2020 is here, and if you haven’t already, now is the time to identify some New Year’s resolutions for your company or organization. If you need a suggestion, consider the ways you reach out to the community. In my previous work with state agencies, engaging with the public was a critical part of our communications strategy. At NP Strategy, we employ similar techniques when researching and engaging with key stakeholders. Whether you operate in a public or private sphere, these three tips will help you more effectively reach the public in 2020:

1. Do more than the standard weekday, 5-7 pm meeting

Public involvement is a process, and it won’t be accomplished in a single event, postcard or meeting. When trying to connect with your community, think outside the box. Hosting one public meeting during the week to educate and receive feedback is a great start, but it is simply not enough. People have limited time after work, and it’s probably already filled with gym, afterschool sports, homework or church. Challenge your organization to do more than the status quo, and try hosting a public drop-in over lunch or on a Saturday morning. Follow them up with thank you cards to attendees and e-newsletters with additional information. Don’t stop there – make 2020 the year to get creative and enhance your public engagement efforts throughout your organization!

2. Meet people where they are

This one is critical to building a relationship with your community members and educating them on issues. If you hold a scarcely attended event, it doesn’t necessarily mean people don’t care or lack interest. Considering people’s work schedules, family lives and social obligations when planning a meeting or event will increase attendance and participation. Challenge your organization to meet community members in their place of comfort, whether its’s a farmer’s market, sporting event, or even a shopping center kiosk. Delivering information to people where they are versus making them come to you can reduce the information barrier, and in return, create a receptive and informed community.

3. Go digital

The best thing about digital communication is that it is a one-stop shop for people to ask questions and get informed about issues happening in their communities. With social media avenues getting bigger by the day, organizations should frequently look for ways to improve their strategy and adapt to new technology. Successful public engagement requires consistent and strategic information to be shared in “real-time” on websites, social media platforms, emails and videos. By sharing engaging, informative content, the public will feel more connected to your message and be more motivated to take action.

By following these three steps, your organization will create valuable relationships that will grow each and every year. Start the decade off right, and make improving public engagement a resolution your company keeps. Cheers to 2020!

This year has flown by, and as the New Year approaches, so do the deadlines for 2020 planning. If you’re getting started with building a social media game plan, consider these 5 tips that will help take your organization’s social media to the next level:

Identify Your Goals

Before you start posting away, identify your organization’s social media goals. Doing so will ensure your content fits with your brand. If you aren’t sure how to get started identifying your goals, use the SMART goal setting strategy:

Specific – You want your goal to pinpoint your objectives and create a way to measure success.

Measurable – You want to know how close you were to reaching your goal so that you can learn and improve.

Attainable – Set a goal that you can work toward, but be reasonable. If you set a goal that is out of reach, it can be frustrating and will lower morale.

Relevant – Your social media goal needs to coincide with your organization’s big-picture plans. How will building an audience or increasing web traffic help achieve those overall goals?

Timely – Set deadlines. This will help you stay on track and keep your organization accountable.

Identify Your Audience

By identifying your target demographic, you can save a lot of time and energy by only posting relevant content. Who are you trying to reach? Is it women in their 40’s with children who like sports? Is it men and women between the ages of 21-35 who are interested in politics? Know your audience in order to set parameters for how you are going to reach them.

Choose the Right Platform

Each social media platform serves a different purpose, and it’s best to choose a key few that will suit your organization’s needs.

Facebook: The world’s largest social media network is a one-stop-shop, offering everything from content sharing to event scheduling and shopping. For businesses, it’s best for promoting their organization to current and potential clients.

Instagram: Restaurants, the hospitality industry, and companies with large catalogs benefit greatly from Instagram because it’s all about engaging images. No products or services to sell? Try posting pictures of why your business is unique. Is there a conference you’re attending or something fun going on in the office? Get creative!

Twitter: In the world of 140 characters or less, it’s easy to get lost in the array of tweets. Twitter allows businesses to promote themselves in a more conversational tone that fosters trust between the organization and its audience. It’s also great for promoting news and events.

LinkedIn: This is easily the most misunderstood platform. Everyone should use it, but in different ways. Companies can look at potential employees and join groups that relate to their company to answer questions, start conversations and demonstrate expertise (but don’t excessively pitch your products or services – instead, try posts related to your business and share some insight).

Consistency

Successful social media pages need consistent schedules. Simply posting when you think about it won’t do much to increase engagement. Create a social media calendar, write your content ahead of time, and listen to your target audience.

