Social Media

Communication during COVID-19

Posted by Megan Neher —

Extraordinary times. Unprecedented times. We must pivot our marketing, PR and social media strategies. These are all things we’ve heard repeatedly during the past few weeks throughout this COVID-19 health crisis.

What can we do right now? What I would recommend to my clients right now is to communicate sensitively, remain optimistic and be present. It’s important to be authentic to our internal and external audiences because our company’s brand voice has a character, and it must continue during this time. We don’t want to be absent or go completely dark during a crisis. In fact, I’d argue it’s even more important to be there for our audiences as many of us are on the Internet a lot more right now with the isolation order.

What this means for businesses:

Revamping all of the scheduled social media posts and starting from scratch
Rescheduling or canceling planned events and announcing new dates to audiences
Developing relevant webinars
Writing helpful blog posts
Continuing with pertinent updates to websites, e-newsletters and social marketing
Looking for possible news angles to share useful information with the local media

How we recover? I’ve owned my business for nearly 17 years assisting clients with media relations, marketing, social media and crisis communication. What is happening today is unique, but it is also what we plan for every time we talk about crisis and business planning.

Recovering from this means we need to think beyond the crisis. Which is one of the hardest things to do! The uncertainty surrounding the timing of the end of our isolation order as well as the uncertainty surrounding the end of the spread of the virus is causing fear for a lot of us. I would suggest that we thoughtfully look at our communication strategies for 2020, and re-adjust based on this new normal.

My recommendations for how we come back: build credibility, engage on a deeper level, communicate empathy and demonstrate competence.

Why messaging is important? I love thinking about the importance of communication specifically during THIS crisis. When it comes to beating this pandemic, it is all about spreading the message to #flattenthecurve. Without concerted messaging from politicians, businesses, civic leaders and eventually trickling down to all of the rest of us, this virus would have serious and possibly grave effects on humanity.

During a crisis, good communicators understand the importance of:

building trust
explaining the risks without creating panic
demonstrating that leadership has a plan and is taking action
conveying instructions appropriately
welcoming feedback and working to engage with audiences
maintaining focus and sharing positivity when appropriate

There’s been a lot of jokes on TV and social media, including on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, about the abundance of businesses communicating about COVID-19, mostly emails flooding our in-boxes from every business we’ve patronized… ever. I don’t mind these jokes. This is good communication business policy. This means that businesses are mindful and responding to their customers appropriately.

When the dust settles (and I know it will), I hope and pray we’ll all be safe and back to our new marketing strategies of best practices of communication, messaging, PR and social media.

Jun
07 ^th

Newsroom reminiscing

Posted by Megan Neher —

Listen up, kids:

Before there was such a thing as blogs and social media, there was something called newspapers. (OK, to be fair, after newspapers and before blogs there was a short-lived thing called zines, but no one remembers what those were.) And back then, newspapers were how we got most of our news. I worked as a writer for a daily newspaper in Lawrence, Kansas, and I wrote my first “blog” before we even knew what blogs were.

The assignment came from the managing editor. I’d only been a reporter for a couple of years, and the only thing I had ever written was news stories – third-person articles with quotes and facts. So, I was super uncomfortable writing a first-person column for the paper on a topic like this one. I think it was immediately obvious that I wasn’t the next Ann Landers because this was my first and last column they asked me to write.

But I never forgot the assignment. I even saved a copy after all of these years. On the 50^th birthday of the bikini, the assignment was to write what this style of swimsuit meant to me. WHAT??

Looking back on my job as a newspaper reporter and all of the news I covered in the six years I worked for daily newspapers, it was one of the greatest times in my career. I was totally green. Made a ton of mistakes. Was figuring it out as I went, and loving every minute of it. I missed the ambiance of the newsroom the minute I left – as crazy as it was. To this day, I value #localnews, believe in journalism and our #FreePress and love the beauty of news storytelling.

Take a read of the article below, and see for yourself if 25-year-old Megan’s writing style has changed over the years. (PS – 48-year-old Megan is looking for a new swimsuit this year. Anyone know where I can find a combination of a muumuu and a scuba suit?)

Lawrence Journal-World – Re-print from Thursday, July 11, 1996

Article headline: Fashion freedom isn’t cheap

I can still remember climbing into the tight flowered bikini that my teenage sisters picked out for my plump 4-year-old body.

And ever since, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the infamous bikini. Of course at 4 years old, the rolls of fat are adorable. But today, I’m a little less excited about revealing my cellulite. Still, I haven’t given it up.

Yea, I usually say I wear a bikini because I’m trying to get the almost all-over tan. But the truth is I’m a slave to fashion just the rest of us.

