Public Relations Insights

Social Networking: Why You Should Be Judicious

2008-07-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are increasingly popular. This article from FOX News demonstrates one of many reasons why you should be judicious in using sites like Facebook: Facebook Pics Send Partier to Jail.

(judicious: using or showing judgment as to action or practical expediency)

Trends: Newspaper Industry Facing Difficulties

2008-07-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

Those of us in the public relations profession are well advised to stay abreast of trends in the media. With that in mind, these articles related to the newspaper industry caught my attention:

Atlanta Journal-Constitution will cut staff, tighten operations (Cox News Service): "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will cut its work force by about 8 percent, or 189 jobs, and eliminate all of its geographically targeted news sections as part of a cost-cutting plan. The moves come amid an advertising revenue slump that has ravaged the newspaper industry and has been made worse by rising costs for fuel and newsprint."

Gannett second-quarter profit falls by 36 percent, revenue falls (Editor & Publisher): "Gannett Co., the nation's largest newspaper publisher, on Wednesday reported a 36% drop in second-quarter earnings as the newspaper industry's woes caused a sharp decline in revenue."

This news comes in the wake of previous reports which demonstrate an increase in online advertising. From Reuters (March 28, 2008): Online newspaper ad spending up 19 pct in 2007.

It is clear that the Internet is becoming an increasingly powerful player as a news source. According to an August 2007 study by Rasmussen Reports: "Americans over 50 name television as the best way to get news and information in today’s world. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that adults under 40 name the Internet as the best source while 40-somethings are divided between those two worlds. Print newspapers are considered the best source for many senior citizens but hardly anybody else. "

It's a brave new world, and we in the public relations profession would be well advised stay ahead of the curve when it comes to trends such as these.

BusinessWeek Article: Five Don'ts for Marketing in Tough Times

2008-07-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

This article from BusinessWeek's Web site is worth reading.

Two highlights:

"The most important thing is to keep your wits about you and not succumb to five common mistakes companies often make when times get tough."

"If you're smart, you've managed your balance sheet well and can ride out a period of slow or no growth. If not, you may have to make some cuts. Just be careful to trim fat and avoid cutting muscle as much as possible. Marketing is muscle, not fat. Be careful about cutting it."

Read on...

Article by Jay Conrad Levinson: What Marketing Is and Is Not

2008-07-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

This is an excellent article by Jay Conrad Levinson, author of Guerrilla Marketing.

A few highlights from the article:

"Marketing is any contact that your business has with anyone who isn't a part of your business."

"Don't think that because you're advertising, you're marketing. There are more than 200 forms of marketing. Advertising is one of them."

"Many companies run a phonebook ad and figure that takes care of their marketing. In 5 percent of the cases, that's the truth. In the other 95 percent, it's a disaster of marketing ignorance."

"Marketing is not a miracle worker."

The Conversation of You on the Web

2008-07-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a discussion entitled The Conversation of You on the Web. The discussion, which was sponsored by the Business Alliance at the Cardinal Club in Raleigh, focused on the increasing prominence of "social media" such as LinkedIn and Facebook and the importance of your personal online presence on the Web.

During the event I distributed a one-page flier to attendees; the contents of that flier are inserted below. The information below is by no means an exhaustive list of strategies and tactics for an effective Web 2.0 presence; it is simply intended to provide a list of basic principles to consider as you get your feet wet.

The Conversation of You
Branding Yourself and Your Business on the Web

Key Principles

- Have a Vision / Goals. In an ideal world, what would your personal online presence look like? What message do you want to communicate? How do you want to position yourself and your business? Who should be able to find you? When do you want to be found (i.e. do you want to be found by people searching for a certain service in a certain situation)?

- Know Where You Stand. Assess your personal online presence. What results appear when you Google yourself? Does your online presence communicate the message you want it to communicate? What do you need to change?

- Be Pro-Active. Take the bull by the horns and pro-actively work to build the online presence you need. Pro-actively generate and publish content which reinforces your desired personal and professional brands. Make sure that content is published in places which can be found by Google and other search engines.

- Be Professional. If you blog, write articles or otherwise generate content on the Web, be professional. Make sure it’s well written, and make sure there are no typos.

- Don’t Sabotage Yourself. Anything you write or post on the Web can (and will) be found by people outside of your intended audience. Opinions, blog comments, letters to the editor, seemingly innocent photos, etc. can be found by important people, taken out of context and undermine your desired online brand.