Do It All Over Again

Once you get started, you will want to review your metrics to see what content is working and what’s not working. It’s easy to get discouraged when a post receives little to no engagement, but don’t stop posting! It may take some tweaking and time to find a strategy that lands with your audience.

Think back to an event that stuck out in your mind. The one you attended where your mouth dropped open when you walked in, you left with a smile on your face or that you tell stories about. Was it your event? One that your corporation hosted or your nonprofit set up?
If so, congratulations! Keep the trend rolling and start planning for next year now.

If not….

Examine the details of your event.
From conference conveniences, to hospitality considerations, all the way to branded materials, you don’t have to be “just another” conference or event.  Your attendees don’t need just another thing that sits on their desk, and you want to make the best possible impression. Want to stand out AND stay in budget?

Say yes to sponsorships.

A friend, colleague and fellow event queen once told me that, when you are planning a conference, everything is open to sponsorship. That’s right – everything that you budget for, no matter how big or how small – should be thought of as a potential sponsorship pitch. Best of all: if it’s done well, it will add to the event and won’t distract.

Pitch the perfect opportunity.

• Will you be hosting speakers from out of town? A Hospitality Sponsor provides a welcoming basket for their hotel room – or a smaller welcome for all attendees.
• Are you tired of boring stage backdrops and the same old pipe-and-drape set up? A Presentation Sponsor upgrades any plain spaces and shows your company is in the 21^st This package covers the cost to project sponsor logos rather than printing them on signs (that will be outdated by next year anyway)!
• Have you considered how to keep your attendees powered up? And we’re not talking coffee. Provide a Power Station Sponsor for charging phones – accomplished with a charging tower.
• Do your day-of speakers include audience engagement like Q&A? We hope so – and, consider spicing up the way attendees get access to the microphone with a throwable mic aka Catchbox.
• What are your attendees walking away with? Yes, of course the lessons learned and thematic takeaways. However, what are people physically walking out with? In addition to practical or useful, make it fun and think outside the box – something they look at and immediately think of your keynote speaker.

A great example NP Strategy was proud to support was the 2019 WREN Summit. Gamecock great A’ja Wilson was the keynote, and as part of her walk-up song, WREN blasted Sandstorm and gave the audience WREN-branded rally towels to wave. In line with the theme, relevant to the speaker, and not your typical event swag: check, check and check.

If you need inspiration, a new take or support, often the cost of collaborating with an event pro can be offset by the right event strategy.

Today’s reporters – both print and broadcast – are always on the move. Pivoting from one story to another, preparing a “package” for the 4, 5 and 6 o’clock news, or an in-depth investigation for web AND print, you’ll rarely catch one with ‘down time.’

With a journalist’s world blurring past them, it’s understandably difficult to get their attention. Looking back on my days as a reporter, I rarely had 10 minutes to spare to hear out a disorganized, unfocused story pitch. The ones I DID hear – and pitch to station management – had a few things in common…

Here are five tips to grab (and hold!) a reporter’s attention:

Start with community: One of the biggest factors in determining whether or not to cover a story is how it’s going to affect our viewers. If your story only resonates with a small group, how does this small group impact the larger community? News organizations want stories that specifically speak to their local communities, because those are the people watching, reading, or listening.

Introduce your main character(s). Audiences – people – truly connect with stories when they can see an example of someone who’s been affected. Hurricane coverage is a great example – it affects the whole community, but the news spotlights those who’ve gone above and beyond to help, or highlights a person who benefits from generous donations. Viewers relate to personal stories; reporters call these people characters and their stories are the story.

Provide interviewees. Good interviews are the heartbeat of a good news story. Provide at least 3 potential subjects, or simply let reporters know that you have put thought into the story from their perspective, and make suggestions. Ideally, you’ll have three people already queued up ready to talk. News organizations sometimes pause when provided interviews (as Jurassic Park taught us, the T-rex doesn’t want to be fed…he wants to HUNT!), but they can benefit news organizations doing more with less.

Build trust – specifically, don’t exaggerate. If you’re having an event and only 20 people are expected to show up, don’t oversell it and say there’ll be 50. You want the reporter to trust you and your story. Build a good rapport with the reporters so they know they can come to you for future stories and get honest answers; if you’re lucky enough to have a reporter sell a story to their bosses, don’t put them in a bad spot with weak subject matter.

Be prepared. As stated above, reporters are usually doing five things at once. Keep it brief and direct. Reporters have to work around your schedule and availability, but don’t make them jump through hoops to get to you. Show them that the story would be easy to accomplish but impactful.

