Public Relations Princess

What's the Difference Between PR and Advertising?

The line between advertising and PR used to be easy to discern. If you paid for the message to appear in any medium -- that was advertising. If you talked to reporters or editors (who were independent arbitors and mostly neutral) -- that was PR. There was an iron curtain between the editorial department (reporters) and the advertising department (sales). 

Things changed when digital media took away income sources from newspapers, TV stations and magazines. Free digital sales sites like Craigslist nixed income from classified ads - once a cash cow for newspapers. Free news websites and video diverted millions of eyeballs from the evening newscast - never to return. Many large media outlets folded or consolidated. Thousands of traditional journalists were sacked.

Content marketing started to take hold. High quality information of all sorts is free for the Googling. Digital advertising soon followed.

Now the confusing part starts. What content can you trust? Who is making sure it's well written and checks its veracity? That's the deal. No one is in charge. The iron curtain between advertising and PR is now more like a kitchen strainer.

Public relations practitioners have had to adapt by learning how to navigate the new landscape. The dizzying options available to companies looking to promote a product or service are definitely more complicated now than ever.

Here are some general categories to look at when thinking about promotion. I'm putting these in order from most effective to least (in my humble opinion).

1. Public Relations - Done consistently and with the right message, public relations is still the least expensive and most credible source of positive attention that your business can receive. Reporters and editors are still influential sources of news and information and can still be a great medium for your message.
2. Content Marketing - Creating content and posting it to a website and social media outlets will create an organic traffic source to your website and provide opportunities for you to get the sales when your prospect is ready to buy. The main advantage is that the content you create is YOURS. Use it as long as it remains pertinent.
3. Digital Advertising - Using paid sources of advertising such as Facebook ads and Google Adwords can bolster the numbers of people who visit your website. It's not as credible as organic searches, but is effective when done properly and consistently. Price tag alert - guaranteed results can be very pricey! Research shows that banner ads are not only pricey but that people tend to ignore the ads.
4. Native advertising - A combination of advertising, PR and content marketing - this type of article can appear in print or on a website. It can easily be mistaken for independent editorial content (see PR, above) but it is actually written by the company or someone hired by the company to promote a specific point of view. Since it looks like an editorial article written by a reporter, it can influence opinion for some, but easily be dismissed by those who notice its sponsorship.

If the budget is available, regularly spending money on the first three tactics listed is advisable. Native advertising has a time and place - but must not be overly promotional. I see daily examples of companies doing this wrong. Seek the advice of a PR professional to make sure the messages you want to convey are being sent in the proper way, to the proper audience.

Claire Celsi is a Communications Consultant in West Des Moines, Iowa.

The Art of the Handwritten Note

I've been witness to many debates over whether a thank you note is a requirement for people who've just interviewed for a job. My answer is an unequivocal YES! Why wouldn't you want to show off your skills by sending a simple note? Thank you notes in a business setting are the secret weapon for anyone to get ahead.

First of all, everyone loves to receive a handwritten note. It stands out among the thousands of pieces of information vying for our attention on a daily basis. Would you rather receive a handwritten note or an email? A note or a LinkedIn message? A note or a generic, mass-produced postcard? A note or a verbal "thanks again?"

By sending a simple note in the mail, you become instantly more memorable and relevant in the mind of the recipient. It shows many higher-level skills that set you apart, including:

1. The ability to write well
2. The ability to find an address without asking the person
3. The ability to properly address someone by their title/salutation
4. The ability to succinctly tell the person how they made your life better, or how you can make their life better
5. The knowledge that all of us have a basic need to be recognized, praised, or thanked.

The written word is becoming more unique and treasured as time goes on. Electronic communication is so ubiquitous that it is inherently less valuable. It's more difficult to throw away a note or a cover letter than it is to ignore either in an email message. Digital communication is overused and too often ignored.

Unless you're writing to to someone who is summitting Mt. McKinley, or orbiting the earth in the International Space Station, they have a postal address. Take the time to find their address without asking them directly. Some great resources for this include Google, WhitePages.com, DexKnows.com and the phone book, business cards, or mutual friends. In my humble opinion, it's lazy to ask the person you're planning to write to for their address - it also spoils the surprise.

Be one of the few people who have personal stationery and use it to reach out. Believe me, people appreciate it - and notice that you took the time to write it. It shows that you acknowledge people's time, the knowledge exchange or kindness that was imparted - or the conveying of simple appreciation. It's a life-changing practice that will pay many benefits to your career and relationships.

Do you send personal notes? What personal notes have you received (or not received) that still stick in your mind?

