News & Opinion

By Roxanne Leone, Director Marketing and Communications  According to the Global Web Index, digital consumers spend an average of two hours and 24 minutes per day on social media networks and messaging applications globally.   As companies and brands strive to increase eyeballs on these various platforms, there is also a growing need to become more human. That is, finding a better way to connect with prospects, customers, and partners to build strong and authentic two-way communication. A good way to do that is by building relationships and trust on social media platforms including LinkedIn and Facebook. 1- Understand Your Target Audience Your social media strategy starts with understanding your audience. What are their wants and needs, how do they wish to interact with you, and how to satisfy their needs in line with the goals of your business? In addition, your strategy should include clear content KPIs. According to Inc., the 80/20 Rule works for some companies but not all. Meaning, an average of 80% of content should inform, educate, and entertain to serve audiences effectively leaving 20% for straight promotion. 2- Track and monitor what you are doing, what is happening in your industry and what has the most traction Many marketers struggle with social listening and monitoring. To put the challenge in perspective, take time to listen and learn from others in your industry including media and competitors. Choose one or two of your competitors and follow their social channels for a week. React to a handful of posts whether it is a comment, retweet, share, or other. See if they respond and how it made you feel. Now, go back and review the type of content you reacted to. Was it a video, image, link to learn more, or something else?   Learn from your own personal experience and begin documenting what your own audience relates to. Be more conversational with the comments you receive. It will help you better manage your reputation, uncover new business opportunities, and help you find more qualified leads. 3- Build a content calendar and make sure it is full of variety Sure, social media continues to be a valuable platform to stay up to date with current news, but the fastest growing segment is driven by the evolution of social platforms as an entertainment hub. Consumers and B2B buyers crave funny and entertaining content - all audiences are human! So, be sure to include bits of fun, humor and pathos into your content. As you plan out your content calendar, make sure it is consistent with your brand and fits with your website and company blog. Remember, content should inform, entertain, or connect people together. For guidance on how to conduct a content audit, review this blog from HubSpot, How to Run A Content Audit in 2020. 4- Employ video content to increase engagement Marketers and public relation professionals want to maximize awareness and promotion on social platforms and get the most from their investment. According to Social Media Today, 54% of consumers want to see more video content from the organizations they support. There is clearly never enough video! Review your budget and ensure you have allocated adequate funds to develop new videos and repurpose videos you already have in your content library.   From a day-to-day standpoint, assign a team member to respond to comments in a timely manner. When posting remember to ask for reviews or comments on your product or service. Ask pertinent questions and of course, respond to user questions. As part of your overall social media strategy, plan ahead for surveys or polls, share informational or entertaining videos, tag guests, reference other’s content that is educational and purposeful and naturally, show some personality in order to keep the dialogue going. 5- Do not be afraid to engage in 1-to-1 relationships Social media is about human connections. Adjust your mindset not to market to the masses and the opportunities are endless. To do so successfully, you need to consider various forms of content that will resonate with your audience.   From a day-to-day standpoint, assign a team member to respond to comments in a timely manner. When posting remember to ask for reviews or comments on your product or service. Ask pertinent questions and of course, respond to user questions. As part of your overall social media strategy, plan ahead for surveys or polls, share informational or entertaining videos, tag guests, reference other’s content that is educational and purposeful and naturally, show some personality in order to keep the dialogue going. 6- Measuring Success How to demonstrate success is top of mind for every social media manager. This Forbes article, Social Media: Measuring The ROI, reminds us to take a benchmark of where you are starting, so you can better determine where you want to go. Review website analytics, SEO rankings, acquisition costs, number of followers, customer satisfaction scores and more! Before firming up your social media strategy and setting your KPI’s, ensure that you understand what metrics you are currently tracking. Metrics used to prove ROI include reach, audience engagement, site traffic, leads, sign-ups and conversions, retention, and revenue. To dive deeper into how to show social media ROI, visit the Hootsuite blog. 7- Good social media can be a great crisis management tool When reviewing your social media strategy, it is good practice to take a glance at your existing crisis communications plan. The better you understand how you are sharing key messages and what are the best methods to communicate the more prepared you’ll be if a real crisis hits. Social media can help manage your crisis or amplify and spread false information like wildfire. For guidance on pulling together a crisis communications plan and ensure all bases are covered, read our blog, “Crisis Management: Every PR and Marketing Professional is a “Crisis Communicator”.   Social media marketing is so much more than a mass marketing tool. When you take the time to build upon conversations and connect with your clients, prospects and others your business will see tangible results and real benefits. Like all other aspect of PR and marketing, social media is changing all the time. It is imperative that you stay abreast of emerging tools, trends and apps and adjust your processes accordingly. Continuing to build two-way conversations can help you strengthen and expand relationships, trust and community.

