News Archives • The Hoyt Organization

Holidays of The World: A Communicator’s Guide for Cultural Diversity

By Nick Leighton – NettResults, THO’s Middle East Partner Agency

In an increasingly connected world, it’s critical for public relations, marketing, and communications specialists to create a communicator’s guide for cultural diversity. It is the only way to understand the dynamics that exist when communicating across cultural lines. Throughout the year, billions of people celebrate hundreds of holidays, religious events, and festivals. Communications specialists need to understand how to effectively navigate and understand holidays of the world, especially when communicating to geographically dispersed audiences. Here are 5 important things to consider when planning your communications strategy for the upcoming year.

A Communicator’s Guide for Cultural Diversity — Photo by James Robinson on Unsplash

1. Don’t Assume Every Holiday is Observed the Same Way

Most holidays have evolved over time. For this reason, even the most popular holidays can have numerous variations in the way they are observed around the world. Christmas is a great example. Celebrated by over 2 billion people globally, Christmas is observed across many countries, specifically in North America, Latin America, Australia, and Europe.

The most notable difference is the day that Christmas is celebrated. In the United States, Christmas is most commonly observed on the 25th of December. However, some cultures begin celebrating as early as St. Nicholas Day which traditionally falls on December 6th. Many Europeans focus much of their celebrations on Christmas Eve (with Midnight Mass). Others stretch the holiday into a “12 days of Christmas” that lasts until January 6th. The modern Armenian church chooses to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th (the day that the Three Kings were believed to have delivered gifts to Christ). Countries in the Commonwealth (UK, Canada, for example) celebrate Boxing Day which falls the day after Christmas (December 26th).

Communication specialists should also be mindful that Christmas has different meanings to each person. While many Christian people celebrate Christmas to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, non-religious people might focus more on gift-giving and spending time with loved ones. It’s also important to note that some cultures (typically across North Africa, Middle East, and parts of Asia) don’t celebrate Christmas at all a communicator’s guide for cultural diversity will make this much easier to navigate.

Even the traditions vary widely across the Western world. Local traditions and superstitions are often woven into the holiday celebrations including Christmas tree decorating spiders (Eastern Europe) or traditions of enjoying a Christmas visit to the sauna (Finland).

2. Plan for Holidays Not Based on the Traditional Calendar

Holidays like Christmas are easy to predict since most people celebrate on the 25th of December. However, there are many other holidays of the world that don’t follow the traditional Gregorian calendar. Some holidays, especially religious ones, follow lunar or other types of calendars. Communications specialists will need to do a little research in advance to find out when these holidays will occur.

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is a holiday that is celebrated by nearly 15 million Jews around the world. Contrary to popular belief, Hanukkah is not a Jewish version of Christmas. The holiday commemorates the 2nd century BC rebuilding of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. Each year, the duration of Hanukkah is a predictable eight-day/night celebration. However, the dates of the holiday can vary slightly based on the Hebrew calendar. Hanukkah can occur any time between late November and December.

Unlike Hanukkah, Ramadan can occur any time during the year based on the Islamic calendar. The celebration aligns with the 9th month of the calendar. During this time, Muslims across the globe take time to renew focus on their faith and fast. And, to add complexity, that date may be predicted, but must be ‘called’ upon the sighting of the moon.

3. Prepare for Extended Holidays

Some holidays last a very long time. This might require additional planning to have sufficient levels of communication during these extended holidays. For example, Chinese New Year is celebrated over 15 days (in addition to being based on the lunar calendar which requires research ahead of time). Other holidays such as Ramadan lasts about a month (29 to 30 days depending on the year). During these times, some people may have limited availability as they celebrate and observe the festivities.

4. Understand Religious and Cultural Aspects of Holidays

A communicator’s guide for cultural diversity will help your team understand the different holidays. Some have deep cultural and religious significance, while others don’t have quite as much. The messaging during this time may need to be carefully planned to avoid any sensitive topics or insensitive communication. Even the best intentions can backfire if not carefully considered.

Kwanzaa, for example, is a celebration of African-American culture in the United States that lasts from December 26th to January 1st. Although Kwanzaa is traditionally an American holiday, some Caribbean countries may observe Kwanzaa. Communications centered outside of the United States should avoid terms like “African-American” since people in those nations are not American. It’s critical to understand how those individuals wish to be identified in communications regarding Kwanzaa.

Some holidays require people to abstain from certain activities. For example, during the fasting hours of Ramadan, observers avoid consuming food and beverages. Communication regarding food or drinks could be considered insensitive to those who are fasting.

5. Same Holiday, Different Day

It’s already been mentioned that some holidays can occur on different dates. This may force communications specialists to stagger their communication throughout the year. For example, Valentine’s Day in the United States (and some other countries) always falls on February 14th. However, a February communication regarding this holiday would cause confusion in Brazil which doesn’t observe Valentine’s Day until June.

This applies to numerous other holidays in the world. Many cultures celebrate Mother’s Day, but the specific date can fall on different days. For example, Mexico and the United States recognize mothers on different dates in May. In the United States, Halloween is observed on October 31st. Other cultures celebrate Dia de Los Muertos or All Saints’ Day instead, which typically falls on the first of November.

In conclusion, do your homework, plan in advance and be culturally sensitive in your communications.

This article was originally published on the Public Relations Global Network, here.

THO

What Is The PESO Model For Public Relations?

Public relations is a key tool that can help your business manage its reputation and accomplish goals. It can help with establishing trust, building relationships, and creating a favorable public image.

Due to its ever-evolving nature, there are many models of PR. Your business might find it difficult to know which one to adopt. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to public relations, the PESO model is an effective framework to follow. PR professionals can use it to plan and execute effective campaigns while covering all bases.

What Is The PESO Model?

The PESO model is an abbreviation for Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned media. It is a modern public relations model that integrates different media forms to create more effective and holistic campaigns.

For a long time, PR has relied solely on earned media to reach its goals. Over the past decade, the business world has been introduced to social media and owned media as effective ways of reaching their audiences. The PESO model helps PR practitioners adopt and realize the full advantages of these new media forms.

Aside from integrating paid, shared, and owned media in public relations efforts, this model aligns each media with different outcomes and objectives.

Your business will reap maximum benefits from optimizing the overlapping outcomes of different media. Essentially, you utilize all media in a coordinated way to achieve your company’s objectives.

Let’s take a look at each medium and what they entail for PR purposes.

Paid Media

Paid media is when you pay to place your messages or content on certain channels. It includes sponsored content as well as advertising.

Advertising

Of course, paid media also refers to advertising like PPC (Pay-per-click) campaigns, social media ads, and native ads. This places your business in front of your target audience and is one of the most traditional ways to boost brand awareness and reach.

Now, brands are leaning more towards native ads, which blend in better with surrounding content. They take on the form and function of the platform they’re placed on. Native ads can help your business boost your brand, increase purchase intent by 53%, extend the shelf life of earned media, and bring measurable results.

Earned Media

Earned media refers to the organic promotion of your brand or products. Unlike paid media, earned media is more trusted by consumers. This is because it was not created by your business or paid for by it.

Some examples of earned media include reviews, influencer mentions, media coverage, and social media shoutouts.

Earned media can help your business raise brand awareness, offer social proof, increase credibility, and reach a wider audience.

Shared Media

Shared media mainly refers to social media. However, it also includes all content shared on third-party platforms such as partner networks.

Shared media offers you some levels of control over the posts that you share. However, you cannot control what other users share about your brand or how they interact with your content once it’s been shared.

You can use shared media to start conversations, listen to what others are saying, and build relationships. If user engagement with your brand is below your expectations, shared media allows you to start and participate in conversations that can help increase engagement.

Additionally, you can use these media to generate awareness for your brand, product, or service. It can help amplify your message by sharing it with a larger audience.

Owned Media

Owned media is any form of media that you own. This includes apps, emails, websites, blogs, podcasts, and e-books.

Organizations have full control over owned media. So, use it to ensure that all communication aligns with your business goals and objectives. Owned media should reflect your business values. It should show your target audience who you are and what you stand for so that they can connect with you.

Managing your own media allows you to create a more personal relationship with your audience. Owned media platforms are great for sharing company updates, announcements, and insights to communicate your messages to your target audience directly.

Final Thoughts

The PESO model is a valuable tool for businesses that want to stay ahead of the curve and make the most of their public relations efforts. Integrating all four media types in your PR plan will help you tap into various audiences and achieve your desired results.

At its best, this model will help you get quantifiable results, and establish yourself as an authority and thought leader in your industry.

Nick Luvera

How Public Relations Builds Relationships When Market Conditions Change

What does economic change mean for your business? It means that you must be more strategic than ever in your marketing and communications. This is when a qualified and experienced public relations firm can build relationships, help you focus on what is important, craft the right message with the right tone, what media channels to use and when to deliver the right message.

When there are fears in the market, naturally people are more conservative. They become more risk-averse and are more likely to be careful about budgets and expenses.

So, it’s essential to keep your existing customers and clients happy. Keep them updated on what’s going on with your company, and ensure they know that you’re still there for them.

In terms of marketing, you need to be more strategic and focused. You can’t afford to spend money on ads that don’t reach your target audience. And you need to find ways to get focused with your messaging and specific about your target audience. PR professionals know exactly how to do that.

Reasons Why PR Is Important During An Economic Downturn

Here are some reasons why PR is essential for your business as market conditions soften.

Keeps Your Company Relevant & Top Of Mind

PR is the best way to keep advancing your message to key stakeholders in these uncertain communication environments. These stakeholders include:

investors who want to know that their investment is secure
customers who want to know that your company is still around and delivering on its promises
employees who need reassurance about job security

Cutting your PR budget when business slows down could prove to be an expensive mistake that could lead to customers forgetting your brand and discovering new brands.

In the early 90’s, McDonalds made one such mistake, and the result was a 28% decrease in sales. In contrast, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell saw this as an opportunity to promote new additions to their menus. In turn, they realized a 61% and 40% increase in sales, respectively.

While ad campaigns come and go, earned media placements stay on the internet forever. Your top-tier placements in The New York Times or Wall Street Journal will be there long after your campaign has ended.

A simple press release or blog post can show that you’re still active and relevant even if you don’t have any news to share.

Staying Connected With Your Audience

PR allows you to tell your brand story and shape the image of your company. Customers want to know that the brands they’re doing business with are healthy and trustworthy. The best way to show that is through consistent and honest communication.

Create an excellent PR strategy that focuses on staying connected with your audience and building relationships of trust during these chaotic times.

Connecting with your audience does not have to be expensive. You can use social media to tell your brand story and get an actual reaction from your target audience. Remember to respond to all comments, both positive and negative.

Another great way to stay connected with your audience is through thought leadership. Position yourself and your company as an expert in your industry by writing articles, blog posts, or whitepapers. This will show that you’re still active and knowledgeable, despite an economic downturn.

Finally, participate in relevant groups and forums to show that you’re still interested in your industry and want to help others. You can build a positive reputation for yourself and your company by engaging in relevant conversations.

Shows Reliability & Stability

It is essential to show that your company is reliable and stable. The best way to do that is through consistent communication and a focus on your core values.

Your PR strategy should include a plan for how you’re going to stay in touch with your target audience. You need to be regularly sharing information about your company and its products or services. Also share company news, such as new hires, promotions, or expansion plans.

In addition, it’s important to focus on your core values. What makes your company different from the competition? Why should customers trust you? By focusing on your core values, you can show that your company is stable and trustworthy, even in an uncertain economy.

Conclusion

People are bombarded with advertising everywhere they go. As a result, they’ve become immune to most traditional advertising methods. In fact, studies have shown that people are more likely to believe earned media placements, such as press releases, than they are to believe advertising.

Focus on earned media placements to get your message across. These placements are more credible and trustworthy, so your target audience is more likely to pay attention to them.

Hire a reliable Los Angeles PR agency to earn the best media placements and build relationships while you focus on growing your company.

Leeza Hoyt

Public Relations And Healthcare Work Together For Better Health Outcomes

Public relations has changed in the 21st century and it’s likely to continue evolving in the foreseeable future. For healthcare to work together with PR for better health outcomes, it’s important to mix traditional PR with modern PR.

To do that, it’s necessary to understand the importance of PR and how to navigate the new online and offline marketing spheres. Let’s cover how you can create a healthcare PR campaign that is up-to-date and actually produces better health outcomes.

The Importance Of PR In Healthcare

Unfortunately, even though healthcare public relations is essential, it is often overlooked when developing marketing and company growth strategies.

Here are four of the most prominent reasons you need a healthcare PR team.

Competitive Marketing. PR will help your organization stay ahead with competitive marketing.
Digestible Information. PR campaigns are important for conveying easy-to-understand information to the public.
Build A Brand. PR is essential in the healthcare industry, where being a trustworthy brand is vital as people are trusting you with their health.
Crisis Management. PR professionals know how to handle crises and will have crisis management measures in place.

Whether you are doing it yourself or using a reputable PR agency, PR should be a foundational process for any healthcare organization.

How To Create An Effective Healthcare PR Campaign

Determine Your Goal

To create an effective healthcare PR campaign, you first need to determine your healthcare organization’s goal. This can be anything from increasing brand awareness to getting more followers on social media.

Having a clear goal will help focus PR efforts and make it much easier to track growth and strategies that do the opposite.

Establishing a clear goal also means establishing a timeline and creating a way to measure the effectiveness of the campaign. For example, say your goal is to increase your social media presence. You’ll be able to track this through metrics like impressions, reach, followers, and engagement.

Keep track of the metrics you are trying to improve and make sure your goal is achievable within your chosen time frame.

Create Quality Content

Whether you are using traditional channels or social media, the content you create needs to be of a high quality. It must be engaging and valuable to your audience.

According to the Economist Group, the content that had an impact on their brands was the content that had unique information and the content that helped easily explain difficult concepts.

For a healthcare organization, this is a unique opportunity to create content that is engaging and educational. Create content that builds brand awareness and trust with the people at the same time.

Choose Your PR Channel

Public relations in the 21st century takes two major forms: traditional and modern. An effective PR campaign will contain both and match them according to your goal.

Traditional PR channels are newspapers, tv channels, industry-specific publications, etc.

Traditional PR can be expensive and time-consuming. Printing flyers, buying advertising space, and creating ads for television can cost a pretty penny. It’s also hard to track any growth metrics.

However, it is a great way to increase brand awareness. Most people still put a lot of trust in traditional media and the organizations that are featured on these marketing channels.

Modern channels cover social media content and influencer marketing. This means growing an audience on social media by posting images and videos. This includes creative content, educational content, promotional content, collaborations with brands or influencers relevant to the healthcare space, etc.

You don’t need to be on every social media platform or publication, though. Focus your efforts and build an engaged audience on a few chosen platforms. Then you can expand to more channels later on as your audience grows.

Personalized Outreach

Online marketing is all about fostering relationships. As you reach out to other publications, creators, or websites, you will need to establish a personal relationship before asking for exposure. You can do this by engaging with content and doing small content callouts.

It’s also important to offer something in return. Online exposure between brands is a collaborative effort and your PR team should know what strengths can be offered in return for collaboration.

Evaluate

Lastly, routinely evaluate your PR campaign. You should care about what your customers feel. Listen to their feedback and opinions. See what content they interact with the most.

This enables you to establish which strategies are working and which aren’t so that you can constantly work on improving your PR campaigns.

The only way for healthcare organizations to be in the know of these things is to evaluate PR strategies and their outcomes with a clear, objective mind.

Conclusion

Public relations for healthcare organizations can create strategic ways to get information to the public, boost brand awareness, and achieve improved health outcomes. It is essential for business growth and staying ahead in the highly competitive healthcare market to work with a deeply experienced and highly qualified los angeles public relations agency. Contact The Hoyt Organization today to discuss how we can help you.

Leeza Hoyt

PR + Digital: How the power of digital is driving today’s public relations campaigns

There will always be value in tried-and-true traditional public relations practices, however, in an increasingly digital landscape, evolving into new channels and expanding into the digital landscape is not only necessary, it’s required. With more clients looking to build their sales funnels, PR today is no longer press only, and digital is the name of the game.

While the concept of digital is not new, as communications professionals — and ultimately marketers — we must ask what is the most effective way to utilize the power of digital in our campaigns. We must think now about both traditional and digital tactics to successfully deliver a compelling campaign tied to our client’s objectives. Therefore, we must remember the key facets of designing a program effectively. Here are three tips on how to maximize your efforts and put digital marketing to work for you as part of your communications arsenal:

Remember that PR is a Natural Lead Generator

When many think of PR, they begin thinking about press releases and stories in major outlets such as The New York Times or the Wall St. Journal. While it’s true that PR is a major needle-mover for significant press opportunities, it should also be considered a lead generation magnet. Why? As valuable as placements in mainstream publications can be, a more targeted focus on getting your company’s story published in specific vertical publications that cover your customers’ markets can be much more effective. After all, they are targeted specifically to your market and should not be ignored.

As a result, this content can be repurposed into a lead generation LinkedIn campaign, a targeted conference outreach, and more. Don’t overlook how to maximize this content.

Digital Resources Pack a Punch

Embracing an integrated communications approach that aligns with your business goals will ultimately add value to your brand narrative and fortify existing lead generation tools.

By deploying an arsenal of digital tools such as video content, blogs and podcasts to support traditional media relations and social tactics, businesses are able to cast a wider net and effectively engage with target audiences in a timely and widespread manner.

Remember, public relations strategies drive forward the messaging, providing the narrative and thus, the impact. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of digital platforms and tools that will not only expand your reach, but optimize your budget as well.

Remember to Build a Presence Where It Counts

Building a digital footprint doesn’t have to be difficult, but it does have to be strategic. Whether your business needs to reach the Yelp audience or a select group of industry influencers, a thoughtfully executed social media program can be what separates you from the rest of the market.

In an era where data is king, digital content is also beneficial in a PR program because it provides near-immediate metrics and feedback loops that help identify whether your current outreach strategy is effective or where you may have blind spots. By adopting a results-driven strategy, your company’s story will be able to reach audiences in a way that other resources such as company collateral and websites just can’t.

Companies that offer meaningful and engaging digital content that connects with target audiences will be able to promote engagement and position themselves as industry thought leaders and drive their lead generation capabilities to the next level.

Want to know how? Just give us a call. We specialize in creating customized programs that take a holistic approach to your overall program. You’ll also have the confidence of knowing that there is an expert on your team that comes with the full knowledge of the latest techniques, both traditional and digital. This not only ensures you’ll get the right message out to the right audience in the right way, but it will also provide measurable results. Isn’t that what you’re looking for?

Leeza Hoyt

Crisis Management: Building Success into Your Plan

In today’s business environment, everyone is acutely aware of the damage that any crises can cause. Certainly, the clean-up begins as soon as the incident is over. However, today’s crises have a much different twist than those of the past.

Today, companies face not only operational challenges that create havoc not only within their customer base, but they must contend with a wide variety of issues that less than ten years ago, would not have fallen into their domain. For example, today a company that closes a division may force management to answer questions about future plans. An isolated shooting incident will cause the scrutiny of safety and security procedures. Or, redevelopment plans may bring community outrage about renovation efforts.

Because of this, more and more companies are taking proactive steps, and developing a crisis management response plan for each part of their operations.

But, what should go in this type of plan? How can it be most effectively pulled together? What’s the best way to implement it?

Remember, even when there is someone on staff that can handling an emergency, all too often, others may not be unaccustomed to working with the press. Naturally, reporters are usually not too far behind the crisis, itself. As a result, communications are handled poorly, leaving reporters, clients and employees with an unfavorable impression.

The most effective plan includes guidelines and suggestions for internal operations, as well as external communications. The key, however, is to provide enough information and corporate guidelines to allow the on-site personnel to be extremely effective, but the directives must be general enough to provide latitude to do what they think is best under the specific circumstances at the time. The result will be consistent responses within the corporate guidelines, with proper and immediate reactions to the crisis at hand.

What follows are some basics to consider.

MAKING THE PLAN WORK

As always, crisis management planning should begin ‘at home.’ The first step we recommend is to review basic parameters for your company. What crises are likely to happen? Who is responsible for arranging for clean up? What role will security officers have for what type of crises? What about contacting employees, clients and others that may be impacted? Here’s how to get started.

1. Do your homework. Are there any back-up procedures already in place that need to be updated? Don’t forget about in-house computer systems back-up and records storage.

Then, find out what can be done to prevent disasters. Does a construction site need to be cleaned up? What about security procedures, how long has it been since they were reviewed and updated? Are there any other potential problem areas that need to be taken care of? Remember, take off the rose-colored glasses and get to work — before something happens.

2. Make a list of the five most likely crises that may happen. This may range from a small fire, to a full-scale natural disaster such as an earthquake or tornado.

If there are no formal procedures in place to handle issues, begin outlining who is responsible for general procedures such as contacting employees, clients, working with the fire department, etc.

3. Walk specific company locations with everyone on your management staff. While this may seem simple, it’s surprising how often (and how easy) it’s overlooked. Remember, when an emergency happens, management may not even be in the office, given many employees are now remote. Make sure the person who will be handling the phones knows what to say, who to contact and where things are.

4. Contact your local fire department, hazardous waste company, and any other emergency personnel and ask what their procedures are. Local fire department officials are usually happy to complete a walk-through of properties, as well as review plans and procedures, if they haven’t already. And remember, it certainly helps to have these relationships in place, BEFORE you need them!

5. Create your crisis management team. Make sure to include not only on-site and corporate personnel, but any vendor contacts or outside specialists that you may need. These may include attorneys, environmental specialists for toxic waste issues, various clean up contractors, and even the local chapter of the Red Cross.

6. Make sure the entire team have an up-to-date list of phone numbers for everyone involved. Include office, mobile, home, and any other pertinent phone numbers that will be helpful.

7. Identify your media spokesperson and have a designated back-up person available. Depending on the management structure and the issues at hand, on–site personnel as well as corporate spokespersons should be included.

8. Delineate specific areas of responsibilities for each member of the team, and write it down. Remember, in the middle of a crisis this advance planning will not only save time, it may save lives.

9. Begin preparing information for external use. This may include facility information sheets that detail factual items about the company, any specific properties such as when it was built, renovated, square footage, type of tenants, etc. Photos should be included, if at all possible.

