Make PR more like I&R
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How to make PR more personal with social media in the Information and Referral.
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Make PR more like I&R
- 1. Make PR more like I&R NW AIRS Conference Matt Kinshella, 211info October 7, 2010
- 3. PR I&R matt@211info.org Twitter.com/mkinshell a
- 4. Have you used PR to be helpful?
- 5. Four Pillars of PR to I&R • Valuable • Human • Succinct • Front of Mind
- 7. What’s in the toolbox? • A plan • Website • Email • Social Web http://www.flickr.com/photos/loonatic/
- 8. What are your goals?
- 9. Plan
- 10. Website X
- 11. Website Tips
- 12. Email
- 13. Tips for Emails • Do you need an upgrade? – I like MailChimp.com • Get Personal • Mix it up • Test, test, test
- 14. How many of you use the social web?
- 16. BethKanter.org
- 22. Twitter • Is it social? • Drives web traffic • Pulse of the community morpurgo.nl
- 23. Video • Build a history • Speak to your audience • Keep it short • Share http://www.flickr.com/photos/mauritsonline/
- 24. Blogging • Great for your website traffic •Imagine an audience member and write to them •Write great headlines •Web copy isn’t print
- 25. Facebook • Why do people “like” you? • Too popular to ignore • Open the curtains • Post when people are reading Facebook.
- 27. Lessons Learned • Culture shift • Break out of learning silos • Reuse and recycle
- 28. Recap • PR to I&R means… – Valuable – Human – Succinct – Front of Mind • Expand the tool box – Make a plane with measureable goals – Dynamic Website – Short, personal and tested emails – Listen, listen, listen – then engage on the social web
Editor's Notes
- I’m Matt Kinshella. I manage 211info’s online, marketing, media relations and outreach efforts. I'm going to discuss how to make PR – public relations – more like I&R.
- This is Deborah one of our call center specialists and our development coordinator. Imagine Deborah picking up the phone and saying: … We treat our callers with much more respect than that. That kind of approach is rude. And quite frankly it isn’t human. There is no way anyone in this room would walk up to a friend, family member, client, supporter, a donor and just blather on about yourself. Yet all too often that’s what our public relations and marketing communications sound like. It is my goal to make PR more like I&R. That is to say, make your PR helpful. In the next hour and a half (or maybe a little less) I’m going to expound on how on the concept of making PR helpful, give an overview of expanding your online toolbox, but really try to focus on the Social Web at the end. I’ll focus on it because it’s free, unchartered territory for many and most importantly a powerful tool to be helpful with your PR. I won’t get into the nitty gritty of the mechanics of using some of the social media tools, but I have provided some great guides for doing so. I want to provide a good foundation of knowledge for you and I want to encourage you try the tools out yourself. And of course if you have any question please don’t hesitate to ask. I tend to talk a bit fast so don’t hesitate to ask a question. Feel free to participate when I ask a question. And if you like me and asking questions in a group at conferences isn’t always comfortable, feel free to email me or reach me on twitter.
- I’m a big fan of Peter Shankman. He’s a brilliant online innovator and the creator of Help a Reporter Out or HARO. A widely successful tool for connecting reporters with sources. He says: Our job is no longer to do our own PR, our job is to get others to do it for us. And we do that by using the litany of tools at our disposal to be helpful. I’m a strong believer in that notion. For the profit world, that might seem revolutionary. But for the nonprofit and government world it seems like a small jump. We are already doing good. And as the communications person for 211 and as an information junkie I sit at the intersection of a lot of information. I probably ready 200 emails a day and consume either by skimming or reading online content 500-600 articles, posts, etc. a day. It’s the first thing I do in the morning and it’s the last thing I do at night. And as I looked around I can easily say nonprofit marketers are the worst offenders of using PR for only for self promotion. Now don’t get me wrong. There is a time and a place for a little bragging. But I believe it should be the exception, not the rule. So I’m begging you before you hit send on your next e-newsletter or tweet or do your next presentation think about making PR more like I&R. Help a community member out. Ever since I applied the “PR to I&R” test to our email alters, we have been getting an click though rate of – the % of people who click the links you want them to click on your email – 40%. That’s double the industry average. And I can tell you. Two emails I send out last month we not PR to I&R approved and our stats suffered for it.
- Who is in the room? Mangers Call Center Communications folks Resource Web people Development Has any one used their PR or outreach efforts with the goal of “helping a community member out?” How so?
