A Guest Post By Jim Joseph

Last week I had the distinct privilege of being a guest host on #prstudchat.  At first I was excited to be invited, thinking that someone out there thought I was a stud.  But when I realized it was going to be full of students … well as a professor at NYU I jumped at the chance!

I am a big believer in the overall brand experience as a way to think about marketing a product.  But the truth is there are lots of people who have theories about marketing.  For me, it’s less about theory and more about practicing and observing and learning and reapplying.  Marketing is a spectator sport, and we can all learn from the marketplace and from each other.  Twitter chats are one great way of getting together and sharing.  And when it’s quick and 140 characters, all the better!  I so enjoyed the “experience!”

QUESTION ONE:   How does PR contribute to a customer experience that builds loyalty?

We are the lucky ones!  I believe that public relations is actually the closest to the consumer.  Especially with social media, we are the part of the marketing mix that is talking directly to consumers as they live their lives.  We have been trained to talk WITH our consumers, not AT them (as in advertising).  We seek out the influencers who they trust, even when it’s just their other girlfriends!  In that way, our efforts seek to build relationships that lead to loyalty and ultimately create a lasting brand experience.  That puts us in charge of building the brand experience and ultimately for me, the brand.

QUESTION TWO:  What are favorite examples of companies with strong and consistent branding?

In my books, I discuss a number of examples where a brand has created a consistent and relevant experience that has created long-lasting loyalty.  J.Crew is one of my favorites because they’ve been able to tailor their experience, yet keep it consistent across all of their venues be it retail, web, social media, or catalog.  Every interaction is uniquely J.Crew, yet specific to the touchpoint.

Lady Gaga also comes to mind.  She’s not just a marketer, but also a brand.  Perhaps one of the best at having a strong mission for the “underdog”, consistent messaging about her fans, and a compelling experience that evolves and evolves.

I would say that brand Paula Deen fell off the wagon this month.  She had a very consistent experience (like it or not) but she took a very sharp turn and it is jarring for her fans.  Let’s leave it at that!

Can’t talk about the brand experience without talking about the magic of Disney – across all of their theme parks, movies, tv shows, merchandise – it’s all about the magic of childhood and recapturing it with your family.  They own it!

QUESTION THREE:  What communications touchpoints engage customers the most?

The answer to this one depends on the consumer and how they live their lives.  But in general, I would say that the most effective touchpoints are the ones that seemingly naturally pop up when the consumer is in the right mindset for your brand.  I’ve seen touchpoints in gyms that are more relevant than mass advertising or PR!

The best touchpoint is the one that bumps into your consumer at the time they might consider you. The other day I was at the gym and saw a poster in the men’s locker room for athlete’s foot.  Now that’s a touchpoint and a brand message that is “right place, right time!”  And you know what, they had samples at the front desk as well.

The best way to pick touchpoints is to know your consumer and how she specifically lives her life.  Figure out ways to get in front of her when she needs you.  That’s how she’ll jump onto your brand experience and then hopefully share it with others.

QUESTION FOUR:  What advice would you give to PR students & pros about creating a better brand experience?

We could write volumes about this, and in fact I have!  But to keep it simple, the first step is to know your consumer and to know her better than your competition does.   To know her is to know how to market with her.  The second step is to know what you, as a brand, are capable of offering her. You can’t give your consumer something that is outside of your brand’s skill sets and abilities.  So the key is to match what she wants and needs with what you are uniquely able to offer to her.  Then build the experience on her terms – when and how she needs you.

QUESTION FIVE:  What are the secrets to finding success at a New York PR firm? 

I think you need to be willing to do anything to learn.  My best advice is to start out working on a smaller brand where you can play a bigger role.  There’s not as much staffing on the small brands so you can become more of a leader and do more strategic activities sooner.

Make yourself indispensable to your clients and to your teammates.  Be the “go to” person for the brand’s information and you’ll find yourself in the middle of all the meetings where decisions are being made.  You’ll be in the middle of the action, not on the sidelines waiting to hear what’s going on.

