Top Resolutions, Predictions, Trends for 2012

What would January be without all the lists highlighting New Year’s resolutions, predictions for the New Year, trends to watch, and of course, tips on becoming productive in the New Year.

Personally, I like these lists.  They typically are easy reads that provide quick tips to help me grow both personally and professionally.

Here are a couple articles highlighting the top 5,6, 7, 10 and 12 points that the authors could fit into their piece:

• “5 New Year’s Resolutions for Your Business”
• “6 Important Marketing Trends to Watch in 2012”
• “7 Ways to Regain Your Productivity”
• “Top Ten Public Relations and Social Media Predictions for 2012”
• “12 New Year’s Resolutions that Will Change your Business in 2012”

As you can see, these articles grabbed my attention because they are prioritizing everything for me.  This is a great public relations tactics to grab the attention of your target audiences.  Next time you publish an article or a blog post, consider making a “Top 10” list of your own.

Happy New Year!  Best wishes for 2012!

Top Resolutions, Predictions, Trends for 2012

What would January be without all the lists highlighting New Year’s resolutions, predictions for the New Year, trends to watch, and of course, tips on becoming productive in the New Year.

Personally, I like these lists.  They typically are easy reads that provide quick tips to help me grow both personally and professionally.

Here are a couple articles highlighting the top 5,6, 7, 10 and 12 points that the authors could fit into their piece:

• “5 New Year’s Resolutions for Your Business”
• “6 Important Marketing Trends to Watch in 2012”
• “7 Ways to Regain Your Productivity”
• “Top Ten Public Relations and Social Media Predictions for 2012”
• “12 New Year’s Resolutions that Will Change your Business in 2012”

As you can see, these articles grabbed my attention because they are prioritizing everything for me.  This is a great public relations tactics to grab the attention of your target audiences.  Next time you publish an article or a blog post, consider making a “Top 10” list of your own.

Happy New Year!  Best wishes for 2012!

iMedia Connection’s Top e-Marketing Fails in 2011

It wouldn’t be December without a top 10 list!  As a marketer, I thought iMedia Connection’s “Top 10 epic fails of 2011″ written by Tricia Despres was an interesting list of ads that failed in one way or another — mostly by offending a group of people.  Many of the ads mentioned likely would not have gained the negative attention that they did if it wasn’t for our “always-on” world of social media.  As soon as a campaign runs and someone hears or sees something they find offensive it is immediately broadcasted on Twitter or Facebook or other channels and the negative feelings just spiral.

It personally amazes me that the top advertising agencies that created some of these ads did not catch these errors before they ran.  How was it that no one realized that tagline in the Coors Light ad could be translated into “to get drunk”; and didn’t anyone think that think that the Kenneth Cole ad that makes light of the uprisings in Cairo was a little distasteful?

And, then there is Netflix.  As Despres points out, “they couldn’t seem to get anything right in 2011″.  For such a great year, this company’s marketing in 2011 really hurt them.

If you have ads that you think should have made the list, please share them!

Happy Holidays!

Becoming a Stellar Public Speaker

PR is not just about promoting companies and products or services, but also about the people that make up those companies, develop those products or deliver those services.  Leveraging the knowledge and expertise of individuals within an organization will enable you to position them as experts in your field and garner more attention for your organization.

As a PR professional, I work with my clients to identify potential speaking opportunities and submit proposals to land these important speaking engagements.  But, it’s not just about landing these presentations, but also making the most of them.

I recently saw an article on American Express OPEN Forum, written by James Clear.  Titled, “7 Tips For Beating Fear And Becoming A Stellar Public Speaker”, this article provides some excellent tips to think about when developing your next presentation.

I particularly like his third tip, which is to tell a story.  Keeping your audience engaged is not always easy (especially when they are holding their smartphones in their hands ready to distract them from your presentation).  A story is a great way to keep your audience engaged and demonstrate a point you are trying to make.

Do you have any tips you would like to share?

