Out-of-the-box thinking from MNPR

Author

Megan Neher

One decade in business. A few lessons I’ve learned.

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My favorite photo of the day Natalie was born ten years ago. It looks like she’s smiling at her dad!

This is my tenth year owning my own PR firm. You learn working in PR that no one “in the biz” really celebrates anniversaries. I would have trouble even remembering the date except for one very significant reminder. I started my business just a few months before my daughter was born. So big and pregnant… I opened my laptop, cell phone in hand, on the couch of my parent’s house and started a PR consultancy company. We had just moved to town from Scottsdale and hadn’t even bought a house yet. This probably isn’t exactly part of the ideal business plan when you go to the SBA or the Kauffman Foundation’s entrepreneurship program. But it worked for me.

Like with a lot of small businesses, it takes time to work through the first few years. Things like: learning the art of prioritization and delegation; how to say no; do I REALLY have to file taxes EVERY year; and so on.

In addition to the tedious things every new business owner has to learn about taxes and technology, I’ve put together a list of “First Decade New Business Lessons Learned” by Megan Neher. I plan to read this 10 years from today and get a good laugh. Hopefully I’ll have a whole new list of new lessons learned by then!

1. FIO. Anyone who knows me will understand this acronym. I had hoped it would catch on like LOL or OMG. It stands for “Figure It Out,” and it’s something I tell every new intern or college student I’m advising. I think back to when I started as a newspaper reporter. At 23 years old, driving around the city with a folded paper map, not a GPS, figuring out how to get from one place to the next without Google. I had a written calendar, no cell phone and did research the old fashioned way. I’m not suggesting we go back to that; I just think we need to allow people to figure things out on their own.

2. Breathe. This lesson took me nearly ten years to learn. It’s basically my way of saying “don’t sweat the small stuff.” As I look around at clients and colleagues, I’m observing similar professionals my age going through the same growing pains. I guess this is something we all do! Start out rigid, and as we grow and mature in our professions, we become more flexible. We begin to understand that it is the gray area where progress happens.

3. My bra is not the only support I need! I’ve enjoyed being a part of KC/IABC but especially the entrepreneurs (support) group now called independent communicators. We meet monthly to talk about a variety of topics including things like clients, taxes, technology, websites, workload and more. It’s been my best support group, my best resources for subcontractors and a wonderful place to meet friends.

4. Don’t underestimate follow-up. This has become my secret to maintaining happy clients. (don’t tell my competitors!)

5. Mistakes aren’t for newbies… unfortunately. I wanted to get my mistakes out of the way early on and be done with them, but guess what? I’m still making them, and I’ve come to the realization that learning lessons the hard way is sometimes the only way we’ll learn.

6. Faith. I have a unrelenting faith in people. I can’t get rid of it. I am a terrible judge of character and instead of becoming a skeptic, I’ve decided to embrace it and continue to believe in people even when they let me down. I’m constantly surprised by them when they disappoint me, but at least I’m optimistic. And, by the grace of God, I haven’t been hurt by anyone too terribly bad, so perhaps my faith in people isn’t misplaced after all!

7. Home sweet home. As much as I’d like to be “more professional” with a real office, receptionist, fake plant, logo hanging on the wall… all of those things will never outweigh the ease of having a home office. I can roll out of bed, make coffee in my slippers and get two hours of work done before 8 a.m. or squeeze in three hours of work after the kids go to bed. (Of course the home office challenges my work-life balance from time to time, but it’s been remarkable how clients and others have understood kids and dogs in the office!)

8. Solitary confinement. I can’t do this job alone, nor do I want to. I loved working at the advertising agency in Arizona because of the close friendships I made. I quickly turned my “sole proprietorship” into a boutique PR shop so I could bring in some seasoned experts to learn from, share ideas and collaborate. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Ashley Cleveland has worked with me for about seven years and she’s been a gift from heaven. I’ve partnered with other colleagues along the way too, including Nancy Besa. We share a lot of laughs as well as ideas!

So those are some of the lessons I’ve learned. And, trust me… there are many, many others.

After 10 years, what do the next 10 years have in store – who knows? More figuring it out; mistakes and faith! I do hope to breathe a little more and maybe even change the company’s name. What a boring name! Got any ideas?

