Austin PR firm Archives - Page 5 of 5 - Ketner Group Communications

INSTAGRAM AND PINTEREST: 6 WAYS TO TACKLE SOCIAL THROUGH MOBILE

Posted on September 24, 2012 | by Ketner Group

Originally posted on Digby’s The Mobile Retail Blog

The last couple of years have been pivotal for brands’ social media capabilities. Social media has grown beyond the 140-character, text-only limit and has blossomed into media-rich social communities. There is a burgeoning opportunity for brands to take advantage of social media in new ways to garner more brand interest, loyalty and participation.

About four years ago, Twitter was dominating the media waves with thousands of experts and bloggers sharing advice on how brands and companies could harness this new social technology. Now, media-rich platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram are the social media darlings, and Facebook continues to release innovative new capabilities for companies hoping to connect with their social customers. Some brands are making promising headway into social and mobile integration, and soon, they’ll be paving the way for many other brands. For companies contemplating dipping a foot in—or diving in completely—there are a number of practices to start now.

1. Incorporate merchandise photos on an Instagram brand page.

Instagram is a popular new photo sharing mobile app, where users can upload or take photos, edit them using preloaded photo themes and share with the community and their friends. Brands with photogenic merchandise should get on Instagram now. Companies should upload in-store photos of products or events, product shots, magazine spots and any other brand-worthy photos to Instagram, and tag them with key words and location to drive traffic to local stores. Puma (11,000+ followers) is doing a great job of sharing not only product shots, but lifestyle shots, with a friendly mobile fan base.

2. Add “lookbooks” to Pinterest.

Officially launched in 2010 as an invite-only beta trial, Pinterest has become the fastest growing and third most popular social network, behind only Facebook and Twitter. This virtual pin board allows users to upload photos from the web, add a description, organize by topic (or pin board) and share with their followers. Because every pin is credited back to the online source, many brands have experienced increases in site visits and sales from Pinterest traffic. A PriceGrabber.com study showed that 21 percent of Pinterest users had made a purchase directly from Pinterest.com. Companies could easily create boards that serve as lookbooks for their merchandise. One of my favorite brands to follow on Pinterest is Michael Kors, and his board, “Style Tips” is a good example of a brand sharing a product-inspired lookbook. A recommendation for Mr. Kors would be to link the photo back to the e-commerce product page or include the link in the description.

3. Allow customers to create and share Pinterest boards as a part of a community action.

Earlier this year, The Paper Source, an arts and crafts store, encouraged their customers to create a board inspired by a craft project using pins from Paper-Source.com as a part of a competition. The chosen winner of the most creative board would receive a large discount on all supplies needed to complete the project. It would be awesome to see a company run an in-store mobile contest where customers could create Pinterest boards on their phones or tablets by scanning product QR codes and adding them to the boards. Continue reading →

8 Ways Journalists Take the “Annoying” Torch Back from PR Pros

Posted on September 6, 2012 | by Ketner Group

Over the last several years, PR professionals have been graced with the superfluous presence of ‘Top X Ways PR Pros Irritate Journalists’ articles; it’s a well-favored topic in our industry. Honestly, if we had a dollar for every ‘Best Way to Ruin a Media Relationship’ blog post that mentions how PR pros are messing it up, we’d at least have enough to buy a pair of Manolo Blahniks.

Yes, we know that there are many people who think they can do PR well, but are missing the appropriate education and experience. There are those that think sending a press release to a 2-year old list with 500 contacts is okay, and there are some who think calling a journalist every day to follow up on an email s/he is obviously not interested in is acceptable. But not every PR professional shares these opinions, and not every PR professional is annoying to journalists. At Ketner Group, we’ve developed strong, mutually respectful relationships with our media contacts, especially in the retail and hospitality industry, and they value our influence and contributions.

We love journalists! We’ll do everything we can to help make their job easier, and if we occasionally teeter on the annoying side (let’s be honest, every PR person has at some point), it isn’t intentional. But…since we’re being honest, let’s admit that we PR pros aren’t the only people who’ve crossed the “Welcome to Annoying, population a zillion” border sign. So in good fun and humor, we’d like to point out some of the minor annoyances we feel when working with journalists.

1. When journalists suggest whacky ideas for PR practices. I’m sure journalists everywhere have their own personal preferences for email or phone pitching etiquette and we really do like to know and honor those preferences! But for the love of all things delicious and chocolaty, please don’t assume your preference is universally shared. I’ve read advice from journalists that suggest PR people should quit sending press releases and keep press pages current, because they’ll check your company’s site proactively if they’re interested. Yeah? You’ll think on your own to check out our clients’ sites for important news? We all know you’re too busy for that, and if we don’t send you press releases, memories of our clients and their customers will quickly melt from your mind like high scooped ice cream on a hot, sunny day. Continue reading →

Millennials and the Workforce

Posted on June 25, 2012 | by Ketner Group

By Sara Lasseter

Photo: PhotoAlto/Sigrid Olsson/Getty Images

For the last decade, Americans everywhere have been concerned about the high unemployment rates sweeping the nation. But who is it that’s out of a job? Unemployment has hit every age group, social class and industry, but Generation Y (those born roughly between 1980 and 2000) has seen the most trouble. While this group of 80 million recent grads and young professionals have one of the highest levels of education, entering the workforce as a Millennial is proving more difficult for this generation than any other before it. Gen Y has a staggering 12.1% unemployment rate, and the lucky few with jobs are experiencing lower average salaries that are decreasing at a higher rate than other age groups and skyrocketing college debt that is higher than it has ever been.

