Winter is Coming… PR Lessons from Game of Thrones

Kristen Orsborn

I hopped on the bandwagon. I’ve gotten completely swept up in HBO’s Game of Thrones. I love the costumes (I’m a chick), the storylines and the DRAGONS! Whether you’re trying to take back the Iron Throne or just boost your company’s bottom line, there are some interesting PR lessons we can all take away from the show. Dracarys!

1. Know your audience: Whether you’re talking to customers or trying to build an army, this is critical. And Kraznys, a slave merchant in Astaphor, learned it the hard way – courtesy of Daenerys Targaryen! When Kraznys tried to cut a deal and get one of Dany’s dragons, he bartered in Valeryian, a language he assumed she didn’t know. He called her a lot of nasty names. Guess what? It was Daenerys’ mother tongue, and she understood every word! It didn’t end well.
2. Mean what you say, and do what you say: Two words: red wedding. Poor Robb Stark. When he backed out of a marriage pact, it came back to bite his entire clan. Customers don’t like this, either. Be transparent. If you make a promise, keep it.
3. Spread the love: There aren’t any public relations firms in King’s Landing, but Margaery Tyrell is a total PR maven. Yes, she’s about to marry to the most insufferable punk to ever sit on the Iron Throne. But she knows the power of good PR. She goes out in the community and walks among her people. She gives food to the hungry and clothes to the poor. Her subjects love her. Hopefully, that will spare her Joffrey’s fate. Or will it? I won’t spoil that. 

Social media updates and a Game of Thrones infographic

Lauren Hannaford

Keeping up with changes among social media platforms can be daunting for small businesses and organizations. Here are the top five social media changes that you need to know about and links to more information.

1. Pinterest got analytics. Yay Pinterest! This social site is now more progressive than Twitter.   

       a. Six Pinterest metrics worth measuring:                                                           http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/pinterest-analytics/

2. Facebook just announced it will support hashtags. Now, we can all stop becoming irate when some unknowing friend uses a hashtag on Facebook.
       a. http://mashable.com/2013/06/12/facebook-hashtag-support/
3. Vine is growing. That was not a pun. Most recently, Twitter released the Vine app for Android users.
       a. There are so many great articles about Vine on Mashable: http://mashable.com/category/vine/
4. You can now tag others in Instagram photos. http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/02/tech/instagram-photos-of-you
5. LinkedIn made a few big design changes again that should make things easier and more functional. http://socialmediatoday.com/node/1489206

On a side note, I came across this epic Game of Thrones infographic about social media history, where each platform stands now and how they work and don’t work together. Check it out. http://mashable.com/2013/06/02/social-media-game-of-thrones/ 

From Texas to Australia: Office etiquette for wherever you may be

Tiffany Cunningham

It doesn’t matter where in the world your office or meeting is held, there are a number of universal, unwritten rules that define office etiquette. One of the biggest mistakes you can make in your career is not understanding the difference between professionalism and the lack thereof. Below are six essential tips to make sure you don’t strike out:

Don’t interrupt your colleagues. Not only is it disrespectful, but also it’s a sign of “poor social skills.” Listen to your colleagues when they’re talking and grant them the basic respect. Tip: Texting can also be considered an interruption, so leave your phone in your office or put it away when you have a meeting in your office.

Don’t be loud. Obviously, this doesn’t mean be silent and ignore people, but it does mean to keep your noise out of earshot of those who might be on the phone. Also, take note on how loud your music may actually be through your headset. Also, this rule is mainly for everyday office courtesy – birthdays, all office meetings, etc. don’t necessarily fall under this category.

Don’t use slang or text-speak. I think everyone can catch themselves one time or another saying something they would in a text, but don’t get in the habit. Most of the time, internal emails can stay casual, but when you send an email to a client or potential client, you want to handle it with the utmost professionalism. And don’t forget, especially when emailing among colleagues, that emails can be kept on a company’s record for years!

Hold back on the perfume, but don’t forget deodorant. When you come to work or attend a meeting, one or two sprays should be perfect. Many people are also allergic to perfume and can start reacting with sneezes or watering eyes, and I know I would be so embarrassed if my perfume ever did that to one of my colleagues or clients. With that said, make sure you’re always professional looking and that you put your best foot forward.

