08.11.11
Posted in Content, Public Relations, Social Media at 2:38 pm by Clay
A few weeks ago, I attended a webinar hosted by a fairly major player in the public relations industry. I was excited by the line up and the topic and couldn’t wait for the webinar to start.
I logged in about five minutes early only to find that information on exactly how to access the webinar was unavailable. A general chat room revealed that I was not alone in my frustration of trying to get into the webinar I’d signed up for weeks before.
Problem number two came once I gained access. There audio would fade in and out. This made the webinar difficult to follow. Again, there were people in the chat room asking if anyone else was having trouble with their audio, so I don’t believe it was just me.
The third issue came with one of the speakers. I’d say he was a potty mouth, but that would be a disservice to potty mouths. Now, I’m no prude – I used to be sailor and I can drop f-bombs with the best of them – but the language became a too strong even for me. It was during that presentation that I exited the webinar, not to return for the remaining two speakers.
So, here are a few tips, which have nothing to do with content, on hosting a good webinar.
- Make sure people know how to get to your webinar. If there are a few extra steps a person must take after clicking the link, spell that out for them.
- Second, do a couple of test runs so that you know for certain that your audience can hear you clearly, and that they can actually see your slides or video, if you plan on using those tools.
- Finally, show a bit of professionalism. Dress like you care and watch the language.
Keep in mind that webinars are about sharing information, and sometimes sharing has roadblocks. These can include technical difficulties that stem from unpreparedness as well as presenters who insist on sharing their full inventory of foul language.
It makes no sense to put these roadblocks up, causing people to seek their content elsewhere.
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07.18.11
Posted in Public Relations, Social Media at 11:11 am by Clay
Last year, I attended a bar camp and there was a lot of talk about the “death” of traditional media. Before anyone writes the obit and eliminates traditional media from their PR plan, I’d think twice.
So, why should traditional media play a role in your public relations and social media efforts?
1. Status and recognition.
Odds are more people in a given town recognize the name of the local newspaper or television news station than they do the most popular local blogs. Exposure in traditional media creates a level of credibility and recognition that a local web interview may not reach.
In other words, “my business was featured in the paper” still carries a lot of weight.
2. Numbers
Traditional media still has substantial reach. For example, USA Today lists its paid circulation at 1.8 million. That’s nearly 2 million people buying the paper! The monthly unique visitors to their website exceeds 16 million. In an average week, about 79 million Americans buy a daily newspaper. Those numbers don’t include the millions more who buy small town weeklies and niche publications, like business journals.
There’s more. Virtual every home in America – well, 99 percent of them – have a television set. More than 66 percent of homes have 3 television sets. The average household watches nearly seven hours of television per day.
According to one report, 77 percent of all adults listen to the radio daily.
3. Social media can feed off traditional media.
Stories, videos, and audio clips can be linked and shared via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and countless other social media platforms, expanding your reach into far more “niche” and specialized audiences. Also, traditional media have a large social media presence.
Back to USA Today, their Facebook page has 64,000 likes. Their “top news” Twitter feed has 142,000 followers.That represents tremendous opportunities for social engagement – far more than the vast majority of blogs being written out there.
At the end of the day, establishing credibility and generating engagement are critical. It is through the integration of traditional and social media – not through the uneducated elimination of one or the other – that this can be accomplished.
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06.15.11
Posted in Journalism, Public Relations, Writing at 9:23 am by Clay
I hate to admit that for various reasons, a small press release project I was recently working on fell apart.
One of the statements the client made after reviewing a release that was about 1.5 pages long was that press releases are better if they are one page in length. I have also read the advice that they should be 300-500 words in length.
There is a strong argument that can be made for brevity. Some research reveals that an editor at a newspaper or magazine scans a press release for less than five seconds when deciding whether or not to use it. While I’ve not sit down and counted, I have read that the story of the creation in the Book of Genesis is less than 800 words.
Here’s the truth of the matter. The story should be as long as it takes to tell the story without omitting any critical information, but also without including any fluff. Don’t force the story into some arbitrary length, mold the length to fit the story.
I recently sent out a three-page press release that was published in print by more than 50 newspapers. One before that, picked up in print by 42 newspapers, was two full pages. In both cases, the releases also received substantial play in digital media.
I’ve also written a lot of one-page press releases that have been run extensively.
However, the point here is a press release should be all about the story, not the length.
Write the story, as long as it takes.
Leave no important information out.
Leave no unnecessary information in.
Clay Morgan worked as a newspaper journalist for 20 years and is the founder and president of Morgan Creative Services, a boutique public relations firm that specializes in the integration of traditional media, digital media, and social media to deliver powerful messages on behalf of clients in a variety of industries. Clay can be reached at 615-346-9440, or by email at clay@nashvillecopy.com.
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06.07.11
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:13 am by Clay
QR Codes have grown in popularity and I think their growth – and usefulness in marketing – will continue.
I was reading the most recent edition of Bloomberg’s Businessweek – the print version – and noticed a couple of things.
