Public Relations Tools | Demographics & Enthographics

Demographics: n. Or, demographic data, are the characteristics of a population as used in government, marketing or opinion research, or the demographic profiles used in such research. Commonly used demographics include sex, race, age, income, disabilities, educational attainment, home ownership, employment status, and even location. (Source)

Demographics are something used in many areas of business, from sales and marketing to public relations and advertising. While demographics are constantly changing, they can give you a good idea of what an area looks like, the changing trends (such as the average age of an area), and other statistics such as overall education of an area. Things like changing trends can be particularly useful in that they show the changes an area is undergoing; if the average age of an area is increasing or decreasing, you can have a better idea of which regions would be best to target when it comes to your new car, for example.

Additionally, there are also ethnographics. This information can also tell you about the groups of people in an area, but it focuses on the behaviors, cultural activities, and beliefs of a group, the overall nature. This can be more relevant to the PR and marketing team since creating respective plans really relies on the understanding of the behaviors of a demographic group rather than simply their education level or income earned. While I agree that having a particular amount of income and having received a specific level of education can greatly affect the way a group acts, there is more to it than simply race or gender.

Some find demographics to be somewhat limiting; they assume everyone in a group is the same, and they possibly help to perpetuate stereotypes. For example, assuming everyone who watches the Superbowl is the same can really limit the audiences you reach. Many of the commercials spoke to the mass audience that was watching the game and ignored the other smaller groups. While that may be the best way to utilize the million dollar commercial spot, in the long-run it can only hurt your reach. With the Internet, those small niches can now be reached in addition to the larger audiences. But, that's for another post.

The important thing to remember is that demographics were used in traditional advertising and marketing campaigns and it seemed to work well, or at least well enough. With the Internet making it easier and easier to categorize and group people by the way they act, instead of simply the area in which they live, it's time to consider really utilizing the tools available. Looking at a demographic group online, there are bound to be many differences, making it difficult to target them. To look at an ethnographic group online who spend their time in the same places, you can better see what methods would work to reach them.

PR and the Social Web wrote a post on this recently that help to corroborate my point:

In social networks we can build an accurate ethnographically detailed picture of our target audience based on what they do and what interests and excites them. Whatever part of the social spectrum they might come from the fact is that they have shown an interest in a relevant area. That’s an insight more powerful than any generalisation [sic] based on class, sex, race or place.

What are some benefits of demographics that still makes it critical to pay attention to them? What is your take on ethnographics?

Public Relations Tools | The Interview

Public relations professionals often have to prepare themselves, someone in the company, or their clients for an interview. That means that you must help them to be comfortable with the material that will be covered, ready to answer any questions, and acting in a professional manner.

As the PR pro, your role is to ensure that they have the correct information to share, know what to expect, and are presentable and respectable.

Here are some things to consider when prepping yourself or your client for an interview:

- Practice. This makes a world of difference. Prepare the interviewee with possible questions and do mock-interviews. This can calm the nerves and help to foster a comfortable appearance.

- Do your homework. This can help you to be better informed about the person who will be interviewing the speaker, what they cover, and what they look for. This can also help you to better perform and to be able to give the interviewer what they were hoping to gain from the interview. Don't assume that you will know everything you need to know and don't assume that the interviewer will be your friend. Know too that they are not out to get you.

- Be personable. Use first names, smile, and talk to the interviewer. (That is why you came to the interview, after all.) Be sure to speak to the interviewer instead of to the camera, and be responsive to questions you may not have expected.

- Be honest. Truthfully answer questions, but know what is information that can be shared and which information is meant to be kept within the company. Avoid saying "no comment". While some PR pros will encourage you to say this if you need to, avoid saying so; this can raise some concerns and make you look bad. Try saying something about the topic, sharing only what you are able to share. Moreover, avoid gossip or something you don't know much about; speculating what you don't know can get you in trouble, and gossip never helped anyone's image.

- Be humble. When necessary, you need to be able to admit to mistakes. You should also know that while this is the interviewer's job, they are taking the time to talk to you, just like you are taking the time to be there. Respect their time and be sure to thank them for it.

- Be aware. Pay attention to their body language and be aware of your own. Also, be aware of your appearance; try to avoid distracting patterns and accessories and excessive make-up. Also be aware of how long you talk; pay attention to cues from the crew and the interviewer so you keep the interview the length they need it to be.

