Indianapolis public relations

Put your public relations message to work

Rae Hostetler · Apr 26, 2019 ·

Earlier this month, I conducted a workshop on public relations messaging for professionals at our local co-working space. When considering how to make the session engaging, I spent time researching, reading and thinking about how others approach the topic. Here are my key takeaways from the preparation and the session worth considering if your company is struggling with the message behind your brand.

When people say brand, you say…
Many professionals think of brand in terms of what a logo looks like. Really what the logo says is the message the company is working to brand. For example, in 2004 Dove wanted to rebrand itself. Instead of simply refreshing the logo, the firm working with Dove professionals conducted research querying about 3,000 women in 10 countries. Only 2% of respondents said they would call themselves beautiful. Dove’s communications and advertising now depict real women of all shapes, sizes, and ages because Dove wants to convey its product is for all women. The company did research, made a discovery and developed its message that’s a thread in its marketing communications.

A,E,I,O,U make the message…
In the English language, we simply have no words without vowels, right? In public relations there’s no communication without the message. Here’s what goes into the messaging mix as you consider how to convey your company’s brand.

Public Relations message

Use research…
Whether formal or informal, the people around you have different views of your product or service than you do. Often they have great insight and ideas. Have you ever asked them for feedback? Our team has worked with clients of all shapes and sizes to interview staff, clients, vendors and others close to the company to hear what they think. That information creates the message and the communications strategy.

Keep it simple…
Company jargon only turns potential customers away. Everyone has a solution to solve a problem. Many companies use their industry words and phrases to attract prospects forgetting people may or may not know the lingo. Be sure to keep words simple yet on balance with industry vocabulary.

Share it…
I recently spoke with an industry colleague charged with working on a website project. He admitted as he wrote copy, leadership at his company gave feedback with different words, approaches and phrases. Starting with one messaging document and ensuring everyone in leadership understands the why behind it streamlines a project. Would you build a house without a blueprint? So why create public relations and communications without a messaging master plan?

Wondering how to get started? Call us and let’s talk more. We’d love to hear from you.

The myths and realities of an Indianapolis public relations gig professional

Rae Hostetler · Mar 19, 2019 ·

It’s been a long time since I worked in an official office. Nearly 20 years ago, when I ventured out on my own, I discovered real productivity. Today I read an article in Inc. that confirmed my work from home bias. It talks about offices and the lack of worker productivity. Yes, I truly believe those of us who work from a home office get more done. Others must agree. A 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics study reveals 25 percent of all workers did some or all of their work from home.

For years I’ve heard my office-worker friends tell me why they couldn’t do what I do and work from home. Decades later many now understand I’m not a pajama-wearing pro with my feet up all day. Here’s what they say and I know to be true.

If I stayed home to work, I’d just do laundry. Heck no! Years ago my youngest son, who was very into super heroes at the time, asked me, “Who’s your arch enemy?” My answer: laundry. It just never stops. So why in the world would I want to spend my day managing laundry? I don’t even like laundry on weekends. Not to mention, client work comes with deadlines. There’s simply not time to fluff and fold.

If I stayed home to work, I’d be lonely. Ok. Good point, but regular emails, texts, phone calls and conference call meetings create social interactions. And with the advent of co-working spaces that removes the barrier. In Indianapolis, our cities and towns have great places for the “gig worker” to go and network, work and do meetings. In Zionsville, we’re lucky to have zWORKs. The team running it is wonderful and the members are innovative. It has turned into an economic stimulator for our town. There are member events on a regular basis. Plus over the years I’ve discovered a fantastic team of other gig workers who I’m proud to call my team. We email, text and talk about projects, families and vacations. And the icing on the cake, I’ve got a great group of friends who keep me busy.

If I stayed at home to work, people wouldn’t take me seriously. Well that’s seriously too bad for those people (if that sounds harsh, sorry). When I started my business, I was one of few. The phrase ‘gig worker’ would be coined many years later. Those of us who run our own businesses take it seriously. We keep up on trends and techniques by reading, innovating and doing. We meet people in our communities through constant networking. We get involved in civic and community events. We know what’s happening. I feel much more in the know now than I ever did working at a company, which was an insular experience. I’m serious about my work and appreciate working with people who understand it doesn’t matter where you work but instead the work you produce to support their goals.

If I stayed at home, I wouldn’t focus. Quite the opposite. I’m so focused during the day, I often have to force myself to push away from the desk to take a break. Over the years I’ve developed a system for each client’s custom public relations plan, which are documented telling us what we need to do to succeed. And the PR plans are regularly reviewed with updates. Periodic dashboards keep us accountable to the client’s goals. Bottom line, we have deadlines and no work means no pay. That makes a person focus.

