Niche Marketing and The Naked Cowboy
You don’t have to be very familiar with New York City but you may have heard that “The Naked Cowboy” is running for mayor. That’s right, the 39-year-old man who spends his days at one of the busiest corners in Times Square with his hat, cowboy boots, briefs and guitar (strategically placed so it looks like he’s naked), is entering politics. (Yes, that’s me and The Naked Cowboy last September. My kids were mortified. ) And sure, I paid $2 to have my son take the picture. But I digress.
Now that The Naked Cowboy, born Jack Burck in Ohio, has announced his mayoral campaign against incumbent Mike Bloomberg, he has developed a slogan or tag line.
“Nobody has done more with less.”
I love that line and after giving it some thought, I’ve come to realize there are a few wise lessons I have learned from The Naked Cowboy. We can apply them to our own organizations and lives:
1. Go deep. Find your niche and market the hell out of it. Don’t be a jack of all trades. Differentiate yourself from others with your own personal brand.
2. Dress the part.
3. Create a buzz. Chances are The Naked Cowboy won’t come close to winning the election. If his only goal is to increase his visibility and get people talking, mission accomplished.
4. Have the courage to be yourself. You can’t make a mistake when you are authentic. You can only trip yourself up when you are trying to be someone else.
5. Balance fun and professional. The Naked Cowboy is an ace at customer service. He smiles, makes people feel comfortable and is polite. He’s got charisma. He only wanted $2 for the ”photo op” but he was so nice, I may have paid him $5. He provided an “experience”, not simply a picture. As crowded as Times Square was, he made me feel like it was just the two of us. No distractions.
This all happened on a crowded street corner in Manhattan. After that, it was over to Juniors for cheesecake. Only in New York.
Proactive Blogs Lead to Business Growth
Being proactive in your public relations, marketing and online networking is critical to your business growth, relationships and revenues. I’m hearing great feedback on my free webinars next week from people who are also beginning to understand the concept of how quality blogs are building online relationships and showing value. Your presence affects your prosperity.
Check out the free webinars on August 5 & 6. I promise the 30 minutes will be packed with amazing story ideas and nuggets to help you grow your organization. Join me on either August 5th or 6th (different content and story ideas for you each day! ) at 12:00 pm Central, for an opportunity to learn how to create compelling, consistent and timely blogs that directly connect back to your organization, customers and prospects.
Professionals are “tweeting” about my concept and programs. They are spreading the word..they are registering for the preview webinars on “Building the Buzz that Builds Your Businesss” because they know they have to be proactive. The world and technology are leaving too many of us behind. Social Media is not a fad. We have to learn and grow with the new tools we have available. It’s all here for you. Commit to learning and using them, one at a time. If you don’t, your competition wins.
Your blog is an untapped vehicle to drive traffic to your website. Learn how to use it as an integral part of your business development.
I invite you to register for the preview call now and spread the news!
10 Do’s & Don’ts of Working At Home
Setting up your home office and developing boundaries for productive days are important for entrepreneurs. Working from home demands a strong discipline and mindset. Paying attention to the small details can help you to better manage your time and be more successful.
My public relations and communications training company, Get in Front Communications, is now nine years old. I’ve worked from home with virtual support/assistants and I had an office suite with several employees. I’m offering you some tips to spare you from the frustration I have encountered. Lessons learned:
1- Do have a separate area (preferrably a room with a door) that’s dedicated solely to your work.
2- Do have your own computer so when you log on, “Dora the Explorer” or “Sports Illustrated” don’t pop up.
3- Do guard your time carefully. Avoid taking personal calls or visits from friends or neighbors during work hours.
4- Do have a website and business cards that are professionally designed. Top notch marketing is critical to your success.
5- Do set your work hours and adhere to your schedule. You probably don’t have to be available 24/7. It’s called voicemail.
6- Don’t use your home address. For safety reasons and a professional touch, rent a PO Box or office address.
7- Don’t answer the phone with barking dogs, noisy children in the background and chiming clocks.
8- Don’t invite clients or prospects into your home. Meet at a local coffee shop or restaurant.
9- Don’t create professional video’s with “homey” backgrounds that may be cluttered with family pictures, toys and papers.
10- Don’t schedule repair men or personal appointments in your home while on conference calls or on a client’s watch.
11- BONUS! Don’t turn on the TV for background noise.
These tips can apply to new entrepreneurs as well as seasoned professionals. Look, after nine years, I often have to remind myself of a few of these too, especially #5. Good luck!
