Tag: social media

OPEN COMMUNICATIONS GETS FDM’S VOTE

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Lindsey Davies

FDM Document Solutions, one of the UK’s leading data, print, mail and electoral services specialists, has appointed Open Communications, the PR and multimedia communications agency based in Yorkshire, to work alongside the company as its preferred PR, content management and marketing communications partner.

FDM Document Solutions provides comprehensive inbound and outbound document solutions for public and private sector organisations, reducing the cost of digital services, printing, mailing and postage.

Open Comms will manage all PR, communications and social media for the business, providing traditional PR services alongside social media management and multimedia content to be used across channels.

In doing so, the agency plans to increase engagement and build greater brand awareness for the company as it continues to expand the number of public sector organisations it works with.

Sales and Marketing Director of FDM Document Solutions, Ian Forster, comments: “From the moment we met with the team at Open Comms, we had a rapport. That makes such a big difference when you plan to work so closely with an agency, particularly as comms is a fundamental part of our business strategy.

“We are thrilled to have Open Communications as an extension of our team, and we look forward to building our relationship and to delivering some amazing work together.”

Director of Open Communications, Lindsey Davies, comments: “As a leading provider of document solutions in the UK, FDM are a great business, and we are so pleased to have been chosen as preferred PR partner.

“Becoming an extension of the team, we look forward to supporting FDM with its ambitions to become the UK’s leading supplier of outbound and inbound communications to Local Authorities and the wider public sector.”

For regular updates from Open Comms, you can follow the agency on LinkedIn.

CORRBOARD UK AMPLIFIES NEW APPROACH WITH OPEN COMMS APPOINTMENT

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Lindsey Davies

Rob Burgin, Managing Director of CorrBoard UK and Lindsey Davies, Director of Open Communications

CorrBoard UK, the corrugated sheet feeding specialist based in Scunthorpe, has appointed Open Communications, the straight-talking PR agency based in Leeds, as its preferred PR, content management and marketing communications partner.

Having worked with the team previously, Rob Burgin, Managing Director at CorrBoard UK, tasked the agency to deliver a strategy that would support its new approach, set the foundations and deliver a year-round comms plan to share content, amplify engagement across channel and build brand reputation.

The agency will manage all traditional PR, media relations, social media management and internal communications for the business. It will also support with marketing activities through the year including customer facing events such as trade shows.

Director of Open Communications, Lindsey Davies comments: “This is a great win for Open Comms. Once again, a previous client has asked for our support and there really is no greater compliment. CorrBoard are a great business with an incredible story to share and big ambitions.

“We are very much looking forward to joining the team on this journey and to delivering some fantastic results along the way.”

Managing Director of CorrBoard UK, Rob Burgin comments: “Having worked with Open Comms previously, I know that they genuinely work as an extension of their clients’ teams. This was exactly what we wanted. It was important we were more than just another client on a roster.

“The comms plan we now have in place for CorrBoard UK aligns with our strategy as a business, which we know will support us as we work towards becoming the UK’s leading independent sheet feeding specialist.”

For more information about Open Comms and the services the agency provides, please visit: www.opencomms.co.uk or follow @OpenComms_.

LINKEDIN TIPS: CREATING CONTENT FOR COMPANY PAGES

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Open Communications

As the largest professional network in the world today, LinkedIn has become a beacon of opportunity for businesses across the globe. With 740 million members in more than 200 countries, harnessing the reach of LinkedIn can have a transformational impact on organisations and individuals across all sectors.

The platform, traditionally used to highlight the skills and achievements of individual employees, has seen people grow personal connections, demonstrate industry expertise and gain the attention of recruiters.

In recent years, however, LinkedIn has continued to evolve its own offering, becoming an effective resource for organisations of all sizes. The LinkedIn Company Page is now being used as a marketing and analytical tool to establish brand identity, purpose, services, personnel and culture.

