Social Media Corner October 2015

A recent article on socialmediaexaminer.com titled “5 Psychology Tips to Improve Your Social Media Posts” explains how styling your content to reach your audience on an emotional level will help improve engagement. The five psychology tips they recommend are:
 

1. Images Speak to Viewers: Images are generally the first thing people see in a social media post, so choosing an image that conveys what your post is saying is essential. Remember to use an image that stands out and relates to your target audience.
2. Color Communicates: Select a color or colors that you will consistently use on your social media posts to represent your company. The colors should stand out and speak to your fans.   
3. Words Trigger Action: Research different trigger words to see which ones speak to your audience on an emotional level. Use those words to begin your description. Here is a great list of 50 trigger words and phrases: http://www.copyblogger.com/trigger-words/. 
4. Emotion Connects: Every social media post evokes an emotion, so take advantage of this and share things that are fun and happy to get the most engagement.
5. Conversation Engages: This is not anything new; people want to be social on social media so communicating with your audience will connect you on an emotional level. Ask your fans a question or have them share their opinion about a recent project or event. Respond back to their answers and keep it light and friendly.    

Before you create your next post, keep each of these tips in mind. These are very simple steps to help produce positive, emotional content which will help improve your connection with your audience and, in turn, your social media engagement.
 

November Guest Speaker- Dr. Cindy Banyai

Dr. Cindy Banyai, a nationally recognized expert in community development and civic engagement with a passion for communications that preserve dignity and humanity, is the featured speaker at the November 3, 2015 membership luncheon of the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association.
Dr. Banyai will relate to her projects in Japan and the Philippines and her work in Southwest Florida as she describes strategies for identifying and avoiding “poverty porn.” This genre of communications can result in gratuitous characterizations of misfortune that oversimplify complex social problems and dehumanize the people involved, sometimes impeding long-term solutions to their circumstances.
She will illustrate how to identify poverty porn and demonstrate the power of words in storytelling with dignity, using images that promote humanity, and crafting messages without “deficit thinking.”
Dr. Banyai is the Principal Consultant at Banyai Evaluation & Consulting, LLC. She studied International Relations and Psychology at Michigan State University, and received her Master’s and Ph.D. from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan where her research focused on community development, public administration, evaluation, and governance. She is also serves as adjunct faculty at FGCU’s Department of Public Affairs. She was recently awarded the 2015 Donald Littrell New Professional award by the Community Development Society, in conjunction for her work with the Southwest Florida Community Foundation.
Founded in 1938, the Florida Public Relations Association is the oldest public relations association in the United States. The Southwest Florida chapter is dedicated to programs and activities that enhance the success of public relations professionals in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades Counties, including professional development and certification.
 

Renew your membership and WIN!

Have you renewed your FPRA Membership?

It’s renewal time! By this time you should have received your renewal for membership dues and we encourage you to renew by October 31. If you renew your membership by the October 31 deadline you will receive an entry to our GRAND prize package containing some amazing items including a 2 night stay at Diamond Head resort, restaurant gift cards and exclusive wine not sold in the U.S.! Renewing your membership is important to continue member-only savings and opportunities, communication and networking tools- like our member-exclusive statewide contact list, the FPRA job bank and free media guide.

In getting the word out about FPRA and the many benefits of being a member, we are also putting out a Chapter Challenge to our existing members! Take this time to encourage your fellow PR pros to join our chapter and experience the valued services that FPRA has to offer. Some of these benefits include professional development, networking, professional recognition, professional accreditation, job banks and leadership opportunities. FPRA is dedicated to assisting public relations practitioners to enhance the public relations profession and gain knowledge and skills for career advancement.

We also have a limited number of membership scholarships for those who may be holding off on renewing due to the cost. To qualify, please submit a 2-3 paragraph summary outlining your financial need, involvement in the chapter and how participation in FPRA will benefit our chapter and your professional career. Submissions may be made to Jessica Potts, President-Elect/Membership Chair: jpotts@cbhcfl.org.  For further information Jessica can be reached at 941-347-6407.  To renew or join online please visit fpra.org.

Here comes an ethical dilemma ...

Will fairness and free flow of information be getting a workout among PR professionals soon? Are they now?

The need-to-know nugget, from the Center for Public Integrity, is this:

"Able to do the political mudslinging

that candidates themselves

typically try to avoid, independent groups

are airing heated television attacks

on candidates for governor

in Louisiana and Kentucky."

... and elsewhere, the article continues. What would you do if faced with a creating a political ad or campaign that just might be out of bounds?

Read the article here:

              Outside groups calling shots in state politics

Kum bah yah: Journalism, marketing and PR?

