"Advertising is you saying nice things about yourself.
Public Relations is getting others to say nice things about you." Despite
numerous lofty definitions of PR, that succinct characterization by veteran
Boston ad man Jon Goward, says it best.
And in tough economic times – when ad budgets get thin – Public Relations has to work harder. A well-planned and executed public relations strategy will maintain brand awareness during a down cycle; maintain market share, establish your company's ability to manage in both tough times and good, and generate qualified sales leads."
Interestingly we've worked with government and non-government
organizations in the US, Japan, China, Vietnam, Great Britain, Israel and
Kazakhstan. No matter where they are in the world, organizations commit the
same seven PR sins – sins that hurt their brand by reducing its value and
favorable awareness. Here they are, along with what managers can do to ban the
seven PR sins from their marketing communication.
1. Arrogance
Too many CEOs and entrepreneurs simply expect The Wall
Street Journal, to cover their story. These folks do not want to build
relationships, they expect to use relationships.
I once represented an unassuming institutional investment advisor specializing in farmland who went way out of his way to talk to a reporter from the Cody, Wyoming Enterprise . Her small paper has zero influence on major money managers. But she soon got a better job – at The Wall Street Journal and the next time she wrote about farmland investment for wealthy investors, she called him and quoted my client.
2. Hiring people for "contacts"
I've been a PR professional for three decades and have
developed relationships – e.g. contacts – with editors
around the world. But I never hire PR professionals because of their contacts.
I look instead for people with a proven ability to put people together for their
mutual benefit – people who seldom ask for favors," says Pirozzolo,
adding, "When our firm promoted Vietnam as a good place to do business, I
had contacts at the White House and US Senate, I'd be deluding myself to think
it was my charm. I simply had a client with a timely message – and knew
how to get some of the most influential people in the US interested.
Tip – if your company is struggling during this economy, don't try to get contacts at a media outlet to do a puff piece. Try instead for a thoughtful article on strategies your management is using to weather the economic storm and prepare for the future.
3. Lazy media lists
Internet media database services contribute to the overflow of
poorly targeted releases. They turn off reporters and editors for the times you
have real news to deliver. Cut down lists and research what each reporter
covers by reviewing previous articles. Then make relevant article suggestions
that show editors you know their work and read their publication.
4. Quantifying PR by release-per-month
Businesses increasingly want to
Quantify PR, often by press releases-per-month. To meet
this demand, businesses stretch to come up with new angles on old news. There
is a crude but true adage to describe PR -- "Doing good and getting credit
for it!" Too many clients forget they actually have to do something
newsworthy – or at least different from the competition – to get coverage. Measure
awareness, perceptions and qualified inquiries about your company, not the
number of times a warmed over press release goes out.
5. Releases that look like Journalism 101 assignments
Don't send out releases that look like you just took Journalism
101. News writing styles have changed. News writing is now more expository with
fewer direct quotes. Eliminate silly quotations such as, "We are excited,
(delighted) to have Bill aboard," says Bigly Big, CEO, in announcing the
new vice president.
Eliminate, "For immediate release" in favor of information that matters to the editor, such as: "Economic Downturn Sales Tactics," "Pittsfield, MA Impact", or "Attention Sports Editors."
Don't expect a modern PR person or firm to pitch stories by phone all the time or plant stories over a Scotch with Lou Grant – the archetypal editor played by Ed Asner. Today's reality – send well-written pitches tailored to specific interests.
To win editorial attention in the Internet age and avoid the spam filter get the news in the subject line of emails,
preferably in the first four words, and eliminate unusual
punctuation or capitalization.
The times to phone editors is when you have a newsworthy event, celebrity appearance or news conferences – especially TV news assignment editors! And, TV assignment editors love to get event releases by fax not email!
! 6. Not reading the newspapers – especially those you hate
Read newspapers and watch network and cable news. If you love
Fox, then watch MSNBC for a fresh perspective and vice versa. Ask yourself,
"Where could my company fit into that story?"
We represented WhiteSmoke, a turbocharged spellchecker and grammar checker software. When the National Spelling Bee came up, we created a spelling bee for adults ala "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader." Lots of coverage!
Don't forget humor. A Washington Post columnist did a syndicated story on our WhiteSmoke's CEO who could see that her company had a funny side too.
7. Ignoring the future
The value of YouTube as a public relations vehicle was
not instantly apparent. Savvy communicators, however, quickly recognized the
benefits of delivering video to potential customers that did not require costly
production. A defense contractor we know is taking advantage of impromptu YouTubevideo shot by soldiers
in Iraq. The video highlights a product that keeps them safer. The manufacturer
makes sure Pentagon procurement officials see the videos. Likewise, a home
manufacturer welcomes customers to send in video and images of their new homes,
which the company posts on YouTube, for lively cost effective endorsement.
Moreover, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Skype, IM, Texting, Blogs and the next Web phenomena may not pave a direct path to your market right now. No matter. Play around with them. Get comfortable with Twitter. Your customer base may not be on Tweat now, but soon Twitter will be as natural to your next wave of customers as breathing.
Eliminate these PR sins and reap the rewards of relationships that work for you no matter what the economy does.