Acting as an extension of a domain website, the Company Page is a legitimate channel to generate new leads – but only if it is being leveraged in the right way. This largely comes down to the type of content being shared. As no-one-size-fits-all when it comes to creating a LinkedIn marketing strategy, I have compiled some key considerations when it comes to sharing content.

CONTENT SHARING

To grow and engage with an online network effectively, it is important to understand that LinkedIn has its own SEO search algorithm. This means that the ranking of a Company Page will be extended if it is relevant, of a high quality and includes key, searchable words and terms. Aligning these factors will optimise a Company Page and make it more visible.

This approach also transitions to the type of content being shared on the feed of a Company Page. Posting meaningful content that is of value to the intended target audience, such as articles, blogs and comment pieces, will not only give the Company Page more prominence over competitors but encourage further users to follow.

To strengthen the connection between the Company Page and followers, including an insightful question or call to action can hold value. Make it about them, ask for their own views and strike up discussions.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

The wide-ranging benefits of sharing content will be fully realised if the frequency of your posts and their value to the reader is consistent.

There are numerous practices and strategies that can be deployed to support this, such as the tried and tested 3-2-1 model. This strategy requires that three pieces of industry-related content, two pieces of ‘proud’ content and one piece of self-promotion or service-related content is posted every week.

As the shared content continues to attract increased levels of engagement, the credibility of the Company Page will grow stronger, as will its effectiveness to be used as a marketing tool that could also encourage sales.

It is also worth remembering that the humble hashtag still plays a vital role as well. Using workplace appropriate keywords with the # prefix will help content be read by a wider audience that may be interested in the Company Page.

Three hashtags can also be added to the main Company Page to make it more searchable. Again, to attract and engage with the right target audience, use words that are relevant to a specific industry and relate directly to the business.

Finally, use employees as a resource. By ensuring employees are listed under the ‘People’ section of a Company Page, visitors will get to see the faces behind the business and have a better understanding of its size and culture. The more transparent a business can be, the more trusted it will become within the marketplace.

Once employees add the Company Page as a place of work, they can help boost the reach and visibility of posts through their own interactions. By actively engaging with Company Page posts, via likes, comments and shares, an employees’ own connections will become part of the audience as well.

FORMING A POSITIVE PUBLIC PERCEPTION

The long-term ambition for any Company Page is to attract a diverse following of influential businesspeople and organisations, and act as a vehicle to help drive forward wider commercial ambitions.

As followers continue to increase, so will the levels of engagement with different posts. But the success of this platform is reliant on a business’ willingness to invest the necessary time and resources that is needed to keep it up to date and relevant.

Remember, social media is accessible anywhere, at any time! The public’s perception of any business is likely to be formed through these channels, so it is vital that the Company Page reflects exactly what and who a business is.

If you would like further support in developing a company page on LinkedIn that will add value and deliver results please contact Open Comms on 01924 862477 or please visit www.opencomms.co.uk.

MEASURING THE IMPACT AND VALUE OF PR

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Open Communications

PR is driven by helping brands and businesses create a positive perception among the public. Although there is no definitive metric to measure the success of a pr campaign, the overarching aim is to not only reach the largest audience possible but convert this interest into new business opportunities.

As a PR professional, I’m well aware of the long-term results and transformative impact that PR can have on businesses large and small. But as we are living in an increasingly data-driven world, there is a growing demand to see the immediate impact of PR and how this can be evaluated as a positive return on investment.

Therefore, the ability to demonstrate the value and effectiveness of PR has never been so important.

With a plethora of data analytical tools to use at our disposal, the way PR professionals evaluate the results of their work has gone through an evolution in recent years. But due to the multi-faceted nature of public relations campaigns, this is far from a black and white process.

As one PR brief and completely differ from the next, it is important that any metric or data pertaining to the impact of a campaign is given concise context and aligned with the business’ wider goals. This is where the true value of PR can be measured against a return on investment.

Here at Open Comms, we work with a wide-ranging client base that operate in very different industries. As such, we ensure that our results are given context, backed up by evidence and correspond with our clients’ wider objectives.