  NEVER give up — that’s the adage that has come to be my life motto. Just to put this into perspective, I’ll tell you about a time where I felt the most down but chose to persevere.   A “friend of a friend” was in desperate need of finding a new home for her cat. The catch was that the cat was healing from a recent injury with fresh stitches. But, when she brought the cat over, it was clear that this was far from the truth. His wound was infected with unraveling stitches, exposing his muscle. I had never seen anything like it before, so naturally I asked a myriad of questions.   After feeding me an obvious heap of lies, I ultimately found out that her roommate had a raging anger management disorder, and one day, annoyed by the cat as he endlessly meowed to be let outside, nearly sliced its tail off.   I knew I had to save this cat and agreed to take him in with his fresh stitches, cone around his neck, daily antibiotic regimen, and all. Mr. Whiskers became Maynard and together we persevered as he regained his health and my love.   That’s why on the dreaded day that he went missing, I knew I would NEVER give up on trying to find him. Especially after everything that he and I had been through.   Every day began by waking up early and walking around my neighborhood endlessly shaking his bag of cat treats while calling out his name. I did this religiously for a few weeks then realized I needed to cover more ground in my search efforts.   I hopped into my car every morning before work then right after, covering nearly every nook and cranny that I could. At this point friends and family were telling me to give up, but I knew that was not an option.   That’s when I created an account on a neighborhood hub app that allowed me to connect with my neighbors. Trouble is that a cat can be in one spot one second then someplace else the next. So, I decided to go “old school” and started hanging laminated posters throughout my neighborhood and surrounding areas.   Then, at the six-month mark of my search efforts, I received a phone call from a nearly 90-year-old man who had seen my poster and was positive that my cat popped around his place every morning to steal his cat’s food.   That following morning, we staked out his backyard as he put a can of cat food on the ledge of his brick wall, saying — “sometimes, we just have to wait it out.”   So, we did just that as we sat down with our cups of coffee while his curious cat roamed around us. Without realizing it, in the midst of my long search for my cat, I made a new friend.   I learned about his days in the U.S. Army while serving during WWII; his move to California with his beloved and now deceased wife; how wonderful his children and grandchildren are; and just life in general.   Then, mid-conversation, my long-lost cat appeared. I couldn’t believe my eyes. When he asked if that was him, I held back tears, replying — “Yes!” He could feel my sense of relief and we were both equally elated.   As my wise new friend had said — “sometimes, we just have to wait it out.” And, man, oh, man, how glad I was that I had done so!   Anytime I find myself feeling down, I remind myself that by staying patient, resilient, and NEVER giving up, I was rewarded with not just my cat back in my life but a new friendship too.

By Bob Gold, Principal   Bob Gold & Associates got lucky. Seven years ago we hired a guy who has simply become indispensable to our business. Chris Huppertz is not just VP Communications at our agency but, someone that clients and staff respect. Here is “Words to Lift By” a poem for Chris Huppertz. https://youtu.be/o3sEXQFmLGc?list=PLWRdnZxbRzbAbLRbxsScSSUFJsZBjKNzj For more information regarding our incredible team, please click here. Explore our service offering in public relations, content creation, and digital marketing strategy or contact us for a discussion around your specific communication needs.

By Bob Gold, Principal   In trying times, I believe the associate who shows up and gives more than expected becomes indispensable and essential to the business and his team. Those that don't go the extra mile and limit their contribution to set hours may not have the right attitude. At the end of the day, we are all in this together, managers, investors, owners, clients, customers and employees. That's why I have to take a moment to praise a very special person on my team, Andrews Laszacs, who is not only a responsible and stand up guy at Bob Gold & Associates but throughout the community. These Words to Lift By are for you Andrew. Here is “Words to Lift By” a poem for Andrew Laszacs.   https://youtu.be/wEPY5Ku6FuE?list=PLWRdnZxbRzbAbLRbxsScSSUFJsZBjKNzj For more information regarding our incredible team, please click here. Explore our service offering in public relations, content creation, and digital marketing strategy or contact us for a discussion around your specific communication needs.

By Bob Gold, Principal   Leadership. Our country needs a few good men and women to take us forward. The good news. We have many leaders who are thoughtful and bring hope to their staff and those they do business with. A special shoutout to Ray Nutt who leads Fathom Events through one of the cinema's most challenging times. Here is “Words to Lift By” a poem for Ray Nutt.   https://youtu.be/eowF7-FJxaM?list=PLWRdnZxbRzbAbLRbxsScSSUFJsZBjKNzj For more information regarding our service offering in reputation management, special events & trade shows, and thought leadership please contact us.

