The PR 20/20 Blog

I’m surrounded by smart people. Some would call them strategists. Some would call them visionaries. Every day, I’m inspired to learn from my colleagues, clients, industry peers … I learn a lot about life from my two-year-old son, too.

As an agency, I believe this power to strategize, collaborate, and bring visionary ideas to life is our core strength. It’s part of our culture. And it’s part of each person we work with. It’s that power to look beyond that drives us—always forward.

And it’s no accident that Look Beyond is our company tagline.

My favorite local hangout is a restaurant less than five minutes from my house. The large food portions, reasonable prices and friendly staff keep my husband and me returning. But, they weren’t always right down the street. Before moving to their current location, they were 10 minutes up the road.

When they announced the opening of the new, larger space, most established customers followed them eagerly. But would new customers be able to find this hidden gem?

That depends on where they are looking.

The following is a guest post from Shane Barker. Shane is a digital marketing consultant that specializes in influencer marketing, product launches, sales funnels, targeted traffic and website conversions. He has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, influencers with digital products, and a number of A-List celebrities. You can connect with Shane (@Shane_Barker) on Twitter. 

From digital marketers to top brands, everyone is making the most of influencer marketing. You see dozens of articles talking about its effectiveness and tips on how to implement it. But, why is there such hype about influencer marketing?

Several studies have revealed that there’s a good reason why so many marketers and brands are flocking to influencers. Read on to find out more about how influencer marketing impacts all aspects of your performance.

In the age of Amazon-style buying, customers expect instant answers and hassle-free purchasing. 

Plus, competition is virtually everywhere you look. In one click, customers can abandon your site and move on to a competitor who offers faster, easier service.

Our one saving grace to retain recurring sales is through customer loyalty. It’s no secret that many businesses rely on the loyalty of returning customers, as it costs nearly 10 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one.

Roughly two million blog posts are written every single day. I’ll just let that sink in. 

Not to mention the relentless parade of updates on our social feeds. Everywhere we look—Facebook to Twitter to Instagram—we can’t avoid promoted links vying for eyeballs. 

Talk about content fatigue...for both the writer and reader alike. So, what’s the secret sauce to differentiating?

Remember: a blog is not just a metrics driver. A blog showcases your brand’s personality, connecting internal subject matter experts to external readers. It’s your chance to showcase the heart and soul behind the per-usual ad. If you do that, you’ll likely continue to see an increase in your readership, and eventually, a community of loyal readers. 

In the wise words of Brian Clark: “Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers.”

Implemented the right way, a blog can boost website traffic, fuel community engagement, and drive lead generation. It might be time to re-evaluate your blog from top to bottom, and awaken a more stimulating, creative brand personality. Below are five factors to consider for a comprehensive approach.

The following is a guest post by Sabrina Fenster. Sabrina is the Marketing Manager for The Shelf, an influencer marketing platform that enables brands and agencies to connect with the most relevant influencers. They currently serve businesses in the fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel, food and family space. She's also the co-creator of street style blog, Streetscoutme. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. 

Valentine’s Day is almost here. With less than one week away from the annual day of love, last-minute shoppers are wracking their brains for the perfect gifts. 

Believe it or not, this is the perfect time to be kicking promotions up a notch because nearly two-thirds of Americans, who spend an average of $142 on Valentine’s Day, don’t begin planning until a week or less before the actual day. 

Businesses should be aiming their arrows straight for men between the ages of 25-34 because they’re the heaviest hitters—spending twice as much as women on the love-showering holiday. What’s more, pets get some good loving too. Just last year, $703 million was spent on our furry little friends, with an average of $5.28 per gift. 

If you’re not in the business of selling love (like flowers, jewelry or chocolates), don’t forget that people will be celebrating with their friends and families too. This annual day of love is not just reserved for couples anymore. 

There are only a few days left to do a big push for marketing promotions, so it’s time to kick it up a notch. Check out this  infographic by The Shelf for even more V-day insights. 

Patagonia, the outdoor clothing retailer, was founded by climbing enthusiast Yvon Chouinard in 1973. It grew into one of the world’s most trusted high-performance retailers, thanks to a strikingly transparent and relentlessly authentic brand and business model. Over four decades, Patagonia has:

• Consistently and vocally supported environmental causes.
• Publicized its supply chain practices to conscious consumers.
• Launched a marketing campaign that celebrated “worn wear,” encouraging customers to reuse and repair Patagonia gear instead of buying replacements.
• Told customers not to buy its products in an effort to promote conscious consumerism.

The brand has earned the respect of consumers who like to see the firm do good. And it has also helped the company do well: since 2008, Patagonia doubled the size of operations and tripled its profits.

Who says you can’t have it all? If you’re a marketer who wants to tap into the heart and soul of your company—and pass that message onto consumers—Patagonia has some lessons for you.

“Inspiration doesn't respond to meeting requests. You can’t schedule greatness.” – Jay Baer (@jaybaer) 

The grind of everyday life can get to even the most motivated marketers. Sometimes we have to go the extra mile to stay passionate day-in, day-out. It’s just one of the many reasons we are strong believers in the impact of conference season. 

Conferences are key to feeling more connected to the marketing community, staying inspired by your profession and learning from the successes (and challenges) of our peers.

The PR 20/20 team is gearing up to see many of our marketing idols, here in Cleveland and others a bit further from home. Below, I’ve highlighted the full team conference circuit, plus where you can catch a session from our CEO and founder, Paul Roetzer (@paulroetzer).

Managing your company’s reputation online is one of the most important things you can do to protect your organization. Yet, despite how easy it is, many business owners and marketers ignore what’s being said about their company online. The result of this ignorance could mean major losses in revenue.

Don Sorensen (@bigbluerobot) well-known speaker and president of Big Blue Robot, a reputation management firm, recalled in a Forbes.com article how he discovered that one of his clients was losing $2 million a year in sales due to negative reviews.

“Business owners are often taken off-guard by online reputation issues,” Sorensen said. “Many don’t even realize they need to be concerned about their reputation online.” 

The good news is that proactively managing your reputation will help protect your bottom line and create opportunities to better connect with customers. 

LinkedIn (@LinkedIn) offers the perfect opportunity for your company to connect with industry professionals. 

It’s the most professional of social networks, and arguably the most important for B2B networking. In fact, LinkedIn traffic has the highest visitor-to-lead conversion rate at 2.74%.

But like any social strategy, you must have a grasp on your approach before you can maximize the benefits.

I recently watched a webinar hosted by Jonathan Vazquez, Customer Success Representative at LinkedIn, called “How to Get the Most Out of LinkedIn Company Pages.”

Outlined below are four actionable takeaways businesses should follow to enhance marketing techniques for their LinkedIn company pages.