It’s time for a fractured fairy tale: Spinning the Web: P.R. in Silicon Valley, courtesy of the New York Times.  Once upon a time in a Sand Hill Road conference room, an entrepreneur, a VC and a PR consultant met to discuss the launch of Wordnik, a website about language and word usage. The PR person suggests a press tour of leading tech blogs (TechCrunch, GigaOm, etc.).  This suggestion is rejected by the VC as not a good match for a language website. Instead, they decide that they would have influential Silicon Valley entrepreneurs mention Wordnik in social media.  As so it came to be.  Digg founder, Kevin Rose, twittered that Wordnik was “truly amazing.”

From there, people started madly retweeting, which led to Wordnik becoming a trending topic on Twitter. Then, everyone in the Valley was abuzz about Wordnik. People will look back on these past few months as the “Summer of Wordnik.” And they all lived happily ever after.

Except that in the real world, the launch of Wordnik went virtually unnoticed.  As Michael Arrington reported in TechCrunch, Wordnik received a small blip in traffic and then quickly returned to its previous minuscule level. Since this is a fractured fairy tale, the frog doesn’t get turned into a prince.  But there are some lessons to be learned.

Hipsters vs. Word Nerds:  Before starting a launch plan, the first imperative is to determine “who is the target audience?” Then, look for the best way to reach them.  Here the target audience was …. Wordniks. The VC was correct that word nerds really don’t follow mainstream tech blogs.  But targeting hipsters using twitter is more about making a fashion statement than a viable launch plan for a language website.  

Something Old, Something New:  Much of the debate generated by the Times article is about whether social media is replacing PR. This is based on a false premise. The rise of new technologies doesn’t mean that the old technologies are banished to a virtual thrift shop. The new supplements the established. The old technology adapts to fit in with the new. At the time of the original Fractured Fairy Tales, PR people mailed press releases to the local newspapers. Today, the number of communication tools and influencers has increased exponentially. But press releases now incorporate SEO and still remain in the mix.

PR and Social Media, Better Together: Combining PR and social media into an integrated strategy can deliver great results. PR provides an efficient way to quickly gain traction with the targeted influencers and audience. Social media builds connections with these folks.  By social media, I mean participating in conversations on Twitter and Facebook, joining the blogosphere by writing and commenting on blogs rather than having Internet celebrities tweet on your behalf. You could argue it would be better to just use social media to gradually grow an audience (especially with a niche product).  But these days, VCs and board members want to see immediate results, as evidenced by Wordnik’s VC participating in the PR discussion. Though prior to launching a PR campaign, it is important that the product is ready for the attention (see: PR for Tech Start Ups – Are you ready for your close up?).

The Happy Ending: Completion of a product launch should be the first of many interactions with customers, partners, and influencers. There are many opportunities to build, even on a less than successful launch. After all, it’s more important where you end, than how you start. And this is where this post happily ends.

Last night Pepcom put on their first EcoFocus event in New York City. And in the Flatiron District, almost 200 press and analysts came for free food, drinks and to experience demos from eco-friendly companies looking to get their name out there. Known for putting on mostly Mobile and Digital Technology-focused events, Pepcom moved into the new, clean tech space – and I think most vendors and attendees would agree it was a success.

While some may not be totally sold on global warming and much of the green talk that surrounds us today, this event clearly was evidence that green is more than a fad, it is an area of true innovation and growth. The vendors at last night’s event inlcude big names, like Toshiba, Lenovo and Benjamin Moore, who are recreating the wheel to become more environmentally conscious. But there also were smaller companies, such as SOMS Technologies (our client), CALMAC (our client), Green Roads and Pisat Solar, who were showcasing their innovation and passion for the environment.

The faces behind these businesses, both big and small, have a common goal – to make a positive impact on our environment. They are challenging convention, and working to change our oh so traditional behaviors to become a smarter, savvier, more eco-conscious society.

Clean technology isn’t only an expanding industry. But what this event clearly demonstrated is that it is an area of true belief, one that people have a renewed passion for. Most importantly, it is one that is and will be making a significant, positive impact for years to come.

Brianna Schweitzer and I just left the Florida Venture Forum’s Capital Conference in Naples.  It was a fabulous event, and did an excellent job of connecting investors from all over the world with emerging companies throughout the state of Florida.  As you may guess, the buzz was all about the economy.

The keynote was Martin Schaffel from AVI-SPL.  He told a compelling story of true entrepreneurship and how he grew from a University of Florida graduate without a dollar to his name, to running a $400 million a year company.  For thirty minutes, we were captivated with a story that was lighthearted, interesting and inspiring, then ended abruptly with the message that things will be hard for a couple more years.

