Tips For Posting on Social Media Accounts

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As a Chicago Public Relations Company know the dos and don’ts of social media use.  We are social media consultants who know how fast word can spread online.  Social media allows information like tweets, Facebook posts, etc. to be shared through online word of mouth like rapid-fire.  It is important that you share and post about specific topics for your social media campaign to influence a lot of conversation and influence. 

Here are some tips on what you should share via Social Media:

Infographics- Our public relations firm thinks that Infographics are great because they are fun!  Infographics are an excellent way to share information in a way that is not so black and white.  Following a graphic chart that will show a map of progression is very appealing.

Newsletters- Our Chicago PR Firm knows that not everyone wants to subscribe to a newsletter to receive special offers or exclusive information.  When a newsletter is attached to a tweet, it allows the individual to read it while they are on the go.  If they like the newsletter, they can retweet it, and your newsletter can gain new followers instantly. 

YouTube Videos- Many people are visual people.  By including a video, you are stimulating a part of someone’s brain that does not require them to watch, but they can still listen.  This is especially important because many YouTube videos are clips providing information on how someone can build, cook, or create something on their own (DIY). 

Photos- People want to see what you are up to, where you are, who you are with and what you know.  A picture can say a thousand words and strike up a variety of conversations.  Including an image in your post makes is makes it simple for individuals to know what is going on in their social media feed without having to read.

Press Releases- Our PR Agency encourages our clients to share a press release about their brand wherever possible.  Sharing a press release about your company through your social media accounts will provide your audience with new exciting news. 

Lastly, our social media consultants advise that you remain personable through your social media use.  Share your humor, your music (as long as it’s socially appropriate and not controversial) and share any new or exciting things your learned about, read about, etc.  Make sure that you leverage your posts because if you post too much of the same content, it because white noise in news feeds and your information will just be scrolled over and scrolled by.

Product Promotion: Key Factors

You’ve got a great product and you’re looking to do some public relations or product promotions to help spread the word.  Identifying your need for production promotions is the first step, taking the leap is always easier said than done.  You may not believe it, but there really is an art to product promotion.  No, there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong to promote your product, but some ways are alot more effective than others.  Here are a few things to focus on when promoting your product:

Know Your Target Audience
Before you can do public relations or promotions, you must understand who your target audience is.  Ask yourself, "Who is my target audience?" If your only answer is "Women," you are not digging deeply enough.  You need to know multiple things about your target audience such as gender, age group, income level, occupation, etc.  The list goes on and on.  The more you know, the better off you are.  Knowing your target audience will help you form strong strategies and tactics to help promote your product to the group of people who will be interested in it the most, which is after all, the main goal.  

Brand Messaging 
Part of good product promoting is emphasizing your branding message.  Your business’s product promotions should use brand messaging to emphasize the key points of what your brand and products can deliver.  Your brand messages should match your products.  For example, if you stress that your products are of “top quality” then your product needs to match that.  Your brand message must succinctly tell what the brand's promise is and creates desire for the brand's products or services.  Messaging helps customers understand what a brand's value is.

Product Descriptions: Features and Benefits
One of the most important parts of product promotions or even doing public relations for a product is how you describe the product.  When you are pitching your product to an audience, how you describe the product is crucial.  Your description ultimately needs to sell your audience on your product.  It has to make them feel compelled to purchase.  The description you give has to be motivational.  Part of the description is telling the story of the product.  The story needs to connect with the audience and keep them interested.   

Differentiation
Good promotional efforts do a great job of differentiating a product from anything else out there on the market.  This could be a very difficult feat.  So many products promise incredible results and very keenly, people today see right through it.  To push through the crowd of competitors you must show what makes your product different and better than all the rest.  How you explain your product's features and benefits should be the ammo you need to get people interested.

