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!