Just remember that this interview is a reflection of you as the PR professional and of the company the interviewee represents, so prep and polish them to shine on camera or the radio.

Have any tips to share from your own interview experiences? Click on this post's title and leave a comment!

PR Writing Tips | Speech Writing & Choosing Your Spokesperson

As a PR professional your goal is to help your client or company to eloquently convey the correct information to the public. Public relations requires excellent communication skills, which you cannot completely control in regards to the company executives, but you can help to choose the best spokesperson to share information. You can also help them by creating an excellent template and script to follow.

As the public relations specialist, manager, or team, it is up to you to coordinate press conferences, interviews, and appearances. Ways you can help to make them easier and less stressful is to create a speech or script for your spokesperson. The spokesperson can be the CEO, COO, someone from IT, or even someone from the PR team. The important thing to remember is to ensure that the spokesperson knows the topic they are talking about and that they have enough people skills to make them personable, responsive, and calm.

When choosing a spokesperson, consider the following:

From Strategic Public Relations, here are some questions to ask:

• Are they great communicators?
• Are they passionate and enthusiastic about your organization's work?
• Are they likable?
• Do they have good listening skills?
• Are they insightful enough to understand what's beyond the question?
• Are they patient and willing to educate?
• Do they value the media and the role it plays?
• Are they comfortable and prepared?

(pg. 100-101)

Your spokesperson should understand the company message and be able to convey that to stay on that message. They should believe in what they are talking about; it is easier to share that information if they are fully behind the message and idea they share. Believing in something can also help to ensure that they are passionate about it. Moreover, finding someone who can communicate, has interpersonal skills, respects the media and their time (and understands why the media is important), and feels prepared.

A great way to ensure they are prepared is to help them become prepared. That includes helping them to feel comfortable talking openly and being honest. Being open and honest makes it easier to feel and come across as being comfortable; being the opposite is often times visible to reporters and the public. Practice their speeches with them, give them possible interview questions, and let the reporter know some topics that you would like to be covered in the interview. You can even ask for the reporter or journalist to offer questions they plan to ask.

Some key points to remember when composing a speech:

• Be truthful. Honesty is vital. While you may not be giving the speech personally, you are responsible for the reputation of the client or company. You
• Do your homework. Talk with the spokesperson you have in mind and practice the interview so that they can be prepared. This can help you to write the speech based on their own responses and can also help them to feel more connected to the speech; reading something someone else wrote for you may be a little difficult.
  
• Do some research. Learn about the event they will be speaking at, the topics they will cover, and the reason they are there. This can help you direct the speech in the right direction.
• Speeches are tools. They can be used to inform, advocate, or perpetuate an idea, company, product, or service. You can use the speech as a way to correct information, to announce a new venture, or to help advocate a great cause. These can help generate PR and WOM (word of mouth).
• Choose an interesting topic. Get input from the speaker. Choose a topic that is interesting to them so that they can be better involved in the speech, making it a better speech to hear for the audience.
  
• Make it personal. The speaker should be speaking in first person as if telling a story about themselves, their involvement in the company, and why they are giving the speech. This makes it easier for the audience to relate to the speaker and makes it, well, more personable.
  

Lastly, remember to make the speech conversational. In most cases the speech should be like a conversation between colleagues or peers. Keep it light and short; less is more when it comes to a speech. Attention spans can be rather short, and hearing a short, quality speech can be much more memorable than a lengthy, fluffed speech. Remember too that as the PR professional, giving a speech or 2 (or 20) in your career is normal. It is your responsibility to address the public at times, and even partake in an interview.

What are some tips you have for writing and giving speeches?

Public Relations Writing: What is a Letter to the Editor?

Writing is a large part of the public relations professional's job. (OK, almost all of the PR pro's job involves writing.) That means that you must be an exceptional writer, proofreader, and conveyor of information. Though a lot of what is said about you online and offline depends on what you write, customers and readers of publications will ultimately read the work of another individual, such as a journalist, reporter, or blogger. With that, your responsibilities as the PR person expand to include the monitoring of that information. Being aware of what is being said about you gives you an advantage over the companies who see little importance in doing so.

