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PR is Changing: Change with It

When I look at the PR landscape and the reach of traditional media, I can’t help but think about how the average small business owner, nonprofit, or even the big well-known brands will continue to garner media attention and develop their communication strategy in 2019 and beyond. Newsrooms are continuing to shrink and people’s attention is now scattered in an infinite number of directions. From social media to traditional media, the communications landscape is changing. The exciting part about all of this change is that those of us that work in the field of communications are sure to be employed for many years to come.

Let’s talk about the changes that we must address…

Traditional Media Wanes

This is the most obvious trend that can not be denied. When you look at the dramatic numbers that occurred so far this year in layoffs in media spaces, one has to realize that pitching will have to change as it relates to digital media. As communicators, we may have to do a lot more writing of stories, verifying facts, and finding appropriate imagery for stories to even get considered for publishing.

Recently, I was working on a USA Today article that changed forms three times. The editor asked for a change in direction, rewrites, and exact verification of the stats included in the article with each rewrite. This is becoming the norm and is something that those of us in the field of communications will need to adjust to in this new realm of what it takes to reach our audiences.

The Power of Storytelling Deepens

PR is now more than just one press release about a particular issue pitched to select journalist via a wire service. Audiences want to hear and become a part of the story. Content will need to be dripped out to audiences on a consistent basis in order to create brand ambassadors, encourage action of some sort, or even to continue the positive feelings about a brand.

Storytelling will need to be done in interesting and engaging ways. Introduce your audience to the important characters in your brand’s life. Show some of the behind the scenes and jump in on relevant conversations. But, remembering all the while to be authentic. Show through the power of story how your brand is able to solve the problems of the target audience.

Become Your Own Media House

Why wait for a major media outlet to bless your story when you have the power to share your story in so many formats today. Whether you are a politician creating your personal brand or trying to grow interest in a product, this basic principle applies to all categories.

Create a piece of content like the piece of content you are reading right now. Post the piece in its entirety on places like your own blog, your Medium page, or your LinkedIn page. It all depends what it the appropriate place to reach your target audience. Create a number of social media post for the week that relate to the long form piece of content that you posted. Remember to lead people back to what you would like to consider your home base. Rinse and repeat!

Now, I have simplified the process, but ultimately the idea is to repurpose your content. You do not have to create all new content for each post. Big brands do it all of the time. If you do not have a team of people to help you create content, repurposing content is one of the best strategies that you can use in order to share content on a consistent basis.

The Lines Between Marketing & PR Blur

In recent years, The Marketing Department and The PR Department have run in silos. For many companies, they still do. This is a model that will not be able to continue and still prove to be successful. Marketing and PR need to operate as if they are performing in the symphony. If one is operating on in the key of B flat the other one should be too.

If you are the senior communicator for your brand, you have to step back and create an integrated communication plan. You may not understand the intricacies of making each element work, but you do need to know how each of the elements is going to work together for the good of the brand.

The Marketing and PR goals should be similar in an effort to better track what is working and what is not working. Your metrics from all of your communication efforts are going to tell you if you are moving in the right direction or if you need to tweak something that you are doing. Luckily, with social media and the internet, it is extremely easy to pivot if that seems to be the best step. Be sure to evaluate it carefully because there may be times that you need to stick to the course of action in order to reach your goals.

If I worked in an organization, I would make sure that these departments answered to the same person that would be able to have oversight of the appropriate long term goals. If I were working with an individual that was concerned about their personal brand, I would make sure that we created an integrated communication approach so that the effort of Marketing and PR worked in tandem.

Understanding and acting on the idea that Marketing and PR work best when they are in sync will change the power of your messaging.

The Relationship Between the Leadership Team and the PR Pro is Vital

In year’s past, the communications leader was not always given a seat at the table with corporate leadership. This meant that the information that was given to the communication team was second-hand information based on the strength of the leader. The leader whose role it was to communicate with the communication team may or may not pick up on topics that need to be communicated to the various target audiences.

More and more we are seeing that the director of communications is right beside the CEO or executive leadership team member. This model gives the communicator background knowledge and the ability to phrase content properly without getting the messaging wrong or saying something that may have been interpreted wrong.

The key here is to keep your communication expert close. Do not hold back on sharing information with this individual. You will be surprised how much the quality of your communication will go up if this person is given all of the information instead of bits and pieces. You must hire a communications person that you can trust with all of your information. It’s not fair to judge this individual on the quality of his or her work if they have not been given full access. PERIOD!

Spot The Story

As an advocate of your brand (be it corporate, entrepreneurial, or personal) you have to be able to spot stories that are around you. This skill may not come naturally, but you can train yourself to do it.

