Image Source | Flickr

Times are changing. This change is affecting the way we communicate. Moreover, by communicate, I mean the way we tell the story.

Back in college, when learning about press releases: what they are and how to write, my lecturer would always insist on the story. He would argue that, before you deem it fit to write a release, vet if the story is actually worth telling. How right he was. A lot happens in corporations’ world over. The same theatrics we witness in governments are the same in corporations. Only that the president is the CEO or managing director. Amidst all these, we have a story to tell.

The question becomes how will I tell this story. Well, by writing! In communication, writing matters. It still does, even as we are deep in an era that glorifies citizen journalism. 

Sean Carney says, ‘Writing is as essential as air. We as PR professionals come from varied backgrounds, and while some nerds have a degree in public relations, I would argue the majority of us were history majors, English majors, journalism majors, and political science majors – thousands of abandoned law school applications left in our wake. However, all of us (hopefully) got into this gig because we had a passion for current events, news, and above all, communicating. We’re probably personable, we’re probably outspoken, we probably drink too much, – this is PR.’

Unfortunately, most communication professionals have a hard time telling the story, through writing. They would prefer an alternative. However, which one? Learning how to tell a story be it in that release, pitch or the annual plan, here are some tips to help you tell the story effectively. Remembering that we are professionals, entrusted with the brand of our client. Moreover, as in medicine, the guiding principle of PR is, “First, do no harm.” Here goes.

Break Down the Story

In reference to what my lecturer taught me ages ago, what is at the core of the would be story. Do you have anything new to tell the corporation’s audience? Is it something the stakeholders and shareholders will find genuinely worthy? If you do not have anything new to tell your audience, is there a related narrative, you can tie your story to. Sean Carney says, ‘if you don’t have a story, find one, and make it your own.’

Level the Announcement

Do you remember the inverted pyramid style, when writing a story? The essence was to have all the important facts come early in your writing. Just in case the publisher lacks space and decides to chunk out the last paragraphs. It applies in this scenario too. Order your story well.

Start with ‘The big news in a simple, direct fashion’

Add ‘More details’Give us a ‘Quote’Provide some ‘More Context’

Why Should I Care?

Says Who?

Why Should I Listen to Him?

What is He Got to Say?

What Do You Want Me to Do About It? 

Remember do not bury the lede.

Act like A Teen-Ager

Have you ever tried addressing a bunch of teenagers? Instead of paying attention to the message, they tend to focus on the medium (you). Your dressing, voice, phone, facial appearance (ugly, handsome, or beautiful). They are trying to see if you are worth listening to. Whether you match the message you are preaching. They are a lot like reporters – they do not trust you, they do not have time, and they think you are lame.

When thinking about your story, Sean Carney advises that we ask ourselves the same questions an uppity teenager would, and in the same order:

What is Going On?

Why Should I Care?

Says Who?

Why Should I Listen to Him?

What is He Got to Say?

What Do You Want Me to Do About It? 

Happy writing!

We live in an age when you must have a digital footprint to compete favourably. The advent of technology has bolstered the way we communicate. 

As communication practitioners, we keep exploring avenues for which to pass our messages to our target audiences. They include: employees, management, other businesses, or clients. For us to perform effectively, we need a well-established communication channel that will facilitate our communication endeavours.

Image Credit | OneFire Media

On that note: websites are part of the channels we use for communication. In all corporations, websites are the core channels or need to be (if not already) used for communication. Well, apart from emails. Corporate websites tell the world who you are and most importantly, what you do. However, not all these websites meet this goal.

Most people looking for a product and or service start by firing up their browsers and googling. Depending on what the search engine spits out, they then pick it up from there. The only factor that will drive this potential client from a website visitor to a walk-in is how your website will make them feel, at that very moment.

That cumulative feeling, as a result of how your corporate colours are mixed to match, logo placement, navigability all these ladies and gentlemen is what we call branding. For a moment, loosen your academic understanding of the term branding. A term people often associate with logos, colours, taglines etc. And substitute it with a feeling.