Pinterest’s Utopian Lifestyle

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I’m a waffleler. I don’t know if that’s a word or not, but I waffle on the topic of Pinterest.

I just attended a session on how fabulous Pinterest is for businesses at the IABC Southern Region Conference in Charleston, South Carolina. The presenter was Tim McMullen, a really cool guy who founded a marketing/social media firm in Nashville called Red Pepper. Prior to hearing him speak, I was four paragraphs into a blog post on what a waste of time Pinterest is. Thus, I waffle.

So, I begin with the negative: Generation Y’s love Pinterest, and they go around pinning everything they believe is perfect online. These mostly young women plan their perfect online lives. (Men, hello? Are you on Pinterest?) These girls adorn their dorm rooms, schedule their engagements, plan their weddings, decorate their homes or apartments, organize their pregnancy, reveal the sex of their children, and welcome their babies.

Keep in mind these are beautiful lives. In Pinterest land, nothing bad happens.

Yes, I believe in dreams. Everyone should have aspirations. But why waste your time sitting on your ratty apartment futon for hours pinning recipes you’ll never make, extravagant homes you’ll never live in and amazing hairdos you can never achieve?

I think we should all strive to improve our lives, but what I don’t like about Pinterest is that it has created a generation of women who believe this sort-of online Utopia will someday come true. Or worse, people who sit around pinning and make themselves miserable knowing that it won’t ever come true. Perfect homes. Perfect makeup. Perfect bridal showers. Perfect Thanksgiving tables with tiny turkeys at every plate.

And, a true story about a Pinterest-loving Bridezillas who was so obsessed with her balloons lifting off immediately following her wedding ceremony (an idea she lifted from Pinterest) that she couldn’t focus on one of the most important moments in her life.

I used to hate the phrase “live in the moment” because I thought who isn’t living in the moment? We are all living (well, aren’t we?)… and this is the moment! But, Pinterest is taking that away from those who are pinning, because that’s not living. That’s fake living.

And, isn’t it sad to pin things day after day that you want. It’s like a child’s Christmas list filled with ponies and backyard merry-go-rounds – but for grownups. Forever unattainable.

Now, to Mr. McMullen’s point.

First of all, he did his entire presentation IN Pinterest… which I didn’t even know was possible. And, that was SO cool! He talked about some very fascinating marketing strategies I hadn’t thought about: ways to target audiences, capture customer information and most importantly generate sales.

Yes, today people consume media differently. It’s not just traditional stuff like TV anymore. And, it’s certainly not newspaper, (even though I still read it)! Pinterest is growing at an astounding rate. In only two years, it has more than 10 million users – Facebook only had 6 million users in its first 2 years. (Thank you Red Pepper Pinterest page for that pin!)

Bottom line: from a business perspective, I MUST use Pinterest. I have to get on board, get excited about it and get creative!

I’m open to suggestions. If you use Pinterest for more than a fake/beautiful/coveted life, inform me! I’m a newbie and I’m willing to be “pinned wrong” on this one!

Kill them with kindness… even in business

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I just finished a call with a potential client who is getting hammered through social media and online comments because of a very public scandal. She was seeking a publicist. I was happy to offer some counsel, although in the end I wasn’t the right person for the job. She and I went back and forth throughout a weekend over the phone with ideas on how to combat this attack.

She paid me the ultimate compliment. She said I was kind, and that very few people are kind to her because of the scandal and the mis-communication that it has caused.

That reminded me of a promise I made to myself 20 years ago.

I was cowering behind a cubicle wall at a very large public company where I worked in the finance department where they had unwisely hidden the small PR team. The president of the company had stormed up to our group at 6 p.m. to rant and rave about a speech I had written and inadvertently had left revisions that had been made in a previous edit. My boss at the time stood up tall and took the blows. He never once said, Megan wrote the speech. She’s the one to blame. She’s the dummy who didn’t make the right edits. Meanwhile, this idiot making six-figures was hollering every word in the book at the top of his lungs so that anyone in finance, real estate, marketing and even down in IT could hear his slurs.

I promised myself at that very moment. No matter how important success became to me, I would not act like THAT. I would not become unkind. And, I would not treat people disrespectfully.