Even with the down economy, the people at the conference who were most inspiring were those with a positive outlook.  It was said more than once that the greatest economic times in our country were born out of the very worst times.  It was refreshing to be at a conference and see hopes high, business flourishing and deals being made.  The overall feel was uplifting, and reminded me of one of my favorite quotes that has gotten me through many times and has rung true everytime:

“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”  -Harriet Beecher Stowe

My key takeaway from this show is the importance of staying positive and keeping focused on putting yourself in position to succeed.

Prime time television is full of makeover shows which feature people who are totally clueless about how they appear to others. Yet, businesses also do not take a sober look in the mirror and see how their customers perceive them.

Rich Tehrani of TMCNet.com recently wrote a brilliant blog post that is built around a very simple question: “In This Recession, Would You Buy From Your Company?”  According to Tehrani, businesses need to “put yourself in the customer’s position. Do you think they want to buy from companies they aren’t familiar with and those who do not invest in their customers? No – they don’t… If you think just wining and dining decision-makers is enough to win the business, you are wrong.”

On the makeover shows, before the intervention,  people think that others somehow will see the  ”inner beauty” that lies beneath a slovenly mess. Similarly,  in tough times, tech companies think that their products will sell themselves because customers will  see their underlying engineering brilliance. So when money gets tight, they cut their marketing, and stop communicating their successes to their customers. The result is that these companies are not making their best cases at the time when their customers are making decisions about what needs to be to cut.

I am not just making this point to carry the flag for marketing in a tough time. Fortunately,  when the economy started changing at the end of 2007, the Vantage team did take a hard look at how we were perceived by our customers. We saw room for improvement. So, we re-branded the company. To highlight our thought leadership, we started this blog. We now regularly communicate our successes with press releases on new clients and practice areas. We are becoming leaders in social media such as on Twitter and Facebook. These actions led to an extremely successful 2008, and positions us well for 2009.

At the end of the post, Tehrani provides some very important advice: “Ask yourself this question – are you spending your dollars as wisely as you can? What are your goals and are you altering them to suit a rapidly changing economy?…Yes, now is the time for prudence and now is the time to cut unnecessary expenses. But remember – be careful where you cut from – after all, your customers are trying to find a reason to cut you.”

Like on the makeover shows, your business may need some outside unbiased assistance to improve its appearance. If you need help to answer the tough questions that Rich raises at this critical time, please do not hesitate to contact me at radler [at] pr-vantage.com.  There are no obligations or strings attached. So what’s the benefit to Vantage? We get to make a connection with a group of companies that know they need a change and that are more likely to succeed over the long term.  As we have been in business for 20 years, this is the company we like to keep.

Rich Tehrani, blogger, editor and publisher of TMCnet.com wrote a great post on his Communications and Technology Blog about what companies need to do to succeed in the current economic environment. Rich has been dealing with a challenging economic environment for years. He has managed to build a thriving business by using the Internet to innovate a new business model for his publications.

Here is an excerpt from Rich’s blog:

“In fact, more than once this past week, people have told me customers today would rather buy inferior technology from a well-known company than superior technology from a company they aren’t familiar with. This marks a big change in thinking and you need to be prepared for this change by focusing on getting your name out in front of potential customers more often.

I saw this very thing happen in 2001. I believe history has a good chance of repeating itself in the next 18 months. There is one way to combat this cycle.

Come out strong. Daily press releases help and so do customer win announcements. You need deployment stories, case studies and smart but effective marketing to show strength in the market. Now, more than ever, you need to show your company is strong and will be around for the long-haul. If the news section on your website hasn’t been updated in weeks or months, potential customers could think you are about to close the doors.”

I believe that Rich is being metaphorical about the daily press releases. The main point that he is making is correct: your customers, partners, ecosystem, etc. need to see your successes. This needs to be done consistently. Even the presentation from the famous Sequoia meeting said: “In a downturn, aggressive PR and communications strategy is key.”

Apologies to anyone looking for stock market advice based on the title. But to paraphrase Bones McCoy, we’re a tech PR blog, not the Wall Street Journal. However, we are talking about money today.

In the new financial climate, sales, business development, public relations and venture capital are now intertwined. Yesterday, a VC told me that he could no longer provide venture capital funding for start ups that do not have any sales revenue. His advice is that companies need to ramp up their business development and PR efforts now, even if they are not in the process of raising money. This will ensure that when they are raising funding, they have the requisite sales track record.

We also are seeing a related trend. Start up clients now are looking at the publications that are followed by VCs and the financial community as part of the top tier publications. One more piece of evidence for the connection between your PR efforts and venture capital.

