Communication the glue to mend broken business

Tim Hughes writes…

It was very professionally satisfying to note a feature article in The Advertiser recently titled “Back from the Brink” (May 21, 2013 P19) which detailed the survival of a number of local and global brands in the face of corporate “near death experiences.”

Hughes PR played a key role in ensuring the survival of half the local organisations listed, including respected juice producer Nippy’s and iconic retailer Harris Scarfe.

The factors attributed to their survival included “public support, visionary leadership, grit and pure luck.”

In my experience over more than 30 years, organisations make their own luck; public support must be earned; leaders certainly need a positive vision and profile; and yes, true grit is required to bring an organisation back from the brink.

But the glue that puts the broken pieces back together is communication.

Make your own luck
Every organisation should have an issues and crisis communication plan integrated with its risk management process.

It’s as vital to business survival as insurance.

The plan should nominate members of the crisis management team including the CEO, financial, technical, legal and communication expertise, delineate key responsibilities and establish management procedures.

It should identify potential issues and crisis scenarios and canvas potential responses – anticipating potential news angles and areas of media and community interest.

Scenarios should be tested and key personnel trained in responses (including media training) and the plan should be ready for roll-out without notice.

Being alert to risk and prepared to manage it plays a much greater role in corporate survival than luck.

Public support must be earned
There is no better preparation for surviving a crisis than having a strong brand.

This means working pro-actively at every level of an organisation to deliver consistently high levels of quality in terms of product and customer experience and communicating effectively with your constituency – filling the “Goodwill Bank” to the point that if an organisation needs to make a “reputational withdrawal” it won’t go into deficit.

The corporate survivors mentioned in this article are all well-regarded brands with strong consumer followings – mostly ill-deserving of the strife they found themselves in. Locally, Coopers, Nippy’s, Harris Scarfe and Spring Gully and globally Apple, Aston Martin, IBM and Harley Davidson.

Not only will doing the right thing (across all levels of an organisation) help minimise reputational risk and avoid a crisis, if an issue does escalate, the weight of public support will be with you, not against you.

Demonstrate leadership
Key to winning the battle of public opinion in times of corporate crisis is clear leadership – not only in terms of managing the business but (via effective communication) being seen to manage the business and the community ramifications of the crisis.

The buck must stop with the CEO – particularly when dealing with the media. I have not yet seen an effective crisis communication program where the “PR Guy” takes the lead with the media. To this end, the CEO must front the media, must take responsibility for the organisation’s actions, and actively demonstrate the values of the organisation’s brand to staff, stakeholders, shareholders and Government.

The role of the professional communicator is to support the CEO, assess the facts, tap into the mood, assist with key messaging, and take responsibility for consistent communication across all stakeholder groups.

True grit
Despite the best preparations and the best intentions, managing a crisis requires a lot of hard work and commitment from every member of an organisation – top to bottom.

It also requires an organisation to have the fortitude to follow through on the commitments embodied in its brand – in so doing, living up to the expectations of its customers and other stakeholders – despite the many internal and external pressures which can build up during a crisis.

In short, if organisations have a plan – and stick to it – any crisis when it comes, need not be fatal. Indeed, if handled well it may actually enhance their reputation.

To read case studies on crisis communication visit http://www.hughespr.com.au/our-clients/our-case-studies/

Hughes PR is a communications and public relations consultancy with proven and extensive experience in publicity and media relations, issues management, crisis management, digital media and social media strategy and implementation, community consultation, event management, media training, publications and strategic problem solving. Find out more.

The power of online video

We’re pleased to announce the appointment of  Lyndal Redman to head up our Digital Video Production Unit.

Watch Lyndal’s video blog about the power of online video.

Watch more of our online videos on our YouTube Channel.

Hughes PR is a communications and public relations consultancy with proven and extensive experience in publicity and media relations, issues management, crisis management, digital media and social media strategy and implementation, community consultation, event management, media training, publications and strategic problem solving. Find out more.

You don’t have to be a twit to use digital media

The juggernaut that is social media has created a myriad of communication opportunities for businesses globally.

