Tag: orlando pr firm

Why you need PR to have success with AI in business

Posted on by Wellons Communications

Think back and you’ll see just how rapidly communications has changed marketing…and how the changes have affected how you conduct business.

In 1996, there were approximately 45 million people using the internet. By 1999, the number reached 150 million, and more than half of them were from the United States. By the year 2000, there were 407 million users in 218 of the 246 countries in the world.

In the late ’90s, Google entered the scene. Before Google became the world’s most popular search engine, Yahoo was the leading search engine on the internet. By 2000, Google’s popularity had grown immensely and soon upended Yahoo to become the world’s most popular search engine.

Now marketing is embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI)… but it remains to be seen precisely what impact AI is going to have on business and how it is going to be used.

What impact is AI having on marketing?

AI is (and to an extent already has) transformed how people look for information. Marketers are adapting.

AI search relies on trusted, relevant sources that have a strong, authoritative reputation. Meaning? AI relies on exactly what PR delivers. It’s time for the PR industry to take center stage.

AI is transforming how people look for information and how people look for products. It’s the biggest shift since the emergence of Google…even in how people think.

Particularly affected are businesses that rely on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The are new platforms, new algorithms, and new demands. Clicks and traffic are dying – with visibility and awareness taking their place.

What that means is that there is less reliance on being visible on Google and more of a presence everywhere.

What to expect from AI and how it will evolve

First off, the business world as a whole is getting up to speed on how AI can be best employed.

No one is a total authority on AI. How AI is being utilized now—and how it will be used in the immediate future—is evolving just like the early days of search engines.

Two things you can expect to see in relation to AI:

  • Confusing new acronyms and vocabulary. You will see acronyms like GEO, AIO, AEO and words and descriptors like AI agents, agentic marketing, hybrid cloud, and anthropomorphism.
  • Self-proclaimed authorities in AI. There will be a flood of “experts” who will emerge and anoint themselves as an authority on how to use AI and claim to know everything about how to use. Be skeptical. Nobody has all the answers because AI is still emerging.

Wellons Communications is adapting to AI…along with everyone else

We do not claim to know more than anyone else on how to harness AI.

But we’re already learning that AI offers an advantage to businesses that use PR.

That advantage? PR delivers the trusted, relevant sources that feed the AI beast.

And trusted, reliable information is what Wellons Communications delivers.

Let us give your business a hand as you adapt incorporating Artificial Intelligence into your marketing program. Call us at 407-339-0879 or email us at will@wellonscommunications.com and let’s talk about how we can harness AI to help your business move into this exciting new era.

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.

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

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.

Involve your PR firm at the start of marketing planning

Posted on by Wellons team

When businesses put together important marketing initiatives, it’s surprising how many times publicity and public relations are treated as an afterthought.

In an overwhelming number of instances, organizations invest enormous energy and time into involving their advertising agencies at the beginning of a communications program aimed at increasing sales. When the idea has been formulated and approved, all too often someone says, “Why don’t we involve PR, too?”

This results in a structured program being handed off to the PR firm with the demand, “Get results.”

Whether or not the marketing message is actually attractive, from a publicity and PR perspective, is a different story—but it is a consideration that needs to be baked into marketing planning from day one.

The best marketing initiatives get PR involved in ground-floor planning

As the old saying goes “Advertising is what you pay for. Publicity is what you pray for.”

Advertising most often occupies the center ring when it comes to marketing planning.

Why?

First, advertising costs a lot of money. For that reason alone, marketing chiefs focus their attention on what is consuming the majority of their marketing budget.

Second, the company can totally control the advertising message. Where it goes, what is says, and when it is issued all are under their direct control.

For those two reasons, marketing chiefs usually start planning by huddling with their advertising agencies—winding up with expensive media plans, accompanied by equally expensive production costs necessary to make a message come to life.

In the rush to center their marketing efforts around advertising, however, businesses often totally fail to capitalize on the PR potential of what their message can—and should—deliver.

That’s an opportunity missed.

It’s also an expensive whiff that can be avoided by putting a member of the PR team in the room at the start of the planning cycle.

Two ways involving PR at the start of planning can benefit you

  1. PR can augment and reinforce advertising messages
  2. PR can connect with audiences in ways advertising cannot

PR’s ability to reinforce and amplify marketing messages is surprisingly effective. Publicity—be it word-of-mouth, customer testimonials or editorial media coverage—is regarded by consumers as more trustworthy.

