If you’ve been in the PR business for a while, you no doubt have come across a PR request for proposals. An RFP can be an opportunity for your business or it can be a frustrating waste of time. Before you decide if you want to submit a response, you need to think it through and ask a bunch of questions.
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How to Deal With a PR RFP (Request for Proposals)
June 15th, 2016 by Andrew Blum, AJB CommunicationsPR Measurement: 4 Basic Elements for the Uninitiated
June 14th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinMost American adults know exercise and diet are critical to a healthy, fulfilling life. Still, only about half of us get the amount of exercise the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends. It’s similar when it comes to PR measurement. PR pros know it’s important to measure, but measurement itself often is done minimally or skipped altogether.
3 Keys to Snapchat Success From DJ Khaled
June 14th, 2016 by Mark RenfreeSnapchat continues to do well because it acts as a private portal into the lives of our friends—lives that are distinctively unfiltered, raw and often utterly mundane. It’s this window of authenticity that keeps users flocking to the app. And at this point, it’s the only way for organizations to have any kind of success on Snapchat. Brands like Taco Bell continue to post creative and compelling content on the platform, but there’s perhaps only one personality on the social network that truly embodies the philosophy of Snapchat: DJ Khaled.
The Week in PR
June 13th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinSometimes brands respond to an issue with a statement. Other times a good response is to monitor the situation and work behind the scenes. For most brands, it’s barely noticeable when Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers decides to eschew milk and cheese to gain strength, reduce inflammation in his joints, lose weight and extend his career. If you’re a Packers fan, who affectionately dons a cheese headpiece on fall Sundays, such intolerance for lactose is a concern. Should you happen to be from top U.S. cheese maker Wisconsin, whose license plates declare it the Dairy State, well, the 32-year-old’s oath could be tantamount to an affront to good manners. After all, for years Sargento, the family-owned, Wisconsin-based cheese maker, has been kicking in $1,500 after every Packers touchdown to charities feeding the needy.
Microsoft to Acquire LinkedIn, Boost Its Reach
June 13th, 2016 by Ian James WrightMicrosoft has finally become a player in the social media arena: It has entered into an agreement to acquire LinkedIn for $26.2 billion, the software giant announced on June 13. LinkedIn is to keep its branding, and its CEO, Jeff Weiner. Aside from intra-organization network Yammer (acquired in 2012), this will be Microsoft’s first widely used social media platform.
21 Social Media Insights, Ideas and Aha Moments for PR Pros
June 13th, 2016 by Diane SchwartzSeveral themes bubbled to the surface of the PR News Digital PR & Marketing Conference, attended by hundreds of PR and marketing professionals. Among them were: storytelling should be shared by all employees; ignore video at your own peril; influencers and peer networks are critical to reputation management, social media is a top way to build brand awareness but the jury’s still out on its ability to drive revenue. And I’ve bent over backwards and compiled for you a list of 21 insights and ideas from our esteemed speakers because great ideas should be shared.
Snap to It: Tips for Brands to Get Started on Snapchat or at Least to Think About Now
June 13th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinLike all social media platforms, Snapchat is tweaking itself, and the social community responds with changes of its own. Just weeks ago it was accurate to say Snapchat contained no e-commerce ads, that it averaged 8 billion daily views and that curated content on the evanescent platform was strictly verboten, a liability for brands intent on having maximum control of the message. Each of those statements now is untrue. Quickly to the first two: Snapchat began accepting e-commerce ads May 1 and it now says it is averaging 10 billion views daily. While those first two points are important to brand communicators, especially those interested in speaking to a millennial demo, the curated content piece may be the most important.
Revenue Grows, But Labor Costs Stop Firms From Reaching 20% Profitability
June 13th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinConfucius said, “Life is simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” The same holds for PR firms and profitably. Data supplied exclusively to PR News Pro by Gould + Partners reveals none of the 106 PR firms, which were grouped by net revenue, reached 20% profitability, the industry benchmark. Individually, some firms polled for this 2016 study had 30% profitability, others were far less. The groups failed to reach 20% profitability in the ’14 and ’15 surveys, too.
How to Use Old-School Journalism to Help Your Brand Stand Out on Social
June 13th, 2016 by Kelly MahoneySocial media is a green field for PR pros. Virtually every person you want to market to spends time online engaging with a social media platform. The catch is you must stand out. In a world where everyone wants just a minute of your time, asking for the mere seconds it takes to read and like a post is a tall order. The nonprofit association CompTIA faced this challenge. To get results it failed to attain previously, the association had to do things it hadn’t done before. By going back to journalism basics it rebooted its approach to social media, and increased engagement by as much as 180%. Thinking like a journalist will not only help you achieve your goals, it will make you indispensable as this niche grows in professional relevance.
Tips and Tactics to Ensure Your Online Content Is Optimally Optimized
June 13th, 2016 by Amy La SalaThere was a time, not too long ago, when PR and digital were acutely divided disciplines, often competing with one another for budgets. While that still may be the case for some, more and more PR and digital strategies such as SEO are integrating, working together to reach target audiences, improve user experience and garner a greater ROI. As a PR pro in this ever-changing landscape, it can be tough to navigate. The rules of SEO change almost daily thanks to Google.