Category: Blog

How PR can help you get ahead in today’s E-commerce marketing environment

Posted on by Wellons team

The shift toward an E-economy arrived with bewildering speed during the past decade. While it did not catch businesses off guard, E-marketing surprised many with the speed by which it overtook traditional marketing processes.

Now, with the entrenched presence of the COVID pandemic for the next year or so, E-commerce has become not just another adjunct to your marketing program, but, for many, the primary means of reaching customers.

It’s important to recognize that E-commerce has advanced well beyond simply initiating a Search Engine Optimization program and hoping you show up in generic Google searches. It’s an ever-changing process that is the marketing program for many businesses.

E-commerce, however, is not a one-trick pony.

It requires marketing agility, the necessary resources required to gain a foothold in the E-commerce battleground, and the know-how to present one’s values and benefits to customers so the business can jump off the page and become recognizable…and wanted.

E-commerce success demands more than digital outflow

Successful digital marketing requires a mix of activities, not all of them online. You need communications that will reach and attract your potential customers before they head to their computer screen.

We’re talking about the kind of activity that will build online interest in your brand, products or services and draw people to your site. This could be special events, attention-getting visuals, storytelling in a compelling fashion, news, information only you can deliver, or best of all, having the story told by someone who already has an online following.

Next, your digital marketing needs to make customers want to continue to return to your site.

But it can’t end there.

Your online marketing needs to engage prospective customers so they not only recognize what you do and what you stand for but want to buy your product or service.

Is your E-commerce approach still fresh…or is it getting tired?

Even if you are an E-commerce veteran, you need to constantly review how you are doing things to ensure your E-commerce marketing is firing on all cylinders.

Your approach to E-commerce marketing and communications cannot remain static.

You have to maintain a balancing act of familiarity, like your logo and your headline, along with something fresh and new that signals that you are in tune with whatever changes your industry is experiencing and reflective of your ability to remain in touch with what’s around the next corner.

Amplify your E-commerce marketing with a strong PR program

Most often, our clients call on us to develop and implement aggressive media relations programs to support their keyword strategy and boost their site’s performance on search engines.

We rely on building a focused, multi-faceted communications program that calls attention to their keywords and aggressively addresses those niches where those keywords have the most potential to augment someone’s message…like appearing in an influential blog or a magazine article.

But there’s a lot more to PR than simply reinforcing keywords.

We seek out and create opportunities for others to present you in a credible, favorable manner people will want to view … and Google will rank. And, when we capitalize on these opportunities, there’s the added benefit of of countering Google’s changing ever-changing algorithms.

No black hat nonsense, or SEO “experts” seeding your content onto poor websites to chase backlinks.

We are talking simple, easy-to-understand, practical distribution of information and ideas to sources like bloggers, vloggers, traditional media and influence leaders who will understand the value and importance of your message at a glance and want to share it with their audiences.

Messaging and communications are where PR comes into the picture

From employment of visualization using photos and video to special events, PR can serve as a springboard to generate attention both inside and outside of E-commerce channels of communication.

PR can reinforce what you are all about and amplify your messaging through news and communications outlets beyond your normal scope. PR can serve as a different kind of driving force to direct people to your website so they can learn more about you and see what you can offer them.

The cost is relatively inexpensive, particularly when it compares with paid advertising, which online readers recognize and often bypass, to get to whatever subject is most important to them.

Look at your E-commerce marketing with a fresh set of eyes

Even if you are well-versed in E-commerce, it doesn’t hurt to take another look at what you’re doing.

E-commerce has advanced and will only continue to do so. The pandemic has brought that to light more clearly than ever before.

Our approach? Developing and executing awareness-building programs that encourage online readers to put your company straight into their search bar.

We maximize E-commerce marketing efforts by clearly identifying and establishing those qualities that what make you special: your expertise, authority, personality and ability to deliver. And, once we attract reader attention, we aim toward making your potential customers feel completely confident in buying from you—and in recommending you to others.

Find out more about how we can help you energize your E-marketing.

