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Generative AI is everywhere now. You see it in content, campaigns, customer experiences, and even internal workflows. It promises speed, scale, and efficiency, but there’s a harder question sitting underneath all that progress; Do your audiences actually trust it?

Trust in the Age of AI: What Consumers Really Think About AI Generated Content

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

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Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

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Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

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Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

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Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

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From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

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Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

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Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

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What Is Data Analytics? [Beginner’s Guide 2023]
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

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Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

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We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

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As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

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The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

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Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.

Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

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In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

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Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

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In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

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Today, social media represents the front lines of just about any brand crisis. But don't wait until you see a crisis coming to start planning. For a complete guide on how social listening can help protect your brand, read our ebook on using media intelligence to manage crisis.

Social media lets your business connect with an audience in real time. It can also accelerate negative comments about your business. 

If a digital PR crisis occurs, you need to be ready to give a quick response to help minimize the damage done. Preparation is key to responding to a crisis across all of your business’ channels, and it can ensure a smooth and effective response that helps to restore public trust in and loyalty to your business. The following tips can help you make that happen.

Understand the Importance of a Fast Response Time

When a brand crisis takes place, it’s vital to respond quickly and genuinely, ideally within minutes or hours of the issue occurring. Anger carries quickly on the internet, and a single social media post can rapidly turn into a much larger issue that’s more difficult to manage. Instead, be prepared to get ahead of the issue from the start. 

Pepsi’s response to the controversy surrounding its ad starring Kendall Jenner is a great example of how brands need to move quickly in times of public crisis. The company was accused of trivializing societal issues surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement for marketing purposes. Pepsi promptly responded on social media and released an official statement, apologizing and immediately pulling the controversial ad. 

A quick response along with effective communication can help you rapidly minimize the effects of a crisis, so establish ways for your business to conduct social listening and ensure a prompt response. Be sure to set up social media alerts and monitor all of your business social media accounts for negative comments, tweets and hashtags. Using Google alerts for the company’s name and relevant keywords can also ensure that your communications team will immediately know about brand mentions, so you can effectively manage your brand reputation online. 

Establish a PR and social media crisis management plan so that your business is well-prepared to quickly respond in a potential crisis. Know the appropriate role of social media management in creating and executing your strategy. Map out the steps that you would take, including which of your team members would take the lead in a crisis response. Focus on details, like who will be responsible for strategizing and writing a response, and how those people will come together – whether it’s an in-person meeting, a conference call, or another strategy – to quickly respond. 

Realize that no business can ever anticipate all of the situations or actions that could anger an audience and cause a crisis. Instead, be prepared to be humble and honest with your audience in your crisis response. For instance, when Nike came under fire for not providing its sponsored athletes with paid maternity leave in 2019, the brand’s initial response was on the defensive side. Nike stated that it had changed its policy in 2018 to support female athletes, but didn’t go into detail. 

However, the brand then assumed a more humble tone, admitting that it could and would do better. This prompt response, paired with an honest apology, won over Nike’s audience and turned the crisis into a win for the brand. If a brand as large as Nike can admit that it made some poor choices, this strategy of an honest apology can work for your business, too.

As you develop your crisis plan, you should also create a crisis communication team equipped to deal with these issues. This team should include your social media team or social media managers, your public relations team, and even your CEO. Create a chain of command and identify responsibilities so that all team members know what their role will be during a crisis. 

Work to streamline the crisis response process as much as possible. This means outlining your specific strategy and the channels you would use, such as posting to your website and social channels, and working with press contacts to quickly push your response out. 

Don’t forget the importance of working with your influencers, too. It’s possible that your influencers could receive angry comments on their own social media posts, so plan to communicate with your influencers during a crisis. Reach out to them initially to let them know of the issue and explain that your business is preparing a response. Once your response is ready, send it to influencers along with guidelines on how they should handle negative social media comments on their posts. 

Establishing your response team is an important step, but it’s equally important to hold regular team check-ins. These meetings let team members share their insights with one another, strengthening the team’s knowledge and preparation on the whole. 

