News & Opinion

By Melissa Agnes, Crisis and Issues Management Everything about good crisis management is long-term. From the focus of planning and strategy development straight through to the results. It always needs to be about preserving your organization’s reputation and bottom line for the long-term. Unfortunately, too often organizations faced with a crisis think in the short-term. This mistake is so easily made when you find yourself under-prepared and in the heat of the moment. It’s too easy to get caught up, let emotion sink in and put crisis management strategies in-place that only provide or focus on short-term results. A bandaid of sorts, rather than a real, long-term fix. So how do you prevent yourself and your team from making this unrecoverable mistake? The answer is one that I’m sure you already know: By being prepared in advance with a crisis management plan and adequate training; and By partnering with a third-party crisis management firm that has experience and is able to stay objective – with your organization’s long-term success as their only focus. As we see time and time again, being prepared has so many advantages – and your organization’s long-term success is the most important of them. You wouldn’t want to find your organization in an unsalvageable situation resembling that of… let’s see… MMA Railway, Mayor Rob Ford, Carnival Cruise, Susan G. Komen and the list goes on and on. These were once powerful organizations that are now struggling to keep their head and once-good name above water. Why? Because they failed to think, plan and manage their crises with long-term success as their goal. Don’t let your organization fall victim to short-sightedness or under-preparedness. You’re better than that.

By Mickie Kennedy, PR Daily You wake up in the morning and check your phone—uh-oh, from the million-and-one messages, there must be trouble. Undoubtedly something scandalous was done or said last night while you were asleep. Is it worth even going into the office today to fix it, or should you just shut down the business and flee to Bolivia? No need to panic. These days, there are actually only a few PR scenarios that should elicit such a dire response. As long as you’ve conducted good public relations up to this point, the following “nightmares” really are just that: a scary dream you can wake up from. Someone said something ridiculous  This one happens all the time: A CEO or other representative of a brand or company goes on a TV show (see Lululemon) or is caught out at dinner and says something horrific. That person’s remarks cause a chain reaction of social media outrage, news reports, and calls to dismantle the company. The thing about these disasters is they are easily forgotten if you follow the proper steps. If the employee or representative said something along the lines of “Hitler was right,” it’s probably best to just let that person go and apologize to the world. If it’s something less heinous than that or was simply taken out of context, make sure to apologize, but also explain what the situation was. Though some may not believe you or might not be assuaged, this simple act will go a long way in placating most of the angry people. Product broke or hurt someone  This one is all about having a solid business plan. Remember the poisoned Tylenol crisis back in the ’80s? If handled improperly, it could’ve been a PR nightmare for Johnson & Johnson. However, instead of risking anything, it pulled its entire stock—31 million bottles—and introduced the safety seals you see today. Tylenol didn’t vanish. Things happen, and people understand this. The only thing they won’t deem acceptable is if they feel that you’re being irresponsible. Not pulling their entire stock could have seemed irresponsible to Tylenol consumers and the public at large, so J&J did the right thing. As long as you’re sincerely trying to fix the problem and you apologize profusely (and do your best to make it up to any injured parties), you should be fine. Just make sure you take all the accusations seriously. Mix-up between social media accounts  You’re looking at your Twitter feed when suddenly one of your favorite brands, Super Serious National Bank, tweets out “time to get wasted breh!” You experience a period of cognitive dissonance during which you try to justify why a bank would be talking about getting wasted. Eventually you realize it was just a huge error on the operator’s end. This happens occasionally; on rare occasions, something truly awful is said. For example, if the above tweet had been sent by the Betty Ford Clinic, that would not be a good day for that social media operator. Something similar happened to the Red Cross a few years back. The PR pro who ran its Twitter feed accidentally tweeted about their evening out and what kind of beer they were drinking. Luckily the PR manager apologized and made light of the situation, so there was no harm. It actually led to more blood donations and an endorsement from the beer mentioned in the tweet. Honestly, just keeping your head is a big part of saving a situation from becoming a nightmare. Having a plan in place also helps. What’s the biggest PR nightmare you’ve overcome, and how did you do it? Please let us know in the comments.

