Tag Archive for: Public Relations

Harnessing PR Consistency: 4 Strategic Tips for Improved PR Results

Establishing a robust online presence is essential for technology startups and market innovators. To amplify your online visibility and prime the market disruption, you should embrace PR consistency as a marketing superpower. Using a multifaceted arsenal of PR tools, including press releases, earned media, interviews, and shared content, you can quickly engage your audience, build a credible public image, and solidify your position as an industry thought leader.

The Power of PR Consistency in Tech Marketing

Regular engagement is the cornerstone of an effective marketing strategy. Embracing PR consistency as the foundation of your marketing plan drives awareness and interest. Use PR tools to establish your brand as an authority, distribute high-quality content, and connect with customers through trusted publications. PR consistency delivers quantifiable ROI, which can be measured through key performance indicators (KPIs) such as audience reach, mentions, and website traffic. 

PR consistency also supports a strong brand image. The technology sector thrives on innovation—use your PR strategy to reflect your brand’s dynamism through steadfast communication. A haphazard, start-stop approach to PR is a common pitfall for many technology startups but should be avoided. Infrequent or unorganized communications confuse audiences, disrupt momentum, and hurt a company’s credibility. 

Sustaining Brand Relevance through Strategic Communication

Your brand’s narrative should be a clear, ongoing dialogue, not a series of disjointed statements. A uniform PR cadence fosters brand familiarity and fortifies your reputation, positioning you as an industry authority. Digital PR tactics provide an ideal channel to educate audiences and distribute free tools and resources. 

Buyers today want to be informed rather than sold to. The rules of PR engagement force you to focus on content that is useful, rather than salesy. Placed editorial is often a good place to start. Beyond that, you can creatively use online news releases to publicize survey results, industry reports, webinars, or other informational content. When spun correctly, quotes, stats, or visually rich content can pique the interest of journalists and win you earned media.

Fostering Media Relationships: The Lifeline of Effective PR

Your messages must shine amidst an abundance of PR pitches. Regular contributions of on-target, timely content to target publications nurture enduring relationships with journalists, paving the way for continued media attention and coverage. Editors evaluate the newsworthiness of a PR pitch by assessing its potential impact on the target audience and society. 

Your pitches will likely get noticed if they have the potential to generate interest, discussion, or even action among readers. Develop a reputation for providing PR pitches that address pressing issues, unveil groundbreaking innovations, or present significant developments in your industry to improve your success rates. 

Four Pillars of PR Consistency for Measurable Impact

  1. Strategize and Develop a PR Calendar: Create a comprehensive PR blueprint and editorial timetable. Tailor your plan to cover key messages, target demographics, and preferred media outlets. Pre-scheduling content will ensure a regular communication stream, but remember to stay flexible. Monitor trends and formulate responses that cater to the media’s appetite for timely and relevant updates.
  • Craft Compelling Narratives: Your content must be original, valuable, and newsworthy to captivate media interest. Don’t rely on Generative AI to craft your pitches. Your competitors can use ChatGPT just as easily as you can. Instead, tap into the knowledge of your company founders, technologists, salespeople, and customers to identify fresh, engaging story pitches that sync with industry trends and create the desired media buzz.
  • Cultivate Media Alliances: Research and connect with leading industry influencers. Engage with journalists and editors on social media, attend networking events, and offer top influencers exclusive content or interviews. If you like a journalist’s article or have value to add, let her know through email or social media. Building and maintaining authentic relationships with the media can increase your chances of securing coverage.
  • Measure and Refine Your Media Footprint: Monitor media narratives surrounding your brand and sector to gauge the pulse of journalistic interest. Analyze the performance of your PR programs by tracking media mentions, web traffic, and social media engagement. Use these valuable insights to enhance and fine-tune your outreach strategies. 

Conclusion: The Enduring Value of PR Consistency

Persistent, value-driven communication is the cornerstone of an effective media strategy. A well-orchestrated PR initiative enhances consumer trust and deepens media relationships. PR consistency puts your brand at the forefront of media engagement, driving substantial, long-lasting results. For tech marketers and PR professionals, PR consistency isn’t just a strategy—it’s a commitment to sustained brand evolution and market leadership.