Delivering The Message

One of the most important parts of any promotional effort is delivering your message in such a way that it not only captivates an audience, but it sells the product.  When a message is well delivered you have the opportunity to increase your product or service's sales and create the all important brand advocates.  Brand advocates are people who are a fan of your brand and the services or products you sell.  Brand advocates help push your brand and your product.  Think of a popular brand and think of the people who endorse that brand.  It can be quite powerful and this should be what you look to create.  

Looking for more tips on product promotions?  Feel free to comment below or contact us.  

Top 10: PR Tips for Your Business or Franchise

Recently we’ve been thinking a “Top 10” blog was in order, so why not base this “Top 10” on all things PR.  As a Chicago PR Firm we have learned some great tips and trick along the way on creating successful PR for clients.  We’d love to share more than 10 with you and writing this blog, we are sure we’ve already and will continue to share a whole lot more than just 10, but for now, here are some of our top PR tips:

#1- Be human: People want to do business with other people—not robots void of any personality.  People want to do business with people they can relate to and really, people they like.  Be yourself and you are likely to attract the right kind of customers.

#2- Use SEO to the best of your ability:  Search engine optimization (a.k.a. SEO) is the process of utilizing keywords that fit with you business and building association between those words and your website in the hypothetical eyes of search engines.  Find out what your customers search and choose keywords accordingly.  Search engines will notice your relevant content and reward you with high search engine rankings, ushering in a slew of customers.

#3- Be great at problem solving: Let’s face it, most consumers can care less about who you are as a company and what you do.  At the end of the day, consumers know what they want and what they need.  They know the problems they need to be solved, so be great at problem solving.  Nothing can hook potential customers more then ushering them that whatever problem they have can be fixed by your company and your company only.  

#4- Create great content: One of the best ways to get noticed today is by putting out good content.  It’s like karma—put good out into the world, and get it right back.  If you believe in that sort of thing!  Put extra effort into making sure you are creating good content and good results are bound to come your way.

#5- Utilize video: Never underestimate the power of a great video.  Videos, especially when well done, are a great way to reach consumers and the media.

#6- Become the authority: Whatever you are in the business of, whether it’s law, medicine, marketing, etc., become the authority.  There’s no better way to gain respect and business then to become the authority on your subject.

#7- Just say no to spam: Spamming the media with press releases and PR pitches just doesn’t work and in fact, it can get pretty irritating, which is opposite of the point of a press release.  The goal is to get your release or pitch read and written about, not tossed away.  Just say no to spam.

#8- Commentary:  Check out blogs, forums, and chat rooms relevant to your business and provide some of your input and expertise.  If you want people to know that your company exists, get commenting.  

#9- Be persistent with follow ups:  Stay on top of your follow up calls and emails to the best of your abilities.  We all get busy, there's no question about that, but part of great public relations is being consistent and following up.  Follow ups are the best way to secure a story.

#10- Social media savvy: If you've been avoiding social media sites like the plague, think again.  Social media sites are one of the best, if not the best, way to broadcast your message to the largest possible audience.  Become social media friendly.  

If you’re looking for more great PR tips, keep on reading our blog or contact us.  

Making the Most out of Your PR Coverage

In today’s social media dominated world, it can be monumentally easier to extend the press coverage your business or franchise receives.  Traditionally, media outlets would cover a story and once it was read, heard or seen, it was easily forgotten.  The news coverage of the next day would drown out the stories from the day before.  Since getting popular media attention can be so difficult, it seems like a waste, but media coverage today is different.  Social media enables us to make the most out of PR coverage.  Social media extends the life of stories and also enables more people to read, hear or see it.  With our business and franchise clients, we always utilize social media to the fullest to maximize coverage.  Here are some of our tips on making your PR coverage last:

(1)   Share: If your business or franchise receives good press, then share it.  Share as much good press as possible on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Digg.  Let friends and followers know all about the positive buzz surrounding your business or franchise, after all, that’s what good franchise public relations is about.

(2)  Email signature: Include a link to the media coverage in your email signature after it has occurred.  Including a link is a good way to make sure people in your close circle get to see the coverage.