Some benefits of monitoring your company's buzz or WOM (word-of-mouth):

1. The ability to respond when something said about you is inaccurate or improperly portrayed.
   
2. The ability to compliment, share, or congratulate when you enjoy an article written about you or your client.
3. The ability to react to complaints from customers or clients.
4. Overall, the ability to curb or avoid a crisis.

One way you can do #1 and #2 is to write a Letter to the Editor. These are used primarily for #1 to help correct mistakes (which can poorly affect your company), but using it for #2 is also a great way to perpetuate and promote good WOM and can help to encourage a positive rapport with the media who covered your company.

From the Public Relations Writer's Handbook by Merry Aronson, Don Spetner, and Carol Ames, here are some great rules of thumb when considering writing a letter to the editor:

When writing a letter to the editor to correct a mistake, be sure to include the following:

• The date and location of the incorrect article
• The information that was incorrectly printed
• The correct information that should have been printed instead
• The name and title of the writer of the letter

Additionally, when writing to criticize the conclusion a reporter may have come to (inaccurately portraying the company or client) stick to the following recommendations:

• Avoid being emotional in your response
• Support your statements with facts
• Keep the letter brief
• Avoid threatening litigation
• Make yourself and your opinion clear and succinct so that it is easily understood
• State your case in a professional and tactful manner
• Maintain a good rapport and relation with the media

(Public Relations Writer's Handbook, pgs. 260-261.)

Keep in mind that a critical letter to the editor is to be used with caution; the last point above, "maintain a good rapport and relation with the media" is key to your PR success. If you do send a critical letter, try not to alienate them with abusive, emotional, and overly critical comments. Moreover, if a story or article features a critical aspect of your company that was true, do not write a letter to the editor about it; this may perpetuate things and draw more attention to the story.

Letters to the editor can be great tools, however; it can show the media that you are in tune with what they (and other media outlets) are writing about you. It can also improve your media relations when you send a complimentary letter to thank the author for writing the story. Lastly, they can be used as a publicity tool to "present a positive positioning statement about the company's strengths versus its competitors. Letters to the editor often present excellent opportunities for positive publicity, whatever the initiating context or pretext." (pg. 246)

Have you experienced some benefits from writing a letter to an editor?

Public Relations Videos: PR Careers

Looking to enter the PR industry? These videos can help you get an idea of where to go next. As with any career, you first step should be to acquire education and training as needed for the industry you hope to enter. Your next best step would be to apply for jobs you are qualified for. Even if you lack the years of experience listed but have experience in other areas, consider applying, but be sure to include why your experience in other fields or jobs can help you in the position you are applying for. You can do this in your cover letter, where you should really sell your skills, expertise, and abilities. Be sure to use your cover letter to tie in those attributes with what the employer is looking for.






A day in the life of a PR Specialist

Though a year and a half old, this video helps to further advocate education (which I've noted is important for professionals looking to work in PR), the tasks and requirements of the PR professional, and the sort of day one can expect to have working for a PR firm.



Career Advice for PR

This video helps to lay out some demands of working in PR as well as the potential one has when looking to enter the PR industry. Also talks about career advancement, company types, and areas where PR is needed and how you can apply your interests to those areas. Also briefly touches on the resume and cover letter requirements.



Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About PR Manager Jobs

This video is a great summary of the PR Manager, including possible income levels, required education, and career advancements.




Last Minute PR & Marketing Advice

Those this video reiterates some of what the speaker talks about in the previous video, is great to hear more about getting a career in PR or marketing, and how vital your cover letter and resume can be. The key to take away from this video: know and remember that your CL and resume represent you, so make sure if correctly reflects your dedication, hard work, and skills by proofreading and editing them before you send them out.




A day in the life of a PR Manager

Similar to the first video, this talks about the demands and job duties of a PR manager, including daily tasks, educational needs, as well as personal characteristics like the ability to stay calm, collect, and composed when dealing with PR clients and the media.



Lastly, this video talks about learning PR and utilizing your personality to assist in your PR career. A great message to take from this video: education can give you a safe place to make mistakes, practice public speaking, and polish your presentation skills, which are all needed as a PR professional. Consider getting a degree in PR, though marketing, advertising, and journalism are all great degrees to get you started in the PR industry.

Public Relations = Customer & Media Relations

While a lot of public relations activities rely on having great a relationship and rapport with the media, there is more to the PR professional's job duties.