10. Determine your best method of communication. Remember, in the middle of a major disaster you may not have power or communications systems. Are there cellular phones in place with pre-assigned numbers that can be given to specific team members? What about an 800-message system or an emergency website that is pre-designed and ready to launch? In today’s world of technology, there is no reason for communications to fail.

Once the internal operations have been reviewed, and the appropriate suggestions have been completed, a written plan must be developed. This written plan provides the road-map that is the basis for an in-place and functioning crisis management plan.

The written plan, coupled with a crisis management response program, will allow every team member to handle any crisis quickly and efficiently. Then, everyone can get back to business!

Nick Luvera

Rich Media And Social Media Are Essential For Hospitality Industry Marketing

Communication has changed tremendously in the last decade and it will continue to grow in the future. In 2021, over 4 billion people used social media and this number is projected to rise to 6 billion by 2027.

Social media has become an integral part of daily life for both people and businesses. The hospitality industry is no different. For marketing strategies to be effective, rich media and social media need to be integrated into your business plans. Keep reading to find out why.

The State Of Rich Media And Social Media

Everybody knows what social media is. But what is rich media? Rich media refers to advertisements that are interactive. Unlike traditional adverts that only aim to inform, these ads are built to boost engagement like clicks, comments, and sharing.

It builds a genuine relationship between you and your audience. Moreover, it helps you figure out how your customers feel about your brand and the industry.

The Interactive Effect report found that interactive social media ads boosted brand favorability by 19%, purchase intent by 24%, and search intent by 27%. They also lead to an increase in brand recall. These statistics prove the effectiveness of rich media and social media for the hospitality industry.

Why Rich Media And Social Media Are Key For Hospitality Marketing

Boosts Brand Awareness

Rich media increase brand recall by 8 % when compared with traditional video advertisements.

Because these ads are interactive, they hold the attention of social media goers for longer. It draws their attention in a way a traditional ad never could and improves long-term recall. For hospitality, this means everything.

If anyone has seen or engaged with your ad and finds themselves in need of hospitality services, chances are they will recall your brand.

Because these individuals are interacting with your content, social media platforms will also recommend it to people with similar algorithmic profiles. Your content will be shown to others who are likely to explore it further. In turn, this will increase brand awareness.

Improves Buying Process

Utilizing rich media on social media platforms streamlines the buying process. From the moment a customer interacts with an ad to the checkout point, they have easy and immediate access to the services or products they are trying to purchase.

Rich media also allows brands to effectively communicate and connect with customers. Through social media platforms, customers have an easy way to contact management or other staff.

They can ask questions and get almost immediate replies about options or packages they saw in an interactive ad. This might seem small but an interactive ad that leads to immediate communication can turn into a booking or a future booking.

Increase Web Traffic

One of the best things about social media is targeted ads. With promotions and targeted ads, you can show ads to users that fit a specific profile or have a specific interest. It brings their interests – and your brand – right to their doorstep.

Combine this with rich media and watch as website clicks increase! These ads can lead straight to your website where customers can make a booking.

Not only will this improve your social media standing but it can also improve your search engine rankings. If your website is seeing more clicks and traffic, you may start to show up higher and higher on search engine results pages.

Enhances Engagement

More than likes and followers, engagement and social interaction are what really determine success on social media. High engagement usually translates into a high click-through rate and more bookings.

That is why rich media, which is all about being interactive, is so effective. Ads can be videos, games, etc. These types of ads increase engagement and therefore help to build your brand.

Engagement also improves customer relations. If ads and posts are doing well, customers are likely to comment or contact support about their stay, future visits, or other questions. This helps to build stronger and more positive customer relationships.

Gain Insights

Most social media platforms have business profiles. These business profiles offer insights or analytics that let businesses keep track of impressions, clicks, followers, engagement, and so on.

With increased engagement, interaction, and brand awareness, you can see which rich media ads are working and why. You’ll be able to gain a better view of your audience and develop ways to expand into other niche groups.

Insights will also encourage brand improvement. Management will be able to see which campaigns performed best and which ones didn’t. This way, you can constantly work at adjusting your rich media ad campaigns to get the most out of them.

Conclusion

Rich media on social media can help raise brand awareness, improve the buying process and increase web traffic. It also enhances engagement and helps you gain valuable insights into your target audience.

With social media becoming an everyday staple for more than half the globe, the hospitality industry can’t risk falling behind. Instead, leverage social media to boost your hospitality industry marketing through smart interactive advertisements.

Leeza Hoyt

How To Leverage Public Relations During The Holiday Season

The holiday season is a time of cheer and gift-giving. And while many people spend this time trying to rest after a busy year, it proves to be one of the busiest times of the year for public relations and consumers both.

When done right, the holiday season presents a time of unprecedented growth. With these tips, you’ll be able to leverage public relations during the holiday season to grow your business and stand out during the holiday frenzy.

6 Ways To Leverage PR Over The Holidays

Start Early

The best way to leverage the holiday season is to start early. Do this by planning ahead and making crucial connections with media outlets and other companies for possible collaborations.

Finetune release plans and be ready to announce promotions early on. Your preparation will be visible in media campaigns. It will be a surefire way to stand out from other companies with hurried and lackluster holiday promotions.

Holiday Exclusive Sales And Promotions

The holiday season is all about offering more for less. People are buying gifts and services for themselves and others. Consumers will also be taking advantage of sales that could be beneficial to their future needs.

Tap into that energy by having exclusive holiday sales and promotions. Have store promotions that run for a specific time frame or offer discounts on common holiday gifts. Offer online coupons or host holiday raffles with amazing prices.

And while sales and promotions are most often used to get physical products out during the holiday season, they can also work wonders for online services.

Everyone will have holiday sales and promotions. But when you do it, make sure to outline the benefits of buying your products or services. For example, if you offer virtual services, offer a discounted price that can be used for a few months, even when the holiday season has passed.

Use Social Media

Every PR strategy needs digital marketing and social media is one of the best ways to get started. It’s an easy way to promote holiday sales and promotions without spending tons of money and it can have a massive payoff.

Share sales and promotions, engage with your audience, and encourage and reward sharing your content.

Unfortunately, it’s not enough to only post about your sales and promotions during the holiday season.

Before the holiday season, drop hints and tidbits on future sales. Build anticipation with your audience and increase engagement to boost your posts and encourage sharing with contests or smaller promotions.

By the time the sales and promotions launch, you will have a line of customers waiting to do their holiday shopping.

Look The Part

Whether you have brick-and-mortar stores or are based online, it’s vital that you prepare for the holiday season with decorations.

If you own a physical store, decorate your storefront with festive decorations and your promotions and sales. If you are based online, give your website or social media a temporary holiday look.

And it doesn’t need to be the usual stuff. A lot of holiday decorations are worn out and it presents a unique opportunity for you to showcase creativity. Combine your brand and the festive season in online and physical displays that are eye-catching and stand out from other festive decorations.

Share More Than The Usual Holiday Cheer

The holiday season bombards consumers with bright lights and all the usual news. It can be overwhelming and annoying, especially deeper into the holiday season.

And while your main points and promotions should be on brand for the holidays, you can also share other news with the media. News that will act as a breath of fresh air to an oversaturated market.

If your company has any newsworthy things happening that don’t have to do with the holiday season, share them on social media platforms and media outlets.

Provide a break from the holiday cheer and put your company in the mind of shoppers without directly promoting your products or services to them.

Give Back

You should always care about how your customers feel and build an emotional connection with them to ensure business success. One of the best ways to do this is by giving back during the holiday season.

By giving back, you can showcase your company’s culture, build goodwill in the community, and increase your brand awareness by doing good and giving back to the community.

Build positive associations with your company and let people know that supporting your business also supports a good cause.

Goodwill can take many forms. You can give out food and care packages, host a food drive, raise money for a charity, or donate some holiday proceeds. The possibilities are endless.

Conclusion

Gain traction, promote sales, increase brand awareness, and give back to the community this holiday season. Use the above methods to leverage public relations during the holidays and watch as festive cheers sweep up your sales and services.

Leeza Hoyt

The 4 P’s Of Marketing For The Travel And Tourism Industry

The travel and tourism industry is highly competitive. Differintiating yourself is key to rising above the marketing clutter and noise. Often times keeping things simple is the best way to gain focus and clarity about your marketing strategy. The 4 P’s of marketing in the travel and tourism industry is good start.

These four factors are part of a tried-and-trusted method for addressing your branding, promotions, social media, and digital marketing. To find out what they are and why you need them, read our short guide below.

The 4 P’s Of Marketing In The Travel & Tourism Industry

Product, Price, Place, and Promotion are the four key points in any tourism business’ marketing strategy.

Product

Unlike other businesses, where the product is a material item or tangible thing, the products in a travel company are not. But the basic aim is the same: Providing a product that people want. In other words, is there a market for the product that you are offering?

The tourism industry is extremely competitive. You need to set yourself apart from the rest while providing a relevant product. Examples are women’s solo travel or LGBT tours. It helps to target specific categories and niche markets, although this also narrows your target market considerably.

In smaller and localized businesses, this requires careful and in-depth research of the needs of the community where you are based. Is the community that you are aiming this product at able to afford it? Have they expressed a desire for such a travel service or tour?

If you are a larger business with a national or even international customer base, the same principles apply. Are there travel trends that other travel companies or tour organizers are not effectively tapping into?

The more unique your product, the more careful you must be to establish its relevance.

Place

Where do customers go to interact with your brand and order your services or purchase tour packages? For many of you, this may be a combination of physical offices and an online presence.

Whether you have a physical office or not, you more than likely have a website, and possibly one or more social media platforms. Social media marketing is one of the most effective forms of digital marketing.

More and more businesses in the tourism industry are realizing the benefits of social media marketing. But the most important thing to remember is to be consistent. Update your social media pages and web content regularly, with engaging and relevant posts.

Keep your target market in mind when choosing a platform. They appeal to different audiences and choosing the wrong one could be a costly mistake.

Price

Price is a major factor in your marketing success and the success of your business as a whole. Competitive pricing is essential if you want to attract new customers.

So do the groundwork and discover what other tour companies are charging. Read their customer reviews and find out what people think of their pricing. This can give you an indication of what customers would be happy to pay.

But don’t fall into the trap of undercutting your competitors by too much. This may seem like a good idea, but many consumers are wary of what seems like “too good a deal”. Too low a price can actually make new customers reluctant to try your product/service.

Aim for the same price range or just slightly lower than your rivals charge for similar tours and travel packages. A special price for first-time customers or a discount for groups of a certain size may be better ways to have the edge.

Promotion

The final P of our 4 P’s is promotion, and it ties in with the other three. You can have the right product, the best price, and the relevant place to market your offerings yet l not make a big impression. Want to know why? It’s because, in such a highly competitive market, you need to go one step beyond.

The best way to do that is through promotion.

Promotions entail more than just advertising a great deal. It’s about getting your brand out there and attracting new customers.

Introductory offers and limited-time-only value-added tours will all attract new users to your platform and create interest in your brand. Partnering with social influencers can also make a big impact on a younger audience.

With an effective multi-pronged marketing campaign that includes digital marketing, social media, and mainstream traditional media, you can’t go wrong.

Emphasize what is unique about your company. A catchphrase that resonates with the travelers’ goals will add extra punch.

Final Thoughts

With these 4 P’s of marketing, you can make a success of any marketing campaign for your travel company or tour business. They will help you to put your customer first while increasing brand recognition and industry relevance.

Leeza Hoyt

Public Relations For Construction Management Companies

The construction industry can be highly competitive. For most newly established construction management companies, it can be tough to stand out from the competition.

If you’d like your company to establish itself as a market leader in record time, then you need an experienced PR company to light the way.

Why Does Your Construction Management Company Need PR?

Below, we’ve highlighted the top three reasons why expert PR services are one of the keys to success in the construction industry.

PR Lets Clients Know What You Can Bring To The Table

Are you aware that some of your most loyal clients may not be up to speed on all of the services your construction company offers?

A lot of the time, clients will phone in and ask for a specific service. Because these clients already know what they want, they won’t be inclined to ask about any of your other services.

You have to tell them.

Luckily, there are multiple ways to do this. With an expert public relations company by your side, you can showcase your scope of work on various platforms.

Industry trade magazines, newspapers, leaflets, brochures, white papers, and thought leadership articles are all excellent ways of publicizing your work. Social media content, digital advertorials, and guest blogs can help you to reach more potential clients online. Every new client should get a free brochure that showcases your construction portfolio.

A great PR company can help to keep all your marketing collateral updated, attend launch events, arrange professional photography of new buildings, and keep your client base updated on social media.

When working as hard as you do, it’s essential that each client knows what you can bring to the table. A PR professional can help to get the word out about your company and give your company the recognition it deserves.

PR Can Help You To Build Your Brand

When someone mentions your company, everyone within earshot should know who you are and what you do. Specificity is crucial here.

It’s not enough for everyone to simply know that you are a construction company. Is your brand best known for civil construction, commercial construction, industrial construction, or residential construction management?

It’s really important that you establish what your company should be known for and then build your brand around your core focus.

Easier said than done? Absolutely – which is why investing in PR for brand growth is essential.

An experienced PR professional can be likened to a brand advocate. They will continuously promote your construction projects and achievements.

Apart from shining a light on your best work, PR professionals can also show you how to prepare your company for a crisis should disaster strike.

Establishing and growing your brand can be time-consuming. But, if done right, it’s well worth the effort as it will help you attract more clients in the long run.

PR Can Provide You With An Effective Marketing Strategy

One of the top reasons why construction companies need public relations is because of a lack of strategy when it comes to marketing initiatives.

It’s not enough to simply post something on social media every now and then, or sponsor an industry-related event to get your company’s name out there. For your marketing efforts to be effective, you have to implement a well-thought-out strategy.

An experienced construction PR agency will know exactly what you should do, how often you should do it, and how you can one-up your competition.

Experience in the construction industry plays a crucial role in knowing what marketing tactics work and what strategies will count as wasted effort.

Secondly, it can be quite a challenge to get coverage from your media house of choice. However, the right PR agency will have solid media connections that will enable you to get coverage for important company events or activities. This will play a crucial role in your overall marketing strategy.

These media connections will also help your company content to travel further online. An experienced PR agency will be able to arrange for your content to be shared on various social media channels. Guest articles written by a PR professional can also help you with your SEO efforts and increase your organic reach.

All of these efforts tie into a greater whole that will help to grow your brand awareness. This will allow you to be top of mind when clients are in need of construction services.

In Summary

If you are serious about growing your construction management company, you need a professional PR agency. There’s no need to do it all on your own.

An experienced PR professional can let potential clients know what services you offer, and provide you with a solid marketing strategy. This can help you establish and grow your company brand.

Leeza Hoyt

The Different Types of Public Relations

Public relations is fundamental in today’s business world for companies and brands seeking strategic communication.

Good PR promotes brand awareness and garners media attention. It also aids in the development of trust between businesses and society.

Public relations enables businesses to maintain positive relationships with stakeholders, their target audience, and the public. It also helps companies manage unfavorable views and safeguard their societal image. Because of this, it’s a crucial tool for any organization to help navigate the modern working world.

7 Different Types Of Public Relations

Depending on what information your business would like to convey, there are several different types of public relations to choose from. Let’s look at seven of the most common types of Public Relations.

Media Relations

A key component of PR is media relations. This involves establishing and preserving connections with media professionals. For example, journalists, editors, and broadcasters.

To ensure your business receives the media coverage it wants, you need to find an enticing perspective for your story. You want to make it interesting so that a reporter will want to pursue it.

A smart PR planner will be skilled at crafting exceptional press releases, securing interviews with well-known presenters at opportune times, and planning press conferences.

The aim of media relations is to get favorable press for your business or brand. It also helps get the word out about what you’re trying to advertise to the broader public.

In essence, you want to use the media to promote your company, product, or breaking news at no financial cost.

The media is an effective tool to gain exposure and reach a big audience. So, it’s crucial to establish and keep up positive ties with the press.

Strategic Communications

Strategic communications aim to develop, control, and disseminate information to accomplish defined objectives.

This type of PR is employed to advance a cause, a service, or a product.

What differentiates strategic communications from more general public relations is that it goes beyond the conventional techniques of media relations, events, and crisis communications.

Strategic communications are effective in swaying public opinion and forging bonds with important audiences and key industry players.

Community PR

In community PR, the goal is to improve interactions between your company and the immediate public you serve.

Through community outreach and engagement initiatives, community public relations aims to increase understanding and confidence in your organization.

Organizational transparency and sensitivity to community demands are more crucial than ever before. Through community connections, businesses can forge close bonds with their customers. At the same time, they contribute to the creation of a better-functioning world.

Crisis Communications

In times of disaster, crisis communications defend and safeguard a person, brand, or organization.

Any situation that could endanger the reputation of a person or company is considered a crisis.

Through effective crisis communications, organizations are able to manage the narrative surrounding a crisis. The goal is to communicate reliable and up-to-date information to the public to show what actions are being taken to remedy the crisis.

Situations that may require crisis communications include:

Catastrophic events
Cyber attacks
Company controversies
Defective products
Any other incident that has the potential to harm a reputation

Internal PR

Communication within a company is the main emphasis of internal public relations.

Internal PR is necessary to ensure that each individual within an organization is clued into the company messaging. It keeps everyone up to date on internal affairs or new product launches, not yet known to the public.

Internal public relations can also help ensure a cohesive front when there is an external crisis being publicized. Internal PR communication must be clear and succinct for every stakeholder to understand the situation and the effects thereof.

Public Affairs

Public affairs are the planned handling of a company’s relationships with persons in positions of influence who can affect consumer opinion or government policy. It can refer to community relations, media relations, or even government lobbying.

This type of PR is crucial for large industries whose work affects the public. It assists an organization in gaining influence with the government or other important large public structures to advance a particular industry’s power.

Public affairs enable businesses to not only control and shape how they are perceived but also increase support for their policy goals.

Social Media PR

Social media PR is great for promoting new products and company news around the globe within minutes of posting.

Businesses can increase their brand recognition, legitimacy, and customer engagement by interacting with their target audience on social media.

Social media platforms are useful tools for PR professionals to:

Sway public opinion
Interact with influencers
Communicate with journalists
Comment on breaking news stories
Connect with customers directly

Conclusion

A company’s or brand’s reputation can be successfully enhanced by good use of PR. Effective public relations increase a company’s visibility and enhance its reputation. It also fosters trust and understanding between a company and the general public.

Leeza Hoyt

Tips To Help Leaders Train Remote Employees

The Covid-19 pandemic spurred numerous companies to implement work-from-home policies. Today, these policies are still extremely popular, with lots of employees preferring more flexible work arrangements.

However, remote work does come with certain challenges. Training remote employees so they are set up for success can seem daunting at first. To help with this, we’ve listed tried and tested training tips below that will help to equip employees in record time.

5 Tips For Leaders Training Remote Employees

Create A Customized Training System

Every company is unique. So your remote onboarding process should cater to your personal company requirements.

No one knows what needs to be taught and communicated to new employees better than you do. With this knowledge in hand, structure your training program so that it covers all of the company’s bases in one swoop.

Custom videos or worksheets that explain the inner workings of each department are ideal. After the training material has been worked through, you can quiz new employees on what they’ve learned.

By doing this, you can ensure that each new employee knows who is responsible for what, how each department functions, and how they will be contributing to the team.

This is not to say that one-on-one remote training sessions should be entirely discarded. You can always schedule further training sessions depending on how technical or detailed your onboarding requirements are.

Set Up A Fixed Training Schedule And Budget

If you’d like your training process to be more extensive, then it’s best to set up a fixed training schedule. Frequent communication and consistency are essential to ensure that your onboarding process is truly effective and adhered to.

This might mean that you allocate one day each week to training new employees. Alternatively, you can schedule regular check-in sessions where you answer any questions that your trainees may have.

Keep in mind that your training process doesn’t have to come to an end once new employees are settled in. Many companies have an allocated training budget that encourages employees to undertake external courses.

Lifelong learning not only ensures higher quality work but also allows each employee to invest in their own career. By empowering your employees to take charge of their own professional growth, you can create a more robust team that’s up to date with the latest industry trends.

Schedule Regular Follow Up Sessions

When implementing any new training regime in your company, it’s important to schedule regular feedback sessions. This not only encourages your team to communicate any problems they may have but will also help to keep you up to date with their progress.

Establishing a set structure for these sessions is best. It will give everyone the opportunity to voice their concerns, tips, or advice regarding new training.

Be sure to practice active listening and prompt your employees to share what they’ve learned, as it will benefit the entire team.

Try to keep follow-up sessions to the point and productive. When it comes to feedback, be mindful of your team’s workflow and be adaptable to your staff’s needs.

Follow-up sessions can be extremely beneficial if everyone commits to understanding and bettering the training material at hand.

Set Clear Training Deadlines

Whether you have a hybrid setup or are fully remote, there are certain times of the year when your team will be busier than usual.

By having clear training deadlines set in place, everyone will know what’s expected of them. This will also empower your employees to take accountability for their schedules and not push their training aside.

To help your team meet their training deadlines, it may be beneficial to allocate a certain number of hours per week solely to training. This way, each employee will have the time he or she needs to make the most of the courses or training material at hand.

Be sure to celebrate every training milestone your employees achieve. You can gift dedicated employees with a coupon or arrange a small online celebration. Whatever you decide to do, make sure your team feels seen and rewarded for their hard work.

Make Training Fun

Training may be hard work, but it can also be loads of fun, too. To motivate your team to take new learning material seriously, you can incentivize employees through competitions or gift cards.

For example, you can give a day off to the first employee that completes his or her training and passes the training exam with flying colors. Alternatively, split your employees into two groups and let the winning team decide your next team-building exercise.

By injecting your training program with a little bit of fun, you can encourage team bonding while working remotely. In addition, it incentivizes everyone to take their learning seriously.

In Summary

Training employees in a remote working environment doesn’t have to be hard. Set clear training deadlines and schedule regular feedback sessions to monitor progress and keep employees on track. Also make training fun by adding in competitive elements or small incentives. This can help keep your remote employees engaged and motivated!

