The Blog Hub
Did you know that 80% of prospective customers or clients prefer learning about a company from custom content? What that means is content that describes the business and offers value, insight, and even incentives, about the brand. What are the options, then, to advertising and promoted content strategies?
There is one extraordinarily effective tool in the marketing strategy kit that is not used as often as paid content: public relations, otherwise known as earned media in recognition of its status as relvant content written and published by independent media without compensation. Educational or news-focused in nature, it delivers crediblity, trust and educational authority to its readers and viewers in the marketplace.
As trust declines and saturation escalates through marketing channels, it's interesting to note the rise of personal trust and relationships. This article addressing key social media trends isn't really addressing "trends." Instead, it's re-emphasizing the importance of your personal authority, integrity and one-to-one communications in your marketing strategy. In a word: trust. As relevant as ever in the world of public relations and marketing.
Creating a positive and engaging brand is different than in the old, one-way communications flow of press releases and pitches. The good news is there are more ways to engage, the challenge is you must stay on your toes and on top of the innovations and opportunity to connect in the realm of PR. Think of current PR as the new improved version of communications, the 2.0 version of your public relations strategy!
Two-way engagement is key for today’s PR strategy. Consumers feel more connected to your brand when they know real humans are not only behind it but care about them. They want to be seen as individuals rather than a marketing target. Through empathizing with customers, you show that you care about them, while showing what your brand is all about. An important way to help with humanize your brand is to establish core values for your company and lead based on those core values. Crackerjack Marketing explains, “People respond to people – it’s that simple. Steer away from the robotic marketing tactics and instead focus on being relatable, interesting, and most importantly, relatable. Have you ever visited a blog and noticed that an “admin” created all of their posts? Who is this “admin” you speak of and do they have a name? Appearing mysterious is just not going to work in your favor in this scenario. Your audience not only wants to understand the “why” behind what your brand is doing, but they also want to get to know your brand itself and the people behind it.” Everything done in the company should be in line with those values, including your PR.
Two-way communications is the heart of strategic PR. One great example of this is reviews. Positive reviews are important for your business; too many bad reviews will turn customers away, as we know. Podium explains, “84% of people trust online reviews as much as recommendations from family and friends as long as they meet certain criteria like authenticity, being in the right industry, and having multiple reviews on the same site.” You should never fabricate reviews or pay people for reviews without proper disclosure. The truth has a way of coming out, and when it does, it can hurt your brand. Remember that customers who receive a sample of your product in exchange for a review also need to disclose this information in their reviews, so that you don't get in trouble.
Influencer marketing has become more important in business over the years. Consumers now have more trust in influencers than they do in traditional advertising. Pixlee explains, “you want to connect with influencers, so they will speak about your brand. Ideally, you want them to say positive things about your company, but when you pay an influencer for a review, keep in mind you have limited control over what is said.” Authenticity is important to influencers because it's how they gathered a loyal audience. Make sure to collaborate with influencers who like your product and have similar values as your company. Just as with compensating customers for reviews, disclosure is required when you compensate an influencer.
Although PR is correctly identified as an earned, not paid, communications channel, there is synergy with certain paid promotional communications. Native advertising is non-promotional content that's natural in its environment. Sharethrough explains, “Native advertising is a form of paid media where the ad experience follows the natural form and function of the user experience in which it is placed. Native ads match the visual design of the experience they live within, and look and feel like natural content.” Although it appears to be informative content, there is still a goal of introducing readers to your brand. Traditional advertising isn't as effective on consumers as it used to be because people have come to view it as too pushy. Native advertising tells a story. It doesn't have salesy or promotional content. How do you inform people of your brand this way? Oftentimes, you'll have your brand name somewhere on the page stating the content was sponsored by your company.
To create an effective PR strategy, you need to be authentic with your brand communications, pay attention to feedback, collaborate with influencers and use native advertising. These are some of the most powerful strategies being used today in PR 2.0, the new, expanded approach to collaborative communications.
If you’re looking for managed public relations that digitally connects you with your customers, let PRA Public Relations help!
Sharing thoughts on connection, with a nod and apologies to Bob Seger.
Have you ever tried to connect with your customer, and felt like you missed the mark? Or, you’re a client, and you’re just not being heard. The invisible barrier is up and operational, and boy, is it real.
