In PRGN (Public Relations Global Network) we have created an eBook with 30 blog posts, where we offer our best tips in PR and communications from our members worldwide.
This is part of our 30th-anniversary celebration, that we want to share with you. Scandinavian Communications’ CEO Christina Rytter contributes to How you can Build a PR Crisis Team.
Download it here for free:
This week we had the pleasure of meeting business friends from Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) at our 2022 spring conference in Scottsdale, Arizona – hosted by our partner agency HMA Public Relations.
This conference at the same time marked PRGN’s 30-year anniversary. Scandinavian Communications covers the Nordic markets in the network and our founder Christina Rytter is Past-president and has been part of the network for over a decade.
Founded in 1992 by a group of visionary public relations leaders, with approximately 1,000 professionals in 55 locations in 33 countries, PRGN is one of the world’s largest networks of independent public relations agencies.
All PRGN partners are independent, local, owner-operated public relations and marketing communications firms that share expertise and resources, while providing broad-based comprehensive communications strategies to clients worldwide.
Scandinavian Communications is looking forward to the next 30 years in this remarkable network ! 🤩
#prgn #prgn30 #pr #communications #marketing #socialmedia #agency #network #scandinavia
By Eva Helene Kabelmann, PR & Communications Advisor
When we’re talking Scandinavian countries and the peoples within, we tend to regard ourselves as a pretty homogenous bunch, where – as we have mentioned in earlier articles – “the differences are far less than the similarities. And rightly so, for us Danes, Swedes, Norwegians and Finns are very similar to each other both in appearance, behaviour, levels of education, mentality, shopping habits – well, you name it. But. There are differences.”
And it is worth noticing, that the small differences matter and being able to adjust your PR and marketing towards these can give you the highly sought after edge.
Let’s have a look at some of the cultural differences within the 4 Scandinavian countries. Again taking into consideration that they are small, there are a few that stick out, as the Hofstede Insight bureau’s very interesting “Culture Compass TH” indicates.
Especially the following points should give pause as they speak volumes in their own minuscule way.
Denmark
The Danes tend to score relatively low, when we look at how they act towards power within organisations, in this case relating to Danes having a high degree of employee autonomy: Danes do not lead – they coach. Employees expect to be consulted. Danes have a very egalitarian mindset and respect is something to be earned, it’s not inherent in your position. Understanding how Danes in their working environment have a very informal atmosphere with direct and involving communication can nudge you towards how to proceed with a more effective MarCom strategy.
Sweden
The swedes tend to have a high rate of indulgence, which in this case means, that they generally exhibit at willingness towards realising their impulses and desires with regard to enjoying life and having fun. And they place a high value on the importance of leisure time, being able to act as they please and spend money as they wish. Taking this tendency into consideration could be one of the points that sets you aside from the competition, when developing an approach towards the Swedish market.
Norway
When taking a look at the Scandinavian peoples culture, when it comes to the attitudes towards the challenges of the present and the future, the Norwegians tend to have a so-called normative attitude. This entails a preference towards maintaining time-honoured traditions and norms, no explicit desire to save for the future and a focus on achieving quick results. Also a small, but in no way insignificant point to consider, when approaching the Norwegian market.
Finland
On a scale, that measures the 4 scandinavian countries tendency towards Masculine values (competition, achievement and success) vs Feminine values (caring for others and quality of life), they all have a very low score, which indicates a strong tendency towards the Feminine, it is worth noticing, that Finland (of the 4) has the highest score indicating, that Finns have a less predominant tendency the feminine. So even though Finland is considered a Feminine society, where conflicts are resolved by compromise and negotiation and focus is on wellbeing, solidarity and quality in their working lives, you might not have the same resonance with a MarCom approach taking feminine values into consideration in Finland as in the remaining 3 Scandinavian countries.
By Christina Rytter, Founder & Trusted Communications Advisor
If you like to create better PR coverage in Scandinavian media these five focus points are key.
1. Write real journalistic stories
Think through and create a real journalistic story from scratch for the Scandinavian markets – and then get your corporate or product messages to fit with a downplayed balance. Always work with a journalistic approach in your PR Press kit for Scandinavian media. A Marketing approach towards Scandinavian Tier 1 media is a sure dead end – and your press release will easily end up in the garbage can at the newsdesk.
2. Find the local angel
Write a local angled story for each Scandinavian market. Your PR core story for Scandinavia can be the same – but to really get it right, you then need to work out a local PR angle for each market; Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, etc. Understanding and acting on the small cultural differences between each Scandinavian market give you much greater PR results.
Work out a tailored media list for each Scandinavian country with a key journalist from Tier 1 media depending on your target group. Pick a broader range of media to get more volume, when you send out your press release – Scandinavia has a very narrow media structure with only a few media in each category.
3. Offer exclusivity
Work with exclusive sell-in of your press release / PR story. This means that you only talk in person with one leading key media at the time. It’s key for most Scandinavian journalists to get their own stories with a unique angle. When you succeed with your PR sell-in. Wait for the agreed publication – and then go for a wide distribution of the press release to create a 2-waved PR effect. This can be very efficient!
Take into your planning that different Scandinavian media work with very different timing. If you go for a business daily, you might only need to approach the editor a couple of weeks before you like to see some media coverage. But if it’s a high-end lifestyle Magazine on print, you might need to talk to the editor 3-4 months ahead.
4. Except that media decide the content
Don’t expect to get any control over the final journalistic content in articles. Scandinavian journalists and media are very Independent – it’s just part of their DNA and our Scandinavian culture. You can approve your own quotes – and offer journalists a quality check of facts. Nothing more. Otherwise, you could offend the journalist. This independence also means that your PR adviser rarely is present at face-to-face interviews with the Scandinavian journalist.
Offer Media professional PR photos to strengthen the possibility of media coverage. This could be PR headshots of your company spokesperson or of your Product/Services. This must preferably be PR photos take for media in a journalistic context supporting the journalistic angle of your story – NOT traditional marketing photos.
5. Follow-up in person
Follow up on journalists in person on phone and email to secure the sell-in of the story and final media coverage. In Scandinavia, this is a very delicate balance between being proactive without being annoying for journalists, who have a very busy and tight work schedule and a lot of people approaching them every day.
By Christina Rytter, Founder & Trusted Communications Advisor
Remember this! As part of your MarCom strategy – you also need to strategic decide on and set KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for your communications, PR and marketing. Otherwise, you can only to a lesser extent measure the effect, business value and ROI (Return-on-Investment) of your invested MarCom budget.
So, if you Reboot your Strategy – you of cause also need to Reset Goals & KPIs. When you set KPIs and thereby measure results, you will be able to have a clear evaluation of, what is driving the business forward. AND what is not. You can evaluate and demonstrate the direct business value of communications, PR, marketing and social media to the management and the board.
How to measure MarCom results?
MarCom KPIs can be concrete actions or registration of change in behaviour or point of views in the target group before, under and after your work/campaign. Test the measurability of your indicators with SMART; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Time-bound. When we work with earned communications such as PR you can set both quantitative and qualitative deliverables to get a more sufficient evaluation.
Quantitative PR deliverables could be the number of articles your PR-campaign created separated within your chosen Tier 1 Media in each market. Also looking at the PR-value of each media clipping, which we traditionally measure by finding the Equivalent Advertising Value for each media clip and then multiply the value with 3, because earned media have higher trustworthiness. A quantitative deliverable could also be the measurement of increased website traffic directly related to your PR-results.
Qualitative PR deliverables could be message resonance included in the media coverage such as your Top 1-3 Key Messages. It could be mentions of Brand Name & Product Names and back-links in your media coverage.
In Social and Digital campaigns I would always recommend you to create high-quality content relevant for your key target groups – and then as an ad on set aside a media budget to work with sponsored posts to get a much larger reach and higher amount of web traffic and response from your preferred audience.
KPIs for Social Media could be Engagement and Relevance for your target group measured by; Clicks per post (Traffic to the website), likes, shares and comments. You can also look deeper into development in your followers such as; Audience growth rate, new follower rate, follower/following ratio, which show Thought Leadership position.
