Contently Managed - Social Media in Scotland, strategy & digital engagement » Digital PR

“Hello Angry Birds? Did you get my press release? What build is it in?”

Craig — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:10:01 +0000

Interesting little comment from the founders of the smash hit Angry Birds game that shows one possible way PR will be evolving for the smarter, more connected social media and PR operators….Speaking in Cannes, Rovio boss Mikael Hed pointed out that the app of Angry Bird is not just a game – it’s now more or less a channel for broadcast – and that could be broadcasting songs, images, news updates – in essence, anything at all. There’s no brand – or very few – that would knock back the opportunity to be in front of 500million pairs of eyeballs.

Now, some may scoff but the smart, switched-on operator will be seeing plenty of potential in this sort of thing. Press releases in games? Perhaps as historical documents? We may not be too far off from that. There’s a lot of ways the canny PR or social media type could get coverage this way.

Of course, most will stick to just calling the news desks of the declining traditional press and ask: “Did you get my press release? What edition will it be in?”

Will Foursquare & social media fall foul of Scottish booze ban?

Craig — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:44:41 +0000

Scotland sees new alcohol sales rules coming into place this weekend with the aim or curbing cheap multi-buy discounts being one of the primary goals.

But, as The Drum and The Law Society of Scotland point out, there are always unintneded consquences. In this case, it’s to do with the part of the law that states you cannot advertise alcohol within 200m of the actual alcohol.

That’s going to hit social media, especially the use of mobile…On one level, that means anyone advertising a promo deal on Foursquare could fall foul – as could any tweet. After all both are updates of the moment “At Tesco, spotted BrewDog on sale – three multipacks of Punk IPA for a tenner” is the sort of thing you could expect. But that post wouldn’t be the fault of Tesco or BrewDog.

What about people who broadcast tips on Foursquare? “In ASDA, head down to the booze aisle as yo can get three bottles of Whyte & Mackay for £20″. Again, if that’s left by an individual, who does the law go after?

There’s also the issue of QR codes or NFC chips. NFC chips in particular are about broadcasting data. Would this mean labels couldn’t have chips in them? What about QR codes which people can scan to go onto websites or YouTube?

It’s going to be interesting to watch to see how it plays out…

Should Liverpool Council dump local press and go online only after CIPR, PRCA row?

Craig — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:09:03 +0000

There’s an interesting story over at The Drum about a row having broken out between Liverpool City Councillors and the local press. In short, the council is banning their press officers from speaking to the papers. As you would expect, the CIPR and PRCA have condemned this, calling it daft.

But when you look at circulation and online presence, the council could go online and reach more people than they can through the traditional press. They’d also be more in control of the message. And this is the shape of things to come.
According to Facebook, 433,260 people are on the site and live within 16km of Liverpool. On Twitter, there’s at least 15,000 accounts registered in the city. Now that’s before we look at traffic to the council website, YouTube or other platforms. But it’s fair to say that a lot of people in the area are online.

Let’s look at the sales of the main papers. The Liverpool Echo does around 85,000 copies and The Liverpool Daily Post does around 9,000 copies. So, on the one hand Twitter wallops The Post but The Echo trumps that – though Facebook thumps them all.

The lesson for businesses, councils and press

The day is coming when an organisation in the UK will decide ‘sod it’ and stop speaking to a paper because they are fed up with a perceived lack of balance in articles or not getting their own viewpoint across properly and they’ll look at their own web traffic and platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter and go “We can get our message out there to people. If we write it well and share it well, we can reach more people in our target groups than through the press. We might even be in more control of the content.”

And once the regional press is seen as useless for content, it’s not long after that it will be seen as useless for advertising, impacting on paper revenues and hastening a downward spiral.

But the press aren’t going away…

“The local papers will never vanish” people say. And for the short-term (next ten years) they are probably right. But there will be more cuts, more reporters out of work, less reporting carried out. And again, circulations, will fall and readers will discover that they can get more news by going online and following certain channels.

