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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!
Entrepreneurs Think Tank – EP 4 – What had happened was….
Having an idea for a podcast and actually launching the podcast are two entirely different task. Especially when you are teaching yourself how to do everything. Not because you have to teach yourself, but because you know in the long run it will pay off to know how to do it.
We lost a show! It was devastating to have to accept that there was nothing that we could do to save the episode, but it was a great lesson. Things do not always go smoothly….even when you plan them out “perfectly.” As an entrepreneur, you just have to be able to roll with the punches. That is exactly what we are doing.
Listen to this episode about the loss of episode 4 and let us know what you think in the comments below. Have you ever lost something like this? How did you react?
BLACK FRIDAY DEAL – VIP PR Strategy Intensive
By now we hope that you have started planning for 2017.
PR is changing and in order to really #GetNoticed it is necessary to change with the times. The traditional press release is basically dead, influencers are able to spread your message as well as or better than traditional newspaper outlets, and video will play an even larger role in the 2017 brands that rise to the top. We like to explain it as the Kodak case study. Kodak did not want to change with the direction that its audience was moving. Therefore, what was once a top tier brand is barely seen or recalled. Many of our kids may not even know the Kodak brand.
My team and I put together this intensive that will allow you to set your self up for success in 2017 by going through significant strategic planning and measurable goal setting activities.
The intensive is tailored specifically to your needs. Being that it is so brand specific, you will have to email us to receive the application for acceptance in to the program. We are only taking 5 VIP candidates in December. If you are interested or have questions, please email hello@selsienterprises.com.
Finding Inspiration from the Window Washers
Inspiration can even come from window washers.
You have heard the saying, ‘Inspiration can come from the strangest places.’ Well, I can completely agree! As someone who writes a good bit for clients, sometimes you just need a new perspective. A new way of looking at something that can help make the piece that is being communicated even more interesting and compelling. You want to dive deep to bring out the reasons that your target audience needs to pay attention to this information.
This is where the window washers come in. You have the same product, service, or the same ‘view’ from the office window. But, on a regular basis, it is important to take a step back and clean the windows. Look at the product, service, or ‘view’ from a new perspective. Pretend it is your first time seeing the product or service. What is your “first” reaction?
Your reaction may be that this product/service needs to be revamped. Maybe you were going down the wrong path. Or, just like a new element can be added in to the landscape of your view out of the window, there may be something new with your product/service that you are not paying attention to. This may be something that should be highlighted in a better way.
So take a note from the page of the window washers. Every so often, take a step back for the sake of clarity. Let this fresh perspective guide you in freshening up your marketing and communication efforts.
In the comments below, let us know where you find inspiration. You never know, you could give someone else the idea that they need to finish their project successfully!
When Effective Employee Communications Matter
Companies will often times spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new initiative, but will not spend a fraction of that to make sure that it is communicated properly. We see this on a regular basis. One example that comes to mind is the rise of wellness programs in many of our large corporations.
The idea of a formalized wellness program is fabulous. The C-suite loves saying that they offer a wellness component for their employees. In their eyes, they are looking out for the ‘best interest of their employees.’ What the C-suite is not supporting is the communication effort needed to make these programs a success.
Many times, when the topic does not directly affect the bottom line, the higher levels of management are forced to sweep the topic under the rug. For example, Manager A has a newsletter to write each month. Manager A realizes that her success is measured by how well she produces widgets. So, in an effort to make sure her team is producing enough widgets, she uses the limited amount of space in her newsletter for widget production needs. In her eyes, she is doing what needs to be done in order to remain successful when it is time for her employee review.
This situation is happening at facilities all over the country. The problem is this behavior is very individualistic. The C-suite does not realize that by having objectives in an employees list of items that he/she must accomplish that only center around production, will continue to drive this behavior. We do not want you to think that we view these objectives as not important, but without a balance there are softer objectives that are not going to get addressed. As the next generation of employees come in, they are looking for a more balanced lifestyle. Not one that only involves production goals.
Just as many companies had to accept social media, companies are now going to have to accept more individuals seeking work life balance in order to keep good employees. Every company is not going to be Apple and Google, but there are steps that companies can take to begin to work towards that direction. One of those steps is to communicate a variety of topics to employees that will help them in their whole life. Topics such as wellness which was mentioned in the example above and the importance of investing which many new to the workplace do not see the value in starting early. Proper communication could change their way of thinking.
Below are a couple of steps that may help communicate with employees about topics that do not have a direct impact on the bottom line:
1. Have members of the C-suite address softer topics from time to time. When the heads of the company are speaking these messages, this will encourage other managers to also discuss topics of this nature.
2. Cover the softer topics in multiple communication channels. If you have a strong Intranet, company newsletter, or a social media platform, take the time to spread these softer messages that will not be tied to confidentiality. If these channels are not strong, that is OK too. This may be what they need to bring them to life.
3. Craft the messages in a fun manner and not the typical corporate speak. There is a time to speak in a corporate tone and a time to lighten up. It is good for employees to see the softer side of the company. This is the side that employees are going to be more willing to engage.
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100 Days of Blogging
It’s time to put what the experts say to the test! You probably hear all of the time that ‘content is king and consistency is vital.’ So, Selsi Enterprises has come up with a simple project. We are going to put out great content on a consistent basis for the next 100 days.
We would like to have some of you join us in this effort. The more people that join in, the better we will be able to test our theory. Leave us a comment if you are interested in diving in with us. When you share your blog post with the world, use the hash tag #100Days.
Happy blogging!