Community Engagement: Social PR

By: Jamie Hooker

 

Perhaps the easiest way to reach your audience in this day in age is social media. No matter what age group, everyone is on some type of social media. It’s Twitter for the younger generations, and Facebook is growing more of an older user demographic. And if you ask anyone, social media channels are being scrolled through, checked and looked at way more than traditional media is. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. Social media is the best way to reach any audience now because of its prominence in our culture. If a business doesn’t have a Facebook page, they’re missing out on a lot of people they could be engaging with, a lot of people that will buy their company’s product over another that does have a Facebook page.

Community engagement is so important in order to develop a loyal customer base and to spread the word of a product. There is a huge difference between a company advertising their product and actual real-life people advertising a product.  A review of a product written by a consumer goes further than what the business has to say about their own product.

When it comes to building your following on social media, setting objectives and goals is a good thing. You can say, “We want to increase our Twitter followers by 100 people by the end of the month.” One hundred more followers is great, but are they engaged followers? Are they going to mention you on their own social media accounts? Are they going to turn into buying customers? These are the things you want in the long run.

When it comes to posting on social media, a company’s voice should be consistent. Posts should encourage followers to comment, like, and share with others to get more reach. It’s easy for followers to scroll right past your content if it doesn’t engage them in the first place.  If people are commenting on your content, make an effort to reply to their comments, or even favorite people’s tweets where they mention your organization. It’s a cool thing for social media users to get that notification that their favorite brand re-tweeted something of theirs, and that will only make them like you more.

Stay engaged with your audience through social media and create PR for yourself.  It’s easy and it’s free. 

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How to Find and Hire a PR firm

By: Jamie Hooker

 

It’s a beautiful thing when a PR firm and a company join forces and together create awesome content to share with the public. It’s important that there is a harmony between your business and the firm you choose to hire. Without it, there will be disconnect and miscommunication, and that’s the last thing you want with your PR firm.

Where to start? 

After your company makes the initial decision to make room in the budget for PR, the next step would be to research your options. A lot of PR firms have specialties or focuses, like hospitality PR or sports PR for example. If you stumble upon a firm that specializes in your business’ genre, that would be a good place to start. If this doesn’t exist for your business (at least not one that appeals to you), that’s ok! There are tons of general PR firms out there.

What does good PR look like?

Most firms have a list of clients on their website and what they’ve done for them. This is a good place to go when you want examples of a firm’s work. Case studies, campaigns and even a quick Google search of one of their clients can give you a lot of information to help you compare firms and see what they’re made of. Remember, a big PR agency is not always the best option, so don’t overlook the small, boutique agencies either. Strong social media accounts, positive mentions in the news and good relationships with publics are all signs of good PR.

You found one you like. Now what?

Honestly, us PR firms love when a business approaches us. It makes our jobs a little bit easier. That being said, we still want to prove to you that we can do great work. After a firm knows you’re interested, they will meet with you, either over the phone or in person, and learn your PR goals. Do you want help with social media? Are you a new business that just wants your name out there? Once the firm knows what you want, they can work on putting a proposal together. This document will show services the firm provides and a budget as well. If you like what you see, you sign the dotted line (in simplest terms).

Finding a firm that’s the perfect fit for you might be harder than is sounds, but it’s not something to rush. Having a good relationship with your PR team can be key to a successful business.

 

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How to Get the Most Out of PR Coverage

By: Jamie Hooker

Since you’re an awesome PR professional, you just got a huge placement in a magazine for your client that you have been working on for weeks. You’re client is happy, you’re happy, and all that following-up wasn’t for nothing. But, the process doesn’t stop at simply having the placement published. You want to get the most out of that placement and want as many people as possible see it. That’s the goal isn’t it? Kind of like “If a placement falls in the woods but no one was there to see it, did you really get a placement?” or something like that…

So, here are some ideas to get the most out of your PR coverage.

Share your placement on social media

Here at Snackbox, after we’re done celebrating placements in the office, we love to share them on our Facebook page to show people the work we’re doing. It’s more coverage for our client and more coverage for us as an organization, too.  When you’re using Twitter to share an online placement, remember to shorten the URL using free services like bitly to keep it under 140 characters. Also, you can track how many people clicked on your link through bitly, which can be helpful to figure out how much extra reach your placement got through your post.

Display your placement

This is a really good thing to do for bigger placements your organization gets, like the Austin American Statesman or even a larger outlet. Get a picture frame and have your client show it off in their store, lobby or whatever applies.  It’s nice decoration and customers can look at it long after the news has passed.

Let the reporter know you’re sharing their story

Let’s not forget about the reporter’s success, because they’re doing you a favor by writing about you or your client. Building relationships with reporters is very important in PR, and it’s easier to do when you’re scratching each other’s backs. By letting them know you’re driving traffic to a story they wrote, they will be more willing to talk to you in the future, therefore you might get more placements in the long run.

Getting a big placement in the first place is a big deal, but don’t let that be enough. Get as much reach as you can with each placement, and it will go a lot further.

