Snapchat and Instagram: A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

WWPR’s Advanced Snapchat and Instagram Workshop last week provided an in-depth overview of how to use both social media platforms and leverage the best new strategies for executing business goals.

Social Driver’s Sara Tuman, digital strategist, and Lucy Mink, digital content studio lead, kicked off the workshop by explaining the ins and outs of communicating on the platforms and why the initial goals of the platforms remain important for planning strategies

Here were a few key takeaways Tuman and Mink shared during the workshop on each platform for PR and digital strategy professionals who want to be in-the-know:

Snapchat

According to the duo, Snapchat’s main function has always been as a user-to-user messaging app, even though it has evolved into a key platform for businesses targeting the younger generations.

Snapchat’s main claim-to-fame is creating messages that disappear, with an emphasis on fun with the ability to add stickers, write, and draw on photos sent. Snapchat also added features including filters and lenses that increased the ability to customize photos, and later ‘Memories’ to save past snaps and photos from your camera roll.

While there are multiple ways to use Snapchat for promotional purposes, Tuman and Mink gave a few examples of how geotargeted filters and lenses can be a great way to increase brand awareness, expand your reach, and promote a large multimedia campaign.

Instagram

Instagram, on the other hand, is a rapidly changing social app with an original goal of connecting people through photo sharing. While Instagram began as more of a static collection of filtered photos, it has expanded to include more dynamic types of visual storytelling.

The platform now includes Stories and live real-time videos that are similar to Snapchat’s snaps in that they disappear after 24 hours. These Instagram Stories live in the top bar of your Instagram feed, and do not appear organically in the feed. This can increase engagement with followers who regularly choose to engage with your content, as they have to select to watch your Instagram story.

While Instagram doesn’t host its own advertising platform, brands can create ads for Instagram through Facebook’s Ad Manager. Tuman and Mink pinpointed link clicks, awareness, and engagements as some of the most effective goals when advertising on Instagram. Stories can also be a good way to organically generate conversation around a time-sensitive offering or special, or promote an event by sharing more content than you would normally share on the platform.

Despite the platforms’ different approaches, Snapchat and Instagram both rely on visual storytelling to drive key messages, and can be a great way to engage younger demographics and connect existing campaigns in an integrated way.

bBrittany-floyd-sara-tuman-lucy-mink

During the Q&A portion of the workshop, Brittany Floyd, senior associate, digital strategy at Burson-Marsteller and WWPR’s digital strategy board member, moderated an even more in-depth conversation between the presenters and the audience to cover topics. The discussion focused on actionable tips ranging from the balance between paid and organic content, how to measure effectiveness without analytics, and how to build up a following on each platform.

Here are a few DO’s and DON’Ts that apply to Instagram and Snapchat from the panel discussion:

  • DO apply prior content knowledge on what works and what doesn’t for your brand to your new platforms
  • DON’T post content your audience won’t care about
  • DO pay attention to where your audience is and how they can be best reached
  • DON’T engage with trolls – trust us.
  • DO keep track of your posting cadence by figuring out what works based on your followers/engagement levels
  • DON’T “be a creep” by sharing user content without introducing yourself or building the relationship first
  • DO promote your new Instagram and Snapchat pages on your other social media channels
  • And, as always, DON’T act fake or use an inauthentic voice – your followers will know

As changes to Instagram and Snapchat happen rapidly, it’s more important for digital professionals to keep up with the platforms. If you missed last week’s workshop, be sure to check out Social Driver’s live video of the Advanced Snapchat and Instagram Workshop and stay tuned for the next workshop on digital strategies offered by WWPR.

 

Article by Melinda Tolliver, a digital communications specialist who has worked in a variety of settings throughout her career. She loves the thrill of stringing together powerful, eloquent messages in under 140 characters, and creating thoughtful visuals to go with it. Her current position is with the Association of American Law Schools as a digitally-focused communications coordinator. Follow her tweets and ‘grams at @mmptolliver.

