Welcome to Forum 360.

I'm your host, Leia’ Love, where we have a global outlook from a local view.

Today, I am so excited to talk to you about getting your business visible.

We have Miss Carla Davis.

She has, she's the founder of Carla Davis Communications.

Thank you so much for joining us.

- It is my pleasure to be here.

Thank you.

- So we are going to talk about how to get your business visible with another tool for your toolbox.

This tool is public relations and communication.

So tell us, because I think a lot of people may not know the difference when they hear these words.

What's the difference between marketing, public relations and strategic communications?

- Great question and I'm so glad you asked.

So a lot of people use the words marketing and PR interchangeably, but they're actually very different.

Marketing is about selling.

Public relations and strategic communications are about shaping your reputation, building trust, and strengthening your relationships with the public.

And there are some core differences.

- Okay.

Well, on that note, tell us how you got into this wonderful area that you have been so graciously blessed with being very, very impactful.

- Thank you, thank you.

It really has been a blessing.

So early in life, you know, when you're trying to make those life decisions way back in college, you know, I probably may have changed my major couple of times.

And so what I learned about myself was that I was a pretty good communicator, you know, and that segue from being told, you talk a lot in school to narrowing it down and figuring out what your strengths are and what I learned my strengths are and what really gave me that passion and that joy is communicating.

And so I majored in communications in college.

And then my trajectory in life and in my career, it has always been some type of communication, be it journalism or public relations, marketing.

And so that's basically how I got started in my career.

Once I saw my career going in a pretty good path, you know, and able to practice those marketing, public relations and journalism skills.

Then about ten years ago, I founded my business.

And really during the pandemic is when it went up several notches because businesses were finding themselves at a real crossroad because of the pandemic.

So I had some people reach out to me and say, help, help.

And so that's really when I got it going, probably about 6 or 7 years ago formally, but I've been doing it for 10 years at least my business.

- Amazing.

Okay, so talking about that, and we had the pandemic where a lot of people, they had the opportunity to come more visible because they had a captive audience, right?

So when a business says we need more visibility, what are they actually missing as part of their plan?

What would you say to help us?

- Okay, that’s a really good question.

They're usually missing clarity, consistency and a communication strategy, not just a marketing piece.

A lot of times people think, oh, I'm marketing, I'm being visible, I'm being visible.

But visibility is not just posting more, it's being understood, trusted and remembered.

And that's why most businesses need a mix.

They really need a mix.

A really good communications plan that includes public relations, the communications piece and marketing.

People think, oh gosh, I'm marketing.

Let's talk about that a little bit.

- Yeah.

You know, and I've heard with marketing a lot, it's always just been marketing.

I really very rarely hear them put the PR and the strategic communications along with those.

So you just said three things.

You said that they need to be known.

What did you say?

Trust?

- Yeah.

You need to be known, trusted.

Credible is one of them.

So I will go back.

You need to be known, respected and credible in your industry and in your community.

- So how do you start that process for a business or organization?

- Okay.

That’s a really good point.

So I think by understanding going back to where we were talking about marketing, PR and communications, how in the world does that start?

If I could give just a little bit of the core differences and then we'll get to how that starts.

So marketing is basically selling.

Marketing focuses on product services and revenue.

It uses ads, promotions, pricing, campaigns.

It's trying to get customers to buy something like right now, you know?

Perhaps in the beauty industry it’s promoting a new hairstyle or a special service that you have.

You know, it's a transactional thing, but public relations is one's reputation.

Public relations focuses on media, the credibility, the trust, the public perception.

And most people don't understand, they think, oh, it's PR, I need to send out a news release, or I need to make a post, it's a little bit different.

It's that media relations, if you have it, but it's the storytelling, it's the community engagement, such as what you do.

Not just a plug, but that it's what you're doing and it's the messaging.

It's building that long term trust and visibility because you can be visible, but people might not trust you or might not trust your business.

So people, a PR is what people say about your business, your salon when you're not in the room.

Right?

Strategic communications is the blueprint.

It focuses on the big picture.

It's what to say, how to say it, when to say it, and to whom to say it to.

So it aligns that internal external communication, your brand voice, crisis messaging because all businesses, you got to have a crisis plan, right?

And your organizational goal.

So it's always making sure that every message supports your messaging.

So the question that you asked me was how— Ask that question again if you don't mind.

- Yeah.

So how would you begin to start that process with a company or organization, or what would they need to think about to begin that process of their brand reputation?

If they're just starting from scratch, they don't have a brand recognition.

- Absolutely.

You have to think about what your brand is, you know, and I don't think people think about that enough.

People look at a logo and say, okay, this is my brand.

No, a logo is just a tiny piece of your brand.

Actually a brand, Leia’, is what people say you are.

Your brand is really what the public is saying that you are.

So you can sharpen your brand and your messaging should always enforce what your brand is.

So to answer your question, what can a growing business or a new business or startup do to kind of set that in order?

First determine how you want to show up?

What is your product?

What is your service?

What are you doing and how do you want to show up?

And then you think about, okay, how do I want to advertise or announce or message, how I want to show up or what I want to offer?

Advertising buys attention, PR earns attention, and earned attention is more credible, it's more trusted, and it's longer lasting.

So your visibility is kind of built on the internal work that needs to be done.

You know, you need to understand what you're selling, what you're giving away, what you're servicing.

Who are you?

It must be authentic.

- Now, what are some of the mistakes that you see a lot of people make around?

- Oh my gosh.

How do we even... How do we even start?

You know, I think not having clear messaging.

Not having clear messaging, consistent customer experience that hot and cold is really good one day and really not so good another day.

Professional communication habits.

Having a story worth telling and having most importantly, a reputation that can stand behind.

- Now, when you say... clear messaging, let's dive into that a little bit, because I think sometimes people think that they have a clear message, but maybe that message differs depending on the platform or something like that.

So what would you say as far as clear messaging to really help them understand what that means and how that actually shows up?

- Okay.

Great question.

What do you want people to take away when they encounter you or your business or your service?

You know, that needs to be articulated and written down.

You know, one sentence.

I think the best thing to do is to create your own mission statement for your business.

And so if you're a lone person like myself, then, you know, I have a mission statement, I have a personal mission statement for myself in my personal life.

And then I have one for my business as well.

And so I would think that one sentence and it can be as simple as when customers encounter my business I want them to fill in the blank.

It's almost like that 11 second elevator speech.

As you've heard people say.

You ought to be able to say what you do and how you do it, or who you are in the time that it takes to ride in an elevator.

Right?

So I think going back to that clear messaging, you know, who is your clientele?

Who do you want to reach?

For instance, in the beautiful business that you're in, maybe you don't serve everybody.

You have to clearly understand who is my clientele.

For me, I'm a boutique, I am not a big marketing firm.

You see, I don't even market myself as a marketing firm because I know kind of where my strength is.

I can do marketing.

I did it for 24 years and a job, you know?

But for me, it's focusing on helping people understand.

So that's what I meant when I said, you have to be authentic and you have to understand how to get that message clearly on paper so that you stay in your lane and you stay true to who you are.

- And if you are just tuning in, we are talking to Carla Davis, the founder of Carla Davis Communications, and she is talking about getting your business visible.

So if a business has a, let's say, a zero budget, right.

Again, they’re beginning business.

They can't afford paid ads, but they would like to start working with a PR company or just working on that.

How would you suggest they begin that process, or what can they do for their business to start doing a little bit of PR work and communication?

- Great question.

Well, I'm a big fan of educating oneself.

So, you know, use your public library, use the resources there.

You know, read, go online, look at some really good brands that you admire and see if they have some suggestions.

YouTube.

You know, I mean, just having what you love.

educating yourself.

- Do you have any books that you love?

- I think of some, you know, I do a lot of, I like a lot of self-help books.

But I am telling you, I did a ton of free webinars.

I learned so much, you know, so if you see a webinar that's offered by a credible source, take it.

Utilize local organizations like the Micro Business Center.

That, some organizations may have the Urban League.

I'm telling you, I got a lot of certifications and got my business certified through the state of Ohio, you know, by just kind of linking in.

So tap into the resources that are available.

Educate oneself.

- I love it.

All right.

So you were the former marketing and communications director for the Akron Summit County Public Library, and you played a pivotal role in the City of Akron Racial Equity and Social Justice Task Force as the communications subcommittee chair.

What was your experience like with both of those organizations in terms of having to do that PR strategic communication piece?

You know, what challenges did you meet?

How were you able to overcome those?

- I appreciate that.

Great question.

Well, I worked for 24 years in the role of the marketing communications director.

So in that role, I did everything from open brand new branches, open a $51 million library in downtown Akron, create a whole new, never done before marketing strategic plan.

And so and those were— And also be responsible for public dollars.

And that's a really important thing.

You know, it kind of, just one thing when you're a private business and you're handling your own budget, there's another thing when you need to be transparent because you're using public dollars.

So what I learned from there is you have to communicate very clearly, very clearly.

It has to be authentic.

It has to be credible.

It has to be believable.

And so what I learned from those experiences, Leia’, was, you know, I wore so many hats.

I mean, I literally was, I bought the media, I did the paid advertisement, I was over the social media, started up a digital media wing, was over the events team at some point.

So there were so many different pieces of doing the public relations also during the marketing, selling a public library, Selling a public library, you know, you know, and trying to market a library because a library is different things to different people.

To some people, it's story time.

To some people, it's using the business acumen of librarians.

So that was one set of communications tools.

That Racial Equity and Social Justice Committee literally came out of a hurting place in our community.

It was formed after the unfortunate death of George Floyd.

There was a lot of uncertainty and unrest in our community.

And so the then mayor of Akron formed this committee and the subcommittees were in place.

So that was another little bit of heavy lifting.

We had people who were dealing with some pretty emotional topics, you know, and we had a whole subcommittee of people who had never worked together before.

And so, again, going in, understanding what the mission is, when you understand the mission, it helps you from being side railed and sidetracked and derailed and distracted.

It's very clear to always keep those elements in mind.

Consistent customer expectations, clear messaging.

I am a big, big fan of what do you want people to take away?

And even if you're doing public work, private PR work, marketing your business.

Most people— This is going into my human behavior thing, right?

Most people want to know what's in it for me.

What's in it for me?

And that's human nature.

And so if you can meet that need articulate what a person's need is and help them meet their need, then you're ahead of the game.

- What are the other parts that may be missing that we haven't talked about?

So we said the customer experience.

Your mission.

And what else would you need to have as part of that plan?

- Well, that whole visibility thing, I just really like what the questions that you've asked about that.

So how do you position a client for visibility?

What do you do?

And if you're that business looking to be more visible, tell your story.

- Now what if they say, I don't know where to begin with my story?

What does that really look like?

- Yeah.

- What would you tell them?

- Why did you go into business?

- Okay.

- That's a really good story.

- Okay.

- You know, was there a need?

Did you always want to do this as a child?

Did you see, like in your case, you know, you tell your own story, but you tell it well.

You know that there's a need that you, that it's more than just that external beauty.

That beauty starts on the inside.

And what I appreciate about you is you want people to be healthy internally, and it manifests externally.

- I like that.

I'm going to use it.

- And I can help you.

You know.

And what has been that impact?

I think that everybody has a story.

And that is what makes people unique and visible.

Tell your story.

Stories are emotional.

And we are emotional beings in a physical body, right?

That resonates.

What is the impact?

What is the impact of your story?

So how to make somebody more visible?

The credibility?

Because nothing, as you know, you’ve been in business a long time and it's your credibility that I would say that has helped you stay in business, you know, because you are credible, credible.

You know, people that aren't credible, is like.

We live in a society where people are already questioning.

Right.

Because there are some bad actors out here.

Differentiators help a business or a business, if they can say how they are differentiating themselves.

That's the story within themselves.

Again, what's in it for me?

So what is the unique selling point?

What is your businesses unique selling point?

