Brand | Words For Hire

Is Your PR Strategy Crazy?

March 10, 2011 by Karen Swim

Image by Picture Taker 2 via Flickr

There is an old adage that all publicity is good publicity and I vehemently disagree. Visibility at all costs is not only ineffective but can be dangerous to your brand.

The discipline of Public Relations (PR) seeks to communicate, and influence perception. It is not carried out in a silo, with haphazard strategies but harmonized with marketing, branding, sales and every other part of your business. The symphony of your efforts are ultimately judged by customers, for if they’re not paying to hear the music you have no reason to play. Visibility in and of itself is not the goal, but being visible, relevant and respected by the right people.

These days, I can understand why many would confuse visibility with sustainability. Losing it seems to be an effective media relations strategy. Become a train wreck and people show up to watch by the millions. Get arrested, drive drunk, flub the lyrics to the national anthem or just plain lose your grip on reality and you become a media star. In spite of the seemingly effortless publicity generated, I do not recommend ‘crazy’ as a PR strategy. However, if crazy is your brand and you want to be known as an unhinged bag of nuts who is the punchline of loser jokes, go for it. For everyone else there is a better way.

Outside of the realm of comedians and celebrities, your PR efforts should help you gain respect. You want to gain attention for what you know and offer; for being a leader in your space rather than an unfortunate break with reality. Visibility at all costs is not the best path to creating longevity in your market. Trust is an essential component of the sales cycle, but also of your staying power. People need to trust your brand and brand promise to purchase from you. Bad behavior may grab headlines but it does not translate into sustainable relationships with your customers. Further, eventually someone else will trump your bad behavior and you will become old news.

A far better approach is to build your brand with purpose. Be strategic and purposeful about who you are and how you present yourself to the market. Brand perception is in the eyes of your consumer but you can influence that perception for good or bad by what you do and say. Be visible for the value and solutions you offer to your market, and leave the meltdowns to those who are pros at entertaining.

Fruity Marketing Lessons

October 19, 2009 by Karen Swim

: Image via Wikipedia

A California grocer recalled several cartons of Del Monte Cantaloupe because it may be contaminated with salmonella. I read the story and realized I don’t spend much time thinking about Cantaloupe. In fact, I could not have been counted on to tell you Del Monte produced cantaloupe.

Imagine being a brand that fades into the background of consumers’ minds until it is placed front and center by negative news. I do associate Del Monte with certain fruit but now I will remember they also grow cantaloupe. In the short term, I will also remember the association with salmonella.

When it comes to food, I care about organic, environmentally safe and locally grown. There are brands I associate with my food values but all the others just become fruit in the bins.

Do your consumers care about your brand or are you just one of many choices? Are they turning over the fruit looking for your label or just choosing whatever is convenient? Would it take a problem or bad news for your brand to be visible or do they know and love you now?

I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be the Del Monte of cantaloupe.

Is Your Brand the Man in the Mirror?

July 9, 2009 by Karen Swim

: Image by lukas lehmann via Flickr

The Michael Jackson memorial service was a celebration of his music and a collective mourning of the loss of the man, father, son, brother and friend. I watched as a marketer, mourner and the little girl whose first concert at age 5 was the Jackson 5.

In life and death, Michael Jackson is a global brand and we have only come to grasp the magnitude of what he truly accomplished.

As I watched, listened, and participated in social media discussions I was acutely aware that in Michael’s case the man in the mirror was also his brand. Michael Jackson created a global base of customers and fans who so closely identified with his brand that it was interwoven into the fabric of their own lives. His brand story became a backdrop of their own history.

Brand evangelists are the holy grail for many in business. We diligently work to deeply engage our customers and build brand affinity. We look upon the attainment of such as marketing heaven but in the business world the trip from marketing heaven to the nether regions is not that far.

Passion and intimacy go hand in hand and your raving fans can direct that passion for or against you. We saw this in action earlier this year when long time brand Tropicana redesigned its packaging and their consumers revolted. Tropicana is a multi million dollar corporation and they changed their packaging and survived the ordeal. But how do you handle it when you are your brand?

Michael Jackson created a level of intimacy with his fans that made them feel that he was part of the family (and he was incredibly gracious to fans). That family never let him rest and in death it appears this will continue. For Michael Jackson the market did not separate the man from the brand, and they unleashed their passion both for and against him during his lifetime.

In marketing, it is wise to decide on your relationship strategy with your customers. Will you casually date or embark on a fiery love affair? Will you be friends for a season or join together till death do you part? Know your strategy and be prepared to embrace the good, bad and ugly because in marketing heaven and hell are in very close proximity.

What are your thoughts? Are there boundaries in personal branding or do your customers have open access? Have you ever lost control of your brand message? How did you handle it?

As my friend Rosa Say would invite, let’s huddle and learn together.