(3)   Blog: If you have a blog, put the coverage on your blog.  A blog isn't just a great place to post your thoughts or ideas,  it is also a great place to post positive press coverage. 

(4)   Website post: If you have a section on your website that warrants press coverage clips, you can put your business or franchise’s coverage there, which is what we do for our clients on our website. 

(5)   Get consistent coverage: Your goal for your business or franchise should always be to receive as much positive coverage as possible.  Consistent coverage is necessary to build up positive buzz around your business or franchise.  We consistently provide PR coverage for our business and franchise public relations clients as we know how crucial this is to their success.  Make it your goal to seek consistent coverage. 

If you’re looking for more tips on making the most out of your PR coverage, ask us.  We have plenty more tips where these came from and we'd love to share more.   

Twitter: Utilize or Disregard?

Ever since Twitter’s creation six years ago, many have argued over its benefits and shortcomings.  No matter what your personal feelings are on it, Twitter, like most social media, has its place in PR and for now it appears to be here to stay.  As social media experts, we know that social media needs to have a role in the lives of our clients.  Essentially, you have to know how to make your social media your company’s vehicle to help you deliver your brand’s message.  No, it’s not always easy, but studies show it certainly is effective.  Let’s consider Twitter’s pros and cons:

The pros

         (1) Strengthen relationships: Twitter can certainly help form and strengthen relationships between brands and brand consumers.  Twitter puts brands in contact with their target.  Outreach has never been more direct. 

         (2) Attracts younger demographic: While younger audiences were starting to get lost in the shuffle of traditional media, social media sites like Twitter, can catapult your company right into the reach of a younger audience. 

         (3) Shows who you are: Social media sites like Twitter can help make a brand or company appear more down-to-earth.  It can peal back the layers and give a warm insight into who a company is.

         (4) Great researching tool:  Twitter gives a company feedback for free.  Want to know what your customers think of you and your company?  Just jump on Twitter and find out exactly what people think and feel free to comment back.  It’s just that simple.  Feedback is at your fingertips. 

The cons

         (1) Can over-address the issues: Twitter can give rise to minor issues that shouldn’t be blown out of proportion. 

         (2) Employee policing: Twitter, and other social media sites, have made it so that business owners are forced to police employees on what they post on their personal sites because what they post could compromise the organization.  Leaking company secrets or talking badly about an organization has put many jobs at risk.

         (3) Is it a waste of time?:  Some have argued that using Twitter is a complete waste of a company’s time.  And truly, depending on how you use your company’s Twitter it can become a waste of time if it’s not being done properly.  Connect with users, share good content, comment on people’s relevant articles—make your company known!  If you can do that successfully, then it is NOT a waste of time. 

       The pros and cons list can go on for pages, but the real point here is that social media can and should be utilized by businesses both big and small.  It’s about how you make your social media work for you and your company that matters.  It can have as big of an impact as you want or no impact at all.  It’s all about what you put in to it.  If you’re looking for ways to maximize your social media efforts, talk to us and we will fill you in. 

Using Public Relations to Market Your Business Startup

Marketing a startup is one of the biggest struggles for any entrepreneur. You need to increase sales and grow your customer base, but effective advertising is expensive. While the internet provides significant opportunities for low-cost and no-cost marketing, many business owners overlook the value in establishing an in-house public relations system.

What is Public Relations?

Public relations encompass the work that needs to be done to get your company in the news. The efforts should include building relationships with appropriate news editors, writing effective press releases, and planning how to best use press relations to enhance your marketing plan. Of course, it is possible to hire a PR firm to do this work for you, but they can be expensive and do not have the same stake in seeing your venture succeed as you do. In addition, a PR firm will have to be taught about your company -- what you do, how you do it, what will be newsworthy, and who should be targeted. You will be charged for the hours it takes to get them up to speed. A better entrepreneurial option is to teach yourself all you can about effective public relations, then assign the tasks to your key employees as you grow.

