5 New Year's Resolutions for PR Professionals

The end of the year is only a couple weeks away. That being said, we should be thinking about how to improve things in 2015 when ti comes to franchise PR.

1. In 2015, I will have a great PR crisis plan ready for my clients. If you do not have this done already, then you definitely need to get on this one. With so many ways things get talked about besides word-of-mouth and press releases. Today, we have all that traditional media but we also have the internet, which includes social media. If something goes wrong for a business, it gets talked about quickly; the bigger the company, the bigger the crisis. Here are 5 example of good crisis communications plans. 
2. In 2015, I will be on the lookout for new opportunities. A great way to gain exposure is to attach yourself to a larger story. This can be a great way to generate story ideas. 
3. In 2015, I will make a better effort to contact journalists. Since PR professionals outnumber journalists (roughly 4:1), then the lesson here is simple: our pitches have to stand out and be good enough to read from word one. Begin with who you are targeting, make sure your pitches end up in the right hands and do not contribute to the clutter. 
4. In 2015, I will reconsider influencer targeting. What is this? Influencer targeting the people of the internet that have mass followings and strong influential value. These people are on social media, blogs, YouTube, etc. Maybe they are not actually journalists but they still have info and can clout. 
5. In 2015, I will be open-minded about how PR influences content marketing and social media marketing! The world of franchise public relations works hand in hand with things like content marketing and social media marketing. The three of these things have to work together to get the job done correctly and efficiently. 

Maybe none of these resolutions resonate with you and you would like to submit your own. The bottom line is that we are looking ahead to the new year and planning for it. If you want your business to get noticed, you have to look ahead. 

Hire a Chicago PR agency that is always looking ahead and planning on how to adapt to the markets. This is how you will get noticed in the world. 

PR Lessons We Learn from Santa Claus

In the spirit of the holidays, we thought it'd be fun to look at the lessons we can learn from Santa when it comes to franchise public relations.

Make a list and check it… twice. What if Santa gave a bag of coal to someone who was actually on the "Nice List"? That would be really embarrassing and create a PR crisis for Santa. In the world of PR, we have to build lists all the time and can seem tedious. When building a list of contacts or tasks to get done, such as work to be done for a client, then make sure to check it over to make sure t
hat everything is correct.

Plan, prep, execute. Santa prepares for his delivery run each and every year by building toys and planning things the previous eleven months. In franchise PR, we do not always have eleven months to prepare for something. Sometimes, we do not even have eleven hours. Or minutes. However, if we have a basic plan of action for something, say crisis communications, then we should be able to deliver quickly.

Share information. Santa shares lots of things such as presents, the fame (those elves are the real heroes), and his likeness (Santa doesn't sue for others using his likeness.) In public relations, in terms of social media, it is great to share images, logos, posts, news, info, and other goodness with those that are willing to listen to us. You want to protect your brand image but you also want to share the love.

Get a big rep. Get both a big reputation (for good) as well as a big franchise PR agency. Santa is one of the most recognizable people in the whole world, everyone who sees him knows his name. Santa has had his image used by some bad people and businesses for their own gain, yet we all still love Santa.

Show people that you care. Santa is known for his generosity and spreading holiday cheer. As PR professionals, we are in a great position to spread some cheer as well; when we successfully get a client in front of the media for something great, it makes them happy. We can also have clients do some good philanthropy, as well as ourselves.

Do you want a franchise PR firm that can get you as popular as Santa? Then contact All Points PR, a Chicago PR agency with experience in many industries and the results to back it up. See how we can help your business gain success!

9 Reasons for Corporate Communication Crises in the Future

As technology advances, the world ages, and people adapt to their surrounding, the causes of corporate communications crises will evolve and become much different than what they are now.

So what are the 9 new reasons for businesses to yell, "Mayday!"?

1. People are getting older: The world is aging; this is nothing new because it always been aging. However, it seems that it is aging much quicker now than it used to. A large percentage of the population of the world will be senior citizens in the next few decades. This means there will be some new problems, such as some countries not being able to keep some promises. For example, social security in the U.S. 
2. Depleted resources. There is an incredibly important resource to the modern, tech-infused world that many of us do not realize; the element is called tantalum. It is a core component of smartphones. This, and other resources, will be more scarce and this will cause some serious dangers. 
3. Consumers becoming independent. Consumers already sometimes make their own products but this will likely be a bigger issue in the future. And it will create some headaches for brands. 
4. The torrent model for more products. Pirating music is still a big venture for people. This will become more of an issue for other products as well. Remember Napster? It will be like Napster or other torrent sites but for products of all kinds. 
5. Things and processes becoming automatic. Almost 50 percent of workers in this country are already scared about being replaced by computers and machines. This will only increase as time goes on. Professions that include: journalists, production line employees, some culinary jobs, etc. 
6. Localization. Companies will want to reduce the distance between themselves and their suppliers, such as restaurants and their farms. 
7. Transparency: Many people, especially Millennials, are already very transparent about information that used to be very personal. Ratings and opinions of each other will become a regular thing to post on the internet, like GlassDoor but for fellow consumers. 
8. Big data. The concept of having the ability to hide and be forgotten is no longer a thing; nowadays, countries are struggling with the idea of how to use the data they get. Should companies go the way of individual privacy or more of a "hands off" approach model of governing corporations. 
9. Alternative models of economics. Yes, we have bitcoin but expect other models of currency and economics will come to fruition as well. 

