Posted on

Rhonda Abrams — 10 Small Biz Resolutions You Can Keep

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]

Rhonda Abrams always has excellent advice for strategic communicators. These resolutions first appeared in USA Today on Jan. 2, 2015.

What do you want to achieve in 2015 for your small business? The beginning of January is the time for New Year’s resolutions, so here are my top 10 resolutions for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

1. Focus on recurring revenue.

You may be thrilled to find any source of income, but some types of customers contribute more significantly to your long-term financial well-being. Focus foremost on customers who have the need and capacity to buy from you repeatedly rather than one-off purchasers.

2. Limit your time on social media.

Social media can eat up your day even when it’s for a business purpose. Establish a time limit—I’d say 30 minutes maximum—schedule it for a specific time each day and then click off and get back to work. To limit your time on social media, schedule your social media posts in advance using a social media management tool. We use Hootsuite. Others are Buffer andTweetDeck.

3. Put your electronic devices away.

Recent studies have shown that using an electronic light-emitting device (such as a tablet or smartphone) before you go to sleep at night significantly reduces both the quality and quantity of your sleep. You need your rest to be at your best. So if you want to relax before bed, pick up a good old-fashioned print book. (You remember those, don’t you?)

4. Get more help.

Your business may not growing sufficiently because you are trying to do too much yourself. It’s difficult to find good employees and contractors, but a great worker can truly help you grow your company significantly. Examine your operation for routine tasks that take too much of your time, and look for areas of business growth you need outside expertise to achieve.

5. Fully fund your retirement.

Sure, we all think we’re going to sell our small business one day and have enough to buy a beach house in Hawaii. But don’t bet everything on that. Instead, every year make sure you put as much money as you can in a retirement account—certainly the full amount that you can shelter from current taxes.

6. Take care of your health.

Health is basic to all our other endeavors. If your body and mind are not healthy, you won’t have the energy or capability to achieve business success. Make sure you carve out enough time to exercise, eat healthfully and get enough sleep. These are business necessities, not just personal indulgences.

7. Keep learning.

Attend conferences and workshops. Take classes. Watch instructional videos. Read. Your business depends on your brain, so make sure you are continually expanding it. The world is changing, technology is improving and your industry is evolving, so you need to know what’s going on to constantly improve your skill set.

8. Check your financial statements regularly.

In the crush of work—or from the fear of finding out bad news—many entrepreneurs hesitate to look too deeply and regularly into their financial reports: profit and loss, cash flow, aging accounts receivable and payable. Every week, perhaps on Monday or Friday, spend at least 30 minutes reviewing your financials.

9. Plan your day.

Every morning make a “to do” list and keep it in front of you. Keep it reasonable and (mostly) achievable. Use a project management tool to stay on top of your tasks. In our office, we use Asana; others use Basecamp. Use these tools not only to track your tasks, but the progress of your staff and consultants.

10. Send out your invoices.

You can’t get paid if you don’t send a bill, yet many self-employed consultants are too busy to get their invoices out on time. Better yet, accept credit card payments at the time of service or sales to eliminate invoicing.

Here’s wishing you and your small business a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015.

Copyright, Rhonda Abrams, 2015

This article originally ran in USA Today on January 2, 2015

 [To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]

Posted on

New year, new goals: 10 questions to ask while setting your 2015 goals

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]

Thanks to Eastern Michigan University’s Public Relations Student Society of America we have another great blog topic.  Here goes:

New year means new goals. New year resolutions are great if you are able to execute them by the end of the year. Having goals is a great start but actually working to accomplishing the goals is greater.The beginning of the year is a perfect time to create a list of goals for the year. Your list of goals should include all areas of your life, academic, career, relationships and personal.

(Source: Pantheon UK)

10 questions to answer while creating your 2015 goals

  1. Is the goal attainable? Can you accomplish the goal before Dec. 31, 2015?
  2. What areas or things do you need improvement in?
  3. What new activities or things have you been interested in trying?
  4. What projects are you currently working on but want to do more with?
  5. What projects have you been meaning to do but have yet to make time?
  6. What qualities in yourself would you like to obtain or improve in?
  7. What relationships or friendships do you want to repair or strengthen?
  8. What could you improve to help you raise your G.P.A. and do better academically?
  9. What can you do to make you a competitive candidate for the job promotion that you have been eyeing?
  10. What goals from 2014 weren’t accomplished that still needs to be?

