Category Archives: Public Relations

How not to gain a million followers on Twitter

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Jon| Leave a comment

Twitter has proven itself to be a valuable tool in business-to-business communications. However, too often an account is deemed successful simply because it has a large number of followers.

It’s challenging work gaining new followers and engaging them in a conversation. I’m currently in charge of four accounts — three for clients and one of my own that I routinely ignore. The top account has followers numbering in the low thousands. It continues to gather new followers, add retweets and garner new mentions each month.  Of course I would like, but never expect, it to join top dogs like Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, President Obama and the New York Times — accounts with millions of followers.

Then today, I received an email offering 1 million Twitter followers for $2,950. Wow, that’s still short of cracking the top 1,000, but within potential range of Twitter middleweights such as Paul McCartney, Carrie Underwood, the MythBusters TV show and aged playboy, Hugh Heffner.

Wouldn’t almost any client be ecstatic to have more than 1 million followers? And it would cost them less than a third of a penny each. Unfortunately, the offer goes against good Twitter business practices and I can’t recommend the idea. Here’s why:

  • No doubt the vast majority of new followers would be egg heads — the fake accounts without a profile picture or bio that use the egg logo supplied by Twitter. These accounts follow many, but have few followers, if any, of their own. They largely exist to inflate the number of followers of legitimate accounts. In the summer of 2011, presidential candidate Newt Gingrich was accused of buying too many of his 1.3 million followers. His large following backfired on him.
  • This type of follower, even if real, isn’t sincerely committed to a company, candidate or celebrity. Within a short time, they will go away or just sit without ever offering a retweet, mention or direct message. They will not help to attract legitimate followers or drive new business opportunities.
  • A Twitter account can’t be judged successful solely on how many followers it has. It should be attracting the best group of followers for your organization. You want people, real people, to be interested in what you have to say. You want to showcase your expertise. You want to engage in conversations. You want to create opportunities to expand your influence and gain business. If dedicated, a smaller band of followers is always preferable.

It would be nice to claim more than a million followers for each of my accounts. But for the vast majority of businesses, that’s not going to happen. Like just about everything in life, a successful Twitter presence takes hard work. You need to understand your market. You need to stay on top of industry events. You need to identify and follow major influencers. You need to tweet at times to best reach your followers. You need to tweet often enough, but not too much. And all that may win you only five to 10 new followers on a good day, but you’ll know you’re doing it the right way.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Daum Weigle, Marketing/Communications, Public Relations, Social Media

Remember Email? It’s Still a Great Marketing Tool

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Jon| Leave a comment

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and You Tube bring you the celebrity spats, videos of cute, one-eyed cats and cool infographics.

And email…well, its still good for sharing a document with a business associate, same as it’s been doing since last century. Lately, it’s better known for offers of knock-off pharmaceuticals.

Yet at the same time, email is more engrained into our society than any of the social media platforms. Do you know anyone from a teenager to a senior citizen that doesn’t have an email address?

Twitter has more than 100 million accounts in the U.S., but up to 25 percent of them are never used. Facebook just topped 1 billion users worldwide. Still, Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail, together and alone, tops that number. And one study showed that 72 percent of people check their email more than six times per day.

This all means email is still a vibrant, effective means for reaching current and potential customers with tailored marketing messages. The key is having a quality list. Some companies keep their customer lists up-to-date and continually add leads from the sales staff. Most aren’t that conscientious about it. In that case you may need to buy a list from an email address provider. Count on your PR consultant to help you find the right list provider for your needs.

Next up is creating a message that will get recipients to pay attention. You can take a straight-forward or a more lighthearted approach. But one way to get people to read your message is to get them involved. Ask them questions. Are you getting what you need? Is your business all it can be? What problems do you need solved?

When you get replies, respond immediately. Use the information you get back from your questions to craft a tailored response for each. At that point your emails will stand out from the unsolicited clutter that jams many mailboxes.

Keep the campaign going. Offer your list something they need. Listen to your potential customers and respond accordingly.

Do this and you’ll be well on your way to a successful email campaign. Meantime, don’t forget the growing power of social media. Just don’t underestimate the value of email.

@JDaum

 

 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Daum Weigle, Marketing/Communications, Public Relations, Social Media

Can Companies Still Afford Trade Shows?

