Prioritizing your social media efforts for clients

Tiffany Cunningham

Eight hours in the day really doesn’t give a PR professional or anyone enough time to keep track and organize all the to-dos social media platforms put in front of us. Since we all live in “the social media age,” it’s way too easy to let pings, buzzes and notifications interrupt and distract us throughout the day. Nonetheless, being connected and involved with social media can be an asset to you and your client’s long-term success. Social media needs its own “time management” strategy to get down to business efficiently.

1. Social media return on investment

At the end of the day, where are your social media posts, tweets, etc. going to lead your client? In every account meeting when you’re discussing social media, it’s important for the client to understand that social media results take time. These efforts are valuable to businesses, but how much time should be devoted to it? Aside from the type of business and how you’ll operate all the social media platforms you want to be part of, your client will also want to consider the skills and abilities it takes for each platform. From taking photos to coming up with catchy headlines, it’s all in a day’s work of postings. All efforts lead to significant ROI when executed correctly.

2. Automate your posts

HootSuite and other platforms will become your best friends when deciding how to manage all the different posts. One task that has helped us at Obsidian is “task batching.” There are probably other terms for it, but essentially, spending several hours at one time planning out social media posts for weeks at a time rather than trying to create a new post or posts every day for each client.

That said, don’t make the mistake of trying to automate your client’s presence. When people tweet at your client or engage in the brand, whoever is managing the social media will need to be part of the conversation and react with a live post. You need to be engaged at all times, except when you’re trying to catch up on sleep.

3. Focus your attention

There are thousands of social networks buzzing around out there, but there are really only five that matter most to companies and businesses that hire you to operate their social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google Plus. Depending on your client, YouTube might be important, but obviously that is video oriented. You will want to emphasize to your client that these are the most important networks to be active on in the web of social networking.

4. Make time to disconnect

Whether it’s turning off your phone at night (if you can), setting your iPhone to “Do Not Disturb” for a scheduled period, or just leaving your laptop to release some energy and get fresh air, do it! At any rate, just make sure you have “UN-social” scheduled time in your regular workday.

Social media can take over and it does, but it’s OK to step away and look at something not technology based. I hope this post gave you some good ideas for improving your management skills for social media campaigns. If you have questions, please send me an email at tiffany@obisidanpr.com. 

Not Your Average Cover Letter

Brittany Bales Shrock 

“The grandest seduction of all is the myth that doing everything better gets us where we want to be. It gets us somewhere, certainly, but not anywhere worth being.”
― Shauna Niequist

As my journey as an intern comes to a close, my human nature keeps leaping to the next big thing. I have to remind myself daily that it is not the end result I should be longing for, but it is the journey that gets me there. In the midst of updating my resume, writing countless cover letters and searching for a job in a city that is unfamiliar, I find myself overwhelmed. I let the pressures of landing a “perfect job” suffocate me until I’ve completely lost sight of the details that make my story worthwhile.

It wasn’t until my 80-year-old grandmother, who is battling Alzheimer’s, led me outside of her assisted living home, looked at the flowers that draped over the brick wall and said, “Darling, we all need to stop and taste the flowers.” Although her brain messed up the words of the phrase, her mind was in the right place and that was one step ahead of me. It was in that moment I realized the job search was much more than the end result, and I desperately needed to “stop and smell the roses.”  

Writing resumes and cover letters went from something I dreaded after work to a time I looked forward to. I see them as a way to express my goals and passions while telling my story, instead of just a way to display my work experience and flaunt my talents. This change in perspective has given me the freedom to release the pressure and enjoy the journey.

Below are a few tips that have made all the difference in my writing.

• Make sure your resume highlights areas that your prospective employer would find attractive. 
• For example, I am applying for a position at a fashion industry that strives to make a social impact, so I am highlighting community, development, fashion and my experience with the Latino culture.

• Let your resume tell the facts and your cover letter tell the story. For example, my resume shows my goal, my education and my work experience. My cover letter is where I tell my story of how I got to where I am today and how those experiences have led me to the organization to which I am applying.