Answering these questions will help steer you in the right direction while deciding on your 2015 goals. Keep in mind you should be committed to actually accomplishing these goals by year’s end. Don’t just set goals to have some. A good place to keep these goals are in note app in your phone or notebook that is with you most of the time. 

What are your 2015 goals?

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]

Posted on

Pitching the Media

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com.]

The December issue of PRSA’s Tactics         carried a column by Anne Isenhower. Her topic “pitching.”

You can read the entire piece on Page 16. Here is her conclusion:

Here are Isenhower’s five tips for pitching:

  1. Be familiar with what journalists write and what they’ve covered recently. That’s a given – whether it’s obvious in the pitch itself or whether you spell it out – and that research will help make sure you don’t pitch them a story they’ve already written.
  2. Keep emails as short as possible. As long as you tell reporters what the news actually is, you can add more details and photos later. Some reporters won’t open anything with attachments, so don t send them in your first email.
  3. Consider your timing. Give a reporter as much lead time as possible, make sure you have a timely news hook and make sure you’re catching them at a good time of day. If you’re making an announcement on a certain date, then plan to reach out several weeks ahead of that date to let them know.
  4. Reporters like to write about people. If you don’t have a human-interest story to share, then go find one.
  5. Reporters receive hundreds – If not thousands – of emails each day, so catch their attention by summing up the whole story in the headline and personalize it.

Anne Isenhower is a national and global media relations consultant based in Atlanta.

Larry Litwin’s The Public Relations Practitioner’s Playbook for (all) Strategic Communicators goes in depth on “pitching” in its Chapter 9 – Media Relations. See www dot larry litwin dot com.

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com.]

Posted on

10 of 2014’s biggest PR mistakes

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]

By Kimberly Eberl | Posted: December 23, 2014

From Ragan’s PR Daily

 [FREE White Paper: Prepared for Ebola: How Emory University Hospital Managed the Crisis and the Health Care Message.]

Kimberly Eberl is the owner of Motion PR.

 It’s that time of year when we take a look back at the most egregious PR mishaps, disasters and catastrophes and ask, “What were they thinking?”

This year had no shortage, as the news seemed to be riddled with PR disasters. Some were a simple misstep or careless Tweet, while others seemed to be a litany of bad decisions that left us cringing.

Here are some of the best examples of the worst offenses from 2014.

Urban Outfitters’ Kent State sweatshirt

Urban Outfitters is notorious for selling some wildly offensive merchandise.

Most recently, the clothing company sold a distressed Kent State sweatshirt that appeared to be stained in blood. The public was outraged by the insensitivity. Urban Outfitters later issued an apology, saying, “It was never our intention to allude to the tragic events that took place at Kent State in 1970 and we are extremely saddened that this item was perceived as such.”

This is not the first time Urban Outfitters has been on the hot seat, already having marketed shirts with the words “Eat Less” and another with “Depression,” making it much harder to excuse this Kent State mishap as unintentional.

DiGiorno Pizza’s #WhyIStayed tweet

One fateful day in September, DiGiorno pizza was looking to latch on to some trending hastags. The brand’s social media managers came across “#WhyIStayed” and posted “#WhyIStayed You had pizza.”

Had the managers taken the time to look at any of the other Tweets using the hashtag that day, they may have realized it was created as a way to spread awareness about domestic violence and show support for victims. DiGiorno deleted the tweet and apologized.

GM’s recall letters

As General Motors rolled out more and more recalls of its vehicles through the first half of 2014, the company was forced to apologize when it accidentally sent recall notices to the families of people who died in crashes related to the ignition defect that prompted the recalls. A GM spokesman said the company was “deeply sorry” for the mistake.

Bill Cosby’s AP challenge

As sexual assault accusations piled up late this year, Bill Cosby conducted an interview about an art exhibit with an AP reporter. When the reporter asked Cosby about the accusations, Cosby challenged his integrity and asked that the footage of those questions not be shown. The video instead was posted online and viewed by around 2 million people.

