Utilizing YouTube

As a Chicago PR firm we like to always be cognizant of trends and utilize tools to help ourselves and our clients be successful.  A big part of public relations is doing something unique and building buzz to help a client stand out.  Many times a PR firm will be brought in to help a company develop and execute a plan to help promote a company's products or services.  Video is a great tool to do just that.  Here are a few great ways to utilize both video and popular video website YouTube as a part of your PR tactics:

1- Great way to start a campaign: YouTube makes for a great way to kick off a PR campaign, there's no doubt about it.  People absolutely love videos and capturing an audience right at the very beginning of any PR campaign is a surefire way to ensure some campaign success.  Create a short, but sweet, video to engage your audience and get them fired up about your PR campaign right before it begins.

2- Carry over your branding: YouTube, and videos in general, give you a great place to carry over your branding.  Your entire YouTube channel can utilize your company's branding and so can the videos you create, giving your branding some sticking power in a viewer's mind.

3- Crisis control: Should a crisis arise a video may just be the ticket to helping you take control of a  bad situation.  Videos are powerful and when done right can truly grab a viewer and make them see a situation in a whole new light.

4- Become a part of an online community: YouTube has millions of viewers each and every day with people not only posting videos, but also commenting on videos making it an extremely interactive platform.  Posting YouTube videos gives you the ability to engage viewers and start a conversation, which is crucial for PR experts.

5- Measurement: Yes, we are all about measurement, especially when it comes to a PR campaign. Without measurement we would never know how effective our PR strategies and PR tactics really were throughout the course of a campaign.  Measurement should be done for all parts of a campaign, even for videos you are placing on YouTube. Luckily, YouTube has a wide array of tools that can be used to help measure the reach of videos.  This will help you figure out which videos are working for you and which are not.  From here this may help you determine what type of concepts work so that the next few videos you do are more effective.

Have your own tips on utilizing both video and YouTube?  Feel free to leave a comment below or contact us.

Carnival Cruise Ship Triumph-- Bad PR Moment?

As a Chicago public relations firm we strive to help each of our clients make good decisions when they are faced with tough times.  Bad PR moments happen, but it is how a company and a PR firm handle a bad situation that really counts.  Most recently we became aware of a rough situation with popular cruise line Carnival and their ship Triumph.  The news has been bombarding us with commentary on the disaster and we are sure you've probably heard all about the cruise ship disaster as well. In case you haven't heard, we will give you a recap and speak our peace on what made this a bad PR moment for Carnival and what they could have done to handle the situation better and perhaps spare themselves a bit from this very negative attention.

The Situation

Picture this-- You have taken your entire family on a cruise, you're excited for a little peace and quiet and for a beautiful vacation.  Suddenly you realize that the cruise ship you and your family are on is stranded at sea due to major engine failure.  Sounds a lot less like a fun family vacation and more like a horror story if you ask us.  So what really happened?  On the morning of February 10th, just three days after Carnival's ship Triumph had left Galveston, Texas with more than 4,000 people on board, an engine fire occurred.  Lack of power on the ship left passengers with no A/C, running water and very little food.  Worse yet, bathrooms were not in working ordered which left passengers with no choice but to use bags.  Hallways and floors were flooded with sewer water and human waste. Passengers were forced to deal with all of this for five days until they were able to be rescued and brought back to the states (Mobile, Alabama).

What Carnival Did

Instead of being forthcoming about the situation, the Carnival crew kept quiet and were slow to communicate with anyone, including the media.  Carnival had no immediate response to the situation and just two days after the engine fire Carnival Chairman Micky Arison was seen out and about at a Miami Heat game rather than responding to the media regarding the cruise ship incident.  People certainly took notice.  The lack of initial communication on Carnival's end has left many wondering what is next for Carnival and the cruise ship/travel industry in general.

What Carnival Could Have Done

Lack of communication, in this case, made this disaster all the worse.  Right when the situation occurred the lines of communication should have been wide open, which is where public relations typically comes into play.  At this point a PR firm for the cruise ship would typically step in and begin devising a plan for handling the situation.  In this case, no one from Carnival (or Carnival's PR firm) stepped in, so naturally the media ate the story right up. Instead of letting the media speculate about what was really going on on the ship, Carnival should have come out and released a statement immediately addressing their plan of action.  Where was an expert giving up to the minute status updates on what was happening aboard the ship?  Nowhere to be found apparently.