I do not hold myself up as unique. Recently, I was in a meeting of communication professionals for KC/IABC at our monthly Independent Communicators luncheon. Our discussion topic turned to this very issue – with a slight twist. Can a woman gain success in the business world while maintaining a kind demeanor? And we all agreed she can!

Kindness and respect in the workplace was significant to every single person in the group (mostly women). And although it had been challenged throughout the years for us, and we’d definitely seen women and men who had climbed the ladder more quickly or furiously because of their lack of kindness, it wasn’t something we were willing to sacrifice.

Stay true to your promises. Go Kindness!   :)

Are you prepared for a social media firestorm?

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Communicating at light speed – that’s the new norm. We PR practitioners need to get accustomed to it or become dinosaurs.

That was never so evident than when the marketing/PR/communications team for the Susan G. Komen Foundation was blindsided with the concerted effort of Planned Parenthood recently. No matter what side of the argument you land on, it was clear to anyone watching this national controversy unfold that one side was communicating effectively and powerfully, while the other was getting pounded.

Komen had decided to publicity announce that it had pulled its funding from Planned Parenthood. They politely and quietly made their announcement apparently unknowing what was about to happen. They were unprepared for the social media firestorm.

I have no idea how Planned Parenthood was able to secure its grassroots armies of social media troops throughout the country to attack Komen so quickly. Did they have prior knowledge of the announcement? Was it solely the passion behind the cause that fueled the storm and efforts so quickly?

Whatever it was, they communicated via Facebook and Twitter in a concerted and effective method. So much so, I believe, that it was the single most significant reason Komen reversed its decision. From their standpoint, thousands of people were hammering them over and over again with targeted negative messages. This hammering was preventing them from getting their messaging out. Even a PR person for Komen tweeted on day No. 2 of the controversy that her office was full of #idiots for not recognizing this would happen.

Another recent example proves that social media is more than just a social playground. JC Penney named Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson. Because she is gay, an organization called the One Million Moms began an online protest. Again, I think the organization may have been surprised by the response they received.

Ellen, with the power of her television show and passionate following, addressed the protest head-on. In response, supporters of Ellen have offered to shop at JC Penney… even if they’ve never shopped there before by posting thousands of Facebook and Twitter messages – all pointed directly at One Million Moms. Probably not what they expected! Ultimately, I was pleased JC Penney stood by its decision and didn’t let an organization bully them with threats of boycotts and value complaints.

I’m writing this blog post today because I was asked by a Kansas City TV station to be a social media/public relations expert for a news segment last week. I figured… if I gathered my thoughts enough for the TV interview, I should at least get some use out of it and put it down in a blog! :) 

The interview occurred before Komen reversed its decision to fund grants to Planned Parenthood. It’s interesting… at the speed of communication today; things can change in a split second. You have to stay on top of the issues or you’re left arguing for (or against?) a topic that is no longer relevant!

I love grammer, I mean… grammar!

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Some people think I’m sick. I love grammar. I like to edit things. I scour for errors. I’m not unlike many of you out there. I cringe when my husband says, “where’s it at?” or I get a newsletter from school that says “Event Tonite!”

I come from a long line of freaky editor types. My grandmother was born in 1901 and was the editor of The Kansan at the University of Kansas in 1920. She also worked on the yearbook, as did my mother. I went to K-State, but was an editor at both the college newspaper and the yearbook. Maybe grammar is in our blood.

“It’s lie, dear,” my grandmother would say when I would say that I was going to go lay down for a nap. Ouch, that’s even hard to type those words now.

In today’s world, young people don’t care about grammar. Yes, they have to for English class. But otherwise there’s no pride. And, I’m not just talking about texting. It’s not just young people. I think because people are consuming media differently, there’s a general lax. Very few of my adult friends subscribe to the newspaper, nor do they read it. So how are they to learn/be reminded of good grammar if they aren’t consistantly consuming quality written media?

One example. I upload my clients’ press releases to an online service on the Kansas City Star’s website. (I’m not sure why I do this because I don’t think anyone reads this site or cares about it, but at least it’s on there.) Anyway, while I’m on the site, I’ll read some of the other press releases. Most are very professional. A few appear to be written by second-graders. I’m shocked by the disregard of the rules of sentence structure, punctuation, spelling and grammar.

There’s been a lot in the media about texting and how it is ruining the youth’s writing skills. I agree. Hopefully most young people can see the difference between a text and true writing.