- Stay on Top of Things. Regularly monitor your online brand. Google offers a simple tool, Google Alerts, that can help you do so. Set up Google Alerts to e-mail you any time your name or your company’s name pops up in a blog, news article or elsewhere on the Web.

- Be Active. Join online networking sites such as LinkedIn. Establish a strong, credible, professional presence on those sites.

- Be Consistent. Make sure your online brand is consistent with your overall brand.

- Integrate. Find ways to integrate different online branding tools. For example, entries from an external blog can be automatically imported into the “Notes” section of a Facebook profile.

- Know the Medium. Web 2.0 is more interactive and more conversational than most traditional marketing. Give others a chance to engage with you.

Quotes from Peter Drucker and Paul "Bear" Bryant

2008-07-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

I recently finished reading Bear Bryant, CEO, written by Richard Truman, and am currently reading The Effective Executive, written by Peter Drucker. Below are two quotes I found during the course of my reading:

"Formations don't win games, players do. You've got to have chicken to make chicken salad. The players' abilities dictate what you do."
- Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

"Executives who do not manage themselves for effectiveness cannot possibly expect to manage their associates and subordinates."
- Peter Drucker

I will continue to share relevant quotes from these and other books as I come across them. If you would like to receive quotes via e-mail, please click here.

Balance: Taking Time for Yourself

2008-06-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

From the June 2008 issue of The Pioneer Strategist:

This month's column ventures off the beaten path, but I believe the topic to be an important one. The topic is balance -- something that often seems like an impossible dream for many of us.

Balance can be defined as "a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc."

Unfortunately, this kind of balance is all too rare in the business world. Many businesspeople, especially business owners, with whom I come into contact feel like their workdays -- and their work lives -- are spinning out of control. They find themselves working an inordinate amount of the time. They are always stressed and always exhausted. They are always on the go and always burning the candle at both ends. They feel like they are always responding to whatever comes up next. They feel spread too thin. They rarely take time for themselves. This list could go on and on...

This kind of work-life imbalance eventually takes its toll. It impacts workers' families and health. It impacts job satisfaction.

From an employer's perspective, it also impacts productivity. If you are worn out and frazzled, your work will suffer. Your accuracy and efficiency will suffer. Your creativity will suffer.

If you are to be at your best, it is important to take some time for yourself. I write this from the perspective of someone who spent last week out of the office, on vacation at the beach (the photo below was taken at sunset over the sound at Topsail Beach on Friday, June 27).

Take some time for yourself. Set aside time to:
- Spend uninterrupted, quality time with loved ones
- Do something you enjoy that has nothing to do with work
- Read
- Think, strategize & plan without interruptions
- Rest & recharge

Taking time away from the "busyness" of the daily rat race will enable you to clear your head, clarify your thoughts and recharge your batteries. It will improve your business, and it will improve your life. As Stephen Covey said in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, this is "sharpening the saw."

At first glance, taking time for yourself may seem like time wasted -- but it is in fact an investment in your long-term effectiveness and happiness.

Recommended Reading:
Ordering Your Private World, by Gordon MacDonald

Quotes on Seizing Opportunity

2008-06-17T05:51:00.000-07:00

From this week's installment of Pioneering Quotes:

"Many people are able to recognize an opportunity after it's already passed them by. That's pretty easy. But seeing opportunities coming, that's a different matter. Opportunities are seldom labeled. That's why you have to learn what they look like -- and how to seize them."
- John C. Maxwell, "Your Road Map For Success"

"The reason so many people never get anywhere in life is because when opportunity knocks, they are out in the backyard looking for four-leaf clovers."
- Walter P. Chrysler

Article: Formal Writing Takes a Hit

2008-04-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

According to this article from today's edition of The News & Observer, "despite best efforts to keep school writing assignments formal, two-thirds of teens admit in a survey that emoticons and other informal styles have crept in." The study can be found here.

The article also says that "teens who keep blogs or use social-networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace have a greater tendency to slip nonstandard elements into assignments."

In a nutshell, the article says that an increasing number of students fail to distinguish between formal and informal writing. I am certain that this drives their teachers nuts. I am equally certain that a failure to properly distinguish between formal and informal writing could have consequences down the road.

