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April 24, 2013

Trade Up!

When some companies engage a PR firm, they have visions of reading about themselves in Time or the Wall Street Journal. And while top-tier media coverage is always thrilling, it’s not the only way to reach your current and potential customers. You may find the best use of your agency’s time and your budget is to focus on smaller trade publications that speak directly to your customers.

At VOXUS, we have a plethora of trade publications we work with on a regular basis. From Network World and Computerworld to Mashable and TechCrunch, there are media outlets that concentrate solely on technology. So while a story in the New York Times will reach a larger audience, a story in Computerworld might actually be better for driving company sales.

Drilling down further, there are sub-sets of trade media that are even more targeted. One of our clients is a technology company that specializes in hosted accounting solutions. So again, while a story in Computerworld would be nice for it, a story in Accounting Technology is even better because it speaks directly to its customers – accountants. And at the end of the day, although you want your PR program to enhance your image and provide credibility, you ultimately want it to impact your bottom line with increased sales.

The moral of this story is that, just because you may not receive major coverage in the national media, it doesn’t mean you are missing out. If you can have a clear focus on being a resource for your core trade media, you’re already on the path to a more impressive bottom line.

March 19, 2013

Does My Website Need A News Center?

Yes, your website needs a news center because, if it doesn’t, you are limiting potential media coverage. Reporters, editors and bloggers are all busier than ever and rely on public relations and communications professionals to provide them with timely information quickly and easily. By having your entire press kit and other vital materials online, when a member of the media has a request, you can either email what is needed or point to your online news center.

When we work with a client to build a news center for a website, we recommend it have its own page and include the following:

-High and low-resolution logos
-Branding guidelines for using logos
-Company backgrounder
-Company fact sheet
-Press releases
-Historical media coverage
-Executive bios
-Photos of executives
-Product photos
-Product one-sheets
-Videos and b-roll
-Annual reports
-Analyst reports
-Investor relations contacts
-Media contacts

By having all this information in one place, any member of the media working with you on a story will be grateful. In fact, when they see all the information they have access to, your part of the story could automatically get bigger when they find they have all these resources at their fingertips. And let’s face it, we all want to maximize every opportunity we have when it comes to media coverage.

March 6, 2013

And The Award Goes To…

Now that awards season has finally ended and all of those stand out performances in the entertainment world have been dutifully honored, it would be a good idea to start thinking about ways your company can become an award winner. Of course I’m not talking about winning a Grammy if you are a hosting company, but every industry has its own set of awards, you just have to know where to find them.

In the technology space, there are ample opportunities to have your company, product or service recognized for innovation or excellence. Start by looking at your favorite tech publications and websites. By spending time researching the media, you are bound to find awards specific to many of them.

Other places to look for award opportunities are professional organizations in your company’s space. Say you provide a technology solution for the HR community. If you do some research on the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) website you’ll find that they hand out awards and you can bet that there will be categories for technology.

In addition, awards are given out in your own backyard. Local business publications and websites are always a good place to start building an awards program for your company. From being the “fastest growing” in the local business journal to being one of the “best places to work” in your city magazine, there are ample opportunities.

By becoming an award-winning company you accomplish two very important things. First you provide validation to your customers that they have indeed made the right choice by doing business with you. And secondly, awards give your staff a greater sense of pride in where they work and what they are doing on a daily basis.

February 8, 2013

Jumping on the Capitalization Train

Surprisingly, there are a number of options when it comes to making a decision about whether or not to capitalize an executive’s title within a press release. Do you listen to your executive when she says she wants to be referred to as president with a Capital P…or not?

Like most public relations agencies, VOXUS and its team members follow the Associated Press Stylebook to answer questions on grammar and punctuation. According to AP Style, titles that follow a name are written in lower case. But while this explains why we choose to draft a press release and refer to an executive’s title in lower case, it probably is not helpful when your president demands to see his name in a more impressive format. Additionally, some cultures are traditionally formal; for example, many companies based in Asia always capitalize executive titles.

So what to do? The answer is simple: be consistent. If your company policy is going to be that all executive titles are capitalized, stick to the plan, and let your agency partners know your preferences. A couple real world examples:

Problem: You want to quote a partner or a customer in a press release, and the secondary company’s press relations team insists that the executive’s title be capitalized.

Answer: You graciously agree, then capitalize all titles in the release (including your company executive’s title) — making it consistent.

Problem: Your chief executive officer demands to be Chief Executive Officer.

Answer: You graciously and quickly agree, then shorten the title to CEO.

For other grammar questions, we’ve found Grammar Girl to be a particularly useful blog.

