Posts Tagged ‘imc’

Building effective social media messages

Friday, March 11th, 2011

Messaging is probably the most important element to any marketing and communications campaign, as it represents the core of your PR strategy.

Building the right message is easier said than done in the era of social media, when so much is shared and often times distorted.

Growing up in Athens, my grade school friends and I used to play a game called “broken telephone,” where the first in line would whisper a word to the person next to them and so on.  By the time the communication reached the last person, usually with 6-8 kids playing, the word had changed completely!

It’s a similar concept with messaging for a business.  You want to ensure the proper channels are in place to carry the message forward by keeping it intact:

- Strategize by prioritizing what properties of your message you are willing to lose as the message is shared, and shared again.  With FB and Tw, you expect anything you post to be fair game and go viral.  Know in advance what you want people/fans/followers to talk about and what types of conversations you would like to see on social media.

- Choose the right media for your message.  This is a no brainer, especially when you know what social networks work best for you.  Take the time to research if LinkedIn or Facebook or YouTube is best.  They may all work, or only one.  Maybe even none.  You need to make sure before you send posts out to the digital space

- Choose the right professionals to build your message.  Message builds content these days.  Period.  If you don’t have content, you can’t share it, no one can talk about it, and web traffic dwindles.  Keep the buzz going with the best professionals who understand your industry and know how to manage your expectations. 

- Expect that social media will keep changing, and so your message has to be multifaceted.  Keep several angles attached to your message so you can refresh it with new contect and conversations.  The more angles you can come up with, the better story you will be able to share with the right people.

It’s important to know that building a message takes time and is a strategic communications process that will evolve with the objectives and goals of your client’s business.  Being flexible as a PR person and making changes where necessary is helpful and can lead to success in the long term.  Since messaging enhances branding, it makes sense to invest in a long term approach that will yield high ROR and ROI.

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »

A young professional’s innovative approach to hospitality PR

Monday, February 21st, 2011

Since the purpose of this blog is to discuss topics that relate to PR and how it evolves, I thought it would be beneficial to share the perspective of the new PR professionals as they enter the field and what they are thinking.

I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with Melanie Dorange through my blog for the past couple of years.  Melanie is a young dedicated hospitality professional in Europe, with a strong sense and understanding of the PR process.  I hope you will find her blog post informational - feel free to comment and open for discussion:

If I should use only one word to describe my feeling about the hospitality industry outlook, I would say “challenging”. This word has two possible reading: you can translate it as “obstacles, uncertainty, problems”, but you can also hear “evolution, opportunities, stimulating”. I choose the second reading.

Despite having started my career in a difficult economic environment and feeling everyday the pressure of competition on the job market and the growing number of tools to master in order to be a good hotel PR, I am feeling more enthusiastic than ever about this role of representative and determined to build my career on a strong base. Starting now. Learning to work around quality and integrity will serve my whole career.

In my quest to perfect my approach to PR, I have created a check-list with some of the elements I find determinant for me to keep in mind, looking ahead to the next decade. Some of them are based on my experience, others on my readings and other professionals’ sayings. These are the first three points on my list:

-          Brush my story-telling and narration skills

Daniel Craig recently reminded me about this topic on his blog, and how much impact a good narrated story can have on the media first when it comes to selection, and secondly on our readers. I like the idea that we should think like creative writers and journalists whenever writing stories for our clients, with the objective that travellers should picture themselves as the heroes of our stories. I am already trying to apply it as a way to “stand out from the crowd”. This is where creativity is key, we need to capture the hotel’s niche and describe this exception in a catchy and personal story. This type of writing implies a more focused communication, but I feel the traditional press release is still very useful for other announcements such as awards and nominations.

-          Keep my eyes wide open

Keeping track of innovations in the wide field of communications is critical for me. I read blogs and online news every day in order to be aware of the latest trends. I am not using all of the tricks and tools I read about, but at least I know about them.

Keep an eye on the next generation of hoteliers is also part of this monitoring. In the next years, hoteliers’ strategies will change, and so will ours in turn. Some events already bring together students or graduates from leading hotel schools around the world in order to exchange knowledge and ideas, and they reveal what challenges this new generation foresees in the future. These young graduates are tomorrow’s hospitality leaders, so understanding their drivers help me anticipate the task we will face in some years.

