Friday, September 30, 2005

Communicating during a Crisis

How important is a crisis plan for your business? Just ask Wal-Mart. Pre-Katrina, news about the retail giant was limited to gender discrimination lawsuits, union protests and communities everywhere trying to bar Wal-Mart supercenters from their town. Post-Katrina, everyone wants the government to be more like Wal-Mart.

How did we get to the point where even Wal-Mart's many enemies are singing their praises? Clearly, the largest factor in the enhancement of their image is simply their performance under fire. Countless column inches have been devoted to their sophisticated disaster preparation, rapid response in the aftermath of the hurricane and their philanthropy. The cover of the latest issue of Fortune Magazine is emblazoned with:

GOVERNMENT BROKE DOWN. BUSINESS STEPPED UP. How Wal-Mart, FedEx, and Home Depot got the job done after Katrina.

But their performance is not the only factor in the improvement of Wal-Mart's image. In recent months, they have been stepping up their communications efforts to enhance their corporate image. They've started Wal-Mart Facts, a web site designed to communicate the good things about the company. The site includes details of their hurricane relief efforts as well as a blog. They have also brought a public realtions team from Edelman in-house to assist in their communications efforts. Even CEO Lee Scott is taking a more active role in defending his company's reputation.

Walmart All of this increased importance that Wal-Mart has placed on communications in the recent months has left it in a position to communicate its good deeds. They not only had a crisis plan, but also a crisis communications plan. Thanks to that planning, they're enjoying what's probably the best weeks of publicity they've had since Sam Walton was alive. Does your company have a crisis communications plan?

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Moo...Bzz...Moo...Bzz

Good enough isn't good enough any more. There's too much competition and customer expectations are too high. But, what's the answer? Perfection? No, according to Seth Godin. The answer is to be remarkable. Godin has been preaching this message for a while, most notably up to now with Purple Cow.

Moocoverlittle_1 He continues the theme with the forthcoming book (his last) THE BIG MOO and I was able to score an advance copy (I'll get into how in a minute). For the book, which Godin is editing, he approached 32 co-authors with recognizable names like Malcolm Gladwell and Tom Peters and got them to write individual pieces on how to become remarkable. Every contribution is uncredited and 100% of the royalties go to one of three charities.

The book is inspirational. "Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable" is emblazoned across the top and each essay contains an example of how someone did just that. My favorite is about a bike mechanic named Reggie and the little things he does to become remarkable. What the book, and especially that story, does is show how easy it is for any business to become remarkable. If you're still trying to be perfect or just getting by, you owe it to yourself to buy this book.

Practicing what he preaches, Godin is promoting his book with innovative tactics. His primary marketing strategy is to get it in the hands of influencers. I was able to get a copy by participating in the BzzAgent campaign for the book. BzzAgent is an online word-of-mouth marketing company that gives products to BzzAgents (like me) that will Buzz about the product. So, consider yourself Bzzed!

UPDATE: The book is Sold Out! But Seth promises more.

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Sunday, September 11, 2005

Citizen Journalism (without the blog)

Apparently, you don't need a blog to be a citizen journalist. I recently learned about a new (to me) kind of citizen journalism when I received an email from Jerry Weissman, author of In the Line of Fire: How to Handle Tough Questions...When It Counts. Here's the opening sentence of the email:

Several of your Amazon reviewer colleagues have given highly favorable reviews to my forthcoming book, In the Line of Fire: How to Handle Tough Questions… When it Counts.  I would be honored if you would consider adding your review to that list.

The email included how I could secure a copy of the book and accompanying DVD if I promised a review. I replied that I would be happy to review both and sure enough, they arrived at my doorstep within a week.

My first thought is that this is an extremely effective promotional technique. Although nothing in either the email or the package sought to influence my review, the fact that he's mailing these for free to Amazon reviewers can't hurt the reviewer's perception of the author. If you send it to enough, odds are such that more of your reviews will be positive than negative. In fact, most of Weissman's reviews at Amazon are five out of five stars, so it appears to be working.

WeissmanBut, just how valuable is a positive review on Amazon? The best example Chris Anderson gave of his concept of The Long Tail was another book, Touching the Void, that was resurrected by Amazon. Even though it was by associating it with another popular book rather than reviews, the same web site was at the root.

In addition, although a review in the New York Times may be read by millions, it won't be staring in the face of someone contemplating an online purchase. Be honest. Have you ever purchased a book on Amazon without reading at least one review?

As for Weissman's book, an initial scan captured my interest, but I've been too busy to write my review. I'll let you know once I've finished it. As for citizen journalism, I guess you don't need a blog. Who knew?

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