Blog - DGI Comm

What’s Your Corporate Crisis Management Style?

(DGIwire) — The Boy Scouts of America have the best and simplest motto that can be translated into all aspects of good PR and Crisis Management: Be Prepared.

Years ago, if a company was involved in any type of crisis, big or small, it was much easier to take control and minimize damage. You had time to react, regroup and respond to whatever negative message, true or false, that was being circulated. You most likely could accomplish this without having a full-blown crisis management plan in place.

Today, things are different. We live in an increasingly skeptical and unforgiving society. Coupled with the fact that in just a few keystrokes, the general public has easy access to an overwhelming amount of information about you, your company, your employees and even in some cases your personal life. It can take minutes for information to disseminate and go viral. It doesn’t matter if the information is true, half-true or even blatantly false, once the information is out there it can be difficult to control, never mind erase.

Smoke Detectors

“Good Crisis Management is about preparation,” says Dian Griesel, PR and Crisis Management guru and CEO of DGI Comm in NYC. “I’ve had companies come to me mid-crisis, in the midst of their fire, looking for help. They definitely would have been better able to navigate the issues if not avoid them all together if they had incorporated crisis management into their business plan.”

Here are 4 tips that Griesel recommends that will help your company strengthen it’s position in good times and in bad:

Know thyself. Know your company’s strengths and weaknesses. Make an honest assessment of any risks, weak links or potential problems. Identifying these areas will help you to be prepared to handle them if they arise, if not eliminate them altogether.

Respond quickly. Have a spokesperson ready and versed to address issues and answer questions. Ideally, this would be the President or CEO. Make it your internal policy to have no one but the spokesperson speak on behalf of the company. Mixed messages can sometimes do greater damage than no message at all.

Recover. Damage repair is as important as damage control. Learn from the crisis and take measures to ensure there will be no repeat episodes. Use the crisis as a way to grow your company even stronger.

Ongoing PR. If you are too small to justify a full time PR specialist on staff, then by all means hire a good Public Relations firm. The cost of a good PR company pays for itself quickly, not just monetarily but in peace of mind.

Copyright-free content by DGIwire.

Calling All CEOs! What’s Your Company’s Morale Score?

morale (DGIwire) — One of the most difficult things for a business owner to accurately gauge within his or her own company is also one of the most important: morale. When it’s good, it’s good but when it’s bad…let’s just say you want to work on getting things good quickly.

The reason it can be so hard to gauge morale issues is because often times employees won’t share their thoughts with their employers for fear of falling in their bad graces.

The conundrum is easy to understand according to Dian Griesel, Ph.D., a 20+ year market-messaging, PR and social media expert who is also founder and president of DGI Comm. “No employee wants to be the bearer of bad news or be viewed as a whiner or complainer. Most want to be seen as team players. But if someone is unhappy, resentment builds which certainly isn’t good.”

“Every wise boss is open to critique that includes a thoughtful suggestion for change,” she says. “Most employers are aware of problems, so it’s accurate that they don’t want to listen to whining because they are busy. Still, leaders rely on those around them to present their opinions along with proposed solutions. So opinions—even negative ones—offered with a plan for changing the status quo, are usually very carefully considered by smart managers.”

Want to keep improving your company’s morale? Wise managers carefully consider the following actions.

Comfort First. We’re not talking about anything fancy. Just the basics are enough to increase productivity. Suitably sized desks, ergonomic chairs, appropriate lighting, pleasant temperature, free water and coffee. A minimal investment in these essential basics will go a long way. If you wanted to take this a step further you could apply this to the office décor. Some plants and pleasing artwork have been shown to have a comforting affect on mood.

Time is Relative. Encourage employees to not only eat lunch away from their desk, but also to take short energy boosting breaks mid morning and afternoon. Provide a rebounder for them to bounce on for five minutes a day to get their blood and creativity flowing. Make sure they are also taking adequate vacation time to reenergize their mind, body and spirit. Everyone needs down time.

You Are How You Live. You can offer the perfect atmosphere for employment but it’s all for nothing if your employees are never there. Help them to cut down on sick days by instituting wellness programs. Have fruit delivered to the office once a week to help them appreciate the feeling of eating healthy. Purchase a corporate gym membership that will offer substantial discounts for employees. Do what you can to help each employee be the healthiest they can be. Any expenses you incur to promote wellness will be saved exponentially. And with less sick days, employees won’t always feel the stress of catching up on their workload.