You won’t always be able to anticipate threats or missteps, but if there are hot-button issues or conversations circulating, it’s important that your whole team is aware of their potential to experience a crisis. You can also gain awareness by studying the crises or challenges that your competitors are facing. Consider having your team draft or outline a response to some of these challenges so that there’s some initial preparation if one of these situations does arise. 

All of these exercises help in mastering crisis management, but hopefully your business will never need to put an actual plan into effect. Regardless, when you’re prepared with a great plan, it can help you tackle risk management, or handle any issues that do arise.

Crisis Response Across Channels—Best Practices for Social Media

Public Relations has changed dramatically over the past decade. It has grown and matured as an industry, yes. But the most striking moves have come in how we work. The changes have been less disruptive than those in advertising, but the rise of digital and social media has given way to a new world of digital PR. And the rules and tools have changed accordingly.

So, what’s different, and how can we take advantage of the changes? The goals of a typical digital PR program are similar to those of traditional PR with distinct tools and targets. We still prize earned media stories and we work to create branded content. But the most frequent targets are digital media outlets with high domain authority―top outlets like Refinery 29 or Business Insider. We push for links to a company or product website as a matter of routine.

Content has changed, too. In fact, the unofficial birth of digital PR was probably in late 2011 or early 2012, when Google changed its algorithms. The original Panda and Penguin updates favored quality content and penalized black-hat SEO techniques that had propelled dubious websites to page one of the search listings. Later updates defined non-linking citations as implied links, meaning that brand mentions in digital media worked nearly as hard as links, rewarding good digital PR work with higher search rankings. And for many brands, search rankings were the name of the game.

Gradually, PR morphed from delivering “earned media” to something PR Council president Chris Graves calls “earned influence.” To my way of thinking, this means a broader range of both tools and outcomes, from straight-up publicity coverage to paid third-party endorsement, and everything in between.

What impact has the new digital PR had on those of us in the business, and how do we leverage opportunities?

Instead of press releases and a giant Rolodex, it makes more sense to break a story through Facebook Live, or possibly a tweet with a link to a microsite with details of the story. Instead of a full-blown press conference (where breaking news could derail plans and quash media attendance), it’s smarter to share news through an exclusive arrangement with a single digital journalist. The old ways and tools still apply, and access to media and influencers is still vital. But where we once used a blunt instrument, we now have more refined ways of getting the job done.

Digital PR practitioners today need a newer and more varied skill set to take advantage of opportunities and maximize outcomes. Content used to mean good journalistic writing, a well-researched white paper or op-ed … or maybe a sassy blog post. Today it’s about digital storytelling techniques where visual impact may be more important than persuasive writing. And any PR person who doesn’t understand analytics, or at least the basics of SEO, will find themselves working at a serious disadvantage.

Digital PR has ushered in a whole new way of thinking about content. For years we focused primarily on earned media, which still has a hallowed place as an outcome of good PR. Then social media blurred the lines between paid and earned media, and “owned” or branded content expanded as companies and their agencies ramped up blogging and thought leadership content that lives on a branded website. Most PR agencies have adopted the PESO model, for Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned content that works together to drive search visibility, brand awareness, and the all-important customer engagement.

Anyone who grew up working at a major PR firm has partnered with ad agencies. There was also the occasional sales promotion tie-in, or maybe coordination with a direct-marketing campaign or consultant. Crisis experts routinely work with law firms. But today’s PR people may partner with teams expert in digital marketing, SEO content marketing, email marketing, content marketing, and more. That opens up a new world of “co-opetition” where we might be indirect competitors for the same budget yet must work as a team for the sake of maximizing outcomes.