February 6, 2013

Finding the News Within

Having a steady stream of news coming from a company is a key way to ensure media are on top of what your company is doing and that when they think of your industry, they think of you. However, finding that news can be perceived as a challenge and keeps many from reaching out to the media on a regular basis. The fact is, you don’t have to be launching a new product or opening a new international office to have a reason to engage the media. There are most likely things going on daily that would spark a reporter’s interest.

For example, milestone press releases are always a way to stay connected to media with timely information that will be of interest. Has your software product reached a certain number of downloads? If so that gives you a reason to develop a press release and engage with the media. In the release you can speak to why the product has been so successful and what the future holds for enhancements. Again, you’re not launching a new product, but for media covering a certain industry, this is valuable information that will keep you top of mind.

Many companies also overlook what they’re doing for the community as newsworthy. Are you partnering with a particular cause or holding a food or blood drive? This type of community involvement, locally or nationally, can prove newsworthy. Particularly during the holidays, reporters are looking for new ways to highlight how the industry they cover is giving back. Aside from the media, this type of story will give your employees and community members a warm feeling about your commitment to social responsibility.

Media engagement doesn’t always have to revolve around a ‘big’ announcement. Take a look around and think about how you can use what’s happening on a daily basis to tell a story that the media and ultimately your customers will find interesting.

December 17, 2012

Giving Back? Local Media Can Help

It doesn’t matter how big or how small your company is, it is important to give back to the community that helped launch you. Here in the Northwest, companies like Microsoft and Boeing give back generously all year long and the community takes notice. Other companies of similar size give back very little or not at all, and the community notices all the same.

Whether you are a global technology company or a regional mid-sized consulting firm, showing the softer side to your business goes a long way in attracting and retaining employees as well as endears you to community leaders and local media. One way to ensure that your good deeds get noticed is to partner with a local media outlet to help them spread the word. For example, during the holidays, if you’re thinking of holding a food or toy drive, ask a local television station or newspaper to partner with you. This way, you’ll be sure to get local media coverage over an extended period of time.

For some companies, partnering with one non-profit organization all year long can help build brand awareness for both entities. For example, you may have seen a Northwest mattress chain partner with a non-profit that provides services for foster children. Whether it’s back-to-school, the holidays, or new shoes for summer, this company is constantly raising awareness and seeking contributions for foster children. When a consumer thinks of this chain, it’s likely they also think of the good work they do for the community. These types of partnerships are a win-win for the community and for your business.

August 29, 2011

Bromance… It’s Official!

You’ve got some new “official” tools in your proverbial tool shed for that blog post, press release, etc. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary just added roughly 100 new entries and most of them resemble something that you’d find in an Urban Dictionary rather than one that has its roots dating back to 1806.

Let’s cut to the chase. Here are some of them (verbiage taken directly from Merriam-Webster):

— Americana: genre of American music with roots in early folk and country music.

— boomerang child: young adult who returns to live at her or her family home, especially for financial reasons.

— bromance: a close nonsexual friendship between men. ***NOTE, MY PERSONAL FAVORITE***

— cougar: slang term for a middle-aged woman seeking a romantic relationship with a younger man.

— crowdsourcing: the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, especially from the online community, rather than from traditional employees or suppliers.

— duathlon: a three-part long-distance race typically having a running phase, a bicycling phase and a final running phase.

— fist bump: a gesture in which two people bump their fists together, as in greeting or celebration.

— helicopter parent: a parent who is overly involved in the life of his or her child.

— m-commerce: business transactions conducted by using a mobile electronic device, such as a cellphone.

— parkour: the sport of traversing environmental obstacles by running, climbing or leaping rapidly and efficiently.

— robocall: a telephone call from an automated source that delivers a pre-recorded message to a large number of people.

— social media: forms of electronic communication, such as websites for social networking and microblogging, through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal message and other content such as videos.

— tweet: a post made on the Twitter online message service.

— walk-off: ending a baseball game immediately by causing the winning run to score for the home team in the bottom of the last inning, i.e., a walk-off homer. Also, won by the home team in the bottom of the last inning, i.e., a walk-off win.

This was the first time Merriam-Webster added new terms since 2009 when it added “vlog,” “webisode,” “flash mob” and “pdf” to its dictionary.

How are new entries chosen you ask? Peter Sokolowski, editor-at-large for the dictionary, says it’s an informal process “It’s just a process of seeing a word used frequently and in many different sources,” he says.

What could be other possible new entries in the coming years? Sokolowski says there are a few words on his short list including “man cave,” “millennials” and “mashup.”

Man cave and bromance… the possibilities are endless.

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