How To Not Win Friends and Negatively Influence People

Who Stepped In It: Every business and organization works hard to execute their public relations and marketing campaigns in an effective and cost efficient manner.

If you take your eye off the ball – for whatever reason – during highly-visible endeavors with customers and potential customers, the consequences can be costly.  There’s too much competition in all industries; too many people doing it right; and too many ways to get products and services these days to allow for PR miscues.

A printing company in Norfolk is engaging in an aggressive phone/mailing campaign to introduce itself to area businesses.  That is a smart public relations move.  The brochure, flyer and introduction letter are all well done and impressive.

So what’s the problem? 

My public relations agency in Virginia Beach recently received the dreaded “you have a letter for pickup at the Post Office” note.  It stated that there was “postage due” causing non-delivery. 

Could be something important…IRS, RFP, who knows?

Time was taken to travel to the post office, stand in line, pay the delinquent postage fee, and pick up the document.  How many other businesses in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton and Hampton Roads had to do this?

When the envelope was opened it contained an introduction letter from the Norfolk printing company, a brochure and flyer, and business cards.

Wow!  My first thought was: Are you telling me we just spent time and money to be pitched by the exact company trying to lure us to do business with them?  Strike One. 

My second, third and fourth thoughts were:  Are you telling me we just spent time and money to be pitched by the exact company trying to lure us to do business with them?

We called the company to make them aware of what happened and that in our opinion an envelope with no return address (Strike Two) that costs someone time and money to pick up, may have the reverse public relations effect they’re looking for. 

Our information was met with an insincere “I’m sorry” and no offer to help remedy the situation. (Strike Three)

Every action or inaction a business takes communicates to its stakeholders and potential stakeholders.  What they see and hear about your company in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton and throughout Hampton Roads determines their opinion of it.  That is public relations — the relationship between you and your target audiences.  Public relations permeates every aspect of your business.

Nobody hits a homerun during every at bat.  However, if mistakes are going to happen, they need to happen internally, and not externally and publicly.

Who is the face of your business in view of or on the phone with your customers? Your front-line visibility to the public needs to be as perfect as possible.  Front-line employees need to understand that one of their jobs is to connect with every customer by understanding how they think and feel, and what their needs and values are.

If you are stretching your one-person marketing team so thin that he or she can’t put a return address on envelopes, can’t take the time to determine how much a stuffed envelope weighs and costs, can’t provide a sincere “I’m sorry”, and can’t offer to fix a simple but important problem – then you are hurting your business more than helping it.

In this scenario, it would behoove the business owner to outsource some of the public relations and marketing work in order to relieve an overburdened front-line employee.  With this strategy, the owner gets decades of public relations and marketing experience at his or her disposal, at a far less cost than hiring another employee.  The young marketing professional learns from a veteran.  And, should the marketing person leave for another company paying more money, the owner has continuity with the outsourced public relations agency which understands the business and marketing plan.  Ground is gained, not lost.

Does your public relations and marketing program help you connect with new customers or are they helping you lose them?

A Photo Is Worth A Thousand Words

WHO STEPPED UP: When it comes to media relations everything you do sends a message.  That includes interviews and photo shoots with media.  The reality of this fact hits home when you consider how your adversaries can spin an image.  Many leaders and businesses have had their brand tarnished by a non-flattering photo or one not consistent with the image they hoped to represent.

Sheriff Ken Stolle of Virginia Beach understands the power of photos to help or hurt one’s public relations.  When the Virginian-Pilot recently covered his new jail menu, readers in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, and Hampton Roads saw an active photo of Stolle engaged in the work he was elected to do.  It could have easily turned out differently.

The newspaper photographer, with 4 more photo assignments to go for the day, could have asked Stolle to sit behind his nice shiny desk to either pose with a phone in his hand, shuffle some papers, or just sit there with a big cheesy grin.  Readers would have seen a typical non-engaged, “look-at-me-behind-my-big-expensive-desk, ain’t-life-great” photo.

Instead, thousands of readers, who vote and are stakeholders in law enforcement, saw the below photo of Stolle — an engaged sheriff, in charge of his jail, making sure the tax payers’ dollars are being well spent.

 A great photo enhances the story and provides a multiplier effect.   A less-than-stellar photo also has a multiplier effect – but not in a helpful way.
 