Email me at will@wellonscommunications.com (or call me… 407-339-0879) and let’s talk about how we can add new life to your digital marketing.

How to get started with Facebook and Instagram ads

Posted on by Wellons team

Maybe you’ve been there.

You’re posting and posting great content for your business, and yet you still see your post reach hovering in the same sad range. You’ve heard about social media ads, and you’ve even started researching how to get started, but every time you fall down a Google spiral, feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of deploying ads on Snapchat and Pinterest, setting up a landing page and mapping out a sales funnel until you just give up.

We’re here to say it: Getting started with social media ads does not have to be that complicated—and they can make a big difference for your business.

Just start small.

The why and where

First, know you aren’t crazy for thinking you’re running in circles relying on organic reach. In fact, besides a 0.5 percent increase during the social media surge of the pandemic, organic reach on social has been declining for years. Now, only 5.2 percent of your page’s followers see any given organic post.

That alone is a strong argument for the use of paid social media strategies.

There’s also plenty of opportunity out there. While nearly all social platforms offer ads (Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest and most recently TikTok to name a few), Facebook and Instagram (which is owned by Facebook) are great first steps. Facebook’s ad platforms have been around for years, and with 2.6 billion monthly active users, it’s also the largest social platform.

Because of this, we’ll focus there first. Ready to get started? Check out some of the most basic steps below.

Give yourself a boost.

If all you’re looking for is a little bump of engagement on your page posts and you just want to dip your toe in the social media advertising waters, boosting a post on your page is the way to go. Simply go to your business’s page and select the post you want to amplify. There should be a blue button offering to boost. Here, you’ll see a simplified version of Ads Manager where you can decide how to boost, who to target and how much to spend. And just like that, you’re doing it! While you can read on for more about how to refine your efforts, think of a simple boost as giving the organic content you’re already doing a little more “oomph”.

Ready to go bigger? Define what you want.

If you want to turn that “oomph” into a “POW,” you’re going to need to use Ads Manager. Take a few moments to familiarize yourself with it (we promise it looks more complicated than it is). Facebook offers a variety of options right off the bat. They break down to:

Awareness

  • Brand Awareness—Increase people’s awareness of your business
  • Reach—Show your ad to as many people as possible

Consideration

  • Traffic—Drive people to a website
  • Engagement—Like a boost, but with more refined options. This breaks down into page likes, post engagement and event responses.
  • App installs—Promote your business’s app
  • Video views—Get your video in front of people most likely to watch it
  • Lead generation—Using a form, get people to submit info, like emails for newsletter sign ups
  • Messages—Another of your boost options, this allows people to connect with your business.

Conversion

  • Conversions—Drive actions on your site, like adding to cart
  • Catalog sales—Promote your ecommerce store to drive sales
  • Store traffic—Promote your brick and mortar location to those nearby

You need to decide what it is you want to accomplish with your ads. Do you want more web visitors? Do you just want to stay top-of-mind? Are you looking to ramp up engagement on your page? This will drive your choice. While all of these objectives are useful in the right moment, if you’re just getting started, consider engagement, a page likes ad, traffic or awareness as a first test. Some of these other objectives require slightly more complicated setups (great for your continued education!)

Know your audience

Once you pick your objective and set your budget to where you feel comfortable, you will have to create an audience to target. Facebook offers so many options here, you might feel a little creepy—and you’ll definitely start to understand more about the ads you see in your own feed. Think about who your target customer is. Then, get creative creating parameters that best fit people like your best customers. The trick here is to shoot for a middle ground. You don’t want your audience to be so wide they find your ad irrelevant, and you don’t want to be so narrow that you’re missing great targets and not getting bang for your buck. Playing with the custom audiences is a great place to start, but lookalike audiences hold huge potential for later down the line.