If you are a student, take notice: your writing skills may impact your ability to obtain a job -- especially if you are seeking employment in a professional, white collar setting. If your cover letter or resume are poorly written, they will make a less than favorable first impression on your potential employer. If you correspond with a potential employer via e-mail, treat that e-mail as a formal letter.

If a potential employer is looking for someone who conveys professionalism and makes a good first impression, the kind of slip-ups described in this article could be enough to remove you from consideration for the job.

Details matter. A detail that you view as insignificant may be important enough to a potential employer for them to disqualify you from consideration for a position. In my view, it is always best to err on the side of formality.

Olympics: Public relations nightmare on horizon

2008-04-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

This article highlights a developing situation that will be interesting to observe from a public relations perspective: a public relations quandary facing the International Olympic Committee as the Bejing Olympics approach.

Interesting article on "results-driven" PR

2008-04-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

Today I stumbled upon this article by Jason Kelly of Blah Blah PR, located in Shipley, West Yorkshire in England. The article makes some interesting points about what the author views as increasingly important trends in the public relations profession.

In the article, Kelly says that "a new breed of PR agency has sprung up pushing aside traditional PR agencies, boasting results-based services under the banner of performance-led delivery." He adds that "the public relations industry has had to adapt in order to not only re-establish its own reputation as a usable service, but also to show that the art or science of public relations can actually support modern-day business operations."

Later in the article Kelly adds, "How can agencies expect to form long-term relationships with their clients if they don’t actually support their clients’ bottom-line?"

I agree with Mr. Kelly's basic premise that public relations must support a business' overall organizational vision and operations. In fact, this concept underscores the foundation of Pioneer Strategies' philosophy.

From our Web site: "We believe that your public relations program should be designed to move your organization in the direction of your overall vision. You don't 'do PR' for the sake of PR; you do it to achieve your overall organizational objectives. With that in mind, we believe that every public relations activity should be designed to help you achieve a larger organizational goal."

This is why we place such great emphasis on strategy and planning. A solid, well-thought-out public relations strategy will help ensure that your PR program is aligned with your overall business plan and that it helps make your vision become a reality.

A Social Media Land Mine

2008-04-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

Social media sites like MySpace and Facebook are becoming increasingly popular. They are also becoming increasingly relevant to public relations practitioners and other businesspeople.

If you have a MySpace or Facebook profile, you should consider the fact that any information you post that may be seen by others could come back to haunt you. If you are a company officer, it could also impact your company -- which could in turn impact your employment situation and future marketability.

For a case in point, check out this post on The News & Observer's Under the Dome blog. The Dome post focuses on the fact that a candidate for public office listed the "Potsmokers Club" as an activity on his MySpace page. Regardless of whether the group's name is an accurate reflection of its activities, the fact that it was listed on this candidate's MySpace page could create a less-than-ideal perception of him and his candidacy -- one I'm sure he would prefer to avoid.

Social media sites like MySpace and Facebook can be powerful tools for networking and connecting your business with key constituencies. If you're not careful, they can also trip you up. Use them wisely.

Article: Tips for Marketing Your Service Business

2008-03-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

This article by Kim Gordon from Entrepreneur.com (via MSNBC) provides a few insightful tips for marketing service businesses.

Some highlights:

- From the introduction: "The very word 'service' implies a more personal interaction." The introductory paragraph goes on to say that marketing campaigns for service businesses should emphasize building strong relationships with clients.

- The article says that "good relationships are built on trust," adding that you should let your customers get to know you.

- The article adds that you should compete based on value, meaning that you should seek to deliver a greater value than your chief competitors. I would add that it is important to understand that value doesn't necessarily mean the lowest price -- it means delivering the greatest benefit in return for the client's investment.

- The article also underscores the importance of keeping in touch with existing customers and points out that "it costs considerably less to keep a customer than to win a new one."

Click here to read the full article.

Trends in the newspaper industry

2008-03-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

These two articles offer insight into trends impacting the newspaper industry:

Print newspaper revenues take biggest plunge on record

Online Newspaper Advertising Up 19 Percent

Honesty in PR

2008-02-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

Honesty is one of the keys to an effective long-term public relations campaign. By that, I mean that your organization's message must be an accurate reflection of your organization's character and performance.

Simply put, building credibility is one of the goals of every public relations program, and credibility is rooted in trust. Once you break that trust, it is difficult to regain.

