Are You a Thought Leader?

Since the term “thought leader” was coined in business circles some 20 years ago, many business-to-business companies and executives have yearned to be thought leaders in their industries.

By definition, a thought leader is a person (or entity) who is recognized by peers for having progressive and innovative ideas, and who shares these ideas and helps to effect change with those ideas.

Note the key words “recognized” and “share.” 

It’s not enough to develop great ideas. To be a thought leader, you need to be recognized for having great ideas, and you need to share and champion these ideas through effective communication.

Of course, in today’s world, this communication includes a full range of earned and owned media activities – PR approaches such as publicity, social media, speaking and blogging, to name just a few. And ultimately, recognition of a thought leader builds and gains momentum as media coverage and visibility are generated and sustained.

Here are seven things that can help you (or your boss) to become recognized as a thought leader:

1. Create a viewpoint – Thought leaders have a viewpoint that helps shape their story and puts the facts and numbers into context. They provide insight and perspective on key issues, they offer opinions, and they foster a discussion around an issue.
2. Lead a movement – Thought leaders become advocates for a cause that can help a group, an industry or a country. They educate us on a problem or issue, shed some light for us on the pros and cons, and lead us to explore the possible solutions. They urge us to take action.
3. Show us the future – Thought leaders show us their vision, offer a forecast or make a prediction … and they persuade other people to share it, embrace it and support it.
4. Make it personal – Thoughts leaders build their viewpoint and vision around their personal beliefs and life philosophy. They are credible because they are authentic; they don’t just talk about someone else’s solution, they own it, they feel it, they live it. They are committed.
5. Get yourself out there – Thought leaders are pro-active; they put themselves out there. Their PR teams can help them find opportunities to push their viewpoint – such as speaking engagements, op-ed placements, guest columns, articles, blogs and vlogs, news releases, media interviews, etc.
6. Make yourself available to media – Thought leaders take on the mantel of experts; they make themselves accessible to journalists and analysts and are ever-ready to provide quotes, color, context, clarification and perspective.
7. Capture their attention – Thought leaders use word devices to gain attention and stay top of mind. They prepare sound bites, use controversy and paint mental pictures. They employ plain language, analogies and anecdotes to bring their point to life. They create a buzzword or catchphrase that capsulizes their view in a memorable way.

Think of the executives you view as true thought leaders. Which of these tactics do they use? And which of these tactics could work best for you?

Business Best Practices: Every Office Needs an Eagle Eye

(Post by Jessica Killenberg Muzik, APR, Vice President – Account Services)

I’ve always had a love of editing.  Sure, as a communicator I like to write, but there’s something about editing that I enjoy even more. 

Perhaps it’s taking a fresh eye at something and realizing that you caught an error before it went out the door that feels almost rewarding … or perhaps it’s knowing that one small editing suggestion made the final written product that much better?

Whatever the case may be, at our office we call this person an “eagle eye” – which, by definition, is one that observes with close attention. Yep, that sounds about right.

As long as I can remember, we’ve always been in the practice of having an eagle eye review and proofread our work before it is sent to a client / reporter, is posted to the newswire / website, etc. Typically, this eagle eye staffer has been uninvolved in the drafting process for this project, so she or he comes to this review with a clean, fresh perspective.

Why uninvolved? Why an eagle eye?

Well, it’s pretty simple. As writers, sometimes we are too close to our own work to see the imperfections. Our minds tend to gloss over typos and fill in the gaps between what we wrote and what we thought we wrote.

When you have someone who is far removed from a project take a final look at a document, they will often catch a mistake or two that those closer to the project may have simply overlooked.

It adds a step and a little time, but taking the time to do things correctly the first time actually ends up saving time, money … and, often, embarrassment.

Having an eagle eye is a safety net. 

Even still, mistakes occasionally can and will happen. We’re only human, after all.

But having an eagle eye process in place can minimize mistakes and enhance credibility, especially when writing is a key part of your business.

What best business practices have you implemented within your organization to catch potential mistakes before they happen?

Business Best Practices: Kudos, WOWs and All That Good Stuff

(Post by Jessica Killenberg Muzik, APR, Vice President – Account Services)

Meetings … love them or hate them, they are an essential part of doing business.

But what if meetings were something your team actually looked forward to or, at the very least, didn’t mind attending?

Yes, it can happen.

At Bianchi PR we have a standing (albeit flexible) Thursday morning staff meeting and toward the bottom of the agenda is always a bullet point titled “kudos.”

During the kudos portion of the meeting, our leader acknowledges each team member’s achievements for the past week.  Sometimes the achievement is a major media hit for a client in a key publication, sometimes it’s scoring a big media interview, and sometimes it’s just stepping up on those everyday tasks that keep things humming along for the firm and our clients.

