SKC Insights

So, you’re thinking about starting or sprucing up a corporate blog? Good for you! A company blog is a great marketing tool for connecting with prospects, customers, partners, and to build thought leadership. And with figures like these – 77% of Internet users read blogs and spend 3X more time on them than email in the US – blogs aren’t something marketers can ignore! But blogging has to be done right to be successful and effective.

Here are our 5 Do's for creating and maintaining a successful corporate blog:

So, all your hard work and smarts have paid off. You’ve conquered your home market, and now the world beckons. You’re ready to grow your company’s global footprint – open new offices, serve new customers, and of course reel in more revenues. To ensure success, you’re cognizant of the instrumental role marketing and public relations play in building global brand awareness which inevitably precedes sales.

Whether you’re an international company looking to boost your profile in the US, or a US-based business aiming to expand globally, the way you handle your international marketing and PR is going to mean the difference between making it or breaking it. So, let’s get it right. Here are five considerations for planning your global communications strategy: 

“Summer breeze makes me feel fine,” croon Seals & Crofts. You probably agree. The summer is when you, clients, and customers go on vacation. The long summer months are also when businesses slow down, including industry conferences and events. Even lots of journalists take time out. While this may be a "quieter" period for business activity, it's one of the best times to focus on PR and marketing activities for the Fall rush.

Here are five tips to help you tackle the new season well in advance:

Have you ever wondered how a company turned their one-star reviews into a five-star campaign? Or how another rose above the pandemic to help those in need? And how do others use leetspeak and illustrations to attract followers? These are just glimpses into how businesses have embraced and are thriving on social platforms. With more than four billion users online, companies are increasingly prioritizing social media marketing and seeking new ways to promote their brands and products. Here are 7 tips for social media marketing to stir your creative juices for more innovative ideas of your own.

With Covid-19 regulations easing up in the US, large-scale events and convention centers are back in action. Whether in-person or hybrid, trade shows, and conferences are great networking opportunities for companies to promote their brands and products. With thousands of attendees, most of whom are eager to see, look, feel, and experience, these events put you in touch with a plethora of potential customers, partners, and even investors. 

These conferences are a perfect way to showcase your product in the best light possible to a critical mass of like-minded people. With hundreds of companies fighting for the attention of the attendees, however, you must find a way to make your booth stand out from the rest. This can be with banners, offers of demonstrations, or even just photo opportunities. 

Here are 8 easy tips and tricks we found to help your booth stand out from the crowd.

What a difference a year makes! With 2020 in the rearview mirror, is it wise to predict what the next year holds? Our team thinks it’s worth a shot.

While "change” might still be the name of the game, 2021 already looks full of possibilities. As COVID-19 vaccines roll out around the world, the economy bounces back, and there’s a bit more hope in the air, it’s time to recalibrate and adapt your company’s goals and grand plans. We might be a little biased, but we truly believe that now, perhaps more than ever, is the time to partner with a communications agency to be successful in a brave new world.

You might be asking, “but why should I partner with an agency?”

Ahh, we're glad you asked. This is the question that most C-suite executives have to ponder at some point in time. Before we dive into how an agency partner can help with the latest and greatest in the coming year, here are 7 reasons why engaging with a PR firm is smart business in general.

The press release is dead. Long live the press release!

The debate as to whether the press release is a relic of the past (the first one was sent over 100 years ago), or still a relevant tool today has been raging for the past few years. No one reads them, they don’t get “picked up,” and SEO value is limited these days, say the press release naysayers. But we’re here to tell you, don’t rule them out entirely. And while at times another tactic will work better, they do fulfill some very useful PR purposes.

Here are 6 reasons to keep press releases in your PR toolbox:

1. Releases are Trustworthy

The release is a go-to source for reliable information -- it's information direct from the horse's mouth, so to speak. And when well-written, it provides consistent, factual messaging for the company to get out to its audience.

2. Attracts Visual Interest

The press release of yesterday was a block of text with little to catch the eye. But not anymore. Now a release can provide excellent content, and also be a host for images, videos, and other multimedia to add value to your news. Editors love an attention-grabbing picture. 

The beginning of the new year brims with possibilities. You have goals and grand plans for your company. You have a brand to build, products and services to launch, more customers to win over and an opportunity to scale. You have so much to do and so little time!

Yet you’re challenged. You’re dreaming up ways to stretch your 24 hour-days into 48-hour days, spitballing ideas on how to meet these goals without adding headcount. Well, you’re not alone. From brand building to media relations to digital marketing, there are plenty of reasons why so many companies have found their solution by partnering with PR/marketing firms. Here are 6 reasons why hiring a PR and marketing firm is smart business.

1. Frees Up Your Time to Focus on What You Do Best

You're building your company, designing, developing and selling products and services. That’s what you do best. The PR agency has clients and products to market. We write, message and position you, pitch media, create news stories, secure speaking opportunities and awards, execute digital marketing – that’s what we do best. When you find your trusted agency, take a sigh of relief as you can now free up your time to focus on what you do best, paving the way for you to build products that are PR-worthy.

We hear you. The marketplace is brutal. Customers are fickle. Competitors are breathing down your neck. And worse, some prospects have never even heard of you! You need positive press coverage and brand awareness yesterday — there’s simply no time to wait.

We wish we could come in and magically wave a wand to get you some visibility right now. But, unfortunately, public relations doesn’t work this way. PR, like so many other business processes, rewards the companies who approach it with preparation, commitment and time.

Getting rid of misconceptions and myths — and facing these 6 hard truths about PR — will help you gain traction and take advantage of all it has to offer.

Truth #1: PR Takes Time

Effective PR takes time. Like the sales process and growing a pipeline, PR is something we can’t do one day and walk away from the next. Companies in the know start by building a solid messaging and story foundation, creating quality content and relevant news angles, and cultivating the right audiences. This takes ongoing commitment and a regular sharing of your story in a variety of interesting ways to achieve PR success. The best results come to the companies who stick with it.

You've put in all the time and effort building your company. You know that your technology and brand story is a major differentiator, and that having the right PR agency partner will raise your awareness and credibility, catapult you to the next level, help get your story out, earn you positive media raves, and compel your prospects to buy from you and partner with you.

You know the timing is right to bring on board a trusted PR agency. But how do you choose the agency that’s right for you? Asking the following five questions might just get you closer to your ideal agency!

1. What is Their Track Record for Helping Companies Like Yours?

Finding a PR firm that has helped companies like yours is helpful. Look at companies that the agency has on their past and present roster. Are they from your or related industries? Are they startups or Fortune 500s? If you are an AI startup, agencies with applicable AI experience will understand your offerings and ramp up more quickly, but equally important, it means that your team will have relationships with reporters at the media outlets where you want to be featured. Treat the agency’s track record like a portfolio and prediction of how the agency will work with your company.