The Core Concepts of Effective Reputation Management

“Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow.  The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Abraham Lincoln.

Do you have the good reputation that you deserve? Bad publicity has always been a challenge, even to the good guys. In these days of social media that can instantly harm you there is a need for a sophisticated response strategy. Make sure people are aware of your character, and not looking at someone else’s shadow.

Reputation management can have many forms, and can require several different roles. In a large organization, the role would be filled by a full-time strategic communication advisor; but even then, the key employee may need consultation depending on the situation.

Perhaps the defining characteristic of effective reputation management is good judgment. Maintaining a good reputation involves planning your organizational structure so that you have a smooth flow of information as well as confronting specific issues as they appear in the business environment and in the media.

Any confusion caused by incorrect reporting must be addressed with authority in a timely manner.  Any roadblocks to communication within your organization must be located and eliminated.

Whether it is for a hospital board, an African nation, the U.S. Department of Defense, a corporate public relations department, or a small business operating a marketing strategy, a reputation management strategist coordinates clarifying your position. This important advisor will also assist in the formation and adjustment of policy.   

The higher your authority, and the broader the scope of your endeavors, the more important it is that you are in position to be able to manage the public perception of your efforts. An effective reputation management strategy is much more than “spin.” The creation and implementation of good policy needs dedicated attention and support in the unpredictable climate of popular opinion.

The Possible Roles involved in reputation advisement:

• As an educator, the advisor communicates with employees and associates to make them better conduits for a policy that has been decided upon.  In order to avoid inconsistency of services or product, all people involved in implementing your service should be schooled in the philosophy of your business or social mission. This involves coordination with human resources and training of department heads as well as direct presentation to large groups.

• As a publicist, the advisor has editing, writing and speaking skills to distribute information through appropriate networks, whether through existing corporate newsletters and email systems, or media outlets. The publicist is familiar with social media and monitors interaction on strategic sites. The publicist can produce content, as well as inform others on proper responses to online forums.  The publicist has a close relationship with any formal spokesperson or media relations department for a large organization, acting as a liaison between management, media, and policy formation.

• As an analyst, the advisor suggests what information should be given to a particular group, be it employees, associates, or volunteers. The analyst assists in the timing and proper media for press releases. The analyst provides support and assembles research opportunities when adjustment of policy is necessary.

• As a researcher, the advisor is aware of trends in the social fabric regarding your endeavors. The researcher is aware of meaningful published work, and, if necessary, attends relevant summits and discussions by experts in the field. The researcher evaluates new ideas and innovations, making recommendations to you for discussion and review of policy.

• As a coordinator, the advisor makes certain that internal and external policy is consistent with your goals, and develops measuring techniques to monitor progress in accurately portraying your efforts to the public. The coordinator will be aware of budget compliance, and will be able to provide recommendations for necessary adjustments, whether in policy or implementation of existing policy.  

Give us a call, and clarify your position.

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4 Important Email Marketing Strategies

Email newsletters are an important part of any marketing campaign, particularly as people spend increasing amounts of time online. E-newsletters go directly to customers’ inbox, giving them an advantage over other forms of social media. Like other digital media, e-newsletters are inexpensive to produce and send to customers. And fortunately, there are some simple tips for writing an email-newsletter that customers will be likely to read!

1) Start with a captivating subject line. Many readers use an email subject line to determine whether they will open the email, and it is crucial that your e-newsletter stand out among the many other emails a customer receives. Including the word ‘you’ gives the email a personal touch. Make your subject line timely and short, to catch the reader’s eye. 

2) Use visual means to convey your message. Video sites, like YouTube, and applications, like Vine, are rapidly rising in popularity. Often, readers are more likely to watch a short video than they are to read lines of text. Capitalize on this tendency by creating video (or even photo) content for your readers, whether your intent is to engage the customer, sell products, or tell a story.

3) Entice customers with a special offer. Including a special offer in your e-newsletter is one of the best ways to retain customers and keep them interested in future promotions. You will strengthen brand loyalty when you help customers feel as if they are important to your business. (They are!)

4) Utilize other forms of social media. Include social media links (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) in your e-newsletter, as these digital marketing tools go hand in hand. A great way to involve customers and increase your market exposure is by rewarding customers when they share your e-newsletter (or other content) on social media. 

With these tips, you can improve your email newsletters to make the most of the opportunity you have to communicate with your customers. For the best ways to include email in your marketing strategy, contact us today!

Brand Development through Relationship Marketing

Relationship Marketing is an important part of brand development, focused on the long-term benefit of customer retention. This strategy places an emphasis on building customer relationships. In the modern age, marketing has evolved to include many technology-based methods, including email, video, and social media. There are benefits and challenges to relationship marketing across these various means, although it could be argued that connecting with customers has never been easier than it is today.

