How to use social media to enhance your PR efforts

How to use social media to enhance your PR efforts

1

todays 3 key take-aways Gain a thorough understanding of the changing media landscape Learn how to participate, embrace and succeed using social media in PR strategy.Walk away with solid ideas on how to establish and build relationships with journalists through social media.

todays 3 key take-aways Gain a thorough understanding of the changing media landscape Learn how to participate, embrace and succeed using social media in PR strategy.Walk away with solid ideas on how to establish and build relationships with journalists through social media.

2

changing media landscape

social networking has changed the way we do businessable to get news and source information faster

Remember the days when you had a breaking news story and all you had to do was find a phone booth to call it into a news desk?

OK, truth be known, me neither, but thats the way it used to happen.

social networking has changed the way we do business

able to get news and source information faster

Today, the way journalists source and report the news is changing.

As media finds its comfort level with a new business model online, so does business with the way we interact with journalists and target audiences. 3

sourcing and reporting the news

social media networkscitizens are being engagedpublic perception of stories stories in real-time

The way journalists source and report the news is changing.

social media networks dedicated to journalists and sources, providing the opportunity to find hundreds of potential leads for stories.

Citizens are being engaged by journalists to help them collect data. With the use of social networks like twitter, the word is spread instantly.

The public can now comment on stories, providing feedback and opinions on blogs that influence how a story is perceived.

Stories are now told in real-time, across multiple platforms, with the content flowing on social networks at lightening speed.

4

the bad newstighter budgets fewer resources online coverage shortened news cyclescontent sharing techniquestighter deadlines

In Canada, nearly every major media company had cuts at some point

Newsrooms are cutting staff and reporters and editors are hard pressed to do more with less.

News outlets are working on tighter budgets with fewer resources. There as been a number of layoffs in print and broadcast

outlets moving to online coverage / Tools like search engines and social media make available a tremendous amount of information in real-time.

Many newspapers are now utilizing content sharing techniques to combat cut backs and lack of staff resources and are turning to social media platforms

And because of shortened news cylces new news becomes old news - faster. And deadlines are now!

This pace has increased our thirst for knowledge and ability to get it.

5

the good newsonline = more controlcontent sharing = more exposuretighter deadlines = more responsiveness influence how your story is perceived

Online = more control

You control the content online through social media content sharing = more exposurePostmedia news owns several newspapers National PostCalgary HeraldEdmonton JournalVancouver SunThe GazetteOttawa Citizen and many other community newspapers

Coverage in Ottawa is more likely to be picked up in other markets

tighter deadlines = more responsiveness If your news is timely this is a great environment to be in... Your news can become viral quickly

influence how your story is perceivedYou have 100% control on how a story is perceived by the public by simply - engaging.

6

read, watch & followbeforeread newspapers and magazines

watch news programs on television

follow local radio news

afterread tweets and Facebook updates from media outlets

observe conversations being created around the news

follow journalists covering specific topic on twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn

Media, journalists, and publishers are leveraging social media such as facebook and twitter to distribute news content and engage their communities.

In the past, it was important to read a vast array of newspapers and magazines, to watch the major television outlets, and listen to local radio news programs in order to keep track of the amount of news coverage about the issues your organization is promoting.

The same is true today, but it can now be done online from social media platforms giving read, watch and follow a whole new meaning.

Go through before and after

7

start listeningover half of Canadian journalists have beenpitched via social network

read (outlets and journalists)watch conversations follow the source to become one

There are very few media outlets who dont use social media and some use it more effectively than others. From a PR perspective, the best advice I can give is thisin order to keep track of the amount of news coverage about the issues your organization is promoting...

Listening and contributing to the conversation in the blogosphere & social networks is key.

Read the tweets and facebook updates from media outlets AND Journalists covering your industry.

Watch the conversations being created around the news that is being reported. Become a fan of the media outlets facebook page and follow their twitter feeds. Be an observer.

Follow the source of the news to become one. Find the names of the journalists who cover your specific topic. Search for articles by those journalists and start following them on twitter, facebook and linkedIn. (I will dive into how to find them later on in this presentation) 8

journalists on social media92% have a LinkedIn account85% are on Facebook84% use Twitter (up from 24% in 2009)

They are using social media not only to post stories, but to find sources for the stories they are working on I assume everyone in this room has a LinkedIn account. The real question is how active you are on it? We all probably have personal facebook pages to keep in touch with friends and family... How many of you have a company facebook page by show of hands?