• Let your personal mission be known. Let the company know what all the experiences on your resume say about who you are, where you want to go and why you want to be a part of the organization.

Your journey might be long but the details matter and that’s what makes up your story and a not-so-average cover letter.

Save Thanksgiving

Crissy Lintner

Did anyone else notice last month that while Halloween costumes and candy were on display, Christmas decorations and gift ideas were starting to creep onto the aisles of your favorite stores? I did. And it made me sad. Where was Thanksgiving?

Maybe you found Thanksgiving like I did, tucked away with fall-themed paper plates and cups and a silly turkey hat at the One Spot at Target. Or, maybe your favorite store actually had a section devoted to Thanksgiving (outside of the grocery aisles). Better yet, maybe Christmas was still waiting its turn. However, if you’re like me, you noticed that Thanksgiving was silently pushed aside.

And now, Black Friday has officially taken over Thanksgiving. It’s been coming – retailers bringing Christmas décor and gift ideas out as early as August and September, you know, to subtly start reminding you that Christmas is only a few short months away. Then, last year, retailers like Best Buy opened Thanksgiving night for pre-Black Friday sales. Now this year, not only are retailers like Kmart, Toys R Us, Walmart and J.C. Penney opening on Thanksgiving Day, but some are opening as early as 6 a.m.! Sorry employees… no turkey and dressing for you.

The holidays have gotten out of hand. The success of Black Friday has become a monster that retailers feel they have to appease. They are forgetting their most important and core stakeholders: the employees. Thanksgiving used to be a holiday that allowed families to get together simply to eat, nap, watch football (ahem, #HAILSTATE #1 #EggBowl2014), enjoy the company of the ones we love and give thanks. No gifts. No stores. No deals.

Consumers appreciate businesses that consider their employees’ personal time. And there’s no bigger PR statement than that being made by the retailers who are NOT opening on Thanksgiving this year. It makes me proud that many are making a move to publicly state their position on remaining closed on this family-oriented day.

So, this holiday season, where will I be shopping? At afew of the places that are opting out of the Thanksgiving Day shenanigans and putting their employees’ needs first. See you soon, Costco, REI, Neiman Marcus, T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s! I know there are others here in Dallas, and those will be on my ‘nice’ list for this holiday season, too. #SaveThanksgiving

Where In The World Is [Insert Target Audience]?

Sarah Lichterman

Remember the days when Carmen Sandiego could be found all over the world on your childhood computer screen? Created to get children interested in geography, this computer game used a simple question as a catchphrase to turn into a multi-media franchise. How can asking this question be valuable to your business?

One job of a public relations professional is to determine the best communication strategy for our clients to connect with their target audiences. In the age of the World Wide Web, it can be difficult to make your message stand out among the millions of other streams of information available. However, one way to ensure your message is getting to your audiences is by finding out where in the world your audiences are located. Once you have determined this, you can use geo-targeting to more effectively share your message.

What is geo-targeting? Geo-targeting is a tool that helps specify your target audience or demographic based on their location. For example, a local electronic store that just opened in East Memphis would use geo-targeting to let people know of its services via Facebook. Ultimately, the store managers want everyone in Memphis to know about their services, but especially those in the surrounding neighborhood. Therefore, they use geo-targeting on Facebook to promote the company as the “neighbor electronic store” to users in East Memphis. Whereas, they would promote the company as a “local electronic store” to users located in other areas of town. This tool is a necessity to ensure you are delivering the best content to potential customers in distinct locations. From experience, I can verify that using geo-targeting on posts engages and interests more users because they can more closely relate to the post.

The phrase “geo-targeting” is most commonly used in reference to targeting audiences on social media. Many social media platforms have the option to only send your post or tweet to users in a specific location. How do they do this?  There are two main ways – IP or recorded address. An IP address is tracked by software through the web browser that determines where a user logs in. A recorded address is the current street address and city/state that a user has listed on his or her profile. In addition, you can filter your audience further by including age, gender, language, interest or connections.

