Bradley H. Smith >

The #1 tip to improve all your shareholder communications news releases

There are two niches I know a lot about: marketing and investor relations. When I can blend them – with a pinch of public relations – I feel rather useful du jour.   

One point that I often speak on is that, for being almost 100% digital, IR has not quite embraced the demand generation best practices us marketers live by.

Below is a VERY easy-to-execute first step to begin mining into your shareholder and potential investor bases.   

Most all “news release tips” are PR focused (rightly so) and based on making your outbound more discoverable. Investor relations’ news releases (earnings call alerts, earnings results, etc) are a different content animal than PR. Simply, financial-based news releases are coveted content. People – aka investors, analysts and financial media – proactively seek out your news. They are knocking on your digital door begging for more information. Looking at this with a marketing lens, it’s a great position to be in.

So, what does IR need to do to take full advantage of this traffic? The red arrow below.

A marketer would simple say “insert this call-to-action after your first or second paragraph in every single news release.”

Receive [COMPANY] updates via email: [link to email alert page]

That’s it. One side-bar call-to-action sentence, right up top in the news release. Don’t worry about “storytelling flow,” tone or cadence. Just paste it in.

Tactical points:

Don’t anchor/embed the link to your email alert page. Cut & paste the full, entire link. This is very important because not all news portals (technically) accept embedded hyperlinks onto their pages.

If your email page has an “ugly” non-vanity URL, ask your PR or marketing department for help with a shortened URL. Bit.ly is an example of this type service.

This small change to all your financial disclosure news releases will assure you that interested stakeholders always get your material news, SEC filings and whatever they select directly from you. Equally important, this will give your investor relations department a database of names that can be cross-checked against other lists including investor conference attendees and targeting databases. This will help you hone discussions with investors.

News release headline Tip #9 - lead with relevance, not arrogance

News release headline Tip #8 - write the headline LAST.

News release headline Tip #7 - keep the jargon appropriate.

News release headline Tip #6 - be direct.

News release headline Tip #5 - dull does not differentiate.

News release headline Tip #4 - they sign your paycheck, but don't but your products.

News release headline Tip #3 - make facts (and data) the lede.

News release headline Tip #2 - help them (journalists and bloggers) help you (ye humble corpcomm person).

This is the second of this micro-learning series.

Rebuilding client confidence in our 24/7 crisis environment

Rebuilding trust is a long, hard chore. When it comes to crisis management, the way companies re-build customer shareholder trust is what differentiates a well-respected, trusted organization from one that is just well-known.

After a crisis, buying risk appetites drop and sensitivities are elevated. Everyday operations will be scrutinized in the upcoming months, if not years, following. And serious corporate mistakes create a lens through which many stakeholders will continue to view the company regardless of the sincerest attempts to “make good.”.

And while each crisis response plan is a little different depending on the company, there are some common milestones.

Here are a few tough questions to expect:

• Here are a few tough questions to expect:
• Who’s at fault? Who’s taking responsibility?
• When will the situation be resolved?
• What are you doing for those affected by the crisis?
• How does this affect me?
• Why/how did this happen?
• What are you doing to fix the problem?
• How can you guarantee this kind of thing won’t happen again?

Other considerations:

• Who are your primary stakeholders?
• How will you reach them?
• What information will they want and need?
• What are your short and long-term goals?
• What are the financial and legal considerations?

Six actions you can do when addressing the above questions:

1. Demonstrate leadership
2. Lead with facts
3. Keep business goals and vision in focus
4. Make amends
5. Be prepared to put practices in place to reaffirm your commitments
6. Communicate progress and roadblocks

The road to reputational recovery is a place where there exists an opportunity to re-evaluate and reinforce your company’s promise.

After all, this is how your customers and other stakeholders identify your company; it’s what sets your brand apart from the competition. It may even be a time to re-examine the ethics behind your company’s business practices.

One timely, and textbook example, stems from the arrest of the two black men in the Philadelphia Starbucks. The two men were arrested after asking to use the restroom - while they waited for the third person in their party. The trio was going to use the Starbucks as “the second office” as many people do.  An employee refused the request as the men had not ordered anything yet. The pair sat down to wait – but were asked to leave. An employee called the police… and a video of the event has been viewed 10 million times in Twitter.

Starbucks is one of the most high-profile and beloved brands in the world and its long-time ex-CEO Howard Schultz was not one to shy away from difficult conversations over thorny issues such as gay marriage, gun control and Congressional gridlock. The company touts its diverse workforce — minorities account for 18 percent of Starbucks executives with the title of senior vice president or higher and 43 percent of employees overall.

New Chief Executive Kevin Johnson has taken control of the situation. The manager of the Philadelphia locations has been removed, Johnson has apologized for the “reprehensible” arrests of the two men in Philadelphia on Thursday and took personal responsibility for the incident.

