5 PR Tips to Learn from James Bond

James Bond is a global icon, everyone across the globe knows of MI6 agent 007. His movies and books have been hitting theaters and shelves since 1962. His films have set many box office records and gained scores of fans.

Of course, there are more than just fancy ways of using gadgets, driving cars, and getting women from James Bond; we can also learn how to promote ourselves and our businesses. Here are 5 franchise PR lessons to learn from Mr. Bond.

Know what your pitch will be and make sure to nail it each time you deliver it.

We all know the iconic way that James Bond introduces himself, “Bond. James Bond.” I tried to do this myself but my name does not work as smoothly. While it does not make so much sense that a spy is so willing to divulge his identity, it is a memorable calling card and he delivers it perfectly every time.

What is your calling card when you are out making connections and sales? You might want to try a different way than what James Bond does but do keep it as memorable and easy to deliver.

Have the best tools and know how to use them. James Bond has the best gadgets and keeps on top of how to use them. Whether it is a car that shoots missiles, a jetpack, or a pen that doubles as a remote for an explosive, he has the latest and greatest. Just like Bond, franchise public relations professionals have to be on the edge of the latest tools, tech, and techniques; things like tablets, smartphones, connections with reporters, etc.

Unfortunately, you might not have the luxury of the taxpayer paying for things like James Bond does, which means having someone else, or yourself.

Use those gadgets and tools but have a backup plan. While Bond did always have good gadgets to his disposal, he did not always rely on them too heavily. Bond was always an agent that relied more on his own mind, skill, and those around him (even if it was another human to take the impact of a fall or bullet).

Like Bond, we know that social media has become a huge part of good PR and marketing, however, that does not mean we can only concern ourselves with the followers and fans. We still have to use the simple and traditional methods from time to time.

Dress the part. James Bond always has the best suits and looks great in them. Like him, you need to dress the part as well, even if it does not mean dropping thousands on a suit. But look and act professional.

Be social. Bond goes out to clubs and such and gambles, drinks, has shaken martinis, etc. and he gets to know people. We are not saying you should get involved in these things but do take the note that in order to gain business and connections, you have to be out there, you have to be social.

The Rise of Social Advertising Beyond Facebook

Facebook will be a major player in the social media advertising scene for a while due to its incredible potential reach and scale, everyone is on Facebook. However, due to the Facebook algorithm that dictates visibility for free brand pages, less than two percent of posts get seen anymore. This means either paying to use Facebook for more visibility or jumping focus of social media marketing to other platforms. The rise of platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+ is really eye opening in 2015.

These other platforms are rolling out features and ad products that bring brands to the forefront of consumers. More and more, content is the way to tell if your social ad will be a winner. Along with great content, image-centric content is driving engagement and conversions on social media. This used to be only true for Facebook but even with Twitter, tweets that have an image are seeing 54 percent more favorites and retweets and 84 percent more clicks.

Pinterest, created back in 2009, reaches more than 70 million users
. Pinterest now has Promoted Pins for brands who want to advertise and bring more visibility to their boards and products. Brands are given free impressions and are only charged when their pins are clicked, which then goes against the brand's weekly or monthly budget.

Other platforms like Tumblr or Google+ are also gaining traction from brands. What are your thoughts for your business regarding which social media platforms are best? Let us know in the comments! As a Chicago PR agency, we are excited about social media and how businesses use it.

Don't Ask Siri About 9/11. Here's Why.

A recent trend has been floating around that if you ask Siri about 9/11 (the September 11th attacks), that it will be a hilariously entertaining response. However, the real result is less than funny.

If you mention "9/11" to Siri, she will call emergency response in the US. If that happens, you have five seconds to cancel the call or you will be on the other end of a dud 9-1-1 call, which can result in considerable repercussions.

Many iPhone users are being tricked into this prank via Twitter and many US emergency response teams are not happy about it. Some police stations have reported getting hundreds of dud 9-1-1 calls.

Even if you hang up the phone after the call is placed, you will be contacted by the police, according to emergency protocol (in case the call is real and your phone call got interrupted).

As a franchise PR agency, we know social media can be highly persuasive and fun. Enjoy it responsibly.

