Against the Grain: Public Relations

Now that we’re a week into the New Year, it’s time to take a look at your 2012 goals. We’re not talking fitness, eating better or getting more sleep (although, I think we can all say those are on our list) –– we’re talking business. Here are three resolutions to get your year off to the right start.

1. Freshen your website. Interactive Director Yancy DeLathouder says, “With the current pace of web innovations, if your site is more than three years old, you’ll want to consider upgrading your site to keep pace with changing technology. In addition to having a wealth of features available from newer technologies like HTML5, older technologies like JavaScript have also been causing quite a stir, replacing Flash implementations with equally functional and attractive, yet mobile-friendly applications. Additionally, new browsers and new browser versions, including mobile devices, may cause websites built for older standards to not function as expected. Upgrading a website to current standards will ensure proper operation for all potential audiences on all potential platforms.”

2. Create a social media policy. Public Relations Specialist Gabby Bladdick thinks every business, agency and nonprofit –– large and small –– should create a social media policy. Why, we ask? “With the way businesses are relying on social media to be a major part of their marketing campaigns, it’s imperative to establish a company-wide social media policy so every employee is on the same page. It should include everything from what they can/cannot say to repercussions for violating the policy. Trust us, you don’t want to end up like this company.”

3. Review your crisis communications plan. If you don’t have one, create one. Public Relations Director Kristin Sunde says, “We recommend clients review and update their crisis communications plans at least once a year, if not more. As staff, stakeholders, and services and products change, it’s likely your plan needs updating. And if you don’t have a crisis communications plan, resolve to put one in place this quarter. Its value will far outweigh the investment if disaster strikes.

2012 is the year to improve –– so let’s do it together! Give us a call if we can help!

I like to consider myself an early adopter; someone who jumps on the latest social media platform to test it out for myself. I’ve been a long-time fan of Facebook and Twitter and I can’t wait to see where newcomers like Google+ and Get Glue go. Social media is a powerful communications tool for people, companies, non-profits…you name it. Here are a few examples and statistics to demonstrate social media’s importance in today’s society.

Mind-blowing statistics of a couple poplar social media platforms’ reach:

• Facebook has more than 800 million active users (source). That’s the population of New York City multiplied by 100.

• 100 million people joined Twitter in 2011 (source).

• 48 hours of video are uploaded each minute on YouTube. That is eight years of content uploaded each day. Additionally, three billion videos are viewed each day (source).

Remarkable real-life examples of social media’s power:

• Most recently, The Collegiate Time –– the Virginia Tech school newspaper ­­–– utilized its Facebook page to keep the campus alert as to where the shooter was. Students and faculty were giving updates minute-by-minute to ensure campus-wide safety.

• The Wall Street Journal or USA Today did not break the news of the Hudson plane crash. Instead, a man who witnessed the crash simply tweeted a photo.  

• Of 20,000 people polled on Mashable, more than half reported they heard about Osama Bin Laden’s death from either Facebook or Twitter (source).

It’s hard to remember what life was like before social media – how would people have reacted to the news of 9/11 or John Lennon’s death. Social media allows you to have a voice. You don’t need to land a front-page story on The New York Times for your organization’s story to be told – you can do it yourself using these amazing social media platforms.

Take time to think about this important question: if you aren’t utilizing social media, who is telling your story?

What other powerful social media examples do you have? Share them with us on our Facebook page.

Congratulations, communications students! You graduated college after those late nights of studying, papers and research. You got ample experience interning and attending PR, marketing and advertising conferences. Now what? It’s time to apply for your first full-time job.

I took the path that a lot of communication students take. I graduated from college in December 2010, and took an internship (mine with Weber Shandwick in St. Louis). I lived at home, got more experience and after a few months, I was ready to fly from the nest.

Sometimes internships after college can lead to a permanent position, but I was looking for a job in Des Moines, Iowa, so that wasn’t an option for me. Unfortunately, I didn’t know anyone in Iowa, so I networked. I began by reaching out to my family, friends and PR connections I made in college. I told them my goals, experience and asked if they knew of anyone who would possibly be able to help. They were extremely supportive and helpful, but I also did my fair share of traditional job searching. That’s exactly how I found Trilix! Networking is very important, but it’s also smart to look at a potential employer’s website. They posted a job and I applied, interviewed and landed the gig!

The first day on the job is intimidating. After so many internships, you may feel like you should already “know” what to do. Try not to be nervous and don’t feel like you need to walk in the door being the expert. Your future employer doesn’t expect you to know everything. Remember, you just graduated college and you’re still learning.

The first couple of days are designed as training days. You learn where you’re going to sit, where the bathroom is and the passwords to your computer, emails, etc. Take those first few days as an opportunity to research your new clients (if you are working at an agency), or your company. These first couple of days can also be used to get to know your new colleagues. Go out to lunch with people you’ll be working closely with, or grab a mid-morning coffee treat with your cube-mate.

Once you start to settle in, begin to show some initiative. Pick up a project on your own; don’t just wait for the boss to give you something to do. Ask for more responsibility or volunteer for a project that other people may not be jumping for joy to do. Taking initiative will show your motivation and willingness to learn — both are incredible attributes companies want to see in employees!

