I noticed this ad from Black Knight over on Inman today:
The “Differentiation Begins with Data” caught my attention. The thing is, I’m not so sure that’s a true statement. I happen to believe the way to differentiate is more simplicity, and less data.
What do you think is the key to differentiation?
The post How to Differentiate: Is Data the Answer? appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.
I thought I’d take a few minutes to highlight the companies taking place in MetaProp’s Pre Accelerator at Columbia University.
The full list of companies:
A few of my own thoughts:
I’m particularly intrigued by Blocpower. They hooked me with their “Build a Greener World” message (I’m a sucker for doing good in the world, I know).
Think about the primary vision statement for Doorport:
The apartment intercom, reinvented in every way.
You’ll realize there is massive potential to power the tenant-guest and tenant-landlord communication across millions and millions of apartments. The strategic worry I’d have would be that Amazon’s Alexa would end up doing the exact same thing (at a much lower cost).
Irene seems similar to Point.com (which I’ve written about here), but focused on reverse mortgages.
The post MetaProp’s 2017-2018 Accelerator Class at Columbia University appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.
When it comes to communications, normally generous nonprofits can be downright stingy.
Whether because of shoestring budgets, lack of investment or strategic prioritization, charities tend to treat communications as a back-burner issue. Social media, marketing, PR, writing and editing are viewed as luxuries—not essentials.
That’s a shame. Charities should boldly invest in compelling communications that convey their mission and bring their good work to light. Of course, that requires talent, time, patience and strategy.
Regardless of your budget, here are four tips to keep your nonprofit communications on track:
Make donors feel heroic. Nonprofit workers are typically wonderful, generous, compassionate people, but they’re just as susceptible as anyone to the lure of self-promotion and charitable showboating.
In all your communications, make sure your donors—the people who sustain your mission—receive the lion’s share of attention and praise. Police your pictures and prose for egregious displays of “savior of the world syndrome.”
That’s not to say you shouldn’t spotlight your staff. Do give ample airtime to the people who are working behind the scenes—and certainly your beneficiaries—but always make the donor the hero. More specifically, use communications to convey how your heroic donors are responsible forprofound change.
[RELATED: Join us in San Francisco for The Role of Communications in Creating Best Places to Work.]
Keep it uplifting. If you rely on gut-wrenching images and a hard sell to keep the donations coming, good luck sleeping at night. The ends don’t justify the means.
Aggressive fundraising can damage goodwill and make people less likely to donate. It’s also against the law in some places.
As much as you can, keep your communications uplifting. Erring on the side of edification is better for you, your donors and beneficiaries. From both a fundraising and ethical perspective, it’s a more sustainable strategy.
If International Justice Mission—which combats the horrors of modern-day slavery—can avoid being overly heavy-handed, surely you can as well.
Don’t objectify people—including your donors. Donors are not faceless cash machines. Acknowledge them often and freely. Use your communications as a vehicle to inspire, educate, motivate and empower.
Show tangible proof that dollars turn into something positive. It’s incredible how many nonprofits try to skate by without proving the worth of their work. No amount of “Together, we can make a difference” can atone for not illuminating that value.
Regardless of what you do, tracking tangible results, outcomes and data-driven reporting should top your communications list. Why should anyone give your organization a cent unless you can prove your ability to use it wisely? Reporting and measurement merit heavy investment.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Relentless, high-pressure fundraising is terrible, but you must ask.
People want to help. It feels good to give. It’s good for us.
Strive for the sweet spot between asking too much and not enough. There are plenty of folks out there with hearts of gold who’d love to help, but they don’t know what they don’t know. It’s up to you to communicate the need in a respectful, dignified, straightforward manner. You might just make that vital difference after all.
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There has been a lot of talk about how to help business leaders understand that media relations is just a tactic.
A couple years ago, I received a call on Dec. 18 from a panicked prospect. He needed PR help and wanted to know if my agency would work with him. I asked him my typical questions to determine what he did, why he needed us and how we could help.
He became exasperated by the questioning and blurted out, "I have a product in Target that isn't selling. They told me if it's not off the shelves by Christmas, they won't re-order from me. If they don't re-order, I'm out of business."
Remember, he called me on Dec. 18—one week before Christmas.
I don't know how long he had this information, but he assumed that appearing on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" would solve all his problems.
He wanted to go on the show in the next couple of days. He said he would even fly to Chicago that evening if I could make it work. Never mind that the show was already on break and, by this point, Oprah was doing more celebrity interviews than giving away cars.
It was one week before Christmas!
I felt bad for the guy. I still do.
His product didn't sell out at Target, and he went out of business. I'm sure there is a little part of him that blames me for not helping.
