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Capitalising On the QR Code Craze

First things first: what is a QR (short for Quick Response) code?

In a nutshell, a 2-dimensional barcode that may be produced for free, or at low cost, and read by Smartphones with a scanning app.

The Red Laser app, Tag Reflex app and i-nigma are examples of these, freely available from the Android Marketplace or from the iPhone app store (in my experience, the iPhone is particularly effective at decoding QR codes).

The QR code that you create is hyperlinked to a landing page – a URL of your choosing – a site containing information about the brand that you want to promote. The websites GOQR, QR Stuff and QR Mobilize are example sites that enable you to generate your own code with minimal effort.

Once you have a QR code, the fun begins.

QR codes on restaurant menus connect diners to recipes, or an ingredients list; QR codes in shop window displays allow shoppers to spend even when the shop is shut; For Sale signs use QR codes to link buyers to house details; theme parks use QR codes to run scavenger hunts for their visitors.

In Japan, where the QR technology is more advanced, the codes are used in increasingly inventive ways. QR codes made out of sand, human QR codes, QR codes on t-shirts and buildings; the craze is showing no sign of stopping.

QR codes also play an effective role in the business to business realm. QR codes on business cards enable clients to access your contact information without overcrowding the card itself and outdoor billboards or advertising campaigns use QR codes to direct consumers to your website instantly.

The beauty of the QR code is that printed information – promotional literature, posters, flyers – may be connected to specific online information through the medium of a Smartphone. Easy.

One of my favourite applications of the QR codes was implemented by the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Staff labelled 80 objects on display, allowing visitors to comment on them online as well as providing additional information about each object.

QR codes allow museums to become interactive storehouses of memory, in which visitor input is recognised as valuable and beneficial. These codes help generate a wealth of stories, a range of different voices, and an unprecedented level of access to artefacts.

Try it for yourself and explore the ways QR codes can help your business.

Brooke Nolan
Posted by Brooke Nolan on October 19, 2011 in Advertising, Events, business, marketing, public relations.

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What makes a great press photo?

Earlier this month I attended a free photography workshop hosted by TNR Communications, part of the Press Association.

The workshop set out to “give a real insight into how to get national picture desks to run your PR photographs.”

I’d highly recommend the workshop – it was a great insight into one of the UK’s busiest news and picture agencies – and they illustrated the presentation with some really strong picture examples, as well as offering valuable insight into the day-to-day workings of a picture desk.  

Here are some top tips from the day, to help make sure you get that perfect press shot – and the coverage it deserves:

1). Track record is important

Make sure that the photographer you use has a strong track record in securing national coverage for their photos – even if you have to pay more for it. They should have an intuitive eye and know what a national paper is looking for and how to get it. They should also know how to distribute photos – if you have no connections it can be hard to get your photo seen by the right people. Make sure they also offer solid insight and knowledge into the best times to send photos and the best resolution, file size and photo captions.

2). Know what picture editors want

When pitching photo stories, picture editors are your audience not newsrooms – you need to understand them. You need to know what they’re looking for and how they operate. Avoid clichéd photos (smiling business men holding big cheques are most definitely a no-no!) And remember that news is about people – the photos needs to reflect this.

3). Be more creative

Picture editors at national newspapers are inundated with photos – over 20,000 per day, and this is climbing everyday thanks to the rise in digital photography and citizen journalism. For a PR story to gain coverage this way it needs to be imaginative and eye-catching. Think of the wider story, and come up with creative ways of capturing it. If the story allows it try and be fun and humorous. And remember – a picture editor only sees thumbnails on screen – and hundreds of them at that. Your photo needs to be pretty special to stand out.

4). Try and sum up the story

An ideal photo for national press will sum up the story in one go. Even if you need to stage a shot which does this, then it could well be worth it. Often, strong photos aren’t run with a full story – just a photo caption. Make sure that your picture tells the story you want it to.

5). Manage branding

From a PR’s perspective getting branding into a photograph in the nationals is the holy grail of success. From a picture editors perspective it’s a nightmare. Try and find a happy medium – you can get away with branding but only if it looks natural within the setting of the photo. Don’t go overboard, and don’t try and make your branding the focus. Doing that will simply result in your photo not being used – or your branding being cut out.

