The Public Relations Blog

Frankly, online communications are to our message style what TV was to the phonograph; what the sleek crossover has been to the original boxed-out minivan; what the Kindle Nook has been to the 960-page paperback version of Gone With the Wind.

Great public relations means your company is already enjoying positive coverage in the media. But even if every major media outlet on Earth covered your story not everyone would see it.

You can’t ignore bad news about your organization; and in fact, it deserves a proper response. Sometimes, even organizational leaders use their social media accounts to respond in the heat of the moment, and instead of putting out fires, they spark new ones.

by Jason Mudd, APR

If you’ve been looking for tips on revving up team morale, or how to tastefully release an employee, an audio clip of a recent AOL conference call can offer you – and millions of other listeners – some tips on how not to achieve these tasks.

Effective Public Relations Strategies for the Declaration of Independence

This week, it’s fun to ask yourself a public relations question as you reflect on the events surrounding the birth of our country: What would John Hancock do today?

Gaining positive coverage is great news and certainly a morale boost in that someone thinks you are doing a good job, but why leave it there? Just because you had a story published, does not mean everyone has had a chance to see it.

SEO: If your company has a website (what company doesn't?), you've undoubtedly wondered how to make it more effective at attracting leads and/or customers and growing your business.

Is your website easy to read? The best practice for website readability, according to www.Webaim.org, is to use fonts with styles of letters that are "friendly."

PR Tip: Nine Ways To Outwit And Outsell Your Competition

1. Keep Your Eye On The Bottom Line

• Are you selling products that are returning a high profit in dollars but not in percentages? Remember, it’s not the amount of sales you generate that really counts. It’s the amount of money you take the bank that counts.

2. Focus On Your People

• Is your staff on your bandwagon? Explain to them that you are building a championship team that’s going to survive these times. Are they on board? If not, you shouldn’t be employing them.

3. Communicate Your Differentiation, Your Story And Your Value

• Do you have a differentiation or value story to tell people? If you do, people will remember you and talk about you. If you don’t, they’ll forget about you.

4. It’s All About Connections

• Be the mayor. Your business is up for election every day of the year. Put your time and energy into developing relationships within your community and collecting votes. Nurture your connections. The only cost is your time.

5. Be A Personality

• Get in front of people and be the face of your company. Speaking in front of 100 people is worth more than you can imagine. People would rather do business with someone they know and like.

6. Love Your Customers

• Your customers are the sole reason your business exists so make them feel important. Ask them for feedback. Once a year, invite your key customers to a special event to thank them for their business. It’s far less expensive to market to your true fans than to acquire new customers.

7. Wow! Be Fascinating

• Everything you do and everything the customer sees about you -- your showroom, products, services, greetings, landscaping, washroom and lobby -- must be remarkable. If they’re mediocre, you’re just another average company that’s easy to forget about.

8. Make The Internet Work For You

• If you’re not found on the Internet, people won’t know about you. Invest in “search” and PPC programs. Explore the advantages of LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Learn about mobile messaging programs.

9. Develop A Sales-Building Plan

• Write down what you want to achieve, your deadline for achieving it and what it’s going to take to get you there.
• From this, develop a six-month sales-building plan. Get feedback from your staff so they “buy into” the program. And finally, get someone to hold you accountable for getting the plan done.

If you follow these guidelines, you"ll outwit and outsell your competition.