Tuvel Communications Blog

Continue reading "What We're Reading, July 30th" »

Technorati Tags: location-based marketing cause marketing associations social media marketing PR Facebook geo-location ASAE

July 09, 2010

Is your online communications program in need of a tune-up?

Photo by Andy Henley

An ongoing dilemma for companies and organizations is defining successful online communication and outreach programs. If this is a dilemma you’re currently facing, then perhaps your online communications program is in need of a tune-up.

But, how do you know for sure? Try asking yourself some of the questions that follow:

Many communication and marketing departments define program goals before executing a campaign. Such strategic planning allows us to compare results to expectations. For example, are you trying to drive traffic to a website or event, create awareness, sell more products or services, build a house e-mail list, or perhaps raise funds? Have you assigned metrics to these goals? Maybe you want to grow an e-mail list by 10 percent, drive 500 new attendees to an event or even raise a million dollars. Preliminary numbers or even educated guestimates can provide a baseline for future efforts.

Another way to gauge success is to compare the results that your program is getting against industry standards. Typically, a grassroots online outreach campaign is executed via email, so we’re referring to metrics such as open, click-through and bounce rates. You may also measure success by the number of responses you receive from those on your outreach list.

Most importantly, however, is how well your program is converting for you – are people acting on the communications you’re sending? Are you selling or signing up more people as a result of online communication efforts? This is where it’s important to track your campaigns from first click to final conversion using tracking URLs for your campaign links. For instance, we use tracking URLs provided by Google Analytics.

In terms of deliverability success, have you tested your content, headers and footers against a spam content checker? Doing so will help you track how your messages are treated. Another best practice to aid with deliverability is to implement a list hygiene program to routinely clean your lists by removing bad names and incorrect e-mail addresses.

Some organizations rely on customer feedback to improve outreach programs, and it is important to have that feedback loop in place. Are customers engaged and providing feedback? When’s the last time you asked customers and supporters what information they wanted to receive? Along the same lines, do customers pass your communications along to friends and colleagues? Would you even know if they passed the word along about your company or organization? Do you make it easy for them to share your communications – such as through email and social networks?

In the world of communications 2.0, consumer-generated media such as blogs and social networks (i.e. Twitter and Facebook) are helping to define success and your online presence. It’s important that you’re actively and regularly monitoring these mediums. In addition to customers, what are others saying about your organization or brand? Have you Googled your company lately? What’s the buzz in your sector or industry?

Lastly, are you doing all that you can to make your programs a success? Do you syndicate content through RSS readers and partnerships? Do you make it easy for decision-makers to find your company or offerings through search engines and your website’s media room? Have you explored other communication and content marketing vehicles, such as wikis, video and podcasts? Are you delivering a consistent message across both traditional and interactive channels?

For information on how you can put a Tuvel Communications program to work for your company, organization, product, service or event, just contact us.

Continue reading "Is your online communications program in need of a tune-up?" »

Technorati Tags: online communications communications 2.0 social media PR email marketing online reputation blogger relations

June 08, 2010

9 Steps to Finding Your Rock Stars for a Community Outreach Program

In my previous post, I talked about the importance of a community outreach program to find your rock stars. To reiterate what community outreach is, it's engaging and building relationships with your influential customers (your "rock stars") in order to generate positive word-of-mouth for your company, organization, and/or products. I highly recommend reading the previous post to get a better idea of the importance of and principles behind community outreach, but today I'm going to talk about how to find your rock stars through community outreach.

Community outreach is more of an art than a science – it is, after all, about relationship-building. There are certainly different methodologies depending on the audience and marketing channel (blogs, forums, groups, social networks, etc.); however, there is a set of best practices that form the foundation of any community outreach program.

Today, I'd like to share with you Tuvel's outreach methodology in the hopes it gives you a better understanding of these best practices.

Step 1: Articulate Goals & Develop a Plan — Like with any marketing and communications campaign, it’s very important to define achievable goals and lay out a clear plan for your community outreach program. Ask yourself these questions:

• What is the purpose of the outreach campaign? Increase awareness, increase sales/donations/membership/other type of conversion, or all of the above?


• How many influencers do you intend to find and reach out to?


• What is your timeframe for the campaign?


• What kind of response and/or conversion rates are you expecting? What are other metrics are important for determining success?

Step 3: Identify & Validate Groups — As you conduct your research, be sure to validate each group and individual for overall effectiveness as message carriers, based on criteria such as marketing opportunity, activity (has anything been posted recently?) and relevance. Actually read some of the posts on each blog, forum, or group to get a good idea of the hot topics and how you can best be of benefit to them.

Step 4: Create Contact Database - Include information for researched bloggers and other new media publishers. Each entry includes the name of the communication vehicle, marketing channel, contact name and e-mail address.

