What’s BBB all about and what does it mean to you as an existing or potential customer? BBB’s are leaders in advancing marketplace trust. Here’s a little excerpt from the BBB site about their mission and standards:

BBB sees trust as a function of two primary factors – integrity and performance. Integrity includes respect, ethics and intent. Performance speaks to a business’s track record of delivering results in accordance with BBB standards and/or addressing customer concerns in a timely, satisfactory manner.

BBB ensures that high standards for trust are set and maintained. We exist so consumers and businesses alike have an unbiased source to guide them on matters of trust. We provide educational information and expert advice that is free of charge and easily accessible.

BBB Accreditation is an honor – and not every company is eligible. Businesses that meet our high standards are invited to join BBB.

Long story short, we’re honored to be members of this trusted and respected business organization. I look forward to meeting and learning more about my fellow members and engaging with my local business community.

Well, it’s mostly enjoyable. Until I come across the sad case of media liaisons who don’t know how to do their job.

As an in-house communications director, I also worked that media liaison role, so I know how it’s supposed to work from both sides.

The job is to put out press releases and other marketing materials in the hopes of snagging a reporter’s interest. When calls come in from journalists, other skills come into play; the media liaison now has to talk to the reporter to get an idea of what the story is about to direct the call to the best in-house expert. There may also be a chance to tweak the focus of the reporter’s questions to highlight your company’s features.

It’s important to remember that even if the reporter isn’t looking for information directly related to your business offerings, just getting your name into a big magazine is advantageous.

Let me give you an example. We’ll say you run a clothing chain store named Harry’s Suits. A reporter calls and says he’s doing a story for Business News magazine that has a circulation of 1 million. The topic of the story is “in-store music that gets people to buy stuff”. Which do you think is the better response (below) from your media liaison, A or B?
—
A) “I’m sorry, but I don’t think we can comment. It’s true that we do use in-store music in our stores to try to get our customers to buy things. But I can’t really say we’re in-store music experts. It’s certainly not part of my job. Anyway, our business is selling suits.

“Really, we can’t really speak as experts about in-store music because we don’t make the music. We’re not composers. In-store music isn’t really what we’re known for and it’s not what we want to be known for. But we’d be happy to give you quotes and information about our new line of suits that we have available. Otherwise, I don’t think we can help you.”

B) “Absolutely! We use music in our stores to try to get our customers to buy things. I’m afraid I don’t know much about it. But I think Joe Mavis in marketing knows the guy who selects the music for our stores. He can tell you who does that and what goes into the decision.

“I’ll get you his information. He might also have some good data on what kind of response we’ve had from in-store music as well, and which suits are our best sellers for different kinds of songs. Feel free to ask him about that.”
—
For the first response, the reporter will hang up and move on. And he’ll never call them back for another story because the media liaison was being obtuse.

For answer “B”, the reporter will get forwarded along to Joe Mavis or whoever and collect some quotes. Even though the story really isn’t focused on men’s suits, the story will probably include a quote like the following:

“We’ve definitely had better sales of our blue navy suits when we play jazz in the store,” says Director of Marketing Joe Mavis, with the Harry’s Suits clothing chain based out of New York City.

You’ve now got 1 million potential readers of the fact that Harry’s Suits sells blue navy suits and you can find their store in NYC and maybe even your own city. If the article goes online, that sentence might now come up in a search for clothing stores that sell suits. And if the writer was feeling particularly Web-2.0ish, he might even have inserted a hyperlink to the store website. And of course, the marketing people at Harry’s Suits would be free to blog, tweet, email and Facebook the hell out of the story.

That’s how a single line in a news article like this brings in leads for businesses all the time.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, while researching a story for a large-circulation business magazine, I got stonewalled for no good reason by a dumb media liaison because the story I was writing was not directly dealing with their particular service offering.

No big deal on my part — I have plenty of other sources who were only too happy to provide me with quotes. And maybe no big deal on their part, either. Maybe none of their potential customers were going to read that article — even though I suspect a good number would have (either in the original magazine, or perhaps excerpted on the company’s press page).

For the vast majority of companies (and I’m guessing this one, too), reporters are not banging down their doors everyday. If this is the way that this media liaison deals with all media requests — “either write about specifically about our awesome products and service offerings, or we can’t be bothered” — then they’re not doing their job. Instead of creating promotional opportunities, they’re wasting them.

That’s why someone needs to fire their media liaison.

Take care of the little things and the big things take care of themselves. When you can’t get the basics right, your customers start wondering about your credibility.

On a related note, I would also recommend staying out of the village of Crestwood if you can avoid it.

About a third of my work is helping develop a “big picture” communications strategy for clients. For local businesses, this usually starts with a conversation in a café.

That’s where I ask questions to get answers that will help guide the strategy. The process of answering these questions often has a spin-off benefit; it helps the business owner re-assess their business model and objectives.

