Public Relations

• The first and most obvious component of PR 3.0 is public relations, which may seem like a strange fit for online implementation, at first.  However, once your media relations activities result in successful media placement, your website needs a place to showcase this information. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) loves links to reputable websites so having a News & Press page on your website is crucial to link back to these news articles, press releases, and television segments. Having a dedicated page for media results and not relying solely on a blog will result in improved SEO and convey to the media that you are an expert in your field. Talk with your web developer about adding a page dedicated to past media coverage and update this page regularly!

Marketing

• The next component of PR 3.0 is your traditional marketing efforts. This includes the basic marketing rules for websites: using logos and corporate color schemes to brand your site, weaving the company message and value proposition into the “About Us” section, and including company slogans when appropriate. But a PR 3.0 enabled website goes beyond that by taking advantage of new online technologies that assist in identifying and tracking potential customers. This is done by ensuring your site’s meta-tags include all relevant keywords for SEO, including Google Analytics coding to monitor how visitors are moving around the site, and creating a squeeze page that uses cookies to store information about each unique visitor and keep a record to see if they return to the site at a later date. Of the three pillars of PR 3.0, marketing is the only one in which you and your company have complete control of the way you present yourself, while PR relies on the media and social media relies on the online community.

Social Media

• The final, and least traditional, component of PR 3.0 is social media marketing. Social media ultimately deepens your online presence so it is important to have these pages accurately reflect your website branding. Displaying the links to your company social media pages on every page of your site is crucial. We suggest using the logo buttons that each of these sites provide its users. You also have the option to edit these buttons to better match your website (take a look at the top right corner of www.kcdpr.com for an example of what these buttons look like).  If your company has a large online presence, or if your social media followers are very active, then you might consider including a social media feed on your homepage that displays recent comments, tweets, or updates from your different social networks. These two tools provide visitors with a quick way to view your online presence, which is rapidly becoming a major factor in consumer perception as the vast majority of people research companies online.

Keep these tactics in mind when building your website, as having a site that is PR 3.0 capable will engage your audience more than websites that were created before Facebook, Twitter or even Google became dominant players online.  Modern internet technology is a treasure-trove of data for both you and your visitors, creating an experience that provides valuable information (for both the company and the consumer). Having a comprehensive, engaging online presence is the best way to attract visitors, convert them into leads and eventually customers.  If you want to learn more about PR 3.0, visit our website or schedule a call with us today!

As PR professionals, many of our initial conversations about Twitter sound like: “Twitter? I don’t have time for that.”

Sure, it may seem like there’s a new social media platform every month, but several are truly worthwhile depending on your marketing and business goals. Are you looking to become a better thought leader on specific topics? Would you like your clients and prospects to view you as technologically savvy (even if you don’t feel it’s true)? Do you want a quick rundown of the latest news or interact with media contacts? Twitter will provide you with all of that – in 140 characters or less.

We talk with many business executives who are curious about social media yet brush it off due to being too busy. However, composing a tweet (a message that goes out on Twitter) takes two minutes at most. You can also re-tweet (repost) messages that others have written with only the click of a mouse. Plus, we’ve recently seen an increase in the amount of journalists who are looking for sources and asking questions on the site.

Whereas prospective clients and reporters used to scour phonebooks for applicable sources or worthwhile businesses, they’re now looking online. Unfortunately, sometimes just having a website isn’t enough to attract prospects and media attention. Today, people want to work with accessible, personable contacts that they can “read up” on and get a sense of their personality before they invest time in a relationship.

Some tips for developing a network on Twitter:

• Set up an account! Create a custom profile with your picture and an interesting bio. Include hashtags and unique keywords that describe your personal brand. The process will take you 15 minutes max at www.twitter.com.
• Begin tweeting. You have 140 characters to convey relevant and insightful thoughts. Excited about an upcoming company event? Tell your followers why. Have an opinion about a breaking news story? Say so. Twitter exists for you to speak your mind and to put your two (knowledgeable) cents in.  There’s no need to tweet a picture of lunch. Leave that to the celebrities.
• Find out what people are saying. Find people on Twitter or use a site like Twellow.com to research interesting contacts. Begin following their articles. Re-tweet the good ones; respond to the interesting ones.
• Engage in conversations and ask good questions. Check out this article by Mashable on 25 of the Most Engaged Brands. Are you an expert on retirement planning? Share your services with someone who mentions that they’re struggling with their 401(k). See a news article that echoes your thoughts about the value of employee education? Reply to the reporter with your thoughts.