Leeza Hoyt

Why Architectural Firms Need Public Relations

5 Ways PR Benefits Architectural Firms

Below, we’ve outlined why architectural firms need PR.

Increase Awareness For New Projects

Each project that your firm takes on is truly unique in its own right. By simply driving by a new building, potential clients won’t truly get to see how much effort you’ve put into the designing process. Moreover, they won’t understand the challenges you had to overcome or the lofty goals you had to set for your team to get the job done.

Each project has a story behind it that is just waiting to be told. An experienced PR company will know exactly how to inform, entertain, and educate potential clients through storytelling.

By capturing the attention of both industry leaders and potential clients, your firm will gain more visibility and credibility. With all the effort you put into each project, it’s vital that your firm gets the full recognition it deserves.

Creation Of Useful Marketing Collateral

You offer a professional service, but do your digital and print presence speak to your achievements and your reputation in the industry? If not, you may want to solicit the help of a reliable PR firm for all your marketing collateral needs.

A great PR firm will be able to help you with printed brochures, posters, videos, e-books, newsletters, graphics, white papers, blogs, articles, advertorials, press releases, speeches, photography, and much more.

Not only will it free up your hands to leave marketing matters up to the experts, but it also means that you’ll be able to build up a marketing library that’s neat, orderly, and easily accessible.

This means that if the opportunity comes by for you to speak at a convention or event, you will already have all you need to impress attendees.

Lead Generation

The goal of any business is to grow. The best way to do that is to keep existing clients happy and attract new clients on a regular basis. Keeping clients happy will be solely up to you and your architecture team. However, when it comes to acquiring new clients, PR can help you out.

PR experts are masters when it comes to growing brand awareness, positioning companies as thought leaders, holding the interest of potential clients, creating desire, and stimulating action. As such, PR can help with lead generation via various print and online channels. A great PR firm will also help to facilitate communication between new clients and your firm.

By having all marketing collateral point back to your firm’s website, PR experts can even retarget potential clients with tailored advertisements. This is sure to guarantee a high return on investment.

Put A Company Crisis To Bed

Although it’s not fun to think about, company crises do happen. When a crisis is not handled correctly, it could tarnish your company’s reputation. But don’t fret. With an experienced PR firm at your side, you can handle any company crisis smoothly and swiftly.

The key is always to be prepared should the worst come to pass. Remember, the crisis in question doesn’t have to be huge to cause damage to a brand. So, it should be taken seriously no matter how minor. You’ll be ready to hit the ground running by having an action plan in place.

A great PR firm will be able to supply you with a trained spokesperson and meticulously crafted statements that will help you to recover from a public relations crisis.

Expert Media Coverage

New building projects have various development stages, all of which deserve media attention. Whether you have just finalized the planning of your new project or you are getting ready to launch a new site, the community, industry experts, and potential clients need to be kept in the loop.

An expert PR firm can arrange for various media coverage throughout all stages of new project developments. This can include things like:

Magazine articles
Guest blogs
Social media updates
Event organization
Photography sessions
Video content
Interviews with your team and project manager

The important thing is to keep the lines of communication open and to stick to a well-thought-out communications plan. This will help you to navigate the requirements of each communication opportunity with ease.

Conclusion

Architectural firms are experts at designing new buildings. Your expertise should be made known to all interested parties if you want your business to flourish.

An experienced PR firm can help to put your firm on the map and shine some media spotlight on any current or future projects you have in the pipeline.

Leeza Hoyt

Perfecting The Art of Consumer Public Relations

Happy, engaged, and repeat customers can help you to grow your business. In an age where consumers want to authentically connect with your brand, auto-response messaging won’t do the trick. If lasting, meaningful consumer relationships are your brand’s end goal, then you’ll have to invest in consumer public relations.

In this article, we’ll explore what consumer PR is and how you can use it to benefit your company.

What Is Consumer PR?

Consumer PR refers to how a company interacts and communicates with the general public.

This includes customers, employees, the media, and key company stakeholders.

Where marketing solely focuses on increasing company revenue, consumer PR increases brand awareness. It facilitates authentic connections between a brand and its target audience.

Essentially, consumer PR can help you to mold your company’s reputation in a way that truly reflects the company’s ideals, vision, and principles.

How To Perfect Your Consumer Public Relations

When applied correctly, consumer PR can help you to attract more customers, grow existing relationships, and learn from each customer interaction. So, here’s how to master your consumer PR.

Understand Your Audience

It may sound simple, but really getting to know your target audience takes time and some sound strategy. A deep understanding of your customers will serve as the foundation for your communication style going forward and will ensure that your messaging resonates with its intended audience.

The best way to understand your target audience is to delve into market research. However, you can also learn a lot by experimenting and challenging common assumptions that you may unwittingly harbor.

If you’re targeting a number of different audiences, it’s best to develop multiple customer personas for each messaging goal you have. These personas should guide your communication tone and style and can help you position each message in such a way that it keeps your target audience engaged.

Choose The Right Content

After you have a solid grip on who your customers are, how they liked to be addressed, and what piques their interests, you’ll have a much easier time developing your consumer PR content strategy.

A key part of formulating and executing a content strategy will be knowing what your target audience deems as newsworthy.

Posting random content on your company’s social media platforms simply won’t suffice. Blogging about evergreen topics that have been written about a hundred times before also won’t do. You’ve got to sink your teeth into the gritty details of a story that will make your intended audience feel something.

More often than not, it’s not the story itself that sparks interest, but rather how you tell it that will intrigue your reader.

If you have to report on boring corporate news, put a personal spin on it. If there’s a new product launch in the pipeline, turn it into an eye-catching campaign that will both dazzle and awe.

Whatever you choose to report on, just remember to serve your target audience content that they will find interesting.

Make Things Personal

Consumers want to feel valued and heard. It is your job to make sure that your messaging reflects your company’s attentiveness to each customer’s query.

Whether it’s a customer service response, an email, a reply on social media, or a handwritten note accompanying a product delivery, you can make each consumer feel valued by personalizing your messaging.

Why is this important? These days, every customer has a thousand different vendors to choose from. Yet, they chose to support your business. So, you need to show them that they’re making the right choice and don’t just see them as some nameless paying customer.

Personal messaging shows each customer that you value their purchase. It will also create an opportunity for you to connect with that customer.

Be An Industry Leader

Consumers want to support and work with companies that are well-known, respected leaders in their industry.

Because there is so much online noise, the demand for trusted expertise is growing. Want to prove that your walk can match your talk? Then you’ll have to come up with content strategies that will help to establish your company as a thought leader.

This means you’ll have to publish interesting articles, commentary, and opinions concerning the latest trends and events that are taking your industry by storm. This will require you to practice active listening and be aware of all of the pertinent questions being asked on a certain topic. Then you can be the first to provide the answers.

Company presentations, editorials, and Q&As are all excellent ways to establish yourself as an expert within your industry.

In Summary

Although it can be a time-consuming task, perfecting your consumer public relations strategy is well worth it in the end. Not only will it help you to connect with each customer in a more authentic way, but it will also make your customers feel valued.

By understanding how to communicate with your target audience, you will make it much more enjoyable and rewarding for your intended audience to keep up with your brand.

Leeza Hoyt

Essential Skills For Crisis Communications

Crisis communication skills play an important role in helping organizations to relay crucial information during an emergency situation.

With access to tried-and-tested communication strategies, experienced communicators can actually help to de-escalate crises.

If you want to become an articulate and practiced spokesperson who exudes confidence in stressful situations, then work on developing the following essential skills.

6 Key Skills For Communicating During A Crisis

Decisiveness

Just like planning ahead for unforeseen circumstances in your own life, one should also have contingency plans in place for any company emergency.

A lot of important decisions will have to be made in a short span of time in the midst of a crisis. However, by planning ahead, you can put well-thought-out communication strategies in place. These will help you to be more decisive under pressure.

Adaptability

Planning for and during a crisis situation is important, but so is a little improvisation.

After all, no emergency situation stays static. For this reason, it’s important for communication experts to read the situation, react accordingly, and be flexible when it comes to adjusting their strategies.

If your first strategic approach is falling flat, don’t hesitate to organize a brainstorming session with your team to devise another plan.

Yes, being prepared will always be important, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay committed to your original strategy.

Each emergency situation is unique which is why it’s important to gather new information, consult with the people on the ground who are clued up with what’s happening, and if needed, adjust your communication strategy.

This means you have to be creative, adaptable, and think out of the box as the situation unfolds in order to remain in control of the emergency situation.

Self-Control

Crises can lead to knee-jerk reactions no matter the amount of expertise a communications expert may have. Thinking clearly in high-stress situations may not come naturally to all of us.

However, by taking the time to think through any big decisions that one has to make, you will lower the chances of worsening a crisis situation.

Practicing self-control means taking any emotion out of the decision-making process. You have to consider the facts dispassionately and thoroughly consider the consequences of each outcome.

Also, remember to run your ideas by your team so you can bounce your thought process off other people.

Empathy

Apart from keeping all of the concerning parties up to date with what is going on throughout a crisis situation, you should also remember to convey empathy.

Whether your company is in the wrong or not, conveying empathy shows that you are willing to take responsibility to help get things back on track.

Not only does it show what company values your organization upholds, but it will also earn you more trust and credibility. People want to know that someone cares.

By letting everyone know that you are willing to do whatever it takes to rectify the situation, you are giving people the hope they need to get through any crisis.

Perseverance

Some crises can be complicated and may take longer to sort out. This means that your crisis communication strategy may become an ongoing project. As the situation plays itself out, you may need to adjust your strategy in order to ensure that accurate, reliable information is being filtered through the right channels.

Sometimes, an emergency situation may become worse before it gets better. This is where perseverance plays an important role. You’ve got to stay on top of your game until the situation is resolved.

This may require getting external help, growing your communications team, or simply reworking your communications strategy if the situation calls for it.

Whatever you decide to do, be sure to provide open, honest, and accurate information to the public and all stakeholders involved until the emergency has blown over.

Self-confidence

Self-confidence is the most essential public relations skill, especially in an emergency situation.

If this is the first crisis that you’ve got to stay on top of, then you might not be feeling your most confident. If this is the case, don’t fret. A company emergency is just like any other tough situation that you’ve had to deal with in your own life.

To make things easier for you, remember to rely on the five C’s of communication:

Be clear
Remain cohesive
Give the complete account
Be concise
Remain concrete

By doing this, you will seem more confident (even if you’re not.) Nothing builds confidence like going through a tough situation and realizing that you can handle it!

In Summary

By being prepared, practicing self-control, showing you care, being decisive, and incorporating some creative flair, you’ll be able to handle any company emergency.

You can help your company recover from a public relations crisis by following these simple communication tips and getting through the crisis.

Leeza Hoyt

Is ESG moving the Needle for your Company?

Boardrooms around the country are filled with conversations about ESG initiatives. What they are; how to implement them; and whether or not they are effective. If they haven’t yet, they’d better start now. According to a PWC study, 88% of investors believe companies that prioritize ESG initiatives represent better opportunities for long-term returns than companies that don’t.

ESG – or environmental, social and governance criteria– is a natural evolution of what is more commonly called corporate social responsibility. In fact, it is another mainstay of a business strategy that measures a business’s positive impact on society. ESG takes it a step further by embedding these values in the heart of an organization’s business agenda with supporting policies, sustainability performance targets, and other KPIs. In essence, it takes what should be happening in every company and makes management and other personnel accountable for their actions.

However, the key to integrating ESG into the company culture — and connecting the dots to constituents — is how the company is communicating the chosen ESG path. That’s where public relations comes in.

Why It Matters

While ten years ago ESG was barely discussed, today, consumers will go out of their way to work with companies that are actively supporting sustainable products, services and ideals. As a result, ESG metrics have quickly become the norm.

These initiatives hold companies accountable to driving change and providing evidence that the business is living up to its declared values. With a robust ESG strategy in place, businesses can boost company growth, attract talented employees, reduce company costs and facilitate a sense of trust among consumers and other stakeholders.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that new business prospects and potential employees seek out companies that demonstrate value systems that align with their own. Bolstered by an effective communications campaign, ESG compliance helps to solidify trust and maintains a sense of transparency between the brand and its consumers.

Given this increase in conscious consumerism. ESG has just as much—if not more—of an impact on a business’s financial bottom line than ever before and, this is where communications becomes the key.

Where PR Comes In

The meteoric rise of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) movement over the past decade provides PR practitioners with a significant opportunity to emphasize the value of public relations as a critical business strategy. Communication is vital to the success of an ESG effort. Today, companies need effective practitioners who are well-versed in the movement that can clearly communicate effectively to multiple audiences. Naturally, this will drive attitude and behavior change.

As rapidly as ESG is growing in popularity, there is still much debate on how to quantify its value– after all, how does one officially measure “corporate good?” As more PR firms begin to tout ESG as a specialty, professionals should be able to translate the value of each component of ESG into tangible KPIs, complete with standardized methodologies to track them. For example:

Environmental impact can be determined by how many resources your business needs on an annual basis and determines the impact your company has on the environment. This can include things like your business’s carbon footprint, water usage, and energy consumption.
Social criteria can be measured by looking at how your company interacts with local communities. It also assesses your company’s internal policies in relation to diversity, including labor policies.
Governance is measured by your company’s internal practices that determine your decision-making processes and legal compliance.

How ESG Impacts the Bottom Line

The ESG movement has evolved significantly over the past decade. It will no doubt continue to grow as consumers and stakeholders embrace the ESG mindset. As a result, a company’s ESG score will become a defining factor for many as we move forward. For those firms that want to remain on the cutting edge of their market, integrating ESG into the fabric of the company – and prioritizing it as a valuable component of the overall business strategy — will set the stage for success.

Leeza Hoyt

How To Use QR Codes in Public Relations Campaigns

The QR code system was invented in 1994, and its original purpose was to track vehicles during manufacturing. But it has come a long way since then. QR codes are now used across industries and are a convenient way for potential customers to access information about products and services.

People are using their mobile devices more and more to interact with the world around them. As virtually every mobile phone can scan these codes, they are a useful tool for communication and marketing. So take advantage of the QR marketing trend and you will reach more of these mobile users.

If you are considering the use of QR codes for your PR campaigns, check out our short guide below. We look at what a QR code is, how it works, and what QR codes have to offer in public relations campaigns.

What Is A QR Code?

A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode that uses four encoding modes for storing data. These coding modes are:

Numeric
Alpha-numeric
Byte/Binary (two-symbol data system)
Kanji (Japanese symbols that represent whole words)

Together, these allow a QR code to store any text as well as an image. The “QR” stands for Quick Response.

There are different types of QR codes, used for specific functions. These include product or contact information, links to social media platforms and websites, and many other uses.

How Does A QR Code Work?

A modern QR code consists of seven different elements, each with a unique purpose. Collectively, they form a “pattern” that is scanned with a QR code reader or the camera on a smartphone.

Simply aiming a camera or QR code reader towards this code allows instant access to embedded information.

Who Can Use QR Codes?

The beauty of QR codes is that they are so simple to use. Anyone can use them and there is no need for any technical know-how.

Most modern mobile devices can scan QR codes. And with the download of a QR scanner app, older smartphones can be used to enjoy this feature, too.

How To Use QR Codes In Your PR Campaigns

There are many benefits to using QR codes for your business. And one of these is the simplification of your PR campaigns. Let’s examine the top four reasons you should be using QR codes for your business’ marketing and PR.

Direct People To Your Website

Even small and micro businesses usually have a website. Make it easy for your customers to find yours by turning your URL into a QR code. They will simply need to scan the code and it will take them to your site immediately!

You can direct people to your website straight from your product packaging, informational leaflet, or print media. This will significantly increase your web traffic and is an effective method for promoting your business. You can choose to lead them to your home page, sign-up page, or anywhere you think most effective.

Access To Your Contact Information

There is no longer a need for printed business cards with a long list of contact details on them. Use a QR code as a business card. This will allow new users access to your contact details, without having to go online to look for this information.

It can include your phone numbers, email addresses, and social media handles. Some QR codes can even allow users to dial the number directly once they have scanned it with their mobile phone.

Lead Customers To Your Social Media

Social media has become a very powerful digital marketing tool for businesses across every industry. You more than likely have at least one social media account where you engage with your target market. But don’t leave this to chance.

Lead interested customers right to your social media pages from any other platform. Whether you are on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, or Twitter, you can use QR codes to lead users to your socials where they can follow you.

Sending Messages

Enable people with product and service-related queries to send you messages. You can introduce a QR code to your business premises, email campaigns, newsletters, or product packaging. A quick scan of this code will enable customers and prospects to contact you. This is a highly efficient way to encourage any feedback and questions that people may have.

But you can also send messages highlighting promotions and new product lines or value-added services, in this way. Once the user scans the QR code, the message becomes available to them. This will take your existing SMS and email marketing to new heights.

Conclusion

QR codes can be used in many ways to streamline your public relations needs. From product information on packaging to directing traffic to your online platforms, QR codes offer great value to any business and provide more opportunities to connect with your target audience.

Leeza Hoyt

Self Confidence Is The Most Essential Public Relations Skill

If you want to be hailed as knowledgeable and authoritative in your public communications, then you have to exude self confidence. In fact, most people in the PR industry would argue that self-confidence, or a lack thereof, could make or break your career.

In your PR communications, you have to be able to convey your expertise in your industry and niche, instill confidence and respect in your brand, and build trust with your audience. To do all this, self-confidence is key.

Below, we’ve outlined why self-confidence matters and how you can become more confident in your public relations strategies.

Why Self-Confidence Is The Most Essential Public Relations Skill

A lot of people may mistakenly believe that confidence is a soft skill that they’ll only need later on in their careers. This is not the case.

Irrespective of your title, experience, or your position, your confidence levels will have a direct impact on every facet of your career. For your clients or customers to trust you, they have to view you as a leader in your industry.

You have to use your voice and skillset in an authoritative and assertive way so you can deliver on the expectations of your clients and co-workers.

6 Ways To Be More Confident In Your Public Relations

Dress The Part

One of the best ways to feel and look more professional is to dress the part. If dressed appropriately, your appearance can play a big part in people’s first impression of you.

When you look and feel ready, you will also appear more comfortable in your skin. This will allow you to convey your strategies and ideas in a confident manner.

Take Note Of Your Strengths

Everyone has things they excel at and things they still need to work on. It’s important to take note of your strengths and weaknesses so you can accentuate the things you are great at when needed.

For example, if you know you don’t convey things well on paper but you are good at verbally explaining your ideas, then you should do just that.

Of course, you should still work on those areas that you think you could approve in. However, by relying on the traits or skills that you already excel at, you will automatically feel more confident.

Find A Mentor

When getting started in your PR communications, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of new things you have to learn. By finding a mentor, whether it’s a colleague, someone that’s been working in your industry for a long time, a PR agency, or a business coach, you will find your feet much sooner.

This will enable you to ask questions and come to grips with PR best practices. The more you can learn, the more confident you will be.

Invest In Your Own Professional Development

By investing time and energy into educating yourself in terms of listening, leadership, and marketing skills, you will feel more confident.

Professional development is important for furthering your career and expanding your skillset. It will naturally help you feel more confident in your knowledge and skills.

If you want to enroll in an online course that you feel will help you to better do your job, then now is the time to do it.

Communicate Clearly

It can be tempting to become a wallflower, scout out the scene, and listen to others before taking your own stance. Although there is nothing wrong with this approach, you shouldn’t forget to practice how to communicate clearly when you finally feel comfortable enough to do so.

When speaking about a project, incident, or new idea, you should do it in a way that instills confidence and conveys credibility. This means you should focus on your tone of voice, word choices, the speed of your speech, and how you organize everything you want to say. The key lies in being assertive yet transparent.

Be Okay With Having Respect Over Being Liked

People often prefer to be liked rather than respected. Although it’s not always the best feeling if you are not liked, being respected is much more important if you want to be taken seriously.

Being confident in who you are, what you want, and what you need may require you to be firm at times. There is a fine line between being respected and being liked. The goal is to balance the two so you don’t alienate people, but rather get them to trust you and look to you in time of need.

In Summary

Self-confidence is one of the most important skills in PR because it allows you to accurately convey your expertise and skillset to clients, co-workers, and other people in the industry.

Luckily, it’s a soft skill that you can work on and perfect as you grow in your career. By becoming more confident, it will be easier for you to conduct your day-to-day tasks in a more impactful and efficient way, and allow you to thoroughly prepare your company for a crisis should you ever have to.

Leeza Hoyt

An Overlooked and Undervalued PR Tip

Originally published by Anne Buchanan on PRGN: https://prgn.com/author/annebuchanan/

The strongest PR tip I have to offer is neither glamorous nor original – but it has stood the test of time. Become a regular consumer of news.

consuming news — Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash

Make it a practice to read at least one daily newspaper every day. Regularly listen to news on the radio. I am an ardent fan of NPR. Watch the evening news.

You don’t have to give up Google alerts; they certainly have their purpose. But do not let alerts replace regular consumption of the news.

PR now encompasses a variety of story-sharing tactics ranging from TikTok videos to speeches. But the Holy Grail of PR remains earned media coverage. It is difficult to trump a timely placement in a respected media outlet. Earned media is viewed with higher credibility and has the added benefit of enhancing SEO.

That’s why becoming a regular student of the media is so valuable.

If you make news consumption a regular habit, I guarantee you will enjoy the following:

Your mind will begin to churn with ideas for your organization or your clients. When I finish reading a paper, I often have multiple story ideas for clients.
This is one of the best ways to find stories to “news hijack” your company or clients into.
You will become a better writer.
You will learn what constitutes a good story.
You’ll gain an appreciation for “news hierarchy,” especially if you hold a paper in your hands and notice where stories are slotted in the paper.
You will develop a deeper sense of which reporters like which stories. This goes beyond the beat information you will find in a media database.
You’ll be able to counsel your leadership or clients better because you understand the media better.
You will be able to converse easily on a wide range of topics.
You’ll stand out from the competition. Few take the time these days to truly consume the news.

Yes, it’s a pretty basic PR tip suggestion. But it’s one you can implement today and start seeing immediate dividends.

