Looking for your next big idea? Do you need to be schooled in the art of apology? What’s the best social media policy for a company in crisis? Check out the Hoffman team’s favorite PR blog posts and articles from this week:
- PR pros dip their feet into many different sectors beyond brand reputation, including marketing and advertising. With this in mind, PR Newser argues that big ideas aren’t just for those in advertising, but for every communications expert. Creatively approaching each different task is important to achieving fantastic results. Thinking like a “creative” requires you to do your homework and actively think about how a campaign will be most successful, training yourself to think outside the box and aiming to spark emotion.
- The shootings connected to an Uber driver are enough to give anyone pause before booking their next ride on the app. And if you are in PR, it also brings to mind the important question of how to deal with brand communications after such a serious incident. PR Week asked several crisis communications experts about how long a brand should wait to resume normal social media activity after a deadly crisis. While there wasn’t a simple answer to the question, one thing was agreed upon: there has to be a transition period before you go back to “business as usual.”
- Although there are rumblings of Twitter being on its death bed, journalists don’t seem to agree. The Cision PR blog reported that 21.6 percent of journalists believe that Twitter will actually grow in value to the media industry. In fact, the blog listed the three most important ways that journalists use Twitter as a reporting tool. It turns out that one of the most vital ways to engage with journalists on Twitter isn’t just sending pitches, but retweeting and liking the content they share. Building a relationship on social media before you pitch can work wonders.
- Not everyone likes apologizing, especially in a public setting. But companies that can’t effectively apologize to the general public and their customers will forever tarnish their reputations and may even cease to exist. The Shift Communications Blog shares tips to help make that apology as effective and sincere as possible. Timing is everything when it comes to apologies. Make sure the apology is immediate; also provide specifics for how the problem will be remedied and when the company will communicate with the public again about the issue. A sorry delivered days after a misstep is too little, too late.
- Search engine optimization is easier said than done. Before you give up, look at PR Daily’s three reasons why your SEO efforts might be failing. The No. 1 thing you can do is ensure that you are using the right keywords. Take a look at your keyword list and make sure that your keywords aren’t too specific, longer than one word and aren’t in a highly populated category.
Check back every Friday for our This Week in PR roundup to discover more PR industry trends and news.
