SoMe Tips & Trends | Scandinavian Communications

Finland – Growth Path Ahead

13/06/2024By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Content Marketing, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, PR Tips & Trends, Public Relations Global Network, Social Media, SoMe Tips & Trends, Strategic Communications

By Taru Tujunen, CEO & Trusted Communications Advisor,
Ellun Kanat

Business Environment in Finland
Finland has been crowned as the happiest country in the world seven times in a row. It has held this title since 2018 in the World Happiness Report. Many factors that contribute to this success are also very relevant for the business environment.

At the heart is trust. Finland is built on it. Safe business environment and stable democracy combined with well-educated citizens and well-functioning society provide for a solid foundation to invest and do business in Finland.

Why is there so much innovation in Finland, from Nokia phones to Angry Birds to 20-qubit quantum computers? During history Finland has been forced to reinvent itself many times. Today it is one of the most advanced nations in the world. Finns are always looking for new ways to do things.

Finland is looking for investments particularly in bio & circular economy, cleantech, health & wellbeing, ICT & digitalization and travel. It should be pointed out that many large companies have found Finland a lucrative country to invest in. For instance Google and Microsoft both have large data centers in Finland. Energy and sustainable tech are other fast growing sectors. At the moment mainly in Western Finland, there are plans for 225 billion euros worth of industrial investments.

The Finnish economy has not yet recovered from the recession, but is gradually recovering. According to the Bank of Finland’s March 2024 interim forecast, GDP will contract by 0.5% this year, slightly more than forecast in December 2023. Inflation is expected to fall below 1% in 2024, strengthening purchasing power. The slowdown in inflation is explained in particular by falling energy prices.

The Government led by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has a very ambitious program to balance the State budget and support growth. The government’s plans include renewing the labor market in a way that has created major friction between the Government and labor unions.

Top Advice Navigating Media and Communications Environment in Finland

1. Direct contacts with customer are appreciated:

Finnish society all in all is very flat, decision makers are close to the citizens. This applies to the media also. Finnish journalists want to speak directly to decision makers and are used to having this access. It is not advisable to have an employee of a communications firm present in the interview situation. Sparring and training must be done carefully and in advance.

2. Relatively few major players on the media field:

Finland’s news media environment features a strong regional press, a strong Public Service Broadcasting (Yle), one widely read national daily (Helsingin Sanomat), and two popular evening tabloids (Ilta-Sanomat and Iltalehti), both reaching over half of the adult population. There is a relatively high proportion (21%) of adults paying for online news and Finnish news remains the most highly trusted among the countries surveyed.

The largest media houses are Sanoma, Alma Media, YLE (State owned), Keskisuomalainen, Kaleva and TS-Yhtymä. Strong regional press should not be overlooked when planning campaigns in Finland.

YLE, the state-owned communications company, broadcasts on four television channels visible throughout the country. Finland’s largest commercial television channel is MTV3. Finland’s most listened-to radio channel is Yle Radio Finland, which is not an advertising-funded channel. The most popular commercial radio channel is Radio Nova.

Radio is listened to more in Finland than in the other Nordic countries. Time spent on linear TV in Finland remains high compared to other Nordic countries.

3. Finns still trust the news media:

The role of the news media in Finland is strong by international standards and Finns still have strong trust in the news. According to the Digital News Report 2023 survey by the Reuters Institute at Oxford University the proportion has risen in three consecutive years. The number of people in Finland who trust news the most remained unchanged from last year at 69%. Finland is the only country in the survey (46 markets included) where the proportion exceeds two thirds of the population.

The Most Popular Social Media Channels in Finland
Youtube: 4.46 million users
Facebook: 3.59 million users
Instagram: 2.47 million users
Snapchat: 2.13 million users
X/Twitter: 1.96 million users
LinkedIn: 1.80 million users
TikTok: 1.64 million users
Pinterest: 1.52 million users

The most important international events in Finland in 2024

Savonlinna Opera festival: High profile opera festival is well known all over the world among classical music enthusiasts. Located in the Eastern Finland town of Savonlinna it gathers large crowds and groups of decision makers every year in July to this beautiful lakeside castle town. A good place to connect and meet contacts.

Flow is a city festival in August that has been organized in Helsinki annually since 2004. In 20 years, Flow Festival has grown into the trailblazing European music and arts festival it is today. Flow has done extensive environmental work. The festival pays attention to its impact on the local community, residents, and the environment and works determinedly to cut down its harmful effects. A good place to meet younger decision makers and social media influencers.