Power Points: Samantha Kruse, Account Supervisor at LEVICK

Samantha Kruse (who goes by Sam) is an Account Supervisor at LEVICK where she is an integral member of the crisis and corporate communications teams. Although originally from Maryland, Sam had an interesting path to starting her DC public relations career; after graduating from Wake Forest, she moved to Spain to teach English as a Foreign Language, an opportunity which was meant to last one year but turned into three. When she came back to the US, she had an informational interview at LEVICK. The rest — along with a ton of hard work — is history. When she’s not putting out fires for clients in her power suit of “all black everything,” you can catch her breaking a sweat at Flywheel.

WWPR’s Molly Mitchell met up with Sam at LEVICK for the February edition of Power Points.

MM: What ultimately drew you to public relations? I saw on LinkedIn that you spent a few years abroad in Spain after college teaching English?

Samantha-Kruse-LEVICK
Samantha Kruse, LEVICK

SK: I double majored in Anthropology and Spanish and I knew that I wanted to go to Spain after college. It was supposed to be a one-year deal but I ended up absolutely loving it – both teaching and the culture. And I knew that I needed to stay longer than a year to become fluent, which was the ultimate goal. So three years later I wake up and I’m still in Spain.

MM: How did you know it was time to come home?

SK: After those three years, I came to a point where I was ready to make a decision about staying abroad for the rest of my life or going back to the States to be a professional in DC and have a life outside of college. So I ended up back here – mainly because my family was from here and I was like ‘where am I going to go with this interest in culture from my degree and my travels abroad?’ I knew I was attracted to the world of communications, so I went on a bunch of informational interviews, including one at LEVICK. I loved everyone here and it just clicked. I started with what we call a fellowship. I ended up loving it and now nearly five years later I am a permanent member of the team.

MM: Describe your current role at LEVICK elevator sentence style.

SK: We are a crisis firm. We do a lot of other more traditional communications work as well, but I am on the crisis team. My day-to-day is completely unpredictable, which is part of what I love. LEVICK is there at the planning, the incident management, and the reputation recovery stage of whatever a client might be going through.

MM: I assume this is going to involve your schedule but what’s the most difficult part of your job?

SK: Definitely time management is the most difficult. It sounds so basic. Obviously with any job, time management is going to be a crucial element. But when you have anywhere from five to 10 clients, or more, some of them might have a crisis going on that week and some of them might not. You have to make sure even the ones that are operating normally still get the attention they need that week. Even if there’s a crisis in LA that’s blowing up and your NYC client is sort of quiet but wants to schedule a conference call. Thankfully, our teams do a great job of helping each other out. At least two or three people are informed at any given moment on what happened on the last client call. So you’re not scrambling to bring other people up to speed at any given time.

MM: The most gratifying aspect?

SK: It’s always achieving the goal that the client set out to do. It’s truly gratifying to put in the work no matter how many hours or how much effort and to see that end goal reached, whether it’s their name in a Wall Street Journal story or the opposite – their name not in a story. But really just helping them achieve all of their marketing and business goals in the most seamless way possible.

MM: What keeps you motivated amid the daily grind?

SK: Outside of work, it’s finding time to go to spin class. Flywheel has become my favorite – they’re on ClassPass and it’s a game changer. I think it’s important to do whatever you need to do to be focused when you get into the office. At work, my co-workers keep me motivated. Everybody here is awesome and really wants to see LEVICK achieve its goals and get all of our clients where they need to be.

MM: What has working in crisis communications taught?

SK: In any industry, but especially in crisis communications, I’ve learned that not only do you need a Plan B, but a Plan C and D. I can’t tell you how many times I have strategized with a client or internal teammates for days or weeks and we’ve come up with this perfect plan, and then the day before execution something changes. I’ve come to realize that you need to be constantly prepared to work with, for example, a new spokesperson, a different journalist, or a last-minute alteration to a project timeline.

