Tips for Sharpening Your Writing Skills

perrypublicrelations — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:34:09 +0000

Whether you are tweeting, blogging, writing a speech or writing a news release –the written words that come from your business represent you. Communications that contain poor grammar, scattered ideas, or are full of jargon, reflect on you no differently than if you were wearing swimming trunks to a black-tie affair.

It seems that over time the basic lessons from The Elements Style and the Little Brown Handbook seem to have been lost on many people.

What you say and how you say it are among the ways people evaluate you. Are you trustworthy? Intelligent? Should I do business with you? Buy your product? By the time someone has finished the first paragraph of something you have sent them, they have formed an opinion of you and your company.

Recently, The Perry Group hosted a series of webinars for communications experts with the New England Society of Healthcare Communicators to sharpen their writing skills. Here are some easy to remember tips that can help you too.

• The most important part of every communication your company sends out is the idea. Make sure you have one main idea and it is clear and compelling. Otherwise you are just a wordsmith.
• The best length for a news release is 250 words.
• Sixty-five to seventy characters is the best headline length if you want your press release to be picked up by Google News.
• Don’t fall victim to grammatical or mechanical mistakes – have a colleague proof it!
• Understand your audience.
• And finally, remember, to persuade your audience you must be compelling!

The Cobbler’s Children

perrypublicrelations — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 16:12:19 +0000

Hello again! It is often said that the “cobbler’s children have no shoes” and often PR agencies fall victim to that same syndrome. So, after a long absence, and a visit to the PRSA International Conference in Washington this week where we realized the soles of our shoes are worn thin, my colleague Siobhan Carroll and I have been motivated to begin writing regularly for “A Good Name.” We’ll be posting our thoughts, tips and insights on reputation management, marketing and sometimes life in general.

At the conference, among the most interesting observations on the media today, came from Jim VandeHei, Editor of Politico.com. He notes there have been three big changes in the media in the last several years:

It is exponentially more diffuse
The age of niche media is here (to wit Politico)
And people are exceedingly fickle

What does it mean for PR and your company? Simple. Any PR program must have a laser-like focus that concentrates directly on your target audience. The days of scatter-shot PR hoping for a hit on television or a major newspaper mean nothing – if your audience isn’t paying attention to those outlets.

Preparing for H1N1

perrypublicrelations — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:38:38 +0000

What would happen to your business if a majority of your employees were hit with the H1N1 (Swine) flu? Do you have a plan in place to keep your company up and running if half of your employees are out sick? Do your employees know they should stay home if they have flu-like symptoms? Have you cross-trained job responsibilities of key employees?

Lately, everywhere you turn people are talking about H1N1. The Harvard School of Public Health recently completed a national survey of businesses that looked at their preparedness for an H1N1 outbreak. Researchers found that only one-third of businesses surveyed believe they could sustain their business without severe operational problems if half their workforce were absent for two weeks due to H1N1. Only 20% believe they could avoid such problems for one month with half their employees out.

Clearly, the majority of businesses are not prepared.

Having a clear communications plan is essential.

Following are some quick steps organizations should be taking to prepare themselves for an H1N1 outbreak:

1. Update your company’s crisis plan. This includes making sure that everyone on the crisis team is aware of their responsibilities. Double check contact information for key team members as well as the 2nd and 3rd level team. Knowing how to find people can save valuable time when decisions and approvals need to be made.

2. Begin internal discussions among key crisis team members. How are you going to monitor the situation? What are the action “triggers” if employees are diagnosed with suspected H1N1? This is especially critical for those whose operations interact directly with the public – for example, the food service, retail and health-care industries.

3. Develop platforms (e.g. hotlines, dedicated websites) for communicating pandemic status and actions to employees, vendors, suppliers and customers, inside and outside the worksite in a consistent and timely way, including redundancies in the emergency contact system. Let everyone know ahead of time how to find this information.

In the past, employees have often felt that it was a badge of honor to come into work when they were sick. Now is a good time to clarify your company policy and consider having employees stay home if they have flu-like symptoms.

