The Wax Blog

I’m in the PR world and we use a lot of interns. For the most part, my experience has been a bit strange since I started Wax Marketing. At first, I thought maybe I had lost my touch…I used to manage a fairly large number of people and was known for spotting the best and brightest of the entry-level candidates. Maybe communications majors were just, well not as bright? (Sorry,  I come from the technology industry. They think everyone is dumber, no offense!) Maybe I should have hired on more individuals with a marketing degree background. Or maybe I’d lost some of my interviewing skills? Whatever it was, I was going through interns and new hires faster than cherry pie at a pie-eating contest.

I started to realize a few things had changed. For example, a pro bike race I worked on had a kids’ fun race. The race promoter insisted that everyone get a medal…a practice I had never heard of. A job candidate’s father accompanied him to his interview. Again, this blew me away. However, not as much as the intern who could not stop emailing her mother…127 emails in two days to be exact. Or the intern who locked herself in the office for two hours because I told her that her work had to be re-done. Worse of all probably, I had a client  who was late to an incredibly important meeting because her son wasn’t happy with what he was wearing to school that day. He was 15 at the time.

These occurrences and others like them have happened on a regular basis lately, and it helped me realize…maybe  it’s not just about me. There is something going on with the education system and with parents that has changed in the last ten years. I found Dr. Jean Twenge’s book Generation Me and others like it that explained our society’s determination to help kids know they’re truly “special” has turned them into a group ill-prepared to take on the competitiveness and, I have to say, at times unfair culture, of business today. (more…)

I love it when experts like Chris Brogan says there’s no such thing as a ‘social media expert’ because I’ve always said there’s no such thing as a ‘marketing expert’ either. Or a “public relations expert” for that matter. You might be the most educated, the most experienced ‘expert’ but there’s no way to predict the exact combination of competitive, online, media, and economic environments facing a particular brand, company or author. So when you go about setting your goals, remember that you are probably the best ‘expert’ when it comes to your company and it’s virtually impossible to compare your own results to others…especially where social media is concerned. What other medium is changing as rapidly as this one?

When I help companies set goals for social media I try to get them to identify three different types of goals: 1) quantitative, 2) qualitative, and 3) a special set of goals that you might consider the equivalent of winning the social media lottery. Let’s start with quantitative goals, since those are sometimes the easiest. It would be great if you could comment with examples of some of your goals as well, just to give us an idea of what everyone is shooting for.
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This is the second post on Building an Actionable Social Media plan. Refer to the first one if you need a refresher on why we’re doing this.

When people or businesses start engaging in social media they often focus on goals or ROI. But in order to direct your content, you must first identify the business drivers behind your social media activities. If you think of your plan in terms of the 5W’s (who, what, where, when, why) then business drivers are the WHY. I like InvestorWords definition of a business driver which is “A factor that contributes to the growth of a particular business.”

Maybe you haven’t thought of this perspective…I know for me it’s an abstract concept. After all, in small business we’re much more real time and it’s usually more about cash flow than strategy, at least for me. I like to put drivers in three categories when I do plans: Primary, Relevant and Secondary.  You’ll find that unexpected benefits of social media may arise as the campaign continues. Also, there may be lack of impact in defined business drivers. The business drivers should be reviewed and revised based on ongoing activity and results and you may be surprised where social media makes the most impact. It’s different for every business I work with!

So to give you some ideas, first here’s a list of some business drivers for specific industries. Then I’ve got a list of some possible business drivers that are common for social media. Please add yours in the comment section, so we can get a good list going! (more…)

Almost half the clients I have worked with over the years believe that their strongest selling point is their great customer service. When you are deciding what your market position is going to be, when you are seeking out that all important unique selling point (point of difference), look beyond customer service – here’s why: (more…)

Recently I got one of my clients an interview on one of Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s stories on CNN. My client (check out the drumming circle in the video below) told me I had paid for myself for a year with this clip. (more…)

Once again, I started to write a blog post about pitching Good Morning America and found this great article with the basics from a guy named Mort Fleischner. (Who couldn’t trust a guy named Mort?) I’ve included the first part, but please click through to the original article as well – his ‘don’ts’ are excellent advice!

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New York City born and raised, Mort is a graduate of Columbia University School of Journalism, New York University, and Stuyvesant High School.  He resides just outside of the city with his wife Anita and two daughters. He currently consults with some of the leading news programs and reporters on-air.

Join him as he shares some secrets on how to get onto Good Morning America.

DO

…Make a cold call to the Good Morning America (GMA) studios news desk and ask for the name and any contact information you can get of the producers who handle the area you are pitching: books, business, politics, money, health, sex – you name it!  Be sure you get the correct spelling, as well as their email address and if possible, a phone number.  If they will not give you the phone number, you can at the very least get the Good Morning America mailing address and the correct contact that you should be pitching.

…Send your material and a brief and concise pitch letter or email to the producer, along with all appropriate contact information.  Be sure to paint a picture as to why their viewers may be interested in your story or product.  Be sure to mention your ability to employ visuals into your segment that will make it more appealing as a televised story.

…Be sure you have all the elements of your pitch organized before you send it out to the producers.  Morning shows work fast and they will not want to wait around for you to get organized if and when they reach out to you.

…Write out what you are going to say before you pitch and rehearse it.  Keep talking points and important information in front of you just in case you forget what you want to say in the heat of the moment.  When on the phone, be enthusiastic, keep it short, and remember that there is a fine line between pitching and being pushy.  Pushy folks do not get on television.

…Wait about a week and then call back.  You might get lucky and someone will answer, either a producer or their assistant/intern.  If no one answers keep trying, and note that a voice message will do nothing for you unless you are Tom Cruise or Sharon Stone so just hang up and call again another time. For the rest of the article from collective-e.com go here.

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I would add also that having video “in the can” is a big plus. But sorry, your Flip won’t be enough. If you really have a good story, hire a professional and go shoot some background footage. Great visuals always give you a leg up and worst case, you can always use it for a Video News Release later.

Questions about pitching morning shows?