Reputica

It really is a myth that you need big budgets to get great PR results. I know many people who run and own small businesses who have persevered with their PR efforts and got fantastic results. Of course, using a PR consultant will help to get you profile much quicker, in many cases, bit there are also huge advantages to doing your own PR. So, how can you get great PR without breaking the bank? You need to have a plan It may sound quite simple but it is one of the most important elements. How do you know if you have achieved what you set out to do unless you have defined it? Setting out a plan is one of the most effective ways to keep focused and it gives you a much better chance of success. You need...

Recession has been ruining the dreams of many business owners. Costs have surged as there seems no way to recover them. Business slump has not only dampened the overall business growth perspective but has further faded the chances of small businesses becoming successful. Like big businesses marketing is the only way for the small businesses as well to communicate about their existence and ability to provide a useful product or service to their communities. Marketing has though become very expensive and finding new ways to market your business effectively are slowly fading away, especially when the projections for future sales can't be really relied on. First and foremost important thing is the...

Till quite recently asbestos had been one ideal material for building purposes. Being inexpensive and easy to use and having fire retardant and electrical resistance properties this was a much sought after building material. The discovery that the airborne asbestos fibers upon inhaling cannot be expelled by the lungs has led to it being classified as a health problem creator. These sharp fibers have also been known to have a penetrating effect on the tissues. These together with the findings of health problems attributed to asbestos like asbestosis, mesothelioma and cancer has led to the emergence of the need for suitable legal measures in this regard to be advocated. Asbestos fibers or dust needs...

Part of the process of generating media coverage for your business, is making sure you target the right outlets with the right angle. It's pointless sending a media release to a hit music radio station that reaches teenagers if you're promoting a story about a new baby product. Even the best written, most well researched, and well endorsed media release won't engage a journalist unless it speaks to their target audience. Here are some steps to follow to help you find the right media outlet for your business. 1. Make a list of the media outlets that your consumers read, watch or listen to. If you're not sure, survey your consumers and find out (ask them when they call you, send out an email survey...

Television: Remember to target your local media including cable or community college TV. Study the various programs, some are talk, others are news, and others are community-oriented in their scope. When sending a release to television news programs, allow three days to one week lead time. When sending information to talk shows, allow at least three two to four weeks. Study the last ten minutes of broadcast on the local news. That time slot usually features soft news and human interest stories. Magazines: Look for special-interest publications dedicated to covering news in your field. These are magazines that are devoted to one particular field or area. When pitching a story to a weekly magazine...

Do you own a Toyota? If you do, you're probably frustrated by the carmaker's inept response to the safety problems that prompted a massive worldwide recall and caused sales to drop 16% since the third week of January. Did you see Tiger Woods' "press conference," during which he steadfastly refused to take any questions? Instead of appearing authentic and genuine, he looked pre-scripted and overly-controlled. Whether you're a car company worth billions, a sports star with a billion-dollar brand, or a small nonprofit, there are certain truths that govern almost any crisis. FIVE TRUTHS OF A CRISIS 1. Organizations in Crisis Need to Communicate Immediately Organizations -- or people -- that begin...

1) Let's call the local paper - they'll run a story on us. Almost a knee jerk reaction from many businesses when the subject of getting media coverage comes up is "Why don't we get something in (name of local rag)?" Here's why the local paper isn't always the best place to start. Local papers (in Australia at least) can be up to 80% advertising and syndicated content, that is generic items on eg weather/horoscopes/car reviews which are shared across many titles by the newspaper publisher. That can leave sometimes only 10-15 pages for the local editor. Once you take away local politics, police reports and the local sports pages, that leaves very few other pages to fill. Now factor in the fact that...

You're looking to get media coverage on Oprah, or Time, or CNN. You're holding your breath for the Today Show and the Wall Street Journal. I don't blame you. Those are great hits. But the problem is those hits take time to garner and usually take several different pitches and approaches. Those are the prime media outlets, the ones everyone is shooting for. Keep shooting for them. Study the type of stories they cover and come up with ways to present your story in a manner that fits their format, but don't keep your focus there. Target your media campaign. There are hundreds of small media outlets that need stories, from regional magazines and local newspapers and TV outlets to media that...

Don't rely solely on one press release to do all of your work. It's important that you modify the release to fit the needs of the media outlet you're pitching. Seldom do you have to write a completely new release. Your release may just need a few minor, but necessary, changes. For example, let's say you are sending your release to your local evening news and to a national women's magazine. The main body of the release may not change, but you will want to modify some of the text before sending it to the editor at the woman's magazine, to explain that your story has national significance and will be of interest to his or her readers. It's important to understand who the audience is and direct your...

You’re looking to get media coverage on Oprah, or Time, or CNN.  You’re holding your breath for the Today Show and the Wall Street Journal.  I don’t blame you.  Those are great hits.  But the problem is those hits take time to garner and usually take several different pitches and approaches.  Those are the prime media outlets, the ones everyone is shooting for.  Keep shooting for them.  Study the type of stories they cover and come up with ways to present your story in a manner that fits their format, but don’t keep your focus there. Target your media campaign.  There are hundreds of small media outlets that need stories, from regional magazines and local newspapers and TV outlets to...