Branding is the mood; the feeling, the impression that is left on anyone who comes to your website. As they say, first impressions count. If the first impression is one of a lack of professionalism, potential clients will flee. However, if the impression is friendly and professional then you have a client for life.

If you fall on the side of the fence that has not been paying close attention to branding your corporate website-here are basics that you need to know. Allison Wright- branding strategist, website designer, and owner of Dapper Fox shares five basic website branding best practices, which I highlight.

Identify and master the purpose of the corporation and thus your website: What is it that you do? What is your mission? Due to time and distance constraints, the website is the pathway to the corporate soul. If the website can succinctly tell the whole world what your company does from the onset is a great way to accommodate your would-be client.

For example, simply saying, “My website is about health and fitness” will not cut it. With so many subcategories under health and fitness, you need to figure out exactly whom you are targeting. Is it the vegan crowd? Body builders? Paleo fanatics? Your goal is to get people to associate that category with you. {Sic}

If it is a real estate company, are you in buying, selling, rentals, property management and in what area are you specialized in. Make it clear for your target audience.

Taglines: What is your most memorable tagline? If you are in Kenya, Safaricom’s The better option is by far the best that we have. Here's a little vignette of how the tagline was birthed.

Michael Joseph the then CEO, while Safaricom was still in its early stages called upon his members to come up with a tagline. However, every time they would convene to assess progress, he would send them back by simply saying ‘that is not the better option.’ This went on and on and it seemed like an exercise in futility. One day, as they were about to toss around ideas, before he could utter his magic word, one creative paused and said that he had the tagline all along. He suggested they use ‘the better option’ as their tagline. Interesting, right.

This tagline is short and to the point, allowing my potential readers to understand the mission of Dapper Fox Design. Your tagline is not something that you should be changing up from time to time. Choose a solid tagline that accurately represents your mission, and stick to it. Your tagline becomes part of your brand, so maintaining consistency will reinforce this brand to your audience. {Sic}

Create an about page that speaks to your audience: Let us do an exercise. Go to your website and load your about page. Got it. (Waiting). Read it and get the feeling. Is it speaking to you? The about page is supposed to shake the hands and introduce your client to your corporation. As we know in business and the networking world, a firm-handshake is always a winner. So, does your page give a firm and steady handshake: or it is weak and ‘dead’?

Having a well-written 'About' page and bio will give readers an opportunity to feel as if they know you, giving insight into your background, credibility and personality. Since you cannot personally explain your objectives, goals and offerings to each individual that visits your website, make sure your branding does it for you. {Sic}

In his TED talk, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, says, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room.” Give them something great to talk about.

Create harmony in your visuals: In this section, consider these all your visuals. Your favicons, images and fonts. A favicon is that little icon at the top of your browser next to the title of the web page. Using a custom favicon allows viewers to see a bit of your brand even when they are in a different browser tab. It is seen alongside your title and URL, as well as when readers bookmark your site.

About fonts: Maintain a consistent brand feeling throughout your website by using no more than two or three fonts. Specify which fonts will be used for headers, paragraphs, and accents and stick with it. Colour choices should be decided upon before you begin the website design so that the mood and consistency of your site is maintained throughout new pages and blog posts.

Have the design match your content: This is more like dressing. What are you wearing to the party? If you are invited to a ball, bow ties are the thing. If you decide to be in a fire-fighters suit, nobody will judge you only that you will be in the right costume but in the wrong party. The same applies to branding a corporate website.

The colours, font choices, and overall look and feeling of your design needs to match the content you are offering. {Sic} For instance, if you are a real estate corporation, choose a property like theme.

Identify who your target market will be. What will appeal to them? Younger crowds tend to appreciate bolder, brighter visuals, while older populations and professional fields lean toward a calmer, muted palette. Merge this insight about your ideal audience with elements from your own personality to create an effective brand identity. {Sic}

Using this as a checklist, on a scale of 1-10, how do you fair? Let me know.