Aside from content overall, nothing has changed PR more than the rise of the digital influencer. What we’re seeing here is a move from celebrities to less-known figures who can offer authentic engagement without breaking the bank. Lately, many brands and agencies have turned to micro-influencer programs that collaborate with personalities who have fewer than 100,000 followers (primarily on Instagram) but who ideally offer a less commercial and more meaningful relationship with fans and followers. Although micro-influencer programs have their detractors, they are popular because they’re designed for visual platforms and are more easily scalable at nearly any budget.

Tools and skills are part of the picture, but real success in the digital era requires nothing short of a mindset shift for most “traditional” PR professionals. In the past, the creative efforts of PR practitioners were directed toward journalists. As bloggers grew, the influencer economy took off, but we were still working to generate branded messages and stories through the filter of the writer. More recently, PRs are charged with developing “viral” content that engages consumers directly. This requires new storytelling skills and represents an enormous mindset shift and has required new talent.

Committing to Outcomes as well as Outputs

Today, everything is measurable and measured. PR floated for too long in a kind of netherworld―we urged clients to take it on faith that earned media would move the needle or we promised brand reach as measured in impressions … but very little beyond. Today, the good news is that there are easier methods and a new mindset for evaluating PR outcomes. And with that data, we can maximize our digital PR strategy. Our focus as professionals can then be on quantifiable changes in SEO, web traffic, brand engagement, and ultimately on the one metric that’s familiar to any marketer―improving business outcomes.

This article was published on this site on October 11, 2017, it originally appeared in MENG Blend, it was written by Dorothy Crenshaw from Business2Community, and legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

7 Ways to Maximize Digital PR

Did you miss our live webinar and panel discussion about the topic: Communicating in times of crisis? Or do you simply want to learn more about crisis communication? No problem! The speaker and CEO of PRlab, Matías Rodsevich, answered all questions asked during the session in this blog. Want to see the recording of the webinar and panel discussion? Find it here!

What are your thoughts on handling general internal comms from the international headquarter to all employees, versus internal comms from the local country organisations to the local employees? Might this be conflicting?

For companies that have international and local communications, it is important to organize the content at both global and local levels so it does not become mixed up. Some information is relevant at one level but not another so you need to set up a system to manage and filter the information flow. The important thing to convey is relevancy and precision. This is why employing regional and local administrators are necessary to direct the content flow to the right employees.

When do you ignore complaints on Social Media and when do you take action? We sometimes see certain people that continue to complain via the social channels which affects our image.

Some complaints are categorized more as hate comments rather than constructive feedback. While feedback and sincere complaints should be approached with a responsive action, the more ‘hateful’ complaints can still be acknowledged. Many companies will say things like, “Sorry to hear that,” and then provide a suggestion like a customer service chat on what they can do for the customer or offering a discount code, essentially some sort of reprise to appease the customer. This way you’re able to show that you still acknowledge all customers and respect their complaints. This is always better than not saying anything at all, ignoring such complaints can foster an even worse flow of negative comments. 

How do you prepare for crisis scenarios within the tech industry?

Case studies are very google examples of concrete crisis scenarios; we can learn from how they managed it.

For tech companies, data breaching and hacking is a common scenario and you must know how to prepare for it. For example, Equifax discovered a massive data breach in July of 2017 that leaked SSN and driver license info for nearly half of the American population. A plan would help prepare ahead of time for how you should work together, what steps to take, and what initial message to release and when.

Another example to be wary of, being in the tech industry, is an IT outage. Southwest Airlines was a classic example of this in summer of 2016 when their website and other key systems were down for more than 12 hours in peak travel season. They turned to social media to continue responding to customers but even social media outages can happen. Having a backup system to rely on but also having apologies and announcements ready for remedy are good preparations to have.

Do you have any additional advice as to how to make PR expertise count in an environment where PR might be not be prioritized by the final decision-makers?

Final decision-makers may prioritize finances for a short-term bounceback, but they should still have the same goals for the company as the PR team would, which includes putting employees first or managing your reputation first. 