- No matter how I communicate or what tactics I employ I keep these four pillars in mind. Not coincidentally they are four things that help make I&R services successful Valuable – What value am I giving my reader? WIIFY (What’s in it for you) Human – communicate like you are communicating with a friend or co-worker. Different mediums allow for different levels of casual interactions. Being personal doesn’t mean you are being unprofessional. It means you are building relationships. Succinct Front of Mind Keeping these things in mind has increased web traffic, grown out social media influence, improved our email statistics and genrally increased the positive manner in which people talk about 211info.
- Every two days now we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003, according to Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Let me repeat that: we create as much information in two days now as we did from the dawn of man through 2003. This information is mostly being created online. Thant’s why you have to expand you Information Toolbox Online Evolution not a revolution Mail, phone, fax, email, social media, dynamic web content - Why? Engage in direct conversation with community and supporters. Bypass traditional media and use a platform to connect People are already talking online. They might be talking about you and they are certainly talking about things you care about. So would you rather plug your ears or would you rather participate in those conversations and help shape them? In our world people are talking about services, advocating for changes and searching for services. Story of fellow who used twitter to reach out. Kids are using social media at staggering rates. Most people using Twitter are 35-45 Internet access is available anywhere to about 9 out of 10 Americans says Edison Research The elderly use social media says the AARP Social media is crucial in disaster says the Red Cross The studies go on and on and online information will be the rule not the exception for every American. At 211 our own gains in web traffic has far out gained calls.
- These are certainly not the only tools. Going over each tool could be its own conference. I’m just going to highlight some strategies and tactics that you can use today. And really focus on the social web.
- But first. What are you communication goals in the next year? Not what do you want to achieve tactically, but what outcomes do you want to achieve? Are they measurable?
- First and most important thing is to set measurable goals. Goals might change. But never lose site of organization goals and communications goals. Identify audiences What’s the best way to reach them? Where should you invest your time? What’s your ROI? Building online relationships takes time Tap into existing networks Be realistic Break out of silos Online to offline/offline to online: Best relationships still forged offline
- Spending two slides on a website in a conversation about online PR is like glossing over the Revolution in US History class, but quite frankly it is a whole other conversation. Often times online and pr folks are in different departments or have different goals. That’s why this conversation is challenging. Late last year Pew research did a poll about organization’s website and how they affect the organization’s image. They found people draw no distinction between and organization and its website. Essentially if your website is sharp, people will think your organization is sharp and visa versa. Make no mistake, now and in the future ignoring your website is like ignoring the Revolution in US History class. If a teacher did that they’d be fired.
- This will be my only blatant plug for 211info, but I encourage you to check out the new 211info.org. Have a dynamic website – not an online brochure. Use it as the hub of information to host and drive all the other communications activates you do. Look into a dynamic CMS if you don’t have one Define your audience Find out what they want Simplify what you don’t need: organize your website like Google does Make website goals Use analytics to see if you are meeting those goals If you aren’t – fix the pages where you are losing traffic What do you need from your website: tools for talking to your web person Is my site social friendly, do I have a blog, do I have good web copy, do I have my email sign up prominently displayed? I’ll talk about blogs a little later.
- I apologize for the corny image… I love my social media but the reality is that email is still King. And it will be for the foreseeable future. And if your organization is like 211info investing time and energy into quality email marketing is the best investment you can make. However, just because email marketing is still king, it doesn’t mean email marketing hasn’t changed. Effective email marketing doesn’t equal status quo. There is no better tool to test PR to I&R out with than your emails. People’s email boxes are flooded. You need to be relevant to their lives, write a great subject line, provide compelling action steps and be concise. The most popular email 211info has ever sent and consequently the most popular blog post we have ever sent was about dealing with Compassion Fatigue. It hit our readers – most service providers – right in the heart. It was short, clear and poignant.
- In addition, to the four pillars of PR to I&R– Valuable, Human, Succinct and Front of Mind…here are some things to consider What tool are you using? Constant Contact vs Mail Chimp – MyEmma.com – Something that meets the needs of tomorrow. Many articles suggest that folks are more likely to click through and share your emails if you have social media links. Get Personal Mix it up – length, topic, sender, video, sender, frequency, time of day, day of the week Test – test and track everything. Use an Excel spread sheet. Use whatever works for you. Every audience is different. Lastly, you’ll notice I included a book about the Obama campaigns social media efforts in your reading list there. No matter what party you affiliate yourself with you will gain knowledge from this book. In addition to social media they have a great section on how they ran their very successful email campaign.
- And why?
