Training & Resources: Invest Time To Find Free Help

Wish you could stay on top of changing tools and trends, but don't have thousands to spend to go to seminars? Invest a little time and you can find "free" help that could be just as good.

More and more free seminars are being provided by companies as "value added" to other services they provide to you. Check with your clipping service or mailing list management provider. "White papers" can be found from reputable sources who post them on the Web to attract potential customers. From social media marketing to general public relations tips and even ideas on how to "pitch" the media more effectively, chances are, it's out there.

Many times you can gather the staff around a speaker phone and computer and for an hour or two, you're at school. No travel, no hotel bills, no conference fee. Then, back to work without ever leaving your office. How efficient is that?

The knowledge is there for the taking, so become a learning sponge. It's good for you, your career development and your clients.

What's On Your Mind? Why Updating Your Business Facebook Page Is So Important

We all have that friend on Facebook that seems to spend every waking moment online updating their status. Every five seconds their profile picture pops up with some mundane information about their life. Or what about that person who asked you to be their “friend” and you haven't seen a post on their page in months? Personal Facebook pages are hit or miss, but when it comes to your company's page, there's a delicate balance. A balance you need to be very aware of.

If you can't remember the last time you updated your business page on Facebook, or even worse, have an outdated status online, you need to start paying more attention to the account, or risk losing customers and losing credibility in the world of social media.

It may seem like a simple plan: update your page regularly. But you'd be surprised how many businesses are still setting up Facebook pages without a strategic plan to follow up. If your business has a page and no plan, your reputation could be at stake.

If you're feeling a little lost, here are some tips:

Make your posts engaging. People want to interact. Give them the opportunity.

Answer questions. People are looking more and more to social media as “customer service.”

Don't let them down. Be responsive and be honest.

Posts should be unique. Make people take notice of what you have to offer.

And, most importantly, make your page fun to read.

Facebook is a great business tool if you use it correctly. While showing a return on your social media investment is still in its infancy, it's clear that the more you get your company's name out to the public, the better it is for your business.

Now that we've shared a little of our wisdom, it's time to tell everyone “What's On Our Mind.”

See you on Facebook.

The Key To Succeeding in the Communications Business Is..... Communication!

The key to succeeding in the communications business is communication. Your initial response to this is probably.. duh! But it's surprising just how many people who work in the communications field don't communicate with one another. It's a recipe for disaster and it happens all the time.

It's not enough for everyone on your PR or marketing team to know about the projects they are working on individually. Everyone should be briefed on all clients. It doesn't have to take hours. Emails can be shared and quick conversations can relay info. Try it until you become a well-oiled communicating machine.

Say for example a client calls looking for the “lead” person on their account. The lead person happens to be out sick and no one else on the team knows how to help the person on the phone. What happens now?

If you simply tell the client you can't help them, it leaves them feeling left out in the cold. And remember, your client is your customer. Your client just had a bad experience and that experience could leave a bad taste in their mouth — especially if it happens more than once to them. While it probably won't mean a loss of business in the immediate future, don't think for a second that when the next fiscal year or budget comes around that past experiences like the above example don't weigh in on their decisions.

Now take that same situation again. Only this time, everyone on your team has been briefed about the client's latest developments and any possible issues that may arise. The client calls, gets the needed answers and remains happy as a clam.

It doesn't seem like much, but just a few minutes each morning to brief everyone on what's happening is a huge step in making all your clients feel as if each is the most important client you have. Because, in reality, they all should be.

The Elves Are Leaving The Building

Happy Holidays and many thanks to all who've read and commented on the Buzzzz blog this year. We're taking some time to pause and celebrate the past year and welcome in the new one.

We'll be back in 2010 with more food for thought!

Dribble, Dribble, Dribble. . . The Worst Way To Get Your Story Out.

Oh, Tiger. It's all coming out now. Slowly. Painfully. Now we understand why you didn't step up to the plate and make a bold statement when the first scandal surfaced. Why you didn't take control of the situation at first.

But we still think you're handling it badly. Because you're not handling it all. You're not managing the information flow. You're letting the faucet drip and run . . . while you hide out in your house.

We only hope you're huddling with your PR team as well as lawyers and a marriage counselor.

We hope you're planning an intelligent strategy and setting your ego aside to do so.

And we hope you have learned some lessons not just about life, but about the press and ownership of your own image.

Wishing and asking that matters stay private will not make them so. As a public person who's made his millions in front of crowds, you should know that people want to know all about you. The good. The bad. The numbers. The reasons.

The PGA Tour won't do as some have recommended and bounce you from the Tour. You're a cash cow and they know it.