Why a Washington Post editor left to collaborate on a project with Starbucks ...

Click here for Content Marketing Institute story and learn what took the journalist from POINT A to POINT B:

A view of the new information landscape?

POINT A


POINT B

PR Readings From Academia

Do you know where to find the latest academic research in our field?  Do you feel like reading some dense but important prose? In case you are not familiar with some of the industry journals, three of them are described below, with a list of others to check out.

Happy reading!

 

* Public Relations Journal, published by PRSA:

Public Relations Journal

About: The Public Relations Journal, published by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), is an open-access electronic research journal focusing on the fields of public relations and communications. Its purpose is to facilitating the transfer of knowledge from the educational community to the professional community. As an academic journal, it is dedicated to the open exchange of information. As an open access journal, the research is available to all readers without the need to purchase the articles. All articles undergo rigorous objective academic review. An editorial review board of noted educators and public relations executives reviews articles submitted to the Journal.

* Public Relations Review:

 

Get a sample online issue of the Public Relations Review, “A Global Journal of Research and Comment”:

Public Relations Review

About: The Public Relations Review is the oldest journal devoted to articles that examine public relations in depth, and commentaries by specialists in the field. Most of the articles are based on empirical research undertaken by professionals and academics in the field. In addition to research articles and commentaries, The Review publishes invited research in brief, and book reviews in the fields of public relations, mass communications, organizational communications, public opinion formations, social science research and evaluation, marketing, management and public policy formation.

* Journal of Public Relations Research:

Journal of Public Relations Research

About: Editorial Scope: The Journal of Public Relations Research publishes research that creates, tests, or expands public relations theory. Manuscripts may include: examinations of why organizations practice public relations as they do and how public relations can be conducted more effectively; analysis of public relations publics; scholarly criticism of public relations practice; and development of the history, ethics, or philosophy of public relations. Two kinds of articles can be submitted: reviews of major programs of research (up to 35 manuscript pages) and reports of original research (up to 20 manuscript pages). All methodologies are appropriate, including social scientific, historical, legal, philosophical, and critical. The Journal is produced for the Public Relations Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) in cooperation with public relations educators in the International Communication Association, National Communication Association, Public Relations Society of American, and International Association of Business Communicators. 

PLUS:
According to Wikipedia (I know, not 100 percent reliable, but let’s give it a try!), the following  is a list of additional peer-reviewed, English language academic journals in public relations.

• Asia Pacific Public Relations Journal, Deakin University, Australia
• Case Studies in Strategic Communication, University of Southern California, United States
• International Journal of Strategic Communication, International
• Public Relations Inquiry, Sage Publications, United Kingdom
• PRism, Massey University & Bond University, New Zealand
• Teaching Public Relations, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, United States
• Journal of Communication Management
• Corporate Communications: An International Journal

 

Social Media Corner: Turn the Negative Around

Social media channels have proven to be an effective way to communicate with clientele. From rating your business on Google to leaving a review on Facebook, social media has empowered customers to be your biggest fan or your biggest critic. So what do you do when a customer posts a negative comment about your client or business? Knowing how to respond appropriately can help you resolve the situation and keep your online reputation from being tarnished. Here are five tips to help you handle negative comments:      

 

1.      Monitor online presence: Keeping track of comments on your company’s social media pages and review sites needs to be a priority. The quicker you see a negative comment, the faster you can take the necessary steps to handle the situation. 

2.      Train social media managers appropriately: When training the person who is in charge of responding to online comments, be sure you provide them with the same tools and expectations as you would a customer service representative. When working online, it is easy to forget that we are dealing with a human behind the username and computer screen.   

3.      Keep calm and stay focused on resolving the situation: No one likes to read negative comments and your first instinct is probably to get angry, defensive or just delete the comment altogether. These tactics will only give more validity to your customer’s complaints and will not help to resolve the situation. 

4.      Quickly acknowledge the complaint publicly, but make further conversation private: Quickly acknowledging the complaint will appease the customer by letting them know that they have been heard and it will also greatly diminish any damage to your company’s image. Simply apologize and let them know that you are going to take care of the situation and nicely ask them to contact you privately to discuss their concern in further detail.

5.      Report inappropriate or invalid complaints: There are situations when acknowledging certain people’s complaints is not going to get you anywhere. From disgruntled former employees to anonymous users who are just looking to get a reaction, sometimes it is better to not engage. If you feel a review or comment is offensive or completely invalid, delete it and report the user and the comment. If you are able to, block the user from your page.

 

            Receiving criticism in any form is never easy, but taking these few steps when responding can turn a negative into a positive for your company.