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Digital Marketing Strategy, PR and Messaging

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5 Tips To Select PR For Start Ups

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credit: enterpriseirregulars.com

The common thread amongst startups regardless of where they’re located and in what vertical they play is the solo entrepreneur or partner team launching the business.

The characteristics of these professionals are obvious — extreme passion for their business, a need to earn credibility to attract investors, a desire to control every aspect of the company, and the need for expertise to fill the gaps they don’t have.

Soulati Media has been working with many startups of late in varying stages from early bootstrap and go-to-market to companies with healthy sales but no team in place to push the product.

As a practitioner offering a powerful blend of business-to-business social media marketing and public relations, the biggest gaping hole I see is when the business owner crosses the bridge from internal focus to external strategy.

So often the infrastructure consumes every waking moment, and what comes soon after is the realization the team hasn’t put wheels in motion to go to market with a solid plan, financing or time.

What can be a hazard for the team seeking expertise to launch is the extreme knowledge and need to keep control of most every aspect of deliverables. There are financial concerns, ramp up and speed to market.

Tips To Make Start Up Launch Smoother 

From my perspective, often as the consultant joining the founding team or teaming with a solo business owner, here are suggestions to make the ride smoother:

  • Determine the knowledge gaps on the original team
  • Identify the breadth of expertise in the consultant you’re looking to hire
  • Know that a seasoned public relations practitioner often brings business, marketing and strategy to the team
  • Ensure the marketer you hire has the specialty knowledge needed to round out the team and lend new, valuable insight
  • Discuss budget early on; if a practitioner is willing to bootstrap with the team until investors are on board, then that professional should be a strong candidate

As a case in point, I recently discussed an opportunity with a startup to work in a vertical market I’ve wanted to tap for awhile. The fledgling company, yet to be seeded, is funding its infrastructure with Bobby and Mary’s college fund. I agreed to bootstrap the budget because I knew it would be an entry point to my future learning and experience in that sector.

Not too many PR practitioners will go that route to make such an investment; would you in  your space?

Google, Frommer’s, Zagat and Content Marketing

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from +Amanda Blain

Did you see the news? Google is carrying forth with its strategy to become a content marketer with the latest acquisition of Frommer’s travel guides for $25 million. In the world of travel guides, I wonder if that’s a lot of money? When you look at what Facebook paid for Instagram; it’s peanuts.

I, for one, love Frommer’s. It’s my travel guide of choice along with Lonely Planet. Last year, Google bought Zagat Reviews, and you begin to see the strategy unfold with its launch, too, of Google Flight Search.

Talk about becoming content kingpin in the travel and hospitality industry over night, eh?

So, what does this say about search engine Google now owning hot travel sites where hotter content rules? Because it can, it is diversifying in a sector that caters to a wide demographic from teens and tweens to mommies, business folk, seniors and great seniors.  How smart is that for a strategic move?

I don’t have to tell you that Google has opened up new and huge opportunity and successfully diversified its interests; much to the chagrin of Yelp and Yahoo!

What’s Your Google Strategy?

Here are some tips you might parlay in your own neck of the woods:

  •  If you’re @RalphDopping or @PattySwisher who work in the architectural fields, perhaps their firms might join forces with a construction company or launch their own. Small construction is still a good bet (versus building high-rise office structures), and perhaps architects can earn a greater piece of the pie.
  • If you’re @KaarinaDillabough who works as a business and life coach, is there a way to boost business by developing killer content that encapsulates tips for the stressed mommy entrepreneur? She can build a new channel that way; open new doors.
  • If you’re @NeicoleCrepeau who owns Coherent Interactive, a digital web shop with marketing analytics, perhaps she could partner with Soulati Media, which brings solid PR experience to marketing teams.
  •  Adam Toporek diversified his brand; I watched the whole thing. He decided to refocus his brand new blog on customer service and went dark awhile as he rebuilt the site and now targets content specific to that topic. Now, when I write my customer service stories, I always shoot them to him as they fit better on his blog than mine.  What’s he done? Become a content expert in that sector, just like Google is doing in hospitality and travel.

Very cool.

The PR Benefit of Visionary Patagonia

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Fast Company never disappoints. There’s more blog fodder in a single magazine than reading Mashable every day. In a tiny blurb in the May issue, The Rules of Good Business, the founder of Patagonia is interviewed.

After yesterday’s blog post about the C-suite executive for Chick fil-A and how his views caused horrific PR, look at how cool the Patagonia PR team must feel to be working with a visionary CEO the likes of Yvon Chouinard.

After reading the Fast Company story and my observations:

        • Buy Patagonia
        • Become a sustainabililty consumer
        • Start the learning curve about saving our planet simply by purchasing the right article of clothing

Did you know Patagonia is one of the greenest/cleanest and environmentally savvy companies around? Its founder, Yvon Chouinard, is a green-living pioneer who has put green squarely on corporate and consumer maps.

