It’s time to map out your PR plan for the New Year!

By: Scott Stein, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

With 2016 just around the corner, it’s the perfect time for small businesses to plan for the year ahead. It’s also a great time to think about how to step up your Public Relations efforts in the New Year.

If your past PR efforts have included a news release now and then, it’s time to put together a more extensive plan that will get your company noticed. The first thing to realize is that, to be successful, Public Relations has to be more than just an occasional news release. 

PR reaches audiences on a different level than marketing and advertising. It helps to establish you and your business as experts in your field, offering third party validation through the news outlets. Having that public image as an expert gives consumers a sense of reassurance.

So what should be included in your 2016 PR plan?

Consider the following:

• News releases – highlight “newsworthy” items like new hires, significant company accomplishments and special events
• Speaking engagements – identify targeted audiences and let them know about your expertise and your availability to speak to their group in a non-commercial manner
• Pitches to trade or business publications – be sure to check their editorial calendars to see if your expertise lines up with a topic they are planning to address in an upcoming issue
• Media alerts – if a topic related to your business hits the national media, consider sending out a media alert to “localize” the story

These are just a few things that can be included in a PR plan for the coming year. The key to having an impact – a consistent and persistent approach.

Proofread, proofread and proofread!

By: Cole Buergi, VP of Business Development, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

I’m always amazed at the number of documents I see that are riddled with mistakes. It’s just about everywhere you go now days. Whether it’s at the bank, a restaurant or online, people are getting very sloppy in their writing. 

These errors include misspelled words, multiple font styles and sizes in the same document (which by-the-way screams copy and paste), and formatting that lacks any kind of formalized layout (which screams LAZY). 

I’m far from a perfectionist, but there’s really no excuse for it. Today’s computers have taken nearly all of the guesswork out of proofreading and it’s really easy to highlight copy to see if it’s the same font style and size. And as for layout, you should be able to look at it and see that it just doesn’t look right. 

I don’t have any hard evidence but it seems that these mistakes are made more often by the younger generations. I find that odd since they’ve had auto-correct since they were born as well as access to every word ever known to mankind at their fingertips. When I was a child, if I wanted to know how to spell something, I had to get out a dictionary about eight inches thick and look it up. With today’s technology, you just have to type how you think it’s spelled and let autocorrect do its thing. At least, most of the time that works. 

Yes, I do make mistakes periodically. For some reason that I can’t explain, I frequently type “your” when I mean “you’re” and vice versa. I know the difference and will even think the correct spelling while typing. The problem is my fingers just don’t cooperate with me. 

So the next time YOU’RE going to send a document you’ve developed to someone else, take a few extra minutes and read it out loud to yourself. You’ll be surprised by the errors you will catch and correct.

Do you have any tricks to help you find writing errors? If so, please share.

Getting Your Event Attention

By: Kristen Paquet, Sr. Account Executive, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

There is a lot of stuff going on. Events, programs, concerts, tours – they are all vying for our attention and attendance. So what are the best ways to promote an event so you don’t get lost in the crowd? Here are a few tips I have found to be successful:

Develop a calendar listing. A calendar listing should include the event name, date, time, location, web address and a brief overview of what will happen. If there is a cost, be sure that is included as well. Send the calendar listing to local newspapers that have a community events section. They will appreciate getting all of the information at once. You can also use this information to post to online event calendars.

Create a Facebook event. Creating a Facebook event is easy to do. Just add in the details of the event, a website URL and a photo and you’re basically done. The event will show up in your newsfeed so all of your followers can see it and share it with their friends as well. Think of it as a digital word-of-mouth promotion!

Contact local media outlets. Consider reaching out to local media to give you some pre-event coverage. Be sure to tell them about the event and why it would make a good story. Take some time and research reporters and what areas they tend to cover so you are sure you are reaching the right person.

Promote from within. If you are an organization that has people coming through your facility – staff and patrons alike – be sure to take advantage of promoting the event on site by using bulletin boards, post a flyer in a break room, or anywhere else you might highlight daily activities. Share information at staff meetings, in newsletters and even in your email signature.

Promoting your event takes work to be effective, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to put some of these ideas into action. The more time you have to spread the word, the more likely you will reach your audience and get people to attend! Good luck!