The Public Relations Blog

It's hard for corporate communications and marketing professionals to be creative

Creativity would be easy if we had unlimited time, budgets, and resources. And since we don't, it can be hard for corporate communications and marketing professionals to be creative. 

We are expected to deliver unique and powerful ideas on the regular for our leadership team, clients, and customers. Sometimes inspiration comes from strange places. Since 2016, in an intentional effort to improve my creativity each day, I've been challenging myself to try new things, do things differently, and take more risks. It's now part of my daily DNA and my personal drive.

Pitches must be newsworthy and succinct for outlets to pick them up 

Whether it’s your first time pitching to the media, your 100th time, or your 5,000th time, you need to make sure there are things you consider and keep in mind. When you're getting ready to pitch to the media, you need to be clear on this: what's the actual story you're pitching? 

Why is being included in a news story so important for companies?

One reason is because positive news coverage improves your company’s reputation. Another is news stories about your company put it at the forefront of prospective customers’ minds.

As consumers are inundated with options, many may not know about your company and its offerings until they see your company included in a story as a thought leader.

So how do home service companies like plumbers, A/C repair companies, flooring, electricians, pool service providers, home warranty companies, and more get in the news?

Although only a few words, correct quote attribution gives your story more clarity and credibility

So much of PR relies on effective communication, including quoting your executives, citing experts in the field, and crafting news releases. Getting the correct quote is only half the battle. Once you know what you want to include, you must ensure the attribution is accurate. Without proper attribution, you can lose your audience’s trust.

Quote attribution can be tricky as each quote scenario adheres to unique rules. At Axia Public Relations, we follow the Associated Press Stylebook’s quote attribution policies. However, be sure to check your own organization’s copy editing stylebook on quote attribution, as some organizations have different guidelines. 

Ensure external communications appeal to media with copy editing

As a public relations firm, we believe it’s important to provide you with a white-glove experience. One of the ways we do that is by offering comprehensive PR solutions and value-added services at no additional cost. One of those services is copy editing all content and documents that we share with the media, post on a newswire, or otherwise submit on your company’s behalf. 

There’s no time like the present to grow your company’s outreach

Did you know that positive news coverage helps to improve your construction company’s reputation? It also helps to place your company at the forefront of many of your prospective customers’ minds.

Far too often, customers don’t know which company to turn to when they have a construction need because all of them seem the same. Luckily, earned media coverage assists in creating a thought leader and puts your company at the forefront of people’s minds when they need to make a building and construction decision. 

Say you’ve tried to get your company in the news, such as print, online, or broadcast coverage, without luck. We’re here to help!

WordPress might be the most popular content management system, yet it’s not the best for company websites. There are smarter, safer platforms available that offer the perks of WordPress without the hassle and risk.

The digital age has changed marketing. Old-school tactics, like cold calling and direct mailing, are no longer effective as a means of increasing sales. Consumers have more control over what advertising they encounter, and most mass marketing campaigns are an exercise in futility. To grow leads and sales, you must attract prospective customers through thoughtful, insightful, informative, and entertaining content. In other words, you need a winning inbound marketing strategy.

Public relations software is one of the many important tools for earning media coverage

Every week a prospective client, PR agency peer, or another PR professional asks us:
“what's the best solution for a U.S. news media contact database?”

It’s not an easy answer. It’s like asking “what’s the best automobile?” 

At Axia, we've tried them all. And the simple answer is each has their pros and cons.

No company is safe from crisis as we’ve seen with the coronavirus pandemic. Although your communications strategy and tactics must shift to crisis communications during a time of emergency, it’s still of utmost importance to monitor and evaluate your company’s coverage as it weathers the storm.

You should continue to measure your company communications during a crisis, and you should include these four values in your criteria.