A funny thing happened on the way to a conversation with my daughter. She is only 15, but loves cars. Every time we pass a Ford Mustang, she says, “That’s my car.” Never mind that she doesn’t have her learner’s permit yet or that there’s no way she’s getting a Mustang as her first car. I told her a used Toyota or Honda would do just fine. “No way, mom, I won’t drive those, they’re not cool,” she retorts.
So one day we were talking, while driving home from school. She mentioned that @chevycustcare tweeted her. I turned to her immediately and said, “You’re kiddng. What did they say?” She went on to tell me that she tweeted, “I want a corvette or a red mustang soo badd.” @chevycustcare found her on Twitter and tweeted back, “Definitely get the Corvette.” I urged her to reply and thank them for responding to her. She said no because she thought it was “stalkerish” that they tweeted her in the first place. I went on to explain that it really isn’t and that’s what’s so cool about Twitter. That if she tweeted them back, she’s connecting with Chevy’s customer service and that one day she might even end up tweeting for them as an intern (ha!). Always thinking like a mom.
This past summer, she decided to have some fun and created an alter ego on Twitter. She created a persona that was nothing like her, but decided to have some fun with it. She tweeted humorous comments and ended up garnering some 1,000 plus followers. Each day, she would gleefully tell me how she was surpassing my 400 plus Twitter followers.
Here’s what I learned about social media from my daughter:
- Tweet about things that you like, care about or are interested in. You never know who will follow you (hopefully, a good connection). Unfollow the weirdos.
- Engage with your followers. Thank them for following you or retweet something they say so you can share with your followers. Note: she didn’t do this with Chevy, but I frequently remind her to do so. But do teenagers ever listen to their parents??
- Use humor or lightheartedness to engage your audience. I’m not as funny as my 15-year-old (or as bold) and am reluctant at times to show my true personality online, but I’m working on it.
How do you catch the attention of national media when you’re a small family-owned business? Try taking your product on the road.
That’s what Lathem, Inc., of Atlanta, Ga., did recently when they wanted to introduce their futuristic time clock to businesses and dealers throughout the country. When Lathem told us about their 8-city product tour for FaceIN, a new time clock that uses face recognition to punch employees in for work, we thought “bingo”: Invite local print, TV and radio outlets to check it out.
As it turned out, the media loved the idea. One San Francisco TV reporter had fun with the whole thing, opening his piece with a scene from Office Space. Others interviewed customers and dealers who testified to the product’s success. The Miami Herald even sent a reporter to videotape the event and posted the clip online, alongside the story.
All in all, the campaign garnered over 2 million media impressions from Atlanta to Los Angeles.
So why all the excitement? How did Alpine Communications cut through the bad news clutter to garner top-notch placements for Lathem?
- Cool, futuristic product – FaceIN uses face recognition to clock employees in for work. Employees just look and go. Bye, bye paper time cards, PIN numbers and badges.
- Product was tangible, touchable – Reporters who came to the event could see how it worked and touch and feel the clock. It was real!
- New trend – FaceIN is the latest advancement in time and attendance; no more paper time cards! It’s fun and futuristic. Beam me up, Scottie!
- Grassroots marketing – By traveling to each city, Lathem gave each media outlet a local angle. We also conducted interviews with dealers and customers and offered those to the reporter.
- Great spokesperson – Lathem used a knowledgeable marketing professional who could explain the product’s value, both in terms of the technical nature, as well as the business application.
When seeking media attention for your company or product, consider these questions:
1. Is it new or part of a trend?
2. Does it have applications for many people or a wide cross-section of businesses?
3. Has the product been tested and vetted by customers? In short, does it do what it’s supposed to do?
4. Do you have a customer who can attest to the product’s functionality and provide a local angle and testimonial?
Alpine Communications developed a strategic plan to help make Lathem’s Catch the Wave Tour a huge success. Through strategic media relations and targeted media outreach, we created media buzz in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Miami Herald, NBC Bay Area (San Francisco), CBS News Radio, Montreal Gazette, and many other outlets. More businesses know about FaceIN now than ever before, and hopefully will reach for a FaceIN clock instead of a standard punch clock the next time they upgrade their timekeeping system.
