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.
Did you know that approximately one in every 15,000 children is born with dwarfism, also known as skeletal dysplasia? And that 80 percent of those children have average-height parents? Neither did I.
To raise awareness around this condition and to change perceptions of those individuals with dwarfism, Seattle Children’s, Little People of America’s (LPA) Puget Sound chapter and Caffe Ladro launched the “Stand Tall for Little People” campaign on Sept. 30, 2011, to kick off National Dwarfism Awareness Month. October was first declared as National Dwarfism Awareness Month in 2012 by the LPA, a national non-profit organization that provides support for people with dwarfism.
Through Communiqué PR’s ongoing work with Seattle Children’s, we learned more about this condition, which takes place when bones are not able to grow to average length. Recognized as one of the leading institutions in the Pacific Northwest and nation, Seattle Children’s, Skeletal Dysplasia Clinic provides world-class, comprehensive care for people of all ages – children and adults – diagnosed with skeletal dysplasia and other rare bone conditions.
As an active LPA partner and supporter, Seattle Children’s and LPA of Puget Sound approached Caffe Ladro to participate in the Stand Tall for Little People campaign and create the signature campaign cups. Throughout the month of October, Caffe Ladro will shrink its distinctive “tall man” logo on its cups at all 13 Puget Sound locations to represent and raise awareness for our community members with dwarfism.
Communiqué PR’s scope of work included working with all three organizations to develop key press materials and coordinate a media event to help raise awareness around the campaign and educate the broader Seattle-area community about people with skeletal dysplasia.
As a result of our efforts, the Stand Tall for Little People campaign was featured in local media outlets including Q13 Fox, SeattlePI.com, The Fremocentrist, Seattle Pulp and Patch.com.
While working with Julie Matsuoka, president of LPA’s Puget Sound chapter, on the development of this campaign, we learned a lot about what to do and not to do when meeting an individual with dwarfism, and how certain language is offensive to individuals with dwarfism. She reminded us that these individuals are just like everyone else and are capable of doing anything an average height person can do.
It was an honor to have the opportunity to support Seattle Children’s Skeletal Dysplasia Clinic, LPA and Caffe Ladro on the launch of this campaign. We hope the campaign continues to be a success throughout the month, and that it will continue to have impact on perceptions in the years ahead.
Most people have a problem with change and I am no exception. So when I logged into Facebook a few weeks ago, I was sent into a panic as once again another change was made to my trusty social networking site. As I scanned over my newsfeed, post after post was complaining about the new interface. As I tried to re-learn how to navigate Facebook with its new layout to make sure I was getting the most current and relevant information on my friends and family, I wondered why people get so upset about change, why is it necessary and could communication have improved consumer reception of the changes?
Why don’t we like change? Perhaps it’s because change requires us to re-learn an already formed behavior.
I came across an interesting blog post on ZDnet’s iGeneration blog called, “Why do Facebook users hate change?” that helps to shed some light on why this new change was upsetting for many users. Previously, users could intuitively navigate their profile, news feed and friends’ profiles. But with this most recent change, information might not be in the place they once found it or as accessible as it once was.
The blog also looks at why Facebook needs to change. As much as people don’t like change, people also don’t like a stale product that never evolves. Because of this, Facebook needs to keep up with other social networking sites. As the blog noted, “Facebook needs to be seen as progressive; otherwise it could be demonised or fall into the trap of ‘being the next MySpace’.”
So how should a company communicate change when it is inevitable? First, communicating change is most effective when it is highlighted before the change takes place. Making a formal statement or sending information prior to the change taking place helps prepare customers for the transition and creates transparency. Additionally, make sure to have effective messaging in place. For more information on the importance of messaging, read our previous blog post, “Netflix’s Launch of Qwikster: A Good Reminder for Developing Effective Messaging.” Finally, provide a reason and offer helpful hints to aid in the transition. Customers or employees are more likely to respond well if they feel informed about the underlying reason for the change; it helps to understand the decision.
While change in many cases is inevitable, change does not have to upset customers. Change can be positive when strategically positioned and effectively communicated. This helps to build loyalty among customers, clients and employees.
I’m checked in at Starbucks, video chatting with my uncle in England, scanning pictures from this week’s Seahawks game and rescuing dogs from Hurricane Irene all at the same time from my Facebook account. What’s next, Facebook – foot rubs? While Facebook may not be coming out with foot rubs anytime soon, one thing that recently caught my attention was an application, or “app,” called Causes.
Causes (www.causes.com) is a social media platform used to increase awareness, gain support, and raise money for thousands of nonprofit organizations and specific issues around the world. The San Francisco-based company that launched Causes currently has 150 million users of its app and has raised more than $35 million since it initiated its website in 2007. The website provides an interactive interface from which nonprofits, activists, and philanthropic citizens can promote or support various causes around the world. By being on Causes, nonprofits and other groups can gain more visibility and donations than ever before.
