Revitalizing Your Company’s Image in 2013

As government organizations continue to slash spending and cut budgets, it gets harder and more imperative to stand out and clearly communicate how you help your customer meet their mission while reducing costs.  Public relations and marketing initiatives can help you make sure your prospects hear you, see you, and understand why they need you. Here are five tips to consider that can help you revitalize your image this year.

1.    Fine tune your message to resonate with 2013 priorities. Think strategically and focus on how you help your customers solve real problems.

2.    Deliver this message consistently through all of your materials: maybe it’s time for a new brochure or marketing materials, a website facelift, a new blog page from your executives, a new tag line or mission statement. Make sure your message is relevant and your communication educates your audience on how you can help them meet their very tough and very real challenges of today.

3.    If you don’t have consistent public relations efforts in place, that should be a priority for 2013. Tell your story through the publications your customers read and trust, educating them on how you can help solve their problems, and providing examples of success stories in the government marketplace. This is an excellent tool to establish your executives as thought leaders in their area of expertise, as well.

4.    Initiate PR and marketing campaigns with the publications and events that are most relevant for your customers, to communicate your message and integrate your brand with a trusted resource. Stay true to your trusted publications that you’ve used in the past, but branch out in search of new publications and new opportunities for your clients that align with their mission and their needs.

5.    Be present! Attend networking events, visit customers; face-to-face interaction is really important in these challenging times. Your customers need to know you and know they can trust you. Virtual interaction is not enough.

 

When you’re ready to revitalize your company’s image please contact me – I would love to assist you in planning and implementing a PR strategy that will help you grow your presence in the government marketplace in 2013! 

For more information on how Advice Unlimited can help you create and implement a successful public relations plan, or provide support for other public outreach and communication initiatives, please contact me at 301-924-0330 or slevine@adviceunlimited.net.

Five Tips for 2013 Planning

The New Year is close approaching and 2013 planning is in full effect! This is a great time to assess your organization’s public relations and marketing strategies for the New Year, and make sure you’re on track for higher visibility and awareness in 2013.

Public relations is hands down the best bang for your buck – it is the single most powerful tool in any organization’s marketing communications arsenal. If it’s not in your arsenal, 2013 is the perfect time to take advantage of this influential tool. Consistent, focused PR educates your audience on the solutions you provide to help solve their problems; a results-driven PR campaign builds name recognition and brand awareness, helping you expand your organization’s sphere of influence. Here are five tips to consider when planning your PR campaign for the year ahead.

1.      Think through your business goals and objectives for 2013.  You should be ambitious about where you want to be in a year and how much you would like to grow, while also making sure your goals are attainable.  Then align your PR goals with your business goals. Want to expand your thought leadership presence? Grow a specific vertical market? Defining your goals helps you clearly identify where PR can provide support and ‘air cover.’

2.      Define the PR/marketing actions needed to achieve your goals and objectives. It’s important to be realistic about how much you can accomplish in twelve months, and you need to ensure that your actions truly support your goals. For example, if you want to grow a specific vertical market, you want your PR effort to focus on the media and events that serve that specific market.

3.      Review the past year’s successes and efforts that were especially effective in communicating your message, and integrate these initiatives into next year’s campaign, as well. You want to continue to nurture and leverage these successes to ensure continuity and consistency.

4.      Establish metrics to be achieved: how many feature articles are you aiming for, and what’s reasonable to expect with resources committed? Remember, consistency is key, so an important element is securing feature articles that truly tell your story throughout the year, not just clustered around an important event. Want spokespeople quoted in the press? Work with your PR team to define the metrics that make sense with your level of effort and commitment, then put them in writing, and track results.

5.      Enjoy the holidays!  Make sure to take the time out of your busy end of year work schedule to spend time with friends and family.  You have been working hard all year long, so take the holidays as an opportunity to relax and appreciate what your hard work has brought you over the past year.

And if you need an engaged, focused PR team to help you achieve your goals, please call me – we’d love to help you plan and implement a focused, results-driven PR campaign for 2013! Our promise to you – we’ll consistently deliver results, exceeding your expectations!

