Tips for a Successful Twitter Chat

Coordinating a Twitter chat is a great tactic to generate online conversations about your client and its campaign. Based on your goals, chats are good for driving clicks to landing

pages, increasing social followings, promoting new products or services, highlighting spokespersons and more.

LCWA’s social media team regularly coordinates successful Twitter chats for clients in numerous industries, accomplishing a variety of goals. Here are some tips we recommend to make any chat a campaign highlight: 

• Partner with an influencer, blogger or media member, who has a social following and reaches your target audience, to serve as the host. This is a good way to increase participation, excitement and credibility.
• Delegate roles and responsibilities, such as having the host tweet questions, the client’s handle share information and a client expert/spokesperson respond organically to participants’ questions from his or her personal handle.
• Designate a simple, catchy hashtag to tie the conversation together and get across the campaign message. Use the correct tone, too, such as branded for a product launch versus general for an awareness campaign.
• Promote the chat on social media (on client, host and expert accounts) with engaging content and clear direction on how to join.
• Offer a chance to win prizes to get a nice boost in participation.
• Draft a script of numbered questions and responses, but remain flexible in order to answer incoming questions and remarks. 
• Keep the tweets short to increase retweets and responses. 
• Run the chat for one hour or less, and choose a time when your target audience is active on social media.
• Use a hashtag tracking site to make following the chat easier and for gathering post-chat metrics. 
• Set up a conference call with anyone on the client-side who needs to provide approval on responses or wants to follow the chat, and/or to help flag tweets for spokespersons to respond to. 
• Answer participants’ questions quickly and look for ways to engage with the rest of the chat – including asking follow-up questions or sharing an acknowledgement.
• Give a clear closing message and site referral, and don't forget to thank everyone for participating to end the chat.

LCWA Named Top Five in Home/Housewares Category, Top 10 in Chicago

We eagerly await the annual in O’Dwyer’s PR agency ranking each year as a barometer of our firm’s standing in the industry. This year, we were pleased to be recognized as a key presence in our city and a leader in the categories we love.

• Home is where LCWA’s heart is. Once again, LCWA has been named one of the top five independent agencies focusing on home and housewares. This is a testament to the great work provided by our home PR team to our longtime clients. The home category has been a specialty of LCWA for over 30 years, and our team has a true passion for telling stories about how our clients make consumers’ home lives better. While the method for telling these stories continues to evolve, our connection to these messages remains the same.
• Sweet home, Chicago. LCWA also is the number eight PR firm in Chicago, according to the listings. With our downtown presence, local insights and strong media contacts, we love helping Chicagoland clients build awareness, engagement and sales. Our position as a top Chicago agency also places us in the top 12 for Midwest firms.
• Foodies, unite. We are happy to be a top food and beverage firm, landing in the top 30 of agencies across the country. Our clients keep us awash in delicious recipes and cocktails, and you won’t hear us complain!
• Healthcare on the rise. As one of the top 50 firms in the healthcare category nationally, we are proud to be making an impact and increasing our presence in this important category. Our healthcare PR team loves driving awareness of disease prevention and treatment among the audiences that need it most.

Congratulations to all of our peers also earning a spot on the O’Dwyers list – especially our PRGN network partners at Landis Communications in San Francisco, Buchanan PR in Philadelphia, the Hoyt Organization in L.A., and Bianchi Public Relations in Detroit. We are proud to be in such great company!

Holding a Successful Facebook Sweepstakes

LCWA’s Social Media and PR Team regularly recommends including Facebook

Sweepstakes in our clients marketing strategies because they can help facilitate a number of goals and are an effective way to capture attention, engage your followers, gain new followers and improve your organic reach. Running a sweepstakes contest sounds easy on the surface, but a successful contest requires more strategy than just enticing people with a prize. Follow these six steps to get started hosting your Facebook Sweepstakes:

1. Set Goals

Start your planning by setting goals. Theses can range from collecting email addresses for your e-blasts, getting more followers or boosting engagement to promoting a product or simply raising brand awareness. Once you have your goals set you can structure your sweepstakes to produce the desired results.  

