Sometimes Bigger PR Agencies Are Just Bigger

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At big agencies, you're paying for the overhead ... and all those chairs. Image courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

At big agencies, you’re paying for the overhead … and all those chairs.
Image courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Mark Twain once said, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

Sadly, this lesson is sometimes lost in the process of evaluating public relations agencies. Often the bigger agency is selected because they are seen as “the safe bet.”

However sometimes the safe bet with PR agencies isn’t always the best bet and the little guy is overlooked to the detriment of the company conducting the search. To those companies, I offer six reasons they would do well to consider small agencies like mine.

  1. It’s Personal, Not Just Business. Working with a smaller agency, clients typically have direct access to the agency president and senior staff. So do the agency’s employees. This means ideas aren’t just top-down, and everyone has a stake in the success of the account.
  2. What You See Is What You Get. The better-run small agencies have less staff turnover, especially at the senior level. So the folks you meet at the new business pitch meeting are the folks actually doing the work for your company. That almost never happens at big agencies.
  3. Small Agencies Are Built By Big People. Small PR agencies are populated with PR pros who left big agencies to focus on good work instead of billable hours, or by established journalists who bring a well-honed reporter’s eye to the story-craft of public relations. Big agencies are not the only bastions of talent.
  4. Budgets Don’t Drive Success. Small agencies have less overhead then larger competitors. This means smaller agencies work toward success, not billable hours. At larger agencies, clients with small budgets are often relegated to a few hours of work per month, led by the most junior, least experienced staff members.
  5. Flexibility and Responsiveness Are Watchwords. Small agencies usually don’t have “big” accounts to fall back on, so ensuring every client feels like the only client is the hallmark of a well-run small agency. This means responding promptly to clients, and being able to adapt well to changing priorities.
  6. It’s a Business of Personality and Ideas. Success – with big or small agencies – is predicated on the people on the account and the ideas they generate. In this area, size is not a factor. One smart, industrious solo PR pro with good ideas and a little elbow grease can be as valuable to a client as an army of well-polished and mildly talented PR practitioners. As Twain said, it’s about the fight in the dog.

This isn’t to say all big agencies are bad and all small agencies are good. It’s simply why smaller agencies should not be disregarded as a “best bet.”

I’ve heard too many stories from clients and co-workers alike about companies that chose big PR agencies based purely on the idea they were a perceived safe bet. (As the saying goes, “Nobody ever got fired for hiring IBM.”) These same folks, after prolonged discovery periods and big “start up” fees, came to find bigger isn’t always better.

Sometimes bigger is just bigger.

Innovative Office Products Launches Busby™

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Popular USB Mount Unveiled at Neocon Now Available, Begins Shipping To Consumers

EASTON, Pa. – Sept. 16, 2013 – Innovative Office Products, Inc. (www.LCDarms.com), today announces Busby, the world’s first flat panel monitor mount with built‐in USB ports, is available and has begun shipping to customers. A video of Busby in action details the convenience and ease of use of the product.

Busby

“The Busby prototype was a huge hit at Neocon in June,” explained Joe Tosolt, president of Innovative Office Products. “Since then, we’ve received a lot of calls and emails wanting to know when it will be available, and that time is now.”

Busby integrates four USB ports into a flat-panel monitor mount, providing convenient access for charging and connecting all USB-enabled devices without consuming additional desk space.

“The USB ports are right in front of you, completely unobstructed,” said Tosolt. Busby combines easily with flexible mounting arms and eliminates the need for adding additional hubs to laptops. For those working on computer towers, Busby eliminates the need to move the tower or to crawl under desks to find available USB ports, potentially damaging the computer itself in the process.

The mount includes power cord and computer connections in the back, and four USB ports in front. It is compatible with most flat panel monitor arms made by Innovative.

To order Busby, please call (800) 524-2744.

About Innovative Office Products, Inc.
Innovative Office Products, Inc. (www.LCDarms.com) blends function and style that improve ergonomics, save space and increase the flexibility of the modern office. Based in Easton, Pa., Innovative Office Products offers mounting solutions that range from flexible radial arms to space-saving mounts for desks and walls.

Marketing on the 9/11 Anniversary? Don’t

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“When in doubt, leave it out.”

This was the sage advice of one of my first journalism professors in college. It served me well in everything from sussing out facts for news stories to drawing up guest lists for family parties. It’s also good advice for brands and organizations to consider as part of their social media policies, and their approach to anniversaries of remembrance like Sept. 11.

This week – 12 years from the attacks of Sept. 11 – we saw far too many businesses using social media to remember the fallen while also making sure you remember their products.

