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The Cascade Effect
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Jennifer Fortney Cascade PR
- May 31, 2018
- 1 min
What is PR and What it Isn't: 4 Myths & Facts of Public Relations
Many entrepreneurs say they need PR help but are not quite sure of the difference between public relations, marketing and advertising. To do it right, you have to understand what it is first. Here are the four myths of public relations. While, today, this concept of influencers appears to be more individuals with YouTube channels than journalists and media, the concept of individuals vs traditional PR works the same. The difference is that most online “influencers” want to be
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Cascade Communications
- Mar 27, 2018
- 2 min
Cascade Communications Featured Among Top PR Firms in Chicago
Earlier this month, Cascade Communications began assisting Clutch in their leading public relations research. After working closely with the Clutch team, we’re excited to announce that we've quickly risen through the ranks to be named among the top marketing agencies and PR firms in Chicago. This announcement is part of Clutch’s larger effort to provide business-to-business decision makers with the crucial information they need to make informed partnering decisions. Using an
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Jennifer Fortney
- Mar 16, 2018
- 2 min
Experts Reveal Top PR Tips for Great Press Releases
It's a New Year and time for new thinking in generating positive attention for your business. Would you like to be interviewed by media? Are you frustrated as to why your press release(s) aren't getting the coverage you desire? Do you want to learn how you can attract media attention? First you have to realize that there are is a lot of news, and not so newsy, out there. Just because you write it, doesn't mean they will come. If it were that easy, we would all be in the news,
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Jennifer Fortney
- Mar 8, 2018
- 3 min
Why Your PR Strategy May be “Crying Wolf”
(As originally written for and published on NBCChicago.com's Inc. Well) Most companies understand the power of a press release as a tool in their PR campaign toolbox to deliver news and information to media. The problem is most don’t understand how to use a press release effectively, especially today. We hear it all the time, “we’d like you to send out at least one press release per month as part of the strategy.” That’s great and happy to do it, but is there enough news to
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Jennifer Fortney
- Mar 6, 2018
- 3 min
PR Stunts: The good, bad and the really, really ugly
(As originally published on NBCChicago.com's Inc. Well) PR Stunts. Everyone wants to do them and hopes they trigger massive media attention. From the World's Largest Roll of Toilet Paper to tying small promotional banners to flies and setting them loose in a crowd, PR Stunts are becoming a more and more desired avenue for small business. Why? Because a little creativity doesn't cost much. While your creativity can pay off dividends with media exposure, some are good, some ar
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Jennifer Fortney
- Mar 6, 2018
- 2 min
Cascade Communications Joins Clutch’s Coverage of Leading PR Firms in Chicago
Working on behalf of business owners, entrepreneurs, and startup founders everywhere, Cascade Communications has a passion for brand stories, news and marketing. We’re a distinctive public relations and marketing communications agency, building a brand around your story using our client-centric, outcome-driven program – Communicate. Engage. Participate. Since 2001, Cascade has worked with Fortune 1000s, multinationals, mid-market companies and become a leading public relation
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Cascade Communications
- Mar 4, 2018
- 3 min
How to Be a Great Client: Simple Tips for Working with Your PR Agency
Learning to work with an agency, especially when you’ve never done it before, can be an exercise in trust and faith. Having an understanding of the dynamics of this relationship will help you develop a strong relationship with your agency and they will perform better for you and your company. Finalize a plan: Before you start moving ahead with your agency, make sure there is a plan. Everyone needs to know where they’re going, what goals and budget need to be set and met, and
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Cascade Communications
- Feb 28, 2018
- 4 min
Media Interviews: Where Patience Meets Savvy
There’s nothing worse than being interviewed by a journalist only to forget who you’re speaking to and that everything you say is “on the record”, unless you say otherwise, and then seeing a quote or story that completely took what you said out of context. These kinds of snafus by political figures, celebrities and some business people quickly become fodder for “The Daily Show” and late night comics. Although most media don’t seek out the opportunity to “turn your words aroun
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Fred Brewer/Jennifer Fortney
- Feb 28, 2018
- 4 min
How to Rank High in Search: The Best Secrets for DIY SEO
Every business is concerned with SEO. Any why shouldn’t they be? Where you rank on search engines can determine how well your business succeeds. Large companies can’t help but invest a lot of money into SEO because they can’t afford to let their competitors get an edge. However, there are a lot of small companies that don’t have this luxury and need to maximize their marketing dollar. This blog post will give you the best approach for increasing your search visibility. Many
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Cascade Communications
- Feb 26, 2018
- 3 min
Be an Expert, Drive Media Interest
Public relations has many arms and legs beyond just a press release and pitching a story. There are a variety of strategies that fuel opportunities for ongoing, long-term public relations. The most important is expert positioning. Do you ever wonder how certain people become regular contributors on morning news? Do you see someone in your industry giving tips and advice in the media and think "I can totally do that, in fact, I have new thoughts and ideas to shares." Becoming
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Cascade Communications
- Feb 23, 2018
- 4 min
12 Tips for DIY PR
The DIY craze has been around for years. Thanks to the cable television, the Internet and the whole "information at your finger tips" you can learn to do most anything from changing your oil to renovating your bathroom. Personally, I love it. Taking on a task normally I would pay for feels like so much of a personal accomplishment, however, my cobbler and plumber will always get my business. In recent years, the DIY movement has become even more prevalent due to the economy.
