Hostetler Public Relations

The world is reopening. Adapt your PR strategy to people’s (NEW) expectations.

May 14, 2021 By Rae Hostetler

PR Strategy The wild COVID ride feels like it’s about over, and now it’s time to refocus (and yes, get back out there and have some fun). So now that we’re moving back toward normal in business, what (if anything) should change in your public relations strategy? We believe in keeping all things business simple and easy, so here are three quick recommendations for your next business meeting:

Review your PR goals and revise them if needed. We recommend focusing on just three goals for consistency and effectiveness. These goals could focus on how to communicate when bringing back internal staff or how to refocus digital marketing efforts.
The essentials should stay the same. Essentials are the tactics you use for communications: email, social media, website, internal communications, media relations and more. These tools are how you communicate (internal meetings with staff, intranets, websites, flyers, brochures, etc.). Tactics that are added will probably include anything that can now be done in person instead of in a virtual setting.
Align your revised goals with tactics. This helps to ensure you’re sharing the right information in the right place. This is where the bulk of the conversation should be spent. After 2020, consumers are thinking differently. Privacy far outweighs product and price. In the last year, Apple created private browsing, we accept cookies on websites (so we know we’re being watched) and social media companies are pulling fake posts. People want information that’s true and transparent. Read on for what all of that means and how to adapt.

Challenge traditional assumptions
The 2021 Digital Consumer Trends Index gives interesting insights and feedback about how people are thinking. The study overview goes so far to suggest we use the insights to “challenge assumptions that fuel our marketing mix and the investments…”. Here’s why.

When it comes to external communications, while social media was a top tool for communications:

79% would prefer it if brands pulled back on advertising on Facebook and instead invested in loyalty programs to reward them for their business.
52% of consumers declaring ads on social media sites, generated from cookie tracking and the like, are creepy not cool.

Honesty, ethics and community rank high for consumers:

58% of consumers have switched brands for ethical reasons — remember to heed the rising expectations of the ethical consumer.

An EY study shows the same feedback:

EY reports that 67% of online buyers would weigh social purpose and buy. Brands that convey affiliation towards health, environment, and community would charm the buyers.

Make it personal and appreciative

The majority of consumers want to receive personalized content and/or offers from trusted brands. Thoughtful and appreciative content is appreciated. The study asked people for feedback about how their favorite brand communicates with them:

83% appreciate the consistent experience
80% say it keeps them coming back when something new is communicated
76% like when they’re rewarded for loyalty

While this study surveyed consumers, the lessons learned can be applied to BtoB marketers and internal communications teams. We’re Zoomed out. People will want others to be genuine. They’ll want to do business in a personal, face to face, let’s talk to each other way. And they want to feel appreciated.

In your plan review and revision, ask yourself what and how can you communicate that’s meaningful? How will you do that? And are you rewarding people for being loyal after a long, hard year?

The 2021 Digital Consumer Trends Index, commissioned by Cheetah Digital, reveals what consumers expect from the brands they do business with online, the channels they want to connect on, and the data they’re prepared to share in return for more personalized experiences at every stage of the customer lifecycle; from acquisition through to loyalty.

It shares insight from 5,065 consumers across six countries (Australia, France, Japan, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S.) as well as by age group (18- 24, 25-39, 40-54, and 55-75) and gender to help digital strategists and decision-makers understand how these issues fit together to build more meaningful and lasting relationships between brand and buyer.

What’s your 2021 public relations strategy?

November 19, 2020 By Rae Hostetler

public relations strategy This year is certainly one we want to forget but will always remember. The New Year is certainly uncertain. Yet business continues. If you’re thinking, “How do I keep the business momentum? Or saying, “Let’s hope next year is better.” Remember this:

“Hope is not a strategy.” (Vince Lombardi)

If you’re ready to plan for a successful growth year, start with strategy by investing time to hear ideas, carefully think about goals and keep people accountable. Here’s how to start.

