Having a Newsroom is Not Just for the Big Dogs

I work for a small business in downtown Minneapolis and right now we're completely revamping our public relations efforts. We've met with a consultant to get a second opinion and one thing he recommended is to create a online newsroom off of our website to house all of our media hits, newsletters, press releases and product images. This would be an easy one-stop-shop we could easily direct media, consumers and retailers to for information on the company.

I too recommend this for any small business.

This is what you want your online newsroom to house:

• Complete Media Kit: Complete a entire media kit and make it available on your Newsroom as downloadable PDFs. Your media kit would include: Company Profile (Also known as a backgrounder, this highlights how you stand out in your industry), Fact Sheet (This serves as a handy reference guide to your company, providing all the basic facts at a glance), Key services and Products (Provide an overview of your major services or product lines, and individual services or product sheets as applicable), FAQ (An FAQ (frequently asked questions) is a services of questions and answers that addresses timely topics related to your company or industry), Company History (Make it brief, but stress the expertise you have built up over your years in business), Biographies of Top Management
• Photography: You should have high-resolution (300 dpi for print) images of products, projects, events and headshots of top management.
• Podcasts: Your site could include podcasts of your published articles and company newsletter for those who would rather listen to the content instead of reading it.
• Contact Information: Be sure to include full contact information for the person authorized to talk with the media: name, title, phone, cell phone and email address.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

We're forced to make decisions everyday of our lives, both big and small. You probably don't even realize how often you do. Practically every few minutes you will be forced to make a new decision. TV or book? Front page or crossword section? Coffee, Mocha or Latte? Go out or stay home?

I was inspired to write this post after watching the CBS Sunday Morning Show this weekend and viewing their story on decision making. I learned that many studies have been done on the act of decision making; researchers have actually studied and come to conclusions on how and why people make up their minds on something. This a very interesting topic when you relate it to the public relations, marketing and business world. If you could, wouldn't it be valuable to know to influence your consumers to better make a decision in your favor?

For a long time it was said that the best way to make a decision is to be rational, yet in recent years scientists have discovered that the rational brain can only take in a few bits of information at any given moment. If you give it too much information, it starts to short-circuit and sputter. Therefore, it is recommended that you just go for it when faced with complex decisions like buying a car, computer or even a house. Your emotional brain is much better at taking in a lot of information.

The kinds of decisions you make are often based on the type of mood you're in at that moment. Research shows that happiness and anger produce similar results. They both make you under-perceive risk. They both make you take risks and they both are associated with the sense of certainty and control.

Now back to how this can help us in business...

Of course if there are a lot of options out there, the more likely you'll find the exact thing you're looking for. However, studies show that you don't want to offer too many! Our brains become too overwhelmed with too many options and basically shut down. The fact is that the more choices we have, the less likely we are to actually make a purchase. It's been discovered that you get tired and your immune systems drops when forced to make a decision from too many options. You even become more likely to catch a cold!

So for you business professionals, you should learn from this. Consumers do not want to be bogged down with too many options. If you want them to remember you, only show your best few and then show more if they ask. Remember this while designing your website or informational handouts too. Leave room for white space! It's not visually appealing to see something with too many words or image distractions. Plus, no one will ever read all of what you have to say there are a lot. Viewers are much more likely to read what you have to say if you only put the information or images you want people to remember - and that's it!

Go Green: Checklist to Make You More Environmentally Conscious

Happy Earth Day! Everywhere you turn you are probably seeing and hearing the following phrases: "go green," "eco-friendly" and "environmentally conscious." The push, especially for Americans, to reduce pollution and help save the environment is based on evidence that the decisions we have made, and continue to make, are damaging the air we breathe and the land we live on. Read these tips and tricks to help you get started in living a green lifestyle.

Save water by decreasing your shower time, or rather take a bath, which uses less water than a shower.

Get in the habit of brushing your teeth with the water off, and encourage your children to do so also.

