PR Opportunities: Small vs Large

by Julianne Smith

With the searchability of the Internet, no publicity mention is a small mention. Your company could be featured on the smallest blog or the biggest TV show and there is no guarantee that one will be more effective than the other. Treat all publicity opportunities, regardless of perceived size, as you would any client: like they are the most important thing to you at that moment.

Sometimes the smallest mention can turn into a bigger deal than you ever anticipated because of the Internet. Internet search engines and archives ensure that things posted online live forever and can pop up at anytime. Because of this, you should respond to all requests and be consistent in your message to everyone.

If an editor, any editor, wants to take time out of their day and feature your company, be flattered. Respond to their requests quickly and efficiently. Get them what they ask for and then some. You don’t want to overwhelm them, but be helpful and whatever you provide should be relevant to the request.

As a general public relations rule, I’m an advocate of strategically going after those media targets that will bring you a return on your time investment and that will help you achieve your publicity goals. However, from time to time, and especially the more that you put your company out there, both large and small media opportunities that you didn’t seek out will come your way.

Regardless of the size of the publication, if you have your PR materials together, you should be able to quickly respond to any request without too much trouble.

Splendid Sundays Volume 52

A handful of splendid finds and interesting news from around the worldwide web:

*Omni Hotels acquires popular destination wedding resort, Amelia Island Plantation.

*You are not Seth Godin.

*Advice for graphic design students (applies to so many more fields).

*5 myths about Philadelphia's blogging tax.

*Quotable: "Good design can't fix broken business models." - Jeffrey Veen

Do you have any splendid finds to share?

The Legalities of Free and Discounted Services

Earlier tonight, celebrity wedding planner, Marcy Blum, twittered about her frustration with bloggers and editors getting married and then writing about and promoting all the services they received, but without disclosing that any of the services were free or discounted. Frankly, I don't know who Marcy was referring to. I haven't asked her yet because I wanted to write this post in as unbiased a way as possible.

Several people replied to Marcy saying they thought promoting the free goods without disclosing it was unethical. More than being unethical, it is illegal. Here is what the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) regulations and U.S federal law have to say about the matter:

*If you are receiving a wedding service for free or at a deep discount, and you post about that vendor anywhere online, you have to disclose that you received the service for free or at a discount. The fine for failing to do so can be up to $11,000 per infraction.

*If you are a vendor who provided the service for free or a deep discount and it is not disclosed in the posts written about you, you can ALSO be fined up to $11,000 per infraction. The onus does not just rest with the recipient. The FTC can fine one or both of you; you are NOT off the hook just because you did not post about it yourself.

*You must also disclose "material connections" or free products you may receive or give, not just services.

*These regulations apply not just to blogs, but to Facebook and Twitter updates, and other social media platforms as well. 

*The FTC regulations are retroactive to October 5, 2009 when they took effect and anyone can report a violation. You may think you can get away with it, but if you have a competitor or anyone with something to gain by you being reported, you could be in trouble.

The FTC implemented these regulations to bring more transparency to business interactions and the consumer. You can read the full guidelines here. If you're thinking about giving someone a free or discounted service or product because it could result in great a great press opportunity for you, make sure that both you and the recipient are committed to disclosing that fact before you donate your time and service so that you can avoid any legal issues.

Splendid Sundays Volume 51

A handful of splendid finds and interesting tidbits from around the worldwide web:

*Freelancers vs Business Owners (language warning for those of you who mind)

*Pizza Hut reports that nearly 50% of their orders come from mobile phones, either through texts, their iPhone app, or their mobile website.

*An open letter to the hospitality industry.

*Facebook isn't a fan of the movie "The Social Network" (Maybe now they will finally create a "dislike" button.)

*Quotable: "Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries." - John Albert Michener

Do you have any splendid finds to share?

Splendid Ideas: NewlyWish

The first feature in the new Splendid Ideas series is NewlyWish, a registry service that focuses on both local mom and pop type stores and some larger ones and also offers the ability to register for experiential services (dance classes) as well as artwork or ballet tickets. Amanda and I had dinner a few weeks ago after about a half dozen friends recommend we meet. I was familiar with her company, but as we talked I became more and more impressed with her focused approach and the fact that her business is as much about empowering her merchant clients as it is the couples who register.