Your first few days are going to be a whirlwind and you will be exhausted after learning so much about your new position, but remember to be positive, ask questions and work hard! You’ll be a big asset to your new company in no time!

For the past few years, advancements in social media have taken the marketing world by storm. Who’s reading my blog? Who’s reading my Facebook posts? Should I even be on Twitter? Why check into places? What’s Google+?

To answer your questions, we pulled together social media statistics with the help of Arik Hanson, APR’s blog.

Why are there so many blogs? Are people reading them?

• According to Tom Webster, The Social Habit, 57 million people read and follow blogs.
• More than 12 million adults maintain a blog.

You can reach out to influential bloggers who write about topics that would interest your audience. They can help promote your services and products in their posts. However, it is important to treat bloggers like journalists — respect their time and really understand their blog’s purpose and community.

Tell me a little bit about Facebook. How can my company benefit? (Source: Tom Webster, The Social Habit)

• Facebook is used by more than half of Americans (older than 52 years old).
• One in four social media users follow brands, products or services. Eighty percent of those people said Facebook is the platform they use to follow companies.
• Twenty-five percent of social media users said Facebook is the platform that influences their buying decisions the most.

Use Facebook to help tell your company’s story. Facebook is a great place to share photos, videos or links that are relevant to your audience. Build a fan base, interact with your audience and listen to what your customers are saying.

How can 140 characters even make an impact?

• We understand. Let’s talk Twitter. According to Twitter’s blog, 200 million tweets are sent per day.
• There were 460,000 new accounts created per day in the beginning of 2011.
• Currently, the TPS (tweet per second) rate is 7,196. This record occurred during the United States vs. Japan Women’s World Cup championship game on July 17, 2011.

Twitter is basically a micro-blogging platform. Use it to share links (use a link shortener, such as bit.ly, so you can conserve characters and track your analytics), updates or even photos. It’s a great tool to spark conversation and engagement between customers or other businesses.

What platform are people using to check into my business? (Source: Dan Zarella, Hubspot)

• Fifty-five percent of mass consumers said they would check-in using Facebook places.
• Six percent of mass consumers said they would check-in using Foursquare.
• Ninety percent of “early adopters” said they would check-in using Facebook places.
• Twenty-two percent of “early adopters” said they would check-in using Foursquare.

Set up a venue on Foursquare, Facebook pages or any location-based social media platform for your business. Offer “specials” for the Mayor and other loyal customers. Allowing people to check into your business can help you understand who your audience is and why they are visiting you.

What is Google+? (Source: Stan Schroeder – Mashable.com)

• Google+ is a new social media platform that was launched just on June 28, 2011.
• It is the fastest-growing social network of all time with more than 10 million members already.
• A few key features include: Circles (friends), Spark’s (recommendations based on your interests), Hangouts (video chat), Photos and a Profile (very similar to all other profile pages).

Google+ is rapidly growing users and they are adding new features, like verified profiles for brands every day.

My company has just one social media platform. Should we be using more? (Source: Tom Webster, The Social Habit)

• Yes. Social media reaches the majority of Americans (older than 12 years old).
• Fifty-two percent of those Americans have more than one social media platform.

Using multiple social media platforms allows you to reach different audiences. Formulate a social media plan for your brand to make sure that your messaging and visual branding are consistent across every platform.

We hope this helps you understand how you can use social media to promote your brand, business or company. If you have questions, feel free to contact us, and we’ll help guide your social media efforts.

In our day-to-day life at Trilix, we all do some form of writing or designing. Today, Trilix sat down with production manager (also known as proofreading extraordinaire), Leng Vong, to gather some of her editing knowledge.

Trilix: What is your process for proofing something?
Leng: First, I prioritize the projects. Then, I look at the piece as one big picture. I ask myself, “What is the purpose of this piece?” “Who is the audience?” “What is the message trying to convey?” Once I figure out the big picture, I read over the whole piece once to look for obvious errors. Then, I make sure to look at it once more to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

Trilix: Why is proofing something so important in our business?
Leng: In our business, we are helping our clients tell their message to their audience. We need to make sure that nothing goes out of our doors with errors, typos or inconsistency.

Trilix: What advice would you give a PR professional, designer or copywriter?
Leng: I would tell them to look over their own work and double check everything. Sometimes it helps to take a step back from the project and come back to it later. Also, people need to make sure to research the client, projects and previous examples. It’s also important to know the messaging, language and tones to provide consistency.

Trilix: What are your biggest pet-peeves in proofing?
Leng: Misused hyphens, the wrong use of dashes and extra spaces!

Trilix: What error do you see the most?
Leng: I see the wrong use of dashes, extra spaces, the wrong forms of words and run on sentences the most when I proof something.

Leng’s other tips –

• Try reading the sentence backwards. It helps misspelled words stand out.
• Read one word at a time, instead of the whole sentence. This trick also helps misspelled words stand out.

Thanks, Leng! I think we can all say we learned a lot today.