Leeza Hoyt

16 Precautions For Companies Using Social Media To Handle A PR Crisis

Originally posted by Forbes Agency Council: shorturl.at/BIMS8

When a PR crisis hits, it’s not uncommon for a business to approach it as it would other messaging challenges by reaching out to consumers via social media. Speaking to as many consumers as possible at once might seem expedient, but there are potential hazards to be aware of when attempting to minimize the fallout of a narrative that has grown beyond the company’s control via these channels.

To ensure any possible damage to the brand and its reputation is mitigated properly and effectively, the agency partners or in-house team members in charge of handling a crisis situation should craft a careful crisis communications strategy. Here, 16 members of Forbes Agency Council share important precautions to keep in mind when making a plan to address any issues that the crisis has presented over social media platforms.

Featured members share precautions for companies using social media to handle a PR crisis. — Forbes Agency Council share precautions for companies using social media to handle a PR crisis.Photos courtesy of the individual members.

1. Understand The Situation Fully Before Responding

Certainly, acknowledgement of public information about the issue is probably needed, but it is most important to learn what the issue is and how it came about. Often, more information comes out and your team can investigate to determine the cause and potential remedies or responses. – Jim Caruso, M1PR, Inc. d/b/a MediaFirst PR – Atlanta

PROMOTED

2. Be Truthful, Ethical And Positive Across All Platforms

If you are planning to use social media, then be ready to respond on time and appropriately. Create a bank of frequently asked questions. Be the driver of the conversation so that you can set the tone you want. Look for public support. Always use ethical and positive language and have the expertise to distinguish bots from real people. Ensure that the communication is uniform across all platforms. – Aman Swetta, id8 Media Solutions

3. Monitor All Of The Coverage Everywhere First

Monitor all the coverage of the crisis everywhere before diving into social media. That said, we’ve often used social media to dispel something that’s been distributed that is factually incorrect. It is, after all, the fastest way to communicate with certain stakeholders. – Leeza Hoyt, The Hoyt Organization, Inc. MORE FROMFORBES ADVISORBest Travel Insurance Companies ByAmy DaniseEditor Best Covid-19 Travel Insurance Plans ByAmy DaniseEditor

4. Don’t Try To ‘Manage’ The Conversation On Social Media

It is important to remember that the most conversation during a crisis happens on social media, and an attempt to come in and “manage” that conversation will almost always backfire. Instead, we work with our clients to create a holistic communications approach that incorporates social media in a strategic way, rather than giving in to impulse posting or the urge to “set the record straight.” – David Harrison, EVINS

Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?

5. Ensure All Messaging Is Consistent

Social media is just one way to communicate with consumers, and there are multiple options within social media. Consistency in messaging is critical across all channels, as consumers are exposed to all of them. – Lori Paikin, NaviStone®

6. Don’t Feel Obligated To Engage With Every Commenter

This may be controversial, but you don’t have to engage with everyone. Some interactions can be constructive and helpful, but other commenters may have negative feelings and won’t be able to be convinced otherwise. It’s often better to pick your spot to comment than to engage when you can’t actually solve the issue at hand with a social media response. – Stefan Pollack, The Pollack Group

7. Choose Your Words Carefully And Intentionally

Be very careful and intentional about the words you choose when responding to a PR crisis on social media. United Airlines found that out the hard way in 2017 when its CEO used the word “reaccommodated” to describe its forcible removal of a passenger. Although he was apologizing when he used it, the word quickly drove people into the arms of United’s competitors. – Mary Ann O’Brien, OBI Creative

8. Own The Issue Without Being Defensive

Completely own the issue at hand, and be cautious to avoid any sign of defensiveness in the tone of your response. Many times, customers will make lifetime determinations about the trust and empathy of your brand based on how well you deal with putting out fires. – Patrick Haddad, Oopgo, Inc.

9. Be As Transparent And Open As Possible

In a PR crisis, users will be looking to share their opinions and feel heard. Arguing with commenters, deleting negative comments or responding with the same canned message will draw the ire of internet warriors and make matters worse. Instead, be as transparent and open as possible, share your brand’s side of the story with those asking to hear it and allow for discourse in the comments. – Donna Robinson, Collective Measures

10. Find Another Way To Allow People To Vent

A crisis can show up in different packages. Are you managing a real danger to the public? Or are you dealing with a public outrage? If it is a real danger, you need people to act, so post but don’t allow comments. With outrage, you need to allow people to vent, and I’m not sure that is productive on social media. Personally, I would use digital ads to reach out and drive people to a dedicated website. – John Davies, Davies Public Affairs

11. Post In Real Time Instead Of Pre-Scheduling

Be careful about using pre-scheduled posts during a crisis. Situations can evolve quickly. A post that strikes the right tone one minute can be seen as inflammatory or insensitive the next, making real-time posts a safer bet as you navigate the crisis. – Paula Chiocchi, Outward Media, Inc.

12. Know Who Is Most Impacted And What Your Objective Is

First, evaluate the situation from the position of those who have been impacted most by the crisis. They will be the harshest critics of how you react. Next, decide what your objective is and stick to it. You will never make everyone happy, but by waffling, you will lose all support. Always be thoughtful, concise, consistent and empathetic with your response. – Justin Buckley, ATTN Agency

13. Keep Calm And Never Retaliate

Do not retaliate! No matter how unjust the allegations may be, keep your calm. Reach out to the person in question and see if you can provide a solution or a compensation. If that doesn’t work, compile the facts that work in your favor and circulate them among your audiences in the form of a diplomatically drafted press release and a case study. You may use paid promotions to maximize the reach. – Ajay Prasad, GMR Web Team

14. Be Genuine To Avoid Deepening The Crisis

Handling a PR crisis over social media platforms can be a double-edged sword, as it can further deepen the crisis and cause even greater social media outcry. Remember that people will scrutinize your every word and move, so maintain transparency and be genuine in your “crisis-handling” social media posts. You don’t want your followers uncovering plot holes in your narrative and denouncing your brand even more. – Dejan Popovic, PopArt Studio

15. Be Consistent And Responsive

If you’re going to use social media to respond, you have to ensure that the audience knows when you won’t be active for a period of time so that you don’t appear dismissive. You should also have a response grid ready to go for any and all questions related to the topic, as well as rebuttal points for key arguments. – Vix Reitano, Agency 6B

16. Drive Social Media Followers To PR Content On Your Site

Situations change so quickly on social media that companies should consider releasing PR content on their websites and then using social media to drive followers to that content. Social algorithms also make it confusing for followers to determine messaging timelines because views are based on engagement, not date. Much later, the company can use social media to reinforce or explain that message to followers. – Marc Hardgrove, The HOTH

Leeza Hoyt

What Is ESG And Why Is It Important?

Consumers are no longer satisfied with superficial marketing messages that try to motivate the purchase of high-quality products and services.

Since the pandemic, the criteria for acceptable business practices have changed for the better. In other words, if you want to be successful, you have to take your company’s environmental and social impact into account.

Conscious consumerism is on the rise. So adopting Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) measures are now more important than ever to ensure longevity in the business world.

Below, we discuss what ESG is and why it’s important for your business.

What Is ESG?

ESG stands for environmental, social, and governance criteria. These are used to measure or assess a company’s overall impact on the world.

The ‘E’ in ESG looks at how many resources your business needs on an annual basis and determines the impact your company has on the environment. This can include things like your business’s carbon footprint, water usage, and energy consumption.

The social criteria, or ‘S’ in ESG, look at how your company interacts with local communities. It also assesses your company’s internal policies in relation to diversity, including labor policies.

Governance (G) has to do with your company’s internal practices that determine your decision-making processes and legal compliance.

When ESG is really prioritized it can help to:

boost company growth
attract talented employees
reduce company costs
facilitate a sense of trust amongst consumers

Why Is It Important For All Businesses?

Smaller businesses are more prone to thinking that ESG may not apply to them. However, this isn’t the case. You don’t have to run a large business for people to pay attention to how you are conducting your affairs.

In fact, small businesses that are mindful of ESG from an early stage may grow quicker compared to companies that aren’t.

You can bolster company integrity, employee wellbeing, and customer relations while reducing company costs by adopting ESG measures, no matter the size of your business.

Company Integrity

Company integrity is all about delivering on what you promised and holding true to what your company stands for.

Nowadays, people are more interested in the story behind your brand and your company ideals. Buyers want to know that they are spending their money on companies that are aligned with their values.

No product or service is truly unique. What truly sets a company apart is the ideals or values that it’s grounded in. By caring about more than your monthly profits and actually contributing to environmental or social causes, you are giving buyers even more reasons to support you.

Employee Wellbeing

Ensuring the well-being of your employees starts with practicing active listening. By being in tune with your employees’ needs, you will not only retain top talent but will also have a more productive team.

As the company owner, social responsibility should start with you. It will then slowly filter down to every department so that it is truly ingrained in the company culture.

Yes, social responsibility is all about benefiting society. But, without ensuring employee wellbeing, you can’t expect to make a lasting, genuine impact on customers, stakeholders, or your local community.

Customer Relations

As a business owner, you may be wondering why you should care about what your customers feel. However, if done right, positive customer relations could be your brand’s greatest ally.

When you make your customers feel valued and appreciated they are more likely to support you on a regular basis. They can also act as brand ambassadors.

It’s all about using special moments to connect with your customer. Whether you send a memorable e-card to a customer on his or her birthday, or whether it’s providing more autonomy throughout the customer journey, there are numerous ways to forge a connection with both old and new customers.

Reduces Costs

A recent study revealed that the cost of ignoring ESG initiatives may be too high.

Companies that scored high when it comes to implementing ESG protocols reported lower capital costs, lower equity costs, and lower overall debt compared to companies with poor ESG scores.

These decreased costs are due, in part, to lower litigation, regulatory, and environmental risks, which are commonly associated with companies with high ESG scores.

In short, ESG is not just nice to have but is strategically imperative if you want to boost company profits. Without it, you run the risk of putting out fires that you never intended to create with money you never intended to spend.

Conclusion

If you want to truly stand out in the sea of companies that offer similar products or services to yours, then now is the time to invest in ESG measures.

Not only does it tell potential stakeholders and customers what your company is all about, but it also gives you the opportunity to make a bigger positive impact on both the environment and local communities.

Leeza Hoyt

How To Optimize Your PR Strategy With Local SEO

When thinking of the ideal PR strategy, a people-centric marketing approach, thought leadership articles, and promo events may come to mind.

It may not be outright obvious at first, but for these PR tactics to be truly effective, every single one of them should be localized.

Search engine optimization can do exactly that, which is why it should be used in conjunction with your PR strategy. When implemented correctly, local SEO can make your business more discoverable online in for consumers in your area.

Below, we’ve outlined four tips on how you can optimize your PR strategy with local SEO.

4 Tips For Optimizing Your PR With Local SEO

Invest in On-Page SEO

On-page SEO is one of the most important ways that you can optimize your content and become more discoverable online. Although you need a bit of technical knowledge to get going, it’s not as difficult to implement as you might think.

On-page SEO can power your business strategy and also support your PR efforts. It can help you to broadcast your company’s local events to more people in your immediate area. When used together, local SEO acts like a megaphone that magnifies all of your marketing and PR efforts.

There are two main ways that you can optimize your website with local SEO in mind.

Setting Up Your Website

Your website should give visitors all the information they could possibly want regarding your products and services. Designing and building a website takes time. So, if your website is still a work in progress, be sure to at least include the most crucial information from the get-go.

Your company’s name, address, and contact information should always be readily available on your website. This not only allows people to get into contact with you but also gives Google what it needs to consider you for local search results.

Use The Right Keywords

Do some keyword research before writing the copy for your website. Thorough research will enable you to identify what people are searching for when looking for the products and services that you offer.

To simplify this process, you can use free keyword tools, like Google’s Keyword Finder. Your keywords should be strategically placed throughout your website. Page titles, meta descriptions, and the first sentence of each page should always include your keywords.

When wanting to boost local SEO, it’s best to combine your keywords with your location on your website as often as you can.

Establishing and implementing your on-page SEO strategy can take a while, but it’s so worth it because it will help to boost your domain authority.

Set Up Google My Business

The first thing people do when they want to know more about your business is to look you up on Google. For this reason, it is critical that you list your company on Google My Business (GMB). Your GMB listing should include your company’s name, address, and up-to-date contact information.

A GMB listing will not only appear when people search for your company. It will also pop up when someone searches for the products or services that your company provides. This means it offers free local advertising for your business and can also refer people to your website should they want more information about your company.

Don’t forget to include keywords in your Google My Business title and to choose a primary category that most accurately explains what your company offers. Lastly, try to incite people to leave reviews on your listing. This will also help you to rank higher on search engines.

Encourage Local Publications To Link Back To Your Website

For your website’s domain to gain more authority over time, Google needs to recognize that your website provides valuable content in your area of expertise. To prove your authority, you need to have other reputable sites linking to your website.

The more quality backlinks your site has, the more Google will prioritize your website’s ranking on its results pages.

This is a great PR opportunity! If other reputable websites use the right keywords and location mentions when linking back to your site, the better you will rank on Google.

Be sure to focus heavily on media relations when revisiting your annual PR strategy. By publishing content in local quality publications that link back to your website, you could boost brand awareness and up your local SEO ranking all in one go.

List Your Business On Multiple Local Directories

When listing your business on various local directories, you create more backlinks to your website. As previously mentioned, this is essential if you want to rank higher on Google’s search engine for local searches.

You can opt for popular directories, like Facebook and Yelp, but don’t completely discount more niche directories.

In Summary

Your local SEO efforts and PR strategy should go hand in hand when it comes to promoting your business.

When your website ranks high on Google, your PR and digital marketing efforts will be much more effective and reach a wider network of people in your area.

Leeza Hoyt

DE&I Writing Tips For B2B Communications

If your company is serious about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), then your B2B writing style and overall marketing strategy should reflect it.

DEI shouldn’t be viewed as the latest fad. Instead, industry leaders should recognize how inclusivity and diversity of voice can benefit company growth.

Research shows that more diverse businesses boast above-average profitability. Why is this? Because inclusivity, diversity, and equity have been shown to promote innovation, and creativity and attract talented individuals.

If you are ready to show your clients that you value inclusion, equity, and diversity in the workplace, you’ve come to the right place. Here are four writing tips on how to style your DE&I-focused B2B communications.

4 Writing Tips For DE&I-Focused B2B Communications

Engage Your ENTIRE Audience

To grab the attention of your brand’s entire audience, you should first know who you are writing to. Invest time and effort into establishing your brand’s customer personas.

After you have that finalized, further divide each customer persona into subgroups that take the underrepresented and marginalized into consideration.

Yes, you can use AI to sift through large amounts of customer data to help you with this. Just know that your AI system may not be free of bias and discriminatory decisions. Your learning strategy shouldn’t be wholly dependent on AI. Instead, do some of the heavy digging yourself.

This can be a brilliant exercise for your entire marketing team to unravel which underrepresented groups of people are not currently being catered to. The more time you invest in uncovering more sensitive ways to approach these types of clients, the more compelling, thoughtful, and useful your company’s content will be.

Cover The Right Topics

At the beginning of each month, it’s important to plan a content calendar that reflects how important diversity, equity, and inclusion are to your company.

What you write about should speak to more than only one ethnicity, gender, and age group. It’s also a great idea to write about special company events that celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion.

This is best done in a team setting where various people can give their opinion and help shape your company’s monthly content ideas. If more than three pairs of eyes look your content calendar over, there’ll be fewer chances of excluding minority people groups.

To point you in the right direction, here are a couple of things that will help you create effective business content for a wide spectrum of clients:

Employ a diverse writing team.
Create language guidelines that promote inclusivity, equity, and diversity for your writing team.
Create content that is accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Cover a wide variety of topics that incorporates stories about a diverse range of people.
Create a company culture where everyone feels comfortable speaking their mind.

Choose Diverse Images

By knowing exactly who your clients are, and who you’re trying to reach through your content, you can better connect with future clients through the correct use of imagery.

Stock photo websites are a gem when it comes to sourcing diverse depictions of people in everyday situations. To show your readers that you really understand them and their needs on a personal level, you should represent them in your marketing material whenever you can.

If your clients can relate to what they’re seeing, they will be more inclined to read your newsletters, white papers, blogs, or case studies.

However, keep in mind that visually impaired individuals also want to know what each photo portrays on your website. Be sure to implement web accessibility best practices when describing images with the Alt Text tag to accommodate them.

Build DE&I Into Your Brand And Team

Yes, DE&I should be reflected in the content you put out into the world. However, if your bid to support diversity, inclusion, and equity stops there, do you really mean it? These values can’t just be sprinkled about here and there. They need to be built into your brand.

Any B2B content you send to clients should reflect the brand values that your team already lives and breathes. DE&I shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should be woven into everything your brand does.

For a company that serves other companies, this means you will need to practice active listening to really understand your clients’ needs. You should also invest in potential stakeholders that have different backgrounds, beliefs, religions, values, and ethnicities.

By hiring a diverse group of employees, you can also gain priceless perspectives on your brand and business initiatives. This will help build DE&I into your brand, team, and company culture.

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, everybody wants to feel seen and heard – even in the business world. By making it clear that every single one of your clients matter, your brand will always be one step ahead of the competition.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion should be top of mind in regard to all business and marketing decisions, especially when it comes to brand content.

Leeza Hoyt

How To Achieve Earned Media Success

Achieving earned media success can be tricky! Earned media refers to brand promotion through organic means which can be in the form of a news article, blog, review, or a mention on social media.

The reason why there’s so much hype surrounding earned media is because of its effectiveness in forging connections between a brand and its customers.

Earned media success indicates that you have a relatable, authentic brand that people are genuinely interested in.

6 Tips For Earned Media Success

Below, we’ve outlined 6 tips to ensure earned media success.

Take A Stance

For your brand to be successful in generating earned media, you have to know what your brand is all about. What does your brand stand for? Can you define your brand’s personality and your brand values?

By defining what your brand is all about, you will be better equipped to decide what content your brand should put out there.

Remember, you can’t please everyone and you shouldn’t want to. The more authentic your brand is, the more attention it will garner for all the right reasons.

The key is to know what your brand is all about and to stick to your guns. Don’t be scared to have opinions and don’t be scared to take a stance on important topics.

Create Pillar Content

Now that you know what your brand stands for, it’s time to target your brand’s target audience. How do you do that? By creating pillar content that speaks directly to them.

Pillar content centers around writing an informative and substantive piece of content on a specific topic. The key is to take a big idea or topic and cover it in its entirety. Then, you can create other content explaining the different subtopics in more detail and link it all together.

The initial creation of original content can be time-intensive, but it’s so worth it because it can be used over and over again in different formats. If done right, this will allow you to reach your intended audience and forge a connection with potential buyers.

Search Engine Optimization

Now that you’ve invested in great content that resonates with your readers, it’s time to get your content in front of as many eyes as possible. Implementing search engine optimization is crucial if you want to target the right reader.

By using priority keywords, anchor text, and linking to and from high-ranking websites, you can make your content more discoverable for the masses.

Invest In Thought Leadership

As previously mentioned, you should not be afraid to have an opinion. In fact, your brand should act as a guiding light that people can look to. You want to be heard and seen so you can stay top-of-mind when people are in need of the products and services you offer.

By being a thought leader, people are also more likely to trust in what you are selling. Customers will more easily respect you and listen to you if they trust you.

Thought leadership allows you to speak your mind on everything that is going on in your industry. This is both a great responsibility and a fantastic opportunity to earn your customer’s loyalty through your unique expertise.

Nurture Your Customer Relationships

Be sure to create a safe space where people can comment on your content. This not only fosters more engagement but helps to build your brand’s online community.

If your fans spend hours reading, commenting, and engaging in conversations, then show them some appreciation by replying.

If you are wondering why you should care about what customers feel, then consider the following: It’s not about faking a connection, it’s about saying thank you. Yes, replying online takes up time, but it makes your followers feel seen and heard. That connection cannot be bought.

Don’t bombard your audience with your own thoughts and leave no space for discussions. By hearing what your audience has to say and practicing active listening, you will also be much more in tune with what type of content they want.

Be Patient

Seeing a return on earned media investment can take time. In fact, it could take years. But the payoff is so worth it. If you are an impatient person, then you might want to hand over the reins to someone else in this department. But whatever you do, don’t give up.

Being consistent, keeping an eye on online trends, and understanding search intent will get you very far, especially if you are willing to speak up about what you believe in.

You have to understand that earned media can take your brand places that no paid method can reach. Organic buzz is authentic and helps to turn ordinary people into brand advocates – free of charge.

Conclusion

Earned media success may seem like a gigantic mountain that feels too steep to climb. This needn’t be the case. By implementing these six tips, you will soon be on your way to reaching more people, while earning brand engagement and increased sales.

Leeza Hoyt

How Empowering Your Team Makes You A Better Leader

If you are in the race to build a successful company, then empowering your team should be a top priority. In fact, this is essential if you want to be a more engaging leader.

This means you should respect each employee enough to entrust them with more autonomy, responsibility, and accountability. In other words, after you’ve given your team the tools they need to thrive in the workplace, you should loosen the reins so they can take ownership of their accomplishments.

Below, we’ve outlined how you can empower your team and how your entire company can benefit from this practice.

The Importance Of Empowering Your Team

Empowerment opens the lines of communication within any organization. If you make it clear from the get-go that your office door is always open, then your team will know that they can come to you for help.

This means that when a task gets assigned, your team will have the opportunity to figure out the ins and outs of the entire process for themselves. However, if they see that something isn’t working optimally, they can always report back to you for guidance.

This setup will not only help you to practice active listening and be a more approachable leader, but will also help to solve any major problems in its initial stages.

Secondly, it can be empowering for your team to have a go at solving problems themselves before they ask for help. If your team manages on their own, they will gain self-confidence. This will help them learn to trust their own instincts and skillset.

As a result, you can build a work-force of confident, capable, and satisfied employees, which benefits your company.

How Empowering Your Team Makes You A Better Leader

There are numerous ways that you can become a better leader by empowering your team. Firstly, leaders who empower their teams create a closely knitted team. This can fuel the long-term success of your business.

Secondly, by involving your team and seeing them as equals, you can prevent micromanaging. As a result, you will create a more confident team structure. This will also allow for the consideration of more opinions and can open your company up to new, out-of-the-box ideas.

