I was just talking to an old friend of mine, Mark Rayner, who is in the beginning stages of publicizing his latest novel, Marvelous Hairy. Mark’s a great, funny writer - though under appreciated by way of sales and fame. That doesn’t matter though. He loves to write and through his books the world is a little sillier, intelligent and better.

He and I were discussing ways he could drive more interest in his book. He’s with a small publisher with a small budget. So - as often happens - much of the actual  work of publicizing the book has fallen to him, the author.

We reviewed the usual ways books are marketed: advance copies to reviewers, build buzz for distributors and book shops, pitch the media, hope for some interviews.

That’s all fine. They’re all good things to do, but unless he’s extremely lucky, he won’t break through doing only that.

We started talking about ways he can differentiate his book from all the other books coming to market this fall. Jobs like this call for creativity strategy and tactics. It will also mean targeting people other than just the regular book industry insiders. In fact, they’re a secondary audience. The primary audience is actual readers.

The trick will be how to reach those readers without relying on the traditional machinery of the industry. The answer lies partly with social media - Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube. It sounds like a terrific challenge and I wish him all the luck in the world. We’ll lend a hand wherever we can.

If you want to get noticed, your communications and PR needs to zag where everyone else is zigging.

Like most public relations firms, we’ve been incorporating social media into campaigns for a while now. Blogging is a great way to differentiate corporate websites (as long as it fits your objectives and your culture).

We’ve also been experimenting with social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. One example of our work in this area is with Keystone Processors here in Manitoba. We’ve recently established a Facebook fan page for the company and will soon begin a test-run advertising campaign on the social network to gain a larger local Winnipeg and Manitoba audience. Meanwhile, we’ve also been helping with a Twitter feed (@MBBeef).

Slowly, but surely, our audiences are growing. The more work we do integrating blogs, social networks and our other PR and marketing activities, the more  success I predict we’ll have.

Throughout this, we remained focused on delivering timely, useful and interesting information for our audiences… which is the best way to find an audience in the first place.

A video showed up on YouTube this week that’s a prime example of how one unhappy customer can create a commotion like never before. United Breaks Guitars illustrates how important it is for companies to realize new media is giving average customers very powerful voices.

As the story goes Dave Carroll and his band, Sons of Maxwell, were on a flight from Halifax to Nebraska. During the connection in Chicago the band watched through the plane’s windows as luggage handlers threw around his guitar case containing his $3,500 Taylor guitar. Once he arrived in Omaha and claimed his luggage he was not surprised to find his guitar broken – so began his nine month fight with the airline for compensation.

After it was explained in no uncertain terms there was nothing UA could do, Dave Carroll made the last person he talked to at the airline a promise. He said he would write and produce three songs about his experience with UA and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. His goal is to reach 1 million views within the first year. This is the first installation in the trilogy and has already been viewed almost 500,000 times in the first 48 hours. These views are followed by almost 5,000 comments describing bad experiences with UA and other short messages of support to continue the good fight.

We have all been in this position – we are unhappy with the way we are being treated but feel helpless. Even if we do boycott the giant company in question our few dollars don’t impact its bottom line, therefore they don’t seem to care. But with the advent of new media websites designed to disseminate user-generated content to the masses quickly and freely it is now possible for any unhappy customer to cause a stir forcing a company to pay attention.

As a PR consultant and a consumer, I understand both sides of the story. As much as I am glad individuals have a tool like YouTube to tell their stories, I feel for companies that are unprepared to deal with this new form of unhappy consumers. Companies need to realize that the days of ignoring a complaint because it is just one person is over, those late in realizing this are more likely to become victims of crusades like the one Carroll is on.

The phenomenon is called a swarm and it is a  scary prospect for many companies who fear they’ll fall victim to this sort of attack. But on the other side of great adversity there is also great opportunity. The rule of thumb is to engage your complaining customers urgently, sincerely and in the medium they’re using. Apologize for transgressions if there are any and make amends quickly and professionally. If the complaint demands a new way of business for you and your industry, and if it makes sense, why not consider becoming an industry leader? Be the first to tackle the issue. For UA, can the company forge a better policy to deal with damaged luggage? By responding in the appropriate manner to Carroll’s complaint UA may even be able to win over the many other dissatisfied customers who have logged comments in support of the anti-UA effort.