What are your goals? Use the Rule of 3, which is a productivity technique that focuses on achieving three meaningful outcomes. The Rule of 3 comes from J.D. Meier’s book on agile time management, Getting Results the Agile Way. It creates focus and outcome.
What public relations tools are in place that you can use to reach your goals? Study after study shows that it takes four to seven touches for someone to remember your company, your message and act when they need your product or service. These tactical touches could include email, social media, media relations, advertising, brochures, word of mouth, events and more. Start with what’s available and build.
What’s your company message? Whether you have a small staff under 10 people or a team of thousands working globally, employees should know and understand the company message and goals (refer to number one). They are your word of mouth (refer to tactics in number two). If your company is struggling with message, take time to either have a team member prepare a message or consider a qualitative study that lets customers, vendors, employees and others talk about the company. This process creates an authentic message because the words, phrases and stories come from those closest to your business are your true message.
What’s the plan and budget? With goals, tactics and message ready, outline the plan and assign who’s managing or doing each tactic. If there’s no one with expertise to manage an area of focus, consider outsourcing. Each tactic should have a cost for the budget. Finally add a tactical calendar by month. Too many times company leaders think there’s “plenty of time,” yet the calendar tells a different story.
Who’s holding the team accountable? The final public relations strategy should have a project manager. Each month (at a minimum), the team should review progress along with a measurement dashboard. A strategy is a living document that should be used wisely to meet your three goals.

A good public relations strategy is a few pages using a Word document. We have one client that uses an Excel spreadsheet with the goals posted at the top. The simpler the plan, the easier it is for the staff to understand, participate and support the company’s growth.

Have questions or want to talk PR strategy? Give me a call or send an email.

Celebrating 20 years owning a public relations business

August 6, 2020 By Rae Hostetler

Twenty years ago, this summer I founded Hostetler Public Relations. The date popped up on LinkedIn, and I appreciate so many professionals, friends and colleagues who’ve sent greetings. Two decades. WOW! Yes, a long time. And if I had to write a resume, this is the only job I’ve ever known—working for clients.

Back in 2000 when I took a leap of faith to become a freelancer (we’re now called independent practitioners), there were a lot of people who gave me that look. You know the one that says, she’ll be back in the workforce in no time. I readily admit my mantra was I would find a job if I couldn’t figure out how to make a small business run. But I did. And I’m proud of the clients I’ve supported, the professionals who I consider part of my team and myself for learning how to make this go each day.

Recently I thought back about what’s stayed the same and what’s changed in public relations. The foundation of public relations remains consistent–developing a well rounded plan with consistent messaging and supporting tactics. What’s changed are the tools we use to do business. Cheers to 20 years and the advancements made along the way that make work so much easier.

Phones … desk phones attached to walls compared to smart phones used anywhere
Internet … dial up to Wi-Fi (it’s everywhere!)
Computers … desktop with towers to laptops and iPads
Calendars … paper to Palm Pilot to just pick one (Google, Outlook etc.)
Email/Contacts … the rololex is gone and now our contacts are in our email systems on computers and in smart phones
Smart phones … combo email, calendar, music, photos, games and more in one place
Where we work … home offices were taboo and now they’re the norm
Coworking spaces … are a great sense of community for business owners
Blogs … were going to save the world and today they’re good for Google keywords
The cloud … still wondering where it is, but great for saving/accessing files from anywhere, anytime
Websites … from building in code and PHP to simple Wix and WordPress
Graphic files … from mailing hard copies for waxy mark ups to emailing for comments via electronic notes
Media databases … who remembers the box arriving with the Burrelles books the size of Yellow Pages directories; now it’s all online
Sending news releases … PR people spent days printing, mailing and licking envelopes to send a news release; now we text, email and use the cloud (refer to number 10)
Yellow Pages … today it’s called Google; for years clients thought we were crazy to advise not to pay to be included in a print directory
Social media … it’s here to stay for better or worse yet systems for posting are so much easier via Hootsuite and similar programs
Newsletters … paper newsletters have gone the wayside, and everything is via email with links to websites
Media outlets … this one makes me sad seeing so many great media companies going defunct over the years (please support journalism and a free press!)
How we meet … face to face meetings are now via Zoom; fingers crossed this is a fad
Last but not least for sure … the clients and people I’ve met over the last 20 years are fantastically talented and supportive. Thank you to each of you!

Be a PR promoter: Now is the time

April 30, 2020 By Rae Hostetler

Study after study shows companies that continue promoting their business are stronger than companies that slash their marketing budgets during an economic downturn. A U.S. study of recessions looked at 600 companies covering 16 industries. Firms that sustained or increased marketing communications budgets during the 1981-82 recession averaged higher sales growth post-recession than the others. Study after study provides similar data.