How to Use Instagram for Your Business

Businesses have been moving to Instagram in droves. Instagram has even started tailoring its platform to businesses to make things easier for them.

So what can your business do to make Instagram a useful tool? Our franchise PR team can help!

1. Balance your fun images with professional images. Tell a story of your business through your images. Have the professional ones to show your business is productive and on top of its game. Blend those images with the fun images of your business. When you show those fun images, it gives clients or customers more confidence in your business, believe it or not. It shows you're not fake and it shows that you have personality. Clients and customers love to see a business with personality and is not robotic.

2. Build a following. To get more followers on Instagram, connect with your customers and clients on their professional or personal accounts. Connect your Instagram account with your company's Twitter and Facebook accounts, share your posts to those sites (cross-promotion).

Another task to do that will garner followers is using relevant, popular hashtags. Both parts of that are important. Relevant. Popular. You can use a popular hashtag about cats in your photo about your business that sells sporting goods but it won't help. You can also use a very relevant hashtag but if there are only 10 posts using it, it won't do much either.

A third task is to follow people and engage with their posts. Like them. Comment on them (appropriately). This can really help your business since not many businesses actually engage with photos, they just post their own.

3. Use videos. Now that Instagram allows videos, they are a wonderful way to create and curate content for your followers. They show more than just a static moment. They feature voices, laughter, information, and whatever your business can fit into the 15 seconds.

4. Embed the Instagram videos to your site and blog. Everybody loves seeing videos on blogs and websites, they drive traffic and engagement. You can embed them so they are flawlessly intwined. When people share your blogs and visit your site, they will be seeing those videos, sharing them, and extending your Instagram's reach.

5. Follow your followers. When someone gives your corporate Instagram a follow, follow them back. It easily builds positive franchise PR for your business and shows your followers that you like them and not just for their sales. It is surprising how many businesses do not follow their followers back, which would show your business is different, that it cares.

6. Don't post too much. But post. The speed of posting pictures on Instagram is laid back. You can go a couple days between posts and still be fine. If you have a business that creates video and image worthy posts that won't be redundant and boring with frequent posts, then post every day. Gauge your followers. Gauge the engagement and excitement of your posts. For example, a company like Nike has engaging enough content to post every day; not because they're a global company but because they cover so many sports and are highly relevant to many people.

7. Use filters and effects. Don't be afraid to use the filters on Instagram or, if you are so skilled, Photoshop. Our Chicago PR agency can help with using Photoshop for your business! Create unique images and make your pictures incredible. If you create branded images, even better.

8. Host contests on Instagram. Use a specific hashtag for participants to add to their images so they can be submitted to your contest. Have a prize that is worth winning.

9. Showcase employees. Talk about your employees to show your followers who they deal with when then engage with your business! This is another way to show the personality of your business. Employee of the month? Employee who won an office contest? Whatever you want. Make it relevant & appropriate.

10. Build a visual experience for your followers. Make your profile exciting to follow. Whether the photos and videos are "Wow!" or you can have interesting posts and are connected to engaging stories, make your profile exciting.

Instagram is a great place to build your social media following. If your business is not on Instagram, then you are missing out. Contact All Points PR, a Chicago PR agency, about your business's social media strategy!

Jeb Bush in a PR Crisis?

It seems that future Presidential candidate, Jeb Bush, is in a bit of a pickle.

Earlier this month, Bush was asked if he would have invaded Iraq if he was President; after a lengthy, circular response, it was said that he would not have invaded. However, this is after previous responses saying that he would have, then saying he wasn't sure, etc. Most recently, he stated that ISIS (ISIL) was a result of Obama's Presidency. 

Whether the questions about his choices on Iraq (if he was President) were fair or not, they were expected; as we know, the Iraq War is associated with George W. Bush, his brother. Jeb Bush will need to identify his thoughts on the issue better than he currently has.

Not only is the media flabbergasted by the amount of flip-flopping Jeb has put on this week but some GOP lawmakers have spoken out as well.

Of course, Jeb may have been in a pickle before he spoke out; as some political consultants have pointed out, the "Bush" name might make things harder for him. So Jeb will really have to make sure he is on top of his game in this campaign if he wants to win the Republican ticket. And the Presidency.

