Hashtag lessons from #Ottawa

We’re often asked why should one use hashtags and the best way to use them. Put simply, you want to use hashtags to drive conversations about your business. At the end of the day, you want to be able to measure how many people posted tweets about your product, brand or service and how many people you reached. There are some fundamental guidelines to creating and measuring the use of hashtags.

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Creating your hashtag.

  • Make it unique. Before tweeting your chosen hashtag, search ensure it’s not already being used. You want your hashtag to be relevant and exclusive to you.
  • Make sure its meaningful. You want to create a hashtag that means something to users and one that people can easily understand. i.e. “#SLPRBS” means nothing to users, however “#StorylineBigSavings” will have a better impact.
  • Make it simple. Using a myriad of hashtags in a tweet in order to be picked up by search dilutes your promotion or event message.  For example - “#PR #smallbiz #entrepreneur in one tweet will result in being lumped in with other tweets using the same hashtags and your message will get lost.
  • Make it short. Try to include your business name. If your business name is too long, use an acronym. For example – instead of “#StorylinePublicRelationsTips”, shorten it to something like this: “#storylinePRtips”

Monitoring your engagement.

  • Manage Expectations. In order to trend on twitter, you have to tweet a lot in a short time and generally geared around a promotion or event. Our case study in this post provides a good example of an trending event.
  • Use Tools. Monitor. Using third-party apps such as Tweetdeck or Hootsuite, you can set up permanent columns using your hashtag to keep track of who is actively engaging with you.
  • Engage. Engage in conversations using your hashtag – don’t just stand by the sidelines and watch it happen. You’ll have a better chance of going viral, as demonstrated in this case study:

Case study

If you’re from Ottawa, you’ve likely heard of the inaugural #NatureNocturne event at The Museum of Nature — the after-hours “grown-up playground” this past January. It’s a great example of local hashtag inspiration. The communications and PR staff did a tremendous job of communicating a fabulous event that in our humble opinion, was much overdue for Ottawa. They managed their social media channels extremely well, engaging fans and followers – live tweeting and communicated often. Literally hundreds of #NatureNocturne guests were engaged in conversation and talking about the event – tweeting & blogging about their experience, posting photos of drinking wine beside hissing cockroaches & kissing dinosaurs.

Was their hashtag unique and meaningful? Absolutely. You can bet no one else was using it. The unfortunate result of having a rather long hashtag, (or one with terms not easy to replicate), is that it can get inadvertently changed in the process – as in the case with #NatureNocturne. Cold finger tips trying to navigate smart phones while standing in line outside in the cold likely had something to do with it. Somehow – the “N” got dropped transforming their hashtag to “#naturenocture” and this is the one the media picked up their headline.

The use of their hashtag, (retweeted correctly or misspelled) got them noticed. The event was a huge success from an engagement perspective – both pre and post launch. Check it out yourself by going to twitter and search #NatureNocturne. You’ll see what we mean. They also managed to get their hashtag trending on TrendsMap Ottawa.

Tips on DIY media outreach

Finding the right media contact is not an easy task, especially as of late, with media continually evolving  and reporters changing roles and outlets.  One would think that it would be easier given the digital media landscape with information literally at our  finger tips – but that’s not necessarily the case. Twitter accounts with profiles descriptions such as “Ottawa Citizen Reporter” are not overly helpful in finding the right media contact at The Citizen to share your story, am I right?

In a perfect world, reporters would update their social media accounts with bio information that described what they cover in more detail. Here are a few examples of Ottawa Citizen reporters who do this well.  (Most reporters from the Citizen and other outlets also do this well – we chose these three examples – there are others.  In addition, many twitter accounts for media outlets also provide twitter lists of their reporters by topic).  

At a quick glance, you can tell if your story is the right fit for these reporters:

Image of Janet Wilson's twitter profileImage of Pauline Tam's Twitter profileSome even provide email addresses to share story ideas and invite followers to other social media channels as in this last example.

