Boardroom Communications’ COO Don Silver longtime Boardroom client Field of Flowers CEO Donn Flipse were featured

in a recent Reuters article about ghost blogging.

Silver commented on the increase in demand for ghost blogging.

“You’ve got to find new platforms to convey your news and messaging,” said Silver, whose South Florida-based public relations firm develops and manages blogs for clients ranging from insurance companies to law and accounting firms to retailers.

Donn Flipse, owner of Field of Flowers, a chain of South Florida floral super stores with locations in Boca Raton, Davie and Kendall, relies on Boardroom to supplement internal posts released under authorship of its fictional nom de plume, Dr. Phil O. Dendron. The character writes about special events taking place at the stores and alerts customers whenever company executives appear in local news.
Silver attributed the rising interest in blogging in part to a decline in opportunities for traditional media coverage and the need to take advantage of the power of social media and search engine marketing.

Why ghost bloggers? Busy executives do not have the time to manage and write frequent blog posts and promote them on social media. Many Florida PR agencies have filled the vacuum and taken over their client’s blogs. How often do you hear, “Where do you find the time to do all of that blogging and social media posts?” Guess who is really doing it?

The article also described a ghost blogger’s job as including a mix of strategic and editorial tasks including: keeping abreast of hot-button issues, developing editorial calendars, penning original posts, as well as enlisting raw copy from a company’s insiders and transforming it into readable text.

visit Reuters.com for full story

Invite you to attend

a fundraiser in support of the

 With Special Guest

Alex Sink 

Florida’s CFO and Candidate for Governor 

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

5:30pm – 7:30pm

At the home of Howard and Julie Talenfeld

690 Leigh Palm Ave

(Hawks Landing)

Plantation, Florida

Suggested Contribution $500 per person or $1,000 per couple

For more information, please contact

Justin Day at (850) 544-1932 or jday@fladems.com or

Howard Talenfeld (954) 683-6084

 

Pd. Pol. Adv. sponsored and paid for by the Florida Democratic Party, 214 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301, Phone 850 222 3411, Fax 850 222 0916. Contributions to the Florida Democratic Party will be utilized for state candidates. To contribute you must be a United States Citizen or legal resident and at least 18 years of age. Contributions are not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes.

 

Boardroom Communications COO Donald Silver was a panelist at this past week’s Gold Coast PR Council meeting that focused on the PR lessons learned from the BP oil spill crisis.  He was invited to address South Florida public relations professionals from PR agencies and in-house corporate communications departments because of his expertise and experience in crisis communications.

Silver spoke from the PR agency perspective about the widely publicized Gulf of Mexico catastrophe, which is unfortunately still impacting the region today.  He offered a balanced analysis and critique of the company’s crisis communications and management track-record and also offered recommendations on what they could have done better.   The panel, which included the Sun-Sentinel’s Marcia Pounds, Visit Florida PR Manager, Kenneth Morgan, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau Media Relations Director, Jessica Taylor and Moderator and Gold Coast PR Council President Gary Schweikhart,  was in agreement that in the very beginning, BP made the right choice of putting former BP CEO Tony Hayward at forefront of the crisis, but that he ultimately was not the best choice as day-to-day spokesperson.

Silver pointed out that although Hayward did the best job he could on combating the ordeal, other specialized experts should have been brought into play when it came to interviews, such as local, regional and international scientists, engineers and biologists.  He also made the argument that because this incident was such so large in scope and lasted for several months, that no matter what BP said or did, the perception was that the    company was doing a poor job.   Although BP acted as quickly as they could with hiring 20,000 workers and experts to cap the well, stop the leak and protect the Gulf and shorelines in five different states,  public and media perception were still negative.  That’s why the company instituted the much maligned multi-million dollar print and TV public affairs campaign.

A Q&A session followed the panel discussion and included additional critique and comments.  All and all, the program was very informative and thought provoking, something we have grown to appreciate from other high-quality Gold Coast PR Council programs in the past.

(Reuters) – Philip de Souza, founder and president of data security firm Aurora Enterprises, believes in ghosts.

After trying for weeks to persuade his small team of in-house engineers to blog under the company’s fold, de Souza went looking outside for ghost bloggers who could deliver compelling prose on security and related industry issues for his L.A.-based firm.