Amanda and her husband Robard Williams. They have a cute "how we met" story. Ask them about it sometime.

Name: Amanda Allen
Company Name: NewlyWish
Website: NewlyWish.com

What was your motivation behind starting NewlyWish?

The inspiration for NewlyWish came from my own wedding registry experience. Having a destination wedding, my husband and I were a little ambivalent about registering since we really just wanted as many of our friends and family to come to the wedding as possible. Our parents, though, helped us realize that a registry is as much about convenience for people who did want to give a gift as it is about ‘getting what we want’. I discovered, however, that the stores we really wanted to register with lacked online registries if they had any registry capabilities at all. I thought, ‘what a shame!’ The more I spoke with other engaged couples and recent brides, the more I realized that my experience was not uncommon and that there was a tremendous demand for these merchants’ goods but one which, due to time, money, or technological constraints, they just couldn’t meet.

As I thought through the idea, the motivation for NewlyWish really became two-fold: develop a service that gives couples increased choice by allowing them to register at smaller, independent brick-and-mortar stores, and to help the stores participate in the wedding registry market, something that may have been beyond their reach from a technological and/or marketing perspective.

You have an interesting story behind how you raised funding for your business. Can you share a little bit about that?

Once I decided that I wanted to jump into entrepreneurship and start my own business, I left my job in banking at the Federal Reserve Bank of NY and enrolled in the MBA program at Fordham University.

I had a pretty strong sense that I wanted to fund the business myself, at least at the outset, to the greatest extent possible. Being in an MBA program, I had access to a wonderful array of support through professors and school-sponsored programs, a key component of which were business plan competitions. I put together a team and entered a competition sponsored by Merrill Lynch and Baruch College and supported by mentors at the SCORE agency. The competition included 13 participating schools, over 100 submitted concepts, and three elimination rounds. After eight fairly grueling months, our team made it to the final round which included a two minute elevator pitch and an hour of questioning by a panel of business professionals and angel investors. We were ultimately lucky enough to win first place, which came with a nice bit of seed capital.

Bolstered by this success, we participated in the Pace University Pitch Competition. This one included more than 150 concepts submitted from 40 schools nationwide. After pitching in front of an audience of 200+ and a panel of investment professionals, we won the grand prize, which included seed capital as well as six months of office space.

While the seed capital we received through these competitions was tremendously helpful, I would say the most valuable part of these competitions was the validation we received on our business model.

They helped us identify weaknesses in our approach as well as potential pitfalls in execution, and ultimately gave us the confidence to charge forward knowing we were really on to something and had a pretty solid roadmap for making it a reality.

Aside from a focus on local businesses, what differentiates you from other registries?

One of the most interesting parts of NewlyWish is the range of merchants and gifts that we offer. In addition to providing a platform that aggregates all of the gifts a couple chooses into a single list (regardless of which merchant they come from), we offer a variety of really fun non-traditional and experience gifts. So, in addition to finding everything they need for their kitchen, tabletop, and bed and bath linens, couples can include cooking or dancing lessons (two of our most popular items), fitness sessions, artwork, tickets to the ballet, or a museum membership to their registry.

Another area where we go beyond other registries is that we offer a bunch of unique and interesting gifts for the wedding party, such as custom-designed perfumes for each of the bridesmaids and tickets to a ballgame for the groomsmen.

Our goal is to take advantage of all the wonderful things that are available around New York, and present them in a single convenient place for couples and guests to use their imaginations and really personalize their gifts.

Many of the businesses represented on your site are locally owned, smaller companies who may not be as up to date with technology. How does what you offer help them?

One of the most interesting (and challenging) aspects of running NewlyWish is that we have two sets of clients – engaged couples, and our network of shops. With regard to the latter, our goal is to provide a marketing, sales and technological platform to access the wedding registry market. This is a large market, but it’s dominated by about a dozen or so national department and specialty stores. While it’s difficult enough for smaller stores to compete with these large, national brands, as more and more parts of wedding planning move online, offering customers a state-of-the-art online platform is essential to engaging them and being included in their consideration set. With NewlyWish, shops that are members of our network can offer their customers a complete online registry, regardless of the extent or sophistication of their own ecommerce capabilities, and they also gain a business partner who is dedicated to marketing them to engaged couples.