Sprint thanks Los Angeles with a Turkey Giveaway and buyback credit to support Phone Recycling Program WHO:      Anyone with an old phone can participate in this recycling event WHAT:    In recognition of America Recycles Day and in celebration of Sprint’s continuing 3G and 4G LTE network upgrades in the Los Angeles area, Sprint will be hosting a phone recycling event at its Panorama City Sprint store.  The first 50 individuals who recycle a phone will receive a gift card – redeemable at a local grocery store – for a free turkey! (Note: up to $20 value). Sprint will offer a minimum of $20 (one day only) and up to $300 instant savings with any phone traded-in (up to five phones can be traded-in in a calendar year), in any condition, from any carrier as part of the Sprint Buyback program. WHEN:     America Recycles Day, Friday, Nov. 15 (Noon to 3 p.m.) WHERE:   Sprint Store 8500 Van Nuys Blvd Panorama City, CA WHY: As Sprint builds its all-new 3G and 4G LTE network, Sprint would like to show its appreciation to Los Angeles.  In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Sprint is offering a gift card for a free turkey to anyone who brings in an old phone to recycle on Nov. 15, America Recycles Day. Sprint’s recycling program has helped avoid millions of wireless devices from entering the waste stream and collected more than 40 million devices to date. More than 90 percent of the devices collected are reused. Any equipment not reused is recycled. Reuse and recycling helps to conserve resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent air and water pollution.

by Melissa Agnes What is the difference between an issue and a crisis; how do each apply to your organization; and if/when faced with either one, does your frontline know how to react, how to respond and/or how to escalate the situation internally? Where do each of your different stakeholder groups “hangout” online, and are you prepared to leverage those channels and platforms as needed in a crisis? Are you, your frontline and/or your crisis team able and empowered to respond to a negative issue or a crisis within 15 minutes from it developing an online presence? Does your team understand how to utilize the search engines to help amplify and enhance your organization’s crisis management? Have you incorporated social media, the search engines and your organization’s online reputation management into your corporate crisis management plan? If you’ve answered “no” or “I’m not sure” to any of the above questions, you’re not alone. However, just because you aren’t alone doesn’t mean that you aren’t uniquely at risk. Although there are so many more questions that I could’ve added to this list, my mission is not to scare you but rather to help inspire some thought and, hopefully, some action. Risks that threaten the good name of your organization are lingering around every corner The goal is not to fear these risks but to identify them, assess them and then be ready for them. By answering the above 5 questions you should have a good idea of whether or not your organization and your teams are ready. I hope that they are. However, if they’re not, they can be. All it takes is the decision to do something about it.

By Matt Braun I’ll admit it, I like fast food. Have since I was a kid. When I was a single, young professional, it seemed a lot more convenient to swing by a drive-thru to get a burger or taco than go home, cook, clean, etc. It’s a habit I have kept for some time and have slowly worked to wean away from—both from a sophistication standpoint of simply enjoying better foods with better company and also a health standpoint. (In case you didn’t know, not the best food in the world comes through a window.) I’ve come to appreciate the journey toward healthful eating and what goes into good food. Publicity solutions that communication experts provide to clients are like fast food. Have something to announce? Write a press release. Have something that really isn’t newsworthy but you have to meet your quota to make your client happy? Write a press release. When you write a press release, make sure you put it out on the wire and pitch every reporter you know, because it’s news, right? Unfortunately, this is a mindset I see way too often in the world of communications. Whether it’s because we are afraid to push back on client demands (internal or external), are lazy, or just don’t know any better, we settle for the old “we need a press release” strategy. I’m here to tell you it’s not good. As professional communicators, our job is to provide counsel to clients—counsel in terms of what topics have news value, what topics are better used on maybe a self-publishing platform, and what topics simply should be kept in the drawer. We should think ourselves as message chefs who know when to sprinkle a bit in this channel, a bit over there, and when to make a full-course meal instead. That’s why our clients should turn to us, and if you have the conversation with clients on this topic, they’ll thank you later. To be an effective communications professional you must understand that what we can provide—multi-channel communication vehicles—can help support real business needs. Need more people to know about your new product? Launch a YouTube-based video series that you also promote via social ads and tie into in-store video that also can be announced via a press release. Clients pay agencies (and even internal employees) good money to think. Don’t settle for a drive-by solution. Instead, carefully think through how a well-orchestrated program can help your client shine. It’s the kind of feast they won’t forget and will keep coming back to you for. Matt Braun is the director of public relations at digital marketing and branding agency Hanson Dodge Creative. 

