Monday, June 30, 2008

Public Relations For A Pool Service Company

Writen by Lance Winslow

A pool cleaning business can be a very lucrative business and yet getting clientele may not be so easy. It takes work, networking and a strong referral base to build up such a business. One good way to help build strong pool cleaning routes is by innovative public relations strategies. How so you ask?

Well consider if you will a pool cleaning service, which joins a Neighborhood Mobile Watch Patrol in their community. It makes perfect sense you see;

POOL SERVICE COMPANIES: Most of these small business people have on average 45 pools on their weekly routes. Some are commercial such as hotels, and apartment complexes, but most are residential, thus bringing them into many neighborhoods each week. Some pool companies have up to 70 pools on their routes. This is a maximized route and these are veteran pool cleaners. A pool person may be in 5-10 different housing tracts or neighborhoods during a weeks time. They will get a pretty good sense of the areas they work and the kinds of people that live there, this makes it easy for them to spot something out of place. Pool Service companies are great for you program, so find as many of these people as you can.

By using the already existing business model it is easy to develop community goodwill in this way without spending a lot of money. Public relations made simple through a neighborhood watch program. Consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Great Public Relations Keywords To Generate More Pr Sales Leads

Writen by Tino Buntic

If you are a public relations professional you know that created a website for your business is easy. Drawing visitors to your site to generate PR leads is the difficult part.

Perhaps you are choosing the wrong keywords to focus on. "PR" and "public relations" are both searched for on the internet almost 30,000 per month. It would be great if your public relations company website ranked well for these keywords. But the bottom line is that there is just too much competing businesses vying to rank well on these searches that it's virtually impossible for any one site to rank well.

What you need to do for your public relations company website to rank well and generate more PR sales leads is to choose more specific keywords. That is, keywords that, more specifically, describe the services that you offer.

I've created a short list of good PR keywords that get a good number of searches but, relatively, don't have as much competition for search engine positioning, making it easier to generate more PR leads. These are just examples but you should choose keywords that specifically describe what you specialize in.

  • Chicago public relations
  • Dallas business publicist
  • Business media marketing
  • Doing radio interviews
  • Press release writing
  • Free business publicity
  • Professional PR companies
  • Manipulating the media
  • Newspaper publicity campaign
  • Getting media attention

Notice how my first two sets of keywords included cities? This is good to do as you would capture PR sales leads from people doing local searches. Include the city that your firm is in, be it New York, Toronto, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver, Montreal, Phoenix, or whichever city your firm may be situated in.

Tino Buntic is the creator of http://www.trade-pals.com. TradePals provides qualified sales leads without cold calling or propecting to business professionals, entrepreneurs, and freelancers across The United States and Canada - for free!

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Why The Usual Pr Doesnt Cut It

Writen by Robert A. Kelly

How could it when so many business, non-profit, government agency and association managers apparently believe public relations is all about creating some publicity by moving a message from one point to another using tactics like broadcast plugs, press releases and brochures?

When you think about it, that belief doesn't make a whole lot of sense when the managers who hold that view have such an obvious need for public relations that leads directly to achieving their managerial objectives.

I'm talking about public relations that really does something meaningful about the behaviors of those manager's important outside audiences that MOST affect the departmental, divisional or subsidiary unit they manage.

Perhaps most important, I refer to public relations that persuades those key outside folks to the managers' way of thinking by helping move audience members to take actions that help each manager's unit succeed.

With that kind of promise, how COULD the usual kind of tactical PR cut it?

Especially when PR's underlying premise further sweetens the promise: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is usually accomplished.

What they soon come to realize is that the right public relations planning really CAN alter individual perception and actually lead to changed behaviors among key outside audiences.

Should you count yourself among such managers, please remember that your PR effort must demand more than special events, news releases and talk show tactics if you are to receive the quality public relations results you believe you deserve.

And what a variety of results should come your way: politicians and legislators begin looking at you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures start showing up; welcome bounces in show room visits occur; capital givers or specifying sources begin to look your way; customers commence making repeat purchases; membership applications start to rise; prospects actually start to do business with you; and community leaders begin to seek you out.

Since they are already in the perception and behavior business, the PR pros on your staff can be of real use for your new opinion monitoring project. But be certain they really accept why it's SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. In the final analysis, be sure they believe that perceptions almost always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

During your planning sessions with the PR staff, cover your plans for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Ask questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the exchange? Are you familiar with our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Should someone suggest using a professional survey firm to do the opinion gathering work, be aware that it could cost considerably more than using those PR folks of yours in that monitoring capacity. So, whether it's your people or a survey firm asking the questions, the objective remains the same: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

Now you must call for action on the most serious problem areas you uncovered during your key audience perception monitoring. And that means setting a public relations goal. Will it be to straighten out that dangerous misconception? Correct that gross inaccuracy? Or, stop that potentially painful rumor dead in its tracks?

It is obvious that setting your PR goal means you must set an equally specific strategy that tells you how to get there. Only three strategic options are available to you when it comes to doing something about perception and opinion. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. The wrong strategy pick will taste like sorghum syrup on your anchovies. So be sure your new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. You certainly don't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a strategy of reinforcement.

Because you must prepare a persuasive message that will help move your key audience to your way of thinking, good writing becomes crucial. It must be a carefully-written message targeted directly at your key external audience. Assign the task to your very best writer because s/he must come up with really corrective language that is not merely compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to shift perception/opinion towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors you have in mind.

How will you carry your message to the attention of your target audience? By selecting the communications tactics most likely to reach those key folks. There are many such tactics available. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach people just like your audience members.

Because the WAY in which you communicate can affect the credibility and fragility of your message, you may wish to unveil your corrective message before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

No doubt you've anticipated that you will need to begin a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience in order to compare how far your public relations program has come. The need for such a progress report will cause you to use many of the same questions used in the benchmark session. But now, you will be on strict alert for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

Any slowdowns in the program should not be a source of concern since you can always speed things up by adding more communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies.

At the end of the day, what you will have done is marshall the resources and action planning needed to alter individual perception leading to changed behaviors among your most important outside audiences. During which, you will have helped persuade those key folks to your way of thinking, and moved them to take actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1225 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2006.

Bob Kelly counsels and writes for business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has published over 230 articles on the subject which are listed at EzineArticles.com, click Expert Author, click Robert A. Kelly. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.PRCommentary.com

Help Writing A Press Release

Writen by Kirk Gordon

Why You Should Write Press Releases:
A press release is another way of saying news release or an announcement. It's an easy and affordable way to get your message out to the public. It allows you to announce new products, services or improvements your company has made.

Other common reasons for writing press releases includes, but not limited to, generating more revenues, obtaining new customers and branding your business. Every business strive to make their company's name a household name, and submitting press releases is a great way to do so.

With the emergence of the internet businesses now have an easy way to submit their press releases to thousands of journalists and news papers world-wide, with the click of a mouse. Press release distribution services are becoming increasingly popular for both web-based and real-world based businesses.

How to Effectively Write a Press Release:
As I stated earlier, a press release is simply another name for "news" release. The first thing you must consider is weather you have "news" worthy information to announce. Journalists and editors are seeking interesting news that people want to know about.

Good press releases will generally answer who, what, where, when & why. A press release is often written in third person, and generally includes quotes form a company representative or customers where applicable. If a news editor thinks your submission is newsworthy, he or she will publish your release. However, if you fail to provide any essential information or your submission is not newsworthy, an editor will quickly move your news release to the bottom of the pile.

Editors and Journalists receives plenty of news releases each day. The easier you make it for them, the easier it becomes for your news release to be published. Think of it as "Your helping them" to "help you."

