You made it.  The big day is finally here and you are headed out of town for a little bit of rest and relaxation.  But even though you try to schedule time off when the world is in slow mo’ it’s still very difficult to “unplug.”  In fact, I would say checking out completely is more nerve-wracking than actually making a plan to address work in a reasonable way while you are on vacation.

Sometimes though, the best of intentions can’t keep you from a media crisis, like the time I had to deal with producers at the Today show while at Busch Gardens in Virginia.  Or the time I had to walk a client through a national media booking from the porch of a general store in North Carolina.

Barring any emergencies, here are 5 things you can do to keep sane and to make re-entry as pain-free as possible:

1. Make a list of what you want to get done before you leave, and a list of what you are going to do the week you get back.  The “before you leave” list is clear, but more importantly, start thinking of what will need to be done when you return so you have some organization in place.
2. Download files from your work computer. If you work on a computer at the office, make sure you download anything you might need onto a USB drive.  This way if someone wants a press release or a file and there isn’t anyone else to send it, you will be able to fulfill the request.  Even if you don’t have a personal laptop to bring along, there are internet cafés everywhere.
3. Arrange for a roaming plan on your phone. This is especially true if you are traveling internationally.  Roaming charges are steep for cell phones, but many carriers offer packages that limit the cost/minute of phone time and allow for some data downloads.  You still need to wrestle the phone away from your tween and teen, but you can be available for emergencies without having to worry about hundreds of dollars on your phone bill.
4. Out of office on your computer.  This may seem like common sense, but you may forget to do it anyway.  Leave an out-of-office on your email and make sure it sends “once per email address.”  There is nothing more annoying than repeatedly getting messages from someone who is not there!  Make sure to explain that you are on vacation and that so-and-so can be reached to help with immediate needs.  Or you can say you are checking email daily, but for emergencies you can be reached at “x” number.  Most people won’t call you.
5. Check email twice a day. In his book The 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss says that you need to limit the amount of times you check your email in order to be more efficient.  What better time to practice this approach than vacation?  So instead of hitting that “inbox” button over and over when you are waiting for someone to get back to you, plan on reading emails in the morning and in the late afternoon or early evening.

BONUS TIP: Relax, have fun, and enjoy this well-deserved respite.  Being in your shoes myself, I am sure you deserve it!

Although we are a consumer-driven economy and the competition for customers is fierce, most of us probably don’t know what is actually entailed in reaching a customer base. There are two major umbrellas that serve this purpose, and they are huge industries: Marketing and Public Relations.

Many things fall into these two camps.  According to the American Marketing Association, Marketing is defined as “the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”   Hmmm. The one I found on Yahoo is somewhat clearer: “The strategic functions involved in identifying and appealing to particular groups of consumers, often including activities such as advertising, branding, pricing, and sales.”

For people who are trying to sell product, especially intellectual property which includes books, there are several ways to go about digging in to the marketing functions.  Let’s break the definitions down and identify what each piece is intended to do.

“Appealing to particular groups” or Finding your audience.  Who is going to buy what you are selling?  Be interested in what you have to say?  What are these people talking about now, and where can you find them?

“Branding”: Deciding what you or your product represents.  How do you want to package yourself?  What packaging is appropriate?  What kind of image are you and your product presenting?  How can you directly appeal to your audience?  Answer these questions and create the right language and visuals that go along with the brand.

“Pricing and sales”:  You don’t want to charge too little, but also not more than the market will bear.  Research what comparable services or products are going for in the marketplace and set your price accordingly.

“Advertising”: In my experience, advertising only works when you are working with something or someone who is already a known entity in the target market.  Otherwise, unless you have a major budget for an ad campaign, you are trying to create awareness about something that no one knows about.  This is better suited to publicity and the public relations industry.

Public Relations is “the art or science of establishing and promoting a favorable relationship with the public, ” again according to Yahoo.  I love the thought of it being an art or science.  In layman’s terms, pr is about getting the word out through appropriate messaging across many channels.  First you create the story or message you want to broadcast and then, via traditional and digital media, you propagate the information.

Messaging comes in many different forms including press releases, original articles, podcasts, and videos that you can market across the media world.  Again, knowing your audience is key because you have to find a way to communicate with them that will get them to take notice of what you are trying to say/sell.

Publicity is all about media and comes into play after the message is ready.  Here there are similarities to the way advertising works, except that publicity incorporates or generates stories.  Advertising can be very one-dimensional and static (like a full page ad in the NY Times).

Generally, given the number of outlets there are to promote things and the many different ways you can reach people through social media channels, you are likely to need a combination of some or all of the above.  In order to meet the changing needs of clients and authors, I’ve become a hybrid publicist who is well versed in public relations strategies and marketing.  It’s a lot more interesting to know how all the pieces fit together and hugely gratifying when you can be successful and see results.