Posts Tagged ‘PR firms Los Angeles’
Five Steps for a More Effective Facebook Page for Small Business
Emily Weaver wrote a great tip on Manta that AJGpr, a Los Angeles Public Relations Firm wanted to share. Here it is.
Representing your small business online can be difficult, but if done the right way you can reach an unlimited amount of customers. With social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn it makes it easier for small businesses to truly stay in touch and on track with both potential and current customers.
1. Start with a Facebook Page
Facebook is generally used for social interaction anyway, so putting your business on Facebook will be second nature if you already use it for keeping in touch with friends and family.
- If you already have a profile on Facebook, you can add a page for a company or small business. This way you can still keep your personal profile active and under the same account.
- A great way to test out any new page online is to have a focus group you can trust. Who would be better than your friends list on your profile page.
2. Stay informed, get a routine
As a small business owner you want to keep your Facebook page up to date for customers. Not only does that fall under the category of posting content on a regular basis, it also means to be realistic when it comes to results.
- Post content – a photo, a news story, what you’re doing during the day – something that customers can only get from liking you on Facebook. If you get one ‘Like’ out of it you’ll be thrilled, but don’t expect it all to come at once.
- Have a goal of what you’d like to see happen out of what you post, just don’t get too distraught over a question you ask that gets no answer. As for posting, make it a habit to update your page at least once a day.
- There never is a wrong time to post, just as there isn’t a right time to post; whenever you get the time, whenever you have the content. Make it engaging for your customers so that they can get an idea of what you’re about!
3. Update your status with style
The status can be very daunting, but it’s an open space for you to share content with your customers. That’s exciting! Before posting, you might want to map out what you want to share.
- Do some research on other brands similar to yours and see what they’re posting. For instance a local bakery might post a photo of their famous hot chocolate, or a diner could post a question about what customers would like their special to be for dinner that day- something to involve customers, something that will keep their attention.
- Don’t think your content has to be completely formal. Make it your own, and represent the voice of your small business.
- Make sure to post mostly open-ended questions or thoughts to get more of a complete response out of your fans, this way you’re communicating back and forth with the person who matters most – the customer.
4. Keep in touch with customers
This may be an easy task, or a challenging one, depending on what you want to do.
- As the owner of your small business Facebook page you’ll be able to see who has ‘Liked’ your page. One way you can keep customers engaged is by sending them a message as soon as they ‘Like’ your page. This is a great way to let your new fans know that you’re going to be there to respond and interact with them promptly.
- Another way to keep customers engaged is to answer them via the messages section onFacebook. Some may just send you spam, but others will probably have legit questions. This section is something you’ll want to keep an eye on each day.
- In addition to your daily posts, answering your customer’s questions in a timely manner can only give them a positive perception of you. By keeping in touch with customers and answering their questions and suggestions you can keep a connection with them and they’ll definitely have nothing but good things to say about you and your business!
5. What you can offer fans
Think about it- they’re ‘Liking’ your page. What do they get out of it?
- If you can get something like a promotion going for your fans, or a coupon for 10% off your latest inventory it would guarantee their satisfaction and possibly get them to spread the word about ‘Liking’ your page.
For more ideas on what to post or just for best practices, visit Manta on Facebook to get an idea of how you can use Facebook for your small business.
AJGpr , A Los Angeles PR firm, found this great list of advice for PR professionals – especially newbies when dealing with journalists from Ragan’s PR Daily.
- Don’t be afraid: Reporters need you as much as you need them – sometimes more if you’ve got an awesome, sought-after client. They are being challenged to churn out content FAST and they’re often relying on others (you) to provide insight, quotes, access to spokespeople and in some cases, help educate them on a complicated or new (to them) topic – all by deadline. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship so don’t be afraid to make that first contact – you might be surprised.
- Get connected: I don’t advise blindly connecting to every reporter you’ve ever heard of on LinkedIn, but after that first client briefing or email trail, connect with them on LinkedIn. Even easier, follow them on Twitter or Google+ and subscribe to their feed. My best media contacts are people that I’m connected to on LinkedIn and I truly believe that sometimes, because they see my face pop up on their news feed, they remember to reach out with a source request.
