Lapses in communication
PR requires a bit of tenacity to get right. I am still trying to come to terms with it. The key is understanding public relations is actually communication and not hoping for anything more. The goal of the PR is actually to create another level of communication between him / herself and the client and him / herself and the designer so that they can understand each other because they do not speak the same language.
Which sounds pretty simple. But it isn’t. Because the nature of the business person who values PR, marketing and advertising means that they are generally incredibly busy. They are also generally not the best communicators. They are, after all, business people, and not PRs.
The nature of the designer or creative is generally an acquired taste. I mean that with respect- it is a statement of fact, not a judgement. Designers usually cannot follow more than one train of thought or instruction, and they usually get all caught up in whatever they are working with at the time. They read but generally do not respond to requests, and may very well be actioning them, they just don’t communicate that to anyone until they have finished. While most professionals use their professional know-how to educate and inform clients when their expectations are unreasonable, designers will refrain from communicating this and scoff at the ignorance of the client.
Here are my tips at surviving a career in public relations:
1. Use a numbered list when communicating more than idea at a time
PRs, it appears, have a bit more of a capacity to work through an email which contains more than one instruction / piece of information. Clients and designers do not. While the art of crafting a paragraph is a skill appreciated by PRs, journalists and media professionals, it throws an invisibility cloak over itself when seen by the eyes of a designer or small business owner. Use short sentences. Do not use bullet points. Use a numbered list. Where possible make the list a different colour. Despite these tips you will find it only on very rare occasions that anyone ever makes it to the end of the list. When that happens, record date and time. For the rest of the time, refer to point three. The logic? While neither may be able to work from top to bottom, they generally both understand numbers.
2. Chasing the deadline is your problem
Regardless of whether the designer misses the deadline or the client never supplies the vital parts of the project. Don’t just tell them both when the deadline, lay out your expectations and hope for the best. On some very important occasions it may serve you to go to the place of work of the designer. And remain there until the project is finished. Really.
3. Follow up on number one because of number two
Yes, there are only three things. Three nearly-impossible things to achieve and survive times x clients times x designers times x projects. Ha ha.
Note- I use the words generally and usually a lot in this blog post. The use of these words is intended diplomatically, not to demonstrate generalisation, because they generally apply to all designers and business owners I have worked with to date, and because I would like to continue to work with them going forward.
Showing posts with label public relations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label public relations. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Marketing Mistakes Clients Make
1. A penny saved is a penny earned:
a. The money boss makes the marketing decisions
b. Believing that not spending on advertising or PR is saving money
c. It seems so expensive so I am going to get the cheapest one OR
d. It seems so expensive so I am going to get the smallest quantity even though the cost per unit is almost double
So many entrepreneurs believe that the mere ingenuity of their idea is what will sell it. Most of them are right, but most of them also do not give any thought to how they are going to get that idea across to their target market. Just because an idea exists does not mean people know about it. Clients spend fortunes on setting up the most advanced operations with the most high-tech equipment and gadgetry and don’t even toss a quarter of an idea at how they are going to give this idea wings, how they are going to carry it across to the people they want to sell it to.
"The person who saves money by not advertising is like the man who stops the clock to save time."- Attributed to A Very Wise Man
2. I am the boss. Therefore I do everything the best
Including writing press releases and marketing material, despite the fact that there is a fully-fledged marketing department at my disposal to do it for me. Yes, you may have put your heart and soul into that new campaign or launch and, while you may have been the fire behind the company for the last twenty years, a press release is not your personal platform for sharing your expertise or thanking everyone you have ever had the pleasure of working with. Give a written or verbal brief and step back.
3. I placed an advert. Advertising doesn’t work
Yes, that is why advertising revenue has reached infinite trillions in terms of revenue generation the world over. Refer to point one. Did you let the money boss decide where to put the ad, how big it should be and where it should go? Did he also decide on a singular placement? Exactly. Advertising is a strange game, sure, but definitely one that has to be played properly. Consult a professional to get the most mileage out of your money when it comes to advertising.
4. The internet is the place to be. If I have a website I will make sales
Yes, you and the 300 billion plus other website owners out there. You have to make a bit more of an effort than that to be singled out. Find out about search engine optimisation, social media marketing and copy writing for the internet.
5. Editorial is not advertising
While great PR can get you good editorial in print, online and broadcast media it cannot get you free advertising. That fabulous package, special or promotion you are running doesn’t count as press release material and can’t be sent out as media release-worthy.
a. The money boss makes the marketing decisions
b. Believing that not spending on advertising or PR is saving money
c. It seems so expensive so I am going to get the cheapest one OR
d. It seems so expensive so I am going to get the smallest quantity even though the cost per unit is almost double
So many entrepreneurs believe that the mere ingenuity of their idea is what will sell it. Most of them are right, but most of them also do not give any thought to how they are going to get that idea across to their target market. Just because an idea exists does not mean people know about it. Clients spend fortunes on setting up the most advanced operations with the most high-tech equipment and gadgetry and don’t even toss a quarter of an idea at how they are going to give this idea wings, how they are going to carry it across to the people they want to sell it to.
"The person who saves money by not advertising is like the man who stops the clock to save time."- Attributed to A Very Wise Man
2. I am the boss. Therefore I do everything the best
Including writing press releases and marketing material, despite the fact that there is a fully-fledged marketing department at my disposal to do it for me. Yes, you may have put your heart and soul into that new campaign or launch and, while you may have been the fire behind the company for the last twenty years, a press release is not your personal platform for sharing your expertise or thanking everyone you have ever had the pleasure of working with. Give a written or verbal brief and step back.
