While there is, and likely will always be, a place for media relations and traditional news delivery, the audience for this type of information is shrinking. According to Pew Research Center’s State of the News Media Report, 2015 circulation numbers in the newspaper industry alone were down 7 percent from the prior year. Compounding that, advertising – in both print and digital – was down 8 percent. The implications for individual publications is staggering with staff being slashed, the elimination of entire sections, and in…
Read MorePublic relations is, to some degree, always changing. There’s always some new tool or technique to stay ahead of the curve. But every so often, these changes are so severe, or culminate in a way, that they force us to alter the strategy and counsel we provide to clients, bosses and even each other. The rise of social and digital media, and concurrently, the changing nature of the traditional media landscape, is one such example. As Josh discussed in his previous post, public relations used…
Read MoreDoes FOIA mean anything to you? If not, you probably work for a private organization and this post isn’t for you. For everyone else, read along. FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) and other state-level public records laws are a big deal for government agencies and organizations. Essentially, the public is entitled access to virtually any unclassified document, including emails, text messages and social media content. The digital age and FOIA haven’t exactly gotten along swimmingly, so to speak, for a variety of reasons. First, many…
Read MoreVideo is an increasingly important part of breaking through the cacophony that is social media in 2016—in fact, 87% of online marketers use video. But just stringing together some moving pictures isn’t quite enough to reach the right audience. Your video has to have a goal. Are you looking to generate leads? Educate existing customers? Drive webinar signups? Whatever it is, once you’ve established the goal, you may be tempted to switch on the lights and start filming. But… let me stop you there. Before…
Read MoreWhile tweets may be a mere 140 characters long, the majority of corporate leaders say they’re far too busy running their organizations to spend their time posting to Twitter. What’s more, many see it as a fruitless exercise that doesn’t increase revenue, they don’t like the idea of ceding control, and they’re leery of sharing too much – or not enough. The result is that fewer than 6% of Fortune 500® CEOs use Twitter and of those, only 60% tweet on a regular basis. But the benefits…
Read MoreIs your organization on social media? Great! Now let me share some unfortunate news with you: Just being on social media isn’t enough anymore. Your strategy needs to contain a social media advertising budget if you want to reach new (and even existing) audiences. But the good news is, you can reach the right audience at the right time, with the right message if you set aside money in your marketing budget for social media advertising. Here’s how we advise clients to determine a social…
Read MoreA strong inbound marketing campaign produces content that attracts site visitors and email contacts, converts them into leads and, ultimately customers (read: generates ROI). Writing content for each stage of the buyer’s journey (awareness, consideration, decision) is easy in theory, but not always in practice. The Awareness Stage Also referred to as “top of the funnel,” the awareness stage begins when your audience (potential buyers) realize they have a problem. They’re online looking for solutions. This is your opportunity to position your brand as an…
Read MoreIf you’ve been on the fence about bringing your brand’s blog to the forefront of your inbound marketing strategy, there are plenty of good reasons to jump in and harness this powerful tool to both position your brand and turn hesitant leads into loyal customers. Let’s begin with some statistics: Brands that blog 15 or more times per month see five times more traffic than those that don’t. B2B marketers who use blogs receive nearly 70% more leads than those who choose not to. Marketers…
Read MoreSo Facebook is now like that little girl in second grade. You know the one who told you she was mad at you and never told you why? Still bugs me to this day. Today, Facebook launched new Reactions to go with its Like button. In addition to “Like,” you can now “Love,” “Haha,” “Wow,” “Sad” or “Angry” an individual post. This applies both to posts from people and brands. And while the changes have resulted from months of Facebook research to deepen user engagement, we at…
Read MoreIf you work in marketing, public relations or social media, you know that the social media landscape is in a constant state of flux. With changes happening at what seems like a daily rate, staying on top of these trends can be a daunting task, and sifting through the clutter can be time consuming. To help you stay up to date, we’ve sifted through the news ourselves and compiled a list of recent changes, and rumors of possible changes to come that are worth paying…
Read MoreIn this day and age, consumers have a powerful voice—especially online. This means that you can’t get away with bad service without expecting negative online reviews that can hurt your reputation. Unfortunately, even if you do the utmost to provide your customers with the best service or product possible, there’s a good chance you’ll get a bad review once in awhile. It’s how you react to those reviews that matters. Monitoring Your Online Reviews There are several user review websites that you should monitor. These…
Read MoreThey looked at me and thought I was crazy… It was one of those moments in a staff meeting where everyone stops in their tracks. Our group was debating the topic of the latest offer we would feature on our blog and website. Over the course of the last year we offered reports, tips, and small e-books on various PR and marketing topics designed both to educate and to generate leads for our business. They generated a bunch of downloads and conversations but I wanted…
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