Rae Hostetler

Indianapolis public relations: Working with the media a harsh new reality

Rae Hostetler · Sep 11, 2013 ·

I have been working professionally in Indianapolis public relations since the early 1990s. A lot has changed in my work with the media. I hear clients say, boy my paper is thin. The next breath is the question: Why am I not included in this article?

The following is a reality check for all of us, including me. I am fortunate that I’ve created some great relationships with reporters over the years. They are really great people who work hard with less every day. During recent discussions with several reporters, here’s what they’ve had to say:

200 email pitches a day: Yes, that’s right—200! Think about your inbox for a second. You work hard to get back to everyone and keep it cleaned out. (Honestly it’s a personal goal of mine to keep a clean inbox in 2013.) So when you wonder why you don’t hear back from a reporter, chances are you are probably down, down, down deep in their inbox.

Beats that include everything but the kitchen sink: Reporters are asked to cover large geographic territories these days. Think of the Indianapolis Business Journal’s North of 96^th. Andrea Davis works the following communities: Zionsville, Carmel, Westfield, Fishers, Noblesville. She depends on people to keep her updated on what’s making news. That doesn’t always mean you’ll be in the news today. It means you’re on her radar. Be patient. She’s a thinker. She’ll figure out how to use you as a source or resource.

Multiple platforms are a must: I remember the old days in Indianapolis media relations. There was a morning and an afternoon newspaper and lots of print media along with radio/tv. Reporters took a lot of time and did due diligence on every story. Those days are gone. It’s about Twitter, Facebook and getting information onto the website now. I see typos and misspellings due to the rush. The newspaper is not the place to get the news of the day anymore. Sad but true.

Time is at a minimum: This means if you promise a reporter a byline, interview or piece of information—get it right the first time. These professionals are doing so much with so little in their daily work, they have no patience for sources that cannot get it right the first time. Sounds harsh, but it’s true. You will be black balled from their list of contacts for future interviews and discussions.

Ask yourself: why would this person care about me? Another harsh truth—unless you are part of a trend, offer something sexy or fit the story they have to turn in within an hour, they don’t. Sometimes it’s better to send a quick introduction and offer yourself as a source or resource when the time is right. Give your cell number. The day you get the call—call back within minutes. Again—time is at a minimum. You can’t wait til tomorrow to return a media call when the reporter’s deadline is right now.

Here’s the reality. If you really, really want to work with reporters, find a good public relations firm or practitioner who can walk you through the ins and the outs. We’re the professionals who know these reporters personally and professionally. We know what reporters want, when they want it and how to deliver the information. You’ll be respected and become a resource long into the future.

Stop being a PR DIYer

Rae Hostetler · Aug 23, 2013 ·

As women, we think we can do it all—right? Wrong?

I run an Indianapolis PR agency that’s a member of several local professional organizations, including the local Network of Women in Business. During meetings with committees and like-minded professionals in NAWBO this week, I noticed a theme: women discussing how they can’t do it all from their pr to their accounting. How can you really know all of that?

For us PR/marketing types, these business owners are like those HGTV – DIYer shows. We often see projects gone wrong and bad. We come in with our crews to shore up foundations, fix walls and pipes and update broken systems.

Stop being a DIYer in business.

There are professionals throughout Indianapolis who do it better, smarter and faster. Yes, it costs money. But it’s an investment in your company. Example, one of my professional colleagues this week admitted she was trying to manage her books every Saturday, until she hired and accountant. She said now she’s got her weekends back and her books are clean. She has time to relax and peace of mind.

So how does this apply to public relations? Simple, over and over I hear business owners say they can do it themselves: they can call the paper, they can manage their website, they can do a flyer and on and on.

Maybe they can. Ask yourself—is this the best use of time and is it effective?

Public relations and communications professionals throughout Indianapolis have something that a general business owner typically doesn’t have:

A Network: If you’re talking with the right PR pro, this person will know a lot of people. Through various professional organizations, we’re typically well networked. That means when we recommend a new initiative, we usually know who’s going to provide the most professional and best services/partnerships and more. We just saved you time finding the right sources.

Expertise: I can only speak for myself on this topic. I have been working in the field of public relations and communications for more than 20 years. I remember green screen computers, the advent of the internet and onslaught of social media. This context allows me to provide sound counsel and long-term thinking in strategy and focused execution. Instead of trying to figure it out on your own, chances are I’ve either done it or know someone who has (see network in number one).

Accountability: I have a new client who’s spending a lot of money on advertising. She has no idea if this advertising is deriving any ROI for her organization. PR professionals know how to measure impact. It’s not always about the dollars and cents. This client and our team talked this week about how to be accountable with these dollars and we know what we’re looking for as we recommend 2014 expenses related to these ads.

Honest Assessment: Honesty hurts. Sometimes a client needs to hear it—softly though. A couple of years ago I took on a new client that’s today become a wonderful client. The company owners were trying to manage the build out of their own website through a firm in Indian. The owners threw up their hands and handed me the keys. They didn’t believe people would actually search the internet for a company like theirs, so they made a minimal investment. I softly told them they were wrong and that we needed a real website with brand. Over two years later, they watch their Google Analytics, derive business from people who read their website/watch their videos and then contact them directly.

Bottom line here (call it honesty), if you really want to grow your business, engage a professional who can support and help your company instead of being a DIYer.

Return on the investment in messaging–A true testimonial

Rae Hostetler · Aug 9, 2013 ·

Late last night I received an email from an Indianapolis public relations client. I happen to download email into my iPhone (I know a no-no) and was thrilled to read these words from one of the sales reps at a client company:

Thought u (sic) guys and Rae would like to know how (this prospect) found us, and his opinion of our web site.