Don’t expect anything to be handed to you.  Use some sweat equity to build your own brand.  Others will start to figure out that you are a future leader and they will gravitate towards you.

Think about what you want your own brand experience to be for the people you work with and for – make yourself valuable for them and you will rise!

Jim Joseph is the President of Lippe Taylor, the Author of “The Experience Effect” series and a professor at NYU

www.lippetaylor.com

www.jimjosephexp.com

A Guest Post By Harrison Kratz

Regardless of what walk of life you are from or what your career is, the holiday season brings up the same topics of conversation… Gift shopping, how early is too early for Christmas music, and what you are doing to give back this year. In PR, Marketing, and Social Media, that last part has slightly evolved in recent years as giving back is now synonymous with the term social good.

Social good is definitely a sexy term for philanthropy and has really opened up consumers and brands’ minds about how they can utilize technology and social media to inflict positive change in the world.

I am happy to be apart of this movement of social good, having founded Tweet Drive – a campaign where I’ve been lucky enough to build a great community of those who are dedicated to giving underprivileged children around the world the holiday they deserve.

As happy as I am to see many similar campaigns being put together by people and brands throughout the year, I still think we have a long way to go. Social good is a noble practice, but to me its not just something those in social media can try out, it should be seen as a social responsibility.

So many of us have been able to reap the benefits of social media, smartphones, iPads, etc. while others around the world continue to suffer – even in the United States. Before these tools were available, it was very difficult for us to create positive change and directly help those in need in the furthest corners of the world. Donations could only go so far.

Since the disaster in Haiti in January, 2010 we have seen the power that social media users can have on giving back and helping those in need. It extends our reach to help those we didn’t have access to previously, as well as allowing us to build global communities around these efforts and causes. In short – that is power.

And as we all learned from Spiderman, “With great power, comes great responsibility.”

These tools are a privilege and we all have to understand that using these powers for good shouldn’t be an option, but a responsibility. I started small with a toy drive in my hometown back in 2009 before I fully understood social media and its advantages. In 2010, I realized that I could do so much more, so I did. Now, the Tweet Drive will be present in over 50 cities around the world and should expect over 4,000 collected toys by years end.

Do I have a blast putting this together? Yes. Is it stressful sometimes? Absolutely. But none of that matters in the end because this is a responsibility that I have. Social media has opened up a world of opportunities for me, and I can’t forget that.

So whether you advocate for Twestival, Movember, the USA for UNHCR’s Blue Key Campaign, or #TeamMeg – I hope you join me in transforming social good into a social responsibility.

Oh, and Happy Holidays J

Harrison Kratz is the Founder of the global social good initiative, Tweet Drive and the Community Manager at MBA@UNC, the new Online MBA program at the University of North Carolina Feel free to connect with him on Twitter, @KratzPR!

A Guest Post by Shonali Burke

As I’ve been getting more involved in social media over the last few years, one of the roads my career has seen me walk is that of teacher. Three years ago, I serendipitously landed an adjunct faculty position at Johns Hopkins, where, ever since, I have been teaching a course called “Communication dot Org; not-for-profits in the digital age.”

This has been rather a delightful turn of events. You see, I come from a family of teachers. Several of my father’s aunts and extended family were educators at the undergraduate and graduate level. It’s the same story on my mom’s side, with a few of the family founding schools that have, since their inception, grown extremely large. My mom herself became a teacher at a fairly young age, and retired as a senior administrator for one of India’s largest schools for boys (yes, they still have boys’ and girls’ schools there). Having completed her doctorate, my sister teaches… and now me!

So I suppose you could say teaching runs in the blood. Even in my theater days (I used to be an actress), while I loved the thrill of being on stage, what I enjoyed more than anything else were the workshops I’d hold for young people. I’d get to see them come out of their shells and grow in confidence. I’d get to watch them revel in discovering aspects of their characters they’d never before known existed. And to this day, I have former students who find me on Facebook, or Twitter, and say, “Ma’am, do you remember when…?”

It’s a heartwarming feeling and, no doubt, one of the main reasons so many wonderfully gifted people feel drawn to the academic world despite lower pay and less-than-ideal work environments.

