By Linda Forrest
Arguably one of the least favourite tasks that we PR folks must do is database maintenance, ensuring that media and analyst contacts and corresponding contact information (phone number, fax, email, address, etc.) are kept up to date. This is one of those “invisible to the client” tasks that we undertake on your behalf that greatly impacts the effectiveness of your campaign or program, but cannot be seen by the naked eye.
There is a wide variety of database programs that media relations practitioners can use, from software solutions like Filemaker Pro and ACT! to online solutions like Salesforce. One attribute they all share is that the inputted data needs to be kept relevant and up to date in order to be of real value.
Inevitably, people change roles or publications or leave the field entirely while new outlets appear and need to be added to your database. Keeping on top of these changes can be difficult if left for too long. Best practices would suggest that routine maintenance is the best way to stay on top of changes that affect your database.
Because we at inmedia never assume that we have the right contacts already in our database for a new client, we do extensive research at the outset of our engagement to build a relevant media and analyst list, with current contacts and accurate contact information. Still, despite our best efforts, a few of the emails may bounceback when we initially send out the release. We immediately get on the phone to find out whether the contact has moved on, whether the outlet has ceased publication or if there’s a new email address that we should be using. By inputting the new data as soon as we learn that what is currently in the database is out of date, and resending the materials to the corrected address, we ensure that we’re keeping on top of this activity before the task becomes unwieldy.
There is no easy, one-step solution to maintaining one’s database. Even the online media databases that purport to be comprehensive are wildly out of date in areas and unreliable. It’s absolutely imperative that your agency does the legwork to maintain its database so that your materials are reaching the intended recipients in a timely fashion. If there’s a new relevant outlet or contact, they should be added promptly so that the appropriate contact details are in place for when your agency sends out your next news release, is looking for suitable story pitch targets or scanning editorial calendars for pertinent opportunities. It’s not glamorous, but it’s important.
By Linda Forrest
In today’s instalment of my series about the various components of an integrated PR program, I will shed some light on the reasons for media monitoring as well as different approaches and tools.
What is media monitoring? Just that – scanning media coverage for specific keywords and issues and presenting them to clients in the format that will best meet their needs. A more in-depth monitoring of the media is called content analysis, a topic that Francis will explore in detail in a future post.
How is media monitoring done? What tools are needed? At inmedia, we subscribe to a broad range of tools and have others at the ready, should specific requirements dictate a need for audio or video copies of coverage. In the main, we monitor print coverage ourselves through tools such as eWatch, Factiva, and Infomart. Should we require broadcast clippings, we use a company called Cision to provide us with copies of the footage. The print monitoring tools to which we subscribe cost a considerable amount. By having your agency do your media monitoring for you, the cost can be amortized over the entire client base that is utilizing the service, allowing clients the benefits of the tools without covering the entire cost. Consumer-grade, user-friendly search engines like Google News do allow for the search of a subset of the media, but do not cover the broad range of domestic and international or subscription-based publications like the tools that I mentioned earlier.
Why do media monitoring? The media are covering key issues that impact your business. If your company hopes to stay abreast of critical issues, competitor activities and its own image in the marketplace, media monitoring can help provide insight into these issues. By keeping up-to-date on current coverage in your space, opportunities can present themselves for your company to get involved in the dialog in the media. We can easily see if the company executives’ expert opinions differ from those of the author, or if there’s a valuable perspective to share, or perhaps an angle not covered in the original story. These timely opportunities are impossible to predict and present good chances for your company to get covered in target media and position your team as experts.
What keywords should we be using in our monitoring efforts? Obviously, the effectiveness of media monitoring can extend well beyond a simple search for your company’s name. At the outset of an ongoing program, if it is determined that media monitoring will be a component of your program, you and your team should work together to develop objectives for your media monitoring in terms of what you’re hoping to achieve. Do you want to be kept up to date on issues in your marketplace? What about regulations that impact your company or its customers? Perhaps you want to ensure that you are aware of competitor news as it happens. Once the goals have been determined, a list of relevant keywords can be programmed into these tools and then reports issued to your agency as coverage occurs, or at set intervals (for example, the start of every work day.)
How are media hits reported to the client? This really depends on the needs of the client and the resources available. Typically, we find that a biweekly report that covers the topics and issues specific to that client meets our clients’ needs, with important breaking news forwarded on an as-it-happens basis. This is variable, based on the client’s needs. With more intensive programs with extensive resources and where there’s a need for instant access to information, we have generated daily reports. At the other end of the spectrum, some of our clients do not have a specific requirement for media monitoring and therefore we only report coverage of our clients, as needed. Make sure to discuss with your agency what works best for you and will meet your requirements.
Late last year, Jill gave some tips on media monitoring in one of her posts. For more specific information than I’ve given here today, reference her tips for maximizing the value of your media monitoring efforts.
By Linda Forrest
In today’s instalment of my series about the various components of an integrated PR program, I will talk a little bit about awards.
