Five reasons why your company needs a PR agency to close out 2017

Media relations as it encompasses traditional and digital placements, social media, influencers, events, etc is the top of a sales funnel that leads to profits. Simply put, it’s the power behind the: visibility plus credibility equals profitability.

Here are five considerations on how a PR agency will help you reach your 2017 goals.

1. Knowledge, Experience & Time

Your business has at least one of the following objectives – if not both – to increase revenue and to mitigate risk.  Both are critical to the success and future welfare of you, your team and the organization. Critical success factors should not be passed to an intern, the front office secretary, or anyone that is not fully trained, has impressive experience and the appropriate time to carry out the function.

Even if your company is at a size that it could hire a PR professional internally, how much of that employee’s time is going to be taken up by internal meeting and bureaucracy? You need PR focus and often that comes from outside of your core team, so you can focus on what you’re core product/service is.

2. Perspective and Objectivity

Having an external PR Agency (i.e. not owned by you and without any direct or staff augmented employees) will bring new ideas and a fresh approach to each campaign. 

If you were a graphic designer, would you rather work internally for a Pizza company, designing pizza menus, flyers & marketing exclusively for one pizza company – or would you rather work for a design agency that provides design services to several companies? Well, apart from the obvious free pizza, I think you would want some variety and thus learn over different accounts, expand your contacts, knowledge and experience and bring fresh perspectives to each campaign you work on.

It’s the same from a PR agency. By working over multiple accounts, and viewing the client from an external perspective, the whole client/agency team can be more effective and efficient.

3. Contacts Cubed

The media relations world is all about, well, relations. It’s a people business. It’s all about the connections and relationships. Sure, anyone can find the contact details of someone in the media, but we need more than that -  we need to know the individual, what they write about, what excites them and what they’re working on.

Unless your company is significantly large, you won’t be able to justify more than one full time internal PR professional. If that’s the case, there is just no way – however pleasant that person it – that they can know and get on with every media professional. With an agency, you’ll have several people, all of whom have different media relationships you can utilize.

4. Priorities & Speed

A PR agency’s priority can be set very specifically, but is probably going to maximize positive media coverage and minimize negative coverage. If you work internally and must carry out a media relations function as well as other duties, then you will get torn in different directions as well as suffer from internal politics.

In addition, media relations is a speed game. The effective PR agency is on point and can react to a news story to capture attention, and respond to a media professionals request because they are looking for it, can prioritize it and can react without any other priority getting in the way.

5. Let’s Launch Something New

When you have a new product or service to launch, everyone involved in your company can expect to work harder than normal. Resources are going to be spread thin, and you need a team that have the time/resources and can stay focused at the task in hand.

So, should you hire a PR Agency?

A great PR agency becomes an extension of your internal team, working in conjunction with the rest of your company and pulls together the inputs of several stakeholders to create a unified PR plan that considers traditional and digital media relations, social media, influencers, events, etc. Most importantly, a great PR partner can assist the organization to meet its business goals and objectives.

Professionals just make sense - you leave surgery to a doctor and taxes to an accountant. If you are serious about media relations you should seriously consider investing in a top PR agency to be your communications partner. 

Content Creation Cheat Sheet

When it comes to content creation, just sometimes the ideas dry up. Wouldn’t it be great to have a list of the most successful blog posts to keep the creative juices flowing? Sure it would! So, here are the top 16 ideas that we keep as our go-to:

1. Tutorials and How-to Guides

Tutorials and how-to guides are probably the simplest type of blog post you can work on. They are easy because they involve you talking about things you are already familiar with such as your product or service.

2. Latest Industry News

Summarize what is going on in your industry – and make it quicker & easier for others to get a grasp on the latest news.

3. Controversial Subjects

Controversy is always newsworthy — so stick your neck out and get controversial. Have fun while you do it.

4. Checklists: Do you have all that you need to ____?

Checklists are quick to put together and make a quick read, which could be why they are so popular.