What scares me is going beyond that. For the past… errrr… I don’t know… 10 years or so… I was one of the few former journalist-turned-something-else who believed the newspaper would never die. I’m over that. I believe in the next five years or so there will be no newspaper in my driveway every morning, and that makes me very sad. I love opening it up. I love spreading it out. I love touching it.

So, here’s my question: will college students study print journalism? Why would they? That won’t even exist. Will every college student who wants to be a “journalistic writer” get a degree in online journalism? Is that writing different? It shouldn’t be. I don’t want online journalism or writing for online in general to be considered so temporary that we can be sloppy.

Some may think they don’t have to really care about grammar or rules because it is just for “online” or just a blog. Some blog writing is atrocious. I suppose that’s OK if a grandma is simply chronicling her soup recipe or a mom is writing about her son’s first year, but there should be a difference between the paid professional who studied for four years to become a… journalistic blog writer?

I would hope that there are college professors meeting right now and developing curriculum for this next generation of writers. I would ask them to please require each student to purchase a printed copy of the AP Stylebook and to READ it cover to cover as I did – twice. Along with many other good books on grammar. These books should be studied and these students should be tested on the rules of grammar.

Finally, for those who uncover good writing online and ferret out some bloggers or online journalists who truly care about the written word – whether it appears on a screen or on a printed page, let’s applaud them… for they may be an endangered species.

Believable Myths

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Sometimes even communications pros fall for ”myths” regarding our own industry. I thought this blog posting from a while back was a good reminder to what PR is… and isn’t.

Take a look at Myth No. 9. This one is spot on. As a former journalist and someone who helped with hiring at a large PR firm, I saw first hand as PR pros truly believed this myth! Some folks in the PR world think former journalists have a “secret knowledge” to placing stories with media. Sure, I think it can give someone a leg up to have been a reporter, but another good way to simulate this experience: READ the paper and local magazines, LISTEN to the radio and WATCH local/national television news.

Top 10 Myths about Public Relations
By Guy Bergstrom, About.com Contributing Writer

You’re exposed to the fruits of public relations every day, in every medium — TV, newspapers, radio, Facebook, Twitter, magazines. It’s a growing profession and never have so many public figures been in the public eye in so many different ways.
Yet the art and science of public relations is still more art than science. There are many myths and misconceptions about PR that are not only wrong, but it many cases dangerously wrong. Here’s a list of the Top 10 most common myths about public relations.

1) Myth: Any Press is Good Press
There’s an old saying, “As long as you spell my name right.” The idea being that any ink is good ink, that just getting your name out there, and breaking through, is a benefit that outweighs any negative content in a story. This is an enduring public relations myth. It’s also a losing strategy.

2) Myth: PR is All about Press Releases and Press Conferences
“Press release” and “press conference” are the two phrases that clients and bosses know. They will use those phrases. Often. And this is bad. Bad for you, if you’re doing the work, because press releases are over-used and often the wrong tool for the job.
Bad for your client or boss, because press conferences should be rare and reserved for the biggest possible events. If you hold press conferences all the time, reporters won’t show up. Public relations today is an ever-changing field, with more and more communication happening in cutting-edge ways. YouTube videos, Twitter, blogs.

3) Myth: Once You Break Through with Publicity, You’re Golden
Say you did a viral video and got a million hits, or wrote the most amazing press release the world has ever seen and newspapers all over the world picked it up. One big hit in the media isn’t enough.
It’s like music. One-hit wonders are common. They skyrocket to the top and just as quickly, they crash to earth. The tough part for rock bands — and any public figure or organization — is steady success.

4) Myth: Publicity is Free and Easy
We all drive cars. That doesn’t mean you should hire your neighbor to fix your Chevy’s engine. Not when your competition is using a trained mechanic. And there’s a lot of competition with public relations.
Most organizations are trying to get coverage in the media. Most people doing public relations full-time are experienced professionals who used to work at newspapers, TV or radio stations, and the ones who didn’t often got degrees in journalism or public relations. So it’s smart to have the best possible person doing the job — or if you do it yourself, to study up and talk to pros before you dive in.

5) Myth: You Need to Hire an Expensive PR Firm
For many individuals, small business owners and people just trying to break through — whether it’s in politics, entertainment or professional sports — hiring an expensive PR firm is not an option. The budget isn’t there. But there are other options.

