Digital Marketing Archives

The Art of Negotiation in Public Relations and Social Media Strategy

July 2, 2020 by konnectprdaily

We don’t all wake up every morning or go into work thinking about what we’re going to negotiate that day, but as former top-skilled FBI hostage negotiator, academic and author Chris Voss would say, “life is negotiation.”

That definition may seem simple, but what really is negotiation? After reading his best-selling book, Never Split The Difference as part of a much-enjoyed work book club, I’ve narrowed down my description to the following: listening with intent, gathering information to guide the conversation and leading with empathy to achieve the desired result, no matter what that is.

If you really slow down and focus on your day-to-day, you’ll realize that most interactions are a negotiation, from deciding which movie to watch with a friend, discussing work tasks with colleagues and even getting your kid to clean his/her room.

Why is negotiation important, and how can we use it as PR and digital marketing professionals?

In mastering the art of negotiation, you learn how to truly listen. While reading Chris’s book, I learned that many of us aren’t always the best listeners – guilty – and would rather split the difference or compromise than press on for what we want. Listening is hard, and we usually fail at it because we are always trying to be a few steps ahead – thinking about what to say next or simply settling to avoid what we perceive as a conflict. In the midst of it all, we often overlook and miss important details that can help us to a) fully understand the other person’s goals, b) figure out what makes them tick and c) get what we really want. Whether you are pitching a new client, asking a reporter to include a client in their upcoming article or dealing with a comms crisis, familiarizing yourself with a few simple negotiation strategies and tactics can help you net more desirable outcomes. And because I loved his book so much, I wanted to provide some key takeaways to our community of readers who can hopefully take these tools and apply them to their own personal and professional lives – just as I aim to do.

A crucial point throughout the book is that while we as humans might think long and hard about something or make calculated and rational decisions, our ultimate decision-making process is based on emotion. This is an important lesson in the overall theme of the book tied to the notion of empathy and taking the time to really understand the person in front of you and what they need – a part of our character we can nurture and cultivate to connect with others on a deeper level, and essentially get what we want out of an interaction.

Choose your tone wisely

Have you noticed that the tone in which someone speaks to you impacts how you feel about him/her and the overall interaction? The person in front of you might have an authoritative and firm voice, which might come off as intimidating and scary. Another might speak softly and with a lower tone of voice, making you feel more at ease. In other words, when it comes to communicating with clients and colleagues, the tone in which you speak can impact the overall comfort level others have towards you. In his book, Voss brings up the example of using his “FM DJ voice” (low, calming) to create an environment of warmth and trust. In addition to the FM DJ, there is also the positive/playful voice – which he suggests using with most interactions for an easygoing, light-hearted conversation – and the direct/assertive voice for rare circumstances when you just want to signal your dominance and control over the other (not recommended).

Be a mirror

Voss brings up the idea of mirroring, or imitation, as a way of creating comfort and a deeper bond with the person with whom you are interacting. As humans, we are drawn to what is familiar, and this important tool can come in handy when negotiating to help establish rapport and eventually trust. Mirroring is the simple (yet sometimes strange-feeling) practice of repeating the last three words (or the critical one to three words) of what someone just said. When you repeat back those crucial few words, you are essentially signaling your counterpart to elaborate on or reword their initial response, which usually comes out differently the second time. An example where mirroring can be useful is when negotiating the budget for PR services or digital marketing, something our digital team does quite often. Here’s how mirroring can be used in that instance:
“My rate for an Instagram post and story is $5k.”
“A post and story for $5k?” (pause)
“Yes, I realize that might be too high for this project, so I’m willing to go down to $4k.
“Down to $4k?”
And so on. It is important to take meaningful pauses and know when to stop mirroring as well.

Label the emotion

Labeling is the act of calling out your counterpart’s feelings to show understanding and empathy. It is a proven and effective way to show that you are really listening and trying to form a connection. The examples Voss points out are It seems like, It sounds like, It looks like followed by “you,” which shows that you’ve been attentive towards your counterpart’s emotions and can signal calmness and trust. An example of where we can use labeling at a PR agency is in our media pitches, for instance: “Based on your recent article about seeking comfort food during uncertain times, it seems like you would be interested in a story about a delicious, restaurant-worthy Indian food brand that is truly the epitome of easy at-home comfort.” You know the person you are talking to enjoys food and that during this time of uncertainty your client’s products will help provide comfort to him/her and readers.