Most of the print advertising directed readers to websites, Facebook pages, or other social media for more information. This shocked me because the quantity was “most” rather than all, and I cannot grasp why a business would not refer a person to their website and/or social media.
Four ads had QR Codes that, if you have the scanning software on your smartphone, will allow the reader to receive more information on their phone.
In my mind, what is critical here is integration.
SAS provides software analytic tools. Their print ad caught my attention with talk of increasing profits, reducing risk, predicting trends, and using data assets to gain a competitive advantage. They point you to a website to obtain a free Harvard Business Review report (which adds credibility). They also have a QR code that, when scanned, will show a video on your phone.
It also answers the problem of immediacy.
I’m a business owner and tracking expenses is always a problem. However, the ad for Chase caught my eye. The copy told me that they have an app called Jot, which tracks, categorizes, and organizes “time-devouring business expenses.” Heck yea! And if I have the software on my phone to scan QR codes, I can scan the QR code on the print ad and it will download the app. How’s that for convenience?
Print has always had a problem with immediacy, but QR codes solve that problem. They also solve problems related to not being able to get to your computer to look up a website. QR codes are bridging the gap between print and online, creating true integration between the two.
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05.02.11
Posted in Advertising at 8:35 am by Clay
My thanks for patient readers who indulged my break from blogging as I concluded wedding plans, got married, and spent the last couple of weeks settling in and getting used to living with my new wife.
I wanted to simply share a link today. David Bohan, a Nashville advertising executive, provided some great information in The Tennessean this morning. You can read it here.
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03.08.11
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:38 am by Clay
Sunday, my fiance and I went to a concert and the opening act was a band named Larry and His Flask.
The headline act was a fairly popular punk/ska band, and the crowd was definitely punk/alternative. The lights were low when Larry and His Flask took the stage, but I can imagine the looks on the faces of kids attending a punk rock show when the band walked out with a banjo, horns, and a huge bass fiddle. Any doubts the crowd may have had evaporated a few seconds into the set as this band, which plays a seemingly odd but enjoyable mix of folk, bluegrass, and yes, punk, electrified the crowd unlike any opening act I’ve ever seen.
After the show, my fiance and I went to their merchandise booth, but there was no music for sale there. The next morning, I checked iTunes. Nothing.
The Nashville show, I suspect, was not unusal. I believe they play like that every night, and every night they are gaining hundreds of potential new fans – new fans who can’t buy their music.
About seven or eight years ago, I was at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon. The speaker talked about a topic related to real estate investment as a long-term strategy. He knew a lot about the topic, especially as it pertained to this coastal resort community, but as some people pointed out a few days later, when called, he had to reveal that he was not a mortgage person, he was not a real estate agent or broker, nor was he even a financial advisor. He was, admittedly, working on his real estate license. However, he delivered a very strong message, one that generated leads, but they were leads on which he could not follow up.
There are plenty of examples of businesses that are imply not prepared for their marketing to actually work. Unpreparedness to deliver can undo a successful marketing campaign in an second – and in those cases you sure can’t blame marketing. In the case of the band, we were told by the lady working the booth that they’d have an album on Itunes in June. Will their new fans remember to check iTunes in four months?
Or what about the guy talking about real estate investment. Will his prospective leads wait on him to get a license?
Think about this moment we’ve all experienced. You see a great sale being advertised – maybe a two-for-one on your favorite food at the grocery store. You go there and naturally the shelf is empty. The product is sold out as the store did not stock enough. What does that do for your feelings about the store? What does it do to your loyalty to the store?
The moral to the story is simple – when you grab a banjo and step in front of a thousand or more punk rockers, you better be ready to deliver…not just during the show, but afterward as well.
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03.01.11
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:14 am by Clay
I could sit here and pontificate about the finer points of writing. However, today, I thought I’d leave it to the experts.
Here’s a bit of advice from Hunter S. Thompson.
Can you eliminate the word “that” from your writing?
Here are some tips about letter writing, from Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.
Finally, here are a few pointers for small businesses writing ad copy.
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02.25.11
Posted in Advertising, Content, Responsibility at 9:24 am by Clay
I was reading some information this morning, and a thought came to me. Food companies “manipulate” wording to mislead us. However, at the end of the day, that misdirection is still a lie.
Every day, I receive a newsletter titled “Eat This, Not That” from Men’s Health magazine. This morning were several examples of misdirection.
Kellogg’s Smart Start Cereal. On the box, it clearly says “lightly sweetened.” However, the word “lightly” is not regulated by the USDA, and therefore the word gets used quite a bit. In the case of this particular cereal, there are 14 grams of sugar from five different sources in a serving. According to Men’s Health, that’s more added sugars than one serving of Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, or Apple Jacks.
Cheetos. I love Cheetos, but try to avoid them. Packaging clearly states 0 grams of trans fats. However, Men’s Health says one serving contains .49 grams of trans fats. Why the claim? The FDA allows manufacturers to claim no trans fats if your product contains less than .5 grams per serving.
I also wrote on this topic in a blog a few months back.
