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PR News’ Measurement Conference: How to Turn Data into Meaningful Insights

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Earlier this week, The Motherhood team attended PR News’ Measurement Conference in Chicago to dig deeper into the topic of measurement and how to create an effective and accurate strategy that determines campaign successes. A number of prominent speakers from the world’s top brands and agencies shared valuable insights on how they measure PR and social media campaigns and create the case for C-level executive support.

Throughout the day, the biggest recurring theme was: turning data into insights is crucial to a measurement strategy. Here’s a look at some of our key takeaways from the event:

When Your Goals Are Clear, Your Results Are Clear

Before you begin a campaign, spend time discussing the desired results and clearly define goals and performance indicators. Also be sure that standard measurement practices are in place. Ask yourself which target audience you want to reach, what success looks like, and which key performance indicators (KPIs) can be used to measure success. Doing so will lead to shared understanding across the board and better reporting.

Invest in People, Not Software

Each day there is a shiny new platform for social analytics or influencer engagement, and these tools can be great for tracking and reporting success. However, they need to be supplemented with expertise in order to turn facts into insight. Creating or hiring a team that can communicate real analytics and insight from the mounds of data collected will lead to greater success.

Actionable Insights Move the Needle

Create a system of measurement that resonates with your team. Always ask “so what?” when reporting metrics, to move from simply reporting vanity metrics to reporting on outcomes with context. This process will help create informed data, which then leads to more actionable and insightful results.

Check out the #powerofPR hashtag on Twitter for insights and conversation shared during the conference.

Want to find out firsthand how The Motherhood creates valuable insights from campaigns? Let’s work together!

What Facebook Reactions Means for Brands

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Soon you’ll have the option to do more than simply “like” a Facebook post. Chris Cox, chief product officer, announced earlier this month that the social media company would be rolling out six reaction buttons that users can select to respond to posts. These reactions include “love,” “yay,” “haha,” “wow,” “angry” and “sad.” Facebook Reactions are currently being tested in Ireland and Spain, but the company reported that it plans to have this feature available to everyone soon.

Facebook Reactions Icons
Photo source: TechCrunch

Facebook realizes that not every post is a “likable” one (hence the popular demand for a “dislike” button). But Facebook took a potential “dislike” button a step further, because as founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the corporate town hall last month, “What [users] really want is the ability to express empathy.” As a result, Facebook consulted sociologists to help narrow down the range of human emotions when reading posts so it could implement the Reactions. The end goal was to create an easier way for people to express themselves without having to post a comment.

While it isn’t new for brands to be listening and acting on consumer conversations online, how brands are listening will always be changing. The new Facebook Reactions feature will provide brands and marketers with a new way to evaluate sentiment among their audiences.

Going beyond a mere “like” or “dislike” offers a deeper look at what consumers think, feel and want from brands. By knowing how their consumers respond emotionally to content, companies can use the data to alter products, campaigns or even the tone of their content. Read what some marketers are saying about Facebook Reactions here.

For now, each reaction will be treated the same as a “like” in the Facebook algorithm, but this could change in the future. A reaction represents a higher level of engagement from users, as it takes more time than simply liking a post, but gives options to those who may not generally take the time to type a comment.

Richard Sim, Facebook’s director of monetization product marketing, recommends that brands not create sponsored posts to try and gain certain reactions. Sim said, “At the end of the day, for a business we want you to post things that you know are going to drive business value for you, and optimizing for loves really isn’t the right business value for you.”

It will be interesting to see how brands use the Facebook Reactions data from their consumers once this feature is live.

Are you looking forward to using the Facebook Reactions buttons?

Who is Really Celebrating Halloween? The Answer May Surprise You!

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Did you know Americans will spend $6.9 billion on Halloween in 2015?

It’s true, and just when you thought Halloween was a holiday you had outgrown, you may be surprised to learn that you may just be at your prime!

Consumers ages 25 to 34 are accounting for a good portion of both the spending and celebrating, spending nearly $100 on average on Halloween festivities, making them a key Halloween demographic.

Leading up to October 31, the conversation online — be it on blogs, Twitter, Facebook or other social platforms — is very much about the spooky, fun-filled holiday. Starting in September, your Facebook and Twitter feeds, and most likely your Instagram, too, were filled with Halloween-themed posts that included costumes, recipes, crafts and more!

Knowing the aforementioned demographic is doing most of the spending, it was no surprise when The Motherhood found that women ages 25 to 34 are most actively discussing Halloween on Facebook, and they’re most often the ones sharing Halloween-inspired crafts and recipes.

So, what stood out this year?

Research by The Motherhood revealed that the majority of the most shared Halloween-themed content is from blogs, accounting for 40 percent of the top links, and more than 20 percent of the top links were specifically mom/family-focused blogs.