After the 2008 financial crisis, there were many problems that followed for companies that tried to bounce back into business mode. They prioritized short-term shareholder interests, which did not create sustainable value as their incentives were clouded from financial reasons and could’ve even destroyed economic and social value. Good PR expertise will counsel the decision-makers towards long-term growth.

Should we respond to journalists contacting us for a statement about how corona has impacted our business?

Practicing PR in times of crisis is good for your business. Journalists want to know your take and input by having you share the impact on your organisation. You can not pretend the crisis is not happening but be mindful of the facts and the emotions. Know that many others around are going through the same crisis and dealing with the impact on their lives and businesses. I encourage you to empathize with them and show vulnerability in admitting your own impacts; it shows humanity and no one is going to judge you because most companies are struggling right now, it’s nothing personal.

What are the opportunities you foresee for PR professionals in a post-pandemic world? Which industries will gain more relevance/traction?

Digital media has increased as people spend more time at home, leaving them less ways to consume in person. Opportunities for PR in a post-pandemic world are amidst social networks that may have strengthened, video services and advertising, and media platforms for content. Clearly, the supply chain has the most immediate business impact and subsequently companies that heavily rely on supply chains for their business will suffer especially since global media ads will not be as effective. This pandemic only reveals the industries that are essential to our society’s function and that includes the need for 5G technology and other remote interactions.

What about fake news these days? Who could be your allies in this case?

Fake news is much more prevalent nowadays, especially with the rise in social media. Your allies lie in the sources and credibility. You can check the mission statement of the story site or the credibility and validity of the story’s author. Make sure to check the external sources, the date of the original story, and other primary sources such as quotes or press release documents

What is your perception about the role of PR after the corona crisis?

The role of PR during the corona crisis has been great, seeing all the big companies donating what they can to contribute to different communities of need. After the crisis, these PR actions should be sustained as to show it was not just merely a PR gesture during a global crisis. The role of PR during the crisis determines how people remember your company after the crisis. If anything we learned from this crisis is how to behave and be transparent. That will indefinitely be carried forward after the corona crisis in the hands of the PR team, communication. 

What do you do if your CEO already communicates to the press before you send out the official communication? Do you adjust or stay consistent and adapt the official communication? Even if the information is incorrect? 

This depends on the type of material and communication released. You obviously don’t want to harm the CEO’s image by correcting them but you also wouldn’t want to harm the CEO’s image by letting them support an incorrect statement. It’s better to adjust as necessary in a humble and non-aggressive way. Information and situations are always changing so if approached genuinely, you should embrace the opportunity to make adjustments to statements if needed. It’s important though to make sure he/she understands your role and double checks with you before communicating with the press. Try to get them on your side by getting them to understand that you’re not a burden but you’re there to protect the company’s reputation and you can bring a strong understanding of how to deal with the press to the table. 

What different perspectives or insights, if any, apply to public institutions in relation to private companies in front of a crisis? 

Public institution or private company, you will need to restructure different areas of the administration. Public institutions may deal more with the redesign process including efficiency, transparency, and quality while private companies are dealing with government, lawyers, brand image, and employees and unions. Mainly, the insight to keep in mind for public institutions is to define a vision and strategy for the institution so as not to lead to depreciation of authority from its constituents. 

Is there a difference in B2B and B2C comms during a crisis?

Social media as communication crisis strategy works across the board for B2B and B2C companies as well as other communication mentalities that are grounded in showing empathy and action. B2B and B2C companies alike should engage in a more service over sales approach. This means companies that are used to selling products should divert some energy to providing relief services or the best aid possible they can afford. Crisis management may look different in B2B and B2C in small variance among the normal products and services offered but overall there is no distinguishing B2B and B2C in a crisis; people just come together to help.

Shall the crisis comm ‘war room’ make decisions on the communications for all departments/HQ’s around the world if we are talking about a Multinational?

Yes, definitely. The more centralized the messaging the better. Although in the case of a multinational company,  it’s important to have the global managers of teams present who will cascade down and adapt the messaging to local markets. 

