ZB Group

Debbie Bayes

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Insight into Influencers

Depicts how social media influencers grow their communities of followers with comments, likes and shares.

Pre-Internet the sources we often turned to before making a purchase included recommendations from family, friends and neighbors, books and magazine articles, and experts we trusted.

As you know, times have changed.

We may still check with those sources but also frequently do our own online research. Googling a product or service for more information, reading reviews and asking friends on social media are now commonplace.

That’s where influencers come in. Who are they and why should you care?  

Influencers are trusted like a best friend who tips you off about a hot new restaurant, the latest method for maintaining healthy hair or a charming country inn for a weekend getaway. They offer another means to build authentic features and stories about your product, service, destination or experience to help you reach new customers and drive awareness online.

Megainfluencers such as celebrities and well-known media personalities have followings in the millions, microinfluencers’ followings typically fall between 10,000 and 100,000 and nanoinfluencers’ are in the low thousands.

Micro and nanoinfluencers make up for their smaller audience size with high levels of follower engagement as demonstrated by the number of likes, comments, shares, views and clicks their posts receive.

Some influencers require payment to partner with brands and others do not. Whether influencers are paid, receive free products or agree on another type of mutual arrangement, it must be clearly disclosed according to Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

There are various ways influencers work with brands. Here are examples:

  • product demonstrations on YouTube
  • posts on blogs and websites about firsthand experiences
  • Instagram posts with images, reviews, or short videos
  • documenting trips and visits via video, images and blog posts
  • hosting giveaways
  • featuring products in holiday and other popular annual gift guides
  • Q & As with founders or other spokespeople
  • developing a series of interesting blog posts
  • Twitter parties
  • Facebook live videos
  • online radio shows and podcast interviews

Whatever it may be, the influencers’ content is carefully developed and presented for its appeal so audiences stay engaged with them over time.

Influencers may specialize in one category or work across a few. Some have expertise with beauty and fashion, green and eco-conscious products, travel, baby boomers or millennials, food and recipes, parenting, home décor, men’s lifestyles and other topics.

Journalists are becoming influencers too as many cultivate their personal brands through podcasts, e-newsletters, books, and social media.

It’s important to identify, vet and choose influencers whose audiences align with your target customer’s profile and whose personas are a good fit.

Since we have a long track record of connecting clients with journalists to secure earned media coverage, working with influencers is a natural extension of the services we provide. The influencers we work with generally are not paid fees and are within the microinfluencer realm. Results of working with influencers on behalf of a skin care client are here.

Are you interested in finding out more about the benefits of connecting with the right influencers? Get in touch with us and we’d be happy to talk.

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Why A Company’s Founder Can Be Its Best Spokesperson

Company Founders As Media SpokespeopleIt used to be that companies often hired celebrities and well-known personalities as their spokespeople for public relations, marketing and advertising campaigns.

The thinking was if our product or service was endorsed by a celebrity, then consumers would be convinced they should try it. Today, this high-priced strategy has changed for many companies.

We have noticed this shift over the past several years and have arranged interviews with reporters from national media to niche blogs featuring company founders as the media spokespeople.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal attests to this trend. It highlights founders’ stories in their promotional campaigns “recognizing the appeal of homegrown brands.”

Entrepreneurs are more relatable especially when it comes to sharing their stories of how they built fledging businesses into successful companies. People are more apt to believe what’s said by a company’s founder rather than a paid spokesperson. Therefore, companies have added the role of media spokesperson to a founder’s responsibilities since they realize its importance and business benefits.

When a founder describes how their product or service grew into a successful business after countless hours of trial and error, the story is more likely to resonate. Today, authenticity is in, celebrity pitchmen and pitchwomen are out.

Along with the rise of direct feedback at all hours from the masses to companies on social media, consumers feel like they know the companies they buy from and value transparency.

Founders who offer a peak behind the proverbial curtain via media interviews, online videos, at live events, or in ads, are increasingly the preferable choice to speak for companies both large and small.

So now it’s more about sharing founders’ stories to connect with business and consumer audiences than paying celebrities to do the pitching for them.

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PR and Nonprofits: 10 Ways PR Can Help Yours

nonprofits wordcloudCompanies large and small compete for attention to ultimately persuade consumers to purchase their products or use their services. They do this by investing in ways to reach potential customers where they are likely to consume and share information.

As a nonprofit, the types of people you want to reach may differ from for-profit companies, but the need to reach them is as important. Perhaps you want to find potential donors and members or seek to connect with parents of children with special needs, caregivers for aging adults, retirees with the time to give back, local businesses, skilled professionals to offer their expertise pro-bono, people in your community who would benefit from your services, the media and legislators.

If you thought public relations was comprised of communications activities that only help for-profit companies, that’s not the case. Your audiences might differ, but the need to reach them with your messages and concerns is vital.

With uncertainties in the political landscape and future funding resources, it’s imperative to actively engage with all kinds of supporters. PR can help your nonprofit thrive and stand out so it can continue to improve lives and support its mission. This recent New York Times article is spot on about why nonprofits are investing in a range of marketing communications services to help them sell themselves and remain relevant. More companies now offer pro-bono service programs as reported in the Wall Street Journal so yours should be one employees consider.

Here is a list of 10 ways a targeted PR effort can help your nonprofit influence others to achieve your goals:

  • Feature the types of people you help by sharing their stories in broadcast, print, blogs and digital media outlets.
  • Showcase your nonprofit’s services and the potential impact of legislative action on them
  • Share the leadership’s insight about your nonprofit’s services, research, current needs and future goals
  • Attract donors willing to contribute to a worthy organization like yours
  • Enlist volunteers to participate in and proudly share your nonprofit’s events or ongoing activities as one that aligns with their own priorities
  • Secure a partnership or sponsorship with a for-profit company for mutual benefit
  • Identify award opportunities to deserving individuals like beneficiaries, volunteers or your leadership and spotlight the honors in the news
  • Promote your annual events, conferences, galas or create a new noteworthy event
  • Conduct and publicize a survey based upon findings from those you serve
  • Identify panels, speaking engagements and online opportunities for your nonprofit’s executives to share their expertise building notoriety for your organization.