As a crisis communications agency in Chicago, we can tell you how much companies struggle with causes of PR crises in 2014; as things progress, the causes will change and some will get more intense. Does your business have an issue or want to prepare for them? Then contact All Points PR, we are a Chicago PR agency with a full team dedicated to crisis communications. 

Shaking It Off and 3 other PR Lessons to Learn from Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is constantly in the media, usually for good reasons. Within the last couple weeks, she has been all over magazines, talk shows, etc. discussing and promoting her latest album, 1989.

This past week, she faced off with popular music streaming site, Spotify. Spotify fired shots at T-Swift about taking her sweet time getting the new album on Spotify; in response to this jab, Taylor removed all of her music from the site.

Taylor certainly is not afraid to defend herself and be who she is. It is definitely admirable. Here are 3 things to learn from Taylor Swift that we can apply to franchise PR. 

Shake it off. The hit single from 1989 has taught us something special. You have to shake it off. You have to be you and do what you know is best for your company and your consumers. There will be those out there that disagree but the reality is that you can't and won't s
atisfy everyone. You also have to acknowledge what people are saying about your business so you can deal with it in the best way possible.

Know who your audience is. Taylor is known for her songs about heartbreak and you know what? They are always hits! Why? Because T-Swifts primary audience is between 13-26 and that is a prime age range for people to go through breakups & heartache. They can relate to her songs with words they could not come up with but Taylor did. Granted, not every person in her audience has had the fortune of dating a heartthrob celebrity but you take what you can.

Have a theme. With each album, Taylor has a theme that carries through each song, video, and image. With 1989, she has images look like Polaroids with handwritten messages. It gives a certain tweak to the messages that she sings about. When it comes to your business, have themes for franchise public relations campaigns, ad campaigns, social media, etc. Themes give a certain cohesiveness that is not achievable via random efforts.

Show your audience they are loved and appreciated. Taylor obviously cannot respond to each tweet and comment on Instagram but she does respond when she can. When Taylor is able to respond, you can see her responses are genuine and meant for that person, not like it is generated by some auto-responder. When it comes to your business, do things that show consumers that they are fully-known and fully-appreciated. It will definitely get you some PR results.

Whether you are a Taylor Swift fan or not, you can't deny her ability to be who she is and succeed at being an entertainer.

Does your business need promotional success like Taylor? Then chat with All Points PR and see how we can get you to be known!

PR Tips: Doing Public Relations in Real-Time

Did you know that athletes, firemen/policemen, pilots, stock traders, and franchise public relations professionals all have something in common? It might be hard to figure out…unless you read the title. That's right, they all have to act in real-time!

Until the last few years, when social media in business really took off, public relations was not a profession that would be included in the list where every second counts a franchise PR professional, you have to respond to breaking news within 24 hours.
nd reactions to be made instantly. When you look back at the days when the newspaper was the prime source of news for people, decisions and reactions had to be made prior to the deadline; today, as a

The concept of real-time communications is amazing. We are able to engage with our audiences instantly, without delay; part of this is accomplished via social media. We scroll through our newsfeeds and networks to understand what is going on in the world and hear/see what people are saying. This really helps with "newsjacking"-- being able to put your own spin on a breaking story to get attention from the media and generate interest and business.

News no longer takes hours or even days to break, it can take a mere minute, maybe two. Response to these stories requires great speed and agility. This is just one of many reasons why public relations in 2014 is much different than public relations of the past.

Does your business need a franchise PR agency that is able to react in real-time? Do you need a PR agency that is able to recognize a good opportunity for you the moment they see it? Then contact All Points PR, we are a Chicago PR agency. 

What George Washington Taught Us About PR

George Washington was the 1st President of the United States, as we know; however, as a man of the battle field and politics, he gained quite a bit of wisdom. Now, he didn't actually teach us things about franchise public relations but he did have quotes that are very applicable for PR.

1. "To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace." The idea of being ready for war is not only applicable for a nation and a military but also is great for business. Every business will have some sort of crisis, some are big & make the news, while others are never heard of. Regardless, every business will have one and therefore, it is wise to be ready for it, whatever the crisis may be. Having a crisis communications plan in place is essential for a business; if you do not have one, the time you need one will be too late. 
2. "It is better to be alone than in bad company." Being the 1st POTUS ever, George Washington had the huge task of defining the role of the office; this meant that he had a large reason to be careful in public. People were likely excited about what the President was doing at all times because he was the first. He understood that the people you keep around you will be a direct representation of the person you are. Brands in today's world recognize this too, especially when they look at their social media presence. 
3. "Truth will ultimately prevail where there is [sic] pains to bring it to light."One of the roles of franchise PR is to protect the image of a company or person. Images and reputations can be damaged by false accusations from other companies or individuals (defamation, libel, slander, etc). This can tie into a crisis communications plan as well. 
4. "Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all." When in the PR world, being disciplined is key; this does not necessarily mean being dull and legalistic, it means being focused and not compromising on what you believe to be true. It can be easy to fall to "shady" behaviors, especially if they are lucrative, such as bribes and such. Also, PR requires good creativity and persuasion, one must be disciplined to succeed at these. 

