PR and marketing

How’s your word of mouth? Sound like a scary disease you need to see the dentist about? It’s actually one of the best ways of getting people talking about your business. Recently I did a webinar for the Australian Businesswomen’s Network on social media and word of mouth marketing. Here are a few points I made.

Word-of-Mouth marketing is simply conversations about a brand, product or service. It is an unpaid form of promotion in which satisfied customers tell other people how much they like a business, product, service.

So for marketers and business owners, it’s about earning the right to airtime in your consumers’ conversations, and giving people a reason to talk about your products and services, and making it easier for that conversation to take place.

Pre internet days, it was neighbours over the back fence sharing an experience, or mates talking down at the pub. Now with social media, amplify those conversations by about a zillion - because we have consumer connectivity like never before. 

Consumers are active participants in your brand, they can now significantly influence the health and success of your brand and business. They now have the power to talk to each other about brands quickly, frequently, easily and on a local and global scale.

This means there is a huge opportunity to harness people to stimulate word of mouth about their products and services. So start thinking about how you can start and participate in your consumers conversations.

Read all about how to do word-of-mouth marketing in my article in Dynamic Business.

Learn how to do your own PR! – My next one day workshop on PR and media releases that get results is on this Thursday (5 May). 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 reading this newsletter.

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Simple ways to stimulate creativity...genius!
We all crave creativity when developing new media strategies or programs for our clients. We want to be unique in our approach and provide insights that haven’t been provided before.

Below are several ideas to help stimulate the genius in you:

• Step away from the document: often when you take time away from what you are working on you will reap the rewards. Scientists even recommend that you should sleep before hitting the send button on important documents.
• Brainstorm as a group, even with people outside of the media or communications team.
• Always keep a notebook and pen at your desk, in your car, beside the bed – that way you can write down your thoughts whenever they come to you.
• Ask more questions even if they seem out of the box.
• Use your imagination and visualise your problem in a different light.
• Go for a walk.
• Take a chance and learn to believe in your own creativity.

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Online influencers: Your most powerful advocates
Approaching online influencers is often overshadowed by the more obvious choices of starting a Facebook page or Twitter account when businesses are looking to spread the word about their business or product. However, online influencers from other Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, blogs and/or forums have the ability to be your organisation’s most powerful advocates if you treat them just as you would any other valued client, customer or friend.

Here are some quick and easy tips to consider when engaging with online influencers, which will help to turn them into online spokespeople for your business:

1. Understand their needs: When reaching out to online influencers, don’t assume that anyone who has ever mentioned or discussed your industry is interested in what you have to say. Research thoroughly and extensively to find out who is actually influencing online conversations in your industry, and then find out what your business could offer them. This could include a range of things from a free testing of your latest product to some information on how they could be improving their business.
2. Take online conversations offline: Social media platforms are a great way to find and connect with people and potential customers, but face-to-face meetings definitely still hold value when looking to build long-lasting relationships. Once you’ve contacted your online influencers, why not invite them out for a coffee or a drink to get to know them better? Or you could invite them to your next media event, product launch, or conference to teach them more about your business and offerings. If they truly are, and consider themselves influencers in the field, they will appreciate the opportunity to expand their understanding of the industry.
3. Share the love: Make your influencers feel special by linking out to articles they have recently written through your social media channels, mentioning them in your social media posts, re-tweeting them on Twitter, responding to them on Facebook and sending them exclusive information such as media releases or new product information.

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

Xchange: Is Social Media Anti-Social?
Tonight is the first event of a new weekly networking night for women run by Daily Addict. The presenter is Kim McKay, Director of Klick Communications who will discuss ‘Is Social Media Anti-Social?’ sharing insights into the etiquette, art and future of social media.
3 May 2011 – Sydney

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.
5 May 2011 – Sydney

Social Media Women – Social media case study: Social Innovation Sydney
At the Social Media Women’s May event, organisers of Social Innovation Sydney, Michelle Williams and Kate Carruthers will share with us how they have used social media to create a community, online and offline, via their website, social media and real life Barcamps and events.
10 May 2011 – Sydney

Making Connections Work – Women’s Network Australia Luncheon
UK-based entrepreneur Gail Gibson is presenting at a Women’s Network Australia Business Networking Luncheon, where she will explain her top ten networking tips. Learn the importance of networking and how networking provides personal and professional growth.
18 May 2011 – Perth

Social Media that gets results
Catriona will be sharing her experience in social media at a North Sydney SheBusiness lunch. She will talk about how you can apply tactics that make a difference to your business, reputation and profile. She will offer top social media tips that can be applied immediately and easily to your business.
26 May 2011 – Sydney

Social business software and community engagement solutions company, Community Engine is using its unique platform to assist in reviving Queensland’s flood and cyclone-ravaged tourism industry.