How many of you have personal twitter accounts? How many of you have company branded twitter accounts?

Here is how journalists stack up. Go though the percentages 9

The journalist connection90% of journalists are using online tools for research

36% company website32% company blogs22% Twitter, Facebook & LinkedInPR Week/PR newswires Canadian Media Survey 2010

Canadian journalists are also heavily using social media tools in their work:

when researching a specific company, almost 70% (68% of journalists) are acquiring information through the companys web site and going to the companys blog to get information on that specific business.

If a reporter is interested, 22% for additional research on a company or you as a source

Just a few seconds online can provide a wealth of information for reporters, and its a time saver. Thats important in an environmentwhere reporters feel like they have less time.

SEO is key what we like to call google juice (Im going to touch on this in a minute)10

SEO in social media PRare you and your company SEO friendly?

make sure your online profile(s) includes keywordsinclude your contact infoinclude a link to your website & other online social media

Are you and your company SEO friendly?

Private business does a horrible job cataloguing their expertise in a manner thats search engine friendly.

This is a real opportunity, as journalists become much more crunched for time, and use search as quick way to identify local experts

They're checking you out to see what your background is, to see how long you've been in the industry, to see what type of experiences you've had

Make sure your profile includes keywords that describe your areas of expertise. When journalists for look for sources, theyll typically do so through a search based on specific industry keywords

Include your email address on your profiledon't make it hard to get in touch with you.

Include a link to a professional-looking website and other online social media that adds to your credibility.

11

engaging on social media build relationships with journalists

background informationcomment on or 'like' content respond to queries and questions

Social media is a great way to build relationships with journalists.

Its a way to get background information Youll get a sense of what a journalist is interested in at the moment in a professional and social context

It allows you to comment on or 'like' content that their connection shares which can help form a relationship. Why not comment on an article and share twitter or facebook? With social media, journalists can connect with potential sources across the globe by RTing their tweets, asking them direct questions and linking to or promoting their writings. respond to a query Reporters often put feelers out on social media for sources on articles they are writing. If you are following the right ones, it will be very targeted and give you a chance to engage. When you respond to a question on linkedin that hasn't been posed for an article, there's a chance your reply will be seen by a writer researching another story

12

straightforward advicedo your homework use your blog and website to attract media attentionuse social media to follow and engage your favourite journalists, producers and media outletsrespond right away (the news is now)

Do your homework. If you want to be known as an expert, have something new to add to the world conversation and be up on what's going on in your field.

2. Use your blog to attract media attention, by writing about current, newsworthy items and including terms for which journalists and producers may be searching. And for goodness sake use SEO keywords!

3. Use social media to follow your favourite journalists, producers and media outlets 4. Respond right away. Reporters are often on a tight deadline, (the news is now with social media) so sources who reply first tend to get the nod

13

add Google juice to your PRcompetitive insightmonitor developing news storiesinteresting news anglestarget reporters and editors

How many of you use google alerts for your business? Show of hands

Home many of you use google alerts to search out PR opportunities? One of the most effective ways to tap into news about your industry is through Google Alerts. Not only is it free, but also provides you with some valuable insight and enhances your PR efforts.

Know what media coverage your competitors are getting.

Monitor a developing news story about your products and services.

Find out what news angles are of interest to journalists for your industry.

Target reporters and editors who are interested in your space.

14

One of my clients is in the renewable energy field here in Ottawa. In the above screen shot, I have put quotations around their industry solar power and only want local news, so I added, +Ottawa in the search terms.

My client likes to know what is happening in their backyard as it is published, so selecting as-it-happens in the How often field provides me with the alert instantly so that we can respond to issues and news topics together quickly.

Advance Warning: If you choose the as-it-happens option, you may receive multiple emails per day and might want to adjust your settings to once a day or once a week depending on your thirst for knowledge.

15

what next?understand the news angleunderstand the reporter

the pitch becomes easier increase chances of media coverage

What do you do with all this information? Good question.