Privacy: A Shrinking Online and Media Commodity
Thanks to social media and the unrelenting cycle of professional “journalists” (not sure if many fit into this category these days; it’s almost embarrassing), our privacy seems to be a shrinking commodity. Some of us like it this way and play into the Tweets of “what are you doing” and updating our Facebook status to reflect every last feeling, mood, and activity. Many who are not involved in social media, for whatever reason, find it ludicrous to announce to the world that your shoelace is loose, you are changing diapers or considering lobster for dinner. Does anybody REALLY care? Does it impact us in any way?
We have allowed our privacy and personal lives to be open for all the world to read about, and possibly respond. Why?
With our kids, my husband and I have often used the line, “That’s family business; it stays in the house.” They are now 16 and 13, and I am not sure if they truly grasp this concept. Technology and nonstop news have interfered.
Did we (the world) really need to know the minute details of Michael Jackson’s life, death and most private moments? Do I really care that his casket cost $50,000? Did we need to know that he weighed 112 pounds? Was it critical for the world to hear from his brother in a TV interview that his three children stayed with his body and hugged and kissed him in the hospital as the world learned of his death? Days and days of broadcast time have been spent on spinning these small tales of unconfirmed talk…and for what? Beating the proverbial horse to death.
This is what fills our minds and conversations. We overstep the boundaries of privacy. We define this generation of millennials as “the narcissitic generation.” All because they too are caught up in shedding their privacy to reveal themselves in ways that we have never seen before. This is what they see and this is their reality.
We created this and every day we enable them. And why…and at what cost? Some things are indeed “family business”, and should stay that way. We must fill our minds and lives with more important things. Boundless opportunities to learn are available to us because of the Internet. Libraries are filled with books and resources. Maybe we need to refocus on what is relevant, and redraw and respect the boundary lines of privacy. It’s all connected.
Proactive Crisis Communications Plans Required in Changing Media Landscape
Crisis communications is one part of the overall communications and public relations strategy that tends to be put on the back burner. After all, most people don’t like to think about a problem that hasn’t happened. But effective PR requires us to be proactive.
Don’t wait for a disaster to hit—it’s critical that your top leaders are prepared and coached with a crisis communications plan in place before the emergency strikes. The onslaught of social media and breaking news on the Internet by citizen bloggers and “journalist wanna-be’s” is forcing us to be proactive. Preparation can save your job, organization and reputation. Many organizations have been wiped out because they failed to effectively manage an emergency.
Consider this: Dozens of your employees become sick after eating tainted food in the company cafeteria. A former disgruntled employee returns to your office and takes a hostage (or worse). A car crashes into your building leaving people badly injured. These scenarios can unfold at 2:00 on Wednesday afternoon or 2:00 on Saturday morning. This is not made up –it’s reality! Would you be able to respond and recover?
Virtually every story I see in the media where one of these situations has taken place, someone is interviewed and says, “We never thought it would happen here.” Think again.
Here are 5 tips prepare a plan prior to the crisis:
1- Designate two people who will be the face and voice of your organization. It should be the president or executive director, and a senior manager as a back-up. These individuals should be excellent communicators who are readily available and can remain calm under pressure.
2- Assemble a support team. This group will be your behind-the-scenes team who can help to provide expertise and input. It may include your PR director, an attorney, human resources person, and a trusted manager who thoroughly knows your organization. Everyone must be ready to spring into action.
3- Decipher information. Develop a checklist so everyone knows their responsibilities and is comfortable in their roles. You must gather and understand the details and scope of your situation, how it is unfolding, how it can be resolved and the impact on the community.
4- Understand the timeliness of your response. Prepare a template statement of 3-6 sentences that can quickly be changed in a moment’s notice to fit a specific situation. This can be ready-made for reporters. Your goal should be to contact the press before they find you. You must say something. “No comment” =guilty.
5- Review and update your plan. Staff changes, growth and other issues may significantly impact your crisis communications strategy. Dust off your file every few months. Make sure the new CEO or PR person has the right training and interview skills to deal with a crisis. Meet with your attorney as well to make sure you both understand the language that needs to be used with the media.
Remember the 5 P’s: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.
Communicating and Listening Includes Children Too
In my interview with Emmy-award winning journalist Linda Ellerbee, she shared her insights about her work as host of the acclaimed “Nick News” on Nickelodeon.
