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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.

The Meltwater Blog

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!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

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Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

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Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content 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.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

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.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

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!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

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.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

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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Many companies are struggling when it comes to managing their social media engagement. But being active and posting frequently isn’t enough to connect with audiences. The most successful brands rise above the fray and engage audiences through emotional content on social media. And even then, getting an audience to not only read what you’re writing but to act, via commenting and sharing, can still be a mystery. If you’re unsure of where to start on the path to creating engaging content, using tried and true psychology-related tips can be a great place to start.

Carefully selecting a color scheme can positively represent your brand and impact readers on a psychological level. So, before you start sharing content across social media, choose colors that are synonymous with your brand. You’ll want a color scheme that shouts your brand in the absence of any other visual cues.

Spend the time in your visual marketing efforts to get this right. The Honest Company does this right. They have a signature color scheme they use across their social channels; it’s instantly recognizable by their audience and proclaims to anyone familiar with their brand that this is a piece of content they’ve created.

Don’t forget the power of imagery. A strong image serves as the front door to your content, it needs to draw a reader in and make an impression. Posting a powerful image will make you grab attention as readers are scrolling through their social news feeds. In this image of burgers and Cokes, Coca-Cola hits the checkboxes for relevance, brand messaging, and iconic imagery to generate appeal.

The best way to start a conversation with your audience is to ask for it. Write posts that pose a question, since questions intrigue. Humans are primed to answer: who, when, what, why, where and how; so writing some of your social media posts as questions can create ongoing conversations.

Now that you’ve asked a question be prepared to establish a healthy back-and-forth with your readers. Find out what they want, and provide it to them. Readers will remember the positive interactions they’ve had with your brand, and they’ll continue to engage the next time you come up in their news feed. Since you gave them a glimpse into your brand personality, they will trust you.

Whether aware of it or not, you are always expressing emotion in your posts, provoking a response in your readers. To take advantage of this opportunity, try to share good news and useful information. As you prepare a post, ask yourself what emotion does it convey? Avoid coming off as bored, anxious, or surly. Instead, portray your brand as happy, friendly, and generous; this will elicit goodwill and draw people to your posts. Oreo has a history of doing this well; all their social posts project a brand that is light hearted and fun.

If you have not yet mastered the intricacies of a strong online presence, keep these tips in mind when crafting social media posts. Think carefully about your brand personality in creating social media content and don’t forget that this extends to colors, images, and words. Follow these tips to create conversations that will emotionally connect with your audience. Once you’ve learned to express your brand personality in a positive way, start digging deeper into what makes people tick (and share) on social media.

Emotionally Connect with Your Audience on Social Media

The bottom line for every company is to get more business and all efforts are geared towards activities that can fulfil this ultimate goal. The customer experience teams along with other departments within the organisations implement creative tactics and advocacy programs to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty to create stickiness towards the brand. One of the ways for doing this is by leveraging social media to maintain a touchpoint across a number of devices and channels to create an end-to-end customer journey. Read the blog post to know how brands can increase their brand advocacy through social media.

2. Talk to your fans and customers- Ask them what they value!

8. Employee advocacy to enhance social presence

10. Monitoring the social media ecosystem

Highlighting the brand’s values, personality and culture in communication with the audience can develop trust. For e.g. sharing employee team pictures and behind the scenes, happenings can induce emotions in customers in terms of belonging improving the overall trust and customer experience.

Before launching a campaign or promotion on social media, understand the pulse of your fans. Create short posts asking for their opinion and ideas and implement those in bigger campaigns, products or services, which can make them feel special and heard. Such tactics not only generate repeat customers but also establish a relationship and increases their CLV.

Every customer is an asset to the business, in the socially connected world, the loss of one leads to the loss of many. Be sure to connect with customers on an individual level and social media can be a great way. A simple reply to every tweet/message, which is not only a complaint but also a compliment, can go a long way in creating a trusting bond of friendship between the brand and the customer.

Most businesses segment using demographics as one of the main characteristics and with the growing number of platforms within the social media space brands must analyse the platforms they should penetrate that best suits their audience. Brands must be equipped to engage and respond with resources skilled at answering queries and complaints at any time and at any channel. Various engagement tools are now available that integrate all handles within one platform with task allocation feature for easy management.