6). Planning is vital

If you are planning a photoshoot or a photocall you must plan before hand. If it’s in a public place visit the site first; how busy is it? Is it too crowded? Can you get the right angles? Think about the environment and the background. What will be in your frame? If possible take your photographer with you – if not, take a digital camera and take a few snaps. You want your photoshoot to be done as quickly and efficiently as possible so planning is vital. You don’t want people hanging around on the day while you look for the perfect spot, or try to avoid the crowds.

7). Be aware of the news agenda

Pay close attention to the news agenda and time your photos well. Royal weddings, holidays, Wimbledon, hottest day of the year – all of these things can offer you hooks to get that perfect photo. BUT, it’s also worth sometimes going against the news agenda. For example election time, when picture editors are bombarded with man-in-suit after man-it-suit, it could well be worth doing something dramatically different to offer some light refreshment.

8). Move quickly

Once your photo has been taken get it re-sized, captioned and sent ASAP. But make sure that you pay attention to timings. Don’t send it on a Friday, and avoid afternoons if possible. The best time is around 10am in the morning. It’s also worth trying a Sunday morning – papers are often lacking content for Monday’s paper.

For some examples of great press photos check out TNR’s gallery.

Brooke Nolan
Posted by Brooke Nolan on May 6, 2011 in Photography, public relations.

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Refresher course: 10 tips for attracting more Twitter followers

I received an email from a friend yesterday asking for my advice on how to get new Twitter followers; and I thought I would share my response. I sent her the following advice, which provides tips for Twitter newbies, as well as useful reminders for veteran Twitter users. 

1. Find your niche. Choose what you want to be known for on Twitter, and stick to it where possible. For example, I tweet about public relations and social media, so most of my tweets are about these subjects and share some kind of value to others who are interested.

2. Use hashtags where possible. There’s hundreds of hashtags. One useful one for my industry is simply #PR. Play around and see what ones are suitable for your industry.

3. Find your peers and follow them. Search for people who work in your field. If you find them interesting, follow them, retweet their posts, and reply to them (try and engage them in conversation). They will probably remember you and eventually follow you back.

4. Add your Twitter handle to e-mails, business cards, LinkedIn profile, blogs, etc. For instance, in your e-mail signature, include your Twitter handle (in my case @brooke_nolan).

5. Create your own content and link to it. Whether you have a company blog or a personal one, tweet your news posts so what you’re sharing is fresh. That way, you’re not always relying on third party content.

6. Try using a Twitter dashboard like HootSuite. This allows you to shorten links (so you’re not eating up your 14-characters with long URLs) and track the statistics (so you can see which posts are generating click-throughs).

7. Join a Twitter chat. Get involved in a Twitter chat that’s focused on your industry. For example, in Europe #commschat is a weekly Twitter chat about PR and communications. Use Google to find relevant searches for your industry.

8. Tweet regularly. Not too much and not too little. Strike the right balance for what you’re trying to achieve on Twitter.

9. Learn how and when to use the direct message (DM) function. DMs should definitely be used when a conversation is becoming irrelevant to your other followers. For instance, organizing a get-together at the pub with friends.

10. Understand that it takes time. Don’t get disheartened if you’re follower count fails to jump overnight.

Brooke Nolan
Posted by Brooke Nolan on March 11, 2011 in Media, Social Media, public relations.

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From bland to brand: Building an unforgettable brand presence

Here at Brandon Hill Communications we regularly attend  PM Forum events in Bristol, which are aimed at marketers from the professional services industries.

This month I went along to hear Bob Mytton, managing director of brand and design consultancy Mytton Williams, discuss the seven key steps that will take your company from bland to brand.

With the legal and professional services landscape changing and competition in the sector increasing, it is becoming more and more important for firms to develop a powerful and instantly recognisable brand identity.

Bob guided PM Forum members through the intricacies of branding, examining the importance of emotional buy-in and outlined seven key ideas to help brands fully engage with, and get the most from, their audience.

Brands, Bob suggests, exist simultaneously in the head and the heart. Successful brands encompass both reason and emotion, encouraging emotional investment whilst providing the facts and figures that allow an audience to make informed, considered judgements.

Check out below Bob’s seven step plan to transport your firm “from bland to brand”:

1). Know your business and your audience

It is essential to understand your value proposition, clearly identifying your firm’s points of difference. Draw a clear picture of your target audience – who are they? How will you be talking to them? Different audiences require different channels of communication.