Know the requirements

One of the last steps to launching your ad is to select the creative—and this is an integral step. If you don’t create an ad that catches people’s attention, all the hard work you’ve put in won’t ROI in the way you hope. Worse yet, if you don’t create an ad that fits Facebook or Instagram’s parameters, it might not run at all. When you get to this step, you can either select a post from your page or create a new ad. Give good thought to if what you post makes sense for the audience and the platform. Make sure your objective carries through with the right call to action. Make sure the visual you select is eye-catching, and at the most basic level, is the right size and shape. Sprout Social has great guides like this one to help you with this. Finally, make sure your selected image doesn’t have too much text. Facebook prioritizes ads for images with less than 20 percent text.

Monitor, learn and repeat

You’re not going to get it totally right the first time. Even the most experienced marketers and social media gurus know there’s always room to optimize. Try a few things and see what works best for your business. Once you have a little more experience, you might look into installing a pixel on your website and trying retargeting, or setting up a catalog for dynamic ads to sell products.

Truly, there are huge possibilities for your business in the realm of social media ads. You can always learn and grow. But the only way to reap the benefits? Take the first small steps and get started. Still feeling overwhelmed, or ready to move on to Social Ads 201? Give us a call at 407-339-0879 or email Will at will@wellonscommunications.com. We’d be happy to review your goals and put our social media advertising know-how to work for you.

Why COVID-19 could be your opportunity for media coverage

Posted on by Wellons team

We’re all numbed by the overwhelming amount of information doled out daily by public health officials, governmental officials and other well-meaning organizations.

Wear masks. Keep your distance. Wash your hands. It’s a mantra we have heard—and lived—daily since COVID began to make its presence felt in early February.

Lost in the shuffle is information about products and services that continue to operate without interruption and whose services are in demand.

Surprisingly, there is considerable demand for product and service information. However, in response to this demand, information outflow by public relations operatives has actually decreased.

In our estimation, that presents an opportunity you cannot afford to miss.

How do we know media wants more information in today’s COVID times?

Energy PR, a well-respected British public relations firm based north of London, conducted a survey of nearly 150 British media outlets in the past month. The survey explored how things have changed for them since COVID-19.

The answers Energy PR uncovered offer some valuable insights that businesses and brands can capitalize upon. You can see their survey for yourself here.

One survey, of course, does not a trend make. However, like Energy PR, we hear journalists saying, “I am okay with COVID material, but I need other stuff as well.”

Here’s what Energy’s survey tells us:

Don’t try to be COVID-relevant when you’re not. There is so much COVID information out there that you get lost in the shuffle and become just another COVID story. A full 20 percent of journalists report that “no one is doing or saying anything new at the moment.”

Creativity counts. Sometimes creativity is simply being the oracle of the obvious. Actions like pointing media toward your blog posts, identifying how customers are adjusting to changing times and even new, unforeseen responses from your customers can all provide information that may serve as a news hook for outlets hungry for something besides COVID.

Don’t hold back. Business acumen and insights count. But you’ve got to express your ideas—and distribute them—to get noticed.

If you have something to say about your business category, now’s the time. If you’re noticing significant changes in consumer behavior, be a leader in your category and say it.

If you have something totally unique to point toward, go all out and issue a press release, tweet, conduct a webinar or make yourself available as a guest on a podcast. Above all, however, let your PR firm know about it so your marketing team can take advantage of what you have to say.

Capitalize on the lack of information. The sheer volume of information in the current news environment offers an extraordinary marketing opportunity for you to put your name in front of households who are weary of news revolving around The Mantra (masks, distance, handwashing) and COVID.

Here’s how Wellons Communications can help you…right now:

We know how to identify what’s newsworthy, even when you may not realize you have news.

We have exceptional news distribution capabilities that can put your news in the hands of journalists who are eagerly looking for something to report on other than COVID. We also possess the kind of creativity that can make your message stand out and call for attention.

We have outstanding resources at our fingertips that can graphically make your messaging come to life. And we understand how to make your message turn into memorable video and audio “bites” that can put your product or service into the news. 

You can capitalize on an open news window right now…but only if you act.

Never before have we seen the media so eager to report something beside The Elephant in the Room (COVID). Indeed, with smaller-than-ever staffs and less time available to research and identify what’s newsworthy, media have become more and more dependent on folks like us at Wellons Communications to help them find stories that will interest their readers, viewers and listeners.