Rebranding | Flickr

In 2013, when I took over the students association as chairperson, I had a big challenge in front of me. Students were complaining of the segregation by the then umbrella body-Communication and Public Relations Student’s Association (COPRESA). Upon taking reigns, I was determined to (re)brand the association so it would be inclusive of both public relations, journalist and graphics students (all of us in the department).

Months later, Communication Students Association of Moi University (COSAMU) was born. I worked with my entire team, and scheduled its launch during our annual communication conference. It was a success. Almost 3 years later, I am reading an article published by VIM Group and there are things that I wish I knew then. Perhaps it could have been an even huge success.

That is why, for those participating in (re)branding efforts;here are 10 guidelines for you in implementing that (re)brand successfully. At least you will better off than I was 3 years ago and still a student. Right?

Although, as I let you in on the secrets from the masters in the game, we must start with appreciating that (re)branding is not easy. Do not mistake this with getting a new name, and or logo. It involves creating and launching a brand to compete with other brands. Masters have agreed that this is one of those tasks that can make or break a company. For my case, despite relying on my intuition and teamwork, we could have made a stronger association or crumbled it altogether. I believe we made it better.

To avoid the latter, here are the tips:

1.Know how you will track your costs: (re)branding takes money. And a lot of it. If you do not have measures in place to monitor and track spending (costs), you might end up disappointing your stakeholders for misuse of company resources in an exercise that would have otherwise been the company’s competitive edge. Before you engage in the (re)branding exercise conduct an analysis to determine the impact it will have on the company-financially.

2.Fine-tune your project planning skills: (re)branding, is a project. Failure to understand the fundamentals of project planning create room for costly errors. Project planning will give you and the team involved the insights to know when and how to concentrate efforts and set targets to align with the efforts. Realistic targets, backed by practical and technical knowledge, need to be set in order to push the brand implementation through. {Sic}

3.Gather as much information as possible for an effective implementation plan: when handling huge projects, information is indeed priceless. You need as much of it as possible to help in building a solid implementation program that will see the brand come to life. Once tied with the project planning & management phase, it can help protect your investment and provide an ongoing point of reference for existing and future stakeholders. 

4.Design stage: do you know why when we mention (re)branding people jump to this stage? Because it is the most fun. People enjoy seeing designers come up with great designs to represent their business. However, little do they know that in the complete (re)branding exercise, this stage is least expensive but most glamorous.

In our experience, the ratio between the expenditures for branding consultants and design compared to the cost for implementation could be 1:20, depending on the size and complexity of the organization. Momentum is easily lost when the sheer scale of work required becomes apparent; therefore, it is vital that senior management remain involved right up until the last sign is installed. Otherwise, the program will lose focus. {Sic}

5.Protect the integrity of the design: As much as you are (re)branding it needs to be noted that constancy is key. You need to protect the integrity of your designs by implementing consistent images and manageable images. Do not veer off into the world of impractical designs. Making it harder and more expensive to implement. It is advisable for the design stage to be guided by practical advice. Remember to present a thorough design brief to your designer (in house/consultant). It should include aesthetic, communicative, technical, and legal requirements. 

6.Translate the basic designs: in design, we are always advised to find means to present whatever we are working on (mock ups). If it is a logo, try it out on a ‘pretend’ website, letterhead, t-shirts, business card, signage, billboards, and whatever else that you are comfortable with. The purpose for this is to see how it will look once implemented. Sometimes, what we have on paper may not resonate with what we had in mind if it was on a billboard. Do not be in a hurry. Test it.

7.Implementation management program: At this point, we are confident that we have what we want and we like it. Depending on how big the company is, whether international, regional, or countrywide it is time to have key stakeholders come on board to aid in implementing the (re)brand. Creating harmony between your suppliers and your company will create consistency and help in curbing costs. If need be get an implementation agency to collaborate with if you are a global brand. Otherwise, stick to suppliers within your zones.