The advent of digital has changed the mindset of the connected consumer. The push marketing strategy from yesteryears has been taken over by the pull strategy changing the dynamics of promotional content. Brand delivering a constant stream of adverts can impact the customer experience and disenchant the customer. A mix of content from other sources, user-generated content, sharing company news and culture, asking for feedback and questions are all ways to invite customers towards the brand.

To gain a true edge over the competition and to keep customers happy brands must show signs of appreciation towards their customers. Proactively reaching out, commenting, acknowledging their messages, sending small gesture tokens like personalised vouchers and discount codes on their favourite items can all boost happiness level and proportionately the traffic on the sources.

The On-demand generation expects ‘instant’ communication and ‘instant’ results. Social media is a way to cater to this changing customer attitude. Setting up a step-by-step company program on how to handle complaints on various social channels and the approach to be taken to solve their problems has become key. By incorporating engagement and listening tools, some of our Meltwater’s clients have been able to reduce response times, keep a track of conversations and the frequency at which customers reach out to the business.

Employees are the company’s best advocates and involving them in communication can showcase the brand’s values and imply a ‘We care’ attitude. Brands like Cisco have an employee advocacy program having over 1300 members that are given guidelines and support to amplify the company’s messages through social networks and get the word out about products, services, culture etc.

Social media until a few years ago was a communication medium but with the increased maturity level of the customers and the advancement within these platforms, businesses can benefit from social media in other ways. It can be used to understand problems in the customer journey and a channel for improving customer experience. The volume of content and organic conversations on social media allows data to be converted into a research opportunity highlighting problems and allowing ways to improve satisfaction levels. This is not only limited to the company’s social media handles but also external sources such as discussion and complaint forums. From content sharing to reputation management, social media covers multiple businesses uses if leveraged properly.

Stats depict that 96% of online brand conversations happen outside of their official social channels. For brands to offer great customer experience and loyal customers, they must monitor the social ecosystem from outside other than their internal sources- we call this the ‘Outside Insight’. With the help of sophisticated listening solutions, brands can monitor this dark space that houses most of the customer reviews, complaints and feedback. It’s not always essential for a customer to tag a brand in their conversations, therefore, monitoring keywords in this vast space is a must to see the actual brand mentions allowing the right brand analysis and customer experience reports.

A McKinsey report suggests that the move to social can instigate a paradigm shift in customer satisfaction, lower cost and increase the net promoter score if leveraged correctly. Use the above tips to incorporate social media to make an impact. Let your customers do the talking, while you reap the benefits!

10 ways to increase brand advocacy via social media

An Inside Look at Top Communicators’ Playbooks 

Top communicators opened their playbooks on mastering brand crisis and reputation at an exclusive event Meltwater hosted in collaboration with PRWeek last month. Over breakfast in San Francisco, they discussed today’s 24/7/365 world, where external entities control the narrative as much if not more than the brands themselves, and even the basics of crisis and reputation management continue to evolve daily.

Showing us their best methods in the midst of madness were panellists Julie Miller, CCO at Ancestry; Al D’Agostino, SVP, Crisis and Risk Management at Edelman; Emily Horn, Director of Corporate Communications at HP; and Nina Beizai, VP of Communications at Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants. Moderating was Cole Weil, Director of Global Enterprise Solutions at Meltwater. A summary of discussion points and recommended actions follows.

At the first sign of crisis, deploy a tiger team to control the message

Gathering the right people quickly is the key to nimble decision-making, the panellists easily agreed. Emily Horn of HP recommended assembling a small team drawn from your stakeholder community, investor relations, and both employee and corporate communications and setting them to work performing risk analysis and determining the worst-case scenario. “Use the tiger team to control the message, and the fewer news cycles the better.”

Edelman’s Al D’Agostino added that the situation may warrant the communications lead assembling a cross-functional group that includes HR, legal, finance, and operations. “Side-by-side with that tiger team, use these people to figure out what’s going on and when is the earliest you can say something that actually means something.”

Multiple panelists confirmed the importance of having that foundation built in advance and ready to be mobilized in times of emergency.

Take the pulse of leadership early to reduce communication cycles

Ancestry’s Julie Miller says, “If my gut is telling me something’s happening, I try to get my CEO or the GM of the business and my general counsel in a room with me before everything hits. Sometimes the CFO is in there too if there’s a financial impact on the business. Getting a sense of where they’re at can save the team multiple cycles in thinking through the company’s response.” That early meeting often also helps determine what should remain confidential and what the threshold is for disclosure of information.

