Archive for November, 2009
Protect your brand and take on the competition
Posted by: | Comments
It will inevitably arise, that sense of profound irritation when you see a competitor beating you at your own game. You see them mentioned EVERYWHERE – on blogs, in magazines, on twitter, on the news…Their product is inferior to yours, they’ve stolen your messaging and made it their own, and they have managed to steal your thunder. What to do?
You need to protect your cave without being a baby about it. Your goal, therefore, is not to resort to the old “My dad is bigger than your dad” kind of bluster. You need to move the battle to your own turf, where the competition can’t compete.
What does that mean? You need to create an environment in which your company’s natural strengths are obvious. You position the company as strong, credible, fair-minded, and nimble. You’re above the fray and antics of the competition. Your ego is not invested, and therefore the company appears stronger.
First, spend time isolating what your product or service’s top 2 strengths are. Maybe it’s your small, nimble size and your top customer service. Read More→
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by: | Comments
I’ll be taking a break from all things PR 2.0 this week and celebrating Thanksgiving.
This is always a special holiday for me, since I’m a direct descendant on my father’s side of half a dozen Pilgrims who were on the Mayflower. Someday I hope to celebrate Thanksgiving in Plymouth, where it all began.
Have a great rest of the week, everyone! Stay tuned for next week, when I continue the series on how to take on the competition.
Why CEOs suck at PR
Posted by: | Comments
Seth Godin, who writes about all things marketing (as well as very philosophical observations), has a post today that reminds me of why CEOs suck at PR.
Check out “How to lose an argument online.” Point number 1 reflects the attitude of a lot of executives with whom I’ve worked:
Have an argument. Once you start an argument, not a discussion, you’ve already lost. Think about it: have you ever changed your mind because someone online started yelling at you? They might get you to shut up, Read More→
What do you do when everything you’ve learned is obsolete?
Posted by: | Comments
It’s not often I can sit (or stand) for a whole hour listening to a presenter without having my mind wander, but tonite I was really fascinated by Dan Poynter’s talk at the Arizona Book Publishing Association.
Now if you don’t know him, he’s best known for writing his “Self-Publishing Manual,” which has 16 revised editions and 20 printings in 28 years. He calls it “the book that launched a million+books.” Read More→
Scottsdale Society of Women Writers
Posted by: | Comments
You don’t have to live in Scottsdale to become a member of the Scottsdale Society of Women Writers (SSWW). Founder Patricia Brooks told me that the society has members all over, including two out of state.
I presented to the group last night on the topic of “Press Releases 101,” and how the way we write and distribute releases has changed in the last three years. Credit Todd Defren at Shift Communications for crystallizing the changes in the 2006 proposed social media release template, which is constantly being updated to reflect ongoing developments in social media. Read More→
Check out local authors at Bookstreet this weekend
Posted by: | Comments
As part of Scottsdale ArtFest’s Bookstreet, the Arizona Book Publishing Association will be featuring several local authors. Stop by their booth this weekend and check them out! Here’s a partial list of publishers and authors, covering everything from local Arizona attractions to gun laws, memoirs, self-improvement, murder mysteries, children’s books, house remodeling. I will be there as well, with my book, “Press Releases are not a PR Strategy.”
Acacia Publishing – Karen Gray
American Traveler Press – Bill Fessler – including Pete Chasar, Marshall Trimble, and Clay Thompson Read More→
Switching career gears from PR to wine
Posted by: | Comments
Found “The Savory Grape” in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, by accident. What a great find! Wine organized by flavor, not region.
Talking to the owner, Jessica Granatiero, I discovered that she had previously been in public relations. She seemed a lot calmer and happier than some of my fellow PR professionals, so I wanted to share her story with you. The Savory Grape opened its doors in April 2006.
You’re originally from Delaware – how did you end up in Rhode Island?
In 2004, I became engaged to be married. This led to a move to Rhode Island at which point I became an account supervisor for Feinstein Kean Healthcare, a division of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, based in Cambridge, Mass. I specifically targeted this company for a Read More→
Arizona book events next week
Posted by: | Comments
If you have a client who plans to write a book in the future, or promote a book they have already written, there are two key events next week that can help out.
Dan Poynter – speaker – Thursday, Nov. 19 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
“Opportunities: Book Publishing Past, Present & Future” - everything you’ve heard about book writing, publishing, distributing and promoting is obsolete. Dan will describe the changes in book publishing and share with us how to take advantage of them. Read More→
A bad economy demands great PR
Posted by: | CommentsI’m happy to spotlight guest host Bill Prickett, APR (accredited public relations). He has been successfully involved in Public Relations/Communications for more than 20 years, primarily in the nonprofit arena. He currently has his own PR Consulting business called Write You UP! (www.WriteYouUp.com) A prolific writer, he has had numerous articles published in national magazines and newspapers and wrote a quarterly PR column for a national trade publication targeting small businesses. He’s also a published novelist and a blogger. (www.write-you-up.blogspot.com) He lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.
**************
Bill Prickett, APR
In case you haven’t heard, the US economy is in bad shape. Not sure if you’ve read some of the news reports, but companies are hurting and laying off employees at an alarming rate. That is, those business that are even staying in business. Unemployment is out of control, and not expected to recover until late 2010.
In the midst of this meltdown, it’s my hope that our profession and professionals would rise to the occasion and provide some much needed expertise in crucial business areas:
Encourage the Employees. If you don’t think your employees are concerned, you are mistaken. They are worried about their jobs, they are probably overworked and they are stressed about everything from finances to healthcare to job security. They are asking tough questions about their future with the company or Read More→
Ways to stretch your personal brand based on brand management concepts
Posted by: | CommentsToday’s guest blogger is Steve Shu, a management consultant and business development professional with over 17 years of experience. Steve holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and both an ME and BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. He is also an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Irvine University with specialty interests in brand management, social media, and business strategy. He maintains one of the earliest and widely-recognized blogs on management consulting, which may be found at http://steveshu.typepad.com.
Last week when I saw Linda’s post on “Don’t brand yourself into a corner”, it triggered some thoughts that personal branding is not a widely understood topic. To me, personal branding is not simply about surface “image” and “an eyeless game” (an anagram adapted from drummer and famed lyricist Neil Peart) – one’s personal brand affects how deeply other people understand, remember, emotionally connect with and engage a person. Read More→
