PR professionals are known for being good with our words—but that sometimes comes with the stigma that we’ll say anything to make our clients look good. We always want to position our clients for success, but how do we work around these preconceptions? By building meaningful connections. 

That’s particularly important when working with journalists who are constantly bombarded with pitches. Can you imagine if every email in your inbox was someone asking you for something? That’s why I always go out of my way to build a personal relationship with the reporters I work with. 

If I see an interesting article that they wrote, I’ll reach out with a greeting and attempt to form that connection. That way we already have a rapport if I reach back out to pitch a client story. Sometimes, a journalist will even come back to me because of that initial conversation, appreciating the fact that I complimented their recent work before making an ask of my own. 

My friends at Axios are a perfect example of this type of relationship-building outreach. I caught a trend piece in my daily news scans and reached out to the reporter, telling him I loved his perspective and that I couldn’t wait for his next column. This turned into a conversation, during which the reporter asked who I worked with and if anything was timely. This resulted in a newsletter and exclusive coverage for our client. To this day, I regularly check in with this reporter to say hello or ask if they have any fun vacation plans. 

Building personal relationships is just as important with clients. Getting to know clients on a deeper level allows me to more effectively work alongside them and assist in their growth and success. This can be as simple as starting a client call with “What did you do over the weekend?” or “Any fun vacations planned?” It seems simple, but these non-business conversions build relationships and, ultimately, trust. 

Trust improves our work together and drives tangible results. We become an extension of the client’s team. We know the message they want the world to hear. We know what makes them excited and what they celebrate as success. This comes with time, but it also comes as we open up and have real conversations. 

If you throw a dinner party with your closest friends and you know one of them is lactose intolerant, will you only be serving dairy heavy dishes? No, you anticipate their needs and prepare additional options for them to enjoy. It works the same way when you have a meaningful relationship with a client. Through emails, weekly calls and in-person opportunities, I better learn my clients’ preferences and anticipate their needs. When an opportunity comes across my desk, I can immediately gauge their interest level and how it fits into their larger goals and media strategy. Communications become quicker and more efficient. 

At a previous agency, I became particularly close with the team at a luxury wellness brand. The team and I had a great working relationship and they knew how passionate I was about getting them valuable coverage. Our relationship was so strong that they moved their business to N6A after I started my new position with the agency. We continue to work together to this day, where I focus solely on top tier podcast outreach and have garnered interest from Bloomberg, Men’s Journal and Benzinga. 

I view the PR professional and client relationship as a team, which stems from my decades of being on one. I started competitive cheerleading at five years old and didn’t stop until I graduated from the University of Connecticut at 22. One of the most important skills in cheerleading is called stunting, which are the lifts that consist of two bases, one back spot and a flyer. To properly and safely stunt, everyone must be on the same page and communicate clearly before, during and after the stunt. If someone doesn’t know what’s happening, they can get injured. Having had my fair share of falls, I’ve learned that communication brings the right outcome.

As AI tools like ChatGPT dominate the news cycle, the importance of human relationships are at risk of being devalued. But building relationships and trust doesn’t come automatically. Leading with empathy and compassion is—and will remain—critical to achieving PR success.

The post For PR, Human Connection Still Matters in the Age of Automation appeared first on N6 Powered by KRMA | Fully Integrated Digital Marketing.

Last week, my N6A colleagues and I had the chance to attend DigiMarCon East, a summit of industry leaders to discuss the latest in digital marketing, media and advertising. As communications partners for some of the fastest-growing martech, adtech and ecommerce companies, it’s important for us to keep a finger on the pulse of the biggest trends impacting our clients’ businesses, especially during a time of massive upheaval and transformation across all sectors. 

Based on everything we learned, these are the top trends impacting this space. 

AI will usher in a new era of marketing innovation—if implemented properly.

Over the last few months, generative AI—especially ChatGPT—has unleashed a flood of discussion and experimentation. Its rapid advancement has marketers pacing to catch up and unlock its potential. 

If executed properly, AI helps marketers analyze massive amounts of data in real-time and make faster decisions to optimize campaigns. With the ever-dwindling sources of third-party data, it’s important for marketers to harness the power of first-party data in order to increase targeting efficiency and campaign ROI. AI has the potential to execute these robust functions in order to deliver exponential success. 

