Resist Tunnel Vision About Your Value, Heed Market Feedback & Turn Failure into Success

In today's rapidly shifting strategic marketing and public relations landscape, being willing to change is only one part of the equation.

You've also got to be continually alert to those ways in which you must embrace change--or invite extinction.

That truth comes to mind as 2010 draws to a close and I reflect on what was happening in my professional life five years ago.

In the January 2006 issue of North Shore magazine, I bought an advertisement for Your Front Page. It was part of my big promotional push for a personalized writing service that until that point had been a fun sidelight to my journalism career.

I hoped the ad would trigger a deluge of business from folks in places like Winnetka, Northbrook and communities all throughout the Chicago area who wanted a distinctive way to commemmorate birthdays, wedding anniversaries and other celebrations.

Alas, the placement sparked a grand total of one phone call. And here's the kicker: it was from a salesperson hoping I'd buy an ad from his publication.


The "Your Front Page" ad
in North Shore magazine

I realize that with advertising, repetition is vital, so I don't in any way fault the magazine (which has recently been assimilated into the burgeoning Make It Better empire). Besides, I made other grassroots marketing efforts to get the service off the ground.

Despite my grand ambitions, Your Front Page has attracted a mere three clients in the past five years. And while enthusiastic responses to the pieces have been gratifying, it's obvious that on a commercial level, my blueprint of how I'd shift from journalism has been a resounding flop.

Fortunately, I wasn't hung up on the exact nature of my value to the marketplace. As a result, YFP's failure has opened the door to the success of what has become Inside Edge PR.

Like a quarterback who spots a coming blitz and calls an audible at the line of scrimmage, I have been open to market feedback and carved a niche as a Chicago-area publicist who uses a journalistic sensibility to help small- and medium-sized companies and organizations.

Over the next five years, where will it all lead? Will I continue along this path of helping mostly Chicago-area businesses connect with, and expand, their market?
Maybe--though I wouldn't bet on it coming via some orderly trajectory. New wrinkles continually emerge: over the past few years, for example, Inside Edge PR has jumped feet-first into the use of videos for PR as well as developing a strong social media presence for clients.

Through it all, one thing is for certain: nobody, least of all me, can afford to stay stuck in any preconceptions about how they can best serve the marketplace.

'It's A Wonderful Life' Flashback: My Chicago Trib Story on Karolyn Grimes, aka ZuZu Bailey

Karolyn Grimes, as a 6-year-old
ZuZu, in Jimmy Stewart's arms

A P.S. here to my post last week about Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest and It's A Wonderful Life.

Exactly four years ago, to the day, I had the privilege of writing a story for the Chicago Tribune about Karolyn Grimes, the actress who played ZuZu more than 60 years earlier.

At the time, I was charmed by the entire experience. How cute, I thought, as people young and old lined up for a chance to meet this woman who had played ZuZu so many years earlier.

A recent photo of Grimes

Of course, I had only seen bits and pieces of the movie at that point, so I didn't really get what all the fuss was about.

In fact, I passed up the opportunity to see the film on the big screen--I was too focused on getting in front of my computer and filing my story. How fortunate to have gotten another chance, this time with my family, earlier this month at the Lake Theater in Oak Park.

One last note: in my recent reading, I was pleased to see that Karolyn remains on the It's A Wonderful Life circuit, appearing again this past weekend at Hollywood Blvd. Cinema in Woodridge.

Rahm Emanuel Residency Brouhaha is Latest in Chicago Area's Storied `Silly Season' History

Rahm Emanuel, (occasional) Chicago resident

The residency flap over Chicago mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel is just a variation on the "Silly Season" theme in Chicago-area politics.

Six years ago, one of the central characters in the Emanuel controversy, Burt Odelson, was in the midst of a scrum in Cicero that I covered for the Chicago Tribune.

Here is one of the all-too-many stories that I reported in the 2005 Cicero election cycle.

Intriguingly, Larry Dominick was the only person who was not knocked off the ballot in that Silly Season cycle for Cicero. He went on to topple, by a slim margin and to the shock of political observers, Ramiro Gonzalez in the election.

One thing I learned in covering all the technical tussling: the only ones guaranteed to be winners are the attorneys who rack up large hourly billings and, often, the losers are citizens who don't get legitimate challengers to elect since they are bullied off the ballot.

It's a Wonderful PR Opportunity: Oak Park Bank Wins Our Hearts, Then Business, With Screening

The triumphant scene from
 It's A Wonderful Life

Last Saturday, It's A Wonderful Life played at the Lake Theater in downtown Oak Park.

Sponsored by Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest, which is situated directly across the street from the elegant theater, it was a free screening.

It also made for brilliant PR.

Call us sentimental saps, but my wife, Bridgett, and I were deeply moved by the classic film. (We were also shocked to discover that it was the first time either one of us had seen it from start to finish.)

In recent months, we've been mulling the idea of moving our money from JP Morgan Chase (or "Chase" for short) to Community Bank. Our resolve would only increase when, every time we went in with a question, Chase personnel would use the opportunity to try to sell us products we don't need, rather than simply provide fast, attentive customer service.

Located just down the street from Community Bank, Chase is the latest in a series of titanic institutions occupying the northeast corner of Lake and Marion streets in the heart of Oak Park.

