Consumer Tech

The Importance of Product PR During the Holidays

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As the holiday season approaches, product PR becomes more important than ever. Competition from major brands, standing out from the crowd, and capturing people in a buying mood are all great reasons to do product PR during the holidays.

 Now you might ask, “which holiday season do you mean?” The answer: whatever holidays are most important to your company or brand.

There are a few key reasons why product PR is so important during the holidays, and why Avaans is now offering Product PR Holiday Sprints.

Competition from Major Brands

Most of your competitors won’t invest in holiday PR, but if you do, it gives you a considerable edge when people search for your brand or product. This is especially true if you are a challenge brand or you have a new product to launch.

You simply can not outspend the major brands with advertising, but using PR evens the playing field a bit, especially since a lot of journalists prefer to showcase smaller or boutique brands, or at the very least want to include one as an alternative to more well-known brands. It’s also an opportunity for smaller brands to showcase diverse founders too, something big brands just can’t do.

Ever since iOS14 rolled out, which allows consumers to opt out of allowing apps like Facebook and Instagram to track browser history, CPG and DTC brands have seen a considerable decrease in ad effectiveness. And to make matters worse, the massive brands have far more data and the ability to buy ads on a multitude platforms, so it’s nearly impossible to compete during the holidays when digital advertising costs surge.

In contrast, when you secure PR beside major brands in holiday gift guides, your brand receives a trust bump, so you’re benefitting from all the brand recognition of the larger brands, alongside the brand recognition of the outlet.

People are in the Buying Mood for Product PR

First, people are generally more receptive to marketing and advertising during this time of year.  Holiday PR is an ideal way to capture people when they’re in the mood, and in the moment.

The average person spends $1,463, during the holidays (Deloitte Holiday Survey)

There are a few things that contribute to this increase in spending. People buy gifts for their friends and family, which means they’re more likely to pay attention to new to them products that might make great gifts. And finally, people tend to spend more on themselves during the holidays – maybe they buy a new outfit for a holiday party or get a massage to relieve stress.

Less than half of consumers are worried about higher prices on discretionary purchases (National Retail Federation)

Stand Out from the Crowd with Product PR for the Holidays

The holiday season is a busy time for everyone, so standing out from the crowd is essential. And that means meeting your consumer where they’re at. Consumers are searching for gift ideas and they value gift guides because they trust journalists to test the products (they do).  99% of products never receive any press, by simply securing press, you’re already standing out. And you can leverage your press all year long.

Avaans Media now offers PR Product Sprints. Designed for CPG and DTC brands, these micro PR campaigns are perfect for brands with ambitious plans, but not ambitious budgets.

 

 

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The Most Notable Consumer Tech PR Trends for 2022

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The consumer tech PR trends to watch for 2022 are exciting and combine other macro trends impacting emerging brands’ PR this year. This year, for the first time in two years, consumer tech companies gathered to show off their latest innovations at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Healthtech is helping consumers avoid using their confusing insurance all together.

Perhaps it was the pent-up demand, perhaps it was the changes to our lives since the pandemic started, perhaps it was just that technology is ramping up faster than ever before, but the consumer tech PR trends to watch for 2022 are exciting.

Consumer Robots for Real

Robots, once the domain of government-grade applications only are becoming a reality in our homes. Consumer robots for everything from home tasks and chores like pool cleaning and vacuuming, STEM education for kids, to emotional support pets that are easily cared for, consumer robots are finally here.

While the Jetson age doesn’t look quite the way we thought it would, in some ways it’s better because many of these consumer robots are utilizing AI to do their jobs more efficiently.  This combination of robots and AI means robots will better integrate into our daily lives. But the physical world isn’t the only place where we will interact with robots.

Consumers will start interacting with robots more frequently as drones or uncrewed vehicles make their way onto our sidewalks for delivery of everything from food to medical prescriptions. Robots will soon be delivering food in restaurants and even mixing your drink at the bar.

While journalists are deeply familiar with some robots, AI-driven demonstrations are sure to catch the eye of media outlets throughout 2022.

The Metaverse

No consumer tech trends piece would be complete without mention of the Metaverse. While the depth of the cultural catalyst of the metaverse is yet to be written, we know the future will include a digital and virtual world that’s more interactive than the social media world we know no.

But what’s new, is the way robots will bridge the gap between our physical world and our digital world, for example, what Euisun Chung of Hyundai Motor Group is calling “metamobility” where robots will perform tasks for people who aren’t physically there.

