Investing on your company’s voice

When starting up a business we need to take into account several expenses, such as space, equipment, and personnel, among others. But, how often do we include the company’s voice in the mix? We may very well have the most capable of businesses, with an amazing plan to drive sales and revenue for everyone involved but what does it matter if nobody know who are? Or for that matter what you can do, have been doing or open to do. For a company to be successful, it needs a good communications plan. So, add that to the list of expenses.

For the person that starts a business, that is his/her baby, it’s the most important thing in the world. Fact of the matter is that the world doesn’t seem to think the same way of the business. So why should anyone care about your business? Why should your potential clients choose you? You may have already answered those questions, but if you don’t have someone to channel communication or build your brand it may take twice as hard to thrive. And even more in the entertainment business.  

Regardless of the budget, a communications plan should always be included in a business plan. Often times, Advertising (the first option) is too expensive for a startup, but there is another option that is often overlooked but if managed correctly it can have amazing results. Here’s why Public Relations is the strong option:

• Power tool: Media coverage achieved through PR is likely to be more extensive than achieved through advertising, given a similar budget. Also, it is usually more credible than other forms of marketing communication.
• Cost effective: PR is often less expensive than other forms of paid communication such as advertising.
• It provides external counsel. After all, it is a consulting business.

Robert Kelly, an experienced PR specialist (working with clients such as: Pepsi, Texaco and The White House, among others), does an accurate depiction of what a good communications plan focused on public relations can bring to a company:

• Create, Change or Reinforce Opinion
• Reach, Persuade and Move-to-Action
• Gain and Hold Understanding and Acceptance
• Modify the Behavior, Achieve your Goal

And isn’t this what we want for our businesses? A good communications plan breaks through message clutter and results in an amazing ROI. However, it’s important to remember that it takes time, money and patience to put together a good communications plan. That’s why when contemplating business expenses you must include a fee for it. So, what now? Choose an agency (preferably Third Scene), and start working along side it to work towards a successful business.

Additional Reading

References:

Suriwiecki, J. (2009). Hanging Tough. Newyorker. Retrieved from: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/04/20/090420ta_talk_surowiecki?printable=true

Kelly, R. Is Your Public Relations Investment Paying Off? All about Public Relations. Retrieved from: http://www.aboutpublicrelations.net/uckelly3a.htm

Dealing With A Crisis

This week the Bumble Bee tuna cannery in Puerto Rico closed down after 50 years, leaving 181 people out on the streets. This, of course, was overshadowed by the news of UBS with two accounts of fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Crises happen often, what doesn’t happen that often are Financial Crises. I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with the Crisis Communications Plan for the close down of the Bumble Bee cannery. We had business reporters and bloggers wanting to know the financial facts of the situation, such as: number of employees that will be left without a job, reasons for leaving, recent financial statements, and how could this impact the economy on the Island. Now, I’m not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to finance so I had to treat it like a regular crisis management, which still left some inquirers, but it got the bases covered. The trick to manage a financial crisis is to be knowledgeable in both crisis management and finance. So, if you’re a wiz in the financial department, here are a few tips to better manage an unwanted situation.

First of all you have to be conscious of three points when an unexpected situations rises:

• Audience: identify if it’s a public or internal crisis, and which groups are affected the most.
• Timing: you must respond immediately. Leave no room for speculation.
• Content: the purpose is to quell, and if you can, reverse negative attitudes and behavior.

In any way that you can, it is recommendable to develop a Crisis Management Plan. I know what you’re thinking; if a crisis is an unexpected situation, how can you plan for it? Well, if you do a company risk analysis you can be aware of possible situations a better plan for them. In the case of Bumble Bee, they already knew the plant was going to close down and they made a plan that assessed the workers first and foremost, and an hour later the media outlets.

To better plan for a crisis there are five stages:

• Detection: watching for signs.
• Preparation: for a proactive or reactive response.
• Containment: limiting the duration of it.
• Recovery: the return to normal.
• Learning and Evaluation: to prevent or better deal with future crisis. 

