MVP of Communications: Your friend, Twitter

Read more

We Are Plus relaunches, drives positive brand movement worldwide

Since first launching Plus et Plus in New York City in 2002, company founder Jeremy Hollister, his co-creative director Judy Wellfare, projects director Zu Al-Kadiri and their colleagues have built a reputation as a go-to company for fashion brands seeking to create sexy, marketing-savvy visual content for high-profile promotional uses ranging from live and in-store events to online, offline and traditional broadcast marketing campaigns. Recently relaunched as We Are Plus, over the past several months the company has delivered innovative projects for AMC, Shu Uemura Cosmetics, and Kidrobot, among many others. Read more

Persuasion as artful science….

In my experience, I have learned that there are certain approaches and activities which, when followed, are likely to produce superior results compared to those expected when the approaches and activities are handled otherwise. And yet, as my mother recently reminded me, my late Uncle Tuny had an expression which casts a different light on this type of thinking, in that he was very fond of saying, “Be reasonable — do it my way,” from behind a wide Cheshire grin. All this is to say, although I often feel very confident about the right ways to handle certain affairs, I am also very aware that for any activity or approach involving others to be considered well handled, everyone involved must be acknowledged, honored — and persuaded of the soundness of the proposed course of action. In past days when I spent more time working directly with emerging high-tech companies, I became a big fan of Guy Kawasaki, and I just enjoyed a piece he wrote for the American Express OPEN Forum Blog entitled “How to Be Persuasive” — and another really interesting story Guy linked to on PILOTed, the blog for the company Academic Business Advisors, entitled “What I Learned Buying a Rug in Turkey.” Both pieces reference the expertise of Robert Cialdini, the man behind the books “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” and “Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive,” which Mr. Cialdini co-authored with Noah J. Goldstein and Steven J. Martin.

Both the American Express and PILOTed pieces relate colorful examples which very effectively point-up principles these books cite as being at the heart of effective persuasion. For an enlightening experience, I encourage you to read both posts, and in the meantime, here are a few of the well-established guideposts we can all use to be more persuasive. If one works for you, please try another — every little step in the right direction can make a big difference….
. People often make decisions based on others’ actions.
. Offering fewer options often facilitates better decision-making.
. Many people prefer to choose something that falls between the basic and luxury options.
. Helping others is a great way to earn their reciprocal assistance; being extra thoughtful and considerate invites even greater appreciation.
. Inviting small responses often gets effective results.
. Most of us are deeply interested in being consistent in our decision-making and what we commit to.
. Scarcity increases interest.
. Authorities perceived as being genuine are usually respected and followed.

Tips from the pros to reassess your website…

iMedia Connection recently published an article from Lisa Wehr, the founder and CEO of search engine optimization and marketing company Oneupweb, entitled “15 Ways to Get Your Website in Gear.” Through her expertise, Lisa provides an excellent framework for analysis and assessment of your current website, while also offering a lot of valuable insights into the imperatives modern sites objectively need to fulfill. While I recommend reading the full story, as a head start, I’m providing guideposts below for the main areas you should be considering to ensure your website continues to deliver maximum results.

Style
Q. Does your site’s look and feel reflect the personality of your company?

Design
Q. At first glance, does the site visually convey your company’s look and feel?

Organization
Q. Can visitors easily find information on your products and services?

Navigation
Q. Can an average computer user easily move through your site?

Interface/customer friendliness
Q. Is all relevant information presented in a customer-friendly way, and can customers easily contact you?

Technology/architecture
Q. Does your use of technology help or hinder communication?

Security/privacy
Q. Do customers feel safe on your site — and are they?

Ease of purchase
Q. Can your improve your checkout procedure — and/or optimize it to aid sales?

PR/community relations
Q. Is it clear to members of the media and investment communities who they should contact for inquiries, and is it easy for them to do so?

Online corporate perception
Q. Are you doing enough to monitor and protect your online reputation, and to maximize user-generated media opportunities?

Analytics
Q. Based upon web traffic statistical analyses, can you improve sales conversions or other targeted visitor interactions on my site?

Search engine positioning
Q. Where is your site ranked on various search engines, and what can you do to improve rankings?

Overall best practices analysis
Q. Are there other design considerations (for example, use of Flash animations) or content offerings (podcasts, blogs) you can offer to make your website more valuable or interesting to your customers?

Confessions from a dangerous media mind…

Over the past 40 years, Max Clifford has made his mark on society and the world as a key influencer of the global media. After a brief career as a music journalist, he joined EMI at the age of 19 and went on to craft publicity campaigns for The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, the Four Tops, the Temptations and the Jackson Five — among many others. Through his firm Max Clifford Associates, he continues representing prominent celebrities — as well as many large organizations and companies. In a recent interview with Start Your Business Magazine, he reveals much — including these pearls of wisdom from his life as a phenomenally successful media maven.