What do businesses need to think about before proceeding with a communications strategy? Here’s a quick list (and you’ll notice that a lot of these points will come up when developing or adapting a business plan):

1. What does your business want to promote?
A communications strategy typically operates through campaigns. Businesses may offer a wide range of products or services. Non-profit organizations may support a variety of related causes. Focus your campaigns according to your priority objectives.

An obvious example: if you sell seasonal services like lawn care at this time of year, develop your campaign around that. You don’t need to focus resources and budget right now on marketing your snow clearing services.

2. Who is your target audience?
This is sort of a refined version of your target market. For instance, if you are selling business software, is it better to produce marketing materials addressed to the owner of the company or the head of their IT department? For your gaming company, do you want to reach out to the players directly, or to the game reviewers who are going to influence the players?

3. How do you want your brand to be seen?
It can be confusing to the consumer if your communications materials lack a consistent style. As well, “formal and dignified” may work for a bank or a law firm, but what if your company is Chucky Cheese or Skull Skates? And if you’re going to run a social media campaign, how do you want the voice on your blog or Twitter account to reflect your company’s core values? A communications specialist will be able to provide recommendations, but you may have some ideas of your own to provide guidance.

These are some of the key considerations for developing a big picture communications strategy. It’s a lot to think about. You won’t get through it all while watching the waves come in at a day at the beach. But when you’re feeling recharged and your mind is clear, that’s not a bad time to get started.

If you’re in Vancouver this summer and just want to bounce a few strategy ideas off of a communications expert over an iced cappuccino, we’ll be around (If you’re not in the city, no worries – Skype and email work just fine).

And if you need more intensive help in developing your organization’s long-term communications strategy, we’re around for that as well (We take our vacation in the winter).

To get a free initial consultation to learn more, contact WRITEIMAGE today at (604) 230-2638 or email info [AT] writeimage [DOT] ca

That’s pretty straightforward, right? But the problem with following a strict formula that everyone else follows is that it’s kind of boring. Not necessarily boring for the writer — but for the recipient. Media newsrooms receive thousands of press releases a day. It’s hard to stand out.

One way of standing out is by using hard-hitting language with an instantly newsworthy angle (so it certainly helps if you actually have big news to report). Headlines are particularly important. For instance, “A Foot in the Door — Accountemps Identifies Five Myths and Realities Behind Temporary Work” sounds way more interesting than “GLR Resources Inc. – Company update“.

A second way of standing out is changing the look and feel of the press release. You can have a bit of fun playing with fonts and language if it’s in keeping with the theme of the thing being promoted. A brilliant example comes courtesy of the Neanderthal Arts Festival happening in Vancouver from July 21 to August 1. I’ve copied the text below, but I highly recommend clicking on the PDF to see what it looked like when it came into my inbox.

Click to see the PDF of the Neanderthal Arts Festival Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Theatre Festival More Fun Than Play With Rocks

JULY 9 2010 AD – VANCOUVER – You thought theatre extinct like Neanderthal. Theatre not extinct. Neanderthal not extinct!

Me show you what extinct. Listen now human. Or me crush skull.

Humans come Neanderthal Arts Theatre Festival July 21 – August 1, 2010 Cultch Theatre in East Vancouver. Look 6 one-act plays. Four plays by local humans. Two plays by far away human tribes. That not all. Upintheair present Walking Fish Festival as part of Neanderthal Festival. Five short plays by new human artists.

“Festival good time for humans,” say Neanderthal Consultant Og Ra. “Make laugh. Make think. More fun than play with rocks all day.”

Tell friends, Og say. “More good: all bring spear and bear not come in!”

Showtimes and ticket sales, visit http://www.thal.ca/

Neanderthal Arts Theatre Festival Shows Descriptions
(Note from Media Rep Tok Bok: “Theatre humans insist write descriptions Neanderthals no understand. Tok Bok angry. Tok Bok go get axe.”)

Plays By Local Humans

The 4H Club. A brazenly comedic look at the follies of the newest incarnation of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The story spans the past century as the dysfunctional quartet of Death, Famine, War and Pestilence barge their way through history.

The Hanging Judge. In a cemetery outside 17th Century London, two trolls meet by the discarded corpse of a hanged judge. The mangier troll, Blemish, has brought a bag with him inside which is a bound man. Hilarity ensues.

Nigeria. Peter has had an experience in Africa — perhaps magic. Kris is fairly certain the magic lies in “freemarket” libertarianism business thought. Joan doubts all of them. Sebastian, Joan’s husband, is mysteriously absent.

Tiny Replicas. Simon and Ethan want a baby. Unfortunately, neither of them has a womb. But when four people come together to create a new life, someone’s bound to feel left out.

Plays By Far Away Humans

Highway 63: The Fort Mac Show. Behind every barrel, every economic projection or environmental scandal, there are people. At the heart of the world’s largest energy project at Alberta’s Highway 63, theatre creators from across Canada blend verbatim and improvisation.

