Co-creating content with bloggers and vloggers

Co-creating content with bloggers and vloggers

Working with influencers, whether they be bloggers, YouTubers, instagrammers or snapchatters, is an important part of modern day public relations. PR is evolving and with audiences engaging in new ways we all need to be ahead of the curve with how we communicate to them.

The opportunity to create content with influencers is really exciting for PR’s and our clients. It gives us the chance to be creative, personable and engaging. When PR Moment announced their latest event ‘Co-creating partnership content with bloggers and vloggers’ we knew we had to head to London to hear from leading influencers and agencies on how they have co-created content that works.

Carry on reading below to see what our main takeaways from the event were…

1. Go where your audience is

It’s not all about ‘the blog’ there are influencers over all social media channels who your audience are following and engaging with, giving you a platform to project your message.

Do your research!

What are your audience’s favourite channels? If you haven’t used it for a campaign before, don’t be afraid to try something new, you could be a trendsetter. Who are your audience going to for information? There is no quick and easy way to identify this so browse keywords, hashtags and even check out what the competition is doing.

Remember that working with influencers will mean the way you receive ‘coverage’ will evolve. It definitely won’t be the traditional two page spread in a national newspaper, which leads us on to the next piece of advice…

2. What does success look like?

Does success of your campaign mean going viral, 1000 likes on Instagram, an increase in sales or more visits to your website? Decide on your objectives and communicate these to the influencer you are working with. They know their audience best and they know the ways in which to present content to encourage sales, retweets or video views. There is no written rule for measuring influencer campaigns as it all depends on your brief and your objectives, the top tip is to clarify these before getting started.

3. Authenticity and harmony

We read a blog, watch a YouTube vlog or scroll a particular Instagram feed because we like the content and what that influencer is doing, of course It is important to portray your brand messaging in the correct way but you won’t find success if this doesn’t fit well with an influencers existing content. If you are working with the right people and provide a clear brief your client/brand will be a natural fit targeting your desired audience.

4. The finer details

It is important to remember that bloggers are not traditional journalists and that they do not work for a newspaper or magazine, they work for themselves. The expectation amongst bloggers and influencers that they should be paid for their work is increasing year on year. Flesh out the details and allocation of your budget with clients beforehand. It is no secret that influencers are becoming celebrities in their own right and there may well be a price tag reflecting this.

5. Quality not quantity

When working with influencers the one piece of advice we hear over again is to not forget the micro-influencer! Those with a smaller following but with a really engaged audience can only mean success for a campaign done right. Working with a micro-influencer will also give your client/brand opportunities to grow with them and create a solid working relationship and advocacy for your client.

If you want to find out about how influencer marketing and blogger outreach could work for your brand please get in touch!

Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? How and why Instagram copied Snapchat

Instagram Snapchat Blog

Photographs are snapshots of lasting memories, moments you treasure in an album to look back on for years to come, but 2016 turned that notion on its head in the form of Snapchat. It was the year of the disappearing photo, where memories could only be viewed for 10 seconds or stored for a maximum of 24 hours until they disappeared for good.

That’s a pretty niche concept don’t you think? And Snapchat completely owned this way of sharing photos until the beginning of August 2016 when Instagram announced its update ‘Instagram Stories’. Just like the Snapchat model, Instagram users now had a secondary feed for those short lived moments which could only be viewed for a maximum of 24 hours.

It wasn’t only the Snapchat Stories concept Instagram copied, fast forward to November 2016 when disappearing photos and videos for groups and friends were introduced in Instagram Direct as well as the addition of being able to doodle and add stickers to personalise your photographs.

Instagram, the place to go for dreamy images of avocado on toast or for some wanderlust wondering was hoping to entice a new audience who post in a more candid way. With the average number of posts per user having declined between 2013-2015, it’s clear to see why Instagram would want to shake things up a bit. Having become a place for ‘glam shots’ and aspirational images Instagram found that it wasn’t uncommon for users to only be posting a couple of times a week, with beautifully edited photographs taking centre stage.

So has it worked? Well, yes. The app has now grown to over 600 million users a month, 100 million more users than they had 6 months ago. The Instagram Stories update has given people a reason to check back in more regularly and the additional change to the chronological feed has made sure people only see what they want to see.

If you’re on Instagram why not check us out? Search @ShorthoseRussell or if you’re in need of some fantastic design-led Instagram accounts for inspiration, take a look at our faves.

The relationship between PR and SEO – Learning with CIPR

CIPR and SEO

For the past year or so every PR related survey I’ve read or articles that I have come across have always reiterated that SEO is one of the most highly desired skills in PR. As someone always eager to learn more about how this can benefit my work and our clients I headed off to London to take part in a CIPR day training course titled PR & Search Engine Optimisation.

It was headed up by Andrew Smith, as co-author of two bestselling social media books, MD of a specialist online PR, SEO and analytics consultancy and a regular speaker and media commentator on the integration of PR with social media, search optimisation and analytics who better to start me on my SEO journey?

