Our website was doing us, and visitors to our site, a disservice because it simply wasn’t really us.

We continually counsel our own clients that their website is sometimes the public’s only source to form an opinion about the company.  If the site is uninviting or is chock full of stock photography and fluffy marketing messaging, then prospective customers will be turned-off and go somewhere else.

So it was gut-check time for us.  As we are tasked with telling the stories of our clients, we have done a sub-par job at doing it ourselves.

Therefore, we made the decision to invest time and resources into one of our most important marketing tools–our website.  Working with one of the nation’s greatest digital agencies, Emerge Interactive, we concocted a design and personality that better reflects LT Public Relations.  With diligent attention to detail and many, many hours to get it “right,” we are proud to unveil our revised site…http://ltpublicrelations.com/

We also heeded our own advice that we constantly advocate to our clients to “use more video” to tell their stories.  So, we entered into the world of video and YouTube and produced the following for our Buzz on a Budget PR Workshop (next workshop is Oct. 14th from 8:00-11:59 AM @ LT Public Relations):

Let us know what you think of our new site.  We welcome ALL feedback.  Thank you!

Often used titles include “PR Pros” or “PR guy or gal,” or generally speaking, “PR people” (e.g. “BP’s PR people are spinning this crisis into a positive for the oil company.”).  The label “spin doctors” is one that makes us negatively cringe.  There’s also a pop culture reference to the film “Pulp Fiction” and Harvey Keitel’s character, Winston Wolf or “The Wolf,” who acts as the ultimate “problem solver.”

As public relations professionals, we typically don’t care what you call us, just as long as you call us before we’re needed (LT Public Relations proclaims that crisis management is 99% preparation and 1% execution). 

We recently revisited these PR names and developed a more appropriate title, “Public Relations Attendant.”  As representatives of businesses, we are tasked with being stewards to their messages and brand, while being attentive to their needs to communicate to their staff and target audience.

The public relations attendant is a simile to flight attendants who 1) constantly cater to the plane’s passengers (pillow anyone?), 2) prepare passengers before the plane departs in the event of an emergency and 3) appropriately and diligently react when the plane is in trouble.

We let the CEOs (e.g. pilots) fly the plane and the board (e.g. control tower) provide direction and clearance, while we remain steadfast in our focus to inform the company’s staff and public (e.g. passengers) about news (good and bad) that affects them.

The public relations attendant position is often a thankless job, but we are critical in the success of the many journeys a business takes each day.  Without us, it’s like a plane without, well, a flight attendant.

Originally designed for dating connections (or sometimes more risqué interactions), Chatroulette is slowly morphing into a communications vehicle for businesses to interact with their target audience through short video interactions.  Think Twitter meets Skype.

Companies such as Travelocity and French Connection UK (FCUK) have used Chatroulette to connect with their audience in various ways…and have seen some success.

We’re not certain if Chatroulette will be the long-term medium used to conduct these business video chats in the future, but we are certainly intrigued by the concept of having businesses interact–through video–with their customers or prospective customers.

LT Public Relations will keep a close eye on this space and will report on developments–as finding the best ways to communicate for our business partners/clients is our business.

Whether it was frivolous spending to keep up with our friends and neighbors or a waiting list for an overpriced  handbag; it was okay to spend big whether or not we really had the money to afford the luxury. 

But times have changed (along with some people’s credit scores) and with that has become a new wave of forced responsibility for a generation that was all too familiar with buying now and paying later. For some, once that 19% interest rate credit card  (obtained on a college campus, of course) was in the wallet, there was no stopping them. Clothes, new computers and vacations with friends were all fair game and paid for with the magic credit card.

Flash forward a few years to a recession, Wall Street’s collapse and some serious headlines that consumers really couldn’t avoid. Suddenly, one couldn’t get a credit card online in two minutes and it wasn’t okay to max out a credit card on stuff that really wasn’t needed. The foreign notion of obtaining and using credit responsibly actually started to receive attention from media outlets.  

The term “recessionista” started to get used more than “fashionista” and budgeting was suddenly cool.  The idea of staying in with friends for a potluck dinner wasn’t viewed as boring, it was viewed as responsible. With this new mindset, came an entire generation of young people that were craving financial knowledge that they didn’t get in elementary school or even high school and college.  