This is where great media play and franchise PR come into play. With the use of social media being so prevalent in politics these days, it would be very easy for a firestorm to erupt if he says something else that is questionable. That is how a PR crisis happens.

This New App is Bad PR for the Kardashians

If you have spent any time on the internet in the last five years or so, then you know all about the Kardashians, specifically the daughters. All this publicity for the family has started to get under the skin of people. This constant stream of news about the family has prompted the invention of Kardblock; this new app blocks all things Kardashian on your internet feeds.

Do you remember the app, Unbaby.Me? The app would replace all the baby pictures in your newsfeeds with pictures of other things. That app inspired this one and so far, has been receiving some popularity despite being in beta.

The Kardashians have been receiving bad public relations for many things for a while, but this is a heavy hit. On the other hand, it is giving great PR to Chameleon.la, the creator of the app, along with James Shamsi.

Questions or comments? Contact All Points PR, a Chicago PR agency.

15 Brand Names You've Likely Been Saying Wrong

Brands exist all over the world. Depending on where we are from, we say letters and their groupings differently. This is one of the many struggles when a company goes global; your brand name might work well in your country but be mispronounced in another country.

Our Chicago PR agency, we have seen this sort of branding go wrong for some brands as they went beyond their original borders. Consider these 15 brand names that we have all been mispronouncing, thanks to Business Insider, we now know how to say these brand names with confidence!

Don't worry, even some of us at our franchise PR agency were caught off guard by a few of these.



Stuart, M., & Kakoyiannis, A. (2014, September 10). The Right Way To Say 15 Brand Names You're Mispronouncing All The Time. Retrieved March 5, 2015, from http://www.businessinsider.com/mispronounce-difficult-to-say-brands-2014-9 

Build Your Business with Listening

When you are in business, you have to be a good listener. Now that the digital age is upon us, you also have to be into "social listening". In business, you have to be a master at listening. Listening is essential to every activity we do in life, both online and offline.

Use Link Listening to Build Community
One common techniques of social listening is to "link listen" on the wonderful tool of Twitter. What is link listening? Well, is is listening for tweets that have a link for a specific site. Many franchise PR agencies that use this technique to build community, create leads, and communicate.

To link listen, simply type in the URL for a site in to the search bar on Twitter and you'll get every tweet that features that link.

Using Social Listening to Build Buyer Identities
When you link listen, you are able to discover many types of buyer and engagement identities. When you search for a link, such as your own site's, you can find the different kinds of people who use your link for varying reasons.

Our Chicago PR agency can find some great database PR pros by searching for www.allpointspr.com on Twitter.

When you discover who is in the varying personas, you can craft a plan of action and engage with them to build better community.

Does your business want better brand awareness and engagement with its audience? Then email All Points PR - a Chicago Franchise PR agency. 

These 11 Brand Names That Couldn't Survive

When starting a business, creating the name of the brand is one of the most important parts; without a good brand name. the brand can suffer and have poor marketing and public relations. The problem is that sometimes things happen that can alter the perception of a brand's name, things that have nothing to do with the actual business.

For example, the Isis candy company. The candy company has nothing to do with the group in the Middle East but when people hear "ISIS", they think of the terror group and their acts of violence, not delicious chocolate.

Not every brand has to ditch a name when they find themselves in a situation like this, there are other routes. After all, a company's branding- personality, recognition, etc.- all rest on the brand's name. It is a large step and an arduous one! As soon as you get a new brand name, you are essentially starting from square one. However, sometimes that is the only solution, such as with Isis candy, who now operates under Libeert.

