CASACOM’s PR & COMMUNICATIONS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

April 2, 2015

CASACOM’s PR & COMMUNICATIONS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

What peaked our interest this week? A bit of technology news, Instagram and relationship building with the media. We discuss each one of these topics in more detail in our favourite communications and PR stories of the week.

Technology Retail:

As many of you may have heard this week, tech retailer Future Shop will be closing their stores. However, this does not mean the end for stand-alone electronic stores. On Saturday, Best Buy Canada announced the closure of 66 Future Shop locations, but the remaining 65 stores will be re-branded as Best Buy. While electronics are often purchased online, experts predict customers will continue to value stores on the ground. Best Buy also said it would invest in improvements to online shopping, such as allowing internet customers to order products from in-store inventory.

You can read more about the future of Best Buy and the tech retail industry in the link below.

“Future Shop closure ‘inevitable,’ but tech retail okay: expert” (Marketing Magazine)

PR Relationships:

Nicole Fallon, assistant editor of Business News Daily (a resource for small business owners and entrepreneurs) outlines a few great things PR professionals do that she really appreciates. We often forget the importance of maintaining relationships with the media and how going the extra mile can make a difference in how they respond or interact with you. Here are some positive examples of Fallon’s experiences with PR pros.

They’re flexible with story topics – When a reporter says, “I don’t think we can do this, but I have another story your client could contribute to,” good PR pros will think quickly and convince their client that it’s still a good idea because their name will be in the press.
They ask us what we’re working on – It’s nice to have contacts that are proactive and reach out about once a month to ask what stories you are working on.
They remember beats and research our recent coverage – Every journalist hates getting irrelevant pitches. The best PR pros never email a reporter something that doesn’t work with their beat.
They’re honest about their clients – As middlemen, PR pros are in the tough position of making both clients and the media happy. Reporters appreciate honesty about the people they interview, so giving a heads up about what the client will, won’t and shouldn’t talk about is a good thing to do.
They’re interested in building genuine relationships – Fallon’s favorite part of working in media is that the people you work with can become more like friends than business associates.

“5 things PR pros do that journalists love” (PR Daily)

Instagram:

Instagram is one of the top social media platforms for customer engagement and brand storytelling. This social platform provides us the opportunity to produce, repurpose images/videos, and share without spending too much money. A lot of brands are still not on Instagram, but more are slowly joining. Instagram is an easy platform to use and set up, that will be beneficial to brands and their growth. You can check out the set up process of Instagram in the infographic included in the link below.

“How to Get Your Brand Started on Instagram [Infographic]” (PR News)

Thought of the week:

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter long weekend and we hope you can spend some quality time with family and friends.