You can only take advantage of this opportunity by acting. The media are not going to find you if you wait for them to call.

Instead, let someone like us give you a hand in crafting and distributing information that will put your product or service into the news. We can help you connect with your target audiences and conversely, allow your would-be customers to connect with you in the form of sales.

Call me, Will Wellons, at 407-462-2718 or email me at will@wellonscommunications.com and let me know what you want your audiences to hear.

Why you need to think about crisis communications now (and how to start)

Posted on by Wellons team

With everything 2020 has thrown at businesses, it’s probably not too hard to imagine why your business might need a crisis communications plan.

There have been countless lessons over the past few months of businesses tackling crisis head on, and many cautionary tales of businesses falling on their faces.

Even so, it’s easy to see why it doesn’t get checked off your to-do list. In the day-to-day hubbub, while you’re just trying to stay afloat, devoting the time to developing a crisis plan might not seem like a priority. Maybe you think you can’t fully craft a plan until you know what you’re facing. Or maybe you don’t even know where to start at all.

But whatever the reason, there are so many more that you should take the time to walk through your crisis communications plan…NOW.

If you don’t have a plan, you’re just reacting. Imagine driving down a dark, curvy road at night. With your headlights on, you can only see a few feet in front of you. You don’t know what’s lurking up ahead. Now turn on the brights. Suddenly, you can see a lot more.

Crisis happens fast. Having a plan means you can see further up the road. Without one, you’re just reacting to whatever pops up.

Social media means crisis is even faster. With so many different platforms, social media can mean you feel a crisis even more. You have a more direct platform to communicate with your guests or customers, and they have a more direct platform to communicate with you. If you don’t have a plan, the chatter on social media can be deafening…and devastating.

Having a plan forces you to define your brand. As you craft a crisis communications plan, you’re going to have to further evaluate who you are as a company. What do you value? What is your brand voice, and what do you say with it? Any time you look internally—to determine your best-selling products, to identify sales opportunities, to find new verticals, to form new positions—you strengthen your company because you can more clearly articulate these things.

You show employees you care. Just like when you put new HR policies in place, having a crisis communications plan helps your employees. It shows that you take your company seriously and value what you’re building together. It shows that you care about concerns and are the kind of company that works proactively to protect staff.

You show your customers you care. No one likes to deal with a crisis, but when you do—and when you’re prepared—you show your customers how seriously you take your brand. You show you are taking action, and you show you value their trust in you.

Have we convinced you?

Getting started doesn’t have to be intimidating. First, take some time to brainstorm a variety of situations your company might face. Think about how you might handle those situations. What might you say (or not say) and what platforms might you use to spread (or monitor) that message?

Next, designate a crisis team with a point person or spokesperson. This might also be a great time to engage an agency (hi!). Together, come up with an action plan. You might even start to draft some communications that can be quickly and easily customized and deployed.

Still need a little help? Wellons Communications has helped clients weather all kinds of storms. We’ve been helping clients prepare for more than a decade, and we’d be happy to lend a third-party perspective to your business.

Give us a call at (407) 462-2718 or email will@wellonscommunications.com for a free consultation.

Does your agency do that? The service you need to take advantage of

Posted on by Wellons team

When your agency crafts a social media strategy that gives you a great ROI, it’s amazing. When they knock it out of the park with a huge media hit, it’s impressive. When they execute on an email campaign that boosts the bottom line, you’re thrilled.

All of that is great (and we hope that’s happening for you). But if your agency partner is not an expert in one key area, chances are, you’re underutilizing your resources—and none of the above outcomes will be possible.

What is it?

It’s content.

More often than not, potential clients come to us requesting help with social media or wanting a press release written and distributed to the media. We do both, but the reason we’re able to do so successfully is because what we do best at Wellons Communications is craft content. And your agency should be able to say the same.

What is content?

Content is everywhere, from an organic post on Instagram to an SEO blog, a marketing email and even a white paper. It could be an internal communication, like a letter to your employees, customers or vendors, or a sales sheet, like a case study.