Carnival's website was sprinkled with a tiny bit of information in regards to what the passengers would receive for their troubles, but no real information was provided as to what was happening on the ship or how the passengers were feeling or doing.  What this whole situation proves is that there needs to be an effective crisis communication plan put in to place so that if a situation similar to this ever does crop up, it can be handled well instead of being handled poorly.

Thoughts, comments, or questions?  Leave them below or contact us.

Chicago Public Relations Firm
Chicago PR Firm
Franchise Public Relations
Franchise Public Relations Firm

Questions to Ask Before Choosing a PR Firm

Choosing a PR firm to work with can be difficult, but asking the right questions can help you figure out whether a PR firm is the one for you or not. Ask yourself the following questions to help you figure out which PR firm is the one for you:

1- "Does your PR firm fit with my company?"

This first question requires you to think a bit about yourself and your company first.  Perhaps you and your company aren't looking for a full blown PR campaign, but are looking to have a few press releases written up and distributed, then maybe the best bet is to work with someone freelance and instead of an agency.  The PR firm you choose has to be able to fit in with your company and be able to fill your needs.

2- "What are your PR firm's qualifications?"

When looking for a PR firm it is always a good idea to get more information on their qualifications. Some firms specialize in specific industries, so if you feel like working with an industry-specific PR firm is important, seek these firms out.

3- "Can we get along?"

Before committing to working with a PR firm it is important to figure out whether you can work well with them.  Ask to meet their team and get to know them better to get a feel for what it would be like to work with them.

4- "What are some of your greatest achievements as a PR firm?"

Ask a PR firm about some of their greatest achievements as a firm to see what kind of experience they have and how they have gotten to where they currently are.  Greatest achievements will speak volumes about a firm.

5- "Can you provide references?"

You should be able to ask your prospective PR firms for some references and even case studies to get a better perspective on what a firm is capable of.  If they are unable to provide some references you may want to consider working with a firm who has references to provide you with. 

6- "Will your services fit within my budget?"

Budget is crucial whether your company is small or big.  Budget woes should be addressed before you even begin looking for a PR firm to work with.  Before starting to search for a PR firm address how much you have to spend and figure out what kinds of services PR firms have to offer that will stay within your budget.  See what your PR firm options would suggest you do within your budget and consider how they would charge you (retainer fee, project fee, flat fee).  

7- "How is success measured?"

No one wants to enter into PR blindly and not understand how success is tracked.  Without tracking it wouldn't be clear which PR strategies and which PR tactics are working and which are not.  Before beginning to work with a PR firm ask them how they measure success with their clients and how they would measure success for you if you were to become a client.

Before working with any PR firm make sure you have a complete list of questions to ask them to help make sure you choose the right firm.  Have comments or questions?  Leave them below or contact us.

Social Media: Attract Brand Fans

As a PR firm with social media consultants we know that social media is a powerful tool that can convert friends, fans and followers into the ultimate advocates for a brand when social media strategies and tactics are done well.  After all, what is a brand without brand fans? With the help of social media, brand advocates or brand fans can help push a brand further. So how does one utilize social media to attract brand fans?  Here are a few of our top tips on attracting brand fans:

1- Identify your target audience: Before embarking on a quest to attract some brand fans, figure out who your target audience is, what they like and where they spend their time, especially in the social media realm.  Our PR firm and social media consultants identify the target audience first and form strategies around the target audience's interests, feelings and thoughts.

2- Give incentives: Don't expect to gain new followers all because you just set up your social media accounts and think that simply asking people to "like" or "follow" you should be sufficient.  You have to give people a reason to "like" or "follow" you.  This intertwines with turning people into brand fans or advocates.  The more you give them, the more you get back in return. If you give them a 30% off coupon for your product or service solely because they "liked" or "followed" you on your company's social media accounts, they are likely to keep checking your page for more awesome offers and are likely to tell their friends about you, your company and your social media pages.