If you think about it, though, all of us who practice in public relations are teachers, whether or not we are officially designated as such.

We teach up-and-coming professionals the right, and wrong, way to ply our collective craft. We teach our colleagues in other business units how to approach relationship building, the lifeblood of successful businesses. We teach – and learn from – other PR professionals by virtue of our tweets, our Facebook posts, our YouTube videos, our blogs. We even teach other organizations and businesses, sometimes clients, that “PR” isn’t just “spin,” or “publicity” … that it is a discipline that must be given its due if it is truly to help a business succeed.

I know many public relations practitioners who have teaching ingrained in them. They teach when they volunteer with PRSA or IABC (or other professional organizations). They teach when they become mentors to students. They teach when they participate in Twitter chats. They teach when they volunteer, through their sheer generosity of spirit, to help nonprofit organizations “get the word out” about campaigns.

They can’t help it. They are teachers.

So I ask you: if you’re not already teaching – consciously or unconsciously – what are you doing? Are you just going to work, earning a salary? Nothing wrong with that, we all need to do that. But what are you doing, over and above that, to advance our profession? What footprint are you leaving on the sands of public relations that future practitioners might some day walk in?

Who are you teaching today?

Shonali Burke is one of 25 women that rock social media. Her business turns your corporate codswallop into community cool. She also blogs, teaches, and cooks.

A Guest Post By Heather Whaling

As PR people, we’re constantly told, “Target your pitches” or “Build relationships with journalists” or “Help journalists meet their deadlines.”

But, are we practicing what we preach?

I recently used HARO (helpareporter.com) to find sources for a Mashable article I was writing. Normally, I’m the PR person responding to queries and pitching my clients, so it was a bit odd being on the receiving end of the pitches. Talk about an eye-opening experience.

While some of the pitches were fine – a few were even really good – a number of responses were examples of what not to do when responding to a HARO query … or pitching a reporter in general.

With that, based on my HARO experience, here are seven dos and don’ts for pitching media:

• Don’t be an annoying Twitter follower. I experienced two kinds of PR people through my HARO experience. The first kind sends a direct message before responding to the query, inquiring if the writer is interested. If you have a story that fits their query, then it’s safe to assume they’re interested. Respond to the query. Follow up after!

And that leads me to the second kind of PR person: The one who sends a random “at reply” just to say “Hey, I just sent you an email.” Well, great. I know sometimes we want to follow up with media via Twitter, but the message may be better received if it’s worked into a conversation. The out-of-the-blue reply felt a little spammy to me.

• Respect deadlines. If the writer’s deadline is Friday, that means he/she needs the info on Friday. (Seriously, I received multiple emails from people offering to send me information or schedule interviews the following week.)

• Pitch on target. My article was specifically looking for tips and best practices for incorporating Facebook into a product launch. I received multiple responses from PR people who went into extensive detail about their product … but didn’t tell me how they used Facebook. Don’t go on and on about your product, unless that’s relevant to the pitch. If I’m looking for tips, focus on that first. Then, give me the context.

• Offer enough “meat” in the pitch. Don’t just send a reporter an email offering to schedule an interview. Offer some insights about what kinds of tips, facts or anecdotes the interviewee can offer. Reporters will naturally gravitate toward the interview opportunities where they’re most likely to receive quality information for their story.

• Know who you’re pitching. I was working on a story for Mashable; yet more than one person sent me links to coverage their client received on competing sites. Even better, one suggested I pull information from that article. Why would I want to repeat information that’s already been published? And, if a reporter feels like your company’s story has already been well publicized, they won’t want to reiterate the same story. Give the reporter something fresh to work with.

• Be readily available. If you’re going to say, “Would you like details?” be standing by, ready to offer those details. Frequently, journalists work on tight deadlines, so they can’t wait days for you to respond. (And, yes, this means sometimes you even need to be available over the weekend.) I can’t tell you how many people took literally days to respond to my follow-up questions.