What’s more, by offering couples the ability to add items from a multitude of shops to their registry, they are more likely to include one or two items from a given shop where they may have not wanted to create a complete registry. This allows us to introduce a whole set of shops and services providers that have never considered joining the wedding registry market. Take, for example, Great Seats Ltd who offers tickets to concerts, sporting and cultural events, or Robinson's Prime Reserve, a purveyor of fine steaks (and a very popular groomsmen gift), neither of whom could have justified the investment in entering the registry and wedding gift market without NewlyWish.

As you know, 85% of couples who actively participate with a brand during their engagement will remain loyal to it for the next 50 years. What advice do you have for companies who are seeking to capture the attention of engaged couples in order to turn them into lifelong customers?

It’s difficult to talk about business-related advice without sounding like you’re spouting truisms, but one of the most important things we’ve learned is that you have to communicate with your customers, which means not only giving them the opportunity to tell you what they think, but to also listen to what they are saying even if you can’t always give them exactly what they want, and really think about customer service. This is particularly true for people in the wedding industry. Setting aside the stereotyped ‘bridezilla’, engaged couples are often like those circus performers who spin a bunch of plates on the end of long sticks – they have a lot of details to deal with, all of which have exactly the same deadline – if any one piece (or plate) drops, it can affect every other part. Being sensitive to this is paramount to folks in our industry. Being responsive and attentive to your customers’ needs in such an important time in their lives will go a long way to helping to keep them as customers long after the ceremony, reception, and honeymoon have passed.

And remember, communication with your customers isn’t always direct: make sure that you tend to and nourish your social networks and stay in touch with, and participate in, the discussions that are going on across the market through all of the blogs and sites dedicated to wedding planning.

What were some unexpected challenges you faced in launching NewlyWish? Is there anything you would do differently?

The discipline provided by participating in the business plan competitions gave us the opportunity to get a bunch of really helpful feedback and insight into unexpected challenges. That said, one of the first challenges we faced was the tried and true fact that ‘things always take twice as long and cost twice as much’ as you plan. No matter how much you prepare, there are always going to be time and cost overruns. Plain and simple. So, when budgeting for a new business, in addition to using a range of scenarios that take into account best and worst cases for revenues and costs, include a ‘miscellaneous’ line item or something like that, which provides you with an additional cushion as you plan what it’s really going to take, from a financing perspective, to get your business to the point where it can generate positive cash flow.

A second key challenge, more specific to our business, has been that since our model includes both B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) components, we’ve needed to balance which to focus on and when. For example, we needed to first build our merchant network and make our marketplace attractive to merchants. But in the classic ‘chicken or egg’ paradigm, one of their primary questions was, ‘how are you bringing customers to your site?’ So we also needed to come up with ways to get customers as we were building out the offerings on the site. If we were to do it all again, we probably would go beyond the market research and customer surveys we did, and build a set of ‘beta’ couples who were ready to use the site during development.

Can non-engaged people take advantage of what NewlyWish offers and support the local merchants through online shopping?

Yes. One aspect of our site that people don’t immediately recognize is that you don’t need to have a wedding registry to make purchases on NewlyWish. While the registry platform is a key part of our business, our site also serves as a cool little marketplace of chic and stylish NYC-based shops – you can add items from any shop, with the convenience of a single checkout process and have them ship to you no matter where you are in the country. We’ve also developed a network of local wedding resources – planners, photographers, florists, bakers, and hair and makeup services – that our customers can check out and consider for inclusion in their vendor list.


Thanks, Amanda!

You can check out NewlyWish here and you can follow them on Twitter here.

If you're in New York, NewlyWish is hosting an exclusive bridal event as part of Fashion’s Night Out on Friday, September 10th at the Michael Aram flagship store in Chelsea. You can come and see all of Michael Aram’s beautiful home decorative items and meet experts from the NewlyWish network, including Loulie Walker, Belle Fleur, Gabriella New York Bridal Salon, Desserts by Tawny Ong, New York Wedding Dance, and Bottle Rocket Wine and Spirits.

Introducing Splendid Ideas

There's been an influx recently of negativity-couched-in-"just-being-honest" tweets and blog posts about how everything is still horrible and business hasn't gotten better for anyone. Frankly, it's not true. Some companies still are hurting from the economy, no doubt about that. But not all of them are, and to assume so only damages creativity. Many people have turned economic lemons not just into lemonade, but into entire lemon-flavored bakeries and I have been incredibly inspired recently by all the very smart, very innovative concepts launching in the wedding and event industry.