Community Engine’s Director of Social, Stephen Johnson and Community Manager, Danielle Le Toullec, travelled with cricket legend Mathew Hayden on a road-trip of Queensland showcasing its unique natural wonders and using social media tools to expose the plight of characters.

Community Engine was engaged to get behind Matthew's program Operation Sunshine and the greater Queensland community by providing use of its highly adaptable, multi-tenanted platform technology.

They travelled with a camera crew to communities from the Gold Coast to Port Douglas to meet local tourism operators, business owners and people to showcase the plight of the communities that have been severely impacted by recent events.

“We listened to stories of real people affected by the recent floods and cyclone Yasi and amplified these stories through social media. Their courage and survival is truly remarkable,” said Mr Johnson.

The goal of Operation Sunshine is to support the people of Queensland who are still enduring hardship personally and economically following these devastating events.

“We have a great relationship with Mathew Hayden, and we were proud to assist by offering our community engagement platform. Our goal is to support Queensland communities by creating awareness of the challenges they face and to mobilise a wider network of support around them.”

Community Engine is using social media to garner support with a message that Queensland is ‘open for business’. They also assisted in securing community grants and partnerships with local media groups to raise money for natural disaster areas.

Updates from the road were distributed via social channels which included details of Matthew’s experiences, and the people he met along the way who survived the effects of the devastating floods and cyclones.

In turn they have shared and showcased their exciting communities and destinations to fellow Queenslanders and Australians, highlighting the reasons why they should return and enjoy all of the great wonders of the Sunshine state. 

Read these accounts on the dedicated Facebook page Operation Sunshine and follow it on the Twitter profile @OpSunshine.

For more information on Operation Sunshine visit the Operation Sunshine Facebook page www.facebook.com/opsunshine and www.operationsunshine.com.au.

About Community Engine
Launched in 2007, Community Engine provides social media, membership management and community engagement technology, products and services for all types of organisations, including business government and the not-for-profit sector. Community Engine provides clients with their own proprietary social network and community engagement platform. http://www.communityengine.com

Social business software and community engagement solutions company, Community Engine has announced the appointment of new Marketing and Programme Managers. The move follows a stellar period of growth for the business, which prompted expansion into the Melbourne market and the recent appointment of Stephen Johnson as Director of Social.

Alex Mileham is the new Marketing Manager, and he plans to bring ‘masses of enthusiasm’ to further build market awareness for Community Engine while developing the brand and managing the company’s integrated marketing plan.

“I'm delighted to come on board and have the opportunity to build awareness for Community Engine within the market. It's an exciting time to have joined and I look forward to the challenge ahead,” said Alex.

In his previous role Mr Mileham was the Digital Marketing Manager at Accenture Australia, where he was responsible for digital marketing for clients around the country.

Sam Yetzes is the new Programme Manager for Community Engine and is responsible for working with the company’s various business units as well as external customers and partners, to ensure the successful delivery of its product roadmap.

“I’m excited to join Community Engine at such a prolific time in the company’s development and particularly look forward to collaborating with such a talented and multi-faceted team,” said Ms Yetzes.

Ms Yetzes has over fifteen years experience, predominantly in the digital space.

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About Community Engine
Launched in 2007, Community Engine provides social media, membership management and community engagement technology, products and services for all types of organisations, including business government and the not-for-profit sector. Community Engine provides clients with their own proprietary social network and community engagement platform. http://www.communityengine.com

I am in the midst of hiring a new PR Consultant at CP Communications. In the interview process I ask the question to candidates – what are the three key traits of a PR consultant. Let me tell you, one of the traits isn’t “I like talking to people”.

To be a great PR consultant you need to (obviously) understand the media and develop angles they want to read, build effective relationships, be creative, communicate well and be very organised. Often PR consultants don’t think about having to be organised.