As a result, budgeting blogs and sites that focus on making smart and frugal financial decisions are now sprouting up daily. Sites like Budgetsaresexy,  thebudgetbabe and Learnvest all make budgeting and responsible spending easy to comprehend and interesting.

Nonprofit organizations are also doing their part to educate on making smart financial decisions, that’s why LT Public Relations is so proud to offer pro bono communications services to organizations like Financial Beginnings, a nonprofit that provides free financial education to children and young adults in the Portland, OR area.  

The new face of budgeting and financial literacy is approachable, interactive and fun. Gone are the days when the only option was to read through dry black and white text and enter numbers into a spreadsheet. Now, users can access free software that allows you to plug-in where you are spending your money and within seconds receive a visual color-coded display of just how much was spent on morning (and afternoon) coffee, clothes, a gym membership, rent and to-go orders.

For as much pain as the economic meltdown has caused people, it has forced some to wake-up and take inventory. Budgeting doesn’t have to be boring and it doesn’t have to signal an end to being social and enjoying life.  The budgeting blogs and sites, like those mentioned above, educate on how to use credit and keep a budget, but also how to live life and enjoy it without overspending; something that every generation needs to embrace.

 

LT Public Relations Selects Financial Beginnings as Recipient  of the 2010 Nonprofit Challenge   

Financial Beginnings will receive pro bono communication services from LT Public Relations for one year 

PORTLAND, Ore., July 20, 2010—LT Public Relations, a comprehensive communications firm specializing in telling the stories of financial and professional services institutions, today announced that is has selected the recipient of the firm’s first annual LT Public Relations Nonprofit Challenge which provides pro bono public relations services to a nonprofit organization for one year. 

The 2010 recipient is Financial Beginnings, a Portland based nonprofit that provides finance education at no cost to children and young adults throughout the Pacific Northwest. Financial Beginnings’ educational programs incorporate all aspects of personal finance to give individuals the foundation they need to make informed financial decisions. Each year, the organization educates over 10,000 students through age-specific curriculum that teaches how to navigate and actively participate in the banking, credit and insurance industries.  

Over the next year, the LT Public Relations team will work collaboratively with Financial Beginnings to help raise awareness and support the nonprofit’s goals by providing public relations guidance such as news releases, media relations, media training, community outreach, social media and other related PR services.  

“We are thrilled to assist Financial Beginnings in telling their stories of how they are educating and empowering local students,” said Casey Boggs, president of LT Public Relations. “There has never been a greater need in our country for financial literacy programs, and we look forward to providing Financial Beginnings with the outreach tools that will result in more awareness and support for their programs.” 

“The state of the economy has proven that personal finance is not so personal anymore.  This has been demonstrated locally by the foreclosure, bankruptcy, unemployment rates and of course the rollercoaster stock market from which everyone is feeling the effects. We are so excited to receive this generous support from LT Public Relations to help shine a spotlight on the need for financial literacy,” said Melody Thompson, Financial Beginnings’ executive director.  

About LT Public Relations 

Based in Portland, Oregon, LT Public Relations, LLC is a full-service communications firm specializing primarily in servicing professional and financial institutions, as well as small businesses, entrepreneurs and non-profits. The PR firm utilizes the most relevant and current communications tools—with a hybrid of traditional and new media approaches—to develop and execute strategic public relations initiatives for its clients.  More information is available at http://www.ltpublicrelations.com/.   

About Financial Beginnings 

Financial Beginnings is a Portland based nonprofit that began in 2005.  Its multi-session courses are offered free of charge to students and young adults throughout the Pacific Northwest through visits to their individual schools or community groups.  The program incorporates all aspects of personal finance to give individuals the foundation they need to make informed financial decisions. More information is available at www.financialbeginnings.org   

LT Public Relations continues to seek to uncover the most cost-effective, efficient and relevant ways to communicate for its financial/professional services clients (e.g. banks, credit unions, law firms, etc.) …and we adopted another communications gem…“Twitter Town Hall Meetings”

Two excellent traditional and modern ways to communicate (and listen) to your target audiences are:

1) Conducting periodic (monthly) town hall meetings at a designated location, date and time to both inform your audience of the latest developments from your company, while fielding questions from passionate, inquisitive and concerned customers/public

2) Informing and viewing tweets on a company’s Twitter page is a simple (and a now proven) way to directly connect with a company’s audience.