According to a 2014 Nielsen study, PR is 90% more effective than advertising in influencing consumers. In short, getting a favorable mention of your product or service, which is earned and not paid, holds much more weight than an ad. 

By involving your PR team at the start of your planning process, they can better understand what your advertising message is intended to do and what it cannot do—and they can fill that gap.

Second, by involving your PR folks in planning, they can more clearly visualize how they can present your story to editorial media and expand your message into stories that have a connection and credibility advertising simply cannot deliver.

Remember, PR provides you a different marketing weapon

One of the 21st century buzzwords that has become popular is “influencer marketing,” which is simply a more contemporary way of saying “believability.”

It’s another way of saying that PR provides your product or service with believability. It’s not a new idea, but simply a new way of asking yourself:

  • Who are you more likely to believe, a salesman or a person just like you who bought or used a product or service?
  • Which is more believable, an advertisement on TV, in a newspaper or magazine or on the internet, or something that appears in a story that involves a product or service?

Editorial coverage has two great advantages over advertising. Editorial coverage provides third-party validation that advertising lacks. Simply by being recognized in editorial media, coverage implies “this is important.”

PR’s ability to augment one’s believability does not discount paid advertising—it is a totally necessary component of marketing.

The difference between the two serves as a reminder for the need to include PR as an integral part of one’s marketing plan—at the very beginning of the planning process.

When you begin to look ahead to the rest of 2020 or even 2021 and shape your future marketing planning, keep Wellons Communications in mind. We’d love the opportunity to sit down with you, learn more about your vision for your product or service and explore how we can help you improve your overall marketing effectiveness.

Call me at 407-339-0879 or email me (will@wellonscommunications.com) and find out for yourself how we can help you augment your marketing effectiveness.

Why you need to say “Thank You” to your clients

Posted on by Wellons team

There is no better time to express your gratitude for the business of your clients than to simply wish them well for the holidays.

Yet, surprisingly, sending a simple and direct message to your clients to let them know that you value the confidence they invest in you is an opportunity that is often overlooked.

Personal messages can cost virtually nothing. They take only a few moments. And the benefits can be immeasurable.

Here are a few ways to let your clients know you are grateful for their business.

The power of a personal note

When was the last time you received an actual hand-written note from someone?

Take five minutes to compose a short message that lets your client know you appreciate the business they have afforded you over the past year. The written word, in your own hand, is enormously powerful.

In an age when tweets, texts, and emails dominate communication, notes stand out. And all they cost is a few moments of your time and postage.

A phone call personalizes your gratitude

Just as simple as a personal note is a personal call to your client.

The act of simply picking up the phone and wishing your client a happy holiday is thoughtful and will stand out simply because you have thought of them.

Better yet, personalize the call by letting your client know you are generally familiar with their family or loved ones. Simply by extending the good wishes to one’s spouse or children in your call can let your client know you have their interests at heart.

What if you want to symbolize your thanks with a gift?

Everyone enjoys receiving gifts. But be careful. Gift-giving needs to be carefully thought through.

Who should you gift? Many companies forbid any corporate gift giving, or only allow employees to accept gifts valued at less than $25.

What should you give? The decision of what to give should comply with your client’s standards and directives on gift-giving and gift-receiving. Sending a gift to a client who’s unable to keep it is awkward for both parties.

The best solution? If you feel a gift is necessary, employ common sense and send a gift that is useful, not overly extravagant, and reflective of both your values and those of your client.

How do other organizations express their thanks during the holidays?

Want to explore more about addressing your client during the holidays, from contact to gift-giving?

You might want to glance at Do’s and Don’ts for Client Gifts Over the Holidays, authored by James Harris that first appeared in Entrepreneur Magazine in December 2017.

Harris’s article is loaded with tips and examples of approaching gift-giving and using gifts—and enhancing connections—with clients. 

And thanks to you for taking an interest in Wellons Communications

As we approach the holiday season, those of us at Wellons Communications are grateful for your interest in us.

We value the responsibility and business our clients invest in us to address their public relations needs. We remind ourselves daily that if our clients succeed, we succeed, and without our clients, we do not exist. Best wishes to all for a Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful 2019 holiday season.

What is a news peg, and how can you use them to get publicity for your business?

