What’s the New Demand? (Pandemic and Your Brand)

Posted on: 03.25.20 By: admin Posted in: DavidPRBlog

What's the New Demand?We know that we’re looking at a new normal for business, at least in the short term. Once the economy “turns back on,” some businesses will not survive while a few lucky companies will be able to quickly begin doing the same work they have always done. Eventually, restaurants will reopen. Same thing with hotels. Services will be offered again (and hopefully I will be able to get a haircut.) Realistically, most of us will be operating at some reduced capacity.

Right now, many business owners wished they diversified their book of business or expanded the offerings that they sell. Now, while things are in flux, it is a good time to look at demand in your industry. What will it be in the future? What will consumers and business owners need? As we pull through this crisis, what can you offer to help them? Where’s the opportunity?

Can your company assist with the new demand? Can you reach more customers by embracing new platforms? Can you expand e-commerce? Can you help folks refinance debt? Restructure their business? Get money so they can scale up? Liquidate stuff?

If you are in a service business or professional services, you are likely operating on an amended schedule. Lots of things are stalled. What I’m saying is: You’ve got time. Use it to figure out how you can be less dependent on a few sectors or worse, any one part of the economy. Look for ways to meet the newly identified demand.

Once you have some ideas, take action. Revamp your marketing plan, update your website copy, think about launching a new entity. When the new normal arrives, hopefully sooner than later, be prepared to kick ass and meet the new demand.

Like many of you, I’m working from home. There are only so many carpool karaoke videos that I can watch in my downtime. So, I too have time and am working on meeting the new demand in the communications world. And believe me, I would enjoy a chance to discuss your plans as well. Consider me a sounding board while my next video buffers. Call me at 305-724-3903 and let’s figure out the new demand in your business.

–John

So you want a Wikipedia page?

Posted on: 08.22.19 By: admin Posted in: DavidPRBlog

So you want a Wikipedia page?Wikipedia remains a subject of great interest in PR and marketing circles. I have written about it before and even included a section on the internet encyclopedia in my book, How to Protect (Or Destroy) Your Reputation Online. The site continues to confound even the most experienced marketers as Wikipedia’s notorious editors work hard (and even neurotically) to avoid being manipulated by marketing people. Wikipedia is both a search engine darling and a status symbol for individuals and companies.

If you would like a personal Wikipedia page or one for your business, here are a few things to remember.Read More

Quick Guide to Online Review Management

Posted on: 01.14.19 By: admin Posted in: DavidPRBlog

David PR Group Online Review ManagementReview sites are here to stay, so we can’t put our heads in the sand and ignore them anymore. Sites exist to review all manner of businesses, and your business may have reviews that you have never seen – leaving the reputation of your business in the hands of the internet community without any input from the business owner or management.  Review sites have strong authority with search engines, and online reputation management firms which have attempted to suppress review sites with positive content are losing the battle. Many online reputation pros have thrown in the towel and are now recommending engagement to change review site content, rather than trying to push them down in search results.

Claim

Claim or create your company page on the main review sites. Your company may not yet have a listing on a site like Yelp, but any customer or interested party could create one without your knowledge and certainly without your consent. Business owners should look at the main review sites and either claim their page if one has already been created or create their own listing – this will give you a small level of control. If you have a claimed page, then you can enable the tools provided to businesses by review sites, such as notifications of new reviews and the ability to respond to reviews. This is the single most important reason to claim your page, so that you will be notified of new reviews.Read More

How You Can Think Like an Entrepreneur, Act Like a CEO

Posted on: 05.31.16 By: admin Posted in: DavidPRBlog

David PR Think Like an EntrepreneurAs I read more business books and meet more authors, I find it interesting that many have started out writing blogs or newsletter articles which, over time, gained steam and led to eventual published works. Author Beverly Jones successfully leveraged her career-advice-filled blog and newsletter, turning it into a great book called Think Like an Entrepreneur, Act Like a CEO. It includes 50 tips on how to stay afloat, bounce back and get ahead at work.Read More

Yes, you can get a book deal

Posted on: 02.12.16 By: admin Posted in: DavidPRBlog

how to protect or destroy your reputation onlineBack in October, I wrote a post about my efforts to write a book, my take on the publishing industry, and my desire to get a book deal.  The reaction was fascinating and in some cases, very emotional.  First, I learned that there’s a tremendous amount of underlying bitterness about the publishing business from unpublished authors.  Second, many folks believe self-publishing is the way to go because traditional publishing is broken, and self-published authors can get a better share of the profits.  And third, many folks believe it’s impossible for an unknown writer to get a deal.