The other argument is that of “By doing it digitally you don’t reach everyone.” True. But look at the figures above. By using the traditional press you reach a hell of a lot less people.

The other lesson in digital engagement here…

That doesn’t mean councils and organisations should just jump on and push out press releases. Using digital right – and getting the high viewing figures or hits – means being more open and sharing issues, being more involved with your community and stakeholders. It’s the organisations who do that who will be the real winners online.

Free Social Media training for Scottish police, fire and other emergency services

Craig — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:54:17 +0000

There’s been a few instances recently (including one where I was giving a quick Twitter masterclass to some police at 2am but that’s a story for another day) where it’s been clear that for many in the Scottish emergency services – regardless of it being the police, ambulance service, coastguard or fire and rescue services – social media is still something that’s viewed with a range of emotions from suspicion to hostility or ignorance. Recent events down south have done nothing to help get rid of that viewpoint either.

Now I believe social media could be a fantastic tool for the 999 services – from building grassroots community relations to helping prevent crime and get results on crime – and I’d like to do my bit to help.

I’m willing to offer free one-day training course/presentation on social media which will be backed up by the courses being made available as podcasts – video and audio – for others in the forces to view/listen to at their leisure.

The courses will cover:

Why people use social media
How the service could use social media/ideas for engagement
A look at the most popular platforms – Twitter, Facebook, blogging, LinkedIn, GeoLocation services, online video, podcasts
What costs are involved – financial and time and how to minimise them
IT and HR issues around social media and how to overcome them
How to engage
Crowdsourcing
How to measure effectiveness

As stated above, there’s no charge for the course (though travelling expenses may be incurred depending on location). If anyone is interested all they have do is get in touch via the email address or phone number at the top right of the page.

Announcing Iain Hepburn as first Director of Brand Journalism in Scotland

Craig — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:25:14 +0000

I am utterly delighted to be announcing ex-Digital Editor of the Daily Record and STV Local Editor Iain Hepburn has joined Contently Managed as the country’s first Director of Brand Journalism allowing us to add to our social media package to businesses in Scotland.

This, as they say, is exciting times folks…

I’ve known Iain as a journalist since his early days at the Press and Journal, kept in touch as he headed south to show them how digital was done at SFX and the Daily Mirror before he returned home to take the Daily Record website to award-winning levels – and even having CNN nick some of his videos. And despite throwing in long hours at his work, he still found time to get involved in digital aspects for hobbies like MMA and launch Scotland’s second-best (but most swearing laden) movie and TV podcast The Thumbcast.

But that’s not the question you’re asking

Why Iain?

A couple of reasons – the man is a grafter, through and through. For those starting out in any aspect of comms who think doing digital is easy, ask the likes of Iain and Allan Barr – it isn’t. It’s long hours to do it right. Iain has never shirked in the long hours, doing what it takes to make something perfect.

More to the point, Iain shares the Contently vision – that Scotland still needs a lot of help in embracing digital (go read this blog post he did at the weekend about broadband take up in Scotland) and no-one will be served by digital chancers thinking that because social media is new then they can charge £3,000 a month to blog and tweet. Iain’s ethos has always been that digital should be inclusive and by being affordable Contently wants to bring more people to the digital table (so to speak), so we share a worldview there.

Even more to the point, Iain talks as it is. If you know the big man you know he doesn’t hide behind waffle. He’s always helpful – perhaps bluntly sometimes but he’s always trying to be helpful – but can’t stand bullshit. At Contently we like plain talk – again, if you’re hiding behind jargon then you’re probably up to something.

But if Why Iain wasn’t the question you were asking, it was probably…

What the hell is brand journalism?

That’s quite simple. If you were at Napier University’s journalism course, it’s the style of journalism advocated by course leader Diana Brand.

Actually it’s not, but it does have something in common with what that course taught – it’s all about content. So let’s have a quick FAQ on Brand Journalism.

