Pivot Vs Planning: Are You Calling Too Many Football Audibles In Your Marketing?

The word "pivot" is thrown a lot these days in marketing and in business in general. We're sure you've heard it before... it means you changed direction, usually relatively quickly. You shifted focus.

Typically, people are pretty happy to discuss the success they've had when they pivot. What's not discussed is the wear and tear it can take on your team if you're constantly shifting versus following through on the plan you designed.

Bill Byrne, one of the agency directors here at Remedy Communications, wrote about this in his latest column in BoxPro Magazine. Want to read it? Click this link or right click and download the image below!

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The Best PR Firm In San Diego Is Remedy Communications.

San Diego Public Relations (PR) And Social Media “San Diego PR”

San Diego's Leading PR Firm

You'd be surprised (or maybe not) about how many calls we get from potential clients that think they need PR (media relations) or social media help. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

Since the term term 'PR' gets thrown around quite a bit, we figured it'd just be easier if we uploaded this 101 sheet on Remedy to our blog for easy reference.

Read, enjoy, share and if you need us, you know where to find us!

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San Diego Public Relations (PR) And Social Media “San Diego PR”

Hack Pokemon GO For PR, Awareness And Sales

If you’re not using the PokeStops found in Pokemon GO for your brand right now, you need to think about it. It may not be the right move for you, but you do need to think about it. Today. Right now.

If you’re not familiar, Pokemon GO is an augmented reality game where people walk through the real world to play Pokemon. A huge part of the game involves these things called PokeStops, which are points of interest – both in the real world and online - that players seek out to help make their gaming experience better. This is where brands need to jump on board.

Brands come to us all the time asking for help with their social media programs. More often than not, they’re wondering why they aren’t getting the traction a competitor does or the overall response they want.

While the culprits are usually a lack of compelling (aka not boring) and frequent, relevant content (you have a content calendar, right?) there’s one additional thing most are missing… especially the brands that are upset they’re not leaders on social media.

They Did Not Move Quickly Enough!

A brand that leveraged Instagram five years ago, and kept at it, had a massive leg up on one that only started a few years ago. Massive.

And while it’s hard to predict if Ello, Swarm or Pokemon GO will be the next Instagram, the smart brands are looking at, and leveraging, them all in some fashion.

Pokemon GO is not what’s next year, but it is what’s right now… and next week. It’s probably also what’s next month.

So how can you leverage Pokemon GO?

Anywhere you have something you want people to see could potentially be leveraged to create a PokeStop. At least for right now.

All consumer facing brand should be thinking about this.

Restaurants and bars? Barbershops and yoga studios? Definitely. But it goes way beyond that.

The thing is, we really don't know what's going to happen with Pokemon GO in the future. But what we know right now is people around the country are seeking them out at a pace that honestly, is a little unnerving.

You can’t through social media if you’re not in a place where you can be followed. It’s that simple.

Will Pokemon GO become the next SnapChat filter? That remains to be seen. Is it what’s next, for now? We’d put some PokeCoins on it.

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Social media (and public relations) are part of the marketing umbrella... in some ways they're advertising (dark posts anyone?), but if that's solely how you're treating them, you're making a huge mistake.

So we ask you, are you taking the me out of social media?

For example, do you like and share photos of others, or just your own brand? What about fans of your brand? Do you actively leave comments? Do you actively try to win over people who aren't fans of your brand? Are you being social or are you simply pushing your own agenda?

No one likes that person that only talks about themselves and this pertains to brands too. Trust us on this one!

When it comes to PR, remember, Press Releases Kill Puppy Dogs! Well, no, they don't... and while the releases are focused on your brand, think about what a journalist wants to know. After all, when it comes to public relations, what we really mean is media relations... dealing with journalists, bloggers, etc. These information gatekeepers are looking to find out if the story you want them to tell is worth telling to their audience.

Sound simple? It is. See this post for more on that topic. And the image? Wish we could take credit for it. It's from an article Bill was interviewed for by our friends at 2one5 Creative.

QR Codes, kittens, QR Codes Kill Kittens, San Diego Public Relations (PR) And Social Media”San Diego PR” https://plus.google.com/+RemedyprSandiego A leading public relations (PR) agency in San Diego, specializing in social media marketing, event marketing, action sports and finance, San Diego Public Relations Agency, Action Sports PR, San Diego Social Media Agency, San Diego Event Marketing Agency, Social Media Marketing Agency, Craft Beer PR, PR, Public Relations, Social Media San Diego, Social Media Marketing Agency San Diego, Public Relations San Diego, PR Firm San Diego, a leading public relations agency in San Diego, specializing in social media marketing, event marketing, and digital publicity. PR for Tech, experts, craft beer, action sports, finance, consumer tech, bluetooth, beer, consumer goods, b2b, green, eco-friendly, craft beer PR, action sports PR, finance PR, consumer tech PR, bluetooth PR, beer PR , consumer PR, b2b PR, green PR, eco-friendly PR, real estate PR, Experts, craft beer marketing, action sports marketing, finance marketing, consumer tech marketing, bluetooth marketing, beer marketing , consumer marketing, b2b marketing, green marketing, eco-friendly marketing, real estate marketing, action sports PR, action sports marketing, best PR san diego, san diego best PR, san diego social media, san diego lifestyle PR, san diego bar PR, san diego restaurant PR, san diego restaurant social media, restaurant social media. https://instagram.com/remedy_pr/ San Diego Public Relations. San Diego’s Best Public Relations Consultants – Honesty results in public relations. bestprsandiego.com jpublicrelations, besocialpr, leaders in PR for action sports beer social media san diego, healthcare marketing, crossfit marketing, sports marketing, crossfit PR, crossfit social media, PR experts, social media experts san diego, san diego PR experts. San Diego Public relations and social media. Experts in public relations based in San Diego. Bar public relations. Beer public relations.

>take the me out of social media, winning PR, best PR in san diego

Wait, do they? Of course not! Or so we hope.

But are too many brands / PR types / consultants / etc. sending out releases when they shouldn't be... to people they shouldn't be sending them to? Definitely.

Inspired by Scott Stratten's 'QR Codes Kill Kittens' video and book (video below if you haven't seen it), our own Bill Byrne was asked to pen a short piece on the press release glut that has journalists vocalizing their disdain for PR professionals and brands wondering why its become increasingly harder to secure media coverage.

https://youtu.be/ukzY4v_aOEE

At Remedy, we love writing press releases... when they're appropriate. But sometimes, all it takes is a well written pitch to secure you that great article, TV feature, Instagram post from someone with more than 100k followers, etc. Press releases are a tool... and a tool we should use correctly.

With potential clients constantly asking us 'how much for a press release' and many companies offering press release services that will guarantee millions of impressions, we've come to the unfortunate realization that this trend of over promoting non-news items may get worse before it gets better.

Just because we can send out a press release, doesn't mean we should send out a press release.

And sometimes, the lack of a press release doesn't mean a journalist won't find your story any less newsworthy.

You can see the full article below or via this link.

QR Codes, kittens, QR Codes Kill Kittens, San Diego Public Relations (PR) And Social Media”San Diego PR” https://plus.google.com/+RemedyprSandiego A leading public relations (PR) agency in San Diego, specializing in social media marketing, event marketing, action sports and finance, San Diego Public Relations Agency, Action Sports PR, San Diego Social Media Agency, San Diego Event Marketing Agency, Social Media Marketing Agency, Craft Beer PR, PR, Public Relations, Social Media San Diego, Social Media Marketing Agency San Diego, Public Relations San Diego, PR Firm San Diego, a leading public relations agency in San Diego, specializing in social media marketing, event marketing, and digital publicity. PR for Tech, experts, craft beer, action sports, finance, consumer tech, bluetooth, beer, consumer goods, b2b, green, eco-friendly, craft beer PR, action sports PR, finance PR, consumer tech PR, bluetooth PR, beer PR , consumer PR, b2b PR, green PR, eco-friendly PR, real estate PR, Experts, craft beer marketing, action sports marketing, finance marketing, consumer tech marketing, bluetooth marketing, beer marketing , consumer marketing, b2b marketing, green marketing, eco-friendly marketing, real estate marketing, action sports PR, action sports marketing, best PR san diego, san diego best PR, san diego social media, san diego lifestyle PR, san diego bar PR, san diego restaurant PR, san diego restaurant social media, restaurant social media. https://instagram.com/remedy_pr/ San Diego Public Relations. San Diego’s Best Public Relations Consultants – Honesty results in public relations. bestprsandiego.com jpublicrelations, besocialpr, leaders in PR for action sports beer social media san diego, healthcare marketing, crossfit marketing, sports marketing, crossfit PR, crossfit social media, PR experts, social media experts san diego, san diego PR experts. San Diego Public relations and social media. Experts in public relations based in San Diego. Bar public relations. Beer public relations.

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The energy at a company when one of their assets goes viral is… well, contagious 😉 and it’s easy to get caught up.

Almost since the phrase was coined and long before Remedy was started here in San Diego, clients and potential clients have asked PR and marketing firms to help take a video or infographic viral. And usually, the firms sigh…

In reality, we do feel you compelling web videos and infographics are worth creating. But before you add one into your marketing plan with the hopes of breaking a million views on YouTube, you need to be realistic with what your content is and if you have the resources for it to be done the right way (Spoiler Alert: There is no right way, but there are guidelines that can help).

With all the buzz around the #XMASJAMMIES video from the Holderness family, we thought it’d be appropriate to use them as an example if you’re looking for your own brand’s video or image to go viral in 2014.

But first, if you haven’t seen the actual video from the Holderness family, you definitely should check it out here.

As of right now (a week after it was uploaded) this video has more than 8 million likes and 25,000 ‘thumbs up’ on YouTube, in addition to incredible editorial and Facebook impressions we don’t care to count.

The video was well produced, had a message about their brand (watch it until the end) and depending on how you count, had two of the three things we feel you need to take your video viral.

When creating a video or infographic you want people to watch or share, as yourself “will people outside my company and core user group really care about this?” and if the answer is no, reconsider. This is a good rule to consider for any marketing campaign when going outside of your industry’s endemic media.

The Holderness’ video was fantastic. It was professionally produced, well written, funny by most people’s standards and had great visuals. It drew you in and waited until the end to even mention their new video production firm. They’re selling their brand, but paying attention to what an audience on the web wants first.

What didn’t it have? A true celebrity endorsement. While the family has been in the media before, they’re not Hollywood A-listers. They’re attractive and their kids are cute, but they by no means have the pull or network of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

Again, web videos are great tools and a fantastic way to help spread key messages about your brand and their success should not be judged by views alone. However, if the end goal for your video IS to have a massive amount of views by a broad audience, ask yourselves the following three things:

1. Is our content compelling? Honestly… is it? Or is it just selling? Go back to the tips we posted here for ideas.

2. Will people outside of our core user base find this interesting and worth sharing?

3. Do we have the financial resources to afford a creative agency that can produce a video or the in-house capabilities?

Most agencies will tell you, regardless of if they’re a San Diego PR firm or an ad agency, allocating enough resources to the firms budget is imperative if you want the job done right. This isn’t because these agencies simply want your business (although we all do) and can’t work on shoestring budgets (many of us can). It’s because when you rely on shoe strings for heavy lifting, sometimes the results are disappointing.

The answer is… you’re asking the wrong question. In fact, you don’t need a press release to secure great media coverage.

The cost of writing a press release is one of the top searches when it comes to public relations.

Depending on who you ask, it could take $1,000 or it could cost you $7,500 (here’s BusinessWire’s take), depending on the time involved. And this doesn't factor in distribution via a wire service or PR firm.

That distribution and intended use of the press release is what you want to focus on, not the release itself.

If you’re sending out a press release via a wire service to add SEO value, that’s one thing. And depending on who you ask, that may not be as relevant as it used to be, at least according to these experts.

Good PR people know press releases are just tools and sometimes, unnecessary ones. We have one client, for reasons we cannot discuss, that does not issue formal press releases. That hasn’t stopped us from securing great media coverage for them in outlets such as CNET and Engadget.

How did we do it? We emailed particular reporters that cover this client's space relevant info (about four paragraphs) and a JPG of their in-store marketing collateral, and then let the story go from there. There wasn't a hard sell on our part because the story didn't warrant it. It was relevant to the reporters and they ran with it. Was it as groundbreaking as the iPhone 6z (Disclosure: We have no idea if there is an iPhone 6z on the horizon or not ;-)? No. But our news was relevant enough to warrant some great coverage on two outstanding news leaders in the tech space.

Getting back to the earlier question, and presumably how you found this post, are press releases worth the cost of producing them? The answer is that it depends on the release and your needs.

We also recently had a client in the New York Times, stemming from a press release we sent to a reporter. The release itself focused on trends and issues in their field and how our client could help. We didn’t use an excessive amount of buzzwords or over-the-top language to intrigue the reporter. Instead, we presented the facts, recent and timely developments and information how our client is working in this new situation. We didn't call our client "the best" or "the most innovative" or "paradigm changing". Instead, in the release, we presented the issue, recent developments and one way our client is contributing in a positive manner. The release was written in about three days (including client edits), sent to a reporter on a Thursday and we received interest the following Tuesday. The story ran about 10 days later.

The secret to securing great news coverage isn’t a killer media list or over the top press release. Simply put, it’s reaching out to the right reporters with a story idea relevant to their coverage topic.

Sound confusing? It really isn’t, but we’re happy to talk if you’d like to discuss more. You can reach us here!