Rae Hostetler

What’s your social media mix?

Rae Hostetler · Feb 28, 2020 ·

Social media is a conundrum for some company leaders. It’s on trend and you know you need it. But how does it fit? Should you be on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest… and the list goes on and on. It can be overwhelming. We manage social media as a tool within a client’s strategic communications plan. Our approach: keep it simple.

Strategically choose your channels. More channels is not better. It’s simply more to manage. Is your business selling to other businesses or consumers? Are you news driven? Bottom line, know your audience and choose the social media tool where those people are active. Our client the Stutz Artists Association uses Instagram — well. Instagram is visual as is their art. Meanwhile, our HVAC client has a fantastic following on Faceboook. LinkedIn doesn’t work for either of these clients.

Think through your post mix. Social media is a lot of things: it’s news and updates AND it’s entertainment. Posting serious stuff about your company is great. Yet chances are your staff is also a group of fun people. All work and no play makes your channels dull. Think about the mix: 25% brand, 25% news, 50% fun.

Here’s a personal example. I enjoy traveling and am in a few travel cruise groups. People who cruise have a few pet peeves, including deck chair saving. Over the summer, a friend and I “staged” a photos on deck to be playful. Now when the subject comes up, I like to post this photo of a banana holding a chair to lighten the mood (and I always say it was staged and only for fun). This one went crazy. It’s entertainment. It lightened a serious topic. An extreme example perhaps but a good one to show people want to be entertained.

Plan ahead. A company doesn’t plan a product launch the Monday before it releases. Don’t plan your social media that day. We think a month ahead. Outline posts by day. Share the posts with clients and other stakeholders. Yes, the nature course of business dictates more posts over time, but planning ahead and posting ahead alleviates that–“What do we post this week?” conundrum.

Measure. What posts get good engagement and what posts tank? Yes, some posts won’t get likes and chatter. Pulling measurement reports allows you to decide what to keep in future planning and what to stop doing. Of course, some posts are necessary and aren’t always liked (examples include straight branding). Reviewing stats creates a system to measure and consider what’s needed in the social media mix and why.

Social media is not a stand alone communications tool. It should be part of a larger strategic communications program that had goals align with a company or non-profit corporate strategy. If you’d like to talk more, contact us now.

How much does a website cost?

Rae Hostetler · Jan 20, 2020 ·

Websites are critical to an organization’s reputation and image. For some clients, a sound marketing communications strategy is designed to lead customers to a website to learn, engage and buy. We often get the question: What does a website cost?

Company leaders often don’t know what they’re paying for in budgets. That’s a risk. Without sound understanding, there’s a chance of confusion, frustration and risk website budgets could be cut.

If you considering website cost, here’s a short list. Website budgets should include:

Build cost: Website builds for a simple site start at $5,000 and can go up to $30,000 plus depending on size and scope. This cost includes outlining the website framework, writing, photography or photos, programming, testing and going live. Timeframe from start to completion depends on the complexity of the website. Consider are you building custom, going with WordPress or DIYing using Wix?

URL cost: There is a payment due to own a website address. Addresses can be purchased through one of many companies including GoDaddy, BlueHost, WPE Engine and the list continues. A developer might offer to host your site on their server, which is sometimes a good idea. Read on.

Hosting fee: Once a URL is purchased, these companies offer a hosting service. Each company has service offerings based on need: space, number of emails, etc. Where to host and package type to buy depends what the type of company/business and overall website structure. Cheapest isn’t always best.

For example, we have a client company that operates a global service-related business. The business does not sell anything on its website (no credit cards or personal data is ever collected), but due to the global work, the site was hacked. To keep the company site secure, it was moved to a private server, which fixed the hacking issue.

Maintenance: Ongoing updates, additions and maintenance for a website cost money. Whether its programming related or adding a new page for a service line, consider who will do the work. Maintenance should also include updated photography. Will you have a photographer come to your business every year or two to refresh photos or will you buy photos through an online stock photo company?

Consideration for change: Technology is rapidly changing and that includes websites. A good website has a life span of three to five years if a company wants to continue to look modern and current. Something to keep this in mind during annual budgeting.

If you’re thinking about building or rebuilding a website, contact us now. We’re happy to listen and help guide you through the process.

Media Relations tips for DIY’ers

Rae Hostetler · Nov 13, 2019 ·

Often we work with clients who say they are frustrated that they haven’t gotten interviews, profiles or appearances in the press. It’s understandable. They’re trying to figure out how to work with a reporter. I often compare media relations work to making a sale. In business, timing and approach are everything to make the sale. If you’re reading this and doing DIY media relations, here are some tips to consider when working with reporters. And if you’re reading this and thinking you need more press, please give us a call to see if we can support your efforts.

