Public relations can be an effective way to get brand
exposure and drive more website traffic. Gaining publicity for clients is
ultimately what most marketing professionals aim to do to put companies in a
positive light. This is why being featured in various publications is crucial
for any business. Finding a successful and effective media relations strategy
can be slow. Spending hours looking for potential outlets and sources to
randomly pitch to can is not a good use of time or resources, so it’s no secret
that there are effective outlets out there to speed up the process. One program
I prefer to take advantage of Help a Reporter Out or HARO.
HARO is a helpful outlet that journalists use to find industry
experts to use as sources in articles featured on major media sites. According
to HARO, the network reaches more than 800,000 sources and 55,000 journalists
and bloggers.
There are many benefits of getting your business mentioned
in leading publications within your industry or market. Besides exposure, link
building, which is having a source or website link to your website, can be a
great way to help boost search engine optimization ratings. This also is an
excellent way to build relationships with writers around the globe that are
influencers in your industry. Additionally, it helps to list your site with
trustworthy directories.
HARO is a pretty straight forward platform used by PR
professionals, journalists and experts all over. When you join as a source,
HARO sends out new leads three times a day via email, Monday through Friday.
Expect these emails to come in around 5:35 a.m., 12:35 p.m. and 5:35 p.m. There
are emails sent with specific topics, guidelines, industries and so on. When
signing up for HARO, there are preferences that allow you to opt-in or out of
additional emails tailored explicitly to the categories you’re an industry
expert in.
When you’re an expert in a specific subject or industry, the
response can seem like the easy part, but HARO is competitive, especially for
popular media outlets. Take time to develop a thoughtful pitch to the query.
Keep in mind that there are countless submissions to each writer, so your pitch
should be concise and stand out from the rest.
I have had great success with pitches to queries via HARO.
It has been a source that I continually use for both clients and in-house
marketing efforts. Not only do I get free publicity, but it also is a great way
to make connections across the globe with expert writers in the industry. HARO is
an effort proven to work. M3 Group is a full-service branding agency from
marketing and corporate consulting to PR and advertising services. If your
business is looking to expand its brand awareness and reach, we’d love to help
you out. To learn more about our services, please visit m3group.biz.
Rebranding is a delicate but very popular decision. A lot of major companies are jumping on the rebranding wagon – from Uber to Dunkin Donuts to Weight Watchers and dozens more. If your company is considering a rebrand it’s helpful to ask the right questions. We sat down with M3 Group Marketing Specialist Zach Krieger for his take on the topic.
Why should a company rebrand?Any organization should take a good look at their brand every five years; that doesn’t mean a HUGE change or overhaul to the look/messaging/culture of the company, but it gives leadership an opportunity to reassess what they’re striving for and what tools are needed to achieve those goals. Sometimes that means tweaks to messaging or a tagline, sometimes that means a new logo, color scheme, website, etc.
What are a few things a company should consider when rebranding? Strategy. Why do we do things the way we do them? How can we do things better? What do people think of when they hear our name or see our materials? A good strategy will put you in a situation to answer these questions and allow you to explore what pieces and parts you might need to ensure your whole team is working towards a singular goal, under a unified message.
Should they develop a logo first or a strategy? Why? Always a strategy! You might not even need a new logo or name change … if the strategy dictates that this is something to explore, then maybe. But, the most successful brands are never created on a whim.
Why should a company use an agency instead of attempt this in-house?Have you ever heard the phrase, “You can’t see the label from inside the bottle?” Organizations know their businesses very well, they know their customers very well, they know the industry and the products and the peak seasons. Nine out of 10 people don’t know much about branding. Some may think having a social media page and possibly a sharp business card is a great brand. Agencies are brand professionals. Branding is a force that comes from every aspect of the organization, from top to bottom. An agency specializes in giving organizations the tools and direction they need to sustain a look and feeling to associate with their brand in all aspects, internally and externally.
Any other tips for companies considering rebranding?Designate a budget and be on the same page with internal leadership when looking at this process. Don’t just dip your toe in this; branding is a process and takes time. Proper resources and time NEED to be considered when looking at your brand. There also needs to be a trust factor in the people/agency you decide to work with – don’t turn your creative consultants into order takers. Agencies are trying to empower your organization through new ideas and process… don’t restrict them because that is “the way we’ve always done it”. Lastly, HAVE FUN with this … a brand is something that the TEAM needs to buy into; leadership, employees, families, customers, etc. are your “brand ambassadors”. Give them a reason to have good feelings when it comes to your brand.
If your company is considering a rebrand, let the qualified team at M3 Group help. Contact us at 517-203-3333 or visit our webpage at www.M3Group.biz.
Your logo is everything. It tells your brand’s story in just a glance through color, design and the statement it makes.
But trends change and keeping up with the times is important. The few companies that can get away with a classic logo usually can use it for years. Others need to make small adjustments with the times.
Those with an entirely too trendy logo, however, may be looking for something new.
Here are a few of the trends you can expect to see in 2019:
Variable logos
Wix.com says many companies are taking their brands a step further by creating a variety of visually diverse logos to be used interchangeably. This idea can work – as long as the logos are cohesive and reside under the umbrella of the same visual language.
Simplification
Creativebloq.com states that simplification has been a popular trend for years now, with no sign of changing. Examples of this are the American Express logo and the Uber rebrand.
Gradients are back
According to medium.com, gradients and vivid and saturated logos are going to be big in 2019.
Overlapping elements
Designers are breaking the rules, and it’s working. “Overlapping styles tend to work best for logos that have a simple mark or lettering and that are contained to s specific part of the logo,” said designshack.net.
You can also expect to see continued use of negative space, vivid colors, illustrative substitutes for a letter, simple geometric shapes and in general, more cheerful designs.
Creating your company’s logo can be a daunting task best left to the professionals. M3 Group is here to help!
