We’re not a public affairs firm, but we work with enough state agencies and nonprofits to know that our public relations work goes hand-in-hand with public and legislative affairs. This year, our Creative Services and media relations teams stretched their muscles to support our clients across the board with a variety of legislative and advocacy-related work. Here are three big takeaways from the last couple of months. Develop Key Messages and Sing in Harmony When it comes to legislative work, you’re likely not the sole…
Read MoreIt’d be naïve of us to say we can control success, but in truth, results can’t always be guaranteed. The fact is, after gathering research and insights and on the other side of painstaking planning, as soon as you launch a digital marketing campaign and roll out a media relations strategy to support it, the results are largely out of your hands. You may have an idea where it’s going to go, but you never really know. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen…
Read MoreOur annual agency day of learning returned this fall and, wow, it was a good one. HodgesCon was born last year as a result of our teammates sharing their desire to learn, but without the time to focus on expanding their knowledge base. This year, the HodgesCon planning committee reviewed topic areas and feedback from last year’s event to come up with this amazing line-up: We’re left with fuzzy pink monster ball and a handful of post-it notes that we’ll probably never remove from light…
Read MoreA lot of clients come to us knowing they want to be on social media, but they’re not always sure which platforms are right for them. Well, here’s a quick blog post to help you figure that out. Before you start throwing out social channels, I recommend you answer these three questions: There are a lot of variables at play, but if you can answer these three questions, you should be in a pretty good place to discern which social media platforms are right for…
Read MoreHave you ever been disappointed by the outcome of a social media advertising campaign? It’s likely that your campaign was launched without properly aligning the social media ad objective with the appropriate KPIs. Before you embark on your next social media advertising campaign, here are three important points to keep in mind to ensure success from the start, before your ads even appear on people’s newsfeeds. Align our social ad objectives with the marketing funnel Social media advertising platforms are designed to align with the…
Read MoreRunning a social media marketing strategy is no small feat. A single post could have five layers behind the scenes before the “Publish” button is even tapped. One tool marketers can use is a social media editorial calendar to help keep teams on the same page as the social media beast gets fed. Using an editorial calendar not only keeps everyone on the same page, but it also creates efficiencies, establishes accountability and helps keep an overall balance of content, creativity and expectations. In case…
Read MoreAdrienne Band stays busy. When she’s not sampling international cuisine at Blue Atlas or sending a new route on the face of Peak Experience’s bouldering walls, you’ll find our newest Hodger right where she belongs – with us! Adrienne was hired to be our account executive for the Virginia Spirits team. Before joining our team, she was a freelance creative consultant helping small businesses and nonprofits develop a range of brand identities and marketing collateral. She’s a Roanoke native and a graduate of JMU where…
Read MoreI’m 100% sold on the concept of working smarter, not harder. And in an industry that constantly pulls you in different directions, optimizing your workflow is crucial to staying afloat (and creating meaningful, lasting content while you’re at it). When it comes to developing your content marketing strategy, you’re likely producing a lot of content to fill your various channels. Scheduling interviews and dedicating full days to content gathering to fill those social media editorial calendars can be a lot, but if you’re not getting…
Read MoreWe love everything about crystal ball predictions. And so, we asked our diverse group of Hodgers to stare into their crystal balls and share some of what they foresee for the year ahead. Strap in – it could be a bumpy ride in 2023! Media relations trends “Affiliate marketing will continue to impact media relations, particularly when it comes to product placements. We’ve seen examples of this in the last few years, but it’s a space that only continues to grow. We’re watching how publications…
Read MoreAs we unwrap our new planners and flip the calendar to a fresh year, our agency is embracing a theme that is customizable and flexible as we make our way through the year: The Year of “Re,” (as in RE-start, RE-energize, RE-juvenate). When you think about it, by adding that simple prefix to a root word, the possibilities are almost endless. Our team is prepared to come to our start-of-the-year meeting with a “re” word to help ground our work for the year ahead, and…
Read MoreFor nonprofits, those precious, tax-deductible, unrestricted, end-of-year gifts represent one of your largest appeal campaigns of the year. Development appeals can take many shapes and forms, but if you have a donor that sends donations to several places, you’re competing with other nonprofit organizations for those funds. That’s why leveraging owned data is the key to success in your outreach – and we’re giving you three ways to use that data to your advantage. Targeted, tailored social media campaigns You can upload a single email…
Read MoreEvery year during performance reviews, you can ask almost anyone in our office, and they will likely tell you one of their goals is to complete a certification or training. But the reality is, it can be extremely hard to get that done. When you have client work and life demands, it’s difficult to work the professional development that so many of us want – and need— into the week. Enter: HodgesCon. HodgesCon came about as a way to protect a single day on the…
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