Change happens to you and because of you by @briansolis I’ve come to learn that having opinions, insights, and standing for something is as taxing as it is rewarding. Like you, I am inspired by what surrounds me, by history and by the possibilities that open up as a result of my experiences. But, it is not easy. And, I suppose it’s not supposed to be. I too feel challenged by what I should say versus what has already been said, yet also shaped by what should not be vocalized. I’ve come to learn however, that the relationship between self expression and inner monologue defines one’s character. It is what’s is said and what is not said that defines impressions and ultimately the perceptions of who we are and for what it is we stand or hope to achieve. Satisfaction or dissatisfaction with oneself is trumped by our ability to learn and teach together. My personal and professional struggles are often tied to emotional rigors that spin me through cycles of vision, validation, vindication, vulnerability and vanity. These 5 V’s either pull me to learn, participate and teach or push me into a  realm of either complacency or uncertainty, both of which result into creative stillness. These 5 V’s however coalesce and produce different results based on the measure we apply to our own actions, reactions and inactions. Impressions are linked to expressions and ultimately they are ours to define. If you’re not provocative in some way, how can you possibly stand out to inspire someone else? This is a time for you to choose what it is you do with the inevitable reactions of encouragement, criticism, or resentment you will receive as you discover, share and grow. Take from each experience and move in a direction where you invest and receive value that inspires you and those around you. This is a time to be your own hero…to both inspire and be inspired. “The impact of your work is the result of the balance you place on reacting to, learning from, and transcending teachers, critics and supporters.” Change happens to you and because of you. It is what perpetually happens next that defines your character and ultimately your legacy. This is your time.  

The One Key Difference Between Massive Success and A Face Plant via @LinkedInToday Following last week’s article on “The 7 Things I Learned When I Got Fired (Again),” I have received a number of questions about what drove the difference between successes and my front-page-of-the-newspaper firings. It wasn’t my work ethic: I’ve worked like a fiend in every job I’ve had (in one year-end review, I was even told to try to hide it a bit). It wasn’t results: my business was the most-ahead-of-budget-I'd-ever-been when Bank of America sent me home. It wasn’t changes in my personality: that was set in stone at about the age of 6, I’m afraid. It was a having a sponsor. This is a topic that Sylvia Hewlett at the Center for Talent Innovation has written about extensively, and for me it rings dead-on true. When I started at Sanford Bernstein, one senior colleague took a real interest in my work: he read my research, corrected it, coached me on presentations, critiqued me afterwards, talked me up to clients, and advocated for me to receive promotions….and was vocal to management when his advice was not taken. But the relationship was not simply one way; after some time, I could also review his research, debate recommendations with him and recommend his work to clients. I know this cut years off of my career trajectory because I could compare myself to (equally hard-working and certainly smarter) colleagues who started at about the same time I did, but were a couple of years behind in their success. Last week, I shared my experience at Bank of America. The CEO who brought me in had committed to act as my “sponsor,” though he didn’t use those exact words. He told me he would stay for two years in his job, during which he would help ensure my smooth transition into the company. But he announced his retirement less than two months later. The difference between when he was at the company and after he left, for me, was palpable. Ok, so how do you get one of these magical sponsors? How do you turn a by-definition-less-involved mentor into a sponsor? As with all relationships, there is no easy answer. One way to start is to ask for feedback ALL THE TIME; the resulting give-and-take can form the first steps to a sponsorship relationship, as the sponsor becomes invested in your success and gains trust in you. For women in particular, proactively asking for feedback is crucial, because research has shown senior men are less willing to give women feedback (and, yes, it’s because they’re nervous we will cry….and, no, I’m not making this up.) Two more pieces of advice: Ideally, you will have sponsors both inside and outside of your existing company. While I didn’t have a sponsor inside of Bank of America, I had a number of them outside of the company. Thus, when I was bounced out, I had people who were there to provide guidance and, very importantly, new business opportunities. It was through one of these contacts that I came to buy 85 Broads, itself a professional woman’s network. (Yes, I felt so strongly about the importance of these types of connections, and their positive impact on one's business success, that I bought a professional woman’s network…..) And the second piece of advice on this is: don’t wait. There are always more urgent things on the to-do list than to spend time on your network or cultivate sponsors. But, as a friend of mine reminded me last week, waiting to work on your network until you need it is a lot like waiting to save for retirement until you’re 65-years-old. A day late and a dollar short.  