Well, I’m here to tell you that it is possible to get a publishing contract because I did it.  Career Press in New Jersey will publish my book, How to Protect (Or Destroy) Your Reputation Online, and it will be available in bookstores, online, and “wherever fine books are sold” by the end of the year or shortly thereafter.

Here’s how I did it

First, literary agents are the primary gatekeepers for the publishing industry.  So, if you want to get a book deal as a non-fiction author, you first need to find an agent.

How do you get an agent?  I didn’t know any, so I asked a few author friends to make introductions to theirs (an idea from my friend Bruce Turkel).  I also researched and cross-referenced my LinkedIn contacts, looking for agents and any of my contacts who knew agents.  I also joined Publishers Marketplace, a website where literary agents congregate and publicize book deals.  From there, I started targeting agents who I thought might be interested in my book.  I tackled it like a marketing campaign.Read More

Your Challenge: Think Big, Act Bigger

Posted on: 01.28.16 By: admin Posted in: DavidPRBlog

Time to Think Big | David PRIf marketing whiz Jeff Hayzlett ruled the world, one of the first orders of business would be to outlaw the words “I can’t.”

A former chief marketing officer at Kodak, turned consultant and entrepreneur, Hayzlett stands firm that nearly anything can be accomplished in the business world if you put your mind to it.  I interviewed Hayzlett recently and found his take on marketing to be both motivating and thought provoking.

Hayzlett’s book Think Big, Act Bigger: The Rewards of Being Relentless could vie for shelf space somewhere in between self-help and autobiography, but it belongs in the business section.  He offers a glimpse into the blueprint that led him from growing up in South Dakota, to Kodak and to hosting a show on Bloomberg TV, which he then moved to an online platform as the C-Suite Network.  He’s built a little empire and isn’t shy about telling us how he did it – not because he’s bragging, but because he believes the rest of us can do it too.Read More

If You Think Your Audience Is an Algorithm, You’re Doing it Wrong

Posted on: 10.09.14 By: admin Posted in: DavidPRBlog

Google-Hummingbird-Algorithm-Update2One of the first things I learned in journalism school, and later honed in my PR career, was the concept of knowing one’s audience. For example, when writing for the general “newspaper-reading” public, you need to make sure your text is crafted at no more than an eleventh-grade reading level. And while writing an article in a journalism class, if you throw-in a bunch of heavy-duty words, you’ll get crucified by the professor. In the business world, if you don’t understand your audience, you can develop marketing material that goes over your audience’s collective head, or worse, insults them. Remember, your audience comprises people who you want to educate, connect with, and persuade.Read More

5 Questions with Mark Cuban About Online Privacy

Posted on: 09.17.14 By: admin Posted in: DavidPRBlog

mark-cubanIt might seem like a contradiction that an executive and celebrity with a huge public persona would be blazing trails for online privacy, but billionaire Mark Cuban is doing just that. Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and a star of CNBC’s Shark Tank, takes privacy so seriously that he has multiple business interests devoted to helping individuals and companies send and receive messages and post on social media more securely and more privately.Read More

New Trend: Be Invisible Online 

Posted on: 09.11.14 By: admin Posted in: DavidPRBlog

snapchat

Businesses spend years and millions of dollars making it easier for customers to find them online, but an emerging trend suggests they also are seeking ways to be invisible.

A study last year from the Pew Internet Research Project found that most internet users would like to be anonymous online at least occasionally. The report said that 86 percent of users have taken steps to remove or mask their digital footprints—ranging from clearing cookies to encrypting their email, from avoiding using their name to using virtual networks that mask their internet address.Read More

Changing the PR Channel

Posted on: 08.04.14 By: admin Posted in: DavidPRBlog

vintage antennas david pr groupAs I have told my stunned teenage children, we only had four television channels when I was a kid.  Back in the day (and by this I mean before anyone ever said “back in the day”), before cable television, before the Internet, and way-before a full-season of House of Cards dropped in one day, we had four TV options: the local affiliate stations for ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS.  Television channels were broadcast over the airwaves (not Wi-Fi), and some TVs only showed footage in “black and white.”  Our viewing choices and channels were very limited, but we didn’t know any better.  Oh yeah, there was an informal fifth channel which I will call the “Shut-Off the TV and Go Play Outside Channel,” but the details of that one are best left to another post.Read More

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