Pr in the digital age2

Ventura Visitor’s Center PR Plan

The Public Relations Society of America created a new definition of PR in 2011:

“Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial

relationships between organizations and their publics.” (http://prdefinition.prsa.org)

Why did they need to change the definition of PR?

Old School PR was:

• Based on personal, face to face, relationships with journalists and media.

• Analogue methods were used to propagate information.

• Methods were deliberate and slow.• Text was king.

• PR created stories for placement in mass media, assuming their audience was passively

consuming the information fed to them.

New Media PR is:

• Based on remote – e-relationships. • Digital methods are used to communicate

information.• Images are King – technology now propagates

pictures, video and ephemera.• PR people of the future need to think about

themselves as storywriters and media content producers.

• Real people think in terms of images. • Modern new media understands that people

create their own peer-to-peer trusted communication communities via their friends,

family and coworkers on social media channels.• Increasingly people think marketing can be

credible IF they are involved, not just reading someone else’s story, but feeling as if they are a

part of the plot themselves.

The Public Relations Society of America created a new definition of PR in 2011 because PR is now operating

within the digital age: user generated content and engagement is the essence of New Media and the Digital

Age.

Modern PR creates and manages new media, such as blogs, social media, media content AND engages and

creates relationships with customers and journalists via New Media outlets.

For VCB’s PR to succeed within new media and technology, it has to capture a story, a narrative, one that people are engaged with, help create,

and will SHARE with their friends.

Why?

People want to be involved in creating the stories: these are the stories they will share; and

these are the stories the news publications, journalists and media will share.

What does this look like?

“We write at least 25 headlines for each post, and test them rigorously. Sometimes, we even

make up a word to catch your eye.”

“This Amazing Kid Died. What He Left Behind Is Wondtacular.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDC97j6lfyc

“Upworthy posts don’t go viral because people click —Upworthy posts go viral because people

share. By far the most important factor in getting people to share a post is the actual

quality of the content in the eyes of the community. To share, they have to love what

they see.”

Ventura’s Facebook PageVs

Santa Barbara’s Facebook page

Post “likes”

Posts “SHARED” with family and friends

Percentage of fan base who “liked” content

Percentage of fan base who “SHARED” content with family and friends

Why is VCB’s content shared and where is VCB’s “shareable” content coming from?

USER GENERATED CONTENT

Content discovered and curated through consistent outreach and communication with

VCB’s fans – people that LOVE Ventura and want to share it.

Why does user generated content matter?

People trust other people more than they do advertisers, marketers, or people with an

agenda.

Therefore, when people are sharing their images with us, other’s believe what they see when we

post the images: they are relatable.

Why does it matter if people “SHARE” VVCB’s content?

Consumers are 71% more likely to make a purchase based on social media referrals from family and friends, or, people and businesses they choose to follow:

(Hubspot http://bit.ly/1gEctn5 )

So, what does this look like in terms of PR?

The same thing that is happening on VCB’s social media, is going to start happening with PR and outreach to journalists, bloggers, travel writers

and media:We will provide content that is easily

SHAREABLE and relatable.

Why?

PR now is about creating relationships with people online, SHARING information that is relatable, interesting, and easily shareable.

VCB’s Website Houses the PR Content

• Traditional PR pushes marketing on people. • Inbound PR pulls people in: they are reaching

out to you for more information. • Getting fresh and informative content onto

VCB’s website is essential. A website today, even when it is built and optimized the right

way (99% are not) is still dropping in the search rankings without a content or Inbound

Marketing strategy.

The new BRANDING CAMPAIGN has helped VCB and Downtown Ventura understand who their target audience is, and what people love about

Ventura.

Target Audience is:Relaxed, laidback, wants to slip into a place that

feels like home, a place where good food and good people welcome you.

~We’re not Santa Barbara…and, as we have seen from the Facebook fan responses, no one wants

us to be~

So who do we target on New Media?

