What you need to know before you agree to  speak to a reporter

They like you, they really like you. So, you have a reporter or editor interested in speaking with you about your work and company. Perhaps he/she responded to a press release, met you at a trade conference or your agency arranged the conversation. Preparing for the interview and obtaining just the right coverage is critical. In this article, we will discuss the strategy you should take for nailing media interviews. Note, in this article, we are talking about a typical media interview NOT a crisis situation or the dreaded “ambush” interview with a reporter shoving a microphone in your face. How to handle a crisis or “ambush” interview will be discussed in a future article.

For your typical interview, you should have a strategy for these five steps: 1) Know their audience, 2) Research the reporter and their history, 3) Have your facts straight, 4) know your desired outcome, and 5) Have your art ready.

First, are you familiar with the publication? You need to know who they consider their audience and if there is a fit with the content you hope to convey. Research their website, peruse past issues, and look at their media kit. The editorial calendar is of particular interest. These are the “big rock” issues they will be covering editorially. If you can align with a proposed topic, you will be doing yourself and the reporter a huge service. Second, get to know the reporter. Read articles they have written. Pay attention to tone, depth of technical expertise and look for any bias the reporter may have, especially if that could either help or hurt your cause. By demonstrating your familiarity with both the publication’s editorial direction and the reporter’s work, you are also showing you have respect for their organization.

Make sure that you are well versed in your subject matter. Whether you are meeting in person or over the phone, make sure you know the facts about your organization. While you cannot anticipate every question, you should know your content cold. If you are not the expert, either get briefed by one prior or better yet, have them participate in the interview. Knowing your facts and developing key message points are not always the same thing. Your message points are fact-based content that you want to highlight. One tactic you can use is to request questions ahead of your interview. You have to be tactful here and be prepared for no. But, if you get the questions ahead of time, do not squander this opportunity to prepare.

Now that you have your facts and message points ready for your interview, know exactly what you want to get out of this interview opportunity. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask the report how their story will be used. Is this a feature on your company or are you being included in a larger piece? Is this a sidebar to a separate story or simply a product mention with a photo and caption?

Lastly, have graphics in the form of charts, photos or infographics ready and in the proper format. When you reviewed the publication, you already made note of the “art” they publish to support their content. Make sure your supporting graphics are ready to be emailed or uploaded. If this is a print publication, they will undoubtedly want the highest resolution photos or graphics you can provide. A jpeg off your website will usually NOT work. We have seen time and time again our client’s interview featured simply because we had the best and most readily available supporting graphics. Just as important, relax. You are prepared and ready for this opportunity. And, if you string a few of these together, you will certainly be viewed as an industry expert.

The new year is right around the corner and with that comes reflection. What did you accomplish? Where you can improve? I decided to be nostalgic and take a look back at our blog since its inception in 2008 and compare it to our blogs in 2015 to see how our blogging has changed (and hopefully improved). One of our very first blogs talked about the importance of organic (meaning unpaid for) search engine optimization. In this blog, I’ll discuss what we thought then about SEO, our current SEO strategy, and what we’ve learned as a firm from about SEO over the last several years of blogging.

Our SEO Strategy in 2008:

In 2008, our sole SEO focus was using keywords. In a 2008 survey, we polled approximately 50 publishers (60%) and marketers (40%), through online surveys and phone calls, to determine our core keyword areas. Then we took those findings and would cross check with services such as wordtracker.com and websitegrader.com to continually help us in choosing the right key words.

As you can see is the example photo to the left, our blogs in 2008 were very brief. We were on the right track with linking multiple sources in our blogs, as that helps in getting blogs to be found in searches more frequently. Although we used keywords in our blogs and monitored Google Analytics to try and find a correlation between keywords and blog traffic, we weren’t using keywords to their fullest potential. Also, we didn’t understand the value of using photos and tagging them with keywords for Google indexing.

