1. Stop Working. Stop working on the things that don’t contribute directly to the success of your business. In other words, if you are wearing 10 hats at work that include, sales, marketing, accounting, human resources, operations, etc., figure out how you can delegate or outsource these items and perhaps gain an additional 30% of  your work week back. Maybe you’ll use that time to develop new products, focus on driving revenue or even, take some time off. This is the time for you to plan how to work smarter, not harder.

2. Spend More. Earn More. Although many businesses look at this time of year to tighten budgets, it’s also a good time to evaluate which expenses are helping you grow your business and which ones are just keeping the lights on. If you know that hiring another sales person would increase your revenue and cover the costs of the new hire, that’s where you need to invest. If you saw an uptick in sales after last year’s trade show, plan to increase the number of shows you attend. If your employees seem happier and more productive now that you offer free meals at work, keep the food coming.

3. Experiment. If you are rolling in the dough and completely satisfied with your business, well then, why try anything new? But, if you are like most entrepreneurs, you never feel truly satiated. Take a good look at your businesses and figure out what you could be doing that you are not doing and set aside some financial and human resources to experiment with. This may be an investment in new product or service development, direct marketing, social media or some other activity that could provide a significant payoff if done right. Stagnation is the kiss of death for most businesses so constantly experimenting and finding new opportunities can lead to new revenue sources, productivity increases or cost deflection.

4. Execute. Execute. Execute. If you ask, most CEOs will tell you that they know exactly what needs to be done in order for them to be more successful. The problem is that the business plan gathers dust instead of being executed. Make this year the year of action. Take the business plan out of the filing cabinet and focus everyday on bringing it to fruition. Allocate the time, team and money to make it happen – including aggressive deadlines – and hold yourself and everyone in your company accountable.

5. Meet Your Future Customers. It’s true that it takes more effort to bring in a new customer than to keep an existing customer but, your business can’t expand unless you are constantly ringing the new business bell. Moreover, with natural customer attrition, your business may actually shrink if you are only keeping your current customers satisfied. If you don’t have a plan for new customer acquisition, you need to get one today. Short-lead direct marketing emphasizes trackable, measurable results that call on your prospects to take action now. Long-lead tactics like public relations can help plant a seed of awareness so that prospects will call on you when they are ready to make a purchasing decision. Whether your budget is large or small, there are so many channels to help you reach your target audience that it should never be an obstacle.

I hope these tips help you achieve your 2013 business goals – which I assume you have already set. And if you haven’t, that’s recommendation number 6: Set Your Goals.  And when you meet them, raise the bar even further.

Photo Credit: Tarale 

It’s one thing to want to give a voice to the people, it’s another to let some fringe individuals spout extremely controversial statements from your platform. This week’s curator claims in her bio “… at least I don’t do drugs and prostitution.” Surely, that qualifies you to represent the country and the brand of Sweden. I would think that Sweden would want to highlight the best of its country – focus on all of the amazing culture, history, food and experiences the nation has to offer – rather than provide a megaphone for racist, ignorant commentary.

I actually love the idea of giving the handle over to its citizens – but even the best writers need an editor. These tweets should have been moderated. Some rules should have been put in place regarding comments that could be considered offensive, prejudiced or racist in nature. (What’s next? Posting pornographic twit-pics from this handle?) A simple Social Media Usage Policy and a little moderation could have turned this campaign into a resounding success instead of what will surely become a notable disaster. It’s a shame that a little more forethought and caution could have saved this campaign (maybe it still will) before it brings down the reputation and brand of Sweden in the name of social media democracy.

Advance preparation is key to ensuring your brand is able to respond to a potential crisis quickly and effectively. Whether you are starting a crisis communications plan from scratch, or already have one in place, you must incorporate social media as part of your readiness as well as response.

• Consumers expect to receive information quickly, which is often best accomplished through social media. Getting approval on a press release or working through IT to have a statement posted on the corporate website can often cause costly delays.
• Many stakeholders receiving the bulk of their information through social media or online channels rather than through traditional media or your company’s website. Responding to a crisis situation directly in the medium in which the story broke is important to get ahead of the situation or prevent it from escalating.
• Social media channels allow you to respond with your own messages and convey exactly what you want to communicate without the filter of a reporter or blogger.

