Still need further proof that social media influences trends in traditional media? Look no further than this clip from TODAY. Our work with beauty blogger, Lilliana Vazquez, from The Cheap Chica’s Guide to Style resulted in our client, Conair, being featured in a recent celebrity beauty segment. We know how to find and influence the influencers! Around here, we call it the “Trickle-Up Theory!”
By Stephanie LaDue
As a new parent, I know I’m a marketer’s dream. Getting ready for my baby meant my wallet was wide open, ready to purchase a nursery full of new goodies. I wanted – and still want – everything that will make my child’s life better. Like other new moms, overwhelmed by decisions and new responsibilities, I look to the Internet and friends for advice on the best products for my new bundle of joy.
As a marketer, I know the importance of reaching the right people at the right time and the value of trustworthy recommendations. Word of mouth from “a person like me” is still the most trusted source of information and social media…via bloggers and social communities like Facebook…is like word of mouth on steroids. Recommendations/influence is taken from one-to-one to one-to-many (thousands or even millions).
At RL&A we have an arsenal of top bloggers at our fingertips and we work closely with them to become brand advocates for our clients. Our social media PR efforts, on behalf of the brands we represent, help to continually populate the Internet with positive brand reviews that are reinforced with strategic keywords and images which also ultimately effects search engine optimization. And when dealing with the consistent churn of new parents in the market…our continual outreach and creativity in positioning brands is critical to maintaining relevance.
Brands we work with are in the right place at the right time, providing answers and populating search with recommendations from “a person like me.” So, for example, when a new parent, like me, is wading through the barrage of baby brands…they’ll find the solutions they need in pages upon pages of positive reviews from trustworthy sources…a marketer’s and a new parent’s dream.
By Nicole Egan
It seems like just this week my Facebook newsfeed has been taken over by the latest fad meme – funny depictions of various jobs and their misconceptions, everything from scientists to librarians to coaches.
Prior to this influx, a friend – who also works in PR – posted this image on her Facebook page before I saw it featured on Mashable.com. I instantly loved it and shared it with our entire agency. Everyone here has had the challenge of trying to explain what we do to people outside of the biz – especially our parents (that’s one constant in this industry, our parent’s have no idea of what we do)!
The funny thing is there’s a little truth in all these scenarios because our industry is constantly evolving and our responsibilities can be really complex. One thing’s for sure; we’re always on our toes. Here at RL&A, each of us is responsible for a little bit of everything such as pitching editors, producers and bloggers, copywriting/content creation, planning events, directly engaging consumers and creating and maintaining client Facebook pages and Twitter handles, and the list goes on.
Although we sometimes have the days of “What I actually do,” the “What my friends think I do” days are fun when they happen…I’ll let my friends continue to think I have those days everyday!
By Brittany Oat
We have a network of more than 4,000 bloggers here at RL&A, so it always amazes me that I remember so many details about the bloggers we work with. I can easily match a name with a blog, and tell you how many kids they have without blinking an eye. Despite the fact that the majority of our contact is through email, we get to know the bloggers we work with extremely well. Some of them even feel like close friends…close friends I’ve never met in person!
So, it’s always exciting to attend a blogger event and meet these friends face-to-face! Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the SheStreams ’11 event in NYC. About 200 of bloggers— some new faces and some old faces— attended the event to take part in informative and engaging sessions intended to catapult women and brands into the future of social technology.
While they were there, bloggers had the opportunity to talk with us about the brands we work with in a way they just can’t through email. I was able to sprinkle Lady Anti Monkey Butt Powder into bloggers’ hands, so they could feel how silky it was. And, my colleague Laura was able to actually demonstrate the new dosing features on PediaCare products.
At the event, I also had the opportunity to interview several bloggers for our new “Behind The Blog” video series. We’ll have the first video up soon on the RL&A blog and Facebook page, so stay tuned!
By Nicole Egan
I’ve worked with hundreds of bloggers over the years, and it’s always great to hear that they have enjoyed working with me. It’s even nicer when the compliment is in print for the public to read! Recently, I was mentioned in a blog post by Casey from Locomotion of Expressions for being a PR rep that she has loved to work with.