First understand that something in your average day may not be so average to someone else. Your shopping mall may look interesting to someone else in a different part of the world, your meal preparation techniques may be different then someone in your own neighborhood, someone may have no idea how you do what you do in your business. Each of these activities are stories that go behind the curtain (so to speak).

Spotting even the most basic story may lead to a viral push for your brand or message. Consumers are now more drawn to the story of people than a logo. Once the authentic nature of your brands story is told, then you will begin to attract an audience to you that remains loyal to your brand.
Everyone has a story….

So often we hear the complaint that I don’t have anything to share. My answer to that complaint is simply, “YES, everyone has a story and many of us tend to pass by all of the stories that are right at your fingertips.” Start with sharing your journey. How did you get to the point that you are at today. Better yet, WHY are you at the point that you are at today? When you share your WHY, you will be surprised how the right people gravitate towards you.

The obstacles that you faced and the lessons that you learned from those obstacles are all great sources for content. This is content that may find someone stuck in their journey and really help them through a tough spot.

Also, consider sharing the real benefit from what your product or service will offer along with what problem it actually solves. This will require true authenticity on why someone would need to purchase your product or service if you can clearly state what “problem” you are solving.

Additional ideas on creating content around your brand….

1. Look at sharing your milestones (i.e., your business anniversary, your birthday, a move to a new building)

2. Check the trending list on Facebook and Twitter. These list can give you an idea of what the “majority” of people are interested in. Figure out ways that you can tie in your story to stories that already have a bit of virality.

3. Share info about the people in your organization. This is a win all the way around. People love recognition and the people outside of your organization will love to learn who makes your organization tick.

The Business of Beyoncé

It seems as though Beyoncé is on top of the world at the moment. She has managed to take a very private situation between her and her husband all the way to the bank. As the saying goes…she has turned lemons into lemonade.

Let me start by stating that I am a HUGE Beyoncé fan. My bias tends to swing in her favor (admittedly).

What I do want to share in this post is the business take-a-ways that we can all learn from and apply to our businesses immediately.

TOP QUALITY PRODUCT 

Before you take anything to market, you have to make sure your ducks are in order. Meaning, you have researched, tested, and reviewed each and every aspect about what you are about to share with the world. You may notice that Beyoncé releases her albums when and how she wants to. This creative control makes it easier for her to live with the success or failure of what she puts out.

Now, I want to relate this to our organizations.

There are times that I have seen entrepreneurs put out their product or service still needing work on the back end. For example, you have your product images, but you do not have a way for people to place their order. Or, you do not have any good images at all and you are simply hoping for someone to support you. It’s not about perfection, but it should be as close to perfect as you can get it.

UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE

One thing that Beyoncé knows is her audience. She understands what her audience will and will not withstand from her brand. This is the reason that she can now release a song or an album in the middle of the night and it still break records. This is also why she can put her work exclusively on Tidal for a period of time and still eventually break records. Lemonade was released on February 6, 2016 with a limited release strategy. In true genius fashion, Beyoncé used her Super Bowl time to not only make a statement, but she also announced her tour dates.

The BeyHive (as Beyoncé’s community is affectionately called) has become true brand ambassadors for Beyoncé and anything that she puts out. This is the true benefit of developing a community. Now, we are not all Beyoncé. We can not sparsely attend to our communities and think that they are going to gain any sense of loyalty to us.

Pay attention to what your community wants from you and what you want from your community. Add value to your community and it will add value right back to you.

EXECUTION

Many of us have a variety of ideas for how we would like to follow our passion and make a living. The problem is that we do not take the time necessary to bring thes ideas to life. The difference between success and remaining average is in the details of the execution.

Set goals and build a strategy of execution towards those goals. When you set measurable goals, it is much easier to line up what you need to do to get to your desired outcome.

If Beyoncé has time in her day to execute a new album, the videos, a clothing line, and a global tour, we should also be willing to put in the work necessary to bring our ideas to fruition. Beyoncé does have a team that many of us are not fortunate enough to have at the moment. But, from her interviews over the years, it’s easy to see that she has a specific routine for buckling down when it’s time to focus. The lesson here is to have laser focus when it comes to executing your ideas.

The best results come from when you are able to tune out the clutter. If you are spending hours on Facebook when you need to be focusing on your business, then it may be time to make some changes in your daily schedule. This all depends on the level of growth you desire. Focus in on what it will take to reach your goals, develop a strategy, and implement flawlessly.

THE NUMBERS 

Ivy Park – Launched on April 14, 2016 and will be sold in North America in Top Shop, Nordstrom, and Hudson Bay. With items ranging from $50.00 to $265.00, Mashable reports that this is the most popular fashion brand on Instagram in terms of engagement before it even launched. The video used to launch the brand ask the question, ‘Where is your park?’

