What a busy and uplifting week it has been at HRB as we finalize trade show booth plans for a Connecticut client preparing to attend the National Agri-Marketing Association convention in Kansas City, April 21-23.

We’ve published the schedule of our 2010 seminar series for Cedar Rapids and the Quad Cities on our Web site so you can see what’s coming and sign up at any time. The subject matter includes topics on Web and social media, public relations, branding, media buying, strategic planning and more.

A large media outlet client is getting plans together to launch its new brand internally and externally, so we hosted an office brainstorming session to generate ideas.

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Much PR work being done for several clients – generating media lists and researching editorial calendar opportunities on our Web-based Cision PR software.

Three new TV spots for our Mexican restaurant client were wrapped up and distributed to all stores nationally and will begin airing locally next week.

For our rugged tablet PC client, we finalized banner ads targeting applications and product features.

A save the date email went out for an April seminar being planned for our subsoil stabilization client in Iowa City. Invitations are being printed and will drop early next week. Brand identity package (letterhead, biz cards, envelopes) are being finalized. Brochure is in client review. Web site design is in the works – design is approved. They are very happy with their new look.

No, we’re not in trouble with the law. But we’ve been interviewing and meeting with law enforcement training officers for the past two weeks in order to develop a strategic marketing plan for a training client in the Corridor. Also researching trade pubs, trade shows and associations to prepare for our upcoming client presentation.

We’ve almost got final approval for a new animated video for a medical devices client.

For our large engineering/architectural client, we are finishing the templates for the new brand look. Working on a corporate brochure and presentation folder as the next step in the re-brand process.

Want help with a marketing project or campaign, please contact HRB.

If businesses and marketing managers would approach social media the way public relations professionals approach developing a story and pitching it to editors, they would get a much better return on their investment.

So what do I mean by that? In marketing and advertising you can say whatever you want, however you want, because you’ve paid for the right to do so. In PR, you have to say what the editor wants to hear and ultimately what the reader or viewer wants to hear to get your message across. We use talking points and corporate speak, even though we try to limit that, so we’re not completely “pure.” But we are trying to tell a story and engage the reader in a thoughtful and helpful way. In social media, key messages, blatant boasting (even not-so-blatant boasting) are killers to the conversation.

And that’s what social media is really… a conversation.

No matter who we are, where we work, we all have agendas and topics we are passionate about. We all have opinions. So ultimately, we all have conversations we want to join. If you’ve already figured out why you should be involved with social media, the next step is creating a strategy. Think about the outcome and decide what types of questions you will need to ask yourselves to make that a reality. Some examples:

• What types of people would be interested in our conversation?
• Where are they at?
• What are they talking about?
• Is it appropriate for us to join that conversation and, if so, when?
• How do we provide value to the conversation?
• What is the best way to get their input into our product or service without offending?

What PR and social media should attempt to do is earn trust. When credible and transparent you can do this. If you think about your social media tendencies and what keeps you following someone or removing them from your friends list, you can create a strategy that is right for your business…and not offensive to potential customers.

Unfortunately, it is us communications and public relations professionals (and CEOs) who need to take the blame for blackening the brand of the press conference. During the 80′s and 90′s we over indulged in the press conference to a point, now, where they come across trivial – unless there is a crisis.

So, when is the right time for your company to have one? In my experience, it is when the story is going to make the news no matter what and you need to control the message.

In this instance, Tiger Woods’ advisers did a good job (although it was very non-traditional in nature) of consulting him. Toyota would be a bad example; only because it waited. Press conferences and commercials after three weeks in the media is too late to save your reputation. By now, the media has held court and we, the jury, have already decided on our verdict.

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Whether live or video, press conferences have become rather unimportant most of the time. Gone are the days when anyone cared about your company launching a brand, an anniversary, or a change in leadership (unless your Chrysler or some other major corporation).

Use due diligence when considering a press conference and if you deem it appropriate, please make it meaningful. Here are some tips:

• Consider the time of day – make it convenient for the media.
• What else might be happening that day to divert the media’s attention? Schedule accordingly.
• Provide beverages and food.
• Invite appropriate attendees, don’t leave it to happenstance.
• Rehearse with the speakers the key messages they need to convey.
• If appropriate, demonstrations are wonderful – we are a visual society.
• Tape it for other uses and viewings.
• Provide all subject matter on CD or DVD to the journalists.
• Follow up with media and invitees not in attendance.

We are a media overloaded society and journalists are spread thin. So, unless there is an announcement with huge affects or a crisis, consider stepping away from the press conference and return its good name with the media.

Itsuo Inouye / Associated Press

The fire storm the last few weeks over Toyota and its recalls has certainly been in the forefront of everyone’s minds. I’m not even an owner of a Toyota, but cannot help looking warily at those driving one and wonder if it will break away and head right into me. Behold the muscle of the media.