For example, you would be ill-advised to market yourself as being an expert in a particular field unless you really are an expert in that field. If you falsely hold yourself out as an expert on a particular topic, you will be labeled as dishonest and disingenuous once your cover is blown. That kind of negative reputation is difficult to overcome.

As author John Maxwell said on page 201 of Talent is Never Enough, "character communicates consistency." On page 202 of the same book, Maxwell adds: "While one may be able to make an impression with 'trappings, ' the real person always comes through in the end. Impressions are like shadows -- they disappear when a strong enough light is shone on them." He adds, "Character shows that who you are and who you appear to be are one and the same, and that is the first key to greatness."

A few thoughts on this issue:

"What you do thunders so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Character is the sum total of all our everyday choices."
- Margaret Jensen

“No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.”
- Abraham Lincoln

“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.”
- John Wooden

“Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.”
- Margaret Thatcher

Navy SEALS "Footprints" Commercial

2008-02-02T17:15:00.001-08:00

I love this ad. It speaks volumes without saying a word.

Details: One Word Can Make a Big Difference

2008-01-30T20:53:00.000-08:00

Words matter. When it comes to public relations writing, one word can make a big difference. One word can change the meaning or impact of a sentence. A poorly chosen word can undermine your message. In some situations, a poorly chosen word can have legal implications.

A story in the news today offers an interesting example. As those who follow politics know, former U.S. Senator John Edwards (D-NC) announced today that he is suspending his campaign for the Democratic nomination for president.

Notice the word "suspending." In the minds of many of us, that would seem to be the same as withdrawing. However, his word choice has important implications.

According to a post on Under the Dome (The News & Observer's political blog), a top Democratic Party official said that "candidates who withdraw from the race at this point lose some of their delegates to the national convention, while those who suspend keep them."

In a subsequent post, Dome reported that "an Edwards campaign spokesman said that the reason for the suspension was financial, since it allows him to continue paying staffers and take care of the books."

Regardless of the reason for his word choice, this situation demonstrates the importance of choosing your words wisely.

Who owns your domain name?

2008-01-27T17:08:00.000-08:00

Over the past couple of years I've assisted a number of small business and non-profit clients with their Web sites. During that time one challenge keeps popping up: many of the clients don't know who owns their domain name.

In one instance, a non-profit client had already lost one domain name when the person who was handling their Web site left the organization. They were forced to establish a new Web site on a new domain -- a challenge that obviously inhibited their online marketing efforts. This could have been averted if the domain had been registered to the organization rather than that individual.

In another instance, a client was moving their Web site from one host to another. During that process they discovered that their domain was owned by the person who had been hosting the site. His personal e-mail was listed as the primary e-mail address, not the company's e-mail address. Fortunately, we were able to contact the person in question and make the transition with no problem. However, it is important to note that this transition might not have been as smooth had the person who owned the domain been at odds with his employer or my client.

These are but two instances of a problem that seems to keep popping up as I work with small business clients. The Internet has become an increasingly important piece of your marketing mix, and your domain name is too important to risk losing.

A word to the wise: make sure your domain name is owned by your company and that you have accurate records in case you ever need to transfer it to a new host. If you aren't sure who owns your domain, now is a good time to find out.

Blogging: A Low-Cost, High Return Marketing Tool

2007-12-30T15:22:00.000-08:00

From the New York Times: TO its true believers at small businesses, it is a low-cost, high-return tool that can handle marketing and public relations, raise the company profile and build the brand. That tool is blogging, though small businesses with blogs are still a distinct minority. A recent American Express survey found that only 5 percent of businesses with fewer than 100 employees have blogs. Other experts put the number slightly higher. more...

Sad, but not surprising

2007-12-30T14:42:00.000-08:00

During the course of my business I deal with a number of Web developers. I recently e-mailed one of them to find out what options they offered for tracking Web traffic statistics for a site hosted on their server.

The short answer was "none."

Here is part of the longer answer, copied verbatim from his e-mail: "You are the only person this entire calendar year who has even asked for anything to do with stats, and based on my 7 year experience with clients it is a very very low priority for anyone based on the licensing fees and effort to keep the package running correctly."

It is sad that so few business owners monitor their Web traffic, but not surprising.