Promotional merchandise has now expanded into the usage of computer technology products for business promotion. A recent addition into the long and large lists of marketing tools is the distribution of Promotional Flash Drives. Giving it some serious thought, this can be the right decision, since it is a piece of equipment that every employee will carry. Today, executive staff and top-level managerial staff, attend corporate seminars and conferences simply equipped with their laptop and flash drive. This little device is known in a variety of names: - Flash drive - Pen drive - Thumb drive - USB drive They come in a range of memory capacities, and have turned out to be a vital computer related device...

Every time you look into a large corporation, you pretty much look at the same few positions: CEO, CFO, CTO, CIO, Managing Director, Presidents, Vice Presidents, Founders, etc. It's getting increasingly difficult to keep track of all these positions, what they really do and where do they stand in the corporate ladder. Should we be paying more attention to the CFO or the CEO when we're making investment decisions? Or should we look at the CIO (Chief Information Officer) who would be releasing most of the internal data? The Hierarchy Blues Often said than not, the management team and board of directors have an ultimate goal - Maximize shareholder value. Theoretically, they manage day-to-day operations...

Facilitative and positive leadership is linked to ethics in management, and it begins with a solid understanding of the self. Some argue that the key elements to positive leadership are self-awareness, self-discipline, and self-efficacy, which then leads to the servant leader, who serves the corporation and the workers by focusing on corporate objectives and goals rather than personal goals. Self-awareness, has little to do with contemplating one's navel high in the mountains of India. It is based on a genuine understanding of one's emotions and selfish tendencies, leading to emotional control and emotional intelligence, the ability to see beyond personal aggrandizement and to display a managerial...

Managing the stakeholders in the business activities that you deliver is a vital part of the work of any manager. Even where you think that you might not have stakeholders, it's time to realize that you do. Stakeholders are any group or individual that will or might be affected by whatever it is that you do, be it a project or just a simple bunch of activities that you and your team are involved with. Keeping stakeholders onside is critical if you want a smooth run to the successful conclusion of your activities. Preferably you have them on your side helping you along the way. At worst, you want neutrals who are not actually going to get in your way. To manage stakeholders effectively, you need time...

ften asked, when should you send a media release to the press? My response has never changed. If it's newsworthy and useful to the reader send it out. When determining the need to send out a press release, there are many things to consider. There are no hard and fast rules, but as an online public relations specialist I've sent out thousands of press releases over the last few years and the key thing the remember is to make sure that the release will be of interest to the reader of the publication you are targeting and is newsworthy. If it doesn't fit these two criteria, you're just wasting both your own time and that of the editor. A good media release can do a lot for your business. It can be used...

Companies have many options for communicating with prospective customers. The Internet has become the primary medium for reaching potential clients anywhere across the globe. With advent of search and popular brands like Google and Yahoo, the Internet is an excellent source to obtain new clients and build your business beyond your wildest dreams. Let us begin by outlining the components of Online Marketing. SEO / Search Engine Optimization: Short for search engine optimization, the process of increasing the amount of visitors to a Web site by ranking high in the search results of a search engine. The higher a Web site ranks in the results of a search, the greater the chance that that site will be...

Online brand protection is simply the process of protecting the reputation of your company, yourself and your associates from disrepute on the internet. Things can happen that are out of your control; however, an effective, ongoing online reputation management program can save your reputation which is the lifeline of any business. - Have you ever walked into your office to find that your name, your company name and the names of your associates have suffered unjustified ill repute on the internet? - Did you think that your public image was good enough that it would never happen to you? That was my line of thinking before my company, my associates and I became the center of the alleged Think Alchemy...

Social media, specifically focusing on the social networking sites, is rapidly becoming the staple form of content online - user generated content is also some of the most valuable, as it is the honest voice of the public. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are among the more popular and profitable social networks. They're freely available for anyone to use, and are challenging the convention of traditional media. Social media optimization, or SMO, involves using this new form of media to increase your web presence and overall credibility. Clever Content Optimize for your keywords, but always try and use fresh content rather than replicating old copy across the internet...

So you've had it with office politics, working for a bad boss and making someone else rich. You decide to quit and set up your own business. Before you do, you need to work out what your time is worth. Take this typical job in PR as Communications Manager for a major company in a big city. Here's the headline of the job in the weekend paper. Corporate communications role, big office near a major park, full-time staff position with salary of $145k+ super This is the job description when you first applied. "Our new communications function plays an important role in the management of internal/external communications, reputation risk and providing expertise in community relations. Reporting to the...

The Age of Obama could be a particularly lucrative period for trial attorneys in which to pair legal strategy with effective Internet-centered communication to the Court of Public Opinion, communication that marries the best legal strategy with sound public relations/issues management techniques. I am not an attorney. But wise legal counsel have told me that while it violates ethical guidelines for attorneys to influence the jury pool, communicating with the Court of Public Opinion is entirely appropriate for the purposes of: * presenting an accurate picture of your client to the media and other audiences; * informing the public of wrongdoing by specific organizations and/or industries; and...

