Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
From camping equipment to home and portable electronics to electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries are becoming increasingly common and a preferred power source for consumer products. With their lightweight battery packs and high voltage capability, the rechargeable battery type is also becoming a common replacement for lead acid batteries which have been used historically to power electric utility vehicles and golf carts, along with electric industrial equipment.
For original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and battery management system (BMS) manufacturers, transitioning from lead-acid to lithium-ion power sources can be an intimidating, if not complicated, process. Not only do these manufacturers want to ensure consistent performance, cost and safety characteristics of their product, but they also need to consider new charging solutions to keep their equipment operating at optimum levels.
Earlier this month, Delta-Q Technologies, a leader in battery-charging solutions for electric drive vehicles and industrial equipment, debuted a new resource intended to support manufacturers aiming to develop lithium powertrain systems. The company’s Lithium Charger Development Kit, which was introduced at The Battery Show, includes the necessary charging hardware and software to help battery companies, OEMs and BMS manufacturers accelerate product development of electric vehicles and industrial equipment. In addition, users have exclusive access to custom training and technical support including training and consulting sessions led by Delta-Q’s application engineering team, development of custom charging profiles and quick-start guides, detailed programming and design documentation.
Communiqué PR understood that this development kit program was significant to Delta-Q, as well as to the broader electric vehicle and equipment communities. To ensure that key audiences were reached with the news, our approach began with the development of a press list targeting journalists covering electric power design, electric vehicles and industrial equipment, BMS manufacturers and battery companies.
The news was shared with journalists on our target list and via wire service distribution in early September. In addition to driving 13 articles for Delta-Q in relevant trade publications, we are working with journalists on feature stories that are slated to publish this fall. We also used the news as leverage to secure two in-person press briefings with Delta-Q representatives at the event.
Following is a list of the coverage secured thus far:
- Material Handling Wholesaler – Delta-Q Technologies introduces lithium charger development kit
- Lift and Access – Delta-q Unveils New Charger for Lithium Batteries
- ISSA – Weekly Product Showcase
- Energy Storage Journal – Delta-Q Technologies introduces Lithium Charger Development Kit at The Battery Show to accelerate product development of electric vehicles and industrial equipment
- Industrial Machinery Digest – Delta-Q Technologies’ Lithium Battery Charger Kit
- Power Electronic Tips – Lithium charger development kit includes preloaded charge profiles
- DC Velocity – Delta-Q introduces Lithium Charger Development Kit
- PowerPulse – Lithium Charger Development Kit
- EE World – Lithium charger development kit includes preloaded charge profiles
- RVPro – Delta-Q Debuts Lithium Integration Kit
- RV News – Delta-Q Technologies Releases New Lithium Charger Kit
- ThomasNet – Development Kit integrates lithium batteries into products
- The Cleanzine – Delta-Q Technologies introduces Lithium Charger Development Kit
We congratulate Delta-Q Technologies on the development of its new Lithium Charger Development Kit and the response it has received thus far. To learn more about Delta-Q’s innovative power solutions, visit www.delta-q.com.
Anyone who has worked in PR is aware of just how stressful the job can be. In fact, the job of a PR executive had the honor of being named the sixth most stressful job in the U.S. in 2016, falling just below jobs that place you in immediate physical danger like being a military personal or a firefighter. While PR pros may not be running into burning buildings on their average work day, they are certainly expected to put out metaphorical fires on a regular basis. The unpredictability, running from a client meeting to an event while responding to media requests, and the constant deadlines are just a few factors that can up the stress levels of the most seasoned PR professionals. Even those who thrive in the sort of stressful conditions PR creates aren’t immune to the side effects – no one is. So what do you do when you’re faced with a coworker, employee or even a boss who is clearly on the edge of a stress-induced mental break down? Well I can certainly tell you what not to do: Tell them to relax.
“Relax!” or “Just calm down, OK?” or “It’s not that big of a deal,” may seem like perfectly adequate responses when someone else is stressed out, but in reality it sends all the wrong messages. In fact, if you do tell a coworker, or anyone for that matter, to calm down, there is a good chance they’ll start seeing red. So what is it about telling people to relax that creates the opposite effect?
It’s dismissive
Telling someone to relax immediately invalidates their feelings, making them believe their stress is irrelevant or embarrassing, and can be downright hurtful. The automatic reaction for most people when they feel embarrassed is to suppress their emotions, which almost always backfires. The more an emotion is hidden, the more likely it is to leak out at unexpected times, especially in a fast-paced work environment like PR.
Being dismissive can also make employees or coworkers feel like their work is unimportant. If there is a tight deadline or heavy workload, saying, “It’s not that big of a deal, relax,” can cause people to shut down and question why they are doing the work in the first place.
