The Public Relations Blog

How crisis communications is becoming more necessary in college athletics

Allegations and subsequent scandals have rocked some big-name college athletics programs over the last several years. Given the 24/7 news cycle that currently operates, these instances show a shift toward the need for crisis communications for an industry whose traditional media coverage focuses on the outcome of a game.

Promote your company and its accomplishments

Congratulations on making it to the Inc. 5000 list! Whether your company is No. 1 or No. 5,000, it’s a tremendous honor to receive, and it’s time to spread the word of your company’s achievement. So, where should you start? There are thousands of ways for you to share with employees, customers, and the public that your hard work has paid off. OK, so we may not have 5,000 ideas. However, we do have 25 ways for your company to celebrate, in addition to our original 16 ways to promote your Inc. 5000 honor. Feel free to substitute the number 5,000 with your exact ranking number on the list.

How to turn website visitors into customers

Building, developing, designing, or redesigning a website is a large project for anyone to pursue. There’s much to consider when creating your site, aside from color schemes and placement. Content is what brings your website to life, enabling you to create and share your company’s story the way you want to tell it.

It’s just a matter of time before a crisis hits, and if you’re not prepared, it will show. Following the three R’s of a crisis: regret, reform, and restitution will help your company handle the situation and protect your reputation. Here are five tips to help you manage a crisis.

4 things to consider before you send that press release

When you return to work from a week-long vacation, you probably find a plethora of emails awaiting your attention. For reporters, this is an everyday occurrence. Most of them receive more emails daily than they could ever get to in a single work day.

Why your organization should have a Facebook group

Facebook groups have become part of our daily Facebook use, and most people belong to multiple groups. While Facebook groups are extremely useful in general, they have a huge impact when you use them in your marketing strategy along with your company’s business page. Here are three reasons why.

Our recommendations to make paid media your last resort

Companies sometimes get caught in a cycle of utilizing paid opportunities because they don’t fully understand what public relations is and how to use the power of PR to earn media coverage. Some outlets will even tell companies that if they advertise, the outlet will write more about the company. This isn’t right. In fact, your company should make paid media its last resort.

And what you should ask your PR firm before finalizing your PR plan

If you’re new to using public relations to build your brand, then starting a PR program can seem daunting. Luckily, it’s easier with the help of a trusted PR firm and a PR plan. A PR plan should be the road map that your PR firm (and your team) uses to create a successful PR program. If your firm doesn’t utilize a PR plan, it’s difficult to evaluate its success and to know that your company and your PR partner are on the same page. Don’t blindly follow your PR firm. Educate yourself on the elements of a PR plan and know the questions that you should be asking to create a successful PR program.

Owned media describes channels you control. It’s the content you create for your website and blog as well as e-books, white papers, presentations, etc. You fully control the content and its distribution. (If you can add, edit, or delete the content, you probably own it.)

Shared media is social media. It’s evolving and continues to build beyond just marketing or the customer service teams using it. Organizations have begun to use it as their main source of communications internally and externally. Shared media includes publishing to social sites, like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.