How can I make clear to the CEO’s that the crisis is a theme that is for the communication department. I noticed that a lot of these actions are given to HR. And they struggle a lot.  

You can let the CEO know that internal crisis can be allotted to HR with no problem, but other communication crisis’ should be handled by those in the actual communication department. As long as you are distinguishing the clear differences and categories that HR vs. Communication handles, it will be better understood that there is a place and a job for every department.

Bringing physical together with the leadership team might be an additional risk in times of crisis. What are your experiences regarding splitting up?

I think not much has changed as long as everyone is open to the idea of digitization. What you are referring to is basically a war room with your leadership team. Keep in mind the concept: bringing in the most important people all in one space to tackle the crisis, align on the messaging, deciding how to cascade it down to the company. You don’t need to be locked up in a room putting ourselves at risk to do this. It is easily replicated online, so there shouldn’t really be any difficulties.

What’s your point of view on how EU institutions have been handling the COVID-19 crisis?

I think that EU institutions have been handling the COVID situation to the best of their ability. No one was really prepared to deal with a pandemic, let alone one the size of COVID. So as everyone looks to bandage the situation, I look to see the adaptations institutions make for the future. Sometimes, that’s how it goes with crisis communication. If we are unprepared for a crisis, we just need to learn from it and decide what we did right and what we did wrong.   

How do you deal with having different comms decision makers across different HQ’s?How can you draw on efficiency if there are different comms decisions makers between different HQs who can affect your work  (e.g. when you work at EMEA but Global HQ and APAC is involved too)

It can be super frustrating to have conflicting communication coming from two different decision makers. Typically in crisis communication, we like to have a process to define what to say and who is going to say it. But like I said, no one was prepared for this. So everyone is kind of acting on the fly. What I would recommend is schedule an online meeting with both/all parties involved, so everyone is there to discuss it. Sometimes emails just don’t work in getting your message across. So it’s important to have everyone, face to face, to ask what they want to be communicated. It’s also important to adapt the messaging to local markets, so you might want to consider adapting the messaging to global HQ to where you are, backing it up with relevant data to demonstrate that you know what you’re talking about. That way instead of being told two different things, you are mediating the situation and allowing them to come to an agreement on what the proper communication is. 

I work for an animal welfare charity. A part of our messaging consists of highlighting the source of the corona crisis. Should we use the current crisis as an opportunity to push our message, or rather refrain and reflect after this crisis?

I think this is super tricky right? There are certain industries and companies that are having huge profits from COVID, but everyone is steering putting this in the public eye. That’s why you see edtech platforms giving discounts or becoming free to use during this time. I would say that the message does have it’s timing, but that time is not now. It is far too ingrained in everyone’s mind and the threat is still too real. So I would wait a bit to send the message and monitor the situation. 

When things start to clear up and there is an end in sight to the pandemic, then it might be the right time by framing it as “looking back” and in order to prevent such a situation from happening again, this whole thing would have not happened if it wasn’t’ for animal meat consumption.

Matías has +7 years of vast PR & Marketing experience in B2B, B2C, technology and product communications across corporate, startup and agency environments. He is specialized in B2B & B2C Tech PR. Now he works as CEO & Founder of PRlab, an integrated marketing agency specialized in Scaleups and the design industry.

Want to know how Meltwater can help you with your crisis communication? Fill in the form below and our consultants will get in touch with you as soon as possible. You can also watch the entire webinar and panel discussion via this link.

Q&A: Communicating in times of crisis

Once marketing departments cultivated influencer relationships it’s imperative to support them because these public figures are important to your brand.

You’ve built a great product and an authentic brand around it to match. You’ve started to see brand advocates give unsolicited testimonials, and creating content that reinforces your brand’s positioning.

Good job! But how will you keep this momentum going? It takes time and attention to nurture these budding influencer relationships and maintain them over time. And it’s over time that these relationships will pay off. That’s why finding creative and valuable ways to recognize your brand’s influencers is essential.