It could even be a non-written form, like a video or infographic.

To put it simply, content is how you tell your story, how you express your brand to your audience and the world. It is the lifeblood of everything your agency does.

What are the benefits of content?

When done right, content can help you achieve your marketing and PR goals. You can expand your reach with an SEO blog or a well-crafted digital ad.

You can cut through the clutter and grab your audience’s attention with an eye-catching email. Or you can communicate your point of difference clearly in success stories, sales sheets and white papers.

With content done right, you can gain customers, makes sales and position yourself as an industry leader.

Why should your agency lead content?

It’s true that content is incredibly important to businesses of all sizes. There’s a good reason many CEOs, CMOs and everyone in between try to hold on to content. They know their story, and they believe they can tell it better than anyone else.

With the wrong agency, that might be true. But the right agency should be a partner for your business. They should not only click with you right away, making you feel like they just “get” you from the start, but they should continue to hone that relationship, learning and circling in on the core of your message.

They should come to understand you like you understand yourself and be able to explain that across all sorts of platforms.

If they don’t, you’ll feel the limits of your relationship even in something as simple as a social media post or a press release.

But when your agency does have this level of understanding, having them hit on all levels of content is an amazing benefit—and one you should take advantage of.

For starters, your agency should be made up of professionals. You hire them to take in information, synthesize it, and determine the best way to share it. When you can use that storytelling ability across platforms, you’re firing on all cylinders of communication. Drawing on content, your agency can tell your company’s story as a united front, from a single tweet to a guest article in your favorite trade publication. And that’s incredibly powerful.

At Wellons Communications, we’re storytellers first. Our agency is made up of former journalists and PR pros, all of whom have been trained to listen, tease out the unique details of your story and tell it eloquently. We’re not limited by platform or length.

Want to take advantage of that? Give Will a call at 407-462-2718 or email him at will@wellonscommunications.com.

Lean on simple messaging and graphics to tell your reopening story

Posted on by Wellons team

What’s the best way to re-establish commerce as we knew it before the onset of COVID-19?

Truth be told, no one has all the answers. And, there is no “one size fits all”. Whatever approach you adopt for reopening must be tailored to your audience and what you can communicate about your business.

And, whatever you convey about your business needs to immediately connect with your current and potential clients and possess relevancy to their needs, as well as your ability to deliver services.

So, what are some ways you can affordably and instantly cut through the clutter of COVID-19-related messaging to get your message across?

Use graphics to fast-track your message.

Lean on high-impact PR graphics to tell your story…graphics that present memorable, easy-to-understand information about you, and your service, at a single glance.

Something as simple as a postcard can re-establish that you are open and operating. A message like “We’re up and running”, accompanied by your name and how to reach you will immediately establish a key element of reopening marketing communications.

The same message can easily be reconfigured to a visual-centric email that can be viewed and understood in a single moment. It can also be adapted to a text message or posts on social media.

Make your graphics as powerful as possible

Make it easy for your target to understand you are up and operating.

Aim for high impact and a minimum of clutter and distraction. A simple message surrounded by white space, for example, can have the same power and impact as a costly billboard or a paid full-page ad in a newspaper (either the printed kind or their online editions).  

A single, memorable graphic or combined headline-graphic, along with your company’s name and logo, can get your point across and immediately convey that your business is moving forward.

Your message has to be more than “We are open.”

 As businesses reopen, one’s first instinct is likely to blurt out “We’re open” or “We’ve reopened.”

That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t exactly jump off the page. That’s because millions of other businesses are saying the very same thing. So many businesses are saying “We’ve re-opened” that it is difficult to remember who is who, what they are selling, and why it is relevant to you.

Your message has to be short. Simple. And different.

Creating short, simple messages that are different can be amazingly powerful. But it’s not as simple as it sounds.  

It is a process that requires some hard thinking on the part of your communications team and discipline on your part.

In these communications-overloaded times, we have found that keeping it simple is a strategic approach that consistently works to cut through the clutter and enable our clients to stand apart from the pack.

It’s an approach we are ready to put to work for you.