Thirdly, if you want to encourage problem-solving, and have a high-performing team then you will have to reward critical thinking and innovation. However, your team will only feel inspired to be innovative if they are given the opportunity to see their ideas come to life.

If you are committed to empowering your team, then you will be viewed as the gatekeeper that always opens the door to new opportunities. Instead of tiptoeing around you, your employees will have the freedom to share their success and greatest ideas with you.

If your team fails, they will feel safe knowing that they have your understanding and support which will give them the courage to try again. In essence, this is the golden standard that all leaders should be aiming for if they want their company to be successful.

4 Tips To Empower Your Team

Give Your Employees a Well-Defined End Goal

The aim should always be to paint a clear picture of the end destination. However, do not dictate how your team should get there.

Give your employees what they need to do their work, but be sure to also give them free rein when it comes to brainstorming and problem-solving.

A simple project management tool can help your employees to stay organized at work.

Define Employee Roles and Responsibilities

For everyone to work harmoniously, there should be no confusion regarding job roles or responsibilities. Everyone should know who makes the decisions, who delegates tasks, and who is responsible for what.

By not assigning clear task roles, important decisions could end up being delayed.

Upskill Your Team Before Tasks Are Assigned

You can save a lot of time and prevent frustration within your team by giving your employees the skills and tools they need before you ask them to tackle difficult tasks.

Whether your team needs to sharpen up their problem-solving skills, decision-making skills, or technical skills, be sure to fully equip each employee for the tasks at hand.

Lead by Example

Sometimes, a company has to undergo a culture shift for employees to truly feel empowered. The best way to show your team that you are serious about empowering them is to model the mindsets and behaviors that you are trying to instill.

For this to happen, leaders should rework performance management, company structures, or training processes where needed.

In Summary

These four steps may not seem like extraordinary measures to empower your employees. But, when implemented correctly, they could change the entire way your team operates.

The goal should always be to award highly capable employees who have earned your trust with more opportunities to shine.

Leeza Hoyt

How To Recover From A Public Relations Crisis

A public relations crisis is often one of the most feared incidents that could befall just about any company. When not handled appropriately, such a crisis could result in a snowball effect leaving negative publicity, canceled contracts, and a decline in business revenue in its wake.

5 Steps To Recover From A PR Crisis

Below, we’ve outlined some of the top steps a company should implement to mitigate and recover from a PR crisis.

Analyze The Damage

If your company has fallen victim to a PR disaster, the first thing on your agenda should be to ascertain the damage done to your company.

Take a step back and objectively analyze the damage your corporate reputation has taken. To do this, first determine if there is a public attitude that reflects negatively towards the company or to stakeholders, employees, and customers.

This should be done using digital metrics available to you from your social media platforms, looking at online reviews, as well as benchmarked search results. Focus groups can also provide insights about public perception. You will be able to determine whether there’s been a noticeable shift in perception towards your brand.

Be sure to capture non-media metrics as well, like your company’s share prices, sales performance, and overall profitability. This data will provide you with detailed factual insights into the repercussions of the public relations crisis in question.

After you have analyzed all the data available to you, you’ll have a clearer idea of how to communicate with investors, stakeholders, and customers, and how to respond to media inquiries.

Communicate With Stakeholders & Investors

After combing through all the data, the next step would be to get the word out regarding the impact of the crisis. The most important group of people that you should talk to first would be your company’s stakeholders. This usually includes investors and business partners.

Start off by explaining what events led to the crisis and what measures are being implemented to put a stop to the crisis. Next, mention what future measures will be upheld to ensure that this specific scenario won’t happen again.

The goal should be to get everyone on the same page. You’ve got to prove to each stakeholder that you’ve got a game plan and that you won’t rest until you’ve contained the situation. Remember, timely engagement with key stakeholders is key.

Plan Your Media Communications Campaign Strategy

After getting your shareholders in the loop, the next step is to shape public perception. This part of the process can be viewed as the end goal of all crisis management strategies because it will ultimately determine the success of all your efforts.

Firstly, you will have to leverage the media by carefully selecting brand leaders to issue a public statement. If your company is at fault, you will need to take ownership of all the mistakes you have made.

By not addressing who is to blame or by deflecting blame onto a third party, you could blacken your company’s reputation even more. So, be sure to apologize where and when needed and let the public know that you are resolute in your commitment to resolving the problem.

If your company is not at fault, you’ve got to do the exact opposite. Instead of apologizing, remain steadfast and state your company’s position on the matter.

If the crisis unfolded due to mistruths published by the media, you could seek out a retraction. However, it may be more beneficial to ask the media house in question to publicly apologize for their misprint and to publish the correct version of the story.

Be Transparent

Whether your company is at fault or not, it is extremely important to be forthcoming.

By only apologizing after being caught in the crossfire, people could think that your company knew about the mistake all along. This could render any apology you give insincere and ineffective. It could also give the public reason to believe that you’ll deceive your customers again. In essence, this is exactly what you don’t want.

Instead, by immediately owning your part in the crisis directly after discovering the issue, you could reinforce trust in your company.

It will also enable you to construct the narrative before the media gets hold of the story. This changes everything and allows you to prove that this is an honest mistake rather than a periodic occurrence.

Adjust Your PR Strategy

Lastly, you should take charge online. Although social media could actually contribute to a PR crisis, you can also prohibit this from happening by taking control of all your communication platforms.

Be sure to fully prep your online team so they are equipped to monitor and take charge of conversations on social media platforms, blog commentary sections, Google review sections, and other online platforms.

To take control of the online narrative, you should publish a formal apology on all your online platforms. Make it factual and remember to list all of the ways that you plan on remedying the situation.

Conclusion

A public relations crisis can be scary no matter how long you’ve been in business. But, if handled correctly it can actually showcase your company’s values.

By letting customers know that you are sorry in a timely manner and that you are resolute in resolving the matter, you can effectively mitigate the crisis in question.

Leeza Hoyt

Why You Should Care About What Customers Feel

Long gone are the days when a company could simply open its doors on a busy street and expect tons of sales.

For a business to be successful in 2022, one truly has to connect with your customers on a deeper level in order for them to choose and support your brand.

But how exactly do you do this? And why should you care about your customers’ feelings and thoughts? We discuss all you need to know regarding a brand’s emotional connection to its customer base below.

Why You Need To Form An Emotional Identity With Your Customers

Before we jump into the best ways to form an emotional connection with your customers, it is important to understand why emotional connections are vital to being successful.

With so many different products and services to choose from, customers are constantly weighing one brand against another. When considering purchasing your products, customers are asking themselves why they should choose you.

And why should they? This is, in fact, a very valid question. Out of all the brands that are constantly bombarding them with offers, deals, and sales, why should they settle on what your brand promises?

To stand out from the crowd, your brand has to go the extra mile. Customers may not recall what exactly they bought from your store a year from now. However, they will never forget how your brand made them feel.

Emotional branding is critical if you want to develop brand loyalty. Brand loyalty can be defined as a long-term commitment that a customer has towards a brand. When brand loyalty is high, higher sales numbers usually follow.

Emotional branding can help to refine your brand’s personality and highlights common interests or values that are shared by a brand and its customers. When done right, emotional branding can render your brand irreplaceable and make your buyers feel both seen and heard.

3 Tips For Establishing Your Brand’s Emotional Identity

Be Original

There are probably a million other companies that also offer what you sell, but none of them should look or sound like you. This is how you maintain your brand’s originality and truly stand out from the crowd.

If your brand was a real person, who would he or she be? What would the characteristics be of your brand and why would people want to hang out with your business? What does your brand care about and why? These are just some of the questions that you’ll need to consider when first creating your brand personality.

However, the most important step is to define how your brand communicates with your audience. In order to be original and to stay true to your brand personality, what you say and how you say it should line up with who you say you are.

Remember, you want to authentically connect with each customer in an intuitively human way that stays true to your unique brand personality. If there is a disconnect between what your brand silently promises and how you communicate with your customers, it will lead to confusion.

Identify Your Customers’ Emotional Motivators

After establishing an original brand personality, it’s time to look at what motivates your buyers. By understanding what motivates your target audience on an emotional level, it will be easier to nurture an emotional connection.

Each target group may have different emotional motivators, which means you will have to adapt your communication angle depending on who you are trying to connect with.

For example, some customers are more concerned with being perceived as special or unique. Knowing this, your marketing efforts should be highly personalized, and your team should be ready to immediately assist these types of customers whenever they need it.

Just don’t forget to always stay true to your brand’s image. The goal is to establish where your buyer’s emotional needs line up with what you can authentically offer. It won’t be sustainable for your brand to cater to the emotional motivators of a customer if meeting those needs doesn’t align with your brand personality.

Tell Great Stories

Storytelling is in every person’s DNA and has helped humans to communicate, connect, educate, share experiences and unite since the dawn of time. From a marketing standpoint, storytelling can help you to forge a deeper connection with your target audience.

In fact, lots of big brands use storytelling to construct brand traditions, build trust, make their brand more memorable, and communicate what their brand is all about.

In Summary

By establishing your brand personality, you’ll be able to connect with your target audience in a meaningful way. This will enable you to show every customer that you truly care about each interaction they have with your brand.

By embracing your brand’s value proposition, identifying what your customers care about, and crafting great branding stories, you can make each buyer feel special.

Leeza Hoyt

Words to live by: Why Communications is Critical

While the world will continue to evolve, there is one constant that will stay the same: the need to communicate — effectively. Remember, the way we communicate may change, but the need to do so will not. How did The Hoyt Organization, Inc., (THO) manage to stay at the top of its game for 30 years? Here’s a few pointers that may help you do the same.

Embrace change. It will forever be your guiding star. Each generation has a different history, which leads to a different perspective, and an evolving lifestyle. This, in itself will help agencies with their diversity and inclusion initiatives. Realize now, that your history and background belongs uniquely to you. Applaud the similarities of your team, and respect the differences. It will lead to a positive synergy that will make your team stronger and more effective.

Become a ‘technologist.’ — I personally find the evolution of technology a fascinating science. If anyone has watched ‘Mad Men’ the sitcom with Don Draper that takes place in the 60s, it easy to understand how far we’ve come. They were using typewriters (one episode features the excitement of getting a copy machine) and rotary dials. Today, cell phones are on everyone’s hips, and we’re embracing virtual reality technology, that is being used to do everything from showing properties, to navigating roadways, and much more. Now, we’re even discussing the impact of interactive holograms that will be the next evolution.

Master social + digital (and whatever comes next). Myspace was a leading communications tool of its time; until it was overtaken by Facebook. Then we added Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, Reddit, and more. Gone are the days of relying on print newspapers. While they still exist, its only a matter of time before they go fully digital. It’s critical to stay on top of those channels that champion your brands. Be active on the key channels, and make sure you understand the rest. No doubt there will be more added to the mix as the calendar moves forward.

Trust your gut. Ever had a new business meeting and walk out with an uneasy feeling? Pay attention to it. Whether that be on a new hire, a new client, or anything else. As my grandma said, there is another bus that comes along in 10 minutes. Be selective about how you plan your business, and your life.

Live with integrity.

Lead by example.

Learn every day.

…and laugh. After all, life is short. Enjoy it!

Leeza Hoyt

How To Promote Telehealth For Healthcare Services

Even though the world is gradually opening up again after the pandemic, many people are still hesitant to go outside and see their doctor in person. Telehealth provides a great solution for patients who want to consult with their physician from the comfort of their own homes.

Telehealth is becoming more and more popular as a way to provide healthcare services. In fact, research shows that over half of hospitals in the United States use telemedicine.

There are many benefits to using telehealth, including improved access to care, increased convenience, and reduced costs. However, many people are still not aware of what telehealth is or how it works.

In this article, we will explain what telehealth is and discuss some ways that you can promote it to increase its visibility and usage.

What is Telehealth?

Telehealth is the use of technology to provide healthcare services remotely. This can be done using video conferencing, phone calls, email, or even text messages. The important thing is that it allows patients to receive care without having to come into an office or hospital.

There are many types of telehealth services that can be provided. They include mental health counseling, primary care, disease management, and even specialty care.

How to Promote Telehealth

Here are a few tips on how to promote telehealth within your organization:

1. Create Value In Your Content

In the digital world, content is the undisputed king. No matter what you’re trying to sell, your potential customers are going to do their research online before they make a purchase.

The best way to promote telehealth within your organization is to create content that will show potential patients the value of your services. Write blog posts, create infographics, and shoot videos that explain the benefits in a way that is easy for people to understand.

Here are a few tips for creating valuable content in your messaging:

Make it Visually Appealing

People are more likely to engage with content that is easy on the eyes. Use plenty of visuals, and break up your text with headings and subheadings.

Keep it Short and Sweet

No one wants to read a novel when they’re trying to learn about a new service. Get to the point, and make sure your content is easy to skim.

Use Patient Testimonials

Nothing is more convincing than a real-life success story. If you have patients who have had positive experiences with your telehealth services, ask them if you can use their stories in your marketing materials.

2. Make Telehealth Easy To Access

One of the main barriers to telehealth adoption is patient confusion. Many people are still not familiar with the concept of virtual care, and they may not know how to access your services.

Make it easy for potential patients to find your telehealth offerings by prominently featuring them on your website and in all of your marketing materials. Ensure you include clear instructions on how to connect with a provider virtually.

You can also promote telehealth within your organization by following these tips:

Create a Dedicated Landing Page For Your Telehealth Services

Having a dedicated landing page will make it easy for patients to find the information they need and connect with a provider.

Have A Call-to-action On Your Site

Include a “Book Now” or “Schedule an Appointment” button on your website and in all of your email communications. This will make it easy for patients to take the next step.

Send Email Blasts To Patients Promoting Your Virtual Care Offerings

Include a “Book Now” or “Schedule an Appointment” button on your website and in all of your email communications. This will make it easy for patients to take the next step.

Include a link to your telehealth landing page in all of your email communications.

3. Build Trust Through Telehealth Success Stories

As with any new technology, there is always some uncertainty when it comes to adoption. Many patients may be hesitant to try telehealth because they’re not sure if it will work for them.

One of the best ways to promote telehealth within your organization is to share success stories from patients who have used your services. These stories can be included in your marketing materials, on your website, or even shared on social media.

By sharing success stories, you can help to build trust and show potential patients that your services are effective.

Use Paid Advertising

Paid advertising is a great way to promote your telehealth services to a wider audience. You can use paid ads to target potential patients in your area who may be interested in your services.

There are a number of different platforms you can use for paid advertising, including Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn Ads. Each platform has its own strengths, so it’s important to choose the one that will work best for your needs.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to promoting telehealth, there are a lot of options and avenues available. The key is finding the right mix that works for your organization and patients. With the tips outlined in this article, you should be well on your way to getting started with a successful telehealth program.

Leeza Hoyt

3 Healthcare Lessons Public Relations Agencies Learned From The Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the healthcare industry. And while the impact has been felt by everyone from hospitals and insurance companies to patients and families, there are also important lessons to be learned by those in the public relations field.

Los Angeles healthcare PR firms and other PR players across the globe have been forced to adapt and innovate at a breakneck pace over the past year. They’ve had to navigate uncharted territory, deal with new challenges and find new ways to reach and engage their audiences.

In this article, we are going to look at ways public relations shaped the pandemic as well as three key lessons that healthcare PR agencies learned from the pandemic.

Public Relations During The Pandemic

From the very beginning, public relations has played a vital role in shaping how the world perceives and responds to pandemics. In fact, PR agencies were some of the first to sound the alarm about COVID-19 back in January 2020. They were helping their clients navigate the ever-changing landscape and providing guidance on how to respond. They did this through:

Educating

PR agencies played an important role in educating the public about the pandemic. They did this through traditional means such as news releases and media relations, but also through newer channels such as social media.

Informing

PR agencies also served as a valuable source of information for their clients. They provided them with up-to-date data on the pandemic, helped them understand the latest research, and advised them on how to best communicate with their audiences.

Assuring

Finally, PR agencies also played a vital role in assuring the public that their clients were taking the necessary steps to protect them. They did this by sharing information about the measures their clients were taking, such as increased cleaning and sanitation efforts, and by highlighting the importance of following safety guidelines.

3 Key Lessons Healthcare PR Agencies Learned From the Pandemic

The pandemic has been a challenging time for everyone, including healthcare PR agencies. They have had to adapt the way we work to keep their clients and staff safe, while still delivering results.

Here are three key lessons we’ve learned during the pandemic:

Flexibility Is Key

The first healthcare lesson PR firms learned from the pandemic is the importance of being flexible. With client meetings and events being canceled at short notice, we had to be adaptable to the way we work. This has included moving to virtual meetings and events, managing remote teams, and finding new ways to pitch media and connect with different audiences.

Most importantly, we learned that being flexible is key to delivering results in a rapidly changing environment. This will be an important lesson for PR firms going forward, as the world continues to change at a rapid pace.

Throughout the pandemic, clients appreciated agility and adaptability in these challenging times. The pandemic has shown that healthcare PR firms are able to be nimble and adapt to change quickly, which is a valuable skill in an ever-changing world.

The Importance Of International Communication

Healthcare PR firms learned that international communication is key during a pandemic. When the COVID-19 outbreak started, many healthcare organizations were caught off guard because they did not have protocols in place for dealing with a global health crisis. As a result, these organizations turned to PR firms for help in communicating with the public and the media.

With countries going into lockdown at different times, and with different restrictions in place, it was important for healthcare PR firms to be able to communicate effectively with their clients around the world.

This meant having a good understanding of the situation in each country and being able to adapt their communications accordingly. It also meant being able to provide support and advice to clients in different time zones, as well as dealing with the challenges of working with teams in different countries.

Re-Evaluate Crisis Plans

Los Angeles healthcare PR firms and other healthcare communicators had to re-evaluate their crisis plans in light of the pandemic.

This has meant looking at what worked well and what could be improved, as well as thinking about how to respond to future crises. Crisis communication is an important part of healthcare PR, and the pandemic has shown that it is possible to adapt and improve plans quickly during a crisis.

Final Thoughts

The COVD-19 pandemic has been a tough time for everyone. Healthcare PR firms are no different. They had to adapt the way they work, think, and operate. However, there have been some silver linings. The pandemic has taught them many lessons that will make us better at our jobs moving forward. It has also inspired us to be more creative and innovative in our work.

If there’s one thing that we can take away from this pandemic, it’s that healthcare PR firms are resilient. We’ve been able to weather the storm and come out stronger on the other side.

Leeza Hoyt

How Public Relations Can Globally Influence Support for Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has been raging on for over one month now, and it seems like there is no end in sight. However, with the help of public relations professionals, maybe we can start to turn the tide and gather more public support for Ukraine.

Public relations (PR) campaigns can be used to build awareness of a cause, shift perceptions, and generate support from the public. By crafting a strategic PR campaign, the public relations global network can bring more attention to the situation in Ukraine and make it a global priority.

In this article, we will explore ways in which public relations can be used to support Ukraine. Hopefully, with the help of these tactics, we can start to bring about change.

Create Awareness

If your business is looking for ways to help create awareness for Ukraine, here are some tips that can help you achieve this:

Identify The Messages You Want To Communicate

The first step is to identify the key messages that you want to communicate and then craft a story that will resonate with your target audience. This story should be based on the facts, but it also needs to be engaging and relevant.

Develop Creative Content

Once you have your key messages nailed down, you need to develop creative content that will help to get your story out there. This could include videos, infographics, articles, social media posts, or any other content that will catch people’s attention.

Engage Key Influencers

To reach your target audience, you need to engage key influencers who can help spread your message. This could include journalists, bloggers, social media stars, or anyone with a large following who can influence public opinion.

Track Results And Adjust Course As Needed

It’s essential to track the results of your PR campaign and adjust the course as needed. If something isn’t working, make changes and try something else. The key is to keep trying until you find the best approach for your target audience.

Shift Perceptions

Public relations can also shift perceptions about a situation or organization. The war in Ukraine has been mulled in propaganda and conflicting reports. Therefore, it can be difficult for people to form an accurate opinion. By running a PR campaign, you can help to shift perceptions and build support for Ukraine.

Establish A Clear Narrative

One of the main goals of public relations is to establish a clear narrative about the current situation. This narrative should be based on the facts, but it also needs to be easy to understand and engaging.

Build Relationships With Key Stakeholders

Another important part of public relations is building relationships with key stakeholders. This includes journalists, bloggers, social media stars, and anyone who can help to spread your message.

Read Information From Reputable Sources

It is your responsibility to remain vigilant and only consume information from reputable sources. This is especially important given the current state of affairs in Ukraine.

By verifying information before sharing it with others, you can help to ensure that people have the most accurate picture of what’s happening on the ground. Also, doing this can help to dispel any myths or misconceptions that may be circulating.

Generate Support

Public relations can also generate support for a cause or organization. This support can come from individuals, businesses, or governments. By running a successful PR campaign, you can help to build a global coalition in support of Ukraine.

Some ways that you can generate support include:

Organize Events

One way to generate support is to organize events that bring people together to learn more about the situation in Ukraine and show their solidarity with the country.

Launch A Social Media Campaign

Another great way to generate support is through a social media campaign. This could include videos, photos, or articles that help raise awareness of the situation in Ukraine.

Engage Key Decision-Makers

It’s also important to engage key decision-makers who can help influence policy decisions that will benefit Ukraine. Find out what you can do to help them and what messages you should be sharing.

Provide Resources

Finally, you can also provide resources such as information packets, fact sheets, and talking points to help people learn more about the situation in Ukraine and how they can get involved.

Final Thoughts

Through public relations, you can help to build awareness of the situation in Ukraine and generate support for the country worldwide. By following these tips, you can help to make a difference and support the people of Ukraine.

If you are looking for the best Los Angeles PR agency that can help you globally influence support for Ukraine, or attain your business goals, look no further than The Hoyt Organization. We have a team of experienced professionals who are passionate about helping to make a difference in the world.

Leeza Hoyt

What Brands Need To Know About Marketing In The Metaverse

The metaverse is more than just a trending buzzword. If you were around during the birth of social media and digital marketing, you know big things are coming.

Statista reports that there are currently over 4.2 billion active social media accounts. Another study determined that 93% of all marketers use social media to market businesses.