From my own insight and experience, I will share two critical methods that can reflect the success of a PR campaign.

Media coverage:

Whether it’s national, regional or trade press, obtaining media coverage is arguably the most effective way to garner the most attention of a business or brand. As news can now be accessed instantly by any person holding a smart phone, computer or any similar device, securing media coverage can potentially reach audiences across the globe.

Once a business has hit the headlines, it provides them with the credibility and legitimacy to build a positive reputation. This can then be leveraged as a platform to engage with the public and ultimately help businesses promote themselves within the marketplace.

UNDERSTANDING THE VALUE OF DIGITAL MEDIA

The true impact of securing media coverage, however, can only be realised if it is consistent. Once a business is regularly featured in newspapers, online publications, or even broadcast and radio, it will be viewed as a trusted and reliable source.

Once this has been established, media coverage must be utilised as an effective marketing tool to impact on consumer behaviour and attract new business opportunities.

So, put simply: the more media coverage secured, the bigger the audience is reached.

Social media:

There is no denying that the role of social media within the marketplace is critical. The influence of platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, has completely transformed how businesses are marketed.

With social media holding so much significance to the overall success of a business, a social media strategy now forms a critical part of any PR campaign.

Each channel provides existing and new customers the opportunity to directly engage with brands and businesses anywhere at any time. That being said, it also gives businesses direct access to communicate with their customer base as well.

THE POWER OF PERSONALISING SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

Transforming these exchanges turn into positive experiences, however, is solely reliant on the content being shared. Whether it’s promoting a new product, service, announcing a company update or commenting on a topical trend, the content must capture and maintain the user’s attention.

Aside from monitoring an increase in followers and engagement, much more data can be extracted and analysed to showcase the value of social media. As part of the PR campaign, we can determine the peak time of visitors to the platforms, where they are located and what pieces of content are garnering the most attention.

Compiling this information is critical to forming a complete picture of how social media channels can be best used to support the wider ambitious of a business or brand. Once these platforms are being used in a purposeful and strategic way, tangible results will be generated and clearly show the value to the return on investment.

PRIORITISING PR DURING 2021

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Lindsey Davies

While it’s fair to suggest that this year hasn’t quite got off to the best start, there are still plenty of reasons why prioritising PR during 2021 could be the best decision you make.

Companies of all sizes have recognised the benefits that PR can bring; not least profile, recognition, an opportunity to become more relatable to your audiences and importantly, an increase to the bottom line.

With a toolkit of tactics at our disposal, we can tailor an approach for each business we work with. There is no one-size-fits-all and that means that every campaign is bespoke.

Setting objectives

Like any cost to a business, you want to be able to measure the return on investment. We appreciate that PR is no different. That’s why we work with brands to set out clear objectives. This means that every action will have an impact.

The idea being that our resource is allocated to the right activities; those that will deliver the greatest value.

For smaller organisations and those that are wanting to scale-up, it is often about raising the profile of a brand to a specific audience or to engage in new and interesting ways. Larger organisations may be even more targeted or have a product launch or campaign in mind.

Whatever the objectives, we will create a programme of activity to deliver the results that you need.

Choosing the right tactics

It’s a myth to suggest that all PR tactics work for all businesses, they don’t. The beauty about PR is that we can choose the right approach and then adapt as the programme of activity evolves over time.

As a brand builds, things will change. The focus for a company doesn’t always stay the same. We can adapt, adopt and deliver depending on what those changing circumstances are. Better still, it doesn’t take months to implement new ways of working, it’s more like a matter of days.

All we need to do is to discuss, plan and action.

Just some of the tactics we use for our clients are:

Press office (drafting and distributing press materials to publications online and in print)
Drafting content to be shared online
Thought leadership articles for media and online
Competitions in consumer publications
Features in trade media
Copy writing for brochures and marketing materials
Social media posts
Campaign planning and recommendations

The list could go on, but from the above you can see how we can tailor a programme of activity to suit the needs of any business.