By freeing up the manpower required to analyze data effectively, AI gives time back to marketers to focus on the creative aspects of their craft. These include developing stronger visuals, drafting compelling copy and building strategies that flex their creative thinking. Most importantly, they’ll be able to do this with a data-backed process, as they will have access to more in-depth and accurate recommendations that will help them fully refine their work. 

Despite the rapid advancements, AI still has a long way to go before it can fully automate core marketing and advertising processes. That means communications professionals will continue to provide core creative and strategic value. 

Brands can’t afford to ignore the creator economy.

Over the past few years, TikTok has brought creators and influencers to the forefront of the industry conversation. While social media platforms and the dominant voices on them have been a mainstay in marketing strategies for quite some time, success looks quite different in the TikTok era. Instead of glossy, idealized Instagram posts featuring carefully curated aesthetics, more consumers are responding to the chaotic authenticity of short-form content on TikTok—which has had social media incumbents like Meta and YouTube snapping at its heels. Short-form video content is expected to generate billions in revenue for all these platforms in the coming years.

In addition to TikTok, brands should be looking toward other companies that are attracting more influencers and heavily investing in infrastructure to utilize them. Amazon, Spotify and Roblox are among the few that are leaning toward this strategy and are expected to compete heavily with the mainstay platforms in the coming years. 

Most importantly, brands need to invest thoughtfully in creative strategies that fit the format of these platforms instead of applying the same formats and calling it a day. Consumers expect brands to cater to their content consumption preferences and will write off those that miss the mark. 

Data mastery is more critical than ever.

The marketing and advertising industry has been roiled with setbacks and budget cuts due to the unavoidable influences of the economy and have shifted focus to smaller, targeted initiatives. This has increased the reliance on martech solutions that offer robust analytics capabilities to optimize campaign performance. Companies in this space are seeing a sharp rise in demand despite the economic headwinds and have the opportunity to capitalize on this unique situation. 

In addition to analytics, technologies like Web3, metaverse and blockchain should also be looked at closely by marketers as immersion, attribution security and privacy are becoming key to engaging consumers. While financials may not allow for much experimentation right now, marketers should still be paying close attention to what’s working with these technologies in preparation for when budgets return to normal. 

The road ahead won’t be any less bumpy for companies in the marketing and advertising space. In fact, it’s likely that new trends will have pros playing defense and chasing the next great opportunity. However, with the right strategic thinking and hypersensitivity to ongoing shifts, growth and innovation will always be achievable.

The post These 3 Trends Will Define Marketing Success in 2023 appeared first on N6 Powered by KRMA | Fully Integrated Digital Marketing.

But it is important for employees to prioritize their mental health in the workplace. That means taking advantage of employer-provided wellness programs and health services. It means taking breaks when you need them. It means checking in on coworkers. Not only does this allow for a more pleasant work environment but can lead to less burnout and increased productivity. 

As we celebrate World Mental Health Day, here are four things you can do to make sure you’re caring for yourself. 

1. Take advantage of wellness programs

As mental health becomes a more relevant topic in company culture conversations, many organizations are creating an internal wellness program or expanding what is currently in place. N6A, for example, has begun hosting bi-weekly wellness workshops where employees can learn about proper breathing techniques, how to optimize sleep, proper nutrition, and more. 

Ask your employer if they currently offer or plan to offer similar programming. Not only does this give you the building blocks to work on improving your wellbeing, it also serves as an opportunity for you to interact with coworkers outside of the typical day-to-day account work. 

2. Ask about health services your employer offers

If your employer offers healthcare coverage, usually therapy and psychiatric services are included. Make sure to call your insurance provider to get a list of in-network practitioners in your area.

If you’re not currently taking advantage of your employer-sponsored healthcare coverage, make sure you sign up!

3. Check in on coworkers

While this only takes a quick ping or email, checking in on your coworkers can go a long way. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the importance of staying connected through tough times. Checking in with one another creates an emotionally safe space that ultimately allows for a deeper level of transparency between one another. 

4. Take a break!

Especially for those that may work remotely, taking a break can feel challenging when your computer is looming in the corner. But it is extremely important to step away from work when possible, even if just for a quick walk around the block. Find time to take off for lunch or grab a screen break, especially during busier days when time seems to fly. 

This list of action items comprehensive. It is just the start of the conversation… a conversation that has a long way to go. 

By acting on these steps, we can establish the need for growth in these initiatives to hopefully ripple to all companies and encourage them and their employees to prioritize mental wellbeing.

