Gearheads: The Sterling Communications Blog

Rethinking the need for a PR firm

Jennifer Walzer, the CEO of Backup my Info! (what is it with companies that use punctuation in their names?), is a regular contributor to the You're the Boss blog for the New York Times. About a year ago, Walzer wrote a post about why she didn't use a PR firm. In short, Backup my Info! was getting solid coverage without paying an agency to get it. She was good at building relationships with media people and telling her company's story. She followed that post up with another where she considered the opportunity cost of doing her own PR. Was it really in her company's best interest for the CEO to be spending a good chunk of her limited time chasing clips? She promised to rethink her approach.

Walzer's initial inclination to go it alone isn't unusual these days. PR gets bad-mouthed all the time and social media has (seemingly) made it much easier for companies to build direct relationships with customers and get attention from the media and other influencers. It's very tempting, particularly for early-stage companies, to forgo the hiring of a PR firm and put that money to other uses. But that strategy also comes with risks and trade-offs.

First, not every CEO is as talented and committed to working with the media as Walzer. In fact, most aren't. The skills that make someone a good CEO don't necessarily make her a good company spokesperson. Some just don't like talking to the media, and it shows. More than one company has run into trouble by going to the media with a poorly crafted or poorly delivered message. First impressions, especially bad ones, are hard for companies to shake. Objective outside counsel can prevent that.

Second, there's an amazingly widespread lack of understanding about what PR encompasses and how much time and effort is required for it to be successful. Military people like to say that "amateurs talk strategy; generals talk logistics." Similarly, companies often fail to realize that good PR is a process that covers many fronts, not a result of one-time effort. Press releases and blog posts do not a successful PR campaign make. A PR firm can help a company build and execute an integrated communications strategy that consistently delivers a clear message to the right audience at the right time for sustained coverage.

Finally, as Walzer herself ultimately concluded, going it alone on the PR front means you're not doing something else. In the case of a CEO, that can mean not doing things like raising money, talking to customers, building a team or thinking about business strategy. Those are pretty large opportunity costs.

Today, Walzer wrote a new post ("I've changed my mind about P.R.") in which she talks about why she's finally decided to go with an agency. She still has reservations about spending the money, but she's concluded that the coverage they got in the past wasn't necessarily well-targeted and that the effort she put into getting it can't be sustained. She's also clearly learned some lessons about what PR really means. As she puts it:

I’ve also realized that while we have an excellent story to tell, we haven’t collected enough of the evidence. We have more than 500 clients, many of whom have recommended us to other companies. However, we have yet to get their feedback in writing. As I’ve been building my sales force, I’ve realized that the sales people need these case studies as tools to help share our story.

A good firm would have told Walzer in the first meeting that the most effective tool for building long-term credibility in the marketplace is customer validation. But as a PR amateur, albeit a very talented one, Walzer didn't realize the importance of that. I'm guessing there are a few additional lessons her new firm will be teaching her as well.

Speaking of which, let's hope her new PR firm performs as promised. While Walzer's post is undoubtedly going around the PR-o-sphere today as a much needed shot in the arm, if her agency fails to live up to her expectations (or fails to set them properly) she could come back with another post about why PR agencies aren't worth it after all. So, no pressure guys...

Photo credit: Albino Flea via Flickr

 

 

The Viral Campaign Your Viral Campaign Could Smell Like

Four Tips To Old Spice Up Your Brand

I know I'm not the only one that has been obsessed with the “Old Spice Guy” videos this week. Everyone, at least within the social media bubble, is buzzing about this creative and hilarious viral campaign.

And I'm not the first person to write about the videos. In fact, there have been some insightful and comical posts on the topic. Marshall Kirkpatrick at ReadWriteWeb gave us a behind-the-scenes view into how Wieden + Kennedy pulled off this campaign, and Brenna Ehrlich at Mashable offered some compelling statistics resulting from the videos this week. If you want to see the best of the best, check out Jay Hathaway's post on Urlesque listing the top ten videos.