2. Choose a Host Platform

The simplest way to host a sweepstakes is through a third-party app, like Woobox or Wishpond. Through these apps, you’re able to connect your sweepstakes to your Facebook page, upload your own graphics and download useful entry information and statistics post-sweepstakes.

3. Draft Rules and Regulations

Sweepstakes must comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including age and residency restrictions. Your contest terms and conditions must also make it make it clear that Facebook is not associated with or responsible for any issues related to the contest. Be specific when stating the time frame of the contest and don’t forget to include a link to the sweepstakes terms and conditions on your entry page.

4. Determine the Sweepstakes Entry Method and Prize

Your goals will help you to determine your entry process, we recommend keeping it simple. Try a two-step entry process like sharing an email address and answering a simple question related to the theme of the sweepstakes. When selecting a prize, offer one that’s appealing to your audience and incentivize people to follow through with an entry.

5. Promote and Monitor Your Sweepstakes

The average Facebook user sees hundreds of posts a day, make sure your sweepstakes stands out by using high-quality, attention grabbing graphics and clear call-outs like “Enter Now.” While your contest is running, post about it regularly on Facebook and your other active channels. And if you have budget for Facebook ads or promoting the posts, make the spend worth it by getting the contest in front of your target audience.

6. Select and Announce Winners

Selecting a random winner of the sweepstakes is the most impartial and you can use an online random number/name generator. Announce your winners in a fun way, try a Facebook Live broadcast or short video post, and be sure to contact winners directly within the specific time frame in the sweepstakes rules.

How to Create the Perfect Spokesblogger Campaign

As this industry (and the world) continues to progress in the digital age, influencers are being tapped more than ever by brands to help share their key messages, build awareness and generate sales. While the industry is ever-evolving, there are definitely dos and don’ts that will stand the test of time.

I’ve worked with influencers on a variety of campaigns for multiple clients; from solely social campaigns, one-off blog posts and even vlog campaigns on YouTube. Over the years, I’ve picked up a few best practices when creating a multi-faceted influencer program – or spokesblogger program. Check out my top tips for putting together successful spokesblogger programs for your clients. 

• Communication – Open communication will lay the groundwork for the influencer-agency relationship. Be transparent with the influencer you’re working with about what is expected of them upfront. Have a call at the beginning of the partnership to go over things like style, content, etc. so that there are no surprises later on. Additionally, establish the best form of communication throughout the partnership and touch base regularly throughout the process. This way, you can forward real-time updates to your client.
• Establish a plan – In the same vein, it’s vital to establish a plan and timeline in the early stages of a partnership. Create an ideal plan with specific deadlines and materials, share it with the influencer and follow the plan throughout the partnership. Additionally, establish the logistics of turning in materials to alleviate any last minute confusion. Stay organized by tracking every element the influencer delivers in excel (or your preferred platform), this way you can go back and reference anything the client may have a question on.
• Know your client– It’s important to know what the client expects to get out of this relationship. Is it sales for a product, awareness for a brand, clicks to a website, followers on a social channel, or something else? Talk about this with your client and then relay this information to the influencer. Give the influencer as much inside information as possible, because when they understand the purpose and expectations, they will be able to create the perfect program.
• Get creative – This can sometimes depend on the client you’re repping, but don’t be afraid to be creative in the development of the program! Create a fun and enticing theme that will make an influencer interested in the brand. This will help your program stand out from others. Additionally, allow the influencer their own creative freedoms. It’s OK to stick to a pre-devised plan, but influencers tend to appreciate at least some creative freedom in the process.

At the end of the day, creating an immersive spokesblogger program comes down to respect and mutual understanding between the influencer, agency and client. When all parties are on the same page, the program will come together seamlessly!

Sleep Takes Center Stage as Spring Arrives

It may not feel like it, but spring is here – a great time to focus on improving sleep! To drive awareness of healthy sleep and position client the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) as the go-to source for information, the LCWA health care and social media teams helped the AASM showcase its expertise around daylight saving time – where the lost hour of sleep can lead to serious issues – and improve sleep health around the globe on World Sleep Day.