5. Infographics

From facts to charts to lists, everything you can think of can be made into an infographic. Everyone loves them!

6. Case Studies & Testimonials

Success stories are easily accessible by readers which is why they can be so powerful.

7. Interviews

You can perform an interview in a matter of minutes. Who is an important person in your area of interest that you believe would spark the interest of your readers?

8. Reviews

Do you look for reviews before purchasing? Sure you do. So, why not write a review for a book, software or some other area of interest for your readers?

9. A Glance “Behind the Curtain”

Let people know how the expert (you) creates success.

10. Quizzes

By creating a quiz or test, your readers can interact with you… and better still, compare their results with others (which will make them feel smart).

11. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Frequently Asked Questions are great posts because you can answer the most common questions you are asked.

12. Beginner’s Guides

Take your expertise down to the beginner level and make it accessible to everyone.

13. Recent Tools You Use

Have you tested out / tried any new apps, software or tools recently? Share your thoughts.

14. Guest Bloggers

Consider having a guest blogger. Ask someone to substitute for you for your next post.

15. Myth vs. Fact

It may be immediately obvious to you, but I bet there are others who don’t know the difference – so let them know.

16. Monthly Updates and Stats

We all move forward, and have measurements that we can compare to last month.

What other content creation ides do you turn to for killer blog posts?

Everything These Days is Growth & Vision. Growth & Vision.

The new reality in business is bold, stark and contrary to what we have experienced previously. It’s also exactly why your PR department (or the local PR agency) is about to get really busy.

Unless you have not been listening, large business is changing radically. Gone are the days when profit was king. Today, all that matters is growth and vision.

But don’t take it from me – read a recent insight from McKinsey & Company, Invest, Create, Perform: Mastering the three dimensions of growth in the digital age that starts off by pointing out that, “almost half of the 100 largest companies on the New York Stock Exchange 30 years ago that enjoyed strong shareholder returns but did not post top-line growth had been acquired or delisted 20 years later.”

For a more entertaining view of the same facts, you should watch Scott Galloway’s talk on How Amazon is Dismantling Retail.

The take away is that large business now – if it is to survive – needs to concentrate on growth (even at the cost of no profit / breakeven) and promote vision.

So, the question is, if you move away from advertising (that can be used, oh so successfully, to bring sales at a measurable ROI), what marketing tools are at your disposal for growth and vision?

The answer is, well many, but the most effective and efficient is media relations.

Without any doubt, if you want to promote the vision of a product, company or brand, you have to turn to media relations.

Media relations boosts an organization's vision and credibility, because it'll operate through numerous trusted intermediaries. Plus, these intermediaries communicate to a certain audience which looks to them to filter out all noise. If messages are chosen to be communicated, they'll gain credibility due to the intermediaries' credibility.

Potential consumers and investors are far more influenced by people they trust—and that includes not only their real-world friends but also journalists and bloggers whose voices and opinions they know and trust.

There simply is no other marketing dollar that is more effective for promoting vision.

And that’s the simple reason why public relations will be a growing industry in the years ahead as smart businesses begin to understand how to survive and prosper. I mean, who wants to be delisted?

How Business Psychology Can Help Your Marketing

There is a ton of psychology involved in doing business, and if you look after marketing you must understand that people behave in certain ways and can be influenced with the right triggers to purchase your products or services. There are many examples of how to use basic psychology to get more customers and if you are savvy, you can use these to your advantage as you market. If you want more information, check out applied psychology programs online or courses where you can learn these skills in a business sense.

Using Social Proof
When people have an opinion on something, you will put more weight into that opinion even if they didn’t conduct any in-depth research and haven’t compared the pros and cons. Businesses use social proof in the form of reviews, ratings, social media mentions, and buzz to bring attention to their products and services. They know that if they build a positive conversation around their business, it’ll create a momentum that will attract new customers. Use positive reviews like these to improve your customer reach and to market your business more easily.

Don’t know how to do this in practice?  Then speak to us and we’ll help.