We’ve all been there, right? Both on the issuing and receiving end, when we weren’t sure if it was an actual human or a technological marvel we were dealing with. Yes, bots can be interactive and efficient, but the limitations are emphatically there. Connecting through communications may have changed dramatically through technology, but the basic human principles of listening, authentic voice and yes, occasionally, a good laugh, still matter.
A recent survey by the highly-respected research company Nielsen reveals confidence-inspiring findings for all of us who believe in the power of the fourth estate: A 2018 Nielsen Survey notes that journalism is trusted by 92% of consumers, ranking above independent consumer reviews.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret; if all the top tech pr agencies in the world were to get together for a three minutes with a mission of agreeing on ONE thing, it could be done. There is one conversation point everyone would be in complete alignment on:
There's been a lot of change happening in the world of communications, much of it is affecting two issues near and dear to my heart:
1. My client's thought leadership
2. The swiftly-evolving landscape of marketing, and the expansion of paid content.
Last week had some serendipity happening, in that several incidents converged and prodded me to give some thought to our evolving communications marketplace, and the changing roles of Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned Media*. Here's the outcome:
Three Things Happened
1. Top Media Access for Almost No Money
Yet again, someone called and wanted to be featured in the New York Times for a grand total investment of $500. I responded in my usual fashion; thanking them politely for contacting me, sending on some free DIY reading materials, then hanging up and having a small fit. Again.
2. Yet, Someone is Doing This
A number of someones, apparently, as a partner of mine mentioned one of several companies that provide "cooked to order" articles in top publications, for the cost of most New York agency's lunch meetings. While this has been part of the landscape for quite some time, I'm seeing a proliferation tipping point.
3. I had my Bias Surgically Removed
By this, I meant I stepped back and took a hard look at the industry and its changes. I need to stop automatically dismissing, and start thinking about this here-to-stay member of the marketing ecosystem.
Here is What I Saw, This is What I Think
Yes, indeed, the change in access to top publications has opened dramatically. Content networks, and agencies focused on providing client-vetted articles to "top outlets" has proliferated, and this is not anything new.
Democratic Ecosystem
It is part of the very democratic ecosystem that allows enterprises and thought leaders to get their messages out in the marketplace in a controlled manner. From dialogue across social platforms, to paid-message positioning and paid amplification, the enterprise is now also the gatekeeper. This is an excellent thing, as elbow grease and budget can now allow companies and their founders to drive their market dialogue.
The Slippery Slope Downside: Third Person Credibility
There is a caveat however; institutions, conventions, media and markets are in many ways like a luxury car or fine jewelry: these things only hold their value if the market consensus agrees there is value; and one of the hallmarks of value is quality and rarity.
To put it bluntly, if anyone with the price of a weekend trip to the beach can be featured in a top business magazine, then what is the value of that coverage in the publication?
Right. Not much. So, what protects the asset value of true earned media, the independent coverage of an issue, executive or company, by a credentialed journalist when favorable coverage and low-cost interviews are readily available?
Google: Thought Leadership's Digital Guardian
While Google means many things in the marketing universe, for the discipline of public relations and its role as conveyor of thought leadership, Google has emerged as ultimate boundary and gate-keeper. It ranks and reveals quality content, and pushes away the also-rans (which is why some of my client's coverage outranks even their website; a powerful earned media placement carries significant gravitas in the search world).
Why is Google the thought leadership gatekeeper? Because it needs to retain its role as unbiased source of legitimate search. Allowing search to be impacted by paid-placement media results ultimately lowers the confidence of the consumer in Google ranking and results. An earlier post of ours takes a look at the power of Google, SEO and public relations.
This is content which is featured "as seen in" on company websites cannot be found in search. Google won't index independent content, as it impacts credibility. And that is an issue as critical for thought leaders and enterprises as it is for the world's foremost search engine. Which means, in my humble opinion, the need for journalists, and independent news coverage, is here to stay. But so are the other communication strategies.
What does all of this boil down to? Here's what I decided
Pam's Three Laws of Thought Leadership Immutability
1. Original, Visionary Thinking Always Needed
Leaders of companies and causes lead precisely because they see pain points, solutions, big pictures, and are often the very first to see things in a fresh new light. Society needs them; we most especially need to hear what they have to say, and read their words. The role of the public relations expert is to help them get their words out to a larger world. This need will never change.
