Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s Webspam team, recently produced a video in which he discussed the value of content over search engine optimization.

In that video, he said that as a business owner, you can have great content on your site, but be completely lacking in good SEO, and still wind up with a site that ranks well on Google.

Ali Husayni, CEO of Master Google, agreed with that assessment, and so do we.

“By virtue of being great content, it will attract quality, inbound links,” Husayni said. “Sites that write great content on a regular basis attract visitors as well as Google spiders.

Google ranks old and new pages of these sites above their competitors, which should eliminate the need for anyone to even attempt black hat SEO techniques.

That is what Matt was getting at in his video. Just because someone is an SEO expert, it doesn’t mean they are good at creating great content. And even if you are the best at utilizing all the little SEO tricks of the trade that will make your site friendly for Google spiders, that still has its limitations.

At the end of the day, a Google spider won’t buy your product or service. You need real people to visit your site. And once they get there, you must give them a reason to stay. You either need to provide something that helps them make a buying decision, or you need to have useful information that educates and informs.

That is where good content comes into play. Good content is original and relevant. Good content answers a question; meets a need; paints you as an expert in your field.

So while it’s no secret that we are huge believers in the power and benefits of SEO, we also are solidly behind Matt Cutts in his assessment of great content. SEO and content should compliment one another. 

“Great content also needs great SEO to get ranked better,” Husayni says. 

Understanding people’s interests plays hand-in-hand with writing great content. For example, if you are opening a massage therapy center, but you’re unaware of the most popular types of massage therapy, you will lose your business to your competitors who have a clue.

When you have lots of ideas for great content on your site, you need to be diligent in posting it to your website frequently. Google loves websites that add new, useful information often. This tends to be where many of our clients stumble. Sometimes they struggle to come up with good ideas. Other times, they have ideas, but lack the time to write the content.

We come to the rescue on both fronts. Our writers are as skilled at generating ideas as they are at writing about them. If you want to put your website to work against your competitors in 2012, call us. We can help- 863.614.0555

Something happened recently to a friend of mine in Lakeland and she attempted to get the situation corrected by working directly with the business owner. After five days and an apparent lack of cooperation from the business owner to right the wrong, she weighed her options. Small claims court, where there was a 50-50 chance of winning. Or social media, where she felt she could at least warn others so they could avoid being a victim of an apparent scam. This is what she wrote:

Friends in Lakeland, please be careful if you ever do business with [COMPANY X]. The owner says that he sells Rolex watches, but BEWARE. All of the Rolex links on his website are no good and there is no documentation other than he has a Certified Rolex-trained technician that can help with service and repairs. He advertises all over town on billboards, bus benches and else where that he sells Rolex watches. We thought he would be legit, but we were mistaken and TAKEN by him. We purchased an upgraded Rolex face for my watch and it started to look dirty so I took it to a Rolex dealer to have it cleaned. Well, it’s not dirty, the paint is coming off. Paint????…You got it, he sold us an aftermarket face and it’s FAKE! I purchased it from [COMPANY X] for almost $700 and it’s FAKE!!! But the real kick in the teeth is that he is refusing to make good on it. Never mind he has my real Rolex face that he replaced the fake with. No wonder he can afford to advertise all over town, he’s ripping people off. My only legal recourse is to file in small claims court. The filing fees are $175 and an additional $40 to have him served. I find it hard to believe that he can get away with doing this to consumers. I’m really not extravagant, this was a 20th anniversary gift from my husband….a special purchase that had a lot of meaning and the owner knew it. Should have known better when he refused to give us the Rolex paperwork saying that he would file everything for us. His wife would fill in the serial number and do the paperwork as a courtesy to us for being his customers. What a scam artist. I wonder if he’s just started doing this recently or if he’s been scamming unsuspecting customers for awhile?

One factor worth mentioning is that she didn’t go straight to social media in a fit of anger. She tried to get the problem corrected. I would recommend that everyone put themselves through a bit of a cooling off period before posting something that potentially could damage a business. She is a small business owner herself, and didn’t want to ruin a business’s reputation. She just wanted to not be taken advantage of.

I’m using this as a public relations teaching moment for businesses. In my opinion, this is what a business that finds itself in this situation should do:

- Take action immediately when a customer comes to you with a complaint. Customers in this situation likely are angry and feel taken advantage of. You need to listen to them and allow them to vent. They need to feel as though their concerns have been heard and that you care about correcting the problem.

- If you’ve done something wrong, say so. Apologize. Make it right. In the situation above, perhaps it’s possible that this jeweler believed he had purchased authentic Rolex parts and unknowingly scammed the customer. If that was the case, voicing that possibility and vowing to investigate it might have helped calm the situation.

- If you find that a disgruntled customer has taken to social media instead of allowing you an opportunity to rectify the situation, reach out. Invite the customer to come in so you can try to correct the problem.

I’m a firm believer that just as you want to read positive comments about your business in social media, you NEED to read the (hopefully) occasional negative comment. If some aspect of your business is not as good as it should be, don’t you want to know that? Don’t you want an opportunity to address it and make it right?