• Don’t respond and then go into hiding. Someone replied to my query and then went out of town. Everyone’s entitled to a vacation, but if you’re offering to connect a writer with a source, you can’t go into hiding. Turn on your out-of-office response and make sure it includes alternate contact information (either your cell phone or a back-up contact person).

What other tips would you offer to help PR pros brush up on their pitching skills?

Heather Whaling is president of Geben Communication, a boutique communication firm specializing in traditional and digital PR. Connect with Heather on Twitter (@prTini) on her blog (http://www.prTini.com) or on the company’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/gebencommunication

A Guest Post by Justin Goldsborough:

What if I was writing this blog post with only the hope that it would be published? What if I took the time to research the topic, identify the story, and find the case studies with no guarantee anyone but me would ever see any of that work come to fruition? What if I was completely reliant on a third party to decide if my post has what it takes to make it to the Internet?

Sounds absurd, right? Well, companies and agencies take this approach all the time. They spend hours researching and putting together a story to share with the media and the bloggers in the form of a pitch. Then they conduct their outreach and hope to earn placements in a top-tier newspaper or with a blogger in their niche. But that’s where it stops. And that’s where companies aren’t getting the most out of the content they are creating.

If you were taking a history class on public relations, one of the first chapters would be on the topic of “earned” media. PR has always worked to tell the client’s story to those who actually cover it, which ideally makes that story more trusted.

There is still value in that approach. However, pages are being added to the “owned” chapter of PR every day. Pages communicators need to read to determine how the content they create can work harder than just a pitch. It’s a mindset shift from solely working with the media on behalf of a company, to also seeing that brand as its own media company.

Own your owned channels

Emarketer shared research last week that showed Facebook fans No. 1 expectation of the brands they follow is exclusive content. In fact, the “sneak peek” companies can give via their owned channels is one of the main reasons customers are drawn to engaging with brands this way. Just ask Burberry.

During the London fashion house’s Spring/Summer 2012 fashion show, Burberry provided customers with a variety of content via its owned social media channels:

• A #Tweetwalk, where @Burberry tweeted pictures of the new looks before they hit the runway
• Burberry Twitter account takeovers by fashion editors from Elle and Vogue
• A lives stream of the event for Facebook fans and YouTube subscribers
• Lookbook shared via Twitter before any media photographers had a chance to photograph the new styles
• A Burberry photographer posting a stream of photos from the event to Burberry’s Instagram account

Hear more about Burberry’s strategy behind using its owned channels to share the fashion show experience in this video (start at 2:15) from Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey.

Owned content makes a great pitch

If you’ve ever worked in PR, you’ve probably written a pitch. And if you’ve written a pitch, you’ve researched and created content. So why not take the extra step to flesh out those pitches and create content for owned channels first that can also be used in a pitch.

My friend Rochelle Veturis turned me on to this idea. Rochelle, who works for architecture firm LPA Inc., often shoots video of her company’s live events or blogs about their sustainability efforts. The initial purpose of this content is to tell the LPA story via its social media channels (blog, YouTube, etc.). But Rochelle often repurposes that content as part of her pitches to media and bloggers.

This approach makes a lot of sense for two reasons: 1) A blog post or YouTube video already tells a story. And stories resonate with people better than pitches. Even reporters. 2) Newsrooms are cutting staff at a rapid rate and bloggers often are a staff of one. So both groups are in need of content and may be able to repurpose some/all of what she sends them.

Owning search

My favorite search analogy goes as follows. Remember the old Dewey Decimal System at the library? The more cards a book had in that card catalog, the better chance you had to find it. Search is the same way. And every time a brand creates a new piece of content for its owned channels, it adds a new card to Google’s catalog. With Google handling more than 11 billion searches a month according to comScore, your company needs all the chances to be found that it can get.

PR has always worked with the media and probably always will. But to connect with customers and give them stories to tell about our brands, we must learn to make our owned media work for us too.

Justin Goldsborough is a PR pro and SM guy for Fleishman-Hillard. KCIABC board. #pr20chat co-mod w/ @PRtini. #HAPPOKC reg champ. Blogger at JUSTin in Case You Were Wondering.