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Jon| Leave a comment

A question many companies are asking — are trade shows still worth the investment? More than one marketing manager and CFO is trying to balance the shows’ upfront costs with return on investment.

A major national show may cost start-up companies $20,000 or more for a small booth in the back of the hall, employee travel and other related costs. Large multi-national companies can easily drop $1 million or more for huge booths, onsite staff and wining and dining top customers.

Trade show sponsors, exhibit builders and convention center operators will tell you that any recent falloff in attendance is due largely to a tight economy. They say a show’s face-to-face interaction is irreplaceable. Yet as major exhibitors pull out of shows, the stigma smaller companies face for also not attending has decreased.

So if companies don’t choose the trade show route, what are the alternatives?

Many trade publications offer virtual shows that let shoppers chat online with company reps and receive information about new products and solutions via email. The cost is great, but customers acceptance still leaves these not ready to replace the traditional trade show.

Some companies, either alone or with related service/product providers, are sponsoring their own traveling road shows. A five- to 10-city effort can reach existing and potential customers where they live at a cost equal to one traditional tradeshow. I’ve seen these work well.

I’ve also seen successful variations with companies skipping the trade show exhibit hall and securing hospitality suites to provide an intimate place to showcase products and services to key or would-be customers. Granted, if too many potential exhibitors try this option, the shows will close. Other relatively new and often successful ideas are webinars, podcasts and blogs, often hosted on company or trade media websites. They have the ability to reach hundreds to thousands of targeted groups for a very modest investment.

Obviously, the economy has squeezed trade shows. But when the economy rebounds, will they still be a prime marketing choice or will the newer alternatives take over?  What are your thoughts?

– JD

Twitter: @Jdaum

 

 

 

 

 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Marketing/Communications, Public Relations

Tagged ,

Should Brands Create Controversies?

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Sara| Leave a comment

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard about how the president of Chick-Fil-A, Dan Cathy, feels about same sex marriage.  In an interview with the Baptist Press  he took a controversial stance and created an uproar that might have put the fast food joint in jeopardy.

Interestingly enough, this move did wonders for his bottom line. Anti-gay marriage supporters dedicated an appreciation day to the chain, giving it one of the highest grossing sales days it’s ever had.

As a public relations professional, I have to wonder: was Mr. Cathy’s public stance on such a controversial issue intentional?   It came to my attention that almost three quarters of Chick-Fil-A locations are in the more conservative Southern states.  Could this have been a planned PR move in order to boost sales primarily in these areas?

It’s an interesting thought. Marketing departments work hard to create relatable and attractive brand images. So the idea of starting a firestorm seems a bit risky.  Maybe it’s a case where bad press can be good press, too.

So do you think this was an intentional move? Is it a good tactic for brands to create controversy in order to boost visibility and sales?

@SaraAlisia

 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Marketing/Communications, Public Relations

Tagged , , , ,

Guerrilla Marketing: Do YOU Deserve to Die?

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Sara| 1 Comment

Guerrilla marketing often aims to offend people in order to gain their attention.  It’s not for every organization, but it can work.  Officials at the Lung Cancer Alliance seem to have a good understanding of the concept.  The group recently launched a campaign that includes posters saying things like: “The tattooed deserve to die” and “Cat lovers deserve to die.”

What the..? Hey! I love cats!

 

Upon visiting the group’s website, you see a countdown clock until the big reveal of a mysterious disease that doesn’t discriminate: lung cancer.  The clock has been removed and replaced with:

“Many people believe that if you have lung cancer you did something to deserve it. It sounds absurd, but it’s true. Lung cancer doesn’t discriminate and neither should you.  Help put an end to the stigma and the disease.”

The American Lung Association has always been the top dog when it comes raising awareness/funding for lung cancer research.  But this guerilla marketing campaign really put the small Lung Cancer Alliance on the map.  I had honestly never heard of the group until recently.  Many angry comments posted across social media sites prompted me to check it out.

Well done.  I see what you did there, Lung Cancer Alliance.  You let the ticked off people do your dirty work for you.  Here are some excerpts from the Lung Cancer Alliance Facebook page:

 

Some would argue for the end of this campaign. It’s certainly not appropriate for all issues or groups.  But for a small, cash-strapped non-profit trying to raise awareness about a deadly disease, I applaud the effort.