Interestingly, many of the most popular recipes and crafts being shared are from previous years, a true testament to the power of evergreen online content.

Sources:
The Motherhood Nuvi Research, September 2015

How To Build Online Consumer Trust [Infographic]

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Trust is the foundation on which brand perception is built. In fact, 76 percent of consumers develop opinions about a brand long before they reach the point of purchase, and those opinions can affect your bottom line.

Information about brands is more readily available than ever before, with the advent of online reviews and social media word-of-mouth platforms, all accessible in minutes with a few clicks of the mouse. Consumers turn to friends, family and online reviews for advice prior to purchase, and specifically, more than 63 percent of moms ask other moms for advice and consider them the most credible experts when they have questions.

Consumer trust, or confidence in a product or brand, is a huge factor in sparking conversations, influencing consumer purchasing decisions and building advocacy. To help build online consumer trust and generate positive conversations around your brand online, you need an online presence and a share of voice. The most successful online marketing strategies develop that presence to build awareness and trust with key target demographics.

Read on for The Motherhood’s ideas and suggestions on successful tactics for building trust among consumers online:

  1. Have a Plan

Develop a strategic plan that identifies who you want to reach and why, along with the specific messages you want to communicate. To get started, try “dipping a toe in,” testing small programs on a variety of platforms to identify where and how certain approaches, messaging and outreach resonate with your audience.

Your brand voice should be consistent over time across social platforms, but content on each social platform should be unique. All efforts should support your overarching communications messages and goals, too, as this content will live on the digital bookshelf for years to come.

  1. Add Value

People pay attention to content that matters to them and makes a difference in their lives. Foster a deep connection with your audience by sharing thoughtful, helpful and entertaining content that resonates with your key demographics.

It’s also critical to engage consumers in a two-way dialogue rather than dominating the conversation with promotions and advertising. Consumers trust each other’s opinions more than twice as much as online ads, so your most powerful social “advertising” will be interacting with your influential advocates and sharing the good things others are saying about you.

  1. Engage Target-Right Consumers as Advocates

Brands and influencers each have a story to tell and insights to contribute to the conversation. There’s great potential for good when brands and influencers share interests and goals.

Consumers are more likely to seek information from and trust influencers who share their core values. Identify and engage with people online who influence and inform your target audiences, who share their love for your brand and who encourage word of mouth. Engage with these individuals to create authentic content and effectively leverage this content.

  1. Be Responsive

Effective, authentic interaction begins with listening to what consumers have to say. Connect customer service to the company social platforms, and determine how to handle questions and complaints quickly and transparently online. Be quick to reply and personable with consumers, so they feel you are right there with them.

Even if you do not know the answer, show consumers you care about their problem by responding in a positive manner. This will help build trust and increase the likelihood that they become a return customer.

  1. Stay Focused

Select a few top-performing social platforms where your consumers are most active and engaging, based on the strategic testing you did while developing your social media plan. Be active and attentive there, rather than spreading your resources too thin and trying to be everywhere.

As you create an editorial calendar and share content, remember that what works well on Twitter doesn’t necessarily translate on Instagram. Differentiate content between platforms and focus on approaches you’ve found work well based on analysis of past programs.

Building consumer trust through social media takes time but can have a huge impact on brand perception and your bottom line. Sharing compelling content gives you an opportunity to educate your most important target audiences, organically sparking conversation and action.

 

How To Build Trust Online Infographic

The Motherhood helps moms connect with brands on a deeply personal level to drive engagement, increase sales, build reputations, provide insights, generate rich, searchable online content and spark deep loyalty among your most important constituency: moms. Visit www.themotherhood.com or contact us at contact@themotherhood.com to learn more.

Are you building trust authentically with key demographics online?

Case Study: Bloggers, Brands Come Together at Local Market Events

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The Motherhood’s network includes thousands of social media moms all across the country, so much of our work is done over email. However, we also execute in-person local market events that enable us to connect our trusted influencers with the organizations we’re proud to call our partners.

When bloggers experience a brand in person through a carefully and thoughtfully planned event, the resulting content comes to life beautifully through words, personal photos and videos. Beyond the blog post, however, brands have an opportunity to earn bloggers’ trust, build advocacy, interact with the blogger as a customer, gather feedback and forge a powerful and valuable connection for years to come.

During summer 2015, The Motherhood executed a number of local market events:

Northwoood for Moms: It’s a Mom’s World

local market events
Image courtesy of Apple Box Studios

To tell the story of how Pittsburgh-based Northwood Realty Services is an ideal place for moms to start a real estate career, The Motherhood invited 10 bloggers from the region to an event to meet some of Northwood’s top real estate agents—who also happen to be moms!