Accuse yourself

The accusation audit can work wonders during a conversation when things aren’t going as planned. It is the act of clearing out any negative emotions that might get in the way of making a deal. By listing out all the possible negative things the other side might be thinking about you, you jump the gun and do it for them instead. In the PR and digital marketing world, the accusation audit can come into play when clients decide to leave, journalists and influencers become unresponsive or you need an edit on a story or post. A quick example: “You probably think this is annoying, but would you be able to update my client’s retailer availability in your story?”

Embrace “No”

Often, when we hear the word “no” the conversation ends and the connection dissolves in one way or another. “No” is associated with rejection, a decision that can’t be changed or influenced, but with “no” the exact opposite is true. Voss explains that “no” is actually a great way to continue the conversation and is a reply that should be embraced rather than dreaded. To train your mind to think about “no” as something other than rejection, you can reframe how you perceive it. For example, “no” can mean “I need more information” or “I don’t think I can afford it.” By taking that information and applying it to a solution-based approach – “What additional information can I share with you today?” “no” helps bring out what’s really at stake, what’s needed to get to a final “yes.”
When a reporter or a prospective new client starts to “ghost” you, try asking them a question that provokes a “no” response. A no-oriented question usually does better than a yes-oriented question “because it plays on your counterpart’s human aversion to loss.” For instance, if a media or influencer contact confirms including about your client in an upcoming story and post but then the communication between the two of you completely stops, try asking them a no-oriented question like “Have you moved on from this story?” or “Have you changed your mind about [xx]?” Remember, hearing “no” is a good way to start a conversation about what each of you really wants and how you’ll get it.
For a more extensive and deeper dive into negotiating, read Voss’ book, Never Split the Difference.

Happy negotiating!
-Hasmik Piliposyan

The Publicist’s Guide to Twitter

May 12, 2020 by konnectprdaily

Twitter is not just for the irrational all-hours ramblings of the world’s loose cannon personalities; it can be a very resourceful tool for your public brand and for PR professionals.

Twitter, at its most basic, is a tool that helps people stay on top of the latest news and “follow” sources of instant information. As a publicist, you can use the social media platform to stay in touch with journalists, share your work, reach out to sources and build your community of clients (both existing and potential), media and peers.

During this time of distancing and isolation, people are increasingly turning to a wide variety of social media sites and apps to seek comfort and a sense of connection. On Twitter in particular, where conversations are boiled down into 280 characters of bite-size information, you’ll find celebrities, journalists, editors, business moguls, the President, your neighbor…you get the idea…eager to share their thoughts and opinions with the world. So join the conversation and make Twitter work for you!

Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Build an Online Relationship with Journalists
Twitter can be a great way to reach out to a reporter, build a relationship and keep track of his or her beat. A simple scroll through a reporter’s feed will give you a feel for his or her interests and coverage. Pay attention to headlines, learn who they are and build your rapport from there. Along the way, you’ll likely glean some valuable insights into what they’re working on at the moment and how they preferred to be pitched.

The following editors took to Twitter to share their thoughts on receiving pitches about CBD in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic — something that some reporters are very open to, but others apparently aren’t. As soon as you come across this kind of tweet, you quickly learn who you should and should not reach out to about a particular topic.

2. Follow Relevant Hashtags
Just as you can follow someone on Twitter, you can (and should!) also follow hashtags. Hashtags allow users to scan topics and see all the latest social media chatter on the subject. Journalists often search hashtags while seeking story ideas. Effective use of a hashtag linking your news to a larger trend might just result in a media placement. (Tip: Keep it simple — don’t use more than two hashtags.)

3. Join the Conversation
Whether you’re connecting with your peers, clients or journalists get in there and strike up a conversation. By responding to someone’s post, you show them that their feedback is important and that you’re listening.
Most media outlets have a presence on Twitter, so be sure to follow those that are relevant to your industry to stay updated on news and trending stories. Find something interesting to comment on? “Retweet with comment” to share the tweet and become a resource yourself.

Funnel some of the same energy you use to interact with other people’s posts into creating your own content. Tweet about your latest updates, blog posts and news, and integrate images, videos, and links to add visual components to your post. This will also help boost your social engagement. Make sure to use relevant hashtags to catch more eyes and target the people who are involved and interested in the topic. When relevant, tag the people and organizations that may take interest in and retweet your post.

