Hostetler Public Relations

Providing public relations and marketing communications counsel, strategy and support

Rae Hostetler

Honesty in public relations

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I was intrigued to find a story a few weeks ago saying that a new study shows how to figure out if bosses are lying. Two guys from Stanford reviewed transcripts of nearly 30,000 conference calls by American chief executives and chief financial officers. They reviewed their “tells” to figure out what words and phrases indicate deception. What peeved me as a public relations professional is that at the end of the online article at The Economist the writer says: “This study should help investors glean valuable new insights from conference calls. Alas, this benefit may diminish over time. The real winners will be public-relations firms, which now know to coach the boss to hesitate more, swear less and avoid excessive expressions of positive emotion. Expect “fantastic” results to become a thing of the past.”

Wow! Does he overestimate public relations professionals? Honestly, we aren’t that calculating to coach our clients and bosses in this way. The best and most respected public relations firms are ethical and honest PR professionals that subscribe to the Public Relations Society of America Code of Ethics. It’s posted online. Check it out. Among the guidelines: Be honest and accurate in all communications; disclose financial interests in a client organization and decline representing clients/employers requiring actions to the contrary of the code.

We live in a time when businesses and professionals are reinventing themselves to keep businesses afloat and stay ahead of the ever changing communications curve resulting from online public relations. That said, maybe some are cutting corners. Many of my Indy PR colleagues are not. Honest public relations professionals, like myself and my friends, are plentiful in Indianapolis. Ask if your communications team adheres to the PRSA Code of Ethics. Those pr agencies that do provide the most effective and above board public relations counsel and services. I promise you’ll be in good hands and never regret doing the right thing each and every time you communicate to employees, your clients and anyone else you need to talk to about your organization!

Is your communication clear and consistent or confusing and time consuming?

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It’s back to school time here in Indianapolis. Last week was maddening for many of us parents. As our family prepared for our son to move into the middle school preparation was difficult. Not in terms of prepping our son, but in terms of getting everything he needed together.

It went something like this.

Monday afternoon we finally got our “team” assignments for teachers. Only then could we get our long list of school supplies, which the kids were supposed to have by Wednesday orientation. That afternoon the kids got to roam the hallways, open lockers and more. That was two and half a hours plus coming home shopping at Staples.

At Wednesday’s orientation, with every fifth grade child and one parent packed in the school hallways, we were  told what to do with the vast amount of supplies. The instructions provided that night featured building a binder. Now how the heck were we to do that with packed hallways and excited middle schoolers?It was loud, chaotic and confusing.

Many parents, including us, opted to come back another day.

On Friday, when we returned, we sat down in the middle of the hallway and prepared for Monday. Only then did we see that there were needed supplies not listed. Back to the store for more that was carried in a backpack this morning.

Point here… how often does this happen to your employees, customers and clients. Do you provide a clear line of communication the first time that allows people to get the job done once? Or do you have them come back several times to get something done? Our family spent hours last week preparing for school. If we’d know the first time what we needed to do, we could have gotten it done right the first time.

We know we’re not alone as a parent prepping for the school year. As a business owner and counselor to business owners, it’s a good lesson learned. Think through how you communicate your directions. Are you confusing people or professionally explaining what’s needed to streamline efforts in your business operations each day?

I hope it’s the latter.

Does your public relations measure up?

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OK. Let’s face it. Public relations is often the first thing to go in tough economic times. Often executives don’t understand its value when they look at the bottom line and ROI. Truth is… economic study after study has proven through recession after recession that if a company stops its marketing, it has a tougher time in recovery. Whether or not we’re about to hit the double dip recession… the question becomes if you’re using effective public relations how are you measuring it?

Let me first go back to point of fact from last week’s blog entry… the P is public relations does not stand for press. So simply measuring news clips isn’t going to show an effective campaign.

Last month public relations professionals from around the world met in Barcelona. They adopted a new set of global measurement principles based on the current Web 2.0 (or is it 3.0?) world we’re practicing in. This is the first time a group of practitioners rejected using media coverage as a method to determine value. That’s fantastic! About time!

Instead they adopted the following:

  • Goal setting and measurement are fundamental aspects of any PR program. What are your goals for a communications plan? Do you review them regularly to see how you’re doing?
  • Media measurement requires both quantity and quality. It’s not enough to get a mention… are you or your business the story?
  • Advertising Value Equivalents do not measure the value of PR and do not inform future activity. Advertising is not PR! Enough said!
  • Social media can and should be measured. Definitely. How many times a day does the local paper post a story online that doesn’t appear in print due to affordability issues?
  • Measuring outcomes is preferred to measuring media results. Is press driving reputation and business ROI?
  • Business results can and should be measured. I like to hear from clients when a PR tactic drives new prospects.
  • Transparency and replicability are paramount to sound measurement. Does your staff speak the same way and actually do what you say? Are you real?


What gets you up in the morning?

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In business, it’s a phrase we’re often asked, but sometimes forget when we get lost in daily business dealings of the day.

I read recently that researchers at the University of Rochester found that workers tend to have better moods, more energy and fewer physical complaints on the weekend. Even people with interesting and desirable jobs reported being happier on Saturday and Sunday.

HMMM where’s our job satisfaction? What are we doing as company leaders to create job satisfaction to make our employees tick? Bottom line, what makes you tick at your job?

Sometimes we lose our way. True. But it’s great when we find on-the-job enthusiasm. Wait… great? Let me change that to inspiring.

Today I had the opportunity to work with one of my creative partners-Matt Sommers. We were actually coming up with ideas for my business’ 10th anniversary marketing. I came to the table (literally because we were having coffee) with a structured marketing plan and ideas for creative concepts I want incorporated. (It’s what I do for my own clients, so why not do it for myself?) I showed Matt the plan, the ideas-everything-and we started bantering. Matt is a great person to work with because he takes a good concept and helps make it better. By the end of the meeting our creative juices were flowing. We were laughing and both could see the end goal of the various projects. He was excited about his role and I am giving him creative freedom. I know he’ll do a great job for me.

I said, “Now this is what gets me excited. We’re creating and complementing my brand vision to who I’m a serious but fun person who’s real with clients and co-workers.

So I’m curious? What got you excited about your business today? How did you inspire your staff, colleagues and business partners?

“P” is for public… not press

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I’ve worked in the public relations business for 20 years providing service to local, regional and global companies.Before that I was a journalist working in radio/television news. When I made the leap to pr, I came to learn that too many business professionals think the profession is only about working with reporters. They think the “P” stand for press. Truth is that’s just a small part of what we do.

The “P” in pr is for public, or audiences you need to talk to about your business, non-profit or brand. Like others in my business, we work enhance the reputation and image of a company’s brand through word and deed. How? We create a strategic plan that outlines business goals and then addresses audiences. This list is often long and should be inclusive. Reporters are just one audience on that list.

So who else is included in a public relations plan? Here’s one list recently created for client:

  • Employees
  • Sub contractors and/or preferred partners
  • Vendors
  • Clients
  • Past clients
  • Prospect clients
  • Reporters

A great public relations strategy creates a company story and communication tools that start from inside any company. That means employees should always be the first to know. They are, after all, first on this list. How many times do you hear people talking about how they read about what’s happening at their company from the Internet or newspaper—the press?

Does that create good-will among employees? Heck no!

The press should be the last to know… your publics come first… your employees, customers and anyone closest to your brand, business and revenue should always be first on your line of communication.

If you want a great public relations strategy, rethink who you’re communicating to first. The rest will listen and follow.

We look forward to helping you communicate your image!

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