I keep a note on my computer so I will read it often. It reads, “Be transparent. Be authentic. Be humble.”

Six words can pack a great deal of meaning. If you will be transparent, authentic and humble in your business dealings, I’m convinced you will achieve success.

Photo Credit: Gipiosio

Taylor Flumerfelt and I connected through the student chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association at Southeastern University, where she is a junior. Once Taylor discovered that she would graduate a year earlier than anticipated, she called on me for help at the end of her sophomore year.

Taylor says she knew this was the right public relations firm for her because of our “level of skill and professionalism.” Color us flattered!

“I know this will be an enriching experience in building my PR skill set and widening the breadth of my knowledge of PR,” she says.

Taylor is majoring in journalism/public relations and minoring in psychology. She has gained experience in event planning through Southeastern University’s Student Body Leadership Council and working with local companies such as Kreative Kartel. Taylor is the president of the student chapter of FPRA at Southeastern University and a member of the Dick Pope/Polk County chapter of FPRA.

The job market in the PR field has become increasingly competitive and PR firms are looking for graduates who don’t need additional training to fulfill the responsibilities of the jobs they’re interviewing for. That’s why internships are so important—they complement the material students learn in the classroom and prepare them for what they will face after graduation.

We know Taylor well enough to know she loves to learn, and she’s excited about the experiences she’ll have during her time with us.

Upon graduating from Southeastern University’s Honors Program in May 2013, Taylor plans to earn a Master of Science in Public Relations and find an event planning job.

We’re excited to help Taylor make the most of her college education and prepare her for the next stage of her life. We’re also excited that she joins two other interns who elected to stay with us for another semester: Melissa Rodriguez and Karen Snir.

The slogan Keep Calm and Carry On was a British public announcement designed to boost the public’s morale in case of a massive invasion during  World War II. The poster was never used and most copies were destroyed. But in 2000, a British book store owner found a copy of the poster and almost immediately, a trend was born.

It may not  be the first public announcement that was adapted and became a cultural icon, but it is one that has managed to inspire numerous slogans and designs and capture our imagination. Some memorable off-shoots include:

• Now Panic and Freak Out
• Panic Dumbass and Behave Like Headless Chickens
• Keep Calm Harry is Still Single
• Keep Calm and Carry On Shopping
• Keep Calm Nobody Else Knows What They’re Doing Either

Why do we like it so much? It’s simple, elegant, and communicates a timeless message. In the age where businesses have 140 characters to express themselves, it’s obvious we like to keep things short and simple. This slogan appeals to us today because we can all relate to those words; who doesn’t need to keep calm during their hectic life and just carry on? So how does the poster stay relevant today? Here’s what  we can learn from the successful slogan:

Keep the message simple

If you’re trying  to connect  with your audience, remember to  keep  your message simple and sincere. The simpler it is, the more people can relate to it. Also keep in mind that you have to catch people’s attention. Some of the best slogans of all times use a declarative statement that can be applied beyond the product  or company and often become a mantra.

Know your audience

The Ministry of Information designed two other posters that were used during  the war. They all had the same simple design of the crown and the all-caps writing on a solid color background. King George’s crown appeared on the upper part of the poster, which was a clever way of saying: “This message is brought to  you by the King.” The Ministry of Information knew that the British public would associate the message with the King by placing a graphic of the crown.

Use continuity to keep your audience’s attention

All three posters used the same style to create a cohesive brand. The font was consistent  throughout the three posters and the only  thing that  was changed was the message and the color of the background. All posters had a solid color background- blue, green and red. These primary colors helped the audience recognize the posters easily and understand the newly developed brand of public announcements.

So there you have it. Follow these guidelines to strengthen your brand identity and keep it relevant. And remember, no matter what  you do, just keep calm.

I have a friend who calls it “the curse of knowledge.” Sometimes we’re too close to the work to be able to write about it and explain it objectively or in layman’s terms. This is a common problem among companies looking to launch their first website, or to update a site that’s been around for a while.

That’s where a Web content writer comes in handy. A Web content writer knows how to cut through the clutter and write copy that gets to the heart of your business and the services and products it provides. However, a professional writer is not a miracle worker or a mind reader. There are some things you need to know prior to seeking a professional writer’s services, and some things you should do on your end to ensure you get results you’re happy with.

Why Look Outside Your Company?
You might think hiring someone from the outside isn’t a good idea because they don’t know anything about your company. But that is precisely the direction you should turn for this important task. A writer who’s experienced in writing Web content but inexperienced about your company will ask the questions that a potential customer who’s considering whether to do business with you might ask.

People in a company who try to generate their own content often are too close to the subject; too well-versed on the jargon. They have the potential to write over the readers’ heads.

Consider SEO
The whole purpose of having a website is to be found online by those who are searching for your products and services, so it’s a wise idea to select a Web content writer who understands search engine optimization. A good SEO writer can use your keywords fluidly on your site so the content sounds natural and not like it’s keyword-stuffed.