5. Use Twitter Lists
Avoid getting overwhelmed with all of the latest tweets rolling in at once. Instead, create and organize lists to see the latest tweets from everyone you follow, and prioritize them. These can be private or available for the public to view and can help you monitor the chatter on specific people/companies/industries. Some helpful lists include celebrities to seed products, influencers to engage, customers or VIPs, media outlets, etc.

For more tips on using Twitter for PR, check out these do’s and don’ts of Twitter. Konnect is also hosting a live Q&A on Instagram this Friday, May 8th with our digital marketing team — stop by to ask your questions and gain some additional insights.

Happy Tweeting!

The Pro Strategy for Mastering WFH Zoom Calls

April 29, 2020 by konnectprdaily

Working. From. Home. The three little words that most workers value most and is always at the top of the list of perks employees want.

Now that most of the world is working remotely, with the exception of the incredibly brave first responders and frontline workers, the occasional video conference call or chat has given way to a whole new way of working.

As a leading brand strategy agency, we know a thing or two about navigating the interconnected awesomeness of Zoom. Below are a few of our top tips:

Be a Good Zoom-er and Mute. Let’s face it…kids and animals are cute in 2D. But in real life, they are noisy as hell! If you’re fortunate to have a bit of outside space to work, neighborhood noise is equally grueling to listen to while trying to hear your video chat mates. Here’s the secret code to Mute and Unmute yourself with one key:
1. On Mac: Use Cmd + Shift + A to toggle mute on and off
1. On Windows: Use Alt + A to toggle mute on and off
1. If you want to set your spacebar to be “Push to Talk” follow these instructions from Zoom
Touch Up My Appearance Please! If a soft-light filter could accompany all of my in-person interactions like they can on Zoom I would surely have landed a Cover Girl contract by now. Well, maybe not. But at least I know for my next client call how not to look like I’ve been working 14-hours days while trying to teach my six-year-old how to type (side note: teaching a child how to type should be included in one of the nine circles of Hell). Here’s the pro tip:
- Open Zoom
- Go to Preferences
- Video
- Touch Up My Appearance
That’s the Way We All Became the Brady Bunch. Have you ever given yourself whiplash from bouncing between speakers while on a Zoom call? And by “speakers” I really mean any cough, child, siren, Alexa, or animal that can also cause the screen to shift. This is awful and certainly not a great way to WFH while contributing to a group discussion on partnership marketing or brand strategy. To turn your Zoom-ers into the Brady Bunch (I want to be Carol so I can rock her shag flip), follow these instructions:
- Simply click the “Gallery View” button in the top right to see up to 49 participants on video together
This is all great, but I miss working on 2 screens! Most of our PR agency works on two screens while in office. Now that we’re all home and working on whatever piece of household real estate we can wrestle away from our partners, children, and roommates, a second screen would most surely help with productivity. If you want a second screen, but all you have is a spare tablet…here’s your fix!
- Go to this link and get grooving.

Working from home has its inherent benefits like reduced commute time, the ability to look awesome on top while still wearing sweatpants, and having your loved ones nearby 24/7 (although that perk is wearing thin). Video conferencing has enabled remote working to keep a semblance of the connected experience in-person meetings used to provide. With these tips in mind, it will also hopefully be a more pleasurable and productive experience for which to collaborate.

But what is it about video conferencing that is so hard to truly get on board with?

Stanford psychologist Jeremy Bailenson has spent two decades studying virtual communication between humans, and he’s documented the ways existing technology fails us. In short, the technology is just awkward.

In a recent NPR article on the subject, Baileson explains. “People have very dedicated personal norms about the proper space one should leave between themselves and others,” he says. But when you’re on a video call, your personal space is defined by how close the camera is to your face. In real life, this view of someone would be crazy. If you were regularly this close to a colleague’s face in a physical office, you’d probably have serious problems with the HR department. “We very rarely get that close to someone unless we’re in a fight or an intimate situation,” he says.

At the end of the day, it’s really hard to replicate via videoconferencing the social bonding, personal mentorship, and the millions of nonverbal micro-expressions that we use to communicate. We are social animals after all, despite what the beloved introverts in your life try to tell you.