Even when you have the stages figured out that doesn’t mean everything will go according to your plan. You may be asked to give an opinion on the matter, but if you were not planned to give statements you should never make one, and always direct that person to the indicated official. To prevent unwanted inquiries, and to better educate people on what’s happening, the most important tools are all the material you put out for your public’s reach. This means that special attention must be put to the written materials to be handed out.

Here are some strategies to keep in mind when writing for a crisis:

• Establish a clear position: you must determine a clear message to be carried out to all media and audiences. 
• Honesty is the best policy: it is not an option to lie.
• Work with your media friends: contact the reporters that have worked with your company and know it better.
• Make assets available: be prepared to hand out fact sheets, financial statements, backgrounders, among others.

Being aware of every aspect of the company and what people are saying in the news and blogs plays an important part on how you decide to manage a financial crisis. Work closely with your CFO, Accounting and HR departments to better handle the situation. When managing the closing of Bumble Bee we had the luck that representatives from Ikea were on the Island striking a deal to bring the chain to Puerto Rico. We have very sensationalist media…so the news just blew over in a day.

Sources:


Kantow, M. (May, 2012). Bumble Bee Closing Mayagüez Palnt After 40 Years, Leaving 200 Jobless. News Is My Business. Retrieved from: http://newsismybusiness.com/bumble-bee-closing-mayaguez-plant-after-40-years-leaving-200-jobless/


Kantow, M. (May, 2012).SEC Charges UBS P.R., 2 execs with fraud. News Is My Business. Retrieved from: http://newsismybusiness.com/sec-charges-ubs-p-r-2-execs-with-fraud/


Treadwell, D., & Treadwell, J. (2005). Public Relations Writing: Principles in Practice.California: SAGE Publications. 


Bernstein, J. (1996). The 10 Steps of Crisis Communication. Bernstein Crisis Management. Retrieved from: http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/docs/the_10_steps_of_crisis_communications.html

Talking the Talk

When we talk about compelling or successful speakers we tend to think of this poised, charismatic, charming individuals; and rightfully so. However, being a successful speaker has a bit more to do than natural personality traits. It takes a lot a work. Speakers from TED, and my personal favorite, Anderson Cooper, know that while certain personality traits can make it easier to stand up and be a public speaker it also requires a lot of discipline and work.

                           

While watching Chip Kidd in his presentation about Book Design, and Anderson Cooper in a commencement speech at Tulane University you see the commonalities between great speakers. There are three points to be aware of:

• Knowledge of the material: this is the most crucial of all aspects. A speaker should never get in front of an audience without full knowledge of the material it is presenting. It can make the speaker stumble, not able to dwell on the topic, not able to answer any questions, among other scenarios. All in all, it makes the speaker less credible and the audience will not be interested. In his presentation, Kidd was talking about his experience as a book designer, the material was already known. While Cooper on the other hand was giving his opinion on this graduating class and the speech he gave was his own creation.
• Control over the audience: is a requirement of sorts. When a great speaker talks, its audience listens, when he/she makes a joke the audiences laughs, when he/she asks a reflective question the audience contemplates, and so on. The point being that a great speaker must always maintain control of the audience and guide them through the speech. Much like a teacher has the attention of students, a speaker must be able to develop a relationship with its audience. This can only be achieved with previous knowledge of who the audience is, in terms of demographic, psychographic, and what are their expectations. Both Kidd and Cooper had engagement and had their audiences wanting to know what was coming next. That’s the best a speaker can hope when giving a speech.
• Written speech: is basically the backbone of the whole shindig. With eloquence and charisma you can build upon it, but the written speech is the main point of the presentation. It’s the path to follow, not only for the speaker but also for the audience. The speech must be written in such a way that it guides the audience and digests the information without making it a “for Dummies” reading. The speaker must take into account that this information is only being heard and not read, so it’s about clear and concise messaging that also gives relevant information for the audience to take away.

