NEWS - 64 Media

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE LOOK

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -1000

What do some of Australia's top companies have that you don't? The look - designed by our best of breed graphic design and website animation partner Taylor Made Graphics (TMG).

TMG provides a wide range of digital media services that are - as the name suggests - tailor made to suit client needs. Why do we recommend them? Because over the seven years we have worked together they have provided the highest quality print and digital design solutions at the best possible price. And in this day and age, those are the two things that matter most.

To view some of TMG's recent work, click here - or next time you go to Sydney Airport, check out the design work at Airport Link. It's been Taylor Made.

HOW OFTEN IS YOUR COMPANY IN THE MEDIA?

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -1000

Have you invested in PR? Either doing it yourself or having a consultant do it for you? Are you getting the results you expected? Or more importantly, the results you need?

If you get four or more mentions a month, in the media you identified as key to your marketing campaign, congratulations. You are in the media about once a week and your investment in PR (depending of course on how much time/money you are spending) is probably paying off. However, any less than that and, sorry, your campaign is unlikely to be doing what it needs to do in order to raise your company profile and bring in new business.

Not sure how often your company appears in the media? For a very quick indication, try a Google advanced news search. (Instructions below). It is by no means an exhaustive search, but it is a good starting point.

Of course, when it comes to PR it's not just the number of times your company is mentioned in the media that is important, it's also about which media you appear in and the quality of the coverage. But that's a topic for another day.

Google Advanced News Search

Visit Google - www.google.com.au
Click on the ‘News' tab. A search box will appear.
Under the words "Search now" you will see an advanced news option. Click on it. (you can go directly to this page by clicking here)
Put your company name (or the name of one of your key spokespersons) into the "find results - with all of the words" search field.
Put the word "Australia" into the source location search field.
Click on the "search" tab

Is Julia Gillard good news or bad for financial services?

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -1000

Some commentators say good, some need more convincing... but what do you say? Finance journalists are in overdrive right now, writing editorials and articles about the likely impact of a new Prime Minister not only on the Future of Financial Advice reforms but on the industry, the economy and the country as a whole. And they will be looking for informed commentary and opinions from the industry to provide insight and interpret events. Go to our blog to make a comment - or touch base with a journalist and share your thoughts and opinions. For media relations advice and assistance call 64 Media on 1300 64 6334.

SECRETS OF A SUCCESSFUL PR CAMPAIGN

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -1000

Anyone can make a PR campaign work for them. Anyone can become extraordinarily successful in talking to the media. I mean it. Absolutely anyone. But like everything worthwhile in life, if you want to be good at it, you have to be willing to put in the time and energy to make it happen.

The secrets of a successful PR campaign boil down to three things:

CLARITY
CONFIDENCE
COMMITMENT

1. CLARITY

You would be amazed how many people come along to our media training sessions without first thinking through exactly why they want to talk to the media. Before you spend hours (days, weeks, months) preparing your PR campaign, think very carefully about your own agenda. Why do you want to go public with what you have to say? Selling your goods and services, supporting a cause or changing the world are all valid reasons. But if it's just that you've always secretly harboured a desire to have your name in print or see yourself on telly, then your time might be better spent hosting a community radio program. Seriously.

Once you're clear about your reasons for going public, you need to be very clear about what you want to say. Every single word you say to a journalist must in some way further your agenda. Otherwise, why bother? You must also be very clear about what you can't say. My advice is when in doubt about going public on a sensitive, difficult or troublesome issue, don't - unless you are willing to speak to your lawyer first.

2. CONFIDENCE

Once your mind is made up that you want a PR campaign, have the courage of your convictions. Become supremely confident in talking to journalists. Easier said than done? Not at all. The first step is becoming comfortable with your material. Dress it up with pretty anecdotes, facts, examples, stories. It's not hard - you do it every day when you relate events to your friends, family and colleagues. A journalist is a person first and an intelligent analyst of facts second, so make your material interesting and memorable.

When you are confident that you know your material like the back of your hand, practice delivering it. My advice is to start by relating it to people you know and like and then to people you don't know and perhaps don't like. Criticism from people you don't know is more likely to be objective and will give you the opportunity to improve your delivery and finetune your messages. And difficult as it may be to hear, such criticism will also be much easier to bear than public criticism in the media.

3. COMMITMENT

This is where we separate the wheat from the chaff. To run a successful PR campaign that furthers your agenda and meets your wants, needs and objectives, you are going to have to make a serious commitment to it. I mean serious. Don't just be involved in your PR strategy, be committed to it! And if you believe in PR and you have invested your time, energy, effort and money in media training and PR strategy, why wouldn't you make an ongoing commitment to it?

Keep honing your skills, seeking out opportunities and engaging the media. Remember the old bacon and eggs story? The chicken was involved, the pig was committed. Be the pig.

To discuss your media training and PR needs, please call 64 Media on 1300 64 MEDIA.

MEDIA TRAINING: Lights, camera... inaction - dealing with stage fright

Mon, 03 May 2010 00:00:00 -1000

Stage fright can strike even those with the best media training in the world and the most extensive public speaking experience. Take Sir Robert Menzies, who in 1948 was Leader of the Opposition, between the two terms he served as Prime Minister.

Due to speak to a small audience in the tiny town of Grenfell NSW, Menzies turned to the young woman at his side: "What am I going to say to these people?" he demanded, panic-stricken.

The woman fixed him with steady blue eyes. "Well," she said calmly, "you can talk about the recent floods, that's really affected these people." Menzies let out a long breath. "Yes," he agreed, collecting himself. "Thank-you."

Chances are, however, that the next time you have a microphone thrust in your face, you won't have someone as calming as that woman (who happened to be Gwen Fletcher, one of Australia's financial planning pioneers) at your side.

So here are a few of my favourite tips for dealing with stage fright - including some from my father, a former professional opera singer who sang with Opera Australia for 30 years and had to deal with stage fright every night of his professional life:

1. Trust yourself

You know your stuff - who better than you? And when you know your stuff, your words, like those of a favourite song, will (I promise you) come back to you. You will hear them coming out of your mouth, just as you prepared them. (And of course, it goes without saying that you won't go anywhere near the media until you are properly prepared and have thoroughly rehearsed answers to questions you may be asked).

2. Positive Self-talk

Give yourself some private words of encouragement. My mantra before speaking to an audience of any kind is, "I can do this - because I know that I know my stuff."

3. Breathe...

Still nervous? Breathe in very deeply, through your nose. Fill your lungs, hold the breath and then take three more quick sips of air. Then breathe out through your mouth slowly. Repeat three times. The increased oxygen level in your brain should calm you and help you think more clearly.

4. Stand at ease

If you are standing while being interviewed, stand with your legs slightly apart and one foot in front of the other. It will stop your knees from knocking!

5. Don't be put off by a baleful stare

Journalists can sometimes look pretty fierce. Don't be intimidated. If it helps, by all means use that old trick of imaging them in their underwear... Personally, I prefer to remember that, just like the rest of us, they take their undies off one leg at a time...

6. Smile

If you find your mouth drying up or your voice getting croaky, smile and as you smile, gently nip the edges of your tongue. It will activate the saliva glands in your mouth. One of those very tiny breath mints on the back of your tongue might also do the trick.

7. Relax

The sun will still come up tomorrow. And if you say something you later regret, you will usually get the opportunity to correct it.

There is only one thing worse than stage fright and that is giving into it. You will feel a hundred times better if you go ahead with the interview - even if you perform badly - than you will if you give into your fears and don't do it at all.

For professional media training specifically designed for finance professionals, contact 64 Media on 1300 646 334.