Look around, there are PR lessons everywhere, at least our Chicago PR agency thinks so. If your business is looking for a PR agency to help it grow and protect it, then contact All Points PR. 

NFL PR Dept Enduring Nightmares

The bad news is relentless for the NFL in the past few weeks. It all started with Ray Rice getting caught for domestic abuse and then several other NFL players, including the all-star running back, Adrian Peterson. Aside from the domestic abuse cases, some players are being charged with felony assault. Certainly, this has been quite a difficult period for the franchise public relations dept. of the NFL.

The nation's most popular league has suffered many franchise PR blows; the league has been under a lot of pressure from the public, media, and law to discipline the players who have been caught. So which players have been caught of wrongdoing?

Adrian Peterson. One of the best players in the NFL was accused of child abuse in Texas. The Minnesota Vikings player has not been suspended.

Greg Hardy. The defensive star for the Carolina Panthers has had many legal troubles. He has been convicted of misdemeanor assault charges for allegedly threatening to kill his then-girlfriend.

Jonathan Dwyer. The Arizona Cardinals running back has allegedly assaulted a woman and her child. He has been deactivated from the team.

Ray Rice. We have all likely heard about this one. The Baltimore Rav
ens RB knocked out his then-fiancee, now wife, in a NJ casino elevator. He has been released by the Ravens and indefinitely suspended by the league.

Ray McDonald. The San Fran. 49ers defensive tackle was arrested due to accusations of felony class domestic violence. The league's new rule states this results in a 6 game ban, unpaid.

Quincy Enunwa. A member of the NY Jets' practice squad was arrested for assaulting a women in a hotel.

So, as we can see, the NFL has quite the crisis communications situation in its hands at the moment. One possibly positive move they recently made was hiring a woman as the league's Chief Marketing Officer.

Certainly, the NFL did not see this coming, however, they likely had a PR plan in place. Does your company need help putting together a plan in case of a crisis? Maybe updating that plan? Contact All Points PR, a Chicago PR agency, to get your company prepared for any potential issues. A crisis will happen and you must be prepared for it. We can help.

5 Tips For How to Deal With Media as a Business

When you have a start-up company, you don't have much time for things like PR and dealing with the media. This means that when there is a complaint or something else to be resolved and the media knocks on your door, you're on your own and don't know what to do.

One of the worst things to do is say, "No comment" since this is often interpreted as a confession that you're guilty; however, you don't want to give anything away. This is a great reason to hire a franchise PR agency, however, if you insist on defending yourself, then here are five tips to help you.

1. Remain composed & factual- Don't try to be the funny man here, be professional about it. Humor can help relax tension, if you do it wrong, then it backfires. They are there to make some news so if your joke fails, then that's fuel for the fire. Don't make things up or manipulate facts and be calm while you do it. A reporter will fact check and find out when you lie and they can tell when you're nervous. Even if you have to fake confidence, that is a big help in crisis communications. 
2. What you say will be published. Don't say anything that you don't want to be published and (probably) used against you. When it comes to talking off the record, some reporters do not oblige by that rule and will publish anything you say (remember, these are not legally binding terms and there'd be no proof it was said, anyway). Any information you spill to them, they are legally allowed to publish in the story. Consult with a franchise PR firm to get tips about what to say. 
3. It's likely you're being recorded. Some states require that both parties have knowledge of the recording but up to 33 of the states do not require that; this means that only one person has to know. Often times, that one person is the reporter. 
4. Get information. If there is something going on, then you need to remember to ask questions and get information as well. If the reporter comes to you, then you'll want to have information in your back pocket as well. You can also request a day or two to respond to all the questions you were asked so you can give great responses. 
5. Squash the news. A good job of franchise public relations is to deal with the problem so well that the problem is gone, not just covered up. Sometimes this means giving something away; if you sell furniture and someone has a complaint about a chair, would it be the worst thing to give them a free chair to replace the other one? This would kill the complaint and squash any story for the reporter. 

Now, the best solution would be to hire a franchise PR firm, especially a Chicago PR agency but if you must defend yourself, then at least be equipped. If you have any questions or would like to talk to us about services, then contact All Points PR. 

9 Ways to Up Your Business Social Media Game

When you are running a business, it is pertinent that you are on social media. It is a great franchise PR tool that is pretty easy to do and can help you gain some popularity. Now, your social media may not bring in a lot of sales, if any; however, social media can help with your customer service and build brand loyalty because you can instantly converse with people in minutes.

So, you have your business listed on the major social media platforms… now what? Merely posting at random times, posting random things, doing random everything will not garner the followers you deserve nor get you anywhere good. Be intentional on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, etc. Have a strategy.