The day began with learning the basics and getting to grips with what Search Engine Optimisation is and what its core concepts are. In simple terms when people refer to SEO they typically mean the ‘tools, tactics and approaches that sites can employ to get particular pages of content to sit as high as possible in Google’s search results’. We then looked in more detail at some key factors that impact Google’s search results and began to think about how this would work for our existing clients.

After getting my head around the jargon I was introduced to some key SEO PR tools which I know the Digital and Web team here at Shorthose Russell already use but it was great to have a real in depth tutorial in how they could be used specifically in relation to PR. I learnt how to analyse the links that are linking back to your website content, how beneficial the sources may be to your ranking and what type of websites are trusted by Google.

The day ended with measurement and evaluation. Traditionally PR has treated media coverage as the end goal and (sorry to generalise) it is SEO/PPC/Digital teams that are more comfortable measuring data and analytics. It is so important to define your own client goals, objectives and audiences whilst analysing what competitors are up to. Evaluation is also important as Google is constantly evolving, so you will need to continue updating your processes.

If I had to name just one lesson I took away from the course it would be that the best links come from high trust, high authority sites in a natural, editorial-style context. As a PR we already have the existing relationships with journalists writing for these high authority sites and using the skills that make us great at our job anyway is something that is highly desired by SEO professionals working together is an ideal combination for account success!

Back to school – academies and the importance of marketing communications

Writing notes

Delivering a brand and communications workshop to a group of teachers comes with various perks.

Not only do you get to tell them off for talking in class, you also get to split them into groups and set homework.

That has been my particular privilege at a number of local academies over the last few months – all of whom we’ve been helping to build better connections with their key external audiences – i.e. prospective pupils and their parents.

The move towards academisation means it’s never been more important for secondary schools to review their marketing and communications strategy and make sure they are presenting themselves in the best possible light, particularly if hitting intake targets is a challenge.

3 Vital tips and advice for schools serious about highlighting their strengths

That’s why we’ve pulled together the tips and advice below – all of which are vital for schools serious about highlighting their strengths and the reasons why families should opt for them over the competition.

Develop your proposition

What’s your school ethos? What’s your vision? What sets you apart from other schools in the area? If you and your team don’t know the answers to these questions, how will you convince prospective pupils and their parents that your school is the right choice for them? Having a clear idea of what you offer is a crucial first step.

Agree a clear strategy and communications plan

You know what you want to say, but who are you saying it to? And what’s the best way of reaching them? Is there really any point in a local newspaper ad if the parents you want to reach get all their information online and from Facebook? Think from your audience’s perspective, use only the most appropriate communication channels to reach them and remember – the days of a ‘one size fits all’ approach are long gone.

Get your staff and pupils on board

Staff and pupils are your greatest asset, so make sure they are as engaged as possible to help get your messages across. Let them know what you are trying to achieve through your communications activity and involve them in the process as much as possible. Giving them responsibility for helping to create a new brochure, scripting an introductory video, or developing a presentation to prospective pupils is a great way of engaging your team.

If you’d like to know more about our work with schools contact Mark on 01603 706 559 or [email protected]

First year as a PR Executive

PR First Year

‘I’m in PR’

It’s one of those phrases which is casually thrown about, and everyone responds with a nod but doesn’t really know what you do day to day. Some have visions of Bridget Jones, some imagine you as a champagne drinking Ab Fab character and when people hear you work in a marketing agency, they assume you’re a salesman, cold calling every day.

So after a year of working as a PR Executive, let’s set the record straight about this misunderstood profession.

A bit about you?

I’ll start with the basics, I’m not a Jones and I don’t like champagne!

I started Shorthose Russell in March 2015 after interning through my university years both at magazines and in-house for fashion brands in London. Wherever I went, I would be in touch with PRs asking for samples and sending over press releases and always wondered if the grass would be greener – it was!

What have you learned?

  • I can juggle! – Not literally but I never thought I’d get on at an agency. No matter how organised I am, I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to have a wide ranging and varied knowledge of different clients in different sectors. Now it’s second nature and keeps me on my toes!
  • Learn the big things in the small places – Whether that’s being at an agency where you don’t get lost in the noise of hundreds of employees or finding your most important snippets of info on a little known blog, big isn’t always better.
  • Don’t take it personally – when you are contacting lots of different people there will always be someone you catch on a bad day or in the wrong moment. Don’t take it to heart, it’s not personal and it’s a waste of time letting it play on your mind.
  • Common Sense – something that you can’t be taught but is key to working in PR! If the opportunity is there, go with it and likewise if something doesn’t feel right, investigate.
  • Be a sponge – A piece of advice I was given in my first year of uni and something I have applied to everything since. Read around your subject, fellow colleagues at Shorthose are great sharers and often send out articles and information to keep my knowledge in check.

The best bits?

For me, the best thing about working in this field is seeing the results, whether that is a fantastic double page destination spread in a national newspaper or watching in real time as bloggers tweet and Instagram their weekend away. It is measurable and a tangible outcome for all involved.

The variation as a PR Exec is also something I love, I’ve had the chance to get involved in organising events like the Bernard Matthews Youth Awards, prepping for the UK’s largest two day county show and being a part of video campaigns for Visit Norfolk.

Visit Norfolk Video Campaign – It’s a Wrap!

