Category: Blog

More Elements of an Effective Press Release
By Categories: Blog, Tips Tags: , , , ,

Press releases are still important methods for disseminating information to key target audiences. Though social media has evolved into viable methods to reach desired audiences, the press release is not dead.

The Release Date

This is the date your release is distributed. Many feel the date is important because it can indicate whether the release is current or newsworthy. Many media outlets want to be the first to report on what is newsworthy.

The Body – Who, What, When, Where and Why

Media outlets are very busy and don’t have time to research additional information on the release topic. The body of the press release is going to have the important information they need when deciding to share the story. The more information provided, the less work will be required and the happier they will be.

The lead-in paragraph should briefly detail the press release purpose. It should include the five W’s – Who, What, When, Where, and Why.

  • Who or What is the press release about?
  • If it’s about an event, When does it take place?
  • Where does it take place?
  • Why is this newsworthy or why is it happening?

When sending your release, stick to the facts. You don’t want to overdo it with technical or industry jargon. If the information is difficult to understand, it may wind up in the “circular” file.

The second paragraph should provide additional supporting information, such as details about the people, products, services related to this news item.

If the press release is not about you and your business, but about your client – make sure the company name, contact information, address, telephone numbers, website URL, and any other information that will help the reader if there are questions.

Important tips:

  • Proofread, proofread, proofread… and get someone else to proofread your release. I once worked at a newspaper. We were required to have our coworkers read our information. Our biggest fear? To type pubic instead of public.
  • Always use correct grammar and punctuation.
  • Even though the information has been proofread, still spell check the entire document.
  • Never type UPPERCASE letters.
  • If you can accomplish the press release in two pages … great. A one page release is even better.
  • If available, use pictures and captions. If emailing the press release, be sure to attach the image in the appropriate sized JPG format so the media does not have to contact you later for it. You should include a statement giving them publishing approval and photo credit.
  • Do not add into the body or attach any HTML, embedded codes or MP3 audio files. Most will not open the files for fear of computer viruses.  If a journalist needs this information, they will contact you. You may include important links that will provide pertinent information.
  • As often as necessary, do not attach the press release to the email. For the same reason above, include the release in the “body” of the email.

Always know why YOU are sending the press release.  Remember, press releases are for the press or  other information distributors, to inform them of an event, new product or service that you want shared with their audience…which is ultimately YOUR audience.

Need to Be More Visible? Eight Ways to Start Now
By Categories: Blog, Tips Tags: ,

Tips from VMI’s Pocket Book “Be More Visible – Create More Interest in Your, Your Product or Service”

1.    Get out.  Attend an event. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you meet someone new, learn something, enjoy yourself and you’re visible.

2.    Take a class. There is always room to become well versed in your profession or personal life. It is an opportunity to talk to people about what you do and what you represent. Remember…always have your cards. Don’t give them out unless you’re asked.

3.    Walk. Get out and into the environment. Join a walking club. There’s always an opportunity to meet others with like interests. Many companies and organizations provide the opportunity for their employees to exercise during breaks. Do you have apparel with your logo or company name? Wear it and wear it often.

4.    Run. Move a bit faster. Not only are you more visible (if you’re the only runner, you will stand out), but you’re keeping fit and healthy as well.

5.    Go to the gym/fitness center. Even if you’re at your desired weight, make your heart  pump a little harder. If you need to lose a few pounds, you are in the right place.

6.    Join an organization. Are you interested in horses? Join an equestrian riding club. There are golf, running or ski clubs. It’s an opportunity to meet people with like interests. Professional organizations help you keep abreast of what’s new in your industry.  There are many organizations from which to choose. Some include:

  • BNI. Business Network International is an organization where people make connections and commit to giving others business referrals.
  • Toastmasters International. This is a public speaking organization where members practice giving speeches. Many communities have several chapters. Rid yourself of your fear of speaking and hone your skills. With practice, the butterflies fade and confidence prevails.
  • Greek fraternities and sororities. Many people join Greek organizations in college. If you missed your collegiate opportunity, check for local graduate chapters. The fellowship, camaraderie and networking can be beneficial.
  • Chambers of Commerce. Most cities have them. They often have opportunities to meet and network.
  • Rotary clubs. Rotary International is an organization that brings together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in business.
  • The National Organization of (Your Profession). This is different for every industry.  Most national organizations have local chapters. Seek out yours.