Zooming is cool and with some tips and tweaks, and the technology beats chatting to faceless voices all day. Although I must admit, when I see a calendar invite pop-up and it’s a voice chat-only, I do quietly celebrate in my mind by the brief pause in 21^st Century telecommuting. But just as soon as I celebrate, I’m back to Brady Bunch-ing my video call to ensure I get a close-up view of my team’s faces that I miss seeing in person each day.

Wishing good health and good Zoom lighting to all,

–AB

Why Structuring Your Day is Critical

April 22, 2020 by konnectprdaily

Well… here we are on what feels like day 957 of quarantine. In all seriousness, if you feel like time is standing still or that your days are jumbling together, you are not alone. For many people, working from home full time is a new experience that comes with a lot of trial and error in learning how to manage the day. And particularly with the current stay-at-home orders, weekdays and weekends can start to blur together, leaving no boundaries that separate work from personal time.

Prior to COVID-19, I worked remotely for our PR agency for more than four years before opening our Denver office. The most invaluable lesson I learned working from home all those years is that structure is the key to a productive, harmonious work (from home) life balance.

Why is structure so important?

Quite simply, structuring your day gives you a roadmap of what you are going to accomplish and eliminates the feeling you get when you wonder “what did I even get done today?”. Having that roadmap in place not only provides you with the stepping stones for accomplishing your work goals in a set amount of time, but it also creates a healthy (and much needed) place to peel yourself away from the workday and “turn off” for the night.

Another less-obvious benefit of structuring your day is that it can actually reduce stress and anxiety. Anxiety, at its core, is the fear of the unknown. And one of the best ways to quell anxiety is to create a detailed plan of attack. If you stick with it, daily structuring eventually becomes consistent and routine, squashing at least some of your daily unknowns.

Lastly, structuring your day helps you stay focused and on track. All it takes is a little bit of discipline and planning to keep your mind and body from giving in to distractions and boredom for too much time. Rest assured, you can (and should) still build fun things into your daily schedule to break up the monotony, like a 15-minute meditation or a walk with your dog! Little mental breaks throughout the day are not only good for you, but they are good for business too.

How to structure your workday

We now know why it is so important to structure your day, but how do we do it effectively? For starters, you will need to get very specific with your to-do list. We are a PR and digital marketing agency, so a lot of our days are spent pitching media, reaching out to influencers, and creating social content for our clients. However, it is not enough to make broad line items for these robust and cumbersome tasks when making our to-do lists. Rather, we need to define specific, actionable, and measurable line items to be able to map out on the calendar. Here is a good example of a line item: “Research and pitch 25 reporters who cover baby gear (2 hours).” By clearly defining what needs to get done in a set amount of time, you now have the first part of your planning done.

The next step is to determine which of your tasks require the most brainpower and creativity, and which ones are simple to execute. You’ll want to plot each of these tasks on the calendar according to your brain’s optimal time to complete each. For me, I know that I am most creative around 9:00 AM, and especially on days when I know I don’t have too many calls on the books. I also know that my brain is at its least functional point on Thursday afternoons, so I always make sure I haven’t plotted something major into my calendar at that time.

Once you have your tasks specified and grouped for optimal brain time, it is time to get out your daily/weekly calendar. I personally like to keep a running Google Sheet formatted like an appointment book, with 15-minute increment slots from 8:00 AM through 6:00 PM.

Step 1: Fill in all the calls you have on the books for that day/week.
Step 2: Block off a few small chunks of time (no more than 30 minutes) in the morning, mid-day, and at the end of the day for emails.
Step 3: Give yourself time every day for lunch. Don’t overbook this important break in the day.
Step 4: Plot your to-do list into the remaining time slots where they fit most optimally for your brain function. Make sure to leave a couple of extra 15-minute slots open for mental breaks and/or for any tasks that run overtime.
Step 5: Follow the schedule you’ve created for yourself as best as you possibly can. This will ensure that you accomplished all you needed to do by 6:00 PM (or shortly after) and can now confidently shut down for the night.