2). Hone key messages

Clearly map out the messages you want to communicate. Discuss your company’s key messages with employees and recognise their input – employee buy-in is essential.

3). Less identity, more personality

Firms with personality capture their audience’s imagination, sparking a keen sense of brand loyalty. Virgin, Apple and Rawlinson and Hunter in the professional services market are all great examples.

4). Make use of stories

Presenting information in story format will stand a better chance of connecting with an audience. Case studies offer a candid and often memorable option.

5). Make use of colour

Subconscious judgements of companies and brands often have a basis in colour. The majority of legal and professional services firms use blue or black colour schemes; very few use orange or green branding.  

6). Maintain a clear point of view

In a crowded market it is important to take a position. It helps to clarify your offering and single out your target audience for special attention.

7). Share a dialogue

Encourage debate. Workshops, interviews and discussion groups, both internally and externally, all encourage buy-in.

It was a great evening and Bob offered some valuable insight – I particularly agree with points one and two. As a PR professional it’s vital that you know who you are trying to communicate with, and what you are trying to say. Otherwise, even if you do attract attention it might not be the attention you want. Ensuring you lay these foundations is vital for any communications activity.

What do you think?

 About the PM Forum:

The PM Forum was established in 1996 and is the world’s largest and fastest growing community for professional services marketers. There are over 4,500 members in accounting, law, property, financial services, management consulting, architecture, design, engineering and other types of professional firms based in the UK and 30 other countries across the world. The PM Forum is dedicated to raising the standards of marketing across service industries and to enhancing the credibility of marketers.

By Anna Clark, account executive at Brandon Hill Communications

Anna Clark
Posted by Anna Clark on February 24, 2011 in Brands, Social Media, marketing.

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Using Twitter for your business – Part Two

Unless you’ve had your head in the sand for the last two years you’ll already have heard of Twitter – even if you don’t know what it is and how it could help your business.

Here’s part two of our guide – don’t forget to check out last weeks post for Part One, if you missed it!

What are the rules?

Well, there are no rules – but there are things that will make you popular, and things that will make followers delete you before you’ve even hit the ‘tweet’ button.

Do: 

  • Develop a voice. Twitter is an opportunity for consumers to hear from you, the face behind the business. Show a sense of humour!
  • Listen and engage in conversations. There are tons of online tools to monitor conversations on Twitter (such as Tweetdeck).
  • Search for words related to your business and join in the conversation.
  • Follow people who are of interest to you and your industry. With any luck they will follow you back and voila! you’ve started to build your audience (it’s worth noting though that just because you follow someone it doesn’t mean they have to follow you).
  • Say thanks. If someone ‘re-tweets’ something you say, or asks you a question, make sure you reply. You wouldn’t ignore someone in person and it’s sometimes just as rude online.

Don’t:

  • Constantly tweet about the boring things you’re doing. Unless you’re about to sit down and have dinner with Richard Branson then no one wants to know.
  • Don’t ignore your account. There is no point setting up an account if you’re going to update your status once every fortnight, but at the same time you don’t want to ‘shout’ at your followers by tweeting 50 times a day. Balance is key.
  • Constantly promote yourself. The rule with Twitter is that you need to offer your followers something which adds value to their online experience. If you have something you want to promote then that’s fine, but balance it out with industry news and third party articles.
  • Don’t get too personal: Once you’ve hit the send button whatever you write is in the public domain permanently. Be sure of what you’re saying and don’t mud sling in public. 

How much time and money do I need to spend?

 Don’t make the mistake of thinking that Twitter is easy and quick. It requires time and dedication to get a decent amount of followers – but more than that, a decent amount of followers who engage with you on a regular basis.

 Set yourself goals – 5 updates per day, add 5 new followers each day etc, to make it seem more manageable.

 How do I measure return on investment?

 Now this is a question which always gets asked and one where there is no black and white answer. It’s incredibly hard to measure tangible results on Twitter – and almost impossible to measure the effect it has on your bottom line.

 Although you can take a quantitative approach – how many followers do you have, how many click throughs have there been to your website etc, it can be much more beneficial to take a qualitative approach – who is engaging with you, are people re-tweeting your content? Is what you are saying having an impact?