Naturally, the expansion of the metaverse will be dependent on processing power and affordable hardware, but if CES 2022 is any indication, it won’t be long before those two items catch up to the idea of the Metaverse.

With the new .metaverse domain name, major consumer brands like Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and P&G are already staking out their metaverse presence.

Some estimates have the metaverse marketplace growing to $800 trillion. While that seems pretty extreme, between physical products and blockchain technologies and non-fungible tokens, the metaverse could indeed be an entirely new consumer tech economy.

Consumer Tech Trends Turn to Mental Health

According to the Pew Research Center, about one-fifth of adults are experiencing high levels of psychological distress. From emotional support wearables to digital therapeutics, tech is turning to home health and mental health for the latest innovations. Some wearables are predicting stress, others are helping address stress and anxiety. From soothing sounds to induce deep relaxation to mobile games that reduce stress, wearables are becoming more communicative, predictive, and meditative.

Also new is the connectivity to our medical professionals along with reducing costs for delivery of healthcare that democratizes access.

Anyone who has suffered from chronic sleeplessness can attest to sleep’s importance on mental health. Smart mattresses to the rescue. From self-adjusting mattresses that prevent snoring to self-regulating temperature mattresses, tech has taken over your sleep cycle, and given consumers a new way to improve mental and physical help.

Consumer Tech and Purpose-Driven Initiatives

Consumer tech PR will increasingly include stories about social, cultural, or environmental impact.

“Technology-driven by purpose will change the world,” says Deborah Wahl, Global CMO for GM. Indeed, purpose-driven initiatives are as critical to consumer tech brands as they are to any other consumer product.

Indeed, one of the biggest consumer technology trends is how cars will adapt to the environmental demands of the future.

Sustainability and tech are inextricably connected. From solar-powered batteries for cars and homes, to the reduction of single-use plastics, saving the world is on the mind of consumers, and technologists alike. Consumer technology products, a huge contributor to plastic waste, will soon be comprised of more recycled ocean-bound plastics.

Additional innovations will save water and electricity through newly developed systems that will be increasingly popular. Innovations that save water by cleaning, disinfecting, and drying drinking glasses in 10 seconds with .6 ounces of water will empower consumers to take better control of their water usage.

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10 Steps to a Successful Product Launch

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In a competitive market, launching a new product is crucial for brands to stay relevant and maintain their current customers.

Before you launch your next CPG (consumer packaged goods) product, consider the following PR strategies:

8 Months Out

Select the Right Digital Channels 

Not all digital channels are right for every launch. Look at places where there are deep community wells, instead of hugely broad channels. Once you’ve identified those channels, spend some time engaging and listening to find out who the top  tier influencers are – watch who they partner with to get an idea of whether they align with your product launch, and pricing. 

Have customers use hashtags to engage in product-related conversations, which can be tagged on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. When customers tag your product on social media, it creates a sense of product engagement and excitement for customers that both current and potential customers can see. 

6 Months Out

Embrace Influencers of ALL Types 

We typically think of influencer marketing as a form of product promotion that allows product marketers to leverage the audiences of social media influencers to reach prospects and drive product sales. On Instagram, there are more than one million product review accounts with product-related hashtags, which is where product marketers should look for product endorsers.  Outreach should start 6 months out to ensure a collaborative, effective campaign. 

Social media influencers are popular on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook because of their large followings, so it is important that product marketers find product reviewers who have similar customer demographics as their target prospects. Influencer tips: – Look at product influencers’ follower demographics and product reviewer content to ensure it aligns with product messaging. – Engage product endorsers by asking them questions on social media, which helps you learn more about their product preferences and how they use your product. – Reach out to product reviewers via direct message on Instagram or Twitter, as well as on Facebook. Remember, product marketers should work with influencers six months prior to product launch.

Engage your existing customers on social media so they are engaged during launch. To create more customer loyalty, consider including your most engaged customers to help with the launch. And look beyond “social media followers” when you identify your most engaged customers. Cutting through the noise today often means authentic recommendations to a small, but targeted group COMBINED with other efforts to create social proof. 

Look for product experts—people with large social media followings who are experts in the product category. – Pose open-ended questions to product experts on how they use your product, what their favorite features are and why; this is likely to garner organic product-related content on social media

Re-Think Launch Parties

 In the post COVID world, there are so many ways to launch a product. Yes, traditional events launch parties with influencers may work. But when you identify who aligns with product messaging, look at your influencers with a digital lens.

 

Approach Bloggers to Post about Your Product

Bloggers often get overlooked in the age of social media influencers – but bloggers create extremely sticky content. Be creative with bloggers for your product launch. Product marketers can partner with bloggers who have product review blogs by providing them with sample products and product information. This allows product marketers a chance to get their product messages into the hands of product reviewers well in advance of product launch. It’s best to include product-related information in the product shipment package, along with a personal message from product marketers asking for product reviews and product mentions on social media channels.

Blogger tips: – Look for product reviewers who have similar customer demographics as your target prospects. – Create an outreach list of bloggers who have positive sentiment or product-related product reviews on social media channels. – Reach out to product bloggers via email with product information and a personal message asking for product reviews before product launch.

Hire a Public Relations Agency

Public relations firms are able to manage all aspects of brand product management from product messages to product campaigns. PR firms have experience in product launch field and can navigate product marketers through the product launch process, as well as manage product review blogger outreach efforts.

PR agency tips: – Look for a public relations agency that specializes in building brand equity with product launches. – Reach out to a product-centric PR agency six months before product launch to build product buzz and product hype.

4 Months Out

Create Compelling Content

CPG businesses should put out compelling free content well in advance of the launch—about two to four months before the product is available for sale— to create a buzz about the product among their current and potential customer base. Ensure to have a strong call-to-action, so interested users can easily find out more information on where they can buy the product once it becomes available. Share this content on social media and on product-specific landing pages. Keep in mind, you should publish your content 4 months out, so you may need to begin creating the content 6 months or more, out. 

3 Months Out

Offer Limited Edition Products

Offering product variations and limited edition items can help brands stand out and create product buzz. Consumers ultimately want to be the first to own new products, and they want others to know that they were able to get their hands on these product releases before anyone else. While each product release comes with its own product description, it’s important to include words such as new, limited edition or exclusive.

Include a Product in Customer Surveys

Customer surveys are a great way for product marketers to measure customer sentiment around product features and benefits, as well as product satisfaction rates. 

Sending product surveys to current customers about their product experiences can be beneficial because product marketers will learn how customers use the product, as well as product changes that might be needed. 

Question tips: – Focus on product features and benefits to solicit product-related feedback from customers before product launch. – Use questions such as: “What do you like most about our product?” “What product features would you like improved?”

1 Month Out

Create a Product Landing Page 

A product landing page is a long-lead product promotion that provides product marketers with the opportunity to create hype and product buzz online before product launch. The product landing page is a lead source for future product marketing efforts, such as webinars or product announcements. Landing page tips: – Partner with product review influencers to provide product information, product images and product videos to build excitement on product landing pages before product launch. – Create webinars to introduce the product to the marketplace.

 

Conduct Product Demos 

Product demonstrations are an easy way for product marketers to share product product information. Host product demo for your influencers and journalists, giving them a chance to ask questions live. Product marketers should gain product product knowledge before product demos in order to answer product review blogger questions about product features and benefits. Question tips: – Provide product demo websites that will provide product information when product review bloggers want to learn more after the product launch. Record your launch demos for use in future outreach campaigns. 

 

Product launch timelines can be extended and compressed, but keep in mind, successful product launches require collaboration and creativity, so giving yourself the time to have a successful launch pays dividends. Contact us regarding the specifics to your product launch.

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Google’s Latest Product Review Update Means for Consumer Products PR

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Google once again updated its Product Review Update for 2022. Google’s Product Review Update and consumer PR are closely tied. Yet, for many CMOs and PR people, this update falls below the radar, but it has big implications for consumer products, consumer tech and household goods PR, SEO, and marketing, so it’s important to pay attention. Last year, we covered Google’s views on product reviews too, so if you read last year’s piece, some of this may sound familiar.

[5 minute read]

The April 2021 Google PRU provided these guidelines for reviews and consumer PR:

  • Express expert knowledge about products where appropriate? 
  • Show what the product is like physically, or how it is used, with unique content beyond what’s provided by the manufacturer?
  • Provide quantitative measurements about how a product measures up in various categories of performance?
  • Explain what sets a product apart from its competitors?
  • Cover comparable products to consider, or explain which products might be best for certain uses or circumstances?
  • Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of a particular product, based on research into it?
  • Describe how a product has evolved from previous models or releases to provide improvements, address issues, or otherwise help users in making a purchase decision?
  • Identify key decision-making factors for the product’s category and how the product performs in those areas? For example, a car review might determine that fuel economy, safety, and handling are key decision-making factors and rate performance in those areas.
  • Describe key choices in how a product has been designed and their effect on the users beyond what the manufacturer says?