SoMe Influencer campaigns can also be very effective when you select bloggers and Instagrammers relevant for your target group to help deliver your key messages. Be aware to set very clear KPIs in paid contracts with influencers to make sure your campaign goals and measure points are clear.
Need help to Reboot your Strategy and reset your MarCom Goals & KPIs? Don’t hesitate to contact us. We are here to help! 😊
Read more Tips to Reboot your Strategy:
Tip 1: Rediscover your purpose
Tip 2: Evaluate your target group
Tip 3: Adapt your Key Messaging
Tip 4: Tweak your MarCom Channels
Tip 6: Create your MarCom Plan
By Christina Rytter, Founder & Trusted Communications Advisor
Do you know, why you go to work in the morning? I mean really. When you ask yourself from deep down inside. What’s the answer then? What’s your purpose? Why are you here?
In Crisis, we fight to survive. Change, adapt – or die. Is it pleasant? Not really! Because humans, in the way we are wired, most are reluctant to changes. But if you are in a Crisis – you need to Reboot your commercial and even personal strategy very quickly to adapt. So, you can execute successfully within the new normal. Reboot and shoot!
Communicate what matters
BUT before you hit the ground running with an adapted strategy. Crisis gives you a beautiful opportunity to take a deeper look at what truly matters to you: Your purpose – also called your WHY. Crisis equals development! Both on the business side – as a leader and as a human being.
To get aligned with your inner purpose will raise your feeling of happiness overnight. AND it will also be your launchpad for strong, authentic, and crystal-clear communication – both as a leader, an organization, and a brand striving for commercial success. As a business owner and/or part of Top-Management we are fortunate that our purpose can become the company’s as well. As an employee you can get clearer on, what values you seek in the organizations, you work for.
What did the crisis make you discover?
Maybe the crisis got you to realize that your purpose is still aligned? Then you just need to reboot your strategy. OR maybe the crisis gave you a new perspective? If so, you need to take a deeper look at your purpose before you reboot your business and commercial strategy.
A real purpose is feeling driven. It’s your values, passions, drivers and what gives you and the organisation motivation. This is why your purpose becomes such a strong lever in communications. Because humans relate to and react to feelings. This is not an opinion. Its biology!
If you need help to rediscover your purpose to Reboot Strategy – don’t hesitate to contact us!
PS. In case your wonder what my purpose is – and thereby also Scandinavian Communications; “We help leaders and organizations that do good in the world to get personal and commercial success – so their positive impact on people and planet gets as strong as possible”.
So, if you see yourself and your organization in that – don’t be a stranger!😉
Read more Tips to Reboot your Strategy:
Tip 2: Evaluate your target group
Tip 3: Adapt your key messaging
Tip 4: Tweak your MarCom Channels
Tip 5: Reboot MarCom Goals & KPIs
Tip 6: Create your MarCom Plan
Just arrived from Chile – 1st Place The PRGN Business Power Awards! We are very thankful for The Public Relations Global Network recognizing our work in Scandinavia this year 🙏
If you also like to leverage your business in Scandinavia, don’t hesitate to contact our CEO Christina Rytter at email: cr@scandcomm.com or mobile +4523967733. We are here to help.
By Christina Rytter, Founder & Trusted Communications Advisor
Instagram as B2B social media is growing at a rapid speed in all Scandinavian markets and the platform has some quite strong business solutions to support your brand building and direct lead generation to support sales. Get my Top 8 tips on how to improve your marketing effort on Instagram:
1. Understand your audience
You gotta understand your Scandinavian audience. That’s key to success on Instagram. Scandinavians from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland are similar – but not the same!
2. Talk with them, not at them
Ask you Scandinavian audience questions. Always give a quick answer to questions and clearly communicate what you do. That’s a big key on Instagram.
3. Use relevant hashtags
Hashtags are Instagram’s signposts. Use relevant hashtags, but not too many so it doesn’t look messy and get confusing for your audience. Analyse and test your hashtags, to find out which ones create the best impact for you and your company. Remember to brand your hashtags.
