Webinar SeriesThe Basics of Integrating Social Media

Into Your PR Plan

Heather Taylor & Kelsey Goeres

The (Updated) Elements of a Successful PR Plan

• News release calendar• Media outreach• Editorial calendars

from publications• Case studies• Speaking opportunities• Crisis planning• And social media!

(Blogger outreach, contributed “bylined” articles, cross blogging, video/post sharing)

Meet your new hashtag and Instagram friendly media kit. Traditional PR tactics are now working in a balance of social media initiatives into how they get a brand recognized both online and offline. But for a business ready to embrace a more social touch into getting their brand out there, what should a PR plan include to start those first steps? Today we’ll be discussing the right moves to make when guest and cross blogging, creating Pinterest boards, hosting and promoting a contest online and the value that these social initiatives adds to both you and your business.

Pinterest 101As of February, Pinterest has 25 million users. (Business Insider)Sephora’s Pinterest followers spend 15 times more that its Facebook fans. (Venture Beat)70 percent of brand engagement on Pinterest is generated by users, not brands. (Digitas)Top brands in the fashion/retail space average 46 repins on every pin, proving that those who have a presence on Pinterest, are establishing an engaged following. (Digitas)Pinterest shoppers are spending significantly more per checkout averaging between $140-$180 per order compared with consistent $80 and $60 orders for Facebook and Twitter shoppers, respectively. (Rich Relevance)Pinterest’s share of referrals is highest in home and furnishings, accounting for up to 60 percent of all social traffic. (Rich Relevance)U.S. consumers who use Pinterest follow an average of 9.3 retailers on the site. (Shop.org)Pinterest pins that include prices receive 36 percent more likes than those that do not. (Shopify)Moms are 61 percent more likely to visit Pinterest than the average American. (Nielsen)81 percent of U.S. online consumers trust information and advice from Pinterest. (BlogHer)Pinterest accounts for 25 percent of retail referral traffic. (Rich Relevance)Average activity of popular pinners is 2,757 pins; 35 boards; following 355. (Repinly)

Pinterest Dos For Your Business•Add a sense of variety to your pinning•Be a Pinterest team player•Organize your boards•Take advantage of the holidays•Pin your blog’s content!•Follow similar pinners and boards

What Not To Do: Pinterest Don’ts•Only pin your products•Pin boring photos•Pin for yourself, instead, pin for your customer•Make pinning harder than it needs to be•Ignore your fellow Pinners

Guest Blogger Dos and Don’ts

• DO try to reach out to the appropriate contact. DON’T email the CEO directly.

• DON’T ask for money.• DON’T submit your first email with an

attachment already included. DO include a few pitches and ideas that you’d like to write about instead.

• DO respond in a timely manner.• DO submit your first draft in a Word

Document.• DO ask for specifications for the post.• DON’T expect your article to be

published immediately. But DO ask for the date that the post may go live on.

• DO have an email address that is as user friendly as possible.

Cross Blogging Rules of Thumb

• This is a partnership – treat it professionally

• Always link back• Develop a rapport with

the blogger• Create blogging guidelines• Offer to brainstorm

together• Provide regular

contributing opportunities

What Your Business Gains When Hosting a Contest•Website traffic•Customer support•Customer understanding of what your business is about•An increase in followers•Business

The Basics of Hosting a Contest

• Pick a platform• Choose a contest that

pertains to your audience• Promote, promote,

promote!• Include your audience when

selecting a winner• Celebrate the winner!

MyCorporation’s Brilliant Business Contest

• We wanted to celebrate entrepreneurs

• Submissions went through an official contest website

• Promoted on all platforms• The winner was voted on

through the contest website

• We congratulated the winner with a blog post

About the Presenters• Heather Taylor is a social media

manager for MyCorporation.com, freelance writer, and blogger who writes and muses on social networking, business, fashion and the occasional combination of all three. She has had her written work published with Yahoo! Shine, Forbes, Social Media Today, BettyConfidential.com, HelloGiggles.com, The Huffington Post, and more. Contact her on Twitter @howveryheather or email howveryheather@gmail.com.

• Kelsey Goeres is a recent graduate of California Lutheran University. She received her bachelor’s degree with a major in Communication and a minor in Theatre Arts. She currently works at MyCorporation.com as a Social Media Associate. Contact Kelsey at: kgoeres@mycorporation.com.

Works CitedArticle References• Developing a PR Plan

(entrepreneur.com): http://bit.ly/n5zs22

• The Dos and Don’ts of Becoming a Guest Blogger (socialmediatoday.com): http://bit.ly/VyEWhK

• 10 Guest Blogging Rules to Obey (bloggingpro.com): http://bit.ly/1232XQo

• What to Ask From a Guest Blogger (socialmediatoday.com): http://bit.ly/15uzhO2

Photo Credits• PR/Social Media Campaign

http://bit.ly/13W0DuG• Social Media Differences

http://bit.ly/13W0Lub• Sephora on Pinterest

http://bit.ly/17UhUdd• Ben and Leslie’s Pinterest Wedding

Album http://bit.ly/17hH5Hi• “Nailed It” http://bit.ly/10JdVNv• “Thank You Notes” with Jimmy

Fallon http://bit.ly/17Uibgj • Guest Blogging http://bit.ly/12RDXR1• Facebook Contest

http://bit.ly/17UimYV• MyCorp Brilliant Business images,

courtesy of MyCorporation.com