So what do I have to bring to the conversation? Any company that is paying attention is probably asking their PR, marketing or advertising department right now, "how can we get in on this?" First let me say, no copycats please! While videos of the Geiko gecko in his bathroom wearing a towel or the Brawny guy sending flowers to Tina Fey might be funny for a moment, it takes away one of the best parts of this campaign - ORIGINALITY!

However, I'd like to offer four key takeaways from this campaign for brands that want to create their own viral campaign.

1. Be creative!
Like I said, originality is a big part of the success here. When I first saw the TV ads I thought they were a bit weird, but I was glued to them. I talked with my friends and colleagues about them. I don't talk about ads that are just like every other ad out there. If you want people to notice, take a risk! Get creative and try something new!

2. Get Personal!
It's been said before, social media is a more personal experience than a traditional communication style. People want to connect with other people, not a stuffy corporate company. Brands like Starbucks and Comcast get this. They represent large corporations, while at the same time show personality and authenticity. The Old Spice ads are absolutely personal! Even though none of the videos were directed toward me, they were still entertaining.

3. Act Fast!
Social media communications go at light speed. For example, if I waited a week to post this it would be old news. To be successful in digital communications, you should always be listening and paying attention. There is no time to send a tweet through four different departments for approval. The conversation, and your brand's opportunity to engage, will pass you by if you get caught up in red tape.

4. Work Together!
The Old Spice commercials were so much more than a dude in the bathroom. An entire crew of people worked behind the scenes to pull this off; monitoring, writing, filming and editing. The best social media campaigns are a mix of technology, creativity and communication. Bring together various teams and specialists in your company for the right blend. Instead of the technical group fighting marketing, work together to create results everyone can be proud of!

It may not be a perfect formula for success, but if you keep these things in mind it might be your viral campaign everyone is talking about next!

What do you think made the Old Spice campaign successful? Did you think it was successful? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, I'd love to hear more opinions!

To be International or not to be?

As I was mulling over what I should blog about today, I stumbled on Mashable's article on "6 Ways to Manage International Relationships Online". Since I am currently in Munich, Germany on business and have lived and worked in EMEA and Asia for many years, I thought it would be fitting to build on Mashable's list and add some of my first-hand perspective. Here are some further tips:

• Public Holidays - While it's important to understand time zones as the Mashable article so rightly points out, it's equally important to know the countries public holidays, as no one likes to be called when they are on vacation. This is particularly important when doing business in Europe as there are several months that have many public holidays, such as January, May and November in Germany. A few good online tools that help you ascertain world-wide public holidays are sites such as Bank Holidays,  Earth Calendar and World Calendar.  All sites are very self explanatory and by simply inserting the country you are doing business with, you can pull up the holidays of that month.
• Translations - While Mashable lists some great online tools for quick translations, it's very important to understand that one can not translate documents 1:1. Languages can not be directly translated and need to take into account cultural nuances, otherwise they sound like gibberish. That said, my recommendation is to make the investment and use a "human" translator that is in country instead of using free online tools. Your initial investment might be more, but at the end of the day, you will have better and understandable local language content. Additionally, you will be more successful in your business dealings abroad and your local colleagues will appreciate you more.
• Think global, act locally - The term the "Ugly American" might be a generalization, but it does have some validity. When traveling abroad on business, it's extremely important that you don't have the same expectations as you would at home. While it might be common practice to dive into a meeting right away in the U.S., it's important in Europe, such as in France, that you make your business partner feel at home, offer a beverage first and discuss personal matters before you dive into the heart of the business meeting. Before traveling, I would recommend that you read up on the business culture and gather further information. Also, be more observant when you are in a foreign country and be open to new ways of business dealings and personal behavior.

While there are many more suggestions and lots of great online tips, the best recommendation I can give you is to try and travel to the country with which you are doing business. There is no better way to understand a country's cultural and business nuances than to experience it first hand!