To highlight these companies, I'll be starting a new series here on Think Splendid called Splendid Ideas that will feature conversations with the people behind the bright ideas. These won't focus just on people who run a smart business, but on people who are true thought leaders, innovators and who are shaping the future of the industry.

I have some great companies lined up so far, but I also want to hear from you! If you know of a company that is doing some awesome things right now, please let me know about it in the comments below.

Expert Advice on Getting Published

by Julianne Smith

The number one public relations or PR mistake that wedding companies make is not doing their homework. If you want to be published in a magazine or on a blog, start by actually reading it.

Read past issues. Go through archives and really read the content. How do they write? What pictures do they like? What is their style? What do they typically post? When do they publish? Who writes the articles? And, most importantly, where would you fit in?

Think like an editor as you are reading. Envision where your work could be included. By reading, you can learn the names of the editors that you need to pitch, the type of work they are looking for, how they want the content packaged, when to submit, and what trends they are interested in. You will also see what they’ve already published, so you can present something new.

Every publication has a certain style. It is up to you to figure out what it is and out how your company can fit into it. If you want a publication to write about you, you need to fit their mold, not the other way around. They have a certain way for a certain reason. Maybe it sells more advertising space or maybe it sells more magazines. Either way, they have a style. And, just because you think your work is pretty, doesn’t mean they will. So, do your research. You’ll be more effective.

Splendid Sundays Volume 50

A handful of splendid finds and interesting tidbits from around the worldwide web:

*JetBlue responds to the flight attendant incident via their blog.

*Luxury bridal gown purveyor, Mark Ingram, launched The Aisle New York this week, an online bridal ecommerce site offering "luxury bridal fashion at once in a lifetime prices."

*A British magazine tests neuromarketing to help make their publication more appealing.

*Forbes Magazine profiles Groupon, a two year old business worth $1.35 billion with a 29 year old founder and CEO.

*Quotable: "Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason so few engage in it." – Henry Ford

Do you have any splendid finds to share?

Splendid Insights: Wedding Cakes

Splendid Insight: Interest in custom wedding cakes has increased 18% in the past two years.

© 2010 Splendid Insights

New iPhone App for Event Planners

I find that when people think of event planning, and wedding planning in particular, they focus on the design aspect. That is, after all, the part that people see. However, what you don't see in the event photos gracing the blogs and magazines are the parts that make or break an event: the logistical details. These may not be as glamorous as styling the perfect table, but if there isn't enough food or the floor plan isn't done with the guests' comfort in mind or the event goes over budget because of hidden costs, then the event ends as a mess rather than an enjoyable memory.

Event industry expert Howard Givner launched an iPhone app this week that will help all of the logistical details of your events go off without a hitch and give you time to focus on the other areas of planning. Called Super Planner, it is ideal for both wedding and corporate event planners and is hands down the most comprehensive business app currently available for event planners. Here are a few of the features:

A pricing conversion page. The biggest thing that brides get hung up on (and many planners) are the hidden costs, particularly with venues. It's always disappointing for a client to think that a meal is going to cost $100 per guest only later to find out it is closer to $140 per person because of taxes and fees. This part of the app allows you to input the number of attendees and then see the real costs based on gratuities, taxes, all inclusive or the plus/plus fees. Imagine being able to sit with a client at a site visit or tasting and being able to tell them the actual cost in a matter of seconds instead of having to go back to your office and plug the numbers into an excel spreadsheet or scribble long-hand math in your notebook.

A food and drink calculator. How much alcohol do you need for 175 guests? How many hors d'oeuvres? This part of the app will answer that at a glance.

This next page allows you to input the square feet of a room or event space and it will automatically tell you how many people it can hold based on your table choices.

Here's a demo video of all of the features, including ones I didn't mention above and just how simple it is to use:

Super Planner iphone app demo v2 from Howard Givner on Vimeo.

The app is $9.99 and well worth it for its functionality and ease of use, not to mention how much time you will save on these routine, yet critical, planning tasks. You can download the Super Planner app at the iTunes store here.