 

If a speaker were to have these three points he/she is already on its way to become a great public speaker. Nevertheless, it must not underestimate the importance of charisma, transitions, distractions, conclusions, humor, etc. All the things that play a part in conversations and speeches, you can play with later. When you have the three main points down, its time to elevate the speech to great just as Chip Kidd and Anderson Cooper did. 

PRSA: Accreditation, Advocacy, and the People Behind It

Whether you are talking about Coca-Cola’s new campaign or Pantene’s hair donation campaign you are talking about a Communications Effort. More so now, on year of elections one word keeps showing up…communication. That’s only because branding (of products, companies, politician’s, ideals or individuals) has so much to do with public perception and reputation, and you only get this if people in fact are talking about your brand. Oddly enough the people that work behind a brand to drive a positive perception of it, have a bad reputation themselves. I’m talking about Public Relations practitioners and how public perception is not the best around the profession, but efforts are being made to change this. One of the changes, that both benefit the PR brand and also sets a standard of practice, is the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR).

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) recognizes and fosters the Accreditation Program as a means to bring positive light to the profession. It is stated in their website that, “through their high professional and ethical standards, Accredited professionals contribute to greater understanding of public relations as a vital management function, and undermine those who would refer to our craft as spin, our professionals as flacks, and our currency as misrepresentation and disinformation.”

The Accreditation Program was established on 1964 and since then it has been the only national post-graduate certification program. It promotes continuing education and reflects a commitment to the profession. If you are a PR professional you want to learn what the industry has to offer and what successful peers have done.  Two of the most notable APR’s are Harold Burson and Daniel J. Edelman, leaders of two of the biggest PR Firms in the world. Even though the APR is voluntary and you can still work without it, I think it’s the best way to advance in such a competitive career. It sets you apart from the pack and it provides a means to continue educating yourself. This last one is crucial in an industry that revolves around people and communications, which are ever changing and so should the education.

APR is a big step towards changing public perception of the profession that so well does it itself.  It betters the practice and strives to achieve excellence within the industry.

“Accreditation assures that a certain standard of quality is met. In a profession where licensure is not required and many people practice public relations without knowing key competencies and appropriate ethical guidelines for decision-making, earning the APR credential communicates that you have the requisite knowledge for principled public relations expertise and proficiency. This mark of excellence demonstrates to employers that you truly know what it means to be a high-performing, effective and ethical public relations professional.”

—Holly Byars, APR



Source: www.prsa.org 

Social Media Stardom

This article is about Kony 2012. In doing so, I’m doing my part to make him famous.

Whether you donate or not, whether you think is a scam or not, you now know who Joseph Kony is. Even if you didn’t watch the video you’ve seen the posters or even the “memes”. The idea behind the campaign was to make Kony famous so awareness could be raised of his actions and lead to his incarceration, and so they did. All through the use of a viral video, and millions of people around the world. The question is, how did this video went viral so quickly? And, what was the planning behind it?

Sometimes the success of a video is mainly because it’s funny, disgusting, short, or mindless; and many times, all of them together. So, what makes a thirty-minute video so popular? The very first second of the video can tell you why. It’s the planning behind it. That first line says: “Nothing is more powerful than an idea”. The Kony 2012 video, besides being a well produced one, is a call for a movement.

It starts by stating the problem, it continues with a compelling story the viewers can relate to, and finally it gives easy ways to help out without leaving your comfort zone. Now, Invisible Children (the organization behind the video) knew that this wasn’t enough to get massive attention. So the branding began.