5 Common Problems of Ailing Businesses

January 26, 2009 by Karen Swim

: Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Written by Karen D. Swim

I am not a fan of reality shows but I have become addicted to Peter Perfect. In the show, stylist, Peter Ishkans, visits struggling small business owners in the U.S. In the shows that I have watched the businesses are typically family owned, single location retail stores.

Peter assesses the store’s layout, operations and the image and makes over both store and owners. He delivers the verdict in a straightforward but pleasant way. The business owners cringe only a little because it’s so much easier to hear that your business is a disaster when delivered in a non-American accent.

In a recent episode the business owners listed the problems and Peter looked baffled as he asked, “If you knew all this why didn’t you do something about it?” Ouch. So often we really do understand the problems but fail to take the next step of fixing them. Listed below are a few of the common problems I have noted since watching the show.

Unwilling to give up control. Are you so emotionally invested in your business that you view any criticism or suggestion as a personal rejection of you? Many of these business owners had family members who were partners. The family members had good ideas but the primary business owner was unwilling to give up control.

Business lacked a clear image / brand. When customers see your store front or website, is it immediately clear what you offer? What image does your business project? In every episode the business owners had failed to develop a clear brand. It was not the business idea that was bad but its presentation.

Failure to consider your target market. I recently worked with a client on a website redesign as part of an overall re-branding effort. The site did not at all reflect his target market. He knew that the site was not working but when asked about the choices he remarked, “I chose stuff that I like.” The problem however is that the colors and images he liked were completely out of sync with his target market.

No Marketing. Retail shop owners had failed to engage even their local communities. Do not assume that your market knows you exist and will find you. Whether you have a brick and mortar business or virtual store, you must market. If marketing is not your strength hire expert help. Buy consulting time to assess your needs and develop a plan, but do something or your business will die.

You lack a clear image. Are you reflecting confidence in your own business? Have you made the transition from hobbyist to business owner? Does your appearance and demeanor reflect the image you want to project? Step up to your role and own it.

To run a successful business you don’t have to have all the answers but you do need to be willing to seek them out. Technology has made it easier than ever to tap into expert knowledge and resources. With a little help you can move your business to the next level.

Do any of these issues resonate with you? If you’re a business owner what have you done to work through your roadblocks? For non-business owners, what do you wish businesses would do differently or better?

You’ve Got the Sizzle Baby but Where’s the Steak?

October 20, 2008 by Karen Swim

Written by Karen D. Swim

Last week we talked about improving your marketing by adding a little sizzle. The combination of sizzle and substance will satisfy your market and entice them back for seconds. The market can be forgiving of a lack of sizzle when the company has substance and high visibility. Consider Google, who from the inception has focused on technical savvy and functionality rather than visually pleasing aesthetics. Craigslist is a visual nightmare but that has not stood in the way of worldwide use of the site. Sizzle combined with substance provides a competitive advantage. On the other hand, a lack of substance is a guaranteed way to leave your readers hungry and searching for fulfillment elsewhere.

Here are three tips to help you fill your customer’s plate:

Pay attention to your content. You may believe that in this day when everyone skims rather than reads that you can let your content slide. Wrong! I visited a site last week that was breathtaking in its design aesthetics. Wanting to learn more about the company, I made the mistake of reading the content. I had to force myself not to rip my eyes out of my head. The grammatical errors made me cringe. Instead of articulate, easy to read sentences there were run on paragraphs of buzzwords. It was obvious the company had intended to appeal to their market with “inside” language but the words hung together like puzzle pieces that were not in their proper place. Even the press releases were a disaster! Please realize that your website, brochure or one-sheet may be your potential customer’s introduction to you and your company. Take the time to ensure that it is well written because many wil take time to actually read it.

Consider your market, and not your personal preferences. I recently worked with a client on a re-branding effort. His previous marketing materials including his website reflected his own personal tastes. The problem, however is that the marketing messages and images were completely unaligned with his company’s brand. The messages did not appeal to his target audience and the images clashed with the content. The result was an ineffective mess. Your marketing should reflect some personality but ensure that you do so in a way that is not out of line with your market or brand image.

Tell them what, why and how in simple language. When your potential customers read your words, they are essentially having a conversation with your company. As you write, think of what you would say to Joe The Plumber or Shawna the Soccer Mom if they asked “What does your company do?” Will you answer them with industry acronyms or search optimized phrases? Or will you give than an easy to understand explanation of how you help your market? If you sell Pizza don’t tell them that you take dough, shape it into a sphere and lovingly cover it with freshly pureed tomatoes. Tell them you make pizza!

Your marketing does not have to be perfect to be effective. A reader may forgive a typo (it happens in spite of our best efforts) but is unlikely to forgive unintentional grammatical errors, or wordy sentences that say nothing. Treat your market with respect by delivering substance.

Have you ever made a purchase based on sizzle and been disappointed with the results? Did it change the way you evaluate purchases? Feel free to share your experiences, insights, or questions in the comments. If you have specific questions you would like to see answered in a future post, shoot me an email at karenswim [at] gmail [dot] com.