Public Relations Basics for Start-ups: How to Fuel Growth and Generate New Business

PUBLIC RELATIONS BASICS FOR START-UPS:How To Fuel Growth & Generate New BusinessAmerica Means BusinessJune 15, 2012Sandra Fathi Email: sfathi@affect.comPresident Twier: @sandrafathiAffect www.affect.com www.techaffect.com © Affect © Affect Strategies PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented to Absolute Soware | May 29, 2009

PUBLIC RELATIONSBENEFITS Why Start-ups Need PR •  FREE* •  High ROI •  Reach: new audiences and existing audiences •  Objective: third-party endorsement •  Rapid Results © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSGOALS & OBJECTIVES Typical PR goals and objectives: •  Raise awareness for company, products and services •  Drive demand for products and services •  Generate sales leads •  Increase website traﬃc •  Change/improve/maintain public perceptions •  Strengthen brand/customer loyalty •  Enter new market © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSSTRATEGIES Typical PR strategies: •  Establish unique and sustainable messaging and positioning •  Develop compelling content for media consumption •  Build and maintain strong relationships with the media •  Secure positive media coverage for company, products and services •  Increase share of voice in market (against competitive oﬀerings) •  Position company spokespeople as industry experts and thought leaders © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSSERVICES Public Relations Analyst Relations Media Relations Award Programs Positioning & Messaging Blogger Relations Speaking Programs Content Development Thought Leadership Customer Relations © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSMEDIA RELATIONS Foundation Materials •  PR Plan/Roadmap •  Press Kit •  Company Backgrounder/Overview •  Company Fact Sheet •  Executive Bios •  Product/Services Overview •  Media Lists •  Press Release Matrix •  Editorial Calendar © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

TACTICSPUBLIC RELATIONS/MEDIA OUTREACH Keys to Understanding Media: •  Audience – Readers •  Responsible – Editor •  Motivated by - Scoop •  Deadline – Always On •  Knowledge – Mile Wide, Inch Deep •  Deals with Information, Sort Facts Later •  Needs Good Sources © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSMEDIA LISTFinding Relevant Media: •  Media list services (i.e. Cision, Vocus, My Media Info, Bulldog Reporter) •  Read the ‘byline’ on articles/ newspapers •  Read the ‘masthead’ on magazines •  Review competitive coverage •  Look online for editorial staﬀ listings/news submission pages © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSMEDIA RELATIONS © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

TACTICSMEDIA RELATIONS:MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE •  Air Force Magazine •  Aol Defense •  Army Times •  Defense News •  Defense Tech Briefs •  FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin •  Homeland Security Today •  Military.com •  National Defense Magazine •  Navy Times © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