And then what is your alignment with the community or the industry needs?

You know, what makes your lawn care company different?

Are you marketing to seniors that don't have the time or the energy anymore?

You know, what makes you different?

Once those questions have been asked and sought and thought through the story, the impact, the credibility, what sets you apart?

What's your USP?

What's your unique selling point?

Then you can build a communication strategy around those strengths.

- I think that is amazing because... I think a lot of people start the business and then go into marketing, advertising and then try to come back and figure out what was it that I really wanted to say, what did I really want to be known for?

I know why I started, but I don't think I told necessarily told everybody why I started.

So really, truly, this is part of the business plan that you should have and it's definitely one of the main first things that you have to have.

And oftentimes I think when we have a business plan, we make this business plan, but we don’t necessarily go back to it.

- Right.

- And I say we as an me.

- Well, you know what?

I so appreciate you articulating that, Leia’, because, you know, once the horse is out of the barn, it's hard to get it back in.

And once you put that marketing out there or you put that wonderful business out there and people start coming, going back to that customer experience, that consistent customer, once it starts slipping, it's hard to to go back.

And so yeah, okay.

- Okay.

Now based off of that... Crisis.

When someone has a crisis like, what is that process look like?

- Oh my goodness.

Thank you for saying that.

The rule in crisis communication is tell the truth, tell it all, tell it first.

- Okay.

That's it.

- You always want to be proactive.

You always want, just going back to journalism, get out and get ahead of the story.

That's crisis communication.

Get ahead of the story.

Because once you are reacting, you're always playing catch up.

You know, it's that proactive, reactive thing.

And when you're reactive, it puts you on the fence.

And sometimes you can, you know, you're from a defense.

So the rule of thumb is when you have a crisis, call it what it is and get out there.

If you use the social, you know, if you're using a different, whatever your platform is, if it's in person to your clients or your customers, tell them.

If you need to send them an email, a letter, you know, snail mail.

If you need to call some people, you know, some things are out of your control.

There's a power outage.

That's your business.

You know?

It's the electric company's issue, but it affects your business.

But if it's something a little more personal, if there is a crisis, get ahead of it.

Tell the truth.

Tell it fast.

Tell it first.

Tell it all.

- You know, I have watching an artist that I like, and she's in a crisis right now.

And one of the things people have been saying is they can't believe how she’s been handling this crisis.

- Right.

- And so, big question is, whose served PR company?

Why haven't they instructed her to do something different with this?

So it's interesting to see that play out in real time to see how that goes.

So in our last minute or so, what would you want people in businesses to know about... Just staying visible, being visible.

Anything that you want to make sure that they take away to further their growth and to scale their growth.

- I would absolutely, I would absolutely love to talk about that.

So visibility is not just about being seen.

It's about being understood, trusted and remembered.

Because part of that visibility, a strong part is the PR, the marketing is the selling point, you know, it focuses on the selling.

The PR is what keeps you in business.

It helps to shape your message, your reputation and your public presence, right?

So your visibility is about being understood.

What is my business?

It's about being trusted.

It's about being remembered.

Like I'm sure everybody in your listening audience, you know, has their go to retail place.

You know, I know they're going to have x, y, z when I get there.

It's going back to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and what people need in life.

Those basic needs, they need to feel secure.

You know, you want your basic needs.

So being visible is not just being seen as being trusted.

I know that when I need something fixed in my beauty realm, I can go to Dr.

Leia’ Love because she is consistent, you know?

So yeah.

- I love it.

I love it.

Okay.

Quick, in like 20 seconds.

- Absolutely.

- A tip for being memorable.

- Oh my gosh.

Make an emotional connection and solve a problem.

- That's it, everyone.

Make your emotional connection.

- Yes.

- Solve the problem.

- Yes.

There's a world book, it's called the World Book of Problems.

It's an encyclopedia.

And some businesses are told to find a problem and solve it.

- That is your goal for this week, everyone.

Find the problem and solve it.

I am your host, Leia’ Love.

Thank you for joining us on Forum 360 where we have a global outlook from a local view.

Have a great week!

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