences: Marketing aims to reach current and potential customers, whereas public relations is all about maintaining positive relationships with anyone who has an interest in the organisation or brand. This covers a broader audience across customers and media, to employees and shareholders.

3. Two separate goals: The goals for marketing teams are to reach consumers and make them think, believe or do some kind of sales focused action. Essentially it is about selling the product or service. Public relations is about selling the company or brand through positively managing the communication channels between a company and its stakeholders.

4. Legitimacy of messages: Messages delivered through PR channels such as articles, conference speakers or reputable bloggers are subconsciously regarded by consumers as more legitimate than those presented through marketing tactics. Generally, people can clearly recognise that advertising and marketing are driven by a company’s desire to increase sales.

5. Business ROI: Marketing is generally defined as a business investment – paid branding and promotional activities with new customers being the ROI. Whereas PR is classified as free exposure for increasing credibility around a company’s image.

6. Longevity: Marketing is a relatively short term activity, whereas PR reaps its benefits over a longer period of time. While marketing seeks to drive instant, tangible sales success, the benefits of a PR program can be viewed as a long term investment that a company would recognise for future achievements.

Read the full article on the Public Relations Sydney blog.

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How to be a good ghost tweeter
Ghost tweeters are teams or individuals who are outsourced by companies to tweet on their behalf. It sounds like a simple concept, and in many ways it is, but tweeting for a client is very different to tweeting for your own company or for yourself.

If you are considering becoming a ghost tweeter for someone, or if you already are a ghost tweeter, here are some tips on how to make sure you do it well:

Get to know their topics of interest
Your client’s online presence on Twitter relies on consistency, as social media is all about connecting and engaging with a target audience. When tweeting for your client it is crucial you understand the topics that they wish to be tweeting about. Find out how they want to be perceived, research their areas of interest and stick to it.

Learn their language
When it comes to tweeting for your client you’ve got to know how to talk the talk...or tweet the tweet in this case! Learn the language of your clients. Read articles written by them, listen to them speak and take into account what industry they are in and who their target audience is.

Don’t do anything they wouldn’t do
It can be easy to forget at times that you are not tweeting for yourself. Before you reply, comment or re-tweet anything always ask yourself: “Would my client want to be associated with that person, company or comment?”

Although you may find the tweet funny, interesting or re-tweet worthy, your client may not – it may even be damaging to their reputation. From the very beginning you should learn what conversations your client can be engaged in and what conversations to avoid.

Read the full article on CP Communications News.

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Upcoming events
Here are some events coming up that we thought you might be interested in:

Brand engagement in a multi-channel environment
It is more important than ever to understand the customer journey across channels and create a brand strategy for the connected customer. At this forum you will gain advice from retailers who will showcase case studies, and hear research conducted with 100 Australians on their route from search to purchase.
7 September – Sydney

Social media applications for business
This two-day intensive workshop introduces participants to the context of social media use for business, strategies for social media application and a practical introduction to the most common and useful social media tools for business.
7-8 September – Perth

Social Media Women September: Learn how to make your real life presence compliment and match your online presence
Today everyone is, in one way or another, digitally branded. Whether it is through Facebook, Twitter, a blog or LinkedIn, your personality and your brand are online for all to see. Mariette Rups-Donnelly will share with you some tips and techniques to make sure that when you meet your contacts in real life you compliment and match your digital personality.
13 September – Sydney

Future of Digital Publishing
Tablets are promising to breathe new life into the publishing industry, with more than 1.5 million tablet devices estimated to be sold in Australia in 2011. At this half day seminar, speakers from the magazine, news and web publishing sectors will discuss how they are preparing for the future of print and publishing.
21 September – Melbourne

Online Retailer Conference & E-commerce Expo
A four-day conference with guests discussing problem-solving solutions and career networking. Learn how to acquire new customers, optimise retail website performance, boost conversions, foster loyalty, improve marketing ROI and maximise business operations and profits.
26-29 September – Sydney

Ghost tweeters are teams or individuals who are outsourced by companies to tweet on their behalf. It sounds like a simple concept, and in many ways it is but tweeting for a client is very different to tweeting for your own company or for yourself.

If you are considering becoming a ghost tweeter for someone, or if you already are a ghost tweeter, here are some tips on how to make sure you do it well:

Get to know their topics of interest
Your client’s online presence on Twitter relies on consistency, as social media is all about connecting and engaging with a target audience. When tweeting for your client it is crucial you understand the topics that they wish to be tweeting about. Find out how they want to be perceived, research their areas of interest and stick to it.

Learn their language
When it comes to tweeting for your client you’ve got to know how to talk the talk...or tweet the tweet in this case! Learn the language of your clients. Read articles written by them, listen to them speak and take into account what industry they are in and who their target audience is.