Relationship marketing is of particular importance when there is a competitive market for customers. When faced with many choices for the product or service they desire, customers seek to make a connect with a brand or company. That connection will fuel their consumer decisions in the future, and is often built on unique features of a brand. Some customers may gravitate to popular, well-know brands; others may gravitate to local, niche brands.

Relationship marketing usually features a combination of customer retention and customer satisfaction. Customer retention focuses on repeated transactions between customers and companies, building long-term relationships. Repeat customers are often less price sensitive and less inclined to switch companies. Because long-term customers are familiar with goods and processes, these relationships are cheaper to maintain when compared with the cost of attracting new customers.

An added benefit of customer retention is the likelihood that long-term customers will bring additional revenue to companies by word of mouth. Ensuring customer satisfaction, by building customer relationships with many positive associations to a specific product or brand, gives a worthwhile return on investment. Knowing the specific interests and desires of customers is done by accessing names, addresses, demographic information, buying history, and many other variables available with today’s analytic technology.

For help implementing relationship marketing as a brand development strategy, contact us today!

 

Does Your Marketing Strategy Begin in the Right Place?

It never ceases to amaze me how many business owners spend all kinds of time and other resources creating and implementing a marketing strategy that begins at step two. They either ignore the important first step altogether, or pay so little attention to it that it contributes little or nothing of value to the final plan.

What I’m talking about here is developing a profile of your ideal customer. A good definition for the term “ideal customer” is; someone who is most likely to buy from you.

Many business owners don’t understand this essential first step in creating an overall marketing strategy. The reason it’s so important is; by having a handle on what your ideal customer looks like, you’ll be in a better position to determine which marketing techniques are likely to be effective and which are not.

For example, if you were a heating and air conditioning contractor, you would probably be wasting valuable marketing resources if you sent marketing materials to residents of an apartment complex. The apartment owner or manager would typically make decisions on such services, not the residents themselves.

Having a profile of your ideal customer and carefully considering that information when creating a marketing strategy is important regardless of what business you’re in.

So, how do you go about developing a profile of your ideal customer? By asking and answering several questions. For example:

• Is your ideal customer male or female?
• What age range do they fall into?
• What is their education level?
• Are they married, divorced, widowed, or single?
• What is their income range?
• What do they enjoy doing in their spare time?
• What challenges do they typically face?
• What are their dreams and goals?
• Do they spend time on the internet? If so, where and for how long?
• Do they engage in social media? If so, which platforms?
• What types of businesses already market to them?
• How do those businesses market to them?

Having answers to these, and other questions, will put you in a place to make educated decisions on which marketing tools and techniques will be most effective in your market.

Of course, identifying your ideal customer doesn’t preclude you from doing business with those who don’t fit your profile. You just won’t be focusing your marketing efforts on them.

If you’d like help creating a marketing strategy for your business, contact us online or call 702-738-1197.

 

PR Effectiveness: Handling Conflict

Understanding conflict is a key to your success for PR Effectiveness. Your PR team is the key to your business, and your coaching is the key to a great PR team. You can learn to coach your team to improve PR relationships.

Mind Tools is an excellent resource for the steps of effective coaching. They state that “people must learn to work together and understand how to relate to one another – otherwise the team’s output will be less than it could be.” If the team’s output is less, then the business will suffer. One factor that can affect output is conflict, especially when looking at PR effectiveness.

The team must understand conflict with customers and with each other. This does not mean there is never conflict. It means the team knows how to deal with conflicts. An excellent resource is a book called People Problems.

Godwin suggests your team needs to be coached in understanding when their buttons are being pushed by each other and by customers. When your team understands button pushing, they can control reactions. In controlling reactions, they will seem more professional.

Godwin also suggests you coach your team in using five “muscles.” These muscles are:

Humility: The ability to acknowledge potential personal wrongness.

Awareness: The ability to observe actual personal wrongness.

Responsibility: The ability to be bothered by personal wrongness.

Empathy: The ability to be bothered if your personal wrongness hurts others.

Reliability: The ability to correct personal wrongness.

When you have coached your team in understanding and strengthening these muscles, you will be empowering them for success by understanding conflict. 

Want more information on PR effectiveness? Contact us today.

 

Related articles

• The benefits of hiring a small PR agency (publicrelationssydney.com.au)
• Have You Ever Had Conflict In The Workplace? (pcsconsultantsinc.wordpress.com)

Would Your Business Benefit From New Corporate Communication Strategies?