When thinking of the PR pro, many people tend to think of one thing: the press release. (That is all there is to PR, right?) Moreover, traditional use of the press release was to relay and pitch a story to the media (which it is still used for) and only the media. That can be referred to as media relations. While that is an important aspect and role of the PR professional, customer relations is maybe even more important. Many stories and news coverages start from WOM (word of mouth) that a media person hears about or finds interesting. Encourage that WOM, and help it to be positive. Your customers can generate the WOM for free and help to get your company recognized by the media.

The key to remember here is that while in the past, the PR team had a goal to get as many news clippings as possible, the present calls for PR teams who can handle the media and customers. With the ability to reach both (whereas old PR tactics only allowed you to contact the media), why not do both? Unless you are employed for a company stuck using old PR tactics, you ought to be implementing ways to connect and foster relations with both parties. Even if you are employed by a company stuck in the past, make an effort to advocate the use of new PR tactics. (Advocating is, after all, another role of the PR team; your audiences can also include stakeholders in the company.)

Some ways to move your company forward with PR:

• Implement social media. First, see where your customers are participating online, and see if it would make sense for you to go there too.
  
• Use that social media. Don't just implement it, but use it to its full potential to really get a good idea of its relevance.
  
• Connect with your customers. (That means going beyond sending them a newsletter.) Encourage them to connect by making it easy.
  
• Evaluate your current and future strategies. What are you doing now? What out of those strategies and tactics are working? What are you going to implement now?
  
• Reevaluate them with time. After implementing future ideas, evaluate them to ensure they are relevant, effective, and most importantly fostering relations with customers and the media.
  
• Implement new strategies. If you find that some things aren't working, make a new plan or revamp your current one to get the most reach.
  

Overall, knowing who to target is one of the best ways to success in a PR campaign, whether it be the media or your customers. As I've mentioned before, doing your homework is the surest way to finding that target market. Moreover, know who to hire for your PR needs if you are a company looking to add another team member or even a company looking to do your own PR. Really evaluate your needs to see if an outside PR firm would do the trick or if all you need is to roll up your sleeves; with more and more emphasis online, knowing media contacts isn't as heavily depended upon for the success of your PR plans. Just remember that it really depends on the company and the objectives; a plan that was a success for one company may be a disaster for another.

What does public relations mean to you?

Public Relations Strategies | Reaching Your Audience

Successful PR is largely dependent on creating a relevant and focused PR plan. One way to ensure your PR plan is relevant and successful is to create a focused plan. This means that your homework needs to be done. Things to look for when doing your homework:

• Your audience. Who are they? Where do they go online? What are some of the problems they are looking to solve? How can you solve them?
  
  
• Relevant publications. Which publications (online and off) reach your audience the best? What do your customers read? Will they find value in a blog, or prefer to read something in a magazine? Does your target audience read consumer or trade magazines?
  
  
• Preferred medium. Do they prefer reading to watching a video, or vice versa?
  

A great way to find these things out is to really reach out to your customers. Way you can do this include:

• Primary research: Surveys and focus groups are two forms of primary research, and they can be done for relatively low amounts of money. There are great online tools, such as SurveyMonkey, that creates surveys for your online needs (though this relies on the fact that your target audience is online). Focus groups can often be done for low amounts of compensation or a meal. Customers are willing and able to share their opinions (and many really enjoy sharing them), so all you have to do is simply ask!
  
  
• Secondary research: This can include things like research other companies have done (usually available to you for a price). The benefit of these studies is that other companies who specialize in research may have a more in-depth look at things, know better questions to ask respondents, and have a wider reach in terms of the customers and participants they can reach. Moreover, they may have more resources available to them to make the study very useful. More often than not, these studies can be expensive, but well worth the investment because of the insights they offer. Another secondary source of information can be census information (for demographic data). With the 2010 census underway, the new data that will be available therein will greatly benefit businesses nationwide.
  

The goal of primary and secondary research is to really discover where your customers spend their time online, the sorts of solutions they are looking for, and the places they regularly go for information. This can help you to focus your PR efforts correctly so that you do not waste resources or time. Knowing whom to target is the first step in creating a successful PR plan. Once you know whom to target, you can establish where your efforts will be best spent. For example, it doesn’t make much sense to send in your stories or press releases to a consumer magazine if your customers are more interested in trade publications.

Do your homework to create great PR plans. What strategies have you used to reach your audience?