The post 4 Tips for Prioritizing Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace appeared first on N6 Powered by KRMA | Fully Integrated Digital Marketing.

Unfortunately, I had the exact opposite feeling after I graduated. That excitement had been replaced with a big fat “Now what?”

Those first few steps after graduating NC State seemed crucial to setting up my long term success and I was overwhelmed with the amount of offers I had to sift through online. While scouring LinkedIn for award-winning PR agencies, I was lucky enough to come across an opening at the Account Coordinator level at N6A. 

As it turns out, N6A was the perfect choice for my first post-collegiate job. Here are three reasons why.

1. N6A has the perfect balance of independence and support.

I was worried that I would end up at a company that didn’t trust their employees to maintain efficiency in a remote setting. That’s not the case at N6A. There’s no hand holding, but there’s also never been a moment anyone made me feel like I couldn’t reach out for help. Heck, before I even had a chance to get started on Day 1, everyone was reaching out to ensure I felt supported and educated. 

That independence can feel daunting (kind of like leaving home for university!), but it’s good for you. With patience and the right people around you, this pathway is designed for you to flourish. 

2.  Everyone is committed to your growth. 

This is true at every level of the company. 

The fabulous Nina, our EVP of Talent Development, organizes regular professional development sessions that have allowed me to build real skills and taught me a lot about the industry. Day-to-day, my Account Managers and Directors are always looking for opportunities to provide teaching moments. And, notably, I don’t feel invisible to upper-level management. I’ve had numerous conversations with our executives that provided industry knowledge I wouldn’t necessarily have accessed through my direct manager. 

Insight and education is extremely helpful when you’re able to compile it from every level, since everyone brings something different to the equation. 

There are also plenty of opportunities for personal development. I’ve learned a lot more about self care in our monthly wellness sessions than I ever did scrolling TikTok.

3. This is what a healthy work-life balance looks like. 

It’s easy for companies to say they put employees first, but it’s their actions that truly indicate priorities. 

At a previous internship, I had convinced myself that I needed to work until 9 p.m. every day instead of telling my boss I needed more time. Based on everyone else at the company, I thought that my job was more important than my wellbeing. It wasn’t—I was just in a place that facilitated a poor work-life balance. 

It wasn’t until I started working at N6A that I realized what a healthy balance looks like. Logging off when work ends is a priority. Meeting virtually with coworkers to chat about something other than work is a priority. Flexing our work schedule around appointments and life events is a priority. My personal experience feels like a priority. 

Having such an excellent reference point for my first job has been critical to understanding my worth. How can you know what you deserve as a professional if you’ve never been given the opportunity to see how good it can get? 

My biggest recommendation for other recent grads looking for an ideal landing spot is to not sell yourself short. I didn’t expect a fancy, big-time NYC agency to be interested in me coming out of school. But the beauty of being inexperienced is that you have everything to learn and nothing to lose. 

So, apply for that great job. Yes, that one.

The post 3 Reasons Why N6A is the Perfect 1st Job Out of College appeared first on N6 Powered by KRMA | Fully Integrated Digital Marketing.

Then a new thought creeps into your mind: what next? 

Funding announcements are an essential part of growth communications for any early-stage business… but their impact is limited if treated as a one-off campaign. Here are three reasons your announcement needs to be supported by a year-round PR and marketing strategy.

1. You need to take advantage of the momentum

You’ve earned features in trade publications, mentions in national outlets, and buzz across LinkedIn and Twitter. This may be the first time your company has generated significant media interest. So why the heck would you stop now? 

Think of the announcement as a powerful but brief gust of wind. Without a sail—or, in this analogy, an integrated comms strategy—you have no way to harness the momentum. Having a strategy in place and ready to implement allows you to make the most of the moment. 

Your strategy should tie together a number of key PR and marketing efforts, including…

• Thought leadership and executive visibility: Bylines, blog posts, podcast appearances, and speaking engagements demonstrate that your company and its leaders are driving industry innovation.
• Customer and partner success storytelling: Nothing demonstrates the value offered by your brand better than stories about the success of the people and organizations you help. 
• Media relations: The better you know the journalists and publishers in your industry—and the better they know you—the more successful you’ll be in getting your story out there. This requires careful and consistent outreach to the right people.
• Amplification: The work doesn’t stop when you’ve secured that coveted feature story. Now you want to get that credibility asset in front of your target audience using owned channels like social media, email, a company blog, etc. 

