Tag Archives: nonprofit marketing

Something we (finally) all can agree on

In today’s divided country and world, it is a breath of fresh air when there is something we all can agree on.

And it happened today.  The solar eclipse was cool.

For a few hours, people stopped fighting with one another, writing hateful messages and levying threats.  Even the media made room for the one event that everybody in the world could witness on the same day, with or without those special glasses.  And it had nothing to do with politics.

Maybe that’s what we need more of.  Natural occurrences that are undeniable and that we all can witness at the same time and agree upon.

Hopefully something like this will come along again before another 100 years or so.

 

New PR target: airlines

It seems you can’t turn on your computer without the latest cell video of someone being abused by an airline.  Passengers being dragged off flights to make room for airline employees, families thrown off because the child’s name doesn’t match the ticket, and passengers simply frustrated at being treated with disdain by flight attendants and pilots.

The strange thing is the airlines are almost always right: legally.  They do what their manual tells them they must do or be fired.  And they blame the FAA as the culprit. These flight mishaps, that end up on CNN and all over social media, are not because the airline is doing something wrong.  It is the way they handle the situation.  Again, as in most crisis communications scenarios, it is not the act, it is the coverup.  It is not asking someone to leave a plane, it is how it is done.

When incidents hit the media, and result in public outrage, the airlines cave in.  The CEO goes on Good Morning America to issue an apology and the case usually ends up with the passenger much richer.

What is missing from these crisis scenarios is some common sense.  If flight attendants and pilots worked on alleviating an escalating situation rather than bulldozing their way to follow the manual, nobody would be filming the situation and nobody would think that airlines have become the most non-customer relations sensitive business in the world.  Right now, people would but airlines at the bottom of the list for customer service and in many cases rightfully so.

Issuing apologies and paying passengers millions of dollars doesn’t solve the PR problem.  The airline admits guilt and stupidity and is out a lot of money.  The answer is to stop a PR crisis before it begins.  Give flight attendants and pilots authority to solve problems on the ground before they escalate.  Don’t call the police whose job is to do whatever it takes to get a passenger off the plane.

And have better staff training in how to deal with passengers who have done nothing wrong other than buy a plane ticket.

 

 

 

In PR, timing is everything, well almost everything

As a PR and marketing firm that does significant work in crisis communications, people often ask me the best way to preserve their reputation when in a crisis.  I wish there was one “best” way that would apply to every situation, but there isn’t.  Every organization, situation and crisis is unique.

Of course the best way to come out on top of a crisis is to never get into one in the first place.  Everybody knows that, but that’s not how the world works.  Most crises situations occur due to no fault of the organization or company.  But then again, some do.

The overriding piece of advice I give is to be prepared for when a crisis may occur.  The second best advice I give is to allow yourself as much time as possible to think through the situation, consult with your crisis PR team, develop a strategy and then implement at the right time.

I can’t say how many times organizations come to us seeing a difficult situation looming down the road.  It could be two, three weeks or a month away.  They see it coming, and reach out to us for advice and counsel.  Our response is always to begin immediately so we have adequate time to prepare.  But it is amazing how many organizations wait and delay to address the issue and put together a plan.  People are on vacation, out of town, other matters are given priority.  And before you know it, the crisis that was a month away is now tomorrow, and there is no plan.

So first get your crisis team in place, but when you see a difficult situation about to unfold, don’t wait for the day before, thinking your PR consultant will magically take care of it. Yes, we often can work magic, but at least give us some time to polish off our magic wand.

Telling your nonprofit story

We are often asked “what makes a good news story?”  Interestingly, the answer is in the question.

If you run a nonprofit, you probably have a strong desire to see your organization written about in positive, feel-good ways in the press, online or on television.  Of course you do.  Media coverage brings recognition and often, recognition brings donor dollars.

But what is a good story?  What do the media cover and what do they look for?

Like I said in the beginning, the answer is in the question.  The media look for good stories.

The media are not in the business of promoting nonprofits or any business.  They are in the business of writing stories that are interesting, engaging and will hold their readership or viewers.  That’s why when you structure your message in story form, the chances of it being reported in the press are much higher.

So when you write that next news release, don’t talk about how great your organization is.  Talk about the people you help and how the efforts of your nonprofit are changing peoples’s lives.

You just may get a nice new story out of it.

The key to nonprofit PR: action

One would be hard pressed to find a nonprofit organization that isn’t well-meaning.  They all have great missions, intentions and plans.  Further, they have great people who want to change the world for the better.

But if a nonprofit wants PR and its brand to become better known, it has to do more than have good intentions.  There are tens of thousands of nonprofit organizations doing everything imaginable.  And unfortunately, sometimes nonprofits compete with one another.  They compete for donor dollars, staff, volunteers, grants, even event space.  It shouldn’t be that way, but that’s the reality.  Hence, every nonprofit seeks recognition and visibility, not to feed its ego, but to help it grow.

