Many organizations actively engage in ‘Issues Management.’ For most, this involves scanning the news, developing communications strategies around relevant issues and trends, and then communicating their messages back through the media.

However, effective communications is more than just managing issues through the media. Companies and organizations must also be aware of their external publics – the people and groups outside of an organization’s sphere that affect, or are affected by, what that organization does.

This is known as ‘Relationship Management.’ It is the discipline of identifying key publics and establishing strategies for building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships with those publics.

Identifying External Publics

Like most organizations, there is a good chance you are already using media monitoring to track the issues that affect your organization. This is Communications 101.

You may even be taking it one step further and conducting some kind of media analysis, including assigning tones like positive, negative or neutral to news stories. And if you’re not, you should be. Without proper analysis and evaluation, your communications team is not doing its job properly.

But where it really gets interesting is when you take your existing monitoring and analysis and add another dimension to it. One of the best examples of this is tracking and analyzing quotes.

Tracking quotes helps you identify your key publics. You can see exactly what they are thinking, what they are saying, what they are doing.

And by taking further small steps, such as cross-referencing tone with quotes, you can easily identify the type of relationship that exists between your organization and its different key publics. You can get a picture of what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong, and, where necessary, develop a plan to change the relationship.

Obviously, the more positive the quote or article, the greater the chance that the person being quoted is an ally to issues favorable to your organization. Conversely, the more negative the quote or article, the greater the chance that the person being quoted is opposed to issues favorable to your organization.

Furthermore, the more times a person is quoted, the greater the chance he or she is an Opinion Leader – a person that knowingly or unknowingly influences opinion. It’s important that your organization try to have an open and professional dialogue with Opinion Leaders no matter what their position is.

Dealing with Key Publics

A lot of people feel the media ultimately control public opinion. There’s no denying they do have an enormous influence, but they are only one piece of the PR puzzle.

It’s important that PR professionals not limit themselves to just the media. Sometimes it’s best to communicate right to the source, if possible. Remember, as a professional communicator, your primary job is to disseminate information, not necessarily to deal with the media or write news releases. How you get the information to your publics is not what matters; what matters is that they get the information. Using the media and writing news releases are simply a means to an end.

According to Statistics Canada, 61 per cent of Canadians belong to a group or organization, including organizations unions, religious groups, professional associations, etc. Opinion Leaders are a very important component of these groups.

Once you have identified the groups and their Opinion Leaders, it’s important to develop consistent messages that will clearly state your organization’s position on key issues. Without that consistency, you run the risk of looking hypocritical or insincere. The last thing you want is to be communicating different messages regarding the same issue.

If you want people to trust you and your organization, consistency is a must. Trust is the first step in developing a relationship with the Opinion Leaders and your key publics.

Honesty is Always the Best Policy

Remember, when it comes to any type of communications, honesty is always the best policy. Trying to manipulate the media or the public is a dangerous game. If you’re honest, people might not always like what you have to say, but at least they’ll believe you and have a greater respect for you in the long run.

Monitoring the Media Helps Ensure Honesty Prevails

Monitoring the media allows organizations to ensure everyone is on message, helping to prevent misunderstandings through inadvertent contradictions or an overly aggressive spokesperson. Also, proactive media analysis can gauge how well key publics and other influencers, such as the media, are accepting your organization’s position on an issue.

Media Analysis is a Powerful Tool, but…

Media analysis can help identify miscommunication, and can also help identify the underlying reason for that miscommunication. It’s also an effective way of identifying key publics and opinion leaders, gauging where they stand on an issue and finding out what they are saying.

However, it’s important to remember ‘Relationship Management’ is about dealing with people directly. Media analysis is just a tool to help ensure your organization is communicating honestly and effectively – the same way the media are just a vehicle for delivering your message.

But even if you have a top notch media analysis program in place, you should never stop communicating directly with your key publics to figure out where they stand on key issues and how they view your organization. After all, public relations and communications are all about communicating effectively, and nothing is more effective than getting your information straight from the source.