“Our engineers are dispersed. It’s hard to get them to stop short and sit and blog, although they have a lot of intelligent things to say,” said de Souza, whose 18-year-old business primarily caters to middle-market customers. “We need to be babysat.”

Aurora is not alone. Many small businesses recognize the growing importance of blogging – free-range online commentary that invites response – in the playbook of social media tools used to generate interest from would-be customers.

Limited internal resources, however, call for some to enlist the services of unnamed contractors that can help feed the beast.

“We’re seeing a big increase in demand,” said Don Silver, COO of Boardroom Communications, a Florida-based PR firm that represents a variety of small businesses. He attributes rising interest in blogging in part to a decline in opportunities for traditional media coverage amid newsroom budget cuts.

“You’ve got to find new platforms to convey your news and messaging,” said Silver, whose firm develops blogs for clients ranging from insurance companies to local retailers. “In addition to planned postings, we react to breaking news.”

The ghost blogger’s job can include a mix of strategic and editorial tasks: keeping abreast of hot-button issues, developing editorial calendars, penning original posts, as well as enlisting raw copy from a company’s insiders and transforming it into readable text. Adhering to a strict schedule is a must, said Silver, whose firm is sometimes responsible for all or just component parts of the process.

Field of Flowers, a south Florida chain of three floral stores, relies on Boardroom to supplement internal posts released under authorship of its fictional nom de plume, Dr. Phil O. Dendron. The good doctor writes about special events taking place at the stores and alerts customers whenever company executives appear in local news.

“We thought it would be fun to have a character who is presented as being the person who gives out a lot of information,” said company president Donn Flipse, adding that such a character also makes it easy to present a unified voice from posts created internally and by the agency.

 TALENT FOR HIRE

There is no shortage of scribes ready to take up the anonymous pen for small businesses. In addition to marketing professionals, the ranks include current and former journalists, book authors and a range of others with experience in traditional and new media.

Cynthia MacGregor, an author of more than 50 books under her own name, many on lifestyle topics, advertises her ghost blogging services on Craig’s List. She recently began ghosting on behalf of a small company in the food industry and expects to soon sign a contract with a provider of adult entertainment.

“If someone else gets the credit, that’s okay, I enjoy the process,” said MacGregor, who is based in Palm Springs, Florida. “I respect their right to take full credit and not have me be the shining star.”

Oakland, California-based freelance writer Jessica Swesey said her ghost blogging assignments have grown from her background as a reporter covering the real estate market. She now specializes in the industry, ghosting on behalf of several real estate brokers on hot topics such as the homebuyers’ tax credit. Blog posts require intimate knowledge of a business and its services, she said.

“You want to take on the tone of the company,” said Swesey, who spends significant time up front interviewing company principles about their top-of-mind concerns. “I’ve taken control and offered up ideas,” she said. “They’ve also come to me and said, ‘Hey, this is what we’re thinking.’”

Hiring a ghost blogger doesn’t necessarily mean handing over control. Alternative Reproductive Resources, a Chicago-area firm that has been matching infertile couples with gestational surrogates and egg donors for 18 years, produces its blog, Conception Connections, in close collaboration with its PR agency, Hodge Schindler Integrated Communications.

“It’s very much a team approach,” said Robin von Halle, company founder. “A lot of times we write it and they go over it.”

The blog, whose posts have ranged from “100 questions & answers about infertility” to “Step-by-step: Understanding the surrogacy process”, is responsible for bringing interested clients to ARR’s doors, said von Halle, noting the personal nature of her business is well suited for a medium that targets specialized audiences.

“They’re looking for more information,” said von Halle, whose blog is updated weekly. “It’s very helpful to them.”

Subjects being covered include business development in a recovering economy, defining value in legal marketing and developing a tag line. The role of law firm marketing has evolved significantly over the past few years, and in order for firms to be successful, they must constantly refine and redevelop their marketing strategies. This conference will present new concepts in legal marketing and strategies on how to implement them within law firms.

Boardroom Communications has been involved in the South Florida, Tampa and Orlando City Groups of the Legal Marketing Association for more than a decade and recommend the organization to Florida’s law firm marketers, attorney marketing partners, legal administrators and consultants involved in the industry. Boardroom Account Director Jennifer Clarin is the current co-chair of the South Florida City Group, COO Don Silver is a past Chair and Executive Vice President Todd Templin is also involved in the Tampa City Group.