It’s always the most stylish women at the pool or beach who are parading around in chic bikinis. I’m just trying to follow suit. Besides, I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a grandma-style one-piece swimsuit. But it hasn’t always been easy. Just ask any bikini wearer.

The saga usually begins at the stores. If you’re going to wear a bikini, you better set aside several days to find a suit that fits. Most men probably won’t believe this, but for some of us with unique body shapes, it could take years to discover the perfect style.

Nowadays, the modern bikinis are a bit more sophisticated. They offer underwire, padding, straps, slimming panels in every shape and color to assist in the quest for the precise fit. After you’ve found the right suit, the problems don’t end there. What about when you want to take a quick dive off the diving board? Forget it.

Now that you’re a bikini wearer, you have to be extremely cautious doing acrobatic water activities like skiing or tubing. The two pieces of small fabric covering the important parts of your body just weren’t built to withstand the forces of nature. Even the slightest movements can cause crunching, sliding, bunching or worse yet, untying!

The tried the gamut of styles during the years. I proudly wore a K-State purple velour style last year and before that I had the tank-style, some frills, bows, stripes, plaids and even a famous teeny weenie yellow polka-dot bikini.

And speaking of teeny weenie, that’s something else bikini wearers like me have had to put up with. Comments about the size of the garment. For years it was hard for my parents to comprehend how less than a yard of fabric could cost more than $50. “Is that a Barbie outfit?” my mom would say as I grabbed my towel and head for the beach.

“You can’t wear that outside in public, you’ll be arrested!” my dad would shout.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but sometimes they were right. There have been several occasions at the pool when I just didn’t feel like “sucking it in” the entire day. During the years, I’ve been open to new trends in two-piece swimsuits. But there are two things that will turn me into a religious one-piece swimsuit wearer. The thong bikini and stretch marks.

Nov
06 ^th

Success with Collaboration

Posted by Megan Neher —

Photo caption: PR girls should know better than to do a photoshoot on the hottest day of the summer! What were we thinking?

I’ve had my own company for 14 years and it took me the first five years to figure out how to categorize it. I started by saying I was a freelancer or a subcontractor. But as I grew and got more clients and even my own subcontractors, things began to change.

My elevator speech morphed into: Hi, I own my own boutique PR agency. But we were a unique model. Today, I don’t believe we are. We are collaborators who work virtually rather than a traditional PR firm. Most of the people I work with have their own business cards and have successful marketing, writing, graphic design or social media freelance companies of their own. I have longstanding relationships with: Ashley Cleveland, Erica Cohen, Laurie Morrissey, Kari D’Amato, Nancy Besa, Angela Presnell, Suze Parker, Robyn Caulfield, Jenny Kincaid, Melanie Deardorff, Elaine Symanski, Kerry O’Connor, Jenny Wheat and more. We exchange ideas, business leads and referrals and most importantly collaborate on client work!

I spoke to an agency owner in 2004 who had been doing marketing and PR this way in San Francisco for more than a decade. He described his business model and to this day I’ve patterned my company after his. Through Kansas City International Association of Business Communicators, I’ve met many other small/boutique PR firms and other communicators who have similar businesses set up very much the same. I knew this was the model I wanted to continue for my business.

I love working from home (at least most days I do when the kids and pets aren’t driving me crazy), and I love having the flexibility of subcontractors.

But I think the best part of this model is being able to take advantage of the collaboration of experts in the industry. When my clients have a complex challenge, it makes sense for my business to capitalize on specific individuals who I’m confident will be successful for specific strategies.

How have we been successful? Communication is paramount. Facilitating information flow across clients and the team through weekly status meetings, daily emails and other tools is just one of the ways we support each other.

What does this look like for the future? Even more collaboration! As a boutique PR firm handling social media, grassroots marketing, media outreach, influencer relations and community events, we have already been working collaboratively with larger advertising agencies and digital firms as their “PR department.” I predict that trend will continue as the industry evolves.

When working with these larger agencies, it has been so exciting to be a part of a team servicing a big client and a more comprehensive agency team. I’ve learned a few things as an “agency collaborator” and it’s been a rewarding challenge.

We’re collaborators not competitors.
Egos are checked at the door.
We must prove collaborative results and be willing to work cross agency.

Like all industries, this one continues to evolve and I’m excited about the future of collaboration and continued industry networking.

Sep
28 ^th

Millennials – Thanks for collaborating! Now, please stop texting.

Posted by Megan Neher —

(I’m not pictured yet in this photo. I’m still yet to come! I was number 5.)