TACTICSMEDIA RELATIONS: LAWENFORCEMENT •  Evidence Technology Magazine •  Government Computer News •  Law Enforcement Product News •  Law Enforcement Technology •  Oﬃcer.com •  Police •  Police and Security News •  PoliceOne.com © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSEDITORIAL CALENDARS Editorial Calendar Snapshot © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSEDITORIAL CALENDAR © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSSTORY GENERATION Market Customers Employees CEO © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSSTORY GENERATION Prospects Customers Inﬂuencers Media © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSPRESS RELEASE MATRIX © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSTHOUGHT LEADERSHIP •  Trending topic in news cycle •  Breaking news •  Long shelf life •  Short shelf life •  Has time for commentary •  Needs immediate reaction/ analysis © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSTREND INTERVENTION Industry Trend Action Mobile Apple vs. Android Compile balecard, develop infographic Mobile HTML 5 vs. Native Apps/HTML 5 Establish company POV, oﬀer Myths media spokespersons Media Monetization of Mobile Content Create tip sheets/press release Banking Mobile Payments & NFC Develop byline article abstracts on topic Retail Holiday 2012/2013 Forecast Develop research survey/gather statistics for media © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSTREND INTERVENTION © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSSTORY HIJACKINGIn April 2010 a volcanic eruption in Iceland le thousands of travelers on standby in airports, many of whom were on business travel. As part of its strategy to communicate with professionals around Regus’ flexible workspaces, Affect conducted a story hijacking campaign to offer tips to business travelers on how to work effectively while stranded. Affect garnered more than 200 placements in Regus’ target publications as a result of the media relations program during the volcanic eruption. Additionally,Regus identified a 9% spike in its U.S. video conferencing services during this time. © Affect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PR STRATEGYBYLINE ARTICLES Keys to Success: •  Relevant/Topical •  Objective •  News-worthy Sample Byline Topics: •  Taking the Mobile Leap: Five Things Every Small Company Should Know •  Agile in the Cloud: What it Means and How to Achieve Success •  Top 10 Characteristics of a Highly Successful Agile Team •  So You Want to Adopt a Continuous Delivery Model, Now What? •  Outsourcing vs. Insourcing: Finding a Development Partner That Can Adapt to Your Company Culture & Deliver Stellar Work © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSBYLINE ARTICLES Process: •  Read editorial section or FAQ on website •  Search for the topic ‘byline articles’ •  Examine other articles and their authors •  Just ask •  Write an abstract on the topic/s you can provide expertise on •  Secure the opportunity •  Write (According to guidelines) •  Get published! © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSAWARDS PROGRAM Sample Industry & Business Awards Date Award March BlackBerry World Wireless Leadership Awards March The American Business Awards April Mobile Merit Awards May WSJ Technology Innovation Awards (Submied) June Mobile Star Awards *Antenna won in ‘mobile banking’ & ‘success story’ categories in 2010 September Mobile Excellence Awards November Andrew Seybold Choice Awards *Antenna named ﬁnalist in 2010 December Crunchies Awards © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSAWARDS PROGRAM Process: •  Review Editorial Calendars for key industry publications •  Review competitor websites/awards •  Internet searches for business awards •  Develop calendar/matrix •  Establish a budget •  Submit according to exact criteria •  Bask in the glory of your new award! (i.e. Leverage it for sales and marketing) © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSSPEAKERS PROGRAM Process: •  Search for industry conferences (1 year prior) •  Develop calendar of deadlines/submission process •  Develop Speaking Abstracts (Typically 100-250 word descriptions) Types of Sessions: Event Date & Location Computerworld Open Source May 21-22, 2012 •  Workshops Business Conference (OSBC) San Francisco, CA June 4-6, 2012 San Francisco Agile •  Panels San Francisco, CA June 10-15, 2012 Better Software Conference West •  Educational Las Vegas, NV October 11-12, 2012 Agile Business Conference •  Case Studies London, UK November 4-6, 2012 Agile Development Conference East Orlando, FL •  Develop speaker bio •  Submit according to process and follow up © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSINDUSTRY ANALYSTRELATIONS Keys to Understanding Analysts: •  Audience – Clients •  Responsible – P & L •  Motivated by - Fame •  Deadline – Has Time •  Knowledge – Mile Deep, Inch Wide •  Deals with Facts, Statistics, Data •  Needs Good Information •  Provides industry feedback and insight into competitive oﬀerings/pain points © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSANALYST RELATIONS Process: •  Identify relevant analyst firms (Internet searches, quoted in articles) •  Identify relevant individual analysts within each firm •  Examine website/speak with sales to understanding briefing request process •  Prepare analyst deck/briefing materials according to analyst firm guidelines •  Request/establish briefing (typically 6-8 weeks advance notice unless breaking news) •  Understand how information will be used/published •  Understand future ‘rules of engagement’ with the firm © Affect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSSTRATGIC PLACEMENTS Radio, Television, Print & Online Advertising or PR? •  Payment for services not for real- estate •  Media must ‘agree’ to accept content •  Content is editorial in nature – not commercial •  Spokespersons positioned as ‘experts’ •  Product placement in context © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSSTRATEGIC PLACEMENTS Types: •  SMT – Satellite Media Tour (Broadcast Television) Dedicated or Co-op •  RMT – Radio Media Tour •  Feature Release Benefits: •  Guaranteed** coverage •  Significantly cheaper than advertising •  Immediate impact •  Beer control of message/content © Affect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONSDIY OR PR FIRM Considerations: •  Financial and human resources •  Expertise in the arena •  Product knowledge •  ‘Connections’ •  Strategy, ideation, content creation and execution •  Dedicated program © Aﬀect PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented at AMB | June 2012

PUBLIC RELATIONS BASICS FOR START-UPS:How To Fuel Growth & Generate New BusinessAmerica Means BusinessJune 15, 2012Sandra Fathi Email: sfathi@affect.comPresident Twier: @sandrafathiAffect www.affect.com www.techaffect.com © Affect © Affect Strategies PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL Presented to Absolute Soware | May 29, 2009

Public Relations Basics for Start-ups: How to Fuel Growth and Generate New Business

by Sandra Fathi on Jun 15, 2012

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Public Relations Basics for Start-ups: How to Fuel Growth and Generate New Business Presentation Transcript