A recent article by Phil Carson of RCR Wireless News examines a new demographic for handset manufactures. While we have seen this coming over the past several years, he states that “Between 5% and 10% of five-year-olds have a mobile phone. By age 10, fully one-third of American kids have a phone. By the first teenage years, nearly 100% of America’s kids have a phone.”

Not too long ago, handsets were bulky and had minimal capabilities. Now, your mobile phone has become the ultimate communication device with texting, email capabilities, instant messaging and immediate connections to social networks. Don’t worry kids – You can easily stalk your best friend Shannon on Facebook while on the way to your next class!!

As tweens become a more prominent target market for this industry, what does this mean for handset manufacturers, carriers and mobile application developers? What exactly appeals to this demographic? Who are the decision makers? The parents? The tweens?

These are all factors to take into account when developing a successful PR campaign. First, we start with determining who makes the buying decision, and what drives their buying decision. Then we look at who the buyers look to for information when they are making their decisions. Finally, we determine the best possible outreach plan based on your target influencers. This is where some of the most powerful results come from. So, who’s your decider?

This week, over 120 companies will be launching products at one of two trade shows focused on start ups: Demo 08 and TechCrunch 50. Having worked with companies launching at previous Demo shows, I know that preparation for these shows takes an incredible investment of time, resources and money on the part of the start up. Unfortunately, when two similar shows occur at the same time, the one predictable result is that spotlight is removed from the start ups, and the volume of news makes it much harder for any particular start up to attract attention.

As previously noted, more people read about a trade show, then attend. This means that garnering press coverage is one of the most important aspects of trade show exhibiting. This is especially true when the trade show is sponsored by a major media organization – in this case TechCrunch and IDG News.

With the first two days of each conference completed, what can we say about the press coverage. Much of the mainstream media coverage has been about the organizers, the competition, and comments about commenting about the competition. The two shows also have generated a firehose of information.

Quite frankly, with 120 companies in 2 days, the overall impression becomes a blur of start ups with mobile, social networking, video, microblogging, advertising platforms. To make matters worse, there also is a CTIA Wireless show in San Francisco this week with hundreds of companies vying for press attention.

For companies that are not exhibiting at these shows, avoiding issuing news during high traffic trade show weeks becomes an imperative. The collateral damage from these simultaneous shows is not limited to exhbitors.

The decision as to when to launch a PR campaign is more about determining your marketing goals than about picking a date. When you launch a PR campaign, you are shining a kleig light on your company and inviting the world to take a look. Typically, this means that your product is available, with website and marketing materials ready.

However, we are starting to see a trend where companies are now looking to raise awareness in advance of having an actual product. These companies tend to be in developing areas of technology where the start ups want to establish themselves as thought leaders and experts in their emerging fields. It is especially important for a start up with products that have long purchase cycles to get on the radar of their potential customers as early as possible.

Another reason to get started with PR early is if the start up is looking for financing. Coverage in publications followed by VCs and angel investors can expand the universe of financing options and create the opportunity to finance on better terms.

Thinking about launching a PR campaign…but rethinking it because it’s the middle of the summer and who’s around? Think again.

Yes, editors and analysts go on vacation but they do come back in a week or two. Summer tends to be a time when they might have more flexibility with their work schedule to take an intro briefing or take the time to view a product demo from a new company. Although there might be less news announcements during the summer months, news still needs to be posted.

Likewise, if your company is thinking about a fall product launch or aggressive campaign for Q4; the time to start that campaign is not September 1. The time to start that campaign is now so you’re out the door on September 1.

Ideally, to prepare for a Q4 campaign you want to start now – yesterday.

• What about company messaging? Does this need a rehaul? Is it outdated? Vantage Communications can organize a messaging workshop with the key company executives to uncover new messaging for your organization. Once the messaging has been refined – and this will take a few rounds – especially, if several executives or board members need to approve it.

• Testing the messaging. We love it but what does the industry think? We always recommend reaching out to a third-party expert for industry validation. They might love it, too or offer some suggestions for improvement. Vantage can take care of this for you.

• New messaging approved. Next step: The company website needs to be updated with the new messaging. Content needs to be created and updated to reflect this. Company backgrounders, boilerplates, company presentations, etc. all should reflect the new messaging.

• Planning for the new product launch – Media Blitz: What should we do? Press tour, analyst tour, trade show event, podcast, video segment, a launch including other customers or partners? These all sound like great ideas that need to be agreed upon and then planned out including starting the logistics. Before the logistics can begin, the strategy needs to be determined and the timing confirmed. The Vantage team can assist with the best strategy and then execute it.

There is so much more to plan for an effective campaign but I think you get the idea…

Thinking about a PR campaign? What are you waiting for? The summer is a perfect time!