On The Crisis Show, which aired on the anniversary of 9/11, I joined Shel Holtz and host Rich Klein to discuss these efforts. We highlighted some of the more thoughtless attempts to newsjack the 9/11 anniversary, as well as the reactions those efforts engendered. It’s a cautionary tale of how even the best intentions on social media can fail without sound strategy, planning and a crisis response plan.

What we saw on social media on this anniversary was how tone deaf some brands can be, and how few plan for all potential outcomes. The list of offending brands – both exploitative in their efforts and those just trying to mark the day as best they could while failing in the attempt – is too long to include here.

The best advice I can share is beautifully summarized in a short online article in The Atlantic. The writer, Derek Thompson, took a page from my journalism professor’s book and offered one simple rule for advertising on 9/11: Don’t. This rule applies equally well to marketers, social media practitioners and PR pros.

The events of that day still haunt us as a nation. So brands should consider honoring the day with a moment of silence, time off for employees to participate in the National Day of Service Congress called for in 2009 or by making a charitable donation. But don’t market such efforts or your products and services. Those who mourn don’t need to hear from brands on this day.

Next year, when we mark the 13th anniversary of our national loss, I encourage brand managers everywhere to follow the prescient advice of my old professor: When in doubt, leave it out.

What’s one more social media platform?

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There is such thing as being on too many social media platforms.

When new platforms are introduced, too often companies and brands feel the need to jump on the “exciting new platform” bandwagon. By the time agencies like ours are called in, we find important research, including audience and competitive analysis, wasn’t done. If you don’t have the advantage of working with a public relations agency to help establish or advance your social media strategy, at least ask the following questions before adding yet another new social platform to your list of things to manage.

webtreats / Foter / CC BY

Before you decide to jump on another platform, ask yourself these important questions:

  • Is my audience on the platform I’m thinking about joining?
  • Will my audience be receptive to the new platform I’m thinking about joining?
  • Does it make sense for me to join the new platform? (For example, if you’re thinking about setting up a Pinterest account, but you do not have any visual content to share, it probably does not make sense to join yet.)
  • Do I have relevant and interesting content to post? Will others view my content and will it be shareable?
  • Do I have the extra time and resources to devote to this new platform? Take into account how long it will take to set up, the cost of the graphics for the platform, daily monitoring, creating valuable content, etc.
  • If I create a new account will I be “present?” Sometimes companies create an account and then forget about it or they simply don’t have the time. Having an account where you’re invisible may not send the right message about your company.  Don’t be a robot. Be present.

You don’t need to be on every social media platform to succeed at social media. Sometimes less is more.

If you do not have the resources, time or your audience is not on a certain social outlet, it does not always make sense to be on that platform. It’s better to invest your time on a few social platforms that make sense for your business rather than being on several platforms where you’re not able to devote your the time.

Which platforms make the most sense for your business? Have you had more success on some platforms versus others?

Photo credit: webtreats / Foter / CC BY

TeenCentral.Net Celebrates 15 Years of Helping Children

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Peer support, information, anonymous access to trained counselors are hallmarks of one of the first, oldest online safe havens for kids

OREFIELD, Pa. – TeenCentral.Net, one of the earliest online safe havens for teens providing information, resources and access to trained counselors, celebrated 15 years of operation at a gala event on the Orchard Hills campus of KidsPeace on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013.

Nearly 50 attendees helped recognize the work of TeenCentral.Net, including the site’s staff, volunteers, local business patrons and guest speaker Miss Pennsylvania’s Outstanding Teen for 2013, Katie Schreckengast.

TeenCentral.Net’s director, Dr. Julius Licata, spoke of the hours of dedication from staff and volunteers, donations and support from businesses and individuals that help TeenCentral.Net operate, and the real-world impact of TeenCentral.Net’s work.

“As philanthropic endeavors go, we are having a tremendous impact,” Licata told the evening’s attendees. “We’re helping children with a range of issues like self esteem and bullying, while also playing an important role in stopping all-too-prevalent violence in and around schools today.”

Licata helped launch TeenCentral.Net with the help of the late Ginger Papp, a 32-year employee of KidsPeace to whom the evening was dedicated. He said he is looking forward to continuing to help teens from ages 11 to 18 all around the United States through TeenCentral.Net.

As Licata noted, TeenCentral.Net has helped more than 500,000 teens and parents throughout the United States since its launch in 1998.

“And just like the children we help, we continue to grow and adapt to the world around us. TeenCentral.Net added three new communities just this year: a section for foster care children, children of military families and children seeking to learn more about many of the world’s religions.,” noted Licata. “At fifteen, we’re just getting started.” The official anniversary of TeenCentral.Net’s launch is Sept. 8.