As part of Gen Y myself, I’m experiencing first-hand the challenge facing most Millennials in this economy. While I’m fortunate enough to hold a great internship position with KG, I’m entering my senior year at UT with determined resolve to find a job upon graduation. It’s the Holy Grail for college grads these days, so we can use all the help we can get.

A great feature on Forbes lists some helpful ways that Millennials can stay sane and keep their skills polished while waiting on one of 100 companies you’ve applied at to offer you a position. Here are a few of the best tips!

Keep working and volunteer – Contributing to side projects and small startups can keep your skill set in practice while also filling in that jobless gap on your resume. Volunteering in the community is fulfilling and adds another dimension to your on-paper personality that employers will notice. Continue reading →

I volunteer!

Posted on June 20, 2012 | by Ketner Group

“I volunteer!” she screams as she pushes her way to the front. “I volunteer as tribute!” The shocked crowd gasps as all eyes turn to Katniss Everdeen.

If you haven’t read the Hunger Games series or have yet to see the movie, just watch the trailer and you’ll no longer be living under a rock.

Katniss’ offer to volunteer in her sister’s place at the annual Hunger Games slaughtering—I mean, competition—is the ultimate sacrifice. And thank goodness most of us won’t ever find ourselves in that position! But a little bit of sacrifice is exactly what we should give when we volunteer.

I went to a charity event last month and was blown away by the activities and mission of this organization. It made me think about the people involved and what it takes to run such a successful program—then something happened. I wanted to join them. I wanted to make a difference.

“But I’m so busy with my job, going to the gym, keeping up with friends and spending time with my husband and dogs. I don’t even have kids, yet, and I struggle to find the time to fit everything in!” Insert your own personal activities and family members and my internal dialogue would probably match yours at one point or another; long story short, it’s hard. But that’s just it—volunteering should be a little hard. It takes some sacrifice, and you have to MAKE time to do it.

I took the plunge and offered to donate my PR expertise and time to this awesome nonprofit. This won’t be easy, and I’m already stuffed to the gills at the office with regular, billable work, but it’s important and I’m glad to do it. I’m so thankful that I have a really understanding and flexible team here at Ketner Group, and they’re also glad that I’m volunteering. We all want to at some point, it’s just finding that time. Or maybe the right organization that calls out to you like none did before.

I hope to talk more about my volunteering work, maybe more about the nonprofit when things start progressing. So stay tuned! And let me know about your volunteering adventures!

I Need a Doctor (to Bring Me Back to Life)

Posted on April 10, 2012 | by Ketner Group | 1 Comment

“I Need a Doctor” I Need A Doctor (single), Dr. Dre & Eminem © 2011
I’m a very musical person. If I’m not talking, I’m singing and if I’m doing neither of those, then I guarantee I have a song stuck in my head to which I’m bouncing noiselessly along. Lately, I’ve been on a hip-hop (rap) kick. Nothing gets me more pumped at the gym, into the work zone and easily through rush hour than emcees spitting their rhymes through the mic and into my headphones. And no one does it better than Eminem (warning: major celeb crush). Because this is what’s in my head at the moment, I’ve taken the titles of some of my favorite Eminem songs as inspiration for a blog post to help companies experiencing common PR challenges.

Do you feel like you “Need a Doctor” for your company’s PR program? I’m no doctor—and neither is Marshall Mathers, Eminem or his alter ego, Slim Shady—but we can use his beats to help us structure common PR challenges companies face every day.

[Warning: If you’re offended by strong or suggestive language, avoid listening to the songs hyperlinked below.]

“The Real Slim Shady” The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem © 2000
Is another company imitating your business’ main messaging and value points? They say that ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,’ but I just find it annoying. Let’s combat this unoriginal behavior and have the ‘real slim shady’ stand up, please. If no one can do it better than you, they shouldn’t be able to say it better than you, so take back what’s yours with these steps:

Find a better way to say it: Refresh your corporate messaging to stay ahead of the copycats. Don’t let follower companies ride off of your success—refresh your messaging and find new ways to talk about the great things you do.
Find new SEO terms: Search terms are always changing in frequency. If your competitors have caught on to the key words and it has become a little crowded, analyze your industry’s SEO landscape to see what other terms your audience is typing into Google’s box.
Call them out: Go on, point the finger. In a classy way. It’s okay to say that you’re the only company that provides XYZ to ABC in exactly this 123 way. Don’t be afraid to describe why you’re different (…or better) than your competition. Just make sure you have the proof to back up your assertions.

“No Love” Recovery, Eminem © 2010
Are your Facebook and Twitter pages lacking in the love department? If you are aching for more fans, “likes,” and followers, follow these steps:

What are you saying? Analyze the content you’re posting. If you’re only tooting your own horn, lay off for a while. Post and tweet interesting industry articles or general questions to engage your audiences. Ex: What are you doing this weekend? Free #Starbucks drink for the person with the most interesting plans!
Engage to get visibility: For Twitter folks, “retweeting” and responding directly to people can go a long way in personalizing your online interaction with customers or prospects. Also, make sure to use hashtags whenever appropriate so that potential new followers tracking those interests see your updates.
The game is on: For Facebook folks, we’ve found that promoting competitions on Facebook can significantly boost your “likes.” One of our clients hosted a YouTube video challenge and to qualify, participants were required to “like” the company on Facebook, first. They boosted their Facebook fan base by over 3,000 fans during this competition. Continue reading →