. (How would you describe your role within PR?) Promotion and protection! The media is a minefield; it can make or break careers and reputations…. My role is to create the best possible image for a client, whether they are a bank or a pop star. This means promoting them, but at the same time you need to protect them from the media….

. Damage limitation is an ever increasingly important part of PR – if something negative appears in a newspaper, it can ultimately ruin a career or ruin a business. Because of this, I would say that the best form of damage limitation is anticipation….

. The very nature of PR necessitates a very close working relationship with the people you represent. In other words, I can only do as good a job as you let me – if I don’t know about something, then I can’t do anything about it. If you’re open and honest then I can help you….

. (Do you think there is any truth in the saying ‘there is no such thing as bad publicity’?) No, that is definitely not true. People have had their lives and careers destroyed by bad publicity….

. My job is forever changing – it is always interesting, stimulating and challenging, and no two days are the same. With all of my different clients and the different situations, it’s like playing a dozen games of chess all at once. To me, the public relations industry is an ever changing adventure and I hope this adventure lasts as long as possible, as it certainly beats working for a living.

For more from Mr. Clifford, check out his recent book from Virgin Books: Max Clifford: Read All About It.

Roger D’s tips for superior public and media relations: Getting started…

As a public relations (PR) professional, I see a lot of edgy cross-chatter about my field in the blogosphere, and while I don’t feel it’s worthwhile to get into any of the e-debates, occasionally, something will get under my skin. That happened a few weeks ago when Rohit Bhargava wrote a piece on his Influential Interactive Marketing blog with the subject line of “The Future of PR Means Dumping The Inferiority Complex.” Rohit backed-up his antagonizing claim by writing that PR is rising in importance at least in part because “…it is about more powerfully articulating where a client needs to go and becoming the partner that gets them there.” Next week, I will be off on vacation with my family, giving thanks for a sensational 2007; due in part to this virtual jab from Rohit, the process of gathering my thoughts for this post has led me to realize that my knowledge, expertise and talents in the field of public and media relations definitely are worth shouting about. I regularly hear from both established and emerging entrepreneurs seeking my counsel in promoting their businesses, I have the respect of the unique businesspeople who retain me to support and strategically promote their endeavors — as well as many influential journalists, media executives and pundits — and I count among my close friends other PR professionals whom I consider to be America’s best. At the same time, even if there is abundant evidence for well-crafted PR campaigns contributing significantly to the success of many businesses (among them, my clients), PR is an area of business that is not generally well understood. New seminars, workshops and books are offered constantly to try to enlighten people on its tenets and practices, and with the number of creative industry professionals who contact me expressing interest, articles like the recently published “The Art of PR” from Digital Arts are obviously very important. With this as my paradigm, I have compiled a practical list of tips for companies seeking to enlist the best that PR has to offer. It’s the basis I use for dialogues with those I work with, and my hope is that it will help you better understand what PR professionals do and put you in the best position to maximize your relationships with us.

Step 1. Among your colleagues responsible for company management, sales and marketing, determine what your marketing objectives are for your company. If possible, complete a Marketing Plan covering the immediate future through the end of the year to come.
Step 2. Part of a sound marketing plan is a competitive analysis. Be sure to investigate the marketing tactics of your main competitors and determine what is worth emulating and what should be avoided.
Step 3. Among your colleagues or based upon your research, identify possible PR partners. Remember that success is often only possible when teams work together and communicate effectively, so look for partners where affinities like positive past working experiences exist.
Step 4. Bear in mind that the quality of PR partner you will have access to will have much to do with your commitment to a PR campaign, including the budget, time and other resources you are willing to allocate for it.
Step 5. Provide your marketing plan — or at least your main objectives for what you’re seeking to accomplish, a short list of your competitors and some “Dos” and “Don’ts” in terms of your marketing ideas and preferences — to your potential PR partner.
Step 6. Your potential PR partner will provide you with a proposal, most likely offering a menu of choices for ways they can support your business and giving a strong feeling for how they will communicate on your behalf if hired.
Step 7. Know that most PR professionals will provide you with a contract laying out terms of the working relationship.
Step 8. Once in business together, ensure that your management team and your designated liaison(s) work closely with your PR partner to strategize and develop a specific action plan for what’s to come.
Step 9. In setting objectives and beginning to pursue them, consider that solid PR campaigns are built upon effective positioning for a company, and make the creation of that language and the preparation of targeted contact lists for campaign activities your first priorities.
Step 10. As your campaign gets up-to-speed, the dialogue between PR partner and liaison should include discussing results and using them to steer future activities.