MM: Which is true of so many things in life.

SK: Exactly. But I also think this industry has taught me it’s important to take advantage of every networking event and actually talk to people and be a human. I see a lot of people attending events and just observing, which of course is good from an educational standpoint. But I think making sure that you are actually networking or making time to sign up for public speaking opportunities so people can associate your voice with your work is so crucial. And whether or not an actual client engagement comes out of it is one thing, but the relationships you form along with the potential referrals down the line are invaluable.

MM: In a nutshell what makes a successful communications campaign? How do you know you’ve done a great job?

SK: In the world of crisis it’s very hard to measure universally. In my opinion, a sign that you’ve done the best job you possibly could in a crisis scenario is whether that client comes back to your firm for other work or stays on with you for traditional PR or ongoing public affairs projects, for example. If we handled an organization’s crisis so efficiently that they want LEVICK to be a permanent member of their team, that’s an amazing sign.

Molly Mitchell, Scott Circle

MM: What do you think is the biggest barrier to female leadership in the workplace?

SK: I would love to say that I don’t see that barrier. I think to some degree here in the communications world it’s not as noticeable. Politics aside, I will just say I have been so inspired by what I’ve seen not just from people in DC and not just from people in my industry, but from women, minorities, marginalized populations and everyone everywhere who is standing up for what they believe in. I think women in professional industries need to keep working as hard as I know my female role models are to reach those C-Suite roles. It’s still more common than not to walk into a boardroom that has only older men and that can be intimidating. But, it’s been so inspiring to me in the communications world to see many women taking on leadership positions.

MM: When you hire what are the qualities you most value in potential employees?

SK: A varied background really helps. I don’t necessarily believe that it’s a must for a person to have majored in communications or journalism to get a job in PR. The more people we bring on that are already experts in their particular field is extremely advantageous for the firm. For example, we have former attorneys who are now on the legal communications end of the spectrum. It is essential to bring those colleagues in when we have clients facing potential litigation. I think pulling on everyone’s individual experience and bringing it in to one cohesive offering for our clients is something that I see as a real benefit.

MM: Now on to some fun day-in-the-life questions. What’s the first thing you do in the morning?

SK: Ah… so sad, but I usually roll over and check my Facebook and Instagram. I’m trying hard not to check my email first thing because it’s a stressful way to start the day, and I think it can wait till I get in the office.

MM: What’s your go to Starbuck’s order?

SK: Not a Starbuck’s gal! I usually go to Saxby’s on 19th Street NW. Usually I just get black coffee, but if I’m feeling adventurous sometimes I get this amazing almond coconut mocha that they have.

MM: What are three things that you always have in your workbag?

SK: I always have a charger. I never want my laptop or phone not to work, as ridiculous as that sounds, but you never want them to be dead if you have a last minute client meeting or get together and need to contact someone. I think sunglasses are really important. I get mad at myself when it’s gorgeous in DC and I don’t have them on me. And finally my favorite lip-gloss, which is cherry ChapStick. I can’t go anywhere without it. Honestly I put it on before every meeting because it makes me feel whole and ready to do whatever I need to do.

MM: What’s your favorite DC restaurant?

SK: I live in Adams Morgan and my favorite restaurant for a night out is Mintwood Place. The food is amazing. Then my regular go to is Roofer’s Union, which has this great neighborhood feel.

MM: What outfit combination do you consider your “power suit?”

SK: All black everything. It just feels like business. I wear a lot of colors in my personal life so I like that separation.

MM: What advice would you give your early professional self?

SK: Don’t let yourself be held back by what you perceive as a lack of credentials or experience.

To learn more about LEVICK check out: http://www.levick.com/about

 Follow Sam and Molly on Twitter: @samkruser and @mollyemitchell

Power Points: Neveah Bradshaw, Digital Marketing Manager at bluemercury

By day Neveah Bradshaw is a Digital Marketing Manager at bluemercury, a luxury beauty retail brand where she creates and manages their paid search campaign strategy. After hours this social media maven makes time to serve on WWPR’s Board as Social Chair.