Be on time. This should be obvious, but make sure if you’re late that it’s NOT on a consistent basis. Even if you’re not the one showing up late, you’ve probably been annoyed with someone who has because you’re waiting on them for their piece of a project. It’s just common courtesy.  Remember, if you’re not early, you’re late.

Be Responsive. Nothing will irritate your colleagues and clients more than you ignoring their emails. Most of the time, people will understand you’re busy, but even dropping a quick line saying you’ll respond in more detail later can save a lot of aggravation.

When ‘i before e’ has no exception

Kerri Guyton

When planning an important company announcement, it can be easy to get caught up in the excitement – or concern, depending on the news – of how to deliver the message to key stakeholders, such as customers, media and the general public, while forgetting that your employees, managers and supervisors are also key stakeholders in the organization. And, if these audiences are not communicated to beforehand, it could possibly complicate and deter the intended message after it’s delivered to the public. An easy way to start on the right track when planning an important announcement is to think “i before e” (internal audience before external audience) and heed no exceptions. 

Well, OK, sometimes there have to be exceptions, such as when a publicly owned company is held to rules of “selective disclosure,” but even in that case, there are ways to keep communication to internal audiences as a top priority.

Michael Hyatt – former CEO of Nashville-based Thomas Nelson Publishers and current New York Times best-selling author, top-rated blogger and social media expert – once shared on his blog a communication action plan that he created when Thomas Nelson was going to announce the move to a private company. I love the very specific and tightly aligned timing of who was told when, especially as the disclosure rules prohibited them from telling anyone before the release was sent to the media. The lineup of meetings with the company’s internal audiences, starting first thing in the morning after the release was distributed, appropriately ignited a domino effect of quickly spreading the news company-wide before the media would be calling in for a response. Of course, the very detailed planning of the specific messages, talking points and FAQs prior to the announcement allowed for the entire company to be on the same page when the calls started coming in and conversations started happening in the public. It’s a great example to follow.

Successful privately owned companies understand that keeping internal audiences “in the know” on important company news is valuable to both the company and its employees. Not only does this encourage consistent messaging for the brand, but employees feel their value as a vested person in the organization, fostering a loyalty and pride toward the company. 

Dos and Don’ts for Twitter

William Young

While tweeting on behalf of a company, there are a few things that I’d like to highlight for you to keep in mind. Social media can be a great tool when used to represent a company in a positive light. However, it is important to recognize the power of a tweet and how 140 characters can shape how the public perceives your brand.  Here we go!
1. Unprofessional tweets can hurt your public perception. Before tweeting about an issue or releasing a statement, you should think about how this represents the company and how it would make you feel about the company if you were a customer. If the tweet requires you to question whether or not you should post it, then there’s a good chance that you should not tweet it.

2. Tweets regarding successes of the company can be beneficial in the public’s eye. Record-breaking numbers and office expansion in new areas are good things to announce. Also, if your company gets ranked at the top of a list, tweeting about it could help show the customer that you are well-known and respected and that the customer can trust your performance.

3. Never get too personal when tweeting from the account of a company. It is good to show customers that you are human and that the brand has a personality. But tweets shouldn’t reflect your individual personality, opinions or biases. I’m sure you want people to take your company seriously, so think about that when you tweet to the public.

Keeping these few key things in mind is essential to the success of your company on this particular platform. Here’s something simple for you to remember, positive tweets can help you and unprofessional tweets can hurt you. Simple as that! 

Life after college: A few tips for adjusting to the ‘real world’

Sarah Lichterman

As a recent graduate of Louisiana State University, the transition from college life to the so-called real world has been a reality check. Thinking back to the past two weeks since graduation, I’ve discovered some of the realities that I’d like share with you about this life transition. One of the hardest but simple concepts that you have to adjust to is accepting that you are starting over. Especially if you are starting a new job, even if you are familiar with the company, you need to remember that you are at the bottom of the totem pole and have to work your way up from there.

Similar to many of my peers, I spent my last semester of college enjoying campus life. For those entering senior year this fall, I advise you to spend your first semester dedicated to searching for a job. Only after perfecting your resume, nailing an interview and accepting a job, will you be fully relaxed. Everyone deserves to enjoy the last few months of staying up late just hanging with friends, taking spontaneous road trips and dressing casual every day because once you walk across that stage to receive your diploma, you will be labeled college graduate.