The key point: giving positive recognition to each team member for “things gone right.” It encourages and reinforces positive behavior. And beyond that, it helps close the meeting on an upbeat, sometimes inspirational, note.

Now, above and beyond the kudos, we also celebrate “WOWs.” A WOW is an acknowledgement for those times when a staff member has figuratively “Walked On Water” for a client.

Although our clients are unaware of it (until perhaps they read this blog), WOWs actually come directly from them.

Any time a client takes the time to write an unsolicited email or note of thanks to the agency for a job well done, our agency CEO generates a WOW certificate for that staffer.

The certificate itself isn’t anything fancy.

It’s simply a piece of paper prominently featuring the acronym WOW along with a brief description how the staffer wow’ed the client.

It’s presented at the next weekly staff meeting, and the recipient posts it near their workspace, as a pleasant reminder of an appreciative client and a grateful employer.

Now, who wouldn’t want to attend a meeting that promises kudos, WOWs and all that good stuff?

When you end a staff meeting on a high note, it encourages your team to continue to do great work. And isn’t that what best business practices are really all about?

What have you done to make your meetings more enjoyable or to encourage great work among your staffers?

How to Get the Most Out of Your PR Firm – Part 2

In our previous post (http://wp.me/ppqb5-qI), we offered the first five of 10 things you, as a client-side PR professional, can do get the most from your PR agency.

My contention, based on more than 30 years in the PR profession on both the client and the agency side – is that the best way to get the most out of your company’s relationship with its PR agency is to invest more thought and time into the actual relationship. 

Nurture it. Feed it. Grow it.

If you want to get more satisfaction, better ideas, better service and ultimately better results from your PR firm, here are tips six through 10 for building a better relationship:

6)      Make a sincere effort to show your appreciation. When the agency provides exceptional service, meets a crazy deadline or scores a major media hit, make the time and the effort to recognize it with a call, a text or an email.

7)      Be honest. If your boss doesn’t need that release draft until next week, don’t ask the agency to have it done today. If your account team suspects you are crying “wolf” too often, they may not take you seriously when you really do need something today.

8)      Provide the agency with feedback on projects promptly.  Even if it’s just to say “Thanks for the draft. Looks good. I’ll run it by the product team and will get back to you,” close the loop so they know the project has been received and is moving along. A good agency will ask, but an agency with a good client won’t have to ask.

9)      Trust the agency enough to really listen. If you chose the right firm, the account team is on your side and wants you to succeed. You may not always agree with them, but you hired them for their expertise and their outside perspective. At least hear it out. And if you don’t agree, give them insight as to why you are may be taking a different path.

10)      Make sure the housekeeping issues are being handled. Ensure that the agency is being paid fairly and on time for its work. Be the agency’s advocate with your Accounts Payable Department if there are payment issues. Cash flow is critical to every agency’s success. And if you help ensure that cash flow is steady, the agency can better focus on generating ideas, opportunities and results for you.

To have the best PR partner, you have to BE the best PR partner … and most times, all it takes is a little more focus on the relationship you create.

Clients: What else are you doing that helps make your company your PR firm’s preferred client?

Business Best Practices: High 5 – Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

(Post by Jessica Killenberg Muzik, APR, Vice President – Account Services)

As communicators it’s easy to get wrapped up in the chaos that is often our day-to-day work life. In these times, I find it is more important than ever to acknowledge those that are making it just a bit easier to do what you do.

Such acknowledgment is what I’d consider a key business best practice that will help motivate your team to continue to do well for your organization and its customers or clients.

Years ago, our firm implemented a program called “High 5.” Adapted from a similar program our president, Jim Bianchi, had heard about, it is a simple recognition program for all employees.

When someone within our organization goes above and beyond the “call of duty” … or just plain does a “rock star” job on a project, a colleague will send a bit of a “shout out” email to Jim and cc: the individual that is being acknowledged for their stellar work.

The email includes the following info in brief form: who is getting the High 5; for what client; and why.

Jim prints these emails, folds them in half and puts them in a manila envelope. About every six or eight weeks — or whenever there are 20 or more emails in the folder — we hold a drawing at one of our weekly staff meetings. Two of the recognition emails are drawn, the emails are read aloud to the entire team, and winners are awarded a gift card. The rest of the emails are filed away, and a new envelope for the next drawing is started.

It’s a small gesture, but one that our team has come to enjoy. And it’s not just about getting a gift card (although I’m sure the prizes are appreciated); it’s about receiving recognition — in the form of a virtual High 5 from a co-worker.

It’s the simple things in life that can sometimes have the most positive impact. And we have found if you acknowledge the good work of others, more good work is bound to follow.

What best business practices have you implemented within your organization to help motivate your team to excellence?

New Tools, Old Rules: Social Media Policy

(Post by Jessica Killenberg Muzik, APR, Vice President – Account Services)

When asked about social media policy, I once heard a PR executive sum it up in this way: “It’s just new tools, old rules.”