Extra Credit: Really learn their lingo – ask how much content they need and when they need it by to make deadline. Ask a broadcaster if they’re looking for a ‘vo/sot’ (shorter story) or a package. Make it clear you respect their (extremely) limited time, and that you want to make it as easy as possible.

A standing ovation, mixed with enthusiastic cheers and a chorus of “good mornings” welcomed me as I walked into get my car oil changed.  You read that right, loud clapping from the ENTIRE STAFF as I walked into Gerald’s Tire in Mt. Pleasant, SC last month, right when the business opened at 7:30 am.  I didn’t know what to say, but my face must have spoken for me.  The technician behind the counter smiled back and said, “It’s pretty nice, isn’t it?”

Imagine if we began every client encounter in the same way (okay, maybe not cheering as it won’t work the same way in a boardroom or over a conference call). But, what if we used the same energy that clearly and certainly displays our excitement to serve? Our clients all have a multitude of options for whatever service or product we offer, and we should feel honored they entrusted us with their needs.

At the core of it all, what makes grown men and women cheer for incoming customers?  Unconventional leaders who demonstrate unconventional excellence.

Show Gratitude Without Fear of Embarrassment. I can only imagine the first time someone at Gerald’s said, “Hey, let’s welcome everyone when we open with a cheer squad from the garage team.” But that ‘someone’ led the way, and it’s clear from the employees’ faces that they like the response they see from customers.

Celebrate Every Success You can’t encourage someone enough. Especially these days when the naysayers fill your social media feed with “glass half empty” or downright rude comments. The smallest of victories celebrated encourages an employee to go the extra effort again.  Of course, this should go both ways.  Your attitude will likely inspire more customers to be gracious, filling interactions with “Thank you”, “Good job”, and “I appreciate you.”

Build Up, Not Tear Down. Mistakes happen. How you handle them either builds someone up or tears them down.  If you want employees willing to love on customers unconventionally, you have to love them unconditionally; that means correcting a mistake in a way where they are shown how to have future success.

Give Back. Give back to your customers or your community, or both.  When you leave Gerald’s from getting your car worked on, there is a fresh cut red rose and note of thanks on the front seat.  A note written to “Our Special Customer.” I’d love to have a hidden camera catch first-time customer reactions to this “thank you” from the crew.

The beauty of Gerald’s Tire teaches me all individuals and organizations can demonstrate unconventional excellence no matter the industry or setting.  It can begin with a personal choice, executed by one person and repeated by many, and then can inspire your entire organizational culture.  My challenge for you today:  Will you lead the way?

(As for me, I’m going to go drive around the block a couple times so I’m closer to my next oil change.)

Heather Hoopes-Matthews is an award-winning journalist with extensive experience in South Carolina. A graduate of the prestigious University of Missouri-Columbia journalism school, Heather has delivered live news from the center of hurricanes, worked with “The Capital Gang” at CNN, and conducted investigative reporting that changed a South Carolina law to protect children.

Ask a barber, and he’ll tell you yes, you need a haircut. Ask a videographer if you need to hire an experienced professional to help produce something compelling, and they’ll usually answer in the affirmative. That’s our business, right? But these days, the question can be a little harder to answer.

You might choose your nephew – armed with an iPhone, Chromebook and a love for John Wick films (I haven’t seen the new one, so no spoilers!). This amateur videographer might produce a clip that accomplishes everything you desire. Alternatively, you could take tens of thousands of dollars to a production house that creates something that would be at home on the big screen.

It’d be easier if those were the only two options, but today, there are a range of videographers and production companies in between. At NP Strategy, we produce nearly all of our client’s content in house, but there are times when the answers to the following questions mean connecting our clients with a trusted vendor. How do you know what avenue is right for you and your organization?

Consider your options by answering these questions:

1. Who’s your audience, and how will they view your video?
High school students watching on iPhones? Potential donors watching during your presentation on stage at a charity luncheon? The right videographer knows how to speak to the audience you’re targeting. Answering the audience question is the first step as you layout production.

2. What’s the story you’re trying to tell?
This question is fundamental to any production, and while it might sound simple, the answer can be complex. If your goal is meant to trigger an emotional response or compel the viewer to respond to an ‘ask,’ look for a company that’s demonstrated a strong ability to tell a story with subtlety and humanity; one that might not be as A-Z as a viewer would expect.