When you are the focus of a positive or negative news story, you have more input on the photo shoot than you may think.  You need to ensure the photos tell your story.

 
Here’s how you make that happen:

• Don’t count on the photographer (or videographer for TV) to have your best interest in mind.  They are not concerned with your image, brand, or public relations. They are professionals and their job is to get a quality photo in the time allotted, make deadline, and move on to the next photo shoot.  They are not there in any sense as part of your public relations agency.

• If the photographer asks to photograph you, that’s your cue to make sure you get in position for a photo that communicates your message. One that shows you engaged.  Make sure you plan this out in advance.  Use a local public relations agency if needed.  Know what the outcome will look like in the media.

• As a proactive measure, hire a freelance photographer to shoot some working shots of you and your employees in action.  Also have a professional head-and-shoulder photo available.  If a reporter is interviewing you, tell him or her that you have some recent working photos of you and your company, and offer them up.  That may save their photographer a trip and it ensures they have the photos you like.

• If the newspaper sends their own photographer, have a plan in place detailing where you’ll be photographed, what you’ll be doing, and which employees will be in the photographs.  Don’t wing it.

When it comes to media coverage and your public relations, make sure you’re photographed doing some type of work that hard working Americans can relate to.  Sitting behind the $3,000 desk on the phone enjoying the good life won’t resonate as well as an action photo of you moving the ball forward for your stakeholders.

If the phone rings today because you’ve generated some media coverage, do you know how you or your company’s image will be portrayed in photos viewed by thousands of readers in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Hampton Roads, and throughout Virginia?

Reputation Management Requires Quick Decisions

WHO STEPPED UP: Businesses and organizations tend to hesitate when crises arise.  However, there can be no hesitation when your house is on fire.  A crisis requires quick movements and correct decisions.

That’s the way AFLAC acted when they fired pitchman Gilbert Gottfried after the comedian posted a string of inappropriate jokes on Twitter about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  AFLAC quickly fired the well-known voice of their duck.  They did not launch an investigation, ask for an apology from Gottfried, or find out if he was in his right mind.  They took quick and decisive action, said “you’re fired,” and promptly announced their action to the media which reached readers in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton and throughout Hampton Roads.

The upside of a quick and correct decision to a company’s reputation is:
• No hesitation means no media frenzy.
• You send a signal to stakeholders and potential stakeholders about the values you  stand for.
• You get credit for acting decisively and quickly.  You lose confidence and credibility when you act slowly and bureaucratically.
• You minimize the risk of the individual in trouble making an issue with your upcoming decision.
• You avoid finding out how quickly a reputation can be tarnished in today’s 24-hour news cycle and social media explosion.
• You exhibit leadership that looks in charge of the situation.
 
AFLAC’s public relations plan provides company leaders with a road map on how to respond to potentially difficult situations.  This type of public relations forethought provides leaders the ability to make clear, quick and correct decisions.  It also negates the knee-jerk reaction that is usually wrong and adds to even more press coverage and greater loss of confidence.

Having a plan created by your public relations firm that has looked over the horizon and has thought through possible situations is how leaders maintain a steady course for their companies no matter what comes their way.  The alternative for companies in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton and throughout Hampton Roads  is having no plan, or a plan that misses the mark, and a company leader with that deer-in-the-headlight look which means only one thing – “it’s media frenzy time and I’m not prepared.” 

Quality reputation management is a day-by-day, methodical process designed by public relations firms to continually gain ground and relent none.  Do you have a plan in place that identifies your company boundaries and how to deal with situations outside of those boundaries?

Public Relations Advice Takes the Guess Work Out of Media Requests

Who Stepped Up: In the movie Apocalypse Now, the farther Martin Sheen traveled up the river the trickier it got.  The same situation greets you when dealing with the media and your image. The more successful you get, the more the media will want you, and the easier it will be to generate media coverage.  It also gets trickier.  With more visibility comes more risk.

Oprah thought it would be a great idea to have Michael Vick on her show at the end of February.  Vick said yes immediately.  It made headlines.  Then the Philadelphia Eagles public relations professionals started thinking through the show and the pros and cons of a Vick appearance.

Millions upon millions of viewers would see it.  The queen of TV would give him a chance to make good with all the viewers in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, and Hampton Roads, Virginia, and reflect on his journey and new start after prison.  Sounds like a great opportunity.  Or was it?