In order to effectively communicate through social media during a time of crisis, your brand must already have an established presence on your platforms of choice and be prepared to start communicating quickly so you can participate in the conversation. Needless to say, if you aren’t monitoring social media, you may be completely unaware of the crisis situation that is brewing. Even if your organization hasn’t fully embraced social media as a communications channel, it is the PR practitioners responsibility to be monitoring social media channels in good times, for the potential opportunities, and in bad times, to forewarn executives and help prevent further damage to the company’s reputation.

What most folks have not yet discussed, are the implications for businesses and consumers after Google+ takes over the world of social media. As Google leverages the rich information and data it will be able to collect from the interactions and interests of Google+ users, it has the power to change and improve existing Google services as well as push Google into new business categories. Some of the many possible outcomes we discussed in our session included:

At the conclusion of our media training session, we talk about the “5 Cs” of execution in a media interview or public speaking. Obama mastered the 5 Cs long before last night’s speech but following his lead is an excellent example for any executive in the private or public sector.

The 5 Cs:

• Conviction – Deliver your message with conviction and enthusiasm. If you are able to demonstrate your passion for a topic, your excitement on an issue, it can sway an audience and the media.
• Conversation – Keep in mind your audience when developing your content – and have a conversation with them on a subject they care about and in a way that they understand. Straight-forward examples and universal terms are better than highly technical explanations that can confuse and alienate your audience.
• Composure – Even in a hostile environment (like a room filled with your political opponents or skeptical media) keeping your composure and persevering in your mission is critical. If you lose your cool or go on the defensive, your credibility can be damaged.
• Confidence – The best way to come to a media opportunity or speaking engagement full of confidence is to prepare extensively and know your content inside and out. Having a strong grasp of the issues, clearly outlining your message and arming yourself with facts, figures and irrefutable data helps any speaker confidently step into the spotlight.
• Color – People may remember facts and figures – but they identify and bond with stories. Whenever you can provide colorful examples that illustrate your message while engendering an intellectual or emotional tie to the audience, you can leave a lasting imprint.

Photo Credit: sofiabracho02 (Flickr)

This one is personal for me. My daughter had been talking for weeks about a special teacher that has been helping her fifth grade class, and many others in our school district, prepare for the state-administered exams, NJ ASK. As a reward for their great work, this staff developer (not her regular teacher) promised the children that Lady Gaga would visit the school via videoconference and talk to them. Since the staff developer claimed that she had worked for MTV and knew Lady Gaga personally, she could make this happen. For weeks the children had been anticipating this event, and even parents and teachers were impressed and anticipating this exciting event in the school district. This week, the big day arrived and my daughter arrived home thrilled to tell me about the Skype conference she had with Lady Gaga and to proudly show me the autographed photo she received, personalized just for her. Later that night, she watched Lady Gaga on American Idol and felt so proud to have had the chance to meet her personally – even if it was just over the Internet.

Unfortunately, it was all a lie. Today we received a notification from the school that it turns out that this staff developer duped all of the children, teachers and principals in four separate elementary schools by conducting the videoconferences with a Lady Gaga Impersonator! How did this all unravel? One of the kids in the district searched the Internet and found that the Lady Gaga signature on her autographed photo did not match what she found online – and thus, the thread unraveled the whole story.

As furious as I am – that the school allowed this person to lie to hundreds of children, and permit an unknown person into their classrooms (albeit via Skype), I am also sad that this will probably be the first time my daughter finds out that you can’t always trust those close to you. That disappointment and suspicion will probably stay with her and all of the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students in our school district and color their trust and belief in teachers and educators for much of their academic career.

How does this relate to PR and business?

1. Lying is never a good option.

2. One lie can damage your credibility and reputation for life. It can also cost you your job and future opportunities.

3. One lie from one individual can have ramifications far beyond that one person. It can cast your associates, your organization and your industry in a negative light.