Patagonia lives and breathes love of our planet. Among its product suite, there are about 40 items the company follows every step of the supply chain to monitor how natural resources are used. The company knows exactly the type of water (i.e. well, irrigated) being used and its effect on the environment.

Chouinard introduced the sustainability index; Patagonia is working with 40 clothing companies, such as Walmart, to put green buying directly into the hands of consumers.

In the near future, smartphones can be pointed at an article of clothing and the shopper can see a clothing item’s sustainability index grade. A pair of jeans may have a score of 10 or 2 based on a variety of factors. How flippin’ cool is that?

Why Buy Patagonia?

When you think of founders of companies, you want to believe each has the best interest of a cause, an issue, Earth, natural resources, children, or something else in mind. With the Patagonia founder, it’s true. His vision for the future of Earth depends on consumers participating and making choices not to buy fabrics made in sweat shops where children are employed or from sheep’s wool or cotton in lands without environmental regulations. He wants our natural resources protected during the manufacturing process, and he’s all about water preservation. (How many people you know swimming in our lakes getting infected with flesh-eating bacteria and staph? Tons.)

Marketing and PR Opportunity

  • Is your company leader a visionary? Can you put that vision into action and develop strategic campaigns to positively influence a global issue?
  • With the top-down strategy, how can PR influence audiences who consume your company’s products or services?
  • When you consider thought leadership programs putting your visionary CEO on the frontlines with impactful messaging and use owned media to push that message, you’ll get your results with so many more benefits, too.

What a difference reading about Mr. Chouinard and Patagonia versus Dan Cathy and Chick fil-A. The former’s efforts toward sustainable consumerism have yet to be trendy, but somewhere the pendulum has to swing to the side of consumers’ green education more than just recycling PETE.

Want to work with a cool company the likes of Patagonia with an even cooler visionary? Then do your research ahead of time; it just may make a difference.

 

(Photo Credit: Jayme Soulati, iPhone 4S)

 

Brand Loyalty And Chick Fil-A User Experience

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Customer service is dead. Right? Well, that’s what everyone says about blogging, and MySpace and Instagram and everything else that’s been taken over or gobbled up.

This post is a mash up of customer service, brand loyalty, personal perspective and a mom’s conundrum

Guess where customer service isn’t dead? At Chick fil-A. I should know because kidlet and I eat there once weekly during the school  year because select soccer and taekwando do not allow a sit-down dinner at home.

 

On Chick fil-A

Here’s what happens at the Chick fil-A restaurant we frequent in Centerville the most:

  • They greet you with a smile every time.
  • They come to your table to ask if you need a refill and if everything is OK.
  • They come to your table to clear refuse even though patrons do it themselves.
  • They say bye when you leave and thanks for coming (when it’s not too busy).
  • There’s a coupon for a free this or that twice monthly, and they text me with deals, too.

All age groups frequent the establishment, and it caters to sports teams, school clubs, senior citizens, fund-raisers, and more. The bathroom is always clean, and so too is the facility.

Differences of Opinion

This is why I’ve had a hard time. By now, everyone and their brother knows the President and COO Dan Cathy has views that may or may not mesh with mainstream America. While I don’t agree with Mr. Cathy on a number of perspectives, his philosophy on a variety of core societal issues is alive and present in today’s divisiveness. But, that’s  his and my business, and I refuse to debate that on my blog or anyone else’s.

Because my user experience is so positive at Chick fil-A, and oh yes, the food is excellent for fast food (how could I fail to mention that minor detail?), I will continue to go there in spite of my disagreement over Chick fil-A leadership. (You know they’re closed on Sunday even in food courts, right?)

Those who have never been to a Chick fil-A more than a few times are hard pressed to form the opinion I have. When my choice as a mom is McDonalds, Taco Bell or Chick fil-A in a pinch, you can guess what I’m choosing.

 Blog Comments

Every blogger has been enraptured with the PR debacle of Chick fil-A. As is my wont, I am not the first mover when it comes to new apps, channels, or breaking news (well, I do sometimes break a story). I let the other guys pave my way, and oh boy, did Gini Dietrich’s blog do a yeoman’s job. 

(I’ll write about the highjacking, not good old blog jack, Kaarina, of Spin Sucks in comments another time.)

And, so, I’m a tad disappointed with myself for not supporting my own standards; does this make me a  hypocrite? I don’t know; I’ve not come out and  forcefully stated my opinions publicly like the founder of Chick fil-A. Was that a PR stunt? Lesser things have happened.

Visionary CEOs

Tomorrow, I’ll write about another CEO who does have vision and is trying to support Earth with his eco green actions.