Don’t do anything they wouldn’t do
It can be easy to forget at times that you are not tweeting for yourself. Before you reply, comment or re-tweet anything always ask yourself: “Would my client want to be associated with that person, company or comment?”

Although you may find the tweet funny, interesting or re-tweet worthy, your client may not – it may even be damaging to their reputation. From the very beginning you should learn what conversation your client can be engaged in and what conversation to avoid.

Don’t let trouble brew
As a ghost tweeter you may be on the lookout for negative comments of feedback about your clients. Make sure, if this happens, to respond in a professional and timely manner.

If, however, your response does not seem to work and the problem is lingering, or if it seems to be escalating, contact your client and make sure they are aware of the problem. In any case do not keep quiet and assume it will all blow over.

The best way to be a successful ghost tweeter is to communicate with your client and make sure you completely understand what they want to achieve. A tailored social media strategy will always be more successful and gain far better results than a general plan used across all clients.

Save time by using RSS Feeds

Do you start your morning by visiting numerous websites to find the latest information and updates? Do you find it annoying trying to remember lots of different log in names, user names and passwords? RSS feeds can help you eliminate this time consuming process.

Read the full article here.

Do you want to see you and your business profiled in the media but don’t know where to start?

Have you sent out media releases and received no response?

When you get the right media coverage, your sales can double (or triple), you gain new customers and you can position yourself as a leader in the market place.

However, if you don't know the tactics of a publicity/public relations (PR) strategy or how to write an effective media release, you won’t get the results that will make a difference.

You'll learn the science behind an effective PR strategy including writing media releases that get results, how to approach journalists, how to write articles and case studies for the media as well as clever online tactics.

In one day, you'll discover the secrets to getting good publicity that you can use for your own business.

This seminar covers:
• the elements of a typical PR strategy
• how to determine your target audiences
• how to structure media releases and what you must include
• who you should quote and what they should say
• how to deal with journalists
• online distribution strategies
• contributing articles to publications
• how to approach bloggers as part of your PR strategy

This seminar is ideal for:
• Business owners, coaches, speakers, entrepreneurs who want to promote their business
• Professionals who have been given PR or marketing responsibilities but who may not have had formal training in this area
• People who are relatively new to a public relations role

This seminar covers all the issues you need to consider before you even put pen to paper - or fingers to the keyboard! Once you have these issues covered, you will have a strong framework that will guide how you write the release.

About Catriona Pollard
This seminar is presented by Catriona Pollard, director of CP Communications. Catriona has 18 years experience in developing and managing public relations and marketing programs.

Prior to establishing CP Communications in 2001, Catriona set up the marketing communications department for a leading software company and managed a diverse range of accounts within PR agencies. She also has extensive experience in managing public affairs and marketing in federal and state governments.

Catriona's blog Public Relations Sydney was shortlisted as media & marketing blog of the year 2009. She is a co-founder of Social Media Women, a formal online and in person networking group that encourages and assists women to participate more prominently in social media.

This seminar is held at the Sydney Writers' Centre.

PR and Media Releases that Get Results with Catriona Pollard
Thursday 15 September 2011 9.00am - 5.00pm
Fee: $495 (includes GST)

Book now! Click here.

Sydney Writers Centre
Ground Floor
55 Lavender Street
Milsons Point NSW 2061

Catriona has written an article for Dynamic Business about how speaking, networking and organising events can help build your business' profile.

Decoding the world of marketing and PR can be a challenge, especially for a small business. Uncover the many elements of effective marketing and public relations and identify the right strategy for you and your business.

Catriona Pollard will share tips with you on how to build the profile of yourself and your business through events. This will include attending networking groups and exhibitions, and public speaking.

Other topics to be covered include:

• Why you should use PR, and its benefits
• How to make the most of media coverage
• Sources you can use to gain free publicity
• The role of social media as part of your PR strategy

Don’t miss this rare opportunity!
Top tips and hot topics in the one event!

Date: 16 September 2011
Time: 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM (doors open at 2:30 PM)
Venue: Level 47, MLC Centre 
            19 Martin Place, Sydney, 2000

Register now for this event, click here.

Yesterday I had corn & quinoa soup for lunch. So what? I hear you ask. About a year or so ago a cafe in Crows Nest called Montagu started following me on Twitter.

As a result of conversations on Twitter I started going there for lunch and having business coffee ‘catch ups’ there. In the last month or so they have started tweeting me what soup they have on.

Why this is special is because I’m vegetarian. So in winter I struggle to find soup in cafes that I can eat (as most vege soups are made with chicken stock).

Now mid morning, if Montagu have a vege friendly soup available for lunch, they tweet it out and include my twitter handle so it comes into my ‘mentions’ section of Twitter. 

I love it! It means I get to eat yummy soup that I know is vege friendly. And how clever of them to use such a creative way to generate business!

