Hostetler Public Relations

Providing public relations and marketing communications counsel, strategy and support

Public Relations

Social Media: Stake your claim, start with the message

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I was invited and went to a great social media presentation yesterday given by Tim Sanders–a self-touted social media guru. He was there on behalf of Chase bank. They’d invited their business clients, who ranged from owners of retail stores to manufacturers and scaled from small- to mid-sized company owners.

Tim gave a great presentation. He’s truly a believer in social media and how it can work for business. He was great! While I listened sipping my coffee and nodding in agreement along with Tim, it was apparent that many of the people in the room were energized, excited and enthusiastic BUT not sure how to jump into the world of social media. That latter observation came during the Q&A and networking post talk. It seems overwhelming to many of these company owners After all social media is the wild west (I’ve called it that for years and Tim used the same phrase; high-five Tim). Where and how do you stake your claim?

Tim had one great nugget that he glossed over pretty quickly. He said that among the newest trends in social media is determining how to keep consistent communications and messaging from post to post, site to site and so on. That’s true, but it’s also something those of us in the public relations profession have know for a couple of years. Maybe we’re trend setters?!

Social media can be overwhelming. Starting at the beginning with your message is critical. Think about it this way: while the marketing and communications tools have changed, the methods have not. You have to know what you’re going to say, who you’re talking to (who to follow/friend/link to) and how you’re going to to it (which social media sites work best). That gives your company personality, style and brand.

Want to stake your claim in social media? Start at the beginning with your message.

Good luck!

Be ready for the interview

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Many company leaders want to be a source for reporters. They want a voice and to be part of a story. Reporters today are on tight deadlines. Staff in a newsroom is smaller and many writers have several things they’re working on all at the same time. When you become a source, consider the reporter’s needs. Give them want they want and you’ll become part of the contact list for future stories.

  1. Most reporters are working on deadline. Ask the deadline and the story run date upfront to know the time frame.
  2. Ask the angle of the story and who else is being interview. Often you can suggest sources within your contact list, too.
  3. In the interview give clear, concise explanations since they must become experts on the topic within hours (we’ve all had months and years).
  4. Most are looking for a few “sound bytes” for their stories—what’s the byte we want them to take away? Think about it before the interview.
  5. Most are looking for the top line on the issue, topic and subject (NOTE: You have limited time to educate and inform. Be ready with notes.).
  6. TV reporters typically have about one and a half minutes to tell the story—speak concisely.
  7. Print reporters interview several sources and you might just be one “sound byte” in a larger printed story.
  8. Most reporters do not report on your business every day so we need to recognize they will make mistakes… keep the end goal in mind… awareness.
  9. All need a source… a talking head… an interviewee…
  10. Add the final story to your website, email it to clients and prospects and keep it on file.

Feed the beast… Google that is.

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I’ve recently found my practice focused on several client projects that involve website development. As I work with clients to design their communications plan, company story and budgets for these projects I get the opportunity to partner with talented Indianapolis graphic designers. These designers all have some great web folks.

Together we all continue living and learning about social media, SEO and Google.  And yes we’re talking a lot about Google the ever changing breathing search engine. And as we work to educate clients, I keep using the phrase… “Feed the beast.”

The reality of website work today is that it is never done. Long gone are the days when a company, non-profit or business owner would put up a website, post it and share an atta boy. Website content (words, pictures, phrases, video) needs to consistently be analyzed and updated to remain fresh in the eyes of Google. Here are some ways to “Feed the Beast”….

1)      Research your keywords and update. Google has a keyword finder tool. Put in your website address and it recommends words and phrases. Include those phrases in your copy.

2)      Add a blog to your site. Trick here is to post regularly. Even the well intentioned professional (me!) gets busy and sidetracked. Adding keywords about your industry gives Google something to bite on.

3)      Consider video. If you’re in a visual industry it really helps to show people what you do. It also helps Google, which is the proud owner operator of You Tube. Video editing today is so easy even a kid can do it (mine does! And he’s only 12.). Then post it to You Tube adding your keywords and voila—something yummy for Google.

4)      Tag photos, tabs and behind the scenes. Find a good web partner to help here. Tech folks know what they’re doing and do it well. It’s worth the investment when a prospect calls and you can turn them into a client.