How to Make PR Efforts Pay Off for SEO

The public relations industry is evolving. Social media and content generation are increasing as tools of the trade. Media relations efforts are still the single most important part of the business, but the contraction of media has forever altered media identities and roles.

This is because of the rise of a “Social Internet”. This new way of communicating has changed what a communications professional does – but the news release has remained an important staple of any good public relations effort.

News releases are more than just a direct way to garner media coverage – now they can also offer “link juice” to a businesses site – and, when done right, can increase the online shelf life of the news.

 (Image courtesy of Raquel Franco)

This is illustrated in the similarity in language we now see SEO experts when discussing how they prepare their copy for greatest effect.

Here’s a quote from CopyBlogger, a preeminent blogging expert site that also happens to be very, very good at SEO: “What people say about you is more important than what you say about yourself.”

He could be talking about PR, but he’s not. Instead, this statement is about backlinking, the practice of inbound links to a website, which is a primary indicator of the importance and popularity of a site or page. This is one of the primary tenets of good SEO practice.

In the same white paper he says: “Good SEO is copywriting.”

John Gruber over at Daringfireball.net deftly explains SEO when he writes “I’m talking about…writing one article in such a way that makes it the most likely that people who are searching for the information contained therein will be able to find it.”

So a big part of SEO is smart, effective copywriting. Just like PR.

But how can PR efforts improve SEO?

Simple. PR when done with SEO in mind can improve search engine rankings for a business website.

Below is a short list of tips and tricks to get a press release on its way to being well optimized for Google and other search engines:

·       Do Research: Use keyword tools to determine the best (potentially colloquial) keywords for your announcement. They may vary depending on the news you’re issuing. Avoid marketing jargon.

a.     The Google AdWords Tool is the easiest to use.

b.     Find A Niche: Good keywords are targeted to your audience without being too broad to make them hard to read or too specific for search engines to look for.

·       Title: Headlines and subheads should include the most popular keywords (and keyword phrases) relevant to the release as these carry the most weight with search engines and potential readers. Write like people search and speak.

·       Use Common Sense: Understand and mirror the language used by the intended audience. This will increase click thru rate and the effectiveness of the message.

·       Content: Shorter news releases are better for search engines. Keep announcements between 300-500 words if possible.  Keyword-tagged rich media such as videos and images can increase rankings as well.

·       Keyword Frequency: Experts agree that 2-8% is the right number of keywords. Anything more is seen as “keyword stuffing” and will hurt search engine rankings and readability.

·       Linking Out: Make sure to include anchor text (clickable text in a hyperlink) to important keywords and link back to client pages with a similar strategy. For example, if anchor text is “accounting software” be sure to link to a page containing “accounting software” in the title tag and in the page content. Optimize your boilerplate to include links (including the http:// of the website address) and keywords.

 

Generational Markers

For all we have in common genetically, I've come to realize that my children and I share precious few childhood experiences. I went to a big public school on the East coast; they go to a small private school on the West coast. My parents had no idea where I was when I went out to play on summer days; my children have arranged "playdates" at specific locations with at least one adult lurking somewhere nearby. We all piled into the "way back" of our station wagon where there were no seat belts; our kids strap themselves carefully into the back seat of a car that likely also has side impact airbags. We ate whatever my mother cooked for dinner (liver excepted); because our daughter doesn't eat meat, we often have two different main courses at dinner (at least whenever the carnivores in the family complain too loudly).