There’s no doubt that your business uses social media for marketing its products and services. If you want your business to succeed in an ever-changing world, it’ll pay to keep an eye on the metaverse.

Luckily, preparing your business for the metaverse doesn’t have to be a daunting task!

At The Hoyt Organization, we help brands authentically connect with their audiences and tell stories that inspire growth and loyalty.

Here is our concise guide to everything a brand needs to know about marketing in the metaverse.

What Is The Metaverse?

The metaverse, short for “meta-universe,” is a virtual world that connects directly to the physical world. You can think of it as the next generation internet or Web 3.0.

Individuals will be able to instantly connect to the virtual world while interacting with the physical world.

For instance, instead of meeting your coworkers on Zoom, you can don a pair of VR goggles and hold the meeting in a virtual reality boardroom.

Just like in the physical world, people will be able to do the same things in the metaverse. They’ll be able to buy clothing, accessories, or even art.

Some innovative companies plan to sell physical copies that you can also take into the digital world.

Imagine buying a rare painting for your office. You can scan in a code and display this rare painting in your digital boardroom to impress visitors and staff.

This connectivity between the physical and the digital is the metaverse. It brings many incredible benefits that brands and marketers can capitalize on.

How Can Brands Prepare For The Metaverse?

The metaverse will provide marketers with plenty of new opportunities to promote their products, services, and brands.

The most obvious opportunity is renting ad space, similar to how you’d rent billboard space in the physical world.

Yet, it’s not the only way to prepare for this new marketing frontier.

Companies, big and small, should also start investing in augmented reality (AR), virtual reality experiences (VR), and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

These technologies all form an essential part of the metaverse. If your company isn’t familiar with it, you may not be able to outperform your competitors within the metaverse.

5 Tips For A Long-term Business Strategy In The Metaverse

Marketers and business leaders need to understand the power of the metaverse. It would be best to stay updated with the latest trends and developments.

Knowing what’s happening and how it’s occurring will make it easier to adapt your marketing strategy for the metaverse. Here are our top tips for capitalizing on the growth of the Metaverse.

1. Embrace Parallel Marketing In And Out Of The Metaverse

The metaverse seamlessly merges the digital and the physical world. Your marketing efforts should reflect this.

For instance, AB InBev’s brand, Stella Artois, worked with Zed Run to create a unique marketing experience for the Kentucky Derby. Together, they created an online platform where users could trade horses, race them, and even breed them.

This marketing experience offered a digital adventure while nurturing brand loyalty in the physical world.

2. Create Immersive Experiences

Offer immersive experiences. For example, several savvy realtors offer prospective buyers VR tours of prestigious properties.

Architecture firms also offer VR tours of proposed buildings, allowing investors to walk through the structure before finalizing the construction plans.

3. Make Collectables

Let your fans and followers collect unique items. People love collecting things!

One brand that embraced this was Gucci with their Gucci Garden Experience. Users could collect limited Gucci items in the metaverse. They could even sell these items.

So, consider releasing some sort of NFT items that people can buy for their VR avatars to wear when in the metaverse.

4. Engage With Leaders And Promoters

People are mostly opposed to ads. So, engage with your community. Search out promoters and leaders that can help take your brand into the metaverse.

If you’re not sure how to do this, check out our guide on why your brand needs an influencer PR strategy.

5. Continue To Experiment

Don’t be afraid to experiment. This area of marketing is relatively new and brands should embrace the opportunity. There are no concrete rules for what works and how you should do it.

Be flexible and experiment when looking for new, creative ways to grow your brand in the metaverse.

Final Thoughts

As the metaverse continues to grow, more and more brands will adjust their marketing strategies to make the most of this digital world. So, it’s important to ensure your brand stays on top of it too. If all of this sounds complicated, don’t worry! We’re here to help simplify your marketing and PR strategies.

Connect with us, and let’s see how we can grow your brand within the metaverse.

Leeza Hoyt

Why Your PR Strategy Needs Digital Marketing

Traditionally, PR was print-based. However, today’s world is all about digital channels. As such, your PR tactics need to embrace more digital strategies. This includes digital marketing to help boost your brand awareness and image.

If you’re looking to evolve your business and create an impactful online presence, then digital marketing is the way to go. From driving traffic to relationship building, we’ll discuss how digital marketing and PR go hand-in-hand in building your brand.

The Connection Between PR And Digital Marketing

Digital PR is an online marketing tactic used by businesses and marketers to increase a brand’s online presence. This strategy is used to:

improve SEO
enhance brand awareness
increase traffic to a website
boost sales
improve social engagement

Digital PR strategy is therefore a combination of digital marketing and public relations.

Digital marketing involves the use of online technology to promote brands and their products or services. Public relations, on the other hand, is a process of communication. It is used to build relationships between companies and their customers.

By using digital marketing in PR, brands can further boost their brand awareness and build better relationships with customers.

Why Is Digital Marketing Important In Your PR Strategy?

There are many ways in which you can use the internet to your advantage with PR. Digital marketing helps your PR strategy to include interactive and user-driven tactics that may help build better relationships with customers.

Digital marketing has become an essential part of PR as its benefits exceed those of traditional marketing.

Although digital PR may be similar to traditional PR, it provides an opportunity to reach a much broader audience than traditional methods. Strategies such as SEO, content marketing, influencer marketing and social media marketing help your brand to connect relatable content with the right audiences.

Digital PR can achieve its goal of improving online presence and visibility as well as building long-lasting relationships with users as information can now be turned into real conversations.

By investing in a digital PR strategy, you can connect with users by speaking directly to them at any time of the day. Not only is this quick and effective, but it is available 24/7.

How Digital Marketing Can Boost Your PR Strategy

Analytics Improves Performance

There are many helpful tools available to give your organization a competitive advantage in the world of PR. Analytics tools help track the performance and metrics on your pages, posts and campaigns. As a result, you can see what is working and what isn’t.

Analytics tools can provide metrics such as post reach, number of clicks, views, bounce rate and demographics. When you use this in your PR strategy, it will provide you with the consumer insight that you need to improve your strategy.

You can easily adjust campaigns where necessary. And after finding what works for certain target groups, you can target your audience more precisely.

Creative Content Creation

Content is the key to building credibility and authority. It is a key aspect of digital marketing – and it can work wonders for your PR strategy, too.

Creative content can be a powerful persuasive tool that can drive conversation. As part of your PR strategy, make sure you create content that engages and interests your customers. Including video content is a great way to do this while boosting ROI for your campaigns. This is because video content has shown to be the most effective among different types of content.

All content created for your PR strategy must be creative and exciting. It also needs to be relevant to your audience. You can create content in the form of graphics, video content, interactive content, and blog posts. Digital content can reach a large audience across various channels. So, it is a sure-fire way to drive traffic, increase brand awareness, build trust, and boost conversions.

Links To Drive Traffic

Receiving backlinks from reputable, authoritative sites can not only drive traffic but can boost your website’s authority too. This is an effective digital marketing and SEO tactic but it can be a valuable PR tactic as well.

Other websites in similar industries or affiliate sites will include a link to your site if the content is valuable and relatable to their readers. This will give your site credibility and a good reputation.

If you want your PR campaigns to reach and impress these types of reliable sites, you must create consistent content and promote it well. Implementing a digital marketing strategy can help you to do this.

Key Takeaways

By incorporating some effective digital marketing tactics into your PR strategy, you can improve brand awareness, boost your credibility, and increase traffic to your site.

Gone are the days of traditional marketing. It’s crucial to embrace what the digital world has to offer. This will help you stay in a competitive position in your industry and boost your online presence and success.

Leeza Hoyt

Why Your Brand Needs An Influencer PR Strategy

In today’s fast moving, ever changing digital world, you have to invest in effective marketing strategies that resonate with your audience to get your brand noticed. By incorporating an influencer PR strategy into your strategic digital marketing plan, you have a better opportunity to really connect with potential customers.

Unlike any other marketing tactic. consumers find influencers more trustworthy than brands.

Consider the following facts:

The average consumer has 8.4 social media accounts
Over 60% of marketers report that influencer marketing outperforms other type of marketing
93% of marketers have used influencer marketing
Influencer generated content outperforms brand posts

And this is exactly the kind of advertising connections you should be looking for.

Below, we’ve outlined why your brand needs an influencer PR strategy, and how you can create one.

Why Invest In Influencer Marketing?

Hearing about the advantages of a product or service first-hand is one of the best ways to effectively boost brand awareness.

With social media taking over the digital world, word-of-mouth publicity has evolved into influencer marketing. Influencer marketing involves collaborating with carefully selected social media influencers in an effort to get more people to notice your brand on a myriad of social media platforms.

Is it effective? Yes.

Is it a more lucrative investment compared to traditional marketing? Well, it depends on what industry you are in and how you leverage influencers that complement your brand.

One thing is for certain, though. Compared to more traditional marketing tactics, social media influencers are considered more credible. Influencers are great brand ambassadors because they tell people what they honestly think.

If you team up with an influencer that loves what you offer, he or she will be able to authentically sell your product or service.

Social media influencers introduce their whole following to your brand. This can make it easier for you to reach a new target demographic.

If a well-loved influencer gives your brand the stamp of approval, then your business will automatically have more credibility in the eyes of that influencer’s following.

The Perks Of Influencer Marketing

It’s Affordable

Apart from email marketing, influencer PR marketing is one of the most cost-effective PR tools. If you have a set budget to work with, you can collaborate with influencers that are in line with the amount of compensation you can offer.

Up and coming influencers who are still finding their feet are a great option for brands that want to spend their marketing budget as efficiently as possible.

It Begins A Conversation

Consumers are tired of traditional and digital adverts. In general, conventional ads are viewed with skepticism and as closed-off, one-sided conversations.

However, with influencers, you have the opportunity to start a conversation on a particular topic. Your brand isn’t the main focus of the conversation. Instead, it can feature as an add-on or a solution to a specific problem that is mentioned in the conversation.

Most influencers will only endorse products that they have used themselves. After all, they also have a reputation to maintain. Moreover, they share a strong connection with their followers, making them a trusted and credible ally to have in the marketing sphere.

Influencer Marketing Allows You To Track Your Return On Investment

Unlike traditional marketing efforts, the success of influencer marketing is a lot easier to track. In the past, the success of traditional PR campaigns was mostly guessed through the impact they had on sales. But it was never an exact science as monthly sales were subject to a myriad of factors.

However, the emergence of digital marketing has made it possible to accurately measure the success of PR campaigns. A variety of metrics can be used to measure the performance of a social media influencer campaign. These include metrics like brand mentions, social media likes, referral traffic, click-through rates, and revenue.

Creating Your Influencer Marketing Strategy

If you have set your sights on creating your own influencer marketing strategy, we have the action steps to get you started.

Create a budget. A well-thought-out budget is the first step to figuring out how much money you can allocate to influencer marketing. It will also help you to monitor your spending and see what marketing avenues are truly lucrative for your business.
Outline your unique goals and brand message. Knowing what your goals are will help you to focus on your unique brand needs. This will enable you to find the right influencer.
Determine your target audience. You have to invest time and effort in various research initiatives that will allow you to hone in on your target audience. At first, you can target more widely, but to see results you will have to narrow your reach. The more intentional you are with your marketing initiatives, the more successful you will be.
Identify potential influencers. You need to build long-lasting relationships with influencers who align with your goals and target audience.
Measure your campaign results. Unique hashtags, affiliate codes, tracking links, and revenue are great ways of monitoring your marketing efforts. Be sure to use all of them to determine the effectiveness of each of the influencers you collaborate with.

In Summary

With the right influencers by your side, you can take your brand to the next level. By doing your research, monitoring the effectiveness of your campaigns, and collaborating with people that believe in your brand, you will be one step closer to achieving success.

Leeza Hoyt

How To Promote Your Luxury Day Spa With Public Relations

Luxury day spa offers customers a chance to indulge and unwind. These pamper parlors are often so dreamy that one may assume that these establishments simply promote themselves.

This, however, is not the case. Even top-class day spas need a great public relations strategy to stay ahead of the competition and win over new clients in the consumer lifestyle category.

Below, we have carefully selected the most relevant promotional tools and PR tactics that will help to put your luxury spa on the map.

3 Best PR Strategies To Promote Your Luxury Spa

Reward Loyal Customers

It may sound simple, but by rewarding both new and old customers, you can incentivize them to return more regularly to your day spa. If you are looking for a way to show your customers that you value their support, then now would be the perfect time to implement a spa loyalty program.

In general, spa enthusiasts like to be pampered on a regular basis. By rewarding your customers whenever they support you, you can become their new home away from home. All you have to do is give them even more reason to return to your day spa whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Your loyalty program can allow customers to earn loyalty points whenever they pay for spa products or services. These loyalty points can accumulate until your customers qualify for a free treatment or product. You can also give people extra loyalty points for referring their friends to your spa.

A loyalty program can make your customers feel seen and heard. With each point you award them, you are essentially saying that you see and value their support. Most customers would rather shop at establishments that make them feel included and reward them, rather than support businesses that don’t value them.

Cultivate a Strong Online Presence

In this day and age, creating a strong online presence for your brand is no longer optional. Most reputable PR firms have broadened their horizons to include online marketing in their strategies. This is largely because, during the last decade, more and more people have been finding and purchasing what they need online.

Firstly, you’ll need a website. If people are curious about your spa, then this is likely the first place they’ll go to research your company. Your website is one of the first impressions your brand will make on new customers. So, be sure to cross your T’s and dot your I’s.

Among other things, your website should be SEO-friendly and easy to navigate. It should list your services, products, and prices, and provide valuable information to all your customers. The easier you make it for potential customers to navigate your website, the more likely it is that they will book a day spa treatment.

Also be sure to list your day spa on various listing websites, starting with Google My Business. This will help to improve your local SEO ratings. Moreover, it will let people know how they can contact you and what your operational hours are.

Lastly, don’t forget about investing in your social media presence. Whether you prefer Facebook or Instagram, make sure you post regularly on all your social media platforms. These platforms can help you to communicate with your audience and make real connections with your brand followers. Further, it helps to boost brand awareness and drive more people to your luxury spa.

Partner Up With Local Businesses

The day spa industry is all about inner and outer wellness. As such, it is the ideal establishment to take hands with other similar businesses. By partnering with other companies that share your ideals and values, you can both benefit when it comes to boosting sales.

Of course, it wouldn’t be ideal to partner with another day spa. There are plenty of non-competitive options out there, like hairdressers, dietitians, chiropractors, and even nutritionists.

By partnering up with local companies, you could help to promote each other. This could increase brand awareness and up the revenue of both your spa and the company you’re partnering with. It really is a win-win situation and would require very little effort on your part.

By simply displaying each other’s business cards, or mentioning each other on both of your websites and social media platforms, you could significantly help boost each other’s brand visibility.

Alternatively, you could also write creative content and mention each other on your respective blogs. There is also the option of running a promotion together. This urges your combined customer pool to support both businesses.

There truly are numerous ways that partnering up with another local business can help to promote your luxury day spa.

In Summary

Whether you are a day spa marketer, owner, or manager, these PR strategies can help to boost your brand visibility. They can lead more people to your website and ultimately ensure you are fully booked all year round.

By investing in your online presence, rewarding your customers, and partnering up with other businesses, your day spa can get the marketing traction it needs to really thrive.

Leeza Hoyt

Does Your Beauty And Skincare PR Strategy Need A Makeover?

The beauty and skincare industry is changing. Not so long ago, women couldn’t wait to visit their favorite stores to purchase their must-have beauty products due to the pandemic. Now, however, more and more people shop online.

These types of changes in consumer behavior mean that your beauty brand’s old marketing strategies may not be as effective as they used to be. If you feel like your cosmetics brand could do with a PR strategy makeover, then look no further.

We’ve outlined PR strategy tips and tricks below that can help to elevate your beauty and skincare brand to the next level.

3 Effective PR Strategies For Beauty And Skincare Brands

Invest In a Well-Crafted SEO Strategy

Today’s typical customer wants products to be accessible and readily available. The beauty and skincare industry is no exception. With just a click of a button, customers are expecting to find all there is to know about the products they are interested in.

By not meeting these customer expectations, you could potentially damage your beauty brand and have your customers flocking to your competitors. Rather, give your customers the information they want with the help of a well-crafted SEO strategy. This will help you remain top-of-mind whenever someone wants to invest in their physical appearance.

When sticking to a great SEO strategy, you will ensure that your beauty brand soars above your competition in online search results. For example, whenever a potential customer is looking for a new face cream or mascara online, your site will be one of the top beauty brands that Google recommends if you offer that product.

Great SEO can help your brand to become more visible, which will drive more traffic to your website. It’s all about targeting the right keywords and knowing what your customers are currently searching for.

Staying on top of beauty trends and knowing which topics will be great for evergreen content is a sure-fire way to catch your demographic audience’s attention.

More visibility equals more eyes on your content, which will drive more sales and content engagement. SEO may be a long-term investment, but it is definitely worth it when done right.

Paid Marketing Campaigns

SEO is a great tool when it comes to ranking high in organic search results. However, even if you have a great SEO strategy, it may take up to six months to see results. While you are waiting for your website’s search engine ranking to pick up, why not invest in paid marketing?

Customer pay-per-click campaigns can help to boost the visibility of your beauty brand. Paid ads in search engines are usually displayed right at the top of the page, which means you automatically outrank the competition.

This means your ideal customer will not have to scroll down or go to the next page to find your brand. And seeing that most people only click on the first three search results they find, your paid ad will be able to generate a lot of traffic to your website.

You can use PPC adverts for sales and to feature some of your products. Most importantly, your PPC campaigns should work hand-in-hand with your organic search efforts. This will enable you to see a bigger return on investment in a shorter amount of time.

From display ads to remarketing and Google shopping ads, the sky’s the limit when it comes to promoting your beauty brand with PPC campaigns. The added bonus is that you can measure the effectiveness of every advert and only keep those that work.

Creative Content That Converts

Your ideal customers are probably already deeply invested in their own physical wellbeing. This means they are on the lookout for beauty and skincare tips that will truly blow them away. By providing them with engaging, interesting and educational content, you can show them why your beauty brand is truly worth investing in.

By featuring articles that link back to your website on sites that your target audience already visits on a regular basis, you can increase your website traffic. It also helps to build trust with your brand following and increases the chances of your audience actually purchasing your products.

Moreover, creative, educational content can also help to build your brand’s authority when it comes to skincare and beauty. Educational content doesn’t have to come in the typical box we’ve always put it in. Yes, there’s nothing wrong with a beautifully worded article, but these days it’s more about who is doing the telling.

By getting influencers, celebrities, skin experts, and even product reviewers to try out your products and then to share their own personal experience with your audience, your brand will look more authentic. This will also help to widen the reach of your brand and to promote brand loyalty.

In a Nutshell

Your beauty and skincare PR campaign doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. By adding the above strategies to the mix, you can start building a better brand reputation and increase your brand awareness.

Leeza Hoyt

Public Relations For Restaurant and Food Brands

The food and restaurant industry is evolving at a rapid pace. With consumers being quite adamant in understanding where their food comes from and how their purchases can affect social issues, climate change, and overall wellness, it is now more vital than ever to tell your brand’s story in an authentic way.

Below, we delve into tried and tested PR tactics that can help place your restaurant or food brand on the map.

3 Key PR Tactics For Food And Restaurant Brands

Allow Customers to Experience Your Brand

People rarely stay spectators if they see something fun they really want to participate in. Why not grab this golden opportunity to transform your food brand into the next experiential treat? After all, foodies are all about enjoying and truly indulging in each and every culinary experience.

So, how exactly does one do this? There are numerous ways to get your customers actively involved in your brand. Events, competitions, or even food tours can all allow your target market to devour your food and beverages.

This is also where digital marketing comes into play. Social media is one of the greatest and most effective tools when it comes to creating brand awareness. If you are planning on launching a competition or organizing an event, then be sure to spread the word on all your social channels.

By uniquely presenting your food and beverages at these events, people will start posting about it on social media.

Why not create a unique brand hashtag? This will help you to spread the word about your brand. Your target market will share, retweet, or repost content relating to your products and services.

In a way, each and every potential customer can become a brand advocate. It really just all depends on your willingness to give your audience the experiences they truly crave. If it’s worth doing and it’s Instagrammable, then brand hype will be inevitable!

Partner With The Right People

When just starting out in the restaurant or food industry, it can be hard to gain traction on social media and to reach your ideal consumer.

Not only does it require knowing exactly how to optimize your social media ads, but it also means you have to know what your ideal customer wants or needs.

Figuring all this out is an important part of the branding process, but it can be time-consuming and is usually done over a number of months.

The best way to get around this roadblock and to really propel your brand into fame is to form partnerships with other brands or influencers. This will allow you to position your brand in a certain way so you can target the people you think will really enjoy your brand.

You don’t necessarily have to team up with companies that are also in the restaurant and food industry. A better way to form partnerships is to partner up with brands that will truly complement yours. Ideally, it should be a mutually beneficial relationship that will benefit both parties.

When picking an influencer, it is best to choose people that fit right into your brand’s lane. Remember, it’s not worth it to compromise your brand’s integrity for five seconds of fame.

Although social media platforms are the ideal choice when it comes to hosting partnerships and collaborations, you can also opt for more traditional marketing mediums.

Print media, TV ads, and even radio ads work phenomenally well when it comes to featuring brand collaborations. It all just depends on what your end goals are, and if you would like to measure the effectiveness of your advertising campaigns.

Content Is Still King

Immortalizing the essence of your brand on camera and broadcasting your brand’s voice through articles, blogs, recipes, and opinion pieces is one of the best ways to increase brand awareness.

Yes, content is still king, and without it, you won’t be able to show how your food or restaurant business is making its mark in the industry.

High-quality brand content allows you to tell your company’s story in a fast and effective way. As such, it should be a vital part of your PR and marketing strategy.

The best way to create content is to do it in such a way that it can be used throughout multiple traditional and digital marketing platforms. By doing this, you can maximize the return on your marketing efforts.

In addition to creating versatile content, you should also be creating evergreen content. This is content that stays relevant so that you can use it over and over again. The key to generating great content is to work smarter, not harder.

In Summary

Your PR strategy for your food or restaurant brand should be supported by high-quality content creation, partnerships and collaborations, and experiential opportunities that specifically cater to the wants and needs of your customers.

