Ritz Communications
AIRtime
Action, Interaction and Reaction from the Ritz team
Winner, winner, chicken dinner … or maybe a scone?
Posted: May 17, 2012 - 5:30 PM ET - by Elisabeth
Thank you to everyone who entered our contest … and congratulations! I loved all those words of inspiration and since I get to pick the winner, you are each getting a prize. Every one of you will be receiving a Starbucks gift card! If your motivational quotes ever fail you, maybe some coffee and a sweet treat will be a good pick-me-up.
Between hype and reality
Posted: May 17, 2012 - 5:30 PM ET - by Elisabeth
In Chicago this week all the buzz is about NATO, but not so much what this meeting means in terms of global politics, what might happen in Afghanistan or Russia’s missile-defense system. The buzz is mostly about the inconvenience to the city and our curiosity about the potential impact and spectacle of protests.
It’s hard to tell what’s hype, what’s reality and what’s really important.
It reminds me of the conversations I have – and the questions I get – about social media. Clients want to know how much inconvenience (additional time or resources) in exchange for what impact (engaged clients, increased sales, etc.).
The digital world has changed the way we deliver and receive information, and it can be overwhelming for business owners and marketers to sort hype from reality in determining which opportunities are relevant and valuable. According to a 2012 AT&T Small Business Technology Poll, 79% of small businesses surveyed are using word-of-mouth to promote their business, 63% are using their company website, and just 39% are using social media channels.
Planning your social media strategy shouldn’t be vastly different from planning your overall communications strategy. You really need to ask yourself a few key questions:
- What do I need to say?
- Who do I need to say it to?
- Where do I go to reach them?
Once you can answer those questions, you can adapt your message and tools according to the channels you select. A tweet of 140 characters might reach a mass audience and a press release of 300 – 500 words can be tailored to reach specific journalists covering your industry. Do you know which of these options will have the greatest impact on your stakeholders?
A few more interesting statistics from the poll may help you cut through the hype:
- Since 2010, the use of location-based social channels, such as Foursquare, among small business owners has nearly doubled from 5% to 9%; 25% of small business owners using location-based services believe that the application is important for sales generation, compared to just 2% in 2010.
- Small businesses with a LinkedIn presence increased from 25% in 2010 to 31% in 2011, a jump of 25%; small business owners are increasingly using the social forum for networking with other businesses and gaining awareness from other businesses and consumers in the local community.
- Small businesses with a Facebook presence increased slightly from 41% in 2010 to 44% last year.
- Twitter presence dropped slightly year-over-year from 19% to 18%.
- Only 4% of small businesses are using daily deal sites (i.e. LivingSocial, Groupon) for marketing purposes, led by leisure/tourism/lodging, of which 14% are using these sites; of those businesses using daily deal sites, more than 90% are running promotions at least several times per year.
- Three in four (75%) small businesses surveyed have a website, about the same as last year, with nearly a third (31%) having a mobile website – i.e., one designed for viewing on a smartphone.
What motivates you?
Posted: May 3, 2012 - 3:45 PM ET - by Elisabeth
Is it compensation?
Or appreciation?
Is it something more?
Fulfillment? Amusement? Accomplishment?
We want to hear (actually to read) your favorite quote … those words of inspiration tucked under a corner of your desk, tacked to a bulletin board or jotted on a notebook page … your own fighting words or a deep thought by a famous mind … the sentiment you look for in that moment when all seems lost and you don’t know how you will ever go on … or, you know, when you just need to get all fired up!
Our favorite submission will receive a little recognition and a big reward in the next blog post.
Okay, maybe not so big … but you can dream … and all it takes to win is the click of a mouse!
Are you paying for what you get?
Posted: April 19, 2012 - 8:00 PM ET - by Elisabeth
Winston Churchill: Madam, would you sleep with me for a million pounds?
Socialite: Mr. Churchill, I would certainly think about it.
Churchill: Would you sleep with me for five pounds?
Socialite: What kind of a woman do you think I am!
Churchill: Madam, we’ve already established that. Now we are haggling about the price.
As a friend and I discussed current news about the secret service agents in Cartagena over dinner last night, I couldn’t help but think of this old joke, which I’ve also seen attributed to George Bernard Shaw, WC Fields and Mark Twain. It’s just not so funny as the lead paragraph of a news story.
However, the joke also makes me think about public relations. It’s not the oldest profession in the world, but sometimes our customers do want to haggle over price.
Over the past few years, in a tough economy, I’ve been tempted to negotiate our fees for the promise of growing assignments, the glow of big name clients or a project that excites the team, but I’ve learned there’s a price for that too.
The biggest impact is on the quality of our work. I know we’re not alone. From multinational agencies to freelancers, many of our colleagues struggle with the challenge of doing their best work, providing outstanding client service and meeting the budget constraints of increasingly cost-conscious clients.
The dilemma has led to interesting conversations about how to provide “great” service on a budget that only pays for “good.” Our structure supports this idea. Without the overhead for bricks and mortar offices, we can use our resources to attract the best communicators for the job. Those senior-level experts, with experience and well-honed skills, work more efficiently and effectively. Yet, there’s always the challenge of having a specific number of dollars (= to hours of time) to get a project done and wishing for a few more hours to perfect the end result.
I often find myself asking where my “investment” in the client’s business ends and their “you get what you pay for” begins.
I really don’t know the answer … but I have found that education helps.
When our clients understand what goes into the process, they understand the costs, why experience often matters and the economies of scale to get to “great.” Our budget estimates include a detailed overview of the steps that will be taken and the number of hours it will take to handle a project. It’s an important process for our team to ensure we don’t miss any details of the project, so we’ve taken it a step further and provided the information to clients.
Education hasn’t solved everything. We have still had to make investments to impress a difficult client or to ensure that our work meets our own team’s high standards (and that’s one reason that actually makes me proud). We have even had to walk away from great projects that would definitely require us to take a loss.
I guess we’re developing our answer in the balance, which is good … I’m not the kind of woman who likes to haggle.
Mastering meeting & greeting
Posted: April 5, 2012 - 6:30 PM ET - by Elisabeth
I’m excited to be headed to TEDMED next week. It will be four days of inspiring thinking and fascinating people. In between dozens of amazing speakers, there will be 1,000 attendees to meet.
I’ve talked with friends and colleagues, and it seems no one is completely confident about walking up to a stranger and striking up a conversation. However, there are some things to remember that may help me – and you – do just that with a little more confidence.
- The woman standing alone in the corner or the man at the buffet table is as uncomfortable as you are; he or she will be relieved by your approach and introduction.
- If you’re that woman or guy, make yourself approachable … put away your smartphone, smile and make eye contact with people around you.
- TEDMED tries to make it easy to connect. They’ve asked each of us to name three inanimate objects that define us. They’ll put those on our name tags, giving us a thought-provoking reason to ask questions and get to know each other. Literally and figuratively, it’s a great approach. Asking a question is an easy way to engage someone else – whether it’s what they do, how they enjoyed the last session or whether they’ve tried the chocolate chip cookies on the buffet table.
- Listen to the response. Be sincerely interested. Relate something you’ve heard or read to their answer.
- Take advantage of the opportunity to share, briefly, information about yourself and your business. In marketing terms, that’s an elevator pitch … and I read recently that the average elevator ride is 118 seconds.
So, I guess I’m ready to approach the situation – and other people – with a smile and a question. Now I just need to pack!