4. Know when to post
It’s vital for the amount of engagement on your Instagram posts, that you post at the right time. Instagram engagement peaks mid-day and mid-week, similar to the other major social networks. Wednesday at 11 a.m. is the overall best day to post to Instagram – followed by Friday at 10-11 a.m. The most consistent engagement is from Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday; go enjoy your day off – few will read your posts anyway 😉. Different industries also can peak a bit more on different times.
5. Create beautiful visuals
Instagram is a very visual platform. So to make it work to your advantage, you need to give your posts a distinctive look with tailored appeal to your Scandinavian target groups. Our vision trumps all other senses. Research has shown that when people hear information, they’re likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later. Visual branding plays a huge role in not only attracting your clients and stakeholders – but also in making you and your company memorable and creating a positive perception in the minds of your key audience.
6. Add Calls-to-action
When you add Calls-to-action in your posts you get more direct pay-off on your work and have concrete KPIs to measure. When you create an Instagram Business Profile you get the possibility to ad different buttons on your profile besides of working with direct links in your Bio. Use emojis like arrows, hand pointing or the star to direct you audience towards the link. Also, it works well to insert a call-to-action text in your visuals directing people into what they should do next. You can ask them to buy your product, visit your website or get in touch with you.
The key is to be creative, so people take action. Test new versions to see which one engages your audience the most.
7. Tell Stories
On Instagram the best brand storytelling involves telling snackable, visual micro-stories that tie into your brand’s values and purpose. On Instagram it’s the people and the brands who tell the most interesting stories that build the massive audiences. When you use Instagram for a personal account develop a strong brand presence that shows, what you are passionate about in life.
8. Work with influencers
Adding Instagram influencer marketing into your overall SoMe-strategy can help to increase your brand awareness, grow your followers and thereby drive new leads and sales. Influencer marketing can be quite effective. It removes the barriers of traditional advertising when customers are introduced to your brand from a trusted source. When an influencer recommends your product or service on their channels, it comes across as a trusted recommendation from a friend. Therefore, it can have a huge impact on your brand awareness and sales support.
Today we had a wonderful visit and Friday Lunch in Copenhagen with our Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) partners and friends from OneMulti in Poland and SMARTPR in Brazil.
The World’s Local Agency
PRGN is The World’s Local Public Relations Agency. We are a connected network of 50 hand-selected agencies working within PR, Strategic Communications and Digital/Social Marketing servicing key markets around the world. As leaders in our respective regions, PRGN agencies offer the “boots-on-the-ground” savvy of a local Public Relations agency, yet on a global scale. Our model allows us to deliver a unique level of flexibility – scaling up or down across multiple markets to meet your business needs. Each PR agency knows its local community and it knows how to help clients connect with their audiences in those regions.
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need help in Scandinavia – or beyond with single-point-of-contact.
Read more about PRGN.
By Eva Helene Kabelmann, Digital & SoMe content Director
Social media cannot be avoided when talking PR and communication. And numbers show that it is practically impossible to succeed if one does not use SoMe in campaigns – those being local, regional, national or international. And thus also Scandinavian.
The Scandinavian markets have some of the highest numbers in the use of SoMe and one could be seduced into thinking that marketing here would be a pure cake walk.
But.
It’s worth having in mind that there are differences, when it comes to which of the SoMe platforms, the four Scandinavian populations are operating on.
Let’s have a look at the four most used social media: Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Linkedin. The four Scandinavian populations all – and to a great extent– use these SoMe platforms, but there are differences in degree:
The Norwegians top the use of Facebook. They also have the highest frequency when looking at the number of SoMe platforms used
The Swedes take first place when it comes to Youtube and Instagram. Despite this, they are in third place when it comes to the number of SoMe platforms used
The Danes top the use of Linkedin. And occupy a second place in the number of SoMe platforms used
As for the Finns the most striking is that they almost do not appear when it comes to the use of Youtube. And the Finns also takes a fourth place in number of SoMe platforms used. Despite this ranking, keep in mind that the Scandinavians – overall – have some of the highest frequencies in use of SoMe.
Small differences, but all relevant to consider when choosing a marketing and / or PR strategy for your next SoMe campaign.
Read more: https://scandinaviancommunications.com/social-media/
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