Make Yourself Available
The key to writing compelling content is getting accurate information from the subject matter expert. That means you need to carve out some time for a phone interview with the writer. Communicate the elements of your business that are important to you; that you want to see reflected on your website.

Taking the time to educate the writer on the subject matter means that you increase your chances of getting usable content the first time around.

Put On Your Editing Hat
Once your writer has drafted your content, you need to take time to read through it thoroughly. Here is where being the subject matter expert becomes most useful. Is all of the information accurate? Are there any areas where information is lacking and needs to be beefed up? Make note of any changes that should be made and communicate that with your writer.

If you are in need of a professional content writer who understands SEO, call us. We can help.

Photo Credit: J. Paxon Reyes

The Worst Tactics

Netflix- This summer, movie enthusiasts everywhere cried in despair when Netflix raised their prices 60 percent without warning. In addition to raising prices, they also split their online streaming and by-mail DVD packages requiring users to pay for them separately. Customers were outraged and nearly 800,000 cancelled their Netflix subscriptions all together.

Netflix also wanted to redub their DVD services as Qwikster and split those into two sections of the company. But that idea crashed and burned before they could ever start it, thanks to the already existing Twitter account @Qwikster.  The Twitter account’s main photo of a marijuana-smoking Elmo clearly showed how little research Netflix put into Qwikster before announcing it to the public.

Ultimately, Netflix abandoned the split idea, but kept the price hike. CEO Reed Hastings apologized for the confusion saying, “I messed up. I owe everyone an explanation.”

Kenneth Cole- At the height of the Cairo riots, designer Kenneth Cole found a way to promote his spring collection. On Feb. 3, Cole took to Twitter and sent “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo — KC.” Clearly perceived as mocking the revolution, Cole apologized, saying his tweet was “poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate. ”

Cole’s apology was too little, too late as a parody Twitter account sprung up and gained 2,500 followers in just two hours. Parody tweets included sensitive subject material to sell Kenneth Cole clothing using the hashtag #KennethColeTweets.

Facebook- Yes, Facebook has committed one of the worst PR blunders in 2011. The popular, all-mighty Facebook apparently does have fears and being overshadowed by Google is probably at least three of them.

In May, blogger and online privacy expert Chris Soghoian received a slew of emails from John Mercurio of the notable public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, prompting him to investigate Google’s rumored violation of user privacy. Mercurio prompted the topic and even offered to help Soghoian write the article and spread it to various media outlets.

As any good journalist would be, Soghoian was skeptical and inquired which of Mercurio clients was spreading this “whisper campaign” against Google. Turns out it was none other than social media giant Facebook, who has definitely gained their fair share of privacy complaints from users.

Facebook hired Burson- Marsteller to spread rumors of Google’s use (or misuse) of users’ private information to discredit Google’s new Social Circle feature in Gmail. A spokesman for Facebook admitted to hiring the PR firm, citing two reasons for attacking Google- the most notable being “Facebook resents Google’s attempts to use Facebook data in its own social-networking service.”

It’s doubtful that anyone would overshadow Facebook with more than 800 million users, but they are trying to be sure they stay on top of the social media world.

The Best Tactics

Southwest Airlines- In April, Southwest flight 812 had their cabin remodeled midflight to include a skylight—with no glass. The unexpected tear in the fuselage caused the plane to lose pressure and forced an emergency landing. Blogger Shawna Malvini Redden whipped out her phone, captured the scene and shared it with the world.

Any other airline might have seen that as the worst possible blow to their brand, but Southwest Airlines instead proactively grounded 81 planes for complete inspection- without being told to do so to by the Federal Aviation Administration- to ensure the incident would not repeat itself on another flight.

The company demonstrated that transparency is the best policy when dealing with customers. By the end of their inspections, they found several other planes that required repairs. By this time, media outlets had already shifted their attention to the plane manufacturer and not Southwest.

The proof of a job well done is in the Google search. Many passengers praised Southwest and the pilots for handling the incident extremely well and getting them to their destinations safely.

Kentucky Fried Chicken- KFC has realized in the 21^st century that attention spans are short, technology is prevalent and many kids still need financial help getting into college. In 2010, KFC combined all of these things and asked high school students across the country to dump stuffy scholarship essays and instead send them a tweet to win a $20,000 scholarship.

The winning tweet from California high school senior Amanda Russell cleverly said, “#KFCScholar Hey Colonel! Your scholarship’s the secret ingredient missing from my recipe for success! Got the grades, drive, just need cash!”

This year the Colonel is thinking even more creatively about scholarship entries. KFC is urging high school seniors to tweet a photo showing “why they exemplify Colonel Sanders’ commitment to education and enriching their communities, and why they are deserving of a college scholarship.”

University of Iowa Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid Jodi Schafer told USA Today that application essays are “becoming unoriginal” and including social media in the application process will “help bring back some of that creativity.”

Kate Spade- Mashable recently praised Kate Spade for properly using social media to increase the social value of their brand. Their engaging use of multiple social networking sites helped them create a persona their target audience can aspire to be, known as the Kate Spade Girl. Their posts on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter are all written how a normal person would engage online—a real person with favorite things and hopes and dreams to share and errands to do.