Image of Meghan Hurley's Twitter profile

3 Steps to a Successful Pitch  

Beyond the obvious of delivering news value, the key to pitching  is to understand reporters and what they’re really looking for. I recommend that if you want to dabble in DIY media outreach, that you follow these three steps.

  1. Read the tweets and Facebook updates from media outlets.
  2. Watch the conversations being created around the news that is being reported.  Follow Twitter feeds. Be an observer of news for your industry.
  3. Follow the source of the news. Find the names of the reporters who cover your specific topic and search for articles by those reporters.  Subscribe to their feeds. Get a sense of their writing style, what they do and do not cover to better target your pitch.

One last thing…

When pitching a story idea, it’s important to understand the life of a reporter. Here is a link to an older post you might find helpful, or at the very least – insightful.  http://storylinepr.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/a-reporters-job-and-yours/

Reporters, I ask you this…

Wouldn’t it be nice to read ONLY pitches on topics you cover? Granted, this approach of full disclosure on social media profiles, may open the floodgates to more pitches. It will also not stop the non-news marketing pitches being disguised as press releases, nor will it stop those who do not do their homework, but don’t you think it will lessen the number of times you have to hit the delete key? Who knows – there may be gem or two in there that you would have not otherwise received!

New Year’s Resolutions to Kickstart your PR

image of 2013 clockDo you have New Year’s resolutions set for your business in 2013? I have many. On the top of my list is face time. Personally, I plan to get out from behind my computer screen and set more appointments for coffee / lunch with cherished colleagues, (who I have cancelled on far too many times in 2012 than I care to admit). I want to reach out to new contacts that I have established a rapport on social media & have been wanting to meet in person to further build on those relationships. 

I also intend to work smarter, not harder. Here at the office, we’ve been really focused on our new business model. We’ve been testing various elements of storylinePRO for several months now and are very excited about our 2013 launch. Details to come.

Does your PR need a kickstart in 2013?
We’ve highlighted the following New Year’s resolutions for you to consider to kickstart your business PR profile.

Write Better Headlines

Whether it’s a blog post, a news release, email campaign or a Facebook or Twitter update, perhaps it’s time to start thinking about restructuring your headlines in 2013 to appeal to a broader audience.  There are a couple of reasons for this… 

a)  The headline is what journalists see first in news room wires and the first thing your audience sees in RSS feeds, email in-boxes and status updates on social media. You have to make it compelling to ensure your message gets the attention it deserves. 

b) Search engines place extra weight upon the text at the top of the page and only index the first 65 characters of the headline. 

Addressing both these issues when creating headlines can be challenging, but can be accomplished keeping these tips in mind… 1. Think like a journalist 2. Point out the benefits and 3. Be concise.

Stop ‘Selling’ and Start ‘Telling’ your Story

Great communication is about telling stories well. Some of the largest and savviest organizations are using “stories” as a core foundation of their marketing efforts and are discovering that storytelling is very powerful in the world PR. Public Relations is no longer about developing messages to be pushed to the media. Rather than tug on the sleeves of the media and beg for mentions, tell your story – everyone has one, what’s yours? In this issue of ePRnews, we shared some tips on understanding the use of stories in PR.

Add  More Video

And speaking of storytelling, video can bring your stories to life, creating emotion and visually stimulating assets to drive home points that your audience cares most about. It just takes a little creativity, a good story and solid planning.  Here is a recent ePRnews newsletter on this very subject.

Evaluate your Social Media PR Channels

Journalists and bloggers who are at the top of your pitch lists – consume content digitally. Sharing on social media can have a lasting effect on the online visibility of your message. Ensure that you have the right set of social media PR channels to tell your story.  Of course, it doesn’t make sense to invest time and effort in a particular social network if your clients are not there. How do you determine where they spend their time? The easiest way is to ask.  Compile a quick survey!