It seems obvious that the easiest, most cost-effective thank you would be simply to acknowledge and thank your brand influencers for their mentions. But many brands don’t seem to notice—or care—about these mentions. This lack of acknowledgment is a HUGE missed opportunity.

Reading Tip: Are you wondering how much influencer marketing costs? Learn more about influencer pricing.

When someone is a big enough fan of your brand to spend their time, for free, to create content that mentions you, you need to make it a priority to reply to them! This acknowledgment can be as simple as a comment on a blog post, or a social reply when they share the content. To make sure you’re on top of mentions, you can use social listening platforms.

Again, this seems like a no-brainer, but not many brands share influencer-created content unless it’s sponsored by—or exclusively about—the brand. Influencers can be an excellent source of relevant and engaging content that’s relevant to your audience. By sharing their content, not only are you helping them increase their audience, you’re showing that you’re tuned-in to YOUR audience and their content interests as well. They will appreciate every new follower that comes from this simple act. 

Wouldn’t you jump at the chance to get an inside look at what it’s like to work and play inside your favorite brand’s workplace? While it’s not practical to invite all your brand influencers to shadow staff, what about hosting an exclusive happy hour or open house that allows them to mingle with your employees?

In addition to making them feel like an extended part of your brand family, it’s entirely likely they’ll create content about their experience. This sort of behind-the-scenes content can be incredibly valuable to employer branding efforts.

Do you have a customer advisory board? If the influencer is a regular product user, they may be a good candidate to round out your group. However, be conscious of the reality that customer advisory groups often have competing organizational demands for their attention. In that case, creating a formal external brand ambassador program might be a better way to give influencers VIP status and recognition.

For example, I’ve been invited to a number of brand advocacy communities over the years that have used Influitive to create targeted opportunities to involve brand advocates in promoting brand activities. Sprout Social has gone in a slightly different direction. They’ve created an exclusive Sprout All Star program (which I’m part of).

As a Sprout All Star, I have access to a private Slack group where I can network and collaborate with other All Stars, keep apprised of the latest product changes, and have a direct line for feedback or questions. All Stars also have an opportunity to work with Sprout on co-created content, and frequently have their content shared with and elevated by the community. The All Star program is an exemplary example of recognizing influential partners and providing them with something valuable in return for their ongoing support.

When someone is a passionate brand fan, chances are, despite that love, they still have many ideas about areas of improvement for your product and services. So get them involved in your campaign! Involve them in your BETA testing and give them sneak peeks of or early access to new products. It can feel incredibly rewarding to see your suggestions make it into everyday use of a product you love beyond simply being asked to post things on Instagram without a chance to comment.

If you’re struggling to identify the best way to recognize an influencer for their brand advocacy, there is one guaranteed tactic you can use: ask them what you can do to help them grow their career or business.

Their replies could be anything from an introduction to potential clients, giving them access to high-profile people they are looking to build a relationship with, or exposure via your social media. It could even involve 1-on-1 time with a key executive in your organization for an hour to help them think through a vexing business issue. You may not be able to accommodate all the requests from each of your brand’s influencers, but it’s very likely these conversations will give you some insights into your influencer community-at-large that you can apply more broadly.

Your Partnership is About More than Just Advertising on Social Media

At the end of the day, finding the right content creators is only the beginning of what should be an ongoing strategy. Every online marketer knows how valuable they can be in helping you reach your target audience on Instagram, SnapChat, LinkedIn or wherever the data has shown you they are - and, as part of your social media marketing campaigns. Every new follower exposed to your brand is an asset to you.

Influencers are also often loyal customers and when they start working with you, they enter into a partnership that can benefit everyone involved. In advertising your products or services, they become part of your team and it helps to reward them accordingly. Not to mention the word-of-mouth component that we know is so powerful in marketing.

