Got questions about PR? We’d love to respond! The more our clients know about what public relations programs can (and can’t) do, the better. There shouldn’t be a mystique around what a good PR team can deliver, and there are no bad questions.
What Does a Public Relations Agency Do?
With some exceptions, PR agencies are brought on to build positive visibility for a company, brand, or personality. One powerful way to do this is by generating media coverage – news stories or segments about new products; interviews with a founder or other executive; or brand mentions in social or traditional media, for example. Media relations (or publicity) isn’t the only thing a PR team handles for clients, however. How an agency team sets out to create a steady stream of visibility for a company can vary according to the individual business, its industry, its goals, and budget.
Learn more about Crenshaw Communications full range of PR services.
What PR Services Do I Need?
An effective PR plan starts with an organization’s unique situation and goals. At Crenshaw, we start with an analysis of the business environment. We look at recent history, product or brand perception, industry trends, competitors, and long-term financial and business objectives. Maybe a company has a dated image in the marketplace. In some cases a competitor is gaining traction over an established brand. In others, a brand may have an innovative solution or product and needs attention for its offering. Once we understand the situation, we develop strategies and tactics to build visibility for the company and its products or services.
Contact Crenshaw today to discuss your business and let us help determine the best PR services for your business needs.
What is a content marketing plan?
Content marketing is a powerful element of many PR programs. A strategic PR plan can include a broad range and variety of content designed to engage customers or other audiences. As a B2B PR firm, we typically deal in blog posts, bylined articles, executive speeches and presentations, and op-ed pieces of interest to a brand’s customers and stakeholders.
Content marketing is especially powerful when used in tandem with earned media –- the positive news and feature coverage generated in a typical PR program. The best content works over time to build interest and engagement about a business service or product and make a company more searchable by prospective customers.
Learn more about content marketing and how Crenshaw Communications can help.
What is corporate communications?
Corporate communications seeks to build corporate reputation by communicating with key audiences, both internal and external. While the corporate communications function is sometimes considered synonymous with public relations, it is typically broader than PR, and it may be more internally focused. A typical corp comm department may have responsibility for corporate reputation and responsibility; employee communications; issues management; investor relations; and crisis communications. At a time when trust in major institutions is eroding, the corporate communications function in a typical organization has taken on heightened strategic importance.
Learn more about corporate communications and how Crenshaw Communications can help your business.
What is media training?
Media training is designed to prepare anyone, with any level of experience, to be an effective media spokesperson. At Crenshaw, we have prepared CEOs, celebrities, professional athletes, and a range of subject-matter experts to be comfortable speaking to journalists in a succinct, organized and compelling way. We recommend a training or refresher when a client is new to media interaction or needs help with broadcast TV interviews, for example.
Another occasion for a media training is when the brand messages have changed significantly as a result of business changes (acquisition, e.g.), a major announcement, or a shift in business direction.
Finally, media prep is essential if you anticipate a difficult transition or event that has the potential to negatively impact the business.
Learn more about media training and how Creshaw can prepare you for your next media interview.
How do I prepare for a product launch?
A well designed PR program can help with just about any product launch, assuming the product attributes are clear and distinctive, its target audience(s) are well defined, and its distribution is locked down. The credibility of PR, especially the earned media stories that a PR program can generate, is an excellent complement to paid media (advertising.) To be effective, a PR plan for a new product should start at least two months in advance of the product launch. It’s also important to build in plenty of lead time for media outreach designed to generate stories and product reviews.
Learn more about how Crenshaw can help you prep for a product launch.
What is a Media Relations Plan?
A media relations plan is usually designed to generate positive media coverage for an organization, product or service. But coverage in relevant media outlets doesn’t just happen. It comes as a result of a planning process by a professional PR team. That process typically includes category, product, and media research; creative elements like news hooks or third-party experts; and in-depth knowledge of journalist needs. Because the news environment is dynamic and constantly changing, a good media relations plan will be updated regularly so that its tactics and story angles are always fresh and relevant.
Learn more about media relations plans and how the professional PR team at Crenshaw can help you create one.
Why Should I use Social Media for Marketing?
Thirty-five years ago, one of the only ways to efficiently reach consumers was through traditional media – usually one of the three television networks or a national newspaper or magazine. Today, of course, digital and social media platforms predominate. Even business customers are influenced by the content they view on social media. Social media is a powerful element of any PR or marketing program because it can amplify the earned media coverage generated by PR and target consumers directly with relevant messages, stories, and other content.
Learn more about the importance of social media in marketing and how Crenshaw can help.
What is Employee Engagement & Why is it Important?
The COVID-19 pandemic helped trigger an unprecedented churn in the U.S. workforce as a higher-than-normal number of employees switched jobs. That’s one reason why employee engagement is more important than ever. Research shows that engaged employees are more committed, leading to greater staff retention, less absenteeism, and higher productivity. Clear and transparent internal employee communications is a key part of employee engagement, and that’s where an experienced PR agency can help.
Learn more about why employee engagement is critical to the health of a company and how Crenshaw can help.
What is the Goal of Brand Positioning?
Marketing a product or service means competing for visibility, engagement, and attention from the customers who matter. The right brand positioning can be a powerful advantage when it comes to gaining that attention. A good PR team will develop its plan to support an existing brand positioning, or in some cases develop one that is designed to appeal to a particular customer segment, to convey special value, or otherwise differentiate it from the pack.
Learn more about the nuances of brand positioning from our experienced Crenshaw team.
What is Thought Leadership?
What does it mean to be a thought leader? Many PR campaigns focus on attaining “thought leadership” status for clients, which implies a level of expertise as well as visibility. But true thought leadership is more than expertise or recognition; it’s a blend of innovation, insight, and influence. Thought leadership is largely about ideas. Being known as a thought leader is easier in times of rapid technology and social change, when the ability to “see around corners” is particularly prized. A good PR team can help a client executive be seen as a thought leader with the right ideas, conveyed through strategically created content and curated visibility within a given industry or business.
Learn more about what thought leadership is and how important it is to leadership from our expert PR team at Crenshaw.
What is a Brand Visual Identity?
Certain companies and brands – think of the Nike swoosh or the Apple logo – are instantly recognizable by their visual identity alone. A powerful visual identity can convey product benefits, brand messages, or sheer emotion without words or type. But visual identity goes beyond a logo to include every visual aspect of brand engagement, from colors and typography to website or app, to product packaging and promotion.
Learn more about brand visual identity and how best to build it from our professional PR team here at Crenshaw.
What is Reputation Management?
For any corporation or brand, reputation is a priceless asset. A positive reputation can help attract customers, recruit employees, and insulate a company from a downturn or crisis. Yet given the power of digital and social media, a perception, experience, or even rumor can spread widely and quickly – whether true or not. Reputation management seeks to influence or control reputation, including its search engine results. PR teams use a variety of tools and tactics to help brands manage how they are perceived by different audiences, from customers and prospects to employees and stakeholders.
Learn more about how important reputation management is to people and businesses from our expert team of PR professionals at Crenshaw.
How to Manage a PR Crisis?
Most crisis situations go beyond just PR; they are actual business crises that result in negative coverage for a company or brand. Almost any company is at risk, particularly those with large public-facing brands, and in the 24/7 media news environment, a fast response is critical.
The best way to manage a public crisis is to anticipate and prevent it. Yet full preparation isn’t always possible, and that’s where experienced PR crisis managers come in. A skilled crisis team will identify top reputational threats and plan for deft and timely management of high-risk situations. PR experts typically do this by running through scenarios, messaging, and responses to the most likely emergencies.
Learn more about how to best manage PR crises from our experts at Crenshaw Communications.