Remember, the wind is at your back. So hoist the sail and get moving!

2. You need to align effort with outcomes

All of that media coverage is great, but ask yourself this: how is it helping you achieve your core business outcomes? 

Having a communications strategy in place at the time of your announcement ensures that your PR and marketing efforts are aligned with core business goals. It makes sure all of your team’s hard work is moving you towards the place you want to be. There’s no point harnessing the wind if you’re not sailing in the right direction. 

By business outcomes, I mean those core goals that define success for your company over the long term. Remember, you’re not doing PR for the sake of PR. Coverage is a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. Building investor support ahead of your next round is an outcome; earning coverage from a top industry publisher is a means to accomplish that outcome.

At N6A, our Outcomes Relations model begins with our clients selecting one or more outcomes from a list of six common categories.

Your business is almost certainly focused on several—if not most—of these outcomes. The thing is, you can’t expect to accomplish them with a single campaign. These are big, important goals that require a consistent, year-round PR and marketing effort. 

3. You need to maintain visibility from your target audience

Brands who have great reputations seem to have a never-ending presence in the media. From feature stories to executive interviews to viral social posts and videos, they’re everywhere all the time. But that kind of media saturation doesn’t happen overnight. 

These businesses maintain consistent media visibility through a steady drumbeat of outreach, content creation, and amplification. 

Look at this from the perspective of your target audience. Let’s say that’s an exec at a potential investment firm who’s had their interest piqued by the coverage of your funding announcement. Over the next six to 12 months, that exec keeps coming across your business in social media posts, media features, executive interviews, award nominations, and blog posts. How much more likely are they to back your funding round when you come calling?

On the other hand, a burst of coverage followed by silence can make your funding round look like a flash in the pan. 

Business growth boils down to consistent execution on the tactical level. Success is defined not only by big leaps, but by careful, methodical steps. By preparing a communications strategy to support your funding announcement, you’ll be sure to maximize the impact of your big news over the long term.

Is your comms plan optimized for long-term success? Let’s talk.

The post Why Your Funding Announcement Needs to Be Supported by Year-Round PR appeared first on N6 Powered by KRMA | Fully Integrated Digital Marketing.

In addition to the personal challenges and fears that the onset of the pandemic made us reckon with, we as PR professionals had to quickly update our clients’ communication strategies to not only address the issues the coronavirus was forcing all industries to face, but to also find their place in the conversation. 

So how did we do it? I can tell you it wasn’t easy. In fact, I have never felt more challenged and afraid professionally. With marketing budgets on the chopping block, it was more critical than ever to drive business outcomes for our clients. 

To put it succinctly, we adapted. We had to move away from the traditional methods of promoting our clients’ successes and instead laser-focus our efforts on providing much needed strategy and insight to our media partners, who were under incredible stress. Because of the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, we had to be hypersensitive to the ever-changing news cycle and help our clients quickly serve up knowledge that peers within their industry could use. We had to build a new way of doing PR, founded on the concept of strategic elasticity. 

Here’s how strategic elasticity can redefine your communications strategy.

Be hypersensitive to the news cycle.

The world is undergoing one of the most transformative periods in recent history, and it isn’t slowing down. The way people live and companies do business is changing daily. Things that were thought to be true yesterday might be proven wrong today, and everyone is constantly playing catch up. If you want to ensure your business stays relevant, follow the news constantly for relevant micro moments and secure your place in the narrative. 

Become an educator, not a promoter.

Uncertainty is the “new normal” as the pandemic continues to complicate business forecasting across all industries. The media and their audiences are in dire need of experts who can shed light on what’s happening on the ground and who can provide advice on how to tackle the challenges presented. Smaller news items or overt self-promotion is valued less and less, and the best way to generate media coverage is to provide actionable insight that educates and provides value to readers.

Know when to step in or step back.

In the world of strategic communications, every word is supposed to matter. But in the current landscape, there are entirely too many words being thrown around, and many of them don’t actually matter to the issues at hand. This prevents the voices that need to be heard from getting the platform they deserve, especially when it comes to disenfranchised communities of POC and minorities. It’s important to understand which conversations you need to step into, and when you should take a step back and let the most critical perspectives rise to the top. 

Anticipate outcomes but be prepared to pivot at a moment’s notice.

While accepting uncertainty is part of the new normal, it’s still important to forecast potential outcomes from every major event within your industry. Your communications strategy should always include some predictions about what to expect in order to help your peers, leadership, and customers plan accordingly. However, new information is always unfolding, and it’s important to make sure your messaging is updated in real time to reflect the changing landscape, especially when the changes don’t line up with your previous expectations. This will ensure that your target audiences know that you’re constantly monitoring the situation and making proactive decisions to improve.

Acknowledge mistakes and commit to learning and improving.

With many of us making quick decisions to address new problems, it’s inevitable that some of those decisions will be wrong. While it may be easier to stick to your guns and go on the defense, audiences will hold you in much higher regard if you acknowledge your mistakes and show humility. A good communications strategy involves learning from your mistakes and outlining steps to continue building trust and driving improvement. 

We’re not out of the woods yet, and the last two years have taught us that anything can and will happen. If you keep the concept of strategic elasticity at the core of your communications strategy, you’ll ensure that your brand stays ahead of the curve and is seen as a valued thought leader within your industry and beyond.

The post Strategic Elasticity is the Most Important Aspect of PR appeared first on N6 Powered by KRMA | Fully Integrated Digital Marketing.

As the structure of traditional PR comes down, so too do the walls that have historically separated PR and marketing teams. No longer are the two groups siloed, one working to promote specific products and services while the other focuses on improving the reputation of the business as a whole. Together, they’re working toward a unified communications strategy.

Almost half of PR professionals and more than 60 percent of marketing executives believe that their two disciplines will become more closely aligned in the next five years, according to the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

If your business isn’t aligning PR and marketing, it’s more than just an efficiency issue. You’re missing out on a critical step in connecting your communications strategy to your core business outcomes. 

Here are four reasons why PR and marketing should be aligned:

1. Marketing amplifies earned coverage

The new model of PR—what N6A calls Outcome Relations—is built to deliver tangible business outcomes, like completing a capital raise or hitting a sales benchmark. The PR team works to secure earned media results that support that outcome. 

But the work isn’t over once that big company feature is published in Forbes. This is where the marketing team can provide the critical step in connecting earned coverage to measurable outcomes: amplification. 

Maybe they pull a quote from the feature and create a branded graphic to publish on Instagram; maybe they create a paid LinkedIn campaign targeting new leads; or maybe they share the article in an email campaign to your existing clients. 

Once the PR team has earned that big media piece, the marketing team ensures the right people see it. 

2. PR can increase your search visibility

Marketing teams spend a lot of time working to increase the search visibility of their brand’s website, be it bidding on search terms as part of an SEM plan or optimizing organic content to increase rankings.

Effective PR teams can play a key role in that strategy by generating organic search traffic and backlinks.

Being featured in a major publisher will naturally create more search traffic as readers seek out additional information about the featured company. If your business is mentioned in an article from The Wall Street Journal, you can bet you’ll see a significant spike in organic search traffic.

Some publishers may also include backlinks, or links from other websites to your own website, in their coverage. These backlinks are considered by Google and other search engines to be votes of confidence for your site. If a credible publisher is linking to your site, Google figures, it must be pretty credible as well. Up goes your search ranking.

If the PR team is aligned on the key search terms your business is trying to rank for, they can pitch to relevant and credible publishers to drive increased visibility.

3. Joint news monitoring can benefit PR and marketing teams

PR pros spend a considerable amount of time monitoring media coverage for opportunities for newsjacking, or leveraging a major news story to draw attention to their own brand. Content marketing teams, meanwhile, are constantly monitoring social media feeds looking for relevant news and conversations the brand can engage with. 

When PR and marketing teams coordinate, this news monitoring system becomes more efficient.

Let’s say a PR team working on behalf of a cyber security client comes across a story about the data breach of a high-profile company. In addition to pitching publishers on a byline from the cyber security brand’s CEO, the PR team flags the news to the marketing team, who publishes the original article on LinkedIn along with a few insightful tips for avoiding security breaches. 

The well-timed social post could drive significant visibility and help establish the brand as an authority in their industry… all because the PR team was quick to flag the news.

4. PR can boost marketing campaigns

Designing a marketing campaign to increase lead gen or hit a sales goal? Think about how PR can support the effort. A byline or feature in a relevant publication can drive people to your site, then funnel them into the campaign.

Let’s say you’re an automated CX brand who’s just published a lead gen campaign built around a PDF download. In addition to budgeting for Google Ads and designing a social media blitz, you pulled your PR team in to support. They’ve been busy pitching and landed a CEO byline with a major publisher, which publishes the day you launch your lead gen campaign. That byline drives a ton of qualified readers to your website, where they’re met with a pop-up offering the PDF resource in exchange for their email. 

By bringing the PR team into the campaign design early and aligning timelines to create a cohesive campaign, you can significantly expand your reach.

None of these things are possible if your PR and marketing teams are sitting in separate departments—or separate agencies—with little to no communication. Aligning the two disciplines from initial outcome development all the way through messaging and campaign deployment is key to optimizing ROI. 

If your PR and marketing teams aren’t working together to drive business outcomes, you’re not getting the most out of either.

The post 4 Reasons Your PR and Marketing Should be Aligned appeared first on N6 Powered by KRMA | Fully Integrated Digital Marketing.

1. You just hit your 1 year anniversary with N6A! You joined right as the pandemic hit. What’s your biggest lesson learned this year? 

As someone who had to build new relationships with both teammates and clients, I learned that going beyond the typical co-worker or client-facing dynamics was key to keeping everyone motivated and enthusiastic about the work we’re doing. My philosophy is that you’re more likely to trust your friends over strangers, so it’s important to have a layer of friendliness in your work ethic to build trust and get things done. 

2. Despite the challenging year, do you have a favorite N6A memory that sticks out as we navigated the pandemic as a team? What are you most looking forward to this year?

I was lucky to be able to attend the last N6A Happy Hour before we went into lockdown and got a chance to bond with the team over drinks and pizza which made me feel really welcome at the company. 

I’m most looking forward to building upon the connections I’ve made online with the team and with clients in-person at some point this year. The N6A team has been awesome virtually so I’m excited to see what it’s actually like being in the office!

3. What advice do you have for managers  who need to onboard remote employees right now and for teams to create a semblance of culture despite distance? 

I think it’s important to make sure your employees know that they can come to you with any questions and challenges they are facing during this uncertain environment. Also, it’s important to make sure you are kind and personable when interacting online and not afraid to insert your personality into conversations. Also – nothing makes me more nervous than one-word answers! 

4. Looking back, what advice would you give February 2020 Paolo?

I would encourage him to do things with more conviction and confidence because he definitely has it in him and knows what he’s doing! 

5. Moving to NYC was a personal and professional goal of yours, what would you tell other young professionals who have the same goal? 

100%. One of my favorite quotes is from the musical RENT, and it says “Forget regret, or life is yours to miss” and it’s better to do it and see if it works or spend the rest of your life asking “what if.” That being said, make sure you have a gameplan before doing it to be somewhat prepared – NYC can be a confusing place to move to! 

6. Do you think the pandemic and remote work will impact the PR industry on an ongoing basis. If so, how? 

I think it will offer the industry a new layer of flexibility that will let us focus on the most important things wherever we are instead of having to do certain things in certain places. Work-life balance is hard to come by, and more flexibility will allow the industry to progress towards this much faster.

The post 6 Insights from N6A Account Manager Paolo Ramos appeared first on N6 Powered by KRMA | Fully Integrated Digital Marketing.

Picking a PR agency is a lot like dating. You look for points where you’re compatible, you have to make sure your personalities and interests complement each other, you want to find someone who encourages your goals and ambitions. And, more than anything, you want someone you can introduce to your parents—okay, maybe it’s not exactly the same.

Anyway, this Valentine’s Day we’re showcasing all of the unique teams that make up the whole of N6A. Check out our profiles to find out which one you’d swipe right on!

Do you have a new funding round to announce or are you looking for a creative way to win customers? Are you in the real estate, performance marketing, recruiting or musical instrument selling space (not any of those but curious who else we rep? – just ask!)? Are you thinking, “well, that much variety in expertise can’t be helpful for what MY company does.” Well, think again! No matter the challenge, the Enterprise team has managed a smorgasbord of industries, allowing for a PR partner that has been there, done that, and built the awareness every brand is looking for.  

If you’re on the hunt for the perfect PR match for your canna-business, look no further than N6A’s Cannabis Group – the small, scrappy team that truly packs a punch. The passion-driven group takes risks, steers away from the traditional and keeps spirits high while cultivating media opportunities for plant-touching and ancillary companies across a myriad of sectors. For years the group has broken out of the dated confines of cannabis trade coverage, taking its clients to new heights through mainstream business, health and wellness, and technology placement. The team has experience navigating the nuances of the expanding market, and can work with you to develop innovative strategies for attracting consumers, clients and investors.  You won’t have a half-baked experience with a partner like the Cannabis Group.  

