Who Stepped Up

Media Relations Management: The media loves to be part of an interesting story — especially if they’re invited.  That’s exactly what public relations professional Barbara Morrison did, and landed her client a front page story in The Virginian-Pilot. 

Morrison, a public relations professional for the city of Virginia Beach, is a liaison for the Virginia Beach Police Department, and an expert in media relations management.  As part of the department’s training, lieutenants and new captains attend two-day leadership seminars in Gettysburg where the historic battlefield is used to spark discussions about leadership techniques and dilemmas. 

Morrison knew the program was a great public relations opportunity and arranged for a reporter to join a trip.  The reporter accepted and drove with the group to Gettysburg, allowing him to do interviews along the way and become part of the story.  That earned a positive, image-boosting story for the Virginia Beach police.

Reporter participation should be a tactic in your media relations management.  However, do your homework before inviting a reporter to spend this much time with your people and operation.

PR tips include:

- Pick the right time and the right event.  Don’t make the call just because you can.

- Seek out a reporter who has a personal interest in the topic you want to promote. It makes for a better story, and helps to build a working relationship for future articles.

- A well written story comes from the heart.  What better way to get your story told, then to let the writer experience the adventure first hand.

- Prepare a background sheet for the reporter. The more information you provide, the more time he or she has to devote to the story.

- Conduct media training with each person likely to be interviewed for the story.  Even non-players should be trained, since reporters who feel they’re being lead will seek out “the real story.”

- Take care of your reporter.  You would expect the same if you were the invitee.  Reporters are people too.

- Think of the story in terms of a series or a continuum.  If the reporter can get more than one story out of the visit, it’s a better time investment for him/her.  What other elements of the program can you include?

-  What leader back home needs to be in the story?  Ensure the reporter has access to the boss.

- Provide employees a list of PR tips so they understand what you’re trying to accomplish and how they fit in.

Does your company have any training methods, volunteer work, family events, team building activities, etc., that are unique and worth a reporter’s time?

March 26, 2008 | Filed Under Public Relations | Leave a Comment 

Who Stepped In It

Old Information Hurts Corporate Image: Many businesses and non-profits think if they put a website on the Internet their work is done and the world has what it needs.  Actually, that kind of thinking makes it easier for the rest of us to excel at public relations and marketing, but I’ll address it anyway. 

If you pull into a gas station that looks like it hasn’t had a customer in two years and is still advertising events that happened three years ago, chances are your instincts will kick in and you’ll take your business to someone you can trust.  Someone who appears to be on the ball. 

That’s the same way your website design works.  If your site is dated because of its content, potential customers will pass through quickly on their way to the next stop — which is only a click away.

For example, if a Memphis citizen was looking to join a service organization, he or she would come across the East Memphis Kiwanis Club’s website.  That’s a good thing.  However, as the reader perused the homepage he’d see the prominently placed “Club Announcements” of June 19, 2006 and April 23, 2006.  If that didn’t scare him off, he’d find other pages highlighting events from 2004 and 2005.  The club is still active, but the site has not been updated for years. That’s a bad thing.

If the person moves to another Kiwanis website and finds the same situation, the entire corporate image comes into question.  All of a sudden having something great (a website), turns into something harmful to the bottom line.  If an organization is this far behind in its public relations, marketing and Web site design, it must be behind in other things too. 

Some PR tools to fix this include:

- Remove all dates and make the site look generic and present.  At least that will soften the impression that your organization is stagnant.

- Run a ticker that scrolls onto your homepage and relates to your product, service, issue or cause, and update it weekly.

- Place a live time stamp on your homepage.

- Have a section on the homepage where you list something by date to give readers a feel of immediacy - - speaking engagements, product launches, key dates, upcoming events, and more.  In a world where information is moving quicker than ever before, if someone feels your site is out of touch, they’re moving on.  “Adios” is a popular term among web users.