Malaysia Airlines’ ‘bucket list’ promotion

In the aftermath of two plane crashes that resulted in hundreds of deaths, the airline asked where people would want to travel before they die. It was called the “My Ultimate Bucket List.” Critics called the promotion a “sick joke.” The airline changed the name of the promotion to “Win an iPad or Malaysia Airlines flight to Malaysia.”

Oscar Pistorius’ murder trial

South African Sprinter Oscar Pistorius became the first amputee to win an able-bodied world track medal and became a worldwide sensation. In February 2013, Pistorius fatally shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. He maintained it was an accident. Pistorius hired a crisis PR specialist, who launched a Twitter account on his behalf.

It didn’t save him. In October, Pistorius received a five-year prison sentence for culpable homicide and a concurrent three-year suspended prison sentence for a separate reckless endangerment conviction. Not only has the prison sentence sidelined Pistorius’ career, but it has also left a permanent scar on his record.

Tony Stewart’s deadly crash

NASCAR Superstar Tony Stewart was in the media spotlight for a crash that killed fellow driver Kevin Ward Jr. at a dirt track in New York City.

Though Stewart claimed this was an accident and Ward acted recklessly, the video caused damage to the NASCAR favorite’s reputation, to the community and to NASCAR itself. He’s since been on an informal PR apology tour/PR campaign to repair his fractured image.

Donald Sterling’s racial comments

Former L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling lost his team as a result of racist remarks that were caught on tape and spread on the Internet.

In April, the NBA announced that Sterling had been banned from the league for life and fined $2.5 million, the maximum fine allowed. He was stripped of virtually all of his authority over the Clippers, and banned him from entering any Clippers facility. He was also banned from attending any NBA games. The punishment was one of the most severe ever imposed on a professional sports owner.

Police Departments’ protest response

Police departments in Ferguson, Staten Island and Cleveland were thrust in the media spotlight after police-involved killings. Protests across the country are still active. Departments nationwide are on defense regarding the actions of their officers.

To make matters worse in Missouri, the city of Ferguson hired an entirely white PR firm to handle the racially charged issue. The city responded by hiring a black PR rep, Devin James, to help save face. As it turns out, James had been convicted of reckless homicide in 2006. That sparked another wave of outrage, eventually leading to his dismissal.

While the way Ferguson handled the media was far from the most upsetting about the entire incident, it only helped to fuel the flames and damage the public’s confidence in the city.

The NFL and discipline

It is hard to find a worse PR fumble than the NFL’s handling of the Ray Rice domestic violence case.

There are a few basic rules to crisis management, which include being as transparent as possible, admitting when you are wrong, and never underestimating or insulting the intelligence of your audience.

The NFL did it’s best to downplay video of Rice punching his then-fiancee, which was released and after Rice was slapped with a measly two-game suspension. After a second video was released, officials changed their tone and suspended Rice indefinitely. Makinthings The AP reported that the NFL had access to the second video months before to TMZ released it.

In what may be the most awkward press conference of 2014, Commissioner Roger Goodell promised change while failing to outline any actual plan or action steps the NFL would take. In early December, the NFL did release a new conduct policy.

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]

Posted on

Eastern Michigan University PRSSA — Shares 2014 National Conference Take-aways

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]

Eastern Michigan University Dec. 5, 2005 blog. Lots of good information.

Raven’s recap of PRSSA 2014 National Conference

Posted on December 5, 2014 by EMU PRSSA | Leave a comment

In October, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to our nation’s capital. It wasn’t for pleasure but I did have a blast. I traveled to Washington D.C. to attend the 2014 Public Relations Student Society of America National Conference. The site seeing was absolutely amazing and getting to relearn some of our nation’s history was enlightening. Through the five days of various student development sessions, networking opportunities, and breakout sessions, I learned a large handful of things.

Here my top 10 takeaways from the conference. (In no particular order)

  1. Say “Hello”

Being all by myself in a place that I’ve never been to was scary yet liberating. If I wanted to be around people during our evenings out, I had to actively meet people and establish relationships. Don’t just stay in one place, get out and say “hello” to a stranger every once in a while. You never know who you’ll meet.