Come to the table with suggestions that will move the needle

“Strong analytics will get you far, and accurate analytics will get you farther,” says Nina Beizai. She adds that Kimpton has always viewed the communications team as having a seat at the table, in part because Communications is responsible for sharing the data on coverage, sentiment, and share of voice coming in from media monitoring and social and internal engagement. 

“Synthesize that data and come to the table with suggestions that will actually move the needle from a business perspective, not just a communications perspective,” Beizai advises. She says her role includes serving as a fact- and reality-checker of any proposals being floated. “I think that encourages everybody to put on their thinking caps and removes the hair-on-fire aspect of the drill.” 

Julie Miller says she welcomes the passion people bring to managing a crisis because, “If you can harness the emotion, it drives a sense of urgency and feeds the sense we’re going to roll up our sleeves and figure things out.” Her first priority remains to back everyone off the ledge and facilitate a conversation that moves them closer to finding a solution.

Maintaining a sense of perspective throughout is invaluable, says Al D’Agostino. “Oftentimes a client acts as if their whole world is going crazy. You might want to ask them how big is that world, actually. Is everyone really talking about this?” Context and a sense of proportion help keep emotions in check. Metrics can be applied here also.

Focus on being an effective two-way communicator  

The communication team’s responsibility is not only to offer advice and counsel on the wording of any pronouncements but to be the eyes and ears of the company also, says Kimpton’s Nina Beizai. “It really is a two-way street. Communicators are not just pushing out content. They’re also bringing a lot of objective reality into a situation.”

Emily Horn spoke of being at Hewlett Packard Company when hardware recycling became an issue for the tech industry and Greenpeace was protesting outside. “We brought coffee out to the protestors and sat down with them to talk and connect as humans. That helped because it calmed everybody down. Focusing on the human element of how you communicate is fundamental.”

Julie Miller says it’s important to know what your stakeholders expect from you and suggests weighing your response against a set of decision principles. “They don’t have to be absolute. You can use them merely as aids to judgment, but it’s much easier to explain what you’re doing if you have a principle-based approach.”

Understand the power of your employees to influence events

Employees should learn of a crisis first, followed by your customers. The focus should be on answering the questions you’re able to and confessing that you’re still gathering information, says HP’s Emily Horn. Tell them you’ll inform them as soon as you know more. She cautioned against a knee-jerk reaction to volunteer too much information. “I am often the first to say less is more.”

“It’s tricky,” says Julie Miller of Ancestry’s. “But I do believe there’s a role for key employees to play. An engineer or product manager may be the best person to speak to a product defect. Oftentimes it’s specific to the use case. This is where the company’s social media policy comes in. This feels like a more authentic place to have certain conversations.”

Kimpton’s Nina Beizai questioned whether we do enough to set employees up to be successful. What content can they be given that feels organic and can be shared during a crisis? Understand the power your employee base has to affect change. A crisis handled poorly with employees will not only impact reputations, Beizai says, but also morale. “This, in turn, will impact the business again, so you’re creating a vicious cycle where the crisis impacts morale, which impacts business results, which then impacts reputation again.” You devolve from talking about employees being ambassadors and advocates to worrying about their impact on the bottom line.

Edelman’s Al D’Agostino mentioned his company’s Trust Barometer, whose latest findings reveal that more than 75% of people globally view their employer as their most trusted institution. This adds to the imperative for the company to act responsibly in the eyes of employees.

Deploy a coalition of people willing to defend you in public

Julie Miller said she’d been with a leading tax software provider when scammers began filing fraudulent tax returns and receiving other people’s tax refunds. “Somebody already has your refund. Unwinding that is very, very hard.” She says her company hadn’t prepared a coalition of people willing to speak on their behalf, and that was a hard lesson to learn. “Sometimes it’s not enough for the company to defend itself. Gather a group of people who will partner with you in battle, as either public defenders or private advisors.”

Emily Horn agreed that third-party validation has never been more important. “Pick the right partners, have them act as your brand halo, and push them forward to tell the story.”