Every week, it seems there is a new PR crisis sweeping across our Twitter streams. Groupon, Airbnb, Kenneth Cole, Esquire, the list goes on and on. Most recently, Netflix has faced backlash for their price hikes and response or lack there of. With all of these instances, it seems that companies still aren’t understanding the importance of a sincere apology. If they don’t understand, maybe they don’t know where to begin in this transparent climate. Well, here is the DNA of a good apology…

Timeliness

Growing up, my mom always made sure that I knew that an apology meant much more, sooner rather than later. The ability to apologize in the heat of an argument, issue, or mistake took great strength but resolved issues much quicker, and exhibited sincerity because it took courage to say and admit. Apologizing days or weeks later doesn’t mean nearly as much as a quick apology.

Companies and PR departments still are trying to grab this concept of timely transparency when it comes to admitting mistakes. It took Netflix weeks to address the price hike, as did Groupon when they were under fire for their Super Bowl commercial fiasco. Incidentally, those apologies were seen as hollow and didn’t diffuse the complaints that had been building. The opportunity for a calming voice came and went long before they actually stepped up.

Sincerity

As a 21 year-old in a long-term relationship, I guess you can say that I’ve had my fair share of experience in apologizing. First rule: Never say, “I’m sorry you felt that way.” Saying that, says that you’re not actually sorry for your actions; but rather you’re sorry because of the reaction you received. I can tell you right now that this is not a sincere form of apology and customers see right through it. Again, Groupon failed at this a while back, as have many other companies.

In today’s transparent line of communication from brands to consumers, you must admit fault or at the very least empathize with the angry customer. Remember, they don’t HAVE to give you their time and money. So, if you make a mistake, be sincere in your apology and understand what you did wrong… The customer is much more likely to understand and forgive for sincerity.

Resolution

I’ll tell you right now… an apology is not enough anymore.  Resolutions both requested and unrequested have become the standard. If you give an unhappy customer a resolution along with your apology at their request, they’ll be satisfied. Give a customer a resolution or gift without a request? You’ve just turned an angry customer into an evangelist. Don’t do either? Good luck.

People want to know you care, and while offering coupons and resolutions can’t save a bad product, it can definitely turn mistakes into fruitful opportunities. But beware, make sure that your customers would welcome these resolutions. I’m not positive how Netflix’s split into Qwikster will work out in the long run. But, I can tell you that it wasn’t a well-sourced change on Reed Hastings and co.’s part. The apology and resolution finally came, but the customer’s can tell that they are still not a priority.

We all make mistakes and will make many more. What separates the great companies from everyone else is the ability to express a human reaction in times where transparency is key. Being able to apologize and empathize in a sincere manner turns even the angriest of customers into believers.

Remember: “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates

This blog post was contributed by Harrison Kratz. Harrison is the Community Manager at MBA@UNC, the new MBA program offered through the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill which gives students the opportunity to earn their MBA online from a business school with a top twenty MBA ranking.  Harrison also sticks to his entrepreneurial roots as the founder of the global social good campaign, TweetDrive.

A Guest Post By Valerie Simon

• 1990:  I want to go to a new restaurant. I open up the yellow pages, or a copy of a local magazine to find a seafood restaurant nearby. I call two additional restaurants for more information and reservations.
• 2000:  I want to go to a new restaurant. I do a quick Google search and find several Seafood restaurants online in my area. I check out three websites, choose the one I want, and make a call.
• 2010:  I want to go to a new restaurant. I post a status update on Facebook asking for recommendations. Within 30 minutes I have numerous suggestions from friends with comments telling me what to order and even where to sit. I go to the website or FB page for the phone number and call.
• 2020:  I want to go to a new restaurant. I get dressed, hop in the car and  say “Grilled Tuna – $18” into an app on my mobile device and local seafood restaurants immediately respond matching my price, offering discounts and an online tour of the space. I click on the restaurant and see the reviews from all of my connections who have been there. Another click and reservations are set and an online hostess directs me to the parking lot.