Molly Mitchell spoke with Neveah for the January edition of Power Points about why it’s a good idea not to chase every viral fad on social media and why it’s important to keep ambition in check when just starting your career.

What drew you to public relations?

Neveah-Bradshaw-Bluemercury
Neaveah Bradshaw, Digital Marketing Manager at bluemercury

I’ve always been compassionate and empathetic so I was naturally drawn to a field that harnessed those traits. Over the years, I’ve used my ability and perception of multiple points of view to help effectively communicate with desired audiences.

How would you describe your current role? 

At bluemercury, I create and manage our paid search campaign strategy, as well as the SEO strategy of our recently re-launched website. I work with the social team on paid social and, more recently, we’ve enacted a display advertising strategy. I also really enjoy getting out of my wheelhouse and assisting my teammates with other interesting projects.

Is there such a thing as a typical day for you in your current role? If yes, what does it look like?

My typical day involves being in many different reporting systems and dashboards, so I really enjoy the diversity of projects that I get to work on.

What is the most gratifying part of your job?

The most gratifying aspect of my job is the incredible growth that the company is currently experiencing. I have a front row seat to watch a vision turn into reality, that is now being expanded nationally! It’s super inspiring.

What keeps you motivated?

I’m motivated by the ever-changing dynamics of digital and the business world. There are more opportunities to be entrepreneurial than ever before. My amazing family also always keeps me going!

What’s your advice on how to have an authentic and fun voice online with social media?

 Don’t be so busy trying to be on fleek that bae, your ideal customer, unfollows you. Social is a space that allows your customer to identify with your brand, which doesn’t necessarily translate to imitating them.

 What professional experience have you learned the most from (for example maybe something went wrong but it taught you a crucial lesson)?

 I earned my Masters in Strategic Communications from American University in 2014. I enrolled in an executive program that allowed students to work and take classes on the weekends. I learned so much in that 18-month period and met some amazing people. That experience taught me that time is truly a professional’s most valuable asset. It shouldn’t be squandered, abused or spent on regret.

What do you think is the biggest barrier to female leadership in the workplace?

 In my opinion, women have made tremendous strides and have broken down the toughest barriers in the workplace and in advancing equality. Our united voices are louder than ever, and opportunity is greater than ever. The challenge now will be to follow through and pass the baton. Progress does not end here.

What makes a successful communications campaign (basically how do you measure that you’ve done a great job)?

Molly Mitchell, Scott Circle

I’m so lucky and excited that my role now is direct to consumer. I get to see success via happy customers on social, on our website or in one of our nearby stores. Beyond metrics, a happy customer’s positive feedback, review or referral indicates success.

When you hire what are the qualities you most value in potential employees?

An insatiable appetite for experience and learning. It’s important to seek people who want to grow.

Tell me more about your involvement with WWPR. How did you get involved and what led you to join the board as Co-Chair of the Professional Development Committee?

My first WWPR event was 5 or 6 years ago. I had the pleasure of meeting Melanie Jordan, of PRofessional Solutions who kindly took me under her wing. I grew to love the organization and its members, so when the opportunity presented itself to serve as Melanie’s successor, I didn’t think twice.

How has WWPR helped shape your career?

For me WWPR is an outlet, the camaraderie and professional experience that I’m surrounded by has made a huge impact. I’m here to pass on what I’ve learned and continue to build something that will benefit female professionals for generations.

What’s the first thing you do in the morning?

I try to take a moment to get centered, then I check email and Instagram.

What’s your go to Starbuck’s order?

Grande Soy Vanilla Latte, with 2 pumps of Peppermint. An old boss introduced me and I’ve loved it ever since!

