Lessons in PR: Communication isn't simple

Communication. Pretty simple word. But pretty tricky business. Ever tried to communicate to a family member, friend or significant other how they hurt your feelings in a tense situation, only to have it backfire? Okay, now that 99% of you are nodding, I’ll get on to my point…

Everyone, it seems lately, thinks they are “PR experts”. But public relations isn’t about having a lot of friends or throwing fun parties. It is about expert communication, especially with the press (and, in this age, on social media). I find myself, almost daily, cringing at PR faux pas—from basic to potentially fatal.

While hiring a professional to represent your brand is the best way to avoid this sort of deadly foot-in-mouth syndrome, I understand that this is often cost-prohibitive. If that’s the case for your company, there are some basic PR/communication rules that I drill into my staff and interns daily, and that I happily share. From me to you: lessons learned thanks to my 10+ years’ experience interviewing thousands of designers, politicians and retailers as journalist; 3+ years as a publicist giving press interviews and representing brands on social media… but, mostly, thanks to my relentless journalism professors at the University of Connecticut.

1. Fact check. Think you know how to spell the proper name of an organization or person? 98% of the time, you’re probably right. You do. The problem is the other 2% of the time. If I spelled a proper name wrong on a college journalism project, my journalism professors would make me write it correctly, by hand, 500 times. Actually, it may have been less than 500; but having spent a couple nights sitting in the dorm lounge writing a name over and over until my hand ached: I still double check the names of even clients I’ve worked with for years.
2. Listen. As a reporter, I learned the most in interviews when the interviewee suddenly went off on a tangent in response to an innocent question… often revealing more than I ever imagined asking. This is a basic of any business communication: listen carefully to the question before opening your mouth. Example: I once served on a non-profit board and, when I hadn’t received end-of-year financial reports, I asked the executive director for them. The executive director’s reply was shockingly angry and defensive. How dare I accuse her of misappropriation of funds? Well, actually, that hadn’t crossed my mind. But once she threw it out there, told me to call her lawyer, and told everyone within earshot that I’d made such an accusation; it definitely crossed my mind (and everyone else’s). Enough said.
3. Condense. Short is, indeed, sweet. Say what you have to say. Then wait an hour and go back to edit. In PR, wordiness has always been a cardinal sin. Today, it’s deadly for a publicist or any business person. Who among us isn’t suffering from information overload? Case in point: The average attention span of someone opening an email? 8 seconds. The average attention span of a goldfish? 9 seconds. Need I say more?

Stich up the wounds left by surgical shoppers

It’s no surprise that the economy has changed how people spend their money. Everyone has been pinching pennies and in turn became smarter shoppers. People have been working overtime and getting second jobs. Who has time to browse shops? Who is going to fall for the impulse buy when money was strategically placed elsewhere? The Great Recession may officially be over, but the changes that people made to their spending habits may in fact be here to stay.

The new type of shopping is referred to as “surgical shopping” because the time spent shopping in stores and online has dropped drastically. No one is taking the time to wander stores and browse through websites to stockpile on clothing, necessities, etc. Instead, people know what they want and aren’t sticking around after buying it. Shoppers today visit an average of three stores during a trip to the mall, according to ShopperTrak, a Chicago research firm that tracks sales and customer counts at more than 70,000 stores. That compares with an average of five stores in 2006. There is even evidence accounting for stores being messier due to people dumping most items right before the check out.

How are companies and brands adjusting to surgical shopping? Often, through the strategic use of social sites like Groupon.com. The site has attracted more than 25 million subscribers to “group” together to get the lowest price on an item. Subscribers are pitched local discount offers on restaurants, retailers, etc and if enough people take advantage of it, it takes effect. The Gap's recent Groupon offer of $25 off a $50 purchase was a blockbuster Gap’ sold 441,000 offers as part of a one-day only promotion in August, for a total of $11 million.

With this new type of shopper mentality, what’s the best way to get them in AND to leave with your product? To help capture their attention, this might be the time to step up your “social media” strategy beyond the typical Facebook and Twitter. Along with Groupon, foursquare is another great tool to utilize. Promotions through foursquare are coming up everywhere (more on foursquare). I myself came across a promotion while shopping in NYC. Walking into an H&M, there was sign on the door that said “Check-In here and receive a special discount!” With incentives like that, who wouldn’t check in? Companies like Wholefoods, Saks 5th Avenue and Starbucks have all partnered with foursquare as well.

The continued practice of surgical shopping is creating a new reality for brands. And websites like Groupon.com and foursquare are helping them embrace consumers’ new way of shopping.

Learning to Master Crisis Communications

How important is effective public relations? Just ask (now former) BP CEO Tony Hayward.

Over the past couple of months we have seen a slew of events that have underscored the power of public relations. In light of these, crisis communication should now be on any business owner’s radar.

You have famed college basketball coach Rick Pitino, and his alleged ‘tryst’; Target versus the LGBT community; and finally, the event on everyone’s mind: the BP oil spill in the Gulf. In the latter case, Tony Hayward, the now former CEO has stepped down and will be replaced by Bob Dudley (who, might we say, has quite the task on his hands). A series of PR gaffes played a major role in Hayward’s downfall.

What every brand name and business owner needs to think about when following these events: what happened to BP can happen to you. Obviously, we are not talking oil spill/natural disaster stuff; we are talking about an event that challenges a company’s reputation and leadership.

So, what can we all learn from these public relations nightmares? In sum: you must have a crisis communications strategy so you can react quickly and efficiently. You’ll also want a knowledgeable PR pro on your side to represent and help guide you through these waters. Some things to keep in mind:

• Remain readily accessible to the media. Be ready to answer questions, have a designated person to speak on behalf of the issue.

• Streamline communication. Make sure all documents are clear, concise, pertinent.
  

• Maintain information security. Be sure that company documents aren’t accessible to the public but, at the same time: that you are not hiding anything.

• Support multi-channel communications. Send out press releases and take advantage of broadcast opportunities. Get savvy with a variety of communication tools like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Blogs.
  

• Utilize Social Media. In this day and age, these tools can be your friend but also your worst enemy. Word to the Wise: never delete a nasty, harsh comment, it could do more harm then good. Instead, use the negative comment as an opportunity to explain your position; it allows you to engage the commenter to resolve their concerns.
  

• Show empathy for the people involved Reach out to the public by making appearances. Find time to answer their questions.

Crisis communication is an important tool for all companies to have in their ‘toolbox for success.’ Crisis communication strategies have helped companies such as: Johnson & Johnson back in 1982 when they had the cyanide scare, Exxon Valdez in 1989 when an oil spill happened in Alaska, Intel’s Math Flaw in 1994 and Jetblue in 2007 when they left passengers stranded on a airport runway in an ice storm. While each faced a tidal wave of public backlash, their response helped keep their brands from drowning in the fury. A strong crisis communication strategy will do the same for you should the worst happen.