Formatting Your Press Release
A press release will include the Headline, Summary, and Body. For example, lets say you own a greenhouse business and you recently acquired hydroponics equipment to grow vegetables and herbs. You also will grow plants using organic nutrients or fertilizers. Below is an example press release for a business of this nature. You may follow the structure of the example, but written in your own words to reflect your business.

Headline:
A concise, catchy, understandable line of text to show what the news release is about.

- Farm Grows Organic Vegetables & Herbs Using Hydroponics.

Summary:
A concise body of text, generally a few sentences long, summarizing what the press release is about.

NY, New York – August 1st 2005 – Hydroponics is an advanced plant cultivation technique that grows plants bigger, healthier, and quicker than traditional soil applications because the plants will have constant access to required nutrients. Acme Inc. Co., will begin to produce their crops using this advanced cultivation technique along with organic fertilizer to grow high-quality, healthy produce.

Body:
The body is a continuation of the summary portion of the press release. This is where you give in-depth details regarding your announcement.

Acme Inc's VP, John Doe said "While it's more difficult to grow crops using hydroponics, the technique allows plants to grow more vigorously, healthy and reach peak-maturity quicker than with traditional soil application. We also save money on fertilizer and water because hydroponics recycles the nutrient solution. This will allow us to pass that savings on to our customers as well as provide them with fresh, tasty vegetables and herbs."

Hydroponics is an indoor cultivation technique. Acme Inc. plans on building three large-scale commercial greenhouse to produce vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, cilantro and basil. "To ensure a successful harvest, Acme Inc. will use computers to monitor the grow-room's temperature and the nutrient solution pH and E.C levels – All of which needs to be controlled precisely, to avoid complications to the plants' overall health and development." Said Mr. Doe.

Construction of the three greenhouses will begin December 1, 2005. Acme Inc. hopes to have the construction completed within one year to start providing organically grown crops to high-end restaurants, health-food stores and produce markets.

For more information visit Acme Inc. Co., web site at http://acme-whatever.com, by email at acme@acme-whatever.com or call 1-800-555-5555.

Article Courtesy of HydroponicSearch.com - Agriculture Press Release Distribution Service

Saturday, June 28, 2008

She Who Has The Gold

Writen by Robert A. Kelly

…makes the rules, of course.

But when the gold takes the form of top-notch public relations, she AND he get to make rules like these:

Our PR concentrates on delivering what we really need.

Our PR does something positive about the behaviors of those outside audiences that MOST affect our organization.

Our PR persuades those key outside people to our way of thinking, then moves them to take actions that allow our department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

In other words, our PR uses its fundamental premise to deliver external stakeholder behavior change, the kind that leads directly to achieving our managerial objectives.

And that fundamental premise? Here's what it looks like: People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired- action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

If you do just what we've covered so far, what kind of results might come your way? How about welcome bounces in show room visits; community leaders beginning to seek you out; membership applications on the rise; customers starting to make repeat purchases; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; prospects starting to do business with you; higher employee retention rates, capital givers or specifying sources beginning to look your way, and even politicians and legislators starting to view you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

But you had best get your public relations people involved by getting them on board this kind of approach to PR. Be sure everyone buys into why it's so important to know how your outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Be especially certain they accept the reality that negative perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can damage your organization.

Reason together about how you will monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

And do remember that your PR people are already in the perception and behavior business and can be of real use for this opinion monitoring project. Of course you can always use professional survey firms, but that can be a budget buster. However, whether it's your people or a survey firm who handles the questioning, the objective is to identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, and misconceptions .

Your next chore is identifying which of the problems outlined above becomes your corrective public relations goal – clarify the misconception, spike that rumor, correct the false assumption or fix a variety of other possible inaccuracies?

Fact is, you can meet that goal only when you select the right strategy from the three choices available to you. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. Picking the wrong strategy is about as cool as serving a meat and potatoes guy an asparagus and broccoli casserole with braised celery on the side. So please be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You wouldn't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

And now the toughest part of this job -- create a persuasive message aimed at members of your target audience. Always a challenge to put together action-forcing language that will help persuade any audience to your way of thinking.

Because s/he must create some very special, corrective language, be certain you have your best writer on the assignment. You need words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to shift perception/ opinion towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors you have in mind.

Happy to say that things get easier. Identify the communications tactics you need to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. Insuring that the tactics you select have a record of reaching folks like your audience members, you can pick from dozens that are available. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others.

As often is the case, the credibility of the message can be dependent on the credibility of its delivery method, you may wish to deliver it in small getogether-like meetings and presentations rather than through a higher-profile media announcement.

Requests for progress reports will probably be heard from various quarters. Let that signal to you that you and your PR team had best undertake a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. You'll want to use many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session. But now, you will be watching very carefully for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

And rest easy when things seem to be slowing down. These matters usually can be accelerated by adding more communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies.

The bottom line is, this workable public relations blueprint will help you persuade your most important outside stakeholders to your way of thinking, then move them to behave in a way that leads to the success of your department, division or subsidiary.

So, no matter who has the gold, the public relations rules that will best serve any business, non-profit or association manager read this way: the people you deal with do, in fact, behave like everyone else – they act upon their perceptions of the facts they hear about you and your operation. Leaving you not much choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions by doing what is necessary to reach and move your key external audiences to actions you desire.

end

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1190 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2005.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

Friday, June 27, 2008

How Marketingminded Financial Planners Get Publicity

Writen by Ned Steele

You've probably noticed, if you live on this planet, that we live in a media-driven world.

You may have mixed feelings, personally or philosophically, about this. But it's a fact of modern life. And in at least one very important way, it's good news.

This is how:

Living in a media-driven world is very good for professional practices, like financial planners. For anyone, in fact, who makes a living or runs an organization that is based on using their know-how or getting a message across.

Because if you fit any of these categories – and most people do, even many who work with their hands – you can get media coverage. Favorable, positive media publicity. Free publicity. And you can use that free publicity to build your practice.

Best of all, you don't have to resort to cheesy or tacky tactics to do it. You can do it responsibly and professionally. And still grow your business.

You're going to do it by using the very same expertise you tap into every day at work. Only instead of applying that expertise to your client, patient, or customer service, you're going to use it a little differently.

You're going to share your knowledge with the media – and through them with the public. With the people and businesses who will become tomorrow's clients.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

Becoming Your Own Publicist

Writen by Guy Vincent Harvey

When big businesses develop products or services, they hire publicists to promote them. The publicists' job is to organize a promotional camping. They provide a report or story to journalists in various forms of online and offline media. They're hired to promote and creating mass public interest. Making a small business perform on a grand scale is simple. By becoming your own publicist, you can promote the same way, leaving you competition in the dust.

First, make a list of potential contacts in forms media you'll target. In other words, find journalists. Good journalists are always hungrily looking for a unique story to write about. When you present them with one, they're more than happy to listen. You're making their job easier bringing a story to them and cutting their research time down. They often spend more time looking for a story to write about, than dong what they love, interviewing people and writing stories to publish!

You can find many find journalists working for local newspapers nation wide. Simply call local newspapers and ask to speak to the appropriate reporter. Then, fill them in on your story. However, don't give the complete story away at that moment. Create interest and schedule an appointment for the reporter to get your complete story.

You're actually setting up a press conference. When you spoke to each reporter, you gave then a convenient way to get your full story without leaving their office. How? By inviting them to your press conference that will take place on a teleconference call line. This way, you can invite hundreds of reporters to hear your story and interview you at once. You can find teleconference lines on the Internet at no cost. Just do a search for them.

