New Jersey-based public relations firm Violet PR announced today that the PR agency earned five national awards in 2021 from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Bulldog Reporter and Ragan Communications. These institutions recognize the best-of-the-best in the public relations field, selecting campaigns and firms that have addressed challenging issues with exemplary skill, creativity and resourcefulness.
Month: September 2021
Montclair Patch: Violet PR Wins Five National Public Relations Excellence Awards
Professional news outlet Patch.com covers how Violet PR has earned five national public relations excellence awards in 2021. These institutions recognize the best-of-the-best in the public relations field, selecting campaigns and firms that have addressed challenging issues with exemplary skill, creativity and resourcefulness.
We recently announced that our firm has garnered 5 national awards this year for its efforts, including nods from organizations including Public Relations Society of America, Bulldog Reporter and Ragan Communications.
NJBIZ: Staying on the virtual stage – How social media gives small businesses a better reach
Violet PR Account Director Christina Forrest was quoted in this NJBIZ article on using social media to boost small businesses. See the full quote, below.
When the state Business Action Center decided to revamp its social media approach to attract more followers and create more live interactions with business owners, Violet PR was able to help, according to Violet Account Director Christina Forrest. “In addition to drafting content and retweeting helping info, the NJBAC answered questions during live ‘Twitter Chats,’ communicated with businesses through Instagram and distributed timely information through the NJBAC’s LinkedIn page. Through social media, businesses found about the NJBAC’s ‘live chat,’ where business experts answered questions in real time.
In 2020, the public relations firm “grew the BAC’s Twitter following from 1,200 to 2,346 — an increase of 95% from the previous year,” she added. “Our top tweet in 2020, which highlighted the NJBAC’s helpline, reached 153,000 people, receiving 109 retweets and 822 ‘likes.’ On average, we reached 250,000 Twitter users and 170,000 LinkedIn users each month, an engagement increase of 75% compared to 2019.”
Certain demographics are drawn to certain platforms, she noted. “Instagram taps into Millennials, while Facebook tends to appeal to Baby Boomers. LinkedIn attracts both younger-generation jobseekers, and older executives who want to establish themselves as thought leaders.”
Regardless of the service or industry. “Social media can help expand brand awareness,” Forrest added. “It humanizes a brand, and properly done, social media can convey what they trying to sell, and establish the brand as a thought leader.”
Four Tips To Create An Effective Social Media Presence
Ninety-two percent of businesses are using social media, but having social media channels isn’t the same as having an effective strategy in place. In today’s digital world, it is essential to own social media content and create industry-adjacent content.
Here are our top four keys to creating and maintaining an effective social media presence in 2022:
1. Create Industry Specific Content
Why should anyone read your content if it’s the same as every other person? Being unique is what gives your social media presence some spunk…the kind that will land you clients, jobs, and important connections in the long run.
Pro tip: Posting industry facts/news is a great way to encourage professionals from your industry to follow your company. Take it from those LinkedIn influencers – they have a following for a reason.
Tips like “Did you know that a woman founded the first PR newsletter in 1944?” pulled from this article are a good way to get people commenting and interacting with your posts.
2. Strong Branding Across Platforms
Using the same color scheme, fonts and logos help to distinguish your content from others on the internet. Take Violet PR (VPR), for example. Our social channels have content that mirrors our logo: purples, grays, and greens.
By being consistent in your branding across platforms, you make your posts easily recognizable. If your Instagram posts don’t have the same “look” as what you post on LinkedIn or Twitter, it could be missed in the flood of information coming through a person’s feed every day. Branding consistently across all platforms has been proven to boost recall and strengthen your company’s personality on social, according to LCN.com.
Our favorite platform to use for graphics is Canva, because with the “pro” version, you can build a brand kit with colors and fonts to keep your branding consistent. Check out their branding for beginners article here.
3. Create a Schedule and Post Regularly
Posting regularly plays into social media algorithms nicely – favoring accounts that post often over those who don’t. Specifically, Instagram’s algorithm shows you content that you’ve interacted with most at the top of your feed. More posts equal more interaction.
Some tips for doing this: use a scheduling app like Hootsuite or Canva Pro. If you can’t do that, setting reminders on your calendar to post on social work just fine.
At VPR, we like to schedule out our weekly content by Friday so we have all content approved and ready to go for Monday morning.
4. Be Authentic
Social media has always been a highlight reel, but for brands it is important to showcase the “behind the scenes” and be personal.
At an event for work? Post a picture on social. Having an office happy hour? Put up a story. Your followers aren’t here for the hard facts, they’re here for an inside look into how the company runs. By showing the fun stuff your business does, you give your page personality. And hey – it just might lead someone to apply for a position if they like your company culture.
Pro tip: If you’re running the social media for your company, include some posts about your employees. Your followers love to see the human aspect of work – and they’ll feel important. At VPR, we introduce all of our new employees across all social channels as our team grows. Sometimes, new hires will share the news on their personal pages, which helps increase our followers and interactions.
Social media can be overwhelming, but these keys can help you to build a brand for your business. At the end of the day, we’re all human and we’re all trying to navigate this online world together.
To see more about how we build our brand and maintain our social media presence, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.