7.    Rent a trade booth. Research conferences/exhibitions in your field. Sometimes it’s a matter of getting in front of people that will eventually need your product or service.

8.    Go to your child’s school.  Let the students, teachers and administrators know you care about your child(ren)’s education.

—

~Use a tip two days a week…or more. You may find you like some methods better than others. 

Don’t Hit Send! Your Press Release Headline is Boooring
By Categories: Blog Tags: , , , ,

If your press release subject line or headline doesn’t reach out and grab the reader, there’s a good chance it won’t get opened. So don’t send it. Do this first:

1) Write for your audience. If you’re sending a “press” release, then your audience is the editor, producer, publisher… the main decision maker for your target audience. I know you want to reach men who wear socks with sandals, women over 35 who still live at home or teens who have never tweeted. However, you have to grab the attention of the gatekeeper so that your real audience will get your message.

2) WIIFT? – It’s that simple. You have to tell the reader, in the headline, how they will benefit from the information. What’s In It For Them?

Write this: SEVEN PLACES TO HIDE YOUR MONEY SO THAT YOU WILL BECOME A MILLIONAIRE

Not this: HOW TO SAVE MONEY

Media professionals read hundreds of releases. You have to get their attention and be honest about it. Don’t use bait and switch tactics by writing a headline that you think will catch the person’s eye only to offend them after they’ve read through it. Delete!

3) List it. Make it easy on the editors and break down your content into lists…if you can. If you’re selling a product, can you list its benefits to fit a list of seven or eight? Maybe nine?

If you’re pitching a story about the latest and greatest most reverent vacuum cleaner, you may write:

SEVEN WAYS TO CLEAN YOUR HO– USE WITHOUT LIFTING A FINGER or

FIVE THINGS THE NEW WACKY VAC WON’T DO

They love lists. It easily spells out the benefits of the product or service and they are easy to process.

4) What’s Trending? If your goal is to get your product or service on a major talk show, then think about how it relates to what’s trending now. Can you tie the Wacky Vac to the latest industry buzz? The economy? You might write:

UNEMPLOYED, CITY MAN TAKES WACKY VAC AND MAKES THOUSANDS IN ONE MONTH

5) Short, to the point, especially for SEO. Keep search engine optimization in mind, i.e, browser searches. Your Internet rankings determine your exposure. When you’re crafting the most awesome headline, keep in mind that Google only recognizes the first 65-70 characters in their search results, Yahoo 72 and Bing 65. These numbers are subject change, so stay on the lower side.

There you have it. A list of five ways to create a not-so-boring headline. Don’t run with the first headline, write, re-write and write it again. Test it out. Ask a few people to read it before sending it out. If your release ends up in the delete file, you’ve wasted your time.

Then you can write a release about how not to waste your time writing boring press release headlines.

Are Bloggers Journalists
By Categories: Blog Tags: , , , , , , ,

Journalists enjoy certain legal protections. One is the Shield Law.  The Shield Law protects journalists from forced disclosure of confidential sources of information.

Many bloggers consider themselves journalists  – individuals who report, write, edit, photograph or broadcasts news.  Are they protected by the Shield Law or, is the law extended only to accredited reporters from news organizations?

Forty states and the District of Columbia uphold the Shield Law which varies from state to state.

In August 2011, TechnoBuffalo.com, an Irvine, California-based website published from an anonymous source, a report that contained photos of Motorola’s new Droid Bionic phone. Legal action was then taken against TechnoBuffalo.com by JohnsByrne, a printing company located in Niles, Illinois. Hired by Motorola, JohnsBryne asked that TechnoBuffalo be ordered to disclose the name of the source that provided the image.

In January 2012, the judge ruled that TechnoBuffalo.com did not meet the standards in the state media privilege law, which protects journalists who refuse to disclose their confidential sources.  TechnoBuffalo.com was ordered to turn over the information.