All executives have in common a need, if not a duty, to achieve a degree of administrative skill. This includes public and internal communication, and while it is unlikely a typical executive is “un-skilled” at public speaking and other forms of information processing, the skill level varies widely between individuals. Throw in the many challenges of social and other electronic media, and a fresh strategy could give your organization a decisive edge in the current electronic climate.

The decision to implement new media tactics should not be approached as a sure-fire recipe for success, but hiring the right firm for a communication update could be a meaningful step in development. For an organization that routinely addresses the public or a large employee base, the correct consultant could tailor a development process to uniquely address the needs of your niche.

On the web site, Public Speaking Tips, the article lists several objectives to use to choose the correct regimen to develop confidence in using modern media. Even though our processes go beyond just speaking, using this list may help you visualize your development program. 

A few goals listed on Public Speaking Tips are:

• Master how to tell your personal stories
• Improve your voice and vocal production
• Learn to work with technology
• Be interviewed on TV
• Present before an international audience
• Persuade the audience to specific critical action.

There are many other useful objectives listed. A scenario to stay away from is a robotic approach that concentrates only on the visual, verbal, or audio aspects of communication. What else is there, you ask?

While visuals such as posture and hand gestures are just as important in electronic media as they are in person, they are only indicators of confidence and knowledge, and self-conscious application of symptomatic gestures will not replace your real expertise and experience in business and social culture. Electronic media has its own distance, and it is important to know how to relax within this new world and convey your validity when you are one more step removed from your audience.

Precise use of the “King’s English” coupled with perfect grammar will trigger a predictable response in a presentation, nevertheless, depending on the subject and the audience, it may not be a relevant response. And if this mode of speech and manner seems to contradict the personality or the goals of the speaker, than the response may be directly opposite to the desired one. You need to be confident you can convey yourself through new channels before any strategy will be effective.

A communication strategist, like a good athletic coach, will address the issues of preparation, projecting character and content as well as posture, gestures, animation, or wardrobe.

Business and government executives are motivated differently than dramatic actors, even though those motivations may (or may not) be similar in moral quality and purpose. Public speaking is different than acting.  The public might enjoy a confident actor on TV, but they want the real thing when they face their very real challenges. 

Not all communications are fired with emotion and critical strategy. But if it is appropriate for you to gather a group of people to present an idea to them, then developing technical skills that are right for forums such as TV, MP3, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, texting, Outlook and YouTube are essential, even for minor announcements.

After all, you want everyone in your organization to “get the memo.” Assimilation of minor details over a time can be critical to the success of a project.

A new communication strategy can put all the tools of modern media at your service, and give you important insight on how to use them to deliver your concepts, big and small, to your audience.

Have an important event coming up? Or do you want to design a new communication system for your business?

Let us know.  We can increase your effectiveness with modern tools.

Contact us

Executive Media Training – Eliminating the Fear, and More

It’s fairly common knowledge that public speaking is at or near the top of most people’s list of fears. Some even say they fear it more than death itself. Interestingly enough, many people who fear public speaking are high-level corporate executives. For these individuals, some form of public speaking is a critical element of what they do.

How do you suppose they handle that?

Well, a quote I heard some years ago (I don’t recall who or where) answers the question perfectly; “Feel the fear and take action anyway.” That’s all well and good, but wouldn’t it be better, and a lot more comfortable, to go into public speaking situations without the fear? Of course it would. And that’s what executive media training can do.

Here are three ways executive media training can help you and your company:

Build Confidence

A big part of what causes people to be fearful of public speaking is they don’t feel confident. This phenomenon can be found at all levels of a company, including executives.

Someone might know the company and its products backward, forward, inside and out, but when they get in front of a prospective customer, or a group, they freeze. It’s akin to a computer freezing-up. The information is in there – it just won’t come out. A big reason for this is inadequate experience in public speaking. Executive media training provides some non-threatening ways to gain this experience and develop confidence.

Improved Relationships

Human relationships are at the center of every business. Notice that I didn’t limit that statement to just successful businesses. That’s because relationships are at the center of all businesses. If business is bad, it’s undoubtedly due, in part at least, to poor relationships. If business is good, it can be largely attributed to good relationships.

If people in the company are comfortable being themselves as they talk about the company and its products, they’ll be better able to create and maintain lasting business relationships. Executive media training will help them do that.

Speak Extemporaneously

A vital part of public speaking of any kind is the ability to effectively extemporize. It’s one thing to just babble on about something and hope your listener knows little enough about the subject that what you’re saying sounds plausible. But that’s a gamble you shouldn’t be willing to take. The ability to speak off the cuff and have your presentation actually make sense is clearly more desirable. Executive media training helps develop this skill.

