Archive for August, 2017

Simple Guidance for Talking to the Media (Even in Tense Situations)

Wednesday, August 30th, 2017

Regardless of one’s politics, it is fair to say that the current presidential administration has caused a great deal of controversy on many fronts, creating fresh headlines nearly every week. One of the most visible manifestations of this has been the attention paid to the president’s communications team. Fans of late night are no doubt aware of former press secretary Sean Spicer’s combative press conferences, Saturday Night Live’s parodies of those press conferences, and Spicer’s disdain for those parodies. Spicer’s interactions with the news media were one of the most talked about aspects of the young administration.

Then his replacement came on the job — for a total of 10 days. (more…)

This is What PR Then, and Now, Looks Like

Wednesday, August 23rd, 2017

media relations, PR, Beloit College Mindset listI’ve been involved in both PR/media relations and business journalism for a number of years. So many years, in fact, that I can recall the days when I had to write copy on a typewriter without an auto-correct function. I honestly can’t even fathom how I managed to do that. Think about the work (and re-work) involved in making even simple edits to a document. You’d literally have to pull out one sheet and start from scratch. Even more mind-boggling (even for me) is that I wrote quite lengthy articles that way. (more…)

Why You Should Build Your Brand Based on Reality—Not Advertising Campaigns

Thursday, August 17th, 2017

20846299 - typography illustration poster of brand management wordsMarketers are understandably concerned about building and protecting strong brands. An Economist article from a few years ago discusses the power of brands.  “Brands account for more than 30% of the stock market value of companies in the S&P 500 index, reckons Millward Brown, a market-research company. Everyone knows that a Ralph Lauren Polo shirt costs more than a polo shirt; Coke without the logo is just cola.”

But, brand-building efforts are sometimes misguided– (more…)

How Well Are You Realistically Managing Customer Expectations?

Tuesday, August 8th, 2017

Copyright: <a href='https://www.123rf.com/profile_georgerudy'>georgerudy / 123RF Stock Photo</a>A frequently quoted “formula” in the field of customer relations tells us: “expectations – reality = disappointment.” While this may seem simplistic, don’t relegate it to the ranks of witty sayings or bumper sticker slogans. There is a great deal of truth in this straightforward equation. Most business owners, managers and customer-facing employees have dealt with unhappy customers. It’s part of the job. But all too often, that customer frustration or disappointment can be avoided by properly managing expectations. (more…)

Being (Appropriately) Social Online: The Etiquette of Social Media Engagement

Tuesday, August 1st, 2017

As the name suggests, social media is often a very informal means of conveying information. It’s familiar, colloquial and often has a personal touch – it’s social. So, when you’re using social media to support your business’ marketing needs, how should you behave? What’s the appropriate etiquette?

Generally, we advise clients to use the same communication principles and considerations when online as when interacting with people in any traditional setting. (more…)