Once more with feeling.
Transcript:
Sings: Video Monday, video Monday, it’s a Monday so here’s a video!
So today on Video Monday I thought I’d have a fellow advertising colleague who works with another agency in Halifax who’s a bit of an expert in PR and I thought we’d have a brief discussion with Ben Boudreau here about artists, how really anyone who’s got a small business can use social media and PR to get people’s attention about a new product launch, a new piece that’s been commissioned. Perhaps they’ve just been picked up by a new gallery and want as much immediate attention about that either online or in the more traditional senses, what kind of tips and tricks would you use?
Ben: Treat social media the way you would any other portion of your campaign. It needs to be an integrated approach, not sort of a side spoke. So on your press release, have your social media links. Let them know that you’re on Twitter, let them know that you’re on Facebook, you blog, let them know that there is more information out there if they want to find it.
And then equally so when you’re online, feel free to push out the same sort of information the press releases, your media advisories, online interviews, push those out for your online tools and get a cooperation between the two.
Joel: Is there a way to make it sound like you’re not just broadcasting out news items through your feed?
Ben: Yeah absolutely. I mean I probably wouldn’t push out just my press release on Twitter. Rather I would give them sort of a more personal look at what’s going on. So you don’t treat your audience online the way you treat journalists. You know them a little better ideally, they know you a little better, so you sort of tailor your message to your audience that you’re more acquainted with. So that way you’re giving them a more personal look, it ads value to their experience following you online. It creates a more personal experience, like a behind the scenes look at things.
Joel: So I guess that would follow through with your blog as well, you wouldn’t to write your blog post for a new release as if it’s just another press release that you would send out to media. There’s people that have more personal connection to you that you would want to address it in that way.
Ben: So make it a personal invitation. Tell them what new they’ll find, build on what they already know about you and sort of run with that.
Joel: So I guess is there a way to kind of tie it in, and maybe this is it, to tie it into the overall story of your blog. If you’re an artist and you have this new piece that’s coming out, a new commission, or just you know, a regular business owner who’s really proud of a new launch, what would be a way to integrate, even within the press release itself- the background, the story, why it’s so important to you, so maybe you know, it can impart some of your meaning towards your audience and not just be you know, details of the event. But here’s the lead up to it, and here’s why it might be important to you too.
Ben: I think a good way to look at it is you have your tradition PR approach that journalists have used that’s going to cut through, that’s gonna give them what they need without all the crap. But then take that information and then package it in a way that relates to the story that you’ve been putting out about yourself on the blog, on twitter, on Facebook. Make it more for people who have voluntarily signed up to follow you online. Kind of treat them like, like the VIPs of your broadcast in general I would say.
Joel: So is there a way then to kind of encourage or give some sort of incentive for your community or the people who are following your story to kind of help you spread that word there?
Ben: It’s not so much requesting a favor and treating them like a billboard as it is saying look, if you should feel so inclined, if you feel that identification with me, you know, it would be a huge help and I would appreciate it. Sort of making that ambassador versus a billboard.
Joel: Well I think those are good tips and thanks Ben
Ben: No worries
Joel: for helping out on Video Monday, thanks everyone.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post, Joel and Ben. At the end of the day it’s all about authenticity, and about sharing your news in a way that doesn’t come off as fake, phony, or presumptuous. There are always going to be people with the “yeah, so what?” response to your promotion but building and sustaining meaningful relationships is the key to leveraging them down the road.
This philosophy, while great for small/medium businesses, like the artists you’re describing, is universal. Think CRM programs for major brands: unless you build that trust by keeping your message delivery in a clear and consistent brand voice and providing value-add, you will inevitably get the dreaded “so what?” that I mentioned above. If you keep all communication consistent, chances are when you need that community’s opinion (for crowdsourcing or the like) they will be there for you.
You talked a fair bit about the right ways to engage your network – the only comment I would have was that you didn’t talk much to the folks who don’t have a good network to begin with. Perhaps down the road, some tips for those who need a kick in the ass to get out there and network.
All the best – great post. Keep ‘em coming. And keep singing.
-H
ps: Like the clean blog design a lot.
Thanks so much, Heather! You’re absolutely right, these points definitely carry over to almost any business, no matter its size.
I hadn’t really considered that we kind of assumed a built-in audience in this video. I’ll definitely address the building of that audience in an upcoming post. Thanks for pointing it out!