Bloggers: outdoor, travel, beer, wine, music, foodie, travel and mommy/family.

Media: local media and outdoor travel, beer, wine, music, foodie, travel, mommy and family.

What is our product?

A simple, beautiful community and lifestyle: one you can slip right into for a weekend and feel at

home.

How do we distribute our Press releases and the narrative of our city and people?

Press Releases:

Rather than e-mailing a press release, VCB will send journalists to custom landing pages on our

website created just for that specific announcement, or even directing them to a

YouTube video.

*Although press releases can be e-mailed to journalists, the volume they receive is often overwhelming. This could result in a press release being overlooked or discarded. A well-designed website can create a positive

image and further the company’s agenda.Websites are an excellent tool for releasing information to the media.

Digital Press Kits

Once the branding campaign is complete, VCB will create a Digital Press Kit available for

downloading off the website.

3-4 times a week Blog

A mix of VVCB’s PR, choice images from our social media channels, videos, re-posting of travel writer’s articles on

Ventura, -AND-

we start engaging with locals to publish material they write about Ventura called “Locals Share”.

Blogging• Blog frequency impacts customer acquisition. 92% of companies who

blogged multiple times a day acquired a customer through their blog. (HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing, 2012)

• The global population of blog readers keeps growing. (eMarketer, August 2010)

• 81% of marketers rated their blog as useful or better. (HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing, 2012)

• There are 31% more bloggers today than there were three years ago. (eMarketer, August 2010)

• 46% of people read blogs more than once a day. (HubSpot Science of Blogging 2010)

• Most people read 5-10 blogs. (HubSpot Science of Blogging, 2010)• Nearly 40% of US companies use blogs for marketing purposes.

(eMarketer, August 2010)

Google Affect

This will come as a surprise, but Google does NOT rank websites, but rather ranks web pages. Every web

page can only be optimized for one main keyword term.

A blog with regular content gives you hundreds of pages and thousands of opportunities to rank more

keywords and get more traffic. A typical brochure-like website might have 15 pages (chances to be found in a search). A site that contains a blog might have 500

or more.

“Locals Share” on Blog

Topics can range from:Ventura breweriesVentura Outside

Ventura wine trailVentura nightlife

Downtown VenturaChannel Islands

Ventura OutdoorsVentura Surf

Ventura HotelsVentura Events

Family affairs-events-Local arts and events

Happy Hour

We will do outreach to locals for user generated content. Select the stories by local writers are published on VVCB’s Blog.

VVCB pushes these stories out on social media channels to inspire travel writers, local newspapers to pick up, use, or be the stimulus for their articles.

SEO/Blog on VCB’s Website

We will mine Google search results for keywords; inject these keywords into compelling

metaphorical image use and online content, whereby combining SEO and storytelling.

*Using words people actually use, we can create a bond and relationship with people. Our stories will be readable, relatable, and searched out more often

because of natural language use.

Cross Pollination

As stories are written about Ventura, we will share them on our social media channels,

website and email newsletters.

Itineraries and Travel Ideas

We will have designated pages on VVCB’s website dedicated to travel trips/ideas based on:Outdoors, Channel Islands and water excursions, Family trips, Foodie-Craft beer-Local Wine trail

trips, Festivals and Special Events.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn has become the defacto social network for B2B marketing. For a long time it was all about resumes and job

searches, but now it has become much more interactive with groups and questions being asked and answered by people

talking about business products and services. We will update VCB’s LinkedIn page regularly with Blog

content, new articles on Ventura and PR Releases. LinkedIn is becoming a location where travel writers and journalists

mine for information, content and articles. We will provide informative, shareable content on this channel.

VIP program at VCB

Management of social media for the anchor businesses important to Ventura’s tourism.

Conclusion:

Social media and New Media PR go hand in hand: they are based on friends and families sharing information and easily accessible and

sharable information provided to journalists and bloggers.