Step 5: Communications Planning - Develop appropriate campaign messages based on audience, marketing channel and mode of communication for those identified, then test messages to determine the most appropriate formats for online dissemination. It’s also important to give a very brief background and get to the ask as quickly as possible – don’t make the message too long or heavy with marketing-speak. Speak to your community in their language.

Step 6: Program Execution — Once messaging is right, begin rolling out the campaign:

• Customize and personalize each note you send, referencing a specific post you found of interest.


• Make it as easy as possible for them to post something, whether that means providing sample text or a link to the information they need.


• Engage in discussions within the community – It’s important to engage in open and transparent conversations with your community influencers on their blogs, forums, or other platform. This means representing your company, but identifying yourself honestly and not hiding behind a logo. For instance, posting thank you comments in response to blog posts published as a result of your efforts is a way to further engage blogger and build relationships with them.


• Encourage others to pass the word along by providing an easy way for them to share your message.

Step 8: Program Reporting and Analysis - You’ve already determined your metrics for success as part of step 1, so now it’s time to analyze the effectiveness of your program and return on investment. This also includes gauging response and feedback to your program from those to which you reached out. Don’t wait until the end of your program to do this – it’s important to gauge effectiveness throughout the campaign (see step 9).

Step 9: Revise, Improve and Do It Again —Revise your messaging based on feedback and campaign response. Test different messages to determine best response.

Our methodology will, of course, differ from other methodologies for outreach programs – but this will still give you a basic idea of how you can find and reach out to your rock stars – and build lasting relationships with them. For examples of how Tuvel has implemented community outreach on behalf of clients, check out our case studies for the National Association of Broadcasters and Share Our Strength.

Continue reading "9 Steps to Finding Your Rock Stars for a Community Outreach Program" »

Technorati Tags: community outreach blogger outreach

June 04, 2010

What We're Reading, June 4th

Welcome to the newest feature on the Tuvel blog, "What We're Reading"! This is a weekly rundown of the articles, blog posts, videos, and other media we found interesting and thought-provoking enough to share with you, the discerning reader.

Here's what we were reading this week:

• PR stunt or the new journalism?: The titans of public relations are going direct to viewers and readers from: The Independent


• The Twitter Experiment in Face-to-Face Learning from: Interactive Meeting Technology Blog


• 8 Must Haves For Your Twitter Contest from: Small Business Trends


• Niche Networks: Should One Be Part of Your Marketing Mix? from: Chief Marketer


• eBook - Social Media Marketing GPS: A New Media Roadmap For Creating A Social Media Strategy from: Diva Marketing Blog


• National Donut Day Draws 80,000+ RSVPs on Facebookfrom: Mashable


• HOW TO: Download Google Pac-Man Game for Free from: Mashable


• 100 Tips for Trade Show Lead Generationfrom: B2B Lead Generation Blog

Continue reading "What We're Reading, June 4th" »

Technorati Tags: social media social media marketing PR event marketing lead generation Google social networks Twitter journalism

May 26, 2010

Finding Your Rock Stars: Why a Community Outreach Program is Important

Photo credit: DavidDMuir

How do you use PR to reach your buyers? Do you issue press releases and pitch to your media list of journalists, hoping to get a write-up or some sort of media exposure? Or do you reach out directly to the people who are actively buying and evangelizing your products or services and influencing hundreds or thousands (hundreds of thousands, even) other buyers via blogs, forums, social networks, news sites, podcasts, and other consumer communities – your rock stars?

Let me ask you another question: which one of these methods just mentioned do you think is more effective?

OK, I didn't mean to lead you on this, because even if you're using the former method (press releases to a media list), you may be getting the results you want – and that's excellent. I'm not trying to say that there's a right answer and a wrong answer, but I am telling you that in the last 5 years, outreach has become so much more than simply media outreach. The PR landscape has shifted to community outreach. According to David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR (an excellent book I highly recommend, by the way), "The Internet has made public relations public again, after years of almost exclusive focus on media."

What is community outreach? It's about generating positive word-of-mouth and building relationships with your influential customers in order to drive conversions (whether that's buying a product, attending a conference, subscribing to a publication, getting donations or another action taken). It's also about finding, as I mentioned before, your rock stars. These are actual customers who are bloggers, forum admins, list owners, group leaders, or other thought leaders who are actively talking about your products and spreading the good word about your company to other buyers like them; but, most importantly, they are influencers within your customer community. When they talk, people listen.

So, if a press clip and media exposure is what you want, then the media is who you reach out to. If you want buyers, though, you find and reach out to your rock stars. This is why community outreach is so crucial to both your PR and marketing efforts. Besides, if you don’t find the influencers, you can be sure that the competition (or even your "coop-etition" – a cross between a competitor and someone with which you're in cooperation/partnership) will!