TechnoBuffalo.com then filed a motion asking the judge to reconsider and in a surprising development, the judge reversed his initial decision.

As social media begins to evolve, there will be more cases similar to that of TechnoBuffalo.com’s.  The courts will continue to receive new media cases.

We are treading on new territory. With it will come opportunities to re-write the law books.

 

Writing a Press Release? Here’s What Not to Do…
By Categories: Blog Tags: , , , ,

A press release recently entered my inbox with the word “confidential” glaring across the top. My first thought was that the writer knew nothing about press releases. I also noticed that not one of the recipients in the email was a member of the “press.” My second thought was that my first thought was correct.

Before sending out a press release, first know what it is, then know its purpose. Read on…

A press release is written or recorded information sent to media outlets announcing newsworthy information. Media outlets include journalists at traditional news outlets, as well as other individuals who read and report the news. In the new information age, this can include bloggers and other forms of social media.

Press releases typically are used by public relations firms to attract favorable media attention for clients or provide publicity for events, products or services. Some companies have internal public relations and/or marketing specialists who handle this function. There are also non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals who send media announcements.

Now, knowing the above, the word “confidential” should never be on your press release. An announcement is never confidential. If it is a “press release,” make sure at least one member of the press is a recipient.

It’s also important for the release to include the following:

  1. An attention grabbing headline
  2. The release date
  3. A few paragraphs about the who, what, when, where and why of the press release
  4. An “About” section on the company, organization or individual providing the information
  5. A closing mark such as “###” which indicates there is no more information
  6. The sender’s contact information – name, address, telephone number, email address, website URL and any other information that makes it easy for the recipient to ask questions or get clarification

I will elaborate on the above six points in subsequent blogs. Stay tuned…

Twitter Shortcodes: Making it Simple and Sweet
By Categories: Blog, Tips Tags: , , , , ,

If you are just jumping into the Twitter parade, there are a few things you need to know before getting started.

First, you are limited to 140 characters, similar to text messaging. Before you start typing away in that little box, you may want to think about what you want to say or share, then limit it to 140 characters or less. One way to do this is to use “short codes” or abbreviations of commonly used words.

For example, instead of writing “because” you would write “b/c.” Or instead of writing “two” or “to” you would simply type the number “2.”

Some frequently used short codes include:

Hashtag (#) – is a way to organize or categorize your updates. When used, it acts as a search engine to pull all the tweets that have been tweeted with that hashtag, i.e., #bacon would result in anyone talking about bacon.

@reply – means you are replying to a Twitter update that someone else posted. It is directed to the person to whom you are replying, i.e., @reply@BeMoreVisible …

RT – Retweet – you are retweeting someone elses tweet.

MT – Modified Tweet – you are retweeting someone else’s tweet, however you have modified it.

PRT – Partial Retweet – you are retweeting a Tweet but have not included the full original Tweet.

DM – is a direct message to another Twitter user you are following.

#FF or FollowFriday – you write this along with the Twitter accounts of people you would like your Twitter followers to also follow. You can write it with or without the (#) hashtag.

For more short codes and frequently used terms, check out Twitter’s Glossary.

Another way to make sure you fit everything into that little box is to use a URL Shortener that converts a long URL into a shorter length. It still directs the user to the same web location. This is very useful on Twitter, however – URL shorteners are also used to disguise the real URLs to websites that may be harmful to your computer… be cautious using them.

A few URL shortening services include:

Google – http://goo.gl
Bit.ly – http://bit.ly
Tiny Url – http://tinyurl.com
Ow.ly – http://ow.ly/url/shorten-url

If you’ve decided to join the millions that are tweeting and posting – take time to check out Twitter Basics.  Knowing how to navigate within Twitter’s universe will make your Tweeting experience less frustrating and more enjoyable.

Is Your Website Responsive?
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In today’s dynamic, electronic media landscape, having a “responsive” website is becoming increasingly more important. It means that your website is designed to respond according to the device on which your website is viewed, i.e., a desktop computer, laptop, iPhone, Android, tablet, touchpad…The underlying code knows which device is used and adapts accordingly.