Using Authority
You are more likely to trust a business if some kind of authority is attached to them. For example, if you see an endorsement given by a well-known figure or celebrity, you are more likely to trust the company that’s being endorsed. Sometimes the authority is built around reputable roles like doctors, law enforcement, physical trainer, etc. If you can establish authority around your business, you’ll increase your credibility and make it easier for new customers to trust you.

One of the simplest ways is to position the leader in your company as the authority figure. Working with your marketing department to positon your CEO as a spokesperson within your industry takes time, but reaps great rewards.

Scarcity
A psychological trigger that you often see used in infomercials is scarcity. People are generally attracted to things that are harder to get. Some get emotionally worked up by the possibility of losing something valuable. Infomercials often use this trigger by building up value in bonuses and discounts. The kicker is that the bonuses and discounts are only available for a limited time. This creates scarcity and often triggers customers to buy when they may not have done so under normal circumstances.

Again, media relations can use the this tactic to build your brand and to increase sales.

While psychology is an incredible way to gain customers, you still need to realize that your customers are people too. Don’t insult your audience by making it obvious that you’re trying to use a gimmick to get them to make a purchase. You have to walk a fine line and embed psychology into your communication in a way that is respectful while also impactful. Consumers have become more educated about marketers over the last few decades, so it’s important to learn how to use psychology the right way for the right products.

Need more advice on gaining more customers? Give us a call or drop us a line.

Let’s Ban Press Releases

In a memo sent out to staff at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in January, the Trump Administration has prohibited press releases, social media postings, blog posts or new content placed on the agency’s website.

I’m a big fan of this policy.

Not only do I think, as a media agency, we’ve worked for several organizations who should have put this out to all departments (it would have saved some heartache for some them), but it just makes sense.

I’ve just come back from teaching a crisis communications lecture, where students very effectively showed that many a company CEO has led their organization to crisis (at the very least, a loss of revenue) by talking about their personal stance on something and it being represented as from the company.

Let’s take Dan Cathy (president of Chick-fil-A) and his comments against LGBT rights. It led to loss of traffic for Chick-fil-A (which continues today despite a damn tasty chicken sandwich) and several new restaurants (notably on University Campuses) that never opened.

It’s near impossible for a CEO to talk to any media outlet and not represent the organization that CEO leads.

Back to politics for a moment. This isn’t the first instance of a government agency being told to cease social media postings or communications in the new Donald Trump presidency. During Trump’s inauguration, the National Park Service retweeted two posts teasing Trump about his inauguration crowd size and hitting the administration for deleting references to climate change.

Dude!  If this was any professional business, heads would be rolling. There is no instance when one sub-department or rogue employee should be teasing the CEO of a business on social media. So, as PR pros we must make sure this is not possible.

So, I say, all press releases should be banned. Let’s face it, it’s a lazy tool that good PR pros just don’t need. There is no instance today that needs blanket press releases sent out, when a dedicated team couldn’t reach out personally to multiple press contacts to get the story right. I know you think I’m off my rocker or joking, but seriously, media relations needs some relations that are personal – not mass market. Leave that to advertising.

Next up, no one – no one at all – should be speaking to the media, unless cleared and managed by a senior PR person representing (I don’t care if it’s in house or through an agency) the organization. Today, there is too much at stake. Seriously – no one. Not the founder, not the owner (in fact especially not those two), not any person.

We need to wake up and smell the digital communication highway. Founders and CEO’s are brilliant people, but that doesn’t make them brilliant at the nuances of media spokesperson. Yes, they can be very desirable as their quirky, entrepreneurial, shoot from the hip, style makes them very quotable. But there is a lot at stake. One wrong soundbite and it can be echoed around the world and back again leading to considerable financial loss.

So that’s my drive for 2017. Ban press releases and tighten control so no one can speak to the press unless it can be controlled by a media pro.

Anyone with me?