What’s your favorite treatment from the bluemercury spa? You must have bluemercury product?

I got my first facial at bluemercury Georgetown recently and it was incredible! I didn’t just glow, I was beaming! My favorite product is the PowerGlow Peel byM-61 Skincare. After a long day in the city’s smog this exfoliating peel works as hard as I do!

What are three things that every professional woman should keep in her bag?

An iPhone, (which serves as a pen and business cards in one) a charger for said iPhone and blotting papers, one should only be remembered for a shiny personality.

What’s your favorite thing about the District? 

 The familiarity — I grew up in the area so it’s nice to feel at home no matter where I am in the DMV.

What outfit combination do you consider your power suit?

 My power suit is more internal than external. For me being prepared, well rested and centered make me feel unstoppable. Great skin, a bold lip and good heels don’t hurt though!

What advice would you give your early professional self?

 Keep your ambition in check. Use it as a source of motivation not a barometer to weigh your disappointment. While planning ahead, take the time to revel in your strides and accomplishments.

To learn more about bluemercury work check out: https://bluemercury.com/

 Follow Neveah and Molly on Twitter: @neveahtweets and @mollyemitchell

Member Spotlight: WWPR President Kelly Mack Shares Vision for WWPR & Communicates About Needs of People with Disabilities

Get to know WWPR President Kelly Mack’s passions, goals and successes! WWPR caught up with Kelly for a discussion on her new role as president, her passion within DC’s public relations community, and her morning routine.

Vision for WWPR

Kelly believes WWPR has a unique role in DC’s PR community because of the abundant professional development opportunities provided, coupled with the camaraderie and support among members.

As president, one of Kelly’s major goals is to grow the membership of WWPR. She hopes to do this by demonstrating the value of WWPR for its members, through networking, professional development, and recognition of industry leaders.

Kelly herself joined because she wanted to learn more about communications, but stayed because she found it to be an excellent network for making friends and connections. After attending a number of professional development events, Kelly decided to throw her hat in the ring and volunteered to help plan these events.

She served several years in that capacity on the board of WWPR before transitioning to the Executive Committee to help shape the ongoing strategic growth of WWPR.

Serving Individuals with Disabilities

In addition to her role at WWPR, Kelly is a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Department of Health & Services. In her current role, Kelly supports communications for the Administration for Community Living (ACL), an agency devoted to supporting older adults and people with disabilities – a cause that hits close to home for her.

Kelly’s passion for issues affecting people with disabilities is grounded in her own experience living with disabilities. She was diagnosed at age two with an aggressive form of rheumatoid arthritis, but she has never let it hold her back from her goals.

While the condition causes her to face challenges related to accessibility, Kelly considers her stubbornness an asset since she doesn’t let anything stop her. She also counts herself as fortunate to have a substantial support system with the help of her husband, family and friends in navigating the challenges of living with a disability.

However, she is quick to point out that not all people with disabilities have the same supports as she does. That’s why she is thrilled to work for an agency that supports this population and the full integration of people with disabilities in society.

A Bit of Background

Kelly began her career at a small nonprofit before discovering her true passion for communications. To develop her skills, she pursued a master’s degree in communications while concurrently working in an association environment. She later worked for a mid-size firm on a variety of issues and explored many different communications tactics.

Her current work at ACL helps to inform the public and stakeholders about the organization’s activities and accomplishments towards its mission. Her day is a mix of meetings, strategy planning, writing, absorbing news, and tactical execution, such as with media relations and social media.

Kelly cites the overall diversity of her work with many causes and clients as her biggest professional accomplishment throughout her career.

Advice for WWPR Members

 Kelly encourages members to volunteer on a committee – or several – to get to know the various moving parts of WWPR. Once members discover what they most enjoy, they can contribute their skills toward supporting the organization and its mission.

For general advice aimed at younger women, Kelly suggests saying “yes” and asking for more! Kelly believes taking on challenges will help women stand out early in their careers, and accelerate career growth and learning.