Leading sites Facebook and Twitter have both become vehicles used to share and deliver information. But multimedia opportunities such as YouTube, weblogs and websites coupled with online video are now emerging as the major player in this new world of internet marketing and communication.

Over 800 million unique users visit YouTube, with over four billion hours of video viewed each month. In addition, 72 hours of video are posted online every minute – and you can bet that businesses are taking over as the predominant contributors.

Why? These days, it’s simply not enough to create a relationship through text. Shareholders, investors and consumers want to see and hear who and what is behind the organization they may be considering investing in or the product or service they are buying into.

Research shows that after viewing an online video advertisement, about 46% of viewers take some sort of action – whether it’s visiting the company’s website, requesting additional information or purchasing a product or service. As a result, it is expected that approximately $4.3 billion annually will be spent thanks to businesses taking advantage of online video.

The power that social media and online video communication has to influence people can be an exciting yet scary concept, particularly for smaller players.

Social media and online video are both powerful ways to promote your organization, its prospects and its achievements. These platforms can also be used to discuss more in-depth facets of the company such as the background or potential of a new project through to employment opportunities and community service initiatives.

The benefits of promoting your organisation via social media are two-fold. Not only do you reap the obvious rewards of heightened awareness, but you can also test your investment by monitoring exactly who and how many people you are reaching through social media monitoring systems designed to automatically analyse every hit or mention your page/account receives. This provides you with audience insight not only for your business, but also your competitors’ businesses.

In order to make the most of social media, post impressive and insightful photos, and create online videos that showcase your organisation and staff. We live in an age where images are in high demand, and fantastic imagery has come out of the industry.

Another visual opportunity lies in shareholder presentations and annual reports, which can be particularly dry reading for stakeholders. A video annual report lends itself to footage of the action as it’s being discussed.

There are production companies that deal specifically in online video and DVD creation, but if the concept of burning a hole in your company’s finances has you heading for the door, don’t worry. Online video need not be a huge investment.

Online video can actually be simple, cost-effective and push the message you want to get across to the people you want to reach, and communication consultancies are now offering in-house production for a fraction of the cost that might once have been incurred by using specialist film production houses or even advertising agencies.

Social media and online video will increasingly grow in importance for businesses – big and small – but whatever you do ensure its part of a well-considered strategy – because once something’s online, it’s there for everyone to see.

Hughes Public Relations is an Adelaide-based communication management consultancy that offers social media services and online video production. Visit www.hughespr.com.au

View some of our recent videos on the Hughes PR YouTube Channel.

Back it up – the importance of social media record keeping

Kate Potter writes…

More than ten years ago, I kept an online journal. It was so long ago, that it wasn’t even called a “blog” in those days! I put a lot of effort into writing about my thoughts, ideas and experiences, over a period of about 18 months.

Then one day, it was gone. I went to login to my account, and I was greeted by a note. “Sorry!” it cheerfully said. The note went onto explain that the owner of the site had somehow managed to lose everything, due to a server issue. All of the content, thousands of people’s blog posts and journal entries, were irrecoverable.

Being a naïve 19 year old, using the Internet for five years and never encountering this problem before, I hadn’t thought to back up my journal entries using Word or a similar offline program. Unthinkable, now.

And yet, users of social networks still trust these networks to keep their precious content safe for years.

There was a case a couple of years ago when Flickr accidentally deleted thousands of a user’s photos – thankfully now restored. While this case was a high profile example, there are many cases of users’ data going missing, such as when smartphone apps shut down.

So, what to do? Back up your online content. Do it now.  Check your Facebook account and back up all your data (go to “Account Settings” and click “Download a copy of your Facebook data”). Don’t forget Instagram, Flickr, WordPress, Blogger, the list goes on. For platforms like Twitter you may need to manually back up all your data – Twitter is rolling out a “download my Twitter history” option but it’s currently only available for selected users. It may be worth checking back sporadically to see if the option is available to you to save manual backing up.

If you manage social networks on behalf of an organisation, make sure you include data back up and record keeping as part of your social media policy – who will be responsible for this task, how will it be done, and how often? Those who manage accounts on behalf of Government agencies may be required to keep this information as part of the state Records Act.

