PR Insights Blog

The New York Times and The Washington Post specifically argued that BuzzFeed was wrong to publish the Trump dossier, which had been widely circulated for months in Washington. The reason – journalists had tried but were unable to independently verify the information. As such, it did not meet traditional standards for publication. Others, including the Columbia Journalism Review’s Venessa Gezari have argued that BuzzFeed was right. She noted the “media’s full-throated condemnation of BuzzFeed is both self-rightous and self-serving.” Gezari states that BuzzFeed’s Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith convincingly defended the notion that people should have access to this information and be able to make their own decisions about it.

In an industry where word-of-mouth is a major driver of new business – bigger PR firms have an advantage. They have more prominent brands and marketing muscle that smaller firms cannot match.

Social media has matured greatly over the last three to five years. Its value as a business tool is underscored by the millions of businesses, communicators and consultants engaging every day. By thinking strategically, engaging social media professionals and ensuring your organization is resourced to leverage social media – it can be a source of leads, visibility, client engagement and competitive advantage.

With thousands of options available to you, how do you find, vet and choose an agency that will be an effective and long-lasting partner? In this article we strive to provide helpful food for thought in advance of the selection process.

With almost every company pursuing content marketing as a strategy to build awareness and engagement it is becoming harder and harder to be differentiated. Today, the challenge is to be heard over the noise. Spend time on Twitter, LinkedIn or your favorite social platform – the cacophony of the clamor for attention is overwhelming.

The decision to engage a communications firm is consequential for a number of reasons. While the first may be cost, more important, the firm will be responsible for preserving, protecting and growing a company’s most valuable assets its brand and reputation.

Todays’ analytics companies can do much more than measure media or social media coverage. Leaders in the space offer something far more powerful - they provide insights that can be used to inform communications initiatives and a company’s core business strategy.

Email is a powerful way to engage directly with audiences. There’s no doubt that by most measures it is arguably the most powerful digital marketing tool in the toolbox. But, getting email marketing wrong can damage your business, your ability to get email through to clients as well as your reputation. So it’s a tool that must be used with care.

A crisis response case study

For the most part, PR firms are no longer just about media relations. They now reflect a plethora of disciplines that together are essential in any company’s marketing-mix.