8.Sell your (re)branding program to local managers: Local teams must understand the reason behind the (re)branding and how a consistent image will benefit them directly. Acceptance of brand standards is not automatic. Most people see their department's or unit's circumstances as an exception – do not give them any excuses; instead give the support required to get the job done. {Sic} It would however be wise to obtain the support of local managers during the conceptualization process. This will not only make them feel valuable, it may open a window for them to share ideas that may prove worthwhile. Two heads are better than one especially in such big projects.

9.Internal Communication: Nothing is done without communication. Such a huge project with a lot at stake, great emphasis needs to be laid on internal communication. Start by communicating the project goals/objectives in each stage and continuous updates as to the strides made. Accord each department head the respect they deserve and find out the best method of communication each prefers. It could be email, telephone, face-to-face. Find it and use it effectively. By involving all the departments in the company, will create a sense of teamwork, which is what is needed for the success of the rebranding program. Their total support.

10.External communications:  Once the implementation is underway, you need to relay this message to relevant stakeholders like customers, media, and shareholders. A brand implementation is an excellent opportunity to tell the brand story, including the brand positioning and the brand values. {Sic}

I am convinced that with these tips your (re)branding efforts will be stellar. Happy (re)branding.

By George Odenyo Litunya-Corporate Communications and Marketing Consultant

Customer service |Phil Dowsing Creative

In communication, messages are king. For content marketing, content is still king. However, in business, the customer is king. As Kenneth B. Elliott said, ‘A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. … We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.’ Therefore, it is important for every business to improve on customer service delivery. 

In today’s customer service delivery landscape, customers can make purchases without stepping foot in your premises. A company can serve its customers without ever seeing them. This has waylaid the use of technical skills and amplified the need for soft skills.

It's no secret, new media is changing how we practice communication. Have you ever, seen a great post on facebook about a product and thought to inquire? Unfortunately, it took forever to get a reply. Yes, it happens. 

In this age of new media, companies want facebook page likes to the millions. Twitter followers to the millions and not forgetting blog subscribers. What fails to register in the minds of these companies is that these are potential customers. Who need as much attention as the actual walk-in customers. Thus the dire need for soft skills.

I recall when customer service was about smiling to the client and being courteous. Running literally after your client. Fixing them coffee, and similar acts of kindness. Even when the client in question was not interested in doing business with you. It was an obligation to be courteous. How do we show this in today’s customer service landscape? Facebook, twitter, Instagram and blogs case in point. How do you make coffee for someone who cannot take it? But through soft skills, you can make them feel valued. With the promise of repeat business. Which is the ultimate goal in customer service. 

Soft skills are running the show now. As shared by Mary Shulzhenko, here are 20 soft skills everyone in customer service should master.

Active listening

Attentiveness

Clear Communication

Persuasive Speaking

Ability to use positive language

Confidence

Good body language

Understanding human psychology

Patience and self-control

Ability to empathize

Time management

Flexibility

Creativity

Accountability

Leadership skills

Positive attitude

Self motivation

Decision making

Teamwork skills

Sense of humour

Work on these and let me know how it goes. Happy customer, happy business.

Source|http://www.providesupport.com/blog/top-20-customer-service-soft-skills-infographic/

Communications takes care of both the internal and external spheres of an organization. However, most companies focus on external communication, neglecting internal communications.

This Internal Communications Measurement Survey Report,  shades light on what has been happening in this neglected section of the communication practice!

Internal Communication Measurement Survey

Click on the highlighted link and download it for free! It is filled with timely insights and key findings:

• Internal communications takes a backseat to external
• Most measure less than half of their programs
• Dissatisfaction with measurement is high
• Lack of tools is the biggest roadblock to measurement
• Key weakness in tools is measuring outputs instead of outcomes
• Engaging employees is top priority-but less so for execs
• Email and intranet are most important channels
• Websites and intranets are most measured

Have a fun read!

