When you imagine a lawyer what do you see? More than likely you conjure up an idea of a powerful looking man or woman in a dark colored suit with a serious expression. So, what would you imagine a personal injury lawyer’s business card to look like? More than likely you see business cards that are conservative. That’s because serious professionals like lawyers typically want to enforce their seriousness with custom business cards that show how seriously they will treat you and your court case.

Business cards for lawyers should not incorporate lots of bright colors and designs. Instead, business cards for lawyers should be very conservative and include contact information, a company motto, and perhaps a graphic that relates to the law in some way. This type of business card will garner respect from potential clients and it will show that you will take clients seriously. When potential clients feel this way about you and your services then you have a better chance of them hiring you. If you as a lawyer have business cards with a rainbow of colors on them or cartoon inspired graphics then you will be wasting your time handing them out because people want a serious lawyer not a jokester.

So, when you are considering designs for your personal injury lawyer business cards make sure you focus on professional and serious designs. This is one case where the traditional black and white cards and fine linen paper is suggested. When people feel you take your profession seriously they will take you seriously and hire you to represent them. Most lawyers make a pretty good income. However, quite a few lawyers start out making a small income and they do everything they can to cut corners. One way to cut corners as a new lawyer is to print your own business cards. You can do so easily and save yourself plenty of money not to mention having business cards that are finely made. The best thing to do is go to a print or office store and buy fine linen paper. Next, buy business card printing software and install it on your computer. Follow the steps and you will see that in just a few minutes you can design professional looking business cards and print them out. They will look just as good as any partner’s business cards but cost you a lot less.

Caitlina Fuller writes about laws and marketing. Business cards for lawyers should not incorporate lots of bright colors and designs. Instead, business cards for lawyers should be very conservative and include contact information, a company motto, and perhaps a graphic that relates to the law in some way. So, when you are considering designs for your personal injury lawyer business cards make sure you focus on professional and serious designs. This is one case where the traditional black and white cards and fine linen paper is suggested

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Tags: design, firm, business, card, lawyers

How can a company or individual know if it needs to hire a public relations/marketing firm?

There are many factors to weigh when considering if you need to hire outside help to obtain the public relations, media relations, marketing boost, promotional or advertising assistance needed to take your company to the next level.

If you aren’t completely certain after debating the pros and cons ask these questions:

Are we getting all the PR we deserve?

Is our competition getting more than their fair share of media coverage?

Would media coverage bring more business to the firm?

Do we have a PR strategy for continuous year round media coverage?

Is our in-house “PR person or department” overburdened with “in-house” work like the company newsletter?

First of all, let’s define a PR firm, some people interchange a PR firm with a marketing firm, or marketing agency, or even an ad agency. Basically a public relations firm handles media relations and is the interface between a company and the news media.

A public relations firm or publicist will “pitch” the media on a story idea involving a company, invention or author. A good pitch about a story that would interest the people who read, watch or listen to a particular media outlet gets coverage.

Many larger companies rely on in-house staff trained in public relations or marketing while others hire PR consultants or publicists to handle their PR campaigns.

Joe Nicassio, author of Guerrilla PR Brand Manager, says whether a company should conduct its public relations, marketing or advertising campaigns internally or externally should be determined by these factors”

Do you NEED solid, consistent media exposure week after week, or are you satisfied with “occasional” exposure?

Do you have the internal staff and expertise to commit the internal resources to your public relations, marketing, advertising efforts?

If you have the internal staff, and they understand Guerrilla PR principles, then there may be no reason to hire an outside agency. Paradoxically, the busier you get, the easier it is to parlay, or “set aside” consistent, important PR activities. Don’t get caught in that trap!

“Public Relations is a craft that requires PASSION,” adds Nicassio. “You may need PR, and you may even have the people to conduct your public relations, marketing, advertising campaigns but that’s not enough. To be truly effective, your PR campaigns must be conducted with PASSIONATE CONSISTENCY.”

Here are several reasons why I believe it makes good business sense to hire a public relations firm to market your product or service:

PR firms can get you TV and radio coverage A PR firm can get you interviewed on radio and TV. Every day thousands of interviews are conducted on TV and Radio stations across the North America and several hundred are with experts and authors. If your in house PR person is not trying to get interviewed by the producers of those shows they won’t find you because they simply don’t have time to look for you amongst the many interesting people clamoring for their attention.