Posted on by Wellons team

When we first sit down with clients, one of the things we consistently hear is “We want to become better known. We need recognition for our product (or service).”

Public relations, of course, goes considerably beyond getting recognition in print, broadcast and online media. But coverage over and above paid advertising is the primary reason why companies and organizations call on us to augment their marketing program.

News coverage demands…news

The first rule of publicity is that one’s story has to possess newsworthy qualities.

That means the information you serve up to news media has to have some news value that will benefit or interest their audience.

So how do you sift through the mountain of information about your organization and isolate what will be interesting to media…and what won’t?

Examples of news pegs

Basic information about your product or service, by itself, is not particularly newsworthy.

But, when you link your information to another story, the combined effect can be magic. It all comes down to finding a peg on which to hang your story—a news peg (or news hook).

Examples include tying your story to something like:

  • A new wrinkle (and consumer benefit) to your product or service
  • A holiday or significant anniversary
  • An award recognizing achievement via your product or service
  • A high-visibility topic already in the news
  • A special event showcasing something new or different about you
  • An opinion on a topic of interest from an expert on your staff
  • A local twist on a story generating national attention
  • Information from a survey or poll on a topic of interest
  • Identification of a trend you are witnessing, or a trend that you foresee

Connecting to other news pegs

Identifying news pegs is an ongoing process that demands remaining aware of what’s going on in the world – or your industry. One needs to be constantly in tune with new and different trends (or what might signal a trend), what’s popular with consumers or within a trade category (or what might be popular), and of how and where your story can fit into news coverage.

A financial service provider, for example, might want to remind media that one of their authorities is available as a resource and is willing to provide commentary (i.e. a quote) or observe ongoing trends just after the start of the year, when tax preparation goes into high gear.

A restaurant might want to explain why their menu conforms to their target market’s tastes and preferences, or feature a menu item they can totally
“own” in the mind of their audience.

A company serving a narrow segment within a particular trade category (e.g. suppliers and vendors in warehousing) can offer an observation of how their particular industry is changing and provide examples of how they are adjusting to those changes. Or, if they recognize a change in another industry, project how that change may affect their industry.

We scour the media for what’s getting coverage

At Wellons Communications, it’s part of our job to be aware, at all times, at what’s being covered and how we can connect our clients to what’s in the news.

Every day, weekends included, we are news junkies, watching what’s getting coverage, aggressively looking for story opportunities or creating opportunities others might not see.

Rather than simply issue press releases, which media recognize as self-serving, we seek to augment ongoing stories with information reporters will not know unless someone like us tells them.

That means knowing about our clients, what they are doing, learning what they are seeing, and identifying targets who can use that information. It means our clients must tell us what they are doing and seeing and requires us to listen and take that information and connect it to news media.

What’s more, when you bring an experienced, knowledgeable PR team to your side, you get considerably more than simply a publicity team. You acquire a team of marketing professionals who proactively help you sell your ideas while covering your back to fight off challenges that prove damaging to your enterprise.

Consider publicity in your overall marketing mix

If you find yourself spending the vast majority of your marketing budget on paid advertising, you may be overlooking the opportunity afforded you by placement of a high-value news story about your organization.

The cost of augmenting your marketing program with an ongoing public relations/publicity program is minimal, particularly in comparison with the kind of money that is frequently invested in paid advertising. Although news coverage is not guaranteed, the publicity it can generate when it is successful can be substantial…at considerably less cost than advertising.

When you are ready to tell the media about yourselves, give us a call

Wellons Communications has been identifying news pegs — and generating results for clients — for more than a decade.

We have news experience in our professional backgrounds and know how to recognize what’s newsworthy.

Want to learn more? Call or email me (407-339-0879 or will@wellonscommunications.com) and tell me your story. I’ll be happy to relate to you how we can hang your story on the right news peg.

Why your business needs a press room, and how to create one

Posted on by Wellons team

How many times have you gone online to research a prospective client’s organization only to find yourself mired in promotional gobbledygook that fails to clearly state what the organization does?

Now, put yourself in the shoes of an enterprising journalist under the gun on a rapidly-approaching deadline. Imagine how they must feel while slogging through materials laced with trade jargon, especially if they aren’t familiar with your industry.

That raises an even more basic point: where, on your website, do journalists go to find out the most basic information about you and your organization?