 

What Will Google’s Product Review Changes Mean for 2022?

No doubt, Google’s PRU and consumer PR play in the same sandbox. Savvy editors will look at their product coverage with fresh eyes because this can be a huge impact to large publications with lots of reviews content. Today’s editors are more than content strategists, they’re expected to incorporate SEO considerations into their coverage as well. In the April 2021 Google Product Review Update (PRU), Google announced it would reward in-depth review articles that showed extensive knowledge of the product and context on its usefulness.

This year, it also strongly suggested that it will favor coverage that includes the writer’s own experience with the product – this could be a photos, videos, or other evidence to reinforce the product review expertise and authenticity. Google ALSO wants reviews to provide multiple sales links so the consumer can purchase at the merchant of their choice. This is reasonably good news for DTC products since they will now have a higher likelihood that they will include their URL alongside other purchasing options.

 

Earned Media: Help Journalists and Influencers Be Product Experts

The more you can do to make a journalist or influencer an expert, the better your earned media will be and the happier editors will be to include your products. For CPG companies or consumer tech companies, this means product samples should include in-depth tips that highlight product features and use cases so the reviewer can get to work quickly by experiencing the product. It’s tempting to just throw a product into a shipment the same way you do with consumers – but keep in mind, your customers have already researched your product. Developing B-roll for the product is key also, this allows your reviewer to create high-quality product video quickly. Your customers probably already KNOW the features and comparisons, but a journalist or influencer may not. We’re recommending that companies with a PR sample program get really smart about their PR sample kits. Media kits should also include several links, including major sites with affiliate programs, like Amazon. Take advantage of Google’s Product Review Update for your consumer PR.

 

Paid Coverage: Don’t Lean Too Heavily on Thin Affiliate Content

In April 2021, Google warned that thinly reviewed affiliate links would have even less authority than before – site reviews have proven. Yes, links matter, but if the entire site’s SEO depends on low-quality links, then their content and the site will not receive the much-coveted Google authority. For CPG or consumer tech or household goods brands, this is really important, because historically, your SEO and PR team would work together for affiliate links and product placement. But affiliate links will continue to be relevant for media outlets looking to diversify their revenue streams, so if you haven’t already, make sure you’re providing journalists with an affiliate link too.

Owned Media & Paid Media: Comparison Charts for the Win

It might seem counter-intuitive, but the more you can provide content as to how your product compares, the more likely your product is to be included. This is especially important for consumer product companies who are up against major household names. And if your product is well-suited to a particular niche, this is the time to exploit that. Remember, providing the context saves huge time for the journalists and makes it much easier for them to create multiple product reviews for your product.

On your website, consider these tips for your product pages too. You can’t be too helpful for Google.

Paid Media: Incorporate Branded Content Accordingly

For both your earned and owned media, keep these updates in mind to ensure your content stays fresh in the eyes of Google. Whether that’s a press release or a blog post or sponsored content, do yourself a favor and incorporate both 2021 PRU updates. And think ahead. What Google is trying to do is ensure search results match intent (informational vs. buying, for example), match the searcher’s desires. Take the high road on content – make it useful, contextual, and keep your buyer’s customer journey in mind. If your content is for those on the early side of the buying decision, then make sure your content answers common questions for early-stage buyers, if your content is for those who are ready to buy, be sure to incorporate those keywords as well. If you think ahead and remember your customer’s intent matters a lot to Google, your content can pay dividends for years to come. Regardless of who is creating the content, be sure you include keywords and the overall strategy of the document to the writer. A decade ago, SEO content could be reasonably low-quality content, so long as it was jammed with keywords. Since then, Google has been signaling its desire for high-quality content, and it’s been doubling down on that every year – product pages and product reviews are no exception. Now isn’t the time to take a shortcut.

 

2022 will be a big year for a lot of consumer products as the supply chain (hopefully) loosens up, so stay attuned to Google and make sure your SEO and PR are coordinating intentions and content. Contact us today to incorporate these important digital considerations into your PR.

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