T
he World Wide Web has ef-
fectively reshaped how we
interact with both individ-
uals and businesses alike. Living
and doing business in the infor-
mation age is unique and it often
seems as if the rules keep chang-
ing. Nearly every aspect of our
lives has become intertwined with
others through a mobile device
and wireless internet connection.
It is no surprise that the internet
has also shifted how we view and
use public relations to enhance
our businesses’ brand identi-
ty and engage key stakeholders.
In an effort to assist our readers
with leveraging the resources of
public relations, we solicited the
advice of a public relations expert
currently working in the field. Will
Jones, Public Relations and Social
Media Specialist at the National
Underground Railroad Freedom
Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, was
kind enough to share his perspec-
tive with our readers so that you
can maximize the impact of each
engagement with the media. Will
worked at Radio One as a market-
ing professional for over 13 years.
Additionally he is a Contribut-
ing Writer for Hype Magazine.
Will’s advice for business owners
hoping to leverage free publicity
as part of their marketing mix is
to focus the message on the most
important and relevant chunks of
information. In his opinion many
beginners struggle because they
attempt to be and do everything.
This dilutes their message and
makes their efforts less effective.
Will encourages entrepreneurs to
approach each media engagement
in the same manner that one ap-
proaches an elevator pitch. Your
message should be concise and
straight to the point. Similar to
an elevator pitch, one must con-
sider its audience and what those
individuals need to know in order
to make the decision whether or
not to publish your story. Thus if
your press release is intriguing the
journalist can easily make the as-
sumption that their readers will
want to know more. Similar to an
elevator pitch the amount of time
that you have to grasp the recip-
ients attention is limited and thus
the links provided should take the
reader directly to the informa-
tion they need, the pages should
load quickly and they should
work well on a variety of devices.
The use of public relations to high-
light an upcoming product launch,
event or community engagement
is idea, but there are times when
public relations is needed to ad-
dress a potentially negative situa-
tion. Will’s advice to protect your
brand image is to “Be timely! As-
sess the situation and get in front
of it.” Being upfront allows you to
control the conversation and ex-
press your honest intentions. As
a leader admitting that you’re hu-
man and not infallible makes you
more relatable and approachable.
Giving journalist the information
they need to engage their audi-
ence with your brand is an essen-
tial element in converting journal-
ist into brand ambassadors. Online
resources such as informative
videos, inspirational social media
post and engagement with your
customer base provides followers
with more than a list of services
offered. These elements shed light
on the business owners why, why
you are passionate about your
work and why the reader should
do business with your company.
“Your website should work as a
sales funnel, not an online bro-
chure. An engaging website will
keep your online visitors coming
back. Strategic communications
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