Traditional advertising was all about the brand. Today companies understand that it’s about the consumer, and that companies are only important in regards to how they can satisfy customer needs. Until now, the burden of research for a sales transaction has been primarily on the consumer. Assisted by advertising, sales teams, marketing material, websites etc., it has been incumbent on the consumer to seek out prospective solutions. But why?

New platforms like Zaarly, described as the “the ultimate demand engine” by co-founder Bo Fishback, are empowering consumers in new and exciting ways. State what you need, and let others bid for your business. Social platforms like Quora and LinkedIn make it easy to crowd source specific expert advice, and in doing so influence purchasing decisions. And every new customer is suddenly an “expert” with the ability to share his experience with the marketplace;  New research by NM Incite, a Nielsen/McKinsey Company, notes that 68 percent of social media users go to social networking sites to read product reviews.

Building and maintaining customer relationships has never been more important. Earlier today, watching the trailer for Brian Solis’s new book The End of Business As Usual, I was reminded of the harsh realities companies are facing in a new digital culture. A failure to listen to the marketplace, can be fatal, as Katie Paine recently noted, in her analysis of the now defunct VMS.

With such high stakes what steps must brands take to leverage the listening power of these new tools to create and grow brand evangelists?

Strive not to sell products or service, but relationships. At the end of the sales cycle, what have you achieved? Rather than “Always Be Closing” the new mantra should be “Always Be Opening.” Social media presents new opportunities to engage customers outside of specific sales. Find opportunities to open the door for continued conversation and to stay top of mind. Seek to turn your customer into an extended member of your sales team, someone who will be quick to offer  referrals, testimonials, and honest market intelligence.

Location, location, location… The social universe is grand. Your budget and resources likely are not. Carefully consider where your customers/prospects live online, before investing time and money. Extend your search beyond Facebook and Twitter. Those in the fashion and beauty industry certainly want to consider Tumblr. B2B organizations should consider taking advantage of LinkedIn and SlideShare. Seek out the forums and active industry blogs where your customers spend time. And if you cannot find a specialized network meeting the social needs of your customers, consider whether you have the resources to build your own community. Mercedes Benz does, and welcomed their youngest customers into “Generation Benz”, a branded social network that allows Mercedes to interact with customers and solicit feedback.

Implement a social CRM program that puts the customer at the center of the organizations operations Rather than pushing messages to customers, use social networks as a means to listen and converse with customers Listening is not a matter of simply hearing words. Listening requires a concentrated method of digesting the information, and using that information to take action. As this simple example from Fed Ex demonstrates, a strong social CRM program can help you head off potential problems and improve your customer experience.  Identify how customer feedback will be quickly heard and managed by the appropriate member of your organization. How will follow up responses and communications be efficiently managed?

Be on a continuous quest to add value Allow your customers and the greater marketplace to guide you in identifying opportunities to pursue and vulnerabilities to address. Listen not only to those issues that pertain to your product or service as it exists today, but seek to understand the greatest needs and challenges of your customers and in the marketplace.

What will the next level of social media platforms offer consumers? And out of curiosity, how do you think you will go about deciding what new restaurant to try in 2020?

Valerie is an innovative developer of teams, communities, products and communications programs.  Formerly Senior Vice President, BurrellesLuce, Valerie has directed the implementation of new and upgraded services, planned and executed social media initiatives, and used social media to build relationships and sales. She has had the opportunity to work with a gamut of organizations, from Fortune 500 companies to regional hospitals and colleges to help integrate social media channels into existing marketing, communication and outreach programs and demonstrate ROI.  Valerie is passionate about the opportunity social media offers to build communities and business. Valerie is co-founder of #PRStudChat (PR Student Chat), a trending Twitter chat that brings faculty and students together for dynamic discussions with professionals and co-founder of HAPPO (Help a PR Pro Out), an initiative designed to use social media to leverage relationships and help facilitate introductions between employers and prospective employees. Connect with Valerie on Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+

I’m kicking off a PR guest blogger series on October 3, 2011.  Several of my blogger friends have offered to help out while I’m working on a new project, which I’ll be sharing soon.  I’m excited to announce the names of my blogger friends …