By implementing these three marketing tactics, you will create lots of brand awareness and allow your brand to speak to your ideal consumer in a personable and authentic way.

Leeza Hoyt

Public Relations and Marketing For Plastic Surgery Practices

The plastic surgery industry is becoming more cutting edge by the second. With more and more talented surgeons entering the field, plastic surgery practices have to invest in more PR to build credibility within the industry.

PR can help to establish your brand, which is why it’s best to incorporate it into your overall healthcare marketing strategy.

In this article, we are shining a light on how plastic surgery businesses can benefit from utilizing a public relations firm.

3 Ways Public Relations Can Benefit Your Plastic Surgery Practice

PR Can Help To Boost Your Website’s Google Ranking

In today’s digital age, you have to ensure that your online content is discoverable on search engines. How exactly does one do that? The answer lies in investing in your website’s search engine optimization (SEO).

There are plenty of ways in which you can improve your website’s overall SEO ranking. First, you have to write content that is both intriguing and informational. After doing some keyword research, you’ll know exactly what your audience wants to read about. You will then be able to get more organic traffic by simply providing information that’s already in high demand.

Another way of boosting your website’s SEO ranking is to write guest blogs on other health care websites that link back to your website. Each backlink gives your website more credibility and will increase your website’s Google ranking. This means your website will have a higher chance of being noticed, which will increase organic traffic to your website and ultimately get you more clients.

A great PR firm will help your website to climb rankings by making sure your practice is consistently building online authority and trust. This will help to establish your online presence and turn any press opportunity into potential customer acquisition opportunity.

PR Drives Long-Term Online Results

Compared to traditional advertising, a well-written, evergreen editorial can drive more long-term results. Why is this? Because a traditional advertisement is only utilized once and placed on one specific platform for a limited amount of time.

An editorial, on the other hand, can be published on more than one platform, can be reshared multiple times, and allows for online discussion. The ripple effects of a compelling editorial are, quite frankly, never-ending.

However, this is not the only benefit that PR content has over traditional marketing. PR allows you to build connections within the media industry. For example, once a journalist has worked with you, they will keep your contact details on file for any future stories. However, for this to happen, any interaction with journalists needs to be positive and professional in nature.

By hiring an experienced PR firm, you can be sure that you will always have marketing materials readily available for journalists. This means that the entire process will run smoothly, which will entice them to work with you again. This could lead to additional free exposure on a long-term basis and send more clients to your door.

Establishing Brand Credibility

Brand credibility is vital, especially in the health sector. However, getting your brand to be perceived as the go-to place for plastic surgery in an unbiased way takes time.

How people feel about your brand can make or break your practice. As such, it is crucial that you get the right type of exposure.

A lot of people think that by implementing an expensive advertising campaign you will get the brand recognition that your practice needs. While this is true to an extent, an elaborate advertising campaign can also be perceived as biased self-promotion. This means that when it comes to building authentic brand credibility, advertising may not be your best bet.

PR, however, relies on third-party endorsement from news anchors, local columnists and bloggers, and even media houses. In other words, PR allows a trusted media house to put their stamp of approval on your medical practice. Seeing that lots of people view journalistic reporting as accurate and unbiased, they tend to put a lot more trust in what the media has to say about businesses.

This method of getting your brand’s name out there can easily establish you as a specialist in your field of practice. Whether you prefer to give your two cents on a new plastic surgery fad or you would like to comment on a popular surgery technique or pro bono work your practice has been doing, the media can provide plenty of ways to get your brand’s story out there.

In Summary

With an experienced PR company at your side, there are lots of ways that your plastic surgery business can benefit from tried and tested PR practices.

Whether you want to boost your website’s Google ranking or establish your brand in the medical field, PR can ensure more brand visibility and get more clients to knock on your door in no time at all.

Leeza Hoyt

Public Relations Tips and Strategies For The Banking Industry

Competition in the banking industry can be fierce. With numerous financial services companies to choose from, one has to go the extra mile to retain and acquire more clients. This is where public relations comes into play.

In this article, we will be discussing PR tips and strategies that support the brand growth of banking and financial services providers.

4 Public Relations Tips and Strategies For The Banking Industry

Invest in Social Media

Social media is a wonderful marketing tool that can foster direct communication between your brand and your customers. In other words, it effectively opens the door for quick and honest feedback and gives your company a chance to immediately address any concerns that your online audience may have.

Why is this important? It shows that you value what your customers have to say.

By giving your customers a platform where they can feel seen and heard, you not only have the opportunity to build more brand awareness, but you can also connect with your online audience.

With so many social media platforms to choose from, it’s best to research what each platform can help you to achieve. Facebook fosters a sense of community, while Twitter helps to spark conversations. No matter what platform you choose, be sure to always include LinkedIn as it will help to establish your bank’s expertise and professionalism.

Empower Your Customers

A lot of people are struggling to manage their money in a way that will benefit them in the long run. Not everyone has a degree in finance, but most people are interested in learning how to manage their investments and savings. By identifying where your customers fall short, you can be their guiding light.

Through various PR initiatives, you can appoint trusted and recognized financial services executives to educate your brand’s audience on how to manage their money properly. While doing this, you can shine a light on the various services your company offers. Show how you can help your customers achieve their financial goals.

Whether your bank wants to start a blog or you want to invest in other forms of digital content creation, there are numerous ways that you can provide financial resources for your customers.

Traditional PR, like TV interviews or articles in finance magazines, can also help you to empower more people in managing their finances.

Establish Your Brand’s Credibility

Would you trust an unknown bank with your money? Probably not. People want to be able to put a face to the companies they do business with. The more you know about a brand, the more likely you’ll be to trust them. Trust, especially in the financial services industry, is key when it comes to ensuring company growth.

So how do you build more brand awareness and foster trust and credibility in the process? You need to share your opinion on relative matters. If you want to establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry, you need to be a great conversationalist – both online and in traditional media outlets.

Your brand’s voice can earn you lots of positive media exposure. By sharing some tips and tricks via news websites, radio shows, and interviews, you can establish your company’s credibility. At the same time, you can also build more brand awareness. In the long term, this can help to boost both client acquisition and retention.

Develop an Actionable PR Plan

For any PR strategy to be effective, it needs to be actionable. To really get a headstart on any of the PR ideas you have for your financial company, you need to develop a long-term PR plan. This will help you to organize your action steps and to make the most of your PR budget.

To start, you can decide on the following:

the platform you want to utilize
the topic you want to cover
the angle you want to try
and the team member that will speak on your chosen topic

You can also consider the media outlets that you’d like to target and the budget you have for each month.

Your plan doesn’t have to be intricate to be useful. As long as you take note of everything that can help you to organize your PR event, then you should be right on track.

You also don’t have to think of a PR strategy on your own. By building connections within the PR industry, you can regularly ask for tips and tactics from PR professionals.

You can also expand your network to include marketing and media house professionals. The more people you befriend, the better your feedback will be on what you have planned for the year.

In a Nutshell

By forming a coherent PR strategy for your banking company, you can successfully grow your brand. It can help to establish your company within the financial industry, allow you to connect with your customers, and lend credibility to what you specialize in.

Leeza Hoyt

Media Relations Strategies For Law Firms

The legal industry in the U.S. is very competitive. It can be challenging for new law firms to stand out among the crowd.

This is where tried and tested media relations strategies come into play. You can build trust with prospective clients by raising your firm’s visibility, showcasing your success rate, and tying your brand to high-profile cases.

To help you out, we’ve outlined four top media relations strategies for law firms below.

Four Media Relations Strategies For Law Firms

1. Reach Out To Media Publications

No matter what area of law you specialize in, it is essential to proactively reach out to various media houses. Bloggers and journalists from esteemed publications can portray you as a thought leader in your respective field. They will also be able to share your firm’s valuable insights regarding everyday matters.

Whether that means writing a monthly opinion piece for a national magazine, or providing a quote in a local newspaper, every bit of positive brand awareness counts. You might even want to take it a step further and do on-camera interviews. These allow people to put a face to a name and form a real connection with your firm.

Many law firms are wary of media attention because they don’t want to comment on cases they are actively involved in. Because of this, they miss out on all the excellent advantages that positive media coverage can bring their firm’s way. Instead of fearing media publicity, think of it as a tool that can help you to benefit both your firm and your local community.

Your firm can provide helpful tips for law students, talk about the do’s and don’ts when it comes to drawing up contracts, or simply give great insight into other high-profile cases. The important thing is to decide what you are comfortable talking about and create a media strategy that will guarantee positive brand exposure.

2. Put Someone In Charge Of Your Firm’s Marketing

If you have an established firm, then you are probably receiving quite a few media inquiries on a monthly basis. If you are struggling to stay on top of all the media opportunities heading your way, it’s probably best to appoint an experienced PR firm, like The Hoyt Organization. Not only will a PR firm be able to identify the best media opportunities, but they will also be able to prepare and coordinate interviews.

This is also true when it comes to speaking engagements. Talking about a specific legal topic that you specialize in will allow you to demonstrate your expertise and help to establish your firm’s credibility. An experienced PR firm can help identify relevant speaking opportunities and take care of all the administrative arrangements.

When it comes down to it, having an extra set of hands around to take care of your marketing affairs will allow you to do what you do best.

3. Display Your Firm’s Achievements and Ratings Online

If your firm has won legal awards or has garnered top-level ratings from previous clients, then it is time to put them on full display. Legal industry awards and high ratings can really help in establishing your firm’s credibility and, in doing so, get more clients to knock on your door.

In today’s digital age, most prospective clients research a law firm before contacting them. This is why it is so crucial to proudly display your awards or other achievements online. If you haven’t yet submitted any cases for award consideration, now is the time to apply. It may be a time-consuming process, but with an established PR company at your side, you won’t have to worry about any of the clerical duties.

This is also relevant when it comes to your firm’s online ratings. You have to make sure that your firm is listed on multiple websites, search engines, and other online locations so people can voice their opinions about your firm. Not only will this bolster confidence in your firm’s capabilities, but it will also boost your website’s overall SEO rating, which will make you more discoverable online.

4. Proactively Manage Crises

Whether your law firm is just starting out or has been in business for years, any business can fall victim to a PR crisis. Whether it is a negative review on a search listing or a high-profile case that could harm your firm’s image, you need a mitigation strategy for any potential crisis.

The best solution is to appoint an experienced PR firm to deal with any hiccups before they happen. This will not only give you peace of mind but will also allow you to protect your firm’s reputation should the worst come to pass.

In Summary

Becoming a great lawyer takes years of dedication and commitment. Don’t let your law firm’s accomplishments go unnoticed by failing to implement stellar media relations strategies.

Getting your firm noticed by prospective clients can be easier than expected, especially if you have the right PR firm to help you out. Connect with The Hoyt Organization today.

Leeza Hoyt

Public Relations In 2022: What Will The Future Bring?

Most people will agree that seeing 2021 in the rearview mirror is a good sign. Although it’s been a difficult year, we’ve seen compassion, growth and resilience throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The public relations industry itself has seen a great deal of change as well. Here are a few things that our crystal ball is predicting for 2022:

The ESG movement will continue to grow. Companies that embrace ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) policies and dedicate their corporate culture to supporting these environmental and social measures will set the stage for good stewardship of not only their own company but the world at large. I believe a company’s ESG score will become a defining factor for many of their audiences moving forward, and those that want to remain on the cutting edge better keep an eye on it.

The needs of the workforce will continue to change. Employees are now interacting with five generations in the workplace, each of which has its own set of factors that define their work style. While millennials have dominated the more recent conversations, Gen Alpha — those who are now between 11 and 25 years old — are now moving into the prime of their work years. Their viewpoints are quite different from millennials and they bring a different definition of how they view the work world. As a result, employers will continue to need to determine how best to engage the various generations given their different work styles, needs, desires and views on work-life balance. As the generations shift, this need will continue moving forward.

The workplace isn’t a place; it’s a mindset. With the “work from anywhere” moniker, I believe companies will continue to grapple with how company culture can be defined. Can there be a company culture when much of the interaction is now on a screen? Many employers have implemented various strategies that range from full work-from-home to hybrid schedules and some demand traditional in-the-office workplace routines. One thing is for sure: This will continue to evolve and the companies that dedicate their corporate culture to trying to figure how to evolve with these shifts — whatever that looks like for their company — will thrive.

Technology will continue to be a strong driver. The link that has allowed the workplace to evolve is technology. It’s now acceptable to have Zoom meetings, and there is a wide variety of communications tools that have increased our ability to communicate. These include Slack, email, text, WhatsApp and many, many more. As if that weren’t enough, social media platforms — Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and others — are also tools that are available to reach specific audiences. With that comes the overarching challenge of deciding which channels are important to the audiences our clients need to reach. This makes the public relations professional all the more valuable as the trusted advisor who can design a program using the right channel that pushes out the right brand message.

PR itself continues to evolve. While public relations originally sprouted from the news side of the industry, today the communications wheel includes everything from company newsletters, news releases and articles, advertising, sponsorships, brand layering, social media, influencer campaigns, crisis management and more. A campaign today can include a variety of earned, owned, paid and shared media. As a result, PR agencies are morphing into blended services in order to provide a holistic program for their clients and to capture a larger portion of the campaign dollars. There is no doubt that this trend will continue moving forward.

Public relations has always been an evolving industry. It shapes our world, changes our perceptions and drives things forward. There is no doubt that it will continue to evolve as our world changes. Here’s to an amazing 2022!

This article was originally published on Forbes, here.

Leeza Hoyt

Social Media Marketing For Healthcare Providers

The entire world has realized the power that great social media marketing can give to a brand. The healthcare industry is no exception.

Competition within the industry is getting steeper and patients are demanding faster response times when it comes to sharing critical medical information. Luckily, healthcare social media can help providers to stay on top of their tasks.

Whether your practice prefers Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram, social media can give you ample opportunity to educate, inform, and stay in constant contact with your demographic audience.

Below are the top healthcare social media marketing tactics for the healthcare industry.

6 Social Media Marketing Tactics For The Healthcare Industry

Educate Your Followers

The people that follow you on social media are already aware that a healthy lifestyle is important. You can use this to your advantage and reel them in with informative content. Educate your audience on health, fitness, the repercussions of unhealthy habits, and the tell-tale signs of certain diseases.

The key is to be the voice of reason in a sea of online noise to help guide them in living healthier lifestyles.

Remember to not only create self-promotional content when speaking to your audience. Give valuable knowledge away for free to establish trust with your followers. Afterward, you can mention the healthcare options your practice provides as an added bonus.

Making Your Healthcare Practice Stand Out

It is critical that you establish your brand as a leader in your respective field of healthcare. Competition can be fierce in the healthcare industry, which is why you shouldn’t give prospective patients an opportunity to add other healthcare specialists to their speed dials.

Broadcast every win for your company. Whether you place the spotlight on your highly trained, dedicated employees, or show off your advocacy efforts – every opportunity should be fully utilized on social media.

You can also use your social media platforms to be more transparent and personable. This can help you to connect more deeply with prospective patients.

Keep One Ear on the Ground

Social listening is a gold mine in today’s digital world. It allows you to keep track of what is being said online and use this knowledge to foster relevant conversations with your audience. Social listening can also help you to get a better understanding of people’s feelings toward your staff, practice, products, and services.

Want to scope out what people like about your competition? Keeping your eye on what is being said online can also help you to do that.

If analyzed properly, social media banter can also help you to form new communication strategies. And lastly, it can help you get a sense of how people are responding to emergent health issues.

Counteract Misinformation

Social media gives ample opportunity for misinformation to be spread around. However, the opportunity to counteract these rumors can allow your healthcare practice to shine. The answer lies in grabbing the bull by horns and becoming part of the online conversation.

There are numerous ways in which your organization can combat this and use social media to reinforce the facts. And it doesn’t have to be a boring task at all. From quizzes to questionnaires and even competitions, you can make sharing the correct information on social media fun for your followers.

Harness the Power of the Hashtag

When it comes to Instagram and Facebook, the hashtag remains king. This little social media staple has become indispensable over the years. It gives healthcare businesses a real opportunity to stand out.

Not only can hashtags help you to target your ideal audience, but it allows you to start a movement or label your latest digital marketing campaign.

Hashtags give your audience an opportunity to join in the fun and to share your company values with the world. From healthcare-specific hashtags to hashtags that promote and extend your content’s reach, your content can travel further with them by your side.

Support Those in Need

A small section of your audience may include vulnerable individuals that are in need of support. So, use your social media platforms to share valuable resources and support groups to help them out.

Even by spreading awareness of a specific disease, you can help some people not feel so alone on their health journey.

If your healthcare practice already has resources in place, such as affordable classes, webinars, seminars, or free phycological support, then now is the time to spread the word.

You can also support local charity organizations or causes that align with your practice values by giving them a shout-out online.

Conclusion

There are ample ways that your healthcare practice can use social media marketing to connect with your audience. From spreading awareness about causes that you believe in, to providing quality, informative content to your patients – the online world is your oyster!

By putting the needs of your patients before your own, you can build your brand to new heights in record time.

Contact The Hoyt Organization for a consultation about healthcare public relations.

Leeza Hoyt

Persuade Public Opinion With The Right Attitude

Public opinion can make or break your company’s brand. So how exactly can you persuade public opinion to better understand your company? The answer lies in having the right attitude.

How you treat your customers and how you handle both the highs and lows that your company experiences say a lot about the kind of company culture you have.

Below, we explore what public opinion is and how having the right attitude can influence how your customers engage with and perceive your brand.

Public Opinion and Brand Perception

Public opinion can be defined as the view of a sum of individuals on a specific issue. Public opinions regarding a particular business can be formed in multiple ways. Word of mouth, brand interactions, or witnessing how a brand treats its customers can all influence the public opinion of that brand’s target demographic.

Ultimately, public opinion affects how a brand is perceived. Brand perception has to do with what customers believe a product or service represents. Notice that brand perception has very little to do with what you say about your brand. Rather, the emphasis is placed on what your customers think or feel.

Why do public opinion and brand perception play such a critical role in any company’s success? Well, if you have a very negative brand perception that’s fueled by public opinion, then conventional marketing practices won’t get you very far. Even if you shout your company’s honorable values from the rooftops, it will do little to sway public opinion.

So, how can you create a positive brand perception? It all starts with your brand’s attitude.

How Your Brand’s Attitude Affects Public Opinion

A brand’s attitude can radically affect public opinion. It all comes down to confidence and what you sell and how you sell it. You can boost confidence in your brand in a myriad of ways. Below, we touch on the four pillars that support brand confidence so that you can sway public opinion in the right way.

Social Validation

People want to fit in, and because of this, they tend to follow the crowd. According to research, people generally become more certain of what they believe in when they think that others share their opinion. This is known as the attitude consensus effect and is the reason why some things become popular and other things don’t.

This could be beneficial to your brand if your customers already hold a desired opinion towards your products or services. You should then aim to reinforce those positive opinions regarding your brand by showing that it is widely shared.

Of course, you can also show that your brand is well-loved by posting online reviews and surveys on your website and social media channels. When it comes to sales, you should always try to reinforce any endorsements – whether it’s towards your products or services or your brand as a whole.

Repetition

There is a well-known rule in marketing that any message you send out generally has to reach your target audience seven times before it becomes effective. However, repetition is also very effective when it comes to people expressing their own opinions.

Not only does it increase people’s own certainty regarding their stance on something, but it increases their willingness to promote, defend, or act on it.

Marketing teams should use this to their full advantage and encourage stakeholders, customers, and even employees to express their positive opinions about your brand. You can even reward people for doing so, which will give them that extra motivation to speak their minds.

Easy to Understand

Research shows that if you can easily form an opinion on something, the more confident you will be that your opinion is valid. Therefore, it is important for brands to simplify the marketing material they present to their demographic audience.

Easy-to-read fonts and simplified graphics can easily persuade your customers. In turn, your customers will be more certain of the validity of the message you are trying to convey.

In other words, don’t overcomplicate what you are trying to say. Instead, focus on making it as easy as possible for your target market to understand what you are trying to convey. Sometimes, less is more.

Defending What You Believe In

In general, people tend to defend what they believe in. According to research, people also feel more certain of their opinions after defending them.

When people already like your brand, then it won’t take much for them to come to your defense. The trick lies in giving them the opportunity to do just that. It can be as easy as asking the right questions on your social media platforms and letting your customers do all the talking for you.

Creating these opportunities where your customer base can defend your brand can help you to effectively build confidence, support, and loyalty towards your company.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to persuading public opinion with the right company attitude, you have to get your loyal customers on board. Authentic public opinion holds the most votes in the marketing world, which is why you should create opportunities for your brand’s followers to speak up.

Leeza Hoyt

Planning Your Public Relations Healthcare Strategy

An effective PR healthcare strategy makes use of both digital marketing campaigns and traditional marketing methods. In order to really set your healthcare brand apart from its competition, you have to stay on top of the latest PR trends. This involves analyzing what works and doing away with what is not adding value to your marketing efforts.

In this article, we will be taking an in-depth look at how you can plan a practical yet successful public relations healthcare strategy.

How To Plan Your PR Healthcare Campaigns

Determine the desired outcome

If you want to effectively measure the effectiveness of your PR efforts, you will have to define the outcomes of all your marketing campaigns. Whether you want more brand awareness, reach a different demographic, or simply increase sales, you can effectively measure your success by setting goals.

The results garnered from traditional marketing channels can be difficult to keep tabs on. However, it is not impossible. For instance, simply asking a potential client how he or she heard of you will give you plenty of insight into the effectiveness of your traditional marketing channels. By doing this, you can actively determine if you are achieving your traditional PR goals.

When it comes to digital marketing, setting and measuring the success of campaigns are much easier. This is largely because most of your digital platforms will automatically provide you with campaign analytics.

If you want to maximize your success, you can set SMART goals for each campaign. SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timebound.

By setting these specific goals, you can constantly check on the progress of your PR healthcare strategy, and tweak certain aspects of your marketing campaigns if needed.

Create engaging content

Content is still king. This is unlikely to change anytime soon, which means your public relations healthcare strategy should center around quality content. What does this mean exactly? It means that your content should be of real value to your audience.

