Article: Formal Writing Takes a Hit

According to this article from today's edition of The News & Observer, "despite best efforts to keep school writing assignments formal, two-thirds of teens admit in a survey that emoticons and other informal styles have crept in." The study can be found here.

The article also says that "teens who keep blogs or use social-networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace have a greater tendency to slip nonstandard elements into assignments."

In a nutshell, the article says that an increasing number of students fail to distinguish between formal and informal writing. I am certain that this drives their teachers nuts. I am equally certain that a failure to properly distinguish between formal and informal writing could have consequences down the road.

If you are a student, take notice: your writing skills may impact your ability to obtain a job -- especially if you are seeking employment in a professional, white collar setting. If your cover letter or resume are poorly written, they will make a less than favorable first impression on your potential employer. If you correspond with a potential employer via e-mail, treat that e-mail as a formal letter.

If a potential employer is looking for someone who conveys professionalism and makes a good first impression, the kind of slip-ups described in this article could be enough to remove you from consideration for the job.

Details matter. A detail that you view as insignificant may be important enough to a potential employer for them to disqualify you from consideration for a position. In my view, it is always best to err on the side of formality.

Olympics: Public relations nightmare on horizon

This article highlights a developing situation that will be interesting to observe from a public relations perspective: a public relations quandary facing the International Olympic Committee as the Bejing Olympics approach.

Interesting article on "results-driven" PR

Today I stumbled upon this article by Jason Kelly of Blah Blah PR, located in Shipley, West Yorkshire in England. The article makes some interesting points about what the author views as increasingly important trends in the public relations profession.

In the article, Kelly says that "a new breed of PR agency has sprung up pushing aside traditional PR agencies, boasting results-based services under the banner of performance-led delivery." He adds that "the public relations industry has had to adapt in order to not only re-establish its own reputation as a usable service, but also to show that the art or science of public relations can actually support modern-day business operations."

Later in the article Kelly adds, "How can agencies expect to form long-term relationships with their clients if they don’t actually support their clients’ bottom-line?"

I agree with Mr. Kelly's basic premise that public relations must support a business' overall organizational vision and operations. In fact, this concept underscores the foundation of Pioneer Strategies' philosophy.

From our Web site: "We believe that your public relations program should be designed to move your organization in the direction of your overall vision. You don't 'do PR' for the sake of PR; you do it to achieve your overall organizational objectives. With that in mind, we believe that every public relations activity should be designed to help you achieve a larger organizational goal."

This is why we place such great emphasis on strategy and planning. A solid, well-thought-out public relations strategy will help ensure that your PR program is aligned with your overall business plan and that it helps make your vision become a reality.

A Social Media Land Mine

Social media sites like MySpace and Facebook are becoming increasingly popular. They are also becoming increasingly relevant to public relations practitioners and other businesspeople.

If you have a MySpace or Facebook profile, you should consider the fact that any information you post that may be seen by others could come back to haunt you. If you are a company officer, it could also impact your company -- which could in turn impact your employment situation and future marketability.

For a case in point, check out this post on The News & Observer's Under the Dome blog. The Dome post focuses on the fact that a candidate for public office listed the "Potsmokers Club" as an activity on his MySpace page. Regardless of whether the group's name is an accurate reflection of its activities, the fact that it was listed on this candidate's MySpace page could create a less-than-ideal perception of him and his candidacy -- one I'm sure he would prefer to avoid.

Social media sites like MySpace and Facebook can be powerful tools for networking and connecting your business with key constituencies. If you're not careful, they can also trip you up. Use them wisely.

Article: Tips for Marketing Your Service Business

This article by Kim Gordon from Entrepreneur.com (via MSNBC) provides a few insightful tips for marketing service businesses.

Some highlights:

- From the introduction: "The very word 'service' implies a more personal interaction." The introductory paragraph goes on to say that marketing campaigns for service businesses should emphasize building strong relationships with clients.

- The article says that "good relationships are built on trust," adding that you should let your customers get to know you.

- The article adds that you should compete based on value, meaning that you should seek to deliver a greater value than your chief competitors. I would add that it is important to understand that value doesn't necessarily mean the lowest price -- it means delivering the greatest benefit in return for the client's investment.

- The article also underscores the importance of keeping in touch with existing customers and points out that "it costs considerably less to keep a customer than to win a new one."

Click here to read the full article.

Trends in the newspaper industry

These two articles offer insight into trends impacting the newspaper industry:

Print newspaper revenues take biggest plunge on record

Online Newspaper Advertising Up 19 Percent

Honesty in PR

Honesty is one of the keys to an effective long-term public relations campaign. By that, I mean that your organization's message must be an accurate reflection of your organization's character and performance.

Simply put, building credibility is one of the goals of every public relations program, and credibility is rooted in trust. Once you break that trust, it is difficult to regain.

For example, you would be ill-advised to market yourself as being an expert in a particular field unless you really are an expert in that field. If you falsely hold yourself out as an expert on a particular topic, you will be labeled as dishonest and disingenuous once your cover is blown. That kind of negative reputation is difficult to overcome.

As author John Maxwell said on page 201 of Talent is Never Enough, "character communicates consistency." On page 202 of the same book, Maxwell adds: "While one may be able to make an impression with 'trappings, ' the real person always comes through in the end. Impressions are like shadows -- they disappear when a strong enough light is shone on them." He adds, "Character shows that who you are and who you appear to be are one and the same, and that is the first key to greatness."


A few thoughts on this issue:

"What you do thunders so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Character is the sum total of all our everyday choices."
- Margaret Jensen

“No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.”
- Abraham Lincoln

“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.”
- John Wooden

“Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.”
- Margaret Thatcher