• Ins and Outs of PR Measurement

    PR Measurement and results are an important part of any PR program, and it’s something that’s in our DNA here at Matter Communications. Unlike PR’s closest relatives marketing and advertising where metrics are clearly defined and ROI is something that can be calculated, PR measurement has always been somewhat of a softer science.

    We recently had the pleasure of attending a seminar on the very topic of PR measurement, hosted by the Publicity Club of New England and PRSA Boston at the Bullhorn offices in Fort Point (which, side note, will be the future temporary home of General Electric when it relocates its headquarters to Boston). The seminar featured a Q&A with PR measurement pioneer and guru Katie Delahaye Paine, interviewed by Christine Perkett, CEO of PR analytics platform SeeDepth. Having worked with a number of large corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies, they provided the following advice for PR pros when it comes to measurement:

    1. What are you trying to achieve?

    The key to successful measurement begins with each team having a clear understanding of what our objectives are for measurement and what defines success. For us PR pros on the agency side, that means working closely with our client contacts and key internal stakeholders to define what we’re looking to achieve through PR. This is easier said than done, with Katie emphasizing the need to get all these decision-makers in a room together to come up with a clear definition of what the company is looking to achieve.

    1. Impression numbers aren’t the be all end all of measurement

    Impression numbers are one tool, but they certainly don’t tell the whole story. Katie pointed out that reach does not always guarantee awareness, you might not be reaching the audience your company actually cares about, and reach doesn’t tell you anything about if you’ve successfully educated that audience. As Katie put it, you can run down the street naked with messaging to get impressions, but there’s no ROI.

    In terms of media coverage, quality needs to be prioritized over quantity, with quality coverage being in a target publication that reaches your key audience and delivers positive messaging that map back to the goals set in step #1. There are many ways to measure beyond impressions, including share of voice and message pull through, just to name a few, and these are more meaningful metrics than just reach alone.

    1. There’s no magic tool that does this for you

    While there are many wonderful PR measurement tools out there, there’s not a single one that completely automates the process for you. PR measurement still requires a human touch as it’s still an inexact science that varies greatly from company to company.

    Measurement is an extremely important, yet constantly evolving, part of the PR industry, and it is up to us as PR pros to determine the best ways to successfully show its worth.

    Matter

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  • Animate Your Infographics to Maximize Your Reach

    In today’s media landscape, there’s no such thing as “too much content.”  The amount of platforms, outlets, and opportunities for getting your message seen and heard is enormous, and it’s crucial that brands take notice and stay ahead of the game.  

    As both the Boy Scouts of America and Scar from the Lion King advise, “Be Prepared.”  It’s best to always be ready with content (especially visual content) before it’s needed, because inevitably, it WILL be needed.

    Here at Matter, we’re big proponents of maximizing content and creating cross-platform campaigns.  It’s one of the many benefits of having a full suite of creative services under one roof, working with both the PR teams and each other to keep messaging and aesthetics consistent, regardless of what the “output” is.

    While larger projects (product launches, cause campaigns, etc) benefit most from utilizing the “Holy Trinity” of Creative Services – integrated Web Development, Design, and Video (more on that in another post), smaller initiatives can benefit immediately from simply going one step further with your content production than initially planned.

    With that, I give you The Animated Infographic – A cost-effective way to spread your message across as many platforms as possible, while maintaining a consistent design aesthetic.

    By developing both a static infographic AND an animated video based off of that infographic, you’re ready for almost any application.  Examples:

    -Post the infographic on your site (obvi…)

    -Add the video to your YouTube page (also obvi…)

    -Print out the infographic to use as collateral.  Clients have used our infographics at presentations, sales meetings, or even blown up and displayed as artwork on walls (we do that too)

    -Include either the infographic or video (or both!) in press releases and blog posts

    -Run the video on TV screens at trade shows or at your office.

    And the best part is, as your story gets pitched to media and spread on social channels, you can accommodate any content request.  Some websites may prefer to embed videos, while some may want the static infographic.  Print publications, obviously, would prefer the infographic if they plan to print it.  Double-up on Facebook and Twitter blasts by sharing both pieces of content separately.

    This way, you can be sure that you’ve got a consistent message and design aesthetic, and have maximized your opportunities for sharing across all possible outlets.

    Check out some examples we’ve produced here at Matter!

    Tyco Integrated Security:

    Anna Jaques Hospital:

    Madico Window Films:

    High Liner Foods:

    Matter

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  • Apathy Interrupted: How Smart Marketing Wins

    Once upon a time, a movie camera was invented. What would follow were silent movies, movies in black and white, movies in color, movies with sound, special effects and eventually even 3D movies. There would be cult classics, box office biggies, busts, rom coms and everything in-between, and there would be public relations efforts for each one. These days there seems to be a new multi-million dollar movie, hitting the box office every weekend. We see articles, reviews, advertisements, and blog posts discussing both the good and bad points to the movie.

