Author Archives: Don Beehler

Ad Agencies Can Benefit from PR Executives’ Advice for Managing a Crisis

Pacific Business News recently asked 13 executives in Hawaii to recall a PR challenge they once faced and what advice they have for other companies, based on what they learned.  Their stories can be found here: http://cl.exct.net/?qs=d3a3ed404ed8ac7375cba8f825bf196fcbb167cc8db9fb17e7c7dde43d3bdde4

One of the consistent themes is the importance of advanced planning and preparation, so it’s not surprising that in the same issue there’s an article titled “Crisis management: It’s all about preparation.” http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2009/04/20/focus1.html?b=1240200000^1813824

The crisis management article discusses how agencies can be a reality check for their clients.  In a crisis situation, objective third-party PR professionals can provide an invaluable service by helping clients keep things in perspective and avoid making costly mistakes.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

 

PR a Hidden Opportunity for Ad Agencies

PR Newswire’s April edition of The Insider has an interesting article called “Discover the Hidden Opportunities in an Economic Downturn” by Sarah Skerik, vice president of distribution services for PR Newswire: http://prninsider.com/index.cfm?PID=1174&ID=5458,20182,0&S=pijohoovxw

She points out that “PR is increasingly being seen as an inexpensive and effective means of increasing brand awareness and ultimately driving sales,” adding that this also is a great time to leverage corporate social responsibility programs by promoting events, awards and community involvement.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

New Rules of Press Release Distribution for Ad Agencies

BurrellesLuce, a company that helps communication professionals maximize their media relations results through a full range of planning, monitoring, and measurement services, provides useful insight into how the rules have changed when it comes to distributing press/news releases:

It used to be that public relations professionals would send out a press release to a few journalists who might be interested in what they had to say or who shared a similar beat. If they were lucky, PR would be rewarded for the effort with a fairly nice write-up on behalf of their company. Conversely, PR might send a release out over one of the paid premium wire services, and hope that the release got some pickup.

The same might be said when blogging first came on the scene. Today, things aren’t so straightforward. Ever-quickening technological advances mean more outlets to pitch and more opportunity for you to directly reach your target audience.

The old rules still apply
Before sending your press release you’ll want to research your target journalists and bloggers and ensure that your audience frequents the media you are about to pitch. From there you can begin to weave in some tried-and-true best practices to help make your announcement more effective.

1. Define your media focus – try to limit your pitches to only those outlets that directly serve your target audience. Do your research and then focus on those outlets that are most likely to provide opportunity. Resist the urge to send untargeted emails.

2. Review your outreach tactics – pitch journalists and bloggers in a format that will resonate. (Believe it or not, some journalists still prefer fax over email.) There’s no use wasting your efforts on a great pitch that never makes it into the hands of the journalist or blogger.

3. Send a release whenever there is something to announce – you’ll want to keep your audience aware of what’s going on with your organization. But beware: Sending too many “irrelevant” releases can potentially cause your audience to take you less seriously.

Best practices for reaching today’s audience
The rise of online media requires that many public relations professionals consider how they distribute their news. Here are some new rules for sending releases to an increasingly tech-savvy audience.

• Tailor your release so that it directly relates to your target audience or constituents, rather than the journalist or blogger who may pick up the story. The Internet is rich with consumer- driven media. As such, your audience is more likely to receive the information directly rather than through a third party, such as a journalist.

• Create announcements according to specific segments such as: blogger, journalist, target audience. Sure it might be a little more work, but at least you’ll appeal to each group based on their preferences.

• Optimize your press release for SEO. With more content online, you’ll want your press release top of mind and at the top of the search stack.

• Craft a multi-media release. Including pictures, video, and text can make your release more appealing to an online audience and give the journalist or blogger a more compelling reason to write about you or your company.

• Design a separate social media or “web 2.0” release. You may even want to take it up a notch by using a unique template, reminiscent of a web page or blog. Whatever you decide, be sure to include “share this” buttons. This will help encourage redistribution.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Opinion Pieces Help Agency Clients Get Their Views Heard

The editorial pages typically are among the most widely read sections of a paper. While letters to the editor can be effective, guest columns are even better. They are longer, usually include a photo and are more prominently displayed on the page.

One of the most effective opinion pieces I’ve ever seen ran March 28 in The Tennessean. The author, Carol Swain, is a law and political science professor at Vanderbilt University. In a polite and respectful manner, she took on the dean of law at her own university, who published an opinion piece several days prior that was critical of a proposed state constitutional amendment on abortion.

“The dean is mistaken on some of his points,” she wrote, proceeding to provide corrective facts about the proposed legislation and explained what she termed as valid reasons for some of the amendment’s provisions, noting “Negative side effects often follow abortions.”

Having one expert correct another is a powerful refutation. But then she hit the ball out of the park by personalizing the abortion experience: “I speak as one of the millions of women who exercised a choice they now regret. In my early 20s, as a married woman, I aborted my unborn child out of convenience. In my naivete, I reasoned that if abortion was legal, then it must be OK. Everything that is legal is not OK. The state has a moral obligation to protect the health and welfare of its citizens….”

