SKC Insights

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, over 50% of small businesses fail in the first year and 95% fail within the first five years. Businesses who escape this fate and succeed, more often than not, have mastered the art of public relations. These companies have figured out how to use PR to multiply their effectiveness with customers, partners, and investors.

Among the hustle and bustle of your growing business, it’s easy to forget the little things. A mere 140 characters feels so unimportant compared to that big meeting and looming deadlines. Social media can drive brand awareness and generate leads, but keeping the machine running takes up your valuable time and resources.

Customers, partners and investors make decisions about your product or service based upon what they read, hear and experience. You are the expert on how to optimize your IoT product, fortify your cereal or leverage your portfolio of investments, but do you know the best approaches for optimizing your partnership with your PR firm? Here are five ways:

“I see trees of green, red roses too…” As Louis Armstrong sings, it’s a wonderful world. Every Earth Day we celebrate earth and our efforts to protect it. One of our environmental protection mantras is the 3Rs – Reduce, Recycle, Reuse. The idea of reusing old items to reduce waste can also be useful for your company’s marketing and PR content. Instead of the classic 3Rs, may we present, Renew, Recycle, and Repurpose:

Still searching for "the one"? For that perfect message, that is. Every company desires messaging that clicks with their customers and resonates loudly in the minds of prospective buyers and media. But creating the right perceptions isn't about having a single message. It’s about matching the correct messages, to the right types of audiences, at the right time.The secret to fantastic messaging is found in developing 5 key messages:

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Then in 2017, you and your crew set sail in search of buried gold to stake a claim on your industry’s uncharted territory. But alas mate, you find yourselves in the dreaded doldrums - where the calm sea of no publicity lies. If only a current of public recognition would carry you away, then you are this much closer to Treasure Island.
 
Well Captain, your crew awaits your instructions, so what should you do before there is mutiny on the bounty? It’s time to bring in the PR oars of salvation and start rowing your ship to the promised land.

Here are five ways to make news when there is no news:

Companies love media coverage — it reaches a large and broad audience at virtually no cost. The news website Mashable gets over 36 million visitors per month worldwide. So you’ve got an interview, but that doesn’t ensure a story or guarantee “ink.” So be quotable.

Here are five tips for a great media interview.

Generating high quality, and quantity, leads is crucial to any marketing campaign. Successful lead generation keeps sales brimming with new prospects and hardly requires any effort once put in motion. But as with any machine, getting the gears started requires some old-fashioned elbow grease.

Setting up your own lead generation systems requires focus on five areas:

Navigating in a new country or region can be daunting, especially when your company and product or service might not have the cache it has in your home market. Even with a strong corporate vision, building brand recognition takes time and effort. And with the right knowledge it can be a less bumpy road to success.

When it comes to marketing and public relations, lay the groundwork and remember these five tips: