marketing & sales roundtable pr & market success november 2005

Marketing & Sales Roundtable

PR & Market Success

November 2005

2©2005 Remacle & Sokolsky

11:30 – Introductions/Objectives

11:45 – PR and Market Success

1:15 – Summary and Wrap-up

Agenda


Message ArchitectureMessage Architecture

Positioning StrategyPositioning Strategy Statement

Employee Meetings

Press and Analyst

Briefings

Corporate Identity System

Trade Shows, Conferences

Speeches,Presentations,Employment

Ads

Websites, Extranets

Brochures,Collateral

Sales, Channel Training

The Foundations of a Market Leadership Position


Message Architecture

• Positioning is communicated through strategy evidence-based messages that address market, technology, product and company elements

Company Value Proposition

Market CompanyProductTechnology

Prove Viability of Technical Approach

• IP, Patents

• Standards

• Technology heritage

Prove Business Benefits of Product

• Key benefits:competitive differentiator

• Total product elements

• 3rd party benchmarks, tests

Prove Importance of the Market

• Customer problem/Company opportunity

• Segment characteristics

• Market size, growth

Prove Quality of theCompany

• Funding, board

• Management team

• Domain expertise

• Customers, partners


Market Segment

SALES

TARGET

PARTNERS

INDUSTRY

ANALYSTS

ANALYSTS

TRADE

PRESS

MarketEntry

CustomerSegment

Company

BUSINESS

pRESS

EDITORS

ACCOUNTS

CHANNEL

FINANCIAL

EDITORS

Validation

Education

INVESTORS

Market Momentum: Market Leverage

Message Distribution Channels


The Fundamentals

• Public Relations is about relationships• PR is every employee’s responsibility• Reputation, image require constant care• If you don’t position yourself, your competitor will• What’s kept out of print is also a measure of success• “PR” does not stand for Press Release


PR Objectives

• Position company and product (s) • Educate key market participants• Establish credibility • Gain awareness • Capitalize on key customer/partner ‘wins’


Why a PR Firm?

• Need for objective, independent viewpoint• Provides stronger communication to key audiences• Ability to leverage strategic skills and support• Implementation with newest ideas and tools


When to Hire A PR Firm?

• Product or company launch• Support ongoing marketing effort• New financing• Crisis management• Employee communications• Shareholder communications• Community or government relations


Hiring A PR Firm: Six Steps

• Define your objectives• Construct an informational backgrounder• Develop a list of agencies• Meet the short list• Executive team review of finalist (s)• Make the final decision


How Long Does It Take to…

Hire a PR Agency: 4 to 6 Weeks

Announce A Company and Funding: 4 to 6 Weeks

Announce First Product: 8 to 12 Weeks

Announce Market Awareness & Build Infrastructure Relationships: Over 1 Year…


PR Responsibilities

• Planning & counseling• Tailored messages • Awards and reviews programs• Tradeshow/special event support

• On-site support• Press room staffing

• Speaker placements/industry expert profiles

• Press tour planning & support

• Media relations• Proactive efforts• Daily communications• Editorial calendars

• Analyst relations• Trade analysts• Financial analysts

• Writing• Press releases• Press kit development• Collateral

• Investor relations/financial community expertise


Public Relations Strategy

• What business goal with this help us achieve?• Whom do we want to reach and why?• What are variables in the market environment? Competitors, market

dynamics, socio-economics?• How can we make this story broader? What else can we package

together to make it stronger?• Do we have a single, double, triple, homerun?


Public Relations Strategy

• There are finite number of stories to tell – take your cue from classic literature: Media narratives are told and retold

• How does your company fit into broader narratives?• What character does your company play?• How do you keep the spotlight?• Who are the supporting characters?

• Deconstruct your potential story via past articles• What was the theme?• How prominent was the story?• What assets did they use?

• Find your “in” connection• Are there reporters that have personal connections?• Is this a hot theme for a given publication?


PR Strategy Considerations

• Situation analysis • Competitive landscape• Business goals• Timing• Audiences • Messages• Spokespeople


PR Responsibilities in Launching Your Company and ProductThree Months Before Product Launch: (ANNOUNCE THE COMPANY) • Identify and pre-brief key analysts• Announce the company, funding, investors, executives, company direction

Two Months Before Product Launch:• Develop market segment positioning and messaging• Gain endorsement of analysts, customers and partners as references• Conduct embargoed briefings with large pool of analysts and longer lead press

One Week before Product Launch:• Conduct embargoed briefings with short leads and trusted bloggers

Announce Product:• Including market demand, value proposition, differentiation, pricing, availability

Ongoing Visibility:• Create opportunities for thought leadership, visibility, product reviews


Sample Media “Stories”

