Savvy Blog

by SouthernPR March 28, 2018

With over 250 billion social media users, 2018 is already another busy year for online trends and updates. We’ve summarised five social media trends that your business MUST be paying attention to in 2018. Think experiential, think bots, think interaction…

Instagram Stories

With over 250 million monthly users, Instagram Stories were the fastest-growing social platform of 2017 and they’re our number one social media trend to implement in your strategy for 2018.

According to KPCB’s 2018 Internet Trends Report the average daily time spent on Instagram is 28 minutes, compared to 15 minutes in the pre-stories era.

KPCB also found that one in five stories from a brand will result in a direct message.

With these statistics it’s easy to see why Instagram Stories should be at the top of your priority list.

User-Generated Content

Thanks to social media’s (particularly Facebook’s) constantly changing algorithms, organic reach from branded material is consistently decreasing across all platforms.

Brands such as BMW, Starbucks and Adobe are using user-generated content to combat this decline. These posts not only increase reach but also drive higher engagement rate between brands and their customers.

The KPCB report said user-generated content re-posted by brands created seven times higher engagement rates than branded content.

The study also showed that social media users are seven times more likely to trust user-generated content, and 56% of them are more likely to buy a product after seeing that content.

So, if you’re not currently using user-generated content in your 2018 social media plan, it’s time to re-think your strategy.

Social Media is Mobile

We all know how reliant we are on our smartphones. For many of us, especially in the communications industry, it’s glued to our hands 24/7.

Interestingly, Facebook recently conducted a study that showed 94% of participants had their smart phone in their hand when watching TV. The results also showed that viewers focused on the TV screen just 53% of the time, and one of the top reasons they looked away was to use their phones.

With 94% of Facebook users and 82% of Twitter users primarily using the mobile app, it’s clear that ‘we’re mobile’ and that’s only the beginning!

As such, in 2018 it’s important to ensure our content, websites and links are as mobile friendly as possible.

Social messaging has overtaken social media

According to a recent study by Business Insider, more people are now using the top four social messaging apps – WhatsApp, Messenger, WeChat and Viber – than the top four social media apps of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The popularity of ‘dark social’ has been on a steady rise over the past three years and shows no sign of slowing down.

If social media has been a great opportunity for businesses, then social messaging cannot be ignored, especially when our last social media trend of 2018 is chat bots!

Chat Bots Are Here to Stay!

With the increase of social messaging, social bots are also on the rise. A study by Business Insider showed a major increase in chat bots, from 33,000 to 100,000 on Facebook’s Messenger alone.

The same study also showed that 80% of marketing managers are already using or plan to use chat bots by 2020, and with chat bots increasing workplace productivity by up to three times, it’s easy to see why bots are becoming the communicator of choice for businesses.

With voice and bots here to stay, define what ‘experience’ you should be creating for your audience.

Don’t have time to keep up with all the latest online trends? Well, its’s our job to identify social media trends and keep our clients at the top of their social media game. Get in touch.

Our newest creative – Carlie Welsh

by SouthernPR March 28, 2018

We’re thrilled to introduce our newest creative to Southern PR HQ! Carlie Welsh has come to us from across the Tasman and is delighted to call Queenstown her new home. After completing her degree in Professional Communications at one of Australia’s leading universities, Carlie was determined to combine her love of the mountains with her…

We’ve asked her all the hard questions so you don’t have to…

Who are you and what’s your role at SPR?

Carlie Welsh, Account Executive at Southern PR with a focus on digital communications and social media strategy.

What excites you about a career in PR and communications?

Every day is a new adventure. There’s always a new story, opportunity or event happening – no day is a boring day in PR! I love keeping on top of economic, political and social updates, crafting stories and keeping my clients in the news (for all the right reasons of course).

It’s such an exciting time to be in communications, when there’s new technologies and new opportunities for development every day. I’m truly lucky to work with a broad range of clients that I’m genuinely passionate about, helping them shape their stories and personality from within.

One lesson you learnt from your time working in PR in Melbourne?

We are always ‘on’ in PR! There’s no ‘downtime’ for a PR professional, so you’d better love your job if you want to succeed. PR is a 24/7 job and our clients’ needs are always our first priority. Luckily, I absolutely love the industry and it has always been my goal to find a job that becomes an integral part of my lifestyle.

Finish this sentence: on Sunday mornings you can usually find me…

Out and about (with a good coffee in hand)! I’m an active person and love nothing more than hiking, biking, eating and drinking my way through Queenstown. In the winter I’m a snowboarder (sorry mum and dad, I’ve gone to the dark side), so you’ll most likely find me up The Remarkables hanging out in Outward or Homeward with my fellow boarders. In summer I’ll be out brunching before embarking on a half-day hike or a tikki-tour tour through our stunning wine country.

What would be your personal motto?

“A ship is safe in the harbour, but that’s not what ships are made for.”