Attain Marketing, a boutique B2B technology PR and marketing agency, can help you in this journey. With our expertise and deep understanding of the B2B technology media landscape, we can help you navigate the complexities of media relations and develop customized strategies that align with your brand and objectives.

From winning earned media to establishing thought leadership, Attain Marketing can guide you every step of the way.

With the right strategies in place, you can effectively communicate the value proposition of your technologies, build trust, and establish your brand as a reliable and clear choice in your industry.

So, join us to effectively tap into the power of public relations, content marketing, and audience engagement to supercharge your company growth!

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Using AI to Turn Data from PR Initiatives into Actionable Insights for the C-Suite

Introduction

Public relations (PR) initiatives are an essential part of any company’s success. Bill Gates once said, “If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on public relations.” PR helps increase brand awareness, build credibility, and establish a positive reputation in the market. However, generating data from PR activities is not always enough to impress the C-suite executives who make important decisions for the company. 

Data analysis in PR is of paramount importance as it provides quantifiable metrics that inform the effectiveness of PR initiatives. These metrics, such as reach, impressions, conversion rates and others offer a clear picture of the impact PR activities have on the company’s market visibility and reputation. Moreover, with the advent of AI, it’s now possible to analyze PR data in more complex and sophisticated ways, revealing deeper insights into audience behavior and campaign performance. These insights provide the C-suite with tangible results, enabling them to make informed strategic decisions to enhance their business operations and PR initiatives. 

AI in PR

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the way businesses operate, and PR is no exception. With AI-powered tools, it’s now possible to obtain real-time data analysis and reporting of PR efforts. These tools use natural language processing algorithms to analyze media coverage, sentiment analysis, and audience engagement on digital platforms. This not only saves time but also eliminates the risk of human error, providing accurate and reliable data for decision-making. AI can also identify patterns and trends within PR data that may not be visible to the naked eye. These insights help the C-suite understand audience behavior and preferences, making it easier to tailor PR strategies accordingly.

Turning Data into Actionable Insights

With AI-powered tools, PR professionals can easily turn data into actionable insights for the C-suite. These insights can be presented in easy-to-understand reports and visualizations, highlighting key performance indicators (KPIs) and areas for improvement. This helps the C-suite make data-driven decisions that align with their business goals and objectives. Furthermore, AI tools provide predictive analysis, allowing the C-suite to anticipate future trends and plan for potential challenges. This ensures that PR initiatives are not only effective in the present but also sustainable in the long run.

Conclusion

AI has transformed the way data is collected, analyzed, and utilized in PR activities. With its advanced capabilities, AI provides accurate and reliable insights that are essential for decision-making by the C-suite. By leveraging AI-powered tools, PR professionals can effectively turn data into actionable insights, making a strong case for their initiatives to the C-suite. As businesses continue to embrace AI technology, PR professionals must keep up with its advancements and use it as a valuable tool in their strategies. By doing so, they can showcase the impact of PR efforts on business success and secure support from the C-suite for future endeavors. 

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The Power of a Good Media Pitch: Why It Matters More Than You Think

Whether you’re a small business owner, startup founder, or PR agency professional, getting your message in front of the right journalists and media outlets is crucial. But in today’s crowded media landscape, the competition for attention is fierce. So, how do you stand out from the pack? The answer is simple: with a great media pitch.

In this article, we’ll dive into the importance of a good media pitch, what it should include, and how to make it stand out to journalists. Let’s get started.

A Good Pitch Can Make or Break Your Chances of Coverage

Journalists are constantly inundated with pitches from businesses, entrepreneurs, and PR firms. And, more often than not, those pitches are generic, vague, or irrelevant to their beat. If your pitch isn’t tailored to the individual journalist or outlet you’re targeting, it’s likely to be ignored or deleted.