Nordic Business Forum is one of – if not the – largest business and leadership events in Europe. 6,500 business professionals will come to Helsinki in September to listen to the most popular business speakers around the world. You can make connections with executives from over 40 countries. More info at https://www.nbforum.com/nbf2024/

SLUSH is a legend. Slush is the world’s leading startup event, bringing together the who’s who in the startup ecosystem. Slush 2024 will bring together 5,500 startup founders and operators and 3,300 investors looking to back the next generation of exceptional founders. Slush 2024 is held on Nov. 20–21, 2024. Mind-blowing horizons indoors, lots of November slush outdoors.

Finland by the Numbers*
Population 5.6 million
Languages spoken Finnish, Swedish
Religions (% of population) Evangelical Lutheran Church (official; 65.2%), Orthodox Church (1%), other 1.8%, not part of a religion 32%
GDP per capita $50,916 (2022). Real GDP growth rate 1.6% (2022)
Inflation rate 3.0% (Feb. 2024)
Unemployment rate 7.8% (Feb. 2024)
Key Sectors (% of GDP) Services 68.4%. Industry and construction 28.9%, Agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.7%. (2022)
Mobile Penetration (X per 100 people) 97 (2022)
Internet Users (% of population) 93% (2022)
Corporate Profit Tax 20% (2024)
Consumer Tax or VAT 24% (2024)

*Sources: Tilastokeskus, Statistics Finland

Denmark – a business-friendly frontrunner in technology, green energy and life sciences

16/05/2024By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Content Marketing, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, PR Tips & Trends, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, SoMe Tips & Trends, Strategic Communications

By Christina Rytter, Founder & Trusted Communications Advisor,
Scandinavian Communications

Business environment in Denmark

Denmark has earned a position as a global leader in innovation due to its different business environment and culture. Today Denmark is particularly strong in information technology, renewable energy, sustainability, and life sciences – and also has a vibrant creative industry, encompassing design, fashion, architecture, and media. Copenhagen, the capital city, is considered a global hub for green technology, design and innovation, offering numerous opportunities for creative entrepreneurs and businesses.

So, what drives the high level of innovation in Denmark?

First of all, the Danish business environment is characterized by a very high degree of trust and an easy-going Danish business culture with flat organizational structures. The focus on reducing the levels of management and hierarchy and decentralizing decision-making in Danish companies creates an innovative business environment with increased openness, trust, creativity, and faster decision-making. Also, with a focus on work-life balance, with a quite high degree of personal freedom for employees and as the latest trend coming up in Denmark “The 4-day work week” where leading private companies has shown how to reduce the traditional 5-day work week and increase business results at the same time.

Business-friendly ecosystem
Secondly, alongside the economic stability in Denmark the country has a thriving startup ecosystem with a network of incubators, accelerators, and venture capital firms. As well as a business-friendly Danish regulatory environment with straightforward procedures for starting a business, enforcing contracts and obtaining permits. The Danish government also has implemented various reforms to reduce bureaucracy and enhance the competitiveness of the Danish business sector as well.

Denmark has a high GDP per capita, and high standard of living and is along with other Scandinavian countries often associated with the Nordic Model – which combines free-market capitalism with a strong welfare state and social safety. Danes – alongside other Scandinavians – have a quite strong buying power, which is why many international companies find the Scandinavian markets quite interesting.

Technology and green economy drives business opportunities
Denmark is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and transitioning to a green economy. This creates significant business opportunities within cleantech and the renewable energy sector, including wind, solar and biomass energy.

Biotechnology and Life Sciences is other sectors where Denmark today has a strong reputation, with a focus on research and development as well as clinical trials and production. Denmark is home to several world-leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies, as well as research institutions and universities.

Communications, media and PR market in Denmark
Denmark has a strong tradition of public service broadcasting with DR (the Danish Broadcasting Corporation) being the primary public broadcaster together with partly public service broadcaster TV2. Especially DR offers a wide range of non-commercial television, radio and online content, catering to diverse audience and providing high-quality news, entertainment and educational programming.

In general Denmark has a very narrow media structure with only a few media in each category. To get through all communications must therefore be tailored very specific to the relevant audience and media – and followed up in person. In Denmark it’s quality over quantity and establishment of thought leadership working in both traditional and social media is key to create awareness in the Danish market.

While the circulation of newspapers has declined in recent years, print media still plays an important role in the Danish media landscape. Leading newspapers includes Berlingske Tidende, Politiken and Jyllands-Posten as well as leading daily business paper Børsen, which all provide comprehensive coverage of national and international news, business and culture. Of course all papers are digital as well and the Danish media landscape, meanwhile, is also evolving with the fast digitalization of content consumption and the ever-growing influence of social media. Businesses looking to establish a presence in Denmark should consider these factors and leverage the diverse media platforms available to reach their target audiences effectively. Don’t expect to get any control over the final journalistic content in articles! Danish journalists and media are very Independent – it’s just part of their DNA and the Danish and Scandinavian culture.