“We are in the 19th season of ‘Nick News’, which is a news and documentary series for children. It’s a show of serious intent. We cover the behavior of nations, not how crayons are made. Reporters still ask me and write about me and how I talk to children. And they don’t get it, I don’t talk to children, I listen to children. That’s what our show is about. Not talking to kids, it’s about listening to kids. And in 19 years, I’ve listened to them talk about September 11th, the Oklahoma City bombing, AIDS, divorce, abuse and loss. I’ve listened to their hopes and dreams. I’ve listened to them talk about politics and every election since ’92. The whole key is listening. I’m not their teacher and that’s not what our show is about. I am not there to tell kids about the world. I am there to try and let them understand the world a little bit and to listen to them. Wonderful things come out of their mouths. It stuns me after all these years of doing these shows when a grown-up says ‘You know, I watched that show you did with those kids and those kids were so smart.’ Well, if you shut up and listen, most kids are smart. But adults have to listen… as we get older we don’t always get smarter, we sometimes just get taller.”
The Bottom Line: Listen with your mouth closed.
Lessons Learned from the News
We’ve all been inundated and overwhelmed with the news these past few weeks. Celebrity deaths and politician press conferences have overtaken the media- both traditional and online. You can run but you can’t hide.
My intention here is not to regurgitate the news headlines and Tweets we are flooded with, but to share some insights into my own “Lessons Learned.” Maybe you will agree.
Michael Jackson: Aside from his obvious and distinct talent, we have witnessed a man who seemed to have desperately wanted to feel comfortable in his own skin. Celebrity does not equal reality.
Farrah Fawcett: It would be years after she shed the sex symbol image and embarked on more intense and profound acting roles that we had the opportunity to see the depth of her gifts. The bathing suit and big smile of the 1970’s morphed in her acclaimed roles in “The Burning Bed”, “Extremities” and of course in her final role in “Farrah’s Story.” Farrah was able to reinvent herself. In doing so, she forced us to look beyond the surface of her bathing suit and teeth and discover what she was really made of.
Karl Malden: His average looks weren’t in the same league as Brando, Bogart and Connery, but he taught us that with hard work and a willingness to learn your craft, you can be in the same league.
Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina: He has shown us a few things. First, he desperately needs to become more media savvy (at a press conference of marital confessions, you don’t open up the floor to questions from reporters, cite the Bible and cry). Second, if you put aside the issue of taxpayer reimbursement for his trips/love visits to Argentina, he taught us about the word Integrity. And I have to thank him for having a gutsy and strong wife who is so much better than he will ever be. A lesson for every young girl.
Governor Sarah Palin: Regardless of your political views, I absolutely think this woman is genuine. Like her or not, I don’t believe she is mean-spirited, evil or “dumb.” It’s unfortunate that she has had to endure the odious scrutiny of an unbalanced media who has treated her so unfairly. No man running for any political office in the US has ever had to tolerate what Palin has faced. Please don’t misunderstand my point: I say the exact same thing about Hillary Clinton. Shame on us.
Huge PR Window for You To Get Publicity
News tends to come to a screeching halt over the summer. State legislative sessions have ended, school is out, people are on vacations and the lazy, hazy days of summer prevail. This is an ideal time to develop and pitch stories. Even though business and government may be slower than usual, newspapers are still being printed and TV and radio stations still have on-air programming spots to fill.
You can help.
After spending 10 years in a busy radio newsroom, the summer months always had the same stories. Gas prices, family vacations, sunburn, barbecues, fireworks, pool safety, ideal bathing suits for not-so-ideal bodies, heat waves, and on and on. Do they sound familiar?
Consider this. Many stories that may seem weak or tough to pitch during a busy news cycle can easily grab the attention of a reporter during the slower holiday news cycle. July 4th weekend is upon us, and Labor Day is just around the corner.
Here are 3 quick and easy tips for getting coverage and publicity during long weekends:
1. Look at the calendar. This year, July 4th falls on a Saturday. If you send out your press release or pitch by Wednesday, July 1, the reporters can use it anytime between July 1 and July 7. The media is open 24/7. Your sleeper story on a busy news day could be a big headline over the extended weekend.
2. Keep it undated. If you have an “evergreen story” with no real date attached to it, that’s ideal for coverage over a long weekend and in slow news cycles.
3. Get creative! Stay away from the typical seasonal stories that reporters cover (listed above). Hard news and business stories are ideal for these time periods. Cause-related marketing is another good opportunity to shine. For example, most groups hustle for holiday food drives around Thanksgiving yet there are plenty of hungry people in July. Why not launch a food drive with your local United Way or soup kitchen? How about a summer mentoring program with local kids who can connect with businesses or volunteer programs? Human interest stories are always fun this time of year too. If you like to surf or go kayaking, invite a brave reporter to come along for a first time adventure.
Take advantage of this window of opportunity by planning ahead and getting creative. The reporters will appreciate your efforts and you can build critical relationships with them for future pitching and coverage.