When the press knows your story, it will create a buzz about your business and be printed in newspapers as a feature for people to read. Your business contact information will also be included in the newspaper article so people can contact your business. If 50 newspapers with a circulation of 30,000 readers per day print your story, 1,500,000 people will receive it in their newspaper. Of the 1,500,000 people, let's say that only 50,000 read your story. If of 50,000, only 2,000 contact your business, totaling 2,000 excellent quality leads, that's not bad.

This same technique used for exposure in magazines and other forms of media. Most have online and offline editions. When news is considered legitimate, it's taken more seriously that any advertisement you can buy.

Did I mention this would not cost one dime?

I publish the "Lead Generation Tips Weekly" newsletter. It's straight up newsletter with solid articles, tips, resources, and no outside ads. Take a look at it. If you don't like it, just unsubscribe. That was fairly straightforward.

Thanks for reading,

Guy Vincent Harvey,

"Lead Generation Tips Weekly" newsletter http://www.powercashmentor.com/newsletter.html

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Question Do You Control Your Units Pr

Writen by Robert A. Kelly

If you don't, it could be that those who do are actually preoccupied with moving messages from one point to another using simple tactics like broadcast plugs, brochures and press releases.

What's missing from that picture, of course, is you as a manager doing something meaningful about the behaviors of those important audiences who most affect the business, non-profit, government agency or association sub-unit you manage.

For example, the creation of the kind of external stakeholder behavior CHANGE that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives. As well as your follow-through in persuading those key outside folks to your way of thinking by helping move them to take actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

If true, there's a lot missing from your control and oversight.

Fortunately, the underlying premise on which public relations is based, is really proactive: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to- desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is usually accomplished.

The good news emanating from that premise is that the right public relations planning really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among your key outside audiences. But your PR effort must demand more than special events, news releases and talk show tactics if you are to receive the quality public relations results you believe you deserve. That way, you really will stand a good chance of getting the best public relations has to offer.

Employ that approach and the results you seek should soon come your way. For example, community leaders begin to seek you out; and prospects actually start to do business with you; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures begin showing up; customers starting to make repeat purchases; capital givers or specifying sources beginning to look your way; welcome bounces in show room visits occur; membership applications start to rise; politicians and legislators start looking at you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

It's obvious that the public relations staff itself can be of real use when you commence the new opinion monitoring project. After all, they are already in the perception and behavior business. But to be certain, determine if those PR folks really accept why it's SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. And this is really important: be sure they believe that perceptions almost always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Let's talk for a moment about your public relations plan. In everyone's best interests, go over it carefully with the public relations professionals on your team. Talk over how you plan to monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Try to ask questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the exchange? Are you familiar with our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Retaining professional survey firms will be proposed as the best way to do the opinion gathering work. But have no illusions about the added cost when compared to using your own PR staff. But whether it's your people or a survey firm asking the questions, the objective remains the same: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

Next we set an achievable goal addressing the most serious problem areas you uncovered during your key audience perception monitoring. Will it be to straighten out a dangerous misconception? Correct a gross inaccuracy? Or, stop a potentially painful rumor before it does more damage?

Because, a matching strategy is mandatory in order to show you how to reach that goal, we address it here. For better or worse, there are only three strategic options available to you when it comes to solving perception and opinion problems. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. But the wrong strategy pick will taste like sour orange marmalade on your Gnocchi. So be certain your new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. You certainly don't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a strategy of reinforcement.

Every public relations professional is painfully aware of how crucial good writing is to the business. And here, it's true once again as you face the reality that you must put together a persuasive message that will help move your key audience to your way of thinking. It should be a carefully-written message aimed directly at your key external audience. Hopefully, your best writer willingly accepts the assignment because s/he must produce language that is not merely compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if it is to shift perception/opinion towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors you have in mind.

As you consider those communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience, you'll be pleased to discover that there are many waiting for you. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

Keep in mind that the method by which you communicate your message will bear heavily on its credibility, which is always fragile. That's why you may wish to unveil your corrective message before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

As you measure the headway made in moving key audience perception, it will become clear that a second and comparative perception monitoring session will be needed. Those data will comprise your first progress report. Fortunately, you can use many of the same questions used in your benchmark session. But now, you will be watching for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

First-aid may be needed if momentum slows. And that suggests speeding up matters by either adding more communications tactics and/or increasing their frequencies, or both.

Maintaining control of your unit's public relations will confirm that, in fact, you really ARE doing something meaningful about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours that MOST affect the group, department, division or subsidiary you manage.

Then you'll know for certain that public relations is working well for you. Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1250 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2006.

Bob Kelly counsels and writes for business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has published over 200 articles on the subject which are listed at EzineArticles.com, click Expert Author, click Robert A. Kelly. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.PRCommentary.com

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Pr Your 500 Pound Gorilla

Writen by Robert A. Kelly

What else, for goodness sake, could you as a business, non-profit or association manager, call a heavy-duty helper who does something REALLY positive about the behaviors of those outside audiences of yours that most affect your organization?

And that uses the fundamental premise of public relations to deliver the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives?

And does it all by persuading those important outside folks to your way of thinking, moving them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed?

Man, that's one heavy workload for a very large monkey!

And here's the core message he brings to you. Your public relations effort must involve more than news releases, special events and brochures if you really want to get your money's worth. And, the right PR really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors that help you succeed.

Both points well-supported by a public relations blueprint that reads like this: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect your organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

What kind of payoff can you expect from such an approach to public relations? How about capital givers or specifying sources making inquiries; stronger relationships with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities; prospects starting to work with you as well as customers making repeat purchases; and improved relations with government agencies and legislative bodies.

Keep your pedal to the metal and you could see results like new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; new thoughtleader and special event contacts; membership applications on the rise; enhanced activist group relations, and expanded feedback channels; rebounds in showroom visits; and almost certainly, community service and sponsorship opportunities;

Like most managers, you want your most important outside audiences to have positive perceptions of your services and operations or products. Which is why every member of your PR support team must believe in what you are doing. It will also be very helpful if they accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Review the PR plan with them, especially how you will go about monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Certainly, the perception monitoring part of the effort can be handled by professional survey people IF you have the budget. Fortunately, however, you can always use your PR people who are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

With preparations complete, you need to set your public relations goal, one that deals with perception problems that developed during your key audience perception monitoring. The new goal will require that you straighten out that dangerous misconception, or correct that gross inaccuracy, or do something about that damaging rumor.

To show you how to reach the goal, you need a strategy. And there are three choices when it comes to doing something about a perception or opinion challenge: create perception where there may be none, change the perception, or reinforce it. By the way, if you select the wrong strategy, it will taste like fish sauce on your rhubarb. So be certain the new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. For example, you don't want to select "change" when reality dictates a "reinforce" strategy.

Some heavy writing needed here. In brief, some carefully targeted, corrective language. Language that is compelling, persuasive and believable AND clear and factual. There is little choice here. You must correct a damaging perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view, leading to the desired behaviors.

It's pick-your-own time when you and your PR group select the communications tactics most likely to carry your words to the attention of your target audience. You can pick from dozens that are available. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

By the way, experience shows that the credibility of a message can depend on how it's delivered. So you might want to introduce it to smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile tactics such as news releases or talk show appearances.

Experience shows that, by this time, all concerned will be chomping at the bit for a progress report. Which will signal you and your PR staff to return to the field for a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Using many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session, you'll now be alert for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

Occasionally, momentum will slow in which event you can always accelerate matters by using more communications tactics supported by increased frequencies.

