Quotes for Business

I was recently was reading a trade industry magazine for business men and women. This magazine had a section dedicated to sound business advice. While a lot of the information and quotes were pretty basic, I found five quotes that really inspired me to look at what I can improve upon in 2015.

1. "Never confuse activity with progress." —Ty, Boston, MA
I agree. You can be busy and still not grow. Don't be satisfied with the business you do have. Go after the business you don't have!

2. "Cash is more important than your mother." —Grace, Shanghai, China
I know this is harsh, but cash is king. Your mother wouldn't have nice things if it wasn't for your extra support (I hope). So, know cash makes the world go round and if you're not bringing it in as a business owner then you're doing something wrong.

3. "Always look for people smarter than you, and surround yourself with people who can challenge and inspire you." —Doug, Redwood City, CA

If you think you're the best then you will fail fast. Find people who know more than you and continue to learn.

4. "Hire slowly. Fire quickly." —Jenny, Seattle
I couldn't agree more. You can develop skill, you can't develop customer service. If you have someone on your team who is abrasive and not caring, fire them right away before the situation becomes worse.

5. "Getting your business launched and your first product onto the market will take you twice as long, and cost you twice as much, as you think it will." - —Dave, Toronto, ON

Well said! If you think this is easy, you're not really equipped to run a business.

I hope these quotes have inspired you to do great things for the rest of 2015...

Until next time,

Velma Trayham

What You Shouldn’t Tolerate in Business

New business owners, and even seasoned ones, are always learning from mistake and wins. However, there are three things that you, a business owner, should never tolerate within your company – no matter how big or how small your current company is.

1. Clutter and disorganization. Clutter and disorder cause stress and affect your emotional and mental well-being. The same goes for employees who tend to be disorganized, the can impact your business and your clients. Keep a tidy and well organized “you” space or office. It does make a difference.

2. Distrust. If you don’t trust an employee, why is he or she working for you? The same goes for your clients. You can fire them and if you feel they are not being honest with you, there is no point in working with or for them.  Your wealth depends on your ability to trust employees, vendors, etc. After all, no business works well because of one person. If someone is not trustworthy, leave them where they are and move on.

3. Mediocrity. Since when did “good enough” become a standard? If you are only going to do something half-way, why do it at all? It makes you look like you have no pride or don’t care. Make sure you are really giving everything you do 300%. Period. Oh, and if you have employees that don’t follow this rule- fire them.

Until Monday,

Velma Trayham of ThinkZILLA 

Public Relations As A Newbie...

Start-up companies are not typically going to bank tons of press right out of the gate.The Start-up companies also will not understand this. They don't think in layers as far as press coverage is concerned. They think everyone and anyone will embrace their concept / services and cover them and then they will see an immediate ROI. Well, this isn't true.

Start-up companies should hire PR companies to help brand their message and get them from Point A to the point between Point A and Point B. After the company is established, real media can start pouring in- which takes anywhere from 6 months to 2 years!

A good PR program can gain critical coverage by positioning companies as experts on the bigger picture, which is what Start-ups should be concerned with.

This said, here is what a PR company should be doing for a Start-up during its first year;

• The media look for experts, particularly serial entrepreneurs, who will share their insights on new trends and technologies. A good PR company will take advantage of this.
• Creative and consistent PR tell customers that the business is strong, which is why AP style press releases- even if they aren't picked up- should be cataloged in a media room. 
• Good relationships with the media help Start-ups shape the competitive landscape to their advantage.
• Social media presence.... enough said! 

If you don't sell a Start-up on your PR company within the first four months, ditch them. They are looking for the end of the rainbow when they haven't even started the journey.

Velma Trayham of ThinkZILLA 

Social Media Promotions & Growth

For those who know me, you know that my social media accounts are part personal and part promotional. Once in a while I put up a MEME that I shouldn't or a selfie, but hey- that's me and people love my brand. There is a business side, however, to social media promotions that I want to address.

If you're going to run a social media promotion, make sure to use and track coupon codes, specific created hashtags and client key word searches. Acknowledge what is working directly with your followers. True bosses give credit where credit is due. Not sure what I mean? Follow actor Jared Leto's Twitter account. He is constantly running beta tests and then thanking his fans. He has them engaged 24/7!

