Category Archives: Anything to do with media

The (oft-underestimated) value of an online-only news article

Posted on by
Reply

Nobody ever questions the value of a news article published in the print version of a major daily. Print coverage has been the bee’s knees of exposure in North America since sometime around the early 1700’s. And much to my chagrin, for many that hasn’t changed one bit.

If there’s one thing that everyone in an organization understands it’s that neutral or positive coverage in the Toronto Star or the Globe and Mail, for example, is a good thing. Seeing mention, especially positive, of the company in a major paper will surely get everyone in the organization dancing the happy dance. But what if that exact same article was published online only? Would it get the CEO out of their chair? Surprisingly, it may not.

I have faced the challenge of convincing people that there is great value in an online-only piece on more than one occasion. An advocate of all media types from broadcast to print, I will be the last person to put down an article in a print newspaper. However, I would argue that an online-only article on a major outlet’s website could very well be more valuable than the same story in a print-only version – here’s just a few reasons why:

Sharing: if you wanted to share an interesting story you read in your copy of a print paper with someone you would have to physically bring it to them and show them. With online news you can share it with the world with the click of a button. What’s more, if the story is compelling, people in the sharer’s network may also decide to share the article with their network, further spreading your messages. I can’t personally think of a better way to maximize your “audience” than through word-of-mouth and sharing.

Search engine friendly: an article published online will be indexed by all of the major search tools, like Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc. This means that people could come across the article and learn about your business, even if they’ve never heard of you before. For example, let’s say your company sells home security systems. Someone searching for info on security systems may come across your article just in their search – this could easily prompt them to get in touch to learn more.

Shelf life: unlike a print newspaper, which is generally tossed in the recycling bin the same day it’s delivered, an online story lives on and remains searchable for years to come (perhaps indefinitely). Of course if you would like you can always head to your library and visit the archives for old print stories, so don’t get me wrong, I understand that they too live on in some form.

Discussion: like it or not, people have opinions about your company/industry. Though there are a number of “trolls”out there filling comment threads with garbage, there are also a ton of smart, insightful people joining the conversations. Want to know what people think – read the comments on your article.

Instantaneous: talk about effective crisis communications! Crises happen to the best of us. When they do you obviously want to douse the flames as fast as possible before you have a wildfire on your hands. With major media being online you can now have your side of the story seen by the world within hours of the crisis breaking.

Not just for crisis situations, many readers like to stay on top of news as it breaks regardless. I’ve always been a big fan of sitting with my morning paper and a coffee, scanning through the headlines. However, the more I read online the more often the headlines in the paper are “old news” to me. Most of what I find in the paper I already read about the day prior.

Reach potential: this may not be applicable for some, but with online news you can reach far beyond the borders of your city or nation. A print paper is distributed regionally/nationally and doesn’t typically make it to readers beyond those areas. Your story online has the potential to be seen by readers as far away as Australia, and everywhere in between.

It’s the future! According to the Newspaper Audience Databank (NAD bank), over the past 10 years “Weekly readership of printed editions has declined as technology has provided Canadians with access to contentthroughout the day presented by their favourite newspapers on the Internet using computers and hand-held devices. Anyone can be up-to-date with the latest news or sports scores with the touch of a button; not only local news, but news from around the world.” Source: http://goo.gl/nqMZG . And this won’t change any time soon – the trend will only continue to see more and more people heading online for their news as devices like the iPad make it easier than ever to consume the latest.

In a perfect world your stories would find themselves in both the print and online versions, and when they do it is a major win, for sure. Just please don’t underestimate the value of your story being published online-only!

Thank you for reading and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments!

Business blogging with personality, tip #1: Write in a conversational style

Posted on by
Reply

As you’ve probably figured out already, a corporate blog can have several benefits to your company. Before we dive into the article and how to add personality to your blog through conversational writing, let’s take a moment to reflect on a few of those great benefits. If done right, a corporate blog will:

  • Give your company a boost in search engine rank
  • Help position you and your business/brand as a thought-leader in your particular industry
  • Provide a channel for communicating in a crisis situation – and instantly
  • Give you valuable insight into what people think about you and your brand
  • Help engage with clients/customers and build better relationships with them
  • Give your clients/customers another avenue to find information about your business
  • Give personality to your brand

Most important of all of the points listed above, a corporate blog will give your brand a personality – if you do it right, that is. Not only is personality a benefit to you, but it’s also key to your blog’s success. It’s a major factor in attracting readers, getting them to comment, and keeping them engaged!

After all, if they wanted to hear from the same ol’ talking head they would check out your corporate website, read your quotes in the paper, or turn on their TV news to see your interview – that’s not what blogging is about.

The focus of your corporate blog should no doubt be business and the industry that you operate in – that’s a given. But please, for the love of the Internet Gods, don’t be a talking head on your blog!

So, how do you inject a little personality in to your corporate blog? There are a number of ways, but today we will focus on one way that is easy and proven…

Write in a conversational style


Everything you write on your blog should be written in a conversational style. Yes, everything, whether it be an opinion piece, or a tid-bit of company news. It should read as if it were written off the cuff – grammar and spelling are still key, though, so be sure to edit it with a fine-toothed comb before publishing! If it comes across as scripted and over-thought it will surely bore your readers and lose them within the first paragraph.

