| Clear Messages – November 2008 |
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In This Issue |
You Always Remember Your First
by Chris Schroder Seven years ago this month my friend Bo Jackson asked me to lunch out of the blue. Well, it was sort of out of the blue. I had actually left him voicemail six months before. The key thing is he actually remembered that he owed me a call. "And," he said. "I'm buying lunch. "How's the newspaper business?" he asked as we sat down at Joey's near Perimeter Mall. "Wow," I said. "It has been a while since we last talked." Bo, a commercial real estate developer, spent the next 20 minutes talking passionately about a vision he had for the changing workplace. He talked about the coming retirement of the Baby Boomers, about the new generation of employees who were forcing technological and cultural changes in the workforce. He wanted to be on the forefront of the change. "What are you going to do now that you left newspapers?" he asked. "I have been working in public relations," I said. "But now I'm starting my own PR firm." "I'm looking for a PR guy," Bo said. "Hey, that's great," I said. "I'm looking for a client!" And thus, Schroder PR was born. Today, seven years later, Bo is still passionate about what we now call the High Performance Workplace. And he's still my client. You know what they say – "you never forget your first." Thanks Bo. And thanks to the many other clients who have followed since. We've now grown to nine full-time employees and five contractors. Next time Bo and I have lunch, it's on me.
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Chris Schroder & Bo Jackson|
Top 5 Reasons to Send an eNewsletter
by Jennifer Sheran In my early days in public relations, I'd spend hours writing, designing and overseeing the printing of corporate newsletters that were distributed by snail mail to the company’s staff and to our customers. As I picked up the crisp, colorful stack of freshly printed newsletters and stuffed them into envelopes for shipping, I often wondered if they were actually being read. Today, with eNewsletters, we don't have to wonder. We know. Here are the Top Five Reasons to send an eNewsletter to your clients or employees next month:
Don't get me wrong, beautifully printed magazines, brochures and annual reports still have a significant place in the marketing mix. So when our clients ask us if it is better to go digital, in most cases the answer is yes. Click on the examples above to see some samples of successful eNewsletters. Or click on the following link to read our latest white paper written by Evelyn Anne Johnston on the effectiveness of eNewsletters in communications outreach.
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by Amber Rigsby As we've been pitching our clients' stories to reporters and editors in the past few weeks, they've been asking us for stories of businesses affected by, you guessed it, the economy. In the face of all the bad housing news, we were happy to place a client, who builds custom homes in Buckhead, as a source regarding the bailout's potential impact on the Atlanta housing market in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Journal Constitution and Professional Builder magazine. Lucky for us, we had recently redesigned his logo, website and produced a video so reporters were able to "meet" him online immediately. To view Neal Creech's new website, video and media placements, click here. Commenting on news-of-the-day issues is one way to be seen as a thought leader in your industry and to become a valuable source to reporters. For example, we secured One Georgia Bank President and CEO Chuck Lewis as a source to the Atlanta Journal Constitution regarding the affects of the economy on the banking industry. We also successfully offered Colonial Properties Trust’s Lee Nelson as a source to Southeast Construction Magazine to comment on the effect the economy is having on development in Texas. The trend here is simple – story pitches to consumer and business press and even the trades must directly tie into the economy and current events. If you have a unique way your business is addressing the economic down turn, please let us know and we'll pitch you and your business to the media.
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If you are not quite sure what the term "New Media" actually means or aren't quite convinced that corporate investment in new media strategies will benefit your organization, you may want to pick up a copy of The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott. Scott clearly and effectively makes the case for incorporating new media strategies into your communications plans and provides useful “how to” advice to get you started. Scott says: "This isn't the same old marketing and PR you've tried before:
Instead, you tell your story directly to an interested market!
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About Schroder PR Located in the heart of Midtown Atlanta, Schroder PR (www.SchroderPR.com) is a multi-discipline communications firm that focuses primarily on commercial and residential real estate, architecture/design/construction, and professional service firms. Founded in December 2002 by former publisher, editor and newspaper reporter Chris Schroder, the firm's work is based on the philosophy that effective communication boils down to the art and ability to tell and share a good story.
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