We are a small company located in Indiana and are looking for a reliable and trusted (company like yours) to (partner with). I came across your company name on the a website and after visiting your website was quite intrigued by the message there.

The key word here is “message.” The client message did not just happen. We worked a process that derived the company story to ensure its authentic and compelling. Compelling enough for a prospect to reach out to a sales rep on a Thursday evening to set a meeting time generating ROI. Here’s how we did it.

The client called me a few years ago (then prospect) saying we’ve met a few times and now we need you. There are three owners at the company, an independently owned and operated mid-sized, growing company in Indianapolis. The owners thought they knew their company “story,” but didn’t know how to translate it to their marketing. We met as a group and talked through their company story “hypothesis.” I recommended this process to determine if they were right:

1) Immersion: Tell me all about your company, your staff, your long term goals and how you got to where you are today. Tell me what you think your story is.

2) Interviews: Let’s talk to people who work for you, with you and around you asking a similar series of questions to discover their experiences and interactions with your business. Will they say the same thing?

3) Download: After all interviews are completed, we drafted a topline report that revealed what people think. In this case, clients loved the company for its customer service, community relations and expertise of the staff.

4) Story telling: Draft the company message around the feedback people provided.

5) Marketing plan: Now that the company knew what to say, we created a marketing plan. It’s ongoing to this day.

It’s because of this process and plan that the prospect found the client company online. You see, that prospect didn’t just “happen” upon the website link. He’d been receiving personal email marketing with our messaging from the sales rep (our marketing), clicked to the link we provided in the email and returned to the website. It’s due to the website development with strategic messaging that this guy was intrigued. And its the ROI we love to hear about to know our clients are getting what they need from communications planning coupled with ongoing public relations work!

The impact of internal communications on marketing success

Rae Hostetler · Jul 30, 2013 ·

I have a business partner who is one of the best internal communications public relations practitioners in the city of Indianapolis. Over the years we’ve worked on many, many client projects together. Since my practice focuses on external communications, I just like being around her. I’ve been able to soak up some great tips and techniques in communications for employees.

Honestly, to most mid-sized business owners (my pr firm’s focus), some of the ideas she presents sound soft. Most CEOs and owners want dramatic results. They’re looking for the silver bullet. Here’s the bottom line: if your employees don’t know your vision, your marketing outreach—why are they going to help you get those dramatic results? How can they get onboard and talk up the company if they don’t have any idea what’s happening. Drop those preconceived notions and start talking to the staff. You’ll get results.

Here’s the latest true tale….

For the past two years Hostetler Public Relations has worked with a local business owner who’s been in the marketplace for 30 plus years. He made his business in the 80s and 90s with traditional print , radio and television advertising. It’s been his go-to request in our planning.

Our team know that communications tools have shifted and changed. This client’s industry still needs traditional advertising, but smart companies and their pr agencies are using web tools. We’ve recommended many times that his employees (he’s got about 40 of them who work with customers) need to hear and know what marketing tools we’re using so they can act as a walking-talking mouth piece. Everyone agreed it needed to happened, but fell a bit lower in priority due to rebranding and other initiatives. (Shame on us for not pushing more.)

Last week, we held an all staff meeting. My client gave me the floor. I outlined their marketing/communications program in a fun, easy to understand, interactive presentation. I asked for ideas (got some great ones) and talked about our online outreach: social media, website development, social media, email newsletters, and further developing marketing measurement tools.

Here’s what happened next…

Since that meeting, just days ago:

The company’s floundering social media pages have hit pay dirt with about 100 more followers/likes—in just days!
Social media reach has increased dramatically as a result.
Website traffic is increasing.
Company reps are talking up key initiatives with customers (now they know them!).

Bottom line… these employees are involved and driving company communications and subsequent revenue.

What did it cost to move that needle? A company meeting to drive employee engagement. Going forward—the company will keep updating team members with a centralized bulletin board and discussion at staff meetings.

As my client says: “It’s all good stuff!”

SEO: Make yourself relevant

Rae Hostetler · Jul 22, 2013 ·

Ever wondered when you search a word, phrase or business name how it manages to come up on page one of the search engine? It’s not a mystery. Those tech programmers at search engine companies have come up with complex algorithms to be sure relevant information comes up first for website users.

So how do you make yourself relevant online? Use search engine optimize your website!

Integrated public relations means a company should look at every piece of your marketing communications. Today, your website is your online storefront. It doesn’t just have to look great and real well—it needs to function for you.

There are four places search engines typically scan for keywords and phrases that are relevant to your industry or business.

Title tabs: Mouse over that title tab at the top of the page. It’s the one that shows the name of our company. It says Indianapolis Independent PR Firm-317-733-8700. We placed that content into the tab using a WordPress widget in a strategic effort to say who we are and what we do.

Content: The information you write and share about your company, its services, culture, vision and more should be authentically written to reflect the real words and phrases a person would type into a search engine bar to find you. Business owners in Indianapolis use Indianapolis PR firm, marketing firm, communications firm, for example. That’s what we are and what we do. So the content on our pages reflects it.

Photos: On a website, they should be more than pretty pictures. Photos should work for you. The photos on the website should include meta-tags to reflect the content on the page.

Keywords: A good SEO widget in WordPress asks you to type in keywords and/or phrases. We typically find two to three per page as a rule of thumb.

The same words and phrases should be used in writing blogs and adding new content to the website. Google loves fresh content. Remember keep it real and keep it relevant for customers to find you.