July 7th, 2010
Every once and awhile I find little bits of things on social media outlets that I find interesting, irksome, or just cool. I’d like to note one of these things in hopes of sharing some insights and maybe bring some new perspective/attention to these neat little pieces. 
Facebook Groups- Though not a bad thing for private groups of people who wish to engage and discuss a particular topic or interest, let’s just all admit that Facebook Groups are NOT interchangeable with Facebook pages and here’s why: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Communications, Facebook, social media
Posted in From the Broadreach Desk, social media | No Comments »
June 14th, 2010
As I enter my senior year as a student at the University of Maine, Orono, I’m proud to have taken on a student internship at Broadreach Public Relations this summer. My college professors are constantly encouraging my peers and I to do internships in our field of study. In today’s job market, being able to have actual experience is crucial. A bachelor’s degree just isn’t cutting it any more. Employers are looking for more than a college degree; they want to see that you have utilized your skills and have experience under your belt.
So for almost an entire school year I searched, I ‘Googled’, I got on Craigslist, I networked, and I sent out resume after resume to find an internship, paid or unpaid. I was determined to be the minority of students graduating college with a job offer, not the majority moving home with mom and dad to work a dead-end job. I had no time to waste and I was unwavering in my promise to myself that I would land an internship, no matter what it took. Eventually, my father met Linda Varrell and Kate Bachman at a business event and told them about my interest in a PR internship. I called Linda directly the following Monday and told her about myself and asked about an internship at her firm. Broadreach didn’t have any kind of program like this in place but agreed to meet me the next month. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Communications, internship, networking, public relations, student internship
Posted in From the Broadreach Desk, networking | No Comments »
April 22nd, 2010
Public Relations value is a hot topic these days and theories run the gamut from as simple as getting great media placement to detailed and complex reporting systems. In today’s business world, though, the true value of PR for a company is their total net operating PR capital.
A company needs enough Public Relations capital built up over time in order to protect against reputation risk. Take Toyota’s current PR crisis for example; we all know what happened; unsafe cars on the road, company delays in notification, deflecting responsibility and then finally owning up to situation, with more coming out daily. As a Public Relations and communications professional, I watched this unfold very carefully. Is Toyota going down?
- Why were Toyota vehicles having so many safety issues in the first place?
- Why did their CEO wait so long to advise the public?
- Why did he try to deflect and shift responsibility to his underlings?
- Why is there still more coming out?
Upon closer analysis, I would venture to guess, that Toyota is not going to go down. The reason? They have a strong net operating PR capital. They have built up their PR capital from the inside out over time, with long-term loyal customers, dealers, vendors, employees and much more. In fact, Toyota is presently going on the offensive with authentic and appealing marketing strategies that are putting all of their built up capital to work.
My understanding from some NE dealers is that they are having some of their greatest sales months ever. True or not, it leads me to believe that Toyota will survive this hit to their reputation, though they may have to invest a great deal over the next few years in building their capital back up.
Public Relations is about building and fostering long term relationships with your audiences and stakeholders; which doesn’t happen overnight or with one great story or even with a great number of fans or tweets. A company’s reputation is at risk in the same fashion as its financial situation and must be attended to on a regular basis. To illustrate further, let’s take the financial model and apply it to PR in terms of relationships.
- Leverage current assets – Is what you have working for you? Are you building new relationships?
What value are you providing in today’s marketplace?
- Monitor current liabilities – Who do you owe? Where have you fallen down in delivering value? What relationships have you lost?
- Perpetuate and leverage your long-term assets – Are you maintaining your long-term relationships? Are you telling your authentic story? Are you building a tradition of successful and consistent messaging and branding?
In business, “we earn our right to do business every day,” by building up our PR capital over time with a focus on engaging your assets for the long term.
Next segment: How companies can get started in building up their PR capital.
Best,
Linda
Tags: broadreach public relations, crisis communictions, linda varrell, marketing, public relations, toyota
Posted in Broadreach | No Comments »
January 8th, 2010
I’ve been at Broadreach PR for a year now and one of the first things I learned was that the power of networking is not just for professionals, but is also extremely valuable for college students and recent grads out there on the job hunt.
Take for example, how I became a PR Specialist here at Broadreach.
