6 ways to harness your Employee as an Influencer

by Mangal Karnad | Dec 21, 2016 | Influencer Marketing

6 ways to harness an Employee – a micro Influencer

When a company looks for Influencers they should also look inwards at the employees – an important stakeholder. Most often they could be overlooked as there is no clear understanding of how to leverage the people who work for the company as influencers. This is an accessible, authentic and trustworthy resource pool of micro-influencers.

Listed below are 6 ways to leverage this untapped reservoir of potential micro influencers and brand advocates.

01

Employee Referrals to aid sales

Employees can refer or recommend the company Product or Service to their friends and family. As per a recent Nielsen report, the most credible form of ‘advertising’ comes from the people we know and trust. 83% of the respondents from 60 countries, said that they trust the recommendations of friends and family.

02

Employee referrals for recruitment

Many companies place an incentive for referring a friend (for candidature). Most start-ups and SME use this as the primary source for recruitments. Hiring a placement agency is an expense they can do without. Employee referrals are believed to be the best method for recruitments. It is also believed that both the referrer and the referred tend to work longer and are more engaged.

Showcasing happy and engaged employees on social media is another method of attracting prospective employees.

03

Own the customer relationship

Engaged employees provide better service or support to customers. The exemplary dedication and courage displayed by the TajMahal Palace (Tata) employees during the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai is a great example. Of the 600 employees who were on the premises during the attack, not a single one abandoned the hotel till the guests who were in their custody were safe. While this kind of dedication is not common, customer relationship can thrive with better-engaged employees.

04

Spread the word

I distinctly remember the time when companies had rigid policies to keep their employees off social media. Instead of trying to prevent them from using social media at work, now more and more companies are encouraging their employees to actively participate in the company’s social media marketing. You can have an enthused army of social media ambassadors of your company which could lead to recruitments or even sales. It would help if the company has a policy that is easy to understand and follow. Employees can also be provided access to content which can be shared freely.

05

Endorsement by own use

Many companies encourage the use of their products among their employees by either providing employee discounts or free samples. This could be extended to gifting branded everyday use items like Mugs, Flasks, Backpacks, T-Shirts and Hoodies. Most of the employees like getting these Knick-Knacks and their constant usage creates awareness among their social circles.

06

Valuable resources like Speakers & Trainers

Among the employees, there might be a hidden treasure trove of product, sales & marketing experts. There might be budding artists, sports enthusiasts & published authors. The company can run a survey and identify such key people and then audit them to assess the expertise or influence on various social platforms. Once these people have been identified they can be sensitised to the norms and also to the fact that they will be positioned as influencers. It helps if these select employees are provided support to create content or speak in events. Their expertise can also be utilised to train channel partners or customers on the usage of the product.

Employees are one of the biggest marketing assets that a company can have. Involving them in the marketing efforts as influencers not only benefits the company, it will also boost the morale of the employee.

Does PR Take Long to Show Results?

by Mangal Karnad | Nov 29, 2016 | Public relations

Ways to ensure PR gets the results you deserve

Are you a PR professional who has to show results on your Public Relations efforts? Are you struggling to answer ‘How long will it take for PR to show results?’

Are you tired of explaining how media works, what it takes to reach out to journalists, the cost of PR etc.?

Well, You are in the right place! This blog aims to answer precisely these questions.

I can almost hear you thinking, but, my sales head will ask me ‘How many sales can you assure me? What are the returns from the PR spend?’…

Allow me to quote Bill Gates, “If I was down to my last dollar I would spend it on PR” – Tweet that

If certain best practices are followed, your release might land on the right desk. If you’ve taken the effort to be persistent in your reach-out, the editor of a mainline might meet your spokesperson for a no-obligation interview! And Voila! Your company is covered in the most circulated newspaper or magazine!

While I can’t tell you how long it will take, or the exact number of conversions PR will get you, what I do know is following some of the steps listed below will take you a notch closer to the result you seek.

01

Build your relations with key media

This means making a list of media and the reporters and reaching out to them. Carry out repeated interactions, share content on a regular basis with them and help them understand your domain. Once they realise that you are a domain expert or that you’re showing early success, they will write about your company (and you) in their article or industry story.