To avoid anything untoward happening with your online data, make sure you have a system for backing it up. What better way to show how far you’ve come with social media?!

Hughes PR can help you manage your social media record keeping, as well as your social media network management, digital media strategies and policies. Contact us for more information or to discuss your requirements. 

Hughes PR is a communications and public relations consultancy with proven and extensive experience in publicity and media relations, issues management, crisis management, digital media and social media strategy and implementation, community consultation, event management, media training, publications and strategic problem solving. Find out more.

Bringing your blog to life

Catherine Bauer writes…

Tap, tap, tap.

Exasperated groan.

Delete.

Silence (or thinking music).

Tap, tap, tap.

Those are the sounds of a frustrated writer – be it journalist, columnist, blogger, novelist, student – whatever.

Writing doesn’t always come easy – even to someone who enjoys it or who writes for a living.

More than a few of Adelaide’s PR consultants have a journalism background and are regularly asked by clients to help write columns or blog posts.

A good column or blog requires more than just the ability to articulate an opinion. Your opinions have to make sense, provide insight and be convincing. And ideally, they must be entertaining. They can be more intimate, informal and conversational than a lot of mainstream writing.

Here are a few tips that might help you with any New Year blogging resolutions.

Write as you would speak – don’t be formal if you’re not. And don’t be informal and lighthearted if it doesn’t come naturally.

Don’t be long winded – a rambling rant that takes forever to reach a point is blog poison. Get right to the point ASAP.

Write with conviction – put forward your opinion as something you truly believe in. Argue your case with conviction. Don’t sit on the fence. Be definite and be prepared to stand by your statements.

Use facts – back up your arguments with facts.

Be critical – people like reading columnists who dare to criticise. Naming names might create a bit of controversy but as long as you do not libel anyone and don’t go overboard in your criticism, it works well to make your column an interesting and exciting read.

It’s ok to be passionate – a ho-hum piece of writing is akin to a flaccid handshake – or being flogged with warm lettuce, to borrow from former Prime Minister Paul Keating. A soft or passive voice isn’t one for a columnist or blogger. If what you’re writing about doesn’t excite you, don’t expect your readers to be engaged either.

Have a point – if you’re going to raise an issue, you should also suggest a solution – not to is pretty useless.

Come up with some posts for the blog bank – this is a good idea if you’re a regular writer. Keeping up a series of blogs or columns can be onerous, especially when you’re not faced with some good juicy issues to tackle. Find some ageless subjects that aren’t time sensitive. And write ahead at those times you’re feeling creative, rather than at a time your stressed or busy and the words have to be painfully extracted.

Finally, don’t enter the realm of sharing your views, opinions and experiences unless you have a thick skin!

Hughes PR is a communications and public relations consultancy with proven and extensive experience in publicity and media relations, issues management, crisis management, digital media and social media strategy and implementation, community consultation, event management, media training, publications and strategic problem solving. Find out more.

Happy Holidays from Hughes PR

From all the team at Hughes Public Relations, we wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thank you for your support throughout 2012 and we look forward to working with you in 2013. Enjoy watching our Christmas Video!

 

Champagne swilling, celebrities, long lunches and other misconceptions about PR

Natalie Ciccocioppo writes…

Last week on my way home, I stopped off at the service station to fill up my car. As I paid for my petrol, the cashier started a conversation with me:

“On your way home from work?” he said.
“Yes, I am,” I replied
“What do you do?”
“I work in Public Relations,” I answered.
The cashier stared at me, confused.
As I began to explain the role of Public Relations, a look of recognition came across his face.
“Ahhhhhhh, you work in advertising!”

It’s quite a common occurrence for me, and I’m sure other PR practitioners, when describing our work to family, friends and people I meet, for them to confuse PR with advertising or marketing.

While it’s no doubt that PR, advertising and marketing are related and complementary fields (and some organisations group these roles together) they are distinctly different.

Getting in to the differences between PR and marketing would be another blog post in itself. Though not always the case, advertising and marketing tend to be more sales driven, often linked directly to promoting a product or service to customers. PR is driven by communicating a company’s overall reputation and building relationships with key stakeholders such as the media, internal and external clients.