6) Myth: Good Products Don’t Need Publicity – Only Bad Products Do
Even if what you’re doing is innocent — puffing up a bad product while ignoring your good products — that’s an odd and unproductive strategy. You want people to know about your best product. You should be proud of it, and making it the centerpiece of any publicity or marketing campaign.
Saving PR only for bad products means will trust what you say if you finally decide to do publicity on your good products. In their head, they’ll have made the link: whatever these people try to pump up is garbage, so if they’re pumping this widget up, it’s also garbage.

7) Myth: Public Relations Can’t be Measured and is Therefore Worthless
Public relations isn’t like baseball. There aren’t statistics for when you succeed and when you don’t. Some people and organizations do try to quantifying public relations, but that’s like trying to nail jelly to the wall.
You can try to compare earned media to an equivalent amount of advertising. Yet earned media is far more credible — and effective — than ads. You can’t pin that down as a number.

8) Myth: PR Means Schmoozing and Controlling the Press
The worst thing you can do is tell a reporter to NOT cover a story, or to stop digging. That’s a flashing neon sign that says, “There is journalistic gold buried here! They’re hiding something really juicy — dig dig DIG!”
You can’t control the press. The press isn’t not a monolithic institution anyway. Public relations is about communicating with the press and public in a smart, effective way.

9) Myth: Only Ex-Reporters Can Do It
In public relations, there’s no professional license or test to pass. The profession is growing, as the demand for information grows. There are more public relations jobs in business, entertainment, politics, non-profits and government.
Organizations of all types are seeing the benefit of communicating with the press and public, and they’re doing it in more ways than ever: web sites, blogs, Twitter, radio, Facebook, print, e-mail, Youtube videos and television.

10) Myth: Public Relations is Spin, Slogans and Propaganda
Propaganda is manipulating people to do something that’s not in their best interests, and it’s usually the tool of a state, used along with censorship and fear. Public relations pros avoid spin, slogans and propaganda techniques.
Today’s audience has never been more sophisticated, and there have never been more alternative sources for news and information. A lot of public relations is simply making life easier for busy clients and journalists.

Snacking on Communications

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Communication World magazine featured “content snacking” in its January issue. And who doesn’t love to snack. (popcorn is my favorite!) In fact, that’s my point. The article talks about today’s cluttered media and messaging environment. With the invention of the iPad, smart phone and e-book, consumers are looking to quickly scan, read and digest critical information/news quickly.

I agree with the growth of snacking… or reading only the first part of an article and scanning the rest. However, I’m not sure this is new. As a journalist, you’re taught to write the inverted pyramid style. This means writers place the most important information in the first sentence so that stories can easily be edited from the bottom. But, also, news stories are written in this manner so that snackers can quickly read the first sentence and get a gist of the story. Or maybe just read until the jump to another page in the paper and there’s no time to read the rest.

The article says: If snackers comprise your core audience you have to cater to their needs. I’d argue “snackers” comprise every audience.

Whether you’re communicating a newsletter, email pitch to an editor, benefits package information to employees or timely news to industry professionals, you must find an interesting angle and start your message with it.

The article goes on to say that the “snacking” will not last – people will still want good “full meals” again. I disagree. People have been consuming only the first few paragraphs of an article for decades. (probably a habit we learned in high school from reading text books) If anything, I think the snacking will get stronger.

As a writer, I would hope consumers’ appetites would grow, but I’m doubtful simply because of the clutter. I think this places an even larger responsibility on the writers to engage quickly and do their best to write succinctly to sustain the reader’s appetite.

Back in my day…

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I had so much fun going back to Manhattan, Kansas for the School of Journalism’s 100th anniversary event at Kansas State University this month (September of 2010). I rubbed elbows with my professors from 16 years ago. Talked to current students. Visited the Collegian Newspaper’s newsroom in Kedzie Hall (oh, the memories as Campus Editor and staff writer!). And, chatted with former classmates.

It was fantastic to be on campus during a school day to watch as the students walked to class – all with cell phones glued to their ears while sipping espressos. Otherwise, so much of the campus is the exact same – especially the old newsroom at Kedzie where time has stood still. I felt as if I had been a ghost from another era who worked at the paper. I talked to the current staffers about how things were done in “my day.” I found my name – handwritten on the ceiling from nearly two decades before and couldn’t help but notice that the desks are the same ones we sat behind… and on!

