Toolbox

Increasingly, businesses worldwide are recognizing employees as core to their success and working diligently to improve employee engagement to achieve business goals. Employees are often the best advocates for a company’s products and services, and regularly serve as the final point of contact with customers.

So, how do businesses use communications most effectively to reach employees and optimize their performance?

The old saying that it takes a lifetime to build up a reputation and a much shorter time for it to be destroyed is even truer today with the 24-hour news cycle and the expanding definition of a “journalist.”

One negative story, regardless of its truthfulness or the outlet, can continue to live online long after the newsworthiness or timeliness of the event. The negative story can be easily blasted across mediums in a matter of minutes and show up years from now as the result of even the most mundane searches, with the potential to tarnish a hard-earned reputation.

There are many terms to describe experiential marketing such as buzz, word-of-mouth, viral, influencer and grassroots, to name a few. While the terms may be diverse, the basic goal is the same: creating an opportunity for consumers to directly interact with your brand in hopes of increasing their awareness and ultimately building brand affinity.

Whether you’re a company that prioritizes giving back to your community or you’re a nonprofit seeking to raise your profile, cause marketing is an important part of your marketing toolbox.

From the business side, research shows that consumers feel better about companies that support causes they believe in. “Doing good” undeniably makes a difference to the direct beneficiaries of your support, but it can also drive sales and help you build strong and lasting relationships with your customers.

Oftentimes, the first question people ask us is, “What’s the difference between public relations and advertising? Marketing? Promotions?”

While we know that all the components of a marketing strategy are important, each specialty area is quite different. Knowing the difference can save you time, money and future headaches. And if, like us, you’re in the industry, this will give you an easier way to explain to your mother-in-law just what it is that you do for a living.

We are information omnivores at GroundFloor Media (GFM). Every day, we devour as much news as we can get our hands on regarding PR, marketing and social media trends. It’s our duty, after all. Trends and technologies in the communications industry are changing at a meteoric rate, and we must stay on top of things to remain relevant.

Perhaps the reason GroundFloor Media (GFM) is one of the area’s most talked-about award-winning communications firms is that, quite simply, we get it. Social media. Crisis communication and reputation management. Media relations. Internal communications. Digital strategy. The list goes on. Furthermore, we believe in hiring only seasoned PR pros to provide top-notch strategic counsel to each and every one of our clients.