create value by:

Integrating Traditional & Digital PR

Heather Whaling • @prTini Geben Communication

Arik Hanson • @arikhanson ACH Communications

photo credit: TheCharleston’s Digital

integration opportunities: Launches Events Off-news times Blogger outreach Crisis communication

socialize launches

Challenge: Launch a new social media management tool, targeting key niches (sports, retail, restaurants) Strategy:

•  Media/blogger outreach •  Content marketing •  Social media

Media/blogger outreach: •  Target tech media & trade pubs in key

verticals •  Embargoed product launch •  NYC media tour •  Guest posts on visual storytelling, fan

engagement •  Data-driven stories

Timely infographics •  Mashable, Yahoo!

Sports, ESPN.com •  Increased traffic 360% •  50+ viable leads •  Opened new doors in

sports vertical

Social Media: •  Visual storytelling

resource •  Twitter chats •  Target brand

managers at sports, retail, restaurants

Overall Results: •  Customer growth

exceeded expectations

•  Accelerated product development

•  Launched #Indy500orBust partnership

•  “Traditional” tactics still work •  Tease launches via social media •  Create content to amplify a launch •  Provide suggested tweets/FB

updates to key advocates

events

Goals: •  Build a community year-round, activate it leading up to the

marathon •  Provide real-time customer service to deliver a better race-

day experience for athletes & spectators •  Extend partnerships, especially with Nationwide Children’s

Hospital •  Gain insights and feedback through online monitoring and

digital research  

30 Tips, 30 Days •  8 of the top 10 blog

pages in 2012 were tips

•  Blog traffic grew 260%

•  2010 to 2012: pageviews tripled

Facebook

Real-Time #PRParty

Virtual Scavenger Hunt: •  Drive traffic to the new website •  Positive reinforcement •  Establish new connections with potential

marathon runners/walkers •  http://bit.ly/CbusMarathonHunt

tweet & go seek

crowdsource feedback

Results: Top referral sources:

•  Facebook •  Facebook Mobile •  Twitter

Facebook: •  Engagement: +133% •  Fans: +42% •  Customer service doubled

Twitter: •  Engagement: +59% •  Followers: +45%

$875,000 raised for Nationwide Children’s

•  Bridge the digital-physical divide •  Use social media to build & sustain

a year-round community •  Embrace and nurture your biggest

advocates •  Build a strong relationship with PR

partners.

non-news times

Challenge: Generate traditional and digital media stories that will convince people in the Twin Cities that biking/walking is a viable transportation option. Our plan:

•  Repurpose traditional bylined articles that first appeared in mainstream media outlets on owned media channels

•  Amplify reach through social advertising  

The Process: 1.  Write bylined article for mainstream media

outlet 2.  Repurpose content for BikeWalkMove.org 3.  Post and promote content on Bike Walk

Move Facebook page 4.  Create sponsored stories on Facebook to

drive engagement and traffic to BikeWalkMove.org

generate off-news buzz

Results •  Increased blog traffic by 71% year-over-year •  Grew Facebook community by 1,500% in just

eight months •  Facebook posts promoted via Sponsored

Stories had an average of 109,000 impressions

Challenge: Make what has historically been “dry” bike/walk count data more compelling to target audience through a more visual format. Our plan:

•  Use bike/walk count data to create infographic •  Pitch to mainstream media outlets and bloggers •  Use as valuable content on owned and other

social media channels •  Use as “art” at in-person events  

The Process: 1.  Create infographic based on 2011 bike/walk data 2.  Pitch infographic as part of larger story to mainstream

media/bloggers 3.  Create a blog post on BikeWalkMove.org featuring

infographic and data points 4.  Break up infographic and feature individual visuals with

compelling headlines on Facebook 5.  Use sponsored stories to drive traffic back to

BikeWalkMove.org 6.  Pitch infographic to bike/transit bloggers 7.  Use infographic at real-life events as “art”

