In 2004, my husband and I went to see Pearl Jam during the Vote for Change tour. We arrived early enough to check out the opener, Death Cab for Cutie, and I admit I wasn’t impressed. Fast forward to the present – and they’re one of my favorite bands. I’m now jamming to the same songs I used to turn up my nose to. As I get older, I’ve learned that a lot of what we like depends greatly on timing, outside forces, and how we have changed. How does this relate to the way you do business?

• Timing – Just like in life, what may not have worked for you or your business five years ago, may work well now. It’s important to take a look at options and strategies you may have dismissed in the past.

• Outside Forces – The current economic climate presents many challenges, while it also offers just as many opportunities. Use this time to assess your work — and consider an “upgrade.” Find new ways to solve your clients’ problems. Develop new business relationships. Teach colleagues your strengths — and learn theirs.
• How We’ve Changed — The recent social media revolution has positioned everyone, including companies big and small, on a more equal playing field. For public relations and marketing professionals, never have we had the ability to garner so much exposure. There is almost an exponential amount of potential — even on a shoestring budget. Social media isn’t for every person or business, but it’s worth considering.

Once a little time goes by, things can look very different. Maybe it’s time to reevaluate both your iPod® and your business.

Photo credit: low profile

The other day, one of my clients recommended the book called Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life by Winifred Gallagher.

The book’s main premise is simple: what you pay attention to becomes your life. Therefore, the more focused you are, the more successful you are in achieving your goals. With Blackberries tethered to our waists, technology has caused attention spans to be at odds with maintaining focus. It’s difficult to find time to sit down for one hour and read a book. Or even practice the piano, which incidentally is in a state of decline.

I’m all for easy-to-read, bulleted information. But when I want to explore a subject in-depth, I go to a book – not a blog. I have lots of interesting communications-related reading on tap this summer, including The Cluetrain Manifesto and Words that Work – book recommendations that I came across through one of my colleagues and through Twitter. So in between blogging, twittering and Facebook updates, don’t forget to dig into a good book this summer (even if it has no professional value). I asked some local communications professionals what was on their suggested PR-related summer reading list. Here are their suggestions:

Rick Oppenheim (@RickOpp) – PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences by Deirdre Breakenridge and Flawless Consulting by Peter Block
Cindi Brownfield (@CindiBfld) – Words that Work by Frank Luntz
Briana Schweitzer (@bschweitzer) – Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work – And Why Your Company Needs Them by Peter Shankman
Ann Marie Varga – Putting the Public Back in Public Relations How Social Media is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR by Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge
Chris Gent (@ChrisGent) – PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences by Deirdre Breakenridge and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur by Mike Michalowicz
Alan Byrd (@albyrd) – Good to Great by Jim Collins
Jamie Floer (@jamiefloer) – Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky
Kari Conley (@KariConley) – Corporate Community Relations: The Principle of the Neighbor of Choice by Edmund Burke
Joe Kilsheimer (@kilz) – The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

What’s on your summer reading list?

This past weekend, I went to Charleston, SC for a mini-getaway. (Side note: What a beautiful city. If you haven’t had a chance to visit, I highly recommend it!!)

Since this was my first visit to Charleston, I wasn’t sure where to eat or what tourist attractions to visit. I could have asked the hotel concierge or checked out the visitors’ guide. Neither of those won out. Instead, one “old school” tactic and one “new school” tactic helped me experience the best of this impressive place.

First, we needed to eat. We searched the Yelp iPhone app, which produced a list of suggested restaurants – some with excellent reviews and some with warnings to stay away. Blossom came very highly recommended on Yelp. And, once again, Yelpers came through. The meal was a-maz-ing.

Then, we went old school. We wanted to take one of those horse-drawn historical tours of Charleston. On one street corner, we found a vendor handing out flyers to passersby. Well, the guy seemed nice and the flyer made them sound like the best option in town … so, that’s how we chose this vendor over the others. Pretty, simple right?

Here’s the point: It doesn’t matter how you reach your potential customers … as long as you reach them. Yelp, Twitter, Facebook, flyers, direct mail – those are all just tools that make it easier for customers to find you. As marketers, we need to make sure we’re incorporating the right tools so people can easily find our companies. (Hint: A static, corporate web site is not enough.)

How about your company? Hard to find or easily accessible? What are some innovative ways companies are using tools – old or new – to be more “findable?”

Photo Credit: Bill Ward

To paraphrase Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, we don’t have a phone strategy, so why do we need a social media strategy?

Well, maybe some companies would benefit by setting aside some time to think about their phone strategy.

We spend a lot of time talking about the importance of social media — ROI, guidelines, authenticity and transparency. But, when was the last time you had a real conversation about your phone etiquette? Is your phone number easy to find on your web site? If not, what does that say to customers? How many times does the phone ring before someone answers it? What if someone asks a question and the person on the phone doesn’t know the answer? Can employees seamlessly “escalate” a call if it requires input from management?

These questions aren’t groundbreaking, but the answers probably get lost in the day-to-day shuffle. The telephone is still a crucial part of delivering a company’s brand. The next time you’re in a meeting talking about your social media strategy, spend five or 10 minutes discussing the telephone. You might be surprised by what you learn.

Photo Credit: aussiegirl

We live in a time-shifted world. RSS feeds deliver news to us. DVRs allow us to watch our favorite television shows when whenever we choose. We can listen to audio programs on the go thanks to podcasts. Today’s consumers expect to have access to content when they want it … where they want it.

Businesses need to understand and adjust to this new way of living. (Don’t believe us? Failure to adapt to a time-shifted world contributed to the newspaper industry’s recent struggles.) This isn’t just an operations or management issue. PR/marketing folks need to put their “time-shifting” hats on as well.

• Customer service can’t be a 9-5 task if it really is the new PR. In a time-shifted world, people expect access to good customer service all the time – at their convenience … not yours. That means having an employee monitor and respond to the company’s Twitter account after hours, making “live chat” available even after the close of business, offering extended call center hours. These may not sound ultra-innovative — but your customers will notice, and appreciate, the extra effort.
• Press conferences don’t happen nearly as frequently as they used to; however they’re not extinct. Even so, reporters have less time to attend events — press conferences or otherwise. If you’re a PR professional, are you giving reporters the tools to get the information on their terms — or are you making their job more difficult? (And, for the record, just e-mailing a press release with a post-event photo doesn’t cut it.) Provide reporters with audio or video to incorporate into their reports. Create a Flickr page with high-res photos. Livestream events and post relevant clips online.
• How often are desk-side meetings taking place nowadays? Hardly at all – unless you have a very high-profile client or a major news story. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t get your CEO in front of the reporter. More and more interviews are happening via e-mail — even with major, national newspapers. Know why? Because the reporter can review the answers when they have time. With that in mind, why not conduct “mock interviews” and distribute the responses to targeted media? You know what questions a reporter will ask, so ask them. (But, don’t just serve up “softballs” and provide a reporter with fluffy answers. They’ll ignore you.) Go the extra step and provide the files in a format that can be viewed or listened to on an mp3 player. The idea is simple: Give them the information without requiring them to conduct a time-intensive interview.
• Much has been written about the diminishing ROI of traditional advertising. But, it’s not dead … not by a longshot. That said, advertisers need to adjust. A recent study found that 85% of respondents (~1,000 people) used their DVR to skip at least three-quarters of all commercials. If you’re producing commercials that only communicate verbally – your message isn’t being heard. Smarter commercials get the message across even while being fast forwarded. (One example: Apple’s Macbook commercials.) 

How is “time shifting” impacting your business? And, what innovative ideas can you offer to thrive in this new paradigm?