It’s rewarding to know that the time and attention I spend working one-on-one with these bloggers like Casey has been appreciated, and that it’s resulted in a wonderful work relationship. It’s also satisfying to know that our agency’s “best” practices with regard to blogger outreach, such as responding to emails immediately and taking the time to respond about the review the blogger posted, are respected by the bloggers we work with. I look forward to continued relationship building with these terrific bloggers.
As a busy PR/social media agency, we often forgo our own marketing since we are too busy tending to our client’s marketing needs, but occasionally, we try to practice what we preach – namely, that social media, when done properly, can land you on page one of Google. It won’t happen overnight, but within six months of starting an organic social media campaign, you should find yourself – your brand, your company, your website — on “page one” based on using your two or three most important key word phrases in search….the way you believe your consumers might best find you other than putting in your company/brand name.
For us, “beauty PR” or “beauty PR firm” was at the top of our list, since we already come up as the number 1 and 2 for the search term “OTC PR” (what were best known for). However, unlike OTC PR, beauty PR is a tough one, as there are hundreds, if not, thousands of agencies that purport to be beauty PR specialists, many of which are way larger and more famous than little old RL&A. Yet, low and behold, after a bit of social strategy and our own content engagement online, there we are, on page one for “beauty PR” and “beauty PR firm” in just a few months (we are slot 7 and 10, respectively, for these search terms, but with continued marketing as we have been doing, we feel we can move up further).
So for this post, I just wanted to toot our own horn for a change, and not only share our success in getting onto page one of Google, but also on one pretty big accomplishment that makes us “page one Google-worthy” for beauty PR: our FANTASTIC Facebook page for Softlips Lip Balm, which is about to surpass 520,000 “fans” this month – not a small feat. Not only that, but we have some 750-plus blog posts and 90-plus video blog posts (vlogs) for Softlips, all secured by our dedicated RL&A staff. It’s a beautiful thing…so if you are looking to launch or refresh a beauty product in the traditional media or social space, we are at the ready to handle your beauty PR, social media PR and marketing (note the keywords in here??).
By Brittany Oat
This might sound a bit corny, but my motivation in life is helping people. That’s why when I was in high school I considered going into medical research.. That’s why I started a career as a TV reporter. And that’s why I ended up in PR — it makes me feel good to represent clients and products that I believe can truly help people have a better quality of life.
So, it really made my week when I saw this post from Erin — the mom behind the blog “A Review and Giveaway”– raving about a natural immune boosting supplement we represent called AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound). Erin also blogs about her son Colby, who suffered a massive stroke. As part of his recovery, the family is in and out of hospitals and doctors offices. Mom and dad certainly can’t afford to get sick!
Unfortunately, Erin became ill with the “flu” after a visit to a doctor’s office with her son. In her blog, Erin wrote that she immediately took AHCC and went to sleep. When she woke up, Erin says she was better! “This is one bottle I won’t be with out any more,” she wrote!!
This past Monday morning I received a phone call from a good blogger contact who was hosting an important blogger conference, asking for my “tip of the day” to present to her group.
As someone who is usually pitching bloggers (and media), I was thrilled that the tables were turned.
My tip was for bloggers to include their personal experience with a product in their review. Friends, relatives, neighbors – all fine, just keep it personal. Here’s a prime example of how Cindi at Little Yaya’s Reviews, Giveaways and More got her neighbor’s child to review Pedia-Lax Fiber Gummies. It was perfect!
You want to know more?? This key blogger also wanted to know what RL&A looks for in a blog when deciding to pitch them. This one is easy, so here goes:
– Does size really matter? We do pay attention to unique monthly visitors (the bigger the better), but relevance to and
engagement with our target audience is more important than size – seriously.
– What kind of company will we be in? Past product reviews and content on the blog that are compatible with the product(s) being pitched is key.
– Is the blog up to date? This is easy to tell by looking at how consistently current the posts are.
– How many subscribers does the blog have?
– Likewise for Twitter followers or Facebook fans (likes)
I truly have to say, working with bloggers is an all-time favorite part of my job! While a magazine placement still gets me excited for a client, there’s something about seeing a blogger tell her readers she knows first hand that our product works, and would absolutely recommend the product to a friend or family member.
So, thank you to my blogger-friends – you make my days brighter!