To Pay a Blogger or Not to Pay a Blogger?
A few weeks ago, while conducting blogger outreach for a client, I ran up against an interesting dilemma. Several of the bloggers I reached out to had agreed to write about my client’s event, but requested money in the form of a “sponsored post” to do so. Generally the fee was $100-150 a post, which […]
Thoughts on Focus Groups
Recently, my colleague and I attended a focus group conducted by Hebert Research for one of our clients. The aim of the session was to get feedback on a nonprofit’s website and other marketing materials, and it was a productive event. As a result of our experience at Hebert, we thought we’d share a few […]
Five SEO Tips for Websites
A company website can be a vital tool to educate and engage current and potential customers. Customers’ first brush with a business often comes through a search on the Internet. According to data from analyst firm iProspect, “62 percent of search engine users click on results within the first page of search results and 36 […]
Communiqué Helps Launch SoundRunner Passenger-Only Ferry Service
On October 18, 2010 the Port of Kingston launched a new express, passenger-only ferry service between Kingston, Wash. and downtown Seattle called SoundRunner. In order to drive awareness of the service launch, the ferry program manager reached out to Communiqué PR to enlist our help with outreach to local print, online and broadcast media to […]
Link Baiting: Effective or Not?
In the past two weeks several of our clients have asked us about link baiting, the practice of creating valuable content for one’s website that encourages people to link to it from other websites. This practice is popular with some companies and individuals because the quantity and quality of inbound links are two of the […]
The Value of Product Demos and Why Companies Should Consider Them
So you’ve developed a great product. The funding is locked down, a marketing plan is set into gear and the product is ready to be launched into the world. Before you release your new product into the wild, you might want to consider developing a product demonstration. A demo can help a company validate and […]
Crisis Communication Planning and the Impact of Social Media
Last week, Jennifer and I had an opportunity to conduct a workshop on crisis communication at the Washington State Community Action Partnership Statewide Development and Marketing Conference. The goal of the training was to provide attendees with an understanding of the various types of crises and how to best prepare. We also spent time discussing […]
The Story Arc
Throughout human history, stories have been a fundamental way in which we connect with people and think about the world. As children, we grow up hearing stories and as we get older, begin sharing stories of our own. Stories are an essential part of child development, and if done correctly, hold our attention as adults, […]
Five Tips for Positioning Your Company Against the Competitor
Differentiating your company and its products and services from the competition can be critical to the success of your business. Consider wireless service providers. AT&T Wireless, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint work hard to differentiate their service based on price, network coverage and their selection of phones. As you work to thoroughly analyze your competitors’ product […]
Moderating a Panel
I have been thinking about the responsibilities of a panel chair as I prepare to moderate a panel on damage control later this month. Colleen and I have been doing a significant amount of speaking as we promote our book, “Strategic Public Relations.” In addition, many of our clients are asked to chair panels as […]