As media changes and evolves, the rules of PR change as well. Companies need to know what is happening with their brands at all times. Just as the assaults are getting more imaginative the responses must be as equally as inspired to win over a very fickle public that loves to see someone sticking it to the man.

City affairs columnists have it easy. Local politicians serve up mistakes and miscues like so many softballs at a Blue Jays batting practice. I’m glad we have two daily papers in Winnipeg holding city politicians to account. It’s just too bad when facts get in the way of righteous outrage like they did with Tom Brodbeck’s column in the Winnipeg Sun today.

Brodbeck is famed in political circles for his surly, populist attacks on the misuse of public cash, the laziness of bureaucrats and the general incompetence of society in general. Today, he attacked the city for supposedly increasing its budget for public relations staff and consultants. Citing the increases to salaries to a couple of city staffers, he expressed holy roller indignation over the sheer waste of it all.

Too bad it isn’t true, or at least not wholly true. As I noted here last year, the City of Winnipeg has actually gutted its communications and public relations staff over the past few years, slashing the head count from 20 in 2004 to 4 in 2008 and now it’s down further with the departure of one more senior staffer this summer.

Contrary to what Brodbeck thinks, or doesn’t as the case may be, having a capable communications team is a vital business function these days for corporations and municipalities alike. And no, it’s not about spin. And it’s not just about media relations. As important as it is to have good relations with the media, it’s not all about them. For the city, it’s about communicating about significant issues, policies, regulations and services directly to taxpayers and clients of city services. Whether that’s a website, a brochure, a leisure guide, a tax form, a garbage day calendar or a radio commercial, it’s all important.

Communications departments also take on the job of making sure employees are well informed about a host of issues - from regulations and service issues to employee benefits and right down to department picnics. This kind of thing is vital because it informs people and when people are armed with knowledge, they can do their jobs better. When they’re robbed of it, morale skids, taxpayers complain, and the business of running the city slows to a grind.

Brodbeck’s larger point of how the city’s payroll is rising too quickly is worth examining, but don’t hoist this one on the PR folks, Tom. They’ve already been run through. Perhaps the remaining rump of PR people were paid more because they were doing the jobs of 20?

Often in my line of work, clients become very worried about complaints coming in from stakeholders or criticism appearing in the media. They invariably want to know how we are going to win them over. In most cases I say that we may never be able to do that… and that’s okay.

In the field of issues management, where you’re dealing with contentious matters, you have to recognize from the get-go that you’re not going to get everyone to support your side. Unanimity is an impossible target, so don’t even try for it. If there’s the least bit of controversy, there’ll certainly be a minority of people dead set against your interests. On the upside, there’ll be a corresponding minority of people who are your core supporters - whose loyalty will almost never waver.

We counsel our clients that our goal is to persuade the middle. Acknowledge your loyalists and pay respect to your opponents, but our aim is to sway the opinions of people whose minds are not completely made up, or who are perhaps completely indifferent to your cause. (I know it’s difficult to imagine people indifferent to an issue that is life or death for your company or organization, but trust me when I say they’re out there in great numbers.)

Take a look at the success the anti-tobacco lobby has enjoyed over the years. Thirty years ago they were facing an uphill battle trying to get people to quit. Smokers puffed away in theatres, on buses, at the office and even in grocery stores. It wasn’t even easy to persuade people of the health threat that tobacco smoke posed to smokers and non-smokers alike. A steady campaign, armed with science and consistent, urgent and credible messages eventually won over the middle. Bylaws gradually banned smoking indoors and smokers began to give up the habit in greater numbers (myself included). And today, the overwhelming majority of people in our society see things the way the anti-tobacco lobby sees them. But there’s still a rump of dissenters. And there will always be.

In public relations, our efforts are focused on appealing to the self-interest of our target audiences. Make your issue connect with their needs, their wants, their lives, and you’ll be on the road to success.

We excel at helping our clients navigate issues in Northwestern Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. We know how to reach key influencers and how to carve messages that persuade and mold opinions. We use traditional and new media to get the job done.