With this new-found label, your family will begin to pester you with constant questions about your future career plans or continuation of education, where you’re going to live, and, of course, your love life.

My advice to you is to realize that they are asking because they care and not to get frustrated by this constant questioning. Next, decide what you want to do and what you need to do, and then develop a plan that prioritizes and balances both. While making your plan, determine obstacles you might encounter. This will help you to be proactive in finding a solution. Then, put all your time and energy into whatever your plan may be.  

Sarah's new puppy, Beaux

Personally, the hardest part of graduating was leaving my friends in Louisiana. Before coming back in town, I already knew I would be in a sad funk because of this, and I was dreading the week of free time I had before starting work. However, by establishing a plan, I overcame the sad funk because I was productive. For example, my goals included finding and furnishing an apartment downtown and to get a puppy. The day after I came home, I rescued a puppy from the Humane Society. He is a black lab mix named Beaux and the sweetest puppy you’ll ever meet. Next, after securing an apartment Downtown, I spent the past weekend going to yard sales and the Habitat ReStore where I found some great furniture that I have begun to paint to give the items my own personal touch. Having these goals helped me remain positive as well as get excited for my first day of work.

Lastly, the most important goal any college graduate entering the workforce should have is to figure out their place in the company. As mentioned before, you will start out at the bottom. However, you have to remember that you will not always be the new kid on the block. While adjusting to your new position, notice other employees and determine where you want to be in six months or even a year. Having a benchmark will help keep your spirits up and make you work harder because you can measure your success. If necessary, speak with a higher-level employee to help you determine if your aspirations are realistic and adjust if needed.

The transition from college to the real world is different for everyone. By being aware of the ups and downs of your situation, you can take control in order to create structure to help make the transition easier.

If you have any questions about transitioning from college to the real world, feel free to contact me at sarah@obsidianpr.com. 

A Promise for Editorial is a Lie

Crissy Lintner

PR Daily recently published an article citing a PR firm out of Illinois that was promising its clients TV exposure on shows like “TODAY,” “The Rachel Ray Show,” CNN or the Oprah Winfrey Network. And PR Daily called it what it was – a scam.

If you’re looking for a PR firm and a representative of that firm ever “promises” editorial coverage for your company, it’s a lie and unethical. There is only one way we can promise you exposure – it’s called paid advertising, and the retainer fee for a PR firm does not a paid ad make. ;)

As PR strategists, we can never guarantee media coverage for our clients. Most clients understand that – it’s why our job is to find the best story angles, the best timing and build relationships with reporters in order to up the odds of coverage a bit more.

And, there’s a reason why it’s called “editorial content”: editors, reporters, producers, bloggers and publishers choose which content is and is not included in their publication or broadcast. That’s what makes news stories more credible than paid ads. Sometimes, coverage doesn’t happen because of conflicting current events – for instance, the week of the Boston Marathon bombings, most of the news cycle focused on that story, both locally and nationally. And sometimes, coverage doesn’t happen simply because a reporter is having a bad day and isn’t interested in any outside pitches.  

However, PR firms work to ensure the most optimal scenario for pickup of news stories – and here’s a little insight into what goes into that process.
 
1.    Research. We research our media outlets prior to pitching. This includes finding the right outlet with the right demographics and the right reporter. If you pitch the sports anchor a story about a new clinical study that came out about eczema, you’ll never get anywhere. But if you pitch a sports writer an angle related to an increase in Staph infections among baseball players in the Major League – which can be related to flare-ups of eczema – and cite a specific ball player in that journalist’s town, you might get some interest.
 
2.    Relevancy. The editor of the Dallas Business Journal will not be interested in an article focusing on how to choose the right running shoe for you. Likewise, the healthy living features editor probably won’t be interested in writing about an expansion of a business. You have to pitch story ideas and send news releases that are relevant to that reporter, his/her beat, the audience and the media outlet in order to see success.
 
3.    Timeliness. If you’re pitching how to prevent heat stroke for your pets when it’s 30 degrees out, you will not land a story. However, if you live in Texas (like I do), pitching a story on that topic in June is very timely, as it will soon be 100 degrees on a daily basis. Additionally, if you are pitching news that happened a week or month ago, it may not be deemed newsworthy any longer. So, be sure to plan ahead when getting ready to announce big news to take advantage of the timely aspect of that story. 
 