ABOUT TEENCENTRAL.NET
TeenCentral.Net is a unique prevention, intervention and aftercare Web site developed by KidsPeace, a national not-for-profit mental and behavioral healthcare charity headquartered in Lehigh Valley, Pa. TeenCentral.Net’s mission is to help teens safely and anonymously tell their stories and receive sound advice within 24 hours from specially trained volunteers and counselors. All postings by teens and volunteers are reviewed by Master’s level clinicians before appearing on the site. To learn more, visit TeenCentral.Net.

AAMGA Votes to Expand Membership

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Members vote to amend bylaws, broadening representation of the wholesale insurance market

AUG. 27, 2013 – King of Prussia, Pa. – The American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA) announced today its members have voted to amend the association’s bylaws and expand membership to include all wholesale insurance professionals who have underwriting or binding authority and meet other minimum standards of the association.

Balloting occurred between July 26 and Aug. 26 with more than 63 percent of eligible members voting. The proposed bylaw amendments passed with an overwhelming majority.

“This is a significant moment in AAMGA’s continued evolution and development in line with our 87 year history,” explained Frank Mastowski, CPCU, CIW, president of AAMGA’s Board of Directors. “Our members recognize the wholesale insurance landscape continues to change. The revised strategic focus of the association will broaden members networking access to markets and other industry practitioners. It will support technical underwriting and other professional educational development through the AAMGA University, and further the strength of our advocacy with regulators and legislators domestically and internationally.”

According to the AAMGA Executive Director Bernie Heinze, the board of directors will now take additional steps to implement the new by-law changes. The board will also expand curriculums for AAMGA University, the group’s professional education and training arm.

“These new bylaws were designed to ensure those market professionals working in the wholesale insurance space with binding or underwriting authority have a place to go where peer networking, education and advocacy resources are available,” said Heinze. “By broadening our membership, we’re strengthening and advancing the importance of the entire wholesale insurance marketplace.”

The AAMGA board of directors proposed the by-law changes to members in May 2013 after a two-year strategic review. Without the Association changing its core values, membership will now be open not only to MGAs, but also to MGUs, program administrators, aggregators and other wholesale insurance professionals who meet stringent membership standards. Among the standards are minimums for years in business, annual written premium, and underwriting or binding authority.

ABOUT AAMGA
The American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA) is the wholesale insurance community’s international trade association. Founded in 1926, the AAMGA today represents over 500 corporate members and is respected as a leader in and voice of the wholesale and excess and surplus lines insurance industry. Membership in the AAMGA is highly selective and therefore the wholesalers admitted to the ranks are those who annually subscribe to a Code of Ethics and demonstrate the highest standards of excellence, experience, integrity and insurance company representation. Headquartered in suburban Philadelphia, the nonprofit Association and its University Foundation provide substantive benefits and service to its members throughout the year. Learn more at www.aamga.org

Public Relations Explained

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MediaRelations

Media relations is just one aspect of a well-rounded pubic relations practice. Pictured here, the author is conducting a training session with a client.

“So what exactly do you do?”

I get this question a lot. Seriously. A lot.

It seems, despite the Public Relations Society of America’s best efforts, far too many people still have very little understanding of public relations as a profession. More often than not, folks have grabbed hold of one aspect of the profession and decide that is the full breadth and scope of the field.

“You help your clients get into news stories, right?”

The above statement describes PR about as completely as asking someone at Apple if they just “sell phones.”

Media relations is one important aspect of PR, but it doesn’t cover the profession by half.

Our job is to be a true strategic partner with our clients. We help them communicate with all of their audiences, including stockholders, management, employees, customers, local communities, industry influencers, government officials, and the media. Within each of those groups, there are countless subgroups we must consider, often outside the interest and view of the media.

We help to build networks for our clients, introducing them to community and business leaders, government officials, special interest groups, employee advocates, industry insiders and online communities. We conduct research and write position papers. We offer insights and suggestions during the development of marketing campaigns, and we advise human resource professionals on messaging to employees of the company. We partner with lawyers when client-related legal matters are referenced in the media, and we advise on, and integrate with, social media strategies and messaging. We collaborate on planning that ranges from celebratory events to disaster scenarios, and we interface with multiple departments to drive and/or support ongoing brand reputation management practices.

PR pros play many parts: advocates, diplomats, strategists, trusted advisors, communicators and content managers, with our clients. On any given day, we might play one or all of the above roles with a few extras thrown in just to keep us sharp.

So, with respect to the PRSA and their efforts to define the practice, the answer I’ve developed in the last few years feels a little less jargony and appropriate for the cocktail party set as well. In 25 words, what I do is this:

“I help clients communicate better, with honesty and integrity, to those most important to them. Sometimes I also get them in the Wall Street Journal.”

