During a recent call with a client we admire for its strong thought leadership and social media outreach, we spent a few minutes discussing the goals of social media communications. Are successful social media programs measured mainly by an increase in sales or leads added to the pipeline? That is one measure. But in our experience, a successful program [...]
Tell us about your academic background I earned my Economics degree in England and communications graduate degree from Boston University. How did you land your first gig in financial PR? I met the head of Fidelity’s PR department, and he asked me to interview for the national media relations position. He was an Anglophile, so I think that helped, but [...]
The window of time for SEC-registered investment advisors to conform to the new SEC Marketing Rule is drawing to a close. The new regulation became effective in May 2021 with an 18-month transitional period for RIAs to modify their compliance practices prior to enforcement. Starting Nov. 4, the SEC requires adherence to the new rules. Here we focus on [...]
If your company operates in a highly regulated industry like financial services, it’s not uncommon for the approval process for content to become contentious. But when compliance and marketing can’t see eye to eye, it can be both unpleasant and unproductive. Even if you outsource your compliance function, establishing and maintaining solid working relationships with the people who have the [...]
We’ve been both delighted and terrified to see more and more reporters respond to pitches with: “That’s a great idea! Do you have anyone with a diverse background who could talk about it?” “Delighted” because of the progress the question signifies. “Terrified” because diversity can be tough to navigate in the context of a client/agency relationship. The development itself [...]
If your company is like most, the answer is probably both. Chances are that your website is missing some content that would help further your business objectives. At the same time, it also likely has some outdated, redundant or poor-quality content. The Opportunity Cost of Too Little Often people go to a company website with a goal in mind — [...]
Gone are the days when being active on social media is optional. Social media should be seen as an extension of a robust communications strategy; however, simply having a presence is not enough. Social media is an important place for firms to highlight media coverage, leverage thought leadership, reach new audiences and extend their brand’s reach. Social media is an extension of an overall communications plan. Just as it is important to have a consistent [...]
Positive media coverage has long been considered a powerful tool for the top of the marketing funnel. Bylined articles, profile stories, quotes or mentions in a respected publication can build brand awareness and position a company as a source of trusted information and insight. That’s even more true in today’s digital communications landscape, where the audience for any one article can expand exponentially via social media to far beyond the publication’s direct subscribers. What’s more, since “publication” is no longer limited to a single point in time, savvy companies can strategically use media coverage to add value and drive growth at every stage of [...]
As vulnerability and transparency became a theme and “casual" became the new corporate, the historic implications of 2020 and COVID-19 will resound for generations. In a socially distanced year, we grew closer to our computers, and social media expanded engagement with our now distant communities. Greater screen time increased the desire to explore new economic realms and had an unprecedented effect on trading and markets, with many Main [...]
“Can you get me on CNBC?” This is a frequent request we get from advisors and financial experts who want media attention, despite the fact that most advisors can’t and won’t talk about the public company stocks that are the stock and trade of financial TV news. We’ve also heard many variations of the question, “How can I get the Podunk Journal to write about me?” We once [...]
