{Today’s guest submission comes from frequent FlackRabbit contributor and friend, Joe Flood. When it comes to hiring a public relations or marketing firm, how do you know you’re getting your money’s worth? It’s a question Joe poses and hopes you’ll answer! Do you tally sales, social media mentions, traditional media placement, happy executives? Do metrics differ between “marketing” and “PR” efforts? Share your thoughts in the comments!}

I recently attended a seminar on movie marketing. A pair of experts from Allied Integrated Marketing shared their experiences in promoting independent films such as Milk and Sin Nombre.

They used a variety of interesting tactics to get the word out about these important movies, including partnering with local nonprofits and having “tastemaker screenings” for influential people in the community.

But I had a more fundamental question. How do you measure the results?

After all, if you’re going to hire a public relations firm to promote your product, business or movie, how do you know that the expenditure is worthwhile?

In the case of movie marketing, there’s no direct way to track promotional efforts to ticket sales. You can’t connect PR to asses in seats. At least not in an objective way.

I think that’s part of the reason why the field can be so frustrating to clients. If I bought Google Ads, I could see how they’re performing and adjust my efforts accordingly. I could measure the clicks and the ticket sales. I’d know what ads and markets were working.

But how do you measure schmoozing tastemakers? It’s certainly worthwhile to appeal to the audiences who would be most interested in your film, especially for challenging films that are difficult for the general public to embrace. Read More…

One reason I’m always pushing folks to lunch with strangers, network and participate in relevant professional PR association events is that you really never know when a person you’ve met will call you and offer up your dream job. Unfortunately, when presented with this option, many of you will turn down the opportunity because you are scared that “changing jobs” after a year or two at your current gig will reflect poorly on your work ethic.

Really? You’re saying “no” to a communications gig custom-made for you because of what others may think? Are you sure you’re in the right profession?

Seriously! You are a PR professional. It’s your job to message this career move on paper, in pixels and in person, not just let it lie out there and hope folks see and value it for what it really is. If you’re moving up with each move, you have nothing to hide! And your future employer has the right to know how you roll; she may truly need a “lifer” and clearly, that ain’t you. It ain’t me either. For PR job-hoppers likes us, transparency and consistency of message are critical.

You can do this. I simply cannot rest thinking there are folks turning down career-advancing jobs out of fear/shame when in fact, job hopping may actually make you a better, more productive employee.

Here are three strategies to consider when messaging your (many) gigs and revamping your resume:

1. If you were recruited, say so. My favorite message/resume trick is to brag on the fact that you were recruited into the position. This aptly addresses the inevitable question “Why did you leave?” right off the bat. Plus, it’s human nature to want a person more when you know he/she is wanted by others.
   
2. Paint a picture of the ladder you’re climbing. We’ve been over this before: communicate beyond your title and job description. Really outline the increasingly impressive responsibilities, employees and deliverables you have been assigned with each new gig. The goal is to assure that the first-time reader of your resume can easily interpret this “Changing of the Jobs” as The Steady Rise of Your Career. {Insert trumpet call.}
3. Show confidence in your value and success. It’s important that you and your resume convey 100 percent confidence in your career history and path. If you are going to justify “job hopping,” you’ll not only need to  prove you are movin’ on up each time, you’ll also need to show you leave each employer (and/or client) better than you found it. Stop being so humble. Your resume (and talking points) must communicate that you will bring value to an employer–no matter how long you work in her office. Read More…

{I can always depend on Joe Flood for informative, succinct guest posts. In his most recent FlackRabbit submission, Joe shares some marketing tips for all you creative, self-promoters out there.}

Last year, I published a book. Murder in Ocean Hall is a mystery set in DC about the death of the world’s most famous oceanographer.

Since then, I’ve experimented with social media to get the word out about my first novel. It’s been an interesting experience, one that has taught me a lot about product marketing in this consumer-driven age. Doing it yourself, without a staff or budget, helps you learn marketing tools in a very hands-on fashion.

Here’s what has worked for me:

Facebook – The most important audience for a new book is the author’s friends and family. Facebook is the ideal tool for reaching them. I promoted the book when it came out and at other key points spurring sales. My FB marketing has been simple – I’ve used my status update to tell people about my book.