4.    Follow up. I spoke with a reporter at one of the major daily papers in Dallas the other day who said she receives no fewer than 750 to 1,000 emails per day. PER DAY! If you think your pitch will stand out in a crowd of 1,000, think again. The key to success is to follow up with reporters. Even if you’ve done your research, your topic is relevant and is timely, you still have to follow up in some cases. Sometimes, a phone call is the best policy. But a tweet or direct message can be effective, too! Regardless, remember to be cognizant of their deadlines and time.

So, as the PR Daily article said, don’t be scammed into thinking that you can be promised media appearances on Good Morning America. Even if my best friend is a writer for the local alternative paper, I may still be (and have been) turned down for a story idea. Remember to consider approach, not just empty promises, when choosing a firm.

Going viral

Kelli Eason Brignac

My sister lives in South Korea. She doesn’t get to come home often, but what she discovered on one of her visits a few months ago baffled her. Gangnam Style was sweeping the United States. At first, she was confused. She said it was a popular dance in South Korean clubs, and she’d certainly heard it on Korean radio.  But that did not explain why I was asking her to teach me the dance during a TV time-out during a football game in LSU’s Death Valley last fall.

To me, the reason was obvious. Gangnam Style had gone viral. Traditionally, South Korean culture doesn’t have a big influence in the United States, which may be why my sister was so confused by 92,000 people singing the only part of the song they actually understood. The video became the first in YouTube history to surpass 1 billion views, crushing the record previously held by Justin Bieber’s “Baby.” (That video came in at a mere 803 million views.)

The Internet and social media mean that just about anyone can become a sensation overnight.  But that doesn’t mean that anyone can set out and guarantee they’ll be a sensation. Some of the best viral videos are a result of total accidents or someone having a camera ready at just the right time. Consider the following YouTube videos:

•    Charlie Bit Me – Five years ago, someone had the camera ready when baby Charlie bit his brother’s finger and “it really hurt, Charlie!” Now, they sell T-shirts and have had follow-up interviews with national media outlets.
•    Rick Roll – If you’re familiar with this one, you know I’m not doing it right. If I really wanted to “Rick Roll” you, I would have labeled this as a funny cat video or something. At some point, this 1980s music video became a joke, and it took off when Fox News “Rick Rolled” one of its anchors. I’ll be honest – I still worry when clicking unknown links from a few friends.
•    Miss Teen South Carolina – Sometimes, videos go viral because enough people saw it happen the first time. After Miss Teen South Carolina shared her knowledge of South Africa and maps while competing for Miss Teen USA, more than 17 million people either heard about it and turned to YouTube or just couldn’t wait to see it again.

So how can you ensure lots of people see, share and enjoy your content on social media? Although you can never force something to go viral – that would negate the point of increasing view counts by popularity alone – there are a few steps you can take to help it along.

1.    Create something viewers can relate to. You may have seen a few videos about things people say. If you live in Memphis, you’ve probably said a lot of the Things Memphians Say. If it’s funny because it’s true or very relatable, odds are people will enjoy it and want to share it.
2.    Put it in the hands of the right people. In early January, One Direction set out to reclaim their record for the most video views within 24 hours. They hoped their new music video "Kiss Me" would break the record taken from them by Justin Bieber. But they’re One Direction. They can do that. They have millions of plugged-in teenybopper fans following them on Facebook, Twitter and various other avenues. Most people don’t have such a loyal following, so getting the right media outlets, video stars and supporters on board is the best way to go.
3.    The snowball effect is not the same on the Internet. Once a video goes down, it’s rare for it to come back up. A video may rack up 2 million views in its first week – and only an additional 500,000 over the course of the next two years. With so much content available to them, viewers have to be pretty interested to keep coming back.
4.    The definition of viral success is relative. Sure, some people aren’t happy until they’re breaking records, but if I post a video of my cat that gets 5,000 views, I’ll be pretty excited. Set realistic goals just like you would with any other campaign or tactic.

Of course, there is no perfect science to viral videos. Sometimes, it just happens when it reaches a tipping point. Got any tips or favorite videos we missed? Leave them in the comments!