5)      Consider farming. Link farming that is. In real life business is all who you know. It’s the same on line. Link to business partners and ask them to link to you.

Who are you marketing to–yourself or your prospects?

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A client wants a new brand/image/facelift. They hire professionals (either employees or consultants) to give them an honest opinion and guide them so they look great with a solid message—the foundation of their marketing program. Once they see and read the brand graphics and message, respectively, they want to go back to where they were. They resist the advice they’re paying to hear. The reason: they say people recognize their colors, fonts, logos and more. But do they?

Change is hard, but the fact is company owners that want to build a brand might be missing their target market. They might be marketing to themselves, not their target audience. Here are tips to avoid influencing yourself … and instead influencing your audience to buy:

1. Get other’s opinions.

Sometimes you get so close to the brand, you forget what’s important and have a hard time deciding on logos, graphics and language. Stop and ask people you trust for their opinion. Most of the time, there’s consensus. That certainly makes the decision a lot easier and helps to discover if the current brand/logo still resonates with your buyers.

2. Watch your language.

We all have our own industry language. Do the people you’re trying to influence to buy from you understand what you’re saying or are you talking a different language? Are you talking to yourself? You’d be surprised.

3. Trust that the people around you want you to win, too.

Wringing your hands and thinking it over for weeks on end as professional colleagues and consultants work to move marketing forward and create ROI simply delays the process to increase sales—the net effect of marketing. TRUST. Everyone is on the same team. They all want to win. They all want to see ROI.

4. Clean out the clutter.

Resist the urge to tell every detail of your story to make the sale. It can become overwhelming for the reader/listener. Clean out the clutter. Get to the emotion and tell your story—simply. Hit the high points for the prospective buyer and tell more details as you go.

5. Listen to the professionals.

Marketing communications employees and consultants are being paid to give sound advice. Listen to their opinions and recommendations.

Ya never know where a media hit will lead you

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It’s true as much as I hate to admit it–sometimes clients don’t truly understand public relations and why professionals recommend taking action as part of a larger strategy. Some clients end up bumping heads with the PR professional while others (some of my best and most loved clients) jump on and hang on for the ride wondering where we’re going–but trusting it’ll be a great place.

Here’s a recent example.

A couple of months ago I read a reporter’s request on HARO (Help a Reporter Online). The reporter needed sources for a Mashable.com story about companies that use iPads for work. She wanted to know about the business, how iPads are being used and how the tool has helped business efficiency. Mashable is an online publication dedicated to social media, technology and tech world. It gets about 2.9 million page views a day!

I sent the query to one of my clients who specializes in high-end home remodeling. In my mind it was a great fit. The company has been using iPads for better communications and prospect work (they show before and after pix). The remodeling team inputs notes into the iPad and forwards the action items to each other. Less paper and automatic tracking. Great for customer service. The company owner has a basic philosophy. Us PR Pros call it thought leadership. The client just wants to educate homeowners about remodeling not just locally, but nationwide, to improve the reputation of the business. There are professional remodeling companies. So with 2.9 million readers at Mashable, what a better place to possibly be featured as a professional using a cutting-edge business tool.

That said, the client has later told me he thought I was  a bit crazy asking him to hit a fast deadline for information via HARO. We have a great relationship of trust, so he jumped on and went for the ride. Here’s where it led him.

The reporter loved the story about how the company uses the iPads and asked for an on the job picture. The company was one of four nationwide featured when the article was posted. When the piece first appeared, remodeling company owners from several states contacted him. The owners wanted to know more. They too had considered using iPads, but weren’t sure if the investment for their company would be worthwhile. Now my client has access to talk to these owners in non-competing market places for their best practices. He’s keeping in touch with these owners, and he’s meeting his philosophy of being one of the top professionals in his business.

Next the icing on the cake. An emailed arrived from none other than Apple corporate headquarters. At first we were skeptical if the email was for real. The marketing office wanted to know more. They wanted a conference call. What? That’s crazy stuff, but it was for real. The client was over the moon. He talked about his iPad use, apps and more for 45 minutes with two Apple marketing professionals. Within 5 minutes of hanging up, his office phone rang. It was Apple calling again to say they want to feature my client in their business-to-business marketing work as a case study. How cool is that?

We look forward to helping you communicate your image!

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