Your 500 pound gorilla will be one happy simian when your data show that you have achieved the kind of key stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your department, division or subsidiary objectives.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.

Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations.

Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com; bobkelly@TNI.net

The Threemile Radius

Writen by David Handler

In last year's animated film Shrek II, a giant gingerbread man steps on a building and sends all the customers scurrying across the street. The name of the establishment they leave and the one they run into is "Farbucks" – poking fun at the fact that an unending stream of patrons appears willing to pay four bucks for a cup of coffee.

While it's an exaggeration to say there is one on every corner, since 1992, Starbucks has exploded from 192 locations to more than 9,000 worldwide, and will average four new store openings every day this year.

Starbucks isn't the only retailer attempting to create density in the marketplace. Walgreen's and CVS are popping up locations everywhere – usually across the street from each other, just like Lowe's and The Home Depot. In my small community, there are even two Shell stations on either side of the primary street; definitely a strategy of getting your customers coming and going.

As a small business owner, your challenges probably lie more in the area of finding new customers than in what area to open your new location. The first step in growing your business is to own the three-mile radius surrounding it. Before worrying about how to get folks from the other side of the city to do business with you, make sure you've taken the proper approaches to informing everyone who lives and works nearby that you are there for them.

There are many techniques for getting your name out to prospects, and you may already be utilizing some of them. Networking at community events is a great way to become visible to your potential customers. And don't be shy about asking your best customers to refer you to their friends and associates. Advertising in a local magazine is an excellent way to reach those in your target market. Direct Mail, billboards, Yellow Pages, radio/TV and even a magnetic sign hung on your car door are all proven forms of effective advertising.

An often overlooked marketing gem is public relations. Think of PR as free advertising…with one big difference. With advertising, you pay for the ad and control the message. When it comes to PR, a newspaper or magazine publishes a story about your company and charges you nothing, but they control the editorial content. Despite this important distinction, PR has the potential to send many new customers your way.

To get publicity for your business, write a press release containing your newsworthy information. Don't worry about making it fancy, just include the "Who, What, Where, When, Why and How" and your contact information. Find out the names of the editors of local publications who distribute in your three-mile radius such as the Tri-County News, Local Villager and Area Sun, then send them – by fax or e-mail – your press release. Be sure to follow up the next day with a phone call asking if they received it, and if there is any more information you can provide. They'll respect your determination and you'll rise to the top of their "possibilities" file.

Editors are always looking for news, but be aware they don't like press releases that appear to be promotions or sales pitches. One of the first things I learned in journalism school more than 25 years ago is "Dog bites man. No story. Man bites dog. That's news." Be creative in crafting your press releases. Start by thinking about yourself. What makes you unique?

One of our coaching clients is a former two-time individual world champion in his sport. When opening his business, he decided to separate the successful athlete of his youth from the aspiring business owner of his adulthood, so "people would take me more seriously." When we started working together, I immediately suggested he change that philosophy and capitalize on the champion angle. After sending out a few press releases, he started receiving many calls from editors who recognized the connection between perseverance as an athlete and a business owner. The ensuing articles led to speaking engagements at community events and, ultimately, to more customers.

The mythical kingdom in Shrek – home of Princess Fiona – is named Far Far Away, and some area businesses are able to attract customers from far away neighborhoods. The faux jewelry and fashion stores you would drive miles to visit are perfect examples, as are unique restaurants far far away. If your business doesn't fall into this category, remember to focus on owning your three-mile radius. There are plenty of potential customers within that circle just waiting for you to tell them how you will make things better for them.

Copyright © 2005 by Success Handler, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Coach, David Handler, is the founder of Success Handler, (http://www.successhandler.com), and specializes in helping small business leaders find clarity and take action. He understands the challenges of running a business, because he's been there – as a small business owner, franchisee, franchisor, corporate leader, and trainer. Much like sports coaches, his coaching will show you how to compete on a level playing field in your industry.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Media Training Interview Prep In An Era Of No Privacy 4 Steps To Avoid Becoming Media Roadkill

Writen by Lou Hampton

"Privacy?There is no privacy. Get over it!" That comment just a few years ago by Scott McNeely, then CEO of Sun Microsystems, stated a condition that most people did not want to hear. A truth they did not want to believe. And a situation most people refused to deal with.

But in the ensuing years it has become increasingly harder for people to keep their heads in the sand, especially if you are about to undergo media training for an interview with any investigative journalist. You should assume the reporter has details of your private life as well as your private business dealings. This is especially true if the issue your are being interviewed about has been involved in any civil or criminal litigation.

It used to be that only shows like 60 Minutes, 20/20, or Dateline, or select print journalists (Robert Woodward, and the late Jack Anderson, for example) created great discomfort, if not outright panic. on the part of subjects of their investigations. These reporters had the staff resources to do extensive and often time-consuming research to get the goods on an interviewee. They also often had the help of whistleblowers inside an organization to leak them negative information.

That exclusivity has changed. Now the internet has made access to "private" records available, easily and often at little cost. (A Wall Street Journal article, quoting Breit, Drescher & Imprevento PC, gave these figures: credit card transactions-$75; full list of assets-$295; list of brokerage accounts-$350.) It has also made public records easier to access. And practice of disaffected insiders to leak confidential memos and emails seems to continue to gain popularity. With these increased sources of information, even the lone freelancer can now become an investigative reporter with clout.

So how do you identify what issues you need to prepare for during media training?

  1. Find out what has already been said about you and your organization in the media. List the concerns and questions you will need to address. Here the internet works to your advantage; search engines make it easy to find this information.
  2. If you have already been interviewed on this or a related topic, list your quotes the reporters have used.
  3. Identify all reports, studies, internal memos (including emails), etc., that contain comments or recommendations contrary to your current position or that contain inflammatory, threatening, or pejorative words or phrases about the opponents. Even when supposedly said in jest, such language creates fodder for tough questions. And even though they were private, assume that the juiciest will be leaked.
  4. List any personal information (personal or business relationships, financial transactions, investments, contributions, memberships, etc.) that might be embarrassing or cause guilt by association.

Now, in conjunction with your media trainer and pubic relations counsel (and legal counsel if the issue is or likely will be litigated), go through the list and determine how you will respond to each issue. The aim is to be able to diffuse the issue so you can maintain your credibility, stay on message, and avoid becoming media roadkill.

Lou Hampton, the Media Training Guru, is president of The Hampton Group, Inc., a Washington, DC firm specializing in media training, speech coaching, and message development. To get our free report, "Staying On Message Using a 400-Year-Old Concept" go to www.hamptongroup.com/prcontact

Monday, June 23, 2008

Locating Free Public Service Radio Commercials For Your Organization

Writen by Scott Perreault

Every non-profit organization has the best of intent to promote and foster a greater good in our communities. The time spent raising dollars, dealing with administration tasks and actually helping people take precedent over the important component of advertising and promotion. Did you know that your local radio stations air commercials specifically about non-profit organizations for free?

Scott Radio has worked in the traditional radio industry for over twenty years and understands that the fact that each radio station is required as part of their license with the Federal Communications Commission to air public service programming. The reality is that few stations ever "sell out" all the available air time every day and thus have room to air public service commercial. The fact is few organizations take the time to have a well constructed and produced public service announcement (PSA) to take advantage of this unused "Free" airtime.

As a former radio station general manager, I know first hand how hard it was to find good "filler" commercials. I can tell you this, the PSA's that were quality, received enormous amounts of free airtime. works with many organizations to assist them in determining the elements required to make a quality message. Each organization has a smile it needs to share with the world.