The contrast only gets sharper when it comes to methods of gathering information and communicating with others. I spent hours at at time in the library reference stack to source information for my school reports; my kids fire up their laptops in the comfort of their rooms and do a series of Google searches in a matter of minutes. For years, I used my family's hardbound World Book Encyclopedia set to verify facts and figures; my kids turn to an ever-changing and crowdsourced Wikipedia to corroborate their facts and figures. I talked with my friends for hours on end, tying up the one family phone we owned (and angering everyone else in my house in the process); my kids text and video chat with their friends from their own cell phones and laptop computers. Every night, we would watch the CBS News with Walter Cronkite together as a family on the 18" TV in our kitchen; our kids don't watch news on TV at all, and even we parents consume the majority of our news online. When we do watch the 54" TV in our family room, it's more likely for cable TV shows like Chuck and Lie to Me, and our kids are typically multi-tasking (video games, iChat, etc.) during those episodes.

Music is also consumed in a very different manner than when I was young. I listened to my favorite music loudly on the family record player in our rec room and bought albums at the record store every few months; my kids listen to their favorite music (though some songs are cover versions of MY music) on their iPods using their headphones, and they download individual songs from the iTunes online store at 99 cents a pop.

Do all of these differences make me feel old? Certainly not. A bit nostalgic? Perhaps...

"And that's the way it is."

The Final Wake-Up Call?

When I heard that the "Top Kill" failed to stem the oil leak that BP caused 42 days ago 5,000 feet below sea level in the Gulf of Mexico, I became even more alarmed and extremely concerned. What I find most disconcerting is that there is a lot of finger pointing and blame-gaming going on between lawmakers and BP. I'm not saying that BP shouldn't pay for their mistake, but from what I've read and the seven failed attempts to seal the leak, BP doesn't have the means or the know-how to fix the problem, although they claim they could stop a leak that is ten times larger than what  they are dealing with now. They've clearly underestimated their capabilities and the devastation. Early studies have estimated the economic damage from the spill could run as high as $1.6 billion. Destruction that could run the entire Gulf coast to the Florida Keys and up the east coast of Florida, including massive economic loss to tourism, beaches and fisheries.

I ask myself, why aren't we taking this incident as our final wake up call and realizing that we need to change our behavior, the way we think about and use the world's resources. Instead of sending the Attorney General, Eric Holder tomorrow to view the catastrophe, and slap a huge fine or worse on BP (not that they don't deserve it, IMHO), why aren't we pulling ALL the world's oil industry experts together and coming up with a solution that works. We can't wait until August when the two relief wells might be built. We are ONE world and with the hurricane season upon us, winds and currents can push the oil slick to waters abroad as far as Mexico. Fortunately and unfortunately, situations like this further emphasize the need to step up the use and movement to alternative energy. GM's recent closing of the Hummer plant is definitely going in the right direction, but is it enough?

Social Networking for Your Family Tree

In a time when social networking has become the norm for communication and “keeping in touch,” it isn’t surprising that genealogical websites are increasing in popularity.  Genealogical sites are an excellent way to connect with your family and map out your past. You’ve probably seen the commercial for ancestry.com and been intrigued by the person clicking on a “leaf” to see what documents from their family’s past they might be able to unearth. Like going on an archaeological dig, genealogical websites allow you to investigate the history and genetics of your family tree.

The largest site, ancestry.com, allows you access to more than 4 billion records for a reasonable monthly or annual fee. The website has all U.S. census records from 1790 to 1930 available directly through the site. It also has manifests from ship arrivals in America, immigration records, draft cards, high school yearbooks, birth certificates, death certificates and marriage certificates. The longer your family has been in America, the more records you will be able to find. Records from around the world may be available, but are much more limited.

For those of us who want to connect with our families and log our histories there are sites that allow us to build and maintain our own family trees. My own family has built an extensive tree (191 people) on Geni.com. We love that Geni sends out convenient reminders just before birthdays and anniversaries. A free family membership allows you to post pictures and important dates to your family tree and merge with other related trees. The site has over five million users, and now offers family tree posters that can be custom ordered by its users. 

Product Placement on a Once-Proud Peacock

As if NBC hasn't had enough problems this year, with its Leno-O'Brien fiasco and tanking ratings, the network is now being slammed for its shameless use of product placement. 