It lacks empathy
Everyone who has a job has experienced stress at least once, there is no way around it, so it’s a feeling we all understand, yet it can be incredibly hard to empathize with. The problem is that stress hits people in different ways and for different reasons, and it is very hard to compare one cause of stress to another. Unfortunately, a majority of the time people who appear stressed are not looking for someone to fix all their problems, but are looking for someone to validate their feelings and empathize with their current state.
It can lead to mistrust
Other people’s stress is uncomfortable if you don’t feel the same pressure, there is no way around that, so telling someone to calm down can give the impression that you are trying to create some distance to make yourself feel more comfortable. This can be an especially big problem as a leader. If an employee comes to you looking for advice or empathy and you dismiss their feelings because it is uncomfortable, there is a good chance that employee won’t feel comfortable coming to you anymore and will create tension in the workplace.
The best way to aid someone who is having a hard time is to acknowledge the problem, show empathy and ask questions to try and find a way to relieve some of the burden. The more open and communicative a workplace is, the less often stressful situations will arise, which can result in higher job performance and greater workplace satisfaction.
So then next time you’re faced with an overly stressed colleague, instead of saying, “Relax,” try “I know you are stressed, is there anything I can do to help?”
As the lines between marketing and PR continue to blur, it’s no surprise that effective marketers are investing more and more in content marketing. In fact, according to a report issued by the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), the most effective B2B marketers allocate 42 percent of their budget (up from 37 percent in 2015) to content marketing, whereas the least effective allocate 15 percent.
According to the CMI, “Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”
At the core of this strategy is the assumption that when businesses deliver valuable, compelling information to buyers, they will a) view the business as an expert in the industry, and b) reward the business with increased loyalty.
While examples of content marketing can range from blogs and microsites to podcasts and contributed articles, the key to a successful content marketing campaign is compelling content. According to a recent report, however, 60 percent of marketers say that they struggle to develop engaging content on a regular cadence.
The Key to Compelling Content? Write for Your Audience
And with the rise of publications hungry for contributed content (Forbes now has over 1,000 contributors), developing compelling B2B marketing collateral will become only more critical to a brand’s success.
The key to creating compelling content is to know what your audience cares about, offer a fresh perspective and align the content with your brand voice. A brand that’s mastering content marketing is Simple Finance, a modern, branchless bank that appeals to millennials. The company’s blog offers a wealth of content that’s compelling, timely and, most importantly, significant for its key audience. From articles on how to save for a baby to how to budget for a road trip, the company’s blog rivals a quality editorial site. (See “The Rise of Contributed Content: 5 Tips to Make Yours Sing” and “Considerations to Stay Competitive in Creative Content Marketing” for more tips on creating great content.)
And Simple is just one company that’s nailing content marketing. As companies continue to leverage both blogs and editorial publications to share their content, the lines between marketing and PR become increasingly blurred.
Marketing and PR Should Work in Concert
While content marketing may appear to fall squarely in a seasoned marketer’s camp, PR professionals have deep experience with content marketing. From developing thought-leadership bylines to crafting social media content, content marketing is central to a PR pro’s expertise.
Unfortunately, PR and marketing teams have typically operated in remote isolation, but the rise of content marketing calls for working together to achieve the same goals.
With the majority of marketers struggling to produce compelling content, it will be increasingly important for PR professionals to actively engage in marketing discussions and leverage their expertise in editorial content for content marketing.
At Communiqué PR, we’re passionate about content creation and welcome the opportunity to snap into marketing teams to assist with their content marketing initiatives.
A personal brand is the story people think of when they hear your name. What are you known and remembered for?
If you’re a top executive and hope to be a thought leader in your industry, building a personal brand is imperative in this day and age, as surveys reveal declining trust of corporate brands. Recent survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that 62 percent of millennials trust brands less today. Millennials are increasingly looking to experts and individuals, who they trust over corporate brands, to guide their purchasing decisions.
According to another report, “Millennials are more than three times as likely as Boomers (22 percent vs. 7 percent) to turn to social channels. They’re on the hunt for feedback from experts and people with common interests – not just personal connections.” And millennials matter because by 2017 they “will have more spending power than any other generation.”
Given millennials’ spending power, individuals who leverage their personal brand to create an authentic connection between their company brand and target audiences/consumers will be significantly more effective in building trust and increasing sales. Consider, for example, the often course, raw and insightful John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile. Legere has leveraged his personal brand to the benefit of T-Mobile – from the magenta t-shirt and outspoken critique of his competitors, to his direct engagement with customers via social media. The results show he has built trust, driven customer acquisition and increased revenue for T-Mobile.
These days, people want to buy from brands that align with their values, and CEOs especially should authentically live and breathe their respective brand’s values. As Shelly Lazarus, former CEO of Ogilvy & Mather shared in a Harvard Business Review article about personal branding for your career, “When you’re leading people toward something important, losing your authentic voice is the last thing you want to do.”