And in a very tangible move, Starbucks will close 8,000 company-owned U.S. cafes for the afternoon on May 29 so 175,000 employees can undergo racial tolerance training.  It will also provide training materials for non-company workers at the roughly 6,000 licensed Starbucks cafes that will remain open in locations such as grocery stores and airports.

Brand trust is in the eye of the beholder, so it’s up to corporate leadership to convince onlookers that the company’s doing the right thing and putting their concerns first. Ultimately, with ethical business practices governing a company’s operations, it’s possible to regain some of that lost shareholder value, and more importantly, shareholder trust. But it’s in opening and sustaining that two-way dialogue that makes the difference.

To that: Starbucks’ Johnson and the men, who were released without charges, have “engaged in constructive discussions about this issue as well as what is happening in communities across the country.”

PS: remember, I am job hunting! www.iBradley.com

(PR + demand generation) = (revenue + profit growth) It's simple math!

People typically don’t think of PR activity in discussions about demand generation or revenue. If you are looking for ways to build awareness of your brand – but also drive web traffic, fill your sales pipeline and boost revenue – it’s important to be sure you are using public relations to its fullest extent.

Fortunately, PR today has expanded beyond its traditional role of building buzz and raising awareness. In the new, web-driven world of PR, there are new opportunities to attract customers, drive demand for your company’s products or services, and grow your sales and profits – and also to tie your PR efforts to actual revenue and pipeline results.

Why PR is more relevant in 2018

Why does PR need to be more vocal about the role it plays in driving demand, sales and profits?

• Customers and prospects are reading press releases. Journalists are no longer the only ones who receive and read press releases. Wire services post press releases online, where they are often read directly by customers and prospects. In addition, publications, blogs and industry websites often pick up and post press releases verbatim, creating even more channels for potential customers to discover your press release, visit your website or share your release with others. The Internet has exponentially multiplied opportunities to attract website traffic, drive leads and enhance revenue.

• Earned media directly drives revenue. Earned media drives traffic, traffic drives leads, leads drive the pipeline and the pipeline drives revenue. Changes to Google’s search parameters give “implied links” more value. A mention in an article or blog directly affects your company’s search engine optimization (SEO), even if it does not link directly to your company website. With more to do and fewer resources, busy journalists are hungrier than ever for content they can share. Using PR to transform your company into a trusted source of content will result in more earned media — and more revenue. Finally, while publications are employing fewer journalists, each journalist is engaging with more readers more frequently using social media and blog posts. Being tweeted by a journalist with 20,000 Twitter followers could benefit your business more than a mention in a print magazine with a circulation of 20,000.

• Analytics make it simple to measure the direct effect PR has on lead generation, conversion and sales. By implementing trackable URLs and a reputable analytics solution, your marketing team can gauge how many people visited your website, filled out a contact form or downloaded content as a result of PR. Ultimately, you can directly track which PR efforts generate traffic, leads and revenue.

How can you leverage PR to drive demand, revenue and profit growth? Follow these best practices:

• Intelligently mine, develop and share interesting information from your brand. This can include statistically valid data, expert insights and case studies. Establish yourself as a trusted thought leader to the audience you want to sell to.
• Use multimedia, incorporating infographics, photos or videos into your press releases to attract journalists’ and consumers’ attention and make them more likely to be shared.
• During slow news times, find news hooks within existing content and use press releases to promote related blog posts and expert commentary in order to drive discovery of the underlying content, such as white papers, E-books and webinars, and to drive traffic to landing pages that capture leads.
• Don’t underestimate the value of social media. It can drive more measurable results than mentions in print publications.
• Inspire action and increase conversion with direct calls to action within your wire releases and other content. Encourage readers to visit your website, share the content, request more information or otherwise take the next step in the sales funnel.
• Put your money behind your messages. It’s crucial to invest in disseminating the content your company has spent time and money developing. Work with a wire service to develop an appropriate cadence of press releases that keeps your company in the public eye.
• Use analytics to measure results and adjust your PR campaign accordingly. For example, Google Analytics can measure website traffic before and after a PR campaign, track what actions users take on your website as a result of your content and measure how many leads attracted via PR are converting.

As the world of journalism is changing, it is opening up new opportunities for PR to expand its reach and deliver more tangible results. Intelligently mining, developing and distributing content will have a direct impact on demand, lead generation and revenues, transforming PR from a cost center into a revenue center.

 

Keeping cool with the media: 11 “to-do” prep points

Corporate communications, media relations, investor relations or public relations… no matter your exact title (role) it’s YOUR job to train senior management to handle all types of media inquiries.

No matter if it's a crisis of biblical proportions... or just a quarterly earnings call, the key to media interactions is to expect the unexpected. You are unlikely to be able to predict the exact scenario but you can take a look at your organization, anticipate its vulnerabilities and forecast potential storms on the horizon.