During the daylight saving time campaign insight from AASM experts helped consumers prepare for the lost hour of sleep in the days leading up to “springing forward.” Media outreach drove AASM quotes and tips in outlets such as CBSNews.com, Bustle and the Toronto Sun. During an influencer component, top family bloggers shared online content about the AASM’s sleep duration recommendations and its nifty Bedtime Calculator. On top of that, engaging content and an infographic shared on AASM social media channels helped followers recover from the time change.

To continue the momentum beyond daylight saving time, LCWA leveraged the AASM’s pedigree in the sleep community to collaborate with the World Sleep Society in celebration of its World Sleep Day. On World Sleep Day, the AASM hosted a #HealthySleepChat on Twitter with a popular blogger and AASM Immediate Past-President Dr. Ilene Rosen. The interactive chat, which was listed as an official World Sleep Day activity, saw high levels of engagement, helping the AASM establish itself and its messages in the crowded World Sleep Day conversation.

To learn more about sleep health from the AASM, visit http://sleepeducation.org/.

Leading Effective Conference Calls – Grab your pen and paper!

We work with clients and partners across time zones and continental divides, but even if you spend the majority of your work day talking with people within feet of you, some good conference call tips may someday be helpful.

Our client and partner projects often necessitate formal conference calls with far-flung individuals who work together to achieve a shared goal or simply need to be informed of status updates or action items. As an agency lead, managing such calls involves a certain style, not to mention internal preparation and follow-through.

Whether I am responsible for leading the telephone meeting or not, I strive for certain norms of preparation, participation and follow-up to ensure everything runs smoothly. Here are some of my recommendations for maximizing everyone’s time investment and ensuring we put our best feet forward when we’re in the driver’s seat:

• Prepare Fully – I like to devise a call agenda for myself 24 hours in advance. This gives me time to think about what else may be missing and to check on others’ progress, as many projects have moving parts, and not everyone involved may be on the call. It is also imperative to prepare a more top-line formal call agenda, which should be proofread and shared at least an hour before each call if you are the lead.
• Know Your Audience – Take note of any call invitations that have been transmitted to others or simply forwarded outside of your organization. It’s important to know with whom you’re speaking so any conversational banter before everyone joins is still personal and tailored.
• Share the Voice – Everyone on the call should have a voice and deserves the full attention of other participants. To ensure participating team members have an opportunity to talk, designate topics or updates for them to own well before dialing in.
• Respect Others – Be punctual, be polite and be organized. This shows everyone involved that you respect their time as much as your own. Send a thank you email, when appropriate, to all participants too.
• Outline Next Steps – If action items are not abundantly clear from the call, consider compiling a short list of action items along with those individuals responsible for their follow-through. For more formal discussions, call minutes may be warranted. If so, designate a formal note-taker ahead of time, and make a point to draft the minutes immediately following the call.
• Set What’s Next – If the conference call is a not on a regular, fixed schedule, set in advance when the next call will be and send appropriate invitations early so that people can plan their schedules.

Since many meetings are virtual, it’s helpful to have these best practices in mind, whether you’re speaking with a large group of professionals you’ve not previously met or are hosting a weekly roundtable via phone. I hope you’ll find them helpful too.

LCWA Explains Pulmonary Fibrosis through Dynamic Video

Multi-media storytelling is a compelling method for delivering brand messages, especially for lesser-known, complex topics like pulmonary fibrosis (PF). LCWA recently launched a short, engaging video for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation as part of an awareness-driving campaign to educate more patients and caregivers about the symptoms, risks and prevalence of PF, a progressive lung disease.

LCWA designed the video to deliver core key messages in a vibrant, visual method, using dynamic text and animation. Even more, this video was budget-friendly to make—no video shoot necessary.

Video tips to keep in mind:

• Short form keeps attention. Overall length of 30-seconds or less and concise copy ensures messages are memorable.
• Visual cues support or even repeat the messages and make them relatable. 
• Music selection sets the tone and keeps the pace of the video flowing, BUT make sure the visuals can stand-alone without music for those who have devices muted

Ensuring the content is viewed is another important piece of the campaign strategy, which includes a distribution plan on social channels, as well as paid digital platforms. Creative content paired with a thoughtful distribution can help tell your story and better reach your audiences.