I first noticed this a few weeks into the new year with a TurboTax ad running during the Thursday night NBC program, "Community." The ad featured two characters from "Community" eating at a restaurant, with one wondering whether the dinner could be considered a tax write-off due to their work-related conversation. While humorous and seemingly harmless as an integrated ad for TurboTax, it did raise some eyebrows for me, but not to the same extent as what I viewed in NBC's early coverage of the Winter Olympics. 

After wrapping up a brief commentary on Bode Miller, announcer Bob Costas segued into what appeared to be a preview of the snowboarding competition. But, without warning, it turned into a promotion for the new movie, "How to Train Your Dragon," from DreamWorks Animation (a former employer of mine). Making a wild transition from discussing snowboarding's ten-year history at the Winter Olympics one moment to detailing how Viking snowboarding was created in 1010 by a young man who just happens to be the main character of the upcoming dragon movie, Costas added to NBC's current trend of blurring the line between programming and advertising. 

Fresh Ideas from Social Fresh Portland

I was lucky enough to win a ticket to the Social Fresh conference in Portland on March 29. This conference is different than many I’ve attended previously as it features people working in the trenches and highlights what they do in social media day to day. Sure, there was the higher level thinking and big picture conversation, but I also walked away with ideas of things to implement right away to improve my social media engagement. I could give you my six pages of notes, but instead I’ll give you the main points that stood out for me.

 

Pick the Right Tool

Hi, my name is Karianne and I’m a Twitter addict. There. I admit it. That said, Twitter does not equal social media! Heck, Twitter shouldn’t even be the biggest part of your social media campaign. Facebook, YouTube and especially blogs should all be part of your social media plan.

 

According to Nielsen, social networks and blogs are now the 4^th most popular online activity, even higher than email. So obviously, having a social media presence is a must these days. But there are so many different services out there, how do you manage it all? Each different service can reach a different audience, or your audience in a different way. Peter Shankman of HARO suggested you ask your customers and see how they would like you to connect with them. Also, he had a fantastic point to embrace the concept, not the brand. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube could all disappear tomorrow, so build your social media plan around the concepts, not the hot thing of the moment.

 

Business Blogging Basics

Blogs were so 2000s and no one cares about them any more, right? Nope, not true. Sure, the blogs that read like your junior high diary might be a bit outdated, but blogging is still a very effective tool for businesses. It is an easy way to engage with your audience, establish your business as an industry leader, release company news and increase brand awareness.

 

Mike Volpe of Hubspot, Andrew Sinkov of Evernote and Kristy Bolsinger of RealNetworks had some terrific advice for corporate blogging. First off, they let us know it is easier than you think. You don’t have to start from scratch, use what you have. For example, the emails between your customers and customer service department can be re-purposed to be blog posts.

 

Also, the blogging responsibilities don’t have to fall on just one employee’s shoulders. You can have many authors so the blog will have different styles and perspectives. All of the various voices will blend together to represent your overall company voice. Finding authors can be easy if you use fame as a motivator, or you can even write it into employee’s job description so they know blogging is expected. One employee can oversee the blog to be sure posts are done and edited.

 

No matter how many authors you have on your blog, it is paramount that you allow comments. Without comments, it is just a static Web site. Comments will allow engagement and interaction with your audience. Sure, they may not love everything. Just handle negative comments with class and professionalism.

 

Finally, use your blog to motivate your audience. What do you want them to do? Buy your product? Download a white paper? Let the readers know what they should do with a call to action at the end. My call to action for you, go start a blog for your business!

 

These were the key points I walked away with, but (in the vain of Reading Rainbow) don’t take my word for it, here are the reviews from some other attendees and speakers:

 

SoFresh and SoCleanClean: Social Fresh 2010 by Kristy Bolsinger

Social Fresh Portland Purely #sofresh by Sarah Kay Hoffman

Key Learnings from Social Fresh Portland by Eric Berto

 

Helpful Tips on Successful Networking...

