Business Transformation:
The New Path to Profit for Public Relations
John Foley, Jr. 11/10/2015 - 12:30PM

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Your Sneak Preview

How the PR Industry Is
Changing
1
2
The Hybrid PR
Professional

Got Game? Crucial
Skills for the Modern
PR Professional
Networking
3
4

SUCCESS
Creating Your Business
and Marketing Plans
The Future
6
5
6

How the PR Industry Is Changing

The Industry:
• Grew by 7% in 2014
• Cracked $10 billion in fee income
• Size at around $13.5 billion
• PR employment is up to 85,000
in 2014, compared to 80,000 in
2013.
PR is Growing

Targeting is Key
Build Relationships
Research
Expand Your Definition
of “Influencer”

Know Your Audience!

Final Piece of The Puzzle =
Data and Analytics

The Roads are Crossing

• 44% concerned with finding skilled
and well-educated talent
• 24% struggling to master digital
and other new technologies
Bridging The Talent Gap

• 23% of firms looking for talent
in research and analytics fields
• Better conduct market
research
• Provide insights and analytics
that help your clients measure
ROI
Good at Math?
More Opportunity Awaits

The Hybrid PR Professional

TechCreatives are assets who can
not only design, but shepherd
artistic ideas and new concepts,
across various mediums and new
technology through the design
and implementation phases of
an idea or project.

• Passion for and expertise in
at least one form of
technology
• Attention to detail
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Curiosity
• Willingness to learn
• Networking skills
What’s In Your
Toolbox?

Got Game? Crucial Skills for the
Modern PR Professional

• Know your audience
• Speak to them directly
• What problems are they facing?
• What urgent needs or goals do
they have?
• Keep them punchy and to-the-
point
Headline Writing

Storytelling: Your Story Should…
• Be True
• Have a Human Element
• Differentiate Yourself
• Highly Targeted

Converting Traditional Tactics into Modern Tactics

Email Marketing

Inbound and Content Marketing Go Hand-in-Hand

• $28.72 billion -- mobile advertising
projected to reach in 2015
• Two-thirds of Americans own a
smartphone
• 19% of Americans rely on their
smartphones for online services and
information
• 15% of smartphone owners ages 18
to 29 use their phones for most of
their internet access.
The Current State
of Mobile

• Google rewards mobile-
friendly sites
• Mobile space is highly
fragmented
• Targeting and segmenting are
key
• Which sites and channels do
your audience favor?
Integrating Mobile
Into Your PR Efforts

• 74% -- the number of online adults
using social networking sites
• Spending as little as 6 hours per
week on social media boosted lead
generation for 66% of marketers
• 6 hours per week on social media
also helped 91% of businesses
increase exposure
The Current State
of Social Media

Integrating Social Media
Into Your PR Efforts
• Include social media share
links to your press releases
• Posting your commentary
makes you a go-to source for:
 Breaking News
 Analysis of an industry
trend
 Other timely info
• Stop and listen!

88 % of marketers struggle to figure
out how to measure the ROI of
their social media efforts
Social Media Measurement
And Analytics

Data Mining
• Look at purchase trends
• Look for patterns
• Build stronger customer
profiles from:
Sales
Customer Surveys
Questionnaires (use
discounts or contests)

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate
velit ipsum cillum dolore eu fugiat lorem pariatur.
Networking

Offline/Local Networking
1. Industry groups and
associations
2. LinkedIn Groups
3. Help A Reporter Out –
Premium.

LinkedIn
• Join Groups
 Two PR-Specific ones
 One local, if possible
 Groups related to
your client’s industry
• Research journalists and
other key people

Twitter
• 316 million monthly users as of
October 2015
• Start a test account
• Follow people in your field or industry
• Watch and engage with journalists and
influential bloggers
• Runs on the currency of sharing
• Don’t over self-promote – share
relevant info
• Use the hashtag to your advantage

Facebook
• 1.49 billion active monthly users
• Research your audience
• Ability to write longer messages
• Tie in photos and videos
• More self-promotional
• Use Groups
 Share industry insights and
knowledge
 Boost your reputation
 Build customer loyalty

YouTube
• 1 Billion Users
• Hundreds of millions of hours of
video are watched every day
• #2 Search Engine!
• Short videos with an entertaining or
educational focus perform best

Instagram
• 400 million active monthly users
• Visually engaging
• You can show photos of:
 Your Products
 Your Happy Customers
 How Your Product is Made
 How Your Service is Done
 Your Staff Going About Their Day
• Lead Gen Opportunities

Help a Reporter Out
• Outreach Tool
• Provide insights and expertise to
journalists
• Establish your brand as a go-to
resource

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate
velit ipsum cillum dolore eu fugiat lorem pariatur.Creating Your
Business and Marketing Plans

6 Steps to Creating
a Business Plan
1. Embrace the process
2. Evaluate your current
clientele
3. Determine exactly what
services you plan to offer
4. Write your business plan
5. Hop on board the learning
train!
6. Practice what you preach

Introduction: Your Look Into The Future
These topics can be addressed in this section of the plan:
• Business goals/mission
• Business description
• Date of business formation
• Business philosophies/identity, including culture
• Location(s)
• Directors

Introduction (continued)…
• Management team
• Key competitive advantages
• Strategic positioning
• Strategic alliance(s)
• Vision of the future & primary objectives of transformation
• Resources required (capital, human)

• Identify your product and
services
• Market Analysis
• Analyze your current customer
base
• Marketing your goals and
strategies
• How will you measure your
success?
Product and Service Mix

Organizational
Structure

The 4 P's of classic marketing:
• Product
• Price
• Promotion
• Place
Two additional "P's" to the
marketing mix:
• Process
• Physical (evidence)
The Marketing Plan

Content Grid
Connecting
Needs Solution
Education
Researching Solutions
Demos
Narrowing Vendors
Proposal Stage
Negotiating
Purchasing
Brand/Awareness Inquiries / Leads Closing Sales
BuyersJourney
Business Objectives
Stories
White Paper
eNewsletter
Articles
eBooks
Product Info
Data Sheets
Pricing Sheets
References
Video
Webinars
Proposals
Video Demos
Infographics Video Demos
Infographics
Webinars
ROI Info
Case Studies
White Paper
Testimonials
Industry Research
Solution Info
Guides
Connecting

What’s Your Value Proposition?

Company Weaknesses

Winners Stand Out

Tactical Starting Point
Tactical Comes After

• Growth of the role of niche
influencers in PR
• Visual media
• Stronger focus on brand
storytelling
• Measurement and Analytics
• Choosing the right channels
• Avoid over-pitching media
contacts
Trends

Embrace
Change

Questions?

Questions?For Having Me!

Questions?
• Email: JohnF@GrowSocially.com
• Call: 978-694-9992
• Tweet: @JohnFoleyJr
• Connect: LinkedIn.com/in/JohnFoleyJr