Second, if you want a promotion to work- build relationships and be serious about it. Most media resources (and all PR peers) are natural 'BS' detectors. If you're constantly pushing your selfies, your clients' initiatives, and "buy now" deals then no one will feel that you have a genuine interest in a real relationship as a media resource. Be on point without overtly promoting when it comes to visuals and content. Oh, and don't buy followers. Smart PR people and journalists can easily embarrass you with this. Yes, the buy-ins are trackable.

Until tomorrow,

Velma Trayham

Crisis vs. Reputation PR

Reputation management has to be built long before a crisis ever takes place. Why? So when a crisis does take place, the crisis communication aspect of publicity actually works. This said, there are three rules every publicist follows when working with reputation management. I've listed them below;

1. First, don't assume people care about your press release, media kit, or other collateral.  Guess what, if the media doesn't spin it or it doesn't go viral- people don't really care, and if they do- only until the next breaking news story comes along. Reputation management is about likability and making people care about you, your client, or your brand.

2.  Second, don't assume what you or your client says can't or won't be taken out of context. It will. Some stringer journalist will look to make a name of him or herself. Make sure you have a plan to deal with these types of reporters ahead of time. Know what you can and can't do when responding to this legally and from a PR POV.

3. Play the relationship / favor card. You will have to bite the bullet here. If you have a really green client, reporters may not see their media value. You may have to trade a feature with a major client to get small clippings for the yet-to-be major client.

Velma Trayham 

Rolling Out Magazine & The Secret Society Awards

Check out my interview in Rolling Out Magazine here: http://rollingout.com/business/marketing-branding/the-secret-society-and-thinkzilla-pr-host-first-annual-media-awards/#_

Marketing and PR

I want to start the week out talking about marketing and public relations. There is, as I stated before, a big difference within these fields- even though they work in tandem.

Marketing people have to shop products and services and pay attention to statistics and ad buys. PR people work with media outlets to help the public understand and spread a "word of mouth" campaign to promote products and services.

Recently, there has been a mesh of these two industries. And while I agree that there are now four segments of publicity (paid, perceived, social, and traditional), there are also four segments of marketing (paid, perceived, social, and statistical).

The problem I see with new PR people seeking my help is a "one size fits all" attitude.  You can't do it all. You need to stick to one side of the field and work closely with either your publicist or marketing counterpart-especially if you have multiple clients!

Spreading yourself too thin is becoming a big problem, especially in the publicity and marketing industries. So, as you head into this week- make sure you are not spreading yourself too thin. Make sure you are staying on your side of the field in order to best serve your clients.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

Oh No, Not "That" Client.....

I was recently visiting a friend who is also in the PR business. Her assistant interrupted our conversation by using the speaker on the office phone to announce "Judy, it's THAT client for you." My friend, Judy, looked at me with a sense of defeat, shrugged, and regrettably answered the called.

I watched in horror as Judy wrote frantically on a note pad, rolled her eyes, and pretended to point a gun (using her finger) at her head. She really didn't say too much during the phone call, occasionally replying with an "uh huh" or "ok".

Judy hung up the phone and said, "great, more demands that I will not be able to meet."  What! I couldn't believe it. Then why state "ok" or "uh huh" to the client? I thought I knew Judy better than this.  No wonder her client wasn't happy. No wonder Judy regretted these phone calls. Judy was setting the client up to fail by agreeing to the impossible!

My point today is not to set up yourself, or your clients, for failure by over promising and under delivering. Further, if a client has outlandish expectations- tell him or her. The worst thing you can do is say you will make it happen or imply that there is even a possibility that the impossible may be possible.

35% of our failure as publicist is over-selling what can't be achieved. Every single client wants to be on Oprah. Don't believe me, ask them!  It is our job to explain that Oprah, while amazing, isn't within the realm of reality- especially if the client is just starting out and needs to grow their accolades and pay their dues when it comes to stringer media. Don't get me wrong, lightening does strike- but not very often.

Be upfront with your clients and you will not have to take calls in true Judy fashion!