Our SEO Strategy Today:

Today, Felber PR & Marketing uses a very thorough SEO strategy that we utilize across ours and our clients’ social media platforms and blogs.

On the left side is a recent blog I wrote. As you can see, the title is straight and to the point and utilizes our focused keywords “Manufacturing Day”. The keyword can be found in the URL, image names, and the majority of all photo captions on the page. The more the focus keyword is used, the more likely it is to be seen in posts. Like in 2008, we link and cite multiple sources in this blog (and make sure that the hyperlink opens in a separate tab so that people stay on the blog and read our content!

 

Our blogs are much more thorough in 2015 and highly researched. We also have worked to create a much more visually appealing layout with photos and captions, to make the blog more aesthetically appealing and improve readability. After our blogs go live, we social media the blogs out on all our platforms with the keywords and other appropriate hashtags, all in an effort to gain more readership.

What We’ve Learned:

Organic SEO has changed and grown as a field since 2008. While we were on the right track in 2008 using keywords, we did not realize the extent that we needed to use keywords throughout the blog, photos, and in the URL. We also did not utilize hashtags to our fullest potential in sharing our blog content. Today, continuously monitoring LinkedIn Groups, Twitter, and other key resources to find the latest trends and keywords to use to give ourselves and our clients more visibility. SEO is an ever changing and evolving field. We’ve stayed up-to-date on the latest SEO trends and will continue to learn new processes and ways to leverage SEO for years to come.

Live events are a growing trend, and with good reason. Live events allows for participants to join in an online conversation and create a community of participants online. With apps like Periscope on the rise, which allows for app-users to stream where they are in real-time, live events will continue to gain popularity and evolve over the next few years. It can be daunting for attendees to understand this new marketing channel and make the most of it. Utilizing social media during a live event has its own nuances that you should consider before jumping in live. Here are the top 5 tips for getting the most out of live events.

1. Use the Correct Hashtag

Using the correct hashtag is of utmost importance. Most events these days have a dedicated hashtag. By using the event’s hashtag, you are ensuring that your tweet or post will be part of the conversation, giving you and your company more exposure.  

2. Add Value to the Feed

Before attending the event, it’s a good idea to come up with some talking points that you want to emphasize. That way, you can weave branded messaging into your tweets, which allows you to both support the event and impact your brand.  

As a participant of the event, add your personal insight in tweets and posts about the event. Your unique perspective will be appreciated and also will distinguish you from other event-goers, who are only posting with the purpose of letting others know they are attending. Keep the feed interesting by highlight memorable moments from the event. Ask yourself before posting, whether your followers or other event attendees will find this content engaging, relevant, or interesting.

3. Retweet, Comment, and Follow

Remember that you’re not the only one at the event. Have your phone or Ipad open to a stream of the event’s hashtag on Twitter. Then you’ll get a real-time feed of the event and will easily be able to retweet and comment, engaging with other participants. This is a great way to connect with like-minded individuals at the event and develop interest from prospects. If you like the content posted by another attendee, and think you could have a business relationship,  follow them and even repost their message. This opens the door for you to start further conversations with that person down the line.

4. Share Pictures

Twitter limits tweets to 140 characters each, but as the saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Sharing a photo is a very impactful way to get your message across! Take good clear photos and remember to add a branded caption about the picture in your tweet.

5. Don’t Hijack the Hashtag!

Essentially, the term means, “when a hashtag is used for a purpose that was unintended by the creator of the hashtag, negatively impacting your company, event, or brand.” We have a blog on this subject, which gives a more in-depth dialog about hashtag hijacking. During live events, it is possible for people to get carried away and start tweeting about off-topic subjects. It’s important to take a step back and ask yourself if jumping in on those conversations will add value to the feed. The last thing you want is to distract from the event going or annoy potential prospects with your off-topic tweets.