Top 3 advice for foreign companies to navigate Danish media

1. Write real journalistic content
Think through and create a real journalistic story from scratch for the Danish market – 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 Danish 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 Danish angel
Write a local angled story for the Danish 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 Denmark as well. Understanding and acting on the small cultural differences between each Scandinavian market give you much greater PR results.
Work out a tailored media list with key journalists 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 – Denmark has a very narrow media structure with only a few media in each category.

3. Offer exclusivity & follow up
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 Danish 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 Danish 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 in print, you might need to talk to the editor 3-4 months ahead. Follow up with journalists in person by phone and email to secure the sell-in of the story and final media coverage. In Denmark, 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.

Most popular social media channels in Denmark

Facebook: 3,9 million users (67% of population) 2022 / 86% in 2023
YouTube: 2,8 million users (48% of population) 2022
Instagram: 2,6 million users (45% of population) 2022
LinkedIn: 2,4 million users (41% of population) 2022
SnapChat: 1,9 million users (33% of population) 2022
X: 1,2 million users (21% of population) 2022
TikTok: 1,1 million users (19% of population) 2022
Pinterest: 0,9 million users (16% of population) 2022
Reddit: 0,6 million users (10% of population) 2022
Twitch: 0,5 million users (9% of population) 2022

Source: Statista 2022

Most important international events in Denmark in 2024

Folkemøde: Citizens and decision-makers meet up in a three-day event to engage in dialogue and strengthen the Danish democracy. Folkemøde is created in cooperation with political parties, grassroots and different associations and companies.

Roskilde Festival: The Roskilde Festival is one of the largest music festivals in Europe and is known for its diverse lineup and cultural significance – the last year also been a test center for green start-ups testing their products.

Copenhagen Jazz Festival: The Copenhagen Jazz Festival is one of the largest jazz festivals in Europe and is a significant cultural event for Denmark.

Copenhagen Pride: The annual Copenhagen Pride Week is a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community in the shape of a human rights festival with safe spaces and an environment where people are free to express themselves.

Denmark in Numbers*

Population: 5,8 million (2022)
Languages spoken (official)Danish
Religions (% of population)Evangelical Lutheran: 75%. Other Protestant and Roman Catholic: 10%. Other: 15%
GDP per capita (in USD)$63,000 (2021)
(Real) GDP growth rate (%) 2,8 % (2021)
Inflation rate (%) 0,8 % (2021)
Unemployment rate (%) 4 % (2021)
Key sectors and industries (% of GDP) Service sector: 75%. Industry: 21%.
Agriculture and fisheries: 3% (2021)
Mobile penetration (X per 100 people) 120 (2021)
Internet users (% of population) 96% (2021)
Corporate profit tax: (%) 22% (year – latest available)
Rate of consumer tax or VAT: (%) 25% (year – latest available)

* World Bank, Statistics Denmark, Pew Research Center and PwC

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Do you need a single point of contact to Scandinavia?

Don’t hesitate to contact:
Christina Rytter, Founder & Trusted Communications Advisor
Scandinavian Communications
Email: cr@scandcomm.com
Mobile: +4523967733

About Christina Rytter

Christina Rytter is a dedicated Danish and international Trusted Communications Advisor and Founder of Scandinavian Communications. She has 25 years of hands-on experience with strategic communications, public relations, crisis and change communications, C-level leader training, digital marketing, social media and sales. So far she has been external advisor and Key Account Director for +600 international and Danish clients. She is also a former TV host and experienced entrepreneur responsible for start-up and business development of four international companies – two of them as founder. Also, she coach business owners of funded front-runner companies under the European Commission.

Last but not least Christina Rytter is Past-President and Chair in Public Relations Global network, where she currently holds the position as Vice President EMEA and is part of the Executive Committee and Advisory Board.

30 PR Tips – you can apply today!

25/08/2022By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Content Marketing, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, PR Tips & Trends, Public Relations Global Network, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, SoMe Tips & Trends, Strategic Communications

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:

Reboot Strategy: Reset MarCom Goals & KPIs

25/08/2021By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Content Marketing, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, PR Tips & Trends, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, SoMe Tips & Trends, Strategic Communications

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

Learn more about Strategic Communications

Reboot Strategy: Tweak MarCom Channels

10/07/2021By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, PR Tips & Trends, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, SoMe Tips & Trends, Strategic Communications

By Christina Rytter, Founder & Trusted Communications Advisor

When your business conditions suddenly change you often also need to Reboot – or at least evaluate – your existing commercial strategy to adapt. So, you can work successfully within the new normal. When you have your overall purpose, target group and key messaging in order the next cornerstones in your strategy is your communications channels. If some of the other important areas of your strategy change, it might also be relevant to tweak communications channels. It must always be your target groups and influencers preferences, that decides which channels you use for Marketing, PR and Communications. NOT your preferred channels 😉.