Even though the media environment is changing and the media mix is much different today, Nina Beizai cautions against neglecting or minimizing the importance of existing media relationships. “Old-school media relationships help in a crisis more than we tend to give credit. Where you want to balance stories with your quotes and who you trust to do this are both key.”

Timing is everything, and might offer you a chance to benefit from a crisis

Kimpton’s Nina Beizai says, “There’s this pivotal moment where you have an opportunity to build reputation and loyalty to a brand. Spotting that moment and shifting the paradigm is key. Oftentimes you’ll have a situation where an organization apologizes and it’s too little, too late. So look for that window of opportunity for your spokesperson to come forth.” She says the initial approach must be human, authentic, and as transparent as possible for there to be any chance of success.

It helps when what you value is also important to others. HP’s Emily Horn says, “One of our reputation pillars is diversity and inclusion. It’s extremely important to the company.” She says diversity and inclusion’s impact on reputation is often hard to measure, but that reputation itself can be measured by an increased intent to buy. Seeing an increase in this metric is one way of knowing that others share your values and appreciate your responses.

Don’t dwell on mistakes, and never shy away from bold solutions 

Crises happen in every industry, says Edelman’s Al D’Agostino. No matter what brand organization you’re part of, something unfortunate will happen. “You’re going to be judged on your response operationally and from a communication standpoint. So how prepared and willing are you to be a transparent and direct communicator?” 

Asked by an audience member for solutions that go beyond forming tiger teams and other tried-and-true methods of damage control, several panel members referenced Starbucks’ 2018 closure of 8000 stores to conduct racial-bias training. Something positive and unexpected that has an impact on revenue often captures people’s attention. Al D’Agostino’s takeaway from that incident was that Starbucks was truly committed to making amends.

Panellists agreed that a cross-functional “tiger team” should be assembled the moment a crisis hits. Have a list of participants prepared and include the key functions. Gathering the right people together in the very beginning is the key to making decisions quickly.

A crisis can enhance your reputation if your approach is human, authentic, and reasonably transparent. Never be afraid to apologize if the situation warrants it, but don’t overdo it.

Crises happen. No matter what industry you’re in, you’re going to be judged on your response from an operational and communication standpoint. How willing are you to be a transparent and direct communicator? How prepared are you? 

For further insight into mastering brand crisis and reputation, read more here, or contact our Enterprise Team.

For additional reading, check out the findings of a similar panel discussion on risk and reputation management hosted by Meltwater in New York this past May.

Mastering Brand Crisis and Reputation

It used to be (back before the Internet, smartphones and social media) that if you wanted or needed to speak to a client, you picked up the phone – or you sent her a letter. Today, however, there are many ways to communicate with clients. However, not every method is right for every situation or for every client. Indeed, choose the wrong communication strategy and you could wind up alienating valuable clients.

To help you navigate the various options, we’ve compiled a list of the most popular, and effective, communication methods (listed alphabetically) and included advice from client communication experts regarding when and how to use each one.

7. Social Media (LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter Messaging)

Email allows you to “communicate in a way that respects the client’s time and attention, as both are scarce resources,” says Anne Janzer, an author and marketing consultant. “That means sending short email messages, with the most important content in the first sentence and a clear subject line [as] some people never read past the first line of any email.”

Email is particularly good “where multiple parties need to be kept in the loop on something,” adds Adam Weissman, account supervisor, Max Borges Agency, a communications and digital strategy firm. “Plus, with email, there is always a record that is easily searchable.”

“It seems rather counterintuitive but we actually send a paper copy of a newsletter to our clients,” says Nick Espinosa, CIO, BSSi2, an IT services company. “I thought this was a bad move when we first tried it, but I was amazed at how many responded asking questions about articles. And I have actually spotted our newsletter on the desks of our clients!”

“When one needs to work with a client in detail and manage the nuances of the conversation, a phone call is still the best communication channel,” says John Kinskey, founder and president, AccessDirect, which provides virtual PBX phone systems. “At times a staff member will forward to me an email chain from a client and ask me how to respond. I say ‘pick up the phone!’”

Indeed, while good for certain types of communication, “email responses at certain points can become counterproductive,” he says, and can lead to misunderstandings. “With a phone call (using a VoIP desk phone) we have a chance to show that we care about solving a client issue quickly, along with apologizing for any misunderstanding,” he explains.