That’s why a good media pitch is essential. It takes time, research, and effort to craft a pitch that’s specific to the journalist you’re reaching out to, but it’s worth it. A well-written pitch that resonates with the journalist’s interests, targets their audience, and provides them with compelling news or insights is much more likely to get picked up than a generic one.

Journalists, like anyone else, appreciate when someone takes the time to learn about their work and interests. Receiving a personalized pitch that shows you’ve done your research and understand their coverage area is much more likely to generate a response than a generic one.

Personalized Pitches Build Relationships

Plus, building a relationship with a journalist based on personalized pitches can lead to more coverage opportunities down the line. When you establish trust and rapport with a journalist, they’re more likely to think of you when they’re looking for a source or a story idea in the future.

A Pitch Is Your Foot in the Door

When you send a pitch to a journalist, you’re not just trying to get coverage for one specific story. You’re also trying to establish yourself as a source they can turn to in the future.

If you can make a good impression with your pitch and provide the journalist with useful or interesting information, you’re more likely to be top of mind when they’re working on a story that relates to your industry or expertise. So, even if your pitch doesn’t result in immediate coverage, it’s still a valuable opportunity to get your foot in the door with a journalist.

A Strong Pitch Helps Your Brand Stand Out

In a crowded media landscape, it can be tough for businesses and startups to differentiate themselves from their competitors. But a well-crafted pitch that tells a compelling story or offers a fresh perspective can help you stand out.

Journalists are always looking for new and interesting angles on stories. If you can provide them with a unique take or insight that they can’t get from anyone else, you’re much more likely to be noticed and remembered. Plus, if your pitch results in coverage, it can help boost brand awareness and credibility by getting your name and message in front of a wider audience.

Conclusion

In summary, a media pitch can make all the difference when it comes to getting coverage for your business or brand. By taking the time to research the journalist or outlet you’re reaching out to, personalizing your pitch, and providing compelling news or insights, you can increase your chances of success. Plus, establishing relationships with journalists based on personalized pitches can lead to opportunities for coverage and exposure down the line. So, the next time you’re looking to get your message in front of the media, remember the power of a good pitch.

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PR 4.0: The Evolution of Public Relations in the Digital Age

Introduction

Public Relations (PR) has come a long way since its inception. From the early days of press agentry and publicity stunts to the modern era of digital communication and social media, PR has evolved to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of media and technology. Today, we are witnessing the rise of PR 4.0, a new era of public relations that is driven by digital technology, data analytics, and the power of storytelling. In this blog, we will explore the key elements of PR 4.0 and how it is shaping the future of public relations.

The Four Pillars of PR 4.0

1. Digital Communication

The rise of the internet and social media has transformed the way we communicate, and PR is no exception. PR 4.0 is characterized by the use of digital channels to reach and engage with target audiences. This includes social media platforms, blogs, podcasts, and online news outlets. Digital communication allows PR professionals to reach a wider audience, engage in real-time conversations, and measure the impact of their campaigns more effectively.

2. Data-Driven Strategies

PR 4.0 is all about leveraging data to make informed decisions and create targeted campaigns. With the vast amount of data available through digital channels, PR professionals can now analyze audience behavior, preferences, and trends to create more effective and personalized communication strategies. Data analytics also allows PR professionals to measure the success of their campaigns and make adjustments in real-time, ensuring that their efforts are always aligned with their objectives.

3. Storytelling

In the age of information overload, storytelling has become a powerful tool for PR professionals to cut through the noise and connect with their audiences. PR 4.0 emphasizes the importance of crafting compelling narratives that resonate with the target audience and evoke emotions. By telling authentic and engaging stories, PR professionals can build trust, create brand loyalty, and drive positive change.

4. Integration with Marketing and Advertising

PR 4.0 recognizes the need for a more integrated approach to communication. As the lines between PR, marketing, and advertising continue to blur, PR professionals must collaborate with their counterparts in other disciplines to create cohesive and consistent brand messages. This integrated approach ensures that all communication efforts work together to achieve the desired results and maximize the return on investment.