Scott Perreault, CEO of Scott Radio, Inc. (http://www.scottradio.com) is a radio and narration voice veteran with over twenty years of broadcasting and voice work experience. From the writing, production and development of radio advertising and political campaigns to the recording of a two-hour audio book, Scott has experienced many facets of the voice business.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Hispanic Media Relations Training What To Do When Hispanic Media Call

Writen by Elena Del Valle

You are a spokesperson for your company, representing it for public speaking and media interviews. You are going about your everyday affairs, granting media interviews on a new product or service your company launched or a timely topic of general interest. All is going well and a Hispanic media representative calls. What should you do?

Should you respond to the request as you do with other general market requests? If you are wondering about the reach and importance of Latino media and Latino audiences nationwide, note that Hispanic buying power is estimated at around $600 billion a year and increasing rapidly. At the risk of stereotyping, remember Latinos are loyal buyers, especially for high ticket items, spend more than mainstream and other minority market buyers on basic products and like to purchase the best they can afford.

Is there a significant Latino media presence? Yes! Familiarize yourself with major media outlets such as Univision, one the largest which includes TV, radio, cable and online coverage; Telemundo, the second largest TV network; El Nuevo Herald in Miami, the highest circulation Spanish language newspaper; and Terra.com, one of the Latino market web portals. A useful resource with detailed information on Hispanic media and Hispanic media training is Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations (Poyeen Publishing, $49.95).

Deciding whether to accept the media interview opportunity will depend on a number of factors including your goals, the type of product or service to be discussed during the interview, your media interviewing abilities and Spanish language proficiency (if the interview is in Spanish). Keep in mind that many Latinos are English dominant (their only or preferred language is English) and a number of Hispanic media are in English or bilingual. This means your interview could be in English. Should you prepare your interview responses as you do with general media interviews? What steps should you take to get ready for the interview?

As with any other media interview make sure to practice, prepare and rehearse; don't "wing it." The viewers can tell when you are prepared. Unprepared speakers often leave the audience with a disappointing impression. As part of your preparation, find out as much as you can about the media outlet and the audience of the interview.

To make the best impression consult a Hispanic market expert and/or a Latino media relations coach. He or she can help you position your product or service among Hispanics. Make sure you craft your message with the specific audience you are addressing in mind, review the information for the interview, and develop Hispanic relevant message points (a reminder of the key points you want to emphasize). Make sure your company is equipped and ready to respond to any Latino market responses resulting from the interview.

Following are links to some Hispanic media websites (in Spanish), to visit if you speak or read Spanish and want to learn more about Latino media:

http://www.univision.com/portal.jhtml
http://www.telemundo.com/index.html
http://www.terra.com/
http://www.miami.com/mld/elnuevo/

Elena del Valle is a 20-year marketing and communications veteran. She is editor and contributing author of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations (Poyeen Publishing $49.95). Additional information is available at http://www.hispanicmpr.com/?page_id=25

Effective Press Release Writing Tips

Writen by Paras Yadav

A well prepared press release would attract journalists and is also well optimized for distribution to targeted audience.

Content of your press release: The content means the news story you want to publish. The following points must be kept in mind at time of writing press release.

Make sure that the content you write is newsworthy. The intention of a press release is to make the people know to your news item, not to sell something to them.

A well crafted press release would cover all the 5 'Ws' (who, what, where, when and why), providing the vital information about your company/organization, product/service or happening. Redraft your content if it seems like an advertisement.

Beginning should be firm: Your title and initial lines should cover, what you want to convey. The remaining part of your press release should depict the detailed information.

Make it for Journalists/Media agencies: The media agencies and journalists would grab your press release and carry it in their publications, with slight editing or no alteration. Try to make in such a way that even if your news is not reprinted word for word, it may cover whole amount of information.

Think in addressee's way: Your press release should be able to find audience's interest. Keep in mind that if you were a part of audience, would you like to read the press release, you made-out.

Does your press release appear "Realistic": Try to point out real examples of your company/organization, as people are also intellectual enough to find out 'what's true and what not'? Provide information on your product and services that can benefit them.

If your story is on a corporate highlight, make sure that you attribute achievement or breakdown to one or more events. If the company has achieved noteworthy escalation, share the reasons behind the success with the audience.

Button up the story with real facts: Avoid bluff and add-ons. If you find the content using much added extras, make it natural and real. If content seems too good to be true, turn down the tone little, as it may possibly hurt your own credibility.

Your press release should be in active voice, not passive. Verbs in the active voice makes your press release live.

Use only enough and necessary words: Avoid using superfluous adjectives, extravagant language, or unnecessary expressions like "The most powerful". Tell your story with lesser words, as verbosity distracts from your content.

Avoid usage of terminology: However, a limited use of terminology would be allowed if required, if you aim to optimize news release for internet search engines. The finest technique to communicate your press release is to speak neatly, using regular language.

Avoid exclamation points: The use of exclamation point (!) may hurt you. However, if you have to use an exclamation point, use only one.

Obtain allowance: Companies are very defensive about their name and credibility. Get written permission before putting in an information or quotes from officials or associates of other companies/organizations.

Company Information: The press release should conclude with a short description of your company, which illustrates your company, products, service and a brief history of company. But if you are making a combined press release of two or more then two then you should, provide information of all the companies.

Paras Yadav is freelance article and content writer, having experience of creating and editing over 3500 articles.

You can contact me Paras Yadav at: reach2paras@gmail.com

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Pr Why

Writen by Robert A. Kelly

Well, for starters, because good public relations can alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among your key outside audiences. And that can help business, non-profit and association managers like you achieve your managerial objectives.

But remember to let the PR tacticians handle the special events, brochures and press releases. As a professional manager with public relations reporting to you, you have more important things to do.

Like, for instance, planning to do something positive about the behaviors of those key external audiences of yours that most affect your operation. Especially when you persuade those important outside people to your way of thinking, then help move them to take actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Here's a path you might follow as you put your public relations action plan in play: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is usually accomplished.

What an approach along those lines can do, is help you avoid an over-concentration on those tactical brochures, press releases and special events, and focus your resources instead on those key, all-important, outside groups of people.

And what might you expect in return? Among other results, customers making repeat purchases; new approaches by capital givers and specifying sources; positive bounces in show room visits; rising membership applications; community leaders beginning to seek you out; prospects starting to do business with you; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; not to mention politicians and legislators viewing you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

Just who will do the work this implies, should be an early concern. Specialists from a public relations agency? People assigned to your operation? Your own public relations staff? However, regardless of where they come from, they need to be committed to you and your PR plan beginning with key audience perception monitoring.

During early conversations with PR staff, you need to be certain that those assigned to you are clear on why it's vital to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Hopefully, they've already accepted the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

The sooner you go over with them how you plan to proceed, the better, especially how you will monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. For instance, how much do you know about our chief executive? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

If money is in the budget, don't hesitate to use professional survey firms in the perception monitoring phases of your program. And always remember that your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

Your new PR goal will address the worst distortions discovered during your key audience perception monitoring, and probably call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially troublesome rumor.

But identifying the right strategy is the real key. This refers to a strategy that tells you how to get to where you want to be, and there are just three strategic options available to you when it comes to handling a perception or opinion challenge: create perception where there may be none, change the perception, or reinforce it. Since the wrong strategy pick will taste like banana-mango ketchup on your canteloupe, be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You don't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

Because crafting action-forcing language to persuade an audience to your way of thinking really IS hard work, you need your first-string varsity writer to create some very special, corrective language and aim it at members of your target audience. Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to correct something and shift perception/opinion towards your point of view leading to the behaviors you are targeting.