In some cases, Twitter is replacing traditional email and text messages. It’s often easier to “direct message” someone on Twitter than it is to find their contact information on their website and then send an email. The site has been around since 2006 and is only gaining in followers and popularity, so Twitter is definitely worth the time – and a second look. Yahoo! even announced a new partnership with Twitter that will include relevant and personalized tweets in its search results. Coverage like that is hard to pass up.

So what are you waiting for? Happy Tweeting!

One of the first companies to wade into this pool has been Bloomberg, which announced that it has begun to integrate Twitter into its International Information Platform with filters and alerts to organize its Tweets by a wide range of categories, such as asset class, company, or market sector (“After SEC Decision, Bloomberg Integrates Tweets Into the Wire”). In the past, the procedure for a company announcement included filing with the SEC and then issuing a press release or holding a targeted event in an effort to secure media coverage. This shift will now allow companies to offer greater transparency to their shareholders and the media alike, while also providing a forum for the public to provide the company with immediate feedback regarding its business activities.

We believe the SEC’s ruling will revolutionize the way that public companies (with private companies following suit) communicate, as many of the barriers that have traditionally slowed down the flow of information have been removed. With these “old guard” techniques falling by the wayside, companies can now substantially reduce the chances of information slipping through the cracks before an “official announcement” is made, which is a common cause of insider trading and other questionable practices.

This week’s news will also have an effect on those who work in public relations and communications, especially those in the financial services industry. PR practitioners have generally employed the press release to achieve media results, but now with the ability to communicate using social media, the long-term muscle of the press release will begin to decrease and potentially become more of an “info-dump” than something with real value (who would’ve guessed a tweet might overtake a press release?).  While this is definitely not the swansong of the press release as a communications tool, its role as the dominant means of releasing company information is likely coming to an end.

With such huge implications on public announcements and the ensuing effect on share prices, the winners are going to be early adopters who integrate a mixture of financially significant information with targeted communication tactics that drive public opinion. As we all know, major shifts in public opinion can have a huge influence on market prices.

For wealth management firms wanting to capitalize on this shift, it’s important to understand that media relations are going to change. Interactions with the press will move even further online. Rather than waiting for a PR or marketing department to announce news with an official release during regular business hours, financial news can, and will, be breaking online first. Where online? The folks at Twitter likely just jumped for joy with this announcement. The validation of its service as a news distribution machine is huge in many ways. You can fully expect the business and financial media to continue to report via Twitter and seek out companies that have an active presence announcing news and trends via their Twitter platforms. If your firm is not using Twitter yet, it’s time to catch up.

The key takeaway for anyone wanting to capitalize on this new opportunity is to acknowledge that social media is finally being embraced by regulators. Company news being pushed out to reporters in real time means there will always be someone online looking for a story to write and it may as well be yours! So build out your Twitter profile, follow Bloomberg or any news sources/reporters that interest you, and start interacting; the more you put in, the more you get back!

(Note: Wealth management firms still should go through their firm’s compliance protocols in order to meet SEC/FINRA guidelines on what can be said on social media, which is different from public disclosures and was also recently loosened to allow better online interaction.  For more information on the two recent changes to social media regulations, click here: SEC: “Report of Investigation…” April 1, 2013 / SEC: “Filing Requirements for Certain Electronic Communications” March 18, 2013)

HootSuite is a social media management system for businesses and organizations to collaboratively execute campaigns across multiple social networks from one secure, web-based dashboard. Key social network integrations include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+, plus a suite of social content apps for YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, Yammer, Tumblr and more.

In late 2012 HootSuite hit 5 million users, including 79 of the Fortune 100 companies. Along with HootSuite’s web platform, 50% of users access the dashboard through their mobiles including iPhone, Android, Blackberry and iPad.

There are many benefits to HootSuite Pro

Engage: Optimize your audience engagement by creating search streams, scheduling messages and monitoring all of your social network profiles from one customizable web and mobile dashboard.

Collaborate: Invite clients and colleagues to participate in your social media management. Assign messages for follow up and share streams, helping you increase efficiency.

Analyze: Measure your efforts using over 40 social analytics modules to build and share custom reports. Or select from one of our pre-made templates for quick and easy reporting.

Secure: Share access with team members without compromising security. The team permission levels and advanced sharing options ensure you remain in control of your valuable social profiles and accounts.

