1) a Zip disk - You'll need a zip drive. 2) a CD - You'll need a CD burner. 3) a floppy disk- You'll need to consider this one carefully because a floppy does not hold much data. 4) an external hard drive - These are less expensive now than they used to be. 5) a secure, Web-based file storage service - These are online services where you can save your data. One example of an online service that does this is http://www.ibackup.com/.

But most important thing you'll need is a willingness to change your habits. Most people I know back up their data once per week, often on a Friday but many web owners and newsletter publishers do it daily. Given all marketing, coaching, newsletter lists and all software I download, daily back-up makes more sense for me.

BACKING UP EMAIL FOLDERS

I don't back up my emails folders to a CD but prefer using a program to do that. This nifty little program http://www.genie-soft.com works miracles with my email addresses and all email folders.

DON'T PUT IT OFF

I know that backing-up your files seems like another addition to your busy schedule. But remember that you've worked hard to build your client or newsletter list ... and your practice. Take just a few minutes each week to protect that investment.

As time permits, meet with members of each audience and jot down their impressions of your business, especially problem areas. Be sure to ask questions about their feelings and perceptions of your products and services. Stay alert to inaccuracies, misconceptions or rumors. Here, you’ll have a chance to decide to what degree you will try to alter perceptions among each audience. Later, this will become behavior modification goal against which you will measure progress for each target audience.

Next, prepare persuasive messages that not only provide details about your product and service quality, but address problems that surfaced during your conversations with key audience members. Identify what is really at issue at moment; impart a sense of credibility to your comments; and regularly assess how opinion is currently running among that group, constantly adjusting your message.

Then, consider most effective means for communicating each message to each audience. This may include simple face-to-face meetings, briefings, news releases, news announcement luncheons, media interviews, facility tours, targeted speeches, a brochure, special events like open houses and awards, and a variety of other communications tactics.

As you look for signs that your aggressive efforts are changing perceptions for better, especially important in a recession, you should begin to notice increased awareness of your organization, especially progress in marketplace; increased receptiveness to your messages; a growing public perception of role your organization plays in its industry and in community; and, of course, growing numbers of prospects.

These signs of progress are tracked by speaking once again, and on a regular basis with people among each of your key audiences, by monitoring print and broadcast media for mentions of your messages or viewpoints, by interaction with key customers and prospects and, if resources permit, modest opinion sampling.

Especially during hard times, remember that people in your community or marketing area behave like everyone else – they take actions based on their perception of facts they hear about you and your business.

Which means that you must deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions by doing what is necessary to reach them. Especially during recession, you must persuade your stakeholders to your way of thinking, thus moving them to take actions that lead to success of your organization.

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com