Making Connections about More than the Same Old Dog & Pony Show

By Mary Kate Smither, Vice President, Consumer

As PR professionals, we at Edelman know firsthand that vying for the media’s attention on behalf of our clients can sometimes be a challenge as they are inundated daily with phone calls, emails and, these days, even tweets, requesting their attention. I was reminded recently when we hosted a media tour for 10 journalists on behalf of our client Uptown Dallas Inc. that, in this sea of constant information, face-to-face time can often still provide a great means for making connections.

What I know too is that media aren’t the only people who are inundated with information these days – we all are. And it’s equally as important to find the time for in-person interaction with all of our audiences, whether they are brand stakeholders, business networking colleagues or community leaders. These people all have the ability to act as your brand advocates, and by connecting with them, you not only get the chance to share your messages, but also to learn valuable information and receive feedback that can help your brand as well.

Whether you’re planning to host a group of media, get together for a quick cup of coffee with clients or arranging a larger event to tout your brand, here are a few things to remember:

Know Your End Goal(s): Figure out what your goals are. Are you trying to launch a product, develop a new audience, refresh your brand, or reconnect on a different level with someone you might interact with regularly? By taking the time to determine where you want to end up, your path for getting there will be even better laid. You may find that small get togethers are more effective than a larger event for achieving your end goal or vice versa.

For example, we knew we wanted to help our media contacts feel excited again about Uptown to help generate new story ideas and to view Uptown Dallas Inc. as a resource about the development of the city. So, in a quick hour and a half we did this by making a point to showcase Uptown from a new point of view in a way our audience had never seen it before – aboard one of the neighborhood's historic McKinney Avenue trolleys.

Choose Your Audience(s): Because our goal for Uptown Dallas is to help educate Dallas area residents and visitors about all that Uptown has to offer, including great shopping, dining and real estate, we focused on connecting with Dallas lifestyle media. We knew that these folks all had the common bond of helping their readers find the best offerings in Dallas to enhance their lives, but what made them the right mix was their varying interests in areas like dining, nightlife, travel and fashion. The point was to include a mix of people whom we knew would enjoy each other’s company, but were different enough to have their own experiences to take away.

Make It Different!: Don’t just trot out your same old dog and pony show. Whoever you’re meeting with or inviting to your event may already be familiar with your brand; this is your opportunity to show them something that makes you new again in their eyes! So do something different, whether it’s a simple as picking a unique venue or adding a fun twist to your presentation that makes the event more interactive.

While every single person on our media tour had certainly lived, worked or enjoyed Uptown’s venues at some point or another, hosting our event aboard one of the district’s historic trolleys (one recently turned 100!) definitely created a fun atmosphere that most had never experienced before that day. The trolleys, which are unique to Uptown, gave us the opportunity to keep our audience captive, while also keeping the event moving (literally!) and showcasing all that Uptown had to offer, including visits from neighborhood chefs, food and wine tastings, stories from local legends and, of course, the sights and sounds of the area.

Whether you’re getting together with five people or hosting 500, creating face-to-face connections with a variety of audiences can provide great opportunities for listening, learning and, ultimately, growing your brand.