For the past 15 years, we had gone along for the ride, whether the sign on the door read First Chicago or Bank One or Chase. We tolerated little "mistakes" such as the time, just in the last year, when Bridgett noticed the bank had more than halved the interest rate on our savings account.

Oops!

Makes you wonder how many other accounts got shorted--and if miscues involving a too-high interest rate ever befall Chase.

Our decision to flee Chase has been made easier by Chase itself. Beyond the prior clumsy efforts to sell, rather than serve, us, an employee two weeks ago linked our debit card to a just-closed account. Three phone calls later, including one on a Sunday to a customer service rep, Bridgett cleaned up that mess.

All of which brings us to this past Saturday afternoon. Moments after we emerged from the Lake Theater, red-eyed from our tears that flowed throughout the movie, Bridgett deposited a check at Community Bank. It was on behalf of an association of which she is treasurer, and we chuckled about wanting to move, that very day, our personal funds there, too.

On Monday, on the heels of It's a Wonderful Life, we began the transition. The movie, including Community Bank's civic-minded role in its screening, has doubtlessly hastened our pace.

To be fair, I am sure that Chase has many wonderful, caring professionals. I wish the bank great success. But, at least in Oak Park, it has a ways to go in seizing opportunities to genuinely nurture relationships and engender trust.

Community Bank, on the other hand, seems to really get it. At a time when monolithic banks, and their greedy, tight-fisted ways, are high atop the list of citizens' Reasons to Get Angry, it's especially powerful to associate your company with a story whose central message teems with community, integrity and love.

Of course, you've got to be able to back it all up with action. The ball--and our money--is now in Community Bank's court.

Cross-Marketing Makes Good Business Sense; But Have You Alerted Prospects To the Details?

Have you created cross-marketing opportunities for your enterprise?

And if so, have you told your customers, and prospects, about this great way to drive traffic in both directions? If not, or if are limiting your exposure (such as telling only those who walk into your business), then you are severely, and needlessly, diminishing your marketing message.

Below you can see a brief video recounting what one Inside Edge PR client, Allstate of Oak Park, has done with a next-door business, the historic and regionally renowned Petersen's Ice Cream shop on Chicago Avenue.

Go Beyond `Testimonial Providers Anonymous': Put Names & Faces With Your Rave Reviews

Would you trust this man's testimonial?

Whether you're a widget salesmen or a world-class motivational speaker, testimonials are central to your persuasive story-telling endeavors.

Alas, some otherwise-credible individuals and organizations haven't taken the time to gather such testimonials (or "success stories" or "endorsements"--whatever term fits into your vocabulary).

Only slightly better are those instances when an organization handles the testimonials as an extension of the Federal Witness Protection Program.

If you're plotting a clandestine drug deal or attending a 12-Step Testimonial Providers Anonymous (TPA) meeting, referring to somebody only by their initials or as "Matt B.", if you are feeling a bit bolder, may make some sense.

(By the way, don't bother Googling that "TPA" organizatione. I just made it up--to make this point: in business, these cloak-and-dagger, veiled references come across as sketchy and needlessly secretive.)


Why reduce a raving fan into a camera-shy type?


And settling for TPA-style sources means barely skimming the surface of the potential good these third-party edifications could do for the person or organization you're seeking to promote.

What follows, then, is the Inside Edge PR checklist for collecting a testimonial:

1. Receive a signed media release form in which the individual agrees to have his/her story shared through various modes of communication at no compensation.

This first step should be no problem if people are genuinely fired up about the great service they've received. In my experience working on scores of testimonials across a variety of industries, collecting willing and eager testimonials has never posed a problem.

2. Do everything in your power to obtain or create testimonials in a variety of forms:

-A video of the individual sharing his or her story about the good that you and/or your product or service provided.

-At least one photograph of the testimonial provider.

-Additional photographs that would help tell the story (such as before-and-after images of someone who has lost weight or photos of a house that has received significant upgrades).

-A written narrative that tells the individual's story in a compelling, newsworthy manner.

And don't settle for a meager two-line quote--go for a rich, nuanced story that conveys a powerful story. Out of that story, you can excerpt a quote or two on an as-needed basis.

3. Armed with these key elements, re-purpose the content across many platforms and toward a variety of audiences that are in your target market.

For examples of testimonials, you can check out some videos on the Inside Edge PR video channel.

About three years ago, when Inside Edge PR took testimonials well beyond the Witness Protection Program level, it spurred on positive coverage in The Daily Southtown for Chicago Women's Health, an obstretrics/gynecology practice.

You can see that particular written testimonial on the Chicago Women's Health website, along with a few others.

Storymix Media Gives Nod to Inside Edge PR For Focus on Creating Video Testimonials For Clients

Inside Edge PR received a nice mention from Ariane Fisher of Storymix Media recently on the Chicago firm's blog.

You can see the ditty, which emphasizes the importance of video testimonials in helping attracting customers, at the My Photo Video blog.

Inside Edge PR is "at the forefront of establishing a video presence for the clients they represent," Fisher wrote. As I emphasize with all my clients, it's one thing to establish a video presence and it's quite another to develop it on a more sophisticated level.

That's where Storymix Media comes into play. The company takes raw footage and elevates the final product through its editing, graphical and other technological know-how.

This post wouldn't seem complete without a video testimonial, so below you can find one that Tricia Miller of Serenity Acupuncture graciously provided about a year ago. You can see more at the Inside Edge PR channel.