Over the past four years, Causes has harnessed the power of social media to leverage greater support for its participating organizations and user-created issues. As stated on the Causes website, each cause includes “features for communications, such as bulletins and a media board, as well as the ability to feature current fundraising and advocacy campaigns.” In addition, each organization has the ability to send emails, create campaigns and share content over the web with a huge number of members.
Like many strategic online programs and applications, Causes has linked its website with Facebook by allowing users to create, join and broadcast a number of causes by using their own personal Facebook accounts. This connection has fueled an unparalleled level of success for fundraising and awareness for nonprofit organizations hosted on Causes’ website.
If a nonprofit has a good representation on Facebook or another social media outlet, it will most likely experience some degree of success with Causes. The first step to be successful on this platform is to initially have a wide range of supporters and connections. Once a cause is created, the organization or group can promote various fundraising projects to target the specific issues they want to tackle.
The Humane Society, for example, currently has a project titled “Help Save Animals Affected by Hurricane Irene.” This is one of many projects the Humane Society has created on its Causes’ main page. Each project allows organizations to specify the purpose, goal, timeline, dollar amount, and overall impact users will have if they participate or donate. For a detailed guide on how to fundraise successfully for an issue or organization, take a look at the suggestions on Causes’ website.
In addition, Causes provides general steps for getting started on its website as well as tools to recruit supporters. These tips include 1) how to a start cause; 2) build a group of supporters; 3) promote a cause and 4) begin fundraising.
The website has a number of other resources that answer specific questions and concerns when starting with Causes for the first time. You can find just about everything you need to know to start and be successful with Causes by visiting its resource webpage.
In today’s world, the fight to gain support and recognition for a specific issue or nonprofit organization can be truly a tough one, especially given the current economic climate. It is crucial, therefore, for nonprofits and other issue-specific organizations to capitalize on the publicity tools social media has to offer. By doing so, such organizations avoid falling under the radar and can work toward accomplishing their missions as well as spreading their messages more extensively and effectively.
It is also important to remember that Causes is not the only social media app that can be used for fundraising. Follow the lead of many successful nonprofit and issue awareness organizations by leveraging a number of social media tools and outlets for driving awareness and support, as well as adhering to a strategic, multidimensional approach.
One last thing to keep in mind is that social media practices are changing rapidly, so the more up-to-date, savvy and creative you are with social media, the more successful you will be with whatever type of project you chose to tackle.
Katherine Turney
Last Friday, Colleen Moffitt and I had the opportunity to speak to the members of the Spokane MarCom Association about the importance of strategic public relations. The journey to Spokane was one we will never forget. We began our descent into the city only to have our landing aborted, turning us back to Seattle due to thick fog. Once back to SeaTac, we picked up our luggage and began the long drive. What we hoped would be a three-hour trip by plane, turned into 12 hours of travel.
Nonetheless, the journey was worth it. There were about 110 people in the audience, which comprised students, recent graduates, PR managers with nonprofits and corporations and agency PR practitioners. We spoke about taking a strategic approach to PR, why and how to do it, and reviewed each of the principles in our book, Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principles to Harness the Power of PR.
Our intention was to provide the attendees with some practical ideas and suggestions so that they could more fully leverage PR for their organizations.
When we got to Principle 5, which is “Develop a Strategic PR Plan,” we asked for a show of hands for the number of people who had developed and were using a plan to guide their activities. Approximately four people raised their hands. We then went on to explain that if there was just one point that we wanted them to take away from the session, it was an understanding of the importance of having a PR plan.
Colleen and I are huge proponents of the PR plan, because it ensures that everyone is moving in the same direction, helps you articulate business problems in a thoughtful manner, lets you showcase your creativity, and allows you to be proactive versus reactive. It also lets you move forward to build consensus, as well as gain approval of budgets and programs.
After reviewing the reasons to develop a plan, we then reviewed the eight key elements of a plan and the type of information that goes into to each section. For instance, in the situation-analysis section of a plan, you might want to do a SWOT analysis.
This was just a fraction of the content of our presentation. If you’d like a full copy of the PowerPoint with our speaking notes, please feel free to email me at Jennifer@CommuniquePR.com. However, for a more comprehensive perspective on each of the principles, our book Strategic Public Relations is going to be a much better resource for you.
Finally, as I reflect on our trip, I want to thank Sally Mildren, president-elect and programming chair with the Spokane Regional MarCom Association for helping us prepare for our discussion. She provided us with insightful counsel on the information that would be relevant to the members of the organization. Our only regret is that we did not make it to Spokane in time for dinner with her on Thursday evening!