Profitability through PR

Growing a company into a global brand is all about building reputation and doing it over and over until potentially millions of people know and love what you do. The process for this success is relatively simple.

Visibility + Credibility = Reputation + Profitability.

Please note, this is a process, and not a formula.

First your brand must be visible in the community (ideally your target market). That is when people know who you are and what you do.

Over time, you establish credibility. Credibility is when people know who you are, what you do, and they know that you are good at it.

And then and only then do you get to reputation.

You know when you have reached reputation, because that will result in sales, which in turn should lead you to profitability.

So, what does that mean in the word of marketing?

Step 1 - Visibility

The best way to get visibility to a mass audience is to go straight for that TV commercial in the Super Bowl. That spot ran at $5 million for just 30 seconds of air time this year. So, maybe, just maybe, that’s not going to be the best use of your marketing budget.

Luckily, you are probably not targeting the 110+ million people that tune into this sporting event. You can probably target a little better than that. Nope, you can target a lot better than that.

Targeting takes skill and research, but it is time well spent. Once you know your target and what media they consume, you can build a plan to speak to (not reach) them.

Most media contain two elements – the free section and the paid for section – the media relations section and the advertising section. 

Placing ads is just great, if you have a large budget and a short amount of time. The trouble with advertising is well documented and can best be summed up by the pioneer in marketing, John Wanamaker, who famously said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don't know which half”.

For those with slimmer budgets, the world of media relations is the way to go. PR is wonderful for creating visibility, because it is amazing at educating an audience. With PR you can get into how and why of your product / service. You can get deep.

It is going to take time - effective frequency is a controversial topic. Some say you need to see a message seven times for it to be effective. Some say it’s twenty. Whatever the mathematical accuracy is for your brand, sooner or later there will be visibility.

Step 2 – Credibility

Too many people and brands don’t recognize the need to move to step two – credibility - the quality of being trusted and believed in.

Advertising is not great for gaining credibility. Your customers – irrespective of whether you are in a B2C or B2B business – see through the ads pretty quickly. Be honest, so do you when you are a consumer.

Media relations, on the other hand, passes the smell test. There are all kinds of articles that can be placed for build credibility such as getting testimonials from clients/experts and sharing business insights / information with customers without selling to them directly.

In fact, we would suggest to you that media relations is the best marketing tactic for building credibility (and if you don’t believe us, speak to one of our customers or read some more of our great articles).

When will you know when your credibility campaign is working? Your reputation grows through word of mouth and profits will follow.

Just don’t forget – credibility is where the magic happens.

The Fear of Digital Marketing and One Little Secret you Need to Know

Business owners and marketing experts are scared. Just like other (more regular and boring) people, they fear the unknown. They fear what might happen, loss of control and what won’t happen.  Some have even admitted to me that the digital changes we experience today that cause disruptions to their business are keeping them up at night.

The fear is real and justified. Digital is transforming how we market to customers and how customers interact with us and our clients. They can make us more efficient, they can increase customer service and they can bring bigger profits. They can also work against us.  The fear is based in the unknown. We’ve yet to find a company that have it right, constantly, long term.

Unlike traditional threats to business, there is little insurance available to mitigate these risks. We hear that businesses are exploiting data, virtualizing infrastructure, reimagining customer experiences, and seemingly injecting social features into everything, but do we have a handle on it?

I spoke to hundreds of business owners in 2016 and none – not one – has said they gain clients because of their great Twitter campaigns. Now I think about it, not one has said they have gained a substantial client base from any single online digital platform.

I have spoken to several companies that have advertised very successfully online, using platforms such as Facebook, but the small print is that these companies are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on marketing/advertising. So, what is the little secret?

The secret is simple - digital marketing can work, but it is not a standalone tactic. The success of digital only works when it is integrated with traditional and off-line marketing strategies.

If you think any one digital marketing platform is the ticket to success, then you are going to be wasting time and money in 2017. If you can integrate digital marketing into your traditional this year, I’ll toast to your success.