This is such a great quote that my Grandpa once told me and it’s stuck ever since. We as humans often don’t like new things and pushing our boundaries, but we don’t grow and learn if all we do is stay in the safety of our comfort zone. Never become complacent and always push your limits – you’ll be surprised how exciting life can be!

Want to know more? Get in touch with Carlie.

17 things we’ve loved in 2017

by SouthernPR December 15, 2017

Aaaaaaaaand…. that’s a wrap. Our cosy office in the heart of Frankton is all locked up and ready for some peace and quiet this silly season! With 2018 just around the corner, we thought it was timely to summarise what we loved most about 2017. It’s been a big year – a year of change,…

17 things we’ve loved in 2017:

1 > Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

For her stringent citizen test and love of pineapple lumps. Oh and girl power. The fact she loves cats. For inspiring our daughters. For showing Gareth Morgan that voters can, indeed, “be that thick”. And look what happened to him, eh? (Image: ZM Online)

2 > Rebranding Southern PR

Our clients rely on us to protect their reputations and build their brands, and 2017 was our year for the brand revamp. Practice what you preach!

So we took the leap, and what came next was truly spectacular, thanks to the creative team at Whitelaw Mitchell.

We said hello to our new bright Pantone colours (mixed with a healthy balance of black), geometric shapes, and fonts to match. We love it. Hope you do too.

3 > Launching our savvy new website

With our cool new look, the next step was a website to match. We came out of the dark ages and transitioned into the digital imperatives of a responsive and mobile-friendly website, with visitor experience top of mind.

Missed it? Here’s 6 ‘must-know’ facts about our website launch.

4 > Coffee

It simply gets our creative juices flowing. Thanks to our new KeepCups we’re saving the planet one coffee at a time.

We feel good, anyway.

5 > Kiwi golfer Michael Hendry – king of the course

Hendry was the first New Zealander in 14 years to win the Brodie Breeze trophy, and what a celebration it was!

He’s back to defend his crown for the 99th ISPS Handa New Zealand Open at Millbrook Resort and The Hills on 1 to 4 March 2018. See you there! (Image: New Zealand Open)

6 > Planet Earth

A tribute to Sir David Attenborough.

He’s taken us closer to nature than we’ve ever been before and if the Hans Zimmer sound track isn’t enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, the penguins jumping off the cliff will tug at your heart strings…

7 > Award-winning us

Back in August, we were named top public relations agency in Australasia at the Australasian Leisure Management Communications and Marketing Awards.

It was incredibly exciting to be recognised for the work we do throughout Australasia in the tourism and leisure sectors.

8 > Our family of clients making a world of difference

Our clients? They’re awesome. Do we need to say anything else? Highlights of the year, as always.

9 > Rabbit Ranch Pinot Noir Rosé and peonies!

Pass the pink stuff! This heavenly pink is our favourite rosé for 2017, and spring is our favourite season for the simple fact that extravagantly beautiful peonies become a must-have in our office.

10 > Hello Christchurch

Our savvy little company branched out into Christchurch this year. Starting with a bang, we worked on the PR launch for the new Crowne Plaza Christchurch. (Image: Designworks)

11 > Moving Mountains

Back in March we secured a 12-page spread for our client Southern Landmarx in NZ House and Garden. Yes, 12 pages. A fantastic result off the back of a double medal trifecta award win.

12 > Brain Food

With an unstoppable energy for delivering morning to night experiences, the Yonder team is rightfully winning the hearts of locals by offering something new in Queenstown.

Our favourite on the menu – the Kimchi Bowl. (Image: Whitelaw Mitchell)

13 > Networking

There’s nothing we love more than connecting with Queenstown’s vibrant business community. We’re lucky to have so many inspiring people and entrepreneurial masterminds on our doorstep.

Every event or breakfast meeting is an opportunity to ‘wow’ people with our snazzy square business cards. Who said print was dead? Make an impact.

14 > Upskilling

Don’t get left behind. Invest in your business and your people.

We’re delighted to be working with Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) to help bring more communications-based courses to Queenstown.

Our little resort town can sometimes be ‘off the radar’ due to our ‘remote’ location, so join us for a two-day course early next year to learn how to master communication and gain skills for the digital era. View course details here.

15 > Supporting culture in Queenstown

Yes we love all our clients. But we love LUMA differently because they don’t pay us. That’s because they put all the money they DO get into this awesome event that’s growing bigger by the year. We’re OK with that. (Image: Esther Small)

16 > Reputation management

Reputation is key. Knowing what to do when things go wrong (and they do) is all about having a plan. We sincerely hope you never have to use your plan. But when the s**t hits the proverbial you better have one. Talk to us.

17 > Clay Target Shooting

There’s something really, really satisfying about shooting stuff (bad day at the office, anyone?). That’s shooting clays and rabbits (clay discs of course)! We just channelled our inner sharpshooter thanks to the wonderful team at Break One Clay Target Shooting.