Here are 9 tips for creating a good social media plan:

1. Have a voice and personality on social media that people want to be around. It's better for people to see that the brand is human and that your brand social media is not run by an automated robot. It is much more authentic and people love connecting with brands. If people can enjoy seeing your brand's social media posts and want to share them with others, that's awesome. 
2. Make your team visible. You probably don't have anyone in your company named "admin" or "Rep" so why list them as that on social media? Part of making your brand human on social media is to feature the humans behind the brand! It's good to occasionally post photos that are "behind the scenes" and say the names of your team (maybe just do first names). As a franchise PR agency, we often share photos of the team on our Facebook page and will mention the name(s) of those in the photo. 
3. Know your customers/followers. Know what makes them tick, what interests them, etc. You want to post content that they find interesting. If your followers are mostly stay-at-home moms, then posting content about plumbing or how to write a perfect expense report will probably not interest them too much. 
4. Listen. Invest in learning and listening about industry and what your followers have to say. Do that a lot. 
5. Avoid constantly promoting yourself like a press release. While promoting your business on social media is great, constantly doing so will get tiresome with your followers. Instead, try to post things that are meaningful and will tell a story, people love connecting with stories. Give information that people can use, like tips. Oh, look what we're doing! 
6. Be conversational. You don't sit down with another human and just say things randomly and don't actually engage in conversation, do you? Like sit in Starbucks and randomly say, "We're having a sale! Then they reply, "A sale for what?" *silence* 5 minutes later, "Don't forget to come to the sale!" "A sale for what???" *silence*…. No, you converse, so do that on social media too. Don't spam either. 
7. Give credit. If you find something awesome online that you know your followers will like and want to share it, awesome. Just remember to mention who created that work. 
8. Be careful with the hashtags. This is a biggie since so many social media platforms allow hashtags now. You don't want #every #single #word #to #be #hashtagged. That was annoying, right? Well, the optimal hashtag per post is 2 or 3 so don't do more than that. 
9. Look at the real metrics. You might have a lot of followers and likes but if you don't get engagement, follow-up, or lead generation, is your social media actually working? You might need to change strategy. 

Social media can be difficult if you don't know what you're doing. If you need help with that, then contact All Points PR, we are a Chicago PR agency. 

The Greatest Reason Every Company Needs Public Relations

Public relations features many aspects and we can talk about all of them; we can say how your company needs franchise public relations because you need to build up a presence in an area, create a great brand, or protect your business when it has a crisis.

However, there is one, huge, reason why your company really needs PR and that's because if no one is talking about your company, then no one is thinking about your company… that's bad.

You want people talking
Public relations is all about keeping your company in the minds of people and in a positivecrisis communications, you are still fixing the issue so people think about your company and in a positive way. Some believe that this is the reason the phrase "there is no such thing as bad publicity" came about. You are trying to get out there and get your product or service to be purchased; this means talking to people and getting them to talk about you.
way. Everything about it is aimed to promote your business and keep your business at the forefront of peoples' minds; even when you using PR for

As far as the notion that all publicity is good publicity and that there is no such thing as bad publicity; that is simply not true. If a company has a big enough crisis, then that will definitely taint the image of that company in the minds of the public. Look at Tiger Woods, people still make comments about his affairs and how it all came out. His image has not been the same since then.

Make a plan & execute it
When you hear about successful franchise PR stories, it was because the company or person had a plan and they executed it. There is rarely success from throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. You definitely need to have a plan and stick to it when you are dealing with a crisis. If something goes wrong and your plan to fix this issue is to wing it, then you will not like how the situation is resolved. The resolution will likely be losing the positive image, maybe some clients/customers, or worst of all, closing your doors for good.

You will also need to have a plan for any action you want to take. A new product coming to the market? Create a plan for a product launch or grand opening.

6 Public Relations Myths

Just like many things in this world, franchise public relations is subject to many myths. There are lots of myths about public relations but we have chosen six to discuss.

1. Any publicity is good publicity. You have likely heard this one before. This is one of the oldest myths about public relations there is and it is very wrong. Just because your name is out there in the world for people to see does not mean it is a good thing. If your name is out there and it's because you're involved in some scandal, then your reputation will not improve; you will have a negative connotation to your name. Some celebrities believe in this and is why they do crazy publicity stunts like sham marriages or go on binges.
2. PR is only about press releases and press conferences. While these two facets of public relations are big and powerful, they are not all that a franchise PR agency will do. They are not even the right tool for the job sometimes. A press conference is a tool that should be held off for the big jobs and press releases should not be pushed out every single time there's a hint of news. Be creative and use other tools, social media is a good one. 
3. Publicity is easy to get and doesn't cost a thing. Public relations has a lot of competition involved in it; just about every company out there is trying to get noticed by the media in some way. Now, PR is cheaper than advertising because PR is earned and not bought, however, it still costs a company money to hire a franchise PR firm and it is hard work for the firm to get the company noticed. 
4. Only the bad need publicity. Good companies get it naturally. While yes, it does occasionally happen naturally for a company that has a great product or service, every company can benefit from having PR in their efforts. A bad company uses PR to catch up, a good company uses PR to get ahead. 
5. PR is only full of ex-reporters. While many people in PR are indeed former reporters, there are other people in it too. Many PR professionals have only worked in PR; yes, many did get degrees in journalism. There are also people with marketing experience in PR too. 
6. Public relations is full of people who spin words, create slogans, and force propaganda. The world of PR is supposed to be full of ethics; certain franchise PR agencies indeed hold to the ethical codes of PRSA and know where to draw the line. A company that uses sleazy tactics to get publicity is not an agency you want to deal with. 

Have any more myths to add in? Submit them in the comments! We can help you sort those out too. 

Is Public Relations Liked Portrayed on TV?

Public relations is a business that is about promoting your client(s) and protecting their image in a way that is most beneficial to the client, yourself, and the public. As a franchise public relations professional, you have to communicate messages to the public while also establishing mutual relationships with target audiences (internal and external). You will see public relations professionals performing these duties wherever you see public relations.

