Hook PR Group featured in Chamber of Commerce news

Hook PR Group recently added two storytellers experienced at developing promotional content that allows organizations throughout Delaware to reel in more clients. James Diehl, a longtime Sussex County journalist, and veteran editor Pam George have joined the fullservice communications company, which is based in Georgetown. Hook PR Group helps businesses and nonprofit organizations promote their products or services in new, exciting ways. The group’s core focus is on a concept known as content  marketing, a cost-effective way of promotion that’s ideal for organizations of all sizes.

“We’re talking about simple strategies, such as an online blog, a newsletter or even a feature-style press release that lets a business or nonprofit group tell its customers, ‘We want to provide you with thoughtful  information that is useful to you, the consumer,’” George says.

“At every speech I give, I suggest one of the best ways to create great Web content is for companies to hire a journalist, either full or part time, to create it,” says marketing guru David Meerman Scott,  bestselling author of “The New Rules of Marketing & PR.” “Journalists are great at understanding an audience and developing information that buyers want to consume.”

In addition to Diehl and George, Hook’s talent includes PR consultant Larry Nagengast, bilingual  journalist Patricia V. Rivera and business writer Annette Silva. All are journalists who have worked most or all of their careers in Delaware, making them uniquely-suited to serve the local market in a way no  other marketing company can match.

George is an award-winning writer and editor whose work has appeared in such publications as US Airways Magazine, Fortune, Men’s Health and the Christian Science Monitor. She is also the dining editor of Delaware Today magazine. Diehl worked as a writer and editor at The Daily Times of Salisbury, Md., before serving as managing editor for two separate Sussex County publications. He specializes in in-depth reporting, creative copywriting and public relations.

The company offers free brainstorming sessions, time spent with local business leaders to discuss how to better get their name and their message before the general public. Through its affiliation with Delaware-based BilCom Inc., a translation company, Hook PR Group also offers clients the opportunity to
reach the ever-growing Hispanic population with materials written in Spanish. A menu of services and
special packages are available at www.hookprgroup.com or by calling 302-858-5055.

“Just about every small business has a great story to tell, but they struggle to get their message out, to make their presence felt in the marketplace,” Diehl says. “At Hook PR Group, we tell the story and position it properly.  Then, to put it simply, we get your audience hooked.”

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce newsletter, Vol VI, Issue 12

The anecdote illustrates the importance of marketing with an eye on the largest growing buying market in the United States. Delaware’s Hispanic population grew from 15,820 in 1990 to 37,277 in 2000, an increase of 135.6 percent. Their numbers are so great they’ve been compared to the Baby Boomers as a major driving force in the economy and culture.

For businesses, this population growth translates into increased revenues. Companies are scrambling to revamp products and marketing tools to reach what is now the nation’s fastest-growing consumer group.

Market studies indicate that Hispanics show stronger brand loyalty than other population groups. This is particularly true when organizations show appreciation and respect for cultural identity as expressed through language. Even among highly-motivated professional Hispanics who are completely bilingual and operate in English, more bridges are formed and bonds strengthened when companies reach out with well-translated communications in Spanish.

“Building trust and mutual respect is crucial in business transactions,” says Patricia Rivera, founder of the Delaware-based BilCom Group a bilingual communications company founded in 2003. In her April newsletter, The Bilingual View, Rivera reminds clients that simple word-for-word translations can be dangerous in the marketplace.

Consider a well-known example involving the Spanish translation of a major airline’s slogan, Rivera says. “The airline, touting its comfortable seats, urges you to ‘Fly in Leather’; however, the flawed translation of ‘Fly in Leather’ to the literal Spanish ‘Vuela en cuero,’ colloquially means ‘Fly Naked’.” Oops.

Yes, it’s funny. But humor aside, Rivera says translators, editors and reviewers must be meticulous and attentive to detail to avoid these kinds of errors. She asks the rhetorical: “You wouldn’t trust your computer technician to write your promotional marketing material just because he or she is fluent in English, would you?” It follows then, that neither would you trust your company’s translations (and reputation) to someone in your office who speaks some Spanish.

Rivera knows that the translation process is composed of hundreds of small tasks that translators must complete; they must assess the text for subtleties of meaning and accuracy of message. They must compose a compelling message that appeals to clients — just like we do in English, but with extra care, thought and work. That way, you will increase your client base in spite of a sluggish economy. And, your business plan won’t get lost in translation.

Annette C. Silva, who lives in Seaford, Del, is Hook PR Group’s business development
coordinator.