Lehigh Valley Manufacturer Turns to Kimball Communications 
for Public Relations, Social Media Services

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Ecopax, a leading manufacturer of single-use takeout containers based in the Lehigh Valley, has hired Kimball Communications to handle its public relations efforts as well as to develop a strategy for Ecopax to enter the social media space.

“Technology, lean manufacturing practices and productivity innovation have converged to create what is now a really dynamic period in U.S. manufacturing,” said Gary Kimball, president of Kimball Communications. “Our goal is to partner with Ecopax to help educate consumers and tell the story of this inventive Pennsylvania manufacturer.”

Formed in 2007, Ecopax employs approximately 75 employees and offers a diverse product line of foam, paper and plastic containers customized to meet the needs of the food service and consumer industries. Using its propriety, closed-loop system, Ecopax ensures 100 percent of its materials are used to produce consumer-ready products. In just five years, Ecopax has captured substantial market share among national chains, distribution and retail market segments. The core strength of Ecopax is its ability to increase customers’ supply chain efficiency through product customization.

“Because we live in a world that is increasingly on-the-go, Americans demand safe, affordable and sanitary food packaging options – at coffee shops, salad bars, take-out restaurants and grocery stores. Our diverse product line offers ideal solutions to these needs, and we look forward to working with the team at Kimball Communications to share our story,” said Christina Wong, vice president of operations for Ecopax.

About Kimball Communications
Kimball Communications is a results-driven, public relations agency with offices in Easton, Pa. and Charleston, S.C., dedicated to serving the individual public relations needs of every client. Founded in 1995, the agency provides innovative public relations and social media solutions to a variety of clients. Visit us on Facebook or on Twitter.

When Was the Last Time You Reviewed Your Social Media Accounts?

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If you manage social media accounts for clients and for your company, sometimes it’s easy to forget to take some time to review each social media account. We often forget that we can always make improvements, make additional connections, etc. With summer coming to a close in a few weeks, now is a good time to review your current social media platforms to see how you can make the most out of your accounts.

webtreats / Foter / CC BY

Here are a few suggestions when you review your accounts:

Follow/unfollow accounts on Twitter. Did you meet a few new faces at conferences over the summer? If so, connect with them. Are you attending any conferences this fall? Connect with relevant speakers in advance to make the most out of upcoming conferences.

Browse to make sure everything is accurate.You can never browse your accounts social media platforms enough! Make sure all information is accurate. Did your company just celebrate their 30th anniversary? Ensure you have the correct number of years on social media platforms. Are your hours of operation accurate on Facebook? Did your office just change locations? Make sure platforms state the new address.

Now that users have access to Graph Search, make sure your Facebook is easily recognizable and you’re easy to find. Do photos contain specific locations? Does your page have an address? Have hours been added? Have you added categories to your page?

Ask yourself what overall improvements can I make. Does my cover photo need a facelift? Could my biography on Twitter use some updating? Is my content stale on some of my platforms?

Those are just a few suggestions. When is the last time you reviewed your social media accounts?

Photo credit: webtreats / Foter / CC BY

American Modern Launches Claims Management and Training Firm

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Specialty Insurance Services (SIS) features hands-on claims training and a national network of claims adjustors for property and casualty products

Amelia, Ohio – August 5, 2013 – American Modern (www.amig.com)), a leading provider of specialty property and casualty insurance products, today announced the launch of a new claims management and training firm, Specialty Insurance Services Corporation (www.siservices.com). The new firm will offer property and casualty claims adjusting and training services to companies across all segments of the insurance industry, including retail and wholesale brokerage firms, MGAs and MGUs, insurance companies and insurance-related services.

View video footage of SIS here: http://bit.ly/14VjYuq

“SIS is built on the claims expertise of American Modern, which has insured and managed claims for specialty property and recreational products for the past 45 years,” said Manny Rios, president and CEO of American Modern. “SIS claims training offers a unique, hands-on training experience in our 32,000 square-foot facility, while featuring a national network of experienced claims adjusters in 170 locations nationwide – all with a focus on P&C products.”

SIS claims management will provide first- and third-party specialty claims services, including complete claims administration, desk and field adjusting, catastrophic claims management, and support to insurance providers and their policyholders.

SIS claims training features real-world repair shop settings for P&C products. “SIS promotes the true hands-on experience of tearing down then repairing damaged property and vehicles,” said Kevin Morreale, senior vice president of SIS. “Students learn, first-hand, the real cost and length of time it takes to complete the repair.”

About American Modern
American Modern (www.amig.com) is a national specialty insurance carrier with approximately 1.7 million policyholders. Licensed in all 50 states, the company delivers flexible, specialty coverage across the property and recreational markets. A subsidiary of Munich Re, one of the world’s leading risk carriers, American Modern is rated A+ Superior by A.M. Best Company and has been ranked one of Ward’s top 50 performing insurance companies since 1999.