“The Kate Spade girl aspires to lead an interesting life — to engage in the arts and literature and travel and adventure,” Craig Leavitt, CEO of Kate Spade told Mashable. “We talk about those things on social media because that’s who she is, and she wants to hear about what her peers are doing. It feels very, very natural for us.”

Their tactics have succeeded. Their online followers have grown by the thousands. Their posts are well received with numerous likes, retweets and reblogs. Each post is an eloquent reminder of how to be a lady. Their online sales have skyrocketed and overall sales have grown nearly 75 percent. Kate Spade has truly revived their brand by updating the way they communicate with their admirers.

There you have it folks, our top 6 memorable PR moves from 2011. Honorable mentions include PR moves from Charlie Sheen and Two and a Half Men, Alec Baldwin Vs. American Airlines, and Bank of America announcing a $5 fee.

What would you have included in this list?

It’s the touching of lips in an expression of affection, greeting or reverence.  Cultures around the world use a kiss as a form of greeting, a form of expressing gratitude, peace and love.

So it is understandable why United Colors of Benetton chose the act of kissing as the focal point of its new UNHATE campaign aimed at “contrasting the culture of hatred and promoting closeness between peoples, faiths, cultures, and the peaceful understanding of each other’s motivations.”

Alessandro Benetton, executive deputy chairman of the Benetton Group, said in an interview with the Economic Times, “a kiss is a statement of tolerating the differences in another. We expect the true message to be conveyed through our campaign.”

Kissing isn’t the first theme I would think of for a tolerance campaign, but whatever.

The idea for their print ads stemmed from the now iconic photo of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and East German President Erich Honecker kissing as a sign of socialist solidarity- which, by the way, wasn’t considered a job perk by all- on the 30^th anniversary of East Germany’s formation.

However, the Photoshopped images of prominent world leaders kissing each other were not as well received as Benetton creative agency Fabrica might have hoped.

Print ads posted around the world showed various world leaders kissing each other with simple, white copy reading: “United Colors of Benetton supports the Unhate Foundation.”  The most controversial of the ads showed Pope Benedict XVI lip-locked with prominent Muslim leader Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb.

The Vatican protested and demanded Benetton remove the ads, claiming these ads “violate elementary rules of respect for people in order to attract attention through provocation.”

Images of the Pope were removed the day after they were unveiled.

The White House issued a statement declaring the use of the president’s image for commercial gain has always been frowned upon, but they have not considered legal action or demanded Benetton remove all images of President Barack Obama smooching

Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

“The label is geared not to a specific target but to a collective one: well-heeled shoppers whom Benetton considers intellectually sophisticated enough to stop assailing them with “buy now”-type advertisements,” according to Benetton’s website.

If this were completely true, why have Benetton’s sales only risen 2 percent in the past 10 years? In the United States alone, Benetton sales dropped from 12 percent in 2000 to 4 percent at the end of 2010.

Could their lack of sales have something to do with their advertising campaigns?

United Colors of Benetton has a history of compiling controversial and provocative advertising campaigns. Their slow sales could be a major factor in their decision to launch yet another shock advertising campaign. We get it. These campaigns get the brand talked about. But audiences quickly rejected the images and deemed Benetton’s current campaign as “offensive” and took their opinions straight to Facebook.

If Benetton is taking an “any publicity is good publicity” approach to selling its products, research doesn’t agree entirely with that approach.

Researchers have found that shock advertising does in fact make campaigns more memorable and prompts consumers to take action, but has Benetton over-used their shock value?

The Brand Channel asked its readers if shock really sells a brand and the general consensus was that it might start talk, but it has nothing to do with selling sweaters.

We would love to hear your opinion on this campaign.

Other Links to Check Out

View the full set of photos here.
Take a look at other things the UNHATE foundation is doing.
Put your own photo on the Kiss Wall.
Watch the short UNHATE film.

In addition to these crazy-cool bragging rights, VCC also was awarded $600,000 in prize money.

Why does a public relations firm in Lakeland care about this prestigious honor? Because our very own PR maven Lanette Strong is a Valencia graduate who went on to graduate from the University of Central Florida. Clearly, the school turns out some talent, and we’re reaping the benefits of that.

So thanks, Valencia! Keep up the great work.

We’re sharing them with you as we prepare for 2012, in hope that you’ll leave them behind when you welcome the new year- and avoid being on the receiving end of our Evil Eye Lasers of Death, lest we hear you utter any of these while in our presence.

So from us- Lanette, Lorrie, Karen and Melissa- to you, we present our three most hated public relations approaches:

1. The Best Kept Secret
If your business is the best kept secret, we predict you likely won’t be in business for long. The former president of a local university once called his school a best-kept secret. We once saw a restaurant that had that slogan on their marquis. A. RESTAURANT.

Guess what? Today that restaurant is out of business.

If you feel like this slogan is a good one, please call us. We want to help you. And we promise not to beat you senseless.

