“Customers want to see how your capacity and equipment is going to make their castings better, quicker and less costly.”—Barb Castilano, Marketing Options LLC


If you’re having trouble coming up with newsworthy topics,


try thinking like your customer, suggested Barb Castilano, a representative of marketing consulting firm Marketing Op- tions LLC, Dayton, Ohio. “Customers want to see how your capacity and equip-


ment is going to make their castings better, quicker and less costly,” she said. Once you know what the public might want to hear about,


ensure you have in place the systems necessary to gather the information you want to deliver. The pressures of every- day production can make it difficult to react to news when it arises, so you must be prepared. Libby suggested your quality control department, for example, probably already has the capability to gather and report on improvements in your operations. “The burden falls on the company to find things to com- municate, document them, track them over time and have a historical record that is factually quantified,” Libby said. “Those things go out and speak for themselves.”


Don’t:


Let Lean Manufacturing Get in Your Way The modern metalcasting facility is all about trimming


waste, so many in the industry can’t find the time to tell their stories to the media. The solution to fixing image problems can therefore be as simple as finding some time to work on it, according to Castilano. “Everyone is running so lean and mean, they don’t think


about [PR], but every editor is looking for a great solution- providing example,” she said. “[Metalcasters] are so busy with customers or buying equipment, they lose focus on the stories they have that would have legs.” According to Libby, this is a problem that should be ad- dressed from the top level. Metalcasting facilities must have


executives that have some awareness of media relations as a beneficial managerial tool in the first place, he said. “An awful lot of PR is ineffective because the skill to


manage it hasn’t been honed as a managerial asset that gets rewarded or penalized,” he said. “Having good PR skills on tap internally can be expensive, and [some] can’t afford it.” Norwin Merens, managing director of NM Marketing Com- munications, Glenview, Ill., suggested streamlining the process of communicating so it takes less time away from production. “Develop a template,” he said. “For example, create guide-


lines for company announcements or environmental or green initiatives. Put yourself in a situation where you have tools, so you don’t say, ‘gee whiz, how do we write this release?’”


Do: Educate the Media About Metalcasting


Just as tools such as templates can be useful for you when communicating your PR message, the media could use some tools to help them communicate with you. Namely, they need knowledge. “It’s incumbent on any operation large or small to provide


[local news outlets] with insight into their operations and famil- iarize these media types as best they can with the metalcasting process,” Merens said. “You have to work with them because they are under the gun, and their knowledge isn’t full.” This education process can involve presenting the media


with a primer—a short written memo detailing the industry and how it operates—or inviting reporters into your plant for a tour, showing them what you do, what you produce, and how you impact the local economy. Or go a step further and open your doors to elementary schools on field trips or for an open house available to the entire community, Merens suggested.


“It’s incumbent on any operation to provide local news outlets with insight into their operations and fa- miliarize them as best they can with the metalcasting process.”—Norwin Merens, NM Marketing Communications


Oh, the Places You’ll Go MODERN CASTING asked several media professionals asso-


ciated with the metalcasting industry about the best channels for delivering PR messages. Here are a few of their answers:


“Tell your story for publication in print or online, discuss


this story in your next customer e-newsletter, place the pro- duction solution in your sales presentation, have re-prints made for direct marketing, and add it to your website for everyone to see. For regional and national metalcasters, keep- ing the story alive through regional and/or national online and print advertising opportunities ranging from national


24


press to regional newsletters also makes sense. Another important benefit from this program is enhanced search engine ranking from having the story link back to your site. Also, make changes to your website.”— Barb Castilano, Marketing Options LLC, Dayton, Ohio


“Being active in trade associations is a way for executives


to get visibility and represent their company in an arena of excellence. Making sure press releases are issued when newsworthy events happen, in the industry and on the internet, through links, are all part of becoming a visible,


MODERN CASTING / October 2010


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