 Whatever approach you decide to take, it’s important to remember that despite Twitter being the buzz word on everyone’s lips at the moment, that doesn’t mean it will work for your company.

 Think seriously about your objectives and goals; research, and listen to the conversation – are your target consumers on Twitter? What are your competitors doing? before you invest any time.

Brooke Nolan
Posted by Brooke Nolan on September 24, 2010 in Social Media, business, public relations.

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Using Twitter for your business – Part One

In case you haven’t noticed – the social media platform of the moment is Twitter. But what is all this ‘tweeting’ actually about – and how can it benefit your business?

This week and next, we’ll be talking you through the basics.  

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a ‘micro-blogging’ site. It allows users to post updates of no more than 140 characters. You can follow people who interest you, and people can follow you – and with over 140 million active users world wide, it is a huge online networking opportunity.

Twitter dictionary:

  • Tweet: Updating your status in 140 characters or less
  • Follower: People who are interested in you ‘follow’ what you say. Your followers are effectively your audience
  • Re-tweet: Someone is interested in what you’ve said and tweet it to their followers
  • Direct message (DM): Private message sent from one person to another. You need to be following each other to do this
  • At (@) reply: A public reply to something you have tweeted
  • # (hash tag): A hash tag can be used in front of a word to make relevant posts easier to search for
  • Tweep: a combination of ‘Twitter’ and ‘people’. Commonly used to refer to followers
  • Trending topic: A trending topic is the most popular topics on Twitter that day. They often use the hash tag i.e.: #budget
  • Lists: The list function allows you to create a ‘group’ of people you want to follow. I.e.: ‘Businesses in the South West’ or ‘UK football clubs’

What is Twitter used for?

Although you do get people who use their accounts to tell the world that they’ve ‘run out of milk’ or their ‘feeling tired’ (not surprisingly, no one follows them), in a business environment Twitter can be used for:

  • Sharing company news
  • Sign-posting articles that are of interest to your followers
  • Replying to customer questions and complaints
  • Monitoring your competitors
  • Seeking out business opportunities
  • Building trust with your consumers

Useful Twitter tools:

There are hundreds of tools out there to help make using Twitter even easier. Here’s just a few.

Hootsuite – this website allows you to update numerous social media accounts at once, have multiple users, shorten URLs (meaning links take up less of your valuable 140 characters), provides statistics on click throughs, allows you to set up automatic searches for key words and phrases and lets you schedule tweets.

Social Mention – allows you to track your tweet and see how many people you have reached

Twitter Search – people often forget about Twitter’s own search facility

Tweetdeck – similar to Hootsuite but needs downloading to your desktop

Next week:

  • What are the rules? The do’s and don’t of Twitter.
  • How much time and money do I need to spend?
  • How do I measure return on investment?

 

Brooke Nolan
Posted by Brooke Nolan on September 17, 2010 in Social Media, business.

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How do you measure your PR?

In this increasingly austere financial climate there is huge pressure to prove the value of marketing, but when it comes to PR, how do we measure the return on investment? 

In June this year the second European Summit on Measurement was held in Barcelona – which attempted to define just that.

Presented by AMEC (International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication) in conjunction with the Institute for Public Relations, the conference brought together five global professional measurement and evaluation bodies, as well as nearly 200 delegates from the world’s top PR agencies and measurement firms. 

The outcome was seven measurement principles – the first ever global standard for measurement – which was published earlier this month: 

  1. Goal setting and measurement is key for any PR programme 
  2. Media measurement requires quantity and quality
  3. Advertising Value Equivalents (AVEs) don’t mean anything
  4. Social Media can and should be measured 
  5. Measuring outcomes is preferred to measuring media results 
  6. Business results can and should be measured where possible 
  7. Transparency and the ability to replicate are paramount to sound measurement 

Now, is it me, or do these principles not actually mean much (just like the crudely calculated AVEs that PR has relied on for the last two decades)?

The principles have been criticised for being too ‘pedestrian’, and I have to say I agree. Take point four for example – it’s saying we should measure social media – but not actually giving any practical advice on how to do it. 

The more in-depth report does justify the points further saying things such as “media content analysis should be supplemented by web and search analytics, sales and CRM data, survey data and other methods.”