 

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March Food Holidays

Along with it being National Nutrition Month and National Caffeine Awareness Month (important), March is full of sweet and savory food holidays. St. Patrick’s Day is reason enough to have a party, but knowing these holidays exist will give you extra reasons to celebrate.

Mar. 2             Banana Crème Pie Day

Mar. 3             Cold Cuts Day

Mar. 6             White Chocolate Cheesecake Day

Mar. 7             Cereal Day

Mar. 9             Meatball Day

Mar. 14           Pi(e) Day

Mar. 17           Corned Beef and Cabbage Day

Mar. 18           Oatmeal Cookie Day

Mar. 20           Ravioli Day

Mar. 23           Chip and Dip Day

Mar. 24           Chocolate Covered Raisins Day

Mar. 25           Pecan Day

Mar. 28           Something on a Stick Day

Mar. 31           Tater Day

Find a full list of March Food Holidays here if none of these catch your eye (or stomach?).  We don’t know about you, but our mouths are watering thinking about March.

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Dos and Don’ts of an Interview

By Jamie Hooker

Awesome! You’ve secured a T.V. interview. This is a great opportunity to get great coverage and to spread the word about your organization. You’ll just sit down with a reporter, in front of a camera, possibly live, likely with thousands of people watching.  To some, this is a walk in the park. To others (the majority of us), this is scary. Talking in front of a camera can be nerve-wracking, but it’s ok. We have some easy tips to remember for the next time you land a T.V. placement that will help you get through an interview successfully.

DOs

Review your key messages over and over again. Having three messages engrained in your brain before an interview takes away the worry of fumbling over your words or trying to think what to say. Also, be ready to answer the hard questions if you’re anticipating them.

Be concise. Your interview will most likely be between two to five minutes, which will fly by.  Don’t get hung up on information that can easily be answered online or things that just aren’t relevant to the interview.

Be natural and calm. I can be difficult, but try and imagine it’s just you and the reporter having a normal conversation. The reporter wanted an interview because they think you’re organization or product is interesting, so just focus on talking about what you know. You’re the expert!

 

DON’Ts

Don’t think “off the record” means off the record. Reporters are allowed to run whatever you say, so you can never be too careful. Also, if you are hooked up with a microphone, remember that you are! It could be a PR nightmare if you were to say something you thought was in private, when in reality it was heard loud and clear.

Don’t be distracting in your movement. This might include moving your hands all over the place or fidgeting in your seat. If you’re standing up, make sure to stay balanced and not to shift your weight to one side. If you’re sitting, don’t bounce your knee up and down. These things seem obvious, but a lot of times you don’t even realize you’re doing them.

If you’ll be appearing on T.V., be conscious of what you choose to wear. Avoid stripes and small designs. These are hard for the camera to pick up and can be distracting to the viewers. Wearing loud or excessive amounts of jewelry can also be distracting.

If you’re in doubt, ask your PR person for a quick media training session. They’ll know how to calm you down and give you quick tips right before your interview.

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How to Develop a Pitch Angle

By Jamie Hooker

 

Pitching makes the PR world go ‘round. And what’s a pitch without the perfect angle? Developing a pitch may come easy to some, but it takes creativity, research and thoughtfulness. Why is your pitch news worthy? Who are you pitching to? These are just a couple of question to ask yourself when you’re trying to get a hook.

Why should reporters care about your announcement?

You have your pitch, now you have to decide what makes it valuable to the media. If there is something already going on in the news that could be relevant to your pitch, it can be an easy way to get a reporter’s attention. Also, it’s important to research the reporters and outlets you plan on pitching. Find out what they have written about in the past and form your angle based on that information. There are better chances of a reporter covering something they already have interest in than something they have never covered before. Ideally, you should create an angle that is relevant.

Make a list of ideas.

Brainstorming can be helpful, and no idea is a bad idea. Try making a list of pitch angle ideas and see what you come up with. Doing this with a group of people can be even better; everyone’s ideas can bounce off one another. Finding a local angle on a national story, tying your pitch to a trend or stories about overcoming adversity are just a few examples of what is usually successful with reporters when it comes to pitching.

Be creative.

I’ll be the first to admit this is easier said than done. Creativity comes natural to some, but for others it can be hard to think outside of the box. Look to other resources for inspiration when you’re trying to think of your angle, like magazines or even Pinterest. If you find yourself struggling and hours have gone by, step away from the pitch and work on something else for a while. The funny thing about ideas is that sometimes they come to you out of the blue.

Everyone has their own process in developing pitches and angles, and there is no right way. Luckily it’s easy to measure the success of a pitch angle, which can allow you to learn more about what works and what doesn’t as you go.

 

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February Food Holidays

February will forever be linked with Valentine’s Day, but we can’t forget about the other 28 days of the month. There are more than a few food holidays this month that are giving us “heart eyes”, and we can’t help but spread the word.