If I worked at home, I’d have no work-life separation. This one takes true discipline. When I started 20 years ago, there were no smart phones, laptops and tablets. People couldn’t reach each other at all hours of the day. That might be why from day one I decided to keep regular business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). My office door shuts. In the evening, I do my best to put down the phone, not look at email and stop texting clients. I even asked one client who tends to call late in the evening if he expected me to answer. I wanted to be sure. His reply, “Oh don’t answer. When I’m leaving an event I often have some ideas. I just want to share those before I forget.”

If I worked for myself, I’d never take a vacation. I really hope that’s not true. Vacations mean time to make memories with family and friends. They are an invaluable time to pause, unwind and allow our brains to renew. I always come back energized with new ideas. I often say I declutter my brain during vacation. Not to mention with the advent of smart phones and tablets, it’s easy to be in touch if an emergency happens while you’re away. Just take a look at the photo posted here from a recent trip to the Virgin Islands. Who wouldn’t destress looking at this view!

Know the P in your PR plan

Rae Hostetler · Mar 5, 2019 ·

Public relations is about telling the people (your publics) who you’re trying to educate, influence, sell to and engage about who you are and what you do. That’s why it’s important to understand the people (the P) in your PR plan. How people research, decide and spend their money and time is different depending on their age.

In January, Pew released a study on Millennials. That prompted me to do some research about myself (Gen X) and others. Here’s what the researchers have to say.

Generation Z: Born 1997 to 2002

This group is late middle school, high school to college aged.
My children are Generation Z.
They think visually. They grew up using electronics, watching videos, transitioned to streaming.
This is a tech dependent group with an attention span of about eight (yes 8) seconds.
They like to try/see, collaborate, and have learning-centric opportunities with devices.
By 2020 (next year), they’ll account for 40 percent of all consumers.

Millennial (AKA Gen Y): Born 1981 to 1996
According to a Pew study…

Millennials are projected to number 73 million total this year overtaking Baby Boomers as the largest living adult generation.
This group is smart (34 percent earned a bachelor’s degree).
They’re getting married later (28-30 compared to 22 to 27 for the Silent Generation).
And they’re more diverse with more women (72 percent) employed.

This is the consumer group I’m asked about the most.

While they have debt (mostly due to paying for college), they have cash.
Ages 25 to 37 in 2018 had a median adjusted household income of about $105,300 for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher, roughly $56,000 greater than that of households headed by high school graduates.
Theyspend $600 billion a yearor around $85 per day.
That’s 28 percent of the total daily per person consumer spending.

They aren’t influenced by brand. They’re influenced by social content.

83 percent of Millennials find online content useful in making purchasing decisions. [Source: Sharethrough]
And they like coupons. Some 95 percent use coupons and have a preference for digitally using them.
Millennials also cite an importance in giving back to the community and expect the brands they follow will do the same.
Millennials spend more time on apps and the internet than they do watching television. [Source: Marketing Charts]

Generation X: Born 1965 to 1980

Bring on the buying power! This group is small but mighty.
According to American Express, Gen X has more spending power than any other generation.

And they’re influential. They take care of aging parents while raising Gen Z (the youth with all of those electronics!).
They say keep the content short, sweet and get to the point.
Give me less text, more visual.
People in this age group will research various channels to make a buying decision.
And they expect customer service.

(In an effort to pay homage to them (and myself), we’re keeping this section short!)

But before we leave this generation, keep in mind us Gen Xers are, in fact, digitally savvy, despite what many marketers may think. A Millward Brown Digital, surveyed more than 1,000 consumers in three generations (Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers):

60 percent of Gen Xers use a smartphone on a daily basis.
67 percent use a laptop/PC daily compared to 58 percent of Millennials.
We frequently go online for shopping, banking, research, digging for deals, and reading the news.

Baby Boomer: Born 1946 to 1964

By next year there will be some 11 million more consumers over 60 years old.
90 percent are married-according to Pew.
Baby Boomers are working longer. And they control 70 percent of the disposable income in America.
And they too expect high levels of customer service.
Some think people in this age group are resistant to online shopping-not true!
For Boomers it’s a relaxing hobby-books, wine, household goods.
According to a KPMG study:
- 66 percent of Boomers make regular purchases through online devices,
- and the large majority prefer to shop onlineusing a laptop or PC (67%) compared to a smartphone (4%) or tablet (10%).
But keep in mind, according to KPMG, Boomers say they still like shopping in stores, 62 percent.

Silent Generation: Born 1928 to 1945

This generation grew up during the Great Depression and WWII.
Their behaviors are based on those experiences with a waste not want not attitude.
They strive for comfort, quality and simplicity.

Public relations measurement

Rae Hostetler · Aug 8, 2018 ·

Let’s face it, public relations measurement isn’t fun or exciting. Creating dashboards, reviewing data and figuring out the why behind the metrics is great if you’re an analyzer who likes to dig into the data. Yet it’s probably one of the most important areas where we as business leaders and owners need to focus.