2. We Have a Combined __ Years Experience
We find this heinous public relations approach used frequently by law firms. And we positively shuddered when we saw it used on Ragan’s PR Daily recently in reference to layoffs at the Denver post: “The Denver Post, for instance, accepted buyouts from 19 staffers, whose combined experience at the paper was 470 years.”

Why do companies think this approach demonstrates experience? It’s not like a “combined 117 years’ experience” means anything to cynics like us in this public relations agency.

I hear a statement like this and I think of the handful of weathered lawyers in the firm who likely have 25-30 years’ experience each, but then I think of the young punk fresh out of law school who’s been an attorney for five whole minutes. I don’t want that guy or girl. If I’m ready to kick butt in the courtroom, I’m just fine with the attorney who’s been at it only 30 years.

3. Building Buzz
OK, so we’re including this one begrudgingly. Although we here at Lorrie Walker Communications don’t recommend that our clients take part in stupid gimmicks that generate publicity but not sales, the truth is that we use this term. However, out of love and reverence for the great Peter Shankman- who hates this term- we feel it’s only fair for us to give up a lame saying of our own if we’re asking you to do the same.

Peter once said this in a webinar:

I think it would be really good if we could kill the word ‘buzz.’ Unless it’s generating revenue for your company, you’re wasting your time.

Fine, Peter. You win. And you have a point.

Public relations isn’t about stupid stunts, even though there are some crazy things people do that generate publicity and revenue.

At the end of the day, our clients want to make money. A large part of making that happen has to do with getting the word out about their business; making it known that they are the subject matter experts; demonstrating that they have a quality product by garnering earned media for the client.

If you want to accomplish any of these things for your business in 2012, call us. We’re here to help. Here’s wishing you a successful, fulfilling year ahead.

Scenario: a person owns a business. The business has a Twitter account. The business owner has a personal Twitter account. Someone posts a tweet via the business Twitter account and uses the #Lkld hashtag. Then the business owner retweets the tweet and keeps the #Lkld hashtag.

Even if I lived under a rock and had no access to TV and newspapers (but had Internet access, obviously) I could tell you who owns what businesses in Lakeland simply by following the #Lkld hashtag.

Day after day, I see business postings, followed immediately by the owners of those businesses retweeting the posts. And if the person owns more than one business, Katy bar the door! Be prepared to read several identical posts, all in a neat little row.

Business owners who are on Twitter are all after the same thing. We want to get the word out about our businesses. We want clients and customers. Recently, I wrote about writing reviews for businesses and how if we’re not careful, those reviews come across as disingenuous. I feel like these retweets also can fall into that same category if we’re not careful.

The original intent of the retweet was to re-broadcast information that users felt would be of interest to their followers. Mark Evans over at Twitterrati has an interesting take on the value of the retweet.

I think we need to look at the value of our retweets. Business owners, when someone else retweets something you post, all who see that RT see it as coming from an objective third party. That has value, in my mind. I liken it to an advertisement vs. a mention in a newspaper article. Given enough money, you can say whatever you want to say about your business in an advertisement. But people are savvy and often won’t even read an ad. If you can get a reporter to write a story that says those same things about you, readers buy into that. Why? It’s seen as more objective.

So what’s the solution? As a business owner, of course you want your business to succeed and you absolutely should use every tool in your marketing/PR/publicity tool kit to help make that happen- particularly if the tool is free. And believe it or not, I’m not saying you should not RT the tweets posted by your business. But why not give those retweets some legs? If your business tweet uses the #lkld hashtag, why not change it to a different area when you RT it? That way, you help ensure that new eyes will read it, which is your goal in the first place, isn’t it?

If you don’t change your approach, here’s one thing that you’ll never accomplish- building “buzz” for your business (My apologies to Peter Shankman, whom I adore, and I know he despises that term)

These are just my thoughts on the topic. I’m sure there are those who disagree with me. I would love to hear your feedback on this, whether or not it aligns with my opinion.

I like customer reviews. When I’m searching for a product or service and can find where someone has reviewed the company, I take notice. But recently, I noticed that my hair salon was the victim of a disgruntled client who recruited three additional people to write unfavorable reviews on the salon. You get a pretty good idea of the organized effort simply by looking at the dates of all the reviews on the salon’s Google Places page. There’s one from 2009 and two from 2010. Then four on the same day in 2011- all negative.

Because my Lakeland public relations firm also provides occasional PR services for this salon, I was a bit concerned for their reputation. Honestly, if a person feels as though they don’t have a good experience at a business, it is their right to write a review that explains it. But I find it unfortunate that the person recruited additional people to write unfavorable reviews. It goes to show that someone with time on their hands and an ax to grind can do a number on your business. Thankfully for this hair salon, the reviews never seemed to have caused any harm. But they could have.

I see reviews as a way of giving a vote of confidence to a business, or pointing out an area that needs improvement. Businesses ought to know when they’ve done something right- or wrong. But to recruit a handful of people to write negative reviews seems mean-spirited, particularly when a small business is the target. A large chain can absorb a few mean comments. Small businesses seem to take the blow a bit harder.