The Future of PR 4.0

As we continue to navigate the digital age, PR 4.0 will continue to evolve and adapt to new technologies and trends. Some key developments to watch out for include:

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation

AI and automation will play an increasingly important role in PR, from automating routine tasks to providing data-driven insights and recommendations.

2. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)

As VR and AR technologies become more mainstream, PR professionals will need to explore new ways to create immersive and interactive experiences for their audiences.

3. Influencer Marketing

The rise of social media influencers has created new opportunities for PR professionals to collaborate with these influential individuals to amplify their messages and reach new audiences.

4. Crisis Management in the Digital Age

With the rapid spread of information online, PR professionals must be prepared to manage crises in real-time and navigate the challenges of the digital landscape.

Conclusion

PR 4.0 marks a new era of public relations that is driven by digital technology, data analytics, and the power of storytelling. As we continue to embrace these changes, PR professionals must adapt and evolve to stay ahead of the curve and ensure their communication efforts remain relevant and effective in the digital age.

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Thought Leadership 101

The point of thought leadership is to express a point of view in the context of market conditions. Most companies focus on their products, functions, and features. A real opportunity exists for companies that can paint a vision of the key issues, challenges, needs, and requirements that truly concern customers. In doing so companies become an invaluable resource to the media and potential customers.

Future-focused companies that provide meaningful insight and guidance to support buying decisions (vs. just marketing fluff) are often rewarded with more press coverage, better lead generation results, and a shortened sales cycle. To succeed, companies need to directly focus on industry-relevant issues and approach the marketplace strategically by building communications platforms that establish credibility and position the company and its stakeholders as subject matter experts.

We’ve boiled down some basics for thought leadership success:

  • Take the 40,000-foot view. Look beyond your technology-focused issues and geeky acronyms. Identify hot trends and determine how your company and products relate to the most current events. Companies should expand their network of contacts and company messaging to embrace the bigger picture. Innovative campaigns like rapid response media programs can provide a systematic approach to introducing your company to key industry influencers who will help bridge the perception gap.
  • Be an evangelist. Select one or several company spokespersons that can be both seen and heard as the voice of your industry. Scrap the tradeshow budget in favor of a limited presence at key venues. Although speaking opportunities can be difficult to secure, event coordinators will bend the rules to accommodate a cool customer case study. Of course, you can host your own speaker’s webcast series, but the key is to invest in a good list of prospects to invite to your events. Today’s social media forums like blogs and online communities offer a great vehicle for company evangelism but avoid preaching. Don’t just follow the herd mentality – taking a controversial position will increase your chances of being heard.
  • Involve customers and partners. Realize that your customers and partners might be very interested in claiming a thought leadership position in new markets as well. Use this to your advantage – instead of asking them to endorse your products, invite them to participate in an industry forum that addresses hot market issues. And for your next product launch tour, offer “select” customers the opportunity to meet with analysts and press to discuss key industry issues and position their company as a visionary – you’ll be much more successful getting them on board and be rewarded with more press coverage had you gone it alone.

The Bottomline: To escape today’s marketing black holes, adopt a thought leadership strategy that elevates both principal and firm above the fray.

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It’s all about the Marketing Buzz!

One common term used to describe marketing buzz is volume, which quantifies the number of interchanges related to a product or topic in a given time period. Basic ROI measurement of marketing buzz includes higher numbers of visits, views, mentions, followers and subscribers.

The next level of ROI measurement of marketing buzz—such as shares, replies, clicks, re-tweets, comments and wall posts— provide a better indication of the participants’ engagement levels because they require action in response to an initial communication.  There is also an increased level of direct public relations engagement with third party influencers, including media, industry analysts and other thought leaders.

How do you know if your company has marketing buzz?

