The Public Relations Blog

Learn what behavior to expect from your PR agency

When you hire a new employee, you expect him to be conscientious, loyal and ethical. You should require no less from your PR agency.

Since the profession’s beginning, the words “public relations” have become synonymous with terms like “shady,” “unscrupulous” and “spin doctor.” Nonetheless, not all PR firms and professionals are created equal. Ask the right questions to ensure you’re getting a PR agency that stands up for your company’s ideals and reputation.

Food and beverages have become more than just sustenance. Often, it seems like our whole lives revolve around food, from the ubiquitous business luncheon, specialty offerings at sporting events and carnivals and large holiday barbecues with family and friends, there is almost no place you can go where food and beverages are not at the forefront. Thankfully, we can satisfy our obsession for all things food with outlets like Food & Beverage magazine.

The days of the lone PR guy, cranking out press releases, called on only when someone majorly screws up, are over. Today’s PR operations are tech-savvy, multifaceted, well-oiled machines that perform on numerous levels and serve as key players in the company’s overall strategic vision.

This is one story about PR and small businesses. Read What do small businesses spend on PR, 5 Things big companies know about PR that small businesses can learn from them, PR firms should avoid startups, and Why small businesses struggle with PR firms for more.

At one time, every business was a small business. Even the Wal-Marts and Microsofts of the world started with an idea and a bit of start-up cash. No matter how big you are or get, it’s important to never forget your more humble beginnings.

You can probably trace most of the things you do now back to lessons learned when you were smaller. Just as small businesses on the path to growth look to emulate the successful actions of larger firms, big businesses can still learn some things from the smaller companies. One such area is the way they handle PR.

Recruiting top talent has gotten significantly more difficult in recent years. With the popularity of social media, you can now find out more information about job seekers than ever before. Nevertheless, you should realize that while you are calling references and performing background searches on potential hires, they are checking you out, as well, often using sites like Glassdoor.com.

Today, everyone is talking about blogging and the fact that if you don’t blog consistently, you’re behind the times and missing out. They are correct.

Blogs provide another opportunity to reach your customers as they travel through the sales funnel. You can demonstrate that you care about their business and their lives and serve as a thought-leader, bringing them additional information that helps them make more informed decisions about your product and industry. This is not always easy, so when writing blog posts, it may help to remember that you must always provide V-A-L-U-E.

You’ve rolled out a new flagship product. You’ve worked hard at research and development, marketing and promotions. You were ready. You thought your customers were ready.

And then … it flops, and lots of people are talking about it. What can you do from a PR perspective to preserve your brand reputation or change the conversation? Maybe your idea didn’t scratch up to all you’d envisioned for it, or maybe it was just ahead of its time. Read on for valuable ideas to help boost your results, either way.

Just a few years ago, the term “spreadable content” may have referred to a jar of mayonnaise or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Now, of course, it refers to media that’s specifically designed to be shared as many times as possible.

According to the recently released Public Relations Generally Accepted Practices (GAP VIII) study published by the Strategic Communications and Public Relations Center at USC, creating spreadable content is a top priority for communications professionals and the organizations they serve.

For many years, companies have viewed public relations agencies as those people you hire when you’re facing a crisis or you can’t crank out press releases fast enough. Now, that perception is changing, as more and more organizations discover the real value of hiring a PR firm.

You have demonstrated value to your customers, providing useful information and updates about important trends in your field. They have read your blog posts or attended your webinars. Now what do you want them to do?