I also find I get asked if, as a PR Consultant, I go to a lot of parties and meet celebrities. I try not to roll my eyes too much at that one!

This is what I call the ‘Samantha Jones effect’ (after the popular character in Sex and the City). Depictions of PR in books, movies and TV shows have played a role in glamourising perceptions of PR. Across these mediums, PR is portrayed as being all about swilling champagne, fashion, attending club and restaurant openings and having long, lazy lunches. And for those who aren’t familiar with the industry and its role, these popular culture references are often what comes to their mind when they think about PR.

And many of these representations of PR are also focused heavily around the role of Publicists – while publicity and media relations is an important and valuable part of the PR tool kit – PR is not just about publicity.

There’s somewhat of a disconnect between what people think PR is about, and what we really do, hence why the above meme created by our industry colleagues at Edelman Australia resonates with me and other PR practitioners.

Good PR is not about long lunches, parties, celebrities and it’s not the same as advertising or marketing. We don’t spend all of our time at events or schmoozing celebrities. A lot of the time, we are in the office or talking to our clients, working hard to build and protect reputations by creating and implementing strategic communications programs which utilise a range of techniques such as media relations, crisis and issues management, digital media, publications, internal communications, stakeholder and community relations to help businesses achieve their goals.

What can we do to help change these misconceptions of PR? I believe as an industry, we could start with working on a consistent definition of PR, or an ‘elevator pitch’ in every day terms. Something a PR practitioner could explain to a person they meet at a friend’s BBQ, or in my case, the man at the service station.

After more than 7 years working in the industry, I’ve seen firsthand the immense value that PR can add to brands. Being a part of this, is the main reason I work in, and am passionate about the role that PR plays in business. And I must say, while they are a great way to meet people and connect with colleagues, going to the occasional event doesn’t really register on my radar!

Hughes PR is a communications and public relations consultancy with proven and extensive experience in publicity and media relations, issues management, crisis management, digital media and social media strategy and implementation, community consultation, event management, media training, publications and strategic problem solving. Find out more.

How to prepare for the media

Mark Williams writes…

There’s a great deal of satisfaction for PR practitioners in not just raising the profile of a client through the media, but in protecting their reputation or brand when things aren’t quite going to plan.

Media training and issues management preparation are still critical elements of any communications strategy, and particularly more so in the age of digital media.  I get quite a kick out of seeing a client with little or no past media experience confidently handling a difficult media interview or press conference, because they’ve done the hard work and preparation beforehand.

Let’s start with preparation. A popular approach is to draft a list of questions that a journalist may ask, and then think carefully about how you might respond (Q&As).  This can be a bit of a bruising exercise.  Clients need to understand that some journalists may ask subjective and personal questions to elicit a subjective and sometimes emotional rather than objective response.

It’s important to prepare clients for questions like “You must be personally embarrassed that your company has allowed this to happen?” and not just the inevitable enquiry “What went wrong?”

Responses to these questions should be objective, factual, honest and to the point.  The more work you do in preparing for various questions, the more likely you are to stay ‘on-message’ when facing the media.

This is not a matter of setting the “spin”.  (In short, “spin doesn’t win”).  Rather it’s about delivering an accurate message in a manner which is responsive to the needs of the media and which communicates effectively with your target audience – and theirs.

Which leads us to media training. It’s one thing to prepare responses to media enquiries.  It’s another thing entirely to be able to provide these answers in front of a room full of experienced and inquisitive journalists and a bank of TV cameras.

Hughes PR’s media training partner, Ron Kandelaars, has shared his wealth of media and public relations experience through media and presentation training courses for the past 20 years.  His practical ‘hands on’ approach to training has proved its value for many of our clients in refining and delivering key messages to media or live audiences and also protecting reputations in the face of corporate issues or crises.

A few random tips to remember: When talking with the media, you should avoid an ‘us and them’ mentality.  For the most part, journalists are simply looking to report on the news of the day.  They’ll ask the tough questions, but they will (or should) accurately report your response.  If you’re deliberately combative, media will feed off this negativity and are less likely to give you the benefit of the doubt when writing their story.