We thrive on the challenge of creating simple but powerful messages and blending them with memorable graphics to convey your key marketing messages.

Creating short, simple messages and making your message different is where Wellons Communications can assist you. 

If that’s the kind of fast-track approach you need to help get your marketing communications re-established, then talk with us.

We’ll listen carefully to what you want to accomplish with your messaging and work quickly, but thoughtfully, to provide solutions that can accelerate getting your business operating as much “back to normal” as possible in as short a time as possible.  

Call me, Will Wellons, at 407-462-2718, or email me at  will@wellonscommunications.com and let me put our team of messaging pros behind you

Reopening communication tips for businesses after coronavirus

Posted on by Wellons team

As the COVID-19 pandemic was making headlines earlier this year and businesses began to close, there were many questions as to how businesses should communicate to customers. Now, as states across the country slowly begin to open up again, there will be many more.

Truly, what you do as a business and how you treat people during a crisis will be remembered. If you do it right, you can win and grow market share. If you do it wrong, the reverse is also true. It is imperative that businesses—regardless of industry—have a reopening plan for communications as well as operations.

The first step to reopening should always be following official guidance and doing your absolute best to ensure your staff and your customers or guests are safe. When you have that plan in place, consider the steps below to optimize your reopening communications.

Update your info. If your guests don’t know what your hours are or even if you are open, they definitely can’t visit, whether for takeout or in-person. Check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google and your own website. Search your business, and check the results. Does everything have your current hours and operations correctly listed? If not, fix it.

Communicate to your customers. You might be scared about blowback, or nervous that with new operations, you’ll be totally overwhelmed by customer demand when you reopen. But your customers still need to know what’s going on. Tell them! Update your website to reflect your new procedures, post on social with regular updates, or send an eblast. Again, if your guests don’t know how you’re operating, they can’t visit.

Be extra responsive. People are going to have questions, and they are going to have opinions. Now is the time to spend more time on call to answer those queries. Monitor your social media inboxes, your email inboxes and your phone line. It might help to brainstorm a few frequently asked questions and create a set response so everyone who is replying stays on message.

Monitor the situation. This is a crisis, and there will be a harsher spotlight on your business now than ever. People might not agree with your operating procedures, or they might not feel they are getting the same experience because of them. Now is the time to deploy your best social media listening tools. Monitor conversations you are tagged in or that mention your business and be prepared to respond in a way that diffuses the situation.

Stay top of mind. It’s not business as usual, but find ways you can continue to communicate with your guests. Post on social media. Send an email. There are a lot of messages flying around out there, and you need to ensure you are staying top of mind.

Learn from this. Did you do anything during the crisis that worked well? Perhaps you started a weekly virtual series, or deployed an awesome family meal deal. What can you continue to do even in reopening that would help move the needle?

We know you’ve heard this many times over, but these are unprecedented times. It can be tough to walk the line of communication during reopening. We hope these tips help, but if you have questions or are feeling overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to reach out.

We, too, are a small business navigating this crisis. We can be your Orlando public relations partner, whether you are a restaurant, attraction or B2B company. Email Will at will@wellonscommunications.com or call 407-462-2718 and let’s start the conversation.

Cut through the clutter and make your voice heard

Posted on by Wellons team

As we head toward the rest of 2020, the challenge of effectively projecting your message — and unique characteristics — to your target audiences is going to be increasingly difficult.

Media will remain neck-deep in coverage of the presidential race, as well as state and local races. The coronavirus will remain at the top of the news for the remainder of 2020. And who knows what other news is around the corner waiting to pull attention away from your message?

The competition for consumer attention has never been more challenging

Forbes contributor Paul Jankowski neatly sums it up with his observation that “…brands have a better chance of keeping the attention of a goldfish than their targeted consumer.”

Need convincing? Try these observations on for size:

That means you cannot spend a lot of time trying to explain who you are and what you offer. It means that your message must possess simplicity and visibility to have a reasonable expectation of breaking through.

Wellons Communications solution: short messages and great visuals.     