  1. Peers can be mentors

Having a mentor is almost essential to the way our society works. There’s just something about getting to know someone who was once in your shoes. Professionals are good to have but peers were also once in your place. They know what you’re going through differently than a professional may because they were there very recently. Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone only a few years older than you.

  1. It’s the Era of Engagement

Keynote speaker and President of Powell Tate, Pam Jenkins, believes now is our time to do stuff. “We have to do something because we have the skills to make a difference,” says Jenkins. The engagement means that people no longer turn to experts when they need something. They turn towards the people. Be the people who lead others towards good.

  1. Develop your skills, but understand your weaknesses

We can’t all be graphic designers, video editors, copy editors, social media gurus, etc. Take a minute ant think about what you do well. Develop those skills even more! If you can’t do everything then you might as well be good at what you can do. And at the very least, respect and understand the people who are good at your weaknesses.

  1. Teachers are right!

The relationship between public relations practitioners and journalists is built on trust. Teachers tell you that the relationship is built on trust and a good relationship and they are absolutely right. During a breakaway session, I learned that a lot happens off the record so you have to truly develop those relationship to get to that point. Understand that everyone has a boss breathing down their necks and definitely respect everyone.

  1. You’re making your connections now

The people that I’ve met at the conference and the people I’m meeting in classes now are going to be my coworkers, bosses, and employees years later. People are so concerned having networking events but not many realize that getting to know classmates is hugely important.

  1. Three Bone Approach

To succeed, three bones are necessary. A funny bone. A back bone. A wish bone.

  1. Life is like gym class

You fail if you don’t show up but if you do then you at least get a “B”. Go to events. Go to PRSSA. Even go to PRSA events and meetings. Get involved and you’ll be just fine.

  1. Agency versus Corporation

Both are every good options. Weigh the possibilities for both. Take a look at your personality type as well and see which works best for yourself. Think about the environment you really want to in.

        10. Move people towards action

Simply telling people how things are isn’t going to get them moving. We have to move people from awareness to action. Speaking of which, comment below with any recent takeaways that you have learned from a conference, networking opportunity, or class. You can even comment with what you want to learn from PRSSA throughout our meetings next semester!

If you want any more information on the National Conference or even upcoming National Assembly or Regional Conference then don’t hesitate to take action and email EMU!

 [To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]

Posted on

The right way to get a favor – networking

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]

This and other tips and techniques can be found in Larry Litwin’s The ABCs of Strategic Communication. Check out Litwin’s website.

Effective networking is the proactive solution. If you think ahead

and network well, asking for a favor can be an easy, natural thing

to do. Sometimes you may find that you don’t even need to ask.

Here are a few easy ways to maintain your relationships so that

favors come easily:

  1. Get organized
  • Keep track of your contacts whichever way works best for you.

You can use computer databases, smartphone or other device, or even index cards.

  • Keep track of birthdays, anniversaries and other miscellaneous information.
  • Know your contacts’ needs, such as information, jobs and other contacts (relationship management).
  1. Keep in touch
  • Review your contact list regularly and craft a follow up plan.
  • Send notes and cards on occasions such as birthdays and

holidays.

  • Regularly call and set up lunch meetings or dinner appointments.
  1. Nurture mutually beneficial relationships
  • Send any helpful information to your contacts.
  • Connect your contacts with others who can help them.
  • Use your skills to help others.

If you care for your network of friends, colleagues and acquaintances, it will be your best resource.Whether the favor you need is

information, a job referral, technical help or even more clients, the best solution is a strong network.Most importantly, always

remember to say thank you with an email, a hand-written note, or a gift.

(Source): Andrea Nierenberg – The Nierenberg Group

420 E. 51st Street Suite 12D New York, NY 10022 –

www.mybusinessrelationships.com/

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]

Posted on

Calming those interview butterflies

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]

This and other tips and techniques can be found in Larry Litwin’s The ABCs of Strategic Communication. Check out Litwin’s website.

Many prospective employees get  ” butterflies”before a job

interview.

Here are tips to stay calm and present yourself in the best way:

  • Get a good night’s sleep and maintain your usual morning

routine – If you never eat breakfast, for example, don’t eat a

hearty morning meal on interview day.