PR firms have regular contact with national media outlets PR firms are in regular contact journalists, editors, writers and producers from top national magazines, newspapers and radio/TV programs. When was the last time you talked to representatives from ABC’s 20/20… Prime Time… CNN… People… Good Morning America… Newsweek… Publishers Weekly… Family Circle… Forbes… ABC Radio Network… Time Magazine… Dateline NBC… The View… Oprah’s O magazine… Fortune Small Business… Cosmopolitan… Fox News… Good Housekeeping or Newsweek? Probably not lately. And your in-house PR person probably has not either. The reason? Your in-house person has not established the relationships with these media outlets. A PR firm with several clients can pitch one, two or three stories while talking to the same reporter or producer. An in house PR department does not have this synergy which leaves your firm out of the loop.

PR firms have multiple resources such as an “experts subscription service”

Westwind Communications and other top PR firms belong to paid subscription services which provides dozens of leads everyday from media members looking for an expert to comment on a particular story. PR firms present you and your firm as an authority on a particular topic and request an interview. The media will, in nearly every case, mention your firm in the story as it establishes your credibility with the reader.

Your in-house person is not likely to know about this service or perhaps the several thousand dollars a year it costs to get the leads is not cost effective for a firm to buy this service. However a PR firm can spread this cost over several clients and glean the hundreds of daily queries looking for the one that may work for you.

PR firms can provide media training Regardless of your experience most executives need media training. PR firms use media trainers to prep their clients. When you use a PR firm they have access to the best ones in the business. Why do you need one? Just watch the interview talk shows you can tell when an inexperienced executive is being interviewed. A good trainer will show you how to “plug” your company, product or service without sounding like an overbearing salesperson. The training helps you capitalize on every interview and maximize each opportunity to the fullest.

A PR firm can get your press release to the top of the heap.

For your story to compete for attention in the “hard news” slot it must be compelling and people need to care about it. On a tour of the Detroit News a couple of years ago I asked to be taken to the mailroom. There I saw 20 giant four-foot tall mailbags that come into the mailroom every day. All I could think of was how many thousands of press releases were in that pile, and how the odds of any one of them seeing the light of day were not good. If your press release is in that pile, you want your story to get to the top of the heap and a PR firm can improve your odds dramatically. Furthermore, since most story ideas are emailed these days, its even more unlikely your press release will be opened by a reporter since SPAM is out of control. Public relations professionals also have built up contacts in the media, who trust them for story ideas, and will know where, who and when to pitch a certain type of story.

As for fees, most PR firms operate on a monthly retainer basis and a minimum time commitment ranging from a few months to a multiple years. The level of the fee depends upon the scope of the project. Will it take five people, one person? Is the firm interested in local, state, regional, national or international public relations? Is the firm public or private? If its public there are more SEC required reports that need filling as well as other government regulations. All of this will affect the rate quoted.

So it’s best to determine what you want and then work with the firm that has a track record of accomplishments and media placement. Good PR is more than hot air, it requires continuous implementation of a well thought out strategy to get results.

The following checklist is suggested by Nicassio to “size up” any public relations firm you are considering to hire:

Do you get along with the members of the firm? Hiring a PR agency is a collaboration that you can benefit from, month after month, year after year. Quality rapport is an essential ingredient.

Are they realistic, in terms of managing your expectations, or do they promise “pie in the sky”? It’s one thing for a PR firm to promise results; it’s another thing to promise “specific” results. Maybe you’d like to get on Oprah Winfrey from the start…so would everyone else. But be prepared to take advantage of several secondary media opportunities before you get to the top tier. Several base hits can score you more runs than going for the grand slam every time.

Is the PR firm creative? Creative PR people will come up with more “angles” to test.

Do they understand how to pitch your story? A progressive PR firm will be effective AND efficient at telling your story — yielding you more media coverage.

Do they listen to what you say? Let’s face it…your PR needs are constantly evolving. Your PR firm should listen and respond to your unique, evolving needs.

Are they using a “hard sell” to get you to sign? A good PR firm is a busy PR firm. They don’t need to sell you. Their track record will allow you to decide based on the evidence.