Our Orlando PR agency has consistently preached “keep it simple.” It’s a philosophy we embrace and one that underlines a strategic approach we consistently adopt to ensure our client’s message is both heard and recognized.

Arriving at that messaging, however, requires discipline and hard work.

To formulate the message (and the approach that backs it up), we work with clients to address the following questions and identify the message that will get attention and connect with their target audience:

  • What is it you are selling?
  • Why should your product or service matter to your target audience?
  • What problem does your product or service solve?
  • What is the benefit of what you are selling?
  • What is the solution you bring to your target audience?
  • What are you trying to say?
  • What do you want your target audience to do in response to your message?

Once we agree on the answers to these questions, we are in position to determine what you should say and how you should say it.

And when we say it, we want to keep it short and memorable.

Communications have to go beyond words

Words are only a part of the communications process.

At Wellons Communications, we also promote the notion of relying on easy-to-understand visuals to project your message.

The old adage “A picture paints a thousand words” has never been truer than today.

Today’s consumers simply will not always make time to sit down and pore through an article or browse through a post — or even read your headline.

However, graphics and imagery can connect with consumers much faster than text. Witness the popularity of graphics-oriented apps like Instagram, TikTok and the many other photo-related apps that have become so popular.

That places a premium on a well-designed graphic that tells your story in an impactful, memorable way.

So, how can we make your messaging cut through the clutter?

We are bulldogs for adhering to simple solutions.

Keep it short. Keep it simple. Keep it understandable. And make it relevant to your audience.

If that’s the kind of approach you want to employ to improve your marketing, you need to be talking with us. You do the talking. We’ll do the listening. And together, we’ll generate the kinds of marketing results you are seeking.

Share your message with Will Wellons at 407-462-2718 or will@wellonscommunications.com.

Find out more about how our public relations and social media firm can make your messaging work harder, smarter, and more effectively.

How to prepare for media interest now

Posted on by Wellons team

A great TV story about your business’s latest charity effort runs on the 10 p.m. news. The local business journal publishes a feature on your growth strategy. The trade publication your partners read runs an item on your latest product.

Who doesn’t want that?

As an Orlando PR firm, we are no stranger to gaining media attention for our clients. In fact, earned media placements are one of the most common requests we get—and we’ve seen what they can do for a client’s reputation and reach.

Even so, there’s a big misconception with how these kinds of hits happen. Clients tend to expect that they will put out a press release and the media will come knocking. Sure, that happens sometimes (when it’s a good story, or we use our connections and skills to pitch media the right way). But often, media attention comes from being flexible. It comes from working a current event angle or building a relationships and reputations. And more often than not, it comes fast.

If clients aren’t prepared to make things happen, they might miss out on an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And nobody wants that.

Businesses who want to truly take advantage of media opportunities need to be ready. Below are a few steps you and your business can take to prepare now.

Nail your talking points

You know your elevator speech…right? CEOs and business leaders know what their company does, but you’d be surprised by how often they realize they can’t quite verbalize it. Before you take an interview with any media outlet, you need to be sure you can share your mission in a clear, concise way. Take some time to boil what you do down to just a few talking points, and be sure to share them with anyone who might handle media requests so your message is aligned.

Flag potential problems

Just like you want to know all the good things about your company, you’ll also want to do some introspection and identify any potential problems. Once in the public eye, anything and everything is fair game. If you can identify any tricky spots, you can be proactive in developing responses to any questions you might be asked about these things. This will help you avoid being caught off guard so you can mitigate any negative attention you might receive and position your company in the best light.

Identify a spokesperson

When time is of the essence, you need to know who’s stepping up. Identifying a spokesperson in advance allows that person to have time to complete the above steps.  Be sure to choose a company leader who is comfortable in the role and who can confidently speak to the company’s mission. Your reputation rests in their hands.

Know your visual opportunities

It is important to not only tell a great story, but to show it. Words are a powerful and often essential aspect to telling your story, but there are many times a story will die without visuals. This is particularly important for TV media. Be prepared to offer visual opportunities to journalists. You should also start to build your media kit with high-resolution, professional photos of your company, including headshots for all executives, shots of important services or activities, and videos. You don’t want to be scrambling at the last minute to get these, and often, if you can offer these assets, you can land a story that might otherwise be passed over.