PR News’ Hall of Fame

We all are familiar with the Aflac duck.  Well, the friendly and sometimes annoying duck has made its way into PR News’ Hall of Fame.  At the magazine’s Platinum Awards event this week, a number of popular name brands were inducted into the Hall of Fame:

• Aflac – Aflac Duck
• American Airlines and Weber Shandwick – Fuel Smart
• Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. – The Real Warriors Campaign
• Comcast – Comcast Cares Day
• Cone Inc. & Jiffy Lube International – Maintenance Partners for Life
• Deloitte – Greening the Dot
• Edelman/Unilever & Dove – Dove Campaign for Real Beauty
• GE – ecomagination
• Office Depot – National Backpack Campaign
• Yum! Brands – World Hunger Relief

Check out the PR News website for the winners in the other 40 categories, including Annual Reports, Blogs, Press Releases, etc.

Open Communications during a Disaster

In the past few weeks, the east coast has experienced an earthquake and a hurricane/tropical storm.  Two natural disasters that are not so common in the northeastern part of the United States.  And, with the 10^th anniversary of September 11 coming up in just over a week, we remember that disasters, both natural and man-made can happen anywhere, to any of us.

I thought I would take this opportunity to focus on the importance of communications before, during and after a disaster.  I will use Hurricane Irene as an example.  Most of us in Irene’s path, communicated with our family members, prepared our properties and made sure our families were safe.  Through multiple communications methods, we made sure that during and after the storm, our families and friends were safe.

Just like with our personal lives, we need to open up the lines of communications in our businesses too.  It is important that if you are lucky enough to be able to prepare for a disaster, such a Hurricane that is coming up the coast, that you make sure all stakeholders are notified.  Your employees need to know how to prepare to protect their own safety but also what to communicate with customers, partners and other individuals.  After the disaster occurs, the lines of communications need to remain open to ensure the safety of the employees and then to inform them of any issues (physical destruction, computer system failures, down phone lines, etc.) and instruct them on how to handle these issues with customers and other important individuals.

This article by Linda Doyle on Fox News Small Business Center, titled “When Natural Disasters Strike, Touch Base Regularly with Employees” provides
good tips for communicating during a disaster.

Every business, no matter the size, should take a step back and make sure a disaster recovery plan is in place with a strong crisis communications component.  Here are a couple links that may be useful in creating such a plan:

“Crisis Communications for Small Business”

“Crisis Communications Plans for Small Business – Don’t Go to Work without One”

“How Crisis Communications Plans Work”

“Crisis Communications Planning:  Organizing & Completing a Plan That Works”

Don’t wait until a disaster strikes!  Be prepared!

How to Get Your Emails Opened

Sadly, in the business world (and even in our personal lives), email has become a favorite form of communications.  Yes, it often makes it more efficient to communicate electronically, but it is still important to have that personal face-to-face or phone communications to actually build relationships with others.

However, because this is the way business is done today, we need to make sure we are using email effectively.  Most of us will admit that it is a real struggle to keep up with our “overflowing” email inbox and therefore, we understand how difficult it is to get our emails opened by others.

There are many tactics to help increase the chance that your email will be opened by the recipients.  The day of the week and time of day is one factor to consider.  Middle of the week, Tuesday-Thursday, is considered the best time of the week to send an email; and 10-11 a.m. and 1-2 p.m. are said to be the best times to ensure your email is opened.

Another important factor is your subject line.  Think about how you scan through your inbox and decide on what emails toopen.  Often, you know from the subject line whether the email is important for you to open or whether to hit “delete”.  On American Express OPEN Forum, Helen Jane Hearn, recently wrote an article titled “9 Ways To Write Great E-mail Subject Lines”.  It gives some great tips.  Take a few minutes to read her article, it will really help you when crafting your next subject line.

If you have any other helpful tips, please feel free to comment below.

Cross Your “T’s” and Dot Your “I’s”

As I have stated in other blog posts, first impressions are everything.  Whether good or bad, today those first impressions are often not face-to-face but in an email, a marketing piece or some other form of the written word. Because of this, how you come across in a written document can make or break a first impression.

