National Board Learning Lab

Tools for the Successful PAO

Maj Steven SolomonNational Public Affairs OfficerBaltimore, Md.24 Aug. 2012

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Gone are the days when all it took for a public affairs officer to do the job effectively was a notebook, pencil and camera.

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Today’s PAO needs a smartphone, digital camera and laptop with an air-card.

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

But resources are limited, with

budgets reduced and manpower

stretched.

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

So let’s look at creative ways of applying effective tactical strategies to better provide information to our audiences.

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Google AlertsQR codes Hashtags

Readability Tests

What we’ll be talking about today:

Google Analytics

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

“I'm advised of news items that pertain to topics I'm interested in and I can keep tabs on mentions.”

-- Randy Duermyer, About.com, part of the NY Times Co.

Google Alerts

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

What is a Google Alert?

How do I make a Google Alert?

How does it work? What can CAP PAOs

do with a Google Alert?

Google Alerts

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your queries.

What is a Google Alert?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

How do do I make a Google Alert?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Enter a couple of keywords to create search query you wish to monitor. You can set it for results to be emailed daily, weekly or ASAP.

How does a Google Alert work?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

monitor CAP news stories

keep current on what’s being said about your unit

read the latest about your senior members and cadets

What can CAP PAOs do with a Google Alert?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

“QR codes are easy to implement and they can bring great results...”

-- Johannes Ahrenfelt, 2012 Square:Code

QR Codes

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

what is a QR code? how does it work? who is the

target audience? how do I make one? what can CAP PAOs do with a QR code?

QR Codes

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

QR codes are two-dimensional black and white bar codes that you’ve seen in magazines, promotional materials, storefronts and billboards.

What is a QR Code?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Smartphone users either scan or take a picture of the QR code image and are taken to a designated mobile-optimized web page.

How does it work?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

The Pew Research Center says that 58 percent of smartphone users, which is in our target group, are between the ages of 25 and 34.

Who is the target audience?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Use free websitesto generate a QR code: qrstuff.comhttp://www.qrmonkey.comhttp://delivr.com/qr-code-generator

How do I make a QR Code?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Put them on: facts sheets flyers leaflets brochures press releases

ALL printed materials!

What can CAP PAOs do with a QR Code?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

“Using hashtags correctly may help increase the buzz around your product or service by boosting views.”-- Anthony Salerno, 2012 Ragan’s PR Daily

Hashtags

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

what is a hashtag? how does it work? who is the

target audience? how do I make one? what can CAP PAOs do with a hashtag?

Hashtags

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Hashtags are the letters that follow the # sign in a tweet and are, according to Twitter, “used to mark keywords or topics in a tweet.” Twitter users—not the inventors of the social network—created the hashtag.

What is a hashtag?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

When something written in a tweet has a # prefix, it means that Twitter users can search for tweets that have this as a common topic.

How does it work?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

This is a great way to reach anyone who likes to categorize topics by using hashtags as one way to make it easier to do so.

Who is the target audience?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Type a keyword along with your Twitter message that begins with the # sign and is all one word. For example: #CivilAirPatrol

How do I make one?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Hashtags make it easier for internal and external Twitter audiences to follow what your unit is doing:#XYZsquadron#missingairplane#searchandrescue#encampment#NESA

What can CAP PAOs do with a hashtag?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

“The best way to test the readability of your copy is to use the Flesch Reading Ease Score.”-- Jen McGahan, 2012 MyTeamConnects.com

Readability Tests

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

what is a readability

test? how does it work? how do I use it? what can CAP PAOs

do with a readability test?

Readability Tests

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

A readability test uses a formula to measure how easy or hard it is to understand text.

What is a readability test?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

A mathematical formula analyzes the average number of words in a sentence, word frequency, and the average syllables per word.

How does it work?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Type your text into a form on a website that uses one of the following tests:

Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease Flesch Kincaid Grade Level Gunning Fog Score Coleman Liau Index Automated Readability Index (ARI)

How do I use it?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

If the readability test shows a high reading difficulty level, material can be rewritten with clearer diction, action words, and shorter sentences!

What can CAP PAOs do with this test?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

“Track the traffic impact of Twitter, Facebook and Google+ using Google Analytics.”

-- Tim Ware, 2011, Social Media Examiner

Google Analytics

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

What is Google Analytics?

How does it work? How do I use it? What can CAP PAOs

do with Google Analytics?

Google Analytics

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Google Analytics is a free service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about the visitors to a website.

What is Google Analytics?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Google Analytics uses a first-party cookie and JavaScript code to collect information about visitors and track them from a source, such as a search engine or email link.

How does it work?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

1. Sign up for free.

2. Get a tracking code to paste onto your pages so Google knows when your site is visited.

3. In a few hours you'll be able to start seeing data about your site.

How do I use it?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

Poor performing web pages can be identified and then revised to better serve your audience!

What can CAP PAOs do with Google Analytics?

National Board Learning Lab: Tools for the Successful PAO

tips webinars seminars workshops daily news feed

Ragan’s PR Daily

www.prdaily.com