Conversely, I find it disingenuous to ask people to write favorable reviews for your business when they’re just a family member or friend and they’ve not used your services or purchased your products. I get asked to do this every so often.

If you own a business, should you ask people to write reviews for you? Of course. But ask your clients and customers, not your mother and your Junior League friends. Ask people who have experienced your stellar customer service or benefited from your useful product. Those are the people who will sing your praises the best.

Because reviews are playing such a prominent search engine optimization role these days, more businesses are scrambling to get people to write them. But the more you tap family and friends to write them instead of your faithful customers, the less relevant they will become.

Earlier this month, my husband and I visited his family near Tuckasegee and I learned the story behind the apple butter. I couldn’t help but marvel over what an excellent lesson in marketing and public relations is demonstrated by their apple butter sales process.

Every year, people clamor to place orders for the church’s apple butter. They don’t simply purchase it by the jar; many people buy it by the case. The pastor stops taking orders at 250 jars so he can ensure that people who show up the day the apple butter is made have a shot at purchasing some.

So what does any of this have to do with marketing and public relations? A lot. Congregants of this church make their apple butter just once per year during North Carolina’s apple season. That means those who want some have a tiny window in which to buy it. Between pre-orders and sales on the day the apple butter is canned, every single jar they make is sold.

I don’t love the analogy, but this marketing approach reminds me of McDonald’s and its McRib sandwich. The fast food chain rolls out the McRib sandwich for a limited time every so often. People come in droves to buy the sandwiches. And when it’s removed from the menu, McRib lovers wait in anticipation for its return.

Once an item is introduced and people grow to love it, pulling it out of arm’s reach seems to have an incredible effect on our human desire to want that which we can’t have. Lots of analysts have argued that were the McRib on the McDonald’s menu full-time, it wouldn’t be as popular. In fact, MSN Money wrote a great article on this topic recently.

The members of Tuckasegee Wesleyan Church don’t can apple butter only once a year because they want to follow in the marketing footsteps of McDonald’s. The fact is that making apple butter in such a large quantity is a time-consuming, two-day process that involves just about every member of the church. It’s a lot of work. But I love how they benefit from the “limited time only” nature of their operation.

Karen Snir is a junior majoring in public relations and minoring in Spanish. Karen says she views this internship is a great step forward. We agree. There’s nothing like learning by doing, and that’s what we offer college interns- a chance to apply what they learn in the classroom.

So far, Karen has helped out with promoting some events for one of our Lakeland non-profit clients, and she has increased her knowledge of press release writing. She’s a no-nonsense hard worker who comes in each day and gives us her best effort.

Originally from Re’ut, Israel, Hebrew is Karen’s first language. She also is fluent in English, and is conversational in French and Spanish. She loves to apply her worldly knowledge to her PR work.

Although she grew up in a small town, Karen always has wanted to see the world. Her family relocated to Washington D.C. when she was 13, and she attended a public school in Maryland for a year. From that point, she dreamed of returning to the U.S. to earn a college degree.

Karen isn’t just a student; she’s also a teacher. She teaches Hebrew at Temple Emanuel in Lakeland in her spare time, and she belongs to Kappa Delta Sorority, in which she takes part in a number of philanthropic activities.

When she isn’t studying, teaching or volunteering, Karen loves to travel. She visits different states during each of her school breaks, and she has visited more than a dozen countries.

“I love learning about other cultures,” she says. “I am hopeful that my education and experience will give me an advantage when the time comes for me to seek full-time employment.”

After college, Karen says she hopes to combine her love of language, culture and public relations to find a job in the international relations field. For now, she is focused on graduating from Florida Southern while having gained as much real-world experience during the process as possible.

Melissa Rodriguez is a senior at FSC working toward a Bachelor of Arts degree in advertising, public relations and journalism. This is her first internship.

“I’m very glad I found an internship so close to school,” Rodriguez said. “I get real world PR experience in the mornings, then I go to class and learn about it some more.”

At Lorrie Walker Communications, a Lakeland and Tampa public relations firm, Rodriguez took off with a running start, writing press releases, blogs and promoting the recent Hair for Hope event at Michael Rose Hair Designs. Promoting the event was an enjoyable learning experience, Rodriguez said. She has experience in event planning and promoting through her participation in various campus organizations throughout her college and high school careers.

“I love that I am not fetching coffee and making copies,” Rodriguez said. “I’m actually learning. I’m really grateful Lorrie has given me this opportunity.”

Rodriguez said she can tell her writing has improved during her short time at the PR firm. As a senior, she is focusing on the advertising aspect of her three majors, and doesn’t get to do much writing in the classroom. Rodriguez thinks it’s good for her to work on her writing skills.

“Classrooms don’t offer the same opportunities to gain experience that an internship can,” said Lorrie Delk Walker, owner. “Students can really develop their skills in public relations much better through an internship because they get to apply what they’re learning.”

Walker also believes the staff in her office benefit as much from the interns as the interns benefit from the on-the-job training.

“I love to find out about what they’re learning, and I’m always interested in their take on social media,” Walker said.

