PR & Damage Control

Decision-making in business, particularly in times of uncertainty, is the most important role of management and leadership. Making classic business decisions involves good listening, careful...

Do you want an easy way to find out what people are saying about you online? If you own a business, you need to know what people write about your company in order to maintain your reputation and...

Even though we are bombarded with thousands of emails per week, email marketing has not become obsolete. In fact, email marketing is one of the most effective ways to stay in touch with existing...

Bloggers are today's online journalists. They share their opinion on everything from news to products. Brands are slowly recognizing the power that bloggers possess in helping them reach new...

These 10 Essential Phone Prospecting Tips for Network Marketers make a BluePrint, which will enable any marketer to become and expert in prospecting on the phone as long as they are practiced.

Any person with at least a modest public profile and all companies are susceptible to bad publicity. One mistake, judgement lapse or error can undo a generally good reputation. I will take you...

Whereas each PR campaign is different and has different objectives, there are ways to measure your PR success, although not all of them are that black and white.

While every personal brand is unique, they all have one important thing in common: they communicate confidently with their target market. To position yourself as a thought leader with a strong...

‘Hey Joe, do you want to buy this computer?’ While Joe may appreciate your down-to-earth nature, this approach may not win you a sale. Whether it’s to snag a great job interview, communicate with...

You can't control what other people say about you or about your business. But you can make the good stuff easier to find, and make the bad stuff disappear a bit. Here's how.

Writing business letters are an important part of doing business among companies and between individuals. Business letters can be sent through email, but they should still maintain a level of...

If you are going to complain, you might as well get some results. Complaining to people who can not help improve your situation does nothing to solve your problem. You must complain to the people...

If you plan to complain about getting bad service or a product that does not work, you will first need to organize your thoughts. If you present your complaint in an organized, logical and...

When you write a complaint letter, you must do it with your objective in mind. The purpose of a complaint letter is to get something. This could be a refund, compensation, or to get someone fired....

This How to is about internet based defamation and online libel and its financial, emotional and commercial impact.

ANONYMITY: Who wrote that?
Anonymous free speech is a wonderful privilege protected under the US First Amendment. However, malicious antagonists using anonymity to spread lies behind the cloak...

Congratulations! You've done something newsworthy, and now you're going to be interviewed by the media. What will you say? Will anyone care? Here's how to turn an ordinary phrase into a...

Your company's reputation is being attacked by a negatative blogging campaign. How do you defend your business on the Web and respond when the blogger is an angry customer or an cyber bully who is...

The Ever-Changing Face of PR

Press releases are a critical element of any effective marketing and promotion campaign. This valuable promotional tool can give you the vital exposure which is absolutely necessary in today's...

Losing revenue? Losing Customers? Follow these tips to increase your revenue and close the back door on customer exits. You have a wide open back door. You are losing customers, some that never...

Use press releases to market your company or new idea. It's cheap. It's easy. It's effective. A press release can be a great way to introduce yourself to new potential clients.

Most large companies have a Customer Retention Department. Their job is to do everything that they possibly can to make sure that you remain a customer. It is extremely costly for a company to...

You need to get the new media to publish articles about your business or a new product. You'll get free publicity, all you need to do is put in some work to get reporters interested.

If your organization finds itself in the middle of a media firestorm, what do you do? A field trip bus has an accident, your treasurer stole the money from the fundraiser, or your volunteer...

A capsule wardrobe is a specific set of clothing that encapsulates everything you need for a week or more. This clothing can be mixed and matched in a variety of ways to make it look as if you...

Interviewers get nervous just like you. Their jobs are to gather enough information to make informed decisions. Your job is to provide enough information to make you look good. Whether you are...

Watching the news – and media storm - unfold about Republican VP Nominee Sarah Palin’s pregnant 17-year-old daughter brings to mind an underlying premise about effective public relations – no...

Good customer service is an essential element of a successful business. Good customer service attracts new customers and keeps current customers coming back for more. This article will help your...

Customers are the cornerstone of any striving business. Providing great customer service will help distinguish you from your competitors. Read below for tips on providing great customer service.

Academy Award-winning actor and movie maker Mel Gibson is no stranger to scandal, both in his professional and personal life. Mel Gibson's 2004 blockbuster, "The Passion of the Christ" was met...

During the late 80s and early 90s, acclaimed actress Winona Ryder was hailed as Hollywood's "It" girl. But in 2001, police arrested Winona at a posh Beverly Hills boutique where she reportedly...

If you are the person who sends out press releases for your company, it's a good idea to have a template prepared for when you need it. When you need to make a quick announcement or head off a...

The term "politically correct" refers to people who try their best to avoid controversy and treat all people equally, without reference to gender, religion, physical or mental capacity or social...

It is a fact of business that sooner or later one of your clients or customers is going to be unhappy with something you did. Maybe he's right and maybe he's wrong. It doesn't matter. Don't shrug...

You have a website, you are trying to build traffic, you've written articles, you have back links, but you need more. What about getting other people to write about your site?

Doing business is about more than just advertising your product. For a company to be successful it has to have a positive image with the buying public. When something happens to damage a company's...

Every business owner fears how bad publicity will negatively affect his business. It's important to be prepared for any situation. Having a written plan to help you weather a crisis will go a long...

Sponsoring an award is an excellent way to promote your business and improve community relations. There are award sponsorship opportunities that suit every type of business and budget and are...

You've just had a great visit with a potential client and the prospect looks good. Taking the time to write a thank you note to this client could mean the difference between closing the sale and...

Taking the time to know what your customers like and don't like about your services can mean the difference between having repeat business or not. It's imperative that you find out what they're...

Taking the time to find out what your customers think about your services is important. Taking the time with a customer survey letter demands a respect of their time as well as a thank you. Here...

Being able to manipulate the press is an art form. Whether you're running for president of the United States or president of the PTA, you're bound to encounter the press. In order to make the...

You may have advance notice that damaging information is about to be announced regarding your organization. Take advantage of the early warning to plan for damage control, and create a response...

It's very hard to control what is said about your or your organization online. Virtually anything, good or bad, can be posted on the Internet. However, there are things you can do to limit the...

Your organization may have been faced with a situation that created bad publicity for you. After the actual issue has been dealt with, you will need to move on and rebuild your reputation,...

You may have received bad PR as the result of a poor decision or even due to reasons beyond your control. After this happens, it can be difficult to determine your next step. However, you can make...

The best way to limit the bad PR from a damaging story, of course, is to keep it out of the news. However, you can't count on people not informing the media. Instead, you need to limit the...

Although denial is a powerful coping mechanism, organizations must recognize the potential for crisis by preparing a comprehensive crisis plan. In the ordinary times before a crisis strikes,...

In public and media relations, a crisis can arise at any time. A crisis may be an employee or consumer emergency, a leadership change, an announcement related to productivity, or any other number...