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

Publicity and Event Marketing

Many people believe PR people are also event people. Well, this is true to an extent but there is a difference. A great event coordinator will work with the press agent to ensure the details of the actual event are carried through. There should also be an event promoter to work to promote the actual event.

Now, when you read this- don't think that an event promoter does the same thing a pr person does for the event. Here is the difference; an event promoter is out on the streets. He or she deals with the the public to get them informed about the event and promote ticket sales. A PR person has to get the media to pre-cover the event, cover the actual event, and then write a post-event review. While the PR person and the event promoter work for the same reason (seats in the place), they have two very different roles.

And again, the event coordinator does nothing as far as getting people to the event. Instead, the event coordinator staffs the event and makes sure all vendors are on point so there are no hiccups at the vent.

If you are thinking about getting into event PR, you have to chose your position carefully. Think about what part of the event excites you the most to deal with and then go for the gold.  If you have an event coming up that needs promotion, make sure you have your PR position covered, an event coordinator position covered, and an event promoter person working.  These three people will make sure any event is well promoted, publicized, and executed.

Until Monday,

Coco the CEO

PR Stunt to Sell Tickets?! No, It Can't Be....

The oldest trick in the PR book is to start a controversy to create news for yourself or your client. I bring this up because Beyonce's father just stated the divorce rumors surrounding his daughter were self-created to sell tickets.

The New York Daily News wrote this tonight, "Mathew Knowles is claiming Beyoncé and Jay Z's divorce rumors are all a bid at getting more bills, bills, bills. The superstar singer's dad and former manager opened up about his daughter and son-in-law's supposed marital woes on the "Roula and Ryan" Houston radio show on 104.1 KRBE earlier this week. "It's called a Jedi mind trick," he said. "The Jedi mind trick fools you a lot of times." - Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/beyonce-dad-mathew-knowles-divorce-rumors-sell-tour-tickets-article-1.1920503#ixzz3CsGWqU2G

But why would Beyonce and Jay Z need to sell tickets? Isn't their tour going well enough? Yes and no. The tour has tickets at not-so-friendly recession prices. Between tickets, merch., and drinks, two people can easily spend in excess of $500 to go see the concert.  Those numbers mean a lot to people making between $11 and $20 dollars an hour. But, if this concert then becomes one of the last times you might see Beyonce and Jay Z together, for fans, the ticket price because "doable" given the possible circumstances. Don't forget that Kid Rock recently bashed entertainers, like Jay Z, who are charging outrageous amounts of money for concert tickets. Rock performed all last summer with ticket sales at $20 a pop. The tour did quite well- all in the same of bashing Jay Z!

So, why not use the oldest PR trick in the book and have Jay Z create a conflict that would benefit Jay Z and Beyonce? If what Mathew Knowles claims to be the truth is right, then Jay Z has just pulled off one of the greatest PR tricks known within our industry.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

When PR Companies Forget They're PR Companies

I had to deal with a PR company recently that really upset me. It isn't uncommon for PR companies to work together on a shared interest. Many movie companies have a PR team and then the actors in the movies have different PR people... the finance people, ad companies, music contributors- they all have their own PR people. All these different PR agencies and publicists have to work together for the movie. Scenarios like this play out across different industries on a daily basis. No biggie right? You'd think so, but the answer is 'no'.

My recent and upsetting encounter was for a celebrity chef. I co-manage the chef's business dealings. He is on TV. He gives plenty of interviews for the program he is staring on. The production company for the major network brought in a subsidiary agency to help with the TV part of the PR efforts. Of course, as the main co-manager, ultimately the branding decisions on the final credential and story request lists are screened and approved (or disapproved) by me.

The new agency had two women working for them that obviously were not only new to the PR world, they were trying to make a name of themselves on the back of my client. This client could make their company. Quickly, they started to move in and try to discredit my recommendations to my client and overruled some of my decisions on media interviews. My client, who loves me, knew better and laughed them off. In fact, the agency was let go at his request. What's my point?

Publicists aren't the talent. They have an obligation to put their clients first with the media, not make the media cover their own accolades as a result of the client.  They have an obligation to work for the better goal of the client, not try to discredit or interrupt the other agencies or publicists on the contracted team.

