Stories by Mark Renfree

The statistics that the AICR and Williams Whittle worked with were jarring enough, but the data’s real strength was in its potential for empowerment. Instead of focusing on the potential ramifications of having an unhealthy lifestyle, they decided to focus on how a few simple changes could radically reduce cancer risk.

An organization’s ability to prominently show up in search results can be the deciding factor in whether or not a potential customer, advocate or donor even makes it in the digital front door. Such is the purview of SEO, and if your website isn’t properly optimized there’s a good chance your content won’t see the light of day. Unfortunately, not many communicators moonlight as web designers, so dealing with things like link audits, title tags and alt tags may seem outside the PR wheelhouse, but it’s not as hard as it sounds.

The trick for PR pros is to keep in mind that because of the current state of the news industry, the competition is fierce among communicators. Because PR can help journalists deliver the stories their publications need, it’s more important than ever to craft press releases that stand out and succinctly satisfy the needs of the newsroom.

Advertising on social media has become so important thanks to a strange kind of ambivalence towards branded content online. Even though people only want to see branded posts when it’s relevant and useful, it’s still on PR pros to make sure the content exudes excellence. But it’s putting money behind that great content that gives PR pros access to an incredible level of specificity and control that can lead to unrivaled success.

In an April 27 interview with the Wall Street Journal, the Lego Group essentially blamed low-level employees for a crisis involving an artist’s request for a bulk order of its plastic blocks. Even if all this was the result of a misunderstanding by a customer service employee, is it good PR to focus on employee mistakes in the Wall Street Journal?

Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya set a new standard for employee relations on April 26 when he gave the company’s more than 2,000 full-time employees an ownership stake in the massively popular yogurt brand. “I’ve built something I never thought would be such a success, but I cannot think of Chobani being built without all these people,” Ulukaya told the New York Times. “Now they’ll be working to build the company even more and building their future at the same time.”

It’s impossible for PR pros to stack up against the cultural powerhouse that Beyoncé’s become over the years—when her messages get transmitted, all others get muffled. There are a few things, though, about Beyoncé’s marketing style that PR pros would be remiss to ignore.

For communicators looking to increase their cache of visual materials and at the same time build online street cred, Instagram is the only place to be. While many brands are already on the platform, few truly know how to succeed. In today’s saturated media environment, compelling visual assets are the only way to stand out among the dross.

Continuing its efforts to keep users on its platform for as long as possible, Facebook has opened up its Instant Articles feature to all publishers. The mobile-centric program offers publishers the ability to post content that lives on Facebook, with promises of quick load times and advertising options from the company. In an era where organic reach is all but nonexistent, Facebook’s new hub of native media will offer brands an easy way to connect directly with the platform’s vast audience.

Rebranding is never easy. What is really behind a rebranding effort is an attempt to uproot deeply held misconceptions about a brand; a mere facelift isn’t going to fix these communications problems. As many communicators know, perception can be a powerful force when it’s working against you.