Communication Can Combat Workplace Stress
Credit: http://www.controlstress.net/
Who’da thunk it? People are stressed out, and though it won’t cure the economy, communication may be the thing to calm nerves and make people more productive:
The majority of what experts are seeing is overwhelmed workers, often due to downsizing. And while they’re thankful to still have a reason to wake up in the morning, the burden of doing the jobs of two or three people is too much. The problem is, they’re so worried about losing their job that they tend to work many hours, often at the cost of other healthy activities such as working out, spending time with family and friends, and unwinding from the day.
Conversely, some people are feeling underutilized at the office, which leads them to ask whether their jobs are next to be eliminated, whether they’re valued members of the team, and whether they’re not trusted members of the company,” says Lickerman.The solution is simple: Higher-ups need to better communicate with each other and subordinates.
“Communication is dismal in corporate America,” Lickerman argues. “Entry-level employees trust the messages of top-tier management and their direct supervisors. Yet when a company rolls out a new initiative, internal communication is often the last thing they think about.”
Just having real conversations with employees about the state of the company and the security of their jobs can go a long way toward better morale and employee mental health, says Carson, who urges that those conversations should not take place in a group setting.
“Taking the time to check in and having an honest discussion with individuals is key to making people feel like they are respected, valued, and seen within the organization.”That may be especially true for young workers, many of whom are seeing the devastating effects of layoffs on their peers and family members for the first time in their professional lives.
“Unemployment is extremely stressful because the unemployed person may feel guilty and ashamed at no longer being a provider, while other family members can feel angry and helpless,” says Kerry Sulkowicz, organizational consultant, psychoanalyst, and founder and principal of New York-based Boswell Group. “The most important thing to do is to not suffer in silence. Open and honest communication about the stress—and its sources—may be the most important step to reducing it.”
via What Employers Can Do To Combat The Changing Nature Of Workplace Stress – Resources – Portfolio.com.
Whether you think it necessary or not, now is the time to have a (nonthreatening) talk (and listen!) with your employees about what’s going on. You may be surprised at the response.
Google Commands Big Cash from PR-Damaged Brand
Public relations is all about reputation management–your credibility is the coin of the business realm. We’re pretty hard on companies and brands that take a cavalier attitude about their credibility–because once you lose that, it’s all over. Or is it?
Admittedly, we have strongly implied that you can’t buy your way out of a PR disaster, but the oily BP sure makes us think twice:
Before BP could stem the oil gusher at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, it unleashed $100 million in ad spending, largely on network TV, to stem the damage to its image. But it also started spending heavily where it had never spent much before: buying ads in Google’s search results.
How much did BP spend on search? In two months, BP went from spending very little on search advertising — about $57,000 a month — to becoming one of Google’s top advertisers, dropping nearly $3.6 million in the month of June alone, according to an internal Google document obtained by Advertising Age. That pushed BP into the upper echelon of search advertisers, in a league with Expedia, which spent at least $5.9 million in June, Amazon, which spent at least $5.8 million, and eBay, which spent at least $4.2 million.
This is a significant outlay, even for BP, which spent $94 million on advertising in 2009, and $78.7 million in the first six months of 2010 alone excluding search, according to Kantar Media. Search advertisers only pay when their ads convert or get a click, and in June the crisis was still at full-boil, driving clicks on BP&’s ads. But if BP kept spending at this rate, search would’ve become one of its bigger advertising line items by the end of the year, up there with network, cable or spot TV.
[...]
BP’s increase underscores how important Google has become for reputation management, and in the battle for public opinion. In the wake of the spill, Google was a natural first stop for people seeking information, and BP bought up dozens of keywords associated with the disaster such as “oil spill,” “leak,” “top kill” and “live feed” as it vied for clicks with news stories, images of oiled wildlife and plaintiff attorneys trolling for clients.
via What Big Brands Are Spending on Google – Advertising Age – Digital.
According to BP, ad expenditures during the active spill were $5 million per week.
BP’s ad strategy now follows the typical trajectory of crisis PR, he says. It didn’t start out that way. BP was slow to connect with consumers and gulf residents right after the spill. Tony Hayward’s numerous gaffes didn’t help the company’s image, which came across as inept and out of touch. There’s little question that his mismanagement of the company’s public image led to his ouster as CEO.
So how’s the advertising paying off in PR improvement? A recent AP poll says that “some 66 percent of those surveyed continue to disapprove of BP’s performance, down from a whopping 83 percent in June.” Though still dismal, it does look like the ad spending is helping. However, it’s also certainly due to the fact that time has passed and the oil spill isn’t leading the newscasts anymore. The public has turned to the latest Sarah Palin Facebook pronouncement, Paris Hilton’s cocaine possession arrest and even something important, like the president’s new rug.