I have several sites for which I analyze traffic statistics at least once a month. In relation to the particular site about which I was inquiring, it is critical that we be able to analyze the number of visits the site gets and the number of times certain files are downloaded. This will enable us to quantify the effectiveness of several upcoming public relations campaigns which will direct people to the site. Given the nature of those campaigns, we would have no way to quantify their results without the ability to track our Web statistics.

As an aside, rather than rationalizing why tracking statistics seems to be a "very very low priority" for his other clients, it would have been more beneficial if the developer had focused on helping identify a solution for what is obviously a high priority for me and my client. I wound up sending him a solution I recommended -- which seems a bit backward. But that's a whole separate column...

I have a few thoughts on this issue:

1. If you have a Web site, monitor your traffic (if you don't have a Web site, get one)! The Internet is becoming an increasingly important marketing medium, and it helps to know what kind of traffic your site is getting. Measurement is important. If your site gets one visit a month, you need to find ways to increase traffic. If your site gets 50,000 visits a month but isn't generating the kind of results you desire, you may need to modify the site's content, functionality or call to action. If your site is getting 100 visits a month and you are getting 50 quality sales leads a month from your site, imagine what might happen if you increased traffic! However, you won't know these things if you don't know what kind of traffic your site is getting.

2. If your Web host has never mentioned the idea of monitoring your traffic, ask them. If they don't offer a statistics solution, ask them to add one. If they will not do so, you should consider switching to a different host that will meet your needs.

3. In this specific case, I believe the Web developer would be well-served to educate his clients on the importance of monitoring traffic (assuming he views it as important -- which is debatable). Further, he would be well-served to offer his clients a solution for monitoring and increasing traffic. Perhaps monitoring statistics is a low priority with his clients because he has never taken the time to educate them on its importance. A truly proactive trusted advisor doesn't wait for his or her clients to ask for things such as this -- they educate clients on why they are important.

The Best Local Ad Campaign of 2007: No Badgers

2007-12-30T14:16:00.000-08:00

In June I posted an entry about Johnson Automotive's "No Badgers" TV ad campaign.

In a comment on that post, a person who indicated that he has produced car dealer ads offered his view on why he thought the campaign was destined to fail. His take: "Again, you don't see the cars Johnson Lexus is selling, instead a rodent is blabbering most of the time. When the Johnson Lexus ad campaign ends it will not have increased car sales that much. Most people will vaguely remember some badgering rodent and then press the mute button."

I disagreed then, and I disagree now. I believe the badger ads are the best -- and most brilliant -- local ads the Triangle has seen in 2007. By far.

Over the past month I have been at 8 or 10 different events -- social events, not business events -- at which the badger ads have come up in conversation. People know the ads, they like them, and they know who the ads are intended to promote. One of the guys actually goes out of his way to watch them on YouTube!

One key point: the ads are not just selling cars -- they are selling an experience. The experience is one in which the would-be car buyer can shop in peace, without being "badgered" by the stereotypical car salesmen that we all seem to loathe. The badger's antics tend to trigger an emotional response among would-be car buyers who have experienced that kind of... well, badgering... in real life. The campaign is funny, memorable, and it makes its point. That's why it is working.

Merry Christmas from Pioneer Strategies

2007-12-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
- Isaiah 9:6

Ask an Expert: Web ads are an amazing marketing tool

2007-12-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

From USA Today (by Steve Strauss): Ask an Expert: Web ads are an amazing marketing tool

Article: Success Starts With a Good Marketing plan

2007-12-04T05:48:00.000-08:00

This article by Dr. Maureen Stephenson was recently published in the Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

A few observations:

From the article: One of the biggest mistakes a new business entrepreneur often makes is not earmarking enough time and effort toward marketing and advertising. Notice that I didn't say "money" because while marketing doesn't have to cost a fortune, what is critical is that you have and implement a plan.

Our view: Planning is key. Planning empowers you to leverage your resources for maximum impact. If you are a small business that has limited resources, planning is critical.

From the article: Starting a new business is like being alone in the darkroom, you know you're there but nobody else does.

Our thought: Well stated!

The article goes on to outline the basic components Dr. Stephenson believes should be included in your plan. She also lists three "shoestring ground rules" and a few shoestring marketing methods.

Our closing thought: This article is worth reading.

Downtown Smithfield Makes YouTube Its Ad Outlet

2007-11-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

This article from WRAL.com describes how the Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation is using YouTube to promote downtown Smithfield, N.C. This is an excellent example of a creative way to use social marketing media for marketing and public relations purposes.