2. The Market Decides. Always
Marketplaces are peculiar things. On a collective level, there is a continual surge and recede as solutions, products, trends and thinking are adopted and discarded. If prestigious publications are flooded with paid content, it is highly likely the market will decide the publication is not as prestigious, or more importantly, credible**. It is no accident that media outlets considered to be "authentic" have seen extraordinary rise in readership and revenues; it is a natural reaction to the rising tide of paid and opinion-driven content being served across all channels. So, yes, paid content is valuable, and will largely find a receptive audience. But issues such as credibility and trust will belong to what they perceive as independent media coverage.
3. There is a Time and a Place
The reality is the marketplace - and marketing industry - needs a smart mix of ALL the channels, paid and earned. While there is tremendous benefit to having an independent journalist cover an executive's forward thinking, or a company's breaking news, the reality is paid marketing content is critical for sustained, managed engagement with the consumer.
My course of action for my clients is to keep these channels separate and distinct. Do not try and pass off a paid placement, advertorial or other controlled content as the work of an independent, credible journalist. Both Google and your market community will look askance. DO, however, use the paid and and PR channel mix to carry a blend of strategic messages and market touch-points across social, digital and media channels, ultimately connecting with your customer in a fluid, seamless and multi-channel way.
*At the crux of this change is a topic I've written about previously: PESO - the strategic combination of Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned media channels, and their impact on both the brand and the position of company executive leadership.
**This research summary provides a valuable look into consumers'relationship with the media.
The beauty of public relations, we tell our clients, is this:
The power and credibility of ONE third-person endorsement will do more for your company than a million self-administered pats on the back.
That is why we are proud, pleased and delighted to be recognized as a top public relations agency here in the Pacific Northwest.
National curator of best-in-business enterprises Expertise.com has just released their list of top Portland public relations firms, and we are thrilled to have made the list.
Having an independent organization such as Expertise.com give us kudos for the work we turn out as a matter of craft and pride feels pretty darned wonderful. We are grateful, and looking forward to continuing to create award-winning media results for our clients.
Thought Leadership Rock Star: That's You!
Let’s face it, the endless stream of articles, infographics and webinars on thought leadership is a little overwhelming. Not only that, if everyone follows the “thought leadership” formula, then aren’t we all at risk of becoming a packaged success product, instead of a true industry influencer?
Possibly. Which is why 2016, the “Year of Thought Leadership” according to business-focused publications, may need to be re-titled “the year of you breaking the thought leadership mold and becoming a rock star.” That may not be exceptionally catchy as a record title, but I hope it resonates with you.
The reality is that all of those thought leadership must-do’s are very helpful – as a starting place. At some point, however, you need to leave the playbook behind and create your own, fresh, original voice if you really want to find your place as opinion maker and chart-topping influencer.
After all, Led Zeppelin rock icon Robert Plant would have been just another high school dropout with a few chords under his belt if he hadn’t cultivated that eerily cutting banshee wail that became his hallmark.
Fortunately for you, there is no need to sing “Stairway to Heaven,” but harnessing your industry knowledge to a fresh, unique point of view is a must.
Here’s What You Don’t Know
In my 16+ years with some of the world’s smartest executives and entrepreneurs to share their stories, I’m here to tell you: You have thought leadership capabilities within you that you haven’t even guessed at. The key is to acknowledge your unique industry experience, and partner it with your you-and-you-only point of view. You may not be able to play a 16-string guitar, but I bet you have a fresh take on your industry that could turn a hum-drum conference presentation into rockstar-worthy chatfest.
The key is to turn what you know into how it impacts your target market. Your knowledge of a manufacturing process isn't fascinating, but your ability to tell an audience how lean manufacturing will create better work environments and a greener world certainly is. Don't think "what," think "why," 'how" and "impact" when you inventory your knowledge. I think you'll be surprised at how much you have to share.
So What is a Thought Leader?
A thought leader is someone with subject expertise, who is generous in applying their knowledge to educate, engage, inspire and explore.
Don’t sell. Inform, engage, question. Maybe even inspire if you are truly passionate about your subject. You don’t necessarily have to have all the answers, but knowing the questions to ask, and being able to offer a reasoned look, is key.
Where’s Your Stage?
OK, you’re ready to take your act on the road and share your thought leadership chops. Great. But where? Fortunately for you, the options for connecting with your fans (oops, I mean market community) are endless. The social world of owned media under your control is great: blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, all good. Speaking engagements and white papers? Equally good and necessary.