Happy holidays!

For more information on how Advice Unlimited can help you create and implement a successful public relations plan, or provide support for other public outreach and communication initiatives, please contact me at 301-924-0330 or slevine@adviceunlimited.net.

Project USO Elf: Help a Military Child in Need!

We’ve been involved with the USO of Metropolitan Washington (USO-Metro) for over 16 years, and each program reminds us why we love being involved with this phenomenal organization! Project USO Elf is one of the organization’s special holiday programs, dedicated to helping military children and families.  We hope you’ll agree this is a program worth supporting!

Project USO Elf is devoted to providing 1,200 children of military families with gifts for the holidays.  Area companies, organizations and families can register to "sponsor" a local military child this holiday season. While military families face challenges year-round, holidays can be especially difficult. Volunteering as a sponsor for this program can help to bring a smile to a child’s face, and reminds us what the holiday season is really about. 

To volunteer as a sponsor, please visit www.usometrodc.org/holiday -- this provides registration information and matches you with a child in the program. Within two weeks, you will receive your sponsor child’s first name, gender, age and holiday wish list. Donors are asked to purchase a minimum of two gifts and/or gift cards from the list, totaling $50 or more for each child. Once you make your selections from the child’s wish list, you will receive information about where to drop off the gifts – drop off locations include the OUCP Warehouse, Fort Belvoir & McGill Training Center, and Fort Meade. All gifts must be dropped off on December 10^th between 6:00 am and 7:00 pm. Do not worry about gift wrapping the presents; USO-Metro will do that for you! 

If you are able to help and would like to assist military families in the Washington D.C. metro area, please register to be a sponsor in the Project USO Elf program! If you have questions about the program and how to help out, contact Shannon Rush at 703-805-4277 or Shannon@usometro.org. If you would like to support a military child in need through Project Elf, but don’t have time to shop, you can donate $50 per child at www.usometro.org/donate.

Superstorm Sandy Inspires Proactive Communication from Government

Last week, when Hurricane Sandy was getting ready to slam the East Coast with high winds, flooding, destruction and even heavy snowfall, one thing I believe truly went right -  governments at all levels  implemented a strong proactive media communications strategy to prepare citizens and  organizations for the impending disaster. 

All levels of government did a great job of being out in front of their message to the public about the severity of the storm, who it would impact, and what steps citizens should take to protect themselves and their property.  Several days before the heart of the storm came on land in New Jersey and New York, national and local government officials had informed residents of preparation procedures and even gave evacuation orders to people in some areas, including New York City.  New York City Mayor Bloomberg gave orders to close all public transportation and ordered residents living in low-lying areas (what was called zone A) to evacuate by Sunday afternoon.  The city that never sleeps was shut down. This had a worldwide impact when the New York Stock Exchange was closed on Monday and Tuesday because of the storm, but it was the right thing to do.  The government deployed national disaster relief from FEMA, the Air National Guard, the Army and the American Red Cross early so they were on location when people needed them the most.

From the top down, the government did an excellent job being proactive about Hurricane Sandy.  During a critical campaign week before the election, President Obama canceled campaign visits across the country to do his job as the leader of our country.  The President’s commitment to providing disaster relief was intense – he stated that “We are not going to tolerate red tape, we are not going to tolerate bureaucracy, and I’ve instituted a 15-minute rule, essentially, on my team.  You return everybody’s phone calls in 15 minutes, whether it’s the mayor’s, the governor’s, or county officials.  If they need something, we figure out a way to say yes.”  Implementing the 15-minute rule was critical to clearly get things done and solve real problems fast. This approach enabled the White House to share vital information and delegate strategic action plans to the lower levels of government.  Rapid response is crucial in a disaster; the people in charge need to continuously know about changes to the plan, status reports, and what is happening on the ground.  In addition to communicating effectively among themselves, these multiple government organizations did a great job of quickly and clearly communicating with the public.