Plan well and execute that plan effectively and your organization’s reputation and share price may emerge from the storm unscathed.

1. Create your own list of tough questions: You should have a strong sense on who your audience is. Prepare a list of questions you anticipate them asking. Be honest and don’t assume they won’t ask. Be ready for anything, so you never have to say “no comment.”
2. Anticipate audience reactions: What if some of the questions you’re being asked garner unexpected responses or follow-up questions? Answer the questions on your list from all angles, just in case someone reacts adversely to something you say. Know how to rephrase your responses and be sure to stay on message.
3. List information not for release: In some sensitive situations, just as important as the key messages are details that are off limits. For example, if the circumstances surrounding the conference are grave, personal information of those involved should not be released. Know what’s off limits before you step up to the microphone.
4. Make a press kit: You may keep things on track during the conference by having supplementary information readily available to attendees. Factsheets, photos, contacts lists, agenda, maps, company and product information – have these items available in a press kit. This will help journalists covering the story to keep facts straight (timelines, technology specifics) and stay consistent in messaging. It may also cut down on questions and make sure your event runs on time.
5. Listen: Now it’s time for the Q&A. This is like the interview portion, so remember to listen to the question. Even though you’ve anticipated a lot of these questions, it’s important to make sure you understand exactly what’s being asked. This will allow you to better answer the question the first time, without having to repeat yourself. Seek first to understand.
6. Take a breath: You’ll be answering many questions. It’s perfectly acceptable to take a pause before answering. Make sure you heard the whole question; make clarifications; think about your answer; and respond. If the question has multiple parts, break it up by repeating the part of the question you’re answering. Just take it one step at a time. Pauses are never as long as they seem. So take your time.
7. Answer the question: Don’t waste time beating around the bush. Listen to the question. Understand what it is that’s being asked. And answer that question. Keep it as clear and simple as possible. Brevity is sometimes the best way. You’re leading the session, so set the standard for clarity right off the bat.
8. Lead with the facts. You won’t be able to divulge everything at a press conference. Be honest about what you know and what you’re working to find out more about. “No comment” is not an acceptable response. But admitting you don’t have all the information yet is more “transparent” than giving journalists the freeze-out.
9. Stay on message: It may happen that an attendee at a conference for one event is there to try to inquire into other aspects of your business. Be prepared to get back to journalists with answers to unrelated questions at another time. “Today our focus is _________, but I’d be happy to get in touch with you afterward to answer your questions about __________.” And, sometimes the best way to answer a question is to reiterate a key message.
10. Stop talking: They asked. You answered. That’s all you have to do, so stop talking. Make your point and move on. There’s no need to ramble on or jump around to different topics. If someone repeats the question, answer with your key messages and take the next one.
11. Learn and adjust: Every press conference is a learning experience. Use it to make improvements where you can, in everything from how the event was run to the invitees list and from the venue to the spokesperson chosen. Learn from successes and mistakes to move forward. 

Beyond senior management, It is also important to carefully consider who else in the organization could be exposed to the media. Investing in some media awareness training for these co-workers is wise. Give them a basic understanding of what to expect from the media and know how to escalate any interest from journalists. This level of training does not need to be face-to-face and can be easily delivered through a webinar or through a speaker at a work conference.

Remember… I am job hunting AND consulting. 

The Great 8 to Create News Releases

The news release is no longer just the province of journalists, but also consumers and “influencers” who are looking for trusted sources of data to inform their purchase decisions.

These tips will help you reach the various audiences who are important to your brand, from reporter, to bloggers to the end buyer.

1. Lead with your story, not your brand. News releases are all about the start of the storytelling process for the brand. Create interest with the story, and the brand will follow.
2. Headlines must be short.  Most all news is pushed in social. Keep below 120 characters with the most import content leading in the first 65 characters with spaces.
3. Begin with the why - Why is this content important for an audience? Why is this story pertinent? Leading with the why encourage brands to first guide the reader into the story. 
4. Use subheadings. Subheads add additional background and context to the headline. They also allow the headline to be short.
5. Use multimedia such as photos, videos, and graphics. Multimedia content increases both visibility and engagement with the content. A graphic can also tell it's own story, i.e. a pie chart.  
6. Keep to just 2 hyperlinks per news release. Objectively, a restrained backlink strategy helps with SEO as Google measures link relevancy.  Subjectively, think like your audience... does this link's resource add depth to the story?  
7. Don’t write large blocks of text. A news release should read like a crisp email. Use bold, bullet points, and other tools to make the content easy to read and skim-able.
8. Always have a call to action. Period. Place it "above the fold" - no lower than the third paragraph.

News release headline Tip #1 - ya gotta grab their attention, PERIOD.

This is the first of this micro-learning series. 

10 Steps for Crisis Communications