Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
The New York Times recently profiled professional networking leader LinkedIn in a June 16, 2013, article titled “LinkedIn Builds Its Publishing Presence.” The article points out what you may have noticed if you’re an active LinkedIn user: The network is no longer just a place to post your resume and call it a day. Rather, LinkedIn has developed a host of interactive features users can (and are) taking advantage of, some of which include written content.
This content, which LinkedIn started offering in October, is produced under the umbrella of “Influencers,” a select group of leaders that post about various topics through LinkedIn (similarly to a blogging platform). Influencers range from Meg Whitman of Hewlett-Packard, to Charles Duhigg of the New York Times, and offer insights on subject matter from career guidance to lifestyle tips.
There are several ways you can make used of LinkedIn’s now fully developed, content-oriented platform:
- Apply to be an “Influencer.” If you think that your experience and interests qualify you to be an influencer, reach out to publisher@linkedin.com to make your case (or do so on behalf of your CEO or other executives with your company). Accepted influencers will have the benefit of reaching a large audience through LinkedIn’s platform, and being featured can contribute to a person’s perception as a thought leader, as they’re listed among the likes of Bill Gates and Richard Branson.
- Find fodder for blogs and media pitches. Look to what other industry influencers are writing about; it may spark a creative idea for a blog post, campaign or pitch that you can use around your own brand.
- Add your own take. Even if you’re not an official Influencer, you can still share Influencer content and provide your own commentary to your network. This provides an easy way to keep your own, or your company’s, LinkedIn page active, updated and fresh.
LinkedIn is shifting into the contributed-content model we’re seeing across various platforms, including official media sources like Forbes and Harvard Business Review. Not only does this model provide you with a chance to offer your own voice, it gives you a vast pool of curated content from industry experts. Consider taking advantage of this resource, whether for your own brand’s social media and blog content, or for your own thought leadership within your network.
For more on LinkedIn from Communiqué PR, see:
- LinkedIn Introduces Comprehensive Company Pages
- Best Practices for Company Pages on LinkedIn
- Using LinkedIn Advertising to Pitch Media
- 8 Tips for Managing a LinkedIn Group
- Four Tips to Maximize your LinkedIn Profile
With the advent of social media, a very thin line sometimes separates our business and professional lives. Just ask the Central Intelligence Agency, which, according to the Wall Street Journal, recently issued new guidelines for the use of social media among its agents (because clearly spies need to be careful about that sort of thing).
The CIA is an extreme example, but any business can be put under the microscope for a tweet or post that may appear to be a little inappropriate or too casual. Social media gives businesses a direct and immediate communication line to consumers, which can be of mutual benefit to a business and its customers, like quickly solving customer service issues or promoting short-lived sales opportunities. However, it’s important for businesses to understand how to ride the fine line to ensure its communications remain as professional on social media as other marketing channels.
Below are four communications guidelines for keeping your constituents happy to see you on their social media platforms:
- Post a reasonable amount of times – don’t flood newsfeeds. This number could be different depending on the business, but keep your social media posts to things that are relevant and timely for consumers. Consumers may “like” a business, but will quickly click “unlike” if the number of posts becomes a nuisance.
- Thoughtful, well-written content is just as important on social media channels as any other. Good grammar is a first impression that helps a business remain credible.
- Take time for regular moderation to ensure content is timely and relevant and issues are quickly addressed.
- Listen. When a consumer takes the time to connect with a business, this is a chance for that business to shine among all customers. Respond directly and clearly to feedback and always give consumers the benefit of the doubt. It may seem scary to have such a public forum, but a business can benefit greatly from simply showing they are listening and trying to resolve issues for customers.
This Forbes article also provides a great set of do’s and don’ts to help businesses avoid social media pitfalls.
How has your business achieved success using social media? Or, do you know of a business that is a good example of professional social media skills? Please share it here!
Even in an age so focused on the rapidly expanding boundaries of social media, the press release remains a staple of the public relations business. Press releases were once simple Word documents distributed by email or, if anyone even remembers, fax distribution groups and bulk snail-mail offerings. In such an environment, there weren’t a lot of choices and PR firms didn’t have to think much about those choices. Currently, there are many ways to customize press releases and even more ways to get them out to the world.
Even a simple Google search makes you feel like you’re sipping from a fire hose with the sheer number of press release distribution services available. They offer a staggering array of options and great variance in pricing. This begs the questions: How does a business choose the right one? While these services can offer a dizzying plethora of menu items, here are five salient factors to consider:
- Geographic distribution: Many companies have tiered pricing based upon state, regional, national, and even international distribution. The logical step is simply is to choose the one that most closely matches your intended market. However, that may be shortsighted. In business, just like in chess, you need to think several moves ahead. If your marketing strategy is to expand beyond the regional level relatively soon, it might make sense, if your budget allows, to pay the incremental additional cost and have it distributed nationally for greater exposure.
