Coverage! Yay! Now What?: What Kermit the Frog Can Teach You

Woohoo!!! The journalist finally posted their story on your new product announcement in the top vendor publication for your target market.   The Executive team is psyched, the engineers are pumped and you look like a star to everyone that passes you by in the hallway.  So now what?

kermit

Coverage that increases your position as a leader among the marketplace is certainly a reason to do your best Kermit the Frog Impression from the Muppet Show, but what about expanding the reach beyond the publications circulation/unique visitors.  Like Kermit, you want to let everyone know that you are so excited about your coverage!  Here are some of the ways to take advantage of your great hit!

1)  Post It to the Company Website – Posting the coverage to your website will help drive traffic to the site and future visitors will be able to read the coverage when they are researching your company’s offerings.

2) Tweet It!  – Your followers will want to hear about the positive news!  You may even receive some retweets, new followers and even engage in some conversations..  Also have your executive team Tweet about the coverage.  Be sure to give the journalist and publication credit as this is proper etiquette.

3) Post It to Your Industry’s LinkedIn Groups – Many of your key influencers belong to these groups.  Take advantage of another tool to reach them.

4) Post It to Your Facebook Page – Just another way of reaching your fans!

5) Sales Team’s Impact – Use the coverage in your sales collateral.  Coverage is a great tool for the sales team to reach out to their prospects.  Allow them to toot their own horn!

6) Include It – Include the coverage in a weekly newsletter or marketing materials that may be sent to your prospects, customers and investors.

When it comes to influential coverage that has a positive impact on your company, it’s important to take advantage of the opportunity given to you and expand the article’s impact.  This will increase the odds of reaching key decision makers by putting the article in their hands, all while putting your stamp as a leader in the marketplace.  Kermit may have said it isn’t easy being green, but he never seemed to have trouble being ecstatic about an act.  Don’t hesitate to be excited about your coverage!

Utilizing the KISS Method for Your Twitter Campaign

When companies approach us because they are interested in increasing their visibility to reach their target audience, it’s inevitable that we’ll be asked the question of the day – What about Twitter?  The social networking site has changed the way we share information and engage with influencers, but when companies decide to embark on a Twitter program they often feel like they are Christopher Columbus sailing to India for spices – In other words they are lost.   We recommend to our clients that they adhere to the “KISS” (Keep It Simple Stupid) method.  Here are 10 “KISS” suggestions we share with our clients to help them get started on a successful Twitter campaign.

1)   Choose A Twitter Handle That Makes Sense – Ideally, your company name should be Twitter handle.  If you think you’ll have more than one Twitter handle consider adding “news” or “support” to the end.

2)   Select An Avatar That Works For Your Brand – Your company logo is usually appropriate.

3)   Follow Appropriate Twitter Handles – Your target audience is on Twitter, you just need to find them.  Companies should conduct daily searches using key industry terms to see who’s talking about what matters to you.  Chances are if you follow them, they might actually follow you back!

4)   Say Something! – You are on Twitter to interact with your target market.  Push out your message, enhance your visibility and be seen as a thought leader.

5)   Twitter Etiquette – Know when it’s appropriate to send a RT, a DM, a MT or a @.  Just like your mother taught you, it’s all about manners

6)   Retweets – Share the best links and Tweets that matter to your business and develop relationships with Twitter followers that you care about.

7)   Engage Using @ Replies – In order to be successful, companies need to create a two-way dialogue with their followers.   Don’t be afraid to start the conversation!

8)   Clean Up Your Twitter Page – Many of your followers will be spam.  Remember to clean up your Twitter page by blocking these followers in order to maintain your brands credibility.

9)   Brand Your Twitter Page – Be sure to take advantage of the exposure your Twitter handle will get and brand your page!

10)  Follow Us! – Be sure to add your Twitter name to your email signature, website and anything else you can think of in order to connect with new users.

At Sniper Public Relations we feel that Twitter is a great tool to engage with your audience on a personal level. In the end, new fans can be found and even sales agreements can get started all with the power of Twitter.  So jump on in! Your target market is eager to hear from you!

Jetson!!! Get Me Ink!!

Recently, I attended a networking event in order to learn more about what NH businesses are doing to increase their visibility.

After the meeting I was approached by a woman (we’ll call her Mary) who gave me rabbit ears when she told me she had tried to get mentioned in a newspaper, but was discouraged when she was told that she would need to advertise in order to do so.

I couldn’t help but feel frustrated that there is still a perception among business executives that advertising is the only way for an organization to “get ink,” and reach their target market.  I explained to Mary that like all things business – it’s all about developing relationships to reach your target market.  Below are 5 tips that I shared with Mary, but for the sake of humor, we will pretend the company is Spacely Sprockets.

1) Know what they are writing – Nothing upsets a journalist more than not knowing what they cover and many will comment that there is no faster way to get immediately sent to the spam folder than sending them a story idea that has nothing to do with their beat.  According to a recent PRSourceCode Survey, on average, 93 percent of pitches journalists receive are not on target with their needs and interests.  In other words, if your client is announcing the newest Spacely Sprocket, a lifestyle editor isn’t an appropriate contact.

2) Know what’s right for the publication – Spacely Sprocket’s Earth location has a great case study story about how they are helping a government organization on Mars.  The Earth and Mars daily press, as well as the trade press may be appropriate as the story has a relevant angle for them, but the Saturn daily press won’t be interested in the story because there isn’t a Saturn angle. Publications know that their readers are most interested in what’s happening in their backyard, not on some other planet.

3) Be a resource – Journalists are constantly looking for resources for their stories.  Spacely Sprockets should stay in contact with the media in their industry through proactive pitches and be available to comment on trends and news.
According to the same PRSourceCode Survey:
    ▪    Three out of four journalists (75 percent) use proactive pitches to find sources and story ideas.
    ▪    81 percent of tech reporters say industry trends are the most popular source of content for new story ideas

4) Follow Journalists on Twitter – In this day in age, Spacely Sprockets has no excuse not to be on Twitter.  Learn what they care about beyond their stories, and keep yourself updated on the marketplace from their point of view.

5) Harness the relationship – Once Spacely Sprockets has successfully worked with a journalist, it’s important that they harness the relationship.  In others words don’t spam them with stories they don’t care about, be respectful of how they want to be contacted, keep them in the loop with all appropriate announcements and be sure to show them Twitter love by following them and retweeting their relevant stories.

At Sniper Public Relations we pride ourselves on the relationships we have with our key influencers, targeted media, industry analysts and industry associations. In the end, it’s what helps enable us to give our clients the counsel they need in order to reach their target market, boost their visibility and achieve their goals.   We look forward to hearing from you about your top tips for developing relationships.

Zeroing In

Welcome to Zeroing In, Sniper Public Relations’ blog about PR 101.  We often hear that organizations are the best at what they do, but nobody knows about them. At Sniper Public Relations, we are committed to helping our clients obtain their desired impact through targeted communications.

Zeroing In will talk about how to get the most out of your communication opportunities in order to achieve the “Right Message,” and increase awareness and visibility your organization.  We’ll share our industry experiences, our perspectives on market trends, and lessons learned as we engage with clients, key influencers, targeted media, industry analysts and industry associations.

Some of the topics we will discuss to help you make sure you don’t miss your target will include:

  • Relationship building
  • Making the most out of social media
  • You’ve gotten a great media placement – Now What?
  • How to control the interview
  • Beyond the sales meeting: Increasing your visibility at an industry event
  • When to issue a press release
  • And More…

So start Zeroing In, commenting and staying up to date on how Sniper Public Relations can show you what targeted communications truly means.