We may be stuck inside all weekend because of the rainy forecast in Dallas but that won’t dampen our Friday moods. We hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! It was a great time to relax and catch up on some articles we’d bookmarked to read. Check out the Weekly Rewind for some of the useful PR and social media tips we found.
Quick… Act Natural
Presenting in front of a client soon? Better start practicing hand gestures! Studies show that “audiences view presenters who gesture as more effective and competent than those who keep their hands still.” However, make sure to keep it under control so people aren’t cringing because you appear to be doing an awkward dance.
So where’s the line between captivating audiences or looking like a bumbling fool? PR Daily lays out six rules, including open palms and to avoid pointing at ALL costs.
Look at This [Mug Shot] Photograph
Police in Canada announced an unusual drunk driving campaign. A post on the Kensington Police Service’s Facebook page states that if people are caught drunk driving, they will have to listen to an old Nickelback album during the drive back to the station. “…Please, let’s not ruin a perfectly good unopened copy of Nickelback. You don’t drink and drive and we won’t make you listen to it.”
Police says the goal is to spark a conversation around a very serious issue by using a bit of humor. Drunk driving is no laughing matter, but if it takes poking fun at a rock band to get people to think about the consequences of drunk driving, then, sorry, Nickelback — it’s worth throwing you under the bus. What do you think of the communications campaign? Do you feel using humor is out of line?
How to Jack Up Your Likes and Shares
PR News featured a case study on what it takes to produce a highly engaging Facebook post. There’s some interesting discoveries in the article like how posting on a Sunday can elicit more responses because there’s less activity consuming people’s attention. The case study also reinforces the notion that concise writing is the best form. “The best-performing posts use fewer than 50 characters, according to Buzzsumo’s analysis of more than 1 billion Facebook posts from brand pages.”
Control The Donald 101
Since we don’t have a crystal ball to warn us about looming PR crises, pros have to get good at anticipating problems and staving them off — at least to the best of their ability. Not even the most senior employee on Donald Trump’s team could prevent all his public drama, but these tips might help a little.
For example, PR Daily says, “some agencies mismanage their clients by appeasing their outbursts… To succeed—and manage your clients successfully—you must set realistic expectations and goals.” Trump’s team could say something like, “Every time you get up in the middle of the night and tweet something outrageous, I have a difficult time controlling the fallout because millions of people have witnessed your temper tantrum. So please control the late-night tweeting.”