Do they have local, regional, national media contacts? When you go to a great PR firm, they have cultivated several strategic media relationships, over many years of time. Do they have the contacts to place your story in front of the appropriate media?

Did they outline a campaign game plan for you? You can predict the effectiveness of a PR firm by the soundness of their overall strategic approach.

Have you seen samples of their work? Track record comes in the form of QUALITY of exposure, in addition to the QUANTITY of exposure.

Do you feel that they will carry out your PR campaign with consistent PASSION?

Do you should feel comfortable with the fee and the contract? Getting good PR is a process. It requires well thought out plans, implemented with passion, and a focus on results in the form of getting your story told to the world.

So whether you conduct your public relations efforts from within or whether you hire an outside PR firm, if media exposure is valuable to you than you must commit to public relations as an ongoing, systematic part of your marketing mix.

Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that specializes in book marketing and author publicity. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC Nightly News, ESPN, The New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, NPR, USA Today, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few. To discuss how Westwind Communications helps its clients get all the publicity they deserve and more visit here.

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Tags: public relations, firm, pr, firm, company

Carpet Cleaning companies need good community goodwill and public relations like any other company does, but what can they do that is unique and dissimilar to other carpet cleaning companies who give free services to non-profit groups, the YMCA and churches? Well what if they joined in a community team doing business neighborhood mobile watch program? It would be very simple, as consider the carpet cleaning company business model;

CARPET CLEANING COMPANIES: There are many carpet-cleaning companies, both franchisees and independents, and all of them should be in the program. You can use this to your advantage. Sign up one company and use it to try to sign up the rest of them. If every van which cleans carpets has a sign then there will not be a day when any given neighborhood goes without at least one visit from a member of the neighborhood watch program.

As you can readily see a neighborhood mobile watch program fits the bill as a news worthy and unique public relations and community goodwill effort on the part of any carpet cleaning company and best of all it would not cost them one dime. So, perhaps you will think outside of the box as you look at PR thru a different lens.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; WorldThinkTank. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

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Tags: public relations, firm, cleaning, campaign, community

Managers can be cool, right? Right! Especially business, non-profit, public entity and association managers who combine a sound public relations strategy with effective communications tactics leading directly to the bottom line–perception altered, behavior modified, employer/client/member objective achieved.

If you don’t as yet fall into that category, you may be interested in embracing the notion of doing something positive about the behaviors of the very outside audiences that MOST affect your operation.

The result might be a surprise as you start to persuade your key external audiences to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

But why be surprised when all that is required is a first class plan, a plan that will get each of your team members and organizational colleagues working towards the same external stakeholder behaviors?

Actually, I wouldn’t be approaching the subject this way if there wasn’t such a plan especially designed to keep a manager’s public relations effort “on message:” for example, 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.

We’re fortunate that we won’t have to wait long for results to appear. For instance, capital givers or specifying sources looking your way; prospects starting to work with you; customers making repeat purchases; improved relations with government agencies and legislative bodies; a rebound in showroom visits; membership applications on the rise; new thoughtleader and special event contacts; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; fresh community service and sponsorship opportunities; and even stronger relationships with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities.

The way in which you use your PR staff will impact your success as a manager. Will you use your regular public relations staff? People assigned to you from above? Or will it be PR agency staff? Regardless, they must be committed to you as the senior project manager, and to the PR blueprint starting with key audience perception monitoring.

It would be a good idea at this time to satisfy yourself that team members really believe that it’s crucially important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Be certain they buy the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Another good idea is a review of the PR blueprint with staff. In particular your plan for monitoring and gathering 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 exchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

While costly, outside survey counsel can be used in the perception monitoring phases of your program. But keep in mind 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.

The most harmful issues turned up during your key audience perception monitoring will demand that you do something about them. This will turn out to be your new public relations goal calling, for example, for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor.

If you are to be successful in achieving your new PR goal, you will need a solid strategy to back it up. One that clearly indicates to you and the PR staff how to proceed. But remember that there are just three strategic options available to you when it comes to handling a perception and opinion challenge. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. The wrong strategy pick will taste like liver-stuffed ravioli. So, be certain the new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. Obviously, you don’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

Now, because persuading an audience to your way of thinking is not easy, those PR folks of yours must come up with words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual. Only in this way will you be able to correct a perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view, leading to the behaviors you are targeting.