Securing headlines

There has been an increasing interest in traditional PR over recent years. Brands still recognise the value in securing headlines for the right reasons. As storytellers this is where our skills are often expected to lie.

Writing good quality copy that is intended for newspapers and magazines is a big part of what we do. Securing earned coverage is where brands can take their share of voice and educate the market about the products and services that they have to offer.

Putting in place a dedicated press office will ensure that a business features regularly in the publications that matter most. It may be regional media, national, trade or consumer. It may even be a mix of them all.

We have been delivering press office to brands of all sizes for more than 12 years and it is still a great way for a business to share its story and to resonate with current and prospective customers.

Reaching audiences online

Although we don’t manage paid for advertising, we do create social schedules and deliver campaigns for our clients online. Whatever the platform (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn) we will develop content that is fit for purpose.

It’s not about sharing one post across all platforms; every social channel is different. We make sure that the posts we create will encourage most engagement and become part of a wider strategy of activity.

Using LinkedIn for talent acquisition, Facebook for community engagement, Instagram for wider outreach and Twitter for amplification, there is always a purpose behind everything we do. Again, it’s about taking a bespoke approach that meets with objectives.

Prioritising PR for 2021

For those companies that want to look forward rather than backwards, those that want to turn plans into action and to make a positive difference to their business, consider how prioritising PR for 2021 could support your ambitions.

PR is an investment but it’s also a specialism that delivers great value. Don’t be left behind while your competitors take the charge. Consumers are still spending, organisations are still growing and there is a lot to celebrate.

If you’d like to discuss ways that the team at Open Comms can help to raise the profile of your brand and manage the reputation of your business throughout 2021, contact us on info@opencomms.co.uk, call: 01924 862477 or follow @OpenComms_.

THE POWER OF PERSONALISING SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

Posted on November 12, 2020 by Open Communications

The power and potential of social media can no longer be ignored. These channels must be seen as critical assets that aren’t optional, but essential. Failing to leverage the benefits that online communities can offer could have a detrimental impact on an organisation.

As these platforms provide access to a global audience, every person holding a smart phone can instantly engage with these channels. That means, at any given time and location, a potential customer or client will be introduced to an organisation for the first time through the posts it shares across social media.

To ensure that they return, and ultimately become new business opportunities, the content that is shared must capture the public’s attention, showcase what the organisation has to offer and most importantly, why it is worth following them!

The most effective way to convey these messages is to take a personalised approach when putting together a strategy.

Branding

An organisation will benefit from sharing strong and relevant imagery and consistent branding across all social media channels. Having an agreed approach, that adds personality, reflects and represents the identity of the organisation.

Whether it’s the launch of a new service, product, news update or simply sharing a generic post, any visual identify must align with the organisation’s wider brand strategy and overall tone.

This can be achieved through the use of logos, style of font, colour scheme and layout. These elements can be specifically designed to help organisations convey who they are, what they do and how they differentiate from others in the marketplace.

Engagement

Once the visual identify has been established, organisations must turn their attention to the experience people receive when visiting each social media channel. This largely depends on the content being shared and how it can engage with followers.

Much like the imagery used, sharing content enables organisations to showcase who they are, what they do and how they can help the public. Essentially, it provides an online platform where direct interactions with a target audience can take place.

Therefore, it is vital that a strategic and purposeful approach is taken when creating social media content.

If a post is detailing the launch of a new product, the language used may need to be more concise, direct and bold to get the follower’s attention. This could take the form of a short video, animation, or a series of images with captions.

In contrast, this may differ if an organisation is engaging with followers about a topical issue. The language can be informal, conversational, and open.

One of the most underutilised but productive ways of engaging with a social media following is by using them as a resource. Review the content they are sharing, and if appropriate, like or reshare their posts.

This will create a more personal association with an organisation and its followers, which could lead to greater brand loyalty, customer retention and an increase in overall satisfaction. The final benefit being repeat purchase.

Supporting wider objectives

As an organisation’s brand becomes more recognisable and its social media content becomes more engaging, the credibility of all platforms will grow stronger.