Do you have a press room clearly marked? Or do journalists have to scour your site to find it? And, once they’ve found your press room, what’s in it?

Do you even have a press room?

Press rooms contain the basics

At Wellons Communications, we organize press rooms under the premise that they cannot be too simple.

We approach their development with the same mindset as a journalist: who, what, when, where, why and how.

Like Jack Webb in the now-ancient television series Dragnet, we stick to the facts, ma’am. We put the answers out there as plainly and simply as possible.

Why the simplicity in press rooms?

The information in press rooms is basic for the simple reason that journalists often want the simplest possible explanation to extract and convey to their audience. This is particularly important if a journalist is on deadline or unfamiliar with your organization or industry.

Another important reason simplicity is paramount in press rooms is that you control the information being conveyed. Or, to say it another way, by making the answers available before the question is asked, you have made it as easy as possible for the journalist to say about you what you say about yourself.

This does not mean that you use over-the-top hyperbole. It means you boil your elevator speech down to a phrase or a few well-chosen words that will accurately and clearly tell people who you are and what you do.

What do you put in a press room?

No two press rooms are exactly alike, but there are basic elements that should serve as a foundation. These include:

  • Copy blocks, in varying length, that allow journalists to cut and paste information (a big help if they are on deadline). The blocks can range from 25 to 100 words in length and should include your website address. The purpose of the copy blocks is to define who you are, what you do, and how to get more information about you.
  • A fact sheet that provides the 5 W’s and H in succinct phrasing that can be adopted for use by journalists. The fact sheet should be free of hyperbole and contain only relevant factual information that is important to you, your industry, and your clients.
  • An undated overview release that provides a basic introduction about your organization. Keep it short (two pages max) and readable. The key element is to keep the release undated and limited to information that will not change very often.
  • Recent news. Include a list of the most recent press releases in chronological order. This allows journalists to see what you’ve been saying.
  • Press contact. Who should journalists call for more information? Name, phone number, email address and any other relevant information should be included. This should be one page, no more, and easy to find.
  • Graphics. It’s always nice to include a downloadable logo, photos, and a short video (:20 seconds is plenty).

Let media know you have a press room

The fact that you even have a press room provides a legitimate excuse to contact media and let them know that a) you exist and b) you are a readily available source of information for your organization, your industry, and any related topics that might be important to the media.

You can communicate this via an email, or you may want to go a little further and send the information out via some memorable tchotchke that will linger on a journalist’s desk and have a lengthy life span (i.e. a magnetic bookmark, a mousepad, pen cup or magnetic calendar).

If you are on a tight budget (who isn’t?), create two levels of tchotchkes: a more expensive tchotchke for your A-list media and a less expensive notification for everyone else.

So how do you create a press room?

We’re glad you asked. That’s what we do.

We are experienced and knowledgeable in developing and maintaining press rooms. That’s because we’ve been on the other side (the journalist’s side) combing through the web (and everywhere else) seeking information necessary to create a story about something that we just learned was important.

We know what journalists want and how to format a press room that meets their needs.

If your press room needs updating – or if you simply need a press room for the very first time – call on us.

We will be happy to look over what you have in mind—or even recommend what you need—and furnish you with a press room that will be valuable to you and the media you want to reach.

Are you too much in love with social media?

Posted on by Wellons team

Social media—and its hold on businesses that are seeking to sell to those millions of fans—has dramatically changed how we market to wanna-be clients.

Businesses like to call on social media because it is relatively inexpensive, allows rapid formulation of messages and makes it easy to distribute information.

But how effective is social media? Does it really sell things and ideas? Or is it more “white noise” in a world where communications have become overloaded?

Social media’s sheer volume offers opportunities to influence customers 

Consider this: According to Social Media Today, “…. (the) total time spent on social media beats time spent eating and drinking, socializing, and grooming.”

That’s a lot of time. And that huge chunk of everyone’s daily life offers a tremendous marketing opportunity. But simply lobbing information on an indiscriminate basis without an organized plan and strategy is not the answer.

Because social media is so prevalent, businesses in love with social media often spew out tons of information that may not, in fact, be “share-worthy” or even interesting. That leads to less-than-satisfactory (or no) results and wastes the time and energy of the business.

In short, there’s more to it than simply “Let’s post a lot of news, information, and graphics on Facebook and Instagram.”