So how do you develop and promote a personal brand and thought leadership platform? Below are four steps to get you started.
1. Identify issues and topics you’re passionate about and that move the business forward. First you need to identify a topic that resonates deeply with you, that you are passionate about, and that you have the credentials to comment on or a topic on which you have a unique perspective. Make sure the topics are authentic and true to you.
Consider, for example, Arivale CEO Clayton Lewis. As a competitive triathlete and a seasoned venture capitalist with many years of experience on the Board of Trustees for Harborview Medical Center, he has a unique perspective and passion around scientific wellness. Clayton lives and breathes the brand values of Arivale, a company that “uses cutting-edge science, personalized data, and tailored coaching to deliver prioritized, actionable recommendations that inspire its clients to achieve and sustain their wellness potential.”
2. Create a mission statement and ensure your personal brand topics align with this statement. A personal mission statement will help to keep you focused, be a guide for decision making and provide direction. A mission statement will ensure you are consistent and do not go off topic or get pulled into activities that do not align with your mission.
A famous and well-cited example is that of Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group – “To have fun in [my] journey through life and learn from [my] mistakes.”
There are numerous articles that provide guidance on how to develop a personal mission statement, including Scott Wylie’s article “Why Business Leaders Must Set a Personal Mission.”
3. Contribute your perspective on your industry’s most important problems. To build your personal brand and become an established thought leader, add value to ongoing conversations by offering solutions to address problems that plague the industry via networking events, contributed content and social media. Ensure that proposed solutions or predictions are insightful, evidence-based and provocative.
Cindy Gallop, former president of global ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), is actively contributing her perspective to address the lack of gender diversity in the advertising industry. She has leveraged a variety of mediums to drive the conversation including an article in The Guardian, “White men running advertising only pay lip service to diversity,” as well as a podcast interview by The Takeaway and broadcast via NPR.
4. Keep it authentic. Authenticity is key to personal brand management – clients and the general public can sense inauthenticity and a lack of sincerity and veracity. You cannot build meaningful connections if you are not authentic.
“Authenticity is not the product of pure manipulation,” offers Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones, authors of Managing Authenticity: The Paradox of Great Leadership. “It accurately reflects aspects of the leader’s inner self, so it can’t be an act. But great leaders seem to know which personality traits they should reveal to whom and when.”
Furthermore, research indicates that authenticity is correlated with higher self-esteem, lower stress, and greater life satisfaction.
Social and digital media have made it easier than ever to connect an executive to the company where that individual works, but the separation of personas has become harder to maintain. Companies would be well served to educate and guide their executive teams on how to manage and build their personal brands in order to better reinforce and build the company’s brand perception in an authentic manner.
Intentionally building and managing your personal brand may seem daunting, but it’s vital and worth the investment. Take positive action toward the above steps and then work closely with your marketing/PR team to help define your platform and amplify your activities. It will dramatically help build your personal brand and that of your organization.
If you’ve spent any time in the media industry, let alone on the Internet, you’ve more than likely encountered the most enduring buzzword as of late: millennial. As many outlets will be quick to tell you, this generation born between 1980 and 2000 is now the largest in the U.S. with the biggest presence in the labor force.
With millennials poised to restructure the economy, it’s no wonder the media compulsively analyzes their attitudes and desires. Millennial stereotypes are an unfortunate byproduct of this obsession – “millennials are self-absorbed,” “millennials are entitled,” etc.
While there is much to learn from this generation, it can be problematic to conflate the characteristics of individuals ranging from 15 to 35 years old. Millennial workplace stereotypes more accurately reflect the modern work environment in general, as opposed to the attitudes of young people exclusively.
Given this, millennial stereotypes can actually reveal valuable PR lessons, including newer roles and strategies. The following are some commonly circulated “millennial” PR tips that can be leveraged to engage modern consumers of all ages.
“Millennials are Digital Natives”
Indeed, millennials grew up right alongside the evolution of the Internet and tend to be more comfortable using social media as a result. But social media proficiency doesn’t stop with the kids – in the U.S., 51 percent of 50-64 year olds and 77 percent of 30-49 year olds are active on social networking sites.
Thus, consumers of all ages now expect to be able to reach brands immediately through channels like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. PR professionals can cater to this by helping to maintain a consistent and responsive social media presence for their clients.
Shareability has also become a crucial element of any successful campaign. PR people can take advantage of the viral nature of social networks with content like digestible articles and quippy tweets. As more people make themselves at home in the digital world, it becomes mandatory for PR professionals to establish a strong Internet presence for their clients.