We see public relations everywhere, one of those places is on television.

However, one frequently asked question of a public relations professional is if the job is like how we see it on television shows like "Sex in the City", "Entourage", and some other shows. To tell you the truth, the answer is: not really. These are surely roles in the franchise PR world that exist but the amount of public relations professionals that perform duties like the ones in those shows are not a large part of PR; they are representing a real small sector of PR. Now don't get me wrong, both of those shows are quality, they are not being insulted.

Most public relations professionals are actually working behind the scenes; they write press releases, social media, speeches, media coverage for their clients such as newspaper/magazine/radio/TV appearances. There are a lot of pitches made to journalists, local and national, to get coverage for the client. The publicity and media relations that we see in shows like "Sex in the City" and "Entourage" are only two relatively small sectors of PR; other sectors include: internal PR, crisis communications, political communications, national PR, social media services, and more.

If you are looking to hire a franchise PR agency, then contact All Points PR. 

5 Ways to Know a Career in PR is Not For You

My franchise PR agency has been around for some time now and we have been able to hire some really talented PR practitioners; however, we have also seen our fair share of people who came through the doors only to realize that they were not cut out for the franchise public relations business. How can you know if you are cut out for PR? Here are 5 ways to tell:

1. You don't take criticism well. In any industry, you have to be able to take criticism, especially constructive criticism. When you are crushed by the fact someone did not like your work, even if they told you nicely, then you do not take criticism well. If you can't take criticism well, then working in franchise PR will not be a pleasant experience for you. Critical feedback is common to see, hear, give, and receive in the PR industry, you have to have somewhat thick skin. 
2. You think it's a 9-5 job. Well, in terms of hours, sometimes it is; what I mean here is that if you go home after work and then do not think about PR, you don't read up on things happening, etc. then maybe you are not passionate about the PR world. You have to passionate about public relations in order to really succeed in it. When you finish a project, there is always something else to do for that client, there is always a "what's next?"Go and comment on another post or send another tweet! Your job is never done. 
3. You don't get excited about news. If you don't read the news throughout the day and get excited about what is happening, especially in your (or a client's) industry, then this goes back to not be passionate. 
4. You are not enthusiastic/energetic. This is not about not having passion, it is actually about not having enthusiasm or energy… about anything. If you find you are always tired and have a slow pulse at all times, then PR is not the place for you. It's not like people who succeed in PR are crazy energetic and never sleep, like they're perpetually perky, but you need to have energy! Don't worry, we get tired too. 
5. You are bad at communication. You can't write well, you can't speak (publicly or sales), etc. You have to have good writing skills and be able to speak in front of people, especially when it comes to making sales pitch. 

If you are interested in a career in PR, then do your research and study up! If you have any questions, contact All Points PR. 

How To Avoid Social Media Disasters and Blunders

Social media is a great, wonderful, blessing tool that we have at our disposal 24/7. Yes, it is definitely a friend to those of use who like to express ourselves; however, it can also be a foe. In no time at all, you have a 140 character tweet or several hundred character Facebook post get people talking about your brand but is it good or bad talk?

Since the dawn of time, er, social media, we have seen several companies become victims to social media snafus and faux pas for some very silly reasons. The person in charge of the social media account either purposefully or accidentally sent an unfortunate post and then had to deal with the repercussions.

Just recently, US Airways had a rather graphic image pop up in their twitter response to a passenger. If you do not remember or know of this incident, maybe that's for the best. It seems like a hard thing to have happen, we wonder how the person could mess up so bad. However, we all make mistakes and they are easier to have happen. As a Chicago PR agency, we have seen plenty of people fall victim to the seemingly impossible social media mishap.

So how can you avoid these ordeals?

• Have complete thought before you post. Think through what you want to post to your corporate social media accounts. It is not uncommon to have a list of things you can post about. One major thing to consider is the concept of posting content regarding current events. You can post about holidays or things going on in the news but make sure your post is tasteful. If there was a recent disaster, like a tornado, you company could post about it saying, "We are saddened by this event. Our thoughts are with those affected." Or something like that but do not try and capitalize on the situation. Example, "The tornado is sad news, those affected can use our washing detergent brand to wash their clothes." or something like that. 
• Make sure to log out of your accounts. This is especially true if you use your corporate accounts and personal accounts on the same device(s). Chrysler had a tweet complaining about the driving in Detroit, from the Chrysler account; this was likely due to the person forgetting to check if they were using the company or personal account from their device. 
• Remember, whatever you post on social media will be seen. Don't think that you deleted the post within a couple minutes so no one saw it, they saw it. 
• Think about when you are posting. For one thing, there are peak times to post to social media; besides that, you should really not post really late at night because at that time, our minds are tired and our decisions are not always the best. 

As a franchise PR agency, we have to emphasize the importance of these tips. Social media is a friend but can be a monster quickly and can be relentless. 

How to Be an Ethical PR Practitioner

Working in franchise public relations can raise some ethical issues; you want to raise awareness for your client and get them business but you also want to do things correctly. You are to protect the integrity and public trust of your client and do so by ethical means. Being successful in franchise PR all depends on your ethics within the practice.