Yes, budgets are tight, and we’re all waiting to hear what happens next. Yet there are basic public relations tools companies can use to keep moving forward and promote business. Here is the counsel we’ve provided over the last month and a half. I hope you find a solution here to help you keep focus and move business forward.

1) Customers first
The first question several clients had in recent weeks was to ask, “What’s going to happen to my prospect pipeline?”

Our recommendation: focus first on your current customer. One client reported back that they took did just that by setting virtual customers calls to simply ask, “How are you?”

Here’s how one call went, according to the client: They talked about family, kids and life for about 30 minutes; then talked industry for about 15; and at the end the client asked for an order. That wasn’t the intention of the call. What made the difference? The client took a personal interest in the customer.

2) Use free and low-cost tools
Now is a great time to try tools and find out what works for your business. I stress make a plan with message before starting to use the tools to be sure you’re using what makes sense for your company.

If you’ve been thinking about social media (FREE), first choose the right channel. Business to business traditionally does well on LinkedIn, for example. Then try Canva to make your post graphics. Canva has a limited account that’s FREE. It has photos, graphics, backgrounds and lets you set up your brand fonts and colors. It’s easy to use and provides a professional look.

Mail Chimp and Constant Contact also have low cost accounts if you’d like to start email campaigns. Just be sure when you start the campaign to introduce yourself to people you email before pushing the sale. Right now, more than ever, people are looking for advice not the sales push.

Google has a lot of great business tools for companies and business owners that are also complimentary. If you haven’t “claimed” your business, start there. Google takes you through steps to set up the account that include adding hours, services, photos and basic information.

3) Think like the customer
Mindsets have changed since January when companies began the year with new marketing budgets and strategies. Review your company message and think about your customer. Ask yourself how they’re thinking about things now versus 90 days ago. Right now, people are focused on family and they want a good customer experience. When you watch a television show on a network pay attention to the ads now. They’re all about family and coming together. How can your company message respond to that basic human need we all have right now?

4) Listen and respond appropriately
Public relations professionals use the phrase “tone deaf” when we talk about companies or business owners who simply are staying the course and not considering current mindset—family and let’s come together. Some companies have spare time right now and it’s been noticed that they’re jumping into communications without completely thinking through the tools, message and delivery.

How many mass emails have you gotten from companies and/or people you don’t know? How many of those emails pushed product or service instead of a basic hello, how are you? I have received many for products or services I’d never need.

As another example, we just worked with a client to respond to a publication owner who didn’t ask, but told us, an ad size was moving from half to full page. He positioned it as being generous. What he didn’t understand is, the client would have to pay to have the ad redesigned/resized. We weren’t asked, simply told via email, and it was very transparent that he needed to fill space. Tone deaf.

5) Communicate clearly
Communications doesn’t work with frequency only. It needs to be clear. A local client has been sending email messages every other week to his customers. He thought he was communicating well because he was sending information.

When the messages were shared, it was apparent why customers were frustrated. He wasn’t communicating what he really meant. The emails had a lot of language about next steps and directives that were either unclear or too demanding. Remember he was communicating with his customer, so being demanding sounded heavy.

Reality is: Some of the information in these messages talked about money. And what really needed to be communicated was not going to be popular. The client was trying too hard to soften the blow. After a lot of conversation, he client agreed just stating the facts would make it easier for everyone to process and move forward.

6) Be the hero not the villain
Bottom line, it’s simply not business as usual right now. Our approach is this: We have contracts with clients that state number of hours per month will be fulfilled based on plans. Those plans changed in recent weeks and continue to evolve. Our clients need support to ensure they’re still open for business short- and long-term. We could continue to enforce hours contracted, or we could do the right thing providing counsel for business owners when they need it most. I choose to be the hero not the villain.

The phrase “we’re in this together” might sound trite, but I believe it’s true. If you’re looking for solutions not sales so you can be a promoter without becoming tone deaf, email or call. I want to hear how you’re doing, what you want to achieve and help to find easy ways to move forward to success.

What’s your social media mix?

February 28, 2020 By Rae Hostetler

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.