Showcasing the Manufacturing Sector in NE OHIO

Mark your calendars, October 2nd is a worldwide celebration of manufacturing! MFG (Manufacturing) DAY addresses common misperceptions about manufacturing, “giving manufacturers the opportunity to open their doors and show,  in a coordinated effort, what manufacturing is — and what it isn’t.” MFG DAY encourages manufacturers to work together to address and find solutions to their collective challenges; helping future generations and their communities thrive.

Since 2012, manufacturers, educators, and chambers of commerce around the globe have put on Mfg Day events, with the purpose of exposing more people to modern day manufacturing, while showcasing manufacturing positively. Popular events include plant tours, job fairs, educational fairs, manufacturing community events and expos, and manufacturing community celebrations.

This year, we’re taking a unique approach to Manufacturing Day at Felber PR & Marketing, showcasing Northeast Ohio manufacturers, manufacturing educators, and manufacturing supporters through acity-wide social media campaign. From 7:30 AM to 7:00 PM, we will be highlighting the Greater Cleveland area and the organizations that make our manufacturing sector  strong.

 

Follow us throughout the day on: @FelberPR, #MfgDay, and also follow the businesses and organizations we are showcasing below!

 

Cuyahoga Valley Career Center @CVCCWorks

SSP @My_SSP

AFV Natural Gas Fuel Systems @AltFuelExpress

Technoform Glass Insulation NA- @technoform

Twinsburg Chamber of Commerce- @TwinsChamber

Buckeye Fasteners Inc- @WeldFastenerGuy

Wire-Net- @WIRENet2

            

 

 

 

     Trade Shows for Manufacturers – Maximize the Three Most Important Stages

•         Pre-show: Picking your best tactics
•         During the show: The floor show rules
•         Post-show: Don’t squander your investment

Goal Setting:

Before you begin, you must know your main goal. Do you really know what you want to happen at this show?

Here are some additional questions you should brainstorm with your team:

• Can you expect actual sales and signed purchase agreements?
• Is your goal to introduce a product line for the first time?
• Perhaps the goal is setting appointments or simply improving customer relationships.
• Are you there to negotiate with other vendors?

Do not forget about those that speak to the masses; media relationships can help promote your company for months or years!

Marketing 101: Consider first who you want to hear, see, feel and understand your message, then set your goals accordingly.

Pre-Show Tactics

Before you do anything, secure the show handbook – and read it! All rules, equipment order forms, press conference room reservations and sponsorship opportunities will be contained in this exhibitor kit. Pay attention to deadlines and order materials on time so you do not incur unnecessary fees.

Theme

First, establish a theme for your show or series of shows. Your theme should be relevant to your goals. Also, consider is this a one-time theme or a motif you will carry across multiple shows. Using a theme for a longer period allows you to amortize costs associated with a show. For example, printing materials for multiple shows or building show graphics that can be used throughout a series of events. Does your theme pass the culture test? Check for slang, understandable industry terms, and recognition by attendees.

Advertising

Are you purchasing advertising in a show program, association journal or other publication? Graphics used with the tactic of reinforcing messages and driving booth traffic should match your booth graphics and show literature.

Consistency is KEY for brand recognition! Research the following: Trade publications with bonus coverage and show coverage, show dailies (publication just printed for the show), online, text and social media messages. All of these are advertising avenues to consider when building your pre-show plan.

Publicity

For you to be successfully published, the most important factor is newsworthiness.  Does your story resonates with the publication’s readers? If you cannot interest an editor from a reader’s perspective then you do NOT have a story!

• Check with show management and see if they will release a list of pre-registered media attendees. These are credentialed media that will be at the show – looking for you and your news
• Schedule interviews and media relationship building appointments in advance
• Schedule press conferences: Are you making a newsworthy announcement? Press conferences may be in special rooms, booked in advance or simply conducted at your booth. If at your booth, do you need audio to carry above the show din?
• All shows have press rooms, touch down locations for the media to work quietly. You are almost always allowed to place company literature and press kits in these rooms. Prepare media kits that tell your story and have everything ready before they arrive
• Can you be a speaker or panelist at the show? Often these positions are filled a year in advance so plan ahead and take the stage as an industry expert

Booth Traffic

You are opening your “store” on the show floor. It’s critical that people know you are open for business.