In The Morning…

 Everyone has one – here’s Kelly’s morning routine:

  • First, hit the snooze!
  • Some light stretching or exercise
  • A good breakfast to start the day
  • Monitoring NPR and the morning’s news headlines
  • Catching up on emails

The Psychology of Election Stress – Working with the Media to Promote Mind Body Health

By Sophie Bethune

Faced with one of the most adversarial elections in recent history and daily coverage of the presidential election dominating every form of mass media, last summer the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America team heard anecdotally from many people feeling stressed about the election and its anticipated aftermath.  For 10 years, APA has been conducting Stress in America, an annual survey that seeks to examine American stress levels, what’s causing stress and its impact on our lives, health and relationships.  In 2016, based on these anecdotal reports we added a new question to the survey to look at whether the 2016 presidential election was a significant cause of stress.

We discovered that 52 percent of respondents said that they were stressed about the election putting this in the same realm as other frequently cited stressors such as work, money and the economy.  We were pretty sure there was a story to be told and an opportunity to share psychological messages about how to effectively manage stress.  We were even more motivated to pursue the story when we discovered that there was no statistical difference between registered Republicans and Democrats – both sides of the political aisle were equally likely to say that the election was causing them stress.

However, our survey results weren’t scheduled to be released until 2017 – long after the election.  When we started the survey in 2006, our aim was to draw attention to the dangers of chronic stress, start a conversation about mind body health, provide practical advice to the public and outline the ways that psychologists can help.  This was the first time that we had asked about stress related to an election.  For the first time in 10 years, we decided to release data early and share the election stress story while it was still relevant.  Unlike in previous years when we’ve released results with press lunches, town hall meetings and media webinars, we simply issued a press release, a brief report and infographics providing them in advance under embargo to a handful of reporters that we’d worked with in the past.

What followed was three weeks of intense media coverage.  Reporter after reporter called us and commented that what drew them to this story was their own stress and anxiety – the result of months of covering the campaign trail.  Our two psychologist spokespeople were in heavy demand, offering advice to the public about how to manage stress related to the election.  They became the most experienced on-camera spokespeople at our organization appearing on the Today Show, CNN, NBC Nightly News and MSNBC and other news channels.  Major media outlets including the Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, NPR, Bloomberg and Fox News covered the story.  And local and national radio covered it nationwide.

By week two the story was evolving.  The same journalists who initially covered the story came back to us for a second round of stories.  International outlets started requesting interviews and our psychologists spoke to outlets in Brazil, the UK, Canada, Finland, Ukraine, China and elsewhere.  All told APA’s election stress data and health messages generated more than 4,000 media hits, the equivalent of more than $10.5 million in advertising value.

Of course, following the election the stories continued. The storylines became more detailed: How can parents talk to their children about the election results?  How are therapists feeling?  Has there been an increase in people seeking therapy?   Can you offer advice for people disappointed or angry at the results?  Advice on how to heal family rifts?  How are stress levels since the election?  We haven’t been able to answer everything.  We don’t yet have new data on which to rely on, though our psychologists can always offer advice on how to deal with disappointment or anxiety or how to talk to children in age- appropriate ways or handle conflict.

Next month this will change.  We are fielding an updated survey to gauge how people are feeling post -election.  We plan to release results in mid-February, with the rest of our survey data.  At that point, our psychologists will be able to answer that most frequently asked question – whether Americans are feeling significant stress about the political climate now that the election is over, and offer advice on what to do if you become overwhelmed by stress.

Sophie Bethune is director of public relations and special projects at the American Psychological Association.

Dr. Lynn Bufka, APA’s Associate Executive Director for Practice Research and Policy, and one of APA’s two primary psychologist spokespeople on election stress will be addressing WWPR’s Annual Meeting on January 12.  She’ll outline the findings and provide advice on how to manage stress in your work and lives in 2017.

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