If a nonprofit wants to be in the press in a positive and meaningful manner, it has to do things that are positive, visible and meaningful.  I would also add that what it does has to be unique, visual, interesting and possess all the elements that the media want when they write stories and air news broadcasts.  I have never seen a news broadcast on a nonprofit just based on their good intentions.

Most nonprofits know this.  That’s why they do events and work to get media coverage.  But with the number of nonprofits growing and number of media outlets shrinking, it’s getting harder and harder.  Social media postings are great, but usually not enough to mobilize funding.  All organizations want that big LA Times story.

So if you head a nonprofit organization and seek media visibility, plan events with a dual purpose.  First, don’t do an event just for the PR.   It needs to be effective in working towards your mission.  But if you do want media coverage, make the event different and unique so it can be pitched to the media.

And last, while planning an event, run it by your PR consultant to get their take as to whether it can attract media.  Sometimes great event ideas just take a twist or two and you might get CNN to show up.

That’s where PR firms such as our’s comes in.

Steve Jobs on marketing — the master explains the re-branding of Apple

Steve Jobs was unquestionably the master marketing genius of our generation.  When I teach PR courses and workshops, I often show this video of Jobs presenting Apple’s re-branding campaign, and the strategy behind it.  This presentation was given when Jobs returned to Apple after being fired in a dispute with the Apple board.  Jobs went on to found NEXT Computer and Apple went on toward bankruptcy.  They brought Jobs back and the rest is history.

If you want to learn all there is to know about how to brand your company, nonprofit, institution or product, watch the master at work.

Crisis PR: Getting the facts vs. taking action

When asked what is the first thing an organization should do when faced with a reputation management, or crisis PR issue, some will say to first get the facts. Others will say take immediate action — the longer you wait the more it may appear like a cover-up. After all, history has shown that the downfall of Richard Nixon was not Watergate per se, it was the cover-up.

In reality, both are true. And both need to be done simultaneously. Getting the facts is critical to devise an immediate plan of action. How can you know what to do if you don’t know what happened? This is easier said than done, as in the world of immediate communication, when every news outlet wants to be first, miscommunication is often the rule. News outlets can be wrong. They are not held accountable. But an organization can’t afford to be wrong.

At the same time taking instant action is critical. For example, if a staff member sends out an offensive tweet, albeit unintentional, there often is no other course of action than to terminate the employee — depending on the nature of the tweet and other factors. Once something is in cyberspace, and the world deems it racist or sexist or insensitive, there is no taking it back. A million apologies and explanations can’t undo the damage. Plus, it is a chance for an organization to show leadership by cutting the crisis off immediately. Then, a plan of restoring the integrity and reputation of the organization can be devised and implemented with the cause of the problem gone.

What is most important is that organizations be prepared for any eventuality. Anything can happen at any time and every company or nonprofit must be nimble enough to act. Acting can mean finding the facts and devising a plan. It can also mean taking immediate action.

There is no one right answer, as every crisis, or potential crisis, is unique; like every organization is unique. So the real way to prepare is not to decide whether you will first gather the facts or take action, but have an internal system that allows you to quickly make the right decision when and if crisis time comes.

When is a crisis a PR crisis?

If you have viewed our website, you clearly see that one of the services we provide is crisis communications, or reputation management as it has come to be called.  Organizations — commercial, nonprofits and institutions — sometimes find themselves in trouble and they need expert PR counsel to try to contain whatever public damage may result.

This is not an essay on crisis management, but rather one small aspect of the process.  And that is determining when a crisis is really a PR crisis; and when action should be taken or perhaps it is best to lay low.

These are simple questions with no easy answers.  Every potential crisis situation is different. Every organization is unique and the events that may occur are endless.  Sometimes the organization has done something wrong and it needs to make it right.  Sometimes an organization is wrongly accused and we need to set the record straight.

But step one is always an analysis of whether what appears to be a PR crisis truly is.  The worst thing a client can do is overreact to what they think will be a public attack when no such attack is imminent.  Then, they have created a crisis of their own.

When we are brought in by organizations for crisis PR counsel, the first thing we do is gather the facts and make a determination as to whether a crisis exists.  Sometimes we are able to bring clarity to the situation and remind the client that the world’s eyes are not on them and whatever happened will blow over.

There is a saying in crisis PR to “get ahead of the story.”  We understand and often practice this ourselves.  But there have been situations when clients have been advised to get ahead of a story that hasn’t yet been written.  Why write the story and create something negative unless you have to?