“We use email to keep a recorded history of client requests, but all of our client follow-up and engagement is done by phone,” says Espinosa. “As an IT service corporation we are following up with clients roughly 24 to 48 hours after work is completed. Our phone communication is constant and we consistently receive excellent reviews from clients,” he reports. “I personally use between 3,000 to 4,000 minutes a month on the phone, and it really pays off.”

“For regular communications, we try to maintain a weekly or bi-weekly Skype call with clients, with or without video (based on need and bandwidth),” says Weissman. “These weekly ‘calls’ can typically last 30 to 45 minutes and offer a great way to connect multiple people in different locations.”

“Skype is great for conference calls and international clients, as it’s free,” says Michelle Garrett, owner, Garrett Public Relations. “It’s [particularly] useful when you have people in multiple countries coming together for a meeting.”

[Google Hangouts provides a similar free video chat and messaging service.]

“Slack, one of my favorite team messaging applications, allows me to stay in touch with clients on a day-to-day basis when launching a new campaign, or updating [them] on current project developments,” says Nina Tomaro, a content strategist. “It takes away from the clutter of email and keeps all communications in one location, where the client can choose to check and respond at their convenience.”

“We use Slack to get clients out of email and into a chat room format,” says Kate Finley, CEO, Belle Communications. “We can make communication much more personal [using Slack] and decrease the need for lengthy meetings or the trap of multiple correspondence channels like text, email, phone and social media.”

“Don’t dismiss ‘snail mail,’” cautions Deborah Dumaine, CEO, Better Communications Writing Workshops. “Today almost all of our communication is delivered through our phones or computers. To stand out to new prospects [and even existing clients], a mailed letter can make a far bigger impression than yet another email in an overflowing inbox,” she says. “Letters are so rare that people can be intrigued and will open them. Try it.”

One of the most significant upsides of staying in touch with clients over social media is that you’re meeting consumers where they’re already spending their time,” says Bruce Milne, executive vice president, Socialware, which helps clients manage social media across the enterprise. “Use social media networks to regularly share content, updates and your own tips with clients, thus establishing yourself as a credible expert in your field and a top-of-mind choice when your type of services are required. In situations where discretion is necessary, [use] Facebook Messenger, Twitter direct messages (DMs) [or] LinkedIn InMail.”

Another advantage to using social media is “communications can be attended to at a client’s leisure,” he adds. “That means you [don’t have to worry about] interrupting [an important meeting or] dinner [or messages] getting buried in their email inbox.”

“I always give my clients my cell number and let them know it’s OK to text me about urgent matters,” says Tomaro. “This not only helps me stay on top of things that need my immediate attention, but shows my clients I truly care about their business.”

“Some of my service providers (doctors, salons) have moved to text messaging, which is really effective as a way to remind clients of their appointments and of special deals they may have going on,” notes Garrett. “It gets my attention much more so than an email that just sits in the inbox with dozens of other messages.”

“As businesses look to woo the critical millennial market and break through today’s cluttered communication channels, SMS/text-based messaging is one of the fastest and most efficient ways to accomplish this goal,” explains Tim Fujita-Yuhas, director Product Management & New Product Strategy, OpenMarket, a mobile engagement solution provider. “Businesses should also look to text-enable customer service phone numbers to streamline requests internally and to allow clientele to reach out and interact when it’s convenient for them.”

How to choose the client communication strategy that’s right for your clients

“The best way for businesses to stay in contact with clients is to discuss with them the best means of communication,” says Kyle Brigham, director of Accounts, Marcel Digital, a boutique digital marketing and web development agency. “Give them the opportunity to tell you how to reach them best. [And] never assume one [method] of communication works for everyone.”

“Once you have [ascertained] their communication preferences, record that information in a customer relationship management program,” says Zach Schaefer, president, Spark the Discussion. “Then follow the preferences that they [have] given you. The worst thing a service provider can do is ask their clients about their communication preferences and then ignore that information.”

Remember to be respectful of clients’ time (and patience)

Whichever method of communication you use, “make sure you are delivering value in your communications and ensure the method and frequency of communications is welcome,” says Erika Goldwater, vice president of Marketing, ANNUITAS, a demand generation company. “Contact or notify customers with useless information or a few too many promotional emails and you may lose them as customers.”

