Shelcie Takenouchi completed her master’s degree in public relations from USC and is working at Hill & Knowlton in Irvine. Benjie Baclig is in his third year at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. This summer, he interned at Barclays Capital in New York. Shyanne Matsumoto is in her second year of pursuing a double major in secondary education and chemistry at Oregon State University.  All three are thriving and connected as a network of FMPR Scholars who intend to come back to Kaua`i one day to share their knowledge and leadership.

This year, since we are now a bicoastal company operating out of Hawai`i and Pennsylvania, we will award one $1,000 scholarship each to a Kaua`i student and a Pennsylvania student pursuing their bachelor’s or graduate degree.

The scholarship application is available online at www.fmpr.net. Applicants must be able to demonstrate how they fulfill specific criteria through their completed Application Form, a personal statement, and school transcripts.  Applications must be submitted by March 30 and FMPR Scholars will be announced on May 1.

We look forward to seeing what talent comes forth this year through our FMPR Scholarship application process.  It gives us great hope for our future leaders and for the larger network of FMPR Scholars we’ll continue to create over the years.

The selection of FMPR Scholars is based upon Kaua’i and Pennsylvania residents and students who:

• Are pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees, preferably in communications or public relations.
• Are interested in owning or working for a small business and/or home-based business.
• Are engaged in entrepreneurial activities.
• Have the intention to come home to and pursue their livelihoods in their hometowns after undergraduate or graduate school.
• Are engaged in community service and wish to advance their local community after college.
• Have proven intellectual and academic achievements.
• Show integrity of character and an interest in helpinWg others.
• Have the ability to lead and the motivation to use their talents to the fullest.

Click here for an application as well as detailed instructions.  Completed applications are due by March 30, 2012, and the FMPR Scholars for 2012 will be announced on May 1, 2012.

We are looking forward to learning about applicants’ aspirations and plans for the future; about how they plan to make an effective contribution to the world around them; and how they will blend their intellectual talents and concern for others to play an influential role in the betterment of society, wherever their careers might take them.

When we award our Fujita & Miura Public Relations Scholarships it will be our honor and privilege to wish those students well as they head off to college, and to demonstrate our great optimism for the future of our youth.

This is important particularly when it comes to PR. Public relations is often one of those things that comes second to business operations.  And yet, relating to your publics well must go hand-in-hand with your everyday operations.  If you’re not forging good relationships and improving the ones you have every day through every interaction, then your business may eventually fizzle out and your operations will be for naught.

If you have a list of PR or promotional ideas for your business, either written or in your head, pick the top three and implement them. Be clear about your goals, do the best job you can, and enjoy the process of building strong relationships with the people that matter most to your business success.

So what are you waiting for? Your public is waiting. Reach out to them today.

Shortly after the market declined, we received an email from our financial advisor explaining the reasons for the decline, noting that it was predicted, and offering reassurance about next steps in terms of our investments. This told us that we may not be able to predict what the market will do, but we know our financial advisor is paying attention and watching carefully over our money, and will provide thoughtful advice and how we could respond.

Times are uncertain, for sure, in many sectors of our economy and for many businesses.  In response, consumers are unsure. Apply what our financial advisor did for us and demonstrate to your customers that you’re “on it.” Tell them that you know what’s going on and that you know what to do about it in terms of your business.  Communicate in a timely manner, right on the cusp of economic events that affect your business, keep your customers in the loop, and give them reason to patron you over your competitors.

FMPR Scholars are chosen based on several key criteria: they are Kauai residents and students who are pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees, preferably in communications or public relations; are interested in owning or working for a small business and/or home-based business; engaged in entrepreneurial activities; intend to come home to and pursue their livelihoods on Kauai after undergraduate or graduate school; are engaged in community service and wish to advance the Kauai community after college; have proven intellectual and academic achievements; show integrity of character and an interest in helping others; and have the ability to lead and the motivation to use their talents to the fullest. For more information about our FMPR Scholar program, visit our FMPR Scholar blog posts.

For your customers: Create special sales or deals to help them with their holiday gift giving. Offer value-added incentives, such as gift wrapping or a free item with their purchase, to stimulate sales.

For your employees: Plan a year-end appreciation party. Offer an additional discount on top of their employee discount to ease their holiday gift spending.