1) When thinking about approaching a reporter, ask yourself, “Is this really newsworthy?”
I listened to someone tell me that he was frustrated by a business publication’s reporter because they never wrote about him and his business. His assumption was that the reporter he was emailing and calling was bias. When I asked what the story idea he was offering was, it was about him and his business. During my tenure as a reporter, our staff at the station considered that an ad. Stop for a moment and think about what you’re offering reporters. They want newsworthy items. That means timing is everything–are you prepared to talk about a trend with new data, do you have a fresh perspective, can you comment on a current topic? Human interest stories are fantastic with the data to back up what you’re offering a reporter. For example, in Indiana the need for foster parents is a constant. Writing about people who step up to help children who need loving homes will get press and help inspire others who are thinking about becoming foster parents.

2) Find the right reporter to contact.
We’ve all met reporters at social events, our kids’ schools, church and other places. Keep in mind, this professional might not be reporting on the beat that covers your topic. Start by asking not selling. It’s a professional courtesy. This tip makes me think about people I see who meet a doctor and start talking about aches and pains. The doctor is off work–professional courtesy. Some publications have a list of reporters on their website. Look at that before you call. And keep in mind, sometimes the reporter you’re pitching to cover a story is the right person but already booked with stories. That just happened at our office. We asked, are there other options in the news run down where this can fit? Yes! And we booked a segment.

3) Let the reporter say no.
Sometimes what you think is a great idea has already been covered or is just not of interest. We always let the reporter say no. We offer them that out–it’s ok to say no. Next step here, don’t take it personally. Often what happens is the reporter respects having that out to say no and comes back another time when they’re working on a story that fits.

4) Don’t give up after one call or email.
I asked a reporter a few years back, “How many news releases do you typically get each day?” Over 30! That’s a lot of information to sort through, process and make a decision about for reporting. Unless you’re announcing new jobs, a merger, a buyout–something big–your idea will be put to the side. It’s ok to follow up and ask again. We know the reporters we contact and they know us. We have to follow up, and usually get a professional apology from them for not responding sooner. Many news teams had twice the staff up to 10 years ago. These are busy professionals working on a deadline each day. That doesn’t mean they’re not interested in you. Be patient and be courteous.

5) Confirm and prepare.
You had the story idea. Now the reporter is ready for the interview. What are the three to five messages that you want to be sure are included? Prepare. Write down talking points and think them through. Maybe even do a mock interview to be ready. A good reporter will ask questions and end an interview with, “What else do you have to add?” If your talking points were not totally covered this is your opportunity to share more information. And if that question isn’t asked, you have the right to offer information before the interview is over. Just say, “Before we wrap up, can I add a few things?”

6) Know when the story will run and what it’s about.
You also have the right to ask the reporter when the story will run. Reporters are eager to share that information because most now have responsibility to share their stories and get engagement on social media. If you’re being interviewed for a story you haven’t sold to a reporter (meaning they called on you to be a source), you have the right to ask details about that story. Who else is being interviewed, is there data and what is it and so on. The reporter will get a better story if you know what they’re working on writing. And the good reporters know and understand that.

7) Use the story when it runs.
Post it to social media channels. Email it to clients, friends and family. Add it to sales kits. Post it to your website. Print it for your lobby. Bottom line, don’t be shy to share a final story in the press.

Stop the communications illusion

Rae Hostetler · Oct 20, 2019 ·

A survey of consumers and business leaders by Twilio is startling, at least to me.

Nearly 7 out of 10 businesses think they’re communicating with their
customers effectively.
Only 2 out of 10 consumers agree.

Here’s the reality. Often what feels like over communication is really, truly just—communication. People need to hear your message up to seven times to really hear it. And when it comes to communication with companies, us consumers just want it to be simple.

We work with business owners and leaders throughout Indianapolis. During the course of the day they’re juggling every facet of business from human resources issues to supply chain snafus to daily sales to keep cash coming. If cash doesn’t flow, the staff isn’t paid. That’s a hard truth. Yet too many times communications (internal or external) fall to the bottom of the list. And there’s an illusion it’s ok, because maybe it already happened, someone else said it or it’s in the works.

These are self-limiting beliefs for a business owner. If a company’s external communications are not strategically aligned and managed your business’ reputation will suffer. From an employee standpoint, C-Suite executives know when internal communications are suffering because it’s hard to put key initiatives into place and subsequently keep top talent.

Companies that are highly effective at change management, engagement and communications reap the rewards:

5x more likely to outperform industry peers
20% more likely to report lower turnover rates
5x more likely to have managers who actively support the vision

(Study Towers Watson)

So why aren’t more leaders communicating and what should they do about it?

They don’t know how (and that’s ok).

We have a current client who’s a master of operations and business growth. He’s the first person to say, “I don’t have a clue what to do to communicate my business.” And that’s why we work well together. I don’t know how to do so many things. I cannot fix a car, do my own taxes and am not handy around the house. There are smart and highly trained professionals who are experts in these areas. That’s why I call them to help. The key here is to be open to advice and ideas from professionals. Not all CEOs and leaders are, and it makes it hard to do the PR job when expertise and experience are disregarded.