 

@saraalisia

 

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Marketing/Communications, Public Relations, We Like

Tagged , , , , ,

Hopefully, We’ll All Make These Changes

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Jon| Leave a comment

Someecards.com

Most media and public relations people look to the Associated Press Stylebook as the final arbiter of word usage, terms, punctuation and other rules regarding how we write our news, photo captions and the like. I always keep one inches away from my keyboard.

So when the AP provides an annual update to its stylebook, it’s a big event to those who use it daily. The 2012 edition was recently released. And, as usual, it set off at least one debate between traditional and more colloquial language advocates.

The commotion was over the acceptance of the word “hopefully” to mean “it is hoped.”  Most of us use it this way on a routine basis as in “Hopefully, the next Congress will be more congenial than the current one.” Grammarians are upset since hopefully is an adverb and doesn’t modify a verb in that sentence. But English is a living language that regularly incorporates changes in use, new words and spellings on a regular basis. The AP editors just reflect our evolving culture.

A few of the other 270 changes to the stylebook that I like are the addition of fracking, modified tweets and Velcro. I know Velcro’s a brand name, but what else do you call those ubiquitous hook and loop fasteners?

In any case, if you do the external writing for your organization or employ an outside agency, make sure to stay up-to-date with the AP Stylebook.  Editors expect it.  And every year there are new surprises.

– JD

Twitter: @Jdaum

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Public Relations

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Stop the Madness: Spray and Pray

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Sara| Leave a comment


As a general rule, before I pick up the phone to pitch a media contact, I know their name, have researched the outlet, skimmed through recent stories the journalist has written and have an idea of why they would want to hear my pitch in the first place.  This ladies and gentlemen, is the art of romancing the media.

It’s surprising how many PR professionals still operate with the old “spray and pray” method, thinking that quantity pitching rules over quality pitching.

In fact, I just read a great white paper by Cision When in Doubt that outlines the very reasons why we PR pros shouldn’t do that.  The most important lesson you can learn in this industry is to research everything you possibly can about the outlet/beat of the person you’re pitching.  In all honesty, those that skip this huge step really do damage to themselves and the company they represent. They also do big disservice to industry as a whole.

It just gives PR a bad name. We want the media to see us as a valuable resource, not as annoying spammers.  I’m sure it would be maddening for a real estate reporter to continuously get pitched to cover the latest beauty product.

Researching the details is more time consuming, but the paybacks are better quality and even quantity coverage.

Aside from doing research before you send anything to or contact the media I have a couple of suggestions I’ve picked up from my experiences for when I pitch and follow up on the phone:

  • Check out editorial calendars.  These can be a gold mine.  Even if they aren’t interested in covering your news now, it could be perfect for them at a later date.  Follow up.
  • When you call to follow up, instead of going straight to your pitch, introduce yourself and ask what they are working on. It could be in connection to what you’re pitching. Use your discretion if they sound hurried. By being natural, conversational and not just pushing your pitch, you earn their ear and respect.
  • But be ready to deliver the main points of your pitch in less than 20 seconds.   More often than not you will run into an editor that has no time for nonsense.  Prepare for that.

Of course don’t leave out social media as another avenue for media outreach. It offers valuable insights into what journalists’ are writing about and their interests.

Above all, know that if you continue to spray and pray, it may take a few reporters giving you a piece of their minds before you never again forget to research before you reach out.

@saraalisia

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Daum Weigle, Marketing/Communications, Public Relations

Tagged , , , , , ,

Vancouver Harley Davidson Dealer Rides a Tsunami Toward More Well-Earned Positive PR

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Marrissa| Leave a comment

Ikuo Yokoyama's Harley motorcycle washed ashore on Vancouver Island. Image: Peter Mark / AP

It’s no secret the Harley Davidson’s marketing team is doing something right – the company has a passionate social media following and passionate customers, but one Harley Davidson dealer on Vancouver Island, British Columbia just earned some well-deserved PR, not as a result of a major media campaign, but because it decided to do something good for someone who had lost almost everything.

A Vancouver Island resident recently came upon an unexpected find washed ashore on a local beach – a damaged, heavily rusted Harley Davidson motorcycle in a Styrofoam-lined storage container.