Media relations is just a tactic
We public relations professionals know we're not miracle workers, but business leaders believe all we have to do is make a phone call and—voila!—they're featured on the front page of The New York Times.
Four disheartening things have happened this week:
These four things begin with tactics, not a strategy.
It's a big problem when business leaders, bosses, clients or prospects want us to lead with our media contacts and provide a weekly report that correlates published results with media impressions and advertising equivalencies.
RELATED: Get the newest advances in PR measurement, media relations and PR storytelling at PR Daily World in NYC.
Take the oath
The problem, unfortunately, doesn't lie with business leaders. Our industry hasn't taught them differently.
An agency that begins a business meeting by talking about media contacts, or a PR professional who states that media relations is PR contributes to the problem.
I threw a hissy fit a few weeks ago with a group of PR colleagues and said, "We have to agree that PR is more than media relations. If we can't do that as an industry, there's no way we can expect that of business leaders."
There were some sheepish responses, but everyone agreed.
Readers, take this oath out loud in front of your screen (double points if you do it in the comments):
I, NAME, solemnly swear to begin working with business goals in mind. I will not refer to PR as media relations again. I will not start with the tactics again. I will begin every program with a strategy and use the tactics that make sense to help us achieve the organization's goals. I will be OK if media relations isn't even part of our plan. I promise to do everything I can to change business leaders' perception of the PR industry by educating my fiefdom on an integrated PESO model and how we can implement it to drive results.
I promise that if I don't know how to do that, I will ask my boss for professional development or I will provide it for myself. I will comment on Spin Sucks to get help. I will send an email to Gini to see if her team can help. I will take online courses and educate myself. Then, I will do my best to educate the powers that be, and together we will get that coveted seat at the table because business leaders will see us as strategic partners-not people who pick up the phone to call their journalist friends.
If you have to, print this and pin it where you can see it every day.
Slowly but surely, the bullet points I listed above will disappear because we, as an industry, will change the conversation and expectations.
A version of this article originally appeared on Spin Sucks, and was previously published on PR Daily in September 2016.Giveback Homes is helping Houston, and Placester is matching all donations up to $10,000 (current total is just north of $6k).
The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey has resulted in catastrophic and historic flooding. The needs are great.
We know the real estate industry wants to help which is why we organized a fund, led by Houston Giveback Homes Members.
I just contributed. Will you?
The post Help Houston appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.
It’s time to break out of your silo.
Social media is shaking up the communications world, blurring the lines between the responsibilities of internal and external communicators.
This means all communicators need a clear vision of what’s hot in digital communications—and a plan that puts them on the cutting edge of what’s to come.
Learn the digital skills and strategies you need to become a social media powerhouse at the Social Media #Mashup at Disneyland on Oct. 23–25.
This unique experience offers internal and external tracks led by experts at top organizations where you’ll learn how to:
Mix it up and customize your agenda so you get the right blend of internal and external insights to make yourself a more versatile communicator.
Have fun and network at “The Happiest Place On Earth” while arming yourself with the essential skills to succeed in today’s communications mashup.
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The volume of content online is staggering—and there’s more of it every second.
It’s getting harder to get your messaging to stand out, land and resonate. It’s difficult, not impossible.
Effective content shares seven traits:
1. Good content is written for a specific audience. Compelling writing is rarely generic, vague or impersonal. You can’t be everything to everyone, so write to a specific group of people. Ideally, craft content geared toward your buyer personas. Before writing anything, think carefully about whom you’re addressing, what their needs are and how your content can benefit them.
2. It’s optimized for search and social media. A major part of the game today is getting your content found. Inserting the right keyword phrases—as naturally and as judiciously as possible—eases discovery of your content via search and online networks.
3. Good content provides value. What’s in it for your reader? What benefit will they receive from your content? Those questions should guide your content creation. Always offer useful takeaways for your audience. If you don’t provide value, why would anyone come back for more?
[FREE GUIDE: 10 ways to improve your writing today.]
4. It must be structured well. Nobody wants to read a massive block of text. Help your readers glide through your prose by providing bullet points and subheadings. Write short sentences and break up paragraphs to increase readability.
5. Your content should inform. Facts, statistics, how-to advice—your content should have data-driven meat. This establishes credibility, accountability and authority. Don’t force the reader to call you or buy your product to obtain value. Your content should be enriching and informative without any strings attached.
6. Good content converts. Don’t skimp on strong, simple, clear calls to action. Make sure your content is mobile-friendly, fast-loading and concise to remove potential conversion barriers.
7. It should be strategically distributed and promoted. Do you plan how, when and which content gets shared on your social media channels? How about your email newsletter? Don’t be shy about promoting your good work.
Amanda Clark is president of Grammar Chic. A version of this post appeared on Business 2 Community.
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