I’m a gen-Xer. I’m kinda jealous of my millennial little bros and sisters. I feel like I’m the middle child; mad that the youngest is getting all of the attention.

As the baby in my own family, I remember my brothers and sisters say things like:

She got a car, we didn’t!
Her curfew is later!
She gets to go on a spring break trip, we stayed home!

Today, I feel like I keep hearing the same messaging: We must cater to the millennials.

I realize in marketing and PR, I have to pay very close attention to the millennials preferences because of their incredible buying power in the marketplace. Things like:

How they like to place their orders for food,
Online shopping preferences,
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram views,
How they communicate, and
How they consume the news.

As applicants and employees, millennials seem confident but sometimes lack in good old-fashioned persistent. We usually hire interns who don’t just send an email, but followup with a phone call because a tenacious young professional is the kind of intern that we’re looking for.

Some of the best learning experiences for new professionals in the workforce is to collaborate. I think it is important for all of us Gen-Xers and beyond to mentor (good learning experience for us too!), help motivate and show our appreciation.

I try to offer constructive criticism to interns and mentees from time to time, but something I’ve seen a few times recently in client meetings is an unconscious use of cell phones.

My advice: GET OFF YOUR PHONE.

Find something for your hands to do without it. Do not bring it to a meeting or if you do, put it away, do not text during a meeting, do not check your Instagram and do not have it out on the table. Without your phone, you might be able to:

be engaged
offer input
live your life in the moment and truly learn from us old folks some times

In fact, I learn every day from working with young professionals, and I plan to continue my education by surrounding myself with bright young minds.

Sep
28 ^th

Pinterest’s Utopian Lifestyle

Posted by Megan Neher —

I’m a waffleler. I don’t know if that’s a word or not, but I waffle on the topic of Pinterest.

I just attended a session on how fabulous Pinterest is for businesses at the IABC Southern Region Conference in Charleston, South Carolina. The presenter was Tim McMullen, a really cool guy who founded a marketing/social media firm in Nashville called Red Pepper. Prior to hearing him speak, I was four paragraphs into a blog post on what a waste of time Pinterest is. Thus, I waffle.

So, I begin with the negative: Generation Y’s love Pinterest, and they go around pinning everything they believe is perfect online. These mostly young women plan their perfect online lives. (Men, hello? Are you on Pinterest?) These girls adorn their dorm rooms, schedule their engagements, plan their weddings, decorate their homes or apartments, organize their pregnancy, reveal the sex of their children, and welcome their babies.

Keep in mind these are beautiful lives. In Pinterest land, nothing bad happens.

Yes, I believe in dreams. Everyone should have aspirations. But why waste your time sitting on your ratty apartment futon for hours pinning recipes you’ll never make, extravagant homes you’ll never live in and amazing hairdos you can never achieve?

I think we should all strive to improve our lives, but what I don’t like about Pinterest is that it has created a generation of women who believe this sort-of online Utopia will someday come true. Or worse, people who sit around pinning and make themselves miserable knowing that it won’t ever come true. Perfect homes. Perfect makeup. Perfect bridal showers. Perfect Thanksgiving tables with tiny turkeys at every plate.

And, a true story about a Pinterest-loving Bridezillas who was so obsessed with her balloons lifting off immediately following her wedding ceremony (an idea she lifted from Pinterest) that she couldn’t focus on one of the most important moments in her life.

I used to hate the phrase “live in the moment” because I thought who isn’t living in the moment? We are all living (well, aren’t we?)… and this is the moment! But, Pinterest is taking that away from those who are pinning, because that’s not living. That’s fake living.

And, isn’t it sad to pin things day after day that you want. It’s like a child’s Christmas list filled with ponies and backyard merry-go-rounds – but for grownups. Forever unattainable.

Now, to Mr. McMullen’s point.

First of all, he did his entire presentation IN Pinterest… which I didn’t even know was possible. And, that was SO cool! He talked about some very fascinating marketing strategies I hadn’t thought about: ways to target audiences, capture customer information and most importantly generate sales.

Yes, today people consume media differently. It’s not just traditional stuff like TV anymore. And, it’s certainly not newspaper, (even though I still read it)! Pinterest is growing at an astounding rate. In only two years, it has more than 10 million users – Facebook only had 6 million users in its first 2 years. (Thank you Red Pepper Pinterest page for that pin!)

Bottom line: from a business perspective, I MUST use Pinterest. I have to get on board, get excited about it and get creative!

I’m open to suggestions. If you use Pinterest for more than a fake/beautiful/coveted life, inform me! I’m a newbie and I’m willing to be “pinned wrong” on this one!

Feb
10 ^th

Are you prepared for a social media firestorm?