Japanese writing on the license plate gave clues to the bike’s origin – turns out it had floated over 4,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean – washed out to sea by last year’s devastating tsunami in Japan.

After a bit of research and collaboration between a Harley Davidson dealership in Vancouver and a Harley representative in Japan who saw a television report of the bike’s discovery, the Harley Davidson company hatched a plan. They would restore and return the bike to owner Ikuo Yokoyama, who lost three family members, his home and all his possessions when the tsunami battered Japan’s northeast coast.

Harley Davidson’s decision to restore and return the bike makes for the best possible type of PR – the kind generated by companies that know the value of their product or service, appreciate their customers as people (not just dollars) and most importantly – show good, old-fashioned human kindness; because it’s the right thing to do.

So kudos to Harley Davidson! A company that’s gone out of its way to restore and ship just one motorcycle halfway across the world – you’ve just given the term “earned media” a whole new meaning.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Public Relations, Weekly Win

Tagged , , , , , ,

Have A Great Idea That Can’t Wait? Maybe It Should

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Jon| Leave a comment

Most PR pros engage in endless meetings, phone calls and emails, sharing information with internal project managers, field representatives and others.

With luck, all of that communication occasionally presents you with a homerun, or as it’s sometimes called – a good idea.

Now the rush is on. This is your opportunity to get into the PR frenzy around National Scrapbooking Day, Rural Life Sunday or some other pseudo-celebratory occasion. Maybe it’s even your big trade show of the year.

But before rushing off to have your agency write a news release, check to see if the company brass is on board and supportive. Need a subject matter expert to handle interviews? Make sure you have someone knowledgeable and media-trained available as you announce your news. If you want to name any customers, confirm their participation first.

I don’t need to run down the entire checklist. But I do offer a word of caution:  Make sure all you’ve done all of your homework before loading up to launch a campaign. Sometimes it’s better to slow down – there will be another opportunity soon enough.

Act too fast, and that good idea may not lead to a great result.

– JD

Follow me on Twitter @jdaum

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Daum Weigle, Marketing/Communications, Public Relations

Tagged , , ,

Are media marketers doomed to repeat past failures?

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Marrissa| Leave a comment

Image credit: Recruitmentnewstyle.com

Why is it that some of the nation’s largest, most well-known brands keep “screwing the pooch” with misdirected social media campaigns that either fall flat, highlight inept customer service, or practically incite a riot attempting to be provocative?

AdAge’s Matthew Yeomans recently wrote a post on why social media marketers fail to learn from their mistakes (he’s also co-authored a book on the topic). He details why the nation’s top brands keep making the same mistakes over and over and what everyone – from small business owners, to Fortune 100 executives – should do to keep them from happening again.

Here are the five key reasons companies keep making the same mistakes over and over and a breakdown on how to avoid turning a potentially successfully social media campaign into a giant #FAIL:

1. They fail to take social media complaints seriously – Waiting to respond to negative social media comments, or failing to respond at all, almost always leads to a groundswell of negativity. With the supercharged nature of social media, negative backlash can easily eclipse what you thought was a ‘cool idea.’

2. A small social media snafu spirals into a mammoth #FAIL – The company either hasn’t allocated the necessary resources/experience (read: interns) to managing social media, or it’s fallen asleep at the wheel. We can’t say it enough – leave social media management to people who,know your brand, have a stake in your business and experience managing more than simply their personal Facebook page. That could mean a qualified, engaged firm or a dedicated in-house team.

3. Companies too quickly dismiss the influence of new social media platforms – Often times, it’s easy to dismiss a new platform as a ‘flash in the pan,’ but the old adage “you don’t know until you try” is especially true with technology. Give that new platform a try (perhaps via your personal social media channels). Who knows? You might unearth a powerful brand-building tool.

4. Internal departments work in silos – When the marketing team has no idea what sales and human resources are doing, it becomes easy to turn social media into a muddled effort. More and more, a successful social media campaign relies on the buy-in of all business arms.

5. Opting to crowdsource your campaign? Be ready for anything – Some of the nation’s largest brands (McDonald’s, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola) have seen crowdsourcing (turning their campaigns over to the general public for feedback) blow up in their faces. A good rule of thumb is: think before you crowdsource.

- Marrissa

(follow me on Twitter: @marrissam)

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Public Relations, Social Media

Tagged , , , ,