 

Feb.1              National Baked Alaska Day

Feb. 3             National Carrot Cake Day

Feb. 4             Homemade Soup Day

Feb. 5             National Chocolate Fondue Day and Nutella Day

Feb. 7             National Fettuccine Alfredo Day

Feb. 9             National Bagels and Lox Day

Feb. 10           Cream Cheese Brownie Day

Feb. 11           Peppermint Patty Day

Feb. 14           National Crème-Filled Chocolates Day

Feb. 18           Crab-Stuffed Flounder Day and Drink Wine Day

Feb. 19           National Chocolate Mint Day

Feb. 23           National Banana Bread Day

Feb. 27           National Strawberry Day

Feb. 29           Surf and Turf Day

To add to the daily celebrations, February is also Great American Pies Month, National Heart Healthy Month, and National Snack Food Month, which Snackbox personally identifies with. You can read the full list of February food holidays here!

 

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Creativity in PR

By Jamie Hooker

Creativity: the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.

You could argue that creativity is fundamental in public relations, just as it is in advertising.  The industry’s biggest challenge is being able to have your client stand out against hundreds, even thousands, of other companies in order to be talked about for free. It’s the “big idea” that will get you noticed, and behind each big idea is a creative team. Without the creativity element, your “big idea” may not be so big, or not big enough for the media, at least.

Let’s focus on that “big idea” for a second. What must it have to be considered creative? What about it will set it apart from others? A whole PR campaign can revolve around one idea, one strategy, which will take the client to the next level of recognition. The creative idea should be relevant to the audience that you want to reach. Doing the research and finding out how to reach the audience emotionally matters. What good is a big idea if the audience doesn’t relate? The creative idea should also be impactful, and should be able to make people stop and read about it because they’ve never thought of it before. Lastly, the creative idea should be original. After all, the word “original” is right there in the definition of creative. This may seem obvious, but it is important not to forget originality. The essence of a creative idea is that no one has done it before.

For some people, even some PR professionals, creativity doesn’t come as naturally as it may for others. There are lots of ways to boost creativity in order to produce great work, though. It’s been proven that taking a short, twenty-minute walk can help stimulate your brain, especially if you’ve been sitting at your desk for hours. Taking a walk can allow you to think of new ideas and help you tap into your creative brain. Brainstorming with a group of people or your team at work can also help boost everyone’s creativity. By building off of ideas your colleagues have and vice versa might produce ideas that no one would have thought of before. An important thing to remember when doing an exercise like this is no idea is a bad one. If you feel restricted and that you might feel judged for saying your idea, who knows what you’re all missing out on. A change in scenery can help creativity and give inspiration, as well. Maybe try to get some work done in a coffee shop or outside at a local restaurant, and see where you come up with your best ideas.

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January Food Holidays

Contrary to popular belief, the holiday food season (or as some would say, “fat season”) does not end after Christmas. January is full of food holidays we feel obligated to celebrate. If you made a New Year’s resolution to eat healthier, you might have a hard time keeping that promise to yourself after you read this post. Here are just a few of the food holidays to look forward to as we enter 2016:

 

Jan. 1            Bloody Mary Day (obviously)

Jan. 2            National Cream Puff Day

Jan. 3            Chocolate Covered Cherry Day

Jan. 4            National Spaghetti Day

Jan. 7            National Tempura Day

Jan. 12          Curried Chicken Day

Jan. 19          National Popcorn Day

Jan. 22          National Blonde Brownie Day

Jan. 23          National Pie Day

Jan. 26          National Pistachio Day

Jan. 29          National Corn Chip Day

Jan. 30          National Croissant Day             

 

For the full list of January food holidays, go here. Join Snackbox in celebrating as many of these holidays as your new diet allows!

 

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Three Ways to Measure PR Success

By Yahaira Hernandez

 

Measuring the success of public relations campaigns has been a hot debate for many years. Based on our experience and research, we have found “success” can be measured in different forms. The following list identifies three strategies that can help determine whether your marketing campaign was successful or not.

 

Audience Reach

At Snackbox, we love to look at audience numbers or circulation numbers at the end of a campaign. Your client may have a goal of reaching at least 20 million people or 10 national placements. This gives you a baseline of what is expected and how you can develop strategies to exceed these numbers.

Objectives

Many of our clients have presented a list of objectives or goals they desire to meet. Such as increasing sales, brand awareness or a positive reputation. This can all be measured by looking at sales charts during the duration of the campaign, looking at numbers of followers on social media and web traffic for brand awareness and responding to customer reviews and social posts to effectively create or maintain a positive reputation for your client.

Target-Audience Audits

Keep this in mind for perception audits: no brand is for everyone, therefore a large, random audience is not ideal. Target the company’s audience to make sure the products and communication are catering to the right people. The outcomes of this examination will provide far greater results for measuring PR success as well as a company’s success.

 

This list of measurement tools are just a few practiced tactics that can make you smarter at identifying the success of publicity efforts. We have always found them extremely useful to make us wiser and even more successful.

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