Days and even weeks before the storm started its destruction of the Northeast, the government was sending warnings through traditional communication channels, such as televised press conferences, as well as more interactive channels like social media.  The most predominant communication channel used was news television broadcasts, but according to the New York Times, social media channels such as Twitter recorded over 20 million tweets about Hurricane Sandy between Saturday and Thursday of last week.  The public was clearly involved in information sharing about Hurricane Sandy; this provided guidance, comfort and reassurance.  

As government public affairs organizers, we must be proactive, flexible and connected to ensure we are reaching all of our different citizen groups with timely, accurate information and guidance, through the communication channels they use and trust.  Various government officials like Mayors Bloomberg and O’Malley did just that, using several Twitter accounts to get information to the public.  They were focused, and provided an excellent example of strategic crisis communications done right: leveraging communications effectively to educate the public, disseminate critical information in a rapid, reliable and easily understood format that their audience could embrace, calming fears and dispelling rumors.

If these past few weeks have inspired your organization to dust off your strategic crisis communications plan and see where it needs updating, now’s a great time to review your plan to ensure you’re building in the use of interactive communication with new social media tools as well as traditional communication channels to ensure the public has timely, accurate and clearly understood information and guidance.  For more information on how Advice Unlimited can help you create and implement a successful disaster communication plan, or provide support for other public outreach and communication initiatives, please contact me at 301-924-0330 or slevine@adviceunlimited.net.  

 

 

USO-Metro’s Stars and Stripes Fundraiser for Wounded Warriors and Military Community Honors Largest Corporate Sponsors

Last night, the USO of Metropolitan Washington (USO-Metro) held its 9th Annual Stars and Stripes Night at the Sheraton National in Pentagon City. We were honored to attend the event and provide PR support, as we have for years. Each event that we attend reminds us how much we love to be involved with this wonderful organization!

The focus of the night was the Circle of Stars presentation, where USO-Metro President Elaine Rogers announced the top corporate sponsors for USO-Metro. The 30 sponsors provide generous funding to support USO-Metro’s mission to lift the spirits of military service members and their families.

The fundraiser reminded us that USO-Metro’s generous top corporate sponsors make it possible for USO-Metro to serve their mission each and every day, providing a broad range of programs to our service members and their families, including programs for children with deployed parents, support services for spouses and emergency housing programs. We had a wonderful time last night, and are humbled to be involved with such a fantastic organization!

Trade Show Success Tips: Don’t Forget the Basics

This month I had the pleasure of attending the AFCEA TechNet Land Forces East trade show in Baltimore, MD. This is one of three regional shows that used to be combined in one show; since this was the first year for this change, I was interested to see how exhibitors and attendees were adjusting to the change in scale.


Many of the key exhibitors were there, supporting this new approach. There were some booths at the show that had great displays and there were some that fell short. Following are my thoughts from some of my observations, and some gentle reminders of ‘do’s and don’ts’ for booth display and personal conduct at a trade show. We expect the trend to smaller exhibits and more regional and smaller shows will continue; with smaller exhibits, these basics become more important, as it becomes harder to stand out among a sea of 10 x 10s.

Do’s

1. Use Large Font and focused, concise messaging in your display. The most effective background displays used only a few words that described the product or service represented. You should also WRITE YOUR KEY MESSAGES IN LARGE FONT SO PEOPLE CAN READ THEM. People at trade shows are walking around all day through what sometimes feels like a maze of booths. It is easy to get lost or overwhelmed by all the displays, so a potential customer could walk right by your booth without understanding a single thing about the company or the product. Using large font to highlight a few key words about the company and the product near the top of the display will help catch the eye of a passerby more than a paragraph-long mission statement or product description. You want the passerby to look and think, “Yes, I need that!” Once you’ve drawn them in, then you can review the details of your service, discussing your features and benefits that align to their needs.

2. Color choice matters – the most eye-catching displays were also really easy to read.

3. Interactive displays are always better than static displays. While not always possible, whenever you can bring in an interactive demo, that’s more appealing than static signs and ‘boxes.’ iPads seemed to be a big hit – this might be a relatively inexpensive way to make the demo and description of your products and services more engaging. Many attendees seemed to be drawn in by the ability to play with an iPad for a little while.