Let us know if you’d like to discuss how we can help your nonprofit become top-of-mind for those that matter.

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How to Influence Consumers and Customers with PR and Storytelling

Public Relations and StorytellingPeople love stories. Even before we learn to read as young children, cuddling next to a parent, grandparent, sibling or caregiver to listen to a story or book is a favorite pastime enjoyed by every generation.

This love of stories doesn’t subside when we grow up.

In the digital age of Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories, Snapchat Stories, podcasting and TED Talks, the methods of telling and sharing stories may have changed, but our affinity for stories hasn’t lessened one bit.

So what’s the point for brands and companies? We’re glad you asked.

Sharing news about a person’s life, loves, challenges or career is interesting for others as it relates to their own life or circumstances. The same goes for brands and companies.

Storytelling is an effective way for you to reach the people who matter most. Brands and companies that share compelling insight can use storytelling to humanize them — gaining loyalty and positive perceptions in consumers’ minds by doing so.

A recent Wall Street Journal article by Barbara Haslip discussed how an entrepreneur’s story can be the perfect marketing tool. It cites research that suggests why humans respond well to character-based stories and memorable images, explaining the relevance for businesses. Read the interesting piece here.

Public relations professionals inherently use different tools and strategies to help clients tell their stories to the right audiences. By doing so, connections are made and buying decisions are positively influenced.

Companies should also leverage consumer input in brand storytelling. An article in MIT Sloan Management Review, says new research finds that sharing consumers’ positive stories about a brand can be a highly effective online marketing strategy.

Here are five ways we work with clients to share their stories:

Media Relations: We package and pitch your messages then reach out to the appropriate journalists to arrange media coverage for your brand, business or organization. These placements provide third-party endorsement via earned media which builds credibility, thought-leadership, visibility and SEO.

Content Creation: Produce and place bylined articles, press releases, blog posts or custom video designed for company blogs and websites, industry-specific or local and major media.

Strategic Partnerships: Arrange partnerships perhaps by creating community special events presented by companies and nonprofit organizations. This is an effective way to engage audiences, build brand equity, secure media coverage and provide an interesting story for the parties involved to tell across all of their platforms.

Live and Online Events: Identify speaking opportunities for company leadership or spokespeople at live or online events so sought-after audiences (either the press, consumers, businesspeople or partners) hear about the latest news, products or brand story first-hand and why it matters for them.

Blogger Engagement and Influencers: Reach out to mega or micro bloggers or social media influencers in your space who drive conversations among their devoted fans and followers. Some may be interested in exclusive content, brand partnerships or sponsored opportunities for their blogs, websites and social media channels encouraging readers to take action – i.e. buy the product, try the service, enter the contest or share the content.

When planning your marketing strategy, don’t overlook the power of stories to help business growth and let us know if we can help.

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New Digital Outlets Present PR Opportunities: Don’t Miss Out

digital media

As we dive into 2017 new digital outlets abound and surely the trend will only continue. Mainstream news organizations like The New York Times and NBC News to niche online magazines like Hodinkee (which caters to male wristwatch geeks) are embracing digital to be profitable and meet reader and advertiser demands and interests. Time Inc. is centralizing its digital operations creating 10 digital desks to help it grow audience faster by pooling its editorial resources.

But at the same time, print is NOT dead! People are still reading print books, newspapers and magazines as an antidote to countless hours spent looking at screens. Hearst will soon introduce two new print magazines, Airbnb and The Pioneer  Woman, the later is a partnership between Hearst, the Food Network and Scripps.

“Magazines of the Year 2016” in Ad Age says magazines such as AARP, EatingWell, HGTV, The New Yorker and Women’s Health are thriving in print and digital due to new partnerships, contributors, influential writers and podcasting. Bon Appetit just introduced Healthyish, a new food vertical.

You may be wondering, does digital change how PR practitioners work with journalists and bloggers for the earned media part of the PESO (paid, earned, social, owned) model?

Not really. The process we implement to arrange coverage is basically the same regardless of whether the story will run online, in print, on-air or in a podcast. Some of the key steps we follow are below. Keep in mind there are many other strategies and tactics used that are customized for each client partnership.

  • Stay up-to-date on new outlets, platforms and emerging news publications
  • Familiarize ourselves with our client’s business and communications goals
  • Develop and “package” the story for the audience(s); create the main messages
  • Uncover trends, consumer or business interest for which the products, services, innovations, events, thought leadership, etc. align or are at the forefront
  • Tailor our pitches to pique interest; convey the information to the appropriate media
  • Offer spokespeople, experts and other sources for interviews and comments
  • Provide relevant images, video or audio
  • Follow-up with the reporters, editors, producers, bloggers and podcasters to ensure their questions are answered and their needs are met

We’ve been on the lookout for outlets that have recently transformed to digital-only or are new digital publications. Here are nine that differ in their appeal and audiences providing opportunities for brands, companies and services that are a good fit:

Organic Life

Spring.St, a new website for women covering politics to parenting.

Mach from NBC News covering science and tech

SELF

Healthyish

Observer (formerly the New York Observer)

The Outline, launched by a former Bloomberg Editor

Bloomberg Pursuits

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Please let us know if you come across new digital outlets and we’ll add them to the list.