Visit Norfolk Video Marketing Campaign

Our video campaign with Visit Norfolk has come to an end (sad face). Over the past five months we have been to medieval reenactments, cruised the broads with toddler pirates, got lost in Thetford Forest and even managed to convince well-respected head brewers to hop on one leg all in the good name of tourism. It’s been a great campaign to work on and one which has achieved great results. Here’s how we did it.

The brief

We were asked to create a series of tourism-focused videos for the seven individual county districts in Norfolk. These were to be short and creative in style, away from traditional tourism messaging and advertised online.

Our approach

Working with Visit Norfolk we presented the notion of creating a series of tongue in cheek “How to” videos, each one building on a theme which would be paired to the individual county districts. This allowed us to explore the many different appealing factors of visiting Norfolk, from its historical significance to the beautiful great outdoors.

We wanted to grab the attention of potential viewers. Identifying Facebook as the main output for paid social promotion, we developed quirky titles built to both stop browsers in their tracks and to play with imaginations – always with the ultimate end goal of gaining views. Each video would begin with engaging “how to” advice and sign off with a powerful statement displaying unique information about Norfolk related to the district’s theme.

The campaign

The videos were planned, scripted, filmed and edited in house. Each video scheduled throughout the spring/summer period, hosted on YouTube and Facebook with paid advertising spends allocated to each. The campaign reached a total figure of 776,644 with 476,701 individual video plays (Facebook only, also includes a “how to” video for Gressenhall workhouse).

How to be Queen of the castle

District: West Norfolk & Kings Lynn
Theme: historical and royal connections
Video plays: 66,710
Reach: 120,757

How to be a pirate

District: South Norfolk
Theme: outdoor activities, broads
Video plays: 50,901
Reach: 77,385

How to rock ‘n’ roll

District: Great Yarmouth
Theme: family entertainment
Video plays: 57,395
Reach: 76,851

How to be a fisherman

District: North Norfolk
Theme: coastline, seaside destinations
Video plays: 89,395
Reach: 128,001

How to get lost in the woods

District: Breckland
Theme: great outdoors
Video plays: 45,273
Reach: 133,552

How to hop

District: Broadland
Theme: artisan producers
Video plays: 53,357
Reach: 84,522

How to be a flaneur

District: Norwich
Theme: city living
Video plays: 51,631
Reach: 90,612

In you are interested in video marketing, please get in touch with us today. We’d love to help.

Hooray! CIPR Award 2016 shortlisted

PRide 2016 Shortlist

We are delighted to announce that Shorthose Russell has been shortlisted for a 2016 CIPR PRide Award for our work with The Suffolk Coast.

We have been shortlisted for the ‘Integrated Campaign’ award which is a great category for us as an agency as it demonstrates how a collaborative approach to working with our clients can achieve impressive results. Our original brief from the team at The Suffolk Coast was to increase the number of short break visitors to the area.

Our response involved both the PR, Search and Web teams and applied media relations, marketing partnerships, Facebook and Google Adwords campaigns and a new web build. The awards event takes place in September – fingers crossed!

The power of social, the power of PR – #ZaksBIG40

Zaks BIG 40 Marketing Campaign Norwich

We have been working with local restaurateurs Zaks American Diners for just under 18 months. They are a great client to work for; full of enthusiastic, energetic people who genuinely care about their business, not just in terms of performance but also about its history, heritage and uniquely strong connection with generations of customers from in and around Norwich.

2016 marks 40 years of Zaks

We have developed a year-long communications strategy celebrating just that, with a series of short-term campaigns bringing things to life.

The main event?

The #ZaksBIG40 celebration which happened outside The Forum, Norwich to mark their official birthday on June 25.

The theme?

Heading back to 1976 – bringing back the original Zaks van (which so many customers reminisce about) and… selling burgers at 1976 prices.

Hello 56p burgers!

Live entertainment throughout the day included performances by Lucas Soul Sound, Angel Baton Twirlers, and a top secret flash mob by Norwich Theatre Royal. A collection of vintage cars were also on display.

Here are the highlights:

Attendance on the day was huge – above and beyond what we all expected. Queues stretched from outside The Forum, round to the top market and back again past Next, the BBC shop and towards Chapelfield.

ZaksBIG40 - menu

It was a great success which reaped the rewards of an integrated approach to marketing. Social media and PR worked in unison to promote the event, generating pre, live and post event coverage. Creative content in the form of interactive quizzes, blogs and an official event page on Facebook supported the promotion, with many thousands of people engaging with the campaign and Zaks brand throughout June and into July.

The results:

  • 1172 burgers sold at 1976 prices
  • 4 burgers sold every minute from midday until 5pm
  • Over £1000 raised for Connects & Co
  • 172,000 people reached through the official Facebook event
  • 1,600 stated their attendance on Facebook, a further 2,600 stated interest
  • Facebook page likes grew 3.2% in one month
  • Live video streams reached combined audience of 14,400
  • 8,700 Twitter impressions on event day
  • 43% increase in monthly Twitter engagement
  • Pre and post coverage in the EDP and Norwich Evening News, on and offline

#everyonesfavourite