Social media has indeed given professionals a new set of tools in our collective toolbox and with that comes the need for proper use guidelines. The key is developing a social media policy that will help regulate, but won’t smother, the personal and open nature of new media within your company.

Here are five key points to keep in mind when establishing a social media policy:

1. A policy with a purpose. Your social media policy should have a positive purpose behind it, focusing on the things that employees can do, rather than what they can’t do when it comes to posting.
2. Identify roles for consistency. In any organization, certain individuals are responsible for certain tasks. Pick an administrator (or more than one depending on the size of your company) for your social media sites. The administrator will be responsible for making significant, consistent announcements on behalf of the organization, responding to questions or complaints, and resolving issues.
3. Encourage good judgment. Social media sites provide a place to be professional and helpful, not an open forum to complain or insult. Employees should be encouraged to post, but to use common sense when doing so. And, if questionable, they can always run a potential post by the social media administrator for approval before posting.
4. Respect copyrights. Giving proper credit where credit due is a must. Employees should be made aware that they must have permission to use others’ material (with attribution, if necessary) before it is posted.
5. Prepare for problems. Just as with any policy, there should be basic steps to follow in order to recognize and fix problems to your social media sites in a timely fashion. Again, this is where having an administrator comes in handy.

Bonus tip: Make your policy a living document. Changes and additions should be made as more is learned and experienced. When updating or revising your guidelines, keep communication open between your administrator and employees to leverage feedback. See feedback as an opportunity for continuous improvement.

For some examples of social media guidelines from various companies, see the Social Media Governance website, which has an online database of more than 200 social media policies.

It’s as Easy as ROPE: Social Media Plan Development

(Post by Jessica Killenberg Muzik, APR, Vice President – Account Services)

In addition to my role at Bianchi PR, I also have the good fortune of teaching a social media course at Wayne State University in Detroit. The reason I say good fortune is, after many years in the PR business, it’s always refreshing to see PR through the eyes of students, eager to make their professional mark on the world.

The key to the course is developing and implementing a social media plan. So one of my first questions for the students is this: “Do they still teach ROPE – research, objectives, program / plan and evaluation – as part of the core PR courses?”

And, it’s always music to my ears, when I hear a resounding “yes” from the students. Why? Because, as with traditional PR plans, ROPE can also be applied to social media plan development.

If you find yourself being tasked with developing a social media plan for your organization, here are the steps I suggest:

• Research. Provide a summary of what your company (or client) is currently doing in the social media space. More importantly, research what the competition is doing. Using a case-study, critical-eye approach as to who’s getting it right and who’s getting it wrong, will provide a road map for where you might want to take your efforts.
• Objectives. Define the goals of your new media plan. Be specific in defining what success will be, so you know what you’re working to achieve at the onset. Tie some realistic measurements / metrics to your efforts – increase in “likes” or followers, amount of engagement, tone of feedback, issues being discussed, etc.
• Program / Plan. Define who your target audiences are and where they are spending their time online. Define three or four consistent key messages that will be communicated throughout your social media efforts. Define your strategy and tactics, as well as your timeline. What social media application(s) will you be adopting for your organization (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, a blog, etc.)? What will your content be (product / service updates, news releases / announcements, media coverage, technical data / research, event involvement, community involvement, etc.)? What about consistency? How often will your post, blog, etc.?
• Evaluation. Based on your objectives, how will you measure the success of your new media efforts? You can monitor and measure visitor statistics via your website, Facebook Insights, Word Press, bit.ly, etc. And how often will you measure? You need to be sure to analyze and measure data at set time intervals, so that implementation can be tweaked as necessary.

Have you developed a social media plan? If so, what are some the lessons you have learned? 

9 Ways to Build a Winning Partnership with Your PR Firm

(Post by Leslie Dagg, Account Supervisor)

In a time where the average client-PR agency relationship lasts only a couple of years, we’re often asked how we’ve maintained client relationships that have lasted more than a decade.

In two words, the answer would be: true partnership. While most PR firms have solid processes and competent people who want to deliver for the client, and most clients want their PR team to succeed on their behalf, it takes more than that to create a truly winning partnership.