In the light of the soaring popularity of Facebook and Twitter with consumers, most businesses know they had better get involved. In fact, we have moved past the early days of questions challenging the validity of SM as a marketing medium -- it's for real folks. Now the question on everyone's mind is "Who." As in, "Who should manage our social media marketing?" And almost before they have finished the question, 10-20 "social media experts" will chime in with the answer (while possibly raising their hands): "Ooohhh, ooohhh, pick me! Let me do it!" In fact that is just the kind of thing giving SM consulting a bad name right now. Just as there were a lot of hacks in Web site design 10 years ago and a...

Public relations companies work closely with their clients to help them create a positive public image, manage public opinion and generate non-paid media and internet-based publicity. When you hire a public relations company, it's important to share information with your account services team about your company's mission, business practices and marketing goals. The team of professionals assigned to work on your account will utilize this information to create a communications plan and strategy that is customized for your business. Client Contact Typically, an agency will assign an account executive to each client. This person serves as the liaison between the team at the PR firm assigned to work on...

PR agencies are being asked to question their public relations campaign methods to determine 'what works and what doesn't'. As part of their continual growth programme they should take stock of their working methodologies at regular intervals if they are to keep abreast of current and emerging trends in the world of effective public relations. They are advised to look at the balance of using both traditional and new core public relations skills when adopting and developing public relations programmes for their clients. The use of online conversation by communication tools such as Twitter, Facebook and Qki should be investigated as an innovative way to combine this with more traditional public...

Social media, more specifically social networking, has fast became a must when dealing with online content. Unlike SEO or PPC strategies, social media is a much more personalized marketing strategy. User generated content is probably the most important since it is the opinions of the general public. Social media optimization can help you make the most of this. Sites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube are at the top of the list in popularity, all of which are profitable social networks to use. These sites are free for anyone to use and are currently challenging what we know as traditional media. SMO uses all of these media applications to help you increase the presence you have online as...

Some people, or companies, spend years building up a reputation with other individuals or customers. Warren Buffet once quoted as saying, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” Warren Buffet has long been called the “Sage of Omaha” for his wisdom in all things financial—but here he imparts a bit of wisdom that is applicable both to everyday life and to a niche industry: Internet Reputation Management. This industry began in 2006 as a way to protect minors in an online world that was becoming more and more invasive, via social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook. The industry has, since then, become a much more effective tool for combating what some...

Santa Monica, California - Michael Rotkin Owner of 10 Internet Marketing Search Engine Optimization Firms in 3 countries, just Acquired the oldest Santa Monica Seo Agency, for a undisclosed amount of cash and a domain trade. The new firm domain Url is and is about 6 years old and is a original three word seo firm in the largest city in Santa Monica in Los Angeles California. The former owner of Santa Monica Seo ran his business for many years successfully, has decided to move on with his ventures in another aspect of his favorite industry online, for his hobby. At as we buy domains and revenue generating websites within our associated partners. seo firms have a solid code of seo ethics" says...

  1.    Why can’t I get a marketing job in an FMCG company? FMCG companies are the pinnacle of cutting edge marketing. Their brand managers learn a rigorous approach to their marketing from careful and detailed market research, product development and through to mass marketing and advertising. It is certainly a highly skilled discipline where most marketers are generally “grown”. Job seekers wanting to move into this industry find that they are “locked out” of this opportunity with any of the major international FMCG firms such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Heinz. To get into FMCG, you need to do this as a university graduate; and even here, you would need to be in the top...

"One cannot always oblige; one can, however, always speak obligingly..." says Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Indian spiritual master, which is an exact explanation for the complex role of corporate communication in modern corporations today. The customer, as the old saying goes, is the king! A king he truly is he believes, that is, till the not-so-charitable mandarins of marketing let him know and make him aware, rather painfully for him, that he is one among the many millions that feel that way, without actually being that way. However, the same mandarins grudgingly acknowledge that a happy customer is a brand's success, while a delighted customer is a brand's ambassador. The customer relationship management...

Operating under a retainer agreement, clients essentially agree in advance to buy/pay for a specific amount of time in professional PR services over the life of a project. Just as importantly, your PR firm reserves-and protects-that time for you and your work. RETAINER STRUCTURES OFFER A NUMBER OF BENEFITS, INCLUDING: - Flexibility in the resources invested on your behalf. For example, at the onset of your PR campaign, your PR team will likely invest extra time in getting to know you, your product, your industry landscape, your competition, etc. At other times, the team will invest less time-ultimately achieving a balance at the end of the project. - Budget control. In other words, clients know...

The most important part of a media campaign or public relations campaign is that you start. The best game plan is going to get you absolutely nowhere if you don't implement it. If you can afford to hire a public relations firm or media consultant, search for a PR firm that understands you and your story(s). An effective media relations campaign comes down to two main steps, discovering your story and being able to effectively tell it in a compelling interesting way - and knowing who to tell your story to. What's vital is getting that initial press coverage and knowing how to grow it from there. For example, we were working with a client who had very little media coverage. We were able to secure an...