The other day I was speaking with a friend who suggested that I do a post on my experience going to networking events. She thought I had some good insight as I tend to do it often and she seems to think I do it well…bless her heart.
 
Before starting this post, I looked up the definition of business networking. Business networking is the process of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with other business people and potential clients and/or customers. The key phrase here is mutually beneficial.
 
With that in mind, here are some of my words of wisdom.
 
While a great new business source is working your existing network, it’s extremely important to broaden your network as much as possible.  A good way to do that is to become what I like to call a “joiner” and attend networking events that may interest you for professional development or those that are related to your job. Even attending networking events with friends for personal reasons at times can bring new business referrals. The reason is that people like to do business with people they know and like, so what better place to meet potential clients/customers than through your friends?
 
Some general tips and tricks:

·      Get your feet wet. If you’re not used to going to networking events start small and attend an event that you are personally interested in and are passionate about. After all, If you know something about the subject matter, you will feel more comfortable starting a conversation with others attending the event.

·      Get a buddy. If you are a shy person, it is easier to go to a networking event  when you know there will be at least one friendly and familiar face in the room. If you can’t find someone you can go with, try to research the attendee list (i.e. check out people’s profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter) and see if you find someone you know who is going to the same event.
·      Be positive.  Exude confidence and you’re bound to make new connections at your chosen event. Most people like to engage with people who have a positive demeanor. If you look friendly and approachable, it helps break the ice. If your energy is low or you’re in a bad mood, it's best to not go as you probably won't be that successful connecting with people.

Now that you’ve started going to some networking events, it’s time to take it to the next level and get serious!

·      Be a joiner. To make networking be part and parcel of your responsibilities, it’s important to be a joiner and sign up for at least 1 – 2 targeted events a month.
·      Target your event. In order to make networking an art form, target events that are in your sweet spot professionally and help you build your pipeline and your business.
·      Research. Before you go to an event, research that event to see who will be speaking and (if possible) who will be attending. Leverage social media tools (i.e. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) to help you identify what you have in common with the people you’d like to engage at the event. Even a little bit of preparation will help you make the most of your networking time.
·      Have a plan and set objectives. Before going to an event, make sure you have a goal in mind. Knowing what you want to achieve at networking events will enhance your confidence and help you be more successful.
·      Informal events. Most events have an informal part to the event, either pre- or post- drinks. Make sure you take advantage of them, as they are great opportunities to meet people in a relaxed atmosphere and help start conversations.
·      Focus on individuals. Although the event might be business related, it’s important to remember that you are meeting people as individuals and not necessarily as  business prospects. If you do your homework in advance and have identified who you want to meet, it's easy to connect with them on a personal level. 
·      Don’t sell.  People who are more focused on handing out their business cards than in having a meaningful conversations are usually a real turn off. While your main short-term objective may be to uncover new business leads, keep in mind that your ultimate objective is to build long-lasting mutually beneficial relationships. Show sincere interest in the other person and try to add value where you can.
·      Follow-up. It’s as important to follow-up with the people you meet as it is to meet them in the first place. Make sure to send a follow-on email, connect via LinkedIn, Facebook and follow them on Twitter no later than a week after the event. Whenever possible, I recommend sending a personalized email that references the event and your conversation within 48 hours.
·      Build long-lasting relationships. In order to keep the lines of communication open and stay top of mind long after the event is over, it’s important to have a stay-in touch plan.  Research has shown that you need to connect with people at least 6 to 9 times to build a long-lasting relationship. Find opportunities to add value and make your prospects' jobs easier. Send congratulatory notes, share industry tidbits, schedule lunches, or meet for coffee on a quarterly basis, and arrange to catch up at future industry events.

Above all else, keep in mind that your ultimate goal in networking is to establish mutually beneficial professional relationships. The more people who know you, like you, and get value from you, the more fun you will have and the better your business will do!