You will run up against PR agencies that want to make a name of themselves on the backs of their clients. They will undercut efforts, steal copy, borrow ideas, and chat up media outlets for self-influenced coverage. If you feel you are dealing with one of these types of contracting agencies, address the concern with the main client and whomever is also paying the bills (which is often two different outlets). Set up a mediation and a contracted "expectancy" sheet in order to move forward.

While my recent experience was upsetting, it isn't uncommon for PR people to confuse the celebrity of their clients with their own fame. This said, if you always work to promote your clients - success will follow.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

Why Good PR People Fail

 I was recently at a lunch event for the PR industry. I noticed a peer from another firm, who attends all these types of networking events, wasn’t in attendance. I called her cell phone. I was looking forward to seeing her at the event and it was odd that she wasn’t there at all, never mind there early.

After getting voicemail, I sent her a text message and continued to mingle. She still didn’t reply after an hour went by. Then, about ten minutes before the event ended, I asked another peer where our mutual networking friend was. “Oh, she was fired!” I couldn’t believe that response. She was such a great PR person and loved networking. “For what,” I questioned.

It turns out, the clients assigned to her were not happy with their media value ROI or clippings results. I knew this woman. I knew her campaigns. I knew how hard she worked. I’ve seen her clients on TV and in the local papers often. I become more puzzled. I decided to call her boss, who I also knew well.

The boss stated she did do a wonderful job. “So, then why did you fire her?” His response was that the clients weren’t happy. This was ridiculous. Clients often have grandiose expectations of a PR campaign- at any level outside of Academy Award status. I told him even a fool knows better than to take a client’s word on results. The numbers and clippings don’t lie. Clients just have terrible expectations of PR people.

I never did get a text back from our peer. I think she was embarrassed by the situation, or frustrated with people in general. My point is – don’t give up. If you are unlucky enough to have a boss that gauges performance on not meeting a client’s expectations (which are always unrealistic) vs. producing actual results, then it is time to think about going freelance or with a different PR firm.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

The “Magic Wand” of Publicity.

 PR people have to focus on a few key elements in order to even start thinking about launching a publicity campaign.  Marketing, branding and media communications are the obvious three biggies when it comes to creating a publicity campaign, but do you know what the magic wand ingredient is?  Logo identification!

Now, the psychology of blue in social media (such as on a website or advertising) isn’t good. It makes people feel indifferent about you and your company. People will often not pay someone who has a blue website. However, the ironic part of this is light blue logos do well. The key is to pair the light blue logo with a red and white website or even a yellow and white website – or any type of design collateral.

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Skype all incorporate blue within their logo.  They also do this with their personal websites, which aren’t money makers per say. They make money from appealing to advertisers with numbers and data, not because they are concerned about drawing customers in based on web design and content.

Light blue is the magic wand of branding publicity. It isn’t the best color for websites that are introducing customers to a brand or encouraging customers to buy something. It isn’t a color that should be used on a website to gain trust with people, either.

So, if you want to power up your social media and online branding presence from a PR perspective – work on your logo and your website. Add in light blue to the logo and take out light blue from the website (unless you are pairing it up with yellow or white, which brings about a positive and more financially driven emotion within customers).

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

When clients make PR mistakes.

 I often fear taking on new clients. Why? Well, in our industry we have three different types of clients. First, you have the overly involved clients who want to speak with you daily and know when you are and aren’t working on their accounts. Then you have the “I don’t care” clients who pay on time, barely speak with you, and are busy doing everything but updating their PR team with news. Finally, you have the self-sabotage clients (the third group). While there are many pros and cons associated with the first two groups I mentioned, the third group is the one to look out for.

 Why the third group is dangerous; the "parental-fixation" syndrome. What is it? Parental-fixation syndrome is when you become so focused on your company, product or service that you forget a bigger world exists out there. The third group of clients have this syndrome and, for them, everything in their lives deserves a media release and contains press value. When things don’t get picked up, they want to know where you magic wand is (or worse)! I hate to say this, but there are many publicists who also have this syndrome. How? Well, it can show up when you treat reporters as if their sole purpose is to tell your story. In reality, most of the time the media will be only slightly (if at all) interested in your news or what your clients have to say.