Results •  Infographic post had 1,768 page views on

BikeWalkMove.org •  Infographic post among top-ten most clicked

posts during two-year campaign •  Facebook posts featuring individual

infographics averaged: 68 likes, 10 comments, 16 shares and 83,000 impressions per post (far higher than our average numbers per post)

newsjacking

Challenge: Build momentum for a company without focusing on the product Our plan:

•  Hijack Google Fiber in KC •  Differentiate from Silicon Valley startups •  Establish pre-launch credibility

homes for hackers

Challenge: Capitalize on Super Bowl interest to show platform’s power Our plan:

•  Determine timely, spreadable content •  Produce an infographic •  Targeted pre-pitching (sports, social

media)

The Social Media Guide to Super Bowl XLVII

#Nemo

•  Create keyword searches to uncover emerging trends

•  Localize national trends. Elevate local trends.

•  ABC: Always be collecting (data, that is!) •  Create Twitter lists to monitor reporters &

spot timely opportunities. •  Hijack existing news stories •  Use “paid” to amplify reach

blogger outreach

Challenge: Drive awareness for Metro Dentalcare clinics with the key healthcare decision-maker in the family – Moms – with a limited budget and no real giveaways/product.

Our plan:

•  Engage “second-tier” mommy bloggers in a campaign focused squarely on the health of their children

Two Minutes, Twice a Day for Two Weeks •  Challenged 10 lifestyle bloggers to brush kids’

teeth for two minutes, twice a day for two weeks •  Metro Dentalcare retweeted, featured posts •  No money was spent on sponsored/paid posts •  Organized St. Paul Saints baseball game as “reward”—opportunity to meet up/network

Results •  8 blogger posts •  94 comments across blogs •  60 “commitments” from readers •  52,000 impressions (Twitter, blogs,

Facebook) •  4 leads

Challenge: Drive awareness and positive sentiment for Sleep Number online while making better use of existing blogger relationships Our plan:

•  Repurpose earned blogger content in different ways across owned and other Sleep Number social channels

•  Look for additional ways to engage existing blogger partners

Sleep Number Blogger Outreach •  Promote review posts via Facebook, Twitter •  Curate posts around certain products on

Beds.com •  Approach bloggers about becoming Sleep

Better Chat (Twitter chat) co-hosts •  Consider using bloggers as media

spokespeople in some cases

•  Bloggers value networking—use that to your advantage

•  Paying bloggers isn’t always the answer—discover what really motivates them.

•  Blogger outreach isn’t over when the post goes live. Look for ways to keep relationship going!

•  Repurpose blogger content in different forms—Facebook, Pinterest, blog posts.

crisis communication

A Labor Negotiations Case Study •  Union and COTA couldn’t reach an agreement •  Red White & BOOM •  Massive power outages & extreme heat •  Social goal: Leverage social channels to

–  Present facts – Respond to questions – Convey empathy – Amplify community need

Preparation •  “Socialize” legal talking points •  Draft key messages, social responses •  Determine tone, aggressiveness &

positioning •  Clarify approval processes

prior to the strike

Facebook

Interaction on 10TV & ABC6 Facebook Pages

à

à à

à

union re-votes, strike ends

COTA Updates

COTA Responds: Customer Service

Outcome? Social media accelerated the labor negotiation process and forced a faster outcome.

•  If you’re not quick, you’re not relevant

•  Perception is reality •  People expect near-immediate

responses •  Establish approval process BEFORE

crisis strikes •  Befriend the legal team

Adding “integrated” value

Be a Know It All Big agency tactics … solopreneur attention •  Point-of-View Documents •  One daily idea (digital AND traditional) •  Breaking news

Keep clients one step ahead Solve a client’s biggest problem: No time to keep up •  Monthly Trend Reports •  Research: What are

other brands like us doing?

•  Best practices – social/PR •  Weekly/monthly e-newsletter

Heather Whaling • @prTini heather@gebencommunication.com subscribe: bit.ly/prTini

questions?

Arik Hanson • @arikhanson arik@arikhanson.com

photo credit: flickr.com/photos/ theilluminated