When you find relative news, read it. Understand the news angle and take note of the reporters name and contact information so you can start creating your own media list.

Chances are, if the reporter has written an article relative to your industry and you have something to contribute to the topic in a timely fashion, the more apt he/she will be interested in what you have to say.

The pitch becomes easier as does the likelihood of getting media coverage.

PS. If you are looking to contribute and comment on blogs, why not find influencers who are blogging about your industry? Simply change News to Blogs and create a new alert.

Your social media presence will get Google juice working for you!

16

case study

Go To Work Without Leaving Home Unofficial Work From Home Day greater productivity inclusion opportunities for employersbetter work life balance for employees

Case study

Facebook is a great place to generate publicity

I see many posts from industry bloggers on PR gone wrong, but rarely do I see examples of PR campaigns that are well executed. I thought I would share this one that hit the ball out of the park to demonstrate the various elements that contributed to making it such a great campaign.

Its the Workopolis Go To Work Without Leaving Home on June 1: Unofficial Work From Home Day.

The campaign targeted working Canadians, business and government in a movement to get employees to work from home on June 1

Purpose?Gain media attention and market share

boasted greater productivity and inclusion opportunities for employers, and a better work life balance for employees.

17

credible statistics and sources facts and figures to get their point acrossprintable employee support materialgreat quotes for impact and credibilityengaged communities to garner support or enlist public opinion

what made it great

They enlisted the help of a credible statistics and sources with facts and figures to get their point across, (which the media loves to back a story by the way),

and they even went as far as providing Tips for talking to the boss Out of office email templatesWashroom signs and postersPrintable labels and desk decorating materials for office spaces (their call to action), to help raise awareness.

Great quotes from the President of Workopolis as well as endorsements from industry experts such as the National CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association also added to the impact and credibility of the story. 18

public engagementprovided eco-friendly benefits that the public could really get behind

provided eco-friendly benefits that the public could really get behind,

Workopolis put it in perspective for working Canadians stating that If Canadians worked from home one day a year

Five million KG of CO2 could be saved,(the equivalent of planting 10 million trees);

Nearly 2 million litres of fuel could be saved, (the equivalent of fuel for a mission to the moon);

Enough energy would be saved to power homes in a major city for almost three years if 1 million businesses allowed their employees to work from home for the one day.

19

Here are some screen shots of some of the social media that was used 20

the result?engage communities, garner support,enlist public opinion

over 75,000 followers on Facebook & twitterendorsement from governmentexceptional media coverage

Of course, every successful campaign has an element of social media to engage communities, garner support or enlist public opinion.

To date, over 75,000 Canadians have pledged their support for the Workopolis Unofficial Work From Home Day campaign on Facebook and conversations are being created on Twitter (@workopolis) using the hashtag #WFHD.

Endorsement from governmentGot the attention of parliament

The Mayor of Ottawa proclaimed a Telework Day because of this campaign

Exceptional media coverage (Toronto / Montreal / Calgary / Vancouver and trade publications HR reporter, benefits Canada and Canadian business

In my opinion, this one hits home and a home run. There are many successful PR campaigns out there like this one to get inspiration and you dont have to be a big player to gain this kind of buzz.

It just takes careful PR planning and execution to be successful.

21

5 Qs to ask yourself

do you have a plan?are you engaging? is your website content up to date?do you have a newsroom?are social media profiles and your website SEO friendly?

There are many new developments to the world of PR. Today, a solid social media strategy is a must for every business.

Here are 5 questions to ask yourself when developing your social media PR communications strategy.

Do you have a plan when participating in conversations on social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn?

Are you engagingDo you host a blog yourself and contribute regularly to others for journalists to find you, and are you positioning your company and yourself as an expert?

Is your website content up to date and written to catch the attention of journalists, bloggers and other media players in addition to your customers?

Do you have a news room created on your website with interactive content for journalists to obtain everything they need to do a story?

Are your online news releases, social media profiles optimized for SEO so journalists have a greater chance of finding you and your important announcements?

22

conclusionGood PR is about People & Relationships

Thats because it allows media and target audiences to engage in your conversation about your brand, which can only lead to better results!

23

questions?

24