Bloggers exchanged stories with the Northwood Moms and engaged in a robust conversation about balancing career and family, pursuing passions and the many ways to define success. Bloggers live-tweeted using the hashtag #NorthwoodForMoms, earning Northwood a spot on the list of trending topics in the Pittsburgh region. The event resulted in not only a trending hashtag and more than three million impressions in the target market, but it also directly led to multiple interviews from moms who are interested in being real estate agents.

Bolthouse Farms Kids: Fruits & Veggies Disguised as Snacks

local market events
Image courtesy of Bolthouse Farms Kids

To elevate the Bolthouse Farms Kids brand in Pittsburgh and generate awareness of its new products, The Motherhood enlisted a powerhouse team of influential Pittsburgh moms to attend a series of local market events.

To kick off the program, each blogger received a box of Bolthouse Farms Kids smoothies, fruit tubes and veggie snackers to share with their family and their blog readers. As part of their social media posts, bloggers also urged their readers to spot the #SnackMob trucks and attend events in their area. Then, each blogger attended #SnackMob truck events throughout the city and encouraged their readers to do the same. Bloggers also used their social media posts to spread the word about the #SnackMob contest and to document their own experiences with this one-of-a-kind snack truck.

Chick-fil-A: Where Good Meets Gracious

Image courtesy of Chick-fil-AThe Motherhood recently partnered with a group of bloggers for a local market event that gave them a behind-the-scenes look at the heart and soul of Chick-fil-A – inspiring them to create personal and heartfelt posts about the facets of the company that only an in-person gathering could have revealed.

Bloggers shared a sneak peek at a few soon-to-be-released menu items (that had been flown in from Atlanta by the company’s menu development manager so the bloggers could sample them), tried their hand at creating lemonade the same way each Chick-fil-A store does, and discovered some truly special connections with the store operators. Others appreciated how Chick-fil-A supports local communities or how the company makes life easier for working moms. Chick-fil-A also inspired this 7 Day “Be the Change” Family Challenge.

Email contact@themotherhood.com for more information on securing blogger attendance at local market events.

The latest in social media: Twitter updates to know

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TwitterGet ready to see major Twitter updates before too long, as the social media platform makes changes to grow its user base and increase user engagement.

This week, Twitter officially announced that Jack Dorsey would remain with the company as CEO, following his three-month stint as interim CEO. Dorsey is also CEO of electronic payments company, Square, and is an original founder of Twitter. He was pushed out of the top spot about seven years ago, but now he’s back and ready to make an impact.

Jack Dorsey CEO Tweet

Dorsey’s reinstatement in a leadership role at Twitter could lead to some big changes to the platform in the future, as he alluded to with a tweet about Twitter’s 2016 “roadmap.”

Twitter 2016 Roadmap

Here are a few of the immediate changes that we can expect to see from the social media giant:

  1. Tweeting without limits. The 140-character limit for tweets could become a thing of the past. Twitter’s executives are testing a new product which could free up character space by removing links and user handles from the 140-character limit – or they might just increase the overall character count.

While some speculate that increasing the character count could ruin Twitter’s identity, others recognize the desire and push for more engagement on Twitter’s platform. As Christopher Nunneley, CEO at U-Drift.com, Inc., said: “Twitter needs more user engagement. You don’t get an increase in user engagement by keeping the platform level. Instead, you achieve higher engagement levels by giving users wonderful new capabilities.”

twitter_140
Image Source: solucionesim.net

2. Saying goodbye to share counts. Sometime this month, Twitter is reportedly going to remove share counts from ‘tweet’ and ‘follow’ buttons, which are widely displayed on online published content and websites (including our blog!). Share counts can still be accessed through the Twitter REST API. This update could largely affect content sharing behavior, as users tend to be more willing to share content that already has a high number of shares.

3. Saying hello to Twitter “blogging.” Also among the rumored changes at Twitter is an on-platform blogging option, such as an integration with Medium, which would be very similar to recent moves made by LinkedIn and Facebook. This new long-form content option could create greater opportunities for journalists and other content creators on the platform.

4. Shopping within the platform. You might be able to conquer your holiday shopping from your Twitter account this year. Twitter is continuing to test and expand access to tweets featuring a “buy” button to sell products, with added integration with Bigcommerce, Demandware and Shopify, on top of the original integration with Stripe.

5. Bringing curated moments to users and non-users. Twitter has begun rolling out Moments (formerly Project Lightning), which is simply designed to present “better discovery for an easier, more delightful experience for users who haven’t been able to find value thus far.” Moments will live as a new tab in the app signified by a lightning icon, and focus on timely, relevant content (not primarily hashtags). For those who are not already Twitter users, moments will appear directly on the Twitter homepage.

Twitter Moments Project Lightning
Image Source: Mashable

Stay tuned to see what happens next with these Twitter updates. What changes do you think would benefit the Twitter user experience?

P.S. From royal babies to Donald Trump, here are the most tweeted about topics from the summer.