-          Pamper the photographer

This one is not new. I know it sounds obvious, but I am already convinced. It’s all about the picture, the one fabulous image that “has it all”. This picture which makes the reader turn back the page, or scroll up to double-check, even after going through hundreds of (web)pages when his eyes are reading one line out of five. I call them “subliminal shots”, because they come back to the mind at unexpected times like unconscious thoughts, and the associated hotel name along! Having quality images will eventually put the hotel forward, whether online or in print. This is one of the first things I have learned in PR, but it proved being right so often already. Investing in quality photographs is a trick I won’t leave aside.

When I think of my future, I know I may have to adapt to the environment and redefine my skills as often as needed, and I am ready for it. (Think about it, I may be around for the next 35-40 years*, what will travel PR be like in 2060?) But there is at least one thing I will never alter in my personal life and in my work: loyalty to my values and authenticity.

[* taking into account the extension of retirement age!]

Per her request, Melanie can be reached via email

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »

Measuring PR in the social media era

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

Colleagues and I have been talking about this topic a lot in the past couple of years.  With Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn to keep alive, along with maintaining relationships with bloggers and tracking the online news environment, how do we measure PR in terms of value in this era?

Like most elements of the integrated marketing communications process, PR should have a strategy that’s initially agreed upon.  While PR is a continues process that must allow for changes, tweaks and much flexibility, the ultimate goal should remain in tact.  For example, if a PR campaign is employed to handle a crisis on Facebook and Twitter, the goal could be to successfully contain the viral posts with the purpose of diffusing the situation in such a way where brand reputation is restored as quickly as possible. 

We used to measure PR in column inches back in the glory days of print.  While print is still quite valuable, the online world has opened too many doors for PR pros to ignore as potential opportunities.  Aside from calculating online impressions and advertising value, social media PR should also be measured accordingly.  Post quality, frequency, and participation also matters.  With social media, however, it’s about quality of fans and followers, and not so much the quantity.  Again, that depends on your client’s goals and what you decide is the best strategy.

Another key measurement that many colleagues overlook is the wish list.  If you and the client come up with a specific list of potential placements, or specific goals achieved on social media, then that should be the ultimate reward for a successful campaign.  Or, if you’re handling a crisis, perhaps how quickly your strategy turns things around can be the measurement.

In the end, it’s how you and the client communicate on what PR will mean and how it will be defined in the short and long term.  Good measurement and effective results come only after a solid strategy has been put in place along with the proper time to be executed.   And in my opinion, equivalent advertising value is not a fair measurement tool for a well placed article that offers third party endorsement of the outlet its featured in!

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Posted in Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, social media | 3 Comments »

To Boast or Not to Boast?

Monday, August 16th, 2010

One of the most important decisions a PR pro has to make early on in his/her career is what type of professional s/he wants to be.

I received a request to do a blog post about this, which was inspired by this article in PR Week, about how Naomi Campbell’s PR advisors handled her appearance at the Hague.   Although PR Week is indeed a publication that discusses strategy, reports news, and explores the PR process, this article is a classic example of how professionals can become… well… boastful. 

While I was asked about my opinion, I really am not in the position to comment on how a PR person should or should not be, as long as they are professional in their demeanor.   I think it is more important to decide on how a professional chooses to practice within the profession.  However, it is very unfortunate that on the whole, the ball takes those modest PR pros who choose not to broadcast their every success so widely… feeding the vacuum of misconceptions that the PR profession is a “spin doctor’s” profession.

Sigh. 

I read somewhere recently that “what other people think of you is not your business.”  While this statement may sound momentarily freeing and comforting, in PR at least, that is very untrue.

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Posted in Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, social media | 2 Comments »

Keeping up appearances

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

I am so pleased to launch a fresh look for my business after four years! It’s so rewarding to see where all this PR work has evolved into and its future potential. I am so happy with this new website that will serve not only as an integrated marketing tool, but also as a place for me to return every so often and reflect on my starting point.

Thank you to a fabulous team of web designers, the clients who I’ve had the pleasure of working with for years, and to my colleagues for their support and advice as we press on exploring the truth in PR.  The blog look will be updated shortly!

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »

For real? New rules of PR

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

I was reading a good book about the new rules of PR and Marketing last weekend, and it made me think how much the IMC field has evolved in less than five years.  It made me a little sad that the science/art/business of PR has to play by new rules in order to be strategic.  Most of all, I am sad because the lines between PR / Marketing / Advertising are once again blurred… even though we were so close to understanding their key differences.  However, reality is now, and I find that the new rules for PR success are not unreasonable.  Below are some that have stood out in my mind from my readings, and from my own experience so far:

- PR pros no longer pitch exclusively to media.  The direct-to-consumer communication takeover is fueled by social media, taking up most of PR practitioners’ time and effort.