• Recycle - junk mail, cell phones, paper products, plastic bags and more.
• Switch from paper and plastic bags to reusable bags and totes. Try Envirosax or Dogeared's neat styles.
• Forget the electric or gas dryer, and hang dry your clothing when you can.
• Opt for direct deposit, online banking and paperless statements to reduce your paper usage.
• Try your hand at composting (planting scraps from fruits, veggies and coffee grounds outside), which will help create better soil and less landfill waste.
• Don't purchase disposable water bottles, but rather use recyclable (and refillable) beverage containers that you can fill with filtered water.
• Unplug all of your appliances when you leave the house to save energy (and prevent a fire hazard).
• If possible, take public transportation, carpool, bike or walk.
• Don't use plastic storage containers, and definitely do not heat food within a plastic container in the microwave.
• Keep one set of dishes at the office, including: a cup, utensils, bowl and plate. This will prevent you from reaching for disposable utensils, cups and plates.
• Save stained or ill-fitting clothing to use for dusting and cleaning
• Use rechargeable batteries; Duracell now has a line of pre-charged rechargeable batteries!
• Purchase used items from thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets and more.
• Rent movies and borrow books, instead of purchasing. Netflix and Blockbuster make it easy by delivering the flicks right to your door.
• If you are in the market for a new car, purchase a hybrid model.
• Select products made of recyclable materials. Nahui Ollin, a handbag designer, has a created line of bags, made from recycled candy wrappers that are cute and affordable.
• Buy groceries in bulk, as it reduces packaging and the number of trips you take to the grocer. Purchase a membership to a wholesale club, such as Costco or BJ's.
• If possible, buy items that use less packaging.
• Purchase locally produced food at farmer's markets and even road-side stands.
• Purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, instead of jarred, canned, or frozen.
• Purchase organic foods, as they don't contain pesticides and harmful chemicals, in addition to organic cotton.
• Follow the celebrity trend and use cloth diapers, as opposed to disposable diapers, which cause landfill waste.
• Select soy or beeswax candles, instead of paraffin candles.
• Use healthy and environmentally friendly cosmetics, such as mineral-based cosmetics and natural bath products.

Traditional PR is Morphing Giving Women a Natural Advantage Working in the Industry

Is public relations changing again? I believe it is and that women have an advantage in this new PR industry.

I believe women public relations professionals have an advantage over men. Let's be honest, women have mastered the skill of personal relations by dealing with it for centuries for reasons other than business.

As business moves more to the web arena, sensibility is no longer a taboo word in business. Actually, I believe sense and sensibility have gained momentum because of the Internet. The Internet has created an entire new way for businesses to reach their target audiences and has opened up an entire new park in which consumers love to play. The web is completely driven by consumers that need, or demand, to engage with brands and products and companies they rely on and consume daily. Compared to just being thrown information without allowing interactive follow up.

This has lead me to the believe that, even though new, the industry of public relations is dying and morphing in form, into one of Personal (Unique) Relations other than Public Relations.

What do you think?

What makes someone a great PR or marketing professional?

I'm a little bias, but regardless of the expense, I think that businesses and organizations need PR and marketing professionals. I hate that this is usually the first area to get cut during a downturn because it truly is needed to succeed in business. I mean really think about it, can you afford not to reach your audience? I think the biggest reason for this is that it's hard to tell this areas true value to the company.

Good PR people will do more than just publicize a company/organization or event if they are good. Every firm has something to market and this needs communication that sells at every customer touch point.

What great public relations people will do:

• Great PR strategists will help fill the gaps between advertising messages and editorial content. Many of these opportunities will be outside traditional media or not in the media at all. Today this will most certainly include a track record in social media, but also in old standby tactics such as events and other audience-engaging initiatives.
• Another factor that underlies a successful marketing and PR person is the ability to tread the fine line between generating messages that sell with language appropriate to non-advertising channels without lapsing into harder-hitting "ad" language. Potential buyers accept the direct sell in ads, but can be offended by the same language in a place perceived as being less sales-oriented. A good PR person will be someone who can do both.