But you don't just pitch to them like you would a media list of journos – you have to build relationships by following these principles:

• Offer value. Tune your radio to WIIFM (What's In It For Me) and listen to what this person needs and/or wants from your products, then offer them something that addresses those needs and wants. Make your communication benefit-driven, rather than feature-driven.


• Be authentic. Introduce yourself. Tell them who you represent and why you're reaching out. Don’t hide behind a corporate brand or misrepresent yourself. Don’t overhype or speak in too much marketing jargon. Put on your buyer's cap.


• Be personal. Call them by name. Talk about their site and a post in particular that you found of particular interest. Make the connection between their site and your company/products so they see that your paying attention and not just pitching blindly.


• Be relevant. Reach out to those individuals and groups that will be interested in what you have to offer. Your chances of building a relationship are much greater if those to which you're reaching out understand why you are making contact.

Continue reading "Finding Your Rock Stars: Why a Community Outreach Program is Important" »

Technorati Tags: online communications community outreach blogger outreach social media social networking wom marketing word of mouth marketing community building

May 10, 2010

11 Lessons Learned: Social Media & Event Marketing

Here at Tuvel Communications, we have executed conference and expo social media programs for clients like the NAB Show and 1105 Government Information Group. We've learned several lessons along the way, and I thought it would be useful to get these thoughts down on digital paper to share with you so can be better prepared when it comes to social media marketing at events.

• Start early. It takes time to build a relationship. You don't want the first communication from your event to be about passing a promo code along! We always try to keep in mind the old Internet adage to give and then take. We typically like to begin outreach efforts 6 months prior to an event.
• Create excitement! Content doesn't create excitement, people do. We were recently charged with driving attendees to an expo. People love to win, so we created Twitter raffles and contests. People got really excited about winning a conference ticket. We also ran a recent Facebook promotion where 'likes' (aka: fans) were asked to post photos from past shows. People got excited about posting and seeing each others photos (especially the ones from shows 15 or more years ago).
• Don't underestimate the power of face-to-face. This is really a lesson learned from Netpreneur/Coffee & DoughNets days. Developing an online relationship can be cemented by a face-to-face meeting. Nothing beats the interaction we see at client events. Strong online community building and networking done prior to the show complement offline meetings. Even better is if attendees are located in the same market as the event and you can bring them together before and after the show.
• Feedback and buzz are huge! Our company is metrics focused. Whether it's 'ROI', attendee increases or exhibitor traffic, we look to the numbers to partially determine our success. Other program metrics include size of the communities and how well they're engaged, profile traction, website analytics, and promo code tracking.

  Having said all of that, don't underestimate the importance of feedback from conference organizers, attendees and exhibitors. It's easy to feel excitement in the air when you hear comments like "you guys are doing something different this year" or "there really is a lot of activity, I notice it."

• Think through, take a deep breath and consider implications before acting. We recently identified a potential conflict when an attendee at a client event set up a blog that was inadvertently being mistaken for the 'official' show blog. We took a very deliberate 'honey vs. vinegar' approach of not reacting in a negative or aggressive fashion. Instead, we began building a relationship that eventually led to shared traffic. It would have been fool-hardy on our part to do anything else.
• Don't be afraid to try new things (or, you never know unless you try). At a recent client event, show organizers were nice enough to offer us a vacant booth, which we turned into a Social Media Suite. We got some perplexed expressions and strange questions for sure. Traffic was light, so on day two of the conference, we made a CVS run, dressed up the booth and held a Tweetup. We produced a Twitter chat for another client, unsure if anyone would even show up for the party. We ended up doubling registrations as a result of the hour-long chat.
• Beware of technology (or, the best laid plans...). We had a great on-site social media plan for a recent event, only to find out that lack of stable wifi prohibited us from uploading any photos, tweeting or posting. On another occasion, we were all set up for a Twitter chat only to have chat tools slow down to a screeching halt. Moral of the story: don't be surprised when inevitabilities of technology happen.
• Be patient. It takes time to get traction. We 're big on momentum and were dismayed when a couple of recent promotions didn't get off to a quick start. It took time for the word to spread and traffic to build up. But, we soldiered on and both promotions ended up going well. Thankfully, we didn't pull the plug before they took off.
• Always follow best practices. This goes without saying, but I figure it's worth repeating. Following best practices in terms of transparency and communication isn't only the right thing to do-- it's just good business.
• Its not just the numbers, it's who they are and where they're doing it that also count. We'd trade larger groups of passive readers for a handful of passionate supporters any day.
• Ask for referrals. We execute word-of-mouse campaigns. As soon as someone posts or passes our message along, we ask for referrals - bloggers, moderators, social networkers and list owners in their network. These folks might be interested in our communication and nothing beats an introduction!