When she isn’t busy balancing an internship, a job and a full-time course load, Rodriguez enjoys going to concerts and movies and relaxing with her friends. Ultimately, her life goal is to be an adventurer of the world. After spending seven years living outside of the United States, Rodriguez is addicted to keeping up with current American pop culture.

“Usually I check my Twitter feed before I even get out of bed in the morning,” Rodriguez said.

Checking various social media sites also keeps her in touch with the worlds of advertising and public relations. She enjoys reading posts from PR Daily and AdAge.

After graduation Rodriguez hopes to find a job in Florida working in the communications fields in which she has been trained.

The client asked if we could send the press release to the media on a Friday afternoon. Here’s what we said:

The short answer is No. It often is a death kiss to send a press release out on a Friday for a couple of reasons.

Doing so virtually guarantees that no media outlets will pick it up. Why? 1) It’s Friday and reporters are people too; they’re thinking about the weekend. 2) TV stations run skeleton crews on the weekends, and those crews typically are there for breaking news, not feel-good feature stories.

Every good PR professional knows what I stated above, and they often use this to their advantage. If a company/organization has something negative or unflattering that must be released, they’ll often pull what we in the industry call the “Friday afternoon news dump.” They send a release at the end of the day on a Friday and cross their fingers that the story will die down over the weekend, or by the time a reporter sees it on Monday, it will be old news and no one will want to cover it. It can backfire horribly. Here’s a great article on the topic.

So when should you send out a press release? Releasing something on a Monday morning is a great idea. Reporters are back at work from the weekend and have morning meetings in which they will be expected to pitch a couple of good story options for the day. If your story doesn’t get selected for coverage that day, there’s a possibility it could be picked up later in the week.

If you have something newsworthy going on in your business and you want help spreading the word, give us a call. We can help.

Lanette is a 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations and a minor in marketing. Although she has acquired work experience in marketing and advertising, it was the writing that brought her back to public relations.

“I knew going into PR that it wasn’t anything like Samantha Jones on Sex and the City,” Lanette says. “I knew it was a lot of writing and few celebrities, but the results I get for my clients outweigh the hours I spend typing away at my computer.”

I am incredibly happy to have Lanette on staff. Her personality is just a perfect fit for our company and she brings so much to our office. Many clients have already mentioned how much they like her writing style. Having her around is a joy and a tremendous help.

Lanette views public relations as an ever-evolving industry that has totally captivated her. She feels as though her diverse background gives her a unique perspective on the industry because she can pull from everything she’s learned. I agree. That is one of many things I liked about her when she interviewed for the position.

As the daughter of Watson Clinic anesthesiologist Dr. John Lafferty, Lanette has lived in Lakeland her whole life. She found her passion for writing while taking part in the theater program at The Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts. While there, she honed her writing skills by writing and editing plays. This made her realize she could express herself best through writing.

Lanette’s love of words seeps into her daily activities. She keeps up with the world by reading Ad Age at least twice a week, and the Ledger every day. Of course, as a PR whiz and a lover of words and information, Lanette also checks social media sites for news daily.

She understands that social media sites are a great way to learn about what is going on outside our office.

When she has time to relax, Lanette loves spending time with her husband of a year and a half, Cody. Together they like to go running, scuba diving in the Keys and also like to hangout with their three pets. She also enjoys reading anything and everything. Lately Lanette’s favorite books are those of mystery writer Harlan Coben.

Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. has joined the Downtown Lakeland Partnership.

Since we are a downtown Lakeland business, becoming a member of the partnership means we receive the many membership benefits DLP offers.

Lakeland is our home; we are always looking for new ways to connect with our community.

Joining DLP is something I’ve wanted to do since I moved my business downtown. I have always appreciated the manner in which downtown businesses work together and promote each other, and I am eager to be a part of that.

Our Lakeland PR agency will use the membership to interact with and help downtown businesses, as well as businesses throughout the city, promote themselves and their products to increase their customer bases.

By hosting events like First Friday, the DLP grants downtown businesses the opportunity to interact directly with each other and attract customers in a fresh way.

DLP is a non-profit organization. Its primary goal is to advance and promote downtown businesses to residents and other businesses in the surrounding area.

Benefits we receive as a DLP member include: the ability to be a part of First Friday events each month, email marketing opportunities, the ability to post information on the DLP website, and access to DLP social media. DLP benefits provide downtown businesses much like ours a venue to advertise their information to a large audience. DLP’s site receives more than 250,000 views a year.

There are three levels of DLP membership: partners, diplomats and ambassadors. Partners are businesses that are located downtown. Diplomat businesses fall outside the DLP boundary. Ambassadors consist of businesses, such as hotels and universities, directly interacting with tourists.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the DLP, visit their website: www.downtownlakelandfl.com.

Danielle, a senior at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee majoring in public relations, actually is splitting her internship between our Lakeland public relations firm and the Downtown Lakeland Partnership.

After returning from a trip with Lee University’s Communications Department to Germany and Austria, Danielle found the perfect place to gain PR experience in her hometown of Lakeland, she said. She began her internship the following Monday.