Drawing from our own, as well as our clients’, experiences, here are nine key success factors:

1. The early bird gets it – The earlier you bring your PR partners into the process, the more value they can add and the more they’ll feel ownership in your program. If you treat them like strategic partners and involve them in strategy development, they’ll be more effective than if they are treated merely as a vendor implementing tactic.
2. Acquaint and integrate – Both the client and agency need to invest time and effort to get to know and understand each other’s organizations, people and goals. A deep-dive session, regular visits to each other’s facilities, sharing materials and constant communication goes a long way.
3. Share the bull’s-eye – Agree upon common objectives, measurables and vision of success upfront, so you can work in lock-step together.
4. Let reality rule – The best relationships are built on trust, candor and honesty. Give the agency enough information so it can provide you with its thoughts about realistic budgets, results, measurements and timing. And agree upfront on what is fair in each of these areas.
5. All-access pass – The partnership works best when: a) the agency provides the client with senior-level attention whenever necessary; b) the agency consistently acts with a sense of urgency and purpose; c) the client provides access to the right people / information; and d) the client makes responding to the agency a priority.
6. Keep your ears open – Listen to understand first, and then listen to respond. Be open to your partner’s ideas. You hired the firm for a reason – its experience, expertise, insights and outside perspective. And if, after careful consideration, you decide not to follow the firm’s advice, explain why.
7. Ward off surprises – By establishing policies and procedures upfront, such as scheduled calls, meetings, status reports, budget tracking, etc., both parties minimize unsettling surprises. Early warnings about emerging issues can help isolate and address problems before they throw a wrench in the plans.
8. Keep house – In the best relationships, both the agency and the client take care of the housekeeping issues: the agency is fair on pricing; meets deadlines; provides solid service; and listens. The client provides clear direction, makes sure the bills are paid and provides timely feedback.
9. Have fun and commemorate – Taking time to celebrate achievements and success is important. It builds camaraderie, offers inspiration and provides mutual encouragement … leading to the next success. After all, fun helps to spark creativity, creativity leads to new ideas, and new ideas drive success!

What success factors would you add?

Favorite PR & Communications Quotes

(Guest post by Account Supervisor Leslie Dagg)

Sometimes there’s nothing better than a good quote to succinctly make a point or generate a smile.

Below you’ll find a sampling of favorites that our staff has collected.

Overall PR Quotes:

“Advertising is what you pay for. PR is what you pray for. – Unknown

“If I was down to the last dollar of my marketing budget I’d spend it on PR.” – Bill Gates

 “Public relations is a key component of any operation in this day of instant communications and rightly inquisitive citizens.” – Alvin Adams

“Publicity is absolutely critical. A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad.” – Richard Branson

PR Being the Best Bang for the Buck versus Advertising:

“Historically, PR, Marketing and Advertising budgets are the first to be cut; however, that could be one of the first mistakes a business makes in an economic crisis. In a downturn, aggressive PR and communications strategy is key.” – Doug Leone, VC, Sequoia Capital – Silicon Alley Insider 

“Other than word-of-mouth advertising and other than the one-in-a-million breakthrough commercial or ad, backed by huge spending budgets, the best way to build positive brand awareness is through publicity.”  – Sales guru and author Jeffrey S. Fox

Importance of being prepared for crisis communications:

“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” – Winston Churchill

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” – Warren Buffett

“If it’s going to come out eventually, better have it come out immediately.” —Henry Kissinger

Importance of being prepared for a media interview or speech:

“The questions don’t do the damage. Only the answers do.” —Sam Donaldson

“It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” —Mark Twain

 

What quotes would you add to this list?

10 Business Buzzwords You Have Sentenced to Death

You have spoken. The word “synergize” leads our annual list of business buzzwords that PR, communications and business professionals would like to eradicate from the lexicon before the start of the New Year.

That’s according to a couple hundred nominations from our colleagues and peers across about a dozen LinkedIn groups.

Based on our unscientific survey conducted over the past few weeks, here is the complete list of Top 10 Business Buzzwords to be Banned in 2012, with comments from some of the nominators:

1. Synergize – “Taking a bogus word like synergy and turning it into a verb just adds insult to injury.”
2. Value add – “Along with its evil twin, added value, it has literally lost any value it might have ever had.”
3. Leverage – “As a verb, as in ‘leverage our expertise’, it’s simply wrong.”
4. Ask – “Used as a noun, as in ‘what’s your ask today?’  ask is plain awful. Just ask anyone. ”
5. Optimize – “Another noun-turned-faux-verb with the addition of –ize. Please ‘demise-ize’ this one.”
6. Out of the box – “ … and into the trash.”
7. Engagement – “Unless we’re talking about getting married, forget it.”
8. Iconic – “Unless you’re talking about a sacred image, it’s probably not really iconic … or epic, either.”
9. Paradigm – “I thought we killed this buzzword two years ago?”
10. Curate – “Can’t we just say ‘keep’?”

Thanks to all for their contributions.

And in closing, let me quote a contributor, Brooke Candelaris, who asked: “Can we have less ideation about dynamic content in a seamlessly contextual multi-channel environment?”

Indeed.

What business buzzwords hit you like the sound of nails on a chalkboard?

(To see the 2011 and 2010 lists, go to http://wp.me/ppqb5-dA and http://wp.me/ppqb5-8v.)