In order to make sure practitioners in the industry abide by good standards, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) created the Ethical Guidance for Public Relations Practitioners list. This list, or code, was made and is still maintained by the PRSA Board of Ethics and Professional Standards; its objective is to create principals and other guidelines that are founded upon core values. PRPs are to be advocates, honest, loyal, professional in their development, and objective.

As a PRP, you cannot prevent the flow of information to any source as long as the information is honest and correct. This is one of the principles of the code of ethics. This is because if there is information to be known about someone or a company, as long as it is not a fabrication or dishonest, then the world has the right to know. What can you do about this if the information is negative? Damage control; however, you cannot take the information and bury it for no one to see. However, you are to protect information that is confidential and private. This can create a sticky situation for some on what to disclose and what to hold in; it is a case by case basis.

Promoting an environment of healthy competition among fellow professionals is a key for the success of being in PR. You can help establish an advantage for a client but it has to be something that the competition can do as well; so this means no insider trading and "behind closed doors" dealings.

Avoiding any conflicts of interest is a biggie when it comes to obeying the code of ethics. It can seem like a great idea to get involved in something that you have a special connection to, however, this can create a bias. You have to remain objective.

Being open about a decision and the process is another principle for PRPs to follow. When you hide this, it can create a sense of distrust and secrecy that does not give the public confidence about those in the industry. As someone working in a franchise PR agency, you have to help the confidence gain trust in the PR industry. Being honest and accurate in all forms of communication is a big way to accomplish this principle.

If you have any questions about the PRSA Code of Ethics, then feel free to contact All Points PR - a Chicago PR agency. 

How to Create an Elevator Speech

In case you are unfamiliar with an elevator speech, it is a verbal pitch about your company or a client's that will hopefully encourage other people to want to learn more about it.

No matter the circumstance, whether you are out at a conference or you are just out and about, you should have an elevator speech about a particular topic, company, or person. When you are promoting yourself, your company, or a client, you need that elevator speech to answer questions like, "What is your/their company about?" "What can you tell me about yourself/them?" etc. You need to get people interested in the topic of your elevator speech, you need to make it short (around 30 seconds) and you need to make it compelling.

Why is it called an "elevator speech"? Well, it's supposed to be something you can tell someone when standing in an elevator and be able to say in the time it takes to ride an elevator. In that short amount of time, you have to make a big impression. As someone in franchise public relations, I have to deliver these all the time.

So how do you make one of these guys a good one?

1. Make people care. People want to know, "What can the company do for me?" The answer to this question is going to really make or break whether or not the person cares to carry the conversation past the elevator speech. Explain the benefits of your company or your client's company and personalize it. 
2. Make it easy to join the club. Feel free to drop some big names that you company or your client's company has worked for/with, even if they are competitors with the person you are pitching too (this could actually work to your benefit). 
3. Make them want to hear more. The pitch is supposed to be nice and short so do not try to stuff it with detail, put enough in there to peak their ear but not so much that they have to double back. A few good details, your credibility, and what the company can do for the person. 
4. End with a call to action. What are you willing to do for the person, to win over a client or customer? What is your end goal? Etc. 
5. Be yourself. Be professional but do not act like a stiff board, have a smile and be comfortable. No one is likely to buy a pitch from someone who is rigid and awkward. Be comfortable with your pitch and say it nicely. 
6. Get feedback. Tell it to people who can give you feedback like coworkers, friends, family, etc. Just don't test it out on the people you are trying to win over. 

If you have any questions about elevator pitches, then contact All Points PR - a Chicago PR agency. 

How To Get Your Press Release Noticed

As a public relations practitioner at a Chicago PR agency, I have learned a few things about how to get a press release noticed; after all, Chicago has plenty of PR agencies and so just having a press release will not get you noticed by the media, you have to make it worth their time.

Pitch a story that is relevant. 
You want to pitch a story to journalists that is on topic with what is going on in the world or a certain industry. Make sure to give people a reason why your story is something that people will care about and how it will help them, this stands out.

Make the info easy to find. 
A journalist will love when you have a press release that contains the important and relevant information at the top, not at the bottom. There is a trend in the industry that has some PRPs putting bullet points in their releases, some journalists find this attractive while others do not.

It helps to put the contact information at the top of the release as well and paired with a couple sentences giving a summary of what the release is about, this is similar to a budget line. You are sure to get your release tossed by a journalist if they have to dig through your release just to figure out who you are, that is a no-no. In order to succeed at a franchise PR agency, you have to succeed at this.

Make sure, above all things, you list the Ws! Who, what, where, when, why, and how in the release. Now, not all the points will be important enough to be in the first paragraph but list them all in the release somewhere, according to importance.

Do a full subject field and headline. 
Make your subject line something creative and catchy but do not make it over-the-top or cheesy; if you try to oversell in the subject line, this will not get your release noticed. You have to have a valid subject line, do not make it misleading or you will only frustrate the recipient. Give the person a reason to care and to continue reading.

Think like the audience. 
Whoever you send the release to, you will want to think like their audience. This will help you get the attention of the recipient. If you are in franchise PR, you will realize that thinking like the audience will get you great results.

If you have any questions, then contact All Points PR - a franchise public relations agency.

PR Tips for Grand Openings

The grand opening to your business, whether it is your first location or another location, is a big deal and can be rather chaotic. You wonder if you are letting people know in the right way and if there is more you can do. There are several things you can do to help increase the promotion on your business's grand opening.