The job now is to select the communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. This can be done after the draft is reviewed by your PR folks for impact and persuasiveness. There are dozens of tactics available to you. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

For better or worse, a message's believability can rest on the credibility of the vehicle used to deliver it. So, you may decide to introduce it before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

Calls for progress reports are an early warning for you that it's time for a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Actually, most of the questions used in the first benchmark session can be used again. But this time, you will be watching carefully for signs that the problem perception is being altered in your direction. And that's real progress!

But, of course, you can lose momentum. Should this occur, you can always speed up the program by adding more communications tactics, and increasing their frequencies.

Why public relations? An easy question for the professional manager. Because it's crucial that you achieve your managerial objectives, you must alter individual perception in a way that leads to changed behaviors among your key outside audiences, thus insuring the success of your operation.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1495 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2005.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

Friday, June 20, 2008

Media Tips A Media Training Primer For Todays Executives

Writen by Aileen Pincus

Ever wonder why some executives repeatedly win positive media attention for themselves and their companies? Reporters on deadline return again and again to sources they know. But how do you get on their source list in the first place? How do you position yourself as an industry expert, trend setter, or market leader?

You do it by understanding what reporters need. Introducing your capabilities to the media to lift your profile is a combination of persistence and preparation.

Begin by making a list of those media outlets and reporters covering your industry; locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Look for opportunities to contact reporters when you read, hear or see a story they've authored that's in your field. If they've done a good job, tell them. Also be prepared to tell them what you might have added to the story.

Identify areas of legitimate news that reporters covering your industry can hear from you first. If you're a source of information, even if it isn't directly about your company, you become valuable to the reporter. Be ready to add valuable perspective to the story—educating the reporter in effect and by doing so, becoming a source for future stories. Every reporter, but particularly beat and industry reporters, thrive on such relationships.

Once you've introduced yourself to reporters, make sure you understand how to stay valuable in order to serve both your needs. There is much to gain for the executive who speaks to the public through reporters, and of course, there's more to lose as well. For those executives who understand their role in shaping image, direction and mission, and who can communicate larger ideas effectively to a reporter, the rewards are substantial. .

Once you're ready to become a source for reporters, there are some basics to keep in mind. Here are some tips to help you once you've earned that media spotlight:

Accessibility counts (a lot): If you're going to work with the media, you're going to have to accept that reporters live by the deadline. That means the interview they absolutely must have is the one they need now. If you're going to accept the interview, accept it immediately so the reporter won't move on to the next, more accessible source. You can set the interview for any time before that deadline, once they know you will talk.

Interview the interviewer: Any legitimate reporter will be amenable to answering a few questions prior to the interview—especially questions designed to put you at ease about their credibility or their purpose. At minimum, ask the reporter what he or she wants you to contribute, who else has been or will be interviewed, and when the reporter's deadline is. Don't ask specifically what questions will be asked.

Know what you want to say: This is called messaging and it's a vital part of the process of speaking to any reporter. You are not speaking with a reporter just to answer their questions. This is your opportunity to deliver a message of your own. Take it!

Less is more: Speaking to reporters requires getting to the bottom line as quickly, and as quotably, as you can. Deliver the supportive data, facts and backup information after you're sure you've delivered your bottom-line message. Try to make your message as accessible as you can to the greatest number of people (no jargon!)

Practice, practice, and practice: It takes a while to get comfortable with developing messages, reducing them to a few well-spoken statements, and staying on message through questions. Start with local and trade reporters. The more you do it, the better you will get. No matter which reporters you speak to, trade, local, regional or national, print or broadcast, follow the same process.

You don't need legions of public relations staff working for you to begin your media outreach. You can build your own relationships with reporters and begin your own outreach. Give reporters what they need—access, good quotes and reliable information—and you'll be rewarded with access to their audience. Seize those opportunities for yourself, your department and your agenda.

Aileen Pincus is President of The Pincus Group, a media training firm near Washington DC that also provides speech, presentation and crisis communications training. A former local and national television reporter, Senior Hill Staffer and communications executive, Aileen and her staff provide executive communications worldwide. She can be reached at http://www.thepincusgroup.com

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Marketingminded Financial Planners Join Your Professional Organization To Get Free Publicity

Writen by Ned Steele

Unlike some professionals like lawyers and doctors, financial planners aren't required to be members of a professional association.

However, if you want to take advantage of a great way to get free publicity, you marketing-minding financial professionals will join an association like the Financial Planning Association or the Society of Financial Service Professionals.

Get active first in your local chapter, then nationally. Being active in a professional association is the number one way for a financial planner to get media coverage.

When media folks need experts, they often go straight to the associations for help. This is a particularly popular tactic among local newspaper or television reporters who want a local person to comment on a national story. Has the stock market had a huge rally? They'll want a local stock-picker to share their thoughts, not a New York City brokerage chief. That's when a reporter will call the association.

Most associations and chapters have a list of financial planners that they will refer the media to. You want to make sure that you are on this list.

Besides publicity, there are several other chances to improve your marketing that membership in a professional association provides. You can publish articles in their newsletter (then reprint these to give to clients), speak to outside groups on behalf of the association, and attend marketing seminars given by speakers like me at national conventions.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

Sociallyresponsible Pr Have A Heart

Writen by Peter TerHorst

One of the noblest PR strategies for companies is the creation of a partnership with a non-profit organization. It is not a new strategy –- many large corporations align themselves with the mission of a non-profit. Some even go so far as to incorporate a social goal in their mission statement; they are called socially-responsible organizations.

What is different today is that this strategy is being adopted by small companies as well, including one- and two-person shops. It doesn't have to cost a lot –- or anything in some cases -- and the rewards are multiple. In addition to the obvious support provided to a worthy cause, employees feel good about their employer's benevolence and often participate. The media is more likely to cover an event or effort that benefits the community, and consumers are more likely to patronize a business that cares about the community.

When you think about it, most people support at least one non-profit charity through their donations and/or volunteer hours. The idea of helping a charity that does good work in an area related to your business is a natural extension of that thought.

Are you a home builder? Support the local charity that subsidizes low-cost housing. A caterer? Support the local food bank. A clothing retailer? Help cloth the homeless. A medical practitioner? Organize a consortium of practitioners that offers indigent health care.

Sometimes the cause is so compelling that there does not need to be a relationship with the company's business to realize a benefit. Businesses as varied as building supply companies and car dealers have organized rapid response teams to support the local efforts of the Red Cross in natural disasters and other emergencies. When times are tough, people remember who helped them or their neighbors and they tell others in the community.

Have a heart. There's no joy quite like that of helping others. And when you help others through your business, not only will it help your business, it is simply the right thing to do.

Peter terHorst is president of SymPoint Communications. For more information, visit http://www.sympoint.com

© 2005 SymPoint Communications. All rights reserved. You are free to use this material in whole or in part in print, on a web site or in an email newsletter, as long as you include a complete attribution, including a live web site link. Please notify me where the material will appear.

The attribution should read:

"By Peter terHorst, SymPoint Communications. Please visit http://www.sympoint.com for additional articles and public relations services."

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Driving Near School Buses In Company Vehicles

Writen by Lance Winslow

School Buses

When approaching a school bus: Slow down; If the amber lights are flashing, the bus is about to stop; If the red lights are flashing, the bus is stopped; In many states it is against the law to pass a school bus with flashing red lights and/or an extended stop arm.

Do not upset school bus drivers. Many are not paid very well and certainly don't deserve the aggravation. There are many type of transportation companies and agencies which drive buses and all have slightly different policies, so expect just about anything, they are human and can make mistakes too. Here are some of the School Bus Companies and Agencies out there:

Private schools; Public school districts; Ryder leasing; Russell bus lines; Durham Transportation; Laidlaw; Etc.

