What Are You Known For?

A few weeks ago, my dad attended a holiday party. As he was being introduced to a new person, someone mentioned that he was my dad. But, they didn’t just say “That’s Heather’s father.” Instead, they followed it up with, “you know … prTini on Twitter.” Pretty sure my dad (who isn’t on Twitter) thought that was totally bizarre. But, I was glad that in an “offline” situation, someone was able to instantly recall my Twitter handle and use it as a point of reference when chatting with my dad.

Recently, a potential client posed an interesting question that got me thinking. They asked, “When it comes to PR, what are you most well known for?”

Hmm. (I promise — my answer was more in-depth than just a creative Twitter handle.) 🙂

Do you know what you’re known for? What you’re actually known for … not just what you want to be known for. There’s a key difference.

If you’re a company that sells t-shirts, are you known for the quality of your merchandise (or lack thereof)? Or, are you known for top-notch customer service or design creativity?

If you’re a law firm, are you known as the ambulance chaser? Home of the can’t-lose, cut-throat attorneys? Are you the firm that overbills clients, or the one that focuses on being as responsive as possible?

Let’s say you’re opening a coffee shop. You know how the other shops in town are perceived. What can you do to differentiate your new business? Offer a free cookie with every purchase? Take orders via Twitter? Share your vast warm beverage knowledge to help customers discover new coffee/tea flavors?

What do you want to be known for? Do your customers share that view? Or, do they see you in some other light? Your company’s brand isn’t what you say it is. Instead, it’s formed by the experiences people have with your organization at every touch point. If the prevailing perception isn’t how you want to be recognized, that means it’s time to make some changes. Just something to think about …