With a diverse following that comprises relevant and influential businesspeople, members of the media, industry counterparts or new and existing clients, social media channels can be leveraged to help achieve wider business ambitions.

As followers continue to increase, so will the levels of engagement with different posts. This is especially useful when sharing blog posts, news updates and service or product launches, because each post will include a link back to the organisation’s website.

Over time, as a business redirects followers to a specific web page, it will increase the potential of that brand gaining enquiries or customers.

Additionally, organisations can also benefit from sharing owned media coverage across all social channels. This approach will help the positive news reach a larger audience and establish a stronger brand reputation amongst followers.

Whether it is Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, the success of these channels largely comes down to an organisations’ willingness to invest the necessary time and resources that is needed to keep them updated and relevant.

If you would like to know more about Open Comms and how we can help to add personality to your social media channels to deliver results, why not give us a call on 01924 862477 or please visit www.opencomms.co.uk.

HOW IGNORING PR CAN BE DAMAGING TO YOUR BUSINESS

Posted on October 1, 2020 by Open Communications

PR can have a transformational impact on businesses of any size, yet there remains an outdated and unfounded stigma around the value and results that it can deliver.

It goes without saying that communication is critical in the current marketplace. The success of any organisation largely depends on how it engages with its target audience, whether its towards the customer, client, employee or stakeholder.

This is exactly what PR professionals do!

As an agency, we form trusted partnerships with our clients to deliver strategic communications that meet with business objectives. This could be sharing key messages with the masses or more specific and targeted campaigns.

The one consistent factor is that our results speak for themselves.

In a nutshell, we increase brand awareness, help launch new services and products to market, enhance company or individual reputations to help them to become more commercially viable. When combined, the delivery of our services ultimately helps clients to achieve business goals.

Without a robust PR and marketing strategy, businesses are at risk of putting themselves at a disadvantage within the marketplace and losing all visibility with current and prospective customers.

In order to elaborate further, I’ve chosen just three outputs from PR that businesses will find hard to achieve unless they invest in professional services.

Media coverage

Sitting at the heart of PR is securing media coverage. Communications professionals form and develop lasting relationships with a vast number of contacts and journalists. Despite how specific or niche a market may be, members of press, publications and influencers can be targeted to help generate positive publicity for a particular business.

As there is an abundance of ways to digest news, both in print and digital, PR professionals will use their experience and expertise to approach the media with a story that is newsworthy and relevant. The idea being that it is then featured in regional, national or trade publications.

Once media coverage has been secured, it can then be leveraged to increase brand awareness, create a positive public perception and act as a useful platform to promote the launch of new products and services.

Without any investment in PR, businesses are likely to lose this opportunity and as a result fail to be recognised as a legitimate competitor within a specific marketplace.

Social media activity

Social media channels have now established themselves as the digital high street for many businesses. Now more than ever, a greater amount of attention needs to be given to these platforms as they are arguably the first place that target audiences will visit.

In other words, social media channels must give off a good first impression!

Whether it is Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, businesses need to use each channel to serve a purpose, whether this is showcasing new services or products, promoting brand identity or sharing critical company announcements. They need to act as a reliable and relevant communication resource.

This can be achieved by building the credibility of all platforms, which need to garner a strong following from relevant and influential businesspeople, members of the media, industry counterparts or new and existing clients.

As followers increase, so will the levels of engagement with different posts. This is especially useful when sharing media coverage as it can help significantly increase the amount of people who read about the positive news a company has to share. Thus, increasing brand awareness.

By investing in PR, businesses can ensure that each channel is managed by a team of specialists who understand what type of content should be posted and when. This will enable social media platforms to be used as useful tools to help businesses build towards achieving wider growth ambitions.

Crisis management

Although crisis scenarios are thankfully rare for most, businesses must ensure they have the capability to deal with a problem if one were to ever arise. Whether this be a corporate, public, or internal issue or incident, how this is handled can be make or break for businesses.