Make sure you maintain good public relations with these drivers. Also, realize that if you do something stupid near a school bus; it will be noticed by others. They will think you are unsafe, which is a bad image. Don't think for a second no one will notice. After all logo on your company vehicle sticks out. Save yourself a free ticket to traffic school and negative comments from teachers, bus drivers, parents and other motorists.

Proper etiquette when driving the company vehicles is important no matter who is driving, you should make a point of discussing this with all your drivers. Sometimes delivery drivers get in a bit of a hurry or anxious about completing all the deliveries on time. Let them know that you do not want them to dilly dalley, but you certainly expect them to courteous, safe and smart about the way they drive, children's safety depends on it as well as the longevity of your business in that community.

Lance Winslow

Online Publicity Vs Print Publicity

Writen by S. J. Miller

Some would say that a newspaper story isn't an actual newspaper story unless it appears in the "real" version of the newspaper. That's just not true. Online publicity is as valuable, and sometimes even more exciting, than traditional publicity. Consider these benefits of online newspaper coverage:

Printed versions of newspapers have a short shelf life. They're printed, delivered or bought, read, and then discarded. And that's that. Yes, you can clip your article, photocopy it, and add it to your media kit. But how many of your prospective clients are likely to cut out your article in the event that they, someday, might want to get in touch with you? Online newspapers are archived, and a simple search on a related topic will turn up your article – anywhere, anytime – when the time comes for your prospective client to find you.

A prospective client can cut your article out of a printed newspaper, photocopy it, and mail it to a friend, thus turning your friend into another prospective client. But how much easier is it for one person to send another person a link to your article?

Most daily newspapers are primarily of regional interest. That necessarily means that their subscribers are mostly – not wholly, but mostly – local. So largely people who live in and around, say, the Boston area will see the print version of your Boston Globe article. How many others, though – former Greater Boston residents, relatives of those live or perhaps attend school in Massachusetts, executives who do business in Massachusetts, fans of New England's sports teams, and so forth – will likely see your article in the online version of the Boston Globe? And how many of these people have the potential to one day need your services or products?

Publicity is publicity, and few people would turn down publicity however they can get it. However, publicity that appears in print venues is here one moment and gone the next, whereas online publicity can endure and even perpetuate itself. An article in an online newspaper might include a hyperlink to your Web site or your blog. That can bring prospective clients directly to you. It might also motivate other Web site and blog owners to include references to the article (as well as the hyperlinks) which can create buzz about you on the Net and improve your visibility in search engines.

Some traditionalists still hold tightly onto their belief that a newspaper isn't a newspaper unless they can touch it with their fingers, carry it under their arms, unfold it on the train and, presumably, stain their hands while reading it on the way to work. "Let me know when the article really appears," these old-school thinkers will say, "and don't taunt me by citing all of the publications that carried the story online but didn't deem it important enough to include in their print editions." Their winning argument, they believe, is the fact that they "can't even get a clipping" of an article that has appeared only online.

These traditionalists are missing the point. Given the benefits of online coverage, an article that appears only online, or online as well as in print, will be of far greater value than one that appears only in print. Each time a newspaper (or a magazine, for that matter) prints your article online, the potential readership for that story increases exponentially. And you still have bragging rights you would have if you're tallying up your publicity "hits" for your Web site or media kit. A USA Today mention is a USA Today mention whether it happens online, in print, or both.

Copyright C 2006 Stacey J. Miller.

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Stacey J. Miller, founder of S. J. Miller Communications, is a book promotion specialist who develops winning media strategies for authors and publishers, and coordinates national and regional tours. You can visit her online at http://www.bookpr.com.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Whats Stopping You From Getting Publicity

Writen by Joe Nicassio

When I talk with business people, they tend to believe if they offer good service, they will automatically get "noticed".

Everybody "wishes" for this, but this rarely happens automatically. If you want publicity, you need to give up this "delusion", and pro-actively, systematically, and aggressively contact the media.

CNN and USA Today are NOT going to automatically contact you. Instead, these people are EXPECTING you to "pitch" them on story ideas.

They EXPECT you to hunt them down, notify, inform, and solicit story ideas.

This is simply the truth of people in the media. True, they don't want a sales pitch, but the DO want unique, interesting stories.

Without going into a tirade about the role of media in our culture, you simply have to accept the fact, that if you want media coverage, you're going to need to take the initiative.

I know, you may have fears and hesitation about calling some of the "hotshots" in the media, however, if you do not approach them, they will not approach you, even if you've got the hottest story in town!

SO, get the fantasy of producers finding you out of your head, right now!

Good, now welcome to a brave new world....

Now that you've forgotten about that silly idea, you can NOW TAKE ACTION!

The articles in this newsletter in weeks to come will give you many angles on using PR to get media. You'll get fail-safe, proven methods to get the attention of key players in the media. You'll learn who to contact, how to begin the relationships, and how to make those relationships productive.

You will also learn the "mindset" so that you can set yourself up psychologically for success.

But NOTHING happens until you take action. Not just "episodic", one-shot action, but systematically, week after week, proactively soliciting the media, to get the publicity you deserve.

You can do this. I believe in you. Just take one step att a time, and witness your story proactively shared with the world.

Joe Nicassio designs marketing campaigns, and coaches entrepreneurs to improve their bottom-line profits. To get your free CD "Joe Nicassio Reveals Marketing Philosophies And Secrets That Advertiser Don't Want You To Know" Send your snail mail address to FreeCD@RapidResultsMarketing.com

Public Relations For Wimax Projects

Writen by Lance Winslow

If you are planning a WiMax project in your Township, City, County or Rural Area then there are some things you need to understand about consumer buy-in and about the politics of the communication industry.

You see, many people stand to lose quite a bit if you set up a City-Wide WiMax system and you might find the whole project in court. Of course a city government or such agency may be able to make laws okaying such a large project and clearing much of the legal debris and costs.

Yet, also consider the need for citizen support and consumer buy-in because without it your project will have a tough row to hoe indeed. This means it makes sense to develop a little community goodwill and some rather robust marketing and a good solid public relations program is not a bad idea either. How can you promote strong public relations with WiMax projects?

Well I recommend you talk about the digital divide and the streamlining of systems for education and way young and old will all have access now. No matter if they are rich or poor they can surf the net from anywhere in the area without a slow phone line, fiber optics on the last mile or cable.

WiMax means freedom, equality and most of all no digital divide and that is the way you need to play it in the media to get the support of the whole town. Please consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Monday, June 16, 2008

Public Relations For Chess Tournaments

Writen by Lance Winslow

We need more kids studying science and math and we need more non-linear thinkers amongst us if we are to propel the United States into the future. However, we must also understand that to achieve this we must spark the interest in the next generation to want to use their minds to think and problem solve. This is where the game of chess comes in.

Chess gets children to think and chess tournaments help them compete. Not long ago I read about the success of NASA’s robotic contests and how those were getting more students to become interested in Math and Science and also future careers as engineers. The public relations for robotic contests have been robust and have certainly served the common good.

Likewise, public relations for chess tournaments are as important as public relations for spelling bees. By promoting chess tournaments rather than lets say poker tournaments will bring awareness to the need for a greater increase in intellectual thought.