Here are 11 brand names that had unfortunate situations like this:

1. Isis Chocolates. Yes, we just mentioned them but we will go into more detail. The company actually had a great name until 2013, they went by Italo Suisse. It was in 2013 when they changed their name to Isis. Too bad the execs at the company didn't know about the terror group or they wouldn't have chosen that name, according to their marketing manager. The terror group has been around for a long time but it wasn't until the summer of 2014 until the US began hearing about them, as that was when they started mass-releases of their videos. They chose Libeert since that's the last name of the owners. Good move. 
2. Ayds diet candy. There was once a candy company called Ayds. That's right, it sounded just like the disease- AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Even when AIDS had a mass awareness in 1981, the candy company didn't think the names would conflict. Well, in 1987, they realized they were wrong. The CEO and his team created a new name for the brand, "Diet Ayds". The new name was as bad as the old one. The brand flopped and disappeared from the world. This brand could've used some serious franchise PR. 
3. United Stationers. This was a recent change, just a month ago. United Stationers decided to change their name, the one they had since 1922, to Essendant. They believed that "stationers" sounded too much like stationary, which gave an antiquated feel, according to CEO Cody Phipps. 
4. Nokia. Nokia, the once preferred famous brand of cell phones. The phones notorious for strength (at least the ones from the 90s and 00s). And then the smartphone happened. Nokia was slow to adapt and they had to partner with Microsoft to make it happen. Microsoft bought Nokia in 2014, released the Lumia without the "Nokia" name on the phone, and the rest is recent history. 
5. Sci Fi. The Sci Fi channel changed its name to SyFy. The way it sounds is exactly the same, so this name change technically worked. This name change happened so the channel could broaden its offerings and it could be copyrighted. 
6. Hot Mama. This popular clothing brand was doing very well, however, due to its name (and branding), people thought they sold maternity clothes. They changed it to Evereve. 
7. YMCA. The famous gym brand changed their name from YMCA to The Y. Very few Americans knew what the letters stood for and it drove people crazy. The solution was simple, don't use them. The new logo and name were an easy acceptance for Americans since so many people called it "The Y" for years, anyway. 
8. Philip Morris. The largest tobacco company in the world, Philip Morris, knew that they had to change their name due to its closeness to Marlboro and other cigarette brands, which drew heat. They changed their name to Altria. 
9. AIG Chartis. The company at the center of the economic fallout of 2008, which was bailed out for $85 billion. Had changed their name to AIG Chartis in 2009. However, after ranking as the most hated brand every year between 2009 and 2013, they went back to AIG. 
10. ValuJet. You might know them by the name AirTran. When a ValuJet plane crashed in the Florida Everglades in 1996, there was some serious anger that came at the airline; they were known for low-priced airfare but many believed it was due to shoddy planes and maintenance. The brand was bought out by Southwest in 2010 and is no longer operating under AirTran name. 
11. Malaysia Airlines. You could say 2014 was not a good year for the airline, since it lost two planes within five months. One is still not found over a year later. While this brand has not done anything yet, a major rebranding is in the works, which could include a name change. 

Many of these brands changed their names due to a crisis, which can happen to any company. If your brand encounters a sticky situation, make sure to contact a crisis communications agency, such as a franchise PR firm. 

5 Great Ways to Appeal to Millennials and Gen Z

Millennials, anyone 21-35 years old, and Gen Z, anyone 20 and under, are coming of age where they can make their own buying decisions. Let's pair this with the fact that they are the first two generations in the world to grow up with technology being so potent in their lives.

With their level of buying power and resources to make it happen, getting their attention is harder than ever before. Our franchise PR firm has these five proven ways to appeal to this dominating demographic.

Be relevant but not desperate. There is a difference between using terms, mannerisms, and other processes from Millennials to be more visible and trying too hard. When a company uses a modern phrase, they have to be careful the way they say it and not cringeworthy. It can be painfully obvious when a brand is not sure how to use a phrase or slang, or connect with the thought processes of Millennials, and it can have a major boomerang effect.

Learn to love creativity. The younger generations like to be creative and unique. They embrace it. This means that businesses need to follow in their footsteps. It can be intimidating to be truly creative due to the fear of messing something up and being offensive. While you need to use judgement and veto any ideas that are truly wrong, don't be afraid to be creative and fun. Nobody likes a business that is boring, especially a demographic that has resources to entertainment everywhere.

Use real-time communication. Consumers under the age of 35 (even up to 40) are big users of social media to communicate with brands for concerns, questions, compliments, or just conversation. Even if you don't want your business to be on social media, unfortunately, you don't get to make that call. Any great franchise public relations team will tell you that you not only have to be present on social media but active on it; simply posting a generic post once a week is not truly using social media.