Publications and conferences have award programs that invite companies that are active in their sectors to nominate themselves for awards. Other awards programs select the nominees and winners based on set criteria, or are selected by esteemed judges and the companies vying for the award have no input or sway in whether they are considered for the award.
How award programs work and the benefits derived from winning such an award can vary widely.
Some awards submissions cost a considerable amount of money in order to even submit a nomination for consideration. In my opinion, any award that you’re paying for is not likely to hold much sway with your prospects as the value is diminished when it’s easily determined that the distinction was bought and paid for.
Nominations themselves can consist of simply a form filled out by a company representative or be as in-depth as requiring support letters and recommendations as well as extensive company documentation. For those private companies preparing complicated nominations, be cognizant of whether the submission process requires you to divulge your financial statements and if so, consider whether the value that would be derived from winning is worth providing your competitors with your company’s revenue and sales data.
Just as preparing a roadmap for editorial calendars and speaking opportunities is helpful for determining your planning horizon, so to is including a nomination schedule for awards. Keep an eye on when submissions are due and what components you’ll need to gather and manage your time accordingly.
Awards for which the winners are selected by expert judges, without the influence of the company itself, are of the most value as they’re entirely impartial and the product or company can legitimately consider their win as signifying that they are genuine leaders in the area for which they’re being recognized. The submission process is easiest too, as no action is required until if and when you’ve already won and the awards organizers are looking to build out profile for collateral or coverage in the associated publication.
Once you’ve won an award, it’s a good idea to publicize it in the form of a news release and a link on your web site. This not only increases your search engine results but also can provide useful ammunition to any prospects that are deliberating on whether to buy your solution. Sometimes the fact that your company or product is award winning can seal the deal as it offers third party validation and will help them sell it up the decision-making chain internally.
By Linda Forrest
This blog post is part of a series on integrated PR programs. Last week, I wrote about bylined articles. Today, I would like to address speaking opportunities.
Why should company representatives do speaking engagements? There are a number of good reasons for your company’s representatives to speak publicly – chief of which is to build the company’s reputation as a leader in its space and for the executive speaking to build their profile amongst stakeholders, peers, competitors, potential customers and the general public. Public speaking can support business objectives like recruitment, increasing market awareness and seeking potential partners. Like the other tactics this series addresses, speaking opportunities is but one of a number of public relations activities that make up a complete program that supports your business objectives as a whole.
In what venues can our company speak? Trade organizations, associations and special interest groups have regular meetings that may be suitable for your company to speak at. Speaking at community events, such as awards shows affiliated with your company’s corporate social responsibility program or personal charitable endeavours can be advantageous as it helps to build both personal and corporate goodwill. Conferences and trade shows that speak directly to your particular market are probably the events that have the highest value as the audience is made up of your peers and prospects.
What kinds of speaking opportunities exist? A distinction should be made between types of speaking engagements, those that the speaker pays for and those that are earned based on reputation, expertise and strength and appropriateness of the proposed speaking topic. In our opinion, the former, like their print “editorial” counterpart, can be devalued by the audience as not being worthy of their attention because it is implied that it will be little more than a commercial for the company. This sort of speaking engagement, in my opinion, would be more considered advertising than a true PR opportunity. That said, many reputable conferences and events only allow paying exhibitors the opportunity to present to their audiences. Other events have a broad spectrum of opportunities based on the subject matter, the technical detail of and the expected audience of the event. For example, a biotechnology-focused conference may offer scientific symposia as well as technology demonstrations and expert panels.
What formats are typically used? The format of a speaking opportunity varies widely from event to event. Sometimes, participation in a panel enables the speaker to take part in a conversation with multiple experts and acts as a dialog between leaders in a chosen field. Some speaking opportunities may be brief introductions about your company or technology while others present the chance to host a workshop that demonstrates your technology to potential partners and customers. Speeches can be an hour or more long, or last just 15 minutes or so; they can be interactive or a monologue only. Whatever the format, be sure that it enables you to get your key messages across and that it well positions the speaker and the company.
By Linda Forrest
Over the next few weeks, I would like to address individually some of the components of what we at inmedia consider to be an integrated public relations program. One of the sales challenges that we can face as an agency is shattering prospects’ perception that public relations consists solely of sending out news release upon news release, as far and as wide as your distribution method can take it. At inmedia, we consider news releases to be just one of the many arrows in our media relations tactics quiver. This series will hopefully shed some light on other methods of generating media coverage that have proven effective for our B2B technology clients.
Today, I would like to address bylined articles. Let’s start with the basics: what is a bylined article? According to Dictionary.com, a byline refers to “A line at the head of a newspaper or magazine article carrying the writer’s name.” Therefore, a bylined article is a feature that is (ostensibly or actually) written by an expert in a particular space and published in an appropriate venue, such as a trade magazine, a consumer-focused publication, or on a web site.
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