If you’re a small business looking to get the most bang out of your marketing dollars, look no further than email campaigns. Not only is email marketing cheaper than traditional paid advertising, it is also 40 times as effective as social media posts. In fact, 91% of Americans LIKE to receive emails from companies they do business with. Below is a breakdown of how to craft your own broadcast and tools to help you get started.

• Know the Laws
  Before you get started, take a second to read the laws about email marketing. You don’t want to put time and money into something that gets you in trouble. These laws are designed to stop spammers, so if you’re a legitimate company, you shouldn’t be worried. However, take a second to read some highlights of the CAN-SPAM law.
• Online Platforms
  Lucky for you, there are numerous email marketing services that help you send emails, manage contacts, and track performance. Click here to learn which platform is best for your business.
  
• Create an Organic List
  Generating your content list is the first important step to an effective email marketing campaign. However, instead of just buying email addresses from the internet, it’s more advantageous to grow your list organically by creating opportunities for current or potential customers to opt into receiving your emails.
• Catchy Subject Line
  When 47% of customers decide whether to open an email based on the subject line, you need to put time and effort into crafting the best one. Whether its personalized, promotional, or urgent, an email’s subject line needs to grab the readers curiosity before they click the delete button.
  
• Content
  You know your product or service and the customers you’re trying to reach, but that doesn’t mean you can just throw a bunch of content into an email and fire it off. Keep it simple and scannable and don’t forget to add a picture or two.

Need inspiration? Check out these top email marketing campaigns. If you need more help getting started, contact Targeted Persuasion today.

Unfortunately, it’s not a matter of if, but when…

A PR crisis can be a headache for management, but even if it wasn’t your fault, it’s your job to fix it. Whether it was an internal gaff or an unfortunate external circumstance, you should be ready to deal with all sorts of crises that may arise. The steps below will give you a starting point when it is your turn to deal with a crisis.

1. Be prepared. By predicting potential crises and developing a framework for dealing with them, you will save precious time when one develops. Routinely monitoring social media platforms should be a cornerstone of your plan because that is often where members of the public first air their grievances. Even if you don’t have a social media presence, your organization can still be discussed, so stay on top by regularly monitoring relevant platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.). Check out these examples of social media’s role in PR crises.
2. To apologize or not to apologize? This should be one of the first decisions you make when a crisis develops. Just because people are angry doesn’t mean you’ve made a mistake. You may have simply made a tough decision and now you need to stand by it. Reflect on your organization’s standards and ask yourself, ‘Are we in the wrong?’ If so, make the apology immediate and unequivocal. If not, carefully and succinctly lay out your side of the story. Just don’t copy how United handled their crisis last April.
   
   
3. Provide limited, but honest, information. Ask yourself,
   – ‘How does this piece of information fit with our communication strategy?’
   – ‘How do we expect this piece of information to shape the public’s perception of us?’ 
   Just because you have all the information doesn’t mean you need to share it immediately. However, you should always be honest and consistent to avoid making a crisis worse.
4. Take action. Even if you feel like you’re in the right, there’s a reason the public is angry.  Clearly communicate what needs to be done and outline the steps you are taking to solve stakeholder’s complaints. A press release is often the best way to communicate this action. Johnson & Johnson’s handling of the 1982 tampered Tylenol crisis has become a case study for how management should respond with bold action to the worst types of crises.
    
5. Evaluate the process. If this was your first PR crisis, it probably won’t be your last. Learn from what did and didn’t work and update your crisis management plans accordingly.

If you would like to review your crisis management strategy, or if you need help dealing with an ongoing PR problem, Targeted Persuasion is here to help.

2018 got off to a rocky start with the tide pod eating trend, so let’s take a minute and look at the new, the persistent, and the comeback trends for the new year… and reflect on why not to eat Tide Pods.

The New

• Expect mobile phone marketing to dominate in 2018 as mobile devices recently eclipsed traditional computers for the most web searches.
  
• The potential of AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning cannot be understated, especially when they’re implemented in chatbots. Companies have been experimenting with these tools for a couple years now, but as the technology continues to develop, everyone from airlines to pizza chains are using them to improve marketing and customer experience.