Post useful information such as articles and stats, post questions, post fun/entertaining things, show some love to people and other companies, and show you hear people who contact you.

Allow people to find you. Even if people are searching you, it doesn't mean you don't have to make your profiles as accessible as possible. On social media profiles, make sure to do the following:

• Hashtags for industry terms
• Have brand consistent messages on all platforms but don't post the exact same content on all platforms. Ex: a new product? Post it on all platforms but change the way you post it, such as the content around it. 
• Make sure that all profile fields are filled out: URLs, bios, mission statements, everything. 

Consider utilizing user-generated content. One thing that Millennials and Gen Zers like to do is help brands with content, it makes them feel heard and appreciated. If you are willing, consider having a campaign that is user-generated. Be aware that there will be trolls and watch out for them and scan all content prior to publishing. 

As a Chicago PR agency, All Points PR is all about connecting with target markets. Does your business need help connecting with Millennials? Then email All Points PR. 

Quick Advice for PR Students

As a franchise PR student, it is great and important for you to read. Read and study journalists and PR professionals and learn what styles are out there, which ones are successful and which ones are not so successful. That is one piece of advice for students looking to join a franchise PR agency after college.

The whole point of this is to become as great of a PR professional as you can be. Of course, to be great in PR after college, that is not the only thing that is worthy advice for a student of PR. Here are several other things to know.

The college life (fun): 

• Be involved in groups, clubs, & associations. groups and associations will be great for helping to supplement your classroom learning with experience. Things like PR clubs, the school newspaper, be part of the school's radio station, or even the PRSSA (Public Relations Student Student Society of America). It helps with putting classroom knowledge into practice and it looks good on a résumé. 
• Play sports. This is not only just to have fun but it also helps you learn how to function as part of a team. Discipline, teamwork, being competitive, and mental toughness. 
• Meet & greet people. Make friends and establish connections with current professionals and people that will be good connections in the future. This will also teach you a helpful aspect for the professional world. In the franchise public relations world, you will be meeting people all the time. 

College life (learning):

• Learn. Actually pay attention in class and take assignments and projects seriously. You're paying big bucks for that degree, don't throw it away or scrape by. If you go to a smaller university where you can actually get to know the professors, do so. 
• Get at least one internship. If your school doesn't require an internship before you graduate, get one anyway. It looks good on a résumé and it can lead to opportunities, such as landing that first job; even if your first job is not with the place you intern at, you might have a connection at the agency you intern with that knows somebody. 
• Write. Have a journal, a blog, writing for the school newspaper, etc. Something that allows you to hone your writing skills; if that something can be added to your clip file, even better, which leads us to the next point… 
• Build a profile. All those assignments that were mock press releases, brochures, pitches, press conferences, other writing samples. 
• Get in public speaking. If you can find a public speaking class, great. Otherwise, find a club or the speech team. 
• Know social media. Social media is a big part of business these days so learn to love it and use it. 

Enjoy those big years of your life and let them lay a great foundation for your career. At the same time, make some memories and have fun. Email All Points PR with any questions! 

Creative Job Market Picks Up - Execs More Optimistic About Hiring Talent

Back in late 2014, The Creative Group found that business executives are much more optimistic about hiring creative talent in the first six months of 2015 than they were in the final six months of 2014.

The Creative Group surveyed US businesses and found some interesting findings. For agencies, firms, and all businesses looking to hire full-time creatives, 56 percent of those plan on maintaining and filling vacated positions so far in the first six months of 2015; 33
percent of respondents mentioned that they actually plan on expanding and adding new creative jobs, only five percent said they would freeze the creative roles.

For the last six months of 2014, 73 percent of respondents said that they were planning on maintaining and filling vacated positions; only 12 percent of companies stated an interest in expanding and adding new jobs. Three percent of companies wanted to reduce their creative positions and one percent had no idea.

57 percent of businesses surveyed said that they did not think it was challenging to find skilled creatives. 33 percent responded by saying it was a little challenging to find skilled creatives, eight percent believed it was very challenging, and one percent were not in the search.