Complete media training

Completing the above steps will take you far, but when you find yourself in front of a camera with a microphone in your face for the first time, it’s natural to freeze up. Completing media training can help you know the tips and tricks of the trade so you can feel comfortable and properly prepare for each individual interview.

How we can help

At Wellons Communications, our Florida PR agency is made up of former journalists and PR pros. We’ve been on both sides of the camera and notepad, so we know how to help you prepare and put your story in the best light.

We also understand how media works and can craft the right pitch to gain media interest in the first place.

Need some help? Call 407-339-0879 or email will@wellonscommunications.com and see what we can do to help you prepare for any media interest and news coverage that may come your way.

The power of storytelling in businesses

Posted on by Wellons team

One of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal is also one of the simplest to develop and put to work for you.

It’s storytelling—the art of sharing your story and explaining how your business or service helps customers.

It works in just about every situation, and despite the fear you may have of writer’s block or your notion that “I can’t write,” it’s actually surprisingly easy.

That said, not everyone has the inclination or ability to write their story. Most often, the challenge for business owners is simply finding the time necessary to sit down in front of a screen and keyboard (or a sheet of paper for old-school writers) and compose their story.

That’s where folks like us—Wellons Communications—enter the scene.

Who cares about your story?

Actually, nobody. That is, until you give them a reason to care about your story.

At Wellons Communications, we craft narratives that connect your story to the needs of those who can use your services.

We start with your customer. What is it they need? Your customer comes first because your story is really all about them.

Once the needs of your customer are identified, your story ends with explaining how your service fulfills that need or solves their problem. Your service provides a means to their end.

So how does Wellons Communications construct stories?

Every story has three basic elements: a beginning, a middle, and an end.

The need of your customer is the beginning. It is essential that you are able to explain the problem your customer is facing and why it even matters in the first place.

We build the story by sharing how you recognize your customer’s need or want and how you went about addressing your customer’s challenge. 

And, in the end, we provide a happy ending…confirming that your customer’s need was solved.

But, unlike a fairy tale, we also remind readers that some problems need to be addressed all the time (like competitive pressures, introduction of competitive services, changes in technology). In short, your service can solve customer’s problem or, better yet, can stand by the customer’s side to continue fulfilling their need.

Our storytelling formula borrows from the best

At Wellons Communications, we don’t claim to have invented storytelling. But we do pay attention and learn from those who share their stories in the most effective and compelling fashion.

One of the most powerful storytellers in today’s culture is Pixar, whose cinematic storytelling achievements have earned them considerable earnings, as well as worldwide recognition and respect.

Pixar’s storytelling technique follows a very simple formula. It goes:

Once upon a time there was [blank]. Every day, [blank]. One day [blank]. Because of that, [blank]. Until finally, [blank].

Here’s an example of how our storytelling works

Once upon a time, there was a small group of coffee sellers.

Every day, they sold their coffee to customers who really liked their coffee.

One day, they noticed their customers not only liked their coffee, they wanted more ways to buy their coffee.  

Because of that, the coffee sellers decided to make their coffee more available by expanding their store locations and selling coffee by the pound to their customers.

Until finally, their sales grew to the point where the coffee sellers could become a profitable and regional coffee brand.

Let us tell your story—and help your sales and earnings grow

Everyone has a story to tell.  Our job is to help our customers clearly identify the story they have to tell, craft that story on their behalf, and figure out the most effective means of sharing that story with current and potential customers.

Our storytelling technique is not quite as easy as the Pixar illustration cited above, but it borrows heavily from successful techniques in totally unrelated industries and puts them to work for our clients.

We can apply same storytelling techniques to your product or service.

Find out more about how we can make your story come to life for your customers. Call or email Will Wellons at 407-462-2718 or will@wellonscommunications.com and find out more about how your story can be told.

2025 © Wellons Communications | Orlando PR Firm. All Rights Reserved.