Countries Shaped Like Stars. The courtship of Gwendolyn Magnificent and Bartholomew Spectacular is a tale of love best heard through a tin-can telephone. With performer-operated lights, water glasses, whirly winds and a mandolin, they create the sounds and images of a landscape altered by regret.

Neanderthal Theatre Arts Festival Media Contacts:

Tok Bok, Neanderthal Media Rep
To contact Tok, send message chiseled onto rock at cave #3, Vancouver BC.
No Phone
No Email

Andrew Templeton, Human Media Rep
778 896 2844
andrewtempleton@yahoo.ca

Remember, It’s All For A Good Cause. Those Poor, Poor Neanderthals

Those great gigs really are the exception. Most of the writing gigs I see advertised online (I don’t want to just pick on Craigslist) suck. Not only do they show contempt for the professional writer they aim to hire — they are also red flags for the advertiser’s business. Companies are well-advised to avoid posting these sorts of ads if they want to keep their reputations:

writer wanted (vancouver)
I will trade handyman work..Painting, drywall, yard work, auto repair or Business related work, like sales & marketing .Trade for add content, business pitches, web content, Bio.

So, this guy will come to your home, drywall your living room and tend your garden in return for a direct mail sales letter campaign? Are you supposed to pay your bills with stucco and yard trimmings? Next.

Article Writers Wanted (Anywhere)
We are seeking up-and-coming writers who would like to contribute a related article to the first issue. Compensation is currently limited to $25/article plus 2 copies of the published issue. Word count should be no less than 1500.

Let’s see. $25 per 1500-word article. That works out to… 1.7 cents a word. Plus the 2 magazine copies, of course. Wow. At that rate, you can’t even feed yourself in Bangladesh. Where do you sign up?

These sorts of ads don’t really annoy copywriters like me for undercutting our work. I’m not really undercut, since no one will ever work for these kinds of slave wages. Indeed, why would any company bother to post a “help-wanted” ad with the following footer:

My real point is that the owners of companies that post these sorts of ads ought to consider the damage they’re doing to their own reputation.

Sure, the company often isn’t named in the ads, but if someone ever actually contacts them, their name will get out. And if that happens, word on the street will be that this company can’t afford to pay more than a few bucks for a project they apparently consider essential to their business.

This begs the question, why are they in business in the first place? If your business model is so unsustainable that you think you have to mercilessly exploit people in order to operate, maybe you need to re-think your business model.

Related Posts
* The point when you can’t do free anymore
* The economics of free or why I won’t do things for free anymore

Read my post on the Lift Strategies website to learn more about how to get the customer to take action

Just about any business I can think of would benefit from a website. While it’s true that some some businesses don’t “need” a website to survive, relying on a steady stream of referrals or other alternatives to online marketing, what these companies are doing is essentially turning down money. It’s weird.

That said, there may be some instances where businesses probably shouldn’t have a website. The top ten reasons are:

1. Your life sciences start-up idea involves shooting thousands of volts of electricity into a composite being stitched together with body parts from half a dozen corpses.

2. You think the Internet is a passing fad.

3. You’re a pirate and don’t want to publish a case study hinting at where you buried all of those Spanish dubloons.

4. You are building a Death Star planet-killer and haven’t yet worked out a way to monetize it.

5. You’re a blood diamonds trader, and not in a charming Leonardo DiCaprio kind of way.

6. You sell crack.

7. Your employees sell crack.

8. Your philosophy has always been that “my product sells itself. Why would I need to actually do any marketing? If customers can’t find my business, that means they’re stupid and I don’t want to deal with stupid people.”

9. Your name is William Randolph Hearst.

10. The last time you decided to run a business website, the FBI raided your office.

Stewart’s work revolves around making sense of numbers for business. For many businesses, telling a persuasive story with numbers is precisely what’s required for backing up a business case, analyzing areas of opportunity and winning over investors.

Stewart has posted a compelling white paper explaining how financial storytelling works for businesses and other organizations. You can find it on the Financial Storytelling blog. Here’s an excerpt:

One examples of is Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple. Over a number of years his keynote addresses have demonstrated many examples of Financial Storytelling. Unhindered by the world of tradition investor relations, his keynote addresses are a rich illustration of combining numbers with story. Whether he is talking about a new product launch, market share or music downloads (to name a few), Jobs blends in the numbers to illustrate, validate and communicate the success of the
business.

Apple is a marquee brand which continues to thrive. It’s success is communicated by it’s CEO through storytelling. Jobs has made the important emotional connection between the company’s products and its customers, shareholders, employees and even it’s critics. Financial Storytelling has helped Jobs back up his highly effective presentation style with the authority of real numbers.

“Why You Need to Become a Good Storyteller” by Camp Connelly