If you think about it, in an agency we are working across accounts, across industries, across issues often with multiple spokespeople and deadlines. We are pitching stories into print, radio and TV – which all have different needs and approaches and deadlines. We are tweeting, Facebooking, YouTubing and blogging. We are planning, writing and managing relationships.

Sound exciting? It is. I LOVE IT. But the key is to be super organised. So all deadlines are met and all clients are happy. When the systems are in place it frees up time to be creative.

If you want to be part of this action, let us know by sending us your resume.

Join me on a Webinar: I have been asked to speak at an Australian Businesswomen’s Network webinar about social media & the power of word of mouth marketing. Join me for the free event 20 April, 10:30am. Book here.

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter.

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Photos can make a story!
Before pitching a story to a journalist, you should always think of the visuals that could support your story. Regardless of the strength of your angle, a photo can make the difference as to whether a journalist picks it up or not.

Make sure you understand the pictorial policy of the publication you want to approach. Some daily news outlets only use photos taken from their own staff photographers. Sending a picture through with a pitch will not serve your purpose. Simply pitch the image as part of the story idea.

On the other hand, when approaching regional newspapers and online sites, seeing the photos when pitching the story to an editor may sway them to cover your story. 

When looking to use photos, always remember:

• Talk to the journalist first. You should always check if they want a photo, and if so, what format they require it in.
• Always check the publication specifications and only ever provide images that fit these specifications. There is nothing worse than seeing your coverage appear with a photo that is substandard or has sections cropped out.
• Ask for the photo deadline – sometimes these can differ from copy deadlines and they often need to be sent to different contacts within the publication.
• Review past issues of a publication to work out what type of style is preferred. It can be worth sending sample styles to your photographer to ensure you get the right look.
• Don’t forget to clearly label the image in the file name to make it easy for journalists to find it on their system.
• Keep to the news angle and stay clear of the cheesy shot.

Read the full article on the CP Communications blog.

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How to get re-tweeted – what works
As everyone is rushing to establish their online influence before their competitors, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to stand out from the crowd. Getting re-tweeted is a great way to establish credibility and expand the reach of your Twitter handle to a broader audience.

Here are some tips on how to make sure your tweets don’t go to waste and get the re-tweeting they deserve.

Find your niche – Whether you tweet for yourself or your business, identify the topics you specialise in and stick to them.

Understand your followers – Before you start sending messages out to your community of Twitter followers, ask yourself why they are following you. Once you understand what they are looking for, shape your Twitter content to meet their expectations and demonstrate that you are dedicated to building a relationship and providing value.

Choose your timing wisely – Depending on the nature of your followers, certain times of the day and week will have higher Twitter traffic than others. Consider whether they can tweet during work hours, or whether the majority of them are overseas in different time-zones. Then you can schedule your tweets to match their routines.

Engage with your community – Being an active participant in online conversations will not only help build your online profile, but will strengthen the relationships between you and your online community. Re-tweet generously, respond to mentions where relevant, thank your followers when they re-tweet you, and when you’re in need of some instant exposure, ask your followers to re-tweet you – if you’ve treated them well in the past, they’re more than likely to return the favour.

Read the full article 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:

Social Media Women – Why all businesses need a social media policy
Social Media Women’s April event features Vivienne Storey, General Manager and expert in social media law at BlandsLaw. Vivienne will discuss why you need a social media policy, things to consider when developing one, how to ensure your policy is legal and how to get started.
12 April 2011 – Sydney
 
Engaging Communities Online
This PRIA Breakfast will provide an overview of how to engage customers and communities online using the combination of online technologies and traditional methods. It will also cover the reasons for online engagement, and which pitfalls to watch out for.
13 April 2011 – Sydney
 
Experiential Marketing Summit
The Media Pad is hosting this two-day summit with a focus on tactical marketing strategies. Speakers include representatives from Telstra, The Bendalls Group and The Pink Squad who will speak on topics ranging from celebrity endorsement to mobile marketing.
12-13 April 2011 – Sydney

Storytelling in a Digital Age
X Media Lab Perth are hosting this one-day conference about using storytelling to enhance audience engagement, with a focus on new technologies related to mobile and communications. Information is delivered through case studies by international digital experts.
15 April 2011 – Perth