10 Tips for Delivering A Powerful Speech
Stage fright can paralyze people. Even well-educated, polished professionals often have difficulty delivering a fabulous presentation. As a communications expert and trainer, I want to share the following tips with you. These pointers will help you supercharge your public speaking skills. Just remember, the following tips are for delivering your message, not preparing the content. For that aspect, watch my short video on YouTube. http://tinyurl.com/dc2pml
1. Practice- Stand up and read your speech out loud. This opens up your diaphragm and allows more air in, which gives you energy. This will also allow you to project your voice and get comfortable with how it sounds and the flow of your remarks.
2. Memorize as much as you can. Start with the first few lines, practice out loud whenever possible (driving, at home, in the shower, etc.). Keep adding a few lines to it, building on the beginning. You will soon have the speech memorized. This will allow you to speak to the audience, scanning the room with good eye contact and only referring to your written notes periodically.
3. Write key points on an index card. These “buzz words” will help jar your memory and keep the flow moving.
4. Speak from your stomach and not your throat. This will give you volume.
5. Say each word as if it were a word in its own right. Avoid rushing through the sentences in order to finish. (Listen to TV and radio newscasters for delivery and pacing tips)
6. Emphasize the important, funny and touching words. Let the audience know this is critical information. Grab and keep the attention of your audience and truly engage thme with your words and verbal/nonverbal communication.
7. Pause. Take a split second or two during key points to give the audience an opportunity to digest and take in what you are saying. This will also give their emotions a chance to react to your words. Silence is extremely powerful.
8. Get out from behind the podium. If you hide behind the podium, you will be a “Talking Head.” Walk around a bit and use gestures and your body to help make your words come alive.
9. Visualize the success of your speech. Days or weeks before, make a mental movie of how you will stand and deliver your remarks. See yourself in vivid and clear pictures looking superb, dressed impeccably, calm, and feeling excited and confident about your speech. See yourself on statge calmly and gracefully delivering the best speech of your life! See the faces of the audience who are silent and captivated by what you are saying. Hear the applause as you wrap up and the many compliments, handshakes and hugs that follow your speech. Picture yourself as a huge success and you will be flawless!
10. Smile and relax. Tall, strong and proud! Remember- You are the Message.
Candor in Communication
Manners, honesty, and candor can make for confusing communication.
When we were kids and spoke our minds (remember that phrase “from the mouths of babes”?), we were often told by our parents and teachers to be careful of other people’s feelings. After all, we didn’t have to say everything that floated into our little heads. As a child, weren’t you told, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, then don’t say anything?” Sometimes we unknowingly said embarrassing or rude things.
At home, I used to remind my kids (now ages 15 and 13) that it’s not good manners to shriek and make weird faces with a fake smile when Grandma asks if we like her new haircut. A conversation my daughter and I once had when she was 12 years-old revolved around why she shouldn’t tell her friend Samantha that she (Samantha) wasn’t invited to Katie’s party. My daughter wanted to tell Samantha it’s because “Katie doesn’t like you.” Ouch.
Brutal honesty can sometimes put a damper on relationships and conversations. I call it editorial judgment. I prefer to follow the advice of my wise old Grandma from Brooklyn who had an interesting approach to communications. “Know when to speak up and know when to shut up.” A beautiful little gem of communications wisdom. Would you dare tell your boss or project leader that the report he put together is horrible and a third grader could have done a better job?
How many times have you tried to linguistically dance around the real truth and wound up avoiding the truth? Sparing someone’s feelings in a social situation may have different consequences than not being candid when working on a project in the office.
In the business world, candid communication is vital to success. In his book, “Winning,” Jack Welch, former General Electric CEO, devotes a whole chapter to “candor.”
He says candor allows for the exchange of ideas – no matter how good or bad. The point being that the more you engage your staff into the conversation, the bigger pool of ideas you have to draw from. It also allows for a more rapid exchange of thoughts and suggestions. In today’s highly competitive environment, the faster we move, the better our chances of beating the competition or winning.
Welch also believes that candor cuts cost. Getting to the heart of the matter eliminates unnecessary meetings, reports, and boring presentations that merely regurgitate the problem, but offer no solutions. How can we be productive and forward thinking if everything we talk about at the conference table is based on something far from the truth?
Welch notes, “You can’t afford to not have candor.” There are consequences to withholding and/or manipulating the truth. It comprises your integrity and trustworthiness – with your customers, the public, and the media. From a media and public relations standpoint, being anything less than candid with reporters is a recipe for disaster. The #1 rule in communicating with the media is to be honest. If you don’t know something, it’s ok to say you don’t know and then offer to find out.
Candor in communication. What a concept.