Some tips for writing in a conversational style:

  • Use contractions – it’s human and will come across that way. There’s no harm in saying “there’s” instead of “there is”. After all, we all use contractions when we’re talking, right?
  • No fluff! –Keep your sentences succinct and to the point, and avoid fluff words and filler.
  • K.I.S.S. – I’m sure you can write a mean essay, but your blog isn’t strictly for the educated elite – it’s for everyone – Keep it Simple! Avoid words that confuse your readers such as “blandiloquent” (which apparently means to speak in a flattering manner – I just looked it up) and stick to the basics of the English language.
  • Use the active voice – after all, this is how we speak most of the time, in conversation. Instead of “a partnership was formed”, use “we formed a partnership”.
  • Write in the first person – “today I was in a meeting that…”, and refer to your readers as “you” – “as youmay have noticed…” This will give your readers the sense that you are speaking directly with them, as opposed to talking at them. It will also help create the story, which will keep your readers attentive.

If you start by writing everything in a conversational style you will be well on your way to giving your blog, and therefore brand, a personality. Check back in the coming weeks for other tips on giving your blog personality.

Thank you for reading and be sure to add your own blogging tips for businesses and other thoughts in the comments!

 

Twitter 101 – best practices for business

Posted on by
Reply

Please note, the tips below are general guidelines only. These are not hard and fast rules – your own business needs and goals should be thoroughly evaluated before developing and diving in to an online communications plan.

I originally wrote and published this article on my employer’s blog, Digital Dialectic.

So you’ve decided to take the plunge and get your business on Twitter. You created an account, wrote-up a nice little bio, added your logo and even had a beautiful custom background image developed for your profile landing page. But what now?

As you are probably aware, Twitter is a powerful tool that can allow you to tap in to the minds of your target demographic in ways never before possible – that’s why you’ve decided to get on board in the first place, right? It also gives you a new means of communicating with them (remember, even in business, Twitter is a platform built for two-way dialogue and should never be used only to promote your business or share your news releases). And, perhaps most importantly, it can give a more human feel to your brand – something that consumers and other businesses seem to be quite receptive to. This can absolutely lead to new business and provide tangible outcomes.

Now, let’s cut to the chase and get in to how you will get there, now that your profile is up, running, and ready to go…

Provide Content – fresh, new, and if possible exclusive. Content is what keeps people coming back to Twitter. Because it’s an instant method for people (and businesses) to share basically anything (videos, pictures, news, etc), it is the first place many people check to get the latest information. That said, share some interesting, fresh content with your followers on a frequent basis – a behind the scenes look at your operations, a look at what your employees are doing in the community, or maybe even a sneak-peek at the development of an upcoming product. This kind of content will keep people coming back to your profile in search of more great, fresh content. It will keep them engaged even more so if you keep this content exclusive to Twitter – after all, sharing fresh exclusive content is really what it’s all about, at the end of the day.

Communicate – listen, respond, and ask questions. It is absolutely imperative that you keep a close eye on what people are saying about your product, company, and/or brand online. Pay close attention and find ways to get involved in the discussion. If someone compliments you, asks you a question, or gives you any kind of feedback at all, respond to them, always. And respond within the first 24 hours – Twitter is about instant connectivity and people will grow impatient very quickly waiting for a reply. Also, as mentioned above, one of the great things about Twitter is the window it opens to give you a view in to the minds of your demographic. Ask your followers questions to get them more involved – “as a lover of @CompanyABC, what’s one thing you would like to see in our next product release?” Use Twitter as more than simply another message broadcast channel and you will find success using it.

Be a leader – display ahead of the pack thinking, and know-how. If your company likes to consider itself a leader in your industry don’t just think it, be it. Provide your followers with insight and know-how that isn’t common. Give insight into the future of the industry (that’s not to say that you should make predictions or loose statements), and more importantly provide knowledge on your products or services that isn’t easily found elsewhere or commonly known.

Reward your followers – discounts, exclusive offers. Above and beyond fresh content, another reason that people will continue to pay close attention to you on Twitter is freebies and offers that they can’t find elsewhere. Provide your followers with a little something extra now and then – a discount/coupon to use on one of your products or services, or an offer that isn’t available from your website or sales staff. Keeping it exclusive is key though, so make sure your offers can’t be found anywhere other than through Twitter. Do this and they will not only come back, but will tell their friends about it, spreading your message through word-of-mouth (inarguably the best kind of marketing available).

Champion your passionate followers – retweet, reply, and give thanks. Those who are passionate about your brand are going to talk about it. And when they do you should publicly share their thoughts by Retweeting what they say. Retweeting not only strokes the ego of the user, which will help ensure that they stay passionate and keep on spreading the good word, but it also shares and spreads that particular message in itself. These same people are also likely to retweet your tweets, in turn spreading your message to their followers who may not otherwise see your message.

When users retweet your original tweets be sure to give them a quick thank you too. Something simple like “thanks for sharing, @twitteruser123” will be just perfect. I have one note of caution with regards to re-Tweeting, replying, and giving thanks, however and that is do it with consistency. If you thank a user once for retweeting, but don’t the next time they do it they may be turned off from sharing your tweets in the future. Twitter is very much a scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours kind of community. Scratch your community’s back and the rewards will be big!

Thank you for reading and be sure to add your own Twitter tips for businesses and other thoughts in the comments!

Adam