What the hell is brand journalism?

Brand Journalism is where companies – or their representatives – are doing the journalism. They are creating the content and publishing it. Some companies go as far as to hire reporters who then file back to papers, others just publish the information themselves and let media pick it up. Sports have been doing it since 2008.

Who’s doing it?

Cisco is the biggest name doing it at the moment. And if it’s good enough for Cisco, it’s good enough for businesses in Scotland. Also, if David Meerman Scott thinks it’s important, then it probably is.

Why do brands need to do this?

A couple of reasons – people no longer go direct to newspapers for information, they go to Google/Bing/Facebook/Twitter so companies need to have their sites (and Apps if they have them) up to date with relevant information – that’s information that can be used by staff, potential staff, investors, customers.

In days gone by, if the traditional media didn’t use your stuff, you were screwed. Now, you are the publisher.

Also, most websites now get better traffic than the majority of newspapers in Scotland.

Surely this isn’t that important?

Yes, you’re right – fresh content isn’t that important. People want to read what your company was like in 1999 when you set up your web page. Think about it – people go online for nothing but fresh content – fresh discounts, fresh information from their friends, fresh things to play. People want new and engaging content. If you don’t provide it, your competitors will – and guess where people/investors will spend their money.

Surely it’s just PR?

No, it can be issued by the PR team in a firm if they want but the role of the brand journalist is to make a package that can be picked up and used by media without the need for editing. The brand journalist creates, the PR distributes to their network – both equally important jobs.

It’s just PR

Really? When was the last time you saw a press release also give you options for the full video and audio that you could use/embed? Yes, there are Social Media Newsrooms and releases but so far, the take up of them in Scotland has been poor.

So is brand journalism part of PR or marketing or something else?

Depending on the organisation, it can be all of these, some of them or none of them.

So what comes with brand journalism?

Anything you want. It can be news that goes on your site as text or video/audio, it can be a podcast. It’s however you choose to deliver news to your audience. What it has to be though is strong, engaging content. Not fluff.

The key words here are good and content.

Can we do this in-house?

Yes, it doesn’t need to be carried out outhouse.

We aren’t the size of Cisco. In fact I’m a cornershop with four staff. Is this for me?

Yes. Good content scales to every business.

Why can’t PRs do this?

Last time I checked most PRs were up to their eyes in existing workloads without taking on more. Besides, you wouldn’t ask a PR to clean your toilet would you? If you’re serious, you get the right tools for the right job. Journalists can spot and tell a story in a sharper way than most PRs. They can also execute quicker. This isn’t a dig at PRs – many of whom are hard working and have great news skills – but in 2011 the role of the average PR is way past that of just spotting a story.

Besides, do you have time to learn the new Final Cut Pro?

How would this work for our business?

Get in touch – our details are at the top – and we’ll tell you…

Tesco Scotland beer binge shows power of social media & trusted networks

Craig — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 10:26:04 +0000

Tesco Scotland had a little IT hitch (though it may have been a PR stunt, you never know) with the result being that you were able to buy three cases of beer for £11.

But how did word spread so quickly to cause the police needing to be called in to certain stores? Quite simple – social media and mobile phones, in particular SMS. But there was one other element to this: the messages on Twitter, Facebook and blogs as well as the mobile text messages all came from people that the receiver knew – in other words a trusted network.

And that’s what made the difference. If the message ‘Tesco giving away beer at £11′ had been from strangers or companies, then it would have been treated sceptically or as spam (and ignored). But because it came from people that the end receiver (in this case, you and I) had previous, trusted relationships with, we knew it was legit. And many people jumped in the car.

The next time someone asks what’s the power of digital communications, get them to call their local Tesco and ask how much beer they had on their shelves left at end of business on June 1 2010.

Why you want to be part of or create a trusted network

If people trust you, they will believe you and have a deeper relationship with you. If you are a company or brand, that makes them more likely to want to spend time and money with you. If you’re part of a trusted network you have credibility.