Our public relations agency dissected the Oprah audience.  Most are women; most don’t like Michael Vick; and most never will no matter what he says or how he says it.  Strike one.  If hecklers in the crowd get out of control, there’s another headline for the mainstream media as well as a YouTube video that will last forever.  Strike two.  If Oprah decided to bring on a person or organization that adopted abandoned fighting dogs, that would be great for everyone – except Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles.  Strike three.

The public relations pros pulled the plug on the Oprah idea because this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity didn’t fit the game plan, and our public relations agency feels that was the right decision.

When considering a media interview request, you should ask yourself three questions:

•  What will this interview do to help advance my company or my cause among customers and potential customers in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, and Hampton Roads, Virginia?

•  What will my message be for this audience and any shadow audiences (think YouTube)?

•  Do I have the high ground and opportunity to defend my position if the reporter/talk show host asks uncomfortable and piercing questions?

All media interview requests need to be thought out in detail.  If you agree to an interview, you should be put through several practice interviews with a trained professional from a public relations agency who will ask the hard questions.

If a reporter calls you, do you know how to determine which interviews to do and which ones to politely decline?

Public Relations Keeps The Truth On Track

Who Stepped In It: The Internet and websites have given every business an affordable opportunity to market to their publics. But with that opportunity comes responsibility.

A three-judge panel in Virginia Beach Circuit Court recently suspended a Virginia Beach lawyer’s license for 30 days because he puffed out his chest a little farther than he should have. The court found Jason Head guilty of the following marketing transgressions:

• Implied a multi-lawyer firm by using the name “Jason Head & Associates”, when he is actually a solo practitioner.

• Used the phrase “Attorneys at Law” in various communications.

• Posted video on his website that portrayed a non-attorney as an attorney within Head’s firm.

• Repeatedly used the plural terms “our,” “we,” “lawyers,” and “attorneys” in the description of his firm.

• Advertised that the firm has three locations and decades of experience.

These types of false and misleading statements are rampant throughout all professions and industries in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk and Hampton Roads. And sooner or later, your customers or regulatory bodies will call you on it.

Smart companies have a public relations firm monitor their advertising and marketing — instead of their competition.

A public relations firm and its professionals:

• Are trained to look over the horizon and see the impact of bad decisions.

• Understand that reputation management is a 24/7 responsibility and includes everything the public sees, hears and feels about your business.

• Enable the business to highlight the quality of its goods and services and describe why it is better than the competition.

• Ensure the sales team and marketing division does not get out too far in front of the operations folks and create a message mismatch.

• Keep the truth on track and do not let lofty marketing objectives misrepresent the business.

Today’s consumers in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk and Hampton Roads are more sophisticated, savvy and jaded than ever before — and they will see through businesses that misrepresent or lie about their services or products.

Good businesses don’t have to exaggerate and can back up every statement and fact in their marketing materials. Can yours?

Talking Points Are Crucial To Media Success

Who Stepped In It: If you’re a CEO, business owner or high-level supervisor you’re always in the spotlight. That means the probability of being interviewed by the media is high. Every leader should have a set of talking points and a media relations plan for potential interviews that moves the ball forward for their company. Winging it, which is not what this public relations agency recommends, is a sure recipe for disaster. Just ask Michael Vick.

No stranger to poor public relations, Vick’s latest media frenzy revolves around his comments about wanting to own a dog. Preparation for interviews, a solid set of talking points, and a little discipline would have prevented Vick from another firestorm of controversy.

What was his public relations agency thinking? Vick is now in the midst of a great comeback story. He’s the star quarterback of a powerful NFL team in the hunt for a playoff spot. He’s doing amazing things on the field; in fact, he’s playing better than ever and the media and fans in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton Roads and beyond love it. Why on earth would he even consider talking about dogs at this moment in time?

When you have been the poster boy for animal cruelty based on your past behavior, it makes no sense to raise the very topic that put you in prison and earned you the scorn of millions. His media relations actions demonstrate a complete lack of thought and preparation.

Whether you’re leading a company or are a highly visible person in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News or Hampton Roads, controlling your image and public relations should always be on your mind. Your image management plan should always include a media relations strategy and well prepared talking points. Effective talking points provide a blueprint to help you flourish in any media interview, hostile or friendly.

If you were called by a reporter today to talk about your business, or to rebut an anonymous accusation against your business, how would you perform? Would you cruise to success or be thrown to the dogs?

