Three PR-Real World Parallels You’ve Probably Never Thought Of

Kerri Guyton

PR is on my brain almost all the time, even when I’m not at work. I think about applying aspects of PR planning to different situations in my personal life (see my post about my holiday family PR plan), and I think about different scenarios and symbols that well-represent good PR principles (see my post about If PR were an animal, it would be a…). In this post, I want to continue my PR-real world parallels with three specific ones related to PR services and everyday items or occurrences. Have you ever thought of these?

Media Relations and Marriage

I’ve been married for 15 years now. I married my college sweetheart during my senior year of college, so we’ve actually been together for 18 years.  I wouldn’t say I’m a marriage expert, but I’ve certainly been analyzing our relationship/marriage – and how to make it work for the benefit of both of us – for nearly two decades. And, while it’s no secret that communication is the key to success in any relationship, knowing how to communicate in a marriage is particularly important, especially when you are married to someone who works a lot and has limited time to communicate with you. I’ve learned that similar rules apply to media relations, as reporters and editors are similarly busy and often lack time for us “PR people.” 

In communicating with my husband, I know that there is a certain way to deliver messages to him. I have to speak his language, use as few words as possible and make sure those words capture his attention in the short time I usually have with him. I also know that there are good and bad times to engage him in conversation, and because he is so busy, most of the time that means only bringing up topics that really matter to him. I take a similar approach to media relations by knowing the best time to contact reporters with a story idea or news item, as well as keeping my pitch clear, concise and targeted to what their audiences will care about.

Additionally, ongoing relationship building is valuable in both marriage and media relations. In either one, it shouldn’t be about what I can get from them but what value I can bring to the relationship so that it’s mutually beneficial.

Crisis Communications and Cutting the Grass

Yes, they are related. Let me show you how. For starters, a well-maintained yard comes from regular upkeep. Keeping the grass at an acceptable level prevents you from being the shame of the neighborhood and the target of homeowner association penalties. Not to mention that when you let too much time go in between trims, it can start getting out of control, resulting in a little more effort and a lot more trimmings to clean up. And, you certainly don’t want to wait until you can no longer see your sidewalks and landscaping, as that may require additional tools and much more time and work on your hands.

Just as you don’t wait to pull out the lawnmower until the grass is out of control, you should never wait until a crisis happens to have a crisis communication plan. Crisis communication planning is ongoing and should deal with the maintenance of processes within a company that could potentially lead to a crisis. A well-prepared crisis communication plan should also ensure that you have the right “tools in the shed” should a crisis occur. If the potential “weeds” within a company are toxic employees, include ongoing training programs in your crisis communications plan and develop an immediate plan of action for appropriate discipline or termination should an employee situation turn to crisis mode.   

Social Media Strategy and an Ice Cream Sundae

The staples of a good ice cream sundae usually include vanilla ice cream, chocolate or caramel syrup, whipped cream and sprinkles. Consider that the definition of a standard social media strategy – one that if you ate it every day, might get a little old. Now, think about a great ice cream sundae, which may include a couple of different ice cream flavors and select toppings to complement each scoop. For example, a chocolate scoop might be covered in banana bites; a strawberry scoop could be topped with chocolate chips; and a butter pecan scoop is drizzled with caramel. Let’s complete the vision with a dollop of whipped cream and a cherry on each scoop. Now, that’s one interesting and delicious frozen experience. 

In my opinion, a great social media strategy utilizes a select collection of platforms to speak to a brand’s various audiences, and for each platform, a complementary strategy should be put in place that is specific to that audience. It’s important to use variety in your content to keep audiences engaged – not just the same posts over and over. I think it’s also important to note that you don’t have to have a presence on every social media platform, especially if your audience isn’t on that platform. Choosing the right platforms and content strategy can make the difference between your audiences eating and enjoying your sundae or letting it sit and melt.

