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White papers continue to be a strong marketing asset as they demonstrate thought leadership and serve as informative guides for customers and prospects. However, once the white paper is written, it must be properly promoted to reap the full benefit. Here are some tips:

1. Write a series of blog posts

While white paper content can be complex, a company blog is the perfect place to break down the topic via a series of posts. Include links throughout to drive readers to the full white paper to extend the mileage of your efforts.

2. Develop a contributed column

A byline article or two, drawing on specific themes from the white paper, can help expand the white paper’s reach and further covey a company’s expertise. To keep the article concise, focus on one viewpoint.

3. Create a media pitch

If the white paper includes a timely news angle, contact reporters with a brief media pitch offering the white paper as a resource along with a company spokesperson as an expert on the topic.

4. Collaborate with sales

Work closely with the sales team to make sure your white paper efforts are aligned with their needs. This might include steering content toward a particular topic or industry. Once the paper is written, ensure the sales team shares it with their list of prospects and existing customers.

*This post originally appeared in Y&A’s Spark Newsletter

After returning from maternity leave, I was immediately presented with a clear case of poor email etiquette. Astonished at the lack of professionalism, I began thinking about communication ethics in our now 24/7 crazy work and personal lives, particularly with social media playing a dominant role. While it can be easy to fall into shorthand communication reminiscent of texting to quickly convey a point or ask a question over email, spending a few extra moments to take care in email communications can mean the difference in having a positive impact or ruffling feathers regardless of the intended recipient (client, vendor or colleague). Here are a few do’s and don’ts for proper communication:

Do Add Please and Thank You: Most professionals today set-up email signatures that include a closing line “Best, Mary” or “Thanks! Bill”. While that’s nice, consider including a please and thank you in the body of the email. People notice!

Do Re-read Emails: Nothing is worse than receiving an email that is curt, terse or riffled with errors as it shows you didn’t care enough to take the extra minute to be professional.

Don’t Over Do It: While common courtesy and manners can take you a long way, it’s not necessary to harken back to the 1800s with overloaded formalities. Keep it polite but not too formal.

Don’t Send If You Would Be Offended: If it sounds rude or short to you or you are concerned it may not be well received, don’t send it. In the end it will save you countless hours of time and headache and will help avoid cleaning up a mess based on a reactionary/knee jerk, rushed and rude email.

What’s trending? In Pittsburgh, today’s trends are sunshine, food trucks (we’re behind) and the Pirates’ run at hanging above .500 this season. Staying ahead of trends and being able to forecast topics that will pique journalists’ interest is crucial for PR pros. A media pitch/article idea is only effective if it is timely and worthy of a reporter’s time to pen the story.

So, how can we effectively identify and hook into trends?

• Twitter: The ultimate source for what’s trending is Twitter. Follow trending hashtags and reporters’ feeds to tailor pitches or piggyback on a topic that is generating buzz.
• Regular, but respectful, contact with reporters: Some reporters are responsive to short touch-base emails. Dropping a quick line to a reporter you’ve had previous contact with can be very effective for pinpointing what they are working on and how you and your clients can be supportive.
• Editorial calendars: Regularly reviewing key publications’ editorial calendars is helpful for determining the trends that outlets are focused on for the next 6-12 months and the types of resources they are looking for long-term. Also, they give a broad sense of publications’ overall focus and format. Revisit these calendars often to navigate evolving story ideas.
• Read, read, read: The most important, and the most obvious, tip is to read your key industry and business publications daily. This is truly the best way to identify trends that will help you maximize PR efforts.

Today, engaging with customers on social media is a given for most businesses. However many are finding that if a sound strategy is not in place for responding to customer complaints/inquiries or if the various channels are used carelessly, this strategy can backfire.

Recently, a number of companies have been faulted for mishandling social media.

From creating insensitive posts in an attempt to create buzz, e.g., DiGiorno Pizza’s inappropriate use of the #WhyIStayed hashtag, to deleting customer complaints like Smucker’s, it seems like there are more fails than successes. Why? Perhaps companies aren’t weaving social into their overarching PR/marketing strategy or they might be entrusting social to the wrong team or individual.

Whatever the situation, it is important for companies to reexamine their social approach and take it seriously to avoid any costly blunders. If not, these mistakes could be extremely costly, diminishing consumer trust in products and services and negatively impacting business and/or brand reputation.

*This post originally appeared in Y&A’s Spark Newsletter