- If you redesign your website, make sure you redirect or update old pages that have been referenced by major search engines.  Otherwise, web users will pull up pages from three years ago and you’ll look dated. Old business lives forever on the Internet unless it’s taken care of. 

Websites are important PR tools for successful marketing. They need constant upkeep and attention.  If someone with minimum public relations and marketing experience is in charge of updating your website — have them search the web for some PR tips so your business and organization can stay ahead of the pack.

When a potential customer clicks on your website, does the homepage information create a sense of immediacy and being on the ball?

Other thoughts …

March 19, 2008 | Filed Under Public Relations | Leave a Comment 

Who Stepped Up

Please The Media: Many local newscasts have taken steps to improve their public image and to better connect with viewers. When a reporter calls your business to investigate a consumer complaint or to ask for help with a victim — jump at the opportunity and please the media. The public relations will pay for itself tenfold.

WTKR-TV 3 in Hampton Roads recently ran, and reran, a story about a man and his bed-ridden mother who lost their home in a fire. The victim’s positive attitude that he and his mother would be fine despite the tragedy made the story even more compelling.

As part of his story, the reporter called the nearby Golden Coral restaurant to ask if they’d be willing to provide some meals for the family until they were back on their feet. If Golden Coral said no, the reporter probably would have moved onto the next restaurant and asked the same question until he found someone who recognized a great public relations opportunity, or until he ran out of time.

Speed is the issue here. When the media is working on deadline (which is most of the time), there’s no time for bureaucracy or a lengthy chain of command. The public relations plan has to already be in place and it needs to move like lighting when great opportunities arise.

Golden Coral did it right. As the reporter relayed their involvement in the story, the footage featured the Golden Coral sign and restaurant footage. Thousands of TV viewers were exposed to this story. I was one of them, and it made an impact. It was a very kind gesture to a family in need, and it made Golden Coral into a hero.

These unexpected marketing opportunities are rare and can have a big impact on your corporate image. When you can swoop into thousands of living rooms, and also play a role in making the reporter and the TV station look good — do it.

If a reporter called you today with a similar request, would you be able to respond quickly enough to make the news?

March 12, 2008 | Filed Under Public Relations | Leave a Comment 

Who Stepped In It

Credibility Counts: A friend on a business trip to Lincoln, Neb., this past weekend saw a column written by a local businessman that caught his eye.  The Lincoln Journal Star gave the gentleman almost half-a-page of free publicity.  Since the author owns a Harley-Davidson store, this was a great public relations opportunity for him to raise awareness for motorcycle safety, highlight activities of the author’s business, and encourage people to become part of the motorcycle brother/sister hood.  Instead, the author attempted silly humor and used made-up statistics to write a column with a purpose that is not quite clear.

Unknowingly, the author did more harm than good to his business and credibility.  Businesses and writers only get so many bites at the apple when it comes to positive, free publicity.  When you get one, you have to make it count. 

Let’s play baseball and break down this publicity.  Strike one: the author fabricated statistics which instantly called into question the credibility of anything he said.  Sprinkling in made-up numbers immediately gave readers the impression that the article was a hoax. The statistics were available, but the writer chose not to do his homework.  Strike two: the author resurrected negative myths about motorcyclists and provided no real image of today’s motorcycle enthusiasts.  Not a very strong call to action for a potential motorcycle enthusiast looking for new adventures.  Strike three: the author missed the opportunity to demonstrate community leadership and improve the brand of his business and livelihood.   

The public relations miscue here is lost opportunity and a negative hit to credibility.  Anything appearing in the media should be well thought out, and should achieve a positive result — especially when you’re controlling the message.  At the very least, the author should have asked himself, “What do I want to accomplish with this column?”

This businessman should do himself a favor and hire a public relations agency or a public relations professional to help him with marketing and messaging. 

If you are a PR professional looking for clients, are you paying attention to these kinds of miscues which could open doors to future business?

Other thoughts …

March 6, 2008 | Filed Under Public Relations | 1 Comment