Geo-targeting sounds like an intimidating process, but never fear, it is actually pretty easy. Click here to check out a blog post by Constant Contact to learn more about geo-targeting and how to use it on popular social media platforms.

In conclusion, remember that just like Carmen Sandiego, your audiences can be anywhere in the world. And, your message can be, too, by using tools such as geo-targeting to ensure the most appropriate content is delivered to each of your audiences.

No Interview, No Comment

Ali Glemser

A media interview is an important opportunity to express your opinion, state the facts or just let your brand’s voice be heard among the noise of social media and conversational chatter. I read an article by Brad Phillips on PRDaily titled “7 times to turn down a media interview” that I thought was worth including as the subject for my post for this month.

Phillips lists and provides commentary to the seven situations the International Association of Business Communicators has deemed as appropriate times to decline a media interview. While that choice should be determined on a situational basis, both the list and Phillips’ commentary make good points about when you should and when you should not agree to a media interview under certain circumstances.

Employees aren’t aware of a specific issue.
Phillips agrees that in most circumstances this is true. Yet, if a story is going to be published whether or not you agree to an interview, it may be best to participate in an effort to ensure the correct information is included.

Employee, client or patient privacy will be breached.
According to Phillips, “Client confidentiality might be waived if, for example, you're subpoenaed to testify in a lawsuit or before Congress—especially if the two parties didn't sign a confidentiality agreement.”

An emergency occurred, and next of kin haven't been notified.
Rarely is this ok, but Phillips begs the point what if the media jump and announce the name before you have been able to reach out to the next of kin? Do you wait hours and hours to get ahold of the family or make the confirmation announcement in an effort to stay transparent about the details that have already been confirmed?

Sensitive competitive information would be divulged.
Weigh the consequences of you not divulging competitive information. Would that put you in a worse situation? Sometimes it does.

Security legislation would be breached.
This is fair advice on laws that have already passed and not ones still pending approval.

Union negotiations are underway, and an information blackout is in effect.
Phillips brings up the point to at least consider the opportunity to remind the public you've agreed to an information blackout and are not going to talk for that reason, but there's more to the story than what the other side is saying.

Legal counsel advised against communications.
What is wrong with saying, “We can't offer specifics on this case since it's in litigation, but we would like to remind everyone that there are two sides to this story; and we're confident our side will come out in court," Phillips asks. And, he makes a good point. Of course, you should take time to prepare your answers so that you do not compromise information in pending litigations.

It is important to take advantage of a platform to communicate your message to a large audience, and media interviews are great opportunities to do so. Yet, that doesn’t mean they are the right choice in every situation. Always weigh both sides of the equation, but more times than not, it will behoove you to participate in some capacity. Plan ahead for tough questions and be honest and ethical with your answers. Remember that silence can be just as damaging to your reputation as too much noise.

Don’t let the coverage go to your head

Sarah Burgess

This one goes out to the SEC lovers out there. Recently, my alma mater, Mississippi State University, hosted the famous ESPN College GameDay for the first time in school history – a moment I was excited to experience firsthand. After winning the game against the Auburn Tigers, Mississippi State was ranked No. 1 atop the Associated Press and coaches polls – a title we’ve held for weeks now. Since then, the state of Mississippi, and much of the southeast, has been in a perpetual state of celebration. While I love my school dearly and am thrilled that we were ranked first nationally for the first time in school history, the behavior exhibited during and after this colossal game has been far from what I’ve come to expect as a Bulldog.

The Thursday prior to the Auburn game, a crowd of students and fans gathered in front of the student union to celebrate and welcome the arrival of the College GameDay bus to Starkville. The morning of the game, a sea of maroon, white, navy blue and burnt orange swarmed the Junction. While tailgating amidst this sea of college spirit, I encountered a few tacky comments here and there, but Auburn fans were still able to hear the customary “welcome to Starkville” somewhat regularly.