Regulating agencies allow businesses to mislead consumers about what their products contain, and this is especially true in the food industry. The argument there is that consumers can read labels, and this is true. However, these phrases such as 0 trans fats, lightly sweetened, and other examples, are used to mislead busy shoppers who simply do not have time to read the label of every single item they purchase.
Regulations governing many industries open up such “opportunities” for the marketing of product. At the same time, if you think carefully, you can probably come up with ways to manipulate your own marketing message to make a consumer think your product or service is something it is not.
Given how easy it is, I am often shocked at professionals in the marketing industry who complain that consumers don’t trust advertising anymore. While I admit that I like Cheetos and Kellogg’s Smart Start Cereals, it is clear they use misleading messaging to make consumers think the foods are healthier than they really are. And that erodes my trust in those products and companies.
A central element to every public relations, media relations, or social media campaign I run is trust and credibility. In my mind, those are the two most powerful marketing tools available – trust and credibility. Building them starts with the truth.
Advertising executives who whine that consumers no longer trust advertising have forgotten the importance of the truth and its role in trust and credibility, but you don’t have to forget the truth.
As a person responsible for marketing for your company or organization, you have two choices:
- Manipulate messaging or hide behind layers of government regulations
- Tell the truth
The other thing you must remember that many advertisers have forgotten is that a lot of consumers are savvy enough to tell the difference between the two, and consumers are getting better at discerning between the two.
Morgan Creative Services
Morgan Creative Services offers a full range of public and media relations, professional writing and content development services to a variety of businesses, organizations and individuals. As always, there are several ways to keep up with Morgan Creative Services. Check out our Facebook fan page and “like” us! You can also follow owner Clay Morgan on Twitter and catch up with him on LinkedIn. E-mail Clay at clay@nashvillecopy.com or call him at 615.346.9440.
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02.21.11
Posted in Social Media at 9:14 am by Clay
There is a new report out about the use of social media among Fortune 100 companies. PR Daily writes about it and has the slide show for the report here. In regards to this study, they looked at Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and blogs.
My observations are:
- Duh! Social media use continues to increase.
- Twitter is emerging as the predominant platform among corporate users.
- Not only did the number of companies using Twitter increase, but also the number of accounts being used per company increased.
- The number of followers of corporations on Twitter increased 248 percent.
- There were substantial increases in the use of Facebook, too. This includes the use of more than one Facebook page.
- There was actually a slight decrease in the number of U.S. companies using Youtube, though it increased substantially in Asia.
- Increase in companies with corporate blogs realized a negligible increase.
The big take away/Food for thought:
What I found most interesting is that companies are now using multiple social media accounts within the same platform to reach different groups.
Twitter is the most used platform for corporations, yet Facebook has more “likes” or “followers.”
Clay Morgan is a public relations and content consultant who integrates traditional, digital, social, and mobile media to help businesses and organizations communicate with their audience. He may be reached by e-mail at clay@nashvillecopy.com. Follow Morgan Creative Services on Facebook on on Twitter.
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02.14.11
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:42 am by Clay
I was reading PR Week magazine and ran across a quote that I felt was important.
Richard Edelman, in an opinion piece titled PR holds the key in defining business’ new leadership role, made this comment:
Information ubiquity changes the PR playbook. More than two- thirds of people must be exposed to a message three times or more to believe it – 14% in the US have to see a story 10 times or more to believe it. And while newspapers and TV are still the most trusted information sources, media relations must consider search engines the first source people turn to, then mainstream media. A company can’t just put a message “out.” It must put it “everywhere.”
What in the world does that mean?
I think Mr. Edelman is calling for further integration in message distribution.
Clearly, people must see your message multiple times for it to become credible. Some people estimate that Americans are hit with 30,000 marketing messages per day, which means it is harder and harder to get noticed. Add to it the fact that Americans are getting better at tuning out marketing messages, in part with the help of technology (TiVo anyone?).
You must do more to propel your message above the din.
And you can’t ignore an outlet. We are well aware of the impact and power of social media. It seems that everyone is there, and the challenge is finding the right platform or combination of platforms to reach your target audience.
At the same time, traditional and digital media remain strong. USA Today still sells more than 1.8 million newspapers every day, Monday through Friday. Their website, usatoday.com, still receives nearly 16.3 million unique visitors every month. Do you want to just ignore those numbers?
More than 106 million people watched the Superbowl this year, with 162 million catching part of the game, and it is a safe bet they weren’t the only people watching TV. Do you want to miss out on the hundreds of millions of television viewers?
Consider this as well. Roughly 82 percent of U.S. adults own a mobile device and 31 percent of them have accessed the web with that device. Approximately 9 percent of all U.S. adults have made a purchase with their cell phone, 20 percent have viewed a video, and 11 percent have contributed to a charity using their mobile device. Again, these are numbers that can’t be ignored.
Americans are consuming more information than ever before. To ensure that your message has maximum impact, it is vital that a company, as Mr. Edelman says, puts their message out “everywhere.”
And that requires integrated communications plans.
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