Claire Celsi is a Communications Consultant in West Des Moines, Iowa.

What Digitally-Savvy Customers Want From a Retail Brand

It seems that some of my favorite brands are struggling to transition to the digital and mobile world. They probably know that they need to change to die. Perhaps it's not that serious - maybe they just need a reality check.

I've noticed that they struggle getting the right people on the bus. They struggle with email marketing, social media, customer service and sometimes even having an operable website.

Here's a cheat sheet for retailers who want to know what customers like me want. You're welcome.

1. Don't hate me for being smart and saving money.Yes, I am shopping for the best price on expensive products. I am a smart shopper. Instead of putting up nasty signs, offer to match the online price I show you on my phone.
2. Don't make me sign up to view your website. I get excited and click on the cool product on your pop-up add. It takes me to your tasteful minimalist website, where I spend eighty minutes signing up. Then I can't find the product that lured me there in the first place. Ugh. No thank you.
3. Don't email me 1,000 times a week. I am a busy person and will just start deleting emails when I get too many. I will unsubscribe if you annoy me too much.
4. Have a customer service department. Sometimes, I have a problem that simply cannot be solved by typing a question on a webchat form. A human being on a customer service line is the best solution. And when I call, train them to be nice and helpful.
5. Answer queries and complaints via social media. I would love to ask a quick question and get a quick answer simply by sending a tweet to your handle on Twitter. I really do prefer to do business this way. And quit deleting negative posts. Invest that energy in training socially savvy employees.

Claire Celsi is the Public Relations Princess and a digital marketing consultant in West Des Moines, Iowa.

We don't indent paragraphs in digital writing - but why?

I recently downloaded a very helpful ebook from a company that I admire and respect greatly. The offering was pertinent, topical and practical. I learned a lot of what I expected to learn - the title was very descriptive and accurate. So, what's my beef?

The paragraphs were all indented. Yes, old school - indented. Like all the papers I wrote in college in AP Style. Like all my high school themes. Like my handwritten letters to my children that I wrote when they were babies, more than 20 years ago.

It was jarring, really. Super distracting. Most of the digital content I read is not indented. Blog posts. Newspaper website articles. Whitepapers, Facebook entries, emails, tweets. All of them flush left or otherwise known as "block style."

What I'm trying to remember is - when did indenting become so old-fashioned that it now hurts my eyes to look at it? After a little sleuthing I think I have found the origins of this trend and wanted to share my findings with you.

Back in the middle ages, paragraphs were first denoted by a little symbol called the pilcrow - ¶. You might recognize it if you've every done any tedious editing in the "track changes" mode in Microsoft Word. Then, as our language evolved, the pilcrow was dropped and the space it used to occupy was leftover. A "vestigial tail" now known as the "indent."

It appears that indenting paragraphs was alive and well until HTML came along. In HTML, the "tab" was not recognized as blank space and simply collapsed the space. The end result is the text appears "flush left" or "block text" which is a perfectly acceptable form of typesetting. There is one qualifier - there must be a completely blank space between paragraphs for this to work, otherwise, there is no break between thoughts.

Now, with web copy in CSS, it makes no difference - because it allows you to style the paragraph however you want with no "indent collapse." In the meantime, it appears that many people grew to prefer the cleaner look of the block text and to our re-trained eye - now indentation appears to look clumsy, old-fashioned and incorrect.

Since I am a word nerd, I just had to share my findings with you. And to beg you, please. Don't indent. It looks old-fashioned. Or, use a pilcrow, if you really want to prove that you're old-fashioned. Or that you're using "track changes."

 

 

 

Crisis communications begins with employees

Recently, I wrote about a college in my hometown that did a crappy job communicating to its students and the community about how the organization was changing. In the private emails and comments I've received since, it looks like I only scratched the service on the depth of the communication failure. Employees of the college indicate that practically no effort was made to communicate the profound changes ahead. 

This reminded me of a core tenant of crisis communications. As much as possible, the first imperative of crisis communications is to let your employees know what is going on. In the case of a sudden tragedy like an explosion or fire, there may not be time to make a separate effort to reach out to employees first - which is understandable, but in all other circumstances, you owe your employees the special effort of reaching out to them first when communicating bad news.

Here is the order in which bad news should be delivered in an organization (unless it's an emergency):

1. Executive leadership
2. Communications team
3. Board of directors
4. Senior leadership
5. Employees
6. Customers and vendors
7. The media

Ideally, there will be a communications professional on your executive team. They are trained to advise the rest of the organization on how to cascade messaging to others. There's a reason the media is last on my list. Employees should NEVER hear bad news first from the media. Also, it makes sense to communicate with leaders from the top down. That way, if employees have any questions about their employment status or any other details, they can ask their manager.