- I do believe that the social web is turning PR, news and information distributing on its head. People still aren’t sure what exactly the future will hold but it will be a future where information in abound. Where we will find it at every turn and it might find us. Everything will be personal and customizable and likely handheld. And when you think about the social web don’t think about the tools. Don’t worry about the tools. Think about a medium where content is created by everyone, shared by everyone and where everyone interacts. Bu it is not a silver bullet. It is only a piece of the who communications pie. It also takes time and practice. Like anything you get what you put into it. I can’t tell you the number of times someone has said: oh lets start doing social media. I don’t know what that means. -“People are having conversations whether you participate or not, wouldn’t you just rather know what they are saying” Gaining buy-in Why I’m not doing a twitter/facebook 101 Personal evolution of social media 1) Social media is a waste of time 2) OK everyone is doing social media, I’ll do it too 3) Wow social media is awesome I can’t wait for the instant results 4) Oh social media isn’t magic, it needs to be part of a larger strategic plan 5) Now I’m getting results – with social media as a key component Be honest and open. Guidelines – Air Force blog and Red Cross.
- How? You weren’t born knowing how to do email or use a cell phone. But you do it. AIRS standards you had to learn it, you had to listen in on calls, you slowly started participating and BAM you were referring people all over the place. Social media is very much the same. Do your homework. Spend time just listening to the conversations going on out there. Then start slowly participating and then jump in with both feet. This is Beth Kanter’s social media evolution image. I saw it a long time ago and it is still one of the best representations of social media strategy I have ever seen. Beth Kanter is an all-star. And if you work for a nonprofit and are interested in social media, her blog BethKater.org is a huge wealth of information. Explain the chart
- Understand online etiquette What each tool is good for: Twitter isn’t used the same as facebook – use example RSS Twitter YouTube Blogging Facebook The more you are producing quality content on and off your website the high your webpage will rank in Google’s search results and the better chance you have of people finding you. Let me know more if you want to know more about SEO. It is pretty interesting and makes a huge difference.
- Grow Bigger Ears ChrisBrogan.com As great the social web is for talking it is even better for listening. People are talking and you can help them. You can help them by letting them know you exist or by gathering information. In addition to signing up for facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, etc and listening to the conversations out there, there are some other steps you can take today to grow your bigger ears.
- 3) Google Alters: google.com/alerts Set up an alert for your organization name and any variations or misspellings you can think of. Set up alters for keywords 4) Social Mention: alters for the social web but on steroids. Technoroti All Top Yahoo Pipes Twitter: search keywords, use a twitter tool like hootsuite to organize, use the new suggest a friend.
- 1) Get a google account 2) Google Reader: google.com/reader This is your home base. It is a way to pull in information from a bunch of different websites to one place. Your own online, customizable magazine.
- Search Notice blog tab Now google search for competitors. For industry terms anything and see what it pulls up. Now what do I do with all the useful information? Share it! Share it on your website, use it to write a blog post, share it in an email, share it on facebook or twitter, share it with your staff or resource team. Comment on it! Add value to the blog, facebook page, tweet and leave your URL so people know how to learn more about you. Suggest a guest article or post on someone else’s website? People love to be in the know and if they know you are a go to person they will be more likely to pay attention to everything you say. They will be more likely to tell others about you. Be a connector. Now that’s PR to I&R! ANY QUESTIONS?
- How many people are familiar with twitter? Should I give a basic overview? It isn’t as social as you might think. The people who run Twitter say it isn’t meant to be social, like facebook. It is more like a news ticker. A customizable, real time, increasingly powerful news ticker. You 140 characters to tell people something. So you have to be sharp and compelling. And you have to offer value. If have spent time with twitter or when you do you’ll find it is an amazing tool for sharing quick bits of information and provide links to the larger source. This is perfect for nonprofits in the information sharing business. It will raise your profile as a helpful expert and drive web traffic to your website. Since we started twitter it has consistently been a top source of our website traffic. Despite the fact that it is primarily a great tool for distributing information. Information mind you that is self generated and generated by others. No one like someone who only talks about themselves. It is also a great tool to tap into what people are thinking and what some of the latest trends are. Much like Google alters you can search for things in a variety of ways. Some tools allow you to save searches and constantly monitor them – like your brand name or key terms. Others allow you to search terms by location, so you can find out who is tweeting about what near you. Businesses are already doing this. Hotels example. Twitter gives us the opportunity to respond in real time to people’s needs and provide solutions. Establishing your self as a helpful entity. Again, that sounds a lot like I&R. As more and more people get on twitter, this will be increasingly important. And it has become important in disaster situations. It is also a great way to reach out to reporters. The smart ones get that twitter is news. And they want to be part of that. I have pitched two news stories on twitter, each of them has garnered media. Twitter etiquette: no self promotion. More content. Re-use popular content, someone might have missed it. When to tweet? Mondays and definitely Fridays! Not weekends. This depends on your audience user habits but I have seen many studies that suggest Fridays is the go to. And it is definitely for 211info’s network. QUESTIONS?
- YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine. YouTube serves 1 billion videos per day, The average person watched 182 online videos per month in 2009. Flip cam I mentioned earlier the Obama campaign book on your handout and how useful it is for helping with email strategy. Well it is also very useful for video. The Obama campaign used video brilliantly. For the first time every the Saturday address goes on YouTube and then Senator Obama and his staff used it as a great tool to reach directly to voters. I also encourage you to check out how ad the ad giant Weiden and Kennedy used video to supplement their successful Old Spice ad. Here are some lesson from the Obama campaign that are very useful: Build a History – let people know you brand and personality Speak directly to consumers Keep videos short and sweet – practically this means less editing time and quick shoots. We all have limited time Share your content – cross post, keep on your website, encourage your supporters to share Things that have worked for us or what we have in the works: Integrate with website Run a commercial if you can’t put in on tv Interview an expert Highlight an agency QUESTIONS?
- How many people are blogging? Blogging, like the website, could be its own conference. You should do it. Depending on your website platform it might be the only piece of easily and frequently updatable content. Which as we mentioned earlier is important. It is also one of the best things you can do for your search engine rankings if you do it write. Be helpful! Use it to generate all the other content you produce! Help facilitate conversations Be your own media source, don’t wait for the newspaper. Headline. 8 in 10 read headlines. Only 2 in 10 read after that. Some places suggest you spend as much time writing headlines as you do writing your entire blog. Headlines are my personal achilies heel. I really have to work at a good one. And still, I don’t think they are that great. But try to write your headlines first. I have come around on this and it really helps focus your blog post. Find a specific audience. Lesson learned for us. Read about writing good web copy. This applies to your regular website as well. People don’t read the internet like they read a book. And Liesl, our CEO who has two teenage kids informed me that she read a study that kids don’t read books like we read books. They read them like they read web copy. How’s that for interesting? Use you four pillars or PR to I&R writing. Especially being concise and human. Find a voice and stick to it. Use bullets and short paragraphs. People skim blogs first. They also read in an “F” pattern. Check out copyblogger.com. It is for profit, but has valuable advice QUESTIONS?
- How many people have a personal Facebook page? How many of your organizations do? Now that picture isn’t up there to suggest you are dummies. More like, when it comes to facebook and brands – everyone is a dummy. Studies suggest people “like” brands to essentially show their friends they like the brands. And unless said brand is giving something away, like the Gap or Starbucks, they tend to ignore the brand. I’m not convinced of this either way really. I haven’t made up my mind about facebook. Not about whether it is valuable. There are too many people using it and it future is too bright not to use it, but how to use it best. In 211info’s use of Facebook, the posts that continually get the best reaction are the ones just updating folks about what is going on at 211info. This confirms that people just want to show off that they follow a cool organization and don’t really need content. But when I polled our fans they said they wanted useful stories, like Twitter. But user evidence doesn’t suggest they really respond to those types of posts. This is all to say you need to try different things and I wouldn’t tear your hair out if you don’t immediately see benefits. It takes time. So why use facebook at all Matt? More than 500 million active users 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook First off, set up a Fan Page. There are numerous benefits over setting up a group. Like all the other tools, be helpful and be human. Make the page’s purpose clear. Use issues to drive growth and participation. You can raise money with Facebook, but I wouldn’t count on it as your sole revenue stream. Have fun, give people an inside glimpse at your organization. There is a certain degree of voyerism to Facebook. Capitalize on that. Post pictures and videos of the fun stuff your organization does. Use video for direct appeals and communication – like from you CEO or a passionate volunteer. Pose interesting questions, don’t just post. Etiquette: More self promotion, less content posting. When to facebook: weekends and nights if your audience is business people – FB blocked in many businesses. Late afternoons if your audience is younger. Just ask yourself, when do I have time for facbook? When do the people around me have time? If your audience, is young girls and women. Post anytime you want. Seriously, it is carzy how much this group uses facebook. JohnHaydon.com QUESTIONS?
- A word on measurement: It is something I struggle with but you will never be lost if you go back to your original goals and ask yourself And don’t forget you have to analyze it. Or you won’t get better. Base it on Goals. Measure engagement not membership. Use what works for you. Make goals for everything, especially your website. Set up Google Analytics.
- Lessons learned: Affect a culture shift in your agency and document your process so others can share Culture: Kanter 43 Break out of learning silos and document/save what you learn Reuse and rycycle
- QUESTIONS?
- Who I am and a summary of what’s in store and how long it is going to take