Sure, we’ve seen the TV ads BP is using to rebuild its tattered, oil-stained image–that was as predictable as a blob of oil on the beach at Destin. But who would’ve thought they would have spent all that coin on Google search ads?
Clearly, the internet is now the 800 lb. gorilla of reputation management, and Google has some serious bananas.
Hat tip to Shelly Kramer for inspiring this post.
What’s Your Biggest PR Challenge?
We do a lot of “talking” about public relations on this blog–but we also want to listen.
We’re looking for you small business owners, non-profit execs, corporate PR pros, politicians, consultants, authors and musicians (and really anyone else) to weigh in with your biggest public relations challenge. Do you feel like you’re always climbing a wall, pushing a boulder–yet getting nowhere?
In your public relations efforts, is there something holding you back or getting in your way?
Is it:
- Hiring the right PR pro?
- Finding budget for PR?
- Finding your message?
- Moving from tactical to strategic efforts?
- A bad image?
- No image?
- Rebranding?
- …or something else?
Please share your challenges in the comments section below. We may feature your challenge and some suggestions on how to address it in an upcoming post. You can also remain anonymous by emailing us with your challenge at team@alexgpr.com.
So let’s hear from you–the PR program you save could be your own!
Get results from a PR firm: Fees
Source: http://www.tvkc.co.uk/site/index.php?start=63
We just read an article with some great advice on hiring a PR firm. We recommend the entire article, but this section on fees is especially worth a read.
Phase in the fees.
Retainers for smaller agencies run $2,000 to $5,000 or so per month. But don’t begin on retainer. Set up a specific project with a price tag attached so you can evaluate results.
Paying for customized services is another option. For instance, hire a publicist to write press releases on an hourly basis for about $100 to $250. You can also contract with a PR pro to work in-house for you. Rates vary with experience, say, $50 to $200 per hour. Some PR companies, such as Pinnacle Worldwide, provide a network of international independent agencies, so you can contract for services in any country or city.
We totally agree with their stance on retainers. AlexanderG PR welcomes the opportunity to show what we can do on a single project or closed-ended time period before we “earn” a retained relationship.
And yes, the retainer fees mentioned in the article are industry standard. We get paid for our work like any other professional. Most reputable PR firms and consultants can command ever penny of that retainer because they offer a great ROI.
Project fees are also a good way to go, too.
Here are some warning signs that usually indicate you will not get what you pay for:
A firm promises “guaranteed results.” No one can ensure press coverage or other specific outcomes. (Editor’s Note: emphasis ours)
A firm does too much research. “There should be a balance between planning and doing,” says Dave Kowal, whose agency is based in Northboro, Mass.
There are proposals with no specifics. You should know exactly what’s planned.
You’re charged an unusually low retainer. This probably means you can’t expect much work.
We hasten to add, however, that an unusually low retainer is often accepted–and plenty of work is done–because many clients will not or cannot pay more. Not all firms that accept a low fee are dodgy; many do it in hopes of establishing a longterm relationship.
That’s tricky, though. Once a PR firm gets into a “lowball” situation with a client, they may never get paid what they’re really worth and end up losing money in the long run.
Be advised…you get what you pay for. If you pay a PR firm a non-professional wage, you’ll likely get non-professional results.
Ignorance isn’t bliss. It’s expensive. Invest in Online Brand Protection
Source: http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com
The internet can be either a boon or boondoggle to companies when it comes to the monitoring of their online brand presence.
For companies that pay little attention to their online storefronts, the rewards are continual brand hijacking, abusive pay-per-click tactics and outright attacks on brands.
MarkMonitor, an enterprise brand protection firm, offers solutions and services to safeguard brands, reputation and revenue from online risks. In their white paper “Online Brand Protection: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Proactive Strategy” MarkMonitor recommends a series of protective measures, including:
- Identifying all domain names in your portfolio
- Manage your portfolio proactively
- Monitor for potential abuse
- Respond to abuse
Great paper–in particular, we recommend you take a look at the section on monitoring for potential abuse. You can do this inside your company, or there are several online services that offer affordable methods to do this for you. No matter how you do it, the key is never-ending vigilance.