Posted by Megan Neher —

Communicating at light speed – that’s the new norm. We PR practitioners need to get accustomed to it or become dinosaurs.

That was never so evident than when the marketing/PR/communications team for the Susan G. Komen Foundation was blindsided with the concerted effort of Planned Parenthood recently. No matter what side of the argument you land on, it was clear to anyone watching this national controversy unfold that one side was communicating effectively and powerfully, while the other was getting pounded.

Komen had decided to publicity announce that it had pulled its funding from Planned Parenthood. They politely and quietly made their announcement apparently unknowing what was about to happen. They were unprepared for the social media firestorm.

I have no idea how Planned Parenthood was able to secure its grassroots armies of social media troops throughout the country to attack Komen so quickly. Did they have prior knowledge of the announcement? Was it solely the passion behind the cause that fueled the storm and efforts so quickly?

Whatever it was, they communicated via Facebook and Twitter in a concerted and effective method. So much so, I believe, that it was the single most significant reason Komen reversed its decision. From their standpoint, thousands of people were hammering them over and over again with targeted negative messages. This hammering was preventing them from getting their messaging out. Even a PR person for Komen tweeted on day No. 2 of the controversy that her office was full of #idiots for not recognizing this would happen.

Another recent example proves that social media is more than just a social playground. JC Penney named Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson. Because she is gay, an organization called the One Million Moms began an online protest. Again, I think the organization may have been surprised by the response they received.

Ellen, with the power of her television show and passionate following, addressed the protest head-on. In response, supporters of Ellen have offered to shop at JC Penney… even if they’ve never shopped there before by posting thousands of Facebook and Twitter messages – all pointed directly at One Million Moms. Probably not what they expected! Ultimately, I was pleased JC Penney stood by its decision and didn’t let an organization bully them with threats of boycotts and value complaints.

I’m writing this blog post today because I was asked by a Kansas City TV station to be a social media/public relations expert for a news segment last week. I figured… if I gathered my thoughts enough for the TV interview, I should at least get some use out of it and put it down in a blog!

The interview occurred before Komen reversed its decision to fund grants to Planned Parenthood. It’s interesting… at the speed of communication today; things can change in a split second. You have to stay on top of the issues or you’re left arguing for (or against?) a topic that is no longer relevant!

Oct
22 ^nd

I love grammer, I mean… grammar!

Posted by Megan Neher —

Some people think I’m sick. I love grammar. I like to edit things. I scour for errors. I’m not unlike many of you out there. I cringe when my husband says, “where’s it at?” or I get a newsletter from school that says “Event Tonite!”

I come from a long line of freaky editor types. My grandmother was born in 1901 and was the editor of The Kansan at the University of Kansas in 1920. She also worked on the yearbook, as did my mother. I went to K-State, but was an editor at both the college newspaper and the yearbook. Maybe grammar is in our blood.

“It’s lie, dear,” my grandmother would say when I would say that I was going to go lay down for a nap. Ouch, that’s even hard to type those words now.

In today’s world, young people don’t care about grammar. Yes, they have to for English class. But otherwise there’s no pride. And, I’m not just talking about texting. It’s not just young people. I think because people are consuming media differently, there’s a general lax. Very few of my adult friends subscribe to the newspaper, nor do they read it. So how are they to learn/be reminded of good grammar if they aren’t consistantly consuming quality written media?

One example. I upload my clients’ press releases to an online service on the Kansas City Star’s website. (I’m not sure why I do this because I don’t think anyone reads this site or cares about it, but at least it’s on there.) Anyway, while I’m on the site, I’ll read some of the other press releases. Most are very professional. A few appear to be written by second-graders. I’m shocked by the disregard of the rules of sentence structure, punctuation, spelling and grammar.

There’s been a lot in the media about texting and how it is ruining the youth’s writing skills. I agree. Hopefully most young people can see the difference between a text and true writing.

What scares me is going beyond that. For the past… errrr… I don’t know… 10 years or so… I was one of the few former journalist-turned-something-else who believed the newspaper would never die. I’m over that. I believe in the next five years or so there will be no newspaper in my driveway every morning, and that makes me very sad. I love opening it up. I love spreading it out. I love touching it.

So, here’s my question: will college students study print journalism? Why would they? That won’t even exist. Will every college student who wants to be a “journalistic writer” get a degree in online journalism? Is that writing different? It shouldn’t be. I don’t want online journalism or writing for online in general to be considered so temporary that we can be sloppy.

Some may think they don’t have to really care about grammar or rules because it is just for “online” or just a blog. Some blog writing is atrocious. I suppose that’s OK if a grandma is simply chronicling her soup recipe or a mom is writing about her son’s first year, but there should be a difference between the paid professional who studied for four years to become a… journalistic blog writer?

