In public relations, it is important to understand that social media is always evolving. Our clients rely on us to introduce them to new social media sites that can give them a new way to communicate with their target audience. In order to reach out to a specific demographic, we need to understand their moves. When the public went on Facebook, business and organizations followed and the same continued with Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google Plus. There is a new way to communicate with the public and it is through the use of images. This new social media tool is called Pinterest.
Pinterest was launched in 2010 and is a visual bulletin board for the Web. During its first year launch, the site reached 10.4 million users, which is more than Facebook and Twitter’s number of users in their first year. This site is very popular among women, who make up 97 percent of the users. As marketers, it is important to see how Pinterest could benefit our clients. Due to Pinterest’s visually appealing nature, many people believe it can only be used by businesses that produce products. Organizations, politicians, and unions can use Pinterest in creative ways to reach out to their audience and bring traffic to their website.
Pinterest users mainly pin images and content that they find inspirational as well as new things they discover as they browse the web. Organizations can use this site through pinning images that capture the essence of the organization and provide the public with images that tell compelling stories about the work they have done. For example, last weekend, I worked with the United States Student Association (USSA) on a rally against Sallie Mae Corporation and their predatory student lending practices. With the numerous pictures posted on their website, a picture of a protestor with the sign “ Your Profit is My Barrier, Sallie Mae”, can be an image that I want to pin and share with others because it appeals to me. This image posted on my visual board can create traffic toward USSA’s website since it makes people want to understand what is going on and my reason behind pinning this image.
Although Pinterest is a good site to organize and share things, I would not recommend using this as an organization’s starting social media site because it currently does not attract a widespread demographic. If the organization’s aim is to target mainly women, Pinterest can be beneficial. If used in an appropriate way, it provides the opportunity to connect with the public in a different and limited way, only through visual images.
Today, I learned how to live-tweet. I must admit, live-tweeting is somewhat stressful and requires staying calm and responding quickly to the subject matter at hand. It also requires speedy spell-checking so that tweets don’t make you look unintelligent or sloppy.
Live-tweeting is extremely useful when getting the word out about breaking news and showing followers you are informed and engaged. Live-tweeting certainly takes practice, and I am confident it will take time to master my live-tweeting abilities.
For those who are unfamiliar with live-tweeting, I have included the definition below. This is the indisputable definition, as it comes from the twitter website itself.
What is live-tweeting?
Live-tweet (v.): to engage on Twitter for a continuous period of time—anywhere from 20 minutes to a few hours—with a sequence of focused Tweets. The focus can be a big live event that everybody's paying attention to (e.g. a TV show or an award show) or it can be an event you create yourself.
Social media plays a major role in public relations and in today’s hyper-connected world.
Here is a chart to simplify the nuances of social media. Though I have personalized this with the theme of cupcakes, I cannot take complete credit for this - I was inspired by a similar chart that I saw on facebook.
Twitter: I am eating a #cupcake
Facebook: I like cupcakes
Foursqure: This is where I eat cupcakes
Instagram: This is a vintage photo of a cupcake
Youtube: Here I am eating cupcakes
LinkedIn: My skills include eating large quantities of cupcakes
Pinterest: Here are some innovative cupcake recipes and decoration ideas
Last FM: Now listening to “cupcake”
Google+: Connect with cupcakes
I know what you are thinking, the dreaded pitch. I used to think this as well. I truly don’t like making pitch calls, but the key is getting past the first call. Once you do that, it gets easier as you go along. Here is what I learned this semester about creating the “perfect pitch.”
The first tip is to know your topic in-and-out. You can’t pitch a story unless you know the material. I once had a reporter listen to my pitch and then bombard me with a plethora of questions. I was shocked but I answered them all thoroughly with ease. You could tell his confidence in me grew and a few days later I saw his paper published a story on the topic. Reporters don’t want to listen to some uninformed telemarketer. They want someone who will give them the news.
My next tip is to find the story within the story. Take the press release and look for the statistics and content that stick out for you. Think like a reporter. What in this press release does the reporter want to hear? What is newsworthy and what will attract attention? These are the types of questions you need to ask yourself. Find the answer to these and your pitch will become much stronger.
Remember that you are providing a service to the reporters. You are giving them the news. Of course you are going to feel a little nervous, but try not to be. Most of the time, reporters are going to be happy for your calls. You are giving them options on their next story to report on.
Lastly, have a rough draft written out in front of you. There is nothing more embarrassing than making a cold call and forgetting a vital piece of information. Also, if a reporter questions you about something, make sure you have a copy of the press release available. Highlight important facts and statistics so the answers are right there for you.
Use these steps, like I have here at Tricom, and your pitch will become much better in the future.