- Sector distribution: Some services distribute by sector or industry. The technology and financial sectors are common offerings, for example. This can be very useful for a company whose target market is limited to a sector or two and is not concerned with geographic distribution. However, this can limit your message to an echo chamber that has already heard it, reducing its effectiveness.
- Editing services: Many offer editing services. Does your business need them? In the case of a tight or impossible deadline, or small, under-staffed startup company, the editing services could be advantageous. But if your company can adequately handle the requirement, don’t pay for something you don’t need.
- Feedback, research and analytic services: Some of the higher-end services offer traditional and social media monitoring and feedback. This could be an invaluable tool for businesses that can afford it and don’t have the resident capability. Feedback on what messaging is working and what is not can prove invaluable.
- Multi-media and other services: Know what your needs are before you shop for a service. Many of the lower-end price packages are limited to the traditional Word document press releases. If your business wants or needs videos, images, or specialized links, don’t waste time with services that can’t provide them. And shop around – prices will vary.
While this is not intended as a comprehensive list of what is available, it should serve as a solid starting point as you begin your hunt for a distribution service. Most importantly, carefully consider what your company needs to support your marketing strategy before choosing one of these services.
In today’s workplace, we’re inundated with emails all day long. While the use of email has obvious benefits, confronting your inbox(es) can be a daunting task. A slew of email can also make it easy to lose important items in the day-to-day shuffle.
For me, transitioning from student life to professional life meant a transition from sending a handful of emails a day to sending and receiving hundreds. This presented an unexpected organizational challenge. However, in my past year at Communiqué, I’ve learned to make use of the below tricks to manage my own personal and professional email effectively:
- File or delete first. When I arrive in the office every morning, and when I return to my desk after a prolonged period away, I immediately go through the email I’ve received and delete unnecessary items. I also file items that I’m CC’ed on that don’t require a response from me. This allows me to quickly narrow down what in my inbox actually requires my attention, without losing track of important information.
- Decide what to do with every message. I learned this effective habit from a co-worker: If I’m not going to delete a message, file it, or reply to it, I make myself add it to my to-do list. This forces me to deal with action items immediately or add them into my current work queue, rather than leaving emails stagnant in my inbox or filing something without dealing with it.
- Actively unsubscribe. This applies more to my personal account than my business email, but every time I receive an email from a listserv I’m not interested in, I go through the process of unsubscribing. Although time spent deleting these emails is minimal, it can add up. I now receive almost nothing that I’m not interested in, which makes checking email fun and interesting, rather than intimidating and annoying.
- Take some activities out of the inbox. Online collaboration tools (Smartsheet is what we use at Communiqué) can significantly reduce the amount of redundant email you process. Rather than sending an Excel document containing project lists back and forth, or updating a manager on the status of something via email, Smartsheet allows you to update project work in the cloud, helping to minimize the amount of email flowing through your inbox.
Managing email overload is certainly something that takes time, fine-tuning and customization for your own needs and work style. However, applying the above proactively to my own daily routine has allowed me to focus less on wading through email and more on getting work done.
For more tips on managing email, see:
- About.com: Email Management Tips for Improved Productivity
- Microsoft at Work: Empty your Inbox: 4 ways to take control of your email
- PCMag: Get Organized: 11 Tips for Managing Email
How to you manage your email?
Heather Campbell
In case you haven’t heard (sorry to any fast-food lovers for bearing the bad news), Taco Bell recently came under heat for a particularly unappetizing photo posted by one of its employees. The photo featured the employee licking a tall stack of empty taco shells on the job and went viral, creating a backlash of re-posts, disgusted Tweets and vows to never eat at the food chain again.
In response, Taco Bell released a statement reassuring the public and denouncing the employee’s actions. Representatives also explained that the taco shells were supposedly part of a training exercise, and were in the process of being thrown away at the time of the photo rather than being served to customers. Perhaps the situation could have been much worse, but the issue still stands that the employee—who represents the company—demonstrated a serious lack in judgment that caused a blow to the company’s reputation.
Incidents like this, in which the public has an adverse reaction to an action tied to a company, warrant major response by the parent company to avoid a permanent effect on its image. An examination of Taco Bell’s handling of the PR disaster offers several lessons for PR professionals facing similar future situations in crisis management.
First, a few things Taco Bell did right:
1) Immediate Response. Right away, Taco Bell representatives released the statement admitting to the situation and chastising the employee’s actions, a prime example of showing action, not reaction. Instead of waiting it out until they had time to investigate the claims, Taco Bell spoke up and addressed the issue head-on. Honesty and remorse are crucial during a PR crisis, and Taco Bell nailed it by readily admitting the situation and denouncing the behavior as absolutely unacceptable by company standards.