I would hope that there are college professors meeting right now and developing curriculum for this next generation of writers. I would ask them to please require each student to purchase a printed copy of the AP Stylebook and to READ it cover to cover as I did – twice. Along with many other good books on grammar. These books should be studied and these students should be tested on the rules of grammar.

Finally, for those who uncover good writing online and ferret out some bloggers or online journalists who truly care about the written word – whether it appears on a screen or on a printed page, let’s applaud them… for they may be an endangered species.

Jan
17 ^th

Snacking on Communications

Posted by Megan Neher —

Communication World magazine featured “content snacking” in its January issue. And who doesn’t love to snack. (popcorn is my favorite!) In fact, that’s my point. The article talks about today’s cluttered media and messaging environment. With the invention of the iPad, smart phone and e-book, consumers are looking to quickly scan, read and digest critical information/news quickly.

I agree with the growth of snacking… or reading only the first part of an article and scanning the rest. However, I’m not sure this is new. As a journalist, you’re taught to write the inverted pyramid style. This means writers place the most important information in the first sentence so that stories can easily be edited from the bottom. But, also, news stories are written in this manner so that snackers can quickly read the first sentence and get a gist of the story. Or maybe just read until the jump to another page in the paper and there’s no time to read the rest.

The article says: If snackers comprise your core audience you have to cater to their needs. I’d argue “snackers” comprise every audience.

Whether you’re communicating a newsletter, email pitch to an editor, benefits package information to employees or timely news to industry professionals, you must find an interesting angle and start your message with it.

The article goes on to say that the “snacking” will not last – people will still want good “full meals” again. I disagree. People have been consuming only the first few paragraphs of an article for decades. (probably a habit we learned in high school from reading text books) If anything, I think the snacking will get stronger.

As a writer, I would hope consumers’ appetites would grow, but I’m doubtful simply because of the clutter. I think this places an even larger responsibility on the writers to engage quickly and do their best to write succinctly to sustain the reader’s appetite.

Jun
29 ^th

What’s your favorite social media contest?

Posted by Megan Neher —

I’ve tried a variety of social media contests and promotions in the past 12 months and some have worked well and a couple weren’t very popular. Given the successes and the ease of implementing these programs – not to mention the cost (FREE!), I continue to suggest my clients that we develop one-of-a-kind promotions on Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets (including e-newsletter promotions).

Some of the programs that were successful include:

-A Facebook contest for Zona Rosa. We surprised our 15,000 fans with a contest: the first 20 people to show up at Guest Services would receive a $25 gift card. The Facebook page went crazy with comments and we gave away the gift cards in about 20 minutes. People came running in with their laptops, cell phone and print pages. It was a lot of fun and we generated a ton of new fans.

-We tried a re-tweet for a treat contest and didn’t get a ton of participation, but I still think that it was a cute promotion and might grow in popularity with another go.

Lastly, here’s one that was a big success for my client.

RA SUSHI HONORS INTERNATIONAL SUSHI DAY WITH COMPLIMENTARY TOOTSY MAKI FOR ALL FACEBOOK FRIENDS
“Like” RA on Facebook for a special offer good for one day only

On June 18, 2010, RA Sushi Bar Restaurant celebrated International Sushi Day, an informal holiday created to encourage sushi lovers around the world to eat more sushi. In honor of this day, anyone who “likes” RA Sushi on Facebook was able to print a special offer good for one complimentary Tootsy Maki, redeemable at one of RA Sushi’s 25 locations nationwide, including Leawood, Kan.

The special offer was promoted on Facebook only. Tootsy Maki is one of RA Sushi’s most popular rolls containing kani kama crab mix, shrimp and cucumber, rolled and topped with crunchy tempura bits and drizzled with a sweet eel sauce. This signature dish was free on International Sushi Day for those who “like” RA Sushi on Facebook and came into the restaurant with the Facebook coupon.

To make this holiday even more official, RA Sushi declared June 18 as International Sushi Day in Chase’s Calendar of Events, the most comprehensive and authoritative reference available on special events, worldwide holidays, civic observations, and more. International Sushi Day will appear in the 2011 edition of Chase’s Calendar of Events.

The restaurant hopes to get even more redemptions next year. Results for this year (which include all 25 locations) show that RA increased visits to the Facebook pages, received more than 2,000 “likes” on Facebook, generated comments regarding the special offer, drew more Twitter followers, garnered media mentions and most importantly drew 48 people to walk into RA Sushi Leawood to redeem their Tootsy Maki coupon.

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