Business of the day always seems to outdo communications.

At 8 a.m., we all have the best intentions to accomplish a lot. We have a list of things we and a well-structured calendar of meetings. Then we look at email. Then the phone rings. People need ideas, input and feedback. Now it’s a couple hours later and nothing on that list has been scratched off. Those high priority things to do are on fire. My guess is communications and public relations isn’t among them. It should be weighted equally to other initiatives.

It’s not a priority.

You cannot deny it. Just try! When we don’t know how to do something, it falls low in the priority list. Owning a company means wearing a lot of hats. Setting up communications goals isn’t a priority. A Forbes article from 2012 outlined what CEOs see as their #1 priority. They said, Getting and keeping top talent. Refer back to that Towers Watson survey above. It says companies that communicate well have lower turnover rates. Perhaps reprioritizing communications should become a priority for some leaders.

Leadership is out of touch.

POPin collected responses from 163 business leaders, including C-level executives, across a variety of industries. Only 21% of executives solicit feedback from employees in person, and often that feedback is not candid. Employees fear negative career consequences for being honest. When leaders try to meet, 41% said they do townhall meetings. These typically are one-sided, favoring execs. Our team worked for a global corporation that did townhall meetings once, if not twice a year. The leaders came from Europe to talk. And talk they did! They were out of touch with the issues the employees faced in the United States. Executives talked about products that didn’t affect the people in Indianapolis, and their global business speach went over employees’ heads. And yes, we tried to coach these execs with prepared and well-presented information to no avail.

Get out from behind your desk. Talk with your staff, vendors, contractors and others who work with or for your business. Take a walk through the office and work areas. During my tenure at RCI here in Indianapolis, the CEO decided to have a contest with the call center staff. The winner got to train the CEO and have him take calls from customers. Not only did the staff love it and feel valued, but the CEO learned a lot too.

Leadership doesn’t see the value.

Let’s go back to that opening piece of information. Seven out of 10 businesses think they’re communicating with customers effectively. Just two out of 10 consumers agree. When someone has a bad experience, they tell a friend or two or three or more. Even worse, they stop doing business with the company. Employees unhappy? They leave!

Make communications matter. It’s an easy tool that impacts so many aspects of operations.

If you’re thinking maybe it’s time to stop the communications illusion, email or call me o set a time. We’d love to hear how you want to be communicating your image.

Why we love email marketing and communications

Rae Hostetler · Sep 10, 2019 ·

email marketing I was thinking about writing this blog and then (moments ago) I received an email from a client with the subject line, “Phones are going NUTS!!!!!” (yes, caps and five exclamation points). So I thought, well now is the time to write this and share it.

I love email newsletters as a communications tool. They’re relatively easy to set up, add/maintain contacts, brand and use to communicate. Most of our clients have email communications in their strategic plans. They all have various reasons why that ties to a goal.

Here are uses and results.

The client noted above with their phone going NUTS right now runs a local, family operated heating, cooling and plumbing business. Their brand is personal and customer driven. We email information to educate customers and remind them of services. Today’s email was simple… don’t forget to call us to schedule your fall furnace tune up. The people who received the message subscribe to a maintenance agreement program and have paid for the service already. So wow… one email made the phones ring, schedule fill and get trucks on the road. Trucks on the road means more branding because you’ll see the Howald Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing logo around Indianapolis.
We work with the Stutz Artists Association. The group is a non-profit that’s a members association. During our planning assessment, we were given access to their email newsletter, which was set up already. We quickly noted that there were not a lot of member email communications being sent via their newsletter system. There were emails that were forwards from personal email addresses with bits and pieces of information. Over 90 days, we’ve started a consistent emails campaign for membership and they’re seeing the impact. The last email open rate was over 80% among members. The benefit: the more in-the-know members, the better engagement for association events.
Another client, Cargo Services, uses email communications to support their sales team. The company is a freight forwarder, think importing and exporting (and yes, tariffs). Each member of the team has an email list of clients and prospects segmented in the system. Emails are sent from a customer’s sales rep (meaning the email has the sales rep’s name on it). Their communications program is “thought leadership” driven. That means the client has articles on industry topics to support their brand: Customer Driven, Creative Solutions, Community Focused. Topics range from their community program supporting foster youth in Indiana to articles with tariff updates, industry changes, regions of the world for manufacturing and more. A day or so after an email is sent, we give sales reps the information about who has opened the email and clicked to the full article on their website. We’re seeing more email opt ins (about 20 in August alone) and more website traffic. In turn, that is driving client conversations and sales.

If you’re interested in creating a strategic communications program that includes email marketing, contact us to start the conversation.