The Secret to Getting Good Press

by Julianne Smith

Publicists will have you believe that you need every magazine to publish every one of your weddings, and every blog to feature your work in order to be successful. Frankly, this is how they stay in business. The more times you are published, the better they look and the more you think you need a publicist in the first place. Even if you are only published one time through your publicist, they’ve created a belief that you need more. I would counter that when it comes to PR, more isn’t better. More is simply more.

Companies should strategically pick a PR target and go after it with full force. Decide beforehand the type of publicity that you want. In fact, take it one step further and decide which section of which publication you want. For example, do you want to be quoted in an article about how to design and build a candy buffet? Or do you want your product worn by a bride on the latest wedding TV show?

PR is a quality over quantity game. Seek out the publicity that will help your business. One really targeted media hit that has the kind of impact that you are looking for is a lot more meaningful than five mediocre hits that simply took up your time.

Good PR targeting is also about finding the right wedding from your portfolio and matching it up with the right editor who is willing to hear your message. Only pitch to those publications that would be a good fit for your news. Make an effort to seek out the media that would have an actual interest in what you have to say.

Publicity should help to grow your business in the way that you want it to, not make more work for you. Let’s be honest: you have another job to do. While you are making all of these PR pitch calls, you still have a business to run and clients to keep happy.

Be targeted and be focused. You will be more likely to see results.

Splendid Sundays Volume 49

A handful of splendid finds and interesting tidbits from around the worldwide web:

*A software has been created that detects depression in blog posts.

*What would you do if someone gave you a million dollars for your business?

*Snippet and Ink launched their new site this week.

*The nominations for the 2011 Event Solutions Spotlight Awards are now open.

*Quotable: "An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage." - Jack Welch

Do you have any splendid finds to share?

Splendid Insights: Wedding Dresses

Splendid Insight: On average, brides have spent up to three times more on wedding dresses since 2007.

© 2010 Splendid Insights

I Will vs I Did

Your ideas don't matter too much if you never do anything about them. You can go through life saying "I will do this" and adding the idea to a "someday" list several pages long. You can also go through life saying "I did do this." Both the idea and its execution are necessary and both matter.

People say the first step is always the hardest. I'm not convinced I agree. I find that the subsequent steps after an idea's launch are much more difficult, but the most difficult is when things seem to be at a plateau. Keep going anyway.

You don't get credit because you had an idea, you get credit because you kept it alive and did something with it.

How to Prepare for PR Opportunities

by Julianne Smith

If you’ve decided that you want to earn publicity for your company, the best thing you can do is put in a little work in advance to get yourself organized.

What do I mean? Literally, pull all of your details and information together and put them in a file so that when it comes time to act or respond to a media request, you are ready to go. Gathering your materials early will help you to develop and fine tune your portfolio. You’ll be able to put your best face forward, because you actually spent time thinking about it and weren’t rushed. It will also help you to quickly respond to any additional or last minute PR requests that come your way.

Depending on your company, here are some things you should consider putting in your PR folder: 5-10 diverse photos of your work (high resolution as well as smaller ones that can be emailed quickly); a few, well-crafted sentences describing your company; some really short buzz phrases to describe your work; samples of your product, in case you need to mail some off; answers to typical questions about your company (history, size, location, specialties, etc.); and a sample pitch to an editor.

When an editor contacts you or asks for information, whether you started the conversation or not, you need to respond quickly. If you take two weeks to respond or spend time waiting for your photographer to send you photos, you’ve missed your opportunity. Your competitor has already responded and taken your PR spot.

When an editor asks for something, they generally needed it yesterday. The faster you respond, even if they decide to sit on it for a month, the more likely you are to get published. It shows you are helpful, you are professional and that you know what you are doing.

Splendid Sundays Volume 48

A handful of splendid finds and interesting tidbits from around the worldwide web:

*Inter-cultural wedding experts Mayra and Xochitl of Always a Bridesmaid wrote a fantastic commentary in response to the news that the African-American woman's magazine, Essence, hired a white fashion editor.

*Garage sale find of Ansel Adams negatives could be worth millions

*Why intelligent people fail

*Small business bill blocked in the Senate

*Quotable:"Passion sounds like a fancy word. I like what I do." - Cormac McCarthy

Do you have any splendid finds to share?