Your public relations staff can regularly reevaluate the message to reconfirm that it’s up to snuff and really persuasive. Next, you’ll want to select the communications tactics most likely to carry that message to the attention of your target audience. There are scores of available tactics. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. Just be certain that those you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

More often than you might guess, the credibility of the message itself can actually depend on the perception of its delivery method. So, you may decide to kick off the corrective message by unveiling it before smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile tactics such as news releases.

It’s also advisable to schedule a followup perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. You and your PR people should plan another visit to the field where you can gather comparative data for use in producing progress reports. You’ll want to use many of the same questions used in the benchmark session. Only this time, you will be watching very carefully for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

Things can always slow down. So be ready to accelerate matters with more communications tactics and increased frequencies.

What you’ve now accomplished is simply this. You’ve moved beyond tactics like special events, brochures, broadcast plugs and press releases to achieve the very best public relations has to offer.

And what makes it REALLY interesting is combining a sound public relations strategy supported by effective communications tactics leading directly to the bottom line –perception altered, behavior modified, employer/client/member objective achieved.

Robert A. Kelly © 2006.

Please feel free to publish this article in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website.

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Tags: pr, executive, managers, firm, corporate

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

Referring to tactics like press releases, special events, brochures and broadcast plugs as “the heart of the practice of public relations” is like describing eviction notices as “the heart of the practice of law,” or employment applications as “the heart of the practice of human resources.”

Each restrictively misleading. Each out-of-touch with reality. Each damaging to the discipline.

In the case of public relations, tactics are what they are, valuable devices which public relations calls upon from time-to-time to move a message from one point to another. But that’s all they are.

If you are a business, non-profit, government agency or association manager, be aware that your PR effort must demand more than special events, press releases and talk show tactics if you are to receive the best public relations has to offer, and the quality public relations you deserve.

For a manager, a good first step in that direction would be to scan the underlying premise of public relations: 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.

In my view, managers wishing to strengthen the role of public relations in their units should see PR as an investment which (1), marshalls the resources and action planning needed to alter individual perception leading to changed behaviors among their most important outside audiences. And (2), goes on to help managers persuade those key folks to their way of thinking, then (3) moves them to take actions that allow the manager’s department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

The good news for those managers is that the right public relations planning really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among key outside audiences.

You may be such a manager. If you are, try to remember that your PR effort must demand more than communications tactics if you are to receive the quality public relations results you deserve.

The results will make it all worthwhile. Especially when new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures start showing up; membership applications start to rise; prospects actually start to do business with you; capital givers or specifying sources begin to look your way; welcome bounces in show room visits occur; customers begin to make repeat purchases; politicians and legislators begin looking at you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities; and community leaders begin to seek you out.

Your new opinion monitoring project will welcome the input of your public relations professionals because they are already in the perception and behavior business. But be certain that the PR staff really accepts why it’s SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Above all, be sure they believe that perceptions almost always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Review with them how you plan to gather and monitor perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Suggest that questions like these be asked: 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?

The use of survey pros to run your opinion gathering work could be a costly move compared to using those PR folks of yours who already have relevant experience. 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.

Goal-setting, always an important step, should address the most serious problem areas uncovered during your key audience perception monitoring. Will it be to straighten out that dangerous misconception? Correct that gross inaccuracy? Or, stop that potentially painful rumor cold?

It’s obvious that establishing your PR goal requires a specific strategy that shows you how to reach that goal. Remember that just 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 chitterlings in your oatmeal., 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.

This is the time to produce quality writing because you must now prepare a persuasive message that will help move your key audience to your way of thinking. It must be a carefully-written message targeted directly at your key external audience. Select 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.

To reach those you want to reach with your message, you’re going to have to select the communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. There are many 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 folks just like your audience members.

HOW you communicate the message is a concern because the credibility of any message is fragile and always up for grabs,. Which is why, initially, you may wish to unveil your corrective message before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher- profile news releases.

Beginning a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience is the ticket when you want to provide a progress report for interested parties. You’ll want 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.

You can always speed things up with 2 simple techniques: add more communications tactics and/or increase their frequencies.

