Digital Strategy: Here’s What Ya Gotta Do

Image via Creative Commons, IntelFreePress.

“Digital.” A word I hear over and over again in the PR world. Even though it’s  all the rage, I embarrassingly have to admit that I wasn’t quite sure all that it encompassed. Thanks to TJ Kelly, executive vice president at Edelman Digital, I have a much better understanding of the digital side of PR and how to make content that stands out and gets you or your brand noticed! Take a peak of TJ’s great advice on digital strategy.

“Trust and reputation are more important than ever.”

• Reputation is the expectation of the future based on what you’ve done in the past.
• Look at tools like the Edelman Trust Barometer for research on global trust within government, companies and brands.
• Trust in CEOs and government officials is on the decline.
• Trust in experts and educators is on the rise.

“You need to have a good story.”

• Find a story in unexpected places.
• Who are the best people to tell stories on behalf of your company or brand?
• Look at companies like Shell and Ben and Jerry’s for brands that do storytelling well.

“Have a master content narrative.”

• Know what your narrative is.
• How are you pushing your brand into the story?
• Do that by having structure, themes and a framework.

“Build your editorial strategy.”

• Spot a trend.
• Monitor that trend.
• Take that trend and turn it into content.

“Remember the continuum.”

• PR is a continuum of payed, owned and earned.
• Paid and earned are starting to merge more.
• Take advantage of earned media.

“Don’t forget about email.”

• Email marketing is key and is still pervasive for 99% of audiences.
• Keep it short and sweet.
• Take advantage of the higher bandwithes: use more imagery.

“Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.”

• 64% people need to see content 3 to 5 times to believe it.
• The audience needs that content on different channels and media.
• Remember, social media is great but life on social media is short.

“Remember that we live in a multiscreen world.”

• Think about content and how it relates to those different screens.
• Should something appear solely on television? Over email? Or on social media platforms?

“Don’t forget to…”

• Always have a finish or continuance to a campaign.
• Measure results and optimize for the future.

Social Media Tips to Ditch according to Ragan’s PR Daily

Image via Jason Howie.

I recently came across this insightful article by Jackson Wightman on Ragan’s PR Daily discussing some of the biggest social media myths. I enjoyed this article because it helped me realized some of these things I’ve been hearing all along in my PR experiences are downright wrong. To me, it’s almost the same as hearing “don’t go outside with wet hair if it’s cold,” just to hear that this actually has no effect on your chance of getting a cold. Go check out the article to get a full 411 on what social media tips to avoid, but just incase you don’t, I’ve listed three of my favorite “tips to ditch” below. Take a look and make sure you don’t fall trap to these faux pas!

1) “You need to be present on all social media platforms.”

This is one tip I’ve heard many a time. People say it’s better to be on all social media platforms just a little then be focused on just a few. I’m glad to hear this is one piece of advice to avoid because I’ve always thought quality over quantity. You should focus on platforms where your audience is and where you can achieve the most with your brand.

2) “Email is extinct.”

I can’t remember a time that I was taught any PR-related email information. Personally, I’ve always found email to be quite useful and in past internships this was one of the biggest platforms we used to raise awareness, garner donations and engage with our audience. As Wightman states, “Email is an essential part of lead nurturing and enables you to segment content. Despite what the charlatans say, for many people email is still the preferred channel for communication.” So keep on sending those emails and drafting those pitches because email is here to stay!

3) “All your updates can be automated.”

Thankfully this is one tip I’ve never been told, but one I’ve seen many times. Are you ever going through a company’s Facebook feed and all you see is automated, robot-like posts? This is one of my biggest pet peeves and I believe it does nothing but hurt companies. Social media is all about interaction and engagement with your audience, so why would you only publish automated “read this article” content? Hopefully all content creators will take note that this tip is long gone and simply not acceptable in today’s social media world.

Hallspot “Go Social” Event

This term I have been so lucky to work with Hallspot for my PR campaigns class. Hallspot is the newest social media app that is exclusive to college students. What makes Hallspot so great is that it’s made for students, by students. I’ve been using Hallspot for a while now and I have to say that it is a great resource to connect with friends and find out what’s going on around campus. At the beginning of this term, a group and I were assigned to Hallspot to create a strategic PR plan for them. My group and I have had so much fun working with them and are excited to present them with our final plan in the beginning of December. As part of our plan we are hosting a Hallspot “Go Social” event at our local Webfoot Bar and Grill on 22 November from 10pm-12am. We hope this will raise awareness and increase downloads of the app. There will be Prink iphone case raffles, drink specials and Hallspot swag giveaways. It’s sure to be a lot of fun. If you’re in Eugene and a 21+ UO student, come check it out! Also follow Hallspot on Twitter, like them on Facebook or download the app!