InsidEPR

Is Immediacy Expected, or Just a Bad Habit?

By Molly Miller

I must admit, I’m guilty.  When I’m on a conference call and my laptop is online, I sometimes keep an eye on my incoming email.  I’d like to say it’s not a distraction, I multi-task well, but the truth is, I sometimes lose focus on the primary activity that should hold my attention—the call itself.  And that’s a problem. 

CNN recently posted an article on high-tech manners, criticizing the way our wireless and mobile conveniences have gotten the better of our manners.  And even though I’m guilty myself, I have to agree with them.  Not only is it rude, but I believe it’s unproductive to be constantly checking and responding to emails during meetings.  Yet this is a practice that is becoming more and more common.  It’s one of the reasons I don’t own a Blackberry—I don’t need any more distractions.  I also believe (from experience) that only a tiny fraction of messages I receive annually require immediate attention—and they usually involve the health or welfare of family members, not the overwhelming majority of day-to-day business issues.  What’s more important than split-second immediacy, in my view, is a thoughtful response, particularly when clients are paying for my opinion.

Cell phones have their value, certainly, but there’s no requirement that they become a bodily appendage.  Voice mail was invented for taking messages when you are busy, and most callers never expect you to drop everything to talk with them.  What’s more important is taking the time to provide a quality response.

When I’m writing, doing heavy research, or working on a strategic messaging project, I turn off my email and ignore my phone.  That “focus time” is required to marshal my brain power into creative ideas—which is what clients expect of me.  But the truth is, they expect that of me all the time, even during everyday conference calls and meetings.  So while I definitely never want to be rude—my mother taught me something!—from a business perspective, I want to live up to my client’s expectation of quality attention.  For me, that means turning off email, taking notes, and concentrating on the task at hand.

Email Etiquette in PR

By Jeannette Bitz

When I started out in PR back in 1993, I had no idea what email was or the power it could have. In my first PR job, there was only one way to contact a reporter—by phone. If a reporter wanted more information, I’d fax it and then we’d follow up with voice-to-voice conversations. When I started in high-tech PR in 1996, email was available but was still not the primary way to reach reporters. Over time, however, email seems to have become a preferred method for reporters to sift through the hundreds of corporate PR and agency pitches they receive.  PR professionals certainly rely on it more and more.

I fear that email has made many PR professionals detached from the usual means of business communication: it’s sometimes a relief to simply send an e-mail and avoid the voice-to-voice conversation and potential rejection.  While ideally PR professionals should pick up the phone to talk with a reporter, email sometimes is the only way to reach someone. If you must use email, then consider some basic rules of email etiquette.

Network World’s editor, Paul McNamara, offers good advice on email etiquette and the overuse by PR professionals of the ‘unadorned “thanks”.  I have to confess I’ve probably violated this rule and made other blunders along the way. However, I’ve been fortunate enough to have received candid advice. I would add the following email etiquette guidelines for contacting a reporter.  You should also consider these guidelines when emailing your clients and fellow employees.

• Eliminate abbreviations that are not usually understood by all generations. FYI and ASAP are widely understood, but some abbreviations—TTYL (Talk to you later), BRB (Be right back), and LOL (Laugh out loud)—are simply lost on people who are not a part of the “Y” generation.
• Avoid excessive punctuation at the end of a sentence to make your point!!!!! Adding more exclamation points at the end of a sentence does not add emphasis, nor does it make the content of your email more interesting or newsworthy. Reporters just want to understand what’s truly new.
• Don’t “flame” or verbally attack a reporter in email. The tone of an email is a testament to what the writer is thinking at that very moment.  An email has the potential to be overly emotional, irrational, and irrelevant to the topic or subject at hand. Once you’ve hit send, it’s on the record and can come back to haunt you. Even if you don’t like how a reporter has written about your client in a story, resist the temptation to send a flame in email.  Instead, take a moment to calm down, then call the reporter to discuss the issue rationally.
• Avoid the overuse of “smiles” or other facial expressions to make your point. In fact, I would say if you don’t know the reporter, just don’t use them. My personal favorites should really be avoided in an email note to a reporter:  ;-), :-D, :-<, or even, :-/, :-P.
• Don’t blindly send an unwelcome 10Mbps email attachment. Ask a reporter if he or she can download such a large file before you send it.
• Know that email is a great way to reach reporters, but realize that reporters are not required to respond the minute they receive the email. In fact, I find that sometimes reporters want to think about the client or pitch further. They’ll get back to you in their own time…it may be 5 minutes, but it also may take 5 hours, days, or weeks. If it’s really an important news event, or if you need to explain the pitch with further information, then call the reporter to discuss.

A little self promotion never hurt?

We are proud to announce that Engage PR has been nominated for a Mobile Star Award in the “Best Mobile PR Firm” category for our long and successful track record working with wireless/mobility companies.

If you would like to place a vote on our behalf (*hint…hint*) and get a free subscription to the mobile star newsletter, click here.

Thanks for your support!

Marketing and Public Relations – Which is the chicken and which the egg?

By Johnny Truong

After receiving my BS in marketing, I wanted to dive into the field of marketing/PR. Notice – marketing “slash” PR. Little did I know (back then) that it’s two different disciplines that overlap.

Marketing is the means by which a business identifies, anticipates, and satisfies customer demand for a product. Marketing helps to understand who your potential customers are, place and price a product compared to the competition, and position the company in a marketplace. Marketing campaigns help to increase profitability and determine future business-development opportunities. Marketing employs the Marketing Mix model, aka the 4Ps: product, price, place, promotion.

A good product will sell itself, but then again, there aren’t really “bad” products anymore in today’s highly competitive market. In this mix, “product” now means producing a product or service that is differentiated and stands out among the competition. “Price” is a major factor in competitiveness. Businesses don’t just price a product on what they think the product is worth, they embrace pricing strategies – how much are customers paying for similar products, and how much are customers willing to pay for yours? “Placement” of a product is just as important as the product itself. Can potential customers easily access the product? Is there enough product to satisfy the demand? “Promotion,” the lifeblood of marketing, touches upon how target groups are informed and educated about the product. Along with promotional advertising and sales, this is where PR plays a major role.

As the Media Turns

By Becky Frost

Recent reports of Dateline NBC's Associate Producer Michelle Madigan found the tables turned as she became the subject of her own undercover efforts at Defcon, the largest gathering of hackers and security professionals in the world.

Last Friday, Las Vegas’ sweltering summer heat was nothing compared to the heat that Madigan must have felt when, from the stage, it was announced that there was an undercover reporter in the room and a game of “spot the undercover reporter” ensued.

Madigan was reportedly working on a piece aimed at showing middle America the criminal hacker underground. Madigan was noted as saying, "People in Kansas would be very interested in what is going on at Defcon."

While Defcon welcomes reporters at the event, it does require them to register as press. Journalists are required to have a press badge visible at all times while at the event, and are required to follow strict rules with respect to cameras and recording devices.

From the sound of all the coverage, it looks like Madigan’s actions and words to Defcon security contributed to this fiasco. (She didn’t know who she was talking to at the time.) There’s something to be said for undercover reporting, but it looks like Madigan overstepped the bounds and paid the price – ultimately finding herself on the other side of the camera and facing the decision to take a press pass or leave.  She chose the latter, and I don’t think she’ll return to next year’s event.