Regardless of which side you are on when it comes to abortion rights, having a legal expert defend a particular side and explain the legal issues provides much more credibility than an average person who supports the amendment. Add to that a personal testimonial as to the emotional consequences of abortion, and you’ve got something that’s very effective.

Ad agencies representing clients involved in controversial situations or issues would do well to remember the benefits of having third-party experts speak out publicly on their clients’ behalf. For local matters, the daily paper is one of the best ways get the word out.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Ad Agencies Beware of News Media Bias

Amateur night was on full display last week when CNN reporter Susan Roesgen, covering a tea party in Chicago, berated participants as anti-government and anti-CNN right-wing extremists. Hey, Susan, have you ever heard of the First Amendment? As unprofessional and biased as her reporting was, the most disturbing aspect to me was that she was so clearly threatened by people expressing another point of view contrary to the one she holds. So much for diversity and tolerance.

Sadly, there were many other examples of coverage on networks that was crude, demeaning and condescending. No wonder much of the news media continues to lose credibility – for a number of reporters, there’s no longer even a pretense of objectivity. Whatever happened to the days when the news media simply reported the news?  To its credit, FOX News provided fair and appropriate coverage.

My wife and I attended the tea party in Franklin, Tennessee, which police estimated drew more than a thousand people. As with other tea parties across the nation, the participants were orderly Americans expressing a legitimate point of view and using their constitutional rights to peacefully assemble and protest out-of-control government spending and expansion. Contrast the behavior at U.S. tea parties with the destructive mob in London during the recent G20 meeting.

Reporters like Susan who are threatened by free speech and so biased that they can’t cover an event without having an emotional meltdown really don’t belong in the news business. Serving as minister of propaganda for dictators such as Hugo Chavez or Fidel Castro likely would be more within their comfort zones.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Ad Agencies Tips for Post-evaluation of Event

At the conclusion of a special event in which a client participated, everyone involved on the client and agency side should evaluate what worked well and which areas need improvement. Key questions to evaluate the event include:

1. Did the organizers deliver on their promises?
2. Did the event live up to its attendance projections?
3. What percentage of the attendees would be considered our target market?
4. What new business opportunities emerged?
5. How good a quality were the leads that were generated?
6. Did the event prove to be newsworthy?
7. How did this activity compare with other PR/marketing efforts in terms of value for the investment?
8. Did we stay on budget?
9. Did we leave an impression that is consistent with our brand?
10. If we had it to do again, would we still have been involved?

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Criteria for Ad Agencies when Evaluating Partnership Opportunities

The following are criteria for ad agencies to consider when evaluating partnerships related to charitable giving, events or sponsorship opportunities for clients:

1. Is the event/cause compatible with our objectives, values and mission statement?
2. Will this partnership help us effectively reach our target audiences?
3. How many people are expected to attend the event or be exposed to the sponsorship/donation?
4. Does the organization have a solid track record and good reputation?
5. Is the chemistry right?
6. Is the partnership compatible with our brand’s personality?
7. Does the partnership provide opportunities to develop new business?
8. Is there an opportunity for employee involvement?
9. Will management support the partnership?
10. Will certain segments of our customer base have objections to this partnership or be offended by it?
11. Are any of our competitors involved?
12. Is there a logical tie to our business?
13. How does this partnership compare with other available opportunities?
14. Are the organizers open to new and innovative approaches?

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Ad Agencies Should Consider Incentives when Making Recommendations for Corporate Giving

Many companies want strategic giving and increased profits to be tangibly correlated. For example, a corporate may agree, over a specific time period, to give a percentage of its profit from product sold to a charity. The more products that are sold, the more money will go to the charity. This approach provides incentives for the charity to marshal its resources to support the company and to prosper as the company prospers.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Energy Company Sets Good Example of Strategic Giving for Ad Agencies

In the old days, Carolina Power & Light contributed to charities based solely on merit. Gifts were not tracked, nor was there a focus on employee involvement.

Under new leadership, CP&L became more strategic in its giving by linking charitable goals to its business objectives, streamlining grants to three areas: education, the environment and economic development. This new focus led to a greater sense of impact by enabling larger investments in programs that will have a sustained effect and enhance employees’ volunteer opportunities.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Ad Agencies Benefit from Sponsorships and Philanthropy with Direct Link

Whether it is strategic philanthropy or cause marketing, the most mutually beneficial relationships generally are those in which the organization has a direct link. Here are a few examples of causes that directly tie with industry and corporate objectives:

• A pharmaceutical company that contributes to medical-cause charities
• An architectural firm that renovates buildings at children’s homes
• A food company that supports food stamp funding programs
• A bookstore that sponsors a literacy program
• A music store that sponsors a concert
• A toy manufacturer that contributes to child abuse causes

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.