4. It will come out, one way or another.

There are many people that think public relations is about telling tales or ‘spin’. I have never knowingly lied on behalf of a client or intentionally lied to a colleague or reporter and I would never ask a staff member to do so either. I have kept things in confidence or shared information on a need to know basis – but that is not the same as intentional deception. It takes much more strength of character and integrity to tell the truth than to use a lie as an easy way out – whether or not you think you will get caught.

It’s a valuable lesson for PR professionals as well as anyone in business.

I will give a nod to the school district for notifying parents and children as soon as they uncovered the truth. I just wish they had done their due diligence beforehand to prevent this type of incident from happening.

Her presentation included slides from a student that attended one of her classes and used social media to inspire more than 25,000 people to help him try to save the lives of two friends who were both diagnosed with luekemia. Take a moment to browse through the slide deck and see if it inspires you.

Sometimes we are surprised that the prospect doesn’t already have support and sign-off before they begin the search. Having once been on the corporate side, I know that it’s not always easy to get buy-in until you have a proven track record of success or if you have a CEO that isn’t a staunch supporter of marketing and public relations from the outset. So here are a few tips and resources:

1. Start Your Own PR Campaign: Start your own PR campaign internally and externally to show your executive team the power of public relations. Don’t wait to hire an agency – give them a little taste of what it feels like to have a great article about your company and see the phone ring, the website click and the sales leads come in. Once you can demonstrate the impact of a small PR success, he’ll be craving more.

2. Gather Allies: In healthy organizations, marketing and sales work in unison. If public relations can drive awareness and generate demand for your products and services, the sales team will support you. Your VP of Sales has goals and objectives for his team and if you illustrate how a PR program will help his his team 1.have brand name recognition 2. get their phone calls answered 3. invited to more RFPs 4. generate more active sales leads 5. win more business – then you have an ally for life.

3. Generate Revenue Not Expenses: Too many marketing departments are viewed as ‘cost centers’ which can be the kiss of death in the corporate environment. (If you are not making money for the company, you are the first to be cut when things get tough.) Smart marketers understand that they have to tie their efforts to key performance indicators (KPIs) that the CEO will understand and appreciate. The closer these KPIs can be to business objectives (i.e. generating sales, driving market penetration, developing strategic partnerships etc.) the more support you’ll see from the C-suite.

4. Make them Jealous: Often companies are motivated by competition. When a CEO sees a feature story on your competitor, or an industry round-up that doesn’t include your company, they are usually ready to make a beeline to your office to ask why you weren’t included. Use that kind of motivation and inspiration to your advantage by showing your executive team what market leaders and competitors are doing in the realm of public relations. Then explain how you can match if not eclipse their results – with the right resources and support.

5. Bring in the Experts: Sometimes they just need to hear it from someone else. The reality is, that if you can’t convince your executive team on your own, you might be able to get them to listen to a third-party expert. Whether its a paid consultant, a prominent author, and industry leader, or even the prospective PR firm, CEOs sometimes need decision-making validation from someone outside the company.

There are many other resources available online including an entire guide from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) called The Business Case for Public Relations. Although this battle can be tough, if you know its right for your organization, the fight is worthwhile and the rewards will come. And although the CEO may eventually think it was his idea, you’ll know you were right all along.

Photo Credit: D Sharon Pruit

For anyone traveling over the past week – or hoping to travel – chances are the snow storm interrupted your travel plans even if you were no where near the snow. Our team at Affect had one person stuck in California, one in Florida, one in New Orleans and myself in Canada. (Oh, and one in Brooklyn.)

I had the good fortune of going to Mont Tremblant in Canada over the holiday  - and the misfortune of traveling with Continental Airlines. Although I arrived on the 23rd without incidence, my return flight on the 27th was cancelled due to the weather. Since Newark airport was closed for the day, I wasn’t at all surprised. What did surprise and frustrate me was the complete lock-down and lack of customer service from Continental. From 6am that morning, Continental was consistently hanging up on passengers who called for service. Every single phone number I tried had a recorded message saying they can’t handle calls and that passengers should try the website – and promptly were disconnected. Occasionally, over the course of the last three days, I would remain on indefinite hold for more than an hour, only to be disconnected before reaching a human.