Brett Serjeantson is the CTO at MediaMiser Ltd, leading the creation and development of MediaMiser’s software solution, MediaMiser Enterprise.

MediaMiser Enterprise is a complete media analysis platform and information management system that helps turn news into knowledge.

For more information visit this site.

Article Source

Tags: pr, solutions, communications, public, management

A good promotional campaign can do that.

But what if you don’t have big bucks to spend on advertising the way Hollywood and the publishing giants do? What if you need to attract a large number of people, but you don’t have the money to reach a large number of people?

Then you need to get creative. You need to get free advertising.

That’s right–free advertising in the form of publicity.

You don’t have to spend piles of money on TV or radio ads, or pay for expensive newspaper display ads. You do however, have to do something to grab the media’s attention. Something that will make them sit up and take notice.

You want them to write about you, or interview you for a news segment, or invite you to be a guest on their radio show. That way a wide audience learns about you from a source that they believe establishes your credentials. You see, when you pay for advertising, it doesn’t automatically give you the same credibility that an endorsement from the media does.

Even if the news source is just reporting facts about your business, or offering an “inside look” at your industry from your perspective, it still sends a subliminal message to the audience that you’re a reliable businessperson worthy of the media’s attention. If the media considers you an expert, then the public feels safe in assuming the same. In a lot of ways, free publicity is better than paid advertising.

So how do you get free publicity? How do you grab the media’s attention? By coming up with a “news story,” or a human-interest angle on an event or topic the media will want to cover. Then you write a press release, or hire a freelancer to write one for you, so the news reporters and journalists will contact you for an interview, or write about you in their publication.

Some newsworthy events you can announce are:

* Publication of your new book or e-book

* Sponsoring a fund raiser

* Grand opening of your store/business or website launch

* Participation in a charitable event

* Awards or nominations you’ve received

* New product launch

* A new group you’ve formed (such as Work-at-Home Moms Club, a writers’ group, a new business networking group, etc.)

* A demonstration you’ll be giving (such as cooking, karate, kite-making, dog training, website design, etc.)

* An Open House celebration (in connection with a holiday or store anniversary, etc.)

* An attempt you’ll be making to break a world’s record (baking the world’s largest pizza, jumping on a pogo stick for the longest time, walking backwards for the greatest amount of miles, etc.)

Anything out-of-the-ordinary is worth reporting to the media. Something as mundane as moving your business two blocks to the south won’t cut it, but if you’re relocating to a building that’s been designated as a national or historic landmark and you can tie that in to your business somehow, then you’ve got a news release.

Other ways you can generate publicity are:

* Offering to appear as a guest on a radio show

* Writing a “tips” column for your local newspaper

* Teaching an adult-learning course at the community college or senior center (Introduction to the Internet, debt management strategies, how to find the lowest mortgage rates, etc.)

* Podcasting or blogging

Whatever methods you use, your goal is to keep your business on the media’s radar screen so your name becomes synonymous with “expert in your field.” When used wisely, the power of the press can give you what money can’t buy: positive word-of-mouth advertising. Now that’s priceless!

Angel Brown is the founder of the Women’s Business Gallery, an information-rich resource for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Receive the bonus eReport, “StART Your Business” when you sign up for the free newsletter, The ART of Business.

Article source.

Tags: pr, public relations, press release, communications, marketing

For those lucky indie filmmakers who find distribution, most often their distributors will contribute a little, or a lot, of money to help publicize the film.

But before that happens, indie filmmakers are on their own. And often, publicity is the last thing on a filmmaker’s mind.

“What you hear all the time is ‘I was so overwhelmed with the movie, I didn’t think of those things,’ ” says Margot Gerber, a publicist for independent films as well as the Hollywood-based American Cinematheque. She also programs the Alternative Screen at the American Cinematheque (American Cinematheque.com).

But “those things” — good still photos, press notes and trailer material — are key to getting your film seen by distributors and getting it publicized at festivals once it’s accepted.

“It’s elementary, yet many filmmakers both don’t think about creating these materials while in production, and realize they need to do it later, which costs even more,” she says.

The ideal situation is to budget to include the tools you’ll need for publicity while still in production. And there are parts that can be pulled together without much financial outlay at all, such as documenting the shoot digitally and creating a Web site.

Good photos are one element that can play an important part in attracting media coverage for your film. A really good picture gets picked up all over the place, says Gerber. She cites the example of a director with a short film called “Oatmeal.” The director had a great photo from the film that several media outlets used.

“It’s a good idea to get something [on still film] that represents action in the film that you might be able to use for poster or postcard later,” Gerber says. It’s important to get that photo during production because independent filmmakers don’t usually get a chance to go back and shoot poster key art for advertising.

Another key element is good production notes. “It will give the filmmaker the opportunity to tell the press, distributors and others why they made the film in the first place; the process in which they made it and really have a chance to personalize the story.” When selling a film or having it reviewed, distributors and journalists will always want production notes that include a full cast and crew list, total running time, director’s notes, biographies on the cast and crew, any reviews and photos.

Hiring a friend to shoot documentary footage, or keeping a log of interesting events that happen on set, or information about a special location or the history of how the filmmaker found and used it are three ways to get fodder for written or electronic press kits.

Also, looking for publicity opportunities while in production is another way to bolster the buzz. “Especially if you’re shooting outside of a big city, sometimes you can get a story in a local newspaper about yourself or your production,” says Gerber. With that story, “You have the beginnings of a press kit,” she says.

After a film is finished, and a filmmaker wants to screen for distribution, money can be saved by planning ahead as well. “It costs roughly $300 to rent out a screening room at (Hollywood’s) Raleigh Studios which can hold about 40 people and if the filmmaker plans right, they can invite distributors to one screening,” says Regina Santos, an independent film publicist who has worked on films like “The Big Empty,” “Charlotte Sometimes” and “Gypsy 83.”

She added, “Also think about making screening copies on DVD from digital as well. It’ll be easier to ship and grab images from later.”

Santos’s publicity must-haves for those on a budget:

1. Shoot your movie or a “making of” doc on digital: It’ll be cost effective later when you are trying to sell the film or even when a film gets picked up for distribution. This way, you can use images for publicity and marketing from high-resolution stills.

2. Create a press kit: Complete a press kit with production notes, stills saved as both high-res and low-res quality, and a great trailer.

3. Get a Web site: The site can have a press section where production notes are posted, as well as still images from the movie that journalists and others can download. If a filmmaker has a great Web site, with all the necessities in an electronic downloadable file, there’s a huge savings on materials and shipping.

By Evelyn Sheinkopf

Evelyn Scheinkopf writes for Zoom Lens Media, publisher of “The Indie Filmmakers” series of books. For more information about “The Indie Filmmakers” books, visit this site.

The first book in the series, “The Indie Filmmakers: The Directors,” features bios of successful independent film directors, including Justin Lin, David Jacobson, Peter Sollett, Everett Lewis, Fenton Bailey, Matthew Bright, Greg Pritikin, Jonathan Kesselman, Gene Cajayon, Michele Maher, Miles Swain, Patty Jenkins, Billy Ray and C. Jay Cox. All these directors got their films into fesvivals, such as Sundance and Cannes, without having big-money backers. With Jenkins’ film, “Monster,” Charlize Theron won an Oscar for playing lesbian serial killer Aileen Wuornos.

Article Source

Tags: social, media, relations, marketing, communications

It’s a happy day indeed when business, non-profit, government agency or association managers end their preoccupation with (and reliance upon) the simple mechanics of press releases, broadcast plugs and special events. What they’ve decided is, they no longer wish to be denied the best public relations has to offer, preferring instead the quality public relations results they believe they deserve.

