The one thing every PR/Markeitng Plan must have

Never has it been easier to create a whiz-bang public relations plan. There are more tools available than ever before. Start with media placements, events, newsletters, brochures, and sales sheets. Then juice it with social media. Link it, hash tag it, post it, make it tweet and tumble. Do these things and your company will see more profits, and be more highly regarded.

Right?

Maybe not.

The critical element in all of this is measurement. Was it the whiz, or the bang that made customers react to your efforts? How does someone know if all the moving parts had an impact? Which caused the biggest reaction? What should you keep doing? What needs to be scrapped, or changed? The hype comes easily, the value is harder to define. 

All of these things are great, but the most critical element is measurement. This can be click through rates on your email blasts, amount of media coverage, increased phone calls, unique URLs created placed in your brochures, and much more. If your campaign is generating likes, follows, phone calls and more – congratulations! But, if all that noise isn’t supporting your long term goals, or increasing your profits – it is time to re-evaluate.

The business development process that works

My face was flush as my feet dangled high in the air. I was five years old, gripping the cold metal handle of a seesaw, and staring down at my older sister. I shouted at her to let me down. She complied by standing up abruptly. My seat slammed down to earth, smacking my backside and bruising my tender ego.  

Today, as a business owner, I have a new position on a teeter totter that has nothing to do with child’s play. Each day work productivity faces off against business development. Devoting time to billing hours is easy to justify, and so is shirking a networking event or putting off a blog post for one more week. But I have to manage my own business development as I would a client’s, or I would have no business – or credibility. I created the following framework to avoid the whack of financial stress brought on by an immediate, unexpected shift in my work load.

Sales sheet – I use a simple Excel spreadsheet to track the contacts I make each day. It includes the name, date and method of contact I used for each individual. My goal is to contact five people every business day.

Blog – writing posts requires the most time and creativity. 

Newsletter – my electronic newsletter goes out monthly (usually). I share case studies and demonstrate my abilities.

Social media – I’ve taken a different approach to Facebook and Twitter. Rather than have hundreds of followers, I’m interested in an engaged audience group. This keeps the process manageable for me, and gives me quality over quantity.

Networking – I target different groups each month.

Volunteering –  I volunteer because I enjoy making a difference. Meeting new people and creating new relationships is a side benefit.

Nothing listed above is revolutionary, but the routine creates a sense of balance and keeps my business from slamming into the ground. 

What Makes You An Expert?

Having your expertise on word usage challenged by someone who is illiterate is an interesting experience. My five year old gets all of his information on this topic from a girl who comes up to my pockets. “Libby says 'yea' is not a word,” he informed me with confidence on a car ride home from school. I explained 'yea' was informal speech – OK to use with friends, but not with grownups.

Who was I to question Libby, he wanted to know. She has continually espoused her knowledge to her classmates since the beginning of the school year.

“A trick is a lie!”

“Booty is a bad word!”

“I saw Hailey’s brother naked!” (She's also an expert in anatomy.)

My son doesn’t care that Libby can only read about as many words as he, which as of this posting is still in the single digits, or that her best literary references come from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. In his mind, she is an expert.

What makes you, or me, or anyone an expert on anything? Education? Experience?  Money?  An appearance on Oprah? The ability to shout louder than all the other kids in Mrs. Dawson’s Pre-K class?

A fellow business owner told me how a potential client dashed her hopes of landing a new account with a single interview question - “Where did you get your MBA?” She was deflated. Her 25 years experience, her work on national campaigns, and her bulging portfolio became irrelevant with six words. His definition of a marketing expert included an advanced degree.

I was described as an expert once. I experienced palpitations as a result of the utterance. A man emceeing a professional organization’s monthly meeting introduced me, the scheduled speaker, as an expert on social media. My eyes widened as I looked into the faces of dozens of my peers. The word traveled through my ears snaked through my body, encircled my heart and squeezed. Had he not seen the bio I sent? Did he not hear me prior to his announcement when I said I preferred to be described as an independent PR practitioner who has done research on viral videos? I decided he was not an expert on introductions.

Dictionary.com lists the definition of an expert as: a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field; specialist; authority.

I have knowledge of food preparation and certain amount of cooking skill, but an expert in the kitchen? Julia Child I am not.

The definition doesn't concern me as much as the connotation. To be all-knowing. Wise beyond all others in your field. The ability to pass a pop-quiz at any time. Unflappable. Right. Always.