This article was written by Jennifer Lonoff Schiff from CIO and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.

8 Ways to Effectively Communicate with Clients

The tell-tale sign of an effective campaign is one that still resonates with us no matter how many years ago they ran. Not only will their catchy slogans or iconic logos be preserved for years to come, but their impact on our collective identity as a nation continues to be profound.

Great marketing campaigns make customers feel like they’re part of a family, not just another sale. Although big-budget campaigns stemming from the USA and Britain have traditionally been more popular worldwide (think Nike’s Just Do It and Coca-Cola’s Open Happiness), social media has evened the playing field and there are now a growing number of Indian campaigns reaching international audiences.

Here – in no particular order – are some of the country’s best marketing campaigns (and what you can learn from them).

The “best car and bike tyres manufacturer in India” can also produce some of the best marketing campaigns.

In their marketing campaign, #ItHelps, CEAT illustrates that their tyres are the best to have in case of an unexpected occurrence while raising awareness about road safety in India. In the TVC, a jaywalker spontaneously runs across the street, causing a motorcyclist to screech to a halt, resulting in a series of ripple effects that essentially put everyone out.

What made their #ItHelps campaign so effective is that they tapped into a common issue that Indians throughout the country are affected by; that of the daily traffic struggle. Not only can the traffic situation in Indian cities be a nightmare, but the constant thread of cheeky and oblivious jaywalkers affects everyone too. The campaign captures the minute nuances of the daily traffic struggles of an average commuter and refers to the CEAT user as the good Samaritan.

Top Tip: Explore messages that are common to your country or city, that then can be related to your product (i.e. tyres to road safety in India). The #ItHelps campaign is shot on high-definition with high-quality equipment and uses freeze-frame features – this was no cheap project. If you have the budget, look into getting a talented agency on board and creating high quality and high-value campaign. If you’re anything like CEAT, it’ll be worth it.

CEAT MOTORCYCLE TYRES #ItHelps

No list of the top marketing campaigns in India without a mention of Brooke Bond Red Label, the tea manufacturing giant that focuses on social issues, including transgender rights and religious conflict.

Their latest campaign, under the Swaad Apnepan Ka and T for Togetherness campaign, “Forgotten,” is about a woman who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. The TVC, by Ogilvy and Mather Mumbai captures the loneliness that a number of elderly members of society are forced to live with, and touches all the right notes. 

Forgotten

The video Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg called one of the most powerful she’d ever seen, BBDO’s #ShareTheLoad campaign for Ariel Matic encourages men to do their fair share of housework.

The video story is told from the perspective of a father who watches his career-minded daughter come home from work and clean up for her husband. He then composes a letter to his daughter, in which he laments the fact that his own behaviour has contributed to her situation and vows to change it by helping out at home.

Top Tip: Ariel asked a simple question – “Why can’t the man do the washing?” This drew attention to the powerful global truth that there should be no difference between what is considered “men’s work” and “women’s work” and that it certainly isn’t the defining feature of what makes a good husband or wife. The objective was to launch Ariel Matic, a new premium detergent in the Indian Subcontinent, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but the message went much further – going viral in 22 countries in 16 languages. Ariel used the content as far afield as Germany, Portugal and Spain. From this, we can take the lesson that sometimes simply questioning the status quo can go a long way to changing it.

ARIEL: Dad Share The Load (Best Thoughtful Ad) must watch

Bajaj Avengers, producers of the nation’s trendiest and most beautifully-designed motorcycles, created an advertisement for India’s Independence Day that went down as one of the greatest marketing campaigns in the country: #RideYourIndependance.

The commercial depicts a young woman, riding her Bajaj Avenger through the city; doing, listening to, wearing and going where she wants. Travelling alone with the wind in her hair, the air of freedom in the ad is almost tangible. Ending with Mahatma Gandhi’s quote rounds it all off, “The day women can walk freely on the roads at night, is the day we can say that India has achieved independence.”

Top Tip: There are so many different ways to portray and to celebrate the independence anniversary of a country. Bajaj Avenger decides to focus on the importance of empowering women in society and communicates their belief that only once women in India (or any country) are free, equal and independent, the country is. This is how to tell a story and connect with an audience. As a by-product, more Avengers are sold.