The roles that are in highest demand are web design, social media, content marketing, media services (such as franchise PR), print design, interactive media, creative & direction, and mobile dev.

Are you looking to work in public relations? Then contact All Points PR! We are currently hiring and would love to speak with you.

PR Lessons from Winter Storm Juno

The Northeastern United States, especially areas like Boston, have been hit hard by the winter storm known as Juno. The storm was predicted to be of epic proportions and for many areas, it was (although it was a little lackluster in other areas). The storm halted public transportation, forced people to stay indoors, work and schools were closed, some people even found significant others for the storm. It altered lives for a couple days.

As a Chicago franchise PR agency, we tend to look for learning experiences in anything, even something like Juno. There are three things that we've learned from this storm and how it affected the people of the Northeast United States.

1. Be prepared. Anyone who is successful in franchise PR or marketing is someone who believes in being prepared. In order to do well in a long blizzard, you have to be proactive; this means going out and getting enough food for a day or two (if you can't leave the house), backup power sources, etc. The city has to know how to remove the snow, what to do with traffic/pedestrians (curfews?), and emergency responses. When it comes to PR, it behooves you to be prepared and prepared as much as you can be. 
2. Be proactive. Doing things before people realize they have to be done is a great example of being proactive. This sort of ties into being prepared but it takes a more actionable and confident approach (since being prepared can be a result of being
   reactive). In Boston and NYC, the mayors shut down the roads and public transit and required people to be in their homes by 11 PM, this is being proactive. 
3. Use the moment to your advantage. Of course, this is to be done tastefully and not to exploit anyone or thing. You have to assess the situation to get a good handle if it is appropriate to capitalize on the situation for your brand; if there is a natural disaster that kills hundreds or thousands, then don't. This can result in a PR crisis. 

Be safe, everyone who lives in the Northeast! 

Does your business need a way to get ahead and be noticed? Then contact All Points PR-- we are a Chicago PR agency. 

5 Tips to Help You Become a Better Blogger

It seems like anyone can have a blog these days; sites like Blogger, Wordpress, Tumblr, etc. all make it very easy to be a blogger. Blogging is a great tool and can really help with things like search engine rankings, content marketing, authority within your industry, etc.

It is not unique to be a blogger anymore, what is unique, is having a blog that is worth reading. Here are five tips to make sure your blog is worth reading.

1. Practice and practice often. Make sure you take time to write for yourself now and then; let your mind and fingers get the hang of writing good pieces of work. When you learn how to develop good content, your blog will take a huge upturn in worth; our Chicago PR agency always encourages staff to write in their free time, about anything. It might sound cliché but think about all the hours of practice that pro athletes put into their work; none of them (the truly great ones) just wake up and think, "Yeah, I'm skipping drills today" and then make the all-star team and the Hall of Fame. 
2. Have passion. Have a passion for writing, and reading, and allow that passion to fuel your drive to create and deliver content. When you are passionate about something, that is when the best work will come through; back to the athletes example, do you ever think Michael Jordan thought, "Basketball is okay, I s'pose…" No, he loved the game and that was what fueled his desire to win and be great. 
3. Make sure to post! Have the habit of posting routinely, if you post whenever you feel like it, such as once a month or every few months, then people have less of a reason to come back and read more. Post at least once a week. When people can count on your postings to be there, they will be more likely to revisit your blog. Our franchise PR agency has this blog and one on our site, both are posted to routinely, for this reason. 
4. Have a purpose. You might like to blog but your blog post topics range from candy to politics, that is no good. Have a concrete subject line that you want to run with. Maybe your blog is always going to be about politics, awesome; it does not always have to cover Republicans or Democrats, but covering things within the Federal Government arena would allow your readers to know what they can visit your blog for. 
5. Be smart. Or, a smart way of saying that would be "perspicacity". You don't want to use jargon or language that is not appropriate for your readers to sound smart; however, you want to showcase your intellect in ways that get you ahead. 

Does your business need help with blogging? Then contact All Points PR-- a Chicago franchise PR agency that has a love for writing. See how we can help your blog become great!