Planning
Build Your Reputation Before You Need It
by Frank L. Williams At its heart, public relations is about building and maintaining relationships with key publics. Relationships that stand the test of time are rooted in trust. Trustworthiness and credibility are joined at the hip. Credibility can be defined as the quality of being trusted and believed in or the quality of being convincing or believable. If you lack credibility,…
Read MoreCornerstone or Afterthought?
by Frank L. Williams A cornerstone can be defined as an important quality or feature on which a particular thing depends or is based. For a public relations program to be truly effective, it must be a strategic cornerstone that helps leaders guide an organization’s decision-making, not an afterthought that only receives sporadic attention when the…
Read MoreGet Out of The Weeds and Resist the Tyranny of the Urgent
by Frank L. Williams Anyone who has ever managed a business or other organization has likely fallen victim to what has been described as the “tyranny of the urgent.” This term is used to describe situations in which leaders become so consumed putting out fires or responding to the next phone call, meeting, email or…
Read MoreThings to Consider As You Evaluate Your Marketing Communication Program
by Frank L. Williams Click here to view this as a printer-friendly PDF. This Tuesday I was the featured 10-minute speaker at the Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Commerce’s afternoon business connections event. My topic was things to consider as you evaluate your marketing communication program. Below is a brief outline of the topics I touched…
Read MoreRemember Your Focus: All That Glitters is Not Gold
by Frank L. Williams It has been said that “If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.” This is a lesson I’ve learned during my more than 15 years in business, although it can be difficult to apply. Sometimes it seems like I keep learning it over and over. This lesson is about knowing where to…
Read MorePlanning for PR Impact: The Right Tools for Your Strategy
by Frank L. Williams In last month’s article, I continued my series on Planning for Impact by discussing how to identify strategies to achieve your desired outcomes. As a refresher, planning for impact means that, instead of starting with desired outputs such as sending a certain number of press releases or posting a certain number of items on Facebook, you…
Read MorePlanning for PR Impact: Identifying Strategies
by Frank L. Williams In last month’s article, I continued my series on Planning for Impact by discussing the importance of defining your desired outcomes. Planning for impact means that, instead of starting with desired outputs such as sending a certain number of press releases or posting a certain number of items on Facebook, you should begin…
Read MorePlanning for PR Impact: Defining Your Desired Outcomes
by Frank Williams In my most recent article, I discussed the importance of planning for impact. By this I mean that instead of starting with desired outputs, such as sending a certain number of press releases or posting a certain number of items on Facebook, you should begin by discussing your desired outcomes. Put another way,…
Read MorePlanning for Impact
by Frank Williams Over the years, I’ve heard clients and colleagues offer a number of reasons why they want to engage in a public relations or marketing communication campaign. When I ask about their goals, the responses often center on outputs like sending a certain number of press releases, posting a certain number of items…
Read MoreSmall Business Survey Results: Business Plans & Marketing Plans
This is the fourth installment in a series of posts focusing on the results of our recent small business survey. Please note that this is not a scientific poll. Please also note that response totals may not be recorded at precisely 100.0% due to rounding. Respondents were asked whether, in light of the current state…
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