public relations

Distilling down the why of what you do is the critical first step in business storytelling. Next is compiling the story elements. This is your big idea. Here’s how to unpack your story:

1. Identify your character(s). Your customer, an employee, a business partner or founder. These are the voices to your narrative, and their experiences are woven together to make your story unique.

2. Determine your turning point. A roadblock, challenge, obstacle or dream unrealized.

3. Give people a reason to care. Is there a moral or educational lesson? How is it emotionally relevant to your core audience?

– Hollie Geitner, The Pittsburgh 100

Is your business looking to grow and improve? Of course it is. Maybe it’s time you think about refreshing your brand. This will allow you to take a step back and remind yourself why your business exists in the first place.

Repositioning your brand will help you stay more competitive in the market and ensure a meaningful, lasting bond between your brand, employees and customers. Figuring out what matters most to your customers, getting down to the nitty-gritty details and inspiring an uplifting spirit to those who interact with your brand will help revive your business like never before.

– Meaghan Hatch, Jones PR

As women’s issues come to the forefront with the #MeToo movement and a renewed focus on the gender pay gap, it should be no surprise that some of most successful PR campaigns of the past 20 years were aimed at empowering women.

In a PRWeek poll, voters overwhelmingly picked the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign as the best of the past two decades, closely followed by Procter & Gamble’s Always brand’s #LikeAGirl social media drive.

Along with those leaders, many of the 20 nominees successfully took advantage of social media channels to bring their message directly to consumers.

– Dan Stefano, The Pittsburgh 100

The communications landscape changes constantly with new innovations and techniques, and in 2018 companies must be prepared to keep up with the latest trends.

With newsrooms dwindling and lines blurred between earned and paid media, traditional media tactics should be refined. It’s more important than ever to include digital, social and paid aspects in any public relations campaign to ensure your message is heard by the right audience.

Fortunately, new metrics tools are on the rise to provide insight into consumer behavior and campaign effectiveness. IrisPR and SumAll are two great resources to drive results and maximize any PR strategy.

– Brianna Shoaf, The Tallahassee 100

I’m a huge proponent of working with social media influencers. I believe that is where brands can get the most bang for their buck, especially with millennials.

Things to consider when working with influencers: how many followers do they have? Are their followers in your target audience? How often do they share sponsored posts? Do they have a high engagement rate?

Reaching out to someone with 100K+ Instagram followers can seem intimidating, but everyone I’ve reached out to has been kind, receptive and helpful. If it fits with your brand, consider partnering with an influencer on your next paid campaign.

– Haley Barton, The Atlanta 100

Atlanta

It’s quite the buzzword around the world, but does influencer marketing work? If done right, it certainly can, but if done wrong, it’ll see you burning through cash with little to no return.

– Research – don’t only look at social influencers’ follower counts – find out their passions and interests, and check who their followers are too!

– Commit – this isn’t a hit-and-run exercise – be in it for the long haul to reap long-term returns.

– Invest – recognize the right influencer’s value by rewarding – payment, privileges and perks!

Done right, influencer marketing can create customers who create customers. Now that’s influence!

– Tara Rogers-Ellis, The Dubai 100

Last week, I sadly downloaded my Vines to my desktop. If I hadn’t, some of my favorite memories captured from college, concerts and travels would have been lost forever. The social media channel that featured six-second videos officially suspended its curation January 18. Vine is now officially Vine Camera.

Users can still take the six-second looping videos, to be saved or uploaded on Twitter, but the timeline of videos no longer exists.

If you want to pay your respects to the app one last time, CNN’s social team members put together a compilation of their favorite 15 videos.

– Emily Tracy, SPR Atlanta

Netflix is reviving Gilmore Girls – the charismatic TV series set in a storybook Connecticut town focusing on Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory.

On Oct. 5, Netflix turned 200 coffeehouses nationwide into Luke’s Diner, an adored spot from the original series, ahead of the show’s revival on Nov. 25. Each diner had décor from the show, employees in costumes (Luke’s aprons, backward caps) and coffee cups.

Netflix created an inclusive experience, which drew on the nostalgia of the show. According to the list of locations, every state included at least one “pop-up diner” (with Oklahoma having four locations).

– Jake Pasdach, Jones PR