It’s no secret that social media has drastically changed the PR landscape and how PR professionals engage with media. Twitter, Facebook and other social media services can provide great vehicles for connecting with journalists. However, with the social media trend generating so much online chatter and shifting at a rapid pace, it’s important to not get completely caught up in the latest social media fads and forget the basics of building meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships with media.
Back in 2009, Communiqué PR offered insight into how PR professionals can build better relationships with reporters in a blog titled, “The New Rules of Media Relations; Have They Really Changed?” With the continued proliferation of both old and new media, we feel it’s important to revisit the basics and help ensure we continue to master the fundamentals of building relationships with media.
• Research, research and then research some more. You’ll never build sustainable relationships with reporters if you’re pitching a product launch to a reporter who covers policy issues. It’s critical to understand what the reporter covers and what his or her interests are to ensure what you have to say is valuable to them. And researching doesn’t just mean pulling their name from a database that says their beat is technology. You need to get your hands dirty and do the legwork to read their articles, follow them on Twitter and think about how you can add value to their coverage.
• Pick up the phone. Yes, remember, the telephone? It’s the device that sits on your desk with a receiver and some numbers to dial. While you need to be careful not to inundate busy reporters with constant phone calls, actually having a conversation with someone can have a big impact. Reporters are more likely to remember your phone call over your one email in their inbox of over a thousand. Introduce yourself with a few suggestions of stories or angles that would be of interest to them. Having in-person meetings can also be extremely valuable. Go for lunch or grab a coffee. Believe it or not, face-to-face meetings still pack a lot of punch and will give you a chance to connect on a more personal level rather than reaching out only when you’re trying to pitch a story.
• Stay relevant and add value. We’ve heard it all before: “Spray and pray” isn’t an effective media relations strategy, so don’t spam a bunch of reporters and hope that your pitch is relevant to just a few of them. The best way to create mutually beneficial relationships with journalists is to find out what they want and help provide it. Make sure your pitches are creative and to the point and be as helpful as you can in providing resources they may need such as images, statistics, contacts, etc.
While most of us can agree that social media has offered huge benefits to the PR industry and another tool to build relationships with reporters, make sure you remember what life was like pre-Facebook and Twitter. At the end of the day we need to remember that journalists are just people. It’s rare to build and maintain meaningful friendships based solely on social media interaction, so it’s natural to assume that the same is true when building relationships with journalists. Building and maintaining any sort of relationship takes time and proper investments.
With the invention of email, reporters got the proverbial short end of the stick.
They are targets of many organizations who want to share information that may be of interest to the reporters and their audiences. Unfortunately, this means that reporter inboxes are filled each day with mail that they need to sort through for the few, exciting nuggets that will make the day’s news.
How can we, as public relations professionals, help reporters? It’s simple: stop spamming.
This doesn’t mean stop sending news and information that is meaningful. It means knowing their beat areas and sending relevant information. That is a PR 101 lesson. But the next lesson isn’t as easily accepted: know when to refrain from hitting “send.”
Overwhelming a reporter with massive amounts of information will get you noticed – just not in the way you’d intended.
A recent example of this involved the White House. Following President Barack Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress in early September regarding the Administration’s jobs plan, the White House sent nearly 50 emails to reporters overnight with statements of support for the proposed plan. Yes, reporters each received nearly 50 emails in about a 12-hour time period.
“The White House Press Office has vomited all over my inbox,” wrote Talking Points Memo’s Callie Schweitzer following the deluge.
It’s a great example of what not to do, and had a very poignant reaction. When your actions cause someone to associate negativity with you, the organization you’re representing or the matter at hand, you have failed in your job.
When a reporter receives information, it should be useful. I don’t know of any article that has quoted 50 sources, or even 10 sources. In fact, rarely are even five different sources quoted in one article. The White House spammed reporters by sending some 50 unique emails identifying individuals and organizations that were supportive of the Jobs Act.
It brings to mind a great quotation I’ve held onto from the 19th century English playwright, actor and composer Sir Noel Coward: “Consider the press. Treat it with tact and courtesy. It will accept much from you if you are clever enough to win it to your side. Never fear or despise it. Coax it, charm it, interest it, stimulate it, shock it now and then if you must, make it laugh, make it cry, but above all…never, never, never bore the living hell out of it.”
And bore the media is precisely what the White House did with nearly 50 emails reiterating the same message.
If you have the desire to overwhelm the media to prove a point, reconsider your tactics. The point you may drive home could impact your credibility and reputation.
What are some other bad habits practitioners should break? What are some best practices you have for engaging the media?