Although we’re not dramatists, we talk to clients frequently about building story arcs that link the elements of PR, communications and marketing programs. Deciding early in a PR campaign to tell a long-running story, with supporting data, commentary from industry influencers and analysts, and objectives that are measurable, supports demand-generation efforts and illustrates PR’s value to your company’s stakeholders.

Story arcs allow us to manage the ebb and flow of news by creating events or episodes – trends and predictions viewpoints, data analyses, podcasts and more – that take a few big issues or message points and build smaller, component stories that evolve and draw the sustained interest of multiple audiences. This approach creates an opportunity for industry participants to enter into a dialogue with your company’s thought leaders.

Development of story arcs also supports the repurposing and evolution of content assets across multiple channels. Among the approaches we use:

How do you develop stories that hold readers’ interest and provide seed ideas for media?

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Technorati Tags: Client Service, Marketing, podcast, Social Media, Topaz Partners

In today’s market place, seldom do you find a company that is solely focusing on one region. Rather, most companies are working in multiple regions, releasing into multiple regions on a routine basis. That makes global coordination a key element to consider when launching information through multiple media sources.

Here are some tips to avoid this:

1. Designate a lead agency. Make that lead agency the coordinating entity for not only the distribution of information, but the coordinating agency for reporting as well.

2. Ensure that the lead agency has the experience to handle multiple agencies and coordinate these activities.

3. Establish a specific date/time for distribution of information.

4. Consider time zones, holidays, day of the week, etc. when selecting the day and time for distribution – it can make a big difference.

5. Hold routine global coordination calls. Email is great, but talking makes it all work.

With a little planning and coordination, you can effectively control the timing and global message for your company.

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Technorati Tags: Coordination, Global PR, Planning, PR, public relations

When it comes to marketing and branding, the conventional wisdom is that the “elevator pitch” is a must-have. It’s practically unquestioned that you should be able to boil down what your company does in 30 seconds, the length of an average elevator ride.

Marketing consultant Steven Melanson says the elevator pitch is seriously misguided. Steven says that 30 seconds is in fact too long and overlooks perhaps the key objective of any successful branding effort: differentiating you from your competition.

Steven is President of Melanson Consulting, which according to his website is a “verbal branding development and instruction company.” He’s also the author of Jaw Branding™, a book and audio CD “that describes the verbal gap in the branding services marketplace, Jaw Branding™ philosophies for verbal interactions, the relationship to memory and psychology, its superiority to traditional sales or communications approaches for revenue generation, and the implications of verbal branding for organizational culture.”

Steven joined Topazers Glen Zimmerman, Anne Dalrymple and Wendie Larkin for a special episode of PRobecast, which you can listen to here:

You can subscribe to PRobecast via Podcast Ready —

or iTunes.

Or simply use the RSS link here:

You can send your feedback to probecast@topazpartners.com. You can also call your feedback into 781-404-2409. Or leave a comment on our blog!

PRobecast’s opening music is “Junk In A” by Pat Zelenka, available on the Podsafe Music Network. Our closing music was composed by Rob Capra.

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Technorati Tags: Branding, Marketing, Melanson+Consulting, PRobecast, Steven+Melanson, Topaz+Partners