- Reporters need to network, too: More than ever, reporters are being measured by their social networks and how many people – hits – they can get to their stories and to then go back and share with their own networks. That is stressful! That being said, reporters know PR pros tend to be outgoing, well-connected individuals, and they may lean on you to broaden their reach. I’ve connected a few reporter “friendlies” with other PR pros for stories that have led to success for all involved. I also sometimes send a reporter, if they’re in my region, a link to a networking event they might find interesting or that I’m attending.
- Freelance writers rock: And there’s more of them then there were four years ago. Get in good with a freelancer and you won’t regret it – these are smart, driven and often very KIND people who at any given point could be writing something super niche, for a “smaller” outlet, and then next thing, contributing regularly to a column in a major business publication. Because of the nature of operating solo and/or remote from the main news hub, freelancers are more likely to reach out with a media request and ask for help.
- Share the S*** out of their news — and not just when it’s yours: You have a reporter friend and they just wrote about your client and you’re PUMPED so you like it, tweet it, send it to your Mom (don’t lie, you’ve done it). Your reporter friend appreciates this because they want more web traffic to their article and in many cases today, their boss is counting how many hits, RTs, comments, etc. that article receives. On several occasions I’ve actually had reporters email me after coverage hits to let me know “Yay! It got a bunch of comments” or “Wow! The story got X number of click-throughs” and then thanked me for sharing it on LinkedIn or Twitter. But it’s not just YOUR coverage that should be shared – like any solid PR pro you want to be consistently reading your media “friendlies” work and sharing it with your network. Reporters recognize this and will not forget you when it comes time to write another story.
To that PR newbie I would then say: At the end of the day, if you’re doing your job right, a reporter will not only see you as a resource, but as an industry peer. And that makes public relations more valuable, powerful and better in terms of what we can offer our clients.
You’ve researched your target list, crafted a great pitch, and sent it out to the appropriate contact. Your pitch was timely and newsworthy. Now what? How do ensure your pitch will avoid getting tossed in the trash and making it to print or the airwaves?
Getting attention has as much to do with the fine art of follow up as it does with the pitch itself.
Think about your contact, the producer, the editor, and walk in their shoes. They are constantly on deadline getting their current news story on-air or in print and perhaps also trying to make it out the door in time to see their kid’s softball game. And all the while, your pitch lands in their mailbox amongst 100 other PR specialists vying for their attention.
If your pitch is as well written as you think it is, and has a catchy subject line and lead paragraph, they might actually save it in midst of their already busy news schedule for further thought – when the time is right. But, more often a pitch can go unanswered and forgotten, if there is no follow-up – because your contact is just busy.
So what do you do? AJGpr, a Los Angeles PR firm, has some tips to share.
Let at least two days go by and call. Why? Because you want to remind your contact that your pitch was sent and get it back on their radar.
But what you do when your contact answers the phone is just as important as a well-crafted pitch? There are rules for the follow up with journalists, and if a break them, your pitch and your relationship make go by the wayside for good. So, make the call and:
Keep it Short, Simple, and Snappy – Your follow-up phone call should last three to four minutes tops. DO NOT RAMBLE. If need be, write a script and practice introducing yourself, reminding the contact (in a few short sentences) why you’re calling, and asking if they’re interested in covering the story. If they say no, thank them for their time and hang the phone up politely
Be Prepared – Your contact may very well be interested in your story, but remember they may also be on deadline when you call. Be cordial and ask when there might be a better time to talk. If in fact, they are interested in hearing the pitch again — be prepared to answer questions, provide quotes and facts, and offer to resend the initial pitch if necessary.
Do Not Sell – This is not the time to SELL the story. If they remember the initial pitch and want to hear more – the door is open. But if they are not interested even the best sales pitch will not persuade them if they’ve already determined that the story is not a fit. So again, say thank you and move on.
10 Essential PR Blogs To Read
Keeping up with PR trends and public relations news — what’s new, what’s hot, what’s not – is par for the course for PR specialists. So what’s the most efficient way to enhance your PR knowledge and keep on top of best practices? Read – and blogs today are fast becoming your top source of information. So how do you sort through the hundreds of PR blogs out there? AJGpr has simplified the search and recommends these 10 blogs that offer high quality content. Check them out.
And don’t forget to keep up with these fabulous PR resources
Advertising Age
Brand Channel
Cision
HARO (Help A Reporter Out)
Mashable
Twitter
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