I am writing all of this under the title of “When clients make PR mistakes” because it is important, for us publicists anyway, to inform clients about the realities of day-to-day publicity efforts and what their reasonable expectations need to be. If not, the mistakes your clients make (especially in group three) will leave you with unhappy clients.  Communication is key. Neither group one or two will be a perfect client. You have to let clients know upfront what will be expected of them in the contract for services as far as communication goes. With group three, you need to be extra careful about over promising and under delivering.

All this said, clients can make mistakes about their involvement and PR assumptions. Not information your clients about the realities of PR is a common publicity mistake. Please take this information and learn from it.

Until next time,

Coco the CEO 

The Bad PR Pitch.

Happy Monday back from the 4^th of July. Are you ready for the work week? Most people aren’t! LOL.  Today, I want to talk about the bad PR pitch. I have seen more and more of this in today’s industry with the influx of Do-It-Yourselfer publicists. This usually happens when companies either hire the wrong PR person or try to be their own PR person.

Going forward, what makes a bad PR pitch? First, pitching the wrong reporter all together. I know people who collect lists or buy lists or steal lists of reporters  / media / etc.  Sending out blasts emails or calling these lists is a waste of time.  A good PR pitch is researched.  Actual publicists take the time to find the right reporter who is covering topics similar to what their clients offer. Then, they read or watch the media published by the reporter and reference it in a pitch letter.

Why? Have you ever received a sales call in the middle of something important? This is how reporters feel every waking hour. They are constantly emailed and called with things they don’t want, stories they don’t cover, etc. However, if you’ve been to Starbucks- you know the type of experience they offer. You feel there is a relationship with “your” store because they know your name and often know what you like. Now, this is how reporters feel when someone pitches them by name, knows and references their media stories, and isn’t pushy about their clients being covered.

When you pitch reporters this week, ask yourself if you are being more like a cold call sales person or a barista at Starbucks. The answer will help you navigate the rest of your pitching!

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

Public Relations – Common Mistakes

June has been the month of PR and branding news here on my blog. I’ve talked about what to do and what not to do. Well, I did receive a great question over the weekend that I wanted to address. The question was with regards to when and how to send out a press release or media advisory.

A press release is a formal announcement or crisis communication response related specifically to your brand or your company. This is a release that may be seen by the public and is often used to excite media with the hopes of obtaining either republishing or gaining a full interview.

A media advisory is an direct-to-media piece of collateral that is short, sweet and to the point of response, event or community invitation.

As far as the “how” and “when” portion of the question, my answer is that these areas depends on what is going out.  Press releases can be placed on high-market wires, free wires, blogs, internal collateral, etc.  The truth is, it doesn’t matter how the release goes out (for news purposes anyway) as long as it contains something viable. Putting out a news release for the sake of putting out a news release or because you feel the story is worthy is a waste of time. You need to have a product or event to promote or a response to a current story.

Media advisories need to go out via email and without attachments. These should not be mass emails but personalized emails and you should call the journalist(s) ahead of time so you don’t obtain a fine for breaking the CANSPAM law. Again, you have to have something to promote or a press conference / event that you are inviting the media to.

I am hopeful this answers the question.

Until next time,
Coco the CEO

Branding 101

I want to move the public relations talk on this blog into branding. For the rest of June, I am going to focus on branding basics because I feel there is a disconnect between the term itself and what it actually entails.

No matter how much effort or money you place into a branding campaign, credibility is going to make or break you. It is important for me to state this because too many people focus on trying to buy their way past the credibility factor.  While this may work at first, the method doesn’t have anything substantial or sustainable to it.

Every time you over-promise and come up short, your credibility takes a hit. I always tell people to be up front with their clients. If you know their brand and PR campaign is going to take a year to start generating press, state that.  You can play up your skills and be realistic at the same time. If the client doesn’t like this, you don’t need that client. They have poor expectations of branding and publicity.

