| Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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I hope you had a grand Easter. And if you don't celebrate it, I hope whatever you did instead was grand.
We went for a saunter up the Regent's Canal from Mile End to the Hertford Union Canal, ad then along the Lee Navigation into QE II Olympic Park (that's enough waterways - Ed). Frankly, I don't know how the old bargees used to manage those canals, what with all the bicycles and skateboards on the towpath. I guess they were used to it.
Along the edge of Victoria Park (known as Vicky Park locally), the canal had been drained for cleaning. I was struck by how many car tyres were in the mud, and I wondered by so many had been thrown in, with no other car parts visible. It was only later on that I discovered that the tyres had actually fallen off housboats, which use them as bumpers to avoid damage on the concrete walls that line the canal. I guess I wouldn't be much use in Line of Duty. |
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Today, I will be speaking in The Netherlands. Next Sunday I will be speaking in South Africa.
Alas, I won't be there physically, but I'm interested to see how the virtual system at the first event in particular works.
Attendees enter a virtual world where they can move to different rooms, and explore an "island" where the event is taking place. It's a bit like a system I remember from ten years ago called Second Life, which never really took off.
I'll let you know how it goes. |
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| My guest in the Web Radio Show this week is the legendary singer/songwriter Dave Cousins.
He was a founder member of the band originally known as the Strawberry Hill Boys, now better known as The Strawbs, which started out as a bluegrass band, but eventually moved on to other styles, especially folk-rock. He has also performed as an acoustic duo with Strawbs guitarist Brian Willoughby, and as Acoustic Strawbs with Willoughby (until August 2004), Dave Lambert and Chas Cronk since September 2004).
Listen to our chat, and hear music from the Strawbs new album, in this week's Media Coach Radio Show. |
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The MediaMaestro is someone I should have given the award to a while ago. It's sports commentator Andrew Cotter, who has graced many sports, including golf, rugby and the boat race with his gentle Scottish lilt. He has one of the most recognisable voices in broadcasting.
He's also well known for his videos, and even a book, featuring his two dogs, Olive and Mabel, who have become social media stars in their own right.
Throughout lockdown, Andrew and his dogs have kept people entertained, and long may it continue.
He's a star and so are they. |
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The MediaMug is car manufacturer Volkswagen.
They tried an electric car April Fools Day stunt that didn't work at all. News outlets globally, including Sky News, faithfully reported how the company's US operation planned to change its name to 'Voltswagen of America' from May.
But the company admitted later that the name change was an April Fool's joke and PR stunt to draw attention to the launch of its new SUV.
There has previously been frustration expressed by VW officials that its electric vehicle efforts have attracted less media and public attention than Tesla.
A spokesperson for VW later told the Reuters news agency it had intended to raise the profile of the new car in a "fun and interesting way".They added: "The many positive responses on social media showed that the campaign resonated with consumers. At the same time, we realise the announcement rollout upset some people and we are sorry about any confusion this has caused."
Who's the April Fool? |
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| Speaking Tip - Simple and Effective |
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I've never heard an audience member complain "The ideas in that speech were way too simple for me - I wish it had been more complicated". However, I've often heard the reverse. There are no prizes for getting long words into your speech. In fact, using strong, simple words is the best way to convey a message.
So you don't have to use long words when you speak. Most of the time, you can make your points very well with short words.
In fact, big words can get in the way of what you want to say. What is more, when you use short words in your speech, no one will have to look them up to find out what they mean. Short words make us feel good, too.
A small word can be as sweet as a ripe pear, or as sharp as plum jam. Small words make us think. In fact, they are the heart and soul of clear thought.
Take a look back at that last paragraph. Did it make sense? Good. How many words had more than one syllable? None of them. See what I mean? |
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One of the best ways to raise the profile of your company is to have one of your product names become part of everyday speech. Sometimes, this happens by accident. Many years ago, the Hoover company had no idea that their name would become synonymous with vacuum cleaning. In fact, most people are more likely to talk about "hoovering" a carpet than "vacuuming" it. In recent years, the same thing has happened with Google. We all know what "googling" something means, and most of us do it every day (unlike hoovering).
For a while, we talked abut Skyping someone. A few people still do. However, these days we are much more likely to Zoom someone.
Getting your product name into common parlance is not easy. However, there are ways that you can make its adoption far more likely. Firstly, it has to be a name or phrase that is simple, and easily converted to a verb. It's also a good idea to trademark the term as quickly as possible, so that it becomes uniquely yours. A third factor, of course, is that it has to be a "cool" or fashionable thing, so that people want to talk about it.
If you have something that fits the criteria, you need to use it wherever possible; in your interviews, in articles, in your advertising and internally. Make sure that whenever someone from your organisation talks to the press, they use the term. If it catches on, it will soon develop a life of it own. If not, don't despair, since it may not yet have reached the tipping point (see, it can work for phrases too). |
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| Social Media Tip - Company newsletter syndrome |
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Some people begin their social media journey with a wave of enthusiasm which quickly wanes. I call it "company newsletter syndrome". This is how it works; someone decides to revive the internal company newsletter. They create huge interest, and the first issue is fantastic. The next issue is promised a month later. It arrives a few days late, is a bit thinner than issue one, and receives less interest. Issue three does not appear for three months, is a single sheet, and announces that, for now, the editor is stepping down. There is no issue four.
That's how it is with some people on social media. They may start blogging daily, or sending 20 tweets a day, all full of great information. Then the stream slows to a trickle, and may dry up. Alternatively, they realise that they can't manage to keep up the pace, so resort to automated or brief messages, or keep repeating the same ones. That's not the way to behave.
If you participate in social media, you need to make a commitment to quality and consistency. It doesn't matter whether you write one blog a day or one a month. Once you build an audience, they will have an expectation of you, and you must not let them down. The rewards of consistent quality are many, not least a network of people who trust and recommend you. It's all about providing your audience with a good experience. Then you don't have to sell them anything, since they will come to you and ask if they can buy. |
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| The information in this ezine may be freely re-used in any online or offline publication, provided it is accompanied by the following credit line - "This information was written by Alan Stevens, and originally appeared in "The MediaCoach", his free weekly ezine, available at www.mediacoach.co.uk." |
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