How to become part of a trusted network

Engage with people on their terms and platforms, don’t sell to them all the time online. Be helpful, be conversational. Talk with them, not to them. And always remember the 7:2:1 rule of engagement – only one in every ten of your posts should be a blatant product sell.

Scottish Parliament wants YOUR help in picking a hashtag

Craig — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:52:18 +0000

Now this is what I call digital democracy. There’s tons that could be said about the Scottish Elections last week (or you can read this post, this post, this post and listen to this Audioboo and that pretty much covers it) but here’s something that’s popped up that gives all online types a chance to be involved (even if just a wee bit)…

On Twitter the hashtag #sp11 was used for the election and now the Parliament is into its fourth session the hashtag #SPsession4 was being used. And people thought that was a bit ‘meh’ (or whatever the Gaelic for ‘meh’ is) and a few people pointed that out- including Michael Shanks and the team at Pagoda PR.

But the Parly has come back and said that if it hears enough people want to use something like #SP4 as it’s more concise then they’ll use that. And it is better – it’s shorter, more dynamic and means that come the next session we just change the number at the end. Also, #sp11 dates very quickly – and was technically for the election, not the Parliament that followed.

So here’s what you need to do – just cut and paste what’s in the box below into your Twitter client and press send. (If you want to use the more awkward hashtag then swap stuff about, but I think the shorter one is a winner.)

Dear @ScotParl can we please use #SP4 as the hashtag for this parliament session.

And that’s it! Thanks!

Companies need to be better than the BBC in social media policy

Craig — Tue, 03 May 2011 13:54:51 +0000

The BBC seems to be in a bit of a muddle regarding social media use for staff, according to politics site Guido Fawkes. Business Editor Robert Peston cracked a sexual joke about the Royal Wedding and was asked to remove the joke, which he did (you can see what the gag was here). And it’s not the first time the BBC has had problems with Twitter.

Now you can read Guido’s article as BBC bashing but it does have a fair point – are the feeds the staff post on personal or private? Apparently, they are private. In which case, does the BBC have a right to censor it?

What’s the lesson here for businesses in Scotland and elsewhere thinking of social media?

The BBC guidelines for social media state that private is private and work is work but in this case it appears there’s been a case of cake and eating it because the Twitter stream is said to be private but Peston uses it mostly for work. And the BBC’s quite happy to link to it for his insight. And that’s fine until you have moments like this where the workplace doesn’t like an individual tweet. (Peston’s web editor must be an Arsenal fan, otherwise this would be off the web as well.)

Now the BBC will get away with this – it’s not going to sack one of it’s big hitters and he’s not going to quit over the principle of it – but other people in other organisations won’t be so lucky.

And that’s why companies should have social media usage policies – to protect the individuals as much as the companies.

Twitter/Facebook advice for employees who use social media

Don’t mix and match. Have one account for work and one for fun. On the one for fun don’t identify where you work, keep it to the personal stuff. Similarly, don’t use your work email account or social media streams (including blogs) for passing on jokes, cooking recipes or anything that is not work-related. If you do feel the need to mix and match, get written permissiom from HR before doing so.

And of course, make sure your workplace has a proper social media usage policy in place so you know what can be posted and what cannot – protect yourself.

Twitter/Facebook advice for companies

If your staff use social media – at home or work – have policies drawn up stating what is and isn’t acceptable. If you think it’s OK for staff to have personal accounts, decide if you want them to mention work or if you would prefer that they didn’t. If you want to use their personal accounts to help promote the company, ask yourself if it wouldn’t be safer to have work-only accounts.

Politicians unprofessional in using Hotmail/Gmail in Scottish Elections

Craig — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 01:17:20 +0000

For years, business types have been told – time and time again – to make sure they have their own domain names and professional looking email addresses. It’s a basic thing. It inspires confidence in who you are dealing with and you’re going to feel better dealing with a pro than someome with a Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail account as their primary work address.