Your influencer marketing strategy must extend to creative ways of building and maintaining brand awareness, keeping up your relationships with big celebrities and micro-influencers too. Share hashtags, leverage niche interests you share and start increasing engagement as a priority. In doing so, you can grow your social media profiles, but more importantly, start helping and rewarding both parties to make it a lasting and beneficial relationship. 

Although the term thought leader has become a bit cliched, becoming a trusted and respected industry expert is at the top of many influencers professional development list. How can you help them achieve that? You can provide them with speaking opportunities at your annual conference or regional networking events, or even co-present with them at an industry conference.

If public speaking isn’t their thing, you can make a point of featuring your influencers in your content, and put a budget behind promoting that content, including mentions of that influencer.

Influencer recognition needs to reflect both your company’s unique culture and the depth and value of the influencer relationship. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to influencer recognition. Try out a mix of these approaches, then ask influencers for feedback, and see if these tactics have the desired result. And don’t forget the power an unexpected handwritten note accompanied by a piece of branded swag or another thoughtful token gift can have on making an influencer’s day.

To learn more about creating and building on your relationships with influencers, read our blog, Finding the Right Influencers to Partner with Your Brand.

7 Ways You Can Do Better at Recognizing Your Influencers

Quarantined. Stuck. Isolated. It’s very likely that you are at home reading this right now – perhaps working from home or adapting to new ways of living. Your only outlet to communicate and be a part of society? Social media, Zoom, Slack… the list goes on. The audience of thousands of small businesses and large brands are all in one place — online.

It may seem strange that in times of a crisis, brands genuinely think that the consumers want to hear from them, that consumers are actively interested to know what the CEO wanted to say. Perhaps there may be nothing wrong with informing your customers on what comes next in these times, but the PR template you should be using needs to be personalised instead of something generic with the same tone, same rhetoric and basic action plan.

It is times like this where the point of view for consumers has shifted. They are now looking at the world with a far more sensitive lens, and the world is moving from a want-and-needs mentality to only needs. What does your consumer need for themselves or their family so they can be OK? Not “should I buy a new mattress, it’s an excellent price.” If only brands could act like everything is business as usual. If only campaign launches your agencies and staff had been working on for months could go on. But, this is not the case.

At a time when the world is living day to day, trying to stay up-to-date on an ever-evolving situation while also trying to remain hopeful, this is also the time that you could choose to talk, or you could choose to listen. You need to listen.

Reading Tip: Does Working From Home Work for PR and Marketing Agencies?

Brands and businesses have the opportunity to use this time to gain better audience insights and see what their consumer genuinely needs. How are they feeling? What are their pain points now? Are they using your brand or service in a new way due to their current situation?

You need to start social listening. This is why your brand needs media monitoring. You need to see what people are saying about you on your social channels. What is the overall sentiment (positive, neutral, negative)? What do they love or hate about you? What do they wish was different? This is an opportunity to gain priceless information about the people you want to love and engage with you in their customer journey. It’s audience research.

Brands should be adjusting their content strategy, making sure that any messaging is empathetic, and acknowledges what things are like right now. If you are unsure of what steps to take regarding your marketing, here is a marketing primer for the Coronavirus crisis.

In addition to adapting, you also need to see how you can best take care of your audience and determine their needs at this time. No doubt that their needs have shifted. Their financial situation has changed. Their access to transportation has changed. You need to learn what their day-to-day is like now. So listen.

To get started with social listening, you need to ask yourself specific questions:

What does my brand offer? (product, service, industry)

What social media channels do I have? (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, YouTube, etc.)

What hashtags and keywords are associated with or could be related to my brand?

What budget do you have available to use for this? (This will help you determine the best tools for your needs)

Who is in charge of doing this work? Do you have an escalation process in place should you find something highly defamatory?

Once you’ve answered these questions, it’s time to determine the next steps and choose a tool that is right for you. Meltwater offers a range media monitoring and social listening tools that provides solutions for every department. Get in touch with the Meltwater Team to request a free demo today.

Using Social Listening to Regain Attention and Revenue

With consumers’ needs now shifting, find opportunities to showcase empathy and understanding. Now is not the time to sell. Now is the time to listen and embrace your audience.