Reputation is everything within the marketplace, and once this is destroyed, recovery can be almost impossible!

The most effective way to combat these types of situations is having an experienced crisis management team in place. This forms a big part of the PR toolkit. Communications professionals can explore and identify potential situations that could cause irreversible harm to a brand or business. This is combatted by the implementation of proactive PR strategy.

Despite how prepared the team may be, crisis’ can also occur with no warning at all. This is exactly why it is critical to have a capable team ready to tackle and resolve these issues with minimal collateral damage.

Navigating through these sensitive situations without profession PR support could spell disaster for a business. Damage to brand reputation will have a devastating impact that can never be fixed. The question perhaps therefore is not can you afford PR, but can your business survive and thrive without it?

Investing in public relations is critical to the success of any organisation, now is the time to take action and let PR do the talking.

If you would like to know more about Open Comms and the services we offer, why not give us a call on 01924 862477 or contact us here.

SOCIAL MEDIA: SHARE WITH CARE

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Open Communications

For many of us, social media is as engrained within our lives as that all-important morning cup of tea. As such, it can be easy to overlook the importance of sharing with care. However, in today’s world, attitudes and approaches are changing at an ever-increasing pace. None of us knows what the future holds, which is why a responsible approach to what we detail online is vital.

This attitude shouldn’t just apply to brand channels, but personal ones too. Contrary to popular belief, the two personas are not entirely exclusive. What is shared via an individual’s own accounts can reflect negatively upon a business, and vice versa.

So, before diving head-first into sensitive territory, here are a few considerations which might just help you to avoid a social media crisis in the making:

Think ahead

Maybe it was a flippant reference to politics or a barely considered comment about environmental issues, the news cycle of late has shown that past opinions can quite quickly have significant repercussions.

While we must all still be able to share our feelings, carefully contemplating how and where this takes place can never be taken too seriously.

Trust us – your future self will thank you for it!

Consider context

Interpretation is always impacted by context. And naturally, over time, this will change. With social media and other online channels potentially hosting content for an indefinite period, it is important to think about how this could influence the way that a message is perceived.

After all, our thoughts and circumstances at age 20 are highly unlikely to reflect those at age 40. But the chances are that somewhere, those posts are saved and accessible to someone.

Behaving responsibly now, could save some incredibly uncomfortable consequences many years down the line.

Aim for accuracy

Fake news is common knowledge, but that doesn’t always mean it’s easy to spot.

Everyone, news outlets included, has an agenda. Remaining vigilant to this is essential if individuals and brands are to maintain a respectable presence online.

If you are sharing or commenting on an article or situation, make sure that you gain insight from more than one reputable source. This way, you are more likely to project an informed picture of a circumstance or event rather than a rash response you may live to regret.

‘If in doubt, leave it out’

A favourite saying of ours and one that has, to this day, never failed us.

Instinct is often surprisingly accurate. If it feels uncomfortable or risky, it is usually a sign that something is best avoided.

If the urge is still there, at the very least, ensure that you gain some reputable advice. The option to delete a comment, no matter how much you regret it, does not take away the fact that it was made in the first place.

What’s more, these days, technology allows for comments to by captured and stored by other users. This means that remarks can still be shared, long after they appear to have been removed.

Accept responsibility

If all else fails, know when to say sorry. If there’s one thing people hate more than someone who’s made a mistake, it’s a person who refuses to accept accountability for their actions.

But, if you’ve reached this stage, learn from past mistakes and seek reputable advice first. The very last thing that you need is a badly worded apology which doesn’t address the issue correctly. This can quite easily take the situation from bad to worse.

At Open Comms we maintain and monitor client social channels day in day out. So we like to think that we know a thing or two about presenting a positive picture for brands and businesses.

Whether it’s a company Twitter page, LinkedIn profile or Instagram feed, we can take the stress out of social media.

To speak to us about your business’ social channels, contact a member of the team on 01924 862477. Alternatively, email info@opencomms.co.uk.

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