3. What elements do you have to work with?
What are your ‘ingredients’? Are there interview subjects already waiting in the wings, or is there legwork involved in helping compel people to talk? An established, experienced vendor will have more experience helping you get people to the table comfortably and collaboratively.

4. What’s your deadline?
If it’s tight and must be met (what other kinds are there, right?) you don’t want to put your fate into the hands of someone without a demonstrated ability to meet deadlines. This is another one that sounds basic, but I’ve witness firsthand clients who have come to NP Strategy because they’ve been burned by missed deadlines.

5. What’s your budget?
In an ideal world, the answers to the questions above would dictate how much money you spend to produce your video, but we all know the answer to THIS question is usually the deal maker/breaker. More expensive does not always mean more effective, though. Pay attention to the answers from 1-4, before using the budget answer as the end all be all.

You have more options than ever when it comes to producing video, but the basics of storytelling and client services haven’t changed. Take the time to answer these questions, and your path will become clear.

Or, feel free to just give us a call. We’re professionals you know…

Taylor Kearns is a filmmaker at heart and a professional communicator by trade. Ever since he got his hands on the family camcorder as a child, he’s been using video and sound to tell stories. In college, he turned that love of moving pictures into a career in broadcast journalism. He went on to earn two regional Emmy awards for his work. With seven years’ experience as a photojournalist and reporter, Taylor sought out the feature stories he knew would resonate with viewers.

Business is about relationships, both good and bad. Successful organizations must be constantly aware of who will help move the organization forward, and those who will hold the organization back. Creating a stakeholder map that outlines who will be an ally or foe can be one of the most effective tools for making short-term decisions and meeting long-term goals.

NP Strategy has outlined a suggested approach to stakeholder mapping and management, so you may already know how to build your list.

But do you know why a comprehensive stakeholder engagement plan benefits your business?

1. Education

Communicating directly with a stakeholder allows you to learn not only their perspective, but can provide new insights on a product or issue to help you gain a competitive advantage. Be sure to include diverse perspectives in your outreach to ensure you are hearing from all angles. You never know what you may learn! 

2. Effective Decision Making

The education gleaned from the fresh perspectives described above may change your mind on an issue and allow you to make a more informed decision. Or better yet, hearing from your stakeholders may reinforce a decision you’ve already made. It never hurts to consider a problem from a different approach, and an informed decision should always be the goal.

3. Trust

When you reach out to stakeholders, you are letting them know you value their perspective. This collaborative approach helps build trust and goodwill toward you and your organization. This can be especially useful if you’re working in the wake of a crisis; rebuilding trust can be a long, arduous process, but it starts with making sure all of your stakeholders feel like they have a seat at the table. 

4. Cost Savings

Engaging with stakeholders can ultimately save time and money. Data shows that companies who engage stakeholders improve their chances of finishing a project on time and on budget. That savings can come from the elimination of roadblocks, and the mitigation of surprises that can slow your organization’s process.

5. Risk Management

Groups and individuals may help you identify potential risks before they become threats to your project or organization. Preventing these threats also eliminates the harm (budgetary and otherwise!) they can bring.

6. Accountability

In the end, engaging with groups and individuals is key to improving accountability within your own organization as well as with external audiences. Transparency is important – be clear about the outcomes you are hoping to achieve and the steps you are taking along on the way. Don’t forget to follow up with your stakeholders to let them know how you are doing!

Effective stakeholder management can make or break a project – and it all begins with your plan.

Jean Cecil Frick has built a career out of trusted relationships. She is a veteran of the private, public and non-profit sectors driven by helping individuals and organizations achieve their goals. Today, she serves as a senior strategic advisor at NP Strategy where she helps clients connect with the right people and get their message across to key audiences.

We receive bad news almost every day. It comes to us indirectly through the news and social media, or directly in emails, letters, phone calls, and face-to-face conversations.  Bad news can be global or individual, life-changing or trivial. We receive the bad news of a security breach at a bank, for example, very differently depending on how closely we are affected. A cybersecurity breach that impacts individuals in another state won’t receive the same reaction as a breach that led to the loss of our hard-earned dollars.  It doesn’t only matter what we find out, though; it also matters how we find out. In the case of fraud, for instance, customers will react more negatively if they receive the news from a breaking news story instead of directly from the bank.

As a business, it is practically guaranteed you’ll need to share difficult information at some point – perhaps a quarter with low profits, a reduction in services, an increase in pricing, a change in policy or even a leadership termination.