02

Patience and perseverance

It may not be easy to get covered in the biggest mainline, you may not be that popular yet; sometimes just a mention might work well for you. Till then keep writing content and publish it on your blog, in a trade publication. Keep pushing your spokespeople to speak in events. This effort will pay-off by creating thought leadership!

03

Set Clear Goals

It may not be easy to get covered in the biggest mainline, you may not be that popular yet; sometimes just a mention might work well for you. Till then keep writing content and publish it on your blog, in a trade publication. Keep pushing your spokespeople to speak in events. This effort will pay-off by creating thought leadership!

04

Build relations with media people

Follow the journalists on the social platforms and get to know their style; comment and communicate with them regularly.

05

Cast your net of influence

Some of us not good writers, but we are quite sharp & witty, or good with a particular sport, or have a passion for a superbike. Take to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, a Leader is also looked up to for his social skills and lifestyle – a well-rounded personality.

06

Listen to your Customer

Meet your customers regularly, get to know if someone is willing to recommend your product or service to his local business community. Or is she willing to speak at the event where other business owners gather?

PR does work, in fact, it works wonderfully well. – Tweet that

Most times, it is more effective than advertisements (read more- Advertising v/s Public Relations) – because an Influencer (media person) with credibility is writing about your product or service either by experiencing the product or by researching well about it. There is an authenticity to PR which gets past all the noise from advertisements.

How to Develop Key Messages?

by Mangal Karnad | Oct 10, 2016 | Public relations, Influencer Marketing

A couple of days ago, we had a sales call with a successful business owner.

How am I defining success?

The company, a start-up, have recently raised sizable funding and embarked on their marketing journey –PR engagement, participation in events, presence on multiple social platforms etc. Needless to say, they have received a decent coverage in media too.

During our discussion, I wanted to know what their USP was, as the messaging was not clear. The CEO, a dynamic IIM graduate responded saying that it was pretty much the same as their competitors. When we indicated that the messages were not consistent in the coverage, the team went on to blame the media to have picked what suited them from the usually longish interviews. Our questions regarding the differentiation didn’t get any serious consideration.

When someone says that media has interpreted or written what suits them, it is the key message which is not articulated properly. When the founder is not clear about the messages or the USP and is unable to back it, how will the media, their customers or anyone else get it?

“Key messages are vital to Messaging or Communication with the internal and external stakeholders” – Tweet that

However, there are a couple of aspects to be looked into before we get down to key message creation. One needs to:

Relook at ‘the why’ or ‘the purpose’ of the business
Think of the unique value proposition or the differentiator, especially if the business has a lot of competitors
Set a clear business goal that you want to achieve with the messaging

Once you have done that, try to make the key messages:

Strategic – so that they differentiate and establish your leadership.
Crisp and clear – when you speak it, it should not sound pompous.
Simple, Memorable and Relevant – use simple language and be truthful.
Authentic and compelling – yet they should motivate all stakeholders – both internal and external.

Once you create 3 or 4 key messages,

Support them with stories which touch the target audience emotionally
Support them with information/explanation which can be substantiated. If possible back it with research, statistics and case studies.
Try to answer as many questions that might arise regarding the messages.

Key messages help describe the business, product or service, or the value system of the founders. They can also focus on the benefits – your unique value proposition for the target audience.

Key messages help create a perception in the minds of your target audience. They help the customers remember and brag about you. They enable media and influencers to write or say the right things about you.

“Developing clear, succinct and precise key messages needs careful thinking and deliberate effort” – Tweet that

It is imperative to craft your key messages before communicating with the media or your target audience.

Why is Public Relations more effective than Advertising?

by Mangal Karnad | Sep 7, 2016 | Public relations, advertising, infographics

Facts about Advertising and Public Relations

This post is for those start-ups or entrepreneurs who are spending a sizable chunk of their marketing budget on advertising but not focusing on Public Relations. It is also for the sceptics who say – Can you show me the ROI on the PR spend?

Dear reader, I would like to draw your attention to the old saying – Advertising is what you pay for, Publicity is what you pray for.

Paid, Owned & Earned Media

The main difference between Advertising and Public Relations is that, advertising falls under ‘Paid Media’, whereas PR is ‘Earned Media’.

“A 2015 Nielsen report states that Earned and Owned media fare better when it comes to consumer trust than Paid Media.”
It shows that earned media written by a credible third-party is the most effective, in impacting and influencing customers.