  • Try remembering some of your happiest memories or a

proud moment before arriving for the interview.

  • Come prepared with a briefcase containing resumes, pen and

paper for recording your interviewer’s name and the date and

time for a possible future interview, an application and references

and examples of your work such as writing samples.

Federal Citizen Information Center – Pueblo, Colo.

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]

Posted on

Techniques to Succeed: Recovering from a crisis

This “Tip” and dozens of others come from Larry Litwin’s The ABCs of Strategic Communication (available on www dot larry litwin dot com). [To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com.]

Executives believe it takes companies slightly more than three years – 3.2 years – to recover from a crisis that damages their reputation.

The top 10 crisis turnaround strategies are:

  1. Quickly disclose details of the scandal/misstep (69 percent)
  2. Make progress/recovery visible (59 percent)
  3. Analyze what went wrong (58 percent)
  4. Improve governance structure (38 percent)
  5. Make leaders accessible to media (34 percent)
  6. Fire employees involved in the problem (32 percent)
  7. Commit to high corporate citizenship standards (23 percent)
  8. Carefully review ethics policies (19 percent)
  9. Hire an outside auditor (18 percent)
  10. Issue an apology from the CEO (18 percent)

Burson-Marsteller – New York, N.Y.

Never forget: Tell it FIRST. Tell it FAST. Tell it ALL. Tell it YOURSELF.

Check out both The ABCs and The Public Relations Practitioner’s Playbook for (all) Strategic Communicators. Information is on www.larrylitwin.com.

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com.]

Posted on

Organize better for networking

This “Tip” and dozens of others come from Larry Litwin’s The ABCs of Strategic Communication (available on www dot larry litwin dot com). [To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com.]

Organize your contacts to make the most of your efforts. Author Andrea Nierenberg, a nonstop networker, divides her list into three different categories: A, B and C, and follows up accordingly.

Here’s how you can make it work for you:

The “C” list consists of “touch base”people – acquaintances whom you want in your network. However, you’re not involved with them on a business or personal level. Keep in touch by sending:

  • A quarterly newsletter with a short personal note.
  • A card or note once or twice a year.
  • A holiday card in December.

The “B” list consists of “associates” – people you’re actively involved with, either professionally or personally and you would keep in touch by:

  • Meeting them for a meal, tea, or coffee at least two times a year.
  • Sending at least six personal notes in a year.
  • Giving them holiday and premium gifts.

The “A” list is for “close friends and associates” – people you keep in touch with often.

If you effectively follow up with everyone on your list, from your closest friends to the person you see only on rare occasions, your network will continue to thrive.

Source: Andrea Nierenberg – Author – Nonstop Networking (Capital Books)

www.mybusinessrelationships.com

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com.]

Posted on

The right way to get a favor – networking

This “Tip” and dozens of others come from Larry Litwin’s The ABCs of Strategic Communication (available on www dot larry litwin dot com). [To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com.]

Effective networking is the proactive solution. If you think ahead and network well, asking for a favor can be an easy, natural thing to do. Sometimes you may find that you don’t even need to ask.

Here are a few easy ways to maintain your relationships so that favors come easily:

  1. Get organized
  • Keep track of your contacts whichever way works best for you.

You can use computer databases, PDAs or even index cards.

  • Keep track of birthdays, anniversaries and other miscellaneous information.
  • Know your contacts’ needs, such as information, jobs and other contacts.
  1. Keep in touch
  • Review your contact list regularly and make a follow up plan.
  • Send notes and cards on occasions such as birthdays and

holidays.

  • Regularly call and set up lunch meetings or dinner appointments.
  1. Nurture mutually beneficial relationships
  • Send any helpful information to your contacts.
  • Connect your contacts with others who can help them.
  • Use your skills to help others.

If you care for your network of friends, colleagues and acquaintances, it will be your best resource. Whether the favor you need is information, a job referral, technical help or even more clients, the best solution is a strong network. Most importantly, always remember to say thank you with an E-mail, a hand-written note, or a gift.

Source: Andrea Nierenberg – The Nierenberg Group

420 E. 51st Street Suite 12D New York, NY 10022 –

www.mybusinessrelationships.com/

[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com.]