Kindle – One surprise is that I’ve sold as many Kindle copies as print ones. The Kindle copy of my book is $2.99 (versus $9.99 for print) and people can buy it instantly. Also, Kindle owners seem to read more books than most people. Read More…

{Nashvillian, accredited PR pro and all-around rock star Mary Beth Ikard has received well-earned national props for her thoughtful and relevant management of the Nashville MPO Facebook page. In today’s guest post, she offers businesses, governments and non-profits five tips for managing–and engaging the public through–Facebook.}

I recently received some gratifying feedback from a national partner on the Facebook page I maintain as Flack for the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).  Transparent stakeholder involvement is critical to our success, and social media is proving to be a straightforward way to connect with interested publics, near and far.  A few thoughts on my approach:

1.  Think broad.  Our in-house experts collaborate, and are affiliated with, entities with a national footprint.  Several speak at nationally-organized conferences and Webinars. Say a Floridian learns about our efforts at a conference, and seeks us out on Facebook.  Posting local is key, but I’ll be darned if that Floridian ever felt like Nashville’s page was a bunch of “inside baseball.”  In a global economy, why would we only seek to be relevant to our backyard when we’re Kind of a Big Deal?  It’s the Flack’s job to relate our good work to multiple audiences. I seek out and share content that’s germane to our major policy initiatives – still informing locals, but there’s some universality there as other U.S. metros move in a similar direction.

2.  Don’t bore me.  It’s social media: show some personality! Use conversational, unfussy, even humorous language. Brevity = eyeballs.  If I’m looking at your post from my smart phone, how likely am I to read a four-sentence intro to your link?  If your brief intro is compelling (PR pros should cultivate intuition on what is compelling), I’ll linger on your update in my News Feed, and perhaps click on the supporting link to learn more. Facebook is also NOT the forum to put bureaucracy on display.  If your posts are about upcoming public hearings, with nothing additional that’s quirky, newsy, or useful: “Unlike.” Read More…

On Monday, January 24, 2011, one of my favorite DC Flacks members, Tod Plotkin, is hosting a day-long conference here in Washington, D.C. I’m going and you should, too. What’s Next DC promises a lean, mean, highly-relevant communications conference experience. View speakers and an agenda here.

Here’s the official word from Tod:

“There are no sales commercials masquerading as presentations here, or sleepy Q & A sessions where only 1 of 8 questions apply to your business. What’s Next DC is about brainstorming, case studies, energy, networking, strategy and – best of all – personalized solutions to your company’s most important challenges.

By jamming as much information into the day as possible. We’ll have floating experts in a variety of fields available, so if you hear something you like and want to bounce ideas around right there on the spot, you can! We’ve scheduled group brainstorming/strategy sessions and niche learning sessions where you can discuss your areas of interest and expertise. There will also be an area dedicated solely to networking all day long.”

{Today’s guest post by Pounding the Pavement’s Joy Paley ponders a blog’s role in corporate online reputation management. Give it a read and share your thoughts in the comments!}

If you’re reading Flack Rabbit, you’re probably a PR geek who is well aware that blogs can be an excellent tool for the corporate communications expert. But, let’s face it: although some corporations are beginning to get on board, many are dragging their feet. The fact that corporate blogs can allow a forum for (potentially negative) comments keeps many from implementing interactive media.

However, in a market where online presence is increasingly critical and sustainability issues are gaining traction with consumers and policy makers, corporations are increasingly expected to having an outlet to promote/defend/address their social responsibility to shareholders, customers, and the public at large. Furthermore, new research in the area is proving that, when managed appropriately, corporate blogs can help shape businesses’ images.

How to Harness the Power of a CSR Blog

The Journal of Business Ethics recently published a study, entitled “Corporate Social Responsibility in the Blogosphere” aimed at assessing how much a company could actually control their image of corporate social responsibility (CSR) though blogging. Read More…

It’s always fun to peruse my Google Analytics account and see what search terms bring you to FlackRabbit. Lately, quite a few folks have landed here after Googling variations of “how to be successful in PR.” Well, since you’re asking, I’ll offer up my top four PR pointers:

1. Choose strategy over reaction: don’t ever let someone–no matter how brilliant; no matter how much you fear them–pull you into a communications death spiral. While the news, situation or crisis is churning and burning, you must be the voice of reason. You must be the PR person who keeps a level head and a strategic mind. This takes practice and poise. And people will often look at you like you have no soul, but it’s worth it. And they’ll usually thank you for being such a purposeful control freak when it’s over.

2. Learn to write well, under pressure: frequent FlackRabbit-ers know how I feel about this one. Public Relations is so much more than social media, event planning and “liking people.” Can you turn out a thoughtful, relevant, well-written piece on a moment’s notice? If so, fabulous! If not, start practicing. The good news: writing and grammar are a totally learn-able skills. So grab you a copy of Eats, Shoots & Leaves, sign up for a blog and get to it.

3. Leave each client better than you found it: keep your work transparent and teachable. At the end of the day, your client/boss should be a more effective, confident communicator because he has met you, not rendered speechless by some secret “guru” sauce. Read More…