PR mistakes are made every day. If you don't believe me,

just check out a few of the major PR disasters in recent

years. Of course, you probably don't need to worry about

facing a PR disaster of that magnitude, but you can still

make costly mistakes that can cause serious damage to your

brand.

Today, I want to talk about a PR mistake that doesn't get

much attention. And if you ask me, it just might be the most

prevalent PR mistake out there. In fact, there's a good

chance you've made (or are still making) this very mistake.

What is it? Not saying "thank you" often enough. Now, you

might think that I'm exaggerating, but I'm serious. Not

thanking others can lead to some serious consequences,

including:

-- Causing friction with reporters

-- Making loyal customers feel unvalued

-- Leading to a drop in employee morale

Thanking Reporters Who Give You Coverage

Let's get one thing straight: Reporters don't owe you

anything. They don't have to cover your story if they don't

want to. They have hundreds (even thousands) of other

stories they could cover. So, when they cover your story,

they are doing you a favor.

Now, that's not to say you should pucker up to kiss their

butt, because you're also helping them out by giving them a

story their readers will be interested in. However, when a

reporter gives you coverage-whether it be in a major

newspaper or a small blog-you should always extend the

common courtesy of thanking them. And don't make it a

"Thanks ... but" either, because it makes you sound

ungrateful and reporters get way too many of those (e.g.

"Thanks for the coverage, but I thought the article was

going to discuss bla bla bla ... ")

Thanking Customers for Their Loyalty

You probably already know that it's far more expensive to

acquire new customers than it is to keep existing ones. That

means customer retention should always be a priority.

One of the most effective ways to keep customers coming back

for more is to show them how much you appreciate your

business. There are several simple ways to thank your

customers, including:

-- Train employees to thank customers: The simplest thing

you can do is to train your employees to be friendly and to

thank your customers. As consumers, we've all come across

disgruntled employees before, and it leaves a bad taste in

our mouths. A smiling employee who thanks customers for

their business really can go a long way to keeping customers

happy.

-- Send a "thank you" note: A handwritten "thank you" note

is more effective than an email or a phone call because it

tends to last longer. A phone call is over as soon as you

hang up. Emails get deleted or pushed to the bottom of the

inbox. Handwritten notes, on the other hand, tend to get

held onto, and they show you put in the extra time to write

and mail the note.

-- Offer special discounts to loyal customers: This is a

win-win. When a customer gets rewarded with an exclusive

discount, they feel like you appreciate their business, and

it encourages them to make another purchase so they can use

that discount, giving you more business.

Thanking Employees for Their Hard Work

Happy employees make for a more productive and successful

business. Thanking your employees improves your

relationships with them, and it makes them more eager to do

the best job possible.

A few simple ways to thank your employees include:

-- Giving out awards (e.g. Employee of the Month)

-- Offering bonuses for a job well done

-- Accommodating time-off requests whenever possible

-- Writing personalized "thank you" notes that tell each

employee what you appreciate about them

From this day forward, let's all strive to say "thank you" a

little more often.

Thank you,

Mickie Kennedy
Founder, eReleases.com
CEO, eReleases.com & Press-Release-Writing.com

http://www.ereleases.com
http://www.press-release-writing.com