When I pitch clients to the media, I feel confident their expertise would bring value to the ten o'clock news because I rely on facts. A dermatologist with 30 plus years experience who has treated thousands of patients is an expert on skin. A consultant who saves his clients, on average, $30,000 on college expenses is an expert on tuition planning. Of these things I'm sure.

Expertise can be less tangible than statistics, and is a bit like beauty – in the eye of the beholder. If you were referred to me by someone I know, or have created a body of work that I appreciate, you are an expert. I make that decision based on what is important to me - the letters after your name, the work you've created, our shared acquaintances.

Someday I’ll tell Ethan my personal definition - someone who has made all the mistakes in a particular field. This less formal description is much easier to live up to, but probably wouldn’t meet Libby’s standards. Defining the word this way releases the pressure, and let's people know you've worked hard, you learned some things, and are willing to help others even at the risk of being scrutinized.

Why These Three Words Are Bad for Business

You've probably heard the opposite of love is not hate, its indifference. I'm certain most of us aren't intending to communicate that level of emotion when we let the words, "I don't care," dribble out of our mouths. However, there is an unintended consequence to this three word phrase, and it is doing more harm to your business than you think.

Telling your co-workers you don't care where you go for lunch is a minor offense, but you might end up eating the same sandwhich you had the day before. (Yes, that actually happened to me. What's worse is the waitress actually outed me in front of everyone.)

However, when a team member asks you which design you like for your company's new brochure and your response is, "I don't care. They're both good." You might think you're being positive, but what you're really telling them is the subject isn't important enough to formulate an opinion. Even though both designs might be solid, you missed an opportunity to help that person and demonstrate your value. Chances are you won't get this person's best work on your next project.

Sometimes its just easier to say, "I don't care". We don't have to make a decision or think about what's being asked. Additionally, we don't have to worry about what others think about our opinions if we don't share them. I was especially guilty of this when I was younger.

Don't harbor concerns about what everyone thinks about your opinions. If they don't appreciate your candor, they'll stop asking for your thoughts.

My plan to conquering my occasional colloquial crutch involves asking questions. Here's what I've come up with so far:

-What's your preference?

-What is the goal?

-Are there any specific pros or cons you can share with me?

-Why is this important to you?

-Can you tell me why this decision poses a challenge?

Don't miss the opportunity to take your first step in overcoming indifference. Share your thoughts in the comments section below on how we can all do a better job of editing out those three trouble making words.

Two Emails that Did Great Things for Businesses

I saw this blog post, written by author and entrepreneur Tim Ferriss, and had to share. This is a great example of how humor, ingenuity and a whole lot of sarcasm can catapult your business. His post reminded me of a blog post I wrote not too long ago regarding a successful email I developed on behalf of a client. The email filled up a 90 seat workshop in 90 seconds - no joke. 

The funniest email I ever read came from a physician about five years ago. I was working at a large health system, and the corporate culture was stoic - as you might hope for if you were a patient. Emails were regulated, for necessary privacy and technical reasons, by multiple departments. Rarely did I ever open an email that included anything other than necessary information sent in buttoned-up corporate speak. So, I nearly fell out of my chair when I received this snarky three sentence out of office reply message:
"Been working too much, and had to get the hell out of dodge. I'll be back next week. Vaya con dios."

It was so unexpected that I laughed out loud and sent it to two co-workers. Who were both equally surprised. Furthermore, I read it nearly five years ago and I still remember it. I can't even remember half the emails I opened yesterday!

Not all emails will become viral sensations, but here's some tips on how to make your company's emails just a wee bit more memorable:

-When appropriate, be funny, sarcastic, unexpected, etc. This is how you get remembered.

-Be authentic - I once sent a request through a company's online help form. After filling in all the blanks outlining my question, I got an email back that said - "Hey, thanks for your note. We'll get back to you in 24 hours. Please remember, we handle the nicest requests first." -Loved the gentle reminder that there are actually humans on the receiving end of the email.

-Know your audience and write like they talk.

-If you are uncertain if your email will generate the intended response - test it.

-Keep your focus and remember your intended response? Want to make people smile, get them to sign up for a workshop - don't wander off the trail.

-Keep it simple. Personally, my favorite email of all time is only three sentences long. Maybe some day it will only be two.