Gender Matters – Women on Boards Conference
Women on Boards are bringing together a range of expert speakers at their third annual conference, Gender Matters, to explore the serious issue of why, if women constitute 45 percent of the workforce in Australia, they are still under-represented in leadership roles and on boards.
27-29 April 2011 – Sydney

The Internet Show
The annual Internet Show covers social media strategy and marketing, customer engagement through web design, SEO and more. The Internet Show also takes place in Sydney in October. Our client Josh Frith of digital engagement agency The Dubs is speaking at both events.
4-5 May 2011 – Melbourne

Building your company’s profile and protecting its reputation should be a key aspect of your public relations strategy but an entire strategy can be derailed if the wrong spokesperson is selected to front the media.

So what should be considered when choosing your company’s spokesperson?

High-ranking executive: but not necessarily the CEO
In many cases the CEO is the most reputable name you can put out there, they obviously know the business well and have final say on all issues, however if the CEO is not media friendly, they could end up doing more harm than good.

If the CEO has a nervous or shy disposition or they can come across as un-trustworthy, they may not be the best person to represent your business. Another executive who is more confident is definitely worth considering.

Know the business and its key messages
One of the most important lessons in PR is knowing the company’s key messages and being able to tie them into an interview, regardless of the questions being asked. The spokesperson should have a strong knowledge of the company’s background and the issues that a journalist may raise, with a confidence to answer the questions while sticking to the PR strategy.

Well presented and well spoken
It doesn’t matter how knowledgeable a member of staff is, if they can’t string a sentence together for radio or look presentable on camera, then they shouldn’t be your spokesperson. It might sound harsh and it’s certainly not all about appearances, however in reality this person represents your company and you need to consider how you want the audience to perceive your business.

Understand the importance of media
Your spokesperson doesn’t have to have ‘get’ public relations but it is vital that they appreciate the power of the media and the value for the company of getting good press. If your spokesperson sees PR as a waste of time and a hassle in their busy day, they will not project the best image and may not convey the right message.

Media training is recommended
Many people get nervous when approached by the media, but by having a plan in place, your spokesperson will have more chance of giving a successful interview. Learning how to answer questions and how to stay in control of an interview by conveying your key messages can be incredibly valuable. It’s a good idea to participate in some sort of media training, whether it is an intensive one day session or a half an hour briefing with your PR person before the interview – the difference is definitely noticeable.

Mobile technology is changing the way customers use and interact with brands. Smart phones have become a personal, direct way to interact with your audience through personal branding applications (PBAs), also known as apps.

Here are a few things that you might not have considered about creating an app for your business:

• You can use apps to take the consumer relationship to a whole new level. Create an app that is useful, informative or funny. This will facilitate connection with the brand through its value and share-ability, and your brand will be rewarded with loyalty and positive sharing.
• We’re really still only in the early days of brands interacting with targeted consumers based on opt-in preferences. With mobiles, brands can use such things as location-based services to deliver even more relevant information and experiences to mobile customers.
• Successful brands will be those that listen to and learn from customer insights, both positive and negative. This can move the direction of the brand for the better. Apps could be a way for your customers to provide this feedback.

Brand strategists need to evolve and keep pace with the interactive world of smart phones. Why not start thinking about what kind of app your target audience might use?

A hot topic at the moment seems to be recruitment and social media. This week we advertised a new role at CP Communications and used social media extensively. I was interviewed by the Sydney Morning Herald about how small businesses can use social media for recruitment and one of our clients commissioned research on the opportunity for using social media in their recruitment procedures.

For our position, I used the traditional method – advertising on SEEK – but I also had a think about how I could apply social media tactics to recruitment. So I placed the role on our company blog. I wanted potential candidates to go to our website rather than SEEK, so they could see the work we do as well.

I then created a bit.ly URL, which is a shorter URL that can be tracked, I tweeted the position out through my Twitter as well as @CPCPR. I asked close contacts to Direct Message it to their contacts. I placed it on my Facebook page as well as the company’s Facebook page. I also added it to the Job Boards in all of the groups I am a member of on LinkedIn.

Using social media this way means that you are spreading the word exponentially – and for us, hopefully reaching the ideal candidate that also ‘gets’ social media. I will let you know how we go!

