Eric Fischgrund

CEO of FischTank

Blog

What Is Public Relations?

In 2011-2012, The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) conducted a crowdsourcing campaign to effectively boil down the definition of public relations into a clear, modern message:

“Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

Really?

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing incorrect or outdated about the message you just read. It’s much better than I, or most, can do, and I consider it to be very accurate.

However – how many PR professionals would echo this sentiment? The same question must be asked of potential new clients – how do they define PR? Intuition and experience tell me that they wouldn’t come up with something so accurate either.

Let’s start with those working within the PR business, we all know there are quite many of us. Short of conducting a survey, I’ll just have to use my imagination:

  • “It’s getting my clients in the media.”
  • “Media exposure so people are aware of my client and their expertise/services.”
  • “Sharing my client’s story with the public.”
  • “Improving my client’s image and reputation.”

I stopped after four because it was repetitive, but I believe one could go on for another 20 minutes and a) use the word media several times as I did; b) continue to be repetitive; and c) still not fully comprehend the difference between action and objectives.

This, finally, brings me to my point. Public relations service, one I consider to fall within and be a function of overarching marketing and communications practices, misses the boat when it comes to aligning a client’s goals and its own PR strategy. Instead, we’re left with many PR professionals (misguided by leadership) that are looking to force client inclusion in stories that don’t benefit (a key buzzword from the PRSA definition) the company they are paid to effectively represent. Most call this fitting a square peg into a round hole – many PR pros just call it a Thursday. This is why we see articles from reporters up in arms over misguided and mass-blasted media outreach, as noted here, here, and here.

But no, this is not another article blasting PR professionals. Perhaps there are two sides to this issue, and the other is the client only articulating the outcome they want from PR efforts, and believing PR and PR alone will get it done. Will PR boost their stock price? Generate new leads? Maintain brand equity? Improve recruiting efforts?

These are all possible! If a company hires a firm who immediately generates media results in some of the right publications, how can you fault the relationship? Easy – the job isn’t done. Re-read the definition once more, and if you have time – read the entire short page of content. The word “media” doesn’t appear once. That’s because media outreach is in fact only a component of an effective public relations campaign.

In my humble opinion, there are many boxes that need to be checked in a sound PR strategy, including but not limited to:

  • Messaging. First and foremost, defining a message is key. Take the time to do it early, and do it right.
  • Delivery. It is time for PR firms to embrace digital marketing efforts. No, I’m not just talking about social. E-mail campaigns customized to each client’s needs are paramount. While most of a client’s audience will actually miss that awesome WSJ mention, anywhere from 20%-40% will catch it if you take the time to cultivate e-mail lists and send a timely, professional e-mail following the media relations coup.
  • Event attendance. Many companies struggle to pinpoint where to find their audience. Tradeshows, conferences, etc. are a good place to start. Forget sponsorship, purchase two passes and fight for the attendee contact list (see bullet two).
  • Web analytics. Please tell me you are paying attention to where your customers are coming from, and where they’re leaving your website?
  • Content is king. Yes, old saying but it still rings true. Write good content, attract smart people.

There are many more, but remember – they are resources and options, not requirements, for every campaign. The takeaway here is short and simple. To strengthen “relationships between organizations and their publics” – both the PR industry and their clients need to stop believing media relations and public relations are one in the same, and start building a more encompassing marketing and communications strategy.

Original post: http://bit.ly/1ZuSXke

Preach Patience and Consistency in B2B Marketing

B2B Marketers are under increased pressure to perform due to a multitude of marketing options, a changing online landscape, and new data-driven tools to track measurement. This can create an environment where realizing goals and objectives becomes more short term and reactionary, as opposed to adopting a strategy and sticking to it. This is not to say any plan, marketing or otherwise, can’t be flexible in its execution, but that modern marketers are now more than ever forced into the precarious position of abandoning a strategy early.

Content Marketing is a great place to start. Whitepapers, bylines, blog posts, case studies, and other forms of content are often developed in-house or by a marketing agency, then promoted through the website, online advertising, e-mail marketing, and/or public relations. As you can imagine, this form of marketing incurs cost – production, design and delivery. I caution current and potential clients to exhibit patience here – as repetition is key. For example, if a whitepaper fails to generate downloads and leads, or a blog post fails to drive visitors to the website to increase SEO, there is no need to panic. Go back and review the delivery – consider the time of day or day of the week the content was published, or review the ads you placed on LinkedIn to generate clicks. Perhaps you will find it had nothing to do with the content or landing page, but because you reached your audience via e-mail blast at a time normally spent away from the computer, like 4pm on a Summer Friday!

Takeaway: Analyze all aspects of the delivery before switching up your strategy.

Digital and Social Media is in fact more than a buzz word flung around during a business development meeting. Agencies, firms and consultants may promise high volumes of lead generation, bumps in share price, and instant revenue – expectations that are rarely immediately met. In reality, it takes time to establish a platform, cultivate a following, and execute upon strategic objectives. It’s a far smarter practice to focus on quality, not quantity of the content and messaging published via social media. For example, work on creating complete profiles with customizable links for tracking, then click “Tweet” or “Post.”

Takeaway: Identify reporters, colleagues, existing and potential clients, analysts and influencers – then engage them personally and with focused content.

Say the word “Public Relations” and a CEO’s eyes may gloss over with visions of Wall Street Journal features and Good Morning America appearances. Aspirations are great, and you should be encouraged to think big, but start by focusing on a media plan. Identify reporters from trade publications, regional media, online outlets, and yes – national media – that you believe a Company message may resonate with. Introduce yourself (or your client), and explain what kind of analysis or insight you can provide, or what kind of news you may have in your pipeline.

Takeaway: Form relationships with reporters and media outlets. Reporters always seek value, and if you can position yourself or your client as an expert, or their news as being important, you will achieve exposure.

Integrate these ideas into your media plan and you may see results, but know that patience is key. Like anything else, a real sample size may tell you not only what you’re doing well – but also what you need to improve on. By following a strategy and reviewing results, you’ll learn more about your B2B marketing efforts than if you abandon them early on.

Original Post: http://bit.ly/1L0xDJ0