Continue reading "11 Lessons Learned: Social Media & Event Marketing" »

Technorati Tags: event marketing social media marketing social media for conferences outreach word-of-mouth marketing

May 07, 2010

HOW TO: Geo-Target Your Press Release Distribution

We were recently approached by a non-profit who wanted some quick advice on how to target the distribution of their press release to a specific city (known as "geo-targeting"). This is a great question, because there are so many press release distribution services that boast national exposure to major outlets; but what if national distribution isn't what you want? What if you just want local coverage of your news?

Now, it should be pointed out that before you think about distribution, you should think about how to geo-target the content of the press release itself by using city- or region-specific keywords. There was a fantastic suggestion we received via LinkedIn: “Lots and lots of freelancers and journos cover areas in which they aren't located physically. You wouldn't want to miss coverage by focusing the actual distribution of the message on a specific area.” With this in mind, you may want to consider national distribution.

We set out looking for the best tools and methods for local distribution of press releases, and we came up with some very interesting solutions that are simple and either no-cost or low-cost.

No cost:

• PRLog.org – allows you to select specific geographic areas where you want to target the distribution of your press release.
• Send to local AP bureau – Yes, you can fax or email your press release directly to your local AP bureau. It’s surprisingly effective in getting local coverage. You can find contact info for your local bureau here.
• Research and compile a list of local online and print pubs, along with contact info (reporter/editor name, email address, fax number), and send your press release straight to them.
• Your blog – look for local blog directories (i.e. outside.in) and add your blog to them. You can then post your press release directly to your blog and geotag your posts so they will show up in these directories.
• Tweet a link to your press release and include a hashtag for your city (i.e. #DC, #NYC, #SF, #Chicago).

• readMedia - this is a distribution service that allows you to choose local media offered in their database and target your press release just to them. Jason Falls offers a more detailed explanation of the service here.



Continue reading "HOW TO: Geo-Target Your Press Release Distribution" »



Technorati Tags: PR press releases non-profits online PR geo-targeting geotagging geo-tagging press release distribution PRLog readMedia

Posted by Kari Rippetoe at 04:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)



January 23, 2007

Social Media Press Releases

Update: see Stowe's updates and summary here

as posted to AdMarketing

Is anyone watching the press release debate between bloggers Chris Heuer and Stowe Boyd? Does anyone care?

Well, you should. The 'kill or revise the press release' debate has been going on for some time but seems to be picking up steam. At the moment, there's an argument raging about last week's Third Thursday SF event on new media press releases. I think that Chris supports revamping the press release through standards like Microformats. I think that Stowe is saying the press release is wrong and adding new media tools as window dressing won't help. He is actually questioning "the outmoded thinking about PR and social media."


As you probably know, press releases are beginning to include community building features such as Del.icio.us, Furl, Digg and, of course good old fashioned RSS. New media tools are being added to increase traffic (although it's up for debate whose traffic is being increased!), engage and listen to the conversation. As companies open up the communications process and become more transparent, there's also something to be said for getting away from the broadcast, corporate speak mode.

As far as this debate goes, you can follow the specifics here, here and here.

The bigger issue might be the changing or evolving face of PR. In addition to the media, are you writing press releases for people that read Yahoo! and Google News? Are you incorporating social media tools in your press releases? Are clients asking for these services? Or, is all of this just blogger talk with the original press release format here to stay?

What do you think?

Continue reading "Social Media Press Releases" »



Technorati Tags:

Posted by Mitch at 02:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)



November 14, 2006

Supply and Demand

Sally Falkow points to an interesting list by London based E-consultancy on The 12 reasons why UK businesses don't blog.

What's interesting is that some PR folks tell me that clients aren't asking for blogging, tagging and social networks. What companies and orgs know though is that things are changing. They sense that customers and supporters are getting info and news from different sources these days-- away from the mainstream and their Websites. 'Engagement' seems to be a word that Corporate America, not only the non-profit sector is picking up on.

I don't necessarily hear it alot but also sense that most corporate communication departments know that they've already lost some control over the message.

So, the question is: are the agencies leaving money on the table by not listening to the conversation or even asking the right questions?



Technorati Tags:

Posted by Mitch at 04:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)



October 17, 2006

Social Media and the Press Release

This comes from the DC Communicator broadcast (no link to their website- it's down at the moment).

Social Media and the Press Release

The concept that more and more people are consuming information when and where they want also is of interest to Dan McGinn who heads The McGinn Group. McGinn, a regular contributor to the DC Communicator, has these observations:

Social media sites like MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Second Life and Facebook are rapidly gaining on more established portals/search engines such as Google and Yahoo! People with common interests come together on these sites to spend time and share their creations, information and experiences. In June, two out of every three people online visited a social networking site.

You can read the rest of the post here.

One of the best reads on the new press release stratedgy is The New Rules of PR :: How to create a press release strategy for reaching buyers directly by David Meerman Scott.



Technorati Tags:

Posted by Mitch at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)