In addition, the website offered no ability to change my flight directly – nor did it offer any information or message about whether the flight would be rescheduled or if passengers would be accommodated in some other way. Continental’s virtual assistant, Alex, kept offering useless advice like numbers to call (which would not answer) or instructions to use the website (which would not work). I have never hated a virtual person so much in my life – nor have a typed so many curse words into a chat box in all my years! To no avail, because Alex didn’t care and Continental didn’t care. Even after we finally were able to rent a car two days later and drive 11 hours to Newark Airport, and wait in line 30 minutes to talk to a real, live, Continental agent – the woman behind the counter told me that 1. Since Continental did not authorize me to leave Canada, she didn’t think we’d be compensated  and 2. She can’t help me, and I need to call Customer Service – I finally decided that Continental Airlines is dead to me. Oh, and here are the crisis communications tips that I’d recommend for anyone faced with a similar situation. Basically – do the opposite of what Continental has done:

1. Be prepared for a crisis

You would think that businesses would anticipate, and plan for, crises that are highly likely. Unfortunately, most businesses don’t. In the airline industry, where profit margins are often razor thin, one bad crisis can put you out of business. Although no one likes to be a pessimist, planning for the worst case scenario is your best insurance policy against it negatively impacting your business for the long run. Identify potential crisis scenarios, plan for them, allocate resources and be at the ready to execute.

2. Communicate with customers

The worst approach to crisis communication is usually the ‘head in the sand’ approach – when companies just pray it will go away. You always have to communicate with the public – even in times of crisis – to deliver good news and bad news. It is critical to be a trusted source of information, even when the public is not going to like that information. It is better to tell customers that it will take a week to get them home then to refuse to answer the phones.

3. Update your website

In almost any crisis situation, a website is one of the quickest and most reliable ways to notify customers and media of any issues and resolutions. Even an acknowledgment that there is an issue helps the public know that you are aware of it and trying to rectify the situation. The more detail you can provide on the website, the fewer direct inquiries you are going to receive. If customers can self-service their way out of the crisis with your guidance, it will help ease the stress on your company. And, a single website can communicate with thousands, if not millions of customers at a time – alleviating the strain on your call center.

4. Post (and answer) messages on social media

Most companies have already created social media presences – but its sad when they only use them for pushing out information rather than communicating with their constituents. Although @continental is chatty now, it was pretty tight-lipped during the first 24 hours of the crisis. The Twitter handle made generic statements such as ‘airports are closed’ and there are ‘long lines’ but did not answer direct questions or queries. Suggestions like ‘check the website’ were idiotic when the website didn’t work. All of your communications need to be coordinated – and in sync. Even if the person behind the Twitter handle can’t help directly, he/she should have a work-flow plan to get folks the help they need. If you open up a counter in social media – please expect you to answer questions there.

5. Issue a press release, blog post or video statement

On a crisis of this scale, an open statement to the media or formal press release would definitely be deemed appropriate. This is a quick, official, and controlled way to get the message out to large groups of people all at once. Although individual attention is always preferred, if you can’t reach customers in a timely manner, using the media, YouTube or your website to disseminate a general statement is always a good step.

6. Offer empathy and compassion even if you cannot compensate customers or provide them with full answers

All too often, companies in crisis are afraid to show empathy or compassion for fear that this is somehow an admission of guilt or liability. Although you need to check with your lawyers, you don’t need to check your humanity at the door. Customers often just need to know that you care – that you are listening – more than having to place blame or find a quick resolution. Having an organization show that it cares, that it is trying to fix the situation and that it will work hard to prevent similar crisis in the future is often enough to save even the most angry customer.

Hopefully these tips will help a few businesses prepare for and avoid a major PR crisis in the New Year. I think the fallout from this snow storm is yet to come.