  • The company is officially recognized by industry analysts or other third party influencers.
  • Companies with marketing buzz outperform in press release distribution results.
    • The average number of views for a “start-up’ company (3-5 years old) is around 1,000 – 1500 media views. When your Company reaches 5,000 views and above, something is driving the “buzz” factor.
    • In a similar vein, a high click through rate of a company’s press release, media impressions and multimedia views are good ways to measure marketing “buzz.” (Your distribution company can give you performance metrics and ROI measurement).
  • Company buzz increases attention from even those that play “hard to get.”
    • You’ll have a higher rate of response from reputable publications as well as an increased interaction level with industry players overall.
    • Even in a time when “earned” company stories are rare, a company with “buzz” finds its way into the pages of high-end media outlets and has more pick-up in totality with the total number of outlets engaged.
    • Industry analysts and other 3rd party thought leaders will be knocking on your door for a request for introduction.
  • Web hits and social media
    • While it may be hard to establish a baseline on ”marketing buzz” with social media activities, it is possible to measure results against other companies of similar size with social media tools.
    • Social media darlings measure their buzz by numbers of followers and LinkedIn interaction which will be superior in follows and interactions when compared to other companies of like size in their space.

While there are many factors that remain elusive when measuring a company’s marketing buzz, industry leaders and veteran marketers are able to track the elements that make up this intangible sensation.  They now are utilizing ROI measurement of marketing activities to prove what they already know. Their company has marketing “buzz.”

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Communicating Under Pressure

One of the fastest ways a company stands out from the crowd (for better or for worse) is how they communicate with the world when facing difficult circumstances. The tone that is set during these challenging times will resonate far and wide.

It is likely that your company will experience a delicate situation at some point in the future. (Perhaps you’ve already been through one.) What’s most important is how you communicate internally — with your executive team, other company leadership, and your employees. It is this tone that will then be conveyed outside your company, so you want to be sure to do a great job communicating internally before doing anything else.

Rumors of layoffs, potential buyouts, and pending lawsuits can spread like wildfire through your organization. Those rumors are often more frightening than the situation itself. Honest, clear communication from company leadership can put a halt to speculation and ease fears that may otherwise halt productivity and focus.

Yes, at times the details are classified or confidential. But if an information leak has occurred, it is better to devise a communications strategy before the news spirals out of your control. Rumors flying around internally soon make it outside of your company walls, and the media can disseminate the information — whether it is true or not — faster than you can contain it.

After communicating what you can with your teams, relaying a unified and thoughtful message to the rest of the world becomes priority. Your investor and public relations departments will be key in crafting and then communicating your message. Press releases, media alerts, television or radio interviews, blog posts, and social media, when used properly, can all relay your message quickly and clearly.

Honesty and transparency mixed with some tact and thoughtful compassion is a great formula for setting the tone of your message.

Accessibility, willingness to communicate, and reasonable response times can halt negative reactions and criticism.

Setting expectations appropriately and then meeting those expectations keeps trust in tact. (It’s always better to under-promise and over-deliver than over-promise and under-deliver!)

When a sensitive situation arises, balance out your speed of response with the time it takes to craft a thoughtful response. A hasty reaction without considering all of the potential impacts it may have is a mistake. The phrase, “slow is steady, steady is smooth, smooth is fast” is a good one to remember here!

Above all else, remember that you’re dealing with people and their lives. The situation you’re handling will have an impact on your employees and your customers. By being willing to put the people first, ahead of the company, you’ll gain loyalty and trust.

Let me give you an example.

The popular investment show Shark Tank recently featured a small home-grown business run by a young couple. They literally ran their business out of their garage, had no employees, and made many of their products by hand. They received a rather large investment from one of the “Sharks” and the moment their episode aired on TV, they sold out of every bit of product they had in stock.

Even factoring in the show’s estimated increase in business based off of past companies’ experiences, they surpassed those estimates by over 100%. They had to scale, and quickly! The holiday season was approaching, they had tens of thousands of new customers, and they simply could not keep up with demand.

What did they do? They communicated! They communicated often. It was with honesty, integrity, and compassion. They did their very best to ramp up production, hire a team, set up multiple manufacturing and fulfillment partnerships, train an entire customer service department, and handle the overwhelming response to their product.

Were they perfect at this process? Absolutely not. Some of the promises they made still weren’t met, they still had a large amount of unhappy customers, and it took them a number of months to get on their feet. But through it all they communicated with grace. When they were all caught up, they sent out an apology email with a large discount coupon for a future purchase. I’m certain they retained most of their new customers.