“I’m really excited about working with an agency and the Downtown Lakeland Partnership; this way I can get a lot of diverse experience and I’m still close to home,” said Danielle. “I’m already writing blog posts and working with social media, and I’ve only been here for a few days.”

Internships offer knowledge and experience that classrooms can’t. By exposing those pursuing careers in the public relations field to real-world situations and experiences, students can learn by doing, not solely by reading about it in a textbook. An internship is a great way of developing a student’s skills in the art of public relations.

I’m happy to have Danielle here for the summer. When I learned that Julie Townsend at the Downtown Lakeland Partnership also could use some help, we decided we could divide Danielle’s time to also give her some experience working with a non-profit.

While attending Lee University, Danielle has gained experience in event planning through her involvement with the Student Leadership Council. She also is a member of Lee University’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter.

“I’m always seeking opportunities to learn and Lee University has given me those opportunities, in and outside of the classroom,” Danielle said. “I know Lorrie is no exception and will definitely give me real world PR experience unlike any other that I’ve had before and I’m excited to learn more about what public relations entails.”

After graduating, Danielle plans to handle public relations for a non-profit organization and eventually start her own PR agency.

We are excited to make Danielle a part of the team here, and will expose her to a wide range of PR activities so she leaves us with the proper knowledge she needs to pursue her goals with confidence.

We’re also excited to have two interns this summer. That’s a first for us. So in addition to being able to provide them with the type of on-the-job training they desire, we’re getting some much-needed assistance. We welcome that.

We want to make that happen, too. This post covers some basics of photo shoots:

1. Remember the purpose of the photo

A photo in a publication isn’t always about providing recognition to you, your group, business, product, etc. Frequently, it accompanies an article and depicts action of some sort. Sometimes it is designed help promote your event. So keep that in mind when the photo opportunity knocks.

What does that mean? It means that you likely won’t get to have all 17 of your employees in a photo that accompanies a story on your new project launch, so don’t be disappointed when the photographer just wants a photo of a couple of people.

2. Understand the publication’s expectations

If you’re working directly with the publication/photographer, these are questions you need to ask of them; if you’re working with a Lakeland or Tampa public relations expert, this is information they need to gather for you:

- How many subjects does the photographer want in the photo?
- When/where will the photo be taken?
- If this is for a production or performance, do the subjects need to be in costume?

3. Set yourself up for success
- Make sure the publication has the name, phone number (including a mobile number) and email address of your point of contact. The more methods of contact you provide, the better.

- Find out whom to call to confirm that you’re still on for the photo shoot. If your PR advisor has scheduled the shoot, ask her to confirm the date/time one last time.

- Make sure the photographer has the address of the location where the photo will be taken.

- Contact those who will be photographed and remind them the day before and the day of the photo shoot, and make sure everyone arrives on time.

Remember that the photographer may have something come up- breaking news trumps a photo shoot for a feature story. So understand that the shoot may be postponed or cancelled. Just make sure you are not the reason for the cancellation because your point of contact couldn’t be reached, or the people who were supposed to be in the photo were no-shows.

Photo courtesy of ►CubaGallery

Some say a good journalist doesn’t necessarily make a good PR pro. For me, I feel that having been a reporter and continuing to write for newspapers and magazines is precisely what provides an edge over other PR agencies when it comes to media relations success for clients of this Lakeland public relations firm.

Something happened recently that prompted this post, and I’m sharing it in hope that it helps you in your business dealings, whether they be with clients you’re trying to sell something to or media outlets to whom you’re trying to pitch.

I had an interview scheduled with someone for an article I was working on. The meeting was on the books for weeks, and a photographer was booked to accompany me and get photos during the interview. This person is incredibly busy, and her only availability was a couple of days before the story was due.

The day of the interview, I called to confirm that we were still on. Bad news. They had tried for days to reach the publication and reschedule. The person I was to interview had gone out of town.

I was aware of the magazine’s looming deadline. I knew there was no story “in the can” to take the place of this story I was supposed to write. I simply didn’t have the option of not getting the interview done. Determined not to take “No” for an answer, I asked for a cell phone number so I could at least conduct a phone interview. In person interviews always are best for a feature article, but in a pinch, a phone interview would have to do.

I got the interview. The story is done. The photo is rescheduled. The publication doesn’t have to scramble to fill empty space.

When I take off my writer hat and put on my PR hat, I can see so many similar occurrences. So often, PR pros simply accept “No” as an answer. I see it with my PR clients, too.

We call and email media outlets to pitch stories and the reporters aren’t interested. Our clients call us with press release ideas and we shoot them down if we think they suck.

What would happen if we all would quit accepting “No” as an answer? I suspect we would find a way to accomplish whatever it is that we want to accomplish.

If “No” is not an option, failure is removed as an option. You will find a reporter to like your pitch. Or you will create a better pitch.

So even when the odds seem against you, find a way. You’ll be surprised at how a change of mindset and a refusal to accept “No” will change the outcome.

Photo by Elena777.