Do you have trouble explaining to your family what your company does? Ideal. We thrive on complexity and love a good acronym – GDPR, CPRA, 0day . If your main audience is consumers, definitely swipe left (we hear Enterprise and Cannabis are single), we prefer to work behind the scenes with your developer or CISO – we’re more Python than Peloton. “Nerd” is a badge of honor we wear proudly and we’ve collected one for industries including cybersecurity, privacy, network infrastructure, telecom, financial services, manufacturing and logistics. If you like to drop AI and Blockchain into casual conversation and think fingerprinting is for your state ID not your device ID, drop us a line (through an encrypted channel of course), we’d love to compare collections of tinfoil hats!

The Pro Team will talk your ear off about the latest buzz in the retail, marketing, advertising, HR, food tech and ecommerce industries. In between consulting clients, briefing journalists and going on research deep dives, they also enjoy swapping dating advice, talking about their latest Netflix binges like Bridgerton and coming clean about their embarrassing musical tastes. 

They find well crafted briefing documents and quick replies from clients and media (no double texting required) just as satisfying as a crisp glass of Chardonnay. They are equally reliable for being able to come up with pitching ideas on the fly as well as finding the appropriate meme to react with in record time.

The post Which N6A PR Group is the Right Match For You? appeared first on N6 Powered by KRMA | Fully Integrated Digital Marketing.

You’ve gone through the request for proposal (RFP) process and landed the new client. Now what? Well, now it’s time to really put in the work if you’re a top public relations professional. You might have wowed them with your pitch meeting skills and ideas, but the next phase in the client/PR professional journey is the most difficult but rewarding one yet – building trust.  

Just because the client signed on the dotted line does not mean they will be around forever. As with every meaningful relationship, you will need to work at it constantly. This means every touch point, from emails to PR strategies, and everything else in between, will need to showcase your PR expertise in such a way that allows the client to feel at ease with your direction.

Trust, in the simplest form, means the firm belief in the reliability of someone or something. When it comes to trust in the PR world, it means having clients believe in your PR campaigns and your ability to execute on them. If you’re still reading this post, you might be thinking, well, I already won the business, so what more do I need to do? That’s the exact mentality you want to avoid, not just in PR, but in life as well. If you perceive it as a fun challenge, fostering trust can be the building block to having a long and fruitful relationship with a client.

Photo by fauxels from Pexels

I’ve outlined only a few ideas you’ll want to consider right out of the gate, but when it comes to thinking about ways to build trust, the sky’s the limit!

Be Transparent

You were transparent with the goals and deliverables during the pitching process. Now, it’s time to take all of those ideas and begin to bring them to life. Before you do, and this step sometimes overlooked, make sure your strategy is in place.

To start, conduct a deep-dive kickoff session to ensure both the client and the internal PR teams are working in lock-step. Then, work on a sound PR plan that will allow the client to view those ideas with clear and actionable steps attached to them. Include a timeline for achieving those set goals as well as how you plan to track progress along the way.

Always Overcommunicate

The plan is in place, your goals are set, and the client is onboard. It’s time to rock and roll. As you work through the execution phase of your mutually agreed upon plan, make sure to communicate and, in all honesty, overcommunicate.

When it comes to new client relationships, provide as many updates and as much relevant feedback as possible. You might have met your fair share of clients that don’t want to be bothered or could care less about how the sausage is made. To them I say I hear you, but also, you’re missing the best part of this two-way street.

The most rewarding client/PR professional relationships are ones that get fired up and excited on both sides. By having an open and communicative relationship, you’ll open the door to better collaboration opportunities and new, fresh ideas.

Show Value

You are now a couple of months into your newfound relationship. You have a clear plan and have been communicating the wins and navigating the pivots along the way. Now more than ever, you need to look at each form of communication as an opportunity to show added value.

Is there a breaking news story that could be transformed into a timely thought leadership opportunity? Are there internal company shifts that your client needs help communicating? While it is essential to execute on the deliverables from the PR plan, your work should not stop there. You should strive to see opportunities for your clients and communicate them both timely and effectively. In time, your clients will trust that you have their interests at the forefront of your daily agenda.

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