For your vendors and close allies: Send a thoughtful holiday card expressing your appreciation for their support or deliver goodies to their offices.

For the community: Partner with a local nonprofit to receive a portion of your holiday sales or organize your staff to volunteer at a local soup kitchen.

These ideas are starting points. When you decide how to mark the year-end, consider what fits right with your type of business. For example, a wine shop could offer a special tasting and pricing on the day beaujoulais nouveau is released; a grocery store could provide its employees with a free roast to share with their families; and a movie theater may offer a free movie to foster children.

Whatever you choose to do, begin planning now. Remember that creating holiday cards, advertising, and other ideas take time to implement. So once you know what you’re going to do, create a timeline and follow it. Your end-of-the-year activities will make your most important publics take notice of and appreciate you even more, which will pay off well into the next year.

For more ideas, see our blog Public Relations: Holiday Style.

(1) Fact sheets are short. The rule of thumb is to keep a fact sheet to one page. One page is all you need to communicate the key messages about your company or one of your company’s products, services or issues. One page is also all that people will read. No one has the time or wants to read long content. If your fact sheet is bleeding over to two pages, revise it and revise it again until it’s one page.  Take out all unnecessary points and words.  If you’re finding it impossible to get your fact sheet to one page, chances are good that you need another fact sheet to tackle a portion of the information.  Whatever you do, don’t make the font miniscule to pare down the text.

(2) Fact sheets are easy-to-read. Fact sheets are formatted like websites with tabs or books with chapters. They have headers so readers can glance at them to find the information they want and skip what they already know or don’t want. The key is deciding which headers are the most important ones for your business.  If the fact sheet is for an event, you’ll need to include the overview of the event; the time, date and place; purpose; and who to contact to get tickets. If it’s for an issue or project, you’ll need to think about the most frequently asked questions you receive from your publics so you can answer them on one sheet.

(3) Fact sheets are to-the-point.  They make you boil down your key points into the most pertinent facts.  Many of our clients, especially those in technical industries or those facing complex or controversial issues, feel the need to explain their situations and reasoning in great detail to the general public. While there is a place for detailed information, it’s usually best reserved for niched target publics, in other words, those who need to know.  Details are also best conveyed in small, digestible chunks. They provide the essential truths and the direction necessary for people to dig deeper if they wish.

(4) Fact sheets are cheap.  Fact sheets can be printed on your company letterhead; copied in black and white; and distributed as necessary. They’re not fancy pieces. Better yet, they can be revised anytime and then reprinted as needed.  You can also offer a paperless option, which is entirely free. Just pdf the document and then post it on your website for people to download.

(5) Fact sheets save time. As we mentioned above, when you’re deciding what headers to include on your fact sheet, think about the most frequently asked questions people have about your products, services, or issues. If you can answer them concisely and well, you can be proactive by directing target publics to your fact sheet and avoid having to answer the same questions over and over again.

Check our our other fact sheet posts including how to write a fact sheet, fact sheet templates, fact sheets for sale, and much more.

Over the years, KBR has illustrated the fact that Kaua`i business can be high quality, innovative, and every bit as competent and effective as businesses in the rest of the state and country. For that, we offer a big mahalo to all of those who have been involved with it.

Last month we talked about collaborating to win. This month, we’d like to take that one step further and suggest that local businesses patron and refer each other. Just as KBR pulled all of us together in a business community on paper, we can do the same thing by getting to know our fellow local businesses and doing everything we can to help each other succeed.  In that way, we can create a thriving business community, which is a grand legacy to leave for our future generations.

Aloha and mahalo to KBR and we look forward to being part of its evolution in “The Garden Island.”

This deal is a perfect example of collaboration at its best, where all involved win. Mokihana Insurance is our client and also our insurance provider, so we know them well and know they’ll provide our clients and friends with the same great service we receive. Anyone who acts on the deal is likely to save money plus a chance to win an iPod Touch.  By promoting the deal in our e-letter, we’re making our e-letter valuable to our readers.  If respondents end up getting their insurance from Mokihana, the company builds its insurance business.  The positives abound.

Think of the companies you do business with, collaborate with them, and promote the collaboration.  Enhancing the value your customers receive by leveraging the good reputation and services of the businesses you deal with helps everyone.  Collaborating to win is the height of public relations because it serves all of your publics and grows your business all at once.