Creating an ideal domain portfolio is a good start to establishing and protecting your corporate brands online. However, it is just the beginning. While defensive registrations enable you to own and control the domain names that may be abused by third parties, it is simply impossible for any corporation to register every potentially harmful domain name. Therefore, the next critical step for defending your brands online is to establish a strategic monitoring program that constantly searches the internet for potential abuses, including:
- Cybersquatting
- Domain kiting/tasting
- Trademark infringement
- Traffic diversion schemes
- False associations with unrelated third parties
- Pay-per-click abuse
- Sponsored in abuse
- Logo/image abuse
- Offensive content
- Channel non-compliance with brand guidelines and/or pricing
Many small–and even larger–companies cannot afford to hire a person devoted to these critical tasks. This is what the bad guys count on. Again, a monitoring service is worth the price if it can save you the damage of brand equity loss, not to mention real money gone forever due to internet banditry. (They can also help you identify new customers–but that’s another post).
A comprehensive, proactive social media monitoring and interactive strategy is also a hedge against bad actors, as your customers will be in regular communication with you and often tell you when they spot a spoof site or a shady deal involving your brand.
Brand managers should assess the degree to which website traffic is diverted to sites that abuse its brand and the amount of lost advertising revenue that is diverted to fraudulent pay-per-click sites, You should look at quantitative and qualitative indicators, including:
- Degree of fewer “negative impressions” due to successfully shutting down web site which degrade your brand
- Improvement in website traffic due to successfully shutting down traffic diversion tactics (Cybersquatting, pat-per-click sites, paid search ads)
- Better quality response rate to online advertising due to successfully shutting down fraudulent pay-per-click sites
- Productivity gains and/or hours saved per week in detecting and responding to infringement by leveraging available technologies and solutions
From the public relations perspective, monitoring is critical in protecting your brand’s reputation and credibility. One of the services we provide at AlexanderG Public Relations includes online brand monitoring and image management. This helps us head off potentially bad PR by identifying and addressing problems before they become full-blown crises; it also helps our clients determine where best to apply their messaging and online resources–often increasing market share in the process.
Nasty stuff outlined in this post is happening to oblivious companies everyday. The message is simple: if you don’t know what’s going in your online storefront, it’s the same as someone setting up a fake store just around the corner from yours in real-life –selling low quality goods and ruining your good name.
Ignorance isn’t bliss. It’s expensive.
Kansas City’s Art for Arthritis 2010 Set for Sept. 23rd
AlexanderG Public Relations founder and Principal Alex Greenwood is proud to emcee the Arthritis Foundation’s annual Art for Arthritis event on Thursday, September 23rd, at 6 p.m. at Studio Dan Meiners. Tickets are $50.
When Cassie Schmidt was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at only twelve months old, her family had no idea that in spite of her diagnosis, Cassie would one day use art to serve as an inspiration for children struggling with the same disease. Now ten years old, Cassie has been a participant in Art for Arthritis for six years and spends the months leading up to each event excitedly discussing what her next masterpiece will be.
Her mother and Art for Arthritis partner, Amy, says that the event has been extremely validating for her daughter by allowing her the opportunity to fight back against her arthritis. Amy says, “Art for Arthritis has become the most important thing in Cassie’s life after her family and her faith.”
“I’m thrilled to be asked back to emcee this wonderful event,” said Greenwood, who has emceed the event twice before. “I live with arthritis and have several family members and friends who deal with its effects on a daily basis. I’m happy to help out in any way I can, and challenge the Kansas City business community to support these great kids.”
Most people don’t think about children having arthritis but more than 3,000 children in the Kansas City and Western Missouri area have some form of this painful disease. Our Art for Arthritis event teams 17 local children affected by juvenile arthritis with area artists to spend a summer together creating unique pieces of artwork. The artwork is auctioned off at the end of the summer our gala fundraising event in order to raise money for nationwide arthritis research, as well as local programs and services.
This event, however, is much more than a fundraiser. Art for Arthritis empowers participants by introducing them to children with similar circumstances who can work together to fight against arthritis by raising awareness about their disease and supporting an agency that advocates on their behalf. It also exposes children to alternative forms of expression through granting them access into the local Kansas City arts community.
A Preview Party showcasing the children’s work will take place on September 16th, 2010 at One Park Place from 6 to 10 p.m., in order to generate excitement around the event and to allow the children and artists spend time together with friends of the Foundation.
Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States. The Arthritis Foundation is the only national not-for-profit organization that supports the more than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions. In its 61st year, the Arthritis Foundation has funded more than $380 million in research grants, and provides public health education, policy and legislation and evidence-based programs to improve the quality of life for those with arthritis.