Is there a way your brand can help? Is there a way you can shift your products and services to an online option? With many people self-isolating at home, consumers are relying on the internet more than ever to be their connection to the outside world. It is now how they communicate, shop, work, and more. They live online now.

Restaurants: If you are forced to close, can you donate the food in your kitchens to food pantries, schools, or other groups that are in need? If you are still open, can you offer delivery options with minimal human contact?

Tech: Zoom is setting the perfect example of how technology can make this easier. How can your program help during this time, and is it possible to offer it for free or at a discounted rate during this time?

Google has made it possible to visit museums and National Parks through virtual tour options.

Retail: Can you offer products online? Set hours just for elderly customers, so there’s a safe time for them to come when others aren’t there?

At this time, you don’t want businesses to simply stop everything. It isn’t about businesses stopping; it’s about them adapting. In this situation, it is both businesses and consumers that are forming new habits. Companies that never offered remote opportunities before will discover that there are ways their staff can work from home and provide the same value. Movie studios will find that streaming and online opportunities may be the best way to maintain profits instead of adhering to an antiquated theater first mentality.

We are all adapting as we take it day by day. When this is over, and we get to venture back into the world, it will be changed. Businesses need to use this time to prepare, learn, adapt, and work to do what it takes to be ready for a post-COVID-19 world.

NOTE: This article was originally written by Christina Garnett. To view the original post, click here

Why Now Is the Time to Practice Social Listening

After I published a recent article about how to decide if a press release should be written, I found myself in a few deeper discussions about the release itself. From these conversations I learned I have 2 more related articles ahead of me: Press release anatomy/history, and press release SEO/effectiveness. In order to understand press release SEO/effectiveness it’s important to first understand the history and anatomy of press releases, how they’ve evolved over the years, and how they haven’t evolved at all.

Press Releases Really Haven’t Changed Much

OK, OK! Yes, Press Releases have Changed a Little

The first press release. The structure looks familiar, right?

PR history is filled with notable moments in time; many of them were powered by the press release. The first press release is credited to Ivy Lee: in 1906 his agency was working with the Pennsylvania Railroad at the time of an accident. Rather than waiting to see how journalists would cover the story he wrote up a release and proactively distributed it to journalists. The release told the story from the perspective of the railroad. The press release was born!

It is said that Edward Bernays, often referred to as the “the father of public relations,” took Ivy’s concept, refined it, and made it commonplace in PR.

Have a look at the image to the left: it’s Lee’s first press release as published in the New York Times. Look familiar?

When I sat down to write this article, I started as I usually do -with research. First stop: Google. A search for “press release anatomy” resulted in a thrill and a little embarrassment.

I wanted to see if my premise (that press release anatomy hasn’t changed much) was accurate. What I found, ranked at #1 on Google, was a press release anatomy article I wrote for CafePress 10 years ago. Given the opportunity I would go back in time and re-write that article, or I’d go talk to Then-Marc to give him some advice on voice, structure and layout.  But, the actual content of Then-Marc’s article remains accurate. The basic structural formula of a press release has not changed.

Headline: The most important element of a release, this should capture the readers attention and summarize your story.

Sub-Headline:  While not always necessary, this is your opportunity to build on the headline by adding secondary detail

The Meltwater Blog

Crisis Response Across Channels—Best Practices for Social Media

7 Ways to Maximize Digital PR

Q&A: Communicating in times of crisis

7 Ways You Can Do Better at Recognizing Your Influencers

Why Now Is the Time to Practice Social Listening

Press Release Anatomy and History | Not Much Has Changed

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6 Companies That Are Killing It on Instagram

#WFH: 5 Ways To Manage Your Influencer Campaign While Working From Home

How to Connect With Your Audience in the Digital Age

How to Appropriately Respond to Negative Reviews Online

5 Ways to Turbocharge Your PR With Media Monitoring