Have you cracked the digital / traditional integration nut?

PR trends for 2017… what you need to know today.

There is one major driver to the world of media relations, and that is digital media. It’s not new this year, but it is developing quickly and has a hand in what media is, how consumers absorb content, how we as PR pros deal with the media and how as PR pros we communicate to our customers. As the world changes, so do we need to. Here’s what you need to be aware of.

1. Visual Storytelling

Facebook now sees 8 billion average daily video views from 500 million users

Snapchat users watch 6 billion videos every day

US adults spend an average of 1 hour, 16 minutes each day watching video on digital devices

78% of people watch online videos every week, 55% watch every day

And according to some, there is a 74 percent increase in understanding when someone watches a video. These are some simple reasons to start using video and other visual tools right now.

2. The Traditional Media Press Release Is Dead

How you write it and how you distribute it.

First up, your release must be digital friendly. This means you need to include links and hashtags. Without these, others (possibly a journalist or editor) will add them, but you loose control of the message and the online advantage of multiple links/hashtags going live at one time.\

Secondly, while we can use a news wire (sure, why not?) this is not the answer. They are increasingly affordable and quick to access. Better still, get that news out directly to just the right (small group) of quality, professional journalists. At the same time, publish your own piece of news on your own blog and then multiply it by posing across social media

3. Amplify your Social Media

Yes, the lie between PR and advertising are ever greyer. Once you have used your own social media platforms to publicize your own news, it’s time to turn the volume up with some amplification. You can use paid promotion, such as Facebook promoted posts, Twitter promoted tweets and LinkedIn sponsored updates. Google AdWords will continue to be another great paid promotion tactic.

To go to the next level, try asking big influencers in your industry to share and contribute to your content to give it more credibility and publicity.

4. Native Advertising

Now we have you over the hurdle of actually paying to play in the form of amplified social media posts, next you need to consider native advertising. Ad and digital agencies have been pushing these solutions for some time.

Native advertising typically match the look and feel of the platform it appears in and provides *useful* content rather than a typical call-to-action to purchase something. It’s about time the PR pro understands how and when to use native advertising.

5. Personalizing Your Pitch

We have known for many years that mass pitches do NOT the job. You need to build relationships with journalists and editors if you want to increase your chance of getting your content published fast. So, why is this going to be a trend in 2017? Well, people seem to have forgotten. Many believe that they can use technology to overcome this vital part in the PR process. You can’t. We believe that traditional processes of getting to know journalists will have a resurrection this year.

What else do you think will be driving the PR industry in 2017?

What we just read… lets us get to ‘yes’ quicker.

The author of the legendary bestseller Influence, social psychologist Robert Cialdini shines a light on effective persuasion and reveals that the secret doesn’t lie in the message itself, but in the key moment before that message is delivered.

What separates effective communicators from truly successful persuaders?

Using the same combination of rigorous scientific research and accessibility that made his Influence an iconic bestseller, Robert Cialdini explains how to capitalize on the essential window of time before you deliver an important message. This “privileged moment for change” prepares people to be receptive to a message before they experience it. Optimal persuasion is achieved only through optimal pre-suasion. In other words, to change “minds” a pre-suader must also change “states of mind.”

His first solo work in over thirty years, Cialdini’s Pre-Suasion draws on his extensive experience as the most cited social psychologist of our time and explains the techniques a person should implement to become a master persuader. Altering a listener’s attitudes, beliefs, or experiences isn’t necessary, says Cialdini—all that’s required is for a communicator to redirect the audience’s focus of attention before a relevant action.

From studies on advertising imagery to treating opiate addiction, from the annual letters of Berkshire Hathaway to the annals of history, Cialdini draws on an array of studies and narratives to outline the specific techniques you can use on online marketing campaigns and even effective wartime propaganda. He illustrates how the artful diversion of attention leads to successful pre-suasion and gets your targeted audience primed and ready to say, “Yes.”

Pre-suasion

A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade
By Robert Cialdini