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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.

Preparing for the New Age of Webinars and Virtual Trade Shows

Organizations in nearly every industry are facing unique challenges brought on by COVID-19. Businesses are determining how to be nimble and maintain their operations, while keeping their employees and customers safe.

As a result of government mandated stay-at-home orders, the global remote workforce has expanded seemingly overnight. This change has brought an increase in the adoption of digital collaboration tools such as MS Teams and Zoom. Although states and businesses around the U.S. are beginning to reopen, the concerns around resuming large events and gatherings loom, which is forcing organizations to switch up their typical strategies and consider more permanent solutions to be successful in the new remote ecosystem.

For example, attending and exhibiting at industry trade shows are a large lead-generating and networking source for global companies, with more than 90 percent of trade show attendees in search of new products or service providers, according to research from Exponents.

While some trade shows are still scheduled to take place, many events have been canceled or switched to virtual settings. Nimble and proactive companies are taking a second look at webinar and virtual conference platforms to continue engaging with their current customers and partners, as well as their target markets.

A recent example of this is our client, Delta-Q Technologies (Delta-Q). Last month, Delta-Q announced its new on-demand four-part educational series. Titled “The Charge,” the virtual series will provide Delta-Q’s customers and partners – original equipment manufacturers – with guidance to design and leverage modern charging solutions in their electric floor-care machines. Essential businesses including hospitals, large grocery outlets and manufacturing facilities are still in operation, and the cleaning crews for these buildings need to ensure their floor cleaning equipment will clean surfaces as efficiently as possible. One way to ensure this reliability is through modern onboard electric charging solutions.

Delta-Q’s webinar delivers free educational content to the manufacturers of these types of essential cleaning equipment and machines.  

We were excited to help Delta-Q raise awareness about this resource and the impact reliable equipment can have on essential operations. Below is the media coverage we have secured thus far to promote the webinar among key players in the floor care and electric equipment sectors.

If you are considering developing a webinar for your organization, refer to this helpful article: 10 Best Webinar Software Platforms of 2020. It analyzes 10 webinar platforms and shares the solutions’ pros and cons.

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When (and How) to Return and Re-Open Your Office

Microsoft, Amazon, and Zillow have announced that regardless of when local governments lift stay-at-home directives, their employees can continue working from home through at least October 2020. That flexibility has been seemingly well received; however, many people are looking forward to being able to venture away from home for a change of scenery and in-person interactions.

Many business leaders are evaluating how and when they can safely re-open offices and what that will look like. Business leaders are facing decisions about monitoring employees’ temperatures, how to change office layouts to provide 6 feet of separation, or schedule changes to minimize the number of employees onsite at one time.

According to a recent Puget Sound Business Journal article, experts suggest that:

“Every employee entering the office each day should be screened, according to the recommendations. They should be asked if they’ve traveled in the last two weeks, their symptoms in the last two weeks, the symptoms of their household members, their current symptoms. And their temperature should be checked to ensure it’s less than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. All logs should be kept confidential and separate from employees’ personnel files.”

This is new territory for employers. For some businesses it will likely make sense to continue having employees work remotely for the foreseeable future after considering the risk of employees being infected, costs associated with effectively protecting workers onsite, and ability to comply with new regulations.

Fortunately, there are already several resources available to help guide employers:

  • The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has a website offering guidance for businesses, including a state-by-state reopening guide.
  • Madrona Venture Group, in conjunction with a number of other companies, has developed a Back to Work Toolkit. The Toolkit guides business leaders through topics including how to prepare the office; tenant and landlord responsibilities and communications; workplace PPE, cleaning protocols; screening, tracking and tracing; and workplace design.
  • JLL has developed a workplace re-entry checklist, as have other commercial real estate companies.

As companies evaluate their specific circumstances, it remains important to communicate. Transparency around the decision process and criteria can make it easier for employees to understand why a certain decision was made. There is a heightened sense of anxiety during this time. Employers that embrace frequent, clear communication can help minimize some anxiety for their teams.

We are continuing to monitor local direction from the city and state as we start evaluating when we believe it makes sense for the Communique PR team to return to the office. We are watching to see how other businesses re-open and learn from their experiences. Fortunately, our team has been able to seamlessly transition to working remotely – although as a social group, we definitely miss being together.

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The Future of Work: The Next Year

Today when I drove from my home to our empty office to pick up mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, I had the opportunity to catch a few minutes of Michael Barbaro, host of The Daily, who interviewed the New York Times’ Donald G. McNeil, Jr. They prognosticated about the next installment of the pandemic and what they expect society will look like. It got me thinking about the future of work and I thought I’d share a few of thoughts on how this life-changing and thoroughly disruptive pandemic will impact Communiqué PR, its clients, and many other businesses like ours.