Lemonade – Beyoncé’s latest work sold approximately 200K on the first day. When it is all said and done, the album priced higher then most at 17.99, is expected to sale upwards of 600K albums. 

The Formation World Tour – The tour kicked off on April 27, 2016 in Miami. Originally slated for 41 shows, Beyoncé was set to make close to 50 million dollars. Now, with the add on of the additional shows the estimated amount that Beyoncé will bring home from the concert alone could reach 75 million.


MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 27: In this handout photo provided by Parkwood Entertainment, Beyonce performs during the opening night of the Formation World Tour at Marlins Park on April 27, 2016 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Parkwood Entertainment via Getty Images)

WTRMLN WTR – 10 days after Lemonade, Beyoncé announced that she was an equity partner in a 3 year old startup that makes cold-pressed watermelon water. The water was featured in the Ivy Park launch video and is also sold at the venues that Formation performances are taking place in. So, Beyoncé is not only making money from the concert, she is making money from product sales. Can you say “cha-ching?”

In 2015, Bey brought home 54.5 million and in 2014 she sat on Forbes Celebrity Top 100 at 115 million.
 

 

 

 

Are you in?

Yes, that is the question of the day! Are you in?

We have issued a challenge to all of you that are brave enough to take it! We want you to Scope EVERYDAY! Yes, EVERYDAY.

The reason for this challenge is because the number one question that we are receiving at our agency is….’How can I grow the following for my brand?’ The answer. There is not magic bullet to grow your following, but Scoping can help speed the process. Well, if you put out GREAT content, consistently.

Here are the rules of the challenge:

1. Use the #SED16 in your title
2. Sign up for a Katch account at www.katch.me
3. Sign up for our eNewsletter by clicking here.
4. Scope EVERYDAY. There is not time limit on your scopes. The idea is simply to hi the Start Broadcast button.

Winners will be chosen randomly by the team at Selsi Enterprises as prizes are available.

Have fun!

Top 14 Industries that Can Benefit from Live-streaming

Friends making selfie. Two beautiful young women making selfie

Live-streaming is all the rage now in social media. In our opinion, it is a true game changer.  Live-streaming give you the ability to have your own television station in the palm of your hands. Right now, there are two live-streaming apps that are garnering a lot of attention – Periscope and Meerkat. Each of the apps have great features. Currently, our preference is Periscope and we will write about that in another post.

Today, we want to share with you 14 industries that could really move the needle on anything from raising brand awareness to increasing sales by using one of the live-streaming apps regularly. Here is our list in no particular order:

14. Consultants

13. Musicians

12. Retail store owners

11. Restaurant owners and chefs

10. Travel

9. Realtors

8. Health and wellness

7. Photographers

6. Fashion & beauty stylist

5. Authors

4. Journalist

3. Actors

2. Event planners

1. Educators

What industries would you add or delete? Leave us a comment below to share your top industries that could benefit from live-streaming. We will be diving a little deeper in to this topic on our upcoming scopes this week. Follow us on Periscope and Meerkat at @Selsi_Ent .

Goodbye Wires: Prijector Announces Free Software Update Called Ira

Cupertino, California – If you added up all of the time wasted in a conference room watching a presenter get his/her chords figured out, the total number of hours wasted would be extremely high. This sets the wrong tone for any presentation that is about to take place. Prijector cleverly allows a presenter to connect to a presentation screen in seconds and without the hassle of the wires powered by Ira.

PrijectorBoxIn today’s global market place, it is critical to be able to be mobile and productive all at the same time. According to Smart Mobility Management, by the year 2015 the world’s mobile worker population will reach 1.3 billion.  This will represent 37.2% of the total workforce.  Because of this need to be mobile, there is a growing need for having the right tools.  Over 500 companies have now added Prijector to their toolkit.

“The key value proposition of Prijector is wireless presentations, multiple device support and simplicity,” said Dov Levy, President and CTO of Dovel Technologies, a leading IT systems provider that has been at the forefront of implementing information technology systems for the United States Government. Dovel Technologies is based in Virginia and they use Prijectors in all their conference and meeting rooms.

“Prijector is so simple to deploy and use, we didn’t have to pull wires between the Projector and the tables including expensive core drills in concrete floors. Today we can have people come with any device, connect, present or demo with no messy cables all over the tables. People inside the conference rooms get everything they need and everything works right out of the box just like it’s supposed to.”

Ira, our new software platform, makes starting a presentation easy and it helps power compatibility.