By Bob Gold, Principal   Zenita Henderson is simply the smartest, most caring, and loving person in any room. She leads from a place of compassion and sensitivity. The SCTE•ISBE/Tuck Executive Leadership Institute Alumni and Cable TV Industry are better because of her own brand of connectivity. Here is “Words to Lift By” a poem for Zenita Henderson.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN3ntTBtqd0 For more information regarding our service offering in reputation management, special events & trade shows, and owned and paid media please contact us.

By Beth Braen, Director Client Services    We are in the biggest crisis most of us – maybe all of us – have experienced in our lifetimes, COVID19, never mind in our professional lives. My advice – do not panic! This is the time to take a breath, review your crisis communications plan and prepare for what is still to come. Whether we like it or not, every one of us is tasked with responding to the ongoing crisis, and how you respond can make the difference between bankroll and bankruptcy. Whether you are on the board of a nonprofit, the marketing manager of a small business or the corporate communications exec at a large corporation, it is not too late to review what you’re already doing and make changes if needed.    So here are my tips which have helped me whether I’m supporting one of our clients in their crisis communications or in my volunteer work on a synagogue board as we’ve developed an approach for keeping our members in the know during a very fluid time. I hope you’ll find they are easily customizable to your situation. In my experience, organizations that take a proactive approach in crisis management and business continuity can often avoid the harmful impact that missteps, layoffs and furloughs, financial restructuring or difficult shifts in business can have on their reputation, financial performance and employee morale.  Staying at the Ready  Good executive leadership and effective decision making are crucial in managing a crisis. Continually reviewing the protocols you have in place is far better than scrambling and becoming reactive. Here are the necessary steps I recommend for a successful crisis communications strategy. If you have not adopted these, now is the time.   Leadership team - be sure the chain of command and communication is clear. A primary crisis team should already be in place and prepared to give strong internal direction and reflect a consensus across the entire executive management front. In fact, no communication should be released before it is approved including social media messages, news releases, interviews, or company blog posts at any level of the organization. A secondary team should also be in place representing each key department and tasked with delivering a targeted response or outreach—especially those on the front line such as sales and customer service. The team should operate from one “command center” in order to ensure immediacy even when based around the globe and in different departments.  Team contacts -- all primary and secondary crisis communications teams’ contact information should be integrated into one list featuring mobile phone numbers, email addresses, approved text messaging apps and usernames – along with directions on how to get through quickly. Many organizations assign a code word.   Timeline – the crisis communications leadership must work together to craft a plan for short-, mid- and long-term steps to ensure consistency of story.   Necessary Steps   Gather the facts – understand the facts behind the crisis and put these in writing as potential message points. Collect all available information, both internally and externally. Review constantly.  Convene the crisis communication team - core team members should be meeting regularly by video conference call and deciding courses of action Since this must be done swiftly and often, the core members should take the lead, and then bring in the rest of the team if additional stressors warrant such action. Be sure to prioritize what is in fact a crisis and assess the potential impact. For example, will the issue hurt your profitability? Will it affect company operations and workflow? Will your reputation be damaged? Were employees, partners or customers harmed?  Managing communication of key messages  Talk with the board & stakeholders - this may have already been done, but the entire board and each of the stakeholder partners needs to be contacted by the CEO immediately. Each call should be one-on-one and ensure the stability of the company and management team. Determine and stick to a plan of regularly scheduled and personal updates throughout the duration of the crisis.  Decide to be the hero, not victim or villain - if you are complete in your briefing, ensure that you are being, now and always, entirely authentic and committed to doing the right thing to avoid being perceived as anything but a hero. Be clear and paint a realistic picture of the swirling challenges and your fresh approach.  Review key messages: Solidify high level messages to be delivered repeatedly and clearly and ideally by one key spokesperson.  Methods of communication  Control the message - stick to the facts and to main messages, thus controlling what information is disseminated. This information should be completely factual and forthcoming.   Utilize your social media monitoring - ensure your searches are ready to go and add in any keywords that pertain to the crisis  Respond to media and others - while the media will shape public opinion about how you are responding to the crisis, others may fuel the flames of controversy and need to be personally addressed too. Therefore, it is important to respond to all requests, be sensitive to deadlines and provide all reporters with the same information—in most cases avoid exclusive stories.  Preparation and delivery of key communications  Prepare and distribute necessary news releases, schedule posts on social media and prepare other documents for a press conference. Ensure the spokesperson is briefed and has a clear voice throughout all deliverables. Check for spikes in media coverage and respond when and where appropriate. This includes monitoring your social activity and participating in the conversation.  Reassess the situation and perform a postmortem  Throughout the process, it is helpful to conduct regular debriefings to document what you have learned, who you spoke with and ensure you are being thorough. You will learn where you handled the crisis effectively and where there is room for improvement.     For tips on how to stay relevant with your marketing and public relation initiatives during a crisis such as a pandemic, read our blog, PR and Marketing During Coronavirus: How to Stay Relevant During a Crisis. 