• Straight news• News announcements• Earnings

• Industry trends• Primer/overview

• Q&A• Profiles• Product stories

• Product overviews• Product reviews• Hits and misses


Common Mistakes

• Little to no preparation • Misaligned objectives• Inconsistent/unclear messages • No follow through, no follow-on plan • Assumption that “product” sells itself• Inward focus – it’s about the market, not you!• Delegating PR responsibility to junior people• Focusing on window dressing vs. the content• Events, announcements are tools, not end result


Not All PR is Good PR

• Quote, story inconsistent with the positioning strategy• Quote, story inconsistent with the message architecture• Leak while a story is under embargo• Unsubstantiated, non-credible claims• Wrong magazine, etc. for the target market


SALES

CHANNELS

TARGET

ACCOUNTS

PARTNERS

CONSULTANTS/

GURUS

ANALYSTS

TRADE

PRESS

Market EntryCustomerSegment

Company

Do all Companyfunctions, divisions/

geographiesunderstand and

support thepositioning strategy?

Do theysupporttargeted

applications,customers?

Are these groups references, testimonials for Company?

Is Companymanagementviewed as aninformation

source?

Do reports reinforceCompany’s

positioning strategy?

Do articles and editorials reflect

Company’s positioning strategy?

Does thecustomer

understandwhen to callCompany?

Market Leverage Evaluation


Parting Thoughts

• Make yourself available as an expert “resource” and you become an ally to influencers

• Align company outreach to receptive audiences at the right time • A well executed PR program can be your best lead generation tool


Below are additional Public Relations tools that can be found on the SRF Entrepreneurs’ Exchange• Funding Announcement Package• Guidelines for Creating a Speaking Opportunities Calendar• Media Interview Guide• Press Releases – Tips from Business Journalists• Sample Public Relations Plan Outline• New Media 101: Acquiring and Building Customer Relationships the “New Way

” Marketing & Sales Roundtable


Appendix


The Tough Broad 2 dorks, a dog and a dream Winners & Losers

Sample Media Narratives: Business Features


The Industry Disruptor The Rise & Fall The Resurrection



The Emerging Industry The New Guy The Underdog



The Makeover The Up-and-Comer The Unsung Hero



Sample Media Targets

General Science• American Scientist• Discover• Scientific American • Technology Review

IT• CIO• CIO Insight• ComputerWire• ComputerWorld• CRN/VARBusiness• eWeek• Information Week• InfoWorld• Intelligent Enterprise InternetWorld• InternetWeek• Network World• Network Magazine• Network Computing• PC Magazine• PC World

TechnologyLinux • Linux Today • Linux Magazine• Linux Journal• Linux.com• LinuxWorld Magazine• Open Magazine• OSDN Open Source

Storage/Database • Computer Technology Review/

Storage Management Solutions/ Storage, Inc.

• Data Storage Review• InfoSTOR• Mass Storage News• Storage Magazine• StorageWeek

Storage Onlines• Byte and Switch.com• Embeddedstar.com• Enterprise Storage Forum• IT Storage Online• Mass Storage News• Searchstorage.com• SNIA.net• SNWonline.com (Toigo)• Storage Reporter • Storage Supersite• Storage World Web• StorageAdmin.com• StoragePipeline.com

Storewidth.com• Tidalwire.com (The Storage

Reporter)


Sample Media Targets: Verticals

Government• Defense News• Federal Computer Week• Federal Times• Governing• Government Computer News• Government Computing• Government Executive• Government Product News• Government Technology• Homeland Defense Journal• HPCwire• Military Information Technology• Signal• Technology in Government• Washington Technology

Life Sciences• BioCentury• Bio-IT World• Biomedical Market Newsletter• BioPharm• BioScience• Bioscience Technology• BIOTECH• Biotech Business• BioTech Technology• BioTech Week• Biotechnology Focus• Biotechnology News• BioVenture View• BioWorld Today• Genome Technology• Start-up/InVivo


Sample Media Targets: BusinessOnline/Wires• Associated Press• Bloomberg• CNet• Dow Jones News• Gannett• IDG• Knight Ridder• MarketWatch• msnbc.com• CNN.com • Reuters• Scripps Howard

News Service• ZDNet/Cnet

Top Dailies• Wall Street Journal Times • New York Times• Los Angeles Times • Washington Post • Financial Times• San Jose Mercury News • Boston Globe • USA Today

Business/Mainstream• Business 2.0• Businessweek.com• Business Week• Entrepreneur• Forbes• Forbes.com• Fortune • Fortune Small Business• Newsweek• Time• U.S. News/World Report

Finance• Daily Deal • Private Equity Week• Red Herring• VentureSource• VentureWire •


Industry Analysts

• Burton Group• Cahners In-Stat • Clipper Group• Dell’Oro Group• DH Brown• DISK/TREND• HTRC Group• Hurwitz Group • Infonetics Research• InQuest• IT Centrix• NetsEdge Research• Peripheral Concepts• Pioneer Consulting• Sageza Research