    The novelty has worn off. What used to be so special has seemingly become mundane. Today, it seems like movies’ life cycles fly by at the speed of light, hitting the box office, making millions (or not), heading straight for DVD, and becoming quickly forgotten. So how can they stand out, is PR the answer?

    Innovative and creative PR – break the normal consumer experience. Disrupt the pattern. Use different methods than the overused techniques of: online, on TV, on Facebook and all of the places we expect to see them. Do something different, generate awareness in a unique way.

    Recently two movies have done just that. Carrie and The Book Thief have interrupted my world, with their witty and thoughtful integration from the big screen into real life.

     

    Carrie

    If you haven’t seen the viral video check it out here.

    The video brings the movie to life, literally embedding the movie into the lives of those in the vicinity, in this case some seriously bewildered New Yorkers. Interacting with these people not only interrupted their typical consumer experience, but also completely shattered their sense of normality, and gained unique awareness for the movie. Watch the video and note the shocked and confused, startled and freaked out faces of those in the coffee shop. By directly involving those specific New Yorkers, and those watching the video later at home, Carrie was able to directly impact their reality by bringing the plot of the movie to life, and to create an unforgettable experience.

    As is often the case with these types of viral PR, the initial exposure is far amplified by traditional media, and social media sharing. The video has been seen by over 45 million people on Youtube, and the prank has been written about in publications from The LA Times, CBS News, and The Huffington Post, to Express in the UK and more.

     

    The Book Thief

    On Wednesday October 23rd the readers of The New York Times flipped a few pages and stared in disbelief. Blank. Pages. In the middle of section A. What in the world could be going on?

    Picture Courtesy of BuzzFeed

    The answer: The Book Thief.

    By leaving two pages of The New York Times blank, but including a URL for the movie’s website, The Book Thief interrupted the typical consumer experience. Not only did they use a non-typical channel for raising movie awareness, but they also did it in an innovative way that sparked curiosity, conversation, and created an experience. This is especially brilliant public relations because of the movie’s premise. The Book Thief is based on Markus Zusak’s novel of the same name, which follows a girl in Nazi Germany stealing books to share with others because of their scarcity. These two blank pages in The New York Times allowed the readers to experience the world inside The Book Thief.

    The blank pages immediately generated conversation. It was instantaneously discussed on BuzzFeed, Deadline New York, The Huffington Post, Business Insider and more. The Book Thief was a hot topic on Twitter, with readers of The New York Times, and those who had just heard about it, discussing what they thought about the blank pages.

    Imagine a world without books, imagine The New York Times without words – can’t do it? Then you didn’t read Wednesday’s paper. But I bet you have heard about it.

     

    Takeaway

    What can other brands learn from these examples? Doing something unusual is a great way to jumpstart coverage and awareness while giving you the opportunity to make your brand unique. Use innovative and creative PR to break the normal consumer experience.

    Here are five steps to help you find that perfect PR innovation

    1. Brainstorm – list ideas that do not follow your industry norms
    2. Use a different channel – think of where consumers see your brand, now put it somewhere different
    3. Create a unique experience for your brand – an experience that involves people immediately and that can be experienced by others after the fact
    4. Stay relevant – make sure that the experience you are creating is meaningfully connected to the brand
    5. Craft materials that are easily sharable – and that people will want to share. Ask yourself – Would I share this?

    Matter

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  • 5 Tips for Using Video in PR & Marketing

    Memo to communications professionals: If video isn’t in your PR and marketing toolkits, it should be. (more…)

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  • I almost forgot. Eight heads are better than one.

    Last week I was reminded of the real benefits of a very simple PR tool– one that we’ve all used in many shapes and forms: brainstorming. Sure, sure, we’ve all read about, talked about and participated in brainstorming, likely many times in our lives; but how often do we really sit down for a good, old-fashioned brainstorming session? It’s all too easy to let this type of creative collaboration go by the wayside, as we keep up with our day-to-day tasks and whittle away at our to-do lists. (more…)

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  • In case of emergency… update your Facebook status?

    Last month, I read a post on Webware about two Australian girls who were trapped in a storm drain. Instead of dialing the Australian equivalent of 911, they asked for help by using their cell phones to update their Facebook profiles. Nearly a month later, I’m still floored by the absurdity of the situation. Thankfully, the girls were rescued, but I continue to wonder why, with a perfectly good cell phone in hand, they didn’t think to dial for help the conventional way.

    I’m quite certain that in the case of an emergency, my first instinct would be to dial 911; but the post did get me thinking about my own reliance on Facebook and other social networking tools. Am I, like the two girls, becoming too dependent on social networking sites? Are we, as communications professionals, turning to Facebook, Twitter and the like too often for research and pitching? (more…)

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