Since the Anthony Weiner story broke, I’ve been reading stories about other sex scandals among politicians and how they’ve survived. I was thinking how interesting it is that not one of the examples mentioned involved a woman politician. Why is it that you only hear about men and their indiscretions and not women on Capitol Hill? Maybe it’s because of this reason given by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York: “While I’m at home changing diapers, I just couldn’t conceive of it.”
According to this New York Times article, it has something to do with why women go into politics.
Here’s the article.
What do you think?
More than 4 million Americans have hepatitis C. Most people with the disease don’t know they have it because symptoms are elusive and often don’t show up for 20 or 30 years. Two out of three people with hepatitis C are baby boomers. Some doctors say all baby boomer adults should be tested for it.
Alpine Communications has been tapped as one of 12 public relations firms nationwide to raise awareness of this disease. See the latest story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. AOL’s Decatur Patch also covered the story.
The recent story concerning Rep. Anthony Weiner and the lewd Twitter picture sent to a college student puts the microscope on how to respond to a social media crisis.
Questions have been raised as to whether he mismanaged his response to the situation. Did he dig himself into a hole by not answering whether the picture was of him or by deflecting the issue with the “what if a pie was thrown in my face” example?
Whether it was a slow news day or not, let’s face it, what happens on social media can become a story in traditional media.
With hindsight being 20/20, how could Rep. Weiner have handled the situation differently and avoided being “debriefed” in front of the country? In a blog post on Washington Post’s PostPolitics, here’s what crisis management expert Chris Lehane suggests he could have said:
“Here is what I know — I did not send the photo to this young woman in Washington State… It would appear as if someone has hacked into my system… I have asked person x or law enforcement agency y to get to the bottom of this.”
Lehane suggests that right from the beginning, you should take the story head on, since at end of the day, “it is not a question of ‘if’ something comes out, but ‘how” and ‘when’ it comes out — and putting the info out on your terms is always the better route. You are seen as honest; you protect your credibility; and people give you the benefit of the doubt.”
Unfortunately, Rep. Weiner did not come off that way. Instead, he appeared rude and like someone who had something to hide.
Going forward, Lehane suggests this advice to Rep. Weiner:
(1) Do not add more info to the story.
(2) Announce the specific name of the law firm and/or high profile entity you have retained to do an analysis — and make clear that a report will be released down the road.
(3) Your ongoing position becomes: “I did not send the photo to the woman; we don’t know how the photo was sent or whether my systems were compromised; and we have hired Lawyer X to conduct a comprehensive review and issue a report as to the findings. (period).
(4) No matter what — this is the answer going forward.
The bottom line is before you post a comment or put something on social media, consider where it may end up and in whose hands. Have a crisis plan in place beforehand. When considering posting something appropriate or even a nasty comment, don’t do it.
You don’t want to get caught with your pants down.
A great PR person is a great storyteller. Simple as that. When I work with clients, I want to hear their stories. Of course, I also want to know what their goals, objectives and expectations are for public relations. That’s a given. But learning their stories is where I get a charge and bring enthusiasm when talking to reporters.Before I start working with clients, I like to ask them these three simple questions: Who are you? What do you do? Why does it matter? Other questions may follow such as: How do you separate yourself from your competition? What are your customers saying about you and how are they using your products?Recently, I was doing some research for a client and landed on an article by Michael Vitez, a Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, who has embedded himself in a community hospital to really learn the ins and outs of healthcare reform and how it is impacting patients and providers. He wrote a great story that touched on the tug of war between hospitals and insurance companies, how doctor’s decision-making capabilities are being questioned and how patients are often unaware of the behind-the-scenes discussions about how their care will be paid. I then went on his blog and found that in addition to reporting, he has a side business, writing love stories. He writes stories for newlyweds about how they met so they can have their stories as keepsakes and even display them at their wedding. What a great idea!What does this all mean? Next time you’re thinking about using public relations for your business, think about your story. Who are we? What do we do? Why does it matter? If you can answer those questions, you’re on the right track toward engaging in a successful public relations campaign.
Wendy Alpine-PR Pro on February 25, 2011 | Filed Under Misc | 2 Comments
A funny thing happened on the way to a conversation with my daughter. She is only 15, but loves cars. Every time we pass a Ford Mustang, she says, “That’s my car.” Never mind that she doesn’t have her learner’s permit yet or that there’s no way she’s getting a Mustang as her first car. I told her a used Toyota or Honda would do just fine. “No way, mom, I won’t drive those, they’re not cool,” she retorts.