In 2011, Compuware published results from a survey entitled “What Users Want from Mobile” that showed global consumers’ expectations for mobile and application performance.

One of the survey results mentioned that, “A bad experience on a mobile website leaves mobile web users much less likely to return to, or recommend, a particular website. Nearly half of mobile web users are unlikely to return to a website that they had trouble accessing from their phone, and 57% are unlikely to recommend the site.”

Another stated, “Mobile users do not have much patience for retrying a website or application that is not functioning initially — a third will go to a competitor’s site instead. The majority of mobile web users are only willing to retry a website (78%) or application (80%) two times or less if it does not work initially.”

Two advantages of responsive design are 1) faster load times and quicker access to information on your website, and 2) it eliminates the need to develop a separate mobile version of your website.

If you would like to have your website redesigned or designed in a responsive manner, please contact us for a consultation.

 

Too Busy? Outsource Your Social Media
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Social media in today’s business world has become a vital part of branding and in building new business relationships. Some businesses have found that they are unable to commit the time, personnel and resources in maintaining a successful social media campaign. Instead of pulling your hair out, you can outsource this function to an outside consultant who is an expert in your business field.

Social Media

Although this is an important function, you need to make sure that the consultant you choose has a successful track record in social media. What they write on you or your businesses behalf could potentially harm your business and brand.  You must ensure that they write and/or share information that represents your business’ vision, ideals and overall brand.

To begin searching for the right consultant, ask a few key questions on the role of the social media consultant:

  • Will the consultant merely look for information and share it on your behalf?
  • Will they be a part of your team helping to develop a campaign, marketing new business initiatives, or launching new products or services?
  • Will they voice “an opinion” on your behalf?
  • Will they provide content via your blog?

Defining the role is going to be very critical in the beginning to eliminate any misunderstandings and errors.

The next step is selecting a consultant. Visit their website. Read their blog and look for comments. Review their writing style. Does it fit with your business or brand? How often do they blog and how many “shares” are they averaging? Look for testimonials from their clients. Visit their Facebook and Twitter accounts to review the information they have written and shared. Look at the number of shares and “retweets.” Check their Klout* scores. These are just a few of the many strategies that will help you make a clear decision.

Develop guidelines and identify tasks for the consultant:

  • If they are writing blogs on your behalf, create a list of topics that should not be included, such as religion, political views, negative comments about competitors, etc.
  • Develop a list of topics that require your approval before publishing.
  • Create a schedule for performing these tasks. And lastly,
  • Delegate a member of your team to oversee the consultant’s progress. Someone who will follow up and keep track of what is being shared and also any feedback that might come back to the company.

Social media is evolving daily. For you business to reach new clients, it should be someone’s daily responsibility.  If you are unable to do it – think about outsourcing it.

*FAQs about Klout.. “Klout digs deep into social media to understand how people influence each other, so that everyone can discover and be recognized for how they influence the world. You can use the Klout Score to understand how influential you are; you can use your topics to shape what you are influential about; and you can be recognized for your influence by receiving +K from friends or Perks from brands.”

Do-It-Yourself Marketing. Can You Really?
By Categories: Be More Visible, Blog

I recently attended a seminar that focused on how to get more clients. This is the premise: If you want more customers, you have to do all of the marketing yourself. Don’t rely on anyone else to do it for you.

While this sounds great and wonderful, it may not always be practical. Let’s think about this for a moment. You are a small business owner. You started your business because you have a passion for something. You love to create, work with your hands, design, strategize, transform or improvise.  We can even break it down further…you love to cook, paint, cut hair, talk, teach/instruct, fix cars, design brochures, sell houses, heal wounds.

You started your business because you love what you do and want to make a living doing it. Can you really do everything it requires to run a business?

If you worked in Corporate America, most likely you had a specific job to do. For illustrative purposes, let’s say you were a salesperson.  You came to work, made phone calls, conducted meetings, responded to emails, completed sales reports, then went home and started again the next day.