Thus they begin construction of a workable managerial PR system by putting in place a high-impact action plan designed to do something meaningful about the behaviors of those important outside audiences that MOST affect the departmental, divisional or subsidiary units they manage.

Inevitably, the new plan helps create the kind of external stakeholder behavior hange that leads directly to achieving their managerial objectives; in this case by

persuading those key outside folks to the manager’s way of thinking by helping move audience members to take actions that help the manager’s unit succeed.

It rapidly becomes apparent to these managers that the good news implicit in PR’s underlying premise is the reality that good public relations planning really CAN alter individual perception and result in changed behaviors among key outside audiences.

But what about PR’s underlying premise? As a manager, see if you can live with it. People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to redictable 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 relatons mission is usually accomplished.

With such an approach to public relations, an awful lot of warm and fuzzy end-roducts can appear: customers begin to make repeat purchases; new prospects actually start to do business with you; politicians and legislators begin looking at you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities; capital givers or specifying sources begin to look your way; welcome bounces in show room visits occur; community leaders begin to seek you out; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures start showing up; and membership applications start to rise.

Of course, whether the PR people assigned to your unit come from an agency, parent company or are direct hires, they are already in the perception and behavior business. So look first to them to manage your data gathering activity. But be certain that they really accept why it’s SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. In a word or two, be sure they believe that perceptions almost always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Also spend some quality time with your PR people analyzing your plans for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Suggest queries along these lines: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the nterchange? Are you familiar with our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Be aware that using a professional survey firm to do the opinion gathering work, can be an expensive alternative to using those PR folks of yours in that monitoring

capacity. 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.

This is when the establishment of a clearcut and realistic PR goal is necessary, one that calls for action on the most serious problem areas you uncovered during your key audience perception monitoring. You may decide to straighten out that dangerous misconception, bring to an end that potentially painful rumor, or correct that awful inaccuracy.

Part and parcel of your public relations goal is the right, action-oriented strategy that shows how to get to where you’re going. Actually, you have just three strategic options 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. Needless to say, the wrong strategy pick will taste like mushroom

gravy on your sardines. 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’re going to have to prepare a persuasive message that will help move your key audience to your way of thinking, ask the best writer on your team to get ready to prepare a carefully-written message targeted directly at your key external audience. The writer must produce some 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.

Carefully selected communications tactics will carry your message to the attention of your target audience, and there are many such tactics available. From speeches, acility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, ewsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

Another reason to stay alert to the means you use to communicate a message is that its credibility is fragile and always suspect. Thus, you may wish initially to

unveil your corrective message before smaller meetings rather than using higher profile news releases.

Demonstrating how far you’ve come compared to the starting point will highlight progress made. First, you’ll be demonstrating, in the form of periodic progress reports, how the monies spent on public relations can pay off. But it’s also an alert to start a second perception monitoring session with members of your external udience. Here, you’ll use many of the same questions used in the benchmark interviews. Only difference now is, you will be on strict alert for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

It’s also possible that momentum could flag suggesting that adding more communications tactics, and/or increasing their frequencies, will adequately address that problem.

In brief, this is a management public relations system with a remarkable prognosis: as a manager, it will move you beyond preoccupation with communications tactics, freeing you to use the right PR system to alter the perceptions of your most important outside audiences, leading directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

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. Visit:http://www.PRCommentary.com

Article Source: here

Tag:system, systems, pr, communications, agencies

Despite exploding regulatory costs and skeptical investors, the market for initial public offerings seems to be rebounding. A few young companies mulling their own IPOs asked me what communications issues to keep in mind. Here are six considerations:

If you read an article and you have the expertise, and you either agree or disagree, send in a rebuttal; you will find that this is the easy way to get into print.

Getting your name into print is not as difficult as it first seems. You do not need to write the original article. You can scan newsletters and look for articles in your field, then write a rebuttal or make a comment and send it in to the editors. If they feel you have something valuable to say, they will print your words and credit you, publishing who you are as well (and often contact information as well).