3- Join groups and interact: The more you interact with people via social media as a company and a brand the better.  The best way to attract brand fans is to get involved and interact with them where they spend their time.  Joining groups allows you to interact with people you may not be able to interact with outside of social media.  Social media is a great way to tell people what is going on with your company and let potential brand fans get involved by starting a conversation.

4- Be interesting!: The best way to attract brand fans using social media is to be interesting!  Whatever you do on social media needs to grab people's attention.  Start conversations that make people want to join in.

Have some of your own tips on attracting brand fans?  Leave them below in a comment or contact us.

Optimizing Press Releases

As a Chicago franchise public relations firm we know how important it is to send out powerful press releases and one of the best ways to ensure a strong release is to make sure it is optimized.  Get the most out of each press release by optimizing it for internet search factors. Here are some tips on optimizing your press releases:

1- Strategy first: Before starting the process of optimizing press releases, you must establish a solid strategy which you will continually utilize which each press release.  Strategy always comes first when it comes to optimization.

2- Use keywords frequently: Keywords that you have chosen and pre-identified in the strategy step should be used throughout the content in each press release and especially in your press release's headline. Using keywords help tell readers and most importantly, search engines, what your content is all about.

3- Inner links should be scattered throughout content: In each release keyword phrases should be linked to pages on your website to show the relationship between the linked words and your page.  This is how SEO works in a nutshell.  Through the keyword phrases you use, a search engine's perception is shaped in regards to what your website or press release is all about and how your website or press release's content fits in with your keyword phrases.

4- Photos and videos should be optimized: Photos and videos used in a press release also give you a good opportunity for optimization.  You can optimize a photo or video's tag to include keyword phrases to again get the association established between your keyword phrases and your website or press release.

5- Use a distribution service: A press release distribution service will help ensure that your press release is seen by the maximum number of relevant people.  Making sure that your releases are getting in the right hands should always be your main focus when it comes to creating effective press releases.

Looking for more tips on optimizing press releases?  Feel free to leave us a comment below or contact us.

What to Look for in a Publicist or PR Firm

Choosing a publicist or public relations firm to work with can be tough. As a Chicago franchise public relations firm, we know how difficult it can be finding the right publicist or PR firm to work with.  Not all public relations firms are built the same.  Some publicists and  PR firms can be flaky and others are strong and dependable. In the market for a publicist or public relations firm to work with, but unsure of what to look for?  Here are some traits to look for in a public relations firm or publicist:

1- Offers a consultation:  A PR firm or a publicist should offer a consultation to potential clients. Some consultations will be free of charge and others will charge. When attending a consultation with a publicist or PR firm they should touch on a few learning points and give you a bit of an education and offer value. During the first meeting with any firm or publicist, they should immediately be able to share some tips, ideas and tricks of the PR trade.  A good firm or publicist isn't all about just being able to get you to become a client, they should show some genuine want to help you.

2- Should have referrals:  A publicist worth having on your side should have a list of referrals or case studies to help show their successes.  What good would it be for a publicist to say they are successful without having any proof of that success?  Not much and would you really be able to believe them?  Probably not.  Having evidence of that success, however is much more believable.  Case studies, testimonials and referrals should all help show whether you have a good publicist on your hands or not.  Be wary of PR firms or publicists who do not have referrals, testimonials or case studies to show you.

3- Experience in your industry: There are public relations firms and publicists out there for everyone and for every industry.  Do you work in a very specific industry that requires your publicist to have prior experience working in your industry?  If so, you should consider this when attempting to find a publicist.  When searching for an industry specific publicist or PR firm, make sure you take some time to research firms and publicists that will fit your requirements.

4- A slew of media connections: Odds are you are trying to work with a publicist because you know they have all the media connections you need.  If so, then consider this on the top of the important list when looking for a publicist or agency.  If you think the publicist or firm you are going to work with is simply boasting about all of their contacts, ask if you can get the name and contact information for a few relevant contacts as a reference check.

5- Solid follow up methods: If a publicist or public relations firm seems hard to get a hold of, then consider working with someone else.  A good publicist or public relations firm will provide you with regular updates and will keep in constant communication with you.  Over-communicating is far better than the opposite.

Looking for more tips on what to look for in a publicist or public relations firm?  Feel free to leave us a comment below or contact us.