To register, visit http://www.lmasemini-conference.org/Tours/FtLauderdale. Hope to see you there!

Whether he did or did not harass her will never be known for sure – just as any act behind closed doors becomes a case of “he said, she said.”  But the silence of the man – in this case Mark Hurd, did not give the public, his board, or his shareholders any idea of his reaction.

As Smart Money and Wall street Journal reporter James Stewart said, it’s hard to have confidence in the H-P board.  H-P, after going through a PR debacle four years ago, shows it hasn’t learned its lesson.  Speak up, say your piece – defend yourself or admit wrong doing.  But don’t dodge the claim.  The advice is simple – and remains true.  Face the music, H-P.  You may not like the song, but the silence is worse.

Read more — http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB10001424052748704164904575421533941899838.html

Karen Zemel was re-elected as Board Chair for the second year.  Other officers re-elected include Ben J. Genet as Secretary, Ken Strauss as Treasurer, and Richard Drath, Laura Goldblum and Judy Spatz as Vice Chairs at large.  Additionally, Goldblum was appointed 2011 Campaign Chair.

The award winners featured an array of people who embodied the spirit of lending a helping hand.  See the list below for winners and their awards.  A reception prior to the annual meeting recognized the Federation’s new Yad Society members.

“We look forward to a wonderful year, lending a helping hand to people in need in our community and overseas, and to the guidance and support that our entire board of directors and roster of dedicated volunteers can provide,” said Eric B. Stillman, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Broward County.

It’s no secret that aggressive marketing is critical to driving new business to hospitals in the South Florida market. One need only drive down I-95 or the Florida Turnpike and count the number of billboards advertising a service line or ER wait times, not to mention the TV ads, health fairs and lecture series. One cost effective method of getting your message across is the use of public relations, or getting third party endorsement to promote your service lines and staff.

Some hospitals implement a strategy that incorporates PR into their overall marketing plan, while others with smaller budgets, may rely primarily on public relations to get their message out. The question is whether it should be kept in house, outsourced, or a combination of both. A lot of that depends on staffing, budgets and philosophy.

A hospital would partner with a PR agency for various reasons. In some cases, it’s to support the marketing director who doesn’t have the time or expertise to handle the public relations function. In other circumstances, a hospital might have good PR capabilities, but requires extra manpower to execute a specific campaign or temporary help focusing on a short-term campaign.

PR agencies can provide a lot of value. Fees can range from as low as $3,000 per month for several hours of work in that time frame. If an agency is doing its job, it should be able to generate news coverage that is up to three or four times the value of what they are getting paid. And for that fee, you can expect to have a team of people working on your account, all with their own unique media contacts and experiences that generate results.

If you are debating whether to bring a seasoned communications expert in-house or go outside, consider this. It would likely cost you much more for a full-time salary and benefits than what you would pay annually for an outside consultant. Another point to be made is that a firm concentrates on doing nothing but delivering positive media coverage, whereas a full-time employee may get diverted to other pressing tasks, thus taking their attention away from doing the very job he or she was hired for.

Outside PR consultants can also bring value by reviewing your marketing efforts with an independent eye and offering a fresh perspective. Because PR firms represent clients in various industries they generally have more contacts than in-house communications folks, and thereby are able to spread your messages to broader audiences. In addition, many firms offer crisis communications consulting in addition to traditional media relations work, which could prove invaluable if you ever find yourself thrust into a media crisis.

Another area consultants are bringing value is in the social media arena. Many in-house staff don’t possess the knowledge, patience or time to take advantage of this influential communication tool, so partnering with someone who has the expertise and manpower to pull it off can prove to be very effective.

Before hiring a PR consultant, you should first figure out what your PR goals are and then set reasonable expectations. Each hospital is different when it comes to setting performance metrics. Some base the value on how much new business might be generated while others are more concerned with building an image and reputation in the community. Whatever your specific communications goals are, an outside consultant can be a valuable and cost-effective solution in helping you get to where you want and deserve to be.

Todd Templin, Executive Vice President of Boardroom Communications, can be reached at (954) 370-8999 or ttemplin@boardroompr.com.