WOC Client Shoutout: E-World Online’s Cindy Erie

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By Kristina Houck, Research and Online Content Specialist

At the end of (W)right On’s bi-weekly team meetings, we give shoutouts to our colleagues for their great work. At our latest team meeting, the team decided to also identify one client deserving of a shoutout. After all, we can’t be successful for our clients if they don’t collaborate with us. When clients provide a clear vision and business objectives, we can then develop appropriate strategies to produce desired outcomes.

For March 2012, (W)right On would like to recognize E-World Online President Cindy Erie. E-World Online administers comprehensive e-waste take-back programs across the country for leading consumer electronics manufacturers. In 2011, E-World collected over 45 million pounds of e-waste through its Manufacturers Interstate Takeback System. E-waste accounts for 2-5 percent of municipal solid waste streams, and according to the U.S. EPA, only 18 percent of e-waste is recycled.

The (W)right On team would like to thank Cindy for her leadership, industry knowledge and responsiveness.

As the co-founder and president of E-World Recyclers in Vista, which is a leading recycler of electronic scrap, and the parent company to E-World Online, Erie has received far greater recognitions than our client shoutout. She was named the 2011 Small Business Person of the Year by the San Diego district office of the Small Business Administration. Still, the (W)right On team would like to show our appreciation to Erie for being so great to work with.

Follow Cindy on Twitter at @EWorldPrez and learn more about the business of electronics recycling at E-World Online’s website or by joining the EPR Forum for professionals like Cindy who administer or have an interest in Extended Producer Responsibility programs.

Thank you, Cindy Erie and E-World Online!

Communications Tips from the Team

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By Kristina Houck, Research and Online Content Specialist

Whether you are an intern starting out at an agency or a seasoned PR pro, you should always keep learning to better your craft.

In (W)right On’s latest newsletter, each of our team members provided a tip to share with others in the communications industry. Read these helpful tips from our team and share your favorite tips below.

1. Keep it Simple

"As communicators, we need to break through the clutter to be heard. Keep your message simple and direct if you want it understood."

-Julie Wright, President & Founder

2. Communication is Key

"Good communication is much more than meets the eye. Like law, medicine, fire fighting and sky diving, it's not something we should wing and hope for the best."

-Grant Wright, CEO & Managing Partner

3. Know Your Audience

"Getting a story covered by media is often the result of months of relationship building. Knowing what topics a writer doesn't cover is just as important as knowing what they do cover."

-Rebecca Chappell, Account Executive

4. Update Your Media Lists

"Newsrooms and editorial teams are constantly changing. Refresh your media lists often so they reflect the most current contacts."

-Chancelor Shay, Account Executive

5. Follow Up

"Most reporters receive hundreds of emails every day. After you send an initial email, make sure to follow up with your contacts by phone to ensure your pitch is heard."

-Maureen Legg, Account Executive

6. Proof Your Work

"For accuracy of written materials, make sure at least two people proof your work before it is sent to clients or the media."

- Elyse Charlesworth, Account Coordinator

Timelines March On: Facebook Company Pages Changing

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By Rebecca Chappell, Account Executive

As you may have heard, like Facebook Profiles, Facebook Pages will be changing to the new timeline automatically by March 30. This month, do some early spring cleaning and update your personal and company pages to make sure you take advantage of the new Timeline format.

Besides the layout, what else will change? Well, for one thing, you will no longer be able to create a ‘like gate’ a page. Read more in this helpful post from Constant Contact, which we use for our email marketing campaigns.

This change is a bit of a bummer if you’ve invested a lot of time in a good ‘like gate’ which was a powerful way to help ensure more people ‘liked’ your page. (They would have to like it in order to receive a coupon, enter a contest or benefit from some similar incentive.)

So why does Facebook keep changing things? (Seeing as these changes are a big ‘make work’ project for its users.) They do it for the same reasons car companies offer a new model every year or consumer electronics devices become obsolete the moment you buy them. It keeps its users engaged and keeps its brand fresh and product ahead of the competing social media networks.

Here are a few examples of brands that have already made the switch. 

This new timeline layout requires a completely new way of thinking about Facebook business pages.

Here's a great article with a rundown on the new change that suggests now "brands should be translating their key messages into visual images…"

No longer is Facebook allowing us to build a mini website within our page. Now it's all about the visuals.

All the content that you want to feature on your business page is going to have to be formatted as some kind of a status update, link to an external blog post or webpage, or image.

The good news is that the Facebook Timeline approach will allow companies more opportunities to drive their fans to their website or blog for longer form information or background, rather than keeping all of the information in Facebook’s ‘walled garden.’ This also means less duplication or redundant content between what’s on Facebook and what’s on your company’s other sites and profiles.

It also forces businesses on Facebook to be far more social. They will need to behave like humans, in other words, and share and post frequently in order to make their Timeline effective.

What do you think? Are you inconvenienced, excited, or worried about this change?


Contact Rebecca: rchappell@wrightoncomm.com

What are the Qualities of a Good Reporter Today?

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By Julie Wright, President

Reading GigaOm's post to recruit a new Bay Area startup reporter paints a good picture of the skill sets needed and pressures put upon reporters today.