To learn more about Art for Arthritis, to donate to the Arthritis Foundation or to register for this year’s event, please visit http://artkc.kintera.org or contact Annie Noonen at anoonen@arthritis.org.
Can the P.R. Crisis Be So Bad You Can’t Fix it?
Our look at P.R. missteps continues, inspired by an article in the New York Times about recent P.R. disasters. Today we look at the question posed early in the article:
Are some crises so dire that public relations victory is simply not on the menu? And, if so, what’s an embattled company to do?
Yup. There are times when no amount of good P.R. advice will make up for lousy decisions, a lack of planning or just plain evil-doing. Read on:
Eric Dezenhall, a communications strategist in Washington who worked in the White House for President Ronald Reagan, argues that the standard playbook is useless when the facts are sufficiently distasteful. (He would know. He once represented Michael Jackson after allegations of child molestation.)
Mr. Dezenhall is particularly scornful of the classic imperative to “get out in front of the story,” as if swift disclosure provides inoculation against all ugly realities. When the facts are horrible, he argues, the best P.R. fix may simply be to absorb the pounding and get back to business, while eschewing the sort of foolish communications gimmicks that can make things worse.
Consider Tiger Woods. His now-infamous fondness for women other than his wife enthralled the nation, all the while torturing corporate sponsors who paid gargantuan sums to associate their brands with his winning image.
“What was Woods supposed to do?” Mr. Dezenhall asks in an essay in the publication Ethical Corporation. “Call an immediate press conference and rattle through a list of lady friends declaring, ‘Tiffany, yes; Trixy, no, Amber, don’t remember …’? And if Woods had pre-empted with a confession, would this have caused the news media, bloggers, pundits, Hooters waitresses and everyone else to collectively reward him with their silence? Not a chance.”
Our take on Mr. Woods and others caught with their…ahem…hands in the cookie jar:
What I’ve learned after nearly fifteen years as a crisis communications consultant and practitioner informs my recommendations on how to save your rear end when the effluent hits the rotary oscillator:
1. Tell the truth (or as much as you can without getting yourself thrown in jail–ask your lawyer if this is applicable.) This rule is a little different for celebs who wreck their cars and/or marriages than it is for a company caught cooking the books or polluting the water table; but the essence of it is the same: don’t dissemble, don’t lie. Here’s a pretty good statement for a celeb/politician who did a bad thing that hurt no one but himself and/or family:
“I have made a terrible error in judgment that has unfortunately hurt my [spouse, kids, significant other]. I have let my family, friends and supporters down, and there is nothing I can do at this moment to fix that. Though this incident is certainly of interest to those who have [followed my career, supported me, bought my albums, seen my movies, etc.], I would appreciate some time and space so I can work this out with my family. I would also ask for restraint from the media and remind them that there are real people caught up in this situation through no fault of their own who deserve as much privacy as possible. If we get to a point where we would like to share more, I assure you I will contact you. Thank you for your consideration, good day to you.”
[If you are crying, wipe your tears with a handkerchief. Walk away from the mic. Now. Take no more questions. NO MORE QUESTIONS. No rambling, Governor Sanford. ]
2. Shut up. You’ve made your statement. You’ve either said you are going to work this out privately with your family or your company has laid out what it is going to do to make the situation right (or you’ve lawyered up and said you have nothing to say due to pending legal action). So shut up about it and get busy. Resist the urge to use the media as a confessional. Save that for when your marriage/company is cleaned up and solid again.
The article shifts gears from personalities to corporations:
Much the same can be said for BP, Toyota and Goldman, he suggests, with attempts to win public affection almost certain to be viewed as insincere so long as real problems persisted — oil spilling into the ocean, cars crashing, Wall Street profiting while ordinary people suffered.
We’ll look at that in our next post. Stay tuned.
Do What You Want. Be What You Are.
Great advice from the gurus at Brainzooming. Read the entire post, but this part in particular really caught my eye:
Don’t make them suffer through your brand identity crisis. This can be especially challenging for solopreneurs and small businesses with less considered brand identities. A huge part of a brand promise is predictability. Even if your brand is edgy, it should be predictably edgy. So when communicating with your audience, make sure you behave in a way that’s consistent with what your audience expects.
via Social Network Audience Strategies for Easy Participation.
In a world where people can actually make money by being edgy–even a tad vulgar (in a good way), irreverently funny and even inexplicably sexy, it’s perilous for the “solopreneurs and small businesses” who try on personas without fully embodying them. So enough with the Lady Gaga attitude, Mr. Insurance Salesman! To quote the wise men Hall and Oates, do what you want….be what you are.