3. I placed an advert. Advertising doesn’t work
Yes, that is why advertising revenue has reached infinite trillions in terms of revenue generation the world over. Refer to point one. Did you let the money boss decide where to put the ad, how big it should be and where it should go? Did he also decide on a singular placement? Exactly. Advertising is a strange game, sure, but definitely one that has to be played properly. Consult a professional to get the most mileage out of your money when it comes to advertising.
4. The internet is the place to be. If I have a website I will make sales
Yes, you and the 300 billion plus other website owners out there. You have to make a bit more of an effort than that to be singled out. Find out about search engine optimisation, social media marketing and copy writing for the internet.
5. Editorial is not advertising
While great PR can get you good editorial in print, online and broadcast media it cannot get you free advertising. That fabulous package, special or promotion you are running doesn’t count as press release material and can’t be sent out as media release-worthy.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Creating a Successful Marketing Strategy
“Satisfying needs and wants through an exchange process”- Philip Kotler on the phenomenon of marketing.
Here are some essential pointers to keep in mind when creating a successful marketing strategy for any business, regardless of its size, shape or composition.
Define the product / service Make explicitly clear what it is that you are offering, and on what terms that product or service is offered.
Know your target market Learn as much as you can about who you are targeting with your product or service and what their likes and dislikes are.
Know your competition Learn from your competition. Have a look at what they are doing and where they are most active and get some pointers. Most importantly, work out what they are doing and do it better!
Identify a niche The most successful products fulfil a need that nothing else does. Find your niche group and target it effectively.
Generate product awareness Just because your product or service has been born into the marketplace doesn’t give it a right to be known about. Find as many avenues as you can to market your business and do it with aplomb.
Engender credibility Never underestimate the power of word of mouth and make sure that your customers have nothing but the best to say about you, starting from day one. Reputations stick- make sure yours is pretty.
Keep consistent Ensure that everything about your business is consistent, from the messaging to the product you are offering, through to the service you are offering people.
Know when to step back Especially if the business is yours and let marketing professionals do what they do best! You may have conceived, carried and born this business all on your own but there comes a time when you have to let go and listen to good professional advice!
Here are some essential pointers to keep in mind when creating a successful marketing strategy for any business, regardless of its size, shape or composition.
Define the product / service Make explicitly clear what it is that you are offering, and on what terms that product or service is offered.
Know your target market Learn as much as you can about who you are targeting with your product or service and what their likes and dislikes are.
Know your competition Learn from your competition. Have a look at what they are doing and where they are most active and get some pointers. Most importantly, work out what they are doing and do it better!
Identify a niche The most successful products fulfil a need that nothing else does. Find your niche group and target it effectively.
Generate product awareness Just because your product or service has been born into the marketplace doesn’t give it a right to be known about. Find as many avenues as you can to market your business and do it with aplomb.
Engender credibility Never underestimate the power of word of mouth and make sure that your customers have nothing but the best to say about you, starting from day one. Reputations stick- make sure yours is pretty.
Keep consistent Ensure that everything about your business is consistent, from the messaging to the product you are offering, through to the service you are offering people.
Know when to step back Especially if the business is yours and let marketing professionals do what they do best! You may have conceived, carried and born this business all on your own but there comes a time when you have to let go and listen to good professional advice!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Take Comfort In The Knowledge That...
"The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything, except what is worth knowing."- Oscar Wilde
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Lessons in catharsis #3
The multi-purpose role of the PR person
1. To take the scanty information obtained from the sales people, coupled with the urgency and uncertainty of the client and compile it into something of a brief for the designer
2. To live up to the undocumented expectation of the clients who have been wined, dined and entertained by the sales people
3. To compensate for, and attempt to disguise the administrative ineptitude of the sales people
4. To overcome the crappy attitude of the designer, the unreasonable expectation of the client and deliver first class artwork that will sell the product while the sales people are preoccupied with the wining and dining of more clients
5. Think around and compensate for all readings and interpretations of the brief by the designer, including not reading and not following it.
1. To take the scanty information obtained from the sales people, coupled with the urgency and uncertainty of the client and compile it into something of a brief for the designer
2. To live up to the undocumented expectation of the clients who have been wined, dined and entertained by the sales people
3. To compensate for, and attempt to disguise the administrative ineptitude of the sales people
4. To overcome the crappy attitude of the designer, the unreasonable expectation of the client and deliver first class artwork that will sell the product while the sales people are preoccupied with the wining and dining of more clients
5. Think around and compensate for all readings and interpretations of the brief by the designer, including not reading and not following it.
Lessons in catharsis #2
The working definitions of the designer:
1. The ability to take the elements of a CI, splash in some colour and a different font and call it art
2. Are synonymous with a crappy attitude
3. Consider themselves exempt from sense and accountability, in so much as they believe the brief has been adhered to
4. Does not communicate in media such as words. This would include things such as telephone calls and emails. Rather unfortunate if you don’t work in the same office space
1. The ability to take the elements of a CI, splash in some colour and a different font and call it art
2. Are synonymous with a crappy attitude
3. Consider themselves exempt from sense and accountability, in so much as they believe the brief has been adhered to
4. Does not communicate in media such as words. This would include things such as telephone calls and emails. Rather unfortunate if you don’t work in the same office space
Lessons in catharsis #1
The unspoken functions of the sales person:
1. To wine, dine and entertain potential clients
2. To beg administrative futility and ineptitude
3. To use the very common gift of the gab and pass it off as an occupational skill
4. To be able to claim such benefits as entertainment allowances, exorbitant telephone bills and travel expenses for the apparent purpose of point one, while actually only really achieving points two and three.
1. To wine, dine and entertain potential clients
2. To beg administrative futility and ineptitude
3. To use the very common gift of the gab and pass it off as an occupational skill
4. To be able to claim such benefits as entertainment allowances, exorbitant telephone bills and travel expenses for the apparent purpose of point one, while actually only really achieving points two and three.
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