When Should a Start-up Business Hire a PR Firm?
Recently, I was invited to be a guest panelist for a grad school class at the University of Washington focused on entrepreneurial marketing. One of the students asked, “When should a start-up hire a PR firm?” There were three of us on the panel and the students heard three different answers that day. John Cook, […]
Charitable Giving: Choosing a Cause for your Business
I recently attended Hopelink’s 17th annual Reaching Out Benefit Luncheon, featuring Jeanette Walls, bestselling author of The Glass Castle. The event was excellently done, and saw a turnout from a variety of local and national businesses, including Comcast, NBCUniversal, Boeing, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Nordstrom and Lane Powell. The variety of corporate sponsorship led me […]
Three Studies in Public Apologies & Crisis Communications
One of the major facets of public relations is crisis management. After all, although preventative measures are key, a variety of things can go awry that can negatively impact a company and its brand. Properly addressing errors is as important as preventing errors. One strategy frequently employed by a corporation is a public apology. However, […]
The Five Must Haves on Your Company Website
You have one chance to make a good first impression. Whether it’s a face-to-face meeting with a prospective customer, a conference call, or an email introducing yourself and your services, your initial contact is your chance to either impress or disappoint. In many first impressions, you may not even have the opportunity to directly connect […]
Five Facebook Tips for Social Media Managers
For brands hoping to engage consumers and maintain a consistent social media presence, a Facebook page can be an effective tool. Despite debates over what a Facebook “like” is actually worth, or whether the company is here to stay, Facebook provides an excellent resource for sharing content, engaging with fans, and telling your brand’s overarching […]
Making Use of Wikipedia: Best Practices for Your Brand
In the last 11 years, Wikipedia has become one of the most influential and searched sites on the Internet. Because of its Internet prowess, it is a great tool to promote a business or product. A Wikipedia page for your brand influences search engines, validates your presence, tells your brand’s history—and it’s free. At Communiqué […]
Blog Posts vs. Press Releases
When a company has news, the most common request we hear from clients is to distribute a press release announcing the newest product, customer or award win. But prepare yourself for a radical idea: A press release isn’t always the best way to communicate your company’s news. My colleague, Holly, recently wrote about using targeted […]
Using the Power of Pinterest to Pump Up Your Press Release
At Communiqué PR we are always trying to stay current on the latest social media and PR trends, and how they can benefit our clients. I recently came across an article on Ragan.com titled, “How Pinterest can boost your press release results” (by Carrie Morgan, September 21, 2012.) The article presented interesting ways that Pinterest […]
Four Tips to Maximize your LinkedIn Profile
Today, there are many different social media sites available. So what makes LinkedIn more appealing to professionals? Having just recently joined the one hundred million other users, I wanted to learn more about the site and discover the advantages LinkedIn offers to working professionals over other social media sites. In addition, after reading Jennifer’s blog […]
Weaving Together Moving Parts: OmniPlan for iPad Launch
Executing on a successful launch requires careful planning and integrating a lot of moving parts. By leveraging a variety of platforms and creating a rolling thunder type of buzz, a product launch will likely make more of a splash than simply distributing a press release. Recently, we partnered with the Omni Group to launch OmniPlan […]