To reach each of your key target groups, you need to tailor your content and then communicate and get into dialogue in the relevant and strategic/tactical selected channels. Again, this often very in different target groups across business position, country, age, gender etc. Your business needs to be present, engage and communicate authentic and clear in the channels where your target groups are present.

Need help to Reboot Strategy? Don’t hesitate to contact us.

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 5: Reboot MarCom Goals & KPIs

Tip 6: Create your MarCom Plan

Learn more about Strategic Communications

Reboot Strategy: Rediscover your purpose

03/04/2021By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Content Marketing, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR, PR Tips & Trends, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, SoMe Tips & Trends, Strategic Communications

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

Learn more about Strategic Communications

Top 5 tips for Crisis Communications in Scandinavia

21/12/2019By scandinaviancomChange Communications, Christina Rytter, Crisis Communications, Management Communications, PR Tips & Trends, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, SoMe Tips & Trends, Strategic Communications

By Christina Rytter, Founder & Crisis Communications Advisor

When crisis or change hits like a bolt from the blue it’s normal for even the most experienced executive to feel concerned. Especially when you want to be at the forefront of things. Here are my Top 5 tips on how you navigate successfully through the storm when a crisis or change hits you in the Scandinavian market:

1. Response quick – but well thought out

A quick response is key in a critical situation, because it gives you the chance to handle and control the situation and thereby the outcome proactively with a higher possibility for success. BUT the quick response must be flanked by carefully thought out communications – especially what key messages you need to deliver in the conversation with your different stakeholders.

Scandinavians are very critical and direct – and we don’t hold back with the questions. This apply to both employees, journalists, clients, business partners and competitors. So, you really need to prepare. I find that one of the most effective ways in crisis and change communications in Scandinavia is to draw up and work with different realistic crisis or change scenarios and plan, what to do and say in each imaginary scenario – and which communications channels will suit your messages and conversations with different internal and external stakeholders best.

2. Get ready for conversation

What is your key message? Your communication is clearer, when you only focus on one or few key messages.
Who are you talking to? (Your key target group/stakeholders)
Which information do the person/stakeholders need?
Which situation are they in? Communicate the messages relevant to them, not to you.
Choose your role based on the person/target group. Are you formal or informal? How do you dress? What language and body language do you use? BUT be yourself!
Prepare, prepare and prepare.
Train, train and train.

3. Take control over your body language

Your body language is your greatest asset, when you know how to control and use it. When you learn to use your body language proactively combined with clear messages, you can be a brilliant and authentic leader and communicator. BUT if you don’t have your body language under control – and that is quite normal in a crisis or change situation, when you might get nervous – then it can work so much against you, that nobody hears what you say. Well-known international studies show, that up to 80 % of people’s perception of you will be from your body language. That is if you fail to control it. Otherwise people listen. Scandinavian will mostly listen – if it’s not to boring. And if you serve beer (or something stronger for the Finns) they will really listen. 😉.

Control what we see:

Posture: Straight back and raised head express security, authority and energy.
Choose a suitable grimace for the occasion; Seriousness, enthusiasm or joy?
Use gestures that support the message.
Firm eye contact exudes security and credibility.
If you avoid eye contact it signals insecurity, uncertainty – and thus untrustworthiness.
Pay attention to your bad habits and patterns – they especially come out when you are nervous under pressure.
Look fresh and well-rested (of cause sometimes that might be a little difficult in a crisis).

Control what we hear:

Deep and calm voicing creates trust and credibility.
Variation in voice creates dynamism and awareness of the recipient.
Talk slowly – without getting boring. It exudes heaviness and credibility.
Breath deep and use (rhetorical) pauses.

4. Keep calm
Even the most experienced executive can get nervous under pressure in a difficult crisis or change situation. That is just human nature.

What happens when you get nervous?

You protect your body with your arms, turn your back, avoid eye contact, smile stiffly and stave off.
You sweat, get pale, get ticks, mess with your hair or perform other unconscious bad habits. What are your bad habits under pressure?
You move uneasily; rocks or turns on the chair. Tilting back and forth on your feet.
You breathe quickly and superficially.
You speak faster and get a sharper and lighter voice.

