AHA Flip Cam Friday – March 18, 2011 from AHA Creative on Vimeo.
In today’s video, Ruth talks about what an organization needs to do when it’s in a crisis.
Crisis Communications
Media Interviews – Answering the Hard Questions
We work with our clients on media training. It doesn’t mean that we put words in their mouths or that we help them to “spin” a story. It means that we help our clients understand how the media works, what a journalist needs to get from an interview and how to be effective and relevant during the interview process. At AHA, we take pride in working with clients that are ethical, that have integrity, and that care about their stakeholders and the work that they do. In our opinion, media training is about making the most of an interview opportunity – to share facts, to inform, to open a conversation. If the questions are tough or difficult, it is crucial to answer them with transparency and authenticity, and to provide valuable information that shows what is being done about the situation.
I have seen tough interviews from both sides – media and client – and it is one of the areas that we talk a great deal about at our Vancouver PR agency. An interview with a journalist can be of huge value in sharing information, in talking about your organization and – if an issue or crisis has happened – in providing background, the reason why it happened, and explaining what is happening now to your stakeholders and the public at large. (Just a note of caution here. If you are dealing with an issue or a crisis, as important as the media is, it isn’t the only avenue you should be taking to communicate with stakeholders and the public.)
What’s The Undertow
A special AHA Flip Cam Friday from Cabo San Lucas from AHA Creative on Vimeo.
In today’s video, Ruth talks about how you need to plan a few steps ahead in social media.
Social Media Etiquette
We are a courteous bunch at the AHA office. “Please,” “thank you,” “if you don’t mind…” those are regular (and appreciated) phrases at our Vancouver PR agency. In everything we do in our personal and professional lives, there is basic etiquette. Then there are ground rules specific to different areas that we practice – social media is one of those areas. It is important to know what is expected of you if you are going to participate in this area.
Social media has its own etiquette and it is important to know what that means prior to participation. We always recommend that our clients spend time online checking things out before jumping in and becoming actively involved. It is important to take the time to understand the culture and the specific environment that is relevant to the organization and its stakeholders.
Chris Brogan recently put up a great blog post on this topic. It lays out what to do and, as importantly, what not to do very clearly. It’s definitely worth a read.
Is Your Blog Still Relevant?
There has been a great deal of discussion regarding a Pew Internet Study that says that young people are moving away from blogging and are more focused on using Facebook and Twitter.
The New York Times has an interesting piece on it as well.
We have had an interesting discussion on this study and the response it has received here in our Vancouver PR agency. While the report itself does show that young people prefer the fast, short updates provided by Facebook and Twitter – it appears to me that we are missing some context here. While Facebook and Twitter provide an opportunity for quick updates and fast outreach, often the updates link to an article, photos or a blog that goes deeper into the topic or idea.