How to Hold a Press Conference
If you have a major announcement to make, such as a new product, a technological breakthrough or research findings, the most efficient way to get the news out may be to hold a press conference.
Topic
The first step is to make sure that what you are announcing is newsworthy or interesting to the media members you are targeting.Location
Where you hold the conference can add impact to your message. If the announcement is about a company breakthrough it makes sense to have the conference at the company headquarters. If you want to project an air of neutrality, a press club may be the way to go. An important consideration is the convenience of your attendees; the conference should be centrally located and easy to get to, either close to public transportation, or with ample parking available.
Timing
For maximum attendance the date and time should be carefully considered. The morning hours are usually best, especially for reporters who work on deadline, and unless you are dealing with breaking news, it is usually a good idea to avoid holding your press conference on a Friday or on a day when other news events are occurring, for example, elections.
Invitations
At least one week before the date of the conference issue a press release detailing the date time, place, subject matter and who will be speaking. Follow up on the press release with individual email or print invitations and phone calls. Finally, call or email the day before the event.
Program
Determine who will speak to the media, whether it will be one person, a panel of experts or even a celebrity spokesperson, decide on a format beforehand and make sure that everyone involved is briefed and is ready to field questions.
Take Away Materials
It is a good idea to develop press materials detailing the information you want to convey. Include a press release, fact sheets, background information on your organization or the people speaking and contact information for follow up inquiries.
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Putting Online Surveys to Work for You
What do clients really think of your latest marketing campaign? Do they like your new Web site? How can you gather targeted market research data that is specific to your company, your products and the future of your business?
With online surveys, companies of all sizes and specialties can tap into existing and potential customers to collect valuable data and feedback. For communications firms, these results can help shape future marketing and public relations efforts.
With the availability of online survey creation tools - or with custom solutions facilitated by a Web-based provider - you can maintain a high level of control and ensure the successful implementation of your survey. In addition, recipient tracking and real-time reporting and data analysis can help to quickly generate business solutions.
There are many benefits to utilizing online surveys, some include:
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Budget Impact: Delivery of survey notifications over e-mail, or posting on the Internet, can significantly reduce the budget needed to conduct the more traditional print mailing or phone-based survey.
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Production Lifecycle: The process of delivery and response can be immediate and is traceable over time.
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Target Audience: Online surveys make it easy to target a specific audience and often provide more specific and relevant information.
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Higher Response Rates: Online surveys provide much higher response rates than phone or mail surveys and are less obtrusive to respondents.
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Follow-up: With the use of targeted distribution lists, you can easily coordinate responses, reminders and follow-up surveys to consumers you’d most like to reach.
Companies these days must learn to compete in the Web 2.0 world. By providing an outlet where your audience can immediately deliver feedback, you can better meet client needs and ensure customer satisfaction. Online surveys are an ideal solution to facilitate that critical component of your interactive communication strategies.
Best regards,
Peter Rush, Chairman & CEO
Visit Our Web site: www.kellencommunications.com
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