PR Buzz
Spring 2007

• Is Your Company Managing New Risks to Reputation?
• What's the Key to a Successful Web Site?
• Virginia News Reporters Join PR Specialist to Discuss Proactive Media Relations
• Where to Find Susan Carol Associates and Partners
• Free Web Site Review

PR BUZZ is a newsletter from Susan Carol Associates, and designed for a quick, enriching, read—offering fresh ideas and useful guidance for creative collaboration.  As always, we invite your comments and suggestions for future editions.

Is Your Company Managing New Risks to Reputation?

"Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."

Abraham Lincoln's words still ring true.

A company's image and reputation are invaluable in today's economy, according to an article in the February 2007 edition of the Harvard Business Review.

A good reputation brings to an organization quality employees, loyal customers and more dollars. Companies need to identify, quantify and manage the risks to reputation long before a problem or crisis arises.

The media shape the public's beliefs and expectations, the article states. So it's important to establish a positive reputation through the media.

Ideally, the article notes, one person should be in charge of assessing a company's reputation and monitoring changing beliefs and expectations.

What's the Key to a Successful Web Site?

As in all communication, know your audience and realize that most visitors to a Web site are impatient.

When it comes to the Web, according to the January issue of Ragan's Grapevine, your writing must inspire immediate interest or you risk losing your readers. People are highly skeptical of the Web, the article notes. With so much material posted, readers don't know what to believe. Because content is often inaccurate or outdated, many Web visitors rely on only a small group of trusted sites.

When you write for the Web, remember the six Cs:

• Who Cares?
• Is it Compelling?
• Is it Clear?
• Is it Complete?
• Is it Concise?
• Is it Correct?

Remembering these questions can help you grab and keep your reader's attention.

Virginia News Reporters Join PR Specialist to Discuss Proactive Media Relations

Spokespersons who are articulate, well-versed and quick to respond to media inquiries make it easier for reporters to do their jobs.

A well-trained spokesperson can garner good will with the media, and that can translate into more coverage for clients. This was one of the messages at a Feb. 22 panel presentation in Stafford County. The panel was moderated by SCA President Susan Carol and featured three area journalists.

Sean Lewis with Channel 12, an NBC affiliate in Richmond, Ted Schubel with the Fredericksburg-based radio stations WBQB and WFVA, and George Whitehurst, communications director of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, spoke on proactive media relations to members of the Fredericksburg Public Relations Society on the topic of proactive media relations. Lewis and Schubel talked about deadlines, their coverage area and their competition.

Whitehurst recommended that public relations agents get to know reporters. Take them out for a cup of coffee and ask what stories interest them and their audience. Don't get together just to pitch a story idea. The panel suggested writing short news releases and being judicious in how often releases are sent.

Whitehurst pointed out that the Chamber welcomes photographs and news.

Where to Find Susan Carol Associates and Partners

SCA senior writer Sue Carrington, has a bylined article published in The Monitor (March-April edition), a trade publication serving the domestic equipment leasing and finance industry. The article is titled The Heartbeat of Financial Success: Ten Best Practices for Human Capital Management. It profiles SCA client Alter Moneta, a middle-market equipment leasing and finance company serving Canadian and U.S. markets.

Susan Carol will report for the next issue of the Monitor on the March 15th Investor Conference in New York. The purpose of the event was to learn from issuers and investors focused on the $500 billion global equipment leasing and finance industry.

Free Web Review

Need an extra set of eyes for your Web site? Let our eagle-eyed editor scan your site for inconsistencies or even typos. To learn more, contact Susan Carol at 540-361-1274. Limited offer through the month of April.

For samples or demonstrations of our work, please contact Susan Carol  at sca@scapr.com, or visit our web site at www.scapr.com.

PR BUZZ is an e-zine published quarterly  by Susan Carol Associates Public Relations, a Fredericksburg, Virginia-based  private corporation (www.scapr.com).