“Millennials Trust Peers”
As the “if your friends jumped off a bridge” adage implies, young people of all eras have been highly influenced by their peers. Social media has provided an unprecedented connectivity that happened to coincide with the coming of age of millennials.
Many consumers today look to the Internet for a second opinion of brands, with 47 percent of U.S. readers consulting blogs to follow trends and ideas. Millennials in particular are more likely to trust anonymous consumer reviews over the opinions of people they know.
As the title would suggest, PR people are masters at all kinds of relations, from media to analyst to investor. This online review culture creates an opportunity for PR firms to develop another skill – influencer relations. With up to 70 percent of consumers preferring an endorsement by a non-celeb blogger, PR firms can create additional value for their clients by cultivating relationships with these key individuals.
“Millennials Care About the Greater Good”
Many indicators suggest that millennials are the some of the most progressive thinkers thus far, so it’s frequently posited that millennials care more about social justice and responsibility when it comes to consumption.
Sure, millennials care about the “greater good,” but so do most other 21st century consumers, who tend to be more exposed to and versed in issues like diversity, sustainability, gender equality and the like. Studies have found that over half of consumers worldwide are willing to spend more money for socially conscious products.
PR professionals are well-positioned to address these concerns by developing strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies, especially given their role as a liaison between brands and the general public. The PR people of today and tomorrow will use media relations and communications skills to promote the transparency and ethics of their clients. As long as CSR campaigns genuinely make a positive impact, this strategy will prove to be favorable for both PR pros and brands.
As long as millennials are in their prime spending and earning years, they will be the frenzied subject of speculation until the next generation takes their place. The resulting generalizations of this age group – despite being sweeping and often inaccurate – are indicators of contemporary consumer demands. Thus, PR professionals would do well to have millennial attitudes in mind when forming their strategies. Traditional PR roles are no longer enough; social media mastery, influencer relations and CSR implementation are among the new responsibilities of the PR professional of tomorrow.
In a perfect world, our business-to-business (B2B) clients would all have big-name customers who want to do joint press releases and have a steady flow of company news to share. Spoiler alert: This rarely happens.
All B2B PR professionals are bound to hit a few roadblocks on the path to success, and when you do it’s important to think creatively and strategically in order to find a solution that will help your client meet their business and communication objectives. After all, that’s what our clients hire us for.
Every client’s situation is unique, but some challenges are common across B2B verticals and industries. Below are three common challenges among B2B PR clients and examples of solutions that the Communiqué PR team has implemented in the past to overcome them.
1. No referenceable customers
Customer references are one of the most powerful marketing tools for B2B companies. Positive references show prospective customers how others have benefited from the service and help establish trust. Reporters are also much more open to covering company news and writing feature articles when they can interview a customer about their experience. However, many business customers are averse to serving as a customer reference, particularly in industries that involve sensitive information such as financial services, marketing analytics, and healthcare.
If your client is having trouble securing customer references, first offer to provide guidance to help them negotiate with the customer. As PR professionals, we are more adept at explaining the benefits of PR and can suggest a variety of PR activities that will give the customer more control over the messaging, such as bylined articles or case studies. If the customer is still not comfortable serving as a reference, start brainstorming other ways that you can prove the value of your client’s product or service. For example, offer reporters aggregated customer data to support current trends or ask a trusted industry analyst to provide a quote for a press release.
2. Lack of company news
The easiest way to keep your client in the news is to maintain a regular cadence of company announcements. However, many B2B companies do not have a steady flow of company updates that they can share publicly.
If your client does not have news to share on a regular basis, focus on newsjacking instead. Newsjacking is when you capitalize on a trending news topic to insert your client’s point of view into the conversation. To execute this strategy, monitor trending news stories and when a relevant topic appears, immediately reach out to journalists to offer your client’s expert opinion. To do this successfully, it is important to act quickly because the lifecycle of a news story can be very short. Be sure to set up and nail down key messaging beforehand so you and your team are prepared to speak with the media upon request.
3. Over-allocated reporters who cover too many beats
As newsrooms continue to shrink, the reporters who remain are stretched thin. Gone are the days when every technology topic has a dedicated reporter writing stories about it every day. Now there is often only one reporter covering everything from Amazon to the latest big-data startup. Reporters today are covering more beats than ever before, and they no longer have time to cover every product update or company announcement.
In order to catch reporters’ attention, find a creative angle that fits their beat or aligns with an industry trend. If the news is complex or falls into a niche, make it very clear why it’s important and how it impacts a broader audience. When available, provide other assets to support the story such as statistics, customer or analyst interviews, and images. Strive to make reporters’ jobs as easy as possible by providing as many elements of the story (including a compelling angle) as you can.
B2B PR can be challenging at times, but finding creative solutions to work around roadblocks is fun, intellectually stimulating, and incredibly rewarding when you succeed.