There were a few things that were disappointing. I wish there would have been more students who returned for the celebration. The college and the program’s leaders did a tremendous job of planning informational and exciting events, but I would have loved to catch up with more of my old classmates.

I also spent a good deal of time chatting with a PR professor – who wasn’t at K-State when I was a student. We compared how the program had changed throughout the years. One of the things I was most proud of when I mentored college journalism students is that AT K-State, all students are required to write for the college newspaper for at least one semester. I gloated that even at the highly acclaimed Kansas University, you could graduate with a degree in print journalism and never had the experience of working at the paper.

Well, that has changed and I think it is a mistake.

All journalism students – whether their emphasis is PR, print or broadcast, should learn what makes a news story and how to articulate the news into the traditional inverted pyramid format. These students should learn what it is like to be “edited” especially by their editor-level peers. And, I’d argue, this experience is especially useful for PR majors. When you’re a newbie in PR and it’s your job to call the local TV station or newspaper to propose a story, you’d better know what makes a good story angle or it will be a short career.

Now, I’m sure the students love this change. Reporting was a very challenging class. Students were required to write 25 stories for the Collegian. Only the strong writers’ articles appeared in the paper regularly, while the other students struggled to get one or two published. (and I’m sure they used those few pieces for their portfolio!)

Many students I speak with today – especially those excited about a career in PR – tell me they aren’t good writers and don’t particularly care for writing. I wonder if they think they can be successful in PR without focusing on improving their writing. I always tell them a few things that I believe will help them become a better professional someday:

• Read and watch the news. I’m blown away by how many students – even journalism students – as well as young PR professionals can’t be bothered to read the paper. Come on! You’ll never be any good unless you make this a habit.
• Write for a publication – sometime. Either get an internship with a magazine or newspaper, offer submissions or letters to the editor, get a job at the campus paper or yearbook or keep a focused blog you can be proud of.
• Study your critiques. Once I started as a reporter for a daily newspaper as new graduate, I would compare the article that ran in the paper with the one that I had submitted and soon I made fewer and fewer mistakes.

I miss my days in college and I hope to be able to work with college students some day. Maybe I’ll bring back the requirement of writing for the paper!

What’s your favorite social media contest?

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I’ve tried a variety of social media contests and promotions in the past 12 months and some have worked well and a couple weren’t very popular. Given the successes and the ease of implementing these programs – not to mention the cost (FREE!), I continue to suggest my clients that we develop one-of-a-kind promotions on Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets (including e-newsletter promotions).

Some of the programs that were successful include:

-A Facebook contest for Zona Rosa. We surprised our 15,000 fans with a contest: the first 20 people to show up at Guest Services would receive a $25 gift card. The Facebook page went crazy with comments and we gave away the gift cards in about 20 minutes. People came running in with their laptops, cell phone and print pages. It was a lot of fun and we generated a ton of new fans.

-We tried a re-tweet for a treat contest and didn’t get a ton of participation, but I still think that it was a cute promotion and might grow in popularity with another go.

Lastly, here’s one that was a big success for my client.

RA SUSHI HONORS INTERNATIONAL SUSHI DAY WITH COMPLIMENTARY TOOTSY MAKI FOR ALL FACEBOOK FRIENDS
“Like” RA on Facebook for a special offer good for one day only

On June 18, 2010, RA Sushi Bar Restaurant celebrated International Sushi Day, an informal holiday created to encourage sushi lovers around the world to eat more sushi. In honor of this day, anyone who “likes” RA Sushi on Facebook was able to print a special offer good for one complimentary Tootsy Maki, redeemable at one of RA Sushi’s 25 locations nationwide, including Leawood, Kan.

The special offer was promoted on Facebook only. Tootsy Maki is one of RA Sushi’s most popular rolls containing kani kama crab mix, shrimp and cucumber, rolled and topped with crunchy tempura bits and drizzled with a sweet eel sauce. This signature dish was free on International Sushi Day for those who “like” RA Sushi on Facebook and came into the restaurant with the Facebook coupon.

To make this holiday even more official, RA Sushi declared June 18 as International Sushi Day in Chase’s Calendar of Events, the most comprehensive and authoritative reference available on special events, worldwide holidays, civic observations, and more. International Sushi Day will appear in the 2011 edition of Chase’s Calendar of Events.

The restaurant hopes to get even more redemptions next year. Results for this year (which include all 25 locations) show that RA increased visits to the Facebook pages, received more than 2,000 “likes” on Facebook, generated comments regarding the special offer, drew more Twitter followers, garnered media mentions and most importantly drew 48 people to walk into RA Sushi Leawood to redeem their Tootsy Maki coupon.

Put a Fresh Face on Your Business

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I was invited to write an article for KC Small Business’s March issue. The editor asked for an article about the importance of a small business’s marketing materials. I thought I’d share it with you here. Also, check them out online at www.ithinkbigger.com.

Put a Fresh Face on Your Business
March 2010
By Megan Neher

Most women put on their own makeup every day and think it looks good. But sometimes, they need a bold friend to say, “Honey, you really need to update your look.” Or, even take them to see a professional at the department store makeup counter.

It’s just as important that you put the right “face” on your business from the start, and keep it looking fresh. You must keep up appearances through printed materials, your Web site, letterhead, your business cards and even social media outlets.

Printed marketing materials, a professionally-designed logo and a quality updated Web site are simple ways to establish your company as professional, credible, longstanding and reputable. Creating or updating these materials doesn’t have to break the bank, but sometimes working with a professional is the best option. Below are a few ways you can get started with new or redesigned marketing materials and online presence for a reasonable cost.

Logo
This is an element where “do it yourself” rarely is good enough. Hire a professional designer to create a logo for your company. There are hundreds of local designers who work as freelancers and will create a logo from scratch for an hourly fee. You can have a customized logo that will become your company’s brand and be included on all of your marketing materials. This step is critical because it establishes your brand and begins to build that recognition. Beware of hiring your “nephew who likes to draw” or designing your own logo. It’s worth the initial cost to have your brand customized to your company’s mission from the start.

Business Cards
Your professional looking marketing materials don’t have to be expensive, but it’s important that they don’t look like they were do-it-yourselfers either. When you first start your business, you’ll likely discover a variety of perforated sheets of business cards that you can print at home on your own ink jet printer. Don’t be tempted to take this “easy button,” because it doesn’t project the stable, credible image you’re looking for. Another bad idea: The free business cards online with the message on the back that says: “Free online business cards.”

E-mail
Create an e-mail address that is professional and includes your company name. For example, if your name is Jane Doe and you just opened your own company called Jane’s Jewelry, don’t continue using your old casual e-mail, such ascooljewelrylady@yahoo.com. Instead change it to Jane@janesjewelry.com to project a more professional and established image for your company.

Web Site
The Web site you built yourself (or had a friend build) five or more years ago probably isn’t doing its job anymore (if it ever did). A Web site with visible frames, scrolling text and square, beveled buttons can’t compete with today’s slick graphic sites.  Web templates are available at a reasonable cost to bring your Web site out of the ‘90s.

For a small company there are a few critical must haves for a Web site:
• It must be updated regularly. If you hire someone to create a site for you, make sure it is something that you can log into and update periodically. Then, schedule monthly Web site updates on your calendar. Even if you’re only tweaking the site, don’t let your messaging go stale.
• It must include your contact information on the home page. Nothing is more irritating than when you simply need to call or mail someone and you can’t get their phone number or address.
• It must feature your company’s brand, purpose, mission and logo. Again, consistency is crucial in marketing materials. Show your clients that you’re proud of your brand.

Social Media
This is where things get a little tricky. Twitter, Facebook and blogs aren’t necessarily marketing materials; however, if they’re representing your company you still must use the company’s logo and other branded messaging. Sometimes these online sources can be even more important than your business cards or letterhead. If someone is searching the Internet for your company name or even your name, they may stumble across a recent blog post, a Tweet or a Facebook status update. Always maintain a high level of professionalism when combining social media and your company.
Don’t let your company be seen in public without a fresh and professional-looking face. Get a marketing makeover—from logo to Web site. You’ll love the new you, and so will customers.

Megan Neher is owner of Megan Neher Public Relations, a full-service public and media relations practice specializing in inventive and strategic communications solutions.

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