Pay Attention to the News When It Affects Your Business

The devastating outages that affected millions of BlackBerry customers prompted an apology from the manufacturer's president and CEO at a BlackBerry conference Wednesday. The three days of sporadic service and lack of access to email made headlines across the globe and even spawned a hilarious video.

So, with all of these news and hubbub surrounding these outages, why would a business send me an email -- the same day I saw the newscast about the outage -- about the great new app they have available for BlackBerry users? This is where I question whether the higher-ups at this company watch the news, read a newspaper or have access to to any media outlet at all.

You have a new version of an app, great. But someone should have said, "Hey, wait, the timing on this isn't the best. Let's wait until the BlackBerry actually works."

This is a public relations error on the part of that company because it does not present that company in the best light. It does not show that this company is aware of current situations surrounding its products. I don't have a BlackBerry but I wonder about the customers who do who received that email, promoting an app for a phone that doesn't even work. Considering the frustration of BB users, I'm guessing their reaction wasn't especially joyful.

The moral of the story: keep an eye on the news, especially if it affects your products or services -- and consequently, the way your customers view your public awareness.

Bridgette Outten is a journalist and media consultant with The Write Vision Group, Inc.  Her background is in print journalism and she has written hundreds of articles for newspapers and online publications. At The Write Vision Group, Bridgette advises nonprofits and small businesses on how they can get media attention for their programs and efforts. Meanwhile, she blogs on all things journalism.