By George Odenyo Litunya-Corporate Communication & Digital Marketing Consultant

The information age came with good tidings. However, it brought along a dark cloud called information saturation. There is nothing new in that sphere. This information saturation is an issue we need to take note of with all due gravity. Since, we are in the business whose currency is information-spoken and/or written after all.

This has made our work as communications professionals, difficult. Don’t you agree? Getting our press releases ‘heard’ is a challenge we need to continuously ponder over, and find ways to reach our audience. Press releases continue to be the most formidable tool in our toolbox. 

Image Credit | Mark Greenwood

On 22^nd February 2015, Charity Maina was raped and killed in Moi University. In a bid to quell, the heated outburst of the community-students-the Vice Chancellor Prof. Richard Mibey issued a press release in the dailies the following day. Now, according to critics, apparently it had many grammatical errors. A clear indication that someone in the administration was in a hurry to correct a great wrong. I heard of it in the social media. Whether it achieved its intended purpose or not, is an issue at large, for us to vet. The question becomes; what could they have done to gain traction?

In order to get our press release ‘heard’ we need to use all media available. The internet being the most important. Statistics indicate that 26.5% of the African Population use the internet. Consider this percentage and the inadequate infrastructures that we have. Factoring in that we are on the path to actual development this number will soar. This is an indication for us (communication professionals) to prepare ourselves to capitalize on this space.

With that in mind, here are 5 tips to make your press release standout online, working on the belief that it will be your first channel to turn to, right? If yes, read on.

Write Clear Headlines

It never gets old. In all writing, headlines are your ticket to a reader’s time. If it stands out, then you have increased your chances of getting your reader’s attention. If not then we have to work on this. On that note, your heading needs to be 22 characters or less.

The Length

A press release is a document that tells a synopsis of your company and or news worthy information in the company. Answering the question of who, what, when, why, where & how of a topic. This 5W’s and 1H make the body of the release as airtight as possible. Keeping the release two pages or less or 600 words or less is a key ingredient. According to Elizabeth Hillmann of Discovery Education says, ‘The length of the press release should be under 600 words or no more than two pages to make it the most effective, and will aid in optimization.’ Solid advice.

Keywords

What are these? According to Corry Janssen, Technopedia, He says, ‘A keyword, in the context of search engine optimization (SEO), is a particular word or phrase that describes the contents of a web page. Keywords are intended to act as shortcuts that sum up an entire page.’ With that in mind, Elizabeth advices that we need to use at least we use two or three keywords throughout your headline, subhead and first paragraph to ensure consistency of messaging and increased chances of search results.

Rich Media

The saying that a picture is worth more than a 1000 words never gets old. However, if we could go back, something worth adding is a great picture is worth so much more than a 1000 words. In writing that press release, using high quality media-pictures, infographics, and video can help your releases rise to the top in search.

Logo

In concluding our strategy of conquering the online space, always make it a habit of incorporating your company logo in all your releases. This makes it easier to find your release if someone searches for your company or brand name; the images will come up. 

Knowing how to make our press releases ‘heard’ is our daily objective. Leveraging the online space is a step towards making this objective a possibility. Try it out and let me hear from you.

According to a Startup Genome Report, a project co-authored by Berkeley & Stanford faculty members with Steve Blank and 10 startup accelerators as contributors: indicate that within 3 years, 92% of startups failed. The report analysed 3,200 high growth web/mobile startups.

Courtesy | Wolf Read

The report further highlights in depth what results to the failures. However, for the purposes of this article, let us ask ourselves what we can do as communication professionals, to salvage the next startup from failing.

As the CEO/Director, how versed are you when it comes to communications? You might argue that during the first stages, communications initiatives are not important. Let us suppose you are mistaken. As events unfold, you realize that what was missing in your survival kit was a communications strategy. What next?