While you were selling, someone else at the company was answering the phones, determining the company’s budget, ordering supplies, filing tax forms, interviewing potential employees, ordering lunch, generating publicity, making travel reservations, designing the marketing materials, placing advertisements, updating the website…and the list goes on.

Now you own I Amma Salesperson Inc.  Not only do you have to perform your responsibilities as a salesperson, you also have to do all the above … answer the phones, determine the company’s budget, order supplies, file tax forms…

Every professional has his/her gifts and specialties. They are experts at what they do. Why not hire them to do what they do best? It’s impossible for you to do it all.

When it comes to marketing (or any other discipline), there are professionals who have skills and years of experience. They have been doing for years what they do best while you were out selling, because that’s what you do best.

While there is the do-it-yourself mantra out there… many are finding that, if the company is to grow beyond the “solopreneur,” it’s best to hire professionals to help you get to the next level.

Don’t believe the hype. You can start out by doing-it-yourself, but if you have plans to grow, you have to hire professionals to help you.

We Need Black and Brown in Green
By Categories: Blog, Sustainability

You can call me an energy technology nerd, but I enjoy assisting clients in the development of energy management solutions that help to reduce our societal carbon footprint.  More importantly, I find it intrinsically gratifying to develop successful consumer engagement strategies that incentivize the average citizen to reduce water and energy consumption.  After all, we should all be good environment stewards.  Yet, I attend energy and water management conferences where I am literally one of few Black people among conferences with attendances that range between 8,000 and 12,000 people.  I also struggle to find Hispanics attending such events.

Since environmental sustainability is a global issue, it would stand to reason that initiatives related home energy management, water conservation, or recycling of any kind be targeted in an equitable manner.  My point is not to make this a race issue, but to acknowledge “the elephant in the room”.  A white upper middle class public utility corporate communications specialist inherently knows how to connect to her suburban neighbors.  Tactics such as community forums, high-touch mobile displays, and engaging the church pastor will lead to significant traction in communities of color.  Politician running for office have known that for a long time.  After all, we are ultimately seeking ways to modify human behavior.  The methods and the messenger matter for African-Americans and Hispanics – a lot!

The 2010 U.S. census counts almost 90,000,000 African-Americans and Hispanics collectively.  Race or ethnicity aside, the fact is that we have to develop substantive consumer engagement strategies for such a large demographic. After all, everyone consumes water, uses electricity, and heats their homes.  Institutions that serve the total public such as utilities and local governments have an obligation to create value propositions for all.  If we are asking people to change habits, they have to understand what is in it for them.  For poor and working class people of color, water and energy conservation has to be linked to cost savings.  However, being an environmental steward may resonate more with higher income people of color.  If the message of environmental stewardship is being driven home by someone with significant social or political capital within the community, then you will have more success.  I have not even begun to overlay regional and age differences among communities of color.  The larger point is that it is time to better engage people like me.

Despite all of this, I see progress on the horizon.  Just as wireless phone providers slowly learned that people of colors also use cell phones, business models emerged to facilitate consumer preferences for communities of color.  Various studies now show that African-Americans have a higher cell phone adoption and use rate than America in general.  I expect the same phenomenon to occur in communities of color relative to the adoption of home energy and water management technology.  At a recent consumer engagement symposium in Texas, a utility executive told me that he is engaging African-American pastors and politicians as a means of generating Smart Meter and energy management awareness within the service territory for his utility.  Major energy trade organizations have made recent public declarations to develop consumer engagement strategies targeted to communities of color.

All of this signifies opportunity for people of color experienced in the development of customer segmentation strategies.  Whether you be the owner of a public relations firm or a corporate communications specialist for a utility, this is represents a tremendous opportunity to contribute to your triple bottom line (financial, environmental stewardship, social responsibility).  Retailers such as Best Buy are beginning to sell home energy management electronics.  Green is becoming main stream.  Pastors and grass roots community leaders also need to step up to the plate.  Being a protector of the planet is a spiritual matter.  The advocacy of green jobs workforce development programs can serve to economically revitalize many African-American and Hispanic communities.  Although I believe that government and public sector institutions need to do more to ensure equity in the green movement, ultimately African-Americans and Hispanics have to take ownership of changing the landscape.

