Catch a Mouse

Whether we’ve felt the pain in our purses or simply been depressed by the torrent of bad news that has swirled around us in 2009, we all know it’s been a tough year.

There are signs, however, more than just green shoots, that our economy has bottomed out and may improve more quickly than some experts have predicted.

However long and whatever form the recovery takes, the global economic crisis has had an unexpected silver lining. Actually, it’s probably more of a green lining. It appears we are in the midst of a social realignment. A new social order is emerging, which is illustrated by a change in our habits and our priorities. I am talking about the move to growing our own vegetables, shopping at Farmer’s markets, cooking a meal at home or even having a stab at making our own clothes.

The new social order is partly about a return to what were once regarded as old-fashioned values. It’s not about paper wealth that never really existed, it is about what is real. And it’s not just here in New Zealand. Some of London’s most exclusive suburbs boast newly planted, rooftop vegetable gardens.

If you translate this new social order into public relations, it comes down to two words: real and value. Your story has to be real to resonate. Fly-by-night property developers who had a lot more flash than cash have been wiped off the page. There is a new measure of value where we all stop and question what we are spending and if it is really worth it and if it is something we actually value.
Whether it is your personal PR, or that of your business, you need to find real touch points with your audience or customers. These are connectors that convey meaning to the audience or market you are trying to reach.

Effective communications – whether it’s PR or advertising or journalism is all about telling great stories that resonate and connect. The creative geniuses at advertising agencies make up those stories, journalists tell other people’s stories and PR people tell their client’s stories. In essence, though, we are all storytellers.

So, what is your story or that of your business? What makes it compelling, interesting and relevant? Who are you trying to connect with – to talk to? And what inherent values do you want to communicate about yourself, your business, product or service?

There is an ongoing dilemma for women in business about how much personal information to release. Put too much information out there and you are in danger of appearing soft or fluffy; not enough and you may be regarded as hard or aggressive. It’s a fine and difficult balance and not one with which our male counterparts have to contend.

To connect truly with your market, you do need to give something of yourself away; what it is you stand for, what you believe in and who you are. If your customers feel they have real relationships with you – can share some common experiences – then you have made a real connection. Strangely, it is often the small things, the everyday or the mundane that connect. For example, I had a mouse in my kitchen and mentioned it on radio. Dozens of people texted or emailed solutions to help me get rid of the pest. While this is a first and, hopefully, a last for me, having a mouse in my kitchen connected me to others.

So, to your story – your PR, or that of your company. To tell your story effectively, you need to step back from yourself – a difficult thing to do. You need to be able to articulate your key attributes – what it is about you and your story that will appeal to other people. You need to be clear about your objectives – what is it you are hoping to achieve by going public? You also need to understand the workings of the media – as unscientific and random as that is sometimes.

Stand back and look at yourself, your company, your product or service. It’s not easy to see yourself as others do. And often you are so close to your business that you fail to recognise what it is that makes your story special; worth telling and more importantly, worth hearing.

While it’s been a tough year, now is an ideal time to get out there and make some noise. The media is hungry for positive new stories – there is an opportunity to be heard.
And if you can’t do it alone, do call in the professionals. PR is one of the most cost-effective means of communication.

For the record, if you ever end up with a mouse in your kitchen, peanut butter works far better on the trap than cheese.

by Susan Wood

Contact: susan@woodcomms.co.nz