Once you have done a few rebuttals and comments on hot topics, your name will be better known and it will be easier to get your articles published in the same paper or magazine. Make sure you can back up what you say. If you cannot back it up then you will do more damage to your reputation than you ever wanted. It has been said that it only takes one false claim to ruin years of work. Do not put yourself into such a position.

So what type of articles do you want to make comment on? Those that pertain to your business are the best to start. Gain a reputation, let people know who you are, let them know how to contact you. A person that is really excellent at marketing through rebuttals and recognition is Seth Godin. Just type his name into a search engine and see what sites his name is associated with. He has also written a book that is worth reading called “The Purple Cow” which talks about differentiating yourself from the crowd.

With any print materials you want to make sure that you have the expertise and experience to add to the existing materials. If you want your name to be remembered, comment on everything that pertains to your line of business and get your name known with the editors.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people’s attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the “Networking Queen”. Blueprints for Success – Networking: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprints for Success Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2006. For more information visit this site
Article Source

Tags: media relations, firm, communications, marketing, advertising

I once opened a press kit that mooed.

MOOED.

We kept the package around the newsroom for weeks, but never published the press release and professional photos wrapped inside.

Hey, it was cute. Probably expensive. Just one problem. I ran a local newspaper focused on local connections, and this had none.

In 20 years, I probably tossed upwards of 15,000 press releases. Even though the name of our community featured prominently in the masthead, scores of expensive media kits promoting people and businesses from everywhere you can imagine crossed my desk.

I decided if I ever ended up in the PR business, I’d try to keep people from wasting so much time.

I started with Susan*, who came to me for help with marketing an educational toy. She’d been selling to day care centers, but one or two sets at a time barely covered the cost of gas.

She had a wonderful story, one that needed a larger audience – and got it.

Even with a very limited budget, Susan’s product was profiled in community newspapers, a parenting magazine and a regional daily. I’m not taking much credit; she did all the legwork.

I told her who to talk to, what to say, and how often to say it.

It’s just plain silly to throw your PR blindly at an editor, hoping it sticks. Sure, you can e-mail every media outlet in the free world. It won’t cost you a dime, and you’ll probably get exactly what you paid for.

Why waste your time, when you can invest it on the front end? Just find your connections – and then give them what they want.

Start with a list of every place you’ve ever called home. Community newspapers, accessible through any search engine, would welcome news of your business and accomplishments. Be sure to mention your “local connection” in a cover letter.

Did you go to college? Send your alumni magazine a “news note,” then take one extra step. They often “localize” national stories with alumni interviews. Why shouldn’t one of them be you? Contact the editor, establish yourself as a willing expert.

Your insurance provider, wholesale club, auto club and other groups probably publish member-focused magazines. Offer to help them out, as a source in your field. Or let them know how their business has helped yours.

All those editors still receive drifts of press releases. Still, you can shine through. I know you can, because I’ve seen people do it. Here’s how:

1. Create a press kit that includes a clear, well-written press release in long and short formats, and high quality photographs.

2. Don’t forget the simple stuff, like affixing sufficient postage or including your contact information.

3. Contact the editor by phone three or four days after sending your information, to make sure it arrived and answer any questions.

4. Respect an editor’s time when you make your follow-up call, asking whether he or she has five minutes to talk.

5. Create a lasting impression with a snappy 30 to 45-second “pitch” about yourself, your product or service.

6. Keep a tone that blends enthusiasm, professionalism and courtesy.

Finally, remember this: All you can do is improve very long odds Editors are people first. They have personal problems and biases, just like everybody else.

Stay positive, patient, polite and persistent – sooner or later, you’ll beat those odds.

And you won’t need a “lowing” press kit to do it.