Build Relationships with Media

Invest time in building relationships with reporters, not just media databases.  Watch the conversations being created around the news that is being reported in your industry.  Follow the source of the news. Find the names of the journalists who cover your specific topic. Search for articles by those journalists and start engaging.

Target your Pitch

Remembering a media survey we stumbled across a few years back, it revealed startling stats….  ‘Over half of journalists say unsolicited pitches result in a story only “1% to 20%” of the time and 44% say only “0 to 25%” of the pitches they receive are related to what they cover’.  On behalf of my industry, “tisk.. tisk…” You will have invested a lot of time and research into ’the perfect pitch’, so make sure you are sending it to the right media contacts that would have a genuine interest in your story.

Our Thoughts on New Year’s Resolutions
Setting goals is a wonderful thing for your business and your spirit. A new year ahead with nothing but promise and inspiration is rejuvenating. What other New Year’s resolutions have you planned for your business that will kick-start your PR profile in 2013?

Top 3 Holiday PR Tips

Image of santa in greenWe’ve been almost as busy as Santa’s elves in our own little workshop, gearing up for a special promotion that we will be posting on our blog in the New Year. It’s the gift that keeps giving on a monthly basis in 2013.

In the meantime, we wanted to take this opportunity to wish our readers the best this holiday season and thought we would leave you with our Top 3  Holiday PR Tips. From our family to yours, we extend our warmest wishes this holiday season. Enjoy!  

1. Thank a Journalist

Did your company get media coverage in 2012?
A simple Christmas card with a personal hand-written thank you note to a helpful journalist is a nice way to express your appreciation – and keep you top of mind for 2013! 

2. Create a Holiday Gift Guide

Creating a holiday gift guide is a great opportunity to showcase visuals. product information and pricing – everything a potential customer would need to make a purchase.

Focus on budgets, something everyone is keeping in mind when doing their holiday shopping.  Sample headlines could be…
“25 (your industry) gift items for $25 and under.”
“Holiday gift ideas for $10 or less.”

You could also focus on lifestyle with
“For the (fill in the blank) enthusiast.”
You get the idea. It works well for service based businesses too!  Post your holiday gift guide on your blog. Tweet it. Post it to Facebook. Pin it to Pinterest. 

3. Reward your Customers

Create a special promotion exclusive to your existing customers that they can take advantage of in 2013. It will bring one-time customers back and loyal customers will appreciate the offer of loyalty in return.

Telling stories with video

An interesting conversation was sparked on Facebook by a few of our newsletter subscribers about business videos.  The gist of the conversation was about structuring good video.

We believe it all comes down to storytelling. Great communication is about telling stories well. Some of the largest and savviest organizations are using “stories” as a core foundation of their marketing efforts and are discovering that storytelling with video is very powerful in the world PR.

A Classic Story
Here is an example of storytelling in its truest form, created by Chevy. In this 5 minute long video, a son (as a kid) witnessed his dad give up his old classic when things got financially difficult for the family to manage. 

Hearing the countless stories about the memories and how much that car meant to his father, his son decided to track it down as a surprise to him.  He followed the VIN number online and tracked it down through multiple owners  across several states over the next five years, always one step behind its’ last known location.  Short of hiring a private detective, he finally found it for sale in Montreal, QC and bought it back for his dad.

This video was created and shot by Chevy, who convinced the father that they were filming a documentary on three generations of an American family. Little did he know, they were actually filming the return of his beloved Chevy. 

 

What Chevy created next was really smart. They debuted the following 30-sec commercial, editing the longer version of the story and posted both to YouTube called “True Stories”.

We’re not car enthusiasts by any stretch of the imagination – but we sure love a good story and this is one that struck a chord.

What we liked about this video is that it they told their story depicting the people and tradition behind the brand. Like all stories, it has a beginning, a middle and an end. It’s emotional, heartwarming and compelling  to watch. 

“From Fathers to Sons… Chevy Runs Deep.”