It’s not just about which graphic catches your audience’s eye. You have to really know what your audience wants, and then you have to give it to them. The golden rule is to provide your audience with 80% free, valuable information that will benefit them. You should only be promoting your brand roughly 20% of the time.

Quality content is not a sales pitch. Instead, it gives a voice to your healthcare brand and helps you connect with your audience on a deeper level. If your content is engaging and thought-provoking, it will get more engagement on social media. This means your healthcare posts will get shared more readily with other people, which means you’ll be reaching a wider pool of potential clients.

Choose your PR channels for distribution

One may think that digital PR channels are more effective when it comes to getting your healthcare brand’s name out there but this isn’t necessarily the case. Just because the effectiveness of traditional PR marketing campaigns is harder to track, it doesn’t mean it’s not working.

PR firms that specialize in traditional PR are more likely to have a lot of contacts within the industry. This means that healthcare brands that decide to go the traditional route are more likely to advertise on ideal traditional platforms. If the demographic you are trying to reach is older in age, then traditional media may be the perfect avenue to guarantee more sales.

On the other hand, if you are trying to connect with a much younger audience, then digital PR channels are your best bet. Seeing as digital platforms are the local hangouts of most people under 40, it would make more sense to advertise on Facebook, Instagram, or even TikTok.

Another factor to consider is the cost of advertising on each distribution channel. The cost of TV and radio ads can get quite expensive, especially if you want your ad to be featured during prime time. However, these costs can vary from network to network.

Review the performance of your campaign

Each campaign you run, whether traditional or digital, has to give you a proper return on your investment. In order to determine whether your campaigns are working, you will have to measure the success of each campaign.

With digital campaigns, this should be done throughout the lifespan of each ad so you can tweak it if needed. If you use traditional PR platforms, be sure to check if sales increased during the duration of the traditional ad campaign.

Alternatively, you can also ask potential clients where they heard of your healthcare business. This will allow you to see if your traditional marketing efforts are successful or not.

Conclusion

Planning a public relations healthcare strategy is easy if you have a professional PR company that can help you reach your marketing goals. By establishing your PR goals, creating killer content, and choosing the right channels to distribute your marketing message, you will reap the benefits of your hard work in no time.

Leeza Hoyt

What You Need to Know About PR as a Tech Startup Company

As a tech startup company, there are certain mistakes you cannot afford to make. One of these is underestimating the importance of establishing your brand on the media landscape. A winning public relations strategy can be (and often is) the difference between success and failure.

With only 56% of startups making it through to their fifth year, don’t make the same avoidable mistakes as many companies have before you. How your company is portrayed to the public is incredibly important. As such, you need to adopt a PR strategy for your business that is structured and thought out.

Below, we outline the most important things you need to know about your tech startup’s relationship with the public.

5 Things To Know About PR As A Tech Startup Company

These tips should help you navigate how to choose a PR strategy for your company.

Start Small

Remember: you are a business, not a celebrity. More is not always better when it comes to attention from the press.

Going out guns blazing in the press without a media strategy can be detrimental to your brand. Make sure you have a carefully staged plan for your release in the media. First impressions are important so make sure you control yours.

In the early stages, you want to make sure your social media channels and website are ready to go with the image you want to portray of your business. By the time you increase your media coverage, your website and social media should be developed to the point where you look professional and attractive to customers.

Focus on Your Customers

What do your customers need or want from your business? Focus on that. While a good PR strategy should lead you to investors, it should not be the target of your PR strategy.

Investors are important and they will come. Don’t lose sight of the people who will keep your company relevant. Take the time to engage with your customers or potential customers across every platform.

Interacting with customers is part of creating a brand that people trust. Listen to their criticisms and praise. At the end of the day, you are building your product for them.

Build Friendships Not Connections

The ultimate goal is to have great connections with media outlets. This is a goal that requires a lot of work and effort, but it is very important. Connections with the media are invaluable for your business.

Instead of approaching every outlet asking them for a mention, start by engaging with the media on their various platforms. Reply to their posts or comment on them. Start slowly building relationships with different outlets by getting them to notice you.

If you are in this for the long run, you will need media personnel on your side. The establishment of relationships with journalists is only going to benefit you. You should start founding these relationships as early as you can.

Choose the Right Journalists and Media Outlets

It is easy to identify the biggest names in the media and try to get mentioned by them. But, a better strategy for startups is to identify and narrow down your target market and then choose your media outlet.

If you know your target audience well enough, you will know which channels are best to reach them. It may not sound as glamorous as being mentioned by the big tech media outlets, but it may be the best source of leads for future customers or investors. You will also have a better chance of being mentioned by less mainstream channels.

Keep Your Messages Consistent

Consistency is really important when it comes to public relations. Your PR strategy needs to account for both short-term and long-term strategies. The long-term strategies need to focus on building relationships and establishing a presence in the media.

If the messages put out from your tech startup brand on various platforms are consistent, it is easier for people to understand what you’re all about. It helps consumers and investors see the value in what you are doing.

It may seem tedious and slow, but the more people hear about a brand, the more trustworthy it becomes. This comes from a long, consistent journey in the media. If you keep putting your brand out there, people are going to get curious and see what you’re offering.

Conclusion

Presence in the media for companies today is vital for success. While you may want to hit the ground running in the media, there is great value in sticking to an incremental yet methodical PR strategy.

Focus on your long-term media goals and ensure you really build relationships with various media channels. These small steps will pay off in the long run when you have a well-developed and trustworthy brand.

Leeza Hoyt

Public Relations Planning Tips For The Holiday Season

The holiday season is almost upon us which means it is nearly time to take a well-deserved break. But just because you are planning on taking things slow, it doesn’t mean your business should do the same.

Now is the time to start planning ahead so your brand can continue to benefit from effective holiday PR campaigns during the holiday season and beyond.

Below are some tips on how to make the most of your PR strategy during the holiday season.

5 Top PR Planning Tips For The Festive Season

Launch a Charitable Campaign

If you really want to grab the media’s attention, then a charitable campaign is the way to go. Charitable campaigns not only tie in nicely with a corporate social responsibility mandate. They also give you the opportunity to mingle with other stakeholders.

By choosing a charitable campaign that your company really believes in, you can do some good while ensuring positive media coverage for your brand. This will allow you to incorporate the holiday, feel-good theme into your campaign which will guarantee ample brand awareness.

Keep The Content Flowing

The holiday season usually has lots going on with lots of events to attend and many family and friends to visit. Even though people tend to be quite busy during this time, most of them actually frequent social media platforms more over the holiday season.

This means it is the perfect time to capitalize on increased user activity by ensuring that your content calendar is packed to the brim!

By planning ahead and preparing lots of content for all your social media platforms you can effectively increase user engagement.

Make sure everything goes to plan by scheduling your content on each platform ahead of time. This way, you can sit back and relax while the content keeps streaming in on all your social media platforms.

Remember to update your cover photos, background photos, and your company’s profile picture on each platform. This will help you to reflect the festive spirit of the holiday season.

Create Relatable Campaigns That Appeals To All Customers

The holiday season is a celebratory time that shouldn’t exclude any cultures, religions, or alternative ways of life. Instead, you should aim to celebrate all the differences within your customer demographic.

Be sure to post content that will appeal to the various segments of your customer base. One way to do this is to let your employees help get your company’s festive message out there.

If you have a large company that employs a large variety of people, then each of them can share a holiday greeting with your customer base. Each greeting can be representative of that specific employee’s heritage, culture, nationality, or native language.

This way, your customers will be able to see that your company really values them. A campaign like this one will also be able to establish your company as an international employer. Spread the festive cheer and be sure to involve as many customer demographics as you can while doing so!

Invest in New Holiday Packaging

Whether you have an online shop or your products are typically found on store shelves, new packaging is a sure-fire way to grab anyone’s attention. This holiday season is the perfect time to add some festive cheer to your packaging’s design, so go all out!

You can pair your new packaging with a marketing campaign that features recipes and different angles to highlight your brand’s features and benefits.

You can also consider collaborating with another brand to increase the exposure of your new packaging. Try to pick a brand that will truly complement what your brand brings to the table. This way, both companies can come out victorious.

Go Big With a Holiday Giveaway

Competitions attract lots of attention, both online and in-store. By launching a massive giveaway during the holiday season, customers are even more likely to interact with your brand’s social media pages.

Everybody is looking for that perfect gift to give to loved ones, so be part of the solution and help your customer base to tick off items on their to-buy list.

The best thing about online giveaways is the conditions you can set for people to enter the competition. You can ask them to subscribe to your company’s newsletter, to like and follow your social media pages, or simply to interact with your social posts. You can also advertise in media outlets to spread the word about your giveaway even further.

By launching a holiday giveaway, you will ensure a win-win situation for both your company and your loyal customer base.

In Summary

The holiday season is the perfect time to maximize your brand’s reach and capitalize on user engagement. Whether you want to launch a competition, invest in new cheerful packaging, or give back through a charitable campaign, now is the perfect time to start plan

Leeza Hoyt

7 Things Everyone Should Know About PR Professionals

Any public relations firm in Los Angeles will tell you that PR professionals wear many hats. The PR industry combines best marketing practices with strategic communication, editorial, and brand management skills.

A great PR firm can help to build brand credibility, increase sales and improve customer and client relationships. Most people have some idea of what PR professionals actually do. However, there is still some confusion regarding their skillset.

To shine a brighter light on this topic, here’s a list of seven things everyone should know about PR.

7 Important Things You Should Know About PR

PR And Advertising Are Not The Same Thing

People often contact PR agencies with the idea that PR professionals can meet all their advertising needs. Although there are some things that PR and advertising have in common, they are not the same thing.

Where advertising normally utilizes only paid media, PR typically focuses on more organic positive interactions between customers and your brand. In other words, PR focuses more on building trust with your audience. However, both advertising and PR base their promotional approach on thorough market research.

The Skills of PR Professionals

An experienced Los Angeles public relations agency will largely focus on maximizing earned media opportunities.

Aside from writing press releases, newspaper articles, or thought leadership content, a PR professional will also be able to research target markets and personas and create compelling pitches.

They are experts at organizing appearances at social events, writing public speeches, and managing public company crises. Lastly, PR professionals can also track and analyze the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and adjust where needed.

Should Public Relations Experts Use Social Media?

While social media alone cannot offer your brand everything that a PR expert can, it is still an invaluable tool for connecting with your target audience.

Where possible, PR experts should use social media as an amplifier to broadcast your brand story. It is one of the best channels through which you can communicate with your audience in a clear, fun, and relatable way.

Most public relations firms in Los Angeles are experts when it comes to leveraging each social media platform to its full advantage. An experienced PR professional will be able to tailor content so that it captivates your audience on every social media platform.

PR Is Rooted In Strong Values

All public relations firms in Los Angeles are required to act ethically and according to strong moral values. They need to understand your company’s vision and values so they can strategically communicate with your target audience.

Not only are PR professionals required to win the trust of your customers. They should also earn your trust by being open and honest about your brand and communication strategy. This helps to prevent any future crisis from getting worse and creates the necessary room for your brand to grow and flourish.

PR Is All About Building Positive Relationships

A PR expert’s main job is to develop and maintain meaningful relationships with existing and potential customers, clients, and other key stakeholders.

By fostering these relationships, a PR expert can help you to effectively grow your company. It will also help to open the door to new marketing opportunities. In turn, this helps to boost your brand awareness and company credibility.

PR Can Benefit All Industries

Unlike other forms of marketing, PR has the potential to benefit all industries. This is because PR helps to boost brand credibility and influence the perception that customers have of your company. An experienced PR firm is also an invaluable asset during a PR crisis.

No matter your industry, your brand perception can make or break your company. As such, investing in PR is always a good idea when wanting to stay ahead of the competition.

PR Campaigns Is Measurable

We all want to know that the resources and time we invest in our marketing and brand awareness campaigns are worth it. The good news is that a PR expert will be able to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns with online tools.

In turn, this will give them the information they need to adjust their marketing efforts where needed. This means that you won’t be guessing when it comes to reaching your target audience. Rather, you can be more strategic and feel more confident that your campaigns will leave a lasting, positive impression.

Conclusion

There is a lot to know about public relations agencies and how they can go about getting your brand the recognition it deserves. By measuring their success, building positive relationships, basing their communication approach on strong ethical values, and incorporating tried and tested advertising tactics, there is little that PR experts can’t do.

To elevate your brand’s reputation to higher levels, consider hiring an experienced PR firm to help you out.

Leeza Hoyt

How Content Marketing and PR Are Similar

Are you wondering if you should invest in a Los Angeles PR Firm or maybe just increase your content marketing efforts to get your brand’s name out there? Many may not think it, but content marketing and PR are actually quite similar in a myriad of ways.

Both fields can be an invaluable resource for companies when it comes to brand awareness, crisis management, and online marketing.

In this article, we explore the similarities between content marketing and PR and how they can benefit your business.

5 Ways PR is Similar to Content Marketing

Research-Based Marketing Strategies

Both PR and content marketing professionals base their campaign strategies on thorough research.

When it comes to PR, both formal and informal research is done to create a two-way street of communication between a company and its target audience. This research allows a brand to engage with its audience in a relatable way. As a result, it helps to foster trust and sustain new relationships.

Thorough research gives PR professionals a well-rounded understanding of the science behind human behavior. Because of this, they are well equipped to give advice on marketing strategies. Moreover, they are able to nip any crisis situation in the bud.

When it comes to content marketing, it is critical that you understand your target audience. This is key to success. It also involves conducting research on content channels, trendy topics, and digital advancements. This way, you get maximum use out of every article or email.

A Love of Language

Whether you prefer a Los Angeles PR firm or a content marketer to help your business out, both industries require perfect grammar. A love of language is simply a must, as well as attention to detail and an interest in marketing.

Seeing as both PR and content marketing revolves around communication in all its forms, many rounds of edits are conducted before publishing any content.

It may seem like content marketers are more focused on marketing communication and that PR firms are best at protecting a brand’s public image. However, in reality, the duties of both fields tend to overlap a lot.

A brand’s story, no matter which angle you approach it, is one of the most powerful tools to pocket new clients with. Because of this, all content marketers and PR professionals are experts when it comes to telling a brand’s story using the written word.

Know Who You Are Marketing To

Fully understanding who you are marketing to is essential if you want to make a great first impression on your niche market. In order to create impactful content, both content marketers and Los Angeles PR Firms need to have an in-depth understanding of their buyers’ personas.

This data is usually based on a company’s target audience and gives great guidelines on how to reach new clients.

Both PR professionals and content marketers spend hours poring over demographic data and customer surveys. This enables them to fully understand their ideal demographic and adjust their marketing campaigns based on their findings.

Because the data is always changing, this is usually an ongoing process. However, it’s completely worth it. This is because it allows for the retargeting and fine-tuning of current and future marketing campaigns.

Building And Nurturing Relationships

Traditional PR is known for creating and sustaining mutually beneficial relationships with clients. In the past, this was mostly done through magazine articles, public addresses, and other forms of traditional marketing.

Today, lots of Los Angeles PR firms are more readily investing in online marketing. This is largely due to the world becoming more tech-driven. However, it is also because it better enables you to track the success and impact of each marketing campaign. All marketing efforts, whether traditional or digital, aim to strengthen and nurture client relationships.

Content marketing has skyrocketed in the digital age. It relies heavily on creating or sharing articles, videos, podcasts, as well as other media. This helps to attract, engage with or retain a target audience.

When it comes down to it, both PR professionals and content marketers launch strategic marketing campaigns. The goal is the same: to sustain long-term communication with a targeted group of people.

Know Your Way Around Digital Media

When it comes to brand and reputation management, PR and content marketing efforts go hand and hand. Both fields must know their way around digital media in order to better target their audience.

Paid media, articles, press releases, videos, and other forms of digital media all play a vital role in building a trustworthy, relatable brand.

This is why both content marketers and PR professionals are experts when it comes to online content creation and a wide range of digital tools.

In A Nutshell

If you are still on the fence about choosing a Los Angeles PR firm or content marketer to help your brand out, just remember that they have a lot of skill sets in common. When it comes to digital media, brand awareness, and content creation, both PR professionals and content marketers are equally qualified to put your company on the map.

Leeza Hoyt

Practice Active Listening

The goal of any PR firm is to help clients craft messaging and then clearly communicate. But what is the most important way to prepare empathetic, and relatable communication? Active listening.

By really listening to what your clients’ target markets are saying, you can effectively position brands into market segments.

In this article, we will dive into what active listening entails and how it helps you to better understand what your client base truly needs.

What Is Active Listening?

When it comes down to it, active listening requires you to be genuinely interested in the everyday concerns, wants, and needs of your target audience.

It enables you to look at your brand from another vantage point and objectively analyze your shortcomings. More importantly, it also enables you to truly understand what your audience thinks about your brand and why.

This allows you to weigh the opinions of others against what your business stands for and then respond in a relatable, meaningful way.

All brands have a story to tell. The question is, do you truly know your target market? Or do you have preconceived notions that cause your brand story to fall on deaf ears?

How Does a Company Practice Active Listening?

As companies grow, it might be tempting to gear your communication style to achieve monetary goals. While this isn’t wrong, it is still important to follow these next steps. This helps to ensure that you stay in touch with your target market on an emotional, practical, and intellectual level.

Invest in industry research. By keeping up with the evolution of your target market, you can tweak your communication style to provide solutions for their current problems.
View dissatisfied customers or clients as opportunities to learn and gain invaluable information.
Proactively work to prevent or resolve mistakes rather than denying their existence.
Make every customer feel heard by opening yourself up to honest critique. Apologize where it’s needed and create open lines of communication within your company.

Why Does It Matter In Public Relations?

By actively listening, a PR firm can help a company to confirm its approach to its target market. In the long run, this can help a business to examine a situation from multiple perspectives.

Active listening can also help PR firms to come up with proactive local media relations campaigns. This can aid your brand in taking control over the narrative and allow you to tell your brand’s story in a compelling, authentic way.

Active listening can help your PR team in strengthening your existing messaging, identifying communication misunderstandings, and even inspire new product ideas or identify an entirely new customer base

The Advantages of Active Listening In PR

There are plenty of advantages that active listening can offer your company. With the help of an experienced PR firm that knows how to correctly apply the principles of active listening, your company can benefit in the following ways:

Better understand the communication style of your target audience.
Better understand the fears, hopes, and dreams of your target audience.
Create a communication strategy that will resonate with your customer base.
Keep you up to date with trends or fads that your customer base finds appealing.
Help you to objectively analyze the shortcomings of your company.
Help you to lead your audience towards a solution that will benefit both them and your company.
Be proactive when it comes to communication misunderstandings.
Help to minimize the financial losses arising from lawsuits.
Clearly communicate your brand’s story and message.
Help you to structure thought leadership articles that your audience wants to read.
Help you to identify new customer bases or inspire new product development.

When it comes down to it, actively listening starts with empathy. If you can successfully place yourself in your customers’ shoes, you have a better chance of understanding what they need.

The idea of really listening and opening yourself up to criticism can be daunting. However, it can also help you to build a more successful company. When you put it all in perspective, it’s a rather simple practice for ensuring future success.

Final Thoughts

By hiring a Public Relations firm to help you actively listen to your target audience, you can create a more relatable, empathetic, and meaningful brand. With so much digital noise bombarding customers on a daily basis, this is a sure-fire way to stand out above your competition.

Make sure your brand is heard by taking the time to listen to what your customers have to say.

Leeza Hoyt

Moving Through a Most Difficult Year: Communications Makes a Difference

COVID-19 and now the Delta variant continues to impact our world. It’s not news that it has changed the way we work, socialize, and shop and more. While things have improved since spring 2020, we continue to grapple with the new normal. As a result, what is crucial to moving forward is how we manage our communication.

This isn’t the first time that we’ve been through this. From the Spanish Influenza of 1920 to the economic crisis in 2008, if there’s one thing we can count on, it’s that bad things will continue to happen. That said, it’s important to realize that every storm will eventually pass. The difference between how we view something retrospectively lies in the way that the issue was communicated in the first place. It’s important to remember that good communication builds trust, eliminates panic and allows for teamwork to effectively solve a problem.

As a result, communications should be at the front line for every company. Using a communications strategist to craft key messages that are presented to your stakeholders and publics in a timely and transparent fashion is crucial in upholding both business and reputation. These processes are designed to clearly present top-line messages, convey the right sentiment to the right audience at the right time.

Five Key Elements to Successful Communications

If you’re looking for a fast easy way to do this, there isn’t any. What you can do is build a framework that will allow you to build as you move forward. Here’s five things you won’t want to overlook.

Focus on the Message. Before you send anything out, remember what the purpose is. Does it resonate with your audience? Is the writing appropriate for this group?

Use the right channels for your message. There are many ways to communicate to each audience. Given the wide variety of channels that are currently available – everything from a social media channel such as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram – to a news release to an internal memo for employee communications and more — choosing the right channel is critical. It’s the best way to make sure that what your communicating is reaching the right audience in the right way.

Remember, communications is a continuous process. Covid has changed everything. To build a brand, its not a ‘one and done’ thing. Not sure what to say? Consider an update on company activities. Profile one of your key employees or clients. Be proactive and find ways to reach out to customers and clients, as well as employees and other audiences. It lets them know you’re still there, engaged and actively working. It also sets the stage for information and news in general which includes good and perhaps not-so-good news.

Be relevant, transparent and authentic. In today’s communications, compassion and understanding are paramount. How is your company responding to the Delta variant? Has the supply chain been impacted and what does it mean to deliveries? If you’ve been impacted by a natural disaster, how is the company moving forward? All of these elements come into play to make the company seem responsive, human and real.

Be engaging. This means talking directly to your audience in the most appropriate manner. Remember to set the right tone. Even bad news can be framed in an effective and more positive note. This alone is critical to how your audience receives – and processes your message.

Crises will continue to happen and companies will survive and move forward. For that to happen, having an effective communications strategy in place will set the stage – and the roadmap for success. Those companies that have this will have a roadmap for success.

1. Don’t Assume Every Holiday is Observed the Same Way

2. Plan for Holidays Not Based on the Traditional Calendar

3. Prepare for Extended Holidays

4. Understand Religious and Cultural Aspects of Holidays

5. Same Holiday, Different Day

THO

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