As our children head back to school in the next few weeks, we should remember that we studied spelling and grammar for a reason.  Just because today there are spell check and grammar programs on your computer doesn’t mean you don’t have to know how to spell or know grammatical rules.

I caution everyone to re-read any document (even a casual email message) before it is sent.  If you skip a word, the meaning of the sentence might change. If you use the wrong version of a word, such as capital vs. capitol, which vs. witch, their vs. there, or weather vs. whether; or misspell a word, the good impression you are trying to make will be
diminished.

Spelling and grammar should not be taken lightly and can truly make a difference in the business world!

Hollister Creative, a full-service marketing firm in Wynnewood, Pa., has a newsletter that offers many great tips for graphic artists and writers.  Click here to read one of their recent articles discussing how spell check is not a help with homophones, like listed above.  You may also find some other writing tips on their site, so sign up for their newsletter.  It is one of the few I actually make a point to read.

I’ll end with a saying by Marilyn vos Savant:  “When our spelling is perfect, it’s invisible.  But when it’s flawed, it prompts strong negative associations.”

Media Training IV – Answering the Tough Questions

During a media interview, it is likely you will bit hit with a tough question or two, or find yourself pushed into a corner.  Here are some situations you may face and how to respond to them.

1. Loaded Words – Never agree and never repeat a loaded word.  State positive facts.
2. “Wouldn’t you agree?” – If the reporter uses this line, it could be a red flag!  Say no and state your position.
3. Hypothetical Question – Say what it is and respond with facts and bridge to positive points.
4. False Assumptions – Challenge the data.  Ask for a source.  Don’t argue, but give the facts.
5. Competitor’s Claims – Be careful in refuting claims.  It is better to bridge directly to your positive points.
6. Putting Words in Your Mouth – Respond with “I wouldn’t say that.”  Then state your position. 
7. The Double Negative – Pick neither.  State your case and make positive points.
8. Allegations You Know Nothing About – Say you’ve not heard that .  Don’t speculate and don’t say you’ll “look into it.

If you know the ground rules, prepare properly, follow the interview tips I provided, and stay confident in tough situations by knowing how to get out of them (all in my previous posts), you should do well in building relationships with the media and working together with them to help them do their job while also delivering positive messages for your organization.

Media Training III – Interview Tips

As the third post in my Media Training series, this one will focus on tips to help ensure a successful interview.  If you follow the recommended suggestions below, you should have a positive experience:

1. Be polite.  Use the reporter’s first name.
2. Immediately establish the direction of the interview (don’t let the reporter take control).
3. Measure the reporter’s understanding of your business and your product/service offerings.
4. Give the reporter necessary background information.
5. Listen to the questions.  If you don’t understand one, ask the reporter to repeat it.
6. Use simple sentences, anecdotes, and quotable phrases. 
7. Give numbers.  Quantify as much as you can.
8. Refer to your press kit and other supportive materials.
9. Avoid arguing with the reporter.  But don’t hesitate to ask the reporter to verify “facts” used in a question.
10. Bridge back to your positive points.
11. Tell the truth.  You don’t have to say everything you know, but everything you say should be true.
12. Be cautious in using absolutes.
13. If you don’t know the answer to a question, it is okay to say so, and offer to find out the answer as soon as possible.
14. Don’t go “off the record.”
15. Stick to the facts.  Don’t volunteer unnecessary or irrelevant information.
16. Don’t say “no comment.”
17. Don’t relax and get friendly with the reporter.
18. Ask to review copy. 
19. End the interview after a reasonable time.
20. Make the interview worthwhile for you – make your positive points frequently and forcefully

Some of these tips are obvious, but when you are having questions fired at you, they can be easily forgotten.  Feel free to have notes in front of you to keep you on track. 

What happens when you get the tough questions?  I’ll help you stay out of the quicksand in my next post.