When I graduated college in August of 2008 with a degree in Integrated Marketing Communications, I knew that I was going into tough job market, but I wasn’t actually that worried. I left school thinking that finding a job would take maybe a couple of months – I’d send some resumes out, go through a few interviews and then land a job. I was a fresh and ambitious young woman- how hard could it really be?
And then reality, coupled with an impending recession, gave me the who-know-what kind of slap in the face. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: broadreach pr, Communications, image, job searching, networking, public relations, Relationships
Posted in Broadreach | 2 Comments »
October 30th, 2009
Woody Allen once said that “80 percent of success is showing up.” And whatever you may think of the controversial comedian-director, he’s onto something there when it comes to winning new business.
If you offer a solution to someone’s problem and are standing right in front of that person, you have a far better shot of getting the job than a competitor down the street.
Of course, you can’t spend your days sitting on your prospects’ doorsteps, waiting for them to call out your name. You can, however, keep your business front-of-mind with strategic networking efforts that include as many of the following three elements as possible: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: image, marketing, networking, public relations, Relationships, social media
Posted in Broadreach | 1 Comment »
October 23rd, 2009
“How does it feel to want?”…a question I recall being asked as a young girl growing up in a household with a single mom. It was truly a reflection of the times when money and our culture held much in constraint, when information did not flow as easily.
Today, what you want, you can get. At least that’s what the new trend of “Nowism” outlines.
The term was described in a recent Trendwatching briefing: where debate is already taking place — “Expect NOWISM for many to become synonymous with (and blamed for) shallowness, short attention spans, exploding credit card debts, excessive focus on instantly satisfying urges, an unwillingness to face (and build) a better and sustainable future, indifference to the past (and all its lessons).”
Hasn’t all of that already occurred? Quick, disposable, throwaway items, as well as information and experiences, are now available to those who desire; and if you want, in 140 characters or less. However, what about long-lasting desires: a house on the water or in the mountains, travel to far away places, a successful business, intimate relationships, and a loving family. Are they within the reach of NOW? Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Facebook, Nowism, Relationships, social media, twitter
Posted in Branding | No Comments »
October 16th, 2009
On the way home from the fair the other day, I noticed a marquee sign in a small community proclaiming “Best Thai Food in Town!”
Now, I like Thai food, and this place might be wonderful. But instead of convincing me that I should stop by, the sign made me wonder: Can there be more than one Thai place in town? Is this the best claim to fame that the owner can come up with, even if there is a second Thai place?
We stopped somewhere else.
I’m not trying to pick on this harried restaurateur. In fact, the experience was one of several I had last week that got me to thinking about the unintended consequences that marketing choices can create in the mind of a potential customer.
If you shoot too low with your superlative, the claim will make the shopper wonder whether there is much of an attraction there. If you overstate your case and claim to the best Thai food in the world, for example, you also are likely to turn them off with a “yeah, right” response. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Brand, image, marketing, words
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October 2nd, 2009
Organizations sometimes behave like sharks when it comes to getting their message out: They do a great job of looking ahead to the next big project, but never back at their existing materials.
Do you have shark vision?
This problem has been on my mind recently because I keep seeing otherwise well-run organizations relying on inaccurate websites, brochures and collateral material to tell their stories. Facts change, but these once-perfect marketing vehicles do not. No longer does the company have 47 stores, or achieve a 15 percent recycling rate, or sell XYZ product.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Branding, image, marketing, public relations, reputation
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September 24th, 2009
It’s finally here, the last installment of The Big Three; A Series on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and that means that we are going to wrap up our discussion with a lesson on the social media outlet, LinkedIn. Read the rest of this entry »
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August 10th, 2009
Aligning management expectations with market realities to increase visibility and improve the bottomline.
As printed in the Yarmouth, ME Chamber of Commerce newsletter.
During tough times, many feel the urge to pull back and with budgets under fire that is easy to do. In my line of work I see it all the time; “cut the marketing, events, memberships, meals & entertainment and any other line item within your control.” STOP!
In a down economy, societal norms are to rely heavier on known relationships, fearful of new ones. Now is not the time to cut back without seriously considering the consequences to sales efforts and current relationships. Read the rest of this entry »
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