Which begs the question: why are so many politicians not being professional? Don’t they see how bad it makes them look when they hand out tacky-named Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail addresses?

Sadly, the answer to that last part is probably “no”. We’re many years past when having a Hotmail or a Gmail account was considered cutting edge (I still remember when people were all trying to get Gmail invites) but you wouldn’t know it looking at the leaflets falling through the doors of Scotland in the build-up to the Scottish Elections.

Of course, digital/technology in Scotland has historically had a raw deal – by the press, by certain parts of the country and by the politicians of all parties – but surely it’s not too much to ask that electoral candidates – or their press minders – have enough savvy to be buying URLs. After all, if they don’t grab them what’s to stop others doing so on election night as the winners are announced?

And while I can almost – almost – understand the independents like Hugh O’Donnell not having full-on email setups, are we to believe that Labour, the SNP and others are so skint that they can’t buy a few URLs? And before anyone points it out, yes I know that Scottish Parliament addresses can’t be used but there’s no such rule or convention for party email addresses AFAIK.

I think this has to be the worst one yet: tomforhamiltonlarkhallandstonehouse@hotmail.co.uk but if you know of any better ones, feel free to leave it below in the comments box. Similarly, who’s coming across in their literature as the most digitally savvy?

Having said that, at least the likes of Tom above have put email addresses on material. I’ve received tons with no details of anything even as basic as email or a website never mind social media or web 2.0 communication tools like Facebook, Twitter, blogs or other items (so much for this being the election of social media).

Scottish journalist’s Rangers football book ends up on popular piracy site

Craig — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:03:04 +0000

I used to crack the joke that you know you’ve arrived when your work appears on the major BitTorrent piracy sites and I’ve seeded things (legally) in the past myself but I had a chuckle this morning to note that a book by one of Scotland’s best journalists, the Daily Record’s Gary Ralston – a book about the founding of Rangers Football Club (link to book’s official, content-rich site) – has turned up on one of them.

I’m not going to name the link for obvious reasons (here’s the legal Amazon link) but you know that digital is becoming more and more a part of everyday life when this happens to Scottish sports authors! And I think – think – Gary is the first Scottish reporter to be torrented/pirated this way! (Don’t know if he’ll see it as a compliment though).

Having said that, how should authors handle their books appearing on piracy sites? Read on for some tips for authors dealing with piracy and some surprising case studies.

Tips for authors dealing with piracy

If you want, get in touch with the people who run the site(s) and ask them to take it down – most will as they comply when people get in touch. But before you do that, have a think about this – is this costing you sales or taking your work to another market?

For example, I buy books digitally. I’ve read free (legal) stuff online by the likes of Charlie Stross, Peter Watts and others. And very often I’ve then gone and bought other items by these authors – for myself or family/friends. Some authors even report a spike in sales after seeing their material pirated.

Steve Lieber saw sales go up – and he started to give the book away after it had been pirated (and sales still rose) while Paulo Coelho thinks BitTorrent has had a huge positive effect on his 100million sales too.

So why not engage with the pirates?

Totally surprise them by going online and chatting with them. Ask if they enjoyed the book, could they buy a copy for a non-digital savvy relative. Ask people what they would have liked to have seen more of (giving you the chance to do a sequel later). Be nice about it.

Don’t think of it as a sale lost, think of it as a way of getting in front of a new reader, perhaps then following up with a chat or discussion via Facebook/Twitter/blogs. You may lose one sale but you may gain a fan for life who buys the rest of your books.

And if you’re an author, make sure people can reach you digitally – it works for the likes of Charlie Stross, Mark Millar and Warren Ellis as I mentioned recently in my free social media workshop downloads for authors and others. (So Gary, get the Record to fix the RSS stream and update your Twitter account while at it big man!)

And as it’s a book about Rangers, is it to crass to suggest a cry of “We arra Torrents?” (Sorry, football joke)