Personal (Brand) Responsibility (and Other PR Blog Jots)

You Are Who You Hire
Personal Branding Blog
Using his personal unpleasant experiences dealing with a high profile retail chain as an example, Dan Schwabel reminds corporations that the personal brand of their employees can directly affect how consumers view a company. He admits, however, that this issue mainly affects only those companies whose employees deal directly with the public, such as in retail chains, where the customer interacts with both a sales team and the customer service teams at checkout. “When you are greeted by one of these individuals, they are supposed to convey a sense of trust in their brand and that of the product they are explaining. Not only this, but they are supposed to help the customer by providing an exceptional experience from knowledge sharing till purchase. This also works similar with the sales people, as they are customer facing and can claim or lose the sale based on character, attitude, experience, technical competencies and the brand of their business.”

Writing Them Into It
Copyblogger
I’ve argued repeatedly that the quality of writing in business, and in public relations in particular, is often startlingly poor (for examples, check out all the poorly crafted pitches on the Bad Pitch Blog). This is why a post like Brian Clark’s is so important for everyone, not just those who make their living solely by writing. Brian lays out ten tips for writing persuasive copy, required reading for anyone in PR or marketing with room to improve their writing abilities (otherwise known as everyone, including me). “Persuasion is generally an exercise in creating a win-win situation. You present a case that others find beneficial to agree with. You make them an offer they can’t refuse, but not in the manipulative Godfather sense. It’s simply a good deal or a position that makes sense to that particular person. But there are techniques that can make your job easier and your case more compelling.”

Relationship Metrics?
Communications Overtones
Kami Huyse examines the argument that in public relations, managing and measuring the value of relationships can be just as essential as measuring results. She highlights a 1999 research paper from the Institute of Public Relations, which measured relationships based on six factors, including trust, commitment, and satisfaction. She also urges for personal surveys with questions meant to delve into the six factors, to get a better understanding of where your relationships stand, and where they could improve.  “So what do you think of this method of measuring relationships, and do you think that the main role of PR should be to develop and nurture these relationships.”

Comments

[Kami Huyse]

Thanks for the mention, I really enjoy these wrap-ups. I always find something I haven't seen.