No Strong, Silent Types! If you are happy with your employees, tell them! Two lines of praise that take you moments to say or write, will go a long way in the minds and hearts of your employees. Conversely, if you need to correct or critique an employee, express that as well. It’s equally counterproductive for someone to feel like they are doing a good job when they aren’t—as it is when someone is doing doing a bad job yet thinks they are employee of the month. Either way, communicate! Just remember to do so in a manner that affords each other dignity and the desire to want to improve. Convey your message without crushing their spirit. Encourage the same from them towards otehrs! Let them feel safe about coming to you with problems, questions or complaints.

Hallmark Moments. Keep an event calendar that lets you keep track of all your employee’s significant life dates. Birthday’s, work anniversaries, even marriage anniversaries if you attended their wedding. Small gestures like this help you show them how important they are to you and your organization.

Branding: Sear Your Image into the Mind of the Masses

(DGIwire) — Long ago, the term “branding” conjured up images of red-hot irons and cattle. However, as the United States became more industrialized and capitalism took hold, “branding” became the way for consumers to identify a product or service. Everything from big-ticket items such as televisions, cars and computers to smaller household items such as laundry detergent, toothbrushes and peanut butter all rely on their brand’s reputation. Generic mouthwash may cost less, but Listerine might sell more because consumers recognize its name from advertising campaigns.

Today, the term “branding” is no longer relegated to companies—or cattle. Every individual has a personal brand, whether they know it or not, and whether they want to or not. According to a recent article in Forbes, many of us have not consciously cultivated these personal brands, but they exist nonetheless through our digital footprints. Do you have a Facebook or Twitter account? Do you ever comment on articles or write reviews on Amazon? Are you listed on your company’s website or do your friends “tag” you in pictures? All these things are partly responsible for shaping your personal brand. In fact, according to a study conducted by AVG, an online security company, 92 percent of children under age two in the U.S. already have a digital footprint.

The choice is no longer whether you want to have a personal brand, but rather what you want your personal brand to reflect about you. You can choose to let the Internet define your personal brand or you can take the initiative to carefully cultivate your persona. This is especially important for people who hold positions in publicly traded companies. Investors as well as other potential stakeholders who may want to buy shares in your company aren’t only looking at your company’s operations—though that is a huge factor. They are also looking at you and the other people who are part of your company’s leadership team. In the age of Google, you’d better believe that potential investors will learn everything about you they possibly can before cutting that check.

Dian Griesel, Ph.D., President of DGI Comm, an award-winning media relations and news placement agency based in New York City, knows the importance of branding for you personally and your company.

“We live in a social media-obsessed, ‘sum-it-up-in-140-characters’ world,” says Dian. “If you manage a public company and don’t know how you or your company are perceived by the public, I’d recommend that you Google yourself and your company regularly. The Internet may not always have completely factual information, but you’ll be able to get a pretty good sense of what people think of you.”

Dian adds, “Of course it’s impossible to control everything that others might tweet or blog about you or your company, you do have more control than you might imagine over your own image. If you, as a member of the leadership team, display the utmost professionalism and integrity as well as a strong point of view, people will trust that you hold your company to the same high standards.”

Want Investors? Read This!

(DGIwire) — Let’s say you are at the helm of a company developing a brilliant new tech gadget, a smartphone app, a revolutionary service, a brand, a new drug for one of the illnesses that plague humanity or anything else. Great! After all, business is the driving force in America and every major invention throughout history started with the kernel of an idea. However, without a plan and access to capital to materialize these ideas, many businesses wither before they ever have the time to grow. The fact is: There are over 15,000 businesses trading over the counter (OTC or not on a major exchange) and only about 4,000 of them have made it to the big time: NASDAQ or the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The majority of these OTC businesses fold because they can’t raise enough capital to reach profitability because they lack a sound business plan or the management team lacks the necessary presentation skills and the ability to articulate their vision. To ensure this doesn’t happen to your business, you may need a refresher course or coaching on the key messages that must be imparted if you expect to recruit investors that are willing to support your growth and stand by during the inevitable challenges all businesses face at one time or another.

Landing investors—whether high-net worth individuals, angels, venture, institutional or retail—takes time and persistence. People aren’t going to invest their dollars in half-baked ideas, business plans that are poorly articulated or weak managers that lack the ability to impart their vision.

Having coached the management teams of over one-thousand publicly traded companies on how to “get the money,” Dian Griesel, Ph.D., President of DGI Comm, offers the following advice.