Your credibility in business is going to be your number one asset. I really want my readers to understand this.  Target lost its credibility when hackers breached the store’s financial data, which left several customers with money missing out of their bank accounts.  Target still has customers, but they don’t have a lot of credibility when it comes to cyber security.

Spend some time this weekend reviewing and then writing down three things that make you credible and two things that breach your credibility. Next, make a plan on how you can amplify your credibility and overcome your challenges.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

PR Campaigns with NO Budget

I can’t accept each and every client.  Even more so, I can’t accept clients who have no budget to work with. It sets me up for failureand  them up for disappointment. If you don’t have a budget, however, you shouldn’t shy away from trying to be your own pitch person.

Public relations, when executed properly, is a major part of any brand and marketing campaign.  The first thing you should know when you have no budget is how to define your story line. Everyone thinks they have a great news story. This is rarely true.  You have to really consider why someone should write about you or your product / services.  If you are not promoting anything that truly is newsworthy, don’t bother writing a press release about it. It will fall on deaf ears. So, this said, pick and choose your press release battles wisely.

You also have to consider  ProfNet as a resource. I know, there is a fee. Trust me, this website service is worth the fee. While others are hanging out on freebie or PRWeb’s internal “media connection” resource, real public relations experts are using ProfNet to connect with one another.  I suggest you save up your financial resources and invest in this one PR tool.  http://www.prnewswire.com/profnet/

Finally, don’t keep changing the direction of your campaign / brand and do not rely on who you know, photos of you with celebrities (or a like), or your social media following to boost your brand. You do have to do the work to get results and this will not happen overnight.

I’m hopeful these tips will assist you in developing a promising PR platform.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

PR & Photos

I’m often asked about photography branding when building an entertainment campaign. Here’s the thing, photos last forever- especially with today’s social media culture. It is very easy to ruin a political campaign or lose a CEO position if an unfavorable photo surfaces – and they always do. So, how do you avoid odd or inappropriate photos from ruining your career should you do a brand pivot?

First, stay in control at photo shoots. Sometimes it is easy, with all the attention and complements, to lose sight of your brand strategy. Never show skin when this isn’t the plan going into the shoot- even if the photographer promises not to print them. Second, make sure the photos you are taking would be viewed as appropriate by your mom.

Second, don’t take photos endorsing other brands unless you have cash on hand. Having other companies put their logos on your photos is tacky and makes your brand look easily bought. If you are bought, great- make sure you get a lot of money out of it. If not, don’t allow a “freebie” favor of a photo shoot or makeup application ruin your brand. Logos aren’t good, paid endorsements to show them are.

Finally, you shouldn’t ever be photographed with a drink in your hand. Ever! This photo will always come back to haunt you brand wise. Unless you are Kid Rock and sponsored by Jim Beam, there is no reason to be photographed with as much as a glass of wine in your hand.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO 

PR Writing Tips

Tonight’s blog is dedicated to your Do-It-Yourselfers (DIY).  For those of you attempting to write your own press releases (and I don’t suggest you do unless you know AP formatting), here are a few pointers to get you started in the right direction. Note: I highly recommend you take an AP Formatting class, or obtain a copy of the AP Style Guide.

1.       First, make sure your announcement is  newsworthy. Don’t put a press release out to have a press release out.  Announcing a partnership, award, new product, etc. are all fine.

2.       Your headline shouldn’t read like a used car ad. Most people want to go with shock value. Well, that’s great but it can backfire. Most media outlets want to the point facts and headlines. A flashy headline is like flashing a cop- it’s frowned upon in the media world.

3.       Keep it under 400 words plus your boiler plate. A two page press release is never going to be looked at. Reporters are busy, behind, and understaffed when it comes to support. So, make sure you are clear, concise and under 400 words.

4.       Don’t add a bunch of links.  Add only what is relevant and if you need to add more links or data, refer to the EPK request at the bottom of your release. Yes, you need to have an EPK request byline.

5.       Don’t lie.  People tend to skew the truth in press release. Remember, reporters will vet them and if you are caught in a lie, you will be the attention of unwanted media coverage.

I hope this helps but please contact my company for assistance if you feel you are in over your head.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO