Keeping your name in front of the public is an art. It requires consistent delivery and recognition of any accomplishments or events related to your firm, firm members and staff. Our goal is to make sure the public knows who you are. Public relations (PR) has changed over the past several years as the media has changed. In the past, your PR and communications staff wrote a release and sent it to the local media. In today’s environment, writing press releases is a small part of a strong PR campaign. Knowing how to get the press release positioned so it will be viewed by the right audience is the key.
Integrated marketing requires the component of PR campaigns. Here are just some of the ways Catalyst and the Integrated Marketing Team can assist your firm with PR campaigns:
- Writing traditional and SEO press releases
- Handling release to the media, when appropriate (PR’s that promote activities that are not general interest and may not warrant wide media release are still important to post online)
- Offering suggestions for featuring the PR on your website and social media channels where readers can share the content
- Developing scripts and coaching staff members to prepare for public interviews
- Crisis communications
Reputation Management
In today’s fast paced, technology-focused environment, managing your reputation is more important than ever. It used to be that an unhappy client might tell a few friends or maybe file a complaint with the BBB. But today, consumers can instantly push information out to ever an increasing number of friends and followers by using social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, writing in their blogs, or adding a review about you or your firm to the Google Places page. When the comments are positive, you cheer. But it’s important to have a plan to handle negative comments that may be placed out there by a disgruntled customer. Ignoring the comments is the absolute worst thing you can do!
Catalyst recommends that every firm have two things in place: (1) online reputation monitoring tools; and (2) a social media response plan. There are a variety of tools available (some free) that will send you alerts when your firm and staff member’s names appear online. Your social media response plan will dictate how these comments should be addressed and by whom. Responding to positive comments with a thank you and potentially providing some additional value (i.e., mentioning some related free paper you’ve written or valuable website you’d recommend) gives you the opportunity to continue the conversation and interest others. That’s important. But believe it or not, your response to negative comments will tell prospective client more about your firm than the positive notes. The Catalyst team can help you craft an effective response plan to ensure you know how to handle these situations and preserve your firm’s reputation.
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