So why not combine the two communication forums to develop a Twitter Town Hall Meeting?

The concept is not entirely new, but appropriately conducting these “Twitter Town Hall Meetings” is still a nascent practice.

Generally, here’s how it works:

• Announce Town Hall Meeting. Notify target audience (via e-mail, news release, social media, etc.) that the company is conducting a “Twitter Town Hall Meeting” to discuss a topical issue affecting its audience, public and/or customers.
• Schedule. Designate an exact date and time (with time frame: e.g. from 9:00-9:30 AM PT).
• Title. Have a title or theme to the town hall meeting (e.g. “The State of XYZ Bank”).
• Preparation. Prepare a few tweets ahead of time (reminder: 140 characters per tweet!) to ignite the discussion.
• Keep it fairly brief. Write 10-12 tweets about the topic.
• Q&A. Allow 10-15 minutes or more to review and respond to appropriate tweets as they are tweeted.  *You won’t be able to respond to all questions/comments…but certainly respond to the most relevant.
• Blog. Follow-up the Twitter Town Hall Meeting with a blog to summarize the salient points and address some of the overarching questions/comments that were tweeted.

Each Twitter Town Hall Meeting will be different and each company should have its own unique style…but the preceding guidelines will help get things started.

Recently the National HIV Testing Day conducted a similar Twitter Town Hall Meeting and provided a blog recap.   With more than 243,000 followers and 145 participants, the town hall meeting appeared to be a huge success.

Remember, this is a forum to inform, listen and respond. THIS IS NOT A FORUM TO SELL.  The audience will appreciate the openness and transparency from the tweeting company.

Need help developing and facilitating a Twitter Town Hall Meeting?  Contact us: 503-477-9215 or pr@ltpublicrelations.com

It’s also important to point out what social media is not. It shouldn’t be another method of communicating auto loan rates or a new checking account. It should be personal and fun and assist in putting a face on the credit union. Letting the CEO post her thoughts on the interchange amendment in one post, along with pictures of a community event that the credit union sponsored in another post will keep followers interested and connected. Building these networks can be a full-time job, and interacting with the public shouldn’t be taken lightly. While not all credit unions are able to support a full time social media specialist internally, they should have a social media plan in place. LT Public Relations can assist credit union marketing and public relations staff in creating a social media plan that is engaging, informative and consistent.

There is no bigger corporate enemy on the planet than BP.  Throughout the devastating crisis in the Gulf, BP has suffered a horrific crushing of a its once fairly solid brand.

As public relations and crisis communications case studies go, it doesn’t get any more intriguing than this BP crisis.

At LT Public Relations, we’re not only closely following how BP is handling the crisis, but taking notice on how communication specialists, such as our strategic partners Spaeth Communications and thier “Lessons from BP’s Oil Spill,” are reacting to the issues.

We’ll continue to monitor BP’s communications, but we’re just as interested in how BP’s competitors are communicating (e.g. Shell, Chevron, Texaco, Mobil, Citgo, etc.).  Yes, we have heard that other gas giants are lending a hand to BP to help with the spill, but how proactive are Shell, Chevron and others communicating?

What a truly perfect opportunity for the competitors to step-up their PR, communications and PSAs with strong, supporting statements (for example):

• At Shell, we are incredibly concerned about the devastating situation in the Gulf of Mexico.  We are lending our complete support to BP during this horrific incident.  As we are concerned about the safety and well-being of the ocean, ocean life and the residents of the surrounding Gulf area, Shell is here to provide its ongoing support to stop the oil from spilling and assist with clean-up efforts.
• Like everyone, Chevron is deeply concerned about the continuous oil spill in the Gulf.  That’s why we are giving our full-support and commitment to help BP, our fellow energy provider, through this extraordinary incident. 

In addition to these communications, there appears to be an excellent opportunity for all “energy providers” to tout their support–while underscoring their “safety” and the preventable measures they take to ensure this type of situation will never happen again.