May I suggest, however, that you not overlook the awareness and credibility-builder that’s transformed the careers of CEOs and actual rock stars alike: the press, or earned media, as we call it these days. Turning your expertise into media-worthy topics, shared by top journalists and embraced by their community, is one of the most effective ways possible to share your expertise and unique viewpoint with the world.
Want to discover your inner thought leader rock star? Book a free 15 minute discussion; there is no obligation, only fast and furious discussion on how to get yourself on the road to industry expertise stardom.
It's all too easy to fall into a comfort zone; to post a quick update on Facebook, or perhaps you send out a release after every new software update. Even with a program, planned calendar and strategy, it can be easy to overlook opportunities in a jam-packed business day.
But the reality is you need an integrated, three-pillars approach to communications to ensure you're maximizing your market reach potential. The following report, prepared by social media ace Maria Dykstra of TreDigital and public relations expert Pam Abrahamsson of PRA Public Relations, details the key Three Key Pillars of Social Media Success. Concise explanations, examples, and how-to's are all just a click away.
The always-amazing Altimeter Group's Brian Solis has shared his thoughts around digital transformation and the need to embrace change.
I couldn't help but think this call to accept digital transformation is equally at home in the broad technology world as it is in the world of communications. All of marketing has changed, none more so than public relations itself. Time-honored and relationship-driven, many people still think of "PR" as an old-school press release-and-publicity gambit.
Luckily, not so much these days. Data, thought leadership, the credible-content preferences of search and the digital and social media marketer's need for original content to power their campaigns means public relations is increasingly a foundation for many enterprise marketing initiatives.
Even the name has changed, earned media, to differentiate its role as independent, non-paid promoted content in the marketing channel. See our overview of SEO and digital to explain more of this.
So, much as this report offers a call-to-action to embrace digital transformation, we work daily in our profession to educate, inspire, and yes, even nag, to get people to embrace the new, digital, thought leadership reality of PR.
Credit: CMSWire 2016
NGData.com published a look at business analytics from the perspective of 33 experts across industries, and shared my insight on the role of analytics in the earned media/public relations industry. We're happy to share their comments and my contribution. Full transcript of story can be read here.
Enterprises are making use of business analytics more than ever before, but with myriad options to consider – let alone thousands of metrics to measure and analyze – it’s not always immediately clear what insights companies should be focused on. It’s actually quite easy to get lost in the sea of Big Data, leaving valuable information on the table that could transform your marketing and sales operations and boost your bottom line.
A 15 year+ veteran of the communications industry, Pam relies on data daily in her work through PRA Public Relations. She also serves as mentor, volunteer, speaker, and writer for social impact, entrepreneurism and education/STEM issues. She’s helped countless clients, causes and colleagues work through their toxic thought blocks and go on to be engaged communicators and doers in their industries.
“The best customer insights from data analytics are had by…”
Getting outside! Pulling only internal analytics is like polling your family about their opinion on.your family. It’s immediately accessible, the data participants are highly knowledgeable about the subject matter, they are stake-holders – but it’s not a complete capture of opinion data. You need outsider input too. So my advice is to get outside!
By get outside, I don’t mean heading outdoors to enjoy the fresh air (although that’s really smart advice for any overly-focused data analytics professional). The key to meaningful analytics is to pull enough external data to ensure you are getting a more accurate, comprehensive view of your customer or community segment.
Why does it matter? Because external market data helps us get a 360 degree look at our market environment. It helps us see what our competitors are doing – or not. It helps us identify the trends, developments, and quick pivots by which the enterprise will thrive or die.
So yes, do your cohort analysis, traffic flow, search queries, and the like. Then, go to an external source for data about the competitive community. In my communications field, obtaining external data analytics is key to success. Here are a few resources we use, and a couple that are free/affordable hacks for data seekers working in the limited budget or DIY mode.
Media analytics:
We’re a fan of Meltwater, a media data resource that helps us aggregate and analyze key media trends, overall sentiment ratings, geographical topic focus and more.
Google AdWords:
Google, as usual, is a wealth of resource. Its Ad Planner and Keyword tools help enterprises zero in on the search phrases that are earning traction in the market place, while identifying small silos of opportunity.
Competitor keywords:
Oh, it’s grand to know what your competitors value enough to pay for. Freemium sites such as SpyFu provide reasonable data estimates of paid keyword, budget spends and more.
Social mention:
See in near real time the trending dialogue around competitors, issues, trends and your enterprise.
So, get outside your usual routines, and take a look at the analytics that will deliver insight to your message and marketplace.
