The Importance of Graphics in Social Media

The Importance of Graphics in Social Media

As a Chicago Franchise Public Relations Firm, we know how social media has exploded in just the last few years and created a very curious society.  Social media is a way for businesses, organizations, and individuals to communicate what they want their audience to know or think is important.  With that being said, there is more to creating a post with perfect diction or syntax.  Social media is not solely to increase your followers or fans, it is not just to vent opinions and beliefs, it is there however to help tell a story whether it be textually or graphically.  With the drastic growth of social media, it is important that tweets or status updates do more than just spell out the story.  Tweets and posts should include graphics.  After all, not everyone is textual, some people are visual.  Here are three key reasons to incorporate graphics for your PR agency.

Graphics Help Establish Your Brand

Whether you are starting a new franchise public relations agency or maintaining the image of an already established company like All Points Public Relations, the company name or logo needs to stand out.  As a Chicago Public Relations firm, having a great logo or image helps define a brand and create awareness of the company or organization.  A goal of the company should be for individuals to see the logo or a symbol from the company and identify who it belongs to immediately.  This kind of recognition is what helps generate business and drive traffic to the company or webpage.

We Have Short Attention Spans

Graphics can help to tell a story and eliminate the use of text.  Social media users are developing shorter attention spans.  Twitter aims to catch the attention of the reader in 140 characters or less.  We know most stories cannot be told in a line or two.  But with the ability to add a link or attach an image to the tweet, 1000 more words can be added to the 140-character tweet by painting a picture to finish telling the story.  People nowadays want instant gratification.  Consider Instagram, if you can master an appealing title or a trending hashtag, you can lure in an audience to view your image and many more.  That is how you create a loyal following and brand for Chicago Franchise Public Relations.

We are Over-Stimulated

There are great benefits to utilizing graphics in social media in a PR campaign.  Graphics are appealing to the Chicago public relations professionals who are over-stimulated by the black and white text of their email or textbooks.  Rather than read, people scroll through popular social media sites like Pinterest to add color and variety to their life.  Even with all the clutter of the Pinterest pin-board, it has grown into one of the most successful social media platforms in a very short amount of time. We are so over-stimulated by text in our every day email that images give the eyes and brain a break.  Use graphics to entice your audience and keep their attention.

April Fools Day and a Good PR Moment

As a Chicago PR firm we love all things public relations and love seeing companies embrace unique ideas to separate themselves from the competition.  Just recently we stumbled across a brilliant PR moment and April Fools Day joke all rolled into one provided to us by popular clothing brand, American Eagle Outfitters.  As a franchise PR firm we are always trying to think outside of the box and come up with original PR strategies and PR tactics for our clients.  At the end of the day, that is what good PR is all about.

American Eagle certainly hit originality and humor on the head with their latest video for what they claim will be their newest jean called the "Skinny Skinny." At first glance this looks like a typical video for the clothing retailer, but as the video progresses it looks more and more like this video is a joke-- and lo and behold, it is a joke and a relatively good one at that.


Why is this a good PR moment?

To us this is a good PR moment for a multitude of reasons.  AE is able to poke fun at themselves and even poke fun at their most prized possession, their clothing line.  The video was published on March 20, 2013 and was able to attract more than 300,000 people in that time.  We've talked about the power of video and the ability to make a video a viral sensation and it appears AE is on to something.  They have done something with this particular video that all PR professionals can take note of.  AE did not originally disclose that the video was a joke, in fact they kept rather tight-lipped at first. Eventually an AE representative admitted (to Yahoo!) that the jeans and video are all a part of an April Fool's joke.

Carrying on with the joke, AE claims that there are only 1,000 pairs of the jeans available and are also offering a limited edition package.  If a shopper goes to the website in hopes to buy the "Skinny Skinny" jeans they would currently find the jeans and be able to click on them as if they are a real product.  From here a screen pops up with two spray paint cans offering the jeans in one size only.  If a shopper goes to add the jeans to their bag a pop up window appears stating that the jeans are "sold out," but entering in your email will allow you to be notified when they return.  What a genius way to capture genuine emails!