Bajaj Avenger Independence day Film | #RideYourIndependence | Bajaj Avenger

If you’re looking to make changes to your marketing strategy, then ensure you’re equipped with the social media monitoring tools necessary to measure whether you’ve hit the mark, or need to go back to the drawing board. For more information on how to better measure your return on marketing investment, get in touch with the Meltwater India team.

Tips From the Top: India’s Best Marketing Campaigns

What Social Community Management Used to Be

Social community management is an important part of maintaining a social presence for any organization. Using a tool with community management capabilities will not only make your social activities easier, but it will also maximize their effectiveness. Though usually used by the Community Manager, the community section in the Meltwater Buzz social marketing suite provides valuable insights to departments from marketing and PR all the way to the C-suite.

Many of the social management actions companies used to perform manually can now be completed using Buzz, such as:

Segmenting and organizing audience groups

Retrieving data and insights from a segment of your audience members

Manage and Organize your Audience Members with Social Profile Tagging

Within Meltwater Buzz, the Community tab offers a number of options that help you organize, track and gain insight from your audience activity. It allows you to locate your Twitter followers and followings and to see and select the Facebook users who have liked your page. The Community tab breaks down each user’s online presence and displays details such as:

Reach, Rank and Influence (how many people their individual profile is connected to and their social importance on a scale of 1-10, 10 being most important)

Relationship Source (where they first interacted with your Facebook and/or Twitter)

Methods of Engagement (options to retweet, post, share and more within the platform)

Tagged Group (your customized, segmented audience group or groups for each user, described in further detail below)

Social profiles will help you better understand the makeup of your social community members, as well as target your social efforts to specific subset groups. Here are a few examples of how Buzz clients have used tags:

In order to track customers within different product lines or segment their audience by relationship, many banks track both individuals and organizations in order to best understand how they can interact with their community. Common areas of segmentation include but aren’t limited to:

Product Lines – Personal banking customers, small businesses, small business loan customers, home mortgages, personal lending

Relationships – Brand ambassadors, customer complaints, satisfied customers, employees, partners, vendors, community organizations 

Universities in particular have the need to follow many different audience groups concurrently. After tagging users on their social profiles, go to the Community tab, select the Analysis dropdown and then “Contacts by Tag.” Here you can see a graphical list of community members, based on their tags. Within this list, you can click on any group to see individual users, take action, export a list or find the most influential people within any category. Popular ways to break out audiences for schools, universities and educational institutions are the following:

Alumni (by graduation year), current students, prospective students, parents, teachers, athletes, award organizations, departments/schools (i.e. business, dental, nursing, etc.) and more

The Community capabilities in Buzz are an excellent way to groom a new community manager, ensure the effectiveness of a social media director or translate the impact of your customer/audience engagement to C-suite executives.

Be sure to explore the many options within this area, including those not mentioned in this blog post, or get in touch with your Meltwater account manager to learn more.

Making the Most of Audience Engagement: Social Community Management

How much do you understand about Artificial Intelligence? Have you implemented it in your business yet, or are you using it to help your processes?

Simply put, it’s the technology making machines as capable as humans, if not more efficient in terms of speed and objectivity. Images of walking, talking robots may spring to mind, but actually, we’ve been using AI in much simpler ways for many years. Google’s RankBrain provides us with “Did you mean..” when we misspell something in Google search, and Facebook gives us the option to “Show translation” when something is written in a different language. Chatbots are also on the rise and with applications like Siri and Amazon’s Echo, almost everyone has a virtual personal assistant.

Tip: Learn why 2023 was the year of AI chatbots

With these examples, we can see how AI has been applied to our daily lives and how simple it can be. The question is, does this technology have the ability to be really powerful or is it over-rated? And most importantly, how can it help us in business?

The Meltwater Blog

Emotionally Connect with Your Audience on Social Media

10 ways to increase brand advocacy via social media

Mastering Brand Crisis and Reputation

8 Ways to Effectively Communicate with Clients

Tips From the Top: India’s Best Marketing Campaigns

Making the Most of Audience Engagement: Social Community Management

Improving Business Processes with Artificial Intelligence

What Digital Transformation Means for the Future of Retail

5 Amazing Ways to Impact Your Audience with Data Storytelling

5 Ways AI Is Transforming Digital Marketing

How To Localize Social Media Campaigns

Using Alternative Data & External Signals for Decision Making