Reacting is usually not a good strategy, and overreacting is worse.  It is a fine line, and that is why PR counselors who have been in crisis PR situations many time are invaluable in sorting out reality and helping clients understand the nuances of PR and how to develop a strategic plan that addresses all situations.

The key is preparation.  Being prepared for launch at a minutes notice, but not launching until we have to.  That is the key to effective and smart crisis PR.

Is nonprofit PR the same as fundraising?

We often get calls from nonprofit organizations seeking fundraising help.   It’s only normal, because all nonprofits need funding.  And many seem to believe that nonprofit PR is synonymous with nonprofit fundraising.

Over the years we have represented well over 50 nonprofits of all sizes.  I can’t think of one that didn’t need fundraising help.  But when a nonprofit agency talks to us about fundraising, we need to explain the difference between a PR firm and a fundraising firm.

Public relations and marketing  can support fundraising efforts.  But PR and marketing alone is not fundraising and it has his own .  We have had many situations when we were able to land an article in a major newspaper or network news program and that resulted in funds coming in.  That’s what we call fundraising support.  Our efforts in the PR sector are not to come out and ask for money.  It is to make people aware of the mission of our clients so when the fundraising plan is implemented, they will have heard of the organization and know to whom they are giving.

Many of our clients have fundraising firms or internal fundraisers on staff.  We work hand in hand with them — preparing materials, writing text, promoting special events, everything that supports the “ask.”  Sometimes we do direct mailers and set up giving stations at special events, but all these activities are in conjunction with a fundraising strategy that is put together either by the client, their fundraiser or the client and us.

So when seeking fundraising assistance, make PR a part of that process, but it is not the entire process alone.  One works with the other and supports the other.

Old words with new meanings that we can do without

We PR professionals are in the communication business. Our job is to structure the messages of those we represent and communicate them in the clearest, most understandable words possible.

But every now again, new word meanings creep into our daily lexicon. It’s hard to tell who comes up with these alternate ways of saying the same thing, but some – many – catch on. Before you know it, we all are using the same new-styled wording to convey the same thoughts when the words we have been using for decades have worked just fine.

Perhaps it’s nothing more than looking and sounding cool; like you just bought the latest model sports car so you must know something. But having practiced PR for several decades, successfully, I do my best to avoid the newest and latest lingo because I don’t think it adds to my credibility, and frankly, I think it makes me sound silly.

Here are a few examples: Feel free to add to the list:

Space – No longer do people work in a business or industry, they occupy a certain space. I had a conversation with a nice young person recently who was trying to sell me a service. Every other word from his mouth was the “space” my company occupies. The only space I occupy is my office space and I pay rent for that. That’s the only space that makes sense to me.

Reach Out – There was a time when people would call or contact one another. Today, everybody “reaches out.” I wanted to reach out to you about any openings you may have in your company. You mean you are calling me about a job?” If that person was really current, s/he would have said “I wanted to reach out to you about any space I could fill in your firm.” But I guess there are only so many new-fangled clichés a recent graduate can muster in one sentence.

Different Direction – This has actually been around for a while, and won’t go away. Years ago, as the story goes, Johnny Carson decided to fire one of his writers. He called him into his office and said something like, “I just want you to know we’re taking the show in a different direction.” That was Johnny’s way of firing him. Later, the writer said in an interview that he never knew what different direction the show took, as it seemed the same to him until Johnny retired.

Circle Back — “I’ll tell you a bit about my company, you tell me a bit about your company, and then we’ll circle back to how you can help us.” You mean: After we get the preliminaries out of the way, we’ll get to the point of the meeting? Can we do this while remaining in our chairs or do we have to get up and walk in a circle?

Best – Prior to email overtaking our daily communications, people wrote letters. Yes, with actual paper that had to be folded and put in an envelope and mailed, or in later years, faxed. For as many years as I can remember, letters ended with something like Very Truly Yours, or the ubiquitous Sincerely. Then, when email arrived, people wanted to sound more friendly and started using All the Best. And now, All the Best has morphed to simply Best.

Best what?

It was nice hearing from you, Best, Gary.

You mean All the Best? You mean I Wish You the Best? You mean I Am the Best? Perhaps You are the Best? I never know what best you’re talking about. Please explain.

Hey – I saved my favorite for last. I can’t tell you how many emails I get, usually from people soliciting business or more likely people sending resumes, that begin with Hey! If I am not worth a Hello, then why bother? Colleges should offer a course that teaches would-be PR pros the difference between writing a business email and writing a text to a buddy. If you are asking me, or anyone for a job, don’y start with Hey!! We’re not drinking buddies, at least not yet. And for heaven’s sake, drop the exclamation points unless you are writing for a comic strip.

So hey, now that I have reached out to you, I want to circle back and take this in a different direction because of the space that I occupy. Thanks for listening.