But to me, it’s still a bit hazy, with no definite actions we can put into practice. 

In principle (sorry!) the principles are a good idea, and will go some way to ensuring that measurement is no longer an afterthought – as it currently is for many in the industry. 

But do we really need a global preference when it comes to measurement?

Perhaps the approach should be to educate and encourage PR practitioners to be up front and frank with their clients at the start, and to discuss every form of measurement available to them.  

After all, each client is different and each campaign is different. So surely the way results are measured should be different too?

Whether the client prefers to quantify results by analysing key messages within articles, count the number of re-tweets on Twitter, measure the amount of direct sales or even old school AVEs, as long as we fully brief them on the pros and cons of each method it should be about the client and their needs – not about the industry attempting to justify itself through hazy bullet points.

Brooke Nolan
Posted by Brooke Nolan on September 10, 2010 in Social Media, public relations.

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Tips for marketing in a downturn

I was interested to hear from a Business Link adviser recently that the area that firms are looking for guidance on above all else during the downturn is marketing.

Companies realise that to survive they have to adapt – they need to fine tune their product or service offering, build their customer base, and ensure that communications with existing clients and intermediaries is as strong as it can be. Firms that maintain spend through a downturn often see their market share increase as weaker competitors pull activity. Here are some quick marketing tips…

Realise the full potential from your existing customers

Just as you are targeting potential new customers – you can be sure that your competitors are targeting your current clients. Your first priority must be to ensure that your existing customers are receiving an exemplary service. Getting closer to your clients may identify opportunities for drawing greater value from them – which can be a highly cost effective growth strategy.

Don’t compromise your brand

It is often tricky for marketers to work out how best to talk to consumers during a recession. Should they talk about the product quality, the longevity of the brand or simply the price?

Research has shown that in a downturn many companies drop their well-established values and distinctive marketing styles in favour of reactive promotions. This technique may result in some brands losing the very elements that make them valuable to people. It takes years of hard work to build a reputation for quality that you can be proud of.  Don’t jeopardise this by aggressive discounting strategies to boost your revenue.

Be selective in the markets that you target

If your business is focused on serving a market that is impacted by the current economic downturn, this might be a time to broaden the base of your business, breaking into new sectors.

Review your online strategy

The current downturn coincides with a massive change in the structure of the media, with online social media channels presenting important new opportunities. These tools can present a cost effective opportunity to promote your business.

Ruth Jones
Posted by Ruth Jones on September 3, 2010 in Media, Social Media, public relations.

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Most annoying PR buzzwords

What do you think are the most overused words when it comes to press releases and promotional materials? 

Any business editor would be able to have a pretty good stab at the top marketing buzzwords without needing to refer to new research, which identifies them as being: 

  • Leader (161,000 mentions)
  • Leading (44,000 mentions)
  • Best (43,000 mentions)
  • Top (32,000 mentions)
  • Unique (30,400 mentions)
  • Great (28,000 mentions)
  • Solution (22,600 mentions)
  • Largest (21,900 mentions)
  • Innovative (21,800 mentions)
  • Innovator (21,400 mentions) 
  • Award-winning (11,000) 
  • Exclusive (10,700) 

Undertaken by Adam Sherk – clearly a man with a lot of time on his hands – the research was based on a review of thousands of press releases stored by Google and PR industry databases. 

Jaded, world-weary journalists become suddenly animated on this topic… they are infuriated when people describe their businesses as award-winning (without explaining which awards they have won).

They become immediately distrustful of companies that describe their new product as unique – when a quick Google search reveals something almost identical already on the market. 

The lesson is that we need to work harder to find fresh, engaging messages. It is too easy to resort to ready-made formulaic language that reflects the opposite of the ‘leadership’ and ‘innovation’ that we are trying so hard to establish. 

Writing for social media is – I am sure – engendering greater spontaneity and creativity in our approach to disseminating messages. This must be reflected in our more formal communications. 

Pronounced doomed and superseded by social media, the press release is, I believe, still very much alive and kicking – it remains a valuable tool for clearly encapsulating a news story from the company’s perspective, with all the pertinent facts and sources for additional information. 

But, keep it engaging and keep it fresh…

Ianmuir
Posted by Ianmuir on August 25, 2010 in public relations.

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