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Personalizing Your Company is Good Public Relations!

Guest articles > Personalizing Your Company is Good Public Relations!

by: Robert Deigh

The term "public" in public relations is important. People relate to people and, if you want your audiences to remember you and the services you provide, you must personalize as much of your public communication as possible.

• Start with the easy stuff. Post short bios and photos on your website of anyone in your company who comes face to face with customers, prospects, vendors, press and other opinion leaders. Some CEOs are squeamish about posting info about managers they've trained for fear that they will be recruited away. Zig Ziglar, a business motivator, says, "The only thing worse than training people and having them leave is not training them and having them stay."
• Another easy one - testimonials. Don't just choose them at random and toss them up on the website. Pick client testimonials (written and video) strategically to support specific messages you want your audiences to remember. Write them yourself (if you have to) and have clients approve and sign them (ghost writing is not a sin; it's likely the third or fourth oldest profession).
• Be a storyteller. Be anecdotal. Tell me how you have helped make other businesses successful and describe how you can do the same for me.
• Localize your business. Use photos of your staff working directly with local clients. Show a map of the region you serve. Use short case studies of work you have done for local businesses. Post a client list and/or a list of major projects. Localization can be difficult for franchisees that are given generic materials and generic messages by their HQ to use with audiences. Ask your franchisor's marketing director how much you can personalize your business

Robert Deigh is principal of RDC Communication/PR and the author of "How Come No One Knows About Us?" (WBusiness Books, available May 2008), the PR guide for organizations large and small that want to win big visibility. Deigh helps organizations increase their visibility and build their brands by creating strong and positive relationships with the press and other audiences. He is also a well-known speaker and trainer on media and PR topics. Want more free info to build your business? Subscribe to Deigh’s popular monthly 1-page online newsletter “PR Quick Tips” from his website at www.rdccommunication.com. He can be reached via email at rdeigh1@aol.com, or by phone at 703-503-9321.

Contributor: Robert Deigh

Published here on: 22-Dec-13

Classification: Sales

Website: www.rdccommunication.com