Then what to do?

Breathe deeply and plant both feet into the floor.
Lower your talk rate and use (rhetorical) pauses.
Open your arms, straighten your back and look up and out.
Make and maintain eye contact – possibly look between the eyes if real eye contact is unpleasant.
Only smile when it suits the occasion.
Sit and stand still.
Choose a chair that stands firm. Otherwise you will quite easy start rocking or turn it.
If at a presentation: Go consciously among the audience.
Avoid carbonated water – so you don’t burp (when you breathe quick and superficially).

5. Use the crisis to your advantage

When your response quickly and are well prepared, you can turn the difficult situation into your advantage. By working out a carefully thought out message platform with key messages as a first step. And train through the different scenarios with message- and media training, you can navigate successfully through. Get your Crisis Communications Action Plan in order; Who do you need to communicate to as a first step? When and how? If you handle crisis and change like this, people will understand you much better – and even get on your side. When you keep calm and friendly – and communicate in a clear and authentic way you be at the forefront of things. And as always, the most important thing is to prepare – and train, train, train!

Get free crisis advise and learn more about Crisis Communications

Need help with Crisis Communications in Scandinavia?

8 Tips to improve your Instagram marketing

08/12/2019By scandinaviancomContent Marketing, Scandinavian Communications, Social Media, SoMe Tips & Trends

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.

Five key learnings from social media crisis

09/08/2019By scandinaviancomCrisis Communications, Public Relations Global Network, Social Media, SoMe Tips & Trends

By Philip Hauserman, Vice President and Director of Crisis Communications at The Castle Group

In today’s world, there’s no escaping social media – especially when it comes to crisis communications.
I can say this with authority since 99.9 percent of the crises we’ve managed in the past few years have involved one platform or another. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Yik Yak (yes, even Yik Yak, for those of you who remember 2016). Each platform presents its own challenges, of course, but the approach to managing the situation and the response more or less stays the same.

So, what do you do? How do you manage a social media crisis?

Prepare. There’s no anti-virus software that I know of that will quickly and quietly fix a crisis, especially one that is playing out online for all the world to see. Having a plan in place – and testing that plan – before a crisis occurs is the No. 1 step you can take right now to prepare yourself and your organization for that inevitable moment when you hear those three little words that nobody wants to hear: “It’s gone viral!” Part of that plan includes making sure that you know your channels, your passwords, and your team. More than one person on your social media team should always have access to each account, and at least one person should be able to access the accounts from a mobile device. Your plan should also include likely scenarios and template responses – pre-approved messages that can be used in public and/or private message formats. Why is this important? Because a single tweet that goes unresponded to can kick off a digital firestorm that can take over and create a narrative of its own, leaving your organization – and your reputation – behind. In a true social media crisis, you don’t have the benefit of time to run a draft social media response up and down the ladder and through legal before posting. Do that ahead of time and save yourself from the headache that comes with waiting…and watching…a crisis snowball online.

Implement – and abide by – social media policies. Developing guidelines and posting policies for external interaction with your social media channels sets clear expectations for acceptable/unacceptable usage of your organization’s pages. These policies will also give you a publicly stated set of rules to refer to in the event that you have to remove a particularly ugly or vicious attack on your platforms. But don’t, under any circumstances, start deleting or hiding comments – unless they violate said policies. Doing so will make the situation infinitely worse.

Listen, listen, listen. The best way to know what’s going on before, during, and after a crisis is to listen. Monitor your own organization’s channels and that of news outlets that may be reporting on the issue. Pay special attention to trending topics and hashtags on each platform, flagging and screen capturing comments that are particularly concerning and may require priority treatment. Many times, you’ll discover new, and potentially actionable, information just by listening to the conversation. When you do speak, speak with one voice and transmit one message. The style and the exact words of the response may change to fit the platform, but the substance of the response should not. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of eyes just waiting and watching for inconsistencies and errors and tone-deaf or robotic remarks – anything to fan the flames and keep the controversy going. What you say online should be the same thing you said to the reporter who called a few minutes ago, and it should absolutely be the same thing you said to your employees.

Debrief. Clean up. And then start planning for the next crisis. Once the storm has passed, it’s time to clean up. Did you promise any updates to anyone during the situation or event? If so, who needs to hear from you and when? Did your process work? What needs to be improved? Do you need to run through drills based on what your organization experienced? Should you update your policies and passwords? These are just some of the questions to ask yourself and your team before the next storm rolls through.

The Castle Group is our partner agency in Boston, USA. Article originally published at PRGN.com

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