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The Cascade Effect
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Cascade Communications
- Mar 10, 2018
- 4 min
Why Everyone Needs to Find the Entrepreneur Inside
While individuals continue to try and find a good, full-time career, it’s no surprise that many are turning to temporary work to tie them over. Over the last few years the number of temporary workers has increased, and is only expected to grow in 2014, thanks to ongoing development of new technologies allowing just about everyone to work remotely. Many believe, and statistics show, that a majority of people will be working remotely, as freelance or contract by 2020. For a maj
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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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Cascade Communications
- Mar 2, 2018
- 2 min
Why PR Works For Small Business
I am often asked the question "why should we go with PR?" The answers are quite simple: 1. Public relations is a more affordable alternative for small businesses - vs. an aggressive advertising or direct mail campaign 2. PR is the process in which media provide endorsements for your business 3. Media endorsements create credibility in the minds of consumers/customers 3. You can actually see the return on your PR investment - some of my clients see immediate sales and growth w
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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 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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Jennifer Fortney
- Feb 19, 2018
- 2 min
DIY PR - Tips for Starting Out
Small business owners ask me this same thing almost on a regular basis - "I can't afford to hire a professional to manage public relations for me. What can I do on my own to market my business?" My first response is always that you haven't met a PR/marketing professional who focuses on small businesses and even smaller budgets.
When it comes to marketing small businesses you must think outside of the box. Yes, that term has been used ad nauseum since the 1980’s, but it's tr
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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 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
38 views0 comments
Cascade Communications
- Feb 9, 2018
- 2 min
Is PR Right For Your Small Business or Startup?
(As originally posted to NBCChicago.com's Inc Well) Sometimes I feel like a doctor. It never fails that whenever someone asks what I do and they hear “public relations” they suddenly say “I want to be on TV”. “Really? What’s your story?” They give me a quizzical look. “What is the story you have to tell?” Now, blank stare. Everyone wants to be on TV or see their name in ink or on a blog, but the truth is that public relations isn’t the best marketing avenue for every busi
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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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Jennifer Fortney
- Jan 16, 2018
- 1 min
What Facebook Content, News Feed Transition Means for Marketers
“We feel a responsibility to make sure our services aren’t just fun to use,
but also good for people’s well-being,” said Zuckerberg in his online post. It's been a bit of a rough year for Facebook, however, Mark Zuckerberg was way ahead of it. Noticing that his platform was becoming a tool for spreading hateful speech, bullying and, ultimately, the end of friendships, he began putting a plan in place to return Facebook to its original magic - authentic, positive relationshi
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Jennifer Fortney
- Jan 9, 2018
- 2 min
Top DIY PR Tips for Every Small Business, Startup
By Anna Dizon on November 9, 2017 | Marketing, Press Releases Public relations has evolved from being just a sales strategy to an art form. Most small businesses may not have the means to hire a PR firm or PR specialist, but that doesn’t mean their public engagement should be lackluster. I was excited to be included in this great article helping small businesses, startups learn how to conduct successful public relations for their growing business. 19. Great Businesses Know Ho
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