Because You Can Generate Media Coverage Doesn’t Mean You Should

Who Stepped In It:  There’s a time to generate media coverage and a time to stay off the radar screen. Recognizing when to time a media relations effort requires effective public relations skills. The Virginia Opera recently stepped in it when they failed to recognize when to keep a round in the chamber.

In case you missed it, the Virginia Opera has their own soap opera playing out with its Board and Executive Committee. The executive committee wants a new artistic director and has the authority to make it happen. But, some powerful folks on the board want to keep the man who’s been there for decades.

Disagreements occur all the time in organizations. In fact, the back and forth discussion can be healthy for the long-term benefit of the organization — even when there are strong opinions. Usually these disagreements come with little fanfare.

If this matter were kept among the arts community, which is what this public relations agency would have proposed, that would be fine.

But that’s not how this issue played out. Instead, certain board members have launched a highly visible and expensive public relations campaign to retain the current artistic director. In the past two weeks these disgruntled (and outmaneuvered) board members have generated two front-page stories in The Virginian-Pilot as well as local TV coverage. They’ve also run half-page ads in The Virginian-Pilot at great expense. All of this generated an editorial, as well as letters to the editor. That means potential donors in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, Hampton Roads, and throughout Virginia were exposed to this news.

The fallout from this tactic is not good. If you think all media coverage is good coverage you’re wrong. The timing is terrible. In a difficult economy when most non-profits and performing arts organizations are struggling with fundraising or even going out of business, going public with petty in-fighting hurts the organization in the public eye.

An effective public relations agency could have seen over the horizon and predicted that this type of negative campaign would hamper fundraising efforts and would have worked to keep this issue in the boardroom and out of the public eye. When a company in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake or Hampton Roads is down to making its last donation, do you think they’ll:

• give to a company that has been all over the media crying about who’s hired and fired and wasting precious dollars on an ad campaign against its own board?

• or, give to one of many organizations whose reputation remains steady, strong and projects a great image?

The only recent image in a potential contributor’s mind is a negative one for the Opera.

Just because you can generate media coverage doesn’t mean you should. Many public relations agencies in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, Hampton Roads, and throughout Virginia have a hard time with the nuance of this public relations tactic. Their first move is to run to the media because they can get a story written and they hope that will make things go their way. That’s not how it works. Today’s public is more savvy, sophisticated and jaded than ever before, so foolish tactics like this will backfire to the detriment of the organization.

An effective public relations agency knows when to generate media coverage and when to operate under the radar.

The next time your public relations agency quickly jumps up and says “I know a reporter who will write about this,” make sure you think through all the unintended consequences that sometimes come with media coverage.

Milestone Tactic Is Great Public Relations

Who Stepped Up: Frequently a company will wait until the last minute to announce a new product or service and miss out tons of customer-generating publicity in the media. I recognize the desire for secrecy in some cases, but when every employee and person/organization involved in your new endeavor has access to instant and wide-ranging communications, the secrecy thing probably isn’t happening. Public relations may be the best bet to generate attention while keeping the facts straight.

A smart public relations approach to maximize your media coverage on any new product or service is through project milestones. A perfect example is the Sentara Leigh Hospital renovation in Norfolk. Sentara landed a front page story in The Virginian-Pilot on Wednesday (8/25/2010) using the fact that they have applied for state approval for the renovation. Many organizations go through the state process, but many organizations do not utilize the milestone approach to increase their public relations exposure.

Using this milestone approach, Sentara could potentially see a steady stream of articles that reach thousands of patients and potential patients. Wednesday’s story was about applying for renovation approval. The next story could be that the application was approved, followed by the renovation begins, followed by new hires and state-of-the-art equipment, followed by the wonderful impact it’s having on healthcare in the area, and on and on.

A good public relations agency uses this tactic to complement other marketing efforts because media stories offer credibility, which is a valuable characteristic of every public relations campaign.

If you are starting a business or expanding and existing business, use a public relations plan that includes your milestones. Try to find interesting angles for each milestone the media will find beneficial to its news audience. If you don’t have a public relations staff, consider contracting with a solid public relations agency that can complement your marketing team or execute the milestone media coverage plan on its own.

Extend Your Public Relations And Marketing Reach

Who Stepped Up: Has your business or organization embraced the wealth of public relations and marketing channels now at its finger tips?