If your company needs guidance preparing a crisis communication plan, The Perry Group has the experience necessary to help. Being prepared is half the battle.

What’s New for July?

perrypublicrelations — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:11:37 +0000

In a bad economy, breaking through all of the negative news can be tough, but The Perry Group has recently secured some nice media placements on behalf of a client with some good economic news for Rhode Island!

Picerne Real Estate Group late last month announced that they have undertaken a $26 million renovation of their Rhode Island properties that will take place over the next two years. The editorial coverage has been great –we were able to secure stories in the Providence Journal, the Warwick Beacon, the East Providence Post and WJAR Channel 10!

http://www.warwickonline.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Picerne+to+spend+-26M+to+upgrade+rentals%20&id=2859601-Picerne+to+spend+-26M+to+upgrade+rentals

http://www.projo.com/business/content/BZ_PICERNE_RENOVATIONS_06-26-09_QJERH2U_v8.32a6be6.html

http://www.pbn.com/detail/43623.html

http://www.eastbayri.com/detail/129892.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=picerne&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=&sub_type=&town_id=

Of course, the coverage didn’t just appear. Even when you have a great story to tell there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes – media alerts, press releases, e-mails and a lot of phone calls. All to ensure that the message is as widely disseminated as possible and that our clients are put in the best possible light.

The Perry Group’s Rhode Island Tweet-Up Recap

perrypublicrelations — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:55:05 +0000

What a turnout for the first-of-its-kind Tweet Up panel discussion in RI on “The Twitter phenomenon – What it means for you, your business and your brand!” More than 125 people attended – young and old, Twitter newbies, Twitter Elite, Twitter veterans and those who just wanted to learn a little more about Twitter! A diverse group of businesses and industry were represented, including – tourism, publishing, higher education, legal, hospitality, property management, and financial services to name a few. Evidence that the Twitter phenomenon is reaching mainstream businesses, and a recognition by those companies that the dynamics of communicating with their customers is quickly changing.

Joe Cascio, Michelle Riggen-Ransom, Jane Couto Porricelli, Cheryl Phillips and Gregg Perry

As panelist Joe Cascio says Twitter brings us back to the day when personal relationships were important in business. He points out that Twitter forces you to develop a one-on-one relationship based on real and meaningful interactions. Indeed, Tim Beyers writes at the Motley Fool this week, “Twitter is emerging as a powerful platform for business because it is expansive; it introduces you to new people, rather than merely reconnecting you with the folks you already know.”

That’s the power of Twitter. And that’s why companies like Ford, Dunkin’ Donuts and Southwest Airlines are using Twitter to listen to their customers’ likes and dislikes and to respond to them in real-time. What better way to practice reputation management than being able to meet your critics head-on and set the record straight as it happens, without a filter of the mainstream media.

As this was an event open to the public, we didn’t know what the demographics of the crowd were going to be before we started. So, we tried to design a session that would provide a little something for everyone – from newbie to elite and all in-between. Here’s a sample of Tweets from those attending #ritwitterpanel. More to come on some of the insights from the panel.

At The Perry Group, we’re strong believers that organizations should be communicating their core values and putting them into practice every day, not just when the going gets rough. Social Media is but one key element of a reputation management program that accomplishes this goal, and Twitter is fast becoming the tool of choice for those who want to manage their reputation and build a good name.

If you would like more information on Twitter, the dynamics of a social media campaign, and how to best incorporate them into a communications strategy, please contact us at 401-886-7200, by email at info@perrypublicrelations.com or on Twitter @greggperry.

Additionally, if you have photos of the event that you want to share with us, drop us an email with jpegs to info@perrypublicrelations.com Photos and video clips from our files will be posted soon!

The Twitter phenomenon hits the Ocean State.

perrypublicrelations — Wed, 13 May 2009 01:23:43 +0000

Every day our clients and would-be clients are asking for information and advice on social media – “Is it here to stay? What should we be doing? Tell us about Twitter.” Social media is here to stay, and it has a big impact on your company’s reputation – whether you are engaged in that media or not.