• Franchise Public Relations: having a franchise PR firm help you out will be absolutely worth the cost. Why would hiring a PR team be worth your time? Well, PR agencies have ties to the media that you might not, if you do, they might not be as good. The team can gather a story about you and write it up in a nice press release and then submit that to journalists in various areas of media: newspapers, magazines, online newspapers, radio, even television news. If you get your name out there in the media, then you will have your name be seen by thousands, perhaps even millions of people (depending on the medium and the location). The PR team can also help you with creating a promotion plan. 
• Blogging. Having a blog post or two will also help you get your promotion for your grand opening a big push. When you do a blog post, you will be able to give great detail about your business and your grand opening. This can allow for comments and discussion as well. 
• Social media: You probably expected this one because it is so easy to do. Your company likely has twitter, Facebook, and other social media (or, if it's your first location, then maybe just your personal accounts) and you just take a few seconds to push a few keys and get the message out there. 

If you have any questions or need assistance with your grand opening, contact All Points PR. 

How To Know When You Should Hire a PR Agency

A big part of running a business is growing the business and getting your name in front of more people, the only thing that really takes priority is actually running your business and selling your product or service so you gain revenue.

However, it can be intimidating or confusing to think about hiring a franchise PR agency to come and help you because you may be wondering, "Will it be worth it?" or things like "I bet I can do it on my own."

There are a few things you can consider to know if it is time for you to hire a franchise PR firm.

The first thing to consider is if you have time to do PR or not. If you find that you consider PR for your business as something that will get done when it'll get done, then you do not have time for it. Public relations is not something that you just turn on and off and get small bits done here and there, then hope it works out for you. You need to have a game plan, execute your plan, and measure the results. If you do not have time for this, then you should really consider hiring a PR agency.

Another time to consider bringing in the help of an outside franchise PR agency is when you want to really nail a launch of a product, service, etc. The launch of a new product or service or whatever it is your company is doing is a big deal. Sometimes having the brain power of a PR agency that is not in-house can really bring some great ideas and give you an awesome launch. Also, having the help of a PR agency can bring in fire power that you may not have such as connections to the media, social media, event planning, etc.

A third thing to consider is when you want to revitalize or revamp your products or service. This is a real good time to bring in some outside minds because if you are trying to revamp, that means you're trying to break away from what was done before. If you use the same minds as the first time, then you run the risk of having the same results.

If you are considering a PR agency, then contact All Points PR - a Chicago PR agency. 

4 Tips for Sparking a Grassroots PR campaign

Sparking a grassroots PR campaign can seem like a huge undertaking, and it can be, but it does not have to mean struggling; there is a difference between something being a big job and being a hard job, if you know what you're doing, you will find that this task requires dedication, persistence, and creativity.

Grassroots PR for any PR type means getting your hands dirty but especially for franchise PR because it is being done for the little guys (usually).

So what are some things that you should know for your next grassroots campaign?

The first thing to know is that you are not raising an issue but rather are telling a story. People like to hear stories because it gives them to listen to or read and establish a connection. When you tell a story, you are trying to build that emotional connection with your audience; that emotional connection means having more loyalty and a solid connection. You want that ethos and pathos (credibility and feelings) to happen between you and your audience.

The second thing you will want to do is to reward your supporters. Why is this important? Well, if you do not reward the people who are giving you their time, effort, and money, then you will run out of people who give you their time, effort, or money. If people are offering up their services or whatever, then you show them that you are grateful for that. Don't forget that even a simple "thank you" will do wonders.

The third thing you need to do is make sure your message is heard. As an employee of a franchise PR agency, then you will have tools in your arsenal that help you get your message heard. You will have press releases, the media, signs, social media, and people. People are one of the most potent tools you will have to amplify your message. Have people go out and tell your story and get people to hear it; people tend to listen to someone standing in front of them more than any TV, sign, or whatever. Another important you will want to use is social media.

The fourth thing ties into the second point, empower your supporters. Develop brand volunteers, give them their time and space to tell the story to people, meet people, and build that ever so important connection with them.

So next time you try a grassroots effort, make sure you get your team together and make sure they know they are valued.

Is the Term "Public Relations" Going Away?

If you were to look at the top 10 PR agencies from the past year or two, you would see that the vast majority of them to none of them have the term "public relations" in their name. Look at All Points, we kind of have it in our name but it's just the "PR". It seems that the term public relations is losing ground in PR agency names and even a bit in vocabulary.

There was a time that someone in a Chicago PR agency or any other major city that they would exclusively work with PR directors and executives as part of their client list but today, you will see that there are many franchise PR practitioners who work with companies who don't even have departments labeled "Public Relations", you'll likely see them called "Communications"; even working with people at large companies or small companies typically means working with someone who does not have the term in their title.

Multinational companies like Airbus, American Airlines, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, etc. might have PR departments but most of them do not, they have people who do PR work but have titles without PR in them. Another common label for them are things like, "Corporate Communications", "Internal Relations" or "External Relations", things like that.

It seems that companies are switching from using the "public relations" name in favor of the other ones mentioned because they feel it allows them to have more boundaries, despite the fact that those who started as PR agencies still use PR as a main tool. What is popular now is to combine PR efforts with paid advertising to really get the message to all those it needs to reach.

With all that being said, the term still carries a lot of power and is still popular; the business is going nowhere, it might have a different label if the trend continues.