The best way to deliver bad news is in person. That makes perfect sense in a small organization where it can be done all at once. In larger organizations, it becomes more complicated - but it is never ok to skip this step. An effort must be made to tell as many people as possible face to face. Video would be a great option in large, matrixed organizations.

Even an email to all employees is better than reading the bad news on a news website.

Employees are the ambassadors of your brand. If you proactively communicate with them, they will help you get the correct messages out. If you ignore them - the exact opposite will happen. Incorrect and sometimes damaging information will be shared with wild abandon - and in the vacuum - rumors will fly.

Every organization should have a crisis communication plan for the inevitable day when bad news will come. Skipping this step is a sign that your organization does not take the well-being of your employees and customers seriously.

Claire Celsi is a communications consultant in West Des Moines, Iowa. Check out her website or find her on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Executives should be blogging!

Blogging is alive and well - attempts to declare it dead have failed. It is true that blogging has changed quite significantly over time, but it can still be an effective tool for your personal brand and your business.

I think most executives feel that their time is better spent golfing than blogging. While golfing can be a very effective relationship-building tool with people you already know, blogging attracts new clients and customers to your business with the lasting power of thought leadership. 

What should executives be writing about? Here are some ideas:

1. Insights and personal discoveries: Yes, people really do care about your thought process. To be seen as a leader in your field of expertise, you must risk sharing your stories, foibles, goof-ups, and successes with the rest of the world. This makes you more human to your employees, customers and potential customers. Nobody wants to do business with a contact form on your website. They want to do business with real people who have real experiences.
2. Trends: No one knows more about your business than you. If you can light the way through the next year for potential clients, they will come back for more advice, and perhaps hire you to get them to the next level.
3. Time-sensitive information: If you have a piece of information that can help your customers save time and/or money - share it! Everyone appreciates a friend who keeps them in the loop. 
4. Community news: If there's a firemen's chili supper or high school car wash going on in your city, let people know about it. Better yet, take a "selfie" while attending the event and invite people to join you in real time on your social media networks, then blog about it later.
5. Employee praise: If you have a stellar employee, nothing means more than praise from their boss. Give them the honor of a blog post touting their accomplishments. Be sure to include photos!

Don't wait for the perfect post to inspire you. Just sit down and blog once a week and see what happens. I think you will be amazed at the results. Happy New Year!

Claire Celsi is a public relations practitioner in West Des Moines, Iowa. Please connect with her on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Rules for keeping friends on Facebook

In seventh grade, I met a boy from a cross-town rival school who fascinated me. "George" had real swagger. Me and all my friends instantly fell in love with him. He was so different, so confident, so funny. He dated a few of my friends - and as the chubby, somewhat unattractive girl with curly hair - I felt lucky just to be in his orbit. We spent hours listening to early rap and hair bands, playing pool in his parents' basement, and sneaking tastes from his dad's unlocked liquor cabinet.

We stayed friends all throughout high school and for years thereafter. Our parents became good enough friends to be on each other's Christmas card lists. When he joined the Marines and landed in Okinawa, he used to write me long letters on fancy military stationery and I'd receive very official looking mail from Japan on a regular basis.

He married and eventually moved to Georgia. By then we both had kids. I was invited to attend my cousin's wedding in Athens and made a point to visit George even though it was quite a distance from where we were staying. It was fun to reconnect in person and see him in his new life, all grown up. He even let me borrow his truck to drive to the wedding, which I remember being a significant inconvenience to him. 

He eventually moved to the Netherlands and I lost touch with him for about 10 years. I went to his grandmother's funeral even though he wasn't able to be there. She was a great lady and we'd also maintained a friendship.

What could possibly go wrong with this picture?

We became Facebook friends.

And as it turns out, none of our previous friendship and connection translated with the friend request. We have opposite opinions on politics. And sports. And America's role in the world. And how awful American food is. You name it, we were opposites.

I've got hundreds of friends that I've known for many years, but only a few that I've known longer than I've known George. I'm sad to report that our Facebook friendship did not survive. Since he lives in Europe, his mom lives in another state, and he has no other relatives here - I doubt I will ever see him again.

What happened? Well, let's just say he doesn't follow the unwritten rules of Facebook conversations. After witnessing countless violations of these rules that have resulted in friendships being lost, I've put together a list.

