PR News Q&A With Raytheon’s Corinne Kovalsky: The Keys to Increasing Twitter Engagement

Corinne Kovalsky

By now you know that building a following on Twitter takes more than broadcasting content and retweeting. According to Corinne Kovalsky, director, digital and social media for defense technology company Raytheon, brands must be authentic and personable to successfully engage with customers, employees, the media and other key stakeholders in the Twittersphere. Kovalsky will elaborate on engaging stakeholders, building a following and sharing content on Twitter at PR News’ Digital PR Summit on Oct. 5 in New York City. Kovalsky, along with Burson-Marsteller’s Dallas Lawrence and Cision’s Heidi Sullivan, will speak on the panel How to Make Twitter the Ultimate PR Platform.”

PR News: What are the key elements of an effective PR strategy for Twitter?

Corinne Kovalsky:
Talk, don’t sell. Inform, don’t use Twitter as a propaganda tool. Use humor, and be both responsive and sensitive to breaking news and current events. Engage, and don't forget to say thank you. Share quality content.

PR News: What are the best ways to keep fans engaged through your brand’s Twitter account?

Kovalsky:
Be authentic and personable. Maintain a consistent brand voice. Be dependable. Share different types of content to reach the different audiences present on Twitter, including job seekers, analysts and investors, journalists, community partners and employees. If relevant news is breaking, be present and engaged in the conversation.

PR News: Many B2B organizations are hesitant to jump into social media. Why do you feel Twitter is the right platform for Raytheon and how have you been successful?

Kovalsky:
We live in a world of information overload, and Twitter enables digestible content. By virtue of the character restriction, you have to get to the point and use links to amplify your story content. You can also use your feed as an aggregator that lets followers know at a glance what’s important to the company at any given moment in time.

PR News: How would you describe your content strategy? How often are you posting new content and engaging with your followers?

Kovalsky:
Our content strategy is news and event driven. During our premier annual air show, for instance, we are very active on Twitter because we have a lot to share and we want to engage with attendees and non-attendees alike. Otherwise, we use Twitter to break news and share feature content, and to talk with our followers. We also enjoy sharing great content from other tweeps.

PR News: How many staffers are assigned to social media and how much time are you spending a day on Twitter efforts?

Kovalsky:
Right now, our tweet team is made up of seven individuals. Two of them have distinct “beats” while the other five tend to be generalists. The time spent on Twitter varies by day depending on what’s happening in the Twittersphere and how we can contribute to the conversation.

PR News: What’s one key tip you’ll give to our audience at PR News’ Digital PR Summit?

Kovalsky:
I’m an advocate of scalable social media. You don’t have to boil the ocean to be successful. You shouldn’t take on too much at once because you need to maintain your level of engagement and commitment to your chosen platform.

Attend PR News’ Digital PR Summit on October 5 in New York City and learn more from digital leaders like Corinne Kovalsky.