Some business owners and executives balk at the idea of making this kind of indirect expenditure. However, communications training in general, and executive media training in particular are more appropriately viewed as wise investments that will pay dividends for years to come.

If you’d like results-oriented help with your marketing and communications strategies, contact us online, or call 702-434-0173.

The Importance of Organizational Culture When Choosing Marketing Specialists

Whenever you are interested in working with a marketing firm for purposes such as coming up with promotions, it’s often a good idea to make sure you work with one that has a solid organizational culture. According to the Harvard Business Review, organizational culture “plays a crucial role in shaping behavior in organizations.” When most people are interested in working with such organizations, they often don’t consider the culture and practices within the organization. Most of the time, they think about issues such as how much it will cost them to use the services.

However, remember when dealing with creative subjects such as advertising, you need to ensure everyone on the team will be on board and will have the same determination to help you succeed. Of course, you could easily find a marketing firm to work in helping you come up with a marketing solution, however, if they don’t have the right work ethic and culture, you are likely to end up not getting good value for the money in the long run.

There are some ways in which this can happen. For instance, you may find dealing with the employees of the firm is not as easy as it can be. You might find it more fun to interact with people with positive attitudes towards what they do, and this  usually happens when the firm promotes a supportive organizational culture. In addition, this can also have an effect on the quality of service you receive from them. For instance, if you work with a negative company, and find the staff is not committed to what they do, it means you might not receive value for your money. They may not be spurred to produce the best they can, and this can mean your company might end up getting service that are barely just good enough.

If you are interested in marketing and working with a third-party, it is vital you find a company with a sound work ethic. This way it will be easy for you to interact  and the ability to gain more than anticipated. If you are interested in this kind of service, all you need to do is contact us. We strive to make sure that our organizational culture is as nurturing as possible, and most of our past clients have found this to be one of our best traits.

A New Logo, Now What?

The new logo for our new division.

So your enterprise is sporting a new logo, now what? You might think it’s easy to continue to market your brand the same way you did before, but it’s not. Now’s the time to saturate your audience with your new brand development. With change comes progress; so always keep in mind that change is good, and often great.

Current logo

Due to frequent changes in the economy, social issues, and technology, the expertise of businesses often change. This is why companies rework or recreate their brand; emerging with a new, improved, and “fresh” new image. A branding “face lift” can work wonders for your company by re-introducing you to your loyal customers, and reaching an even larger audience. The idea is for you to say “I’m breaking brand.”

Another version

Give your business cards a make-over, making your new logo the star.

Redesign your websites, keeping new and potential clients in mind.

All business stationery, most importantly letterheads, will need to feature your new brand.

Don’t just change the logo on your products; give them all fresh new labeling.

And yet another version.

If you offer clothing items, think about expanding the styles offered; if you don’t offer clothing, think about doing so. T-shirts are a great way to increase visibility of the brand.

For more information on how to increase your brand visibility and interaction, contact. And, remember always represent your

Original logo from 2008

• product/services
• reputation
• rates
• logo/tagline
• customer service that supports your business.
• brand’s promise.
• customer’s feelings about your business. 

 

Earned Media: Building an Integrated Strategy

Earned media is an elusive form of marketing in which your company is promoted by positive media that comes from outside the company itself.  News stories, radio interviews, and positive reviews can all constitute earned media.  Earned media is alluring because it costs nothing for the business, yet can significantly increase overall revenue.

While by definition a company cannot buy or create its own earned media, there are a few strategies that can increase your company’s chances of gaining earned media.  One of the best ways to increase the earned media that your company receives is to design an integrated strategy that blends content marketing strategies with earned media potential.

Make Your Business Easy To Present.  As soon as possible, spend time developing an elevator pitch for your business.  Highlight the attributes that make your business unique, and write your company’s vision.  This makes it easier for media outlets to highlight your business in a coherent manner, without causing journalists the frustration of having to unearth your company’s vision and purpose on their own.

Develop Your Own Media Marketing Strategies.  Using media strategies such as content marketing will increase your company’s visibility and thus the likelihood gaining earned media.  Making your company searchable by developing a presence on social networks and other sites makes it easier for your company to be ‘found.’

Do Something Out Of The Box.  In order to be newsworthy, your company needs to be doing something different from the competition.  What is your company doing to stand out from the crowd?  Determine your company’s unique aspects, and don’t hesitate to make them known.

By establishing a robust marketing strategy, it will be easier for news outlets to highlight your company through earned media.  Take the time to invest in your company, and the earned media will follow.  To learn more about ways to improve your small business, please visit our website and contact us with questions or comments.