No company knows exactly what is coming around the next corner. No team or individual will always make the right decision in how to communicate during a crisis. However, making wise communication a priority during the tough times will strengthen your relationship with your employees and your customers. It is absolutely essential to success.

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Communicating Effectively with YOUR Audience

In a prior blog post, I discussed the fine line between keeping your company communications professional, yet personal.  I suggested that high-quality communications are a positive representation of your company, and a personal touch can really help to draw in your audience so that they make a connection with your company.  This balance is extremely important to maintain and can make a big difference in your marketing efforts.

Today, I’d like to take this a step further and talk about how to communicate effectively with your target audience.  All too often, companies miss the mark when talking about their products and services by not realizing that their audience may not have enough background knowledge to understand their technical terminology.  Even though your engineers and scientists may be able to explain company concepts most accurately, it’s important to “translate” this information into common, everyday language.

Here are a few keys to keep in mind:

  • Acronyms can be exhausting.  Even though the employees of your company may have them down pat, you cannot expect your customers to remember all of your acronyms.  If you are going to use them, be sure to define them clearly and often.  Limit the number of different acronyms you use.  Focus on the most important ones, and build recognition by repetition.
  • Internal company lingo or made-up words are cool, but they can also be confusing!  If you’re trying to get a new word to pick up traction with your target market, be sure to introduce it in a clever way and use repetition to make the word stick.  Eventually, it will hold some value – if you position it correctly.
  • Use examples, especially ones that give your audience a mental picture of what you’re talking about.  Some people learn best by visualizing.  Photographs, diagrams, and videos do a great job of saying a lot in a short amount of time.  A picture is worth a thousand words!
  • Step outside the box.  Or rather, step outside of your company’s four walls – and into the shoes of your audience!  A marketing or sales pitch that makes perfect sense during an internal planning meeting may not make a lot of sense to a stranger on the street.  (Have you ever seen a commercial that just made absolutely no sense to you, or was so off-the-wall that it actually made you not want to buy the product or service?  That’s the kind of thing I’m talking about.)  Do your research, test out your pitches on your target audience, and listen to their feedback.  It can be very valuable.
  • Ask for help.  Find someone on your team who is really good at taking technical, difficult-to-understand concepts, products, and terms, and have them help write the “everyday language” version of the information.  This person should be involved with your marketing and public relations team as well.  Then, leave it to the experts!  Your marketing team (whether internal or external) will be able to communicate your information even more clearly.  Often times it helps to have someone not associated with the company do the majority of your writing.  Because they have to first understand and grasp your concepts in order to write about them, they do a great job of putting it in a way that anyone will understand.

If you keep these tips in mind when preparing your sales and marketing communications, you will certainly notice a better response from your audience which will translate into more success for your company.  Not only do we want to keep our communications personal enough to be engaging and professional enough to garner respect, but we also want to speak appropriately and effectively to our audience.  Stay tuned for more communication tips in the future!

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Give a gift to Sales: Thinking outside the Holiday PR Box

A lot of companies tend to see only two options for PR around the holidays: holiday story lines and New Year trends.  While these may be the perfect recipe for a good holiday PR campaign, it’s time companies think outside the box.  As noted in my blog post last year “Tips for Successful Holiday Campaigns”, I do believe the time period between Thanksgiving and the New Year presents an opportunity to leverage the perceived news lull with a year-end or year-beginning storyline.  Often editors and bloggers are looking for interesting ideas to fill their “pages” during this holiday down time.

However, as is with every good strategy, over time everyone gravitates to it.  So now, the noise around obvious holiday trends is so great, it’s difficult for a company to rise above the crowd.  Time for some holiday innovation, how about it?

With the general slow-down in corporate productivity around the holidays, more people are reading news sites, blogs and following social media channels than during busier times of the year.  So smart holiday PR campaigning can be a powerful way to get your company noticed.  And everyone knows Sales is desperately trying to make their year-end numbers, so give the readers something that will potentially translate to a sale.

Customer case studies, product innovations and discounted products and services are three great alternatives to the holiday trend approach.

#1 – Customer case studies: I can promise you that in your existing customer base there is a hero waiting to rise to the forefront of your PR efforts.  Here’s the catch.  They don’t have to come from a behemoth company.  They just need to have a passion about what they are doing and believe your product is an enabler of their cause.  Also, with smaller companies you don’t need to maneuver the dreaded corporate PR watchdogs – many times these spokespeople have an open microphone to speak freely about what they are doing with your product and /or service.  Seek them out and then pitch their story.  Nothing is more helpful to a customer sale than a great customer testimonial.

#2 – Product Innovation: A lot of companies hold product innovation news until the New Year has rung in.  Why not be bold and let potential customers know what your product can do for them now.  In the midst of holiday “do’s and don’ts, a strong product announcement is like a breath of fresh air to writers who have been pitched trend stories ad-nauseum.   And it certainly won’t hurt your sales team’s efforts.

#3 – Discounted products and services: Let’s face it; we can’t get around this one.  Everyone is looking for a bargain during the holidays, so give your customers what they want.  With the advent of location-based offers at ridiculous prices, you can’t escape the fact that everyone is expecting at companies will make some incredible offer at some point.  Why not during the season of giving?  Instead of offering tips, offer a promotion.

Again, I do believe the holidays are great times to announce results of surveys or make predictions about New Year trends – or to consider something a little more catchy or gimmicky as these types of news stunts often seem to fit in better with the sense of sensationalism surrounding the holiday season.

But please, they’ll be enough boxes under trees –  don’t let your PR campaigns get stuck in one.

Wishing all of Attain Marketing’s clients, colleagues and friends a safe and truly joyous holiday season!

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Online Reputations and Rabbit Holes

This week’s Persuasive Marketing blog comes from Pete Bartolik, a freelance writer/editor with whom I enjoyed and valued working with for many years.  I think you’ll see why.  Pete spent many years as a staff reporter and editor, followed by a virtual lifetime with a PR agency, before hanging out his own shingle.  Enjoy!

Back in 1987, Ray Donovan, previously Secretary of Labor under Ronald Reagan and the first sitting cabinet member to be indicted, was acquitted with other defendants from charges of fraud in construction contracts. Alluding to the flood of negative print and TV news stories that accompanied the original mob-tinged allegations, he was famously quoted saying, “Which office do I go to get my reputation back?”

In today’s hyperactive blog environment, he’d probably feel like he’s falling – perpetually – like Alice down the rabbit hole.

When print still dominated, we’d counsel clients to expect to be misquoted or taken out of context, and develop a thick skin – plus, even when a publication printed a correction, odds are it would be seen by just a fraction of those who had read the original.

Blogs have vastly ramped up the delivery speed of information, and misinformation, and it now persists for all digital eternity.  More concerning is that the information can take many twists and turns as it traverses the Net echo chamber.

As a youngster you may have played the party game that goes under a variety of names such as “Whisper” or “Telephone” in which successive players pass along a sentence or phrase. By the time the content reaches the last person and is announced to the group, it inevitably has acquired a much different meaning.

Electronic social networks can take the Whisper game to extreme heights, with the potential for truly harmful reputational damage. You can’t afford to shrug off misinformation because it becomes part of your online “permanent record.”

Extreme alertness is the order of the day. Once a story or comment appears online it can proliferate with rapidity and continually resurface as later bloggers pick up on the original. So the best way to blunt the impact is to communicate quickly and directly with the original author to try and correct the record.

The folks who do the blogging for a living are generally pretty reasonable. Many will quickly update their online posting, sometimes just replacing erroneous information, or at least noting a required correction. The sooner you’re able to do this, the more likely you are to limit parroting of the damaging content.

But, still, work on developing that thick skin. It’s inevitable that even after you’ve got the right information online, somewhere down the line someone is going to resurrect the original damaging content. And their blog will tell two people, and they’ll each tell two people, and so on and so on…

Welcome to the rabbit hole.

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