Not only did they make a fun, popular video, but they were able to grab a ton of media spotlight within just days of putting the video up.  They were successfully able to carry the idea over on to their website by making the "Skinny Skinny" jeans a "real/fake" product.  Genius!  The transition from video to product was incredibly successful and a great PR moment for the retailer.

What do you think about American Eagle's PR tactic?  Let us know your thoughts in a comment below or feel free to contact us.

Check out the links:

Check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfNF57jHbFc

Yahoo! Article: http://shine.yahoo.com/the-thread/american-eagle-skinny-skinny-jeans-are-an-april-fool-s-joke--say-sources-170449508.html

On the American Eagle Website: http://www.ae.com/web/browse/skinnyskinny.jsp?catId=cat6280060

Utilizing YouTube

As a Chicago PR firm we like to always be cognizant of trends and utilize tools to help ourselves and our clients be successful.  A big part of public relations is doing something unique and building buzz to help a client stand out.  Many times a PR firm will be brought in to help a company develop and execute a plan to help promote a company's products or services.  Video is a great tool to do just that.  Here are a few great ways to utilize both video and popular video website YouTube as a part of your PR tactics:

1- Great way to start a campaign: YouTube makes for a great way to kick off a PR campaign, there's no doubt about it.  People absolutely love videos and capturing an audience right at the very beginning of any PR campaign is a surefire way to ensure some campaign success.  Create a short, but sweet, video to engage your audience and get them fired up about your PR campaign right before it begins.

2- Carry over your branding: YouTube, and videos in general, give you a great place to carry over your branding.  Your entire YouTube channel can utilize your company's branding and so can the videos you create, giving your branding some sticking power in a viewer's mind.

3- Crisis control: Should a crisis arise a video may just be the ticket to helping you take control of a  bad situation.  Videos are powerful and when done right can truly grab a viewer and make them see a situation in a whole new light.

4- Become a part of an online community: YouTube has millions of viewers each and every day with people not only posting videos, but also commenting on videos making it an extremely interactive platform.  Posting YouTube videos gives you the ability to engage viewers and start a conversation, which is crucial for PR experts.

5- Measurement: Yes, we are all about measurement, especially when it comes to a PR campaign. Without measurement we would never know how effective our PR strategies and PR tactics really were throughout the course of a campaign.  Measurement should be done for all parts of a campaign, even for videos you are placing on YouTube. Luckily, YouTube has a wide array of tools that can be used to help measure the reach of videos.  This will help you figure out which videos are working for you and which are not.  From here this may help you determine what type of concepts work so that the next few videos you do are more effective.

Have your own tips on utilizing both video and YouTube?  Feel free to leave a comment below or contact us.

Carnival Cruise Ship Triumph-- Bad PR Moment?

As a Chicago public relations firm we strive to help each of our clients make good decisions when they are faced with tough times.  Bad PR moments happen, but it is how a company and a PR firm handle a bad situation that really counts.  Most recently we became aware of a rough situation with popular cruise line Carnival and their ship Triumph.  The news has been bombarding us with commentary on the disaster and we are sure you've probably heard all about the cruise ship disaster as well. In case you haven't heard, we will give you a recap and speak our peace on what made this a bad PR moment for Carnival and what they could have done to handle the situation better and perhaps spare themselves a bit from this very negative attention.

The Situation

Picture this-- You have taken your entire family on a cruise, you're excited for a little peace and quiet and for a beautiful vacation.  Suddenly you realize that the cruise ship you and your family are on is stranded at sea due to major engine failure.  Sounds a lot less like a fun family vacation and more like a horror story if you ask us.  So what really happened?  On the morning of February 10th, just three days after Carnival's ship Triumph had left Galveston, Texas with more than 4,000 people on board, an engine fire occurred.  Lack of power on the ship left passengers with no A/C, running water and very little food.  Worse yet, bathrooms were not in working ordered which left passengers with no choice but to use bags.  Hallways and floors were flooded with sewer water and human waste. Passengers were forced to deal with all of this for five days until they were able to be rescued and brought back to the states (Mobile, Alabama).

