Influencer marketing is an effective form of marketing for both large and small brands. By tapping into an existing community of engaged followers, brands can generate exposure, gain credibility and see an increase in sales.
Influencer marketing can be a viable tactic, but with millions of potential influencers it can be challenging to navigate your first campaign. We had four PR pros answer three questions on this topic. Check out their advice on strategy, measurement and more!
Advice for Influencer Marketing
Jennifer Bisbee, APR of Bisbee and Company, Inc.
#1 TYPES OF CAMPAIGNS
The most successful influencer marketing campaigns are strategic, creative and engaging, and... ⇢ read more
As the daily question of whether to bring folks back into office is a real deal for employers…and employees continue to enjoy dressing “business on top and party on the bottom,” it looks like video conferences will be in play for some time.
So whether you are in a standing weekly meeting with the boss, a new business pitch, or in a television interview, here are some reminders on things to focus on before you get in front of that computer camera.
(I actually sent this email to a client this week.)
We were fortunate enough to garner two stories around our lack... ⇢ read more
By Fran Stephenson, Principal, Step in Communication
If you haven’t yet heard of the Fyre Festival, there are two new documentaries—one on Netflix and one on Hulu -- which highlight the massive failure of a 2017 luxury music festival promoted by entrepreneur Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule.
It was such a debacle that it landed McFarland in jail, left hundreds of contractors, suppliers and employees unpaid, and ruined the livelihoods of citizens of Great Exuma, the Bahamian Island that was the event site.
It would be easy to dissect every misstep about Fyre Festival because there were a lot of them. But... ⇢ read more
Earlier this month, International House of Pancakes (aka IHOP) made a bold decision to rebrand. At least, that’s what people initially thought. IHOP announced June 4 on Twitter it was “flippin’ our name to IHOb.” The company didn’t tell anyone what the “b” would stand for initially, building suspense for the big reveal.
People guessed everything from biscuits, to bacon to butternut squash. Many people assumed “b” would stand for “breakfast” since IHOP is known for its pancakes and other morning fare. For a week, IHOb (the name had already been changed on Twitter) continued to engage with followers via social... ⇢ read more
By Amy Kossoff Smith, Founder/Editor of PRCG Powerlines and Founder/President of Write Ideas, Inc. and Power Hour Editing
It was time to “plug into PRCG” with business development and community service in Tempe, Arizona, for PRConsultants Group’s 15th Annual Conference. Some 42 members attended, representing 40 markets, for education, networking, and strategizing how to capitalize on public relations opportunities in 2018.
The State of the Network revealed a robust combination of ongoing development, growth potential, and an unprecedented amount of intra-group collaboration. Next, members enjoyed a hands-on “Embracing Your Creativity” workshop with Many-to-One’s Dennis Skinner. This 17-year creativity veteran outlined the barriers... ⇢ read more
With all the many channels in which people communicate, nonprofit organizations need to find ways to outreach to both current and potential audiences. Social media is segmented, based on each platform’s users, so nonprofits need a strategy to outreach, share and “rally the troops” to effectively break through the myriad of messaging out there. Three such groups, ambassadors, avengers and advocates, can be an instrumental part of organization’s comprehensive communication plan.
Ambassadors
Ambassadors are folks who are tied into your community. They tend to be influencers who are willing and able to help spread the word about your organization at events and... ⇢ read more
The drumbeat over the growing spate of “fake news” stories reached a crescendo last week when the 2017 AP Stylebook felt compelled to address proper journalistic style when referring to “the modern phenomenon of deliberate falsehoods or fiction masked as news circulating on the internet.” Ironically, “fake news” is far from new. The Onion and National Inquirer were peddling this cheap brand of journalism long before Al Gore ever invented the internet.
What is new is the impact “fake news” is having on the Fourth Estate; where trust in traditional news media is at an all-time low. A September 2016 Gallup... ⇢ read more
Smart public relations practitioners are always looking for ways to expand the visibility of their clients’ plans and programs. Adding opportunities for outreach to social influencers is one way to do that.
Identifying the Right Influencers
Identifying the right influencers involves the same mindset as identifying “beat” reporters or other key stakeholders. Look at the clients’ media channels to see if certain names keep popping up. Someone who is already a fan could be the right approach. Another approach is to find a local bloggers group or Social Media Breakfast if you’re targeting within a specific geographic area. In my hometown of... ⇢ read more
It’s time to vote! Perhaps you ran to the polls this morning to help the candidate you love become our next president. Or, maybe your vote just celebrates your right to do so and the end of a very long ad season. Either way, there’s no denying the Trump/Clinton race has been particularly intense. Dominated by unprecedented levels of mudslinging and scandals—the effect may last longer than Election Day.
A sky-high level of controversy is characteristic of this year's election. But, it begs a question about whether Trump and Clinton are that much more controversy worthy than candidates in the past. Could this level of... ⇢ read more
In 2016 we're all potential TV stars thanks to the accessibility of livestream video. Now we have our very own channels - on Periscope, YouTube and Facebook Live - where we can find people waxing on about pretty much anything.
Of course only .33 percent of videos ever go viral and get over a million views. And fewer than half of YouTube videos ever reach 500. But there's always an outlier, like a hysterically excited Candace Payne unboxing a Chewbacca Mask on Facebook Live, that breaks the rules and earns 160 million views.
What does that mean? Well, we’ve always been drawn to crazy stunts and train... ⇢ read more
By Melissa Libby, Melissa Libby & Associates
When was last time you attended a cocktail party, wedding or other social event where a fight broke out? I mean a name-calling, yelling, party-shattering fight? Where most people at the party joined in to encourage the fight and throw a few barbs themselves, while a few quietly stood back and watched? Hardly what I would call “social.” And yet, this happens on social media every day. I’d love to see a movement to put the “social” back in “social media” and encourage people to remember what they learned in kindergarten about being nice. Or... ⇢ read more
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