4. Giveaways still work, and they don’t have to be expensive. One of the biggest hits at the TechNet East show was the booth that was giving out free popcorn. Popcorn and candy are great ways to bring people into the booth where your representative can then interact with the customer. Fun toys also still have their place – there’s a little bit of a child in most of us. A giveaway that I have used in the past with great success is the Slinky - everyone loves a Slinky! And they come in lots of different colors, providing great eye candy for a clever display to help pull people into your booth.


While there were some interesting booths and sophisticated presentations, I was surprised to see some booths and representatives that evidently had skipped “trade show etiquette 101”. Following are some reminders that everyone attending a trade show should know – but some folks need reminding:



Don’ts

1. PUT THE SMART PHONES AWAY! There was no bigger turnoff than walking by a booth and seeing every single representative sitting around playing on their smart phones without a clue there was someone that might want to learn something from their booth. It is understandable that booth representatives need to check their phones, but step aside from the booth for a moment when you know that a colleague has you covered; don’t get into an absorbing email session or use your phone as a shield so you don’t have to interact with potential customers walking the aisles. There were more than a few booths where I saw all of the reps behind computers or in a deep gaze into their smart phones.

2. Don’t look so unhappy to be there. Not only were the people on their smart phones not being helpful, several of them looked so bored and unhappy to be there that no potential customers would ever want to bring themselves over to such a boring and dead environment. Booth representatives need to be at attention, happy and prepared to help any person with any question. Sometimes it is not the booth display that draws people in, but the positive environment and interaction with people that looks so welcoming and makes people think, “I wonder what is going on over there.”

3. Stay positive and on message. I really don’t want to hear how much your feet hurt; I do want you to make me feel like you really want to talk to me and hear about what kind of problems we’re dealing with, and I want to hear why you believe your solution will solve my problem. Basic etiquette is always important: don’t use bad language, don’t make potentially offensive comments, stay away from political opinion and no bashing the competitor. Focus on your company’s differentiators and strengths, and you’ll always come out ahead.

Trade shows may shrink or morph, but we strongly believe that these face-to-face gatherings that provide the ability for customers to test drive, demo and ‘touch and feel’ solutions will always matter. Take advantage of these opportunities to really impress and educate your audience, and leverage your trade show investment, by remembering the basics. For information on how Advice Unlimited can help you create and implement a successful trade show effort, or provide support for other public outreach and communication initiatives, please contact me at 301-924-0330 or slevine@adviceunlimited.net.

“Girls Who Code” Program is Good for All of Us in IT

Technology is the future. It is important to keep up with trends and advancements in technology in order to not be left behind. There was a time when it was men, not women, who dominated the workplace, but that has changed. There are more women going to college today then there are men. 57% of bachelor’s degrees are earned by women, but if technology is the future, then it is a problem that only 14% of those degrees are in computer science. There is a new initiative called “Girls Who Code” that aims to fix this problem.


The group will work with girls ages 13 to 17 from underprivileged neighborhoods to help them pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, also known as the STEM fields. The program will be taught by women who work in STEM fields and will help teach the girls tech skills such as computer programming, Web design and robotics. The program is being backed by technology giants Twitter, Google and Ebay.


This program is important to women in the workplace all across the country. While only 14% of female bachelor degrees are in computer science, women use the internet 17% more then men do. Something that, as a Communications Professional, I found especially of interest: while online, women are dominating the social media/networking arenas – they are responsible for creating two-thirds of the content on social networking websites. Clearly, women are tech savvy; we just need more motivation and incentives to pursue this as a possible career choice.


There was an article recently on dice.com that stated, “Thirty percent of 450 companies in the Harvey Nash poll said their IT departments have no women in management positions at all.” Women are fully capable of doing well in these tech jobs, they just need to be introduced to the industry and taught the technology, which is exactly what “Girls Who Code” is planning on doing. By increasing the opportunities for women to learn technological skills there will hopefully be more women with highly skilled jobs in technology.


Girls Who Code is a program that gets things done – and that elevates the skills, expertise, and number of female knowledge workers across industries. It’s good for all of us – especially us women! Learn how you can get involved at: http://www.girlswhocode.com/.