Why Your Small Business Can Use Franchise PR

Every small business looks to grow; they look for new and creative, yet effective, ways to grow. One great way to grow is by using franchise public relations to help your brand build a presence in the world, both online and in person. So what are some specific reasons to use a PR firm, like a Chicago PR agency? Well, we have a few reasons.

When you use a PR team to help your company, what happens is that your company is building a general exposure online and in person. A constant growth factor is in play. The job of a franchise PR agency is to get your name in front of people, mainly journalists, so people get to realize that your company exists and what it does. That is a big part of what PR people do, they work to get you noticed by people. Yes, you can try to accomplish this task on your own but here's the thing: a PR agency will have a lot of connections to people, especially those in the media, who are able to really take a story about you or an interview and run with it; this gets your name in front of a lot more people than just submitting your own article to the online version of your local paper. One way the PR people get your name out there is via press releases.

When your company is having a general exposure constantly being built and your name is being put in the media for people to see, this means people are seeing an objective third party talk about you. This is huge for business growth. When people see someone talk about a company and that person has no incentive to do so other than they want other people to enjoy it as well, that speaks volumes. News outlets get no money from a company to run a story about them or to do an interview; the news outlets do this because they think the story is worth telling. Having a news outlet decide a story is worth telling is not always an easy thing.

Going with franchise PR is that it is an alternative to advertising. While they can be very similar, PR is often cheaper, yet can be just as effective. The perk to ads is that you can get them to be placed anywhere, you just have to pay for it. The perk to PR is that it is seen as more genuine and thus the products or companies doing it are more easily accepted by the public, ads are more likely to be ignored.

As a Chicago franchise PR agency, All Points PR is all about building brands through effective PR efforts.

5 Examples of Great Crisis Communications

A crisis can happen at any moment and can make things very difficult for a business or person. You never know when they are going to happen. Consequently, it's important to always be prepared for what might happen. When you have the plan in place, it's important to put the plan into action as soon as possible.

Here, we have a list of 5 great examples of companies having disaster plans ready to go, demonstrating their plan for crisis communications. 

1. The first example is from Southwest Airlines when they had the plane land nose first at LaGuardia Airport in New York. When the plane landed, the airline was immediately on social media updating people on the situation and keeping their calm. They gave statements about what was going on. The airline's example of franchise public relations was commended by many people who gave thanks to the airline for their open communication and quick timing. 
2. The second is from the Red Cross. Social media has been known to be the cure (or at least a help) to a PR crisis, however, it has also been known to be the cause. Back in 2011, the American Red Cross had a goof on their twitter when an employee tweeted about "getting slizzerd" from the organization's twitter. The company responded with speed and assurance to their followers by saying that they'd deleted the tweet and had "taken the keys." The person at fault then responded later with a tweet from her personal twitter about how she didn't know how to use Hootsuite and was confused if she was posting to her twitter or RC's. 
3. The Hitler kettle from JC Penny. A couple years ago, JC Penny had ads featuring a kettle they recently debuted but there was a problem; in the ad, the kettle looked like Adolf Hitler. JC Penny realized that they had a situation that could turn into a really bad situation if they didn't handle it with grace. They responded to tweets about how it was unintentional and what possible redesigns they could do. 

So now we have seen some examples of great crisis communications and how it's important to have those plans in place and utilize them. Also, we see that sometimes, to help the situation, some humor helps the crisis. If you want a franchise PR agency to help you with any PR issues, then contact All Points PR. 

5 Tips- The Importance of Press Releases

If you have heard of franchise PR then chances are that you have heard of press releases; even if you have not heard of franchise PR but know of other kinds of public relations, then you most likely heard of press releases anyhow. They are a staple of the public relations industry and they hold a lot of power. While the way press releases have changed over the years due to technology and the importance of them has changed some due to new aspects of PR, the press release is still a top priority.

So if press releases are so important, how can your business benefit from a good press release from a good franchise PR agency?

1. Well, for starters, all businesses can use a good press release and benefit from them. Any industry that you are in, having press releases about your business submitted to the media can get you some results and gain exposure for your company. You do not need to have some crazy story to make a press release about your company worth while; all you need is news about your company. 
2. It is a relatively cost-effective way to gain exposure for your company. With press releases, the only real expense for your business is the fee for hiring a franchise public relations agency or if you write them yourself, then whatever you pay yourself. To submit a release does not cost money and having them printed does not cost money. If you compare this to paying for an ad, then you will see that it is much cheaper than even a TV ad on a local channel at 2 AM. 
3. A press release will get you increased exposure in the media. If you get increased exposure in the media then you will be noticed by more of the public. When people in the public know about your company, then you have a much better chance of being on their minds, which is what encourages them to check you out and utilize your services or purchase your products. 
4. A press release gives you credibility. If people see your business and like what you have to say, then they will regard what you say as trustworthy. When people believe your are trustworthy because you have the right credibility, then they believe they can trust your company and what you have to offer. 
5. People can keep up on your business if you notify the media. When people are able to keep up on the news about your business then there is less doubt. If there are people who want ton know more about your company, such as investors, then they will want to know the latest info. 

So a press release is a big deal for companies who want to gain customers and get larger. If you do not currently utilize the power of the press release, then you are missing some real fire power. Contact All Points PR - a franchise public relations agency.