When artificial intelligence versus a human chess tournament player was very popular it brought a lot of good will to the chess tournament industry. Many folks reveled in the concept of man VS Machine and it spurred on the game of chess. But now things are lacking and we need more public relations in chess tournaments. Please consider this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Press Release Preparation

Writen by Lance Winslow

Small Business Owners should send press releases out at least once a month to local newspapers, cable TV, local magazines and radio stations. You will be surprised how often they get published or air time. After doing this a while you can figure out what types of news get the best results. Some typical and simple press releases can be new employee hirees, new accounts with large local corporations or non-profit endeavors you are assisting with.

All press releases should be typed double-spaced with two clicks between each word. This makes it easy to read and retype. This saves aggravation for the person retyping it into their word processor. You should use Arial font because it is easy to read and 13 to 14 point font size. This is because many newspapers will scan typed material into their computers these days and it makes it easier for their optical character recognition software (OCR) to read it. They will change the font later anyway to match whatever font they use in their newspaper.

You can fax a press release to them but we recommend dropping it off if you have time and it is convenient. You can also wash cars while you are there. Once again you will save them OCR headaches because things come out blurry on a fax. The very best is to e-mail it to them because it's already in their computer ready to be edited by their staff. The easier you make it on them, the better your chances of getting your press release or news item published.

After you get to know the editors over many months you can email them directly. Eventually you want to think about getting to know the local program directors on a first name basis also. I had run a small business for 20 years before I learned how easy it is to keep your name in the local media. We spent hours and thousands on advertising, when our competitors simply sent in small snippets of information each week. Think about it. Be a winner in your small company.

Lance Winslow

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Communications Analysis Realtime

Writen by Chris Morrison

You've just reviewed the final results of your last pro-active media campaign to launch that new product or service. The numbers look pretty good: media impressions were in the millions; coverage was evenly split between broadcast and print; and a leading national paper ran three stories on the launch-pretty impressive. But could it have been better?

Analyze this
Analyzing issues or campaigns is the first big step in truly understanding any communications success or failure. With busy schedules and/or tight client budgets, more often than not, media analysis isn't always carried out. A big investment is being made on gathering the media content, but not on measuring and analyzing the trends, successes, and areas for improvement. Stories are often filed away immediately or distributed to a limited group, never to be looked at again or analyzed at all.

If you're already conducting ongoing media analysis half the battle is won. But if not, you can bet your client or director will demand it soon. New analysis technologies combined with increased expectations to determine communications ROI (Return on Investment) are making analysis a must, not a should.

Once you've determined the need or importance of analysis, what's next? This is where the confusion can set in. As can be expected, everyone has their own definition of how media content should be analyzed based on their own experiences. And usually the issue of PR standards and formulas arise…and that is when things often can come to a stand-still.

But before you get into how you are going to analyze, you must first determine what you're interested in analyzing. Here are a few considerations:

  • Track success in key publications and mediums based on demographic suitability
  • Evaluate key message penetration in media stories
  • Track quality - not just quantity - of coverage
  • Determine success vs. competitors
  • Success of spokesperson pick-up
  • Determine campaign ROI
  • Measure advertising equivalency (if you must!)
  • Monitor regional penetration comparisons
  • Tabulate media impressions/audience numbers
  • Compare key issues and/or product penetration
  • Resulting editorial or other media commentary/letters to the editor

There are endless ways of analyzing and cross-referencing the information. But you should note that you can accomplish all of the above considerations without getting into confusing PR multipliers or complex formulas. The key is to determine what you're interested in evaluating and create benchmarks for future comparisons. And if you still want to add in PR multipliers you can, as long as you consistently keep to the same formula. So whether you're multiplying by a factor of 3, 5, or 10, the coverage is always being evaluated in a consistent fashion and can therefore be viewed as an unbiased and accurate portrayal.

Go Electronic, Go Real-Time
Reviewing the success of a new product launch, the impact of a crisis on your organization, or a monthly comparison after-the-fact can provide valuable insight for future planning. But imagine the change you could make if you have real-time data available to you at your fingertips in an instant. Using real-time data you could monitor:

  • What regions are having the most success and which need attention
  • Misinformation being published so you can correct it
  • Which publications need another follow-up call
  • Which issues are getting the most attention
  • The quality and tone of the coverage
  • The impact on your organization
  • What tactics are working and which aren't
  • How you can piggy-back on recent media trends or competitors' tactics or success

The benefits of real-time analysis are endless and important. Knowing that you can have a timely affect on the final outcome of a new product launch is empowering and helps speak to the real power of PR.

A combination of real-time analysis and benchmarking will provide you with the tools to improve the results of a campaign mid-stream and properly analyze its success using a predetermined set of objectives and consistent criteria. So make 2005 the year you start benchmarking your analysis-an opportunity to learn more about the impact your communications strategies are having will pay dividends for years to come.

Chris Morrison is MediaMiser's VP of client services.

MediaMiser is a software solutions company founded by PR professionals who believe there is a better way to collect and analyze media information. MediaMiser turns news into knowledge.

For more information visit: http://www.mediamiser.com.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Rise Of The Creative Class

Writen by Chandramouli N

The fast changing dynamics of the world economy is forcing organizations to fundamentally rethink the manner in which they have been communicating with their constituent communities and decision-makers. It is constantly being proven that conventional communication approaches that are designed to raise public awareness may often have the opposite effects of those intended. This is because they fail to take into account the public's profound resistance to the traditional communication stimuli.

Therefore, organizations are placing more emphasis on developing two-way and more open-ended methods of communication in their public advocacy strategies. This is in preference to the more traditional top-down methods based on elements of audience manipulation or persuasion. Attitudinal, behavioral and social changes are long-term processes. Research into modern communication methods indicate that it is imprudent to regard attitudinal change merely as a shift along a continuum, as it inevitably involves a reordering of individuals' cognitive structures.

To effect, then, any significant alterations in attitudes and values, or to explicitly form them, requires the identification of both cognitive and affective objectives and the examination and exposure of beliefs and prejudices. This cannot be achieved through the mere imparting of information. This implies that the following years will only reinforce the need for innovative approaches, for creativity and agility and communication agencies will be forced to restructure their strategies. Only those agencies that can keep pace with this transformation will succeed in this unforgiving world.

Quite a few agencies in India have shifted from their existing framework and are now focusing on niche areas of operation. It is becoming evident that increasing competition and the pressure to redesign strategies will force the agencies to identify and specify their particular areas of competence more clearly.

It does not come as a surprise, then, that some very prominent companies are revisiting the strategies presented by their communication partners. The clients' increasing preference for fast-footed, nimble and proactive agencies has shown dramatic change in their approach to communications.

Another interesting aspect of these changes has been the recent phenomenon of hiring prominent marketing professionals by agencies of all sizes even the mid-sized ones. The need to reorient communication strategies to the clients' business goals has fuelled such shifts. Soumitro Mukherji, an MBA from XLRI with over 18 years marketing and sales experience in giants like Asian Paints, HLL, Sony Entertainment Television, Pepsi and Airtel recently took over as COO of Blue Lotus Communications Consultancy, a mid-sized agency with capitalized billings of approximately Rs. 10 Crores. His move is demonstrative of the changing face of the mid-sized agency which is gearing up to meet the clients' imperative today. However, since the older agencies are too deeply rooted in traditional thinking, this trend is being witnessed in a mid-sized set up. The time has come that agencies look at the clients' brand from a marketing perspective and the migration of marketing professionals to agencies is definitely a sign of evolution in the communications industry. There are clear indications that creativity & results will drive the entire communications industry in the ensuing years.

N. Chandramouli is the CEO of Blue Lotus Communications Consultancy, a leading public relations agency in India. An engineer MBA with over 16 years of multi-functional experience, Chandramouli firmly believes in knowledge being a core driver for communications.