If you are a business, non-profit, government agency or association manager, here’s another reminder: be aware that your public relations effort must demand more than special events, press releases and talk show tactics if you are to receive the best public relations has to offer, and the quality public relations you deserve.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. Only requirements: you must use the Robert A. Kelly byline, 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 240 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 =>here

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Tags: pr, jobs, list, firm, agencies

When writing your press release there are a few tips that will help you turn an ordinary topic into the sort of hot item that will end up winning you massive publicity.

a) In your press release put yourself in the shoes of the reader. What is of interest to them? How can they benefit from the information that you have?

b) Sometimes simple information of something you are doing in your blog can be of great benefit to many folks out there. My advice is that any new thing you do at your blog, simply announce it in a brief press release. You will not hit a home run every time but you never know when you will and end up increasing your traffic many times over. What’s more, every press release is bound to attract some sort of interest.

c) As much as possible give actual figures and numbers to support what you are saying in your press release. You can even get figures from the industry in general to illustrate a specific point in your web site. Figures will always add great weight to any press release.

d) There is nothing wrong with using your targeted keyword phrases in your press release. In fact it is a brilliant idea.

Interested in sending your press release where over 50,000 bloggers will instantly see it?

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Tags: pr, firm, press, press realease, write

Punchy press releases moving out the door? Zippy
ebrochures dazzling everybody? New buzz all about
your recent broadcast appearance? With today’s
newspaper interview promising to be even better?

Sounds like you have total PR.

Sorry, and here’s what’s missing. Public relations activity
that creates behavior change among your key outside
audiences. Behavior change that leads directly to
achieving your managerial objectives.

That’s really important to your business, non-profit,
public entity or association IF you accept the fact
that the right PR really CAN alter individual perception
and lead to those changed behaviors you need. And IF
you then resolve to do something positive about the
behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours
that MOST affect your operation.

Those are big Ifs, but as a manager, you can pull it off
by creating the kind of external stakeholder behavior
change that leads directly to achieving your managerial
objectives. But you’ll do it only when you persuade those
key outside folks to your way of thinking, and then
move them to take actions that allow your department,
group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Happily, you won’t be on your own in this effort. There’s
a blueprint showing you how to manage this kind of public
relations. 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 usually is accomplished.

As work begins on this project, it’ll become quite obvious
that you will need a lot more than news releases, brochures
and special events to get a satisfactory return on your PR
investment. Here are some of the results business, non-
profit, public entity and association managers can expect
from this kind of public relations. New proposals for
strategic alliances and joint ventures; rebounds in showroom
visits; membership applications on the rise; community
service and sponsorship opportunities; enhanced activist
group relations, and expanded feedback channels, and
even new thoughtleader and special event contacts.

As you make progress, you should notice customers
making repeat purchases; prospects reappearing; stronger
relationships with the educational, labor, financial and
healthcare communities; improved relations with
government agencies and legislative bodies, and perhaps
even capital givers or specifying sources looking your way.

Because you want your key outside audiences to really
perceive your operations, products or services in a
positive light. Be sure that your PR staff is really on
board for the whole effort. Reassure yourself that they
accept the basic truth that perceptions almost always
lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Go over the plan, the blueprint in detail with your
staff, especially regarding how you will gather and
monitor 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 how things went? Have
you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

It’s usually preferable, although sometimes pricey when
you can depend on professional survey people to handle
the perception monitoring phases of your program. But
fortunately, 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.

When you set your public relations goal, remember that
you need one that addresses the problems that appeared
during your key audience perception monitoring.
Probably, your new goal will call for straightening out
that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross
inaccuracy, or doing something about that awful rumor.

As day follows night, goals need strategies to show you
how to get there. But you have just three strategic choices
when it comes to handling a perception or opinion
challenge: create perception where there may be none,
change the perception, or reinforce it. Unfortunately,
selecting a bad strategy will taste like anchovy paste on
your scones, so be certain the new strategy fits well with
your new public relations goal. For example, you don’t
want to select “change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce”
strategy.

How you structure your corrective message is crucial
because persuading an audience to your way of thinking
is awfully hard work. Especially when you’re looking for
words that are compelling, persuasive, believable AND
clear and factual. Hard work, but a must if you are to
correct a perception by shifting opinion towards your
point of view, leading to the desired behaviors. Review
your message with your communications specialists
for its impact and persuasiveness.