- Press releases aren’t dead; they are completely redefined as something similar to ”consumer releases.” 

-  The one-hit PR wonder on the Today Show, Oprah, TIME is pretty much a thing of the past.  The trend of pitching to bloggers with SEO loaded text and the idea of offering up constant news in the online world is becoming more appealing for many companies.  While everyone would love to have a Newsweek editorial endorsement, companies find it more strategic to appear in multiple (albeit lesser known) outlets where SEO is key.

- PR folks are changing their lingo.  Terms such as fact sheet, media advisory, and broll are not necessarily common terms for everyone.  The language of a “consumer release” is different than the structure of a traditional press release.

- Social media etiquette.  All users should have this, but PR people should set the example as communication professionals.  Uploading high-quality content that addresses the message well, while be open to comments and feeback is important.

There are other new rules and subrules to follow as we bypass the media filter and talk directly to consumers these days.  These new rules are taking over quickly, and drastically changing the way we practiced in our field.  If you are a PR person out there, I’m interested in hearing how you think this will affect your career. 

Here’s my question:  Do you still want to be in PR now that we’re asked to essentially morph into direct marketers, who happen to possess great writing skills, just so that we can publicize SEO content to users?  Since everyone can become a journalist these days, how does that affect your practice, and will that also mean that everyone can become a self-proclaimed PR person?  Has that already happened?  Do your skills help you stand out in PR, or are you feeling the urge to reinvent yourself within the field?

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 4 Comments »

The future of online content

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Nearly 90% of my work involves some form of writing to service my clients’ business needs.  PR requires a solid writing ability and a very specific skill set of intuitively knowing who will be interested in reading your content and why.

Part of my work also involves monitoring the news environment, which has almost completely moved to online from the traditional print pubs.  It used to be where online content would supplement print.  The publishing crisis changed all of that, and now I would safely say that it’s the other way around.  In today’s world, print articles are outdated the minute they are published, and therefore they have become pretty showpieces of a nostalgic past where flipping pages was more satisfying than scrolling down to “read more” on a screen.  The need and the capability to immediately comment on articles sealed the deal for print pubs.  Period.

Clearly, the publishing crisis has impacted all of the IMC components, with a particular emphasis on PR.   Nowadays, I scan so many websites for content, I’m baffled with how many “experts” there are posting articles such as, “5 key points to…,” or ”7 trends to monitor…” and so on.  Everyone has become a reporter of some kind, but the ability and the skill to write is absent in too many of these mainstream, mislabeled, yet keyword-rich articles.  There’s so much to sift through, and absorb, it makes me wonder: what will content look like by 2020?

In 2010, we know that social media will drive content, and social networks are likely to continue dictating what is actually being read and absorbed, versus simply skimmed and shared. 

Big questions to ask:

1) Is quality of content gradually becoming more important in the face of the infinite amount of regurgitated content that just reads a little differently than the previous post?   

2) If content is closely tied to social media, what does that say about the future of the fickle three: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn?  Can we get enough quality content through these social networks so that they continue to be credible sources of information, as much as they have become marketing tools? 

3)  What is the next step once we reach the point of content saturation?  We all love informative articles that can help us shape opinions, and start conversations.  What happens when the online content world becomes too cluttered to make a real impact? 

I think that one of the issues is that too much content is free.   We’re noticing that some news sites are planning to start charging for readership in the next year or so.  If charging for content becomes mainstream, then it will be interesting to see how that will change the content world as we know it today.

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 3 Comments »

What should be the role of PR and IMC in this economy?

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

As a giant communications philosophy, IMC keeps evolving over the years. With the popularity and steep learning curve of clever social media versus traditional media relations campaigns, can PR still work well independently, or is it best practiced as part of an integrated marketing plan? With lower advertising budgets, and less exposure via paid communications, businesses have to become smarter with their marketing dollars. When planned well, PR offers better quality and longer term visibility than short term ad campaigns would for sure. But, in this economy, there’s a trend of businesses desperately trying out various components of IMC (advertising, marketing, social media, direct mail, interactive promotions, and PR) a little bit at a time, and spreading their dollars when they should be investing in what will work. That quickly turns very ineffective marketing into panic. You can’t just run 1 or 2 ads. You can’t just send out a press release without spending money to conduct follow-up. It’s therefore important to research each IMC option well and decide which vehicle will carry the message most effectively. Customize the best communications approach, and invest in it successfully. Thoughts anyone?

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Posted in Hospitality, PR | 2 Comments »