In an effort to save your startup, it is not only wise to have a communications strategy, but implement it as well. Here are some tips you need to know when that time comes; it will surely do so.

Timing

First, it is wrong to roll out all your guns at the beginning. The Genome report attributes 74% of the failures to premature scaling.

Premature scaling means spending money on marketing, hiring etc. either before you find a working business model (you acquire users for less than the revenue they bring) or in general spending too fast while failing to secure further financing. {Sic}

Knowing when to use your communication strategy as well as balancing not to fall in the trap of premature scaling is a landmine. Tread carefully. My advice would be once you are confident with the product and or service, but realize that along the way, something is not clicking and failure is imminent; then roll out the communication strategy.

It should not be too early nor too late.

What are your communications objectives?

In all that we do we would like to make progress. Unless we set some form of measurement mechanism, chances of ever knowing if we are progressing or not are slim. This is true in life and work.

Consequently, defining the communications objective beforehand will keep you focussed as well as indicate whether you are making progress or not. Are you looking to release an annual report to investors to persuade them to open their wallets for your next phase? Alternatively, you might be opening a new branch and you want your customers to know of its location in good time? What is your objective?

Write it down if you must. Memorize it if you must. However, never forget it.

Be real

We live in a world, where we are encouraged to be unreal. In the broader scheme of things it works. In this instance however, shelve that just a bit.

Do not fall victim of wishing once the strategy is implemented you would be called for interviews, and or get the front pages of the business daily. Well, if it happens then what more can you ask for? That team deserves a medal and stocks in the company.

However, you should consider alternative channels for which you can get your message to the clients. Social media is here with us and suffice it to say it is revolutionizing the corporate terrain.

The ultimate goal is to get your story out there and most conveniently to the customers. Your expectations must be realistic knowing that competition never sleeps.

Have room for collaboration

Collaboration is key, particularly in the beginning when you should provide your PR team with as many details as possible. Then, trust them to give you an honest assessment on the best ways to achieve your PR objectives. A press release blast will be appropriate on some occasions, while individual media outreach will make more sense for others. {Sic}

This will likely occur when you have an in-house communications team and went ahead to hire outside professionals. The two teams must be in a position to work together for the benefit of the company.

Collaboration does not touch on the teams alone, but also the media used in pushing the communications objective forward. Working with diversified media outlets can prove rewarding. Local media may be a good place to start as a litmus paper to gauge the perception of the target audience before opting for national exposure.

Evidently, combining both online and social media outlets may yield stronger results than just concentrating on one medium alone.

What is your story?

To quote Seth Godin, “Consumers believe stories. Without this belief there is no marketing.”

Storytelling is the method by which people tell each other who they are, where they come from, what they believe in and how they’re different from one another. A story on the other hand is the medium through which a company expresses it message to the consumers/intended audience.

It begins and end with a story. Fortunately, companies too have them. Bearing in mind that there are millions of journalist out there whose attention is tasked by millions of pitches they get.

It is imperative that your story resonates with the journalist, editors, and the entire media outlet.

Work your angle and make it compelling enough to capture the attention of the ever-busy journalist. Moreover, one last thing, be truthful. Avoid all the hype and lies, they will give you trouble remembering.

Plan ahead

Benjamin Franklin said, ‘By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.’ How right he was. Assuming that you will use the last three weeks to execute the communication campaign and get the results intended is a joke.

Whatever the objective, you need to plan, and consider how and to whom you plan to share your news. Bearing in mind that journalists are overwhelmed with pitches daily, and they are always on a deadline. Give your communications team ample time to work their media contacts, and then give journalists enough time to react.

It is all about the message

Finally, when it comes to the message let it be the intended message. No matter what distractions may come your way, the message you intend to tell, tell it. Be it in social media, broadcast, or any other media outlet tell ‘em. Tell ‘em again. Tell ‘em what you just told ‘em.

A version of this article appeared on Built in Chicago.