The way to make a movement massive is to make a brand out of it. Feminists, Nazis, and Occupy Wall Street, more recently, all share this quality. William Yardley states in his article The Branding Of The Occupy Movement for the New York Times, that the Occupy Movement branding started with Kalle Lasn, a Twitter hashtag #occupywallstreet and a simple poster. Lasn is the editor of the anticonsumerist magazine Adbusters. Yardley says, “For some people they were just words and images. For Mr. Lasn, they were tools to begin remodeling the “mental environment,” to create a new “meme”.” This is exactly the trend that Invisible Children took notice of and wanted to accomplish with Kony 2012. The creation of the poster (to the left), making their own video instead of seeking attention from the news and entering with a such a bold statement, “Let’s make Joseph Kony famous” quickly caught the attention of young Internet navigators. Getting most views from mobile devices than any other source/site.

The team did plenty of outreach to its followers, calling on them to show support by sharing the video on social media and posting a banner on their own Facebook and Tumblr pages. The video accumulated more views from Facebook, than Youtube itself. This show the power of the “digital-word-of-mouth”. The next step in the plan, which the video itself states, was to target US “culture makers”. It targeted political figures that could make the arrangements and celebrities that could influence public opinion. And that’s when things got interesting. As soon as Rihanna, Diddy, Oprah, Bieber, and other celebrities that’s when views skyrocketed and support became evident. Third party endorsements always add value to a brand (or a cause).

So even if you think the movement is a scam and choose not to support it, you still know what it is. You recognize the symbols, you even get the meme jokes. All this is possible to a good strategic branding plan behind the movement. Kony 2012 may or may not accomplish its ultimate goal of incarcerating Joseph Kony, but it definitely made him famous. 

 

Sources: 

• Yardley W. (November 27, 2011). The Branding of the Occupy Movement. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/28/business/media/the-branding-of-the-occupy-movement.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all 
• Daye D. (February 27, 2012). Launching a Brand Movement. the Blake Project. Retieved from:  http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2012/02/launching-a-brand-movement.html

Speech Writing

Basic tools for any professional

More often than not, professionals are required to give speeches and presentations. They can vary from training seminars to new business proposals, but what they all have in common is that they start from the same place. Every speech or presentation is premeditated, and so is what the presenter is going to say. Professional speeches leave little room for improvisation. Every spoken word can influence an opinion and it can mean time off of someone schedule, further reasons to make every word to count.

When writing a speech, there are several things to keep in mind. Most important of all is to remember that this type of writing differs from other writing formats. It’s not reciting an essay. A speech has a purpose to engage it’s public, take them by the hand through your presentation and convey your ideas. Some points should be noted in the process of writing a speech are:

·       Indentify your audience: Knowing the demographics are a good way to start. You must also take into consideration if your audience is informed or uninformed, their level of education, and the fact that the audience may be a mixture of both supporters and antagonists. All of these factors play a part in they way you shape your message. The message must be fitted to the audience and adapted if it’s to be given several times.

·       Tell them the plan and follow it: Structure matters! The key is to start with an “attention grabber” (e.g. anecdotes, quotes, rhetorical questions, etc.). Also, when starting out the speech, you must lay out the topics to be discussed in the order in which they will be presented. This gives the audience a structure to follow. However, once you have your audience attention inform them on what it is they are there for and why. When you are about to conclude, announce it, “to conclude…” and summarize the key messages you want your audience to take from the speech.

·       Emphasize, transition and simplify: During the speech be sure to build to a climax, this way the important information is anticipated, and remembered. Keep sentence structure simple and short, for people to follow easily. It is also very important to use effective transitions to keep the flow going, and repeat important points you want your audience to remember.

 One aspect you may want to take into account is the speaker itself. Try to maintain the writing to the capabilities of the speaker. Also, remember to keep reading out loud what you write to get an idea on how the speech is shaping. If there was a time to watch punctuation is this type of writing. A point, comma, or semi-colon can produce different sentence emphasis. Thus, changing the message itself. Finally, after the speech is written, be critical. Have someone else read it, and judge it as an audience. If it sends the right message, keeps you interested and you remember the messages, your work is done.

Sources:

The Writing Center from The University of North Carolina

Treadwell, D., & Treadwell, J. (2005). Public Relations Writing: Principles in Practice. California: SAGE Publications.