Start with why. No investor will buy into your company “just because.” Investments are a commitment and people will want to know exactly what they will be getting…if they should choose to buy in.
Tailor your talk. This is especially important if your company is in the biotech, high-finance, technology or engineering industries. If you are presenting for an audience that may not be well-versed in your field, tone down the jargon and use conversational language. Before getting technical or using too much industry terminology be sure to ask how technically deep the other party wants your explanations. Also– beware of acronyms. Although they might seem like everyday shortcuts to describe…whatever — many people simply don’t like to admit when they are confused during a business pitch. It is the responsibility of the manager seeking the money to constantly ask, gage, rephrase and educate when warranted.
Questions are key. Don’t be worried if people throw a lot of questions at you and interrupt. As frustrating as this can be– it often indicates interest. Worry if they don’t ask questions. Keep in mind that you may not be able to answer every question asked at that moment in time. If you don’t know the answer, be honest about that. Promise to get back to them with the information—and do so in a timely manner.
“Not today” doesn’t mean “never.” No meeting is ever a waste of time. Investors pass on investments for many reasons. If you receive a “no”–at least you know you’ve met with a decision-maker! Be grateful for that. But before leaving, do ask if they would like to be kept informed of your progress. If the answer is yes, reply with realistic goals that you can clearly deliver upon as these can become the catalyst that inspires action by those desired investors. If the potential investor says, “No, not my bailiwick” — thank them for respecting their own time as well as yours and move on. It’s a big, competitive world out there and you don’t have time to waste. There’s another investor who’s interested.
Ask for the Money. Sounds simple enough–but, ironically, it is the most overlooked point of most investor/CEO meetings! If you find yourself shaking hands and leaving your meeting unsure if you’ve landed a new investor, you need to rethink your repertoire. Be clear in asking for the commitment at the end of your presentation, as in, “How would you like to proceed with this investment?” (Notice: That’s not a yes or no question!) If you do happen to get a long winded answer that seems to end with a “no”– your next question must be: “What will it take for you to invest in us?” Then listen and learn.

“Many people find it hard to ask for money,” says Dian. “It might seem difficult at first, but if you seem tentative, potential investors might think you aren’t confident in your own business. You’d be surprised at how many people will declare their investment interest if you simply ask or at least really listen to their concerns regarding what they require to feel comfortable with an investment.”

More of Dian Griesel’s advice can also be found her popular book, FUNDaMentals: The Corporate Guide to Cultivating Mindshare, and her new companion book, ENGAGE: Smart Ideas to Get More Media Coverage, Build Your Influence & Grow Your Business.

Surf the PR Waves So You Won’t Go Down in a Storm

(DGIwire) Public relations is the lifeblood of strong companies. Without a solid public relations plan, even the best company can lose traction among its flashier competitors. But like every aspect of business, the way in which people tackle their media outreach must evolve as the years go on.

The Business Journals, a premier online media solutions platform, offers these predictions for the future of public relations, going forward in 2015 and beyond:

Competition will be fierce. The number of data-headed journalists is on the rise, making for a more competitive coverage landscape. The most notable, newsworthy, unique and interesting topics will continue to earn media play, while the remaining “noise” will fall to the wayside.
Social media will become more of a trusted source. Due to their prevalence, social media and other digital environments will become even more of a trusted news source. For maximum success, businesses must manage, analyze, support and communicate with all social media outlets, and ensure that their own online presence fully represents their company and products to the best of their ability.
Digital reputation management will be key. A broadening interest in citizen journalism, courtesy of blogging and access to social media via smartphones, means that the communications path is no longer one-way; it is two-way and immediate. One negative tweet can cause insurmountable damage in a matter of minutes.
Increased demand for accurate and detailed PR measurement. If you’re charging a client for PR services, you need an established method for proving a return on investment for said services. Historically, clients received gigantic books of articles that “proved” how valuable a PR program or campaign was. But now with the vast majority of content online, it’s harder to create such a portfolio. Still, clients working with PR agencies should demand that the agency prove itself by providing some evidence of its past success, as well as reliable references.
Crisis planning will continue to be essential. If we learned nothing else from the numerous PR crises over the past few years, it was that an in-place crisis plan needs to be established immediately. Many companies endured significant hits to their reputations while scrambling to tie up loose ends. PR staffs should aggressively counsel their clients to create and frequently review crisis plans.

Dian Griesel, Ph.D., President of DGI Comm, an award-winning media relations and news placement agency based in New York City, is so adamant about keeping PR plans up-to-date that she has literally written a book about it. ENGAGE: Smart Ideas to Get More Media Coverage, Build Your Influence & Grow Your Business shares 226 “smart ideas” that companies and their PR teams can use to capture the attention of their target audiences, build influence as they establish expert status and, as a result, power up the growth of their business to the level they seek through lots of free media coverage.

“A large portion of my book is dedicated to how game-changing social media and online resources can be,” explains Dian. “In order to stay on top of the changing tides, PR professionals need to learn the ins and outs of these new outlets. If not, their reputations—and the companies they represent—will capsize.”