Get a free trial of HootSuite Pro now

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Hockey in Pastor’s Blood; Family Formerly Owned Professional Franchise in Buffalo

IRVINE, Calif., March 29, 2013 – Darin Pastor, founder and CEO of Capstone Affluent Strategies, has formed an exploratory committee of seasoned investment bankers and other related sports entertainment advisors in an effort to acquire the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League.

Pastor has reached out to Mike Nealy , President, Chief Operating Officer, and Alternate Governor of the Coyotes, directly to express interest in purchasing the team.

“Hockey is in my DNA,” Pastor said. “My family has enjoyed a love affair with the sport for over three generations. When we saw the prospect to get involved with the NHL and purchase the Coyotes, it was like a dream come true.”

A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Pastor has been around the sport of hockey for his entire life. In 1956, his grandfather and great-uncles bought the Buffalo Bison Hockey Club when the previous owner threatened to move the team, and under their guidance, the Bisons improved dramatically, winning the Calder Cup in 1960, 1964, and 1970. Buffalo’s roster featured many future NHL stars and quickly became one of the hottest tickets in the league, with an average attendance of over 10,500 per game.  The Pastor family sold the Bisons in 1971 shortly after the franchise joined the NHL as the expansion Buffalo Sabres.

“If we have an opportunity to acquire the franchise, we will do everything we can to make sure it stays in the great city of Glendale and continues to enhance the Phoenix metropolitan area.”

If approved by the league’s Board of Governors, Pastor’s group would have controlling interest of the team and seek to keep the franchise in Glendale.

The Coyotes have been run by the NHL the past three seasons, since the team went into bankruptcy in 2009 under former owner Jerry Moyes . Despite their financial issues, the Coyotes have remained competitive on the ice, reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs each of the past three seasons and advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history in 2012.

Capstone Affluent Strategies, a wealth management firm located in Irvine, Calif., has an office in Phoenix as well as 11 other cities and maintains a principle of supporting communities that serve its clients.

About the Phoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes are one of 30 teams that play in the National Hockey League. The Coyotes are based in Glendale, Arizona and play their home games at Jobing.com Arena. The Coyotes have qualified for the playoffs for the past three years and in 2011-12, the team won the Pacific Division title and reached the Western Conference Final for the first time in franchise history. On the ice, the Coyotes are led by Captain Shane Doan, goaltender Mike Smith and standout defensemen Keith Yandle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Off the ice, the club is a model of consistency under the guidance of President & COO Mike Nealy , General Manager Don Maloney (2009-10 GM of the Year), and Head Coach Dave Tippett (2009-10 Jack Adams Award winner as the NHL’s top coach). For more information, please visit www.PhoenixCoyotes.com.

The number of online social networks has ballooned in recent years to a menagerie of different kinds, from the behemoths of Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn to niche sites like Kaboodle (for shoppers to post about their passion for shopping), Groupon (because everyone loves sales), and Soundcloud (for music-lovers to share and discuss songs while they’re playing). With so many options one would think that the diversity of social media is only going to grow, right? Not necessarily. With companies like Facebook sweeping up any network in their path, the major social networks are becoming more and more similar.

Facebook has always had a tendency to buy up its smaller competitors and pool their unique features into the Facebook family whenever another site starts to grow rapidly, as seen when the company created “Facebook Gifts” from social gifting service Karma, revamped their internal messaging system with assets bought from group messaging service Beluga, or the muted success of “Facebook Places” born out of Check-In platform Hot Potato. All of these features in Facebook are blatant attempts to mimic the defining feature of the new “big thing” of an external website that the wily internet masses have embraced (Gifting site Wrapp, photo sharing site lightbox.com).

There are dozens of these acquisitions and integrations, most notably the $1,000,000,000 (yes, that’s one billion dollars) purchase of photo-filtering and sharing site Instagram. Now the Instagram deal might initially appear odd – the concept of a simple photo-sharing service mixed with basic photography filters seems like something that Facebook’s army of engineers could create themselves and it is. That’s where the decline of diversity begins to be apparent; the goal was not to increase value for their users, but rather to increase traffic between the Facebook site and a Facebook-owned external site, Instagram, which means more advertising revenue for every picture that an “Instagram” user posts on Facebook.

This profitable, but bland mentality of “build-it or buy-it” is not unique to online social networks, it is a pillar of corporate success strategies (where it’s called cost management), but doing so eliminates the nuances that differentiated the networks when they initially embraced individuality and gained their massive followings to begin with. Now Facebook wants to take over Twitter’s uniqueness and pass it off as its own. But Twitter is too large to simply buy for the hashtag functionality, so instead they are going to build it.

