An Educated View

There’s a million analogies out there. We’ve heard social media and PR compared to everything. So...I’m going to add to that list! This came to me at an odd time, but I thought to myself - PR is a lot like tennis. Before you scoff at this comparison, let me explain a little.

Tennis is a game that requires touch. It’s about positioning yourself and putting yourself in the right spot. Novice tennis players tend to come in and think it’s about hitting the ball hard, and as a result, often hit the ball long. The more you play, the more you realize it’s not about hitting the ball the hardest - it’s about putting top spin on the ball and hitting at angles.

PR is the same. It’s not about jumping right into things. It’s not about having a big budget and going for the home run. Successful PR pros realize that it’s often the little things that find the most success. A lot of folks come into PR and all they want to do is work on the biggest brand and come up with cute and comical campaigns. PR is about doing the small things to make your brand successful. It’s about coming up with unique angles to pitch, it’s about humanizing your product and interacting with your community.

Tennis is a game of thinking one shot ahead. Good tennis players aren’t thinking about the current shot - they’re thinking 2 or 3 shots ahead. They study their opponent, make him or her work, and it’s the third or fourth shot that scores the point.

PR isn’t about what you’re doing right now. PR is about what you’re going to be doing a week from now, a month from now, next year. Strategic planning requires the ability to understand how your current efforts are going to compliment your future efforts. Results aren’t going to be immediate, so be patient and persistent.

It’s not necessarily easier to play doubles. Just because there are two players on one team, it’s not necessarily easier. Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are two of the best tennis players to ever swing the racket, but that doesn’t mean they’d be a great team. A successful doubles team requires communication and the understanding of each others skills.

An effective PR team requires different skill sets. One person may be good at media relations, one may be good at copywriting. If your team is full of people who are only good at one part of PR, you aren’t going to be an effective team. PR also requires the ability to communicate. Like tennis, if both players are scrambling to each shot, eventually you’re going to run into each other. Assign tasks and hold each team member accountable for their assigned duty. No one wants to work with someone who thinks they need to hit every shot. At the same time, not everyone is meant to be part of a team and some work better by themselves. It doesn’t make that person a better or worse PR person. Know and understand what your talents.

Tennis is often an overlooked sport. Let’s be honest, you don’t see a lot of kids wanting to become professional tennis players. You don’t get a pickup game of tennis going with your buddies. You don’t spend a Friday night attending your local high school tennis match. You’re not dropping $300 on tickets to a tennis match - unless it’s a major tournament.

Businesses often overlook the importance of having a talented PR staff. Our budgets are usually the first to get cut - although that trend is starting to reverse itself. How many times have you been the last to find out about something critical to your company? Like tennis, the general public (those who don’t play) have a big misconception about PR. They don’t understand its value until a crises occurs.

Like tennis, PR will never be the glamour profession that young kids dream of studying and practicing. But that’s alright. PR isn’t rocket science, but it’s a profession that’s vital to a company’s success. Tennis may never be a mainstream sport (at least in the United States). Again, that’s alright. Just remember, PR isn’t about hitting the ball the hardest. It’s about starting and maintaining a steady volley with your audience.

Labels: PR

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I got this idea from Peter King's Monday Quarterback. It's a bunch of short blurbs about a number of different topics I've been thinking about this week. Enjoy!

I get it, we all want to come up with the next “big idea” that catapults our brand into the mainstream media. We want to come up with the next Wii campaign (in my opinion, the best PR campaign in recent years). Focusing on the next “big idea” is great and all, but very few “big ideas” generate results that warrant all the time and focus that’s being spent. Instead, spend more time focusing on those “little ideas.” After all, it’s the little things that often separate a good campaign from a great campaign.

Mainstream media isn’t for everyone. Getting national coverage for your client may make you and your client feel great, but it may not get the results you’re ultimately looking for. I spoke with the owner of a local PR firm in Minneapolis who had a client who’s sole mission what to get on Oprah. He told this client that there was absolutely no chance of getting coverage on Oprah. The client refused to except this reality; and as a result, the firm dropped the client. If a client doesn’t think their product is the greatest thing since sliced bread, I question their motive. However, as a PR professional, it’s your job to educate the client on the proper channels and set realistic goals.

Most absurd article/statement I read this week - http://bit.ly/1bvMGE. Listen, I’m not taking anything away from these people. They’re extremely talented and are doing great things. But comparing them to Bill Gates and Michael Dell is absurd. Gates & Dell created an industry. These folks are creating products/services to break into an already established industry. Great to give recognition, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Why isn’t the NHL promoting their stars? I’m not that big of an NHL fan, but I’ll catch game every now and then. Minnesota is the State of Hockey. Going to a Wild game at the Xcel is an absolute blast - fan or no fan. But ratings are down for the NHL. The days of Gretzky and Lemieux are gone. Why isn’t Sidney Crosby a household name yet? My mother knows Tom Brady. She knows Kobe Bryant. She knows Alex Rodriquez. But I guarantee you, she couldn’t name a single NHL player. We had all this hype when Crosby was coming into the league, but the buzz and hoopla has all but vanished.

If you run a non-profit or work for a non-profit and aren’t engaging in social media - or at least in discussions to start - you are missing out. It would take a while for me to think of a non-profit that wouldn’t benefit from social media. Having a strong online presence can make it easier for you to spread your message, recruit volunteers, raise donations and ultimately advance your mission. It’s alright to be hesitant. It’s natural to have concerns. But have an open mind - I promise it’ll work out.

There we have it. Short and sweet. What are some top-of-the-mind stories/thoughts you have going on? Any current events or topics that have gotten you thinking?

Labels: Non-profit, Non-profit PR, Oprah, PR, Wii

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There’s a big push in marketing and communications toward businesses and consumers developing a presence in social media. You’ve all heard of the numerous platforms and I’m confident that a majority of you currently participate on one, or have at least used one in the past year. However, despite all the rage to learn and experiment with SM, I think it’s important to remember to go back and touch up on some PR basics.

Like the popular saying, “Remember where you came from,” I think it’s important for a PR professional to remember the groundwork that pubic relations is built upon. With the emergence of social media, I fear that the basic skills; such as writing and research, will go to the wayside. Being able to craft a clear, concise message is vital to PR. Texting is up, face-to-face interaction is down. 140 character tweets are the “hot thing,” picking up a phone is dying. Heck, even the role of a traditional journalist is changing.

A few keys to remember if you are involved in PR:

• Writing is key. No matter the medium, a clear and concise message is the most important aspect of a successful PR campaign.

• Research. I think this is one of the more overlooked aspects of PR. Often times, people think you can simply jump and get immediate results. My question: how do you know the results you are looking for if you haven’t done any research?

• People skills. Despite the technological advancements, having the ability to develop relationships and carry out face-to-face conversations is still vital to PR. After all, isn’t that what we’re suppose to be experts at doing?

• R-A-C-E. This was the first thing I learned in PR and to this day, remains the absolute first step in any PR activity I do. Research. Action. Communication. Evaluation. Know this, use this.

While I agree that PR needs to continue to evolve and I am fascinated with the new resources communicators have, having a strong foundation is still vital to successful PR.

Labels: PR, Public Relations

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