Learn how to do your own PR! – My next one day workshop on PR and media releases that get results is on next Thursday (11 August). Learn how to construct a PR strategy including how to develop media angles, pitches, media releases, articles, case studies and editorials. You will also learn how to strategically use these tools to maximise your chance of achieving your PR objectives. Sydney Writers’ Centre. Book now!

I hope you enjoy this newsletter.

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Using PR and social media to engage a community
Macquarie University has been running the annual Women, Management and Work Conference for 23 years, with the 2011 conference focusing on Women and Leadership: Ignite your strengths. Leading women spoke about how women can use their unique strengths to become influential leaders.

This year, Macquarie University once again asked CP Communications to run the PR and social media of the event as well as the sponsorship drive. CP Communications drove engagement and registrations by expanding and renewing the online community, in addition to traditional PR strategies.

The focus of our strategy was to use the various issues the conference would cover, to strike a chord with the target audience. We wanted a long lasting campaign that didn’t end when the conference did.

We reignited the conversation in the online community “Women at Work Australia” which included blogging, Tweeting, Facebook and a YouTube channel. We also added a new platform, a LinkedIn group.

CP Communications identified that the media talent were the conference speakers and invited them to be involved in PR. We sent media releases, various pitches and invited the speakers to provide contributed articles, which were pitched into online publications

Yet again we achieved amazing engagement and print and online coverage.

Read how we achieved these results at CP Communications – Success Stories

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YouTube for business - How to create a professional YouTube Channel
We can all be TV stars now by starting a YouTube TV channel. Creating compelling videos helps you engage with your target audience and is a great way to bring exposure to your business and also a way to position yourself as a thought leader or expert in your field.

Here are some tips for creating quality videos:

1. Use a good camera.
   The whole point of a YouTube video is to visually show or demonstrate your product, service or expertise. There is no point in uploading a video onto YouTube that is fuzzy, dull or blurry.
2. Get the lighting right.
   Again the whole point of YouTube is to visually get your message across professionally and that also includes making sure the video looks professionally made. Make sure the lighting is even and that there are no dark shadows.
3. Buy a good microphone.
   There is nothing more frustrating than trying to decipher what someone is saying while watching a video. If you want your messages, tips and advice to be clear investing in a good quality microphone is a good idea. Also, remember to test the sound before doing the whole recording.
4. Aim for one to five minutes.
   Your audience will probably be busy people who have short attention spans. With that in mind your audience will most likely press stop after the two minute mark. If you can, create short two minute videos but if you have to go over be sure to keep within the five minute range.

Read more tips and how to set up your channel on the Public Relations Sydney blog.

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Upcoming events
Here are some events coming up that we thought you might be interested in:

Brand Management 
This one-day master class workshop will equip participants with the core knowledge and skills necessary to successfully and profitably manage a brand. Learn about brand equity, brand research, positioning and managing your brand and brand building. This workshop is designed for marketers and senior managers who have responsibilities over one or more brands within their organisation.
4 August 2011– Brisbane, Queensland

Social Media Women August: Learn about social media's role in the health industry with Heidi Allen of BodyinMind.org
Finding information about health is one of the highest uses of search engines today. Is the information we find reliable? How do we know? Is my doctor using social media? How do I feel about my health information going online? Heidi will help you understand the challenges of implementing a digital and social online strategy in a quickly evolving business ecosystem.
9 August 2011 – Sydney, NSW

Doing Business Online: The Latest Trends and the Legal Risks
The internet and Smartphones are now being used by many for business purposes. During this seminar a panel of expert speakers will present information about the latest trends and techniques being used by businesses. The legal risks of conducting an online business and how business owners can cover themselves will also be discussed.
9 August 2011 – Robina, Queensland

PR and Media Releases That Get Results with Catriona Pollard
Catriona will teach you how to construct a PR strategy that gets results. By the end of this workshop you will understand how to come up with a media angle, write a pitch, media release, article, case study and editorial. You will also learn how to strategically use these tools to maximise your chance of achieving your PR objectives.
11 August 2011 – Sydney, NSW

AFR Leadership Conference
The Australian Financial Review Leadership Conference 2011 brings you a fresh look at corporate leadership. At this one day conference learn about how to get the best out of multigenerational workforces, how to be a leader in the aftermath of a crisis and the importance of strategic HR.
16 August 2011 – Sydney, NSW

Integrating Online Services to your Existing Community Engagement Strategy
The explosion of online communications tools offers an enormous and often untapped potential to address a great deal of challenges faced by community engagement practitioners. Topics to be explored include the integration of online strategy with traditional methods of community engagement and examples of effective online strategies.
30 - 31 August 2011 – Melbourne, Victoria

Social media strategy checklist

More and more businesses are using social media because it gives them another avenue to connect with customers but how do you determine which ones best suits your business?

Before you sign up and start Tweeting or Facebooking, you should think about the social media strategy. This means taking time to stop and think about what you want to accomplish.

To read the full article on DynamicBusiness.com.au, click here.