 

There is no doubt that Chevy has deep pockets to orchestrate this production, but creating a compelling story for your business with video does not take thousands of dollars.  It just takes a little creativity, a good story and solid planning. Next weeks’ edition of ePRnews is all about business videos and we’ll be providing some tips on how to create yours. Thanks @heathertwins and @DrAlanViau for the inspiration!

Not signed up for ePRnews?  Be sure to get on the list so you don’t miss another issue.

How to create an effective Twitter contest – quick case study

Image of twitter contest promotionWe’ve seen a lot of twitter contests as of late and stumbled across this one that gets our ‘two thumbs up’. Scotiabank has teamed up with Amex to create a social media campaign called
The Tweet Escape. Intriguing, right?

They are asking their followers to tweet this messages (with their own preferences in the parenthesis) between October 15th and October 26th.

“With $10K, I’d go to [destination] with @[Twitter friend]. #ScotiaAmex @scotiabank”

Why We Like This One
First of all – they’re giving away money, who doesn’t want some of that? Not everyone has $10,000 to throw into the pot for a promotion, but you don’t need to in order to run an effective twitter campaign. Here’s what makes this one great.

It’s Simple
People have short attention spans and even less time. You have only seconds to get your message across – especially on social media.

Twitter contests that need more than a few short lines to explain how to enter can seem convoluted to most and won’t grab the attention deserved. This messaging is succinct and effective with tweetable content (less than 140 characters) to promote it.  In 44 characters, they managed to explain the what and how with…  “Tweet your way to a trip for two worth $10,000”.

It has a Short Window
The contest time period is less than two weeks, an appropriate time to run a campaign like this. Anything longer would lose its appeal and momentum.

They Made it Fun
Who doesn’t dream of packing a suitcase and just taking off. It’s fun to dream of faraway destinations and what you would do with found money.

It’s Well Thought Out.
Scotiabank has integrated this contest ‘front and centre’ on all their online properties including their website and Facebook.

They used their own twitter handle AND a hashtag in the re-tweetable message. Smart. Not only a great way to track campaign success, but their own twitter account is re-tweeted every time – greater brand awareness. We’ve seen too many contests on twitter where the host forgets to add their own twitter handle in the message – a missed opportunity.

The intended message to tweet is under 50 characters, leaving more than enough room for followers to enter their content and still have plenty of room for even more.

It has Instant Viral Potential
Here’s the best part. One of the variables they are asking their followers to do is to complete the message with the handle of the twitter friend they would most likely take with them. Instant viral potential. This message will spread twice as fast.

According to the contest rules, you have to be following to win plus agree to video and other multi-media promotion as the winner-another smart move. Sounds like the PR mileage they will get from the follow-up will be well executed too.

The only thing that we can think of that could make this campaign better, is if they ran it in the February – March time frame, when everyone has the ‘winter blahs’ and is really thinking about getting away from it all.  Perhaps the viral potential would be increased just that little bit more.  (But that didn’t stop us from entering :) )

Navigating new world of content curation

The term ‘Content Curation’ is fairly new. In fact, if you look it up in Dictionary.com, you’ll come up empty. Your spell check will likely tell you it’s foreign too, but if you’ve ever shared content from blogs, industry publications or online news outlets and shared that content with your customers and prospects through social media, that’s exactly what you’re doing… you’re content curating.

By sharing fresh, relevant content with your audience on a regular basis and adding a comment or your opinion, you’ll position yourself as authority in your industry and see tangible outcomes as a result. It’s important to note that in your content curation activities, you identify the source by simply using hyperlinks to original articles.

Content Curation Tools

The key is finding the time and tools to discover the right content that speaks to your audience. There are several tool that we share in our most recent edition of ePRnews.

Scoop.it is one of our favourite content curation tools that takes your social media publishing to the next level. It will help you find relevant content faster, edit it easily and publish it in 1-click to all your preferred social networks in a visual format. Here’s a video that explains how content curation has evolved and how Scoop.it works. We highly recommend you sign up and take it for a test drive.

What content curation tools do you use?  Please share here for everyone’s benefit.