Annual Reports… Who Reads Them?
By Categories: Be More Visible, Blog Tags: , ,

No one.  Annual Reports are long, boring and usually have awful photos. Well…not all of them. Some people actually do read them, because even though they are few and far between, there are good Annual Reports out there.  You just have to know how to create them.

Corporations with shareholders have to report their Income Statements, Cash Flows and Balance Sheets.  However, no one reads financial statements. So, if that’s all they published, no one would know about all the other wonderful things corporations do.  They have to put their Income Statements, Cash Flows and Balance Sheets in pretty packages so that people will read about the other contributions they make.

Non-profit organizations are not required to produce Annual Reports. But they do. They want their donors to see their names in print as a thank you for their contributions. Publicizing the charitable work that they perform may inspire others to help out as well.

Make it Easy to Read

Annual Reports usually aren’t. There is so much information organizations want to share that it ends up in tiny print.  You don’t have to include all the details of the last 12 months. Pick a few great things that you think are more than interesting. Use a larger font. It’s easier on the eyes.

Pick Great Photos

Don’t use stock photography.  Make it genuine and hire a photographer to capture events throughout the year.  Use close-ups whenever possible and candid shots rather than stiff, posed images.

No Stiff Copy

Punch it up. Make it fun. Invite the reader into your world. Instead of, “More than 350 people attended the annual fundraiser, and a good time was had by all…” include a quote from someone who attended the event. It gives the article a more personal feel.  “I had great time at the annual fundraiser. The entertainment gets better and better each year. My children loved the balloon animals and the talking bear.”

Engage the Public

No one wants to read a bunch of comments from employees about what they do at such-and-such a place. They want to read about people like themselves.  Ditch the employee humdrum and find real people who are benefit from your products or services.  Include real testimonials from the company blog or Facebook comments. Make it real.

Make it Accessible

Save a few dollars and make a pdf version that can be electronically distributed. Hard copies are nice, but you don’t need 10,000. You can save on distribution charges using email, or have a link to the document on your website.

Who reads Annual Reports? More people will. If they are easy to read, have great photos, include interesting, easy-to-read copy, stories from real people and are easily accessible, they will attract the inquisitive rather than repel the curious.

Sustainability – It’s a Matter of Stewardship
By Categories: Blog, Sustainability

While engaged is a discussion today regarding consumer engagement strategies for home energy management solutions, a colleague raised the question, “How do you make environmental sustainability resonate with the average person?’ For that matter, does the average person really connect personal driving habits to air quality? As we turn on our tap water, do we ever question whether clean water will flow? As I pondered these questions, it occurred to me that the questions are not really about conservation or reducing pollutants. We have to probe further into human nature to ask the right questions.

Although the “green movement” has gained significant momentum, tom many, environmental issues still remain abstract. Humans respond to things that are immediate and personal. People that experience the death of a loved one to cancer will often become the most passionate champions of charities committed to cancer research. The fact is that sustainability and environmental stewardship have to be personalized in similar ways.

Environmental stewardship has to be linked to outcomes that align with human values. Electric utilities have found that saving money on a monthly bill can motivate consumers to conserve energy. A reduction of carbon emissions may be viewed as a good thing, but financial stewardship at home in a tough economy is viewed as absolutely necessary.

In urban communities, people are more likely to live near electric generation plants that emit pollutants into the air. Environmental justice advocates assert that pollutants from cars and factories also disproportionately impact underserved communities and communities of color. They cite the skyrocketing rates of asthma in such communities as proof. Thus, many people are beginning to see environmental stewardship as a matter of life and death – literally. We are now speaking of a public health issue and not merely an environmental issue.

The fact is that we have to communicate to people in ways that are personal and compelling. The success of recycling programs, home energy management programs, and water conservation initiatives depend upon strategic public relations campaigns. After all, the focus is not the environment – it is ultimately the manner in which people treat the environment.