With huge resources to buy or build any new service they want, there’s little reason for Facebook to slow down their money-making machine. In fact, they are ramping up their service updates to take on the biggest name in online advertising: Google. Facebook’s new Graph Search function appears poised to take a sizable chunk of Google’s online search market share, simply by offering search results from their proprietary mountain of personalized data, which is currently being reinvigorated with new profile formatting to push users to frequently update and maintain their “Likes” and “Interests.” No longer will it be “Googling yourself” to see what personal information is online, it will be a social graph search that spans every nook and cranny of the online social media world that all falls under the same brand: Facebook.

In order to be successful in today’s business landscape, we encourage our clients to create a strategic presence on Facebook to promote their services. With the social media giant’s vast bank of searchable resources, a strong profile can help increase your SEO and lead to new business opportunities.

“Our latest client additions showcase the fact that Southern California is a growing hub in the financial services marketplace and these firms require specialized PR and marketing communications counsel,” said KCD PR President, Kevin Dinino. “We are excited to begin work with two nationally known financial firms and build upon our footprint in the San Diego and Orange County markets.”

“KCD PR’s track record of success in promoting national wealth management brands made our decision easy,” said Darin Pastor, CEO and Principal of Capstone Affluent Strategies. “I’m excited to work with their team to showcase Capstone’s story and unique value proposition to the finest financial advisors across the country.”

“Retirement Benefits Group is happy to partner with a San Diego based PR and Marketing agency like KCD PR that has a comprehensive level of expertise and services to support our growth in the retirement plan consulting industry,” explained Sean Ciemiewicz, Principal with Retirement Benefits Group.

Retirement Benefits Group, with offices in San Diego and Irvine, specializes in providing customized retirement plan consulting solutions, executive benefits, and retirement management services to companies of all sizes throughout the United States. Capstone Affluent Strategies is an independent wealth management firm headquartered in Newport Beach and provides expansive solutions and guidance to prominent executives, entrepreneurs and affluent families across the nation. Both firms have offices across the country and are hoping to utilize marketing and public relations efforts to expand their client bases.

Here are some strategies we recommend to start engaging readers and seeing positive results.

Make your content exclusive: Give your subscribers preferential treatment. For example, if you have an upcoming client event, make sure they’re the first to know. And advertise that subscribers receive premiere content. People don’t like feeling that they’re missing out, so this is a great tactic to entice outsiders to get involved.

Be consistent: Send your emails at the same times on the same days so that your audience expects to hear from you. Research has shown that eNewsletters have the highest open rates on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Use a solid call to action: The point of eMarketing is to not simply engage readers for a few moments, but to ultimately drive traffic to your website and generate interest in your business. Include a strong call to action in your emails – perhaps several times. For example, include the link to your website and give them an incentive to contact you: offer a free consultation or a discount on a service if they provide you with a referral.

Less is more: Don’t write a novel in your emails. Keep them short and to the point. Use bullet points, short paragraphs, and bolded points to make the important parts stand out. The likelihood of someone reading an email longer than 200-250 words is very low.

Include a P.S.: A P.S. at the end of an email usually piques viewers’ interest—especially those who may be quickly skimming the information. Consider including a call to action, a quote, a statistic, or anything that you think will grab their attention.

One way news companies are trying to save themselves in this battle is by making digital versions of their newspapers available on their websites and through mobile apps. They are hoping to encourage viewers to click on their app before clicking the Twitter logo.

Of course whenever social media is involved, a generational gap comes into play. Those under 30 are more likely to read the news via social media while their parents and grandparents are still picking up the traditional newspaper. This creates an added challenge for news companies to appeal to different audiences.

In our office, we still appreciate receiving The Wall Street Journal and believe that being able to read a physical newspaper still has its perks. However, reading the digital version on an iPad or having the same articles accessible online makes it easier to share. The best way that news companies can keep up is to join the trend. If they are actively posting their articles and making them readily available to those using search engines to find information, they will be able to still drive traffic to their websites even if the number of people reading the physical newspaper continues to decline.

We encourage our clients to adapt to any digital changes, and these news companies should do the same by embracing today’s technology rather than feeling vulnerable. As with any brand, consumers are loyal to the companies they trust and this includes traditional news sources, no matter what shape or form.