Here are my predictions for the next 12 months:

  • Work from home will remain the norm. Until there is a vaccine or reliable treatment (or the disease isn’t spreading), I can’t imagine that we’ll want our team to risk their lives to come into the office, especially since they can work so effectively from their homes.
  • Video communication will remain the most efficient and effective means of staying in touch. Before the pandemic, we didn’t use Microsoft Teams, but now it’s become a daily feature of our workdays. We also use Zoom, but Microsoft Teams is our go-to tool because of its integration with SharePoint and the ability to access so much of our company’s data from one location.
  • Operating expenses will continue to shift. We will not spend as much money as in previous years on team lunches, team building in person, or business travel. Instead, we will invest in technology that allows our team to work more efficiently from home. Perhaps, when things get more normal, we will spend money on virtual team-building activities or training opportunities.
  • Results and ROI will be the name of the game. We anticipate our clients will put more emphasis than ever on ensuring every dollar they spend on PR provides a clear and measurable return. It will be more important than ever to measure results and show how those results are providing a return. It will also be vital to consider and focus on the strategies and tactics that will offer the highest probability of success at the best value.
  • Learning and training will happen virtually. We will embrace new tools like Panopto Express to create and share video via YouTube, Google Classroom or from Panopto’s reliable and secure video-content management system. This free solution will enable us to use video more effectively for staff training. It is a great way to record and share a PowerPoint presentation.
  • Team composition. We are fortunate to have a talented team of full-time staff and a team of professional freelancers that augment our capabilities. This blended team allows us to scale our business up and down to accommodate our clients’ needs and special requirements. I envision that we’ll continue to rely on this combination in the coming months.

 

Longer Term Changes

  • Homes will become more important and we may choose not to lease as much office space and instead invest in our team’s home offices. This investment may include both hardware and software.
  • Conservation of resources will remain a top priority. We’ve seen shortages of toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and sometimes food. In addition, many of us are concerned about climate change and the impact that consumption has on the environment. This pandemic may forever change our collective perspective and behavior around what we truly need.

We are all navigating uncharted waters with the global and ongoing impact of this strain of coronavirus. Navigation will require flexibility, keen forward thinking, and the resolve to be brave, nimble and open-minded to satisfy and sustain the needs of our clients in this unsettling new world. Few of us imagined we’d ever face anything of this magnitude in our lifetime. Adversity often breeds tremendous innovation and supreme focus – drawing out the best of all of us – and I fully believe we’ll emerge stronger for having endured this world-changing event. No less a pundit than Francis of Assisi said, “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

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Core Values: A Sturdy Foundation

This week marks the eighth week of working from home for the Communiqué PR team. We consider ourselves fortunate to have a job that we can perform from home, and that our team is supportive of one another during a stressful and uncertain time. Despite the unforeseen circumstances, the transition to working from home has been relatively painless for our team. We are grounded in our core values, which inform our attitudes and perspective and guide us as we move forward. Without such a clear understanding of what we strive for, I imagine the past eight weeks would have been a lot more difficult.

During a time like this, it may prove beneficial for teams to dust off their core values and find ways to inject their company culture into their day-to-day operations. Outlined below are some of the ways I’ve seen the Communiqué PR team deliver on our core values.

Deliver Superior Results. We have remained dedicated to delivering results for our clients, recognizing the unusual circumstances we are in. I’ve seen an open dialogue between our team and our clients, as we assess changing needs and circumstances.

Embrace Client Service and Partnership. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were quick to offer support to our clients in developing internal and external messaging about the crisis. We have continued to put our clients first and add value in every interaction.

Collaborate and Work as a Team. We have continued to hold our morning team meetings, in which we often strategize with each other to find solutions to problems and drive results for our clients. When one team tries something new and finds success, we share it with each other in case another account team could benefit.

Nurture a Proactive, Positive Spirit. When an account team experiences a win, we share the win with the rest of the office via email or in virtual meetings and celebrate our accomplishments together. We also encourage each other to continue onward when we feel fatigued and think proactively about next steps.

Think Strategically. Given the unpredictable nature of COVID-19, we have been kept on our toes. As we balance driving results with being sensitive to changing trends, we’ve had to consider multiple perspectives as we think through problems to determine the best solutions.

Foster Creativity. When in the office, we hold meetings to brainstorm creative ideas for our clients. This is a practice that has been ongoing during quarantine. We’ve also shared our setbacks and successes with each other, which has helped team members get out of ruts or see a new way to approach a scenario.

Take Time to Celebrate and Create Fun. Communiqué PR has held a handful of virtual happy hours. One happy hour was to celebrate a birthday, to which one of our team members showed up wearing a party hat. We take time to connect over how we’re staying sane during quarantine and celebrate our personal and professional wins.

Act with Integrity. Working remotely requires self-discipline and integrity to produce quality work and meet deadlines. Our team has continued to work productively and with a consistent set of actions, methods, principles and expectations. Our outcomes are driven by honesty and transparency with each other, our clients and our partners.

Be Respectful. Knowing everyone is under a great deal of stress, we have paid extra mind to show respect to our team members, clients and the media with whom we regularly partner. We understand that everyone is doing the best they can, and respect others’ decisions.

Embrace Growth and Change. The current global health crisis has turned the world upside down and cast a shadow of uncertainty on the future. Communiqué PR has not let that get us down. We are taking each day one at a time and doing the best we can to be flexible as we move forward. The world of public relations is always changing and will continue to do so after COVID-19, and Communiqué PR is prepared to take each change in stride.