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Cascade Communications
- Feb 21, 2018
- 3 min
What is Your Brand? Why it Can Make, Break Your Business
Starting a business can seem like a daunting task with applications and business plans, but if you don't know or understand what your brand is, you might as well throw all of that in the trash. Consumer perception is 9/10ths of the rule always, not sometimes but always, and how you present yourself to potential clients from the moment you open your doors can determine your success as a business owner. Over the years I've encountered many small businesses, entrepreneurs and ev
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Cascade Communications
- Feb 16, 2018
- 3 min
Get Your Press Release Seen By Targeting Your Audience
When you're a small business owner you wear every hat from accounts receivable and manager to new business/sales and marketing. It can be a daunting task to look at that laundry list everyday. What you need to do is determine the most efficient route to accomplish it all and grow your business. Determining how to generate public relations for your business can be narrowed down to three things - what is your story, why is it meaningful to people and who is your audience. Knowi
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Cascade Communications
- Feb 14, 2018
- 4 min
6 Reasons You Should Love Your PR Agency
Today, everyone is focused on the love of a partner, friend or family member, but are you honoring your professional relationships with equal enthusiasm? Entering into a relationship with a new agency can be a daunting experience that requires some faith, and understanding. It’s easy to perceive them as the hired help, but there are real reasons you should love your agency and build a strong, respectful, mutual relationship with them. Moreover, maybe you've had the same agenc
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Cascade Communications
- Feb 12, 2018
- 4 min
10 Tips for Pitching Media on Twitter
Thanks to Twitter and Facebook, getting in front of an interacting with media has become easier than before, the problem is this: Is the person running the Twitter account actually a journalist who will do something with your pitch? Probably not. That's why I've come up with some tips for Twitter, specifically: 1. Follow the journalist, not the just publication or outlet: Most journalists have their own social media accounts giving you a better shot at getting your message
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Cascade Communications
- Feb 6, 2018
- 3 min
Integrated Marketing- Why it's Important
Integrated Marketing: IM is creating a marketing plan that includes a variety of Marketing Mix elements in combination with one another to create awareness and build brand. Simply put this means not putting your eggs all in one basket, but strive to combine your advertising with, say, direct mail and personal selling; diversifying your advertising, engaging both nontraditional media and traditional media; and create opportunities for PR that can be followed up with an incenti
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Cascade Communications
- Feb 4, 2018
- 3 min
Preparing for a Crisis Can Save Your Business
We’ve all seen how the news media react to toy and food recalls, even local restaurants with, uhm, pest problems. The truth is that every business, regardless of your size, should be prepared for the “worst case scenario”. It can happen anytime, anyplace anywhere and how you manage the situation can determine whether or not your business weathers the storm. Today, I will share two posts on planning and preparing for a crisis. Take a minute to sit down and list what those wors
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Cascade Communications
- Feb 2, 2018
- 2 min
How Does PR Help Your Business?
The practice of public relations seems to be an intangible to many. Why? Because unlike advertising where you pay someone to develop and place an end product (tangible), PR is not such a sure thing. Practitioners, like myself, focus on writing press materials for your business (every business needs a press kit), generating strong story ideas and pitching to media. However, I can't predict if media are going to be 100% interested or even if they'll run the story right now. PR
1 view0 comments
Cascade Communications
- Jan 30, 2018
- 2 min
Formula PR is Dead
When I started in PR many, many years ago there was barely an Internet, in fact we didn't even have computers in our office for every employee. We created and implemented multi-million dollar PR campaigns based on an almost 40-year old formula. Sure it's morphed some, but most corporate PR agencies continue using it, and sadly, many who come out of those firms to start their own continue to perpetuate the formulaic approach to PR. With that said, there are many who have more
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