The Bailout Blow-Up One Year Later: Has Washington Learned the Communications Lessons?

October 14, 2009

This  month marks the one-year anniversary of the Capitol Hill blow-up of the financial bailout bill, one biggest political debacles in recent memory.
On September 29th of last year, the bill pushed by former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and congressional leaders from both parties went down in flames in the House of Representatives.  [...]

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Secrets of successful media relations: Number 4 — Stick to the “big three” requirements of reporters.

August 16, 2009

Okay, now it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty of successful media relations.  It’s time to actually contact the journalists who you want to cover your story.
Remember the lessons from our first three installments of this blog series:  You talk to reporters only AFTER you have ensured that: You have a newsworthy message (Secret [...]

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Secrets of successful media relations: Number 3 – What’s your story?

August 11, 2009

Okay, you’ve come up with a newsworthy topic (Secret #1) and you’ve decided upon the specific media to target (Secret #2). Now it’s time to focus on developing a strong message that will not only get the news media’s attention, but get it in a way you want.
What’s the secret to doing that? Tell a [...]

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Secrets of successful media relations: Number 2 – Aim to please!

August 6, 2009

This is the second in the series “Secrets of Successful Media Relations” (Okay, so I waxed a bit dramatic with the title, but, hey, you’re reading it aren’t you?). 
Let’s do an experiment: Quick, think of the last time you sat down and watched any of the Sunday morning political talk shows on the national TV networks?
Tough, [...]

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Secrets of successful media relations: Number 1 – Make real news!

August 3, 2009

Okay, I admit it, I’m biased: Of the various strategic marketing methods, my favorite is proactive media relations.
Partly because of my press background, but mostly because it is so effective, I love working with the media to help ensure proper news coverage of my clients.  A well-executed media relations campaign can take your brand to the stratosphere.  [...]

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Buzz on a budget: Three sure-fire ways that businesses can get good publicity inexpensively

July 28, 2009

Small and medium-sized businesses are always under pressure to do more with less, but in this tough economy they often have to do more with almost nothing. Fortunately, there are some smart but cheap ways to generate favorable attention that will help the cash register ring. Here are three that I have helped my clients [...]

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Do the smart thing: Communicate more to engage your people during tough times.

July 26, 2009

Okay, executives, entrepreneurs, government officials, nonprofit managers and anyone else who leads people: It’s time to get smart about your communications.
In a today’s ultra-competitive marketplace, organizations have to be fleet-of-foot, constantly driving up efficiency and driving down costs, all while improving customer relationships.  This is especially true in times of economic difficulty.  Engaging line and support staff [...]

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Want to maximize the effectiveness of your strategic media relations? Follow these five “musts”.

July 26, 2009

A reporter friend recently told me that he overheard two of his colleagues commenting on how much they appreciated my work as a media relations professional.  These two grizzled journalistic veterans would usually stick their tongues in cup of hot broken glass before they would praise a PR guy, so I deeply appreciated their sentiments.
I [...]

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The New Rules of Marketing & PR

July 8, 2009

by David Meerman Scott
(John Wiley & Sons. Hoboken, New Jersey ©2007)
As a strategic communications and marketing consultant whose practice leans heavily on strategy development, I do a substantial amount of reading. While the majority of the marketing and communications tomes that roll out of the publishing houses offer only limited contributions, every now a [...]

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How to Succeed in Business by answering Five Simple Questions

July 8, 2009

Peter Drucker.
The mere mention of the name to just about any senior corporate executive is usually enough to elicit a slight smile, a reverent nod and/or a wistful sigh.
Drucker is without question the most influential business thinker ever – the guru’s guru. More than any other single person, Drucker elevated the idea of business management [...]

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