Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

I was reading the August 27th, 2007 edition of PR Week and came across an article by Randi Schmelzer that could not be anymore relevant to the public relations profession and to professionals everywhere, “The most vital reputation to manage is your own.”

The article outlines three main points which are relevant to firms everywhere:
· Reputation management is vital to long term success
· Representing controversial issues or people can have lasting negative effects on a firms reputation
· Keeping relationships intact is often more important than accepting lucrative contracts

Head the warning signs and stick to who you want to be, who you are and how you want others to perceive you.

My parents always say, “You are who you keep around you”.

William Tell Overture for Moms

So if anyone ever asks what a mother's day is like, please watch this video! It's a classic.

Have a great day!

Law Firms Get Video Online With Yellow Page Ads

Dionne Searcey of The Wall Street Journal reported in her article Bulky Yellow Phone Books Turn the Page to Online Video that yellow page companies across the country are offering video advertisement as editions to Web listings.

My colleague, Kevin O’Keefe, commented that he believes this is a “gimmick meant to serve outmoded yellow pages business models” and that yellow page sales reps “don’t give a darn” how their customers’ ads look.

I disagree.

Studies indicate that consumers still turn to yellow pages ads first for their local buying needs.


My husband was a sales rep with Yellow Book USA and although he’s since moved into a management role, I’ve witnessed the depth and breadth of his commitment along with that of the countless other sales reps I’ve worked with and become acquainted with over the years. It’s their job to care – if an ad doesn’t produce a solid ROI and the advertiser cancels, it’s money out of their pockets.

According to eMarketer, August 2007, “Video's high engagement factor combined with the Internet's tracking and targeting capabilities, potentially offers (advertisers) a highly accountable method to sway the hearts and minds of their target audience.”

I love the idea of Plaintiffs’ firms adding video ads to their yellow page listings online. For firms that already produce commercials, this is a no-brainer. The cost of the Internet ad is going to be exponentially less than reaching their target audiences on television.

I’m not crazy about the idea of having any ads produced by directory-owned production. It’s not that the sales reps or their production assistants “don’t care.” Rather, I believe law firms would be better served by spending the money it takes to produce top-notch branded video ads that fit within their brand strategy, are targeted to the most important audiences, set them apart from their competition, and comply with the rules of ethics that are mandatory for all law firms in the U.S.

Bottom line: these ads are valuable tools to increase a firms business if done right.

Using Editorial Guidelines When Submitting Articles for Publication

A great way to get ink is to submit article for publication to industry trade magazines, e-zines and other sources of information. It’s important however to research and stick to the editorial guidelines. Some of the common matters addressed by editorial guidelines include:

• Length of article: The minimum and maximum word count. An optimum number of words per article might also be listed.
• Editorial calendars which include topics, themes, article types and required submission dates broken down by publication date
• Preferred format of articles for submission
• Topics accepted by the publication
• Copyright rules
• Use of illustrations and photographs
• Editorial style such as compliance with the Associated Press Stylebook for abbreviations, capitalization, grammar, punctuation and spelling
• Inclusion of an authors’ biography and headshot
• Compensation
• Query and submission requirements
  

It is important to comply with the editorial guidelines of your target publication in order to maximize your chances of publication. And if you’re not sure about something, contact the editor and ask. It’s a great way to open the door to conversation and to offer yourself as available for commentary on similar issues while getting the editorial information you need to submit your article. You should also remember not to boast or overtly promote your firm or your services. Such behavior is extremely frowned upon.