What Carnival Did

Instead of being forthcoming about the situation, the Carnival crew kept quiet and were slow to communicate with anyone, including the media.  Carnival had no immediate response to the situation and just two days after the engine fire Carnival Chairman Micky Arison was seen out and about at a Miami Heat game rather than responding to the media regarding the cruise ship incident.  People certainly took notice.  The lack of initial communication on Carnival's end has left many wondering what is next for Carnival and the cruise ship/travel industry in general.

What Carnival Could Have Done

Lack of communication, in this case, made this disaster all the worse.  Right when the situation occurred the lines of communication should have been wide open, which is where public relations typically comes into play.  At this point a PR firm for the cruise ship would typically step in and begin devising a plan for handling the situation.  In this case, no one from Carnival (or Carnival's PR firm) stepped in, so naturally the media ate the story right up. Instead of letting the media speculate about what was really going on on the ship, Carnival should have come out and released a statement immediately addressing their plan of action.  Where was an expert giving up to the minute status updates on what was happening aboard the ship?  Nowhere to be found apparently.

Carnival's website was sprinkled with a tiny bit of information in regards to what the passengers would receive for their troubles, but no real information was provided as to what was happening on the ship or how the passengers were feeling or doing.  What this whole situation proves is that there needs to be an effective crisis communication plan put in to place so that if a situation similar to this ever does crop up, it can be handled well instead of being handled poorly.

Thoughts, comments, or questions?  Leave them below or contact us.

Chicago Public Relations Firm
Chicago PR Firm
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Franchise Public Relations Firm

Questions to Ask Before Choosing a PR Firm

Choosing a PR firm to work with can be difficult, but asking the right questions can help you figure out whether a PR firm is the one for you or not. Ask yourself the following questions to help you figure out which PR firm is the one for you:

1- "Does your PR firm fit with my company?"

This first question requires you to think a bit about yourself and your company first.  Perhaps you and your company aren't looking for a full blown PR campaign, but are looking to have a few press releases written up and distributed, then maybe the best bet is to work with someone freelance and instead of an agency.  The PR firm you choose has to be able to fit in with your company and be able to fill your needs.

2- "What are your PR firm's qualifications?"

When looking for a PR firm it is always a good idea to get more information on their qualifications. Some firms specialize in specific industries, so if you feel like working with an industry-specific PR firm is important, seek these firms out.

3- "Can we get along?"

Before committing to working with a PR firm it is important to figure out whether you can work well with them.  Ask to meet their team and get to know them better to get a feel for what it would be like to work with them.

4- "What are some of your greatest achievements as a PR firm?"

Ask a PR firm about some of their greatest achievements as a firm to see what kind of experience they have and how they have gotten to where they currently are.  Greatest achievements will speak volumes about a firm.

5- "Can you provide references?"

You should be able to ask your prospective PR firms for some references and even case studies to get a better perspective on what a firm is capable of.  If they are unable to provide some references you may want to consider working with a firm who has references to provide you with. 

6- "Will your services fit within my budget?"

Budget is crucial whether your company is small or big.  Budget woes should be addressed before you even begin looking for a PR firm to work with.  Before starting to search for a PR firm address how much you have to spend and figure out what kinds of services PR firms have to offer that will stay within your budget.  See what your PR firm options would suggest you do within your budget and consider how they would charge you (retainer fee, project fee, flat fee).  

7- "How is success measured?"

No one wants to enter into PR blindly and not understand how success is tracked.  Without tracking it wouldn't be clear which PR strategies and which PR tactics are working and which are not.  Before beginning to work with a PR firm ask them how they measure success with their clients and how they would measure success for you if you were to become a client.

Before working with any PR firm make sure you have a complete list of questions to ask them to help make sure you choose the right firm.  Have comments or questions?  Leave them below or contact us.