So, my brand loyalty to Chick Fil-A has been tarnished. But, my brand loyalty will soon begin for Patagonia (until tomorrow, dear readers!).

 

Meanwhile, what say you on this issue? When customer service and food excellence outshine the shenanigans of the C-suite, what do you do?

Canadian Olympic Business, Life Coach Shares Story

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This post originally appeared August 5, 2011. Figured we’d do a repeat (my first ever) in honor of the Olympics in London this week.

Momaraderie is a sometimes feature I write to recognize an elite bunch of business women who are mompreneurs. I’ve written about several amazing chicas over time, and if you’ve not met them, please stop in to these posts for a refresher. I’d like to introduce you to Kaarina Dillabough, a Canadian Olympic business and life coach.

I am not sure how I met Kaarina Jokinen Dillabough; I believe it was Twitter, and after the first few tweets a fast friendship was born. Kaarina is a mom of several boys and lives in Canada. She also calls her boys, The Beatles, and if you ever Skype with her be sure to ask for a grand tour of her beautiful log home she and her husband (together since 1978) built. On one wall where she finally landed the camera is a tribute to the The Beatles.

What impresses me most about Kaarina is her aptitude for friendships. She is intuitive about business, life and knows when someone needs a virtual hug. She writes a blog that’s fairly new, yet the comments are fast and furious from a variety of peeps. It’s because she’s a darn good writer with amazing perspective about business.

What is more amazing is her storied sports career! She started rhythmic gymnastics when three-years-old, attended the National Ballet in Toronto, ran track and field, competed in artistic gymnastics and played varsity basketball at college.  Her place in the history of Canadian Olympics is rock solid.

Kaarina tells her story…

In 1976, I was selected as part of a team to perform at the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Montreal.  Rhythmic Gymnastics was not yet an official Olympic sport, and our inclusion as a demo sport was intended to lay the foundation for its inclusion in the next Olympics.  The experience was almost indescribable.

Our particular team was seated at the base of the Olympic flag until the moment we performed.  I still get goosebumps remembering the march of teams, the raising of the Olympic flag, running in of the torch (for the first time by both a male and female).

After the Olympics, I became the youngest President of a National Sport Governing body for Rhythmic Gymnastics for Canada.  I was proud to have been involved in the lobbying for inclusion of the sport.  Unfortunately, 1980 was a boycott year, and we did not attend the Games.

But we hit Gold in 1984!  Lori Fung, from Vancouver, will forever hold the title of first-ever Gold medalist in the sport of Rhythmic Gymnastics.  I was one of her coaches during her preparation for the World and Olympic Games, and represented Canada at all World, International and Olympic rhythmic sportive gymnastic events in the capacity of Chef de Mission, Coach and CBC colour commentator, with direct responsibility for all team, media and government relations at home and abroad. I prepared all print materials for print and electronic media and was spokesperson for Canadian delegations to public and press at all International Rhythmic Sportive Gymnastic events, including World and Olympic Games, for a 10 years.

I had the honour of doing CBC Colour commentary at the ’84 Games with Ernie Afaganis.

There is a really interesting story about those Games.  We were not expected to win, and we were up against Basketball for air time.  As we commentated live, it was becoming apparent that Lori was going to win the gold.  The event was over, and immediately after, the producer cut to my headphones and said we were going live in 3…2…1

I had to commentate the event as if it was actually happening, with the producer talking me through where Lori was on the floor through my headphones…all the while I was looking at a blank screen.  Pure adrenaline took over, and I don’t know to this day how I held it together.  But when I review the video from that event, you’d never know it wasn’t live.  That is an experience I’ll never forget.

Our first son, David, was born in 1985: our Olympic baby!  When he was just 6 months old, he travelled with me to Spain and Switzerland for the World Championships.  He had his own accreditation, and quickly became the team “mascot”.  When we travelled to Japan, he stayed home with dad, and I wrote him a daily journal, which he treasures to this day.

Five years later, our second son Michael arrived.  From that time on, Rhythmics was behind me, and I was on the bench as an athletic trainer for hockey and lacrosse.  I was the lacrosse Trainer for our 2000 team to the Canadian Championship Minto Cup, and to the Brogden Cup (Canada Vs. USA) in Florida, where we won Gold!

Over 25 years ago, an associate said to me: You know…what you do for athletes, business could really use.  I began to volunteer my coaching services to business owners, long before the moniker of “business coach” came into being.  I soon realized that the skills I possessed were marketable, and I’ve been a business consultant, coach and strategist now for over 25 years, helping business owners to reach higher levels of profitability and prosperity, and working in both the public and private sector with small to medium sized enterprises.  Throughout it all, my family has been my strongest support and loyal fans.