 

The Persistent

• Companies like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram will continue to extend their reach and influence. In 2017, Facebook exceeded 2 billion monthly users while YouTube hit 1.5 billion monthly users. Yeah, that’s billion with a B. Marketing strategies through these sites will continue to impact every company looking to increase their brand recognition.
• News organizations are getting stretched thin as they try to adapt to an evolving market. Make it easy on them and stick with the time proven press release. Press releases give you the ability to inform the community when exciting things are happening for your company. They can reach a large audience, but don’t require you to deliver them directly to the consumer.

 

The Comeback

• After a stagnated growth rate at the beginning of the decade, the popularity of podcasts has surged in recent years thanks to increased digital media consumption and popular podcasts such as Serial. Ride this marketing wave as podcasts continue to become more popular.
• 85% of videos on Facebook are played with no sound. What does that mean for advertisers? It’s time to bring back silent videos while still capturing consumers’ attention. Channel your inner 1940s film producer and think of creative ways to grab users attention without sound.

2017 was a wild ride. Hopefully this has helped you prepare for whatever 2018 throws your way. If there’s any way we can help, contact Targeted Persuasion today.

Does the state and federal government know how important your business and industry are to the economy or society? They should.

Here’s the thing: whether we like it or not, decisions made by elected officials in Washington DC and the state capital have reverberating effects all the way down the line – including into your community and business. Politicians rarely fully comprehend the bills they vote on.

While it’s easy to get cynical, think there’s nothing we can do, and fume at the politicians for being uninformed, who can blame them? Many elected positions are technically part time jobs that demand full-time hours and politicians have to deal with a bevy of issues for which they are not necessarily prepared. Often times they are relying on overworked staff and self-interested lobbyists to inform them on the issues.

That’s the reality. How are you going to deal with it? How are you going to make sure the politicians hear your voice above the noise?

Have you considered going directly to the politicians to make your case? I’m not talking about a letter writing campaign or a tweet storm (although those things can help too). I’m talking something bigger.

I’m talking about a lobby day.

So, what is a ‘lobby day?’

Also known as an ‘advocacy day,’ a lobby day is most simply defined as an organized visit to a national or state capital to meet with elected officials and policy makers on a specific issue of interest to the group and advocate for that issue. A lobby day can also include a march, demonstration, press conference, and other public facing events designed to increase awareness among the general public through social and traditional media.

So, what are the key benefits of a lobby day?

• Direct access to elected officials.

Let’s face it. Politicians get hundreds or thousands of emails from constituents every week. Meeting in person gives you the chance to build a personal relationship and put a human face on the issue at hand.

• Amplify your voice.

Dozens or hundreds of constituents descending on the legislature sends a powerful message that people care strongly about your issue and that you demand to be heard.

• Media attention.

A crowd tends to draw cameras. This is your chance to get noticed, not only by elected officials, but also by the media and the general public. Just be sure you have a carefully crafted message and talking points to make sure your cause is being portrayed in the best possible light.

Okay, so now you know how beneficial a lobby day can be for your cause. Now, how do you make it happen? Something this big requires a lot of organizing, and you’re going to need to engage a lot of stakeholders.

Here are three key things to consider before you get started.

1. Identify your stakeholders and build out your contact list. Who cares about this issue and would lend their support? Who are key influencers who can get others involved? What voices will be especially important for elected officials?
2. Come up with concise and clear messaging to convey what it is you’re doing and why it’s important. This is a lot harder than it sounds. There are 1,000 reasons why someone might care about your cause. You need to identify the 3 things people care about and hammer home those points. (Hint: the key message could be different for different audiences. Be sure to keep your audience in mind).
3. Identify key tools for organizing. Email, online petition, website, social media – these are all standard tools for organizing a campaign like this. It’s important that these pieces are working together toward common goals (getting petition signatures, driving attendance to lobby day, etc.). A piecemeal approach will make your campaign appear disorganized.

Could your industry benefit from an advocacy day at your state capital or Washington, DC in 2018? Of course it could. And it’s not too late to start that conversation. Contact us today and tell us what’s important to you.