Sounds obvious, but in order to carry your words to the
attention of your target audience, you need to select the
precise communications tactics most likely to reach them.
Fortunately, you can pick from dozens of available tactics.
From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to
consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal
meetings and many others. Be darn certain that the tactics
you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience
members.

When you think about it, the credibility of your message
can depend on how you deliver it. So, try introducing it to
smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile
communications such as news releases or talk show
appearances. Before long, you’ll need to produce a progress
report, which means it’s probably time for you and your PR
folks to get back out in the field for a second perception
monitoring session with members of your external audience.
You can use the same questions used in the first benchmark
session, but now you must stay alert for signs that your
communications tactics have worked and that the negative
perception is being altered in your direction.

If things aren’t moving fast enough for you, matters can
always be accelerated with a broader selection of
communications tactics AND increased frequencies.

Because people act upon their perceptions of the facts they
hear about you and your operation, you really need a public
relations blueprint like this. Reason being you have little
choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those
perceptions by doing what is necessary to reach and move
those key external audiences of yours to actions you desire.

Please feel free to publish this article in your ezine,
newsletter, offline publication or website. Only
requirement: you must use the Robert A. Kelly byline
and resource box.

Robert A. Kelly © 2006

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Tags:power, pr, manager, marketing, firm

While speaking at a recent legal seminar on internal investigations, an attorney asked me about responding to news media that finds out about an emerging corporate crisis or other potentially negative situation.

Isn’t it in the company’s best interests, he asked, to avoid the press until all the facts are known and there’s some “good news” to tell?

Nope. You can’t dissuade interested reporters from chasing down a legitimate business story any more than you can push water uphill with a fork. Not only do your pants get wet, but you look an idiot.

In other words, the news happens with you or without you. It doesn’t matter that you don’t have all the facts, or still have lose ends to tie up. Unlike the lawyerly concept of a definitive final resolution, news coverage is incremental. Hour by hour. Day by day. One headline follows another as new information is confirmed or disputed, as ramifications become evident and fall-out analyzed.

And in almost all cases, how your company responds to and deals with the press becomes part of – and at times the central focus of — the ongoing story.

To not participate in even “negative” news coverage is to risk death by a thousand paper cuts. You force the media to discover for themselves the facts that you don’t have — information, opinions and perspectives that will be rushed into coverage whether or not you agree with their accuracy or context. In the end, you likely prolong whatever bad publicity you’re trying to avoid.

Does that mean you have answers to every question? Of course not. But there’s a huge difference between hiding from the press and making a sincere effort to explain why you can’t answer a specific question, or why it isn’t appropriate for the CEO to be interviewed at this time. Engaging the media during an emerging crisis — even to respectfully decline comment — promotes a credible rapport that may create breathing room to produce facts as you confirm them, or have opportunity to respond to information and opinion before it is published or aired.

Whether you’re dealing with good news or bad news, the rule is the same. Say only what you know to be true. But say it. Your company will be better for it.

Originally published in Scatterbox by Steven Silvers at this site.

Steven Silvers is an accomplished reputation management, corporate affairs and communications strategy consultant with 25 years experience helping organizations navigate through today’s increasingly complex nexus of business, government, news media and community.

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Tags: online, public relations, service, firm, agency

In January, when you are muttering about the expensive heating bill, magazine writers are penning tips about staying cool. In June, while you lie on the beach, they are researching the hot new Christmas toys.

If you call a magazine reporter in March with tax tips for April 15th, they will be more than a little bit annoyed. They finished their tax articles months ago and are working on back-to-school pieces.

When you have a story pegged for a specific date, contact magazine folks as far ahead of time as possible. They will respect your understanding of the magazine game.

Even daily newspapers and weekly magazines work well in advance. Though the facts of their stories may change as their deadline nears, the basic structure of most newspaper articles is established well in advance.

This is especially true of financial and business columnists who are your main target. They often write their pieces weeks or even months in advance.

If you come up with a story that is time-sensitive, don’t sit on it. Contact a media person right away. It’s hardly ever too early to plant a seed in their mind.

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.

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Tags: pr, publicity, press, promotion, firm

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 this site.

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Tags: financial, public, relations, firm, marketing