A few more best practices for keeping a structured day…

Plot in slightly more time than you actually need for each task. This offers you a time buffer for any distractions that pop up or gives you an opportunity to jumpstart your next task a little early.
Don’t fill in every single time slot of every single day. Leave yourself some wiggle room for new items that are sure to appear mid-week.
Front-load your to-do list at the beginning of the week as much as you can – you’ll thank yourself on Thursday and Friday for the extra time to finalize any outstanding tasks.
Be flexible. Your day and week will likely get rearranged several times to account for new assignments and priorities. And that’s ok! As long as you start the day and week with a solid plan of attack, it’s easy to move a few things around where needed.
When you turn off for the night, really turn off. If you normally work from a laptop, either put it away in another room or physically log out of your work applications. If you keep your work email on your phone, toggle it off after a specified time. Relaxing and recharging is every bit as important to you and your employer as the hours you spend working.

Need a little inspiration for adding structure to your weekends? Follow the same formula as above! Write out in detail what you hope to accomplish, plot it into specific time slots based on how your brain and body like to work, and leave a little extra space for fun and relaxation.

What other tips do you find useful for keeping the days structured?

-Brandy Shuman

The Speed of Change

April 16, 2020 by Carmen Hernandez

As we’ve learned over the past month, nothing prompts change as fast as a global pandemic. In a matter of weeks we’ve seen governments around the world make and implement life-changing decisions, companies go into self-preservation mode and people prepare for the worst by stocking up on supplies we may not have realized were essential until now. Change – a word that people don’t typically do well with or welcome in their lives – is being thrust upon us.

And, much of this change has me thinking. In our line of business, being forced to change is not something new. Media and communications have been experiencing drastic changes for decades. However, the marketing engine of many businesses has been less than willing to adapt to those changes and now it’s suddenly catching up to them. As recently as this week, I was speaking with someone who was telling me all the wonderful things their company was able to achieve through events and sampling in 2004 and the easy media recognition they were able to garner with little to no expenditure. What immediately went through my mind is, yeah 2004. That’s 16 years ago. Boy, do I miss those days. At that point, Facebook was not yet for the masses (it was founded in 2004 but only open to students with a .edu address). Not until 2006 did it become available to the public, and even then it took a couple of years to become completely mainstream as a marketing tool. Instagram was introduced in 2010 and gave birth to the modern-day influencer. So, here we are over a decade and a half later in a world that is being altered practically overnight and we should not be talking about what worked in 2004.

If you hadn’t been paying attention to digital marketing before now, then the fact that worldwide traffic to online entities is quickly approaching an increase of 40% due to shelter in place orders should be enough to force you to get with the program. And, what you’ll find is that Facebook is all pay per play and Instagram (acquired by Facebook in 2012 for a jaw-dropping $1 Billion) is following suit; people are starting to embrace Tik Tok (founded in late 2016 in China and rolled out to the world in 2017) as a potential new frontier for marketing and advertising, and in-person meetings have been replaced by Zoom. The way we communicate with people and reach the customer has changed forever and will continue to change and adapt. So adapt we must.

As marketers, we understand the need to embrace change and constantly adjust to the new way of doing things, and sometimes we take brands with us kicking and screaming because we know those who don’t evolve will be left behind. Truly successful brand campaigns (before COVID) are paying attention to the entire customer awareness funnel. They are taking a 360-degree view of where they can build their raving fan culture. It’s no longer enough to reach someone once at a sampling event or be newsworthy for a moment. In this day and age, a brand needs multiple touchpoints and the support of various opinion leaders to be successful. Content, whether from the brand or from creators, needs to be the driving force and requires a sound digital strategy including social media, website, e-mail, advertising, etc. Most importantly, this content, and everything the brand has to offer a customer, has to be perceived to provide VALUE.

The biggest change that has taken place in the past few weeks is that this last piece, the value you offer, has become the foundation for any brand to survive. It’s no longer about a full tactical approach (although I’d argue that getting fully up to speed on digital and e-commerce is crucial). It’s also about how marketers see their customers as humans and how much we are willing to do to make real connections with them and give them what they want and need. So, not only is it that something that worked previously won’t work today, it’s very likely it won’t work in the near future or it won’t work in the same way. Marketing as a whole is forcing us to be extremely agile and flexible to be successful. It’s my suspicion that we’ll be seeing changes that happen much faster and even more drastically so that what we did in 2004 will seem downright quaint. The winners will be those who are willing to change and possibly forget what worked in the past. So, let’s do this together. Let’s be daring and adventurous and create meaningful ways to do business for the long haul.