• Arun Taneja• Data Mobility Group • EMA• ESG• Evaluator Group• Gartner• Gilder• IDC• Illuminata• META Group• Strategic Research• Yankee Group

• Aberdeen• AMR• Datamonitor• Forrester/Giga• Current Analysis• Technology Business Research• The Storage Group


Technology Bloggers

• O’Reilly Radar• Above the Crowd• Sandhill.com• VentureBlog• Web Standards Project• InstaPundit

• BusinessWeek Dealflow• SiliconBeat• SiliconValleyWatcher• Slashdot.com• Silent Penguin• Open Source Zone• Engadget• Boing Boing• Gizmondo

• Om Malik• Dan Gillmor• Dana Blankenhorn• Joi Ito• Andrew Sullivan• Doc Searls• Wonkette• Lawrence Lessig• Davenetics


Public Relations Agency Selection GuidePublic Relations is a key activity throughout a company’s lifecycle and is often its major marketing activity leading up to a companyor product launch. Unlike other service agencies (graphics, web, advertising, etc.), a PR firm must have an in-depthunderstanding of a company’s products and strategies in order to represent it accurately to press and analyst audiences. Sinceyour team will spend significant time and resources building the PR firm’s knowledge base, it will be well worth the up-frontinvestment to select a firm with the right capabilities and personality fit.Start by phone screening 3-5 firms based on knowledge of your technology and product category, experience with companies of your size and maturity , and cost. Determine whether there is a potential competitors. Schedule in-person “capabilitiesPresentations” with 2-3 firms that meet your criteria.

Selection Team: CEO, VP Marketing, Director of Marketing CommunicationsHere are key questions that should be addressed during the search and selection process:

Capabilities1. What is the size of your firm? Number of clients? Number of permanent employees vs. number of

contractors? Where are they located?2. What is your experience in our technology, market, and product? Can you provide examples of your ability to

understand technical concepts and products and communicate it in an accessible manner to a wide range of audiences?


Public Relations Agency Selection Guide (Cont’d)

3. A. What are the backgrounds and experiences of the team that would work on our account? What otheraccounts do they work on? What other accounts do they work on? What % of time do they devote to each?(3-4 accounts should be maximum for an account executive)B. With which key influencers in our market do you have established and ongoing relationships? C. What is your level of experience in working with launching new technologies/products, helping create newmarkets, etc.?

4. Team structure. Who exactly is responsible for what facets of the program activities? Will there be one personWho will be our day-to-day contact? When will we meet that person?

5. Provide three current or recent client references with requirements similar to ours.6. Why have you parted ways with clients and visa versa?

Strategy Development7. How do you ensure that a company’s positioning and branding strategies and messages architecture and

properly conveyed?8. What do you think are the most important PR challenges facing our company?9. How does your agency develop content and messages? How will the messages be articulated and approved?

What does a typical message document like?10. Describe your planning process. Will you begin working on programs prior to completion of a plan? What is

a typical plan like? What time period does it cover?11. How does your firm integrate with your clients’ website and web capabilities?



Strategy Development12. How will your agency address the issues associated with the fact that our market are global, that we have potential customers

in several geographies outside of the U.S.?

Programs and Tactics13. What kinds of press materials do you recommend?14. Do you recommend ongoing programs like editorial calendars and testimonials? How do you work with clients to get information

for such programs? What are your requirements from us?15. What is the approval process for programs and materials including press releases?16. How would you schedule and conduct press tours and meetings?17. What do you think are the key publications, websites, newsletters, etc. that we should be targeting? Key analysts? Have you

workedwith them in the past? What were the results?

18. How should PR programs be measured? How will we know we’re successful? 19. What is your experience with new media such blogs, podcasts, etc.?

Billing and Fees20. How do you bill for services?21. Is there a retainer or will we be billed by project or on an hourly basis? If hourly, what are the rates of the various team members

and what will their roles be? If retainer, what if we don’t require any services during the retainer period ? How do you handle client related expenses (especially travel)?



Billing and Fees20. How are project fees approved? How are potential overages approved?21. What do similar companies spend on PR services? Including expenses?

Key Questions a potential PR agency should ask you1. What is the current status of your product (alpha? beta?)?2. Do you have a positioning strategy statement? A message architecture? Have

they been validated with customers,partners, press, etc?

3. Who are the company spokespersons? The level of their prior experience with the press?

4. Who within the company will manage PR activities?5. Who are your publicly reference-able customers?


Presenters

• Rosemary Remacle, ConsultantMarket [email protected]

• Donna [email protected]

marketing & sales roundtable pr & market success november 2005

Documents

remacle sokolsky

tools slide

year slide

pr firm

relationships pr

key market participants

pr objectives position

pr agency