Mcancomblog's Blog

PR Pointers for Today’s News!

The practice of public relations continues to advance and keeping abreast of the changes especially in relation to the evolution of Web 2.0 means, we have to adapt too.

Here are some pointers to get you going! Remember your releases must be interesting and compelling…from the readers point of …not your own!

• Do your research. Collect information from various sources when constructing your release. During this practice, you may come across an angle that makes your announcement newsworthy and more appropriate for the specific audience you are targeting. What you are searching for is the ‘news angle’ that will catch the editor’s attention. The right angle makes the release much more useful to an editor.
• News happens now. Always write your press releases in the present tense. Present tense establishes immediacy something very essential for newsworthiness. This rule applies even if you are announcing an event that has already occurred.
• Write like a reporter. Remember to “quote opinions and state facts.” Employ a journalistic style to your press releases. Be sure to answer the who, what, where, when and why, using good grammar and traditional sentence structure.
• Shape your story. First, write your body copy. Organize the flow.  When you are satisfied then construct your headline utilizing the main take away message as your headline.
• Share the news! Post your release to your website. Email your targeted editors with a link to the article as well as including the release in the body of your email. Email and Tweet the link to your posted release to your customers, prospects and followers.

Public relations is challenging work. Detailed work. To secure your investment in PR you need a continuous commitment to effect a desired outcome to your marketing communication strategy.

Social Media Brand Review (SMBR™)

A social media review is an assessment of many factors integral to a successful social media marketing strategy and its implementation. The goal of a MCAN SMBR assessment is to review your efforts to ascertain any adjustments and improvements that may be necessary in order to optimize your results. A MCAN SMBR helps you retune priorities, calculate outcomes and plan your future path. The focus of our SMBR is to see social media through the eyes of your targeted audience(s).

A SMBR helps you address the following:

• How your social media can provide a better competitive advantage for your brand
• Where you should focus your attention for the best return
• What’s your most effective way to engage with your partners and customers
• What are your best metrics to employ for effective tracking
• What’s your ROI on your social media investment

You can get an overview of what is included in our SMBR by emailing branding@mcancommunications.com

MCAN clients use our BrandPath™ and SMBR ™ processes to effectively engage and persuade client prospects and customers into a buying process.

Differentiating your position win!

Price-only positioning is not a winning strategy. Compromising your quality standards is far worse. Tough times are temporary.

If your differentiating positioning strategy is sound, your brand will be stronger when the tough times end.

Right now could be your best time to review your positioning, points of differentiation, product attributes, and reasons to believe.

Review your positioning statement.

Put yourself in your customers’ and prospects’ place. See things from their point of view. Do the differentiating points you claim really matter to them? Lacking real differentiation that matters may force you into a “me too, price-only” position. And you do not want to be stuck there!

Can you express a position with real differentiation, one that you can call your own and make it resonate with your prospects?

Have you credible differences you can substantiate?

Can you offer real proof? With numbers? Case studies? Demonstrations? Testimonials?

Are all your people and not just the marketing team, aware, trained, equipped, and prepared to be good stewards and ambassadors of your brand?

Just something to think about before you take the easy route and just lower the price.