Rules for keeping friends on Facebook:

1. Don't hide behind your computer and think it's ok to be a jerk. In my experience, some men struggle with this one mightily. My friend George is fun and gregarious in person, but on Facebook he was combative, insulting, and downright prickly.
2. Don't feel like you have to escalate every argument. It's ok to disagree with someone, as long as you know how to leave some things on the table without becoming angry.
3. You aren't going to ever prove you're "right" to some people. Every person comes to Facebook with their own particular biases, and those are hard to change. Learn how to agree to disagree.
4. Don't get personal. If you disagree with someone, it's very tempting to start labeling and calling names. This will get you unfriended, especially if you are nasty about it.
5. Practice the 5/1 rule: Try giving friends five positive comments or likes for every one that could be considered negative.

Unfortunately, my friend George did not follow these rules. Even when he realized he'd been unfriended and sent me another friend request, he was nasty about it. Here is the actual exchange:

George: "Wow you don't want to be a friend...Sad. Sorry I am not in the 'Liberal Elite Club!' I hope all is well with you and the family."

Me: "This is exactly that type of message that made me delete you in the first place. I wanted to stay friends but you made it impossible because everything you ever posted on my page was insulting."

George: "Take care, Claire, I wish you the best." (dripping with sarcasm)

Me: "You too, George."

A very sad end to a very long friendship. But the sad thing is, I'm more relieved than angry. He was nasty and mean to me and it made me realize that not every long friendship is worth keeping. I'm thankful to have found out now rather than spending a bunch of money on a ticket to Europe to visit and finding a mean old man waiting for me.

What are your "unwritten" rules for social media interactions?

 

PR is Like Pork Scraps and Pickle Juice

When I was growing up, my grandma Celsi lived next door to us. My grandma and Mom took turns making a traditional Sunday pasta dinner. When it was Grandma’s turn to cook, all we had to do is keep the kitchen window open to hear her sweet little voice yell, “Reeeaaddddyyyy” toward our house. We’d drop the Sunday comics section and high-tail it over there. 

For some reason, Grandma’s pasta sauce was always slightly better than my mom’s. It was thicker, richer, meatier and just had that extra va-va-voom. Her meatballs were also better – more tender, flavorful and delicious. Try as she might, Mom could never quite replicate it, no matter how hard she tried.

Years after grandma died, Mom stumbled upon a grocery list my Dad had written for her. It was obviously the ingredients for her magic Sunday pasta sauce. There was one surprise on the list – pork scraps. Apparently, Grandma used to take pork scraps and fry them, then she browned the meatballs in the same pan before throwing them in the sauce. The resulting extra flavor was the missing ingredient. (Side note: Here's a fun little video of me and my mom rolling meatballs for a lasagne-like dish called pastachina (pronounced "pasta keen-uh")

Mom’s specialty is German potato salad. She carefully follows her great-grandmother’s recipe – which called for chopped baby gherkin pickles. And even though it was not in the recipe – I noticed that Mom always throws in a substantial splash of pickle juice. However, when I went to look up Mom’s potato salad recipe in the church cookbook - she had left out the splash of pickle juice. Apparently, she has learned a little trick from Grandma.

So, I’m sure you’re wondering what the heck this has to do with PR.

Some companies just have a little pork scraps and pickle juice in their marketing mix. Using PR throughout the year is a smart way to keep ahead of the competition, yet it’s often not the first thing marketers think of when compiling their list of things to do for the year. Here are a few things to add to your marketing recipe:

1. Know what makes your company different and special – this is your pickle juice and pork scraps. Every company has a special recipe.
2. Make a list of newspapers, trade pubs or other media outlets your customers will likely be paying attention to. The list doesn’t have to be extensive. In fact, honing a short list of really interested media outlets is smart.
3. Don’t forget digital journalists. There are many bloggers and thought leaders in the digital space. Many of them have “crossed over” from traditional journalism, so they have a foot in each world. They are real journalists too – so treat them exactly the way you would a “regular” reporter.
4. Reach out to the media outlets every week or every month, depending on your resources. I call this “heartbeat” PR.  Like the steady thump of your heartbeat, news and tidbits of information should be shared with your media targets on a regular basis.
5. Make an annual plan. Whether your PR is being handled in-house or you have an agency helping out, spend some time thinking about your initiatives, special projects, new product releases or anniversaries.
6. Allocate resources. Figure out how much time or money you should allocate. If you’re having trouble finding the money to pay for PR, add up all the money you’ve spent on marketing in the last year, and spend a fourth of it on PR next year. I guarantee you that your audiences will pay more attention to positive media coverage than an ad.

PR is the pork scraps missing from your pasta sauce and the pickle juice missing from your potato salad. Add a little PR to your marketing mix for the extra bit of va-va-voom.

What if the Catholic Church Cared About Customer Service?

I'll probably get struck by lightning for writing this post. Oh well. I've run with scissors before and here I am. 

I was thinking about my friend Peter Shankman's book, Customer Service: New Rules for a Social-enabled World. Then I read an article about the Pope's plan to enlist the help of the faithful to force the issue of climate change action on the world stage. Somehow, the chocolate and the peanut butter got all jumbled together and I thought about the idea of customer service in the Catholic Church.

I grew up in the church and have noticed that million of parishoners have left, never to return. The global church is experiencing a mass exodus in Europe and the U.S. Some are leaving for other denominations, and some are just gone.

I got to thinking about how the church could be improved by using the principles of solid customer service. It's obvious that the church has experienced big hits to its credibility over the past 25 years. How can the church get its loyalty, credibility and authority back? Here are some ideas.

1. Open a customer service hotline. I'm not kidding! How cool would that be? Have some seminarians, nuns or lay volunteers staff it. It could also be an email address or a Facebook page.
2. Use social media for its intended purpose - connection and conversation. I think it's cool that Pope Francis is on Twitter, but he only broadcasts stuff out - there's no conversation. Wouldn't it be cool if Pope Francis did a Twitter chat once a week? #holyawesome!
3. Be more welcoming at church. I've been a guest in many churches over my lifetime, and I can honestly say that Catholic churches can be some of the least welcoming - unless you're already in the club. Instead of reading pancake breakfast announcements, introduce and publicly welcome the newcomers. Then follow up to make sure they are connected to someone at church.
4. Use sermon time to talk about the social mission of the church instead of arcane dogma. Get people's imaginations going and tell them about opportunities to serve others in their own communities. This will inspire others to join the cause - not because of some obligation, but out of truly caring about the mission.
5. Get creative with technology. Instead of sending out boxes of donation envelopes to the oldest parishoners, get a mobile payment app for smart phones and allow people to donate that way.
6. Be more transparent. When a company makes a mistake, a sincere apology should be made as soon as possible. The church tends to apologize about a hundred years later...so this is definitely a growth area.

One great thing the church has going for it? The selection of Pope Francis as leader. Tranparency starts from the top down, and Francis is ripping the roof off the Vatican and shaking the whole place up. It's been a great start.

There are probably dozens of other ways that the Catholic Church could become more "customer" friendly. What would you add to the list? 

How to Launch a Grassroots Movement

I'm working with a great group of people who are very passionate about a new grassroots movement they are forming. Each of them comes to the table with their own life experiences, contacts and abilities. We're currently discussing how to launch the group. I'm giving them advice to how to launch and curated some of my best advice here so that everyone can benefit from it.

First off, there are many variables to consider. Carefully gauge the sophistication of the founders of the group. How media savvy are they? Have they had media training? Are they good public speakers? Do they completely understand the mission of the group or are they newcomers to the topic at hand? The "greener" the group, the more prep work there is to do.

Here are the basic steps that must be taken before launching a new grassroots movement:

1. Survey the landscape of similar organizations. There is no shortage of non-profit organizations out there, and many have the same mission as another nearby organization. At the very least, you will be aware of the shortcomings and strengths of your competitors.
2. Closely define your mission. Be sure that the mission of your organization is different enough from similar organizations that people will understand how yours is needed in the grand scheme of things.
3. Decide on the ideal audience for the launch. "The media" is often the main influencer, but get creative and figure out how to reach allied groups and others who may be interested in the new movement.
4. Craft key messages. When communicating a new idea or introducing a new organization, remember that there's only one chance to make a first impression. Spend some time writing and honing the essence of what the organization is - and most importantly - what the "call to action" is. 
5. Select the appropriate timing of your announcement. In a normal media week (Monday-Friday, non-holiday) Tuesday or Wednesday mornings are typically the best time to catch a reporter or editor at their desks. For blog and social media content postings, there is evidence that Fridays and weekends are the best time for engagement and sharing of your news. If you're launching at a live news conference or at an event, be sure to have a full command of the technology you're using. You don't want your message to be interrupted by a sloppy presentation.
6. Give allied organizations and individuals a preview of the information that will be released publicly. They will appreciate being "in the know" and help spread the message once it's announced.
7. Make sure the website, social channels and email lists are ready to go. Once someone hears about the new effort, make sure they are able to easily access more information online.

Now that you're ready for your "15 minutes of fame," keep in mind that the launch is only phase one of the public relations needed to keep your name out there. Once the initial buzz cools down, look for ways to publicize your cause in second tier media and social media. Good luck!

Tell me about your launch! What did I miss? What worked and what didn't?