Reporters and Experts: A Win Win Situation

I have the utmost respect for the brainpower contained within the leadership teams at my clients' organizations. Many have either launched the enterprise, worked within the organization for decades, or have contributed significantly to the industries in which they work.

In fact, by most standards, they've achieved expert status in their given fields. They've written books, given powerful presentations, taught at universities, mentored and launched careers for others, and do all they can to stay up on the industry by constantly reading.

Knowing that they have a wealth of expertise and experience, as public relations specialists, we can leverage their intimate knowledge on a subject and position them for interviews more easily. It is helpful in both proactive media pitching, as well as reactive. In the first instance we are pitching reporters on ideas, in the latter, reporters have already began working on a story and are seeking experts for their piece.

Now, it should be said that these expert opinion/quote opportunities rarely result in full-feature stories on our clients. Rather, our clients are quoted as an expert, with their companies and specialties noted.

Nonetheless, it is a great way to build awareness and maintain visibility in an industry and reinforce the expert status. Expert positioning isn't the only way to get the good word out for our clients, but it is a tactic that provides benefits on many levels.

PR Firm USA, National Public Relations Firm, Franchise PR Agency

Generating Publicity: Chicago PR Style

Chicago Public Relations Company

Have you ever found yourself contacting a company about their products or services after having read a story about them in the newspaper or a magazine? What about after hearing a specialist or CEO of a company speak?

National Media Publicity is an extremely important for building awareness and credibility for your small business or company. Example: a legitimate news story in a magazine or newspaper is an endorsement from someone else that can reach a wide audience for a low cost. All it takes is a great writer and a PR Firm with creativity and time. In addition to stories in the newspaper, there are several types of publicity:

• News/Interviews in trade-specific journals, websites dedicated to the industry, magazines, the morning news and more.
• A journalist or blogger writing a story with your 'Expert' opinion or a quote.
• Stories posted on websites or industry magazines that are self-authored. 
• Speaking engagements for your industry

Publicity is a highly cost-effective strategy than can do several things: build awareness about your company's products and services, drive visitors to your website, get people to participate in your events, help your target market to learn more about your industry and products and the problems you can solve, and great an ongoing conversation about your company.

The key to success is generating newsworthy stories that publishers want to share. They need to be interesting, relevant, and offer new information to readers.

Publicity isn't about luck at all - it's about investing in a strategic program with an effective Public Relations Agency and you can continue to reap the rewards with time.

In Honor of Social Media Week Chicago

Social Media Week: Will You Marry Me?

Today I went to the dentist and the hygienist was talking about an idea she had to start a business. She said she was going to create a one-sheet marketing piece to slip under doors of potential clients. That was her major marketing push to launch the business. She asked my opinion.

Obviously, I said she needed a cost-effective, strategic PR campaign aimed at earning bright, big media coverage that will drive client acquisition, retention and loyalty. She honestly has a good business idea.

However, PR and the one-sheet isn't enough. You have to marry that great idea and the marketing campaigns that are occurring offline (PR and the handout) with an online strategy. Now, she is a bit older than most of the savvy online marketing crowd, but I told her she needs a dynamic website and a strong, persistent social media campaign that engages her customer base and others who can spread the good word for her.

We spent a good amount of time talking about the complexities of social media (o.k. she talked and I kind of grunted as she hacked away at my teeth). The timing of this discussion couldn't have been more appropriate.

This week the global business community is engaged in Social Media Week. Sessions are being held around the world. Personally, I've been tuning in to the free online streaming video of the discussions at www.livestream.com/smw_chicago1.

Is there a silver bullet that works in social media? No. Does an effective strategy take some trial and error? Yes. However, ultimately it needs to be married with what you've developed as offline marketing tactics. Just as TV ads are consistent with newspaper ads for most campaigns, your Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn messaging should be equally integrated across the board.

The talented professionals at this PR Firm have successfully developed and implemented several social media plans for our clients. We encourage you to ask us about the ways we've driven the bottom line and spread awareness for our clients. Look us up on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to engage.