Strategy
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 MorePR: It’s About Relationships, Not “Spin” or “Free Publicity”
by Frank L. Williams Over the years, I’ve run across more than a few people who think public relations is about nothing more than “spin” or “free publicity.” They are wrong. Stereotypes such as those dramatically oversimplify the public relations process. In 2011 and 2012, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) conducted a member-engagement process to…
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 MoreWill You Realize Your Vision in 2017?
by Frank L. Williams At its heart, leadership is about two things: vision and influence. As a leader, you are charged with leveraging your influence to rally your team around a positive vision for your organization’s future. First, let’s discuss influence. Influence is not about your position or title. It’s not about where you sit…
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…
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…
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