Joni Hubred-Golden uses two decades of experience in journalism to advise marketing clients. She’s packed her latest e-book, Worth Every Penny (2006 Forum Communications) with templates, scripts, checklists and scores of hot tips to help small business owners market themselves on a shoestring. It’s available Here

Article Source

In a March 19th Market Outlook, I wrote about my observation that it is the quality of management that attracts the Big Publicity. Mainstream publicity is what attracts a wider audience of investors and enhances a company’s possibility of being taken over. Early investors celebrate when their favorite company goes “in play.” Case in point is Strathmore Minerals (TSX: STM; Other OTC: STHJF), whose story we have followed for nearly two years.

Strathmore president David Miller was in Hong Kong this past week, addressing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the subject of uranium mining. During the course of his visit, he was invited to be interviewed on BBC World News and did so on April 6th. To reach millions of listeners on one of the world’s premiere radio networks, BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is not only a privilege for the guest, in this case David Miller, but it helps bring the uranium story before a wider audience. One might say he was lucky and in the right place at the right time. But over the past few months, David Miller has also been interviewed by Street.com and Dow Jones and appeared on Canada’s ROB TV and CNN-TV. That is serious publicity for a tiny company!

Miller was joined on the BBC News show with Luis Echavarri, Director/General of the Paris-based OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) Nuclear Energy Agency to talk about the uranium supply crunch. Miller told BBC, “The current demand is nearly double what the current production is from mines in the world. You simply can not turn these mines on with a switch.”

As many of these smaller uranium companies continue to build their management teams with “quality names,” they will continue to attract the eye of the mainstream media. And as more of the media become interested in the “uranium story” and the company story for them, that will accelerate interest in the entire sector. The Itochu – Uranium Resources (OTC BB: URIX) is likely to be just the first volley of more joint ventures between a utility company and a small-cap uranium development company.

COPYRIGHT © 2007 by StockInterview, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

James Finch contributes to StockInterview.com and other publications. StockInterview’s “Investing in the Great Uranium Bull Market” has become the most popular book ever published for uranium mining stock investors. Visit here

Article Source

Tags: online, pr, news, online, publicity, communications

Although the field of public relations is quite new, it is seen to be pivotal to many companies when coordinating advertising and marketing campaigns. Public relations, which is often defined as “The art or science of establishing and promoting a favorable relationship with the public” has been increasing in popularity, especially now with the Internet being used as a tool for communication in modern society.

Frequent usage of the Internet has allowed consumers to communicate and access products and services from companies more easily. For example, Jerry Fireman states, “Public relations can be cost effective because the media—rather than the marketer—takes on the expense of delivering the information to the intended recipient.” (Fireman 2006, p: 1). Hence, by advertising on the Internet and promoting good relationships with clients, public relation officers are now able to achieve access to a wider market with a lower expenditure rate. Furthermore, the Internet has viewers from different nations and cultural beliefs; therefore, the scope of campaigns for modern public relation officers has increased.

Secondly, the technology of the Internet has increased the attractiveness and effectiveness of public relations. For example, public relations originated from Newspapers and News reports; however, communication can now take the form of interactive visual graphics as well as creative websites and short multimedia presentations. Techniques that are used by public relation consultants are varied, hence creativity and the impact of the statement on the website is very important in modern communication and public relations. Public relations in contemporary society is now inter-connected with understanding the discourse and the changes of supply and demand in the market, however, it is also about effective corporate ethics used to enhance the status of a company, and to provide effective long-term relationships with clients.

Although some academics would argue that public relations have become advertisement-based focusing mainly on persuading consumers to purchase a product, the effectiveness of these advertising and marketing techniques have also greatly enhanced the needs of the consumer market. The advantages of utilizing public relations on the Internet have also benefited people who may not have otherwise have had access to the advertising of these products due to their lifestyle or the location of their home. The Internet has indeed connected the wants and demands of consumers to the supply and services of the producers. Although the value and importance of the Internet is highly contentious and can be interpreted differently by separate discourses, most societies would agree that the Internet has established a prominent role in the globalization process, resulting in public relations and communication increases.