The volume of press releases crossing the newswires are about as welcome by journalists as a swarm of locusts. Getting a good story published requires valuable information and relevant story angles that are pitched and developed one-to-one with a good reporter. If this is not yet clear to you or your clients, then read this job description closely and try to see your communications from the reporter's perspective. If you can help him or her do their job well, everyone wins:

"We want a reporter who can look at a startup and see compelling storylines, rather than just a bunch of names and numbers. We want a reporter who doesn’t just regurgitate press releases, but who can conceive of and then report out their own fresh ideas. We want a reporter who is a great networker and who has a knack for picking up nuggets of news along the way. The best candidates will be both fast on their feet and creative: able to blast out a piece of news quickly but equally capable of producing an original analysis piece."

Elevator pitching: taking you to the next level

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You have a brilliant idea that’s going to change the world (or at the very least give Angry Birds a run for its money). Now all you have to do is come up with the dough to make it happen.

After tapping out all your friends and family for money, you realize it may be time to hit up some VCs for investment. Like an audition for the Shark Tank or its Canadian equivalent, Dragon’s Den, you may only have a few seconds before one of your “judges” hits the buzzer sending you packing.

The secret to a successful meeting? Having a strong elevator pitch that captivates your potential investors within the first few seconds and has them wanting to hear more.

The summary of your product or company should be delivered within the time span of an elevator ride (hence the suitable name) and is your opportunity to leave a memorable impression and get your audience hooked. A well-crafted elevator pitch is also helpful during interviews when asked to “describe yourself”, when meeting people at trade shows and networking events, when speaking to reporters or marketing products. This is your movie trailer, and you want your audience to leave thinking “I want to see that”.

Tuesday, July 26, (W)right On Communications’ Julie Wright (President) and Tomica Divic (Vancouver office Account Exec) will be hosting a presentation on Elevator Pitching at Wavefront in Vancouver. Wavefront, the commercialization centre accelerating the growth of Canada’s wireless companies, will bring in a slew of innovative start-ups seeking seeding. The session will include everything from key content elements to how to effectively deliver your message in person.

The following day Julie and Tomica will attend a session where Wavefront companies pitch one another. Stay tuned as we’ll plan to be tweeting live from the event, from 11 to 1:30 Wednesday, July 27th . Follow us at @A_tomica and @juliewright.

In the meantime, check out these fun examples of a winning elevator pitch and one that’s sure to leave your funder stunned.

(W)right On's Julie Wright Talks Social Media at June 29 Next Steps event

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By Elyse Charlesworth, Account Coordinator

Julie Wright will speak about social media and marketing along with GrowBiz Media’s Rieva Lesonsky and others at the California Small Business Development Center’s Next Steps for Small Business event on June 29 at 1 p.m. The event will bring entrepreneurs the latest techniques to maximize access to capital, leverage social media and marketing, succeed in international sales and sell to the government.

The event will be held at the San Diego Doubletree Hotel in Mission Valley from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This all day event will be a great resource to small businesses looking to grow and expand their networks. In addition to listening and engaging during panels, there will be ample opportunity for networking. This will be a great time to speak with other members of the business and communications industries and gain insight. Other notable speakers include:

• George Chamberlin, The Daily Transcript, KOGO Radio
• Cheryl Protzeller, Business Matchmaking
• Chuck Ashman, Business Matchmaking
• Darnell Holloway, Yelp

Join us for the free event, registration is required and lunch is provided. It’s a great opportunity to network and learn useful tips for your biz. For full details and to register: www.californiasbdc.org/nextsteps/sd

Learning Your Agency's Culture

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By Elyse Charlesworth, SDSU Public Relations Major

It’s your first day as an intern or new employee at a marketing, public relations or communications agency--what’s priority number one? Learn your agency’s culture! Here are a few tips, in no specific order, to help with a successful submersion.

1. Know thy colleagues

First and foremost, get to know the people you are going to be working with everyday. Observe and ask questions about who their clients are and what they do on a daily basis. See how they go about managing and prioritizing their time. Become familiar with their strengths and weaknesses so you can learn and perhaps share your expertise with them. On a personal level find out what kind of music, sports and hobbies they are into so you can better relate with them. Assuming everyone is on Twitter, follow them and respond to their tweets.

2. Internalize the agency’s vision, mission and values

One of the first things you should do going into a new agency is obtain a copy of their vision and mission statements and their values. If they haven’t captured them in hard copy, ask your manager to express them to you. You may even want to suggest creating a presentation that can be shared as a teambuilding experience. In any case, it’s important to note how the agency views its values to make sure your own values combined make for a good fit.

3. Use wardrobe common sense

You don’t want to show up on casual Friday wearing a suit when everyone else is in jeans. Similarly, you don’t want to show up in jeans on Monday when everyone is wearing a suit. For your first week or so, play it safe and dress to impress. As time goes on, notice what other people are wearing – or not wearing –and make your own fashion decisions accordingly. When it doubt, err on the side of being conservative, especially if you will be meeting with clients. Remember how you carry yourself, attire included, not only speaks about you but about your agency as a whole.

4. Get the 411 on communication

Find out how everyone within the agency communicates with each other. Is the main vehicle of communication through email, face to face or internal social media? It’s important to know when each type of communication is appropriate. Make sure your emails are detailed and well thought out so you don’t confuse your colleagues and most importantly proof read! Get in the habit of proof reading everything you write even if it’s just internal emails because writing WELL is the bread and butter of the communications business. As a side note, become familiar with the way files are named. Many agencies are particular about this and for good reason--it keeps documents organized and easy to find!

5. Know thy clients

When you work for an agency, you also need to respect the culture at each of your clients. Learn about each client’s history as well as their current issues. Get to know the clients you will be working with and seek to build and maintain good relationships with them if possible.

Good luck out there newbies. Stay positive!