The Perry Group has added two experienced social media experts to our team of senior counselors to help meet demand in this area. Jane Porricelli and Audrey McClelland have been at the cutting edge of social media since its inception and have utilized social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon and Digg to build online awareness for brands, stories and ideas.

Twitter is currently at the forefront of social media, with lots of buzz and mainstream media attention surrounding it. On Tuesday, May 19th – The Perry Group will host the first-of-its-kind tweet-up in Rhode Island. We’ve gathered four of Southern New England’s most prolific “Tweeters” (including Jane Porricelli) for a one-hour panel discussion on the Twitter phenomenon and what it means for you, your business and your brand. To find out more and to register for the event, visit www.rhodeislandtweetup.eventbrite.com

Manny being Manny – This time it won’t work

perrypublicrelations — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:39:20 +0000

News that baseball slugger Manny Ramirez was found to have tested positive by Major League Baseball for use of an illegal substance comes as a shocker. Here in Red Sox nation there’s never been a whiff that Manny was a doper, and from all accounts, the folks in LA were duped by Manny too.

From a reputation management standpoint Manny and his agent Scott Boras get an “F” so far. Apparently, little was learned from the three previous big name baseball players who got caught using illegal substances – Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite.

Here’s why. Yesterday upon word of his suspension, Ramirez issued a statement. He’s gets an “A” for a quick response. Compare that to Rodriguez, who let the allegations of doping swirl for several days before addressing his “little problem.” Rodriguez reputation issues remain legendary.

However, a quick response means nothing, if you say nothing and do nothing to address the real issue. In his statement, Ramirez didn’t deny using an illegal substance. He danced around it, laying his problems on his doctor who had “given me a medication, not a steriod which he thought was OK to give me.” As Providence Journal sports columnist Jim Donaldson points out, Manny’s doctor knows what he does for a living and, “If the doctor is not sure what those drugs are, then he darned sure ought to find out.”

Laying the blame on someone else and failing to either a.) deny the allegations and fight suspension or b.) admit to having done something wrong is why this problem isn’t going to go away for Ramirez anytime soon.

Roger Clemens took the path of denial and has been vilified because his statements are just not believable – his reputation is in tatters. Andy Petitte on the other hand addressed the issue head on, took responsibility for his actions and is respected for doing so.

If Ramirez wants to get past this episode quickly, he needs to own up to what he’s done, apologize to baseball and serve his suspension. LA Times Columnist Bill Plaschke suggests Ramirez become the Dodgers “anti-steroid spokesman for kids who will listen.” If Manny does all that, then he’ll go a long way toward polishing his tarnished image and that of Major League Baseball.

What’s in a Name?

perrypublicrelations — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 05:00:29 +0000

For centuries, the attributes and benefits of a good name have been debated. For most, a good name is an invaluable asset that carries with it respect and honor. In the pursuit of a good name, one may exhibit the values of honesty, integrity and trustworthiness. At The Perry Group, we know that a good name is all this and more. As a reputation management and strategic communications company, we specialize in helping organizations and individuals protect and enhance their good name.

We’re strong believers that organizations should be communicating their core values and putting them into practice every day, not just when the going gets rough. That’s how you help manage your reputation and build a good name.

Today, technological advancements such as blogs, like this one, wiki and podcasts have enabled anyone to become a publisher of content – content that can threaten a hard-earned reputation in a matter of minutes.

We’ll be using this blog to talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of reputation management and strategic communications. And we’ll talk about building, managing and protecting a good name. For as the Greek philosopher Socrates once said:

“Regard your good name as the richest jewel you can possibly be possessed of – for credit is like fire; when once you have kindled it you may easily preserve it, but if you once extinguish it, you will find it an arduous task to rekindle it again. The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”

We look forward to hearing from you and engaging in a discussion about reputation management and strategic communications.