Join our team! We are looking for a PR Consultant who will be managing a variety of clients from exciting up and coming companies to blue-chips. You will be working alongside your clients to turn concepts into fully fledged PR campaigns as well as working with a wonderful small team of dedicated, down to earth PR professionals.

Double pass to Starlight Cinema – this is the last week of the fabulous ME Bank Starlight Cinema – Sydney’s North Shore open air cinema. To win a double pass to Black Swan (Thursday) or Love and Other Drugs (Saturday) be the third person to email us!

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter.
 
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Why media interviews are more than a friendly chat
A media interview can’t be treated as a casual conversation as whatever you say can be used directly or paraphrased for the article – so you want to make sure you’re in control of what’s coming out of your mouth!

Following these tips will set you up for a successful media interview:

• Prepare your key messages and thoughts before the interview. Hopefully you will have an idea of the angle the journalist wants to take so that you can think about the information they might want, and what you want to say.
• Practise for the interview by thinking about questions that are likely to be asked, and your best possible answers. Wherever possible, convey your key messages through your answers. Practise sentences out loud to hear whether they make sense and aren’t too long. Remember, the journalist will be looking for newsworthiness, so be honest and back up any claims that you make.
• Call the journalist – not the other way around. This way, you will not be caught off-guard. You will be in a quiet place, with your key messages on paper in front of you, and you will not be interrupted by people or the telephone.
• Don’t answer questions if you don’t know the answer. It’s natural to want to be able to answer every question, but there’s nothing wrong with saying ‘I don’t know’.

Read our step-by-step article about how to get the most from a media interview on our CP Communications website.

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Social media - when a silly mistake turns into a PR crisis
Marketing mistakes are nothing new, where companies have missed the mark completely with their campaigns and even insulted their audience in doing so.

However, a silly mistake can be magnified when the marketing platform is a social media site – as Bing Lee discovered during the recent Queensland flood disaster.

When Bing Lee attempted to attract people to its Facebook page by promising to donate more money to the flood appeal depending on how many people ‘liked’ their page – the social media community were outraged.

Anger and disgust can send the online world spinning, with social media users sharing opinions about unacceptable online behaviour that can reach thousands of people within minutes.

Before posting something that could be considered a little controversial, or before trying a new marketing tactic with social media, there are a few steps you should take:

1. Test your theory on a smaller audience.
2. Do some research. A quick Google search of marketing mistakes and social media crises might just give you a snapshot of what has been done before – and what has gone wrong.
3. Don’t neglect your social media strategy plan. Be sure that whatever spontaneous idea you want to try out still fits in with your company’s objectives of what you want to achieve through social media.

Read the entire article 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:

Social Media Women – How to contribute to Wikipedia
Social Media Women’s March event features Suzanne Francis from Collective Action who will teach you how to contribute to Wikipedia. This month is the celebration of the centenary of International Women’s Day and the first anniversary of Social Media Women.
8 March 2011 – Sydney

The Body & Mind Corporate
Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics and iConneXX are presenting an event about managing health risks for executive women. General practitioner Dr Carole Hungerford, author of Good Health in the 21st Century and Nicola Gates, a registered Clinical Neuropsychologist, are among the expert speakers.
16 March 2011 – Sydney

Advertising, Marketing and Media Summit
Elite Media’s one-day summit in Brisbane will examine the current methods in brand building, such as advertising, marketing, mobile marketing and the future of media. The event will also be held in Sydney and Melbourne later this year.
21 March 2011 – Brisbane

ADMA Social Media Marketing
This short course uses case studies, exercises and a strategy framework to teach you how to use social media in your business. The course is held in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on various dates throughout the year.
23 March 2011 – Brisbane

Corporate Social Media Summit
This summit is aimed at people working in corporate marketing departments and will focus on using social media to generate revenue. It features keynote addresses from companies such as Greenpeace Australia, Telstra and Community Engine.
30-31 March 2011 – Sydney

ad:tech Melbourne
ad:tech is an annual digital and advertising event held in major cities around Australia. It features panel debates and keynote addresses about social media strategy, digital media, mobile marketing and more. Our client Josh Frith of The Dubs will be speaking at this event.
30-31 March 2011 – Melbourne