“With the proliferation of BYOD throughout enterprise networks, administrators are looking to support the ability of multiple devices to connect wirelessly with displays and projectors in conference and meeting rooms using a simple solution,” said Sunil Coushik Founder and CEO of Prijector. “These latest software features with our hardware platform provide administrators with the essentials to simplify their increasingly dynamic environments.”

Ira’s Features and Enhancements

  • iPad and iPhone now supported – Prijector automatically detects iPhones and iPads using Airplay and mirrors the screen. No need to install any apps on your iDevices.
  • Linux now supported – Present wirelessly from Linux Laptops or Linux Desktops. Download our Linux application on your Linux OS and start sharing wirelessly.
  • Works inside corporate firewalls – Plug Prijector in to your corporate or educational network and get wireless presentations started quickly. There is no individual or corporate network configuration required.
  • Time scales – Prijector provides presenters with the ability to time their slides. Our Express Mode is built around research data on productive presentations. Express mode activates at every new slide and alerts the presenter at the completion of 2 Minutes 50 Seconds.
  • Posters – Customize the Prijector Launch Screen by changing it to your company’s corporate messaging, new product launches, employee of the month, goals of the month and much more. Our Web Console allows you to upload your corporate posters and manage them directly within the program.
  • Video conference – A presenter can integrate their video conferencing equipment into Prijector. Presenters can toggle between Presentations and Video Conferencing mode using the Prijector Companion App on their laptops. It will not be necessary to Change Source on the TV or the Projector. Prijector fully integrates video conferencing through its Video In Port.

 Ira, our new software platform, makes starting a presentation easy and it helps power compatibility.  Prijector is temporarily being offered at a price that is 50.00 off the full price. This means that someone can now purchase Prijector for 149.00. Find out more about Prijector by visiting www.prijector.com.

About Prijector:

Prijector is a product for the conference room to make it faster and easier for millions of business people around the world to wirelessly project their presentations through a television screen or projector.  The company’s flagship product, Prijector, soft launched in November 2013 and is available for order at $149. Orders will begin shipping in July. Prijector is headquartered in Cupertino, California and is currently seed funded by a group of entrepreneurs and angel investors. For more information, visit prijector.com.

Define Your Brands Personality

Do you have the personality that will get out there and dance like no one is watching?

Do you have the personality that will get out there and dance like no one is watching?

Is it easy for you to define your brand’s personality?  Some brands are so clear about their direction and messaging and others still have some work to do.  Well, I think that we are guilty at Selsi Enterprises of having some work to do ourselves.  From what I hear, many of my PR colleagues are in the same boat because we spend so much time on our clients and not enough time on our own brands.  Our PR firms should have the coolest personalities around, but it seems that many lack that IT factor.  Why is this important? Because customer retention and the ability to gain new customer depend on your brand having IT.

Here are a few tips to see if your brand has that IT factor it needs to gain and retain customers:

  1. Are other individuals talking about your brand in social media or are you the only one talking about your brand?
  2. Have you created a level of traction that can sustain your business?
  3. Does your visual presentation have a recognizable style?
  4. Does the personality of your brand currently fit the audience that you target?
  5. Are you willing to make the necessary changes within your brand to grow and attract the right customes?

Spend some time answering these questions.  Once answered take a look at how your are living out what you desire your brand personality to be. Tweak where necessary and watch the results you get from making those tweaks. And by all means, have fun with it!!

Time for 2014 Plans

It is not to late to think about your marketing and communication plans for 2014. Take a look at what you did in 2013. What worked and what was a waste of time? What would you like to try in 2014? Does your brand need to be revitalized?

Ask yourself a few simple questions like the above and you will be surprised what you are able to turn into a plan for 2014. The good thing about it is that it can be fluid. You can add to and take away from it as you please. The key is just to plan!

In the comments section below, let us know what you have to keep in your plan for 2014 and what you have to avoid in your plan for 2014.

Brand Narrative: What is your story?

Most small business owners are not thinking about their “brand narrative.” Unfortunately, it is an important piece to growing any business.  If you own a business, it is important to make sure your brand is giving off the story that you would like for it to tell. Many brands are having a harder time controlling their narrative now that social media is in the picture.

Your challenge for today is to look at all of the places that you have a brand presence.  If you personally are attached to your brand, then you will also need to look at what your personal brand is saying about your organization.  Here are a few questions to guide you on your efforts of reviewing your brand narrative:

  1. Is my message consistent?
  2. Is my message conveying what I would like for it to convey?
  3. Does the brand narrative help me to reach my goals and objectives?
  4. What are the top 3 messages that I need to convey in my messaging?
  5. Can I make the necessary changes in order to improve my brand narrative?