2) Transparency. The incident showcases the necessity of building a trustworthy, transparent relationship with consumers about product quality and brand values. Taco Bell did a good job in not just owning up to the situation, but explaining the background and context to mitigate public concern. The most updated press release offered clearly labeled sections such as “What is the Issue?” (explaining the error) and “How Did This Happen?” (the context). It doesn’t make the behavior excusable, but openly explaining the situation with a detailed description of what occurred offers a level of transparency that consumers appreciate—and just might help them forgive you. Be truthful and open, without making excuses.
3) Addressing the issue as long as necessary. In the event of a disaster, don’t just make an initial statement and shove it under the rug. If customers dwell on the situation, then continue to address their concerns. As the Taco Bell crisis has consistently made headlines since first coming to light, Taco Bell has continued to respond with updated information. Ongoing attention applied to the issue shows genuine concern for the matter rather than just trying to cover it up, which goes a long way for the integrity of a company.
And one thing Taco Bell could have done a bit better:
Show, don’t just tell. The old adage “actions speak louder than words” applies to PR crises. Taco Bell did take some commendable actions—admitting the issue and firing the employee in question, for example. However, Taco Bell’s elusive promise that this will never happen again doesn’t effectively reassure the public. Instead, PR crises should be seen as opportunities for positive change. Show customers how the incident was an anomaly by taking direct internal actions to improve product quality and company conduct, and make these efforts visible to the public. In Taco Bell’s case, for example, hiring practices and employee training could certainly be improved; making this visible to customers would reflect positively on Taco Bell’s leadership, management and future product quality.
We all dread the day that we face a PR disaster. However, case studies such as that of Taco Bell offer valuable lessons in dealing with the crises that our own clients may face. In the midst of catastrophe, it’s better to confront the issue immediately as well as take obvious and visible actions to both fix the mistake and prevent its future occurrence.
At the end of the day, Taco Bell did a decent job in addressing its latest PR crisis, and it’s doubtful that its sales will take a lasting hit. So, remember the importance of good PR next time you dive into that Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco—which, by the way, was reportedly the type of taco shell in question. Enjoy.
As professionals continue to rely increasingly on computer technology to do their jobs – word processing tools and email are commonplace in almost every office – our reliance on memorizing rules and conventions has started to slip. Most workplace technologies are hugely helpful in creating a more efficient organization. However, some facets of word processing technology actually frustrated me when I was teaching college courses.
For example, I felt that some features of programs, like Microsoft Word’s “spell check” feature, robbed my students of any responsibility to learn spelling, grammar or proper writing style. Rather, similarly to how calculators make mathematical calculations possible without a complete understanding of how or why the calculation worked, “spell check” makes it possible to create a seemingly correct piece of writing without understanding the errors you might make along the way.
Given this background, I was intrigued but skeptical when I learned about AP StyleGuard, a program to help writers adhere to the Associated Press rules for writing.
If you have worked with journalists, you know newspapers and much of the news industry uses the Associated Press Stylebook guidelines and its collection of rules to “provide a uniform presentation of the printed word, to make a story written anywhere understandable everywhere.” If a PR firm or business wants to inject its message into the media, AP style format is essential. Whether writing a contributed article or a well thought out pitch, the ability to write in AP style is an integral part of a career in PR. To learn more about the importance of AP Style, please see Friday’s post, “AP Style: What it is and why it’s important”.
AP StyleGuard has been around about a year and a half, yet there are probably still some in the PR world unaware of its existence. It provides automatic checking of a Word document for AP style. The program integrates with Microsoft Word, and operates on Windows XP and higher and on Microsoft Office 2007 and higher (with the exception of Office 2013).The program also operates on Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), 10.7 (Lion) or 10.8 (Mountain Lion) running Office for Mac 2011 and Safari 5.17 or above. No additional hardware or software is required.
I will admit that I had some misgivings about this product. As I previously mentioned, I have seen automated programs affect students’ learning, especially in writing and math. I still prefer the physical AP style manual precisely because it forces me into the repetitive mode of learning or, in too many cases, re-learning the rules. For me, this process is a eustress (positive stress) that forces my growth as a writer. I think many of us are continually looking for ways to improve our craft, and the repetition required by referencing a physical copy of the AP Style guidebook is a great way to grow your writing skillset.
Despite this concern, AP StyleGuard has potential as a useful product. First, it is possible to learn from this product. The software proposes correction in the document and shows you the corresponding AP Stylebook rule, so you can learn as you go. If the writer took full advantage of this feature, it would help improve his or her use of AP Style.
Second, there are times when a writer, no matter how much they want to improve their writing skills, simply faces a tight deadline. In such cases, the additional help offered by AP StyleGuard would be advantageous. Finally, one feature that actually trumps the physical AP Style Guidebook is the AP StyleGuard’s automatic updates. This monitors current AP Style requirements, even if a writer is not aware of most recent changes.
Overall, I think this product is, at the very least, worth consideration, especially if you are consistently writing in AP Style and have trouble staying up to date on rules and conventions. Yes, it costs $60 for a year’s subscription, but even if you don’t renew it, you can keep the program sans updates. If this post piqued your interest, you can check out AP StyleGuard here.