Cooking with Kim

Kim Morrison

When I have the extra time, I really enjoy cooking. No, I don’t mean whipping up a box of macaroni and cheese and thawing out a veggie burger (although that is very yummy!); I mean truly creating a meal from the ground up. This winter, my favorites have been soups, finally nailing a good veggie “meatloaf” recipe, Eggplant Parmesan and various sides with cooked, fresh vegetables.

I’ve even become one of those people that has trouble sharing or recreating a recipe due to acquiring the skill to simply throw things together in a pot or bowl and having the dish turn out fabulously. I didn’t secretly sneak in classes with one of Food Network's Iron Chefs, but I have learned to heavily lean on one fail-safe trick. It’s actually a HUGE tenet of Hell’s Kitchen’s Chef Gordon Ramsay. What is this big recipe-changing secret?

Taste what you’re cooking.

Yep, it’s that simple! Think about it; when things go wrong with a dish on Hell’s Kitchen, other than a slew of expletives, what is one of the first things Chef Ramsay shouts out to the various chefs? “TASTE IT!!!” The dish is usually either totally inedible or missing some vital ingredient, both of which could have been discovered and remedied by simply tasting the dish. Instead that person usually ends up kicked out of the kitchen and eventually off the show. You can get away without tasting when making boxed mashed potatoes or some other prepackaged food, but when you’re creating a dish from scratch, how can you possibly know it’s been seasoned properly or has been cooked just right without tasting it? Simply put, you can’t. You have to monitor the taste of the dish to make sure it’s just so when you finally serve it.

The same thing goes for social media. (See what I did there?) Social media is just that, social. You can’t post a blog or something on Twitter and just walk away; it’s about interacting and becoming involved in the discussion. Are people commenting on your content, sharing your content, is it even getting any views? If the answers to these questions aren’t familiar to you, what are you doing with your social media content, and even more importantly, why are you doing it? In this day and age, social media provides a direct line to your publics and clients that’s never been available before. Grab this opportunity by the horns and become involved in the discussion, rather than halfway trying it and getting kicked out of the kitchen.

How much is too much?

Thomas Whitehead

As seen in The Memphis Daily News...

Show of hands – how many of us have those friends on Facebook who are over-sharers? Whether they are talking about that last taco they regret eating, their string of continuous bad dates, that very last beer they indulged in or other information that maaaybe we don’t really know them well enough to absorb. I think we all have those people in our newsfeed.

This might surprise you but I have begun to see examples of organizations that are becoming over-sharers as well, and this could be at the cost of their main reason to interact with their customers: sales.

A few years ago, there were so many blog posts written to encourage business leaders to blog, share more information and discuss business interactions to some degree. As a consumer, I personally loved to see this. I could now have more understanding as to what decisions were made about the brands and products that I liked.

However, recently, I have noticed two different trends that I hope are not going to continue in terms of sharing company information. I will preface this by saying that these two trends have been exclusively with private and small companies, not large or public corporations.

The first trend is sharing with customers on social media that your sales figures are down. I have noticed this with several retail stores and restaurants. Although I can appreciate hearing the perils of a small business owner, I feel that the bigger issue is the risk of customers perceiving that your business is in financial trouble.

The second trend is similar, but I have begun to see retail outlets and restaurants/bars practically beg people to come to their places. And, I don’t mean a simple, “Come to our store today!” requests. Rather, I have seen some comments similar to “we really need your business” or “we have had a slow month, please help us out” pleas.

Just like no relationship is perfect, we also know no company is perfect and each comes with their own struggles. However, just because I like to eat your burritos does not mean I am entitled to see your profit margins or quarterly forecasts. And, you shouldn’t want me to know that information.

Instead, your interaction with me should be focused on how my experience with your company will be one-of-a-kind and special through customer service, incredible products and attention to detail. If your messages are positive, then I will be more inclined to consider supporting your business.

There is a huge difference between shareholder and stockholder. As a customer, I have an interest in your success, but it won’t impact me financially if your business fails. As a stockholder, it definitely impacts my financial viability.

However, it is very important to identify which audiences you are speaking with through different channels. But, I can explore that topic later. Until then, I am going to go grab another burrito.