A “Temporary Normal” Demands New Marketing Tactics For the Long Haul

April 16, 2020 by Carmen Hernandez

The impact of COVID-19 is far-reaching and unlike anything we’ve experienced before as marketers. And, as we take stock of how it is impacting business, we observe that many were not prepared for the direction commerce has taken. A key factor in adapting is the ability to develop contingencies to mitigate loss, most of which are found online. As an agency supporting businesses in consumer packaged goods, franchise and lifestyle, we’ve spent years anticipating how the growth of digital channels will impact business, and even so we are struck with how quickly, practically overnight, digital marketing has become an imperative.

In the recent weeks, companies have realized the importance of digital marketing as their audience has largely shifted their time and wallets to online. This major change in consumer behavior has led us to examine the ways we can help our clients approach social media, digital marketing and influencer partnerships to ensure these new sales funnels grow and develop into permanent solutions. Some key principles to consider:

It’s Time to Get Personal

As humans, we are changing how we view the world almost overnight. As marketers, these personal changes are forcing us to examine our role in helping businesses evaluate their message and lay the foundation for what’s next. More than ever, we need to put empathy, values and service to others first. The formulas we used prior to this pandemic will not work. People are seeking out brands that make them feel connected and valued as customers, so how you speak to a customer who is dealing with personal struggles associated with their new normal is more important than ever. We help clients identify brand narratives, messaging strategies and digital content approaches that consider consumer mindset and the true value you can offer.

As events continue to unfold and the foreseeable future appears to include more staying at home, it becomes increasingly crucial to focus on the emotions we are all feeling and building content that connects people around our shared experiences. Hiring influencers to deliver your message, developing video content or creating live content opportunities are all ways you can transition into meeting the needs of your audience. Combined with a refresh of existing content through editing and creative graphics you’ll be telling a new story in no time.

Now Is the Time to Try Something New

We know customers can be found online, and we can reach them through a relatable and honest content strategy that will live on a website, social media channels and digital ads, but once we reach them, we need to understand what they want and how they will behave. Now is the time to explore how different approaches and tactics might impact your long-term customer relationship. If your organization previously put token efforts into digital channels because you had built your connection to your customers offline and that had always seemed to work, now is the time to revisit and invest in your online presence and refining what works there. That could be as simple as giving your website a slight refresh to make messaging more current and reduce e-commerce friction or giving your social media content a new perspective supported by paid ad strategies that will drive visibility. Konnect has experience with helping brands develop a purposeful approach to building new customer touch points and we can help you determine what will work best for your brand.

While your brand may already be active online, are you really considering how these activities are driving your customer to make a purchase? Awareness may be solid but developing a stronger connection to sales is the trickier part for brands that have been built for grabbing customers in stores. Now is the time to address the many ways your customer can find you though SEO, e-mail marketing, social media advertising, display advertising, testing new audience targeting methods, etc., and when they do find you, make sure their experience is optimized. Now is the time to address your wish list of e-commerce tactics including setting up an e-mail marketing program, customer support chat or add to cart optimization to ensure that your website to matches or exceeds the in-person experience of shopping at a store.

Extend Your Reach Today for The Future of Your Business

With social distancing affecting our view the world, what we do today to reach our customer can add up to a new insight or innovative way of doing business as events continue to unfold. Developing new approaches and shifting to digital marketing should not serve as an emergency solution, rather it should be looked at to develop long-term value for your business, even if the world eventually gets back to normal. There is great potential to reach your audience in new places by expanding your view of various digital channels (streaming, podcasting, radio), ad formats and targeting methods (demographics, geography, retargeting and remarketing) and exploring where your customer is actually spending their time.

Ask Us How We Can Help You?

While there are many ways you can develop new digital marketing efforts, it’s not a one size fits all approach. As we’ve pointed out, making sure you’re offering your customer value is the first order of business and determining what your true value is may be the biggest hurdle. Additionally, a concept designed to bring in new customers may vary from how you will interact with your existing customers. Offering a personalized approach is our strength, and we can develop a unique and applicable set of tactics for your brand. Our team is always available to provide counsel, brainstorm or simply chat about whatever your distinct issue or opportunity may be. We’re happy to connect via phone or video any time you need us.