Getting Ready for Furloughs, Financial Restructuring or Bankruptcy Requires Crisis Communications Pros According to the American Bankruptcy Institute, over 1,700 commercial businesses filed for Chapter 11 nationwide in just the past three months.   Business leaders across the nation are navigating unimaginable challenges. As businesses experience “shelter-in-place,” we all contemplate what comes next.   And just as importantly, how can we explain the pains we are undergoing during this time? Survival today may not mean growth. It may just be liquidity.   Staying liquid to wait out this economic storm requires an expertise that may not be in-house. Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring For many companies, staying solvent requires restructuring. This can take place as easily as creating a new financial plan for right now – cutting expenses, reducing payroll, not paying rent.   But for many, a more formalized stating of a new business plan is needed. One that a court and creditors can accept.   Seeking counsel is the most important way to showcase your leadership. Set the agenda and ask for help. From employees, but also by seeking counsel from lawyers, financial advisors, and communications experts to determine possible options to lessen a company’s financial burden and provide some level of continuance. Crisis Support Whether you and your legal team are steering a firm in the direction of downsizing, restructuring or chapter 11, or worse, Chapter 7 for total liquidation, it is critical to consider partnering with a public relations firm that is expert in handling bankruptcy communications to help maintain the integrity of your brand and reputation.   This form of crisis communications planning and execution is necessary to keep investors, customers, employees, partners and media informed and engaged with your business.   A good bankruptcy communications plan will include developing a collaborative working relationship with the bankruptcy lawyers along with well-crafted key messages for spokespeople and media training executives and employees to communicate with confidence while sharing unfavorable news in order to position the organization for recovery and success.   At Bob Gold & Associates every plan is customized for you and your company. Once the plan is in place (and sometimes simultaneously) we execute a key message strategy to help you maintain and build quality relationships with all stakeholders through a variety of tactics -- from news releases, internal and external communications, investor relations, social media and much more.   Work with those who have walked these mean streets before. We have worked with numerous clients and emerged with very positive outcomes against innumerous obstacles. And in every case – the humanity of the leadership, the caring of the customer and the value of the employee is always communicated.

By Roxanne Leone, Director Marketing and Communications There are now more than 141,000 cases of the coronavirus across the United States and every business has to do their part to help flatten the curve.     In this difficult time of uncertainty, its critical that you explore new ways of doing business and step up your marketing and PR game to meet customer needs. Even during a pandemic, the phrase still rings true - out of sight is out of mind.    How can your businesses stay relevant?   Expand resources on your website: in addition to Zoom making video conferencing free for K-12 schools in the US, they also expanded their resource section of their website with live demos, webinars, videos and blogs—something many of us can deliver on while working remote.  Offer free or discounted services/products: Headspace launched complimentary meditations titled Weathering the storm and free access to Headspace Plus for all US healthcare professionals working in public health setting. Review your current and upcoming promotions and see where it makes sense to adjust your timelines to meet today’s needs.  Convert F2F events to digital experiences: if you cancelled or postponed an event provide a channel for exhibitors to share product info and demos, announcements, and deliver educational content to people while virtual.  Introduce a new podcast or podcast series: Interactive TV Today is producing a new series of live and on-demand video and audio podcasts that will explore how the advanced/interactive TV industry is responding to the COVID-19 epidemic. This is a great time to invest in podcast production which is more affordable than you might think. Read the Sweet Fish Media blog for support on how to start your own podcast for your B2B brand.  Step up your social media game: create webinars from existing content marketing materials and invest time in producing regular video’s so your audiences remain educated and engaged. Shareable content is in demand and storytelling will help others understand how you can help solve their challenges.  As an organization doing business in the U.S., continue placing emphasis on the safety of your employees, customers and partners and keep all of them educated and informed. If you haven’t flushed out your organizations key messaging for your various audiences, please check out some crisis management tips here.    Also, keep in mind that in these troubling times it’s not just about your organization. Volunteerism is at an all-time low. For example, Feed America secures and distributes 4.3 billion meals each year through food pantries and meal programs throughout the U.S. Use the search feature on their website to find your local food bank. If feasible, gather your team to support the community.