Stuffed animal Auburn tiger on a spit at MSU tailgate

However, after the game started and it appeared that the Dawgs actually had a shot at winning, MSU fans seemed to get a bit too big for their britches. Cups flew through the air after every touchdown, cowbells were rung at a deafening sound level throughout the entire game – despite our restrictions on when we can ring – and certain finger gestures were displayed more frequently than I have ever seen at Davis Wade stadium.  And even though I cheered for MSU and sported my full maroon attire, a State fan stole my cowbell because I was seated next to my boyfriend and two close friends who were all Auburn fans.

Since then, Bulldog fever has swept the nation (see image of supporters in Las Vegas below), along with fans raging in excitement and bashing other schools via social media. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I have no school spirit or think Dak Prescott shouldn’t win the Heisman trophy – I am more than proud to share in the excitement as we make history. The only point I’m trying to make is that sometimes when an underdog finally gains attention and consistent media exposure locally and nationally, some supporters can easily let excitement get the best of them. So, whether your underdog is a college football team, small nonprofit or huge corporation, try your hardest to keep the attention from going to your head. Don’t forget where you’ve come from and remain tastefully optimistic. If nothing else, remember what your parents always taught you – treat others as you’d wish to be treated. After all, fate has a funny way of letting what goes around come around when you’re least expecting it. Keep CALM and Hail State!

Tips and tricks to perfect your pitch

Taylor Childress

Through all positions I held and numerous lectures I attended about PR, one of the most important rules that I learned is about pitching and how to make it stick out. When I first started my PR journey, I didn’t think pitching would be that huge in my career. Boy, was I wrong! I can say that pitching is what takes up almost all of my time. But, it’s very rewarding when your pitch results in a reporter to coming to an event or when an article is written strictly due to your pitch. From all the information I have learned about pitching over the years, here has what has helped me along the way:

The subject line shouldn’t be boring. Just like when you send out your resume or any other important email, the subject line for your pitch is KEY! It determines whether or not your email is even opened. I try to think outside of the box sometimes, but you remember to stay professional.

Make your pitch personal. If I received an email that seemed like an e-blast, I would automatically never read it. Similarly, pitching should be personal. Start with “Hi, (their name)” or something that stuck out when you saw their name. When I began at Obsidian, I maybe sent two pitches that weren’t personalized, and that got me no response. Now, I feel as if I have formed relationships with certain reporters and know how they work. I will send certain messages that include articles I read or appearances they made to spark a conversation and show that I’m paying attention.

Timing is everything. If you are trying to pitch something that happens in a week, that is pushing it. If it’s in three days, forget it. There are new things popping up every minute for the media, and if your pitch doesn’t fall into a certain time frame, coverage likely won’t happen. That’s the beauty (and curse) of the news these days: something new happens every minute and seems more tasteful than the last.

Grammatical errors are not OK. I’m very guilty of this, and it’s a shame. We are typing so fast that and we don’t mean to misspell, but we do. We think that spell check will catch it, but it doesn’t. Just proofread twice – three times even – and you should catch it. Our firm has an internal editing process, so my editor usually catches my errors. However, it’s nice when I catch them on my own first.

Your pitch should be short and sweet. This is the golden rule for pitches. If a pitch is too long, no one will want to read it. Think like a cover letter to your resume. It’s describing the news release or the event. Reporters, bloggers and all media have a busy schedule, and they probably have more pitches to read than you have to send out. Do them a favor and condense it. Be the reason you made their job easier that day.

Be understanding. If a reporter says no, that is ok. Be respectful and understand that they have huge deadlines, as well. You are most likely going to be pitching to them the next day or even in the next hour, so make sure you keep a good relationship. They will appreciate it.

Pitching is a huge thing these days, so have fun with it. Just remember that media get new news leads almost every minute, no matter where you are located. Make it fun and put your creative twist to it. Make their jobs fun for the minute (hopefully less) they read it. It will land you that article or appearance.