The Public Relations Blog

Use a PR firm to manage social media the right way

You know you should make social media a bigger part of your customer engagement and outreach strategy, but you don’t believe you have the resources or manpower to handle it effectively. As a result, you might be considering hiring an intern to handle your company’s social media. After all, younger people are technologically savvy and always on social media anyway, right? Unfortunately, this decision would be a disservice to both your company and your bottom line.

Learn why both are important to your company’s image and bottom line

Your company’s reputation precedes you in every meeting, event and interaction with the public. It’s what consumers use to decide whether they can trust you and your product and if they should spend money with you.

You may think that a good reputation just happens; that if you are well behaved and don’t actively seek to do harm, people will notice. But this is not the case. It’s vital to manage your reputation – and do so ethically.

What are the pros and cons of this often misunderstood media relations tool?

Psst! I’ve got a dynamite story to tell and I’m only giving it to you. In return for being the first to hear it, I’m hoping you will make it a big deal and help me attract the attention of many people in my target audience because I think you are just the right media outlet to handle it. Okay?

This is the premise behind pitching exclusives to the media.

Fill up that trophy case with help from PR

You attend all those dinners and ceremonies only to watch other companies walk away with prestigious awards. Of course, your company and staff are doing great things, but how do you get recognized for them?

Getting an award for your company, whether inside or outside your industry, is a great way to increase visibility and improve your reputation. Use public relations tools and tactics to get more awards for your business.

4 ways your company can profit from winning an award

Has your company hired a number of new employees? Do you contribute to philanthropic endeavors? Do you have a great CEO or believe your company is a great place to work? It may be time to submit your company for an award.

Benefits

Many companies shy away from the idea of entering into award competitions because they think it’s too self-promotional and they worry the entry might be too time-consuming. The benefits of entering and winning an award largely outweigh any reasons not to.

The new feature assists corporations, nonprofits and individuals during crises

In response to the shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Facebook activated its Safety Check feature. This marks the first activation in response to an incident in the United States.

Learn how to get the most value from public relations without crossing ethical lines

We ask public relations professionals to tell our story, but do they have to tell the truth? If your PR firm, in handling a crisis for you, chooses to omit unfavorable information about your company when addressing the public, is that dishonest? More importantly, if unethical behavior from PR helps your company, should you care?

Getting an unsatisfactory response to your social media efforts can be frustrating. Low ROI – something like 50 likes over the course of an active social media campaign – is an indication that it’s time to make certain social media strategy changes.

Any company can generate better ROI with these simple and effective steps:

5 ways to properly prepare your images for the media

Whether located in a media kit (digital or print) or in your online newsroom, photographs designed for use specifically by the media are somewhat different than your run-of-the-mill photos. Product launches, executive appointments and new office locations are all instances to have media-ready photographs on hand. However, the photos must be what media outlets are seeking if you want to optimize their usage.

Learn the right way to handle media relations for increased news coverage and visibility

You grant a journalist an hour-long interview and your company doesn’t even get mentioned in the story. Or, perhaps a news outlet covers your company, and you weren’t contacted for a comment. Dealing with the media can be exasperating. Nonetheless, it may surprise you to know that they have just as many complaints about you.