In the age of social media, it’s also important not to feel pressured into thinking you need to respond to a Tweet or Facebook post straight away.  An accurate and strategic response should always take precedence over a quick tactical response.

To put this in perspective – when you’re interviewed by media, it’s more often than not a ‘one-on-one’.  When you reply on Facebook, every one of your potentially thousands of followers or fans stands ready to critique your response, and they will call your bluff if they think the statement is wrong or that you’re trying to hide from the truth.

Hughes PR is a communications and public relations consultancy with proven and extensive experience in publicity and media relations, issues management, crisis management, digital media and social media strategy and implementation, community consultation, event management, media training, publications and strategic problem solving. Find out more.

Online videos and how it can help boost your business

Globally, four billion videos were viewed online in 2011, suggesting online video is not just a trend; it’s a juggernaut.

Strong evidence suggests that to remain competitive in today’s corporate communications, incorporating online video content is critical.

Hughes PR can help develop this extra element to add to your communications strategies by creating video for social media, blogs, press releases and websites.

We’re pleased to announce the appointment of Emily Whitham to head up our Digital Video Production Unit.

Learn more about the importance of online videos through Emily’s video blog  where she  talks about the growing trend of online video marketing and it’s role in helping you boost your business.

Watch more of our online videos at our YouTube Channel.

Hughes PR is a communications and public relations consultancy with proven and extensive experience in publicity and media relations, issues management, crisis management, digital media and social media strategy and implementation, community consultation, event management, media training, publications and strategic problem solving. Find out more.

Does your business communicate as effectively as it should?

Kieran Hall writes…

Public opinion can often be the difference between the success and failure of a business, particularly today where news and opinions can be spread online in the blink of an eye.

And it’s not only journalists and media outlets shaping public opinion these days. Anyone can now write a blog, comment on a website article, post a Facebook update or send a Twitter message, with the social nature of these online platforms meaning information is being shared faster and wider than ever before.

It’s therefore vital that companies – large and small – pay attention to what people are seeing, hearing and saying about them. More importantly, companies should be looking to help shape these communications, which can influence the decision-making of business leaders, governments, investors and the general public, and in turn influence the success or otherwise of your business.

So how well does your organisation communicate? Are you getting the right messages across to key influencers at the right time? And are they consistent messages delivered via the most appropriate format, whether it’s a media release to the nation’s newspapers, an e-newsletter to your database or a targeted proposal to clients, prospective business partners or governments?

Are you maximising ‘good news’ opportunities to ensure stakeholders are kept informed of key achievements, milestones or new capabilities, and conversely, are you adequately prepared to manage the not-so-good news opportunities should trouble strike?

Reputation is everything in business and communication plays a critical role in establishing, building and safeguarding it. And don’t think that reputation management is primarily the domain of massive corporations. Every business should recognise the value of their ‘brand’ and put measures in place to develop and preserve it.

There’s an old saying that ‘failing to plan is planning to fail’ and that’s certainly the case for communication. Companies should have a dedicated communication plan in place to ensure managers and key staff are all on the same page in terms of what your organisation’s objectives really are, who your target audience is, what you’re trying to say and how you’re going to say it.

Crisis communication is very much a part of this too. If there was a crisis at your workplace, would your company be sufficiently prepared to handle a media scrum that arrives unannounced on your doorstep? Public relations can help guide you through the tough times as well as the good.

Furthermore, PR can assist in positioning your company to help attract and retain quality staff. In a highly competitive labour market, the companies who are most likely to draw the best people are those that have a strong public profile, whether that be at a local level for smaller businesses or at a national or international level for larger organisations competing for global talent.

Consistent, strategic communication should be an ongoing focus for every company to help ensure the overriding goals of the organisation are achieved.

Hughes PR is a communications and public relations consultancy with proven and extensive experience in publicity and media relations, issues management, crisis management, digital media and social media strategy and implementation, community consultation, event management, media training, publications and strategic problem solving. Find out more.