Owned media like the company website or own content and collaterals comes next in terms of effectiveness.

Advertisements stand the lowest in terms of credibility.

In other words, the more a brand actively engages in media outreach, it will see greater consumer impact than relying on advertisements or even content marketing.

The Key Differences

When it comes to advertisements, the company has complete creative control over the content and the frequency. In PR, the media mention depends mostly on the media professional. A company can insert a clear call to action in an advertisement, it is recommended for effectiveness; in PR it is not permitted.
When it comes to PR, the chance of the company getting mentioned in media increases tremendously with a well-written, no-nonsense article or a release note. It also depends on the quality of the interaction or credibility of the news or quote. Media is not obligated to publish the press releases that are diligently created and shared by the PR team of the company.
An advertisement has a longer shelf life as it can be repeated multiple times based on the budget, while ‘news’ has one-time value. Today’s consumer is discerning and understands that the company is selling to him. An editorial article has huge credibility.
While the role of the advertising professional is to plan and buy ad space, the role of the PR professional is to connect with and build rapport with media professionals.

Advertisements are meant to sell, PR creates awareness & credibility among the target audiences – Tweet that.

This is not to say One or the other is bad. This only indicates that credibility is an important factor of communication.

How to make a Business Marketing Plan

by Mangal Karnad | Sep 7, 2016 | Marketing

What do you prioritize in your business marketing plan? Sales or Marketing?

The dilemma faced by small and medium businesses is to prioritize between sales and marketing. Without marketing no one will even know that your business exists, nor what is it about. On the other hand without sales, marketing cannot be sustained – classic chicken and egg situation.

Sales and marketing are like the 2 sides of a coin, needing equal attention; the actual transaction of selling needs a prospect, who has been identified, connected and softened by marketing.

Putting together a Simple Marketing Plan

So here is where Strategic marketing comes into play –

clear articulation of the product or service
identification of the prospect
the right pricing

Your ability to communicate to your prospects improves with your understanding of the prospect – the language they use, the channels which they use and the frequency of the message.

Does a marketing plan include a budget?

Yes, it does. You will have to earmark a budget for the marketing activity. Most often the business owner will be the main sales person or the brightest technical brain, with limited understanding of the marketing function. In such cases, the marketing budgets can get hit, as the general tendency is to use every rupee on the sales effort. While sales is a one-to-one effort, marketing can amplify your message and reach it to a sizable number of your target audience, taking you one step closer to a sale.

Once the budget is decided, identifying the marketing tools comes into the picture.

What tools will a good marketing plan include?

Website details: In today’s digitally connected world, a website becomes the focal point of all your marketing efforts. A natural tendency of a prospect is to the first search for a website as soon as he or she hears about a company. A well designed and informative website is just a matter of hygiene.

Branding and Collaterals: a logo with a meaningful tagline, product packaging, a well-designed business card, brochures and a product demo if relevant, can take the marketing efforts a long way.

Digital Marketing: A combination of SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing

Offline Marketing: inside sales, events & forums, public relations and customer relationship marketing.

When it comes to Social media marketing, Facebook marketing has gained popularity, while Twitter and LinkedIn are not far behind. These are highly interactive platforms and careful thought and sensitivity need to be used while deploying these tools.

While Email marketing is a popular choice for many small businesses due to its cost-effectiveness, over the use of the tool can be damaging. Proper segmenting of the prospect base and tweaking the emails to meet the needs of each segment can improve the results of email marketing dramatically.

While there are various theories about content marketing, it is one of the best methods to prove your authority on the subject. It will also help your organic search ranking.

Events and forums help in establishing the subject matter expertise and help in establishing you as the thought leader in your industry. I have used active networking to my advantage in my career as a marketer.

PR trumps when approached with maturity and with the view to educate your target audiences. Media relations can be cultivated over a time and trust needs to be built. I know small business owners who have received great media coverage by carefully cultivating journalists from prime or mainline publications. The journalist treats the business owner as a subject matter expert and returns the favour by seeking him or her in interviews. This is a win-win situation for both.

A small business will do very well by bringing in a process to plan, implement, review and course correct the marketing function. Consistency and perseverance go a long way in building visibility for your business!

Once your marketing function is in place and the sales effectiveness has kicked in, fulfilling the promise made in the marketing & sales pitch is of very high importance for Word of mouth to spread!