When bad news develops within your organization, it’s usually best that you, the leader, share the news. It’s always better to be the bearer of bad news yourself. If you don’t develop the surrounding narrative, someone else will – and you’ll lose control of what’s said about your business. Develop a narrative and create a plan for sharing it: emails, letters, or phone calls can all be acceptable methods of delivery, depending on the scale of your organization and the severity of the news.

Below are four more components to consider as you craft your message:

1. Start with the right structure

Briefly set the stage of why you are reaching out by providing essential background information. Then, in the first paragraph, if not within the first three sentences, share what happened. Immediately after, offer reassurance. This could be providing a solution if you are able, or may simply state that the situation is your top priority, you are devoting all the resources needed to the resolution and that you will remain in contact on a regular basis.

2. Set the tone

You’ve worked incredibly hard to develop a successful organization and good reputation – so the crisis you’re in or the bad news you have to share may truly feel like the end of the world. You want to show your emotional connection and establish common ground… but be careful – going too far will backfire.

3. Be accessible

Set up a dedicated email or phone number, because it’s inevitable that your audience will have questions. Even if you aren’t allowed to share such information due to regulatory restrictions, it’s essential to provide a venue for questions to lessen the number that appears on your social media channels, Google reviews or in the comments of a news article.

4. Find the right length

There isn’t a specific word count or page length that applies across the board – but most printed, mailed letters should fit on one page. Strike the right balance of concise yet informative, and factor in the severity of your subject matter. State all the relevant information, offer reassurance at least once and include contact information.

Last but not least, know when to call in support – a crisis communications team can review messaging, craft your response strategy or help you rebuild after the crisis. An outside, objective partner with an understanding of the audience and necessary next steps can lessen the long-term impact.

On Monday, July 22, the NP Strategy team held its inaugural Volunteer Day at Harvest Hope Food Bank in Columbia. The 14-person team, covering both Carolinas, filled over 300 mobile food pantry boxes in under two hours. The shelf-stable boxes will be distributed to individuals and families in need throughout Harvest Hopes’ service areas in South Carolina.

The perfect job can be described as the combination of your passion with your potential. Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with interesting and inspiring people and experience once-in-a-lifetime opportunities along the way. Above it all, though, I am most proud of the work that aligned with my values and groups I passionately support.

Since 2011, I’ve partnered with an incredible group of women at Winthrop University through the John C. West Forum on Politics and Policy and NEW Leadership.  It has put me in the position to speak to and mentor college-aged women interested in public service. Since 2015, I have planned the ‘Columbia day’ for the 25-30 women looking to embark on their journey into public service and politics.

In June of 2015, only two weeks back from maternity leave, I awoke in the early hours of the morning not to infant cries, but to phone calls and texts bringing horrific news from Charleston. I worked for Congressman Jim Clyburn at the time, and immediately began the drive down to Charleston where we spent the next few days reeling from the Mother Emanuel massacre. 18 months later, I assisted with the development of a non-profit to encourage dialogue and civility rather than divisiveness and negativity. Without question, I jumped at the chance to honor the victims and survivors while providing a platform to make our community a better place through solution-based conversations. That year, the Charleston Forum was born.

These two examples, while different, both provided an amazing outlet to match my professional skillset with my personal passions. Finding your passion in work isn’t just about tolerating the day-to-day grind, it’s about maximizing your impact in the lives of your clients and customers, their passions, and your shared community. I’ve been fortunate to work with a group of communicators at NPS who’ve arrived at their jobs because of a similar desire to make connections and help others succeed.

The hard part, of course, is finding that magic combination of passion and profession. It’s a mixture some will be fortunate enough to nail early on, while others will march through a series of jobs, narrowing their search by learning what they are not passionate about. Consider increasing your community relations time commitment, or – if you’re in a leadership position – an internal engagement campaign to find out where your team’s true passions lie. Serve on boards, join leadership groups or talk to people from different generations.

I have always said you can’t complain about politics if you don’t vote, and I believe the same theory applies here. Don’t just get upset that women aren’t being treated the same as men in the workplace – work with women to help them understand their true potential. Don’t just hope inequities will go away – do something to help find solutions to some of our communities biggest problems. It can be a difficult process, but the adage about loving your job and ‘never working a day in your life’ is true – and worth the investment.

Amanda Loveday,  Associate Director of NP Strategy, has a passion for meeting new people and building relationships. It is what has made her a powerhouse in politics and communications. A decade of experience taught her the importance of getting to know the community and how to interact with people, especially those with different personalities and backgrounds. Get in touch with Amanda at (803) 540-2190 or amanda@npstrat.com.