Core values support the vision of a company and help shape its culture. They are the essence of the company’s identity. In addition, core values educate clients and potential customers about what the company stands for. Having a strong foundation of values can help teams draw closer together during the highs and lows of the future.

How would you define your company’s core values?

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Roger That! How to Remember More From Your Conversations in the Workplace

Have you ever sat through a conversation and 10 minutes later remembered nothing from it? You perhaps recalled you forgot to lock the car or were weighing out the options for dinner tonight. While these thoughts should cross your mind, having them during an important interaction hurts your ability to respond efficiently. But don’t worry, you’re not alone! Research shows that people only listen effectively 10 percent of the time. Craig Weber, author of “Influence in Action,” speaks to this bad habit and how it directly stems from the strength of our minds.

Now I know what you’re thinking: I can’t go to the gym and exercise my brain. Weber takes a different, and might I say, much easier approach to strengthening the mind called mindfulness awareness practices (MAPs). MAPs help you control the “beam of awareness” that so often unconsciously shifts. The goal of these exercises is to teach you how to catch your mind drifting and strengthen listening skills. Let’s run through a few exercises you can work on today!

Single-Point Practice

This first exercise might be the hardest yet most straightforward approach. In this practice, you center your focus on one object, like a spot on the wall or a tree outside, and relax. Your mind will roam, and when it does recognize the lost attention and return to your original point of focus. By actively practicing this everyday you’ll become more conscious of your mind in action and increase the time you can stay focused.

Mindful Listening

In the book, Weber says that listening mindfully presents a useful way to practice controlling your beam of attention. It allows you to put yourself in another person’s shoes and promote empathy. So how do you get better? Your opportunities to practice are endless: Movie night with friends? Lunch meeting? Call with a client? Practice focusing on WHAT and HOW they speak along with tone of voice. Intensely focus on what you’re hearing and force out all other thoughts. Concentrate as if you have to repeat what the person said in the last 15 seconds.

Notice Your Beam

I don’t know about you, but I could get in my car, drive to get a coffee and not remember much of the trip. This is a result of physically being one place, but mentally someplace else. To refocus your beam, Weber outlines two exercises to strengthen your ability to see where your beam is going:

    1. Every hour, take one minute and focus it on an external and internal object for 30 seconds each. For example, your breathing and a continuous sound occurring in the room, like a fan.
    2. Set an alarm on your phone to remind yourself to check: “Hey, where’s my beam at?” It’s a simple task but will help you see where your mind wanders.

Notice 5 New Things

Ellen Langer, a mindfulness expert at Harvard, defines mindfulness as “the simple process of noticing new things.” She recommends starting each day with the intention of noticing five new things. It could be an object or event, but it allows you to establish the goal of always being present and appreciative.

Take 2-Minute Breathing Breaks

We can all get caught up in our thoughts and become filled with regret from the past or worried about the future. By taking regular two-minute breathing breaks throughout the day, it allows you to temporarily free yourself of regret and worry to be fully present. Concentrate on the feeling and flow of your breath as you inhale and exhale. Focusing solely on your breathing is an opportunity to rest and recover in a chaotic time.

The list goes on with other MAPs to improve your daily focus and listening abilities. I chose these five practices because they’re the easiest and most result-driven to complete in the busy lives we all lead. If this topic interests you, I highly recommend picking up Craig Weber’s book and immersing yourself with other actionable practices he presents. Although MAPs may seem tedious, setting aside small pockets of time throughout the day will result in leading better and more rememberable conversations. Let’s use this time at home to strengthen our minds for when we go back to the office and interact in person.

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Buurst Introduces New Business Model to Disrupt the Cloud Industry

Earlier this month, one of our newest clients announced a new business model, new company name and new funding. The client, a data performance company previously known as SoftNAS, will now be known as Buurst, unveiled that it was changing how it would charge for its services.

As with every announcement, we worked closely with Buurst’s team to understand the value of this news and what it would mean for customers, partners and the industry. Buurst’s novel approach is in response to the rate at which data is being generated. We learned the amount of data generated is essentially doubling every two years. The traditional approach to data storage and management is to charge a storage tax, which led Buurst’s leadership team to ask, what happens when companies can no longer afford their data?

Buurst completely changed its model and vision in response to an evolving industry and to position their customers for long-term success in the cloud. The change was forward-thinking and disruptive, and we expected the news to generate interest.

As we prepared for the announcement, we decided to pursue analyst briefings to secure third-party validation of the new approach. We secured briefings with IDC, ESG Global and 451 Research in which Buurst walked the analysts through the changes and secured their thoughts on the new model. Additionally, we requested that several analysts serve as media references and secured approved quotes in advance of the announcement.

Finally, we decided to offer this news under embargo to key journalists to allow them time to process the news, secure additional information about how this would disrupt the industry, and why the company was making these changes now. The embargo pitching led to two phone briefings and an email Q&A with a target publication.

Below is an overview of the original articles we secured on behalf of Buurst. Congratulations to the Buurst team on a successful launch of the new business model and brand!

Coverage Recap: SoftNAS Changes Name to Buurst, Announces Plan to Disrupt the Storage Industry

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