A perfect example of creating multiple ways to reach targeted audiences is Anheuser-Busch InBev’s public relations and marketing campaign during the World Cup soccer tournament. Their marketing officer said millions of people from dozens of countries were touched by the company’s marketing campaign.

I realize InBev has more money to spend on public relations agencies than most companies in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Hampton Roads, Virginia. But the smart tactics they used are available to everyone. Look at your company programs and figure out how to grow them through simple adjustments. Sometimes a little tweaking is all you need.

For example, InBev’s World Cup Budweiser marketing campaign included:
• A reality show online featuring fans from each country living in the same house.
• A Facebook campaign that garnered a million fans.
• Local six-on-six soccer tournaments.
• 1.5 million people participating in online voting to choose a “Man of the Match, i.e., the best performing player in each game.

The media is still hugely important in a public relations and marketing campaign, but as you can see, the media is not involved in any of these marketing tactics.

Study how InBev marketed Budweiser during the World Cup. Look at your community outreach, public relations, and marketing tactics and strategies. Can you find some relevant new ways to reach your target audience?

If you’re stumped or need additional firepower to execute your ideas, consider outsourcing with a public relations agency. Connecting with a public relations agency in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, or Hampton Roads, Virginia, is a great way to add brain power, ideas, workforce, and connections at a fraction of the cost to expand your public relations staff.

Media Relations Matter

Who Stepped In It: Regardless of the size of your business, media relations is one area that should be taken seriously.  The opportunity of success and the risk of failure are too great to do otherwise.  Apparently Lyon Shipyard Inc. in Norfolk, Virginia, didn’t get the memo.

A recent article in The Virginian-Pilot reported that five shipyards in Hampton Roads received more than $7.8 million in federal stimulus funding.

Lyon Shipyard was awarded the largest amount in the nation from among more than 500 applicants.  That’s news.  So the reporter called the shipyard and spoke with its vice president.  All is well so far.  It’s better to have a company leader speak for your business than a public relations spokesperson or a public relations consultant.

However, for success to occur, that leader has to understand the media, have a dedicated strategy for each media encounter, and give some thought to the intended results of the media encounter.  You get there by having a media relations program in place prior to any media encounter. 

Whether that media relations program is developed by an in-house public relations team or is outsourced to a competent public relations agency on an hourly, case-by-case basis, the end result is proper media relations training and effective guidance to ensure the following never happens to you.  Here’s what went wrong in Lyon Shipyard’s case.  The following quotes appeared near the top of the story:

—–
Lyon Shipyard Inc. in Norfolk received the largest award in the nation - $4.5 million for a dry-dock modernization project.

“Frankly, I was a little surprised we got the amount we requested,” said Tom Ackiss, vice president at Lyon.

When the shipyard applied to the program, Ackiss said, “we didn’t really hold out a lot of hope.”

“Nice surprises do happen,” he added.

The other local shipyards awarded grants are:
—–

I don’t know about you, but these quotes did not instill confidence in me toward  this executive, his company, or their ability to do the work.  Ackiss made it seem like it was an accident that his company was selected for this work. If Ackiss was hoping to make his company appear to be an industry leader and impress stakeholders in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, and Newport News, he failed miserably.  If you leave room to read between the lines, people will read between the lines.  Ackiss’ quotes created enough room to drive a ship (or two) through.

During a media interview there are several fundamental media relations tactics to remember:

- Every media opportunity is a chance to get the core messages of your business to important stakeholders, including potential employees in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, and Newport News.

- Your words will either help or hurt your business. Everything you say will be evaluated by the audience.

- Every quote should have an intended effect and move the ball forward for your organization.

-  Your words should match the actions and vision of your organization.

- Everything is on the record and could appear in print, even the chit-chat.

When you’re part of a positive story and your organization is being recognized for success, your quotes should include:

- Recognition of your people.

- Recognition of company expertise.

- Articulation of the future impact this success will bring.

Just because an executive is well educated and has reached the top of the corporate ladder, doesn’t mean he or she understands the intricacies of media relations and how to work with a professional reporter during a media interview.

When a reporter calls on deadline for a quote, who will be providing the answers that will be read by your stakeholders and tens of thousands of readers?  Will it be a smart person who wings it? Or will it be a person with media relations training and a well thought out strategy for responding to the reporter? 

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