References:

Answers.com (2006) Definition of Public Relations: Here
Fireman, Jerry (2006) Successful PR: ‘It’s all about understanding the media. Source: ’ Click here

By Bernice Ly
Here
Bernice Ly is an academic writer working at M6.Net: ‘The web-hosting company for humans.’ M6.Net is working hard to help humanity experience the power and freedom to develop their own part of the Internet, to share their information and connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Article Source

Tags: marketing, communications, consultancy, corporate, online

What is Public Relations?

The difference between Public Relations PR and Advertising is simple, you pay for Advertising. The definition of Public Relations is ‘Public Relations practice is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organization and its publics.

Public relations is the more difficult “free” version of advertising. It turns out it’s not free after all, however paying for advertising allows you to say what ever you want, public relations is different, this is when others say what they want about you.

When you are high in the search results for a search phrase, the vast majority assume you got there because the “public” put you there. This is not far from exactly why your site was in the result to begin with. Being listed on the top of a search that is relevant to your site is becoming one of the most sought after forms of Public Relations. Those who see your site on top assume you are the leader in your industry, that assumption is (and has always been) the direct result of good Public Relations work.

A Good Technical Public Relations Firm has resources in the industry and has professionals with experience in the agency. These Public relations tools and experience drives your company’s profits forward when a prospect turns to you (the industry leader) for answers and advise. You provide them with the answers by way of your products or your services, or both.

Public Relations may not be focused on promoting products or services, but this is where the new media comes in. The new media that is constantly being “re-understood” everyday is the internet. With it comes many “public” opinions, those opinions are available to all and when those opinions are negative you would normally put forth “Public Relations” efforts to maintain the goodwill. When a complaint or a competitor comes up before your site on the internet, it’s time to begin a technical Public Relations campaign. It’s also very likely a sign that other PR Media Campaigns should begin. The internet is a sign of how the public views your company, or (in many cases) how it does not view your company. If you do not show up in the search results, an effort must be made to allow the public to begin forming opinions.

Adam Yax is CTO of this Site, which provides internet marketing in Phoenix, AZ.

Article Source

Tags: definitions, public, relations, marketing, communications

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 ave 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.

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 here, 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. Visit this site

Article Source

Tags: public, relations, theories, communications, management

In this great country of ours, there are basically three ways to get yourself tons of media coverage.

You can be a celebrity. Try becoming a TV, movie or sports star. That’s a good start.

You can become notorious. Getting arrested, or enmeshed in a juicy scandal, will do nicely.

But I recommend that you follow the third route. You can become an expert.

Experts, you see, are quoted in the media all the time. All the time. The media need experts to interview and quote, just like puppies need blankets to chew on. Couldn’t live without ‘em.

To a TV, radio, or newspaper reporter, experts are essential because they explain things to the watching and reading audience. News reporters, on air or in print, may choose the news and tell it. But experts explain it all.

Sports fans might look at it this way: reporters and on-air personalities are like the play-by-play announcers. But experts are the color commentators who fill in the meaning.

Try this: I defy you to watch any news program or channel for more than 10 minutes, without seeing an expert quoted. Won’t happen. Just like you’ll never see Monday Night Football without a gaggle of commentators.

But, unless you’re ready to cough up big bucks to buy mailing lists, it limits you. You can only reach the people you already know – the ones in your database. All those people will get to know you better, and that’s good – but you won’t be meeting any new prospects. To do that, it’s either spend on lists or advertising, or learn how to get yourself some free publicity.

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 this site.

Article Source

Tags: media, relations, tips, marketing, communications

You can have dozens of marvelous ideas to get free publicity, but nothing will happen unless you pick up the phone and call a reporter.

Here’s where the publicity game gets interesting for marketing-minded financial planners. You’ve been tracking reporters – you know who covers your topics. You’ve been tracking Topic A’s and trends affecting your market. You’re ready!