If the media has the power to make me anxious about the company and its product that I don’t even own, then Toyota should step carefully. So why doesn’t Toyota get that? Why don’t they understand that the worst move ever in a crisis situation is to stay quiet and even worse to say, “no comment.”

A golden rule of public relations is to never stay quiet in these situations and especially never say, “no comment.” It is one of the first things taught to me by Elinor Day during PR class at Mount Mercy College.

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I mean if you think about it, how do you feel when a company has had a misstep and they come out and tell you upfront, get you the facts first, apologize and tell you a plan to remedy the situation? Even if you’re mad, don’t you often feel less so? Doesn’t the anger dissipate quicker?

And doesn’t the media go away faster?

So here are some basic rules of engagement if you ever find your company is in a crisis:

• Accept and involve the public as a legitimate partner
• Plan carefully and evaluate your efforts
• Listen to the public’s specific concerns
• Be honest, frank and open
• Coordinate and collaborate with other credible sources
• Meet the needs of the media
• Speak clearly and with compassion

And, if you’re wondering if Toyota’s brand is damaged or if I will buy one…no comment.

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Greetings!

My name is Shelby Kraus and today is my inauguration into the blogosphere. Although I am an avid follower of many different communications, branding and marketing blogs, I haven’t delved into writing one…until now. I may be a blogger novice, but am a veteran of 18 years in the public relations arena. So, it is nice to “meet” you and I look forward to sharing many thoughts and ideas with each other about public relations.

Over the years, I have worked with many professionals and they all had a different idea of what is public relations and what it can do for them or their company. Does every type of business or organization need PR? The answer is … yes. It can come in many different shapes or levels, but ultimately it is always necessary to share your story in a way that is relevant to your audience.

Let me say that again. Ultimately it is always necessary to share your story in a way that is relevant to your audience.

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A challenge for any communications or public relations manager is crafting a message that will win over the CEO and a journalist. A tough assignment for sure. In the end, relating your news to how it benefits a customer or prospect should always win the day. It can be hard to convince a CEO or a V.P. of marketing and sales on that approach, after all they want to increase profitability. To show a tie between public relations and sales, a PR pro you should always be thinking how to measure results. Some common ones include:

• Clips reports
• Advertising equivalency measures
• More progressive agencies measure public opinion or audience sentiment – this includes time-consuming focus groups, polls, surveys
• Benchmarking results established with research
• “Share of voice” measurements, comparing press results to the results competitors generate (who has more mentions)
• Campaign tools that are offered by Cision and other PR applications

A story. Every business has one. Make it relevant to your audience and measure its effectiveness and you’re golden. What’s your story?

Companies that are not using public relations are missing an essential communications channel to reach prospects and customers – and to build their brand.

PR opens a new door, a new channel: media coverage, usually at a cost lower than equivalent traditional advertising. And, it’s often seen as more credible than advertising.

Many PR practitioners believe that unpaid media (generally defined as editorial coverage generated in any medium) offers three to five times the credibility of paid media (advertising). This multiplier effect is based on the long-held belief that consumers regard news coverage as more credible than advertising.

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The success of public relations is based on how it is implemented, given that it is a very relationship based communications tool. A large part of the value is in creating a good media relationship.

Simply sending out one news release will likely have a very small, if any, impact on sales or brand. Instead, create PR tools such as case studies, white papers, customer testimonial statements, educational articles and regular news releases for your Web site or distribution.

However, a well developed, ongoing public relations program can have a significant impact, because it increases your company’s visibility to the media and in the media.  Recurring media mentions also boost your brand and top of mind awareness, especially if you are providing content of value.

How can your company implement an effective public relations program? To keep it simple, you can:

• Develop lists of media contacts (and their contact information) for key trade publications, business journals, blogs, Web sites or local media
• Reach out to media contacts to let them know who you are and what kinds of editorial content/industry expertise you can provide
• Create and distribute one news release per month on a newsworthy topic and include a link back to your Web site (releases are great for generating inbound links to your Web site, which improves your Google site rankings)
• Develop offers such as white papers, case studies or industry trend pieces that you can offer for free download on your Web site
• Distribute important news to your media lists as well as through national distribution services such as PR Web for as little as $200
• Integrate all your media efforts with social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and others

The real secret for PR success is an ongoing program that creates editorial content of value and keeps your name in front of the media and starts establishing your company as a provider of industry expertise.

P.S. If you are interested, a recent Pew Research Center poll finds that television remains the dominant news source for the public, with 71 percent saying that they get most of their national and international news from television. Forty-two percent say that they get most of their news on these subjects from the Internet, compared with 33 percent who cite newspapers. Last December (2008), for the first time in a Pew Research Center survey, more people said they obtained most of their national and international news from the Internet than those who said that newspapers were their main source.

Jim Thebeau
Partner/CEO

Follow me on Twitter @JimThebeau

Connect with me on LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/jimthebeau