In public relations, I’ve heard it said that programs and projects cannot be measured. Not true. A well organized and thought out plan includes a lead up to the expected metrics. And honestly, I can be a bit of a data geek when I dive into Google Analytics or review details on an email newsletter campaign.

Often, we meet with prospects who want to get straight to the tactic. Their expectations are high. They want their news release to hit the mark and generate article after article. Others want a social media program, yet when we ask what’s the message and goal, they aren’t sure. This is why it’s important to have a plan with realistic measurement tools embedded.

Think of it like this. If you build a house, you don’t jump in picking flooring, countertops, paint, backsplashes and all of the other selections that make the home look nice and impress the guest. You think big picture: where’s the lot, what’s the home’s floor plan, what’s the timeline, how much will it cost and more?

So ask: what’s the lead up to your public relations plan and what’s your expectation. What are you measuring? If you’re not sure if it’s realistic, consult a public relations professional.

While thinking through measurements for this blog, I did what most professionals do—searched Google. Most of what I read was a refresher, but overall it made me think this: PR professionals have been trying to unravel the measurement mystery for decades. Most of our clients want to keep it simple, and those clients range from top global companies to local non-profits.

In 2010, the Barcelona Principles were adopted by PR professionals during a conference in none other than Barcelona. This is a set of seven principles that provide the first overarching framework for effective public relations (PR) and communication measurement.

Goal setting and measurement are fundamental to communications and PR: Your public relations project or program should have goals that are measurable. Think about how you’ll measure.

Measuring communication outcomes is recommended vs. only measuring outputs: You are printing 1,000 postcards and mailing them. How many leads do you want? How many clients?

The effect on organizational performance can and should be measured where possible: Maybe your company has a fantastic community relations program. How does that impact your employee retention, for example?

Measurement and evaluation require both qualitative and quantitative methods: Surveys are great, but face to face interviews or focus groups allow people to speak and share ideas. You can really get to the why with qualitative research.

Advertising Value Equivalents are not the value of the communication: Yes. Nothing more to add here.

Social media can and should be measured: While this seems like a no brainer, consider these principles were created in 2010. Facebook and Twitter were four to six years old, respectively.

Measurement and evaluation should be transparent, consistent and valid: Consider the ethics and integrity of the data and evaluation. Also consider how it will be shared.

Measurement takes planning, organization, time and commitment. It’s done in partnership with clients. And when it’s done well you don’t just feel the impact, you see it in data, dashboards and reports. And for us, that’s the fun part–impacting a client business by meeting their goals and objectives.

Happy New Year!

Rae Hostetler · Jan 12, 2016 ·

Back in the office I’ve read with great interest the story about a disgruntled customer at Indianapolis’ Kilroy’s on New Year’s Eve. While our team manages social media, it can sometimes be a conundrum how to manage customer comments on social media pages. In this case, neither the customer nor the manager held back in the Facebook dialogue.

I saw and read the post Jan. 1 while skimming my Facebook feed. I thought, “WOW, this gal actually feels ok to go to the Facebook page and rant.” She said they’d spent $700. She claimed the bill was wrong and the waitress was rude when they tried to talk to her about it. The poster claimed someone OD’ed onsite and the people who work at Kilroy’s were more worried about that than making their bill right—especially after spending so much money.

In truth, a woman was having a heart attack and the staff was doing their best to get her emergency assistance. The manager of Kilroy’s posted back a scathing message with some curse words and derogatory phrases about the gal posting the message. The gal pulled her post and Kilroy’s opened a Go Fund Me account to help the woman who had the heart attack with her medical bills. It’s raised $14,000 plus dollars as I write this.

I’m now thinking double WOW. So who’s right? Maybe they both are… a little bit.

A study from professors at the University of Maryland, Carnagie Mellon University and Cheung Kong Grad School of Business in China was published in Marketing Science recently. The study determined that addressing complaints on social media is worthwhile because it can improve the customer relationship outweighing the potential side effect of possible future grievances. OK, so the manager should have responded.

One of the study’s researching professionals says companies should not overreact to negative comments remembering that past responses to complaints can affect how consumers respond in the future. My thought to this statement is… the manager overreacted in his comments going as low as the gal who posted. I’m not thinking I’d like to head to Kilroy’s this weekend. Professional advice… keep it professional but direct.

Perhaps it’s my age or attempt to maintain a professional decorum, I still believe social media is not the place to blast a company, a person and so on. Make a phone call, talk to a manager or write a letter. Not only are you held in a higher regard by the company, often you’ll receive a better response to resolve the problem to ensure it doesn’t occur again.

For years I’ve said, social media is like a large crowded room of people at a party. If you wouldn’t say something on stage in front of them, don’t write it and post it. It’s definitely going to be interesting to watch and see how this impacts other companies’ responses on social media going forward.