But, fasten your seat belt. Because if your PR advisors haven't told you yet, the bumpy ride you're taking now is far from over.

Should Tiger Woods Stay Silent?

Tiger Wood's current “situation” (as he describes it in his blog) is something he wants to keep private. He's just hoping it will go away.

Good luck with that.

Tiger's attorney says that Tiger doesn't have to talk to the police about it and that if he just sticks to the strategy of silence, this will “all blow over.”

What planet does this guy live on?

He's obviously out of touch with the blogosphere and how news and opinion travels worldwide via the internet. Maybe he doesn't understand the power of social media. What's said on the Web has a shelf life of, well, forever. Is he arrogant enough to think that the world's most celebrated athlete should follow his advice and not also consult someone who specializes in reputation management? Because this is a crisis management situation with no less at stake than the loss of fans and endorsements.

That's right. Tiger needs to call in a PR team. Not just the publicists who send out the good news. He needs someone who can advise him about how the media, his sponsors and the public are all analyzing the situation. His team needs to examine what the media is reporting and what's being said by the general public on blogs, YouTube and in chat rooms. But, most of all, he needs someone to give him more than legal advice. Much more.

We can all understand that Tiger wants to keep his private life private. While he's had lots of publicity over the years, he's done a pretty good job of sheltering his private life. But now he's been propelled into a new kind of spotlight. And not in a good way.

This feels foreign to him. He's never been attacked by the golf media – after all, they're in the business of reporting sports news. Even the general media has mostly reported his accomplishments. They've written puff pieces on the boy wonder who grew into a champion. They've published pictures of his photogenic family smiling happily.

But now the news media, the entertainment press and the tabloids have latched onto a story sparked by Tiger's late night crash. Even TV's Evening News broadcasts are quoting the National Enquirer's accusations. It's time to wake up and realize that there are many, many, many people out there digging for the why's behind the accident. There are literally thousands of trained and untrained journalists on the hunt.

Tiger needs to be told that although he has the right to remain silent, silence is exactly the wrong strategy to take.

In a recent issue of Media Post's Marketing Daily, a quote from marketing expert and author, Jack Trout, summed it up: "There's an old saying in the PR business that silence grants the point. And I think someone as visible as Tiger Woods can't stay silent. It supports all the stuff flying around. By not speaking, you grant whatever people want to cook up."

Tiger should get with his PR strategists and consider his options. So much depends on what really happened that night and what's really gone on with the supposed "other woman." One strategy could be to craft a carefully worded statement, then release it to the press and on his blog. Maybe he should consider granting an “exclusive” interview with one prominent and sympathetic media person. But, whatever approach is taken, he should come clean so that he can actually move toward silencing the din that's whirling all around him now.

If he had an argument with his wife, Elin Nordegren, he needs to admit it. What couple doesn't have a fight now and then?

If the rumors of an extramarital affair are true, he should apologize to his wife, kids and fans for his indiscretion, admit it was a mistake, that it's over, and vow to never do it again.

Most importantly, he needs to get out front with his position before the so-called other woman, Rachel Uchitel, goes public with hers (followed by the inevitable “tell all” book). She's in denial mode now, but any of the rumors are true, that could change quickly. After all, she's hired Gloria Allred. So, if she planned on remaining silent, Allred would have been the last lawyer she hired.

If rumors of an affair are false, he needs to definitely quash them PUBLICLY with a carefully worded statement. He's Tiger Woods, after all, and there are a lot of people who want to believe him. He needs to explain away any “meetings” that actually happened between him and the woman. He should address the “sexting” rumors and show some righteous anger at the accusations.

But, most of all, Tiger should not remain silent. When you're the world's highest paid athlete, you don't have that option. Some people want to support you. A lot of people want to believe that you've finally revealed a flaw.

Either way, Tiger's silence just prolongs the discussion. On the internet, all the news, rumors and innuendo will live virtually forever. Tiger needs to raise his voice and give everyone the straight scoop. His fans and supporters deserve to hear it.

The “situation” won't go away overnight, but the tsunami will begin to recede. It's the only hope he has of calming the storm and eventually regaining some of that privacy that he values so much.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Even a high energy PR team needs a day off now and then to pause and recharge its batteries.

But the holidays always seem to bring last-minute special event assignments and — sometimes — crisis management tasks. While good for business, such last-minute work can test the holiday spirit of even the most cheerful PR pro.

That's when it's time to do what you do best: think strategically and get organized. That can help even the most harried pro get through this season and still leave time for celebration.

Wishing everyone a joyous Thanksgiving! May the events you're managing be happy ones!