Amidst the stunning landscape on the private Queenstown Hill Station, Fiona revealed her ‘wild side’ and took home top score at our office Christmas party! (Image: Break One)

And there you have it, happy holidays and see you in 2018.

Storytelling – dare to be yourself

by SouthernPR December 06, 2017

We’re looking into two of our favourite W’s – the what and why – in our latest blog to inspire you to think outside the box when creating content marketing strategy for 2018. Whatever the channel, it’s all about curating timely, well thought-out and attention-grabbing stories that tick all the boxes for the editor or…

We’ve attended a number of seminars since September including the Auckland-based Social Media Conference NZ and Destination Queenstown’s (DQ) Queenstown Week Insights Programme. Huge thanks to DQ for bringing international speakers to Queenstown for an exciting week of inspirational presentations on how businesses can ‘talk’ to the Australian market.

A key message that comes up time and time again, one that resonates strongly with us and ‘what we do’ is…

Think beyond your product and tell your story.

So we’ve compiled some top tips to help you on your way.

What’s a story?

In short, it’s a description of a connected series of events. Storytelling’s an age-old craft, enabling people and businesses to transform perceptions and share experiences.

We’re ALL human, and stories help show you’re human.

New Zealand Story’s Marketing Manager Gary O’Neil shared this in a recent presentation – ‘stories are up to 22 times more memorable than facts’*.

So, let’s think how you can turn your (potentially dry) product or company fact sheet into a series of stories. Can these facts be broken down? Is there a news hook or angle about your history, a ‘day in your life’ or the one thing that makes you different to any comparative business? What’s your USP’s?

How and what

Our question to you is how are you planning on capturing attention and what is your Kiwi story?

Are you a 25-year-old tourism business which started off as a one-man-band or the oldest winery in Central Otago with stories to tell about your land, people and wine?

In today’s fragmented media landscape, journalists are being asked to produce double the content but with less resources. As a PR agency, we’re producing increasing numbers of editorial pieces for clients (in addition to traditional media releases) so we can pitch to journalists with content they can pick up and run ‘as is’.

For this to work, you need to know who you’re writing for (what stories have they previously covered?), what’s of interest to them and their readers, and have a basic understanding of what’s ‘media-worthy’.

If your strategy is to create your own editorial content, you’ll need to ensure you’re curating and delivering high quality pieces, written in a journalistic-style and voice to suit your desired publication. Maybe think about hiring a writer for your team or outsourcing to a PR or content agency.

So what’s your angle?

An angle is the specific emphasis you choose for a story that you’ll use as your pitch to media.

We’ve compiled a list of ideas to help you ‘dig deep’ so you can ‘wow and wonder’ in interesting and emotional (adds the human element) ways in 2018.

When did you start? Your journey – break this down into bite-sized pieces to unearth hidden treasures around your brand
Who are your people? Locals or internationals? Is there a Kiwi story to be told?
Be human – where did you begin? What kind of business are you? What do you believe in? What’s your mission and values?
Can your audience relate to you? If so, in what areas? Think about brand personality and how you might inspire your community
How do you think, envision the future, and where do you want to be? Think about growth and aspirations — what’s in the pipeline for your company directors or front of house teams? Is this an opportunity to profile your people?
What trending topics can you relate to (think BuzzFeed and Twitter). Does your team have the ability and resources to be reactive?
Do you have an upcoming anniversary you can leverage? Do you recognise employees for their longevity?
Think about how you work with your community. Does your company donate time/people to community or charity projects? What emotions are behind this and why do you do it?
Something new to say or offer — don’t miss these opportunities.
What memories do you provide for your customers? Could this create a story in itself?

While brainstorming these content ideas, you should apply Lauren Quaintance’s (Storyation co-founder) ‘so what’ test.

“Great stories pass the ‘so what test,” she said at a recent presentation on storytelling.

“Journalists want quirky or unique stories that generate talkability or ‘water-cooler’ conversation. Ideas that will grab attention in the social feed.

“Ask yourself, is it surprising, different or eye-catching. Or is it a case of so what?”

It’s our business to communicate client messages accurately to their audiences through relevant channels. Do you need help telling your story? Get in touch.

*Jennifer Aaker, Social Psychologist. Professor of Marketing at Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

TESTIMONIALS

what our clients say

what our clients say

Savvy Blog

Instagram Stories

User-Generated Content

Social Media is Mobile

Social messaging has overtaken social media

Chat Bots Are Here to Stay!

Who are you and what’s your role at SPR?

What excites you about a career in PR and communications?

One lesson you learnt from your time working in PR in Melbourne?

Finish this sentence: on Sunday mornings you can usually find me…

What would be your personal motto?

17 things we’ve loved in 2017:

What’s a story?

How and what

So what’s your angle?

DON’T MISS A THING

TESTIMONIALS

what our clients say

what our clients say