When you call a reporter, you’re going to say something like:

“Hi, Bob. I’m Stephanie Smart, and I am a financial planning consultant in town. I see you cover mutual funds, and I thought you might be interested in this.

Did you know that about two-thirds of my clients lately have been asking me for help with picking the right index fund? It’s a fascinating switch from what I’ve been seeing in the past.”

And it has broad implications for our community, given the number of young professionals in the area, just beginning to think about retirement planning.”

Or… “Bob, I saw your story last week on retirement planning by young professionals. Did you know that these folks are already leaning more towards index funds than traditional mutual funds? Would you like to know more?”

Trust me, every mutual fund reporter worth his or her weight in stock certificates is going to listen very closely to you.

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 this site.

Article Source

Tags: effective, media, relations, marketing, communications

When is your best advertisement not an advertisement? When it’s a press release.

In the competition for consumer attention, a well-written press release is one of your most valuable marketing tools.

Why is it vital to put yourself in the news?

Because most of us attend differently to the news than we do to advertisements. We make certain assumptions about the news, for example, that it is important, simply because it is news. We count on news editors and publishers to carefully sift through potential story leads and choose only the most relevant to report.

Many of us attribute a higher level of credibility to a news report than we do to a commercial claim. We accept (even expect) a degree of “spin” in advertising that we won’t tolerate in a news report.

And the majority of us simply pay more attention to the news than we do to advertisements. Other than maybe during the Super Bowl, when is the last time you heard someone say, “Oh, good— the commercials are on now”?

A press release puts you on the front page of the public mind. It is an opportunity to build name recognition and generate interest in your company without delivering a sales message. If you’re not sure that you have anything newsworthy to report, think of a press release as a chance for the general public to go beyond your front door and to get to know your company and its employees.

Use a press release to announce:

• Formation of a new partnership or division

• Corporate citizenship or community involvement

• Launch of a new product, service or capability

• Company anniversary or milestone

• Recent awards, certifications, publications or patents

• Sponsorships, grants or educational opportunities

Successful marketers cultivate symbiotic relationships with the press. News editors and publishers need content; your business needs exposure. Relevant, well-written press releases are a way to establish yourself as a resource in your industry and to confirm your company as one to watch.

Quality interactions with the media generally lead to more quality interactions with the media, which leads to quality interactions with potential customers. Learn to harness the power of the press release and you too can enjoy the benefits of permanent press.

Copyright ©2005 by Dennis and Sally Bacchetta. All rights reserved.

Dennis Bacchetta is a Marketing Professional who writes on a variety of topics, including emerging technologies.

Sally Bacchetta is an award-winning sales trainer and freelance writer. She has published articles on a variety of topics, including selling skills, motivation, and pharmaceutical sales.

Article Source

Tags: marketing, communications, consultant, agency, advertising

Every reporter, from the cub at the small town paper to the high-paid anchor on 60 Minutes, dreams of finding a lead to that news story that everyone will want to read.

Any marketing-minded financial planner will start to do the same if they are serious about getting free publicity through the media.

See, the media has a pretty good idea of what appeals to the public. That’s a big part of their job–determining what stories are likely to attract their customers: readers, viewers or listeners.

You must develop this skill as well.

Luckily, you talk to the media’s customers every day–they are your clients. They can help you determine what tips, tricks and trends are likely to appeal to the masses.

Chances are if one or two clients are asking you about something new, dozens more prospects – and the media – are primed to get interested too.

For example, let’s say that the state university raised tuition 25%. You might have several clients asking how to reallocate or add to their college savings funds to pay for the increased cost. And if a couple of your clients are asking about it, you can bet that hundreds, even thousands of people are facing the same problem.

Whatever tactic you come up with to meet this challenge is your story for the media.

Get ahead of the curve: master the new topic, and introduce it to the media – with you as the expert on it.

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 this site.

Article Source

Tags: effective, public, relations, communications, writing