How to make publicity important, but not the top priority via @PRDaily I’ll admit it, I like fast food. Have since I was a kid. When I was a single, young professional, it seemed a lot more convenient to swing by a drive-thru to get a burger or taco than go home, cook, clean, etc. It’s a habit I have kept for some time and have slowly worked to wean away from—both from a sophistication standpoint of simply enjoying better foods with better company and also a health standpoint. (In case you didn’t know, not the best food in the world comes through a window.) I’ve come to appreciate the journey toward healthful eating and what goes into good food. Publicity solutions that communication experts provide to clients are like fast food. Have something to announce? Write a press release. Have something that really isn’t newsworthy but you have to meet your quota to make your client happy? Write a press release. When you write a press release, make sure you put it out on the wire and pitch every reporter you know, because it’s news, right? Unfortunately, this is a mindset I see way too often in the world of communications. Whether it’s because we are afraid to push back on client demands (internal or external), are lazy, or just don’t know any better, we settle for the old “we need a press release” strategy. I’m here to tell you it’s not good. As professional communicators, our job is to provide counsel to clients—counsel in terms of what topics have news value, what topics are better used on maybe a self-publishing platform, and what topics simply should be kept in the drawer. We should think ourselves as message chefs who know when to sprinkle a bit in this channel, a bit over there, and when to make a full-course meal instead. That’s why our clients should turn to us, and if you have the conversation with clients on this topic, they’ll thank you later. To be an effective communications professional you must understand that what we can provide—multi-channel communication vehicles—can help support real business needs. Need more people to know about your new product? Launch a YouTube-based video series that you also promote via social ads and tie into in-store video that also can be announced via a press release. Clients pay agencies (and even internal employees) good money to think. Don’t settle for a drive-by solution. Instead, carefully think through how a well-orchestrated program can help your client shine. It’s the kind of feast they won’t forget and will keep coming back to you for.   

7 Tools to Help You Showcase Your Social Media Presence by @KellyeCrane Social media has become an integral tool for independent communication professionals and their clients. Most professionals use more than one platform to reach their audience adding to the challenge of managing and promoting a social presence. Fortunately there are tools to help you present a cohesive social presence and strategically tie together disparate social streams. Some tools provide ways to show these combined conversations on your website or blog, which can increase engagement and time on site. In fact, a Livefyre study showed that 73% of their survey respondents use some form of real-time, social application on their website and of those, 88% increased user engagement with their brand as a result.­­ Below are 7 tools that help you to centralize your social media presence and unify disparate networks into a cohesive social stream. All tools presented are free but some also have premium paid versions.  1. Brand Yourself (Free DIY version) Brand Yourself centralizes your social media links and gives you control over your digital reputation. You submit the links you want and Brand Yourself gives you steps to make those profiles and or links rank higher in Google search results. 2. About.Me (Free) Use About.Me to create a central point of contact for all of your social media profiles. Visitors do not have to sign up to see your About.Me profile making it a perfect tool to promote your social media presence, especially for those who don’t yet have a website or blog. Create an About.Me for brand spokespersons, or key stakeholders. Use the profile in place of multiple icons in email signatures, and marketing collateral. 3. Totally Dot (Free) With Totally Dot you can centralize your social updates. Create a public front page that integrates social updates from Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and more. Totally Dot also allows you to create Pinterest style boards around a specific topic which can be a good tool to add to client campaigns or to showcase multiple products and services. 4. Vizify (Free/ Premium $15 month or $120 annual) Vizify turns your social data into an interactive bio. It integrates data from Twitter, Facebook and your input to create a slick visual bio.  Vizify also creates a Twitter movie from your tweets, top influencers, top tweets and photos. Use for personal branding or for client speakers and/or key executives. 5. Flavors Me (Free / Premium $20/year) Flavors.Me allows you to unite all of your social media into one customizable profile. You get interactive audio and video and full screen photos in a customizable display. Can be used with an existing domain or you can purchase a new one through Flavors. 6. Rebel Mouse (Free / Enterprise must request quote) Rebel Mouse gives you a way to organize all of your social steams into a single social website, which you can showcase on their site or easily embed in a website or blog. We used this tool at the SoloPR Pro Summit in 2014 to organize all of the social mentions of the event into one organized social site. Rebel Mouse recently introduced an Enterprise version that enables brands and publishers to create dynamic digital content hubs and content-driven marketing campaigns. 7. Tint (Basic version is free) Bring all your social feeds together in one social hub that can be integrated onto a website, Facebook page or mobile app. Tint can be used for client contests or to serve up fresh content on a website. These tools can allow you to creatively curate multiple social streams and support client events and campaigns, but just a reminder: you don’t own your presence on social networks, so these tools are not a replacement for an owned/branded web presence, such as a website or blog (Posterous is fairly recent example of what can happen in the wild world of social). That said, if you’re already doing the work to actively participate in social media, you might as well show it off! Are you using any of these tools in your social media strategy? Let us know, and please feel free to share your own links and examples in the comments!