• Determined your best, qualified prospect. Is it an owner, purchasing manager or perhaps a whole buying team?
• Consider two-part promotions where your prospect needs to visit the booth to get the second part of a promotion (activation code, show special, after-hours invite, etc.)
• Can you purchase or obtain a pre-registered attendee list?
• Don’t just have a prize drawing just for the sake of warm bodies in your booth – qualify and target the attendees that you want on your carpet.
• Training – it is CRITICAL that all booth staff know the promotion along with the overall goals and theme for the show.

During the Show

Entertainment – what else can you do to build relationships with your prospects and customers? Consider inviting prospects to a private hospitality suite. Make sure to coordinate special meetings around other show sponsored events such a major keynotes, annual meetings and other parties so as not to conflict with your event. The off-show hours are also a time to have private lunches and dinners with customers. Make sure to book appoints in advance and have transportation/reservations booked.

Booth personnel – The people in the booth are your brand’s spokespeople. They are the ones who will give tradeshow attendees a first impression of your business, so select booth personnel wisely!  A combination of sales and technical people works well. Staff should be fully briefed on all themes, promotions, lead capture procedures and how to best interact with guests and the media. Make sure to staff properly especially during busy periods and when other staff members have scheduled customer/media meetings in the booth. When a guest walks into your booth, they should know who is working for your company and who is visiting. Coordinated apparel ensures clear staff identification and enhances branding.

Key Points for Booth

• Location, location, location! Some shows require advance bidding for space. Get the best location relative to main floor traffic patterns. Note locations of main stage events and, yes, the bar
• Your booth should have an open, friendly layout. No one wants to have to jump over a table facing the aisle where two uninterested staff members are sitting down, talking on their phone (we see this EVERY show)
• Layout your booth to accommodate private or semi-private meetings. Having a private, closed door section of the booth makes for a nice location for media and customer meetings
• Can you secure an island booth with traffic aisles on all four sides? Make the best use of booth graphics so all directions of traffic have a view of your theme, message and product information
• Consider sponsorship of the show or special events at the show. Can you use floor graphics or other signage to improve your presence? What about sponsoring a cocktail party or maybe just the attendee lanyards? There are countless opportunities to show off your brand

Qualify leads – Remember your purpose at the show. All messages, promotions and advertising should be leading prospects down a path. The better you qualify the leads, the more you will maximize your investment. Consider whether you need to purchase lead capture equipment to easily scan prospects information  during their visit.

Post Show

Measurement. What did you want to happen? Did it work? Let’s face it, most companies do not follow up after shows. They never put a plan in place to use the valuable leads they capture. If you do not follow up in 3-7 days, you will be forgotten!

• Have prepared thank you emails ready to be sent to the captured leads. Graphics should match pre and during show promotion
• Consider mailing a unique package to prospect, complete with the specific information discussed/requested during the show
• Purchase or obtain attendee lists and scour for additional leads

Next Year’s Show

One of the best ways to maximize budget is to commit to next year’s show during this year’s event. Often there are deals to be had and better locations to be secured. Show owners are eager to get a jump start on their next trade show. Now is the time to negotiate and secure your best deal.

Need help? We’ve been there and have worked with countless manufacturers, just like you!

Call Rob Felber (330) 963-3664 x1 or RobFelber@felberpr.com  for your free 45 minute consultation.We can talk through your show schedule, booth ideas, promotion….anything you want to discuss about trade shows.

More information at these blog posts:

7 Tips for Ultimate Trade Show Success: http://www.felberpr.com/7-tips-for-ultimate-trade-show-success/

Trade Show Preparation 101 for Manufacturers http://www.felberpr.com/trade-show-preparation-101-for-manufacturers/