Social media CAN work, but only if it is based on newsworthy information

Cision, who prospered for decades as a leading press release distribution company, has morphed to a distributor of information via electronic resources.

Even though the means of distribution has changed, Cision has never varied from its belief that whatever information is shared, it has to have some value to both the reader and the organization that is issuing the news.

Cision’s philosophy is encapsulated the still-relevant article 7 PR mistakes to avoid in 2017. The theme of the article can be summed up in two ideas: you have to distribute information to reach your audience and your information has to be relevant.

So how do we approach social media at Wellons Communications?

We still subscribe to the old 5 W’s—who, what, when, where, why and how—but supported by modern technology and adjusted to fit prevailing attitudes.

When you put the new technology and attitudes aside, it still comes down to  clearly identifying who can use your information, when they can use it, and clearly stating and explaining why your message matters.

How we go about that is more complex. How and what revolves around putting together a well-thought out plan that integrates messaging and timing and generates results…. all without breaking your bank

We certainly believe social media is paramount in today’s communications environment.

But we look at social media as a means of distribution, not the “magic bullet” that makes people buy products, services and ideas. Posting information on the Internet doesn’t necessarily mean sales will skyrocket. It simply means you have distributed information.

At Wellons Communications, we take a total approach to public relations. We recognize the power of social media, but we also understand the value of traditional public relations, marketing, content, SEO and more.

They all work together to move the needle for clients, and no one plan fits all. There is only one plan that works—and that plan is the one that is best suited to accomplish your marketing goals, within your budget, and delivering the kinds of results that will enable your profitability and success.

Social media is more than likely part of that plan—but if you’re only doing that, and if you don’t have a clear idea of why, it may be time to rethink the relationship.

As you plan ahead and seek to more actively involve public relations in your overall marketing, keep Wellons Communications in mind.

We’re mindful that you only have so much money to invest in marketing and eager to help you use PR to serve as an affordable and reliable means of augmenting and strengthening your overall marketing program.

Social media check-up: Is your business healthy?

Posted on by Wellons team

With more than 2 billion people on social media, we’d be surprised to find someone who doesn’t think it’s important for his or her business.

Whether you’re just getting started or you’re a seasoned pro, social media inevitably comes with a lot of questions. Am I doing this right? Am I getting the most out of it? Where do I even start? We’ve heard them all.

And we can relate! Social media has been on our minds at Wellons Communications lately. Our CEO recently led a workshop on social media, and as a staff, we did a deep dive on best practices across platforms.

A short check-up never hurts. Below are five essentials for your business’ social media—so you can be sure you’re in tip-top shape.

  • Know your platform
    There are a multitude of social media platforms out there, from Facebook and Instagram to LinkedIn and Google+. Each platform operates differently, attracts a different demographic, and has different requirements. For instance, Instagram is driven by visuals. LinkedIn attracts a more professional crowd. Twitter allows the use of hashtags. Understanding each platform and selecting the right ones for your business can set you up for success.
  • Set a strategy
    Just like with any other marketing and public relations tactic, you must establish a plan. Jumping head first into social media without setting a strategy is like driving down a dark road without headlights. Eventually, you’re going to crash. Ask yourself what you want from social media. Do you want direct ROI? Do you want to be seen as a thought leader? Your goals will drive the strategy you use.
  • Craft your content
    What you post on social media defines your company, just as much as a sales presentation or your website. Content shows viewers what your company is, what it does and what it stands for—so it has to support your goals. What does your brand want to convey? What is your aesthetic, visually and tonally? Do you post videos, photos, articles or something else? Take some time to set some brand standards. After all, posting to a personal account is not the same as posting to a business page.
  • Stay consistent
    To effectively use social media, you have to be engaged. That means posting regularly (this is where that plan comes in!), responding promptly to comments and concerns, and actively listening to what is being said about your company on social media. Are you doing all you can to protect your reputation and keep your voice out there?
  • Keep up-to-date
    The social media landscape is constantly changing and growing. It’s essential to stay in the conversation and up-to-date on the latest trends to remain relevant. Are you reading up on changes on platforms or best practices in your industry? At Wellons, we make sure to brush up periodically to make sure we stay sharp.

If you still have questions or want to ensure your company is getting the most out of this powerful tool, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d love to share our knowledge and expertise with you. Give us a call at 407-339-0879 or email Will at will@wellonscommunications.com.

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