Granted, each competitor appears to have an active Twitter and Facebook communications to address the current situation, but this is a unique circumstance that requires much, much more proactive communications. 

Once again, while most of the attention is on BP, there really seems to be a missed opportunity by their counterparts to capitalize on the situation by highlighting their mutual concern, support and execution to stop this dreadful situation.  Now that would be excellent PR!

In April, which also happens to be National Financial Literacy Month, Federal Reserve Governor Elizabeth Duke spoke at a Washington DC Education Event and stated, “The need in this country for financial education is so great that we must continue to tackle it at all levels and with all available resources…We need to imbed financial concepts in every K-12 curriculum in the country.”  Educators know they need to be teaching it, and as a recent recap from brass|MEDIA Inc’s Bryan Sims indicates, students want to learn it. Through month-long classroom visits to high schools throughout Oregon, Sims found that students wanted to know the best ways to find a job, why attaining credit was a positive thing and about investing for future expenses.

These students were lucky to have access to an expert like Sims and his team, but what about the millions of other students that must rely on their teachers to inform them? A recent study conducted by NEFE (the National Endowment for Financial Education) found that, “Only 29 percent of teachers are teaching financial education in any way—in existing classes or special classes on finance topics. And fewer than 20 percent of teachers reported feeling ‘very competent’ to teach any of the six personal finance topics surveyed.” This leads to the question of who is educating the teachers, and perhaps more importantly, the parents of these students that are so hungry for this knowledge?

Banks and credit unions are viewed by the community as “experts” and should take advantage of this credibility. Instead of focusing all financial education efforts on children and teens, banks and credit unions may want to consider directing more of their education seminars and classes towards adults. Educating children and young adults is, of course, important.  The institutions who are making these efforts should be recognized, however, reaching out to those that are responsible for educating this next generation of clients and members is just as important. LT Public Relations can assist in developing and executing a community outreach and education program that will not only educate but will also raise awareness of your brand.

 The LT Public Relations Nonprofit Challenge Provides $15K Worth of Pro Bono PR Services to a Local Nonprofit for One Year

 PR firm challenges other local complementary marketing firms to lend their services

 PORTLAND, Ore., May 19, 2010—LT Public Relations, a full-service PR firm specializing in external, internal and crisis communications for the financial and professional services sector, today announced the call-for-nominations for its 2010 LT Public Relations Nonprofit Challenge—a twelve-month pro bono public relations initiative (valued at $15,000) that will support a deserving local Oregon or Washington nonprofit (501(c)(3)) in generating awareness.

The LT Public Relations Nonprofit Challenge aims to assist an organization that focuses on providing financial education, professional services (e.g. legal support), or related assistance to the community. Each month for one year, the LT Public Relations team will work collaboratively with the chosen nonprofit to help raise awareness and support for its cause by providing public relations guidance such as news releases, media relations, media training, community outreach, social media and other related PR services. 

“Most local nonprofits are seriously challenged with raising the appropriate awareness to help their organization flourish,” said Casey Boggs, president of LT Public Relations. “The LT Public Relations Nonprofit Challenge is designed to meet this problem head-on and help provide the attention the nonprofit deserves.”

The application and submission information for the LT Public Relations Nonprofit Challenge is available at www.ltpublicrelations.com. All related Oregon and Washington-based nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply. The deadline for nominations is Friday, June 18, 2010. 

LT Public Relations also invites other Oregon and Washington based firms that specialize in branding, advertising, marketing and social media to join the challenge and provide services that would complement LT Public Relation’s PR efforts.  Firms that are interested in donating their time and talents to the LT Public Relations Nonprofit Challenge can contact pr@ltpublicrelations.com or 503-477-9215.  

About LT Public Relations

Based in Portland, Oregon, LT Public Relations, LLC is a full-service communications firm specializing primarily in servicing professional and financial institutions, as well as small businesses, entrepreneurs and non-profits. The PR firm utilizes the most relevant and current communications tools—with a hybrid of traditional and new media approaches—to develop and execute strategic public relations initiatives for its clients.  More information is available at www.ltpublicrelations.com.