Getting the media to pick up your company’s stories and press releases is vital to keeping your company in the forefront of consumers’ minds. It’s rare that a Reporter picks up your story without it being pitched to him first. So, it’s crucial to make the pitch relevant and personal to the Reporter’s beat. Here are four simple steps on how to pitch your story more successfully. 1. Story Eclipses Everything Everyone loves a good story—and Reporters are no exception! When pitching about your product or service, remember that it’s not about the product or services, it’s about people and lives. If you can bring in a human aspect, something that invokes emotion, Reporters will be more likely to pick up your story. Before you reach out to a Reporter, ask yourself, “what is the story and why will people care?” 2. Reporters are PRODUCERS Gone are the days where [...]

The greatest challenge facing any new product is the FUD Factor—Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. This holds true whether you’re trying to influence Reporters, Editors, Prospects or Customers. Effective public relations not only eliminates FUD, it earns your product the dominant position in customer minds. In PR, like many areas of business, the 80-20 rule applies. In this case, 20% of the market influences the other 80% of the market. In his book titled “The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding” author Al Ries says, “The birth of a brand is achieved through public relations, not advertising.” When your product is first in its category, effective PR not only brands your product, it can make that entire product category synonymous with your product’s name. For example, if I say, “a candy with a hole in it,” it’s likely that the first thing that pops into mind is “Lifesaver.” Other recognizable examples are [...]

Workplace culture plays a significant role in company success. Read Forbes’ recommendations on how to strengthen company culture here.

Every business owner wants to save time and money. Read Inc's 6 tips here.

Once upon a time, an enterprising company hired a Marketing Firm to create a dynamic, multi-faceted campaign that included advertising, PR, and targeted email.  A few days after the campaign broke, the company received an envelope containing a check and a note saying, “I’ve been waiting forever for a product like this!  Send me 1,000 of them right away!” The CEO ran to the bank with that check immediately, ran back, and waited for the next day’s mail.  And the next, and the next and the next….and guess what happened?  Nothing!  That’s because the chances of receiving a large order without a nudge or phone call from your sales staff is roughly the same as receiving a bucket of magic beans.  Far better to follow standard protocol – once your marketing campaign breaks, have your sales people step in, follow up on the leads, and close the deals. “Sales and [...]

Are you considering rebranding your business?  Business News Daily shares excellent information from 5 business owners Read the article "Rebrand Your Business Without Losing Your Audience" on Business Daily News HERE

Forbes shares interesting information on how "Now, more than ever, the lines between earned, paid and owned media are fading, as PR, advertising and content creation become inextricably linked." Read the Forbes article HERE

PR as Part of the Modern Marketing Mix What kind of honor is it to be recognized as "Small Business' Best-Kept Secret"? No matter how long you’ve been in business, customers are less likely to buy from you if they have never heard of your name or product. Name recognition and visibility are the keys to growing your business and Public Relations is one of the best ways to make your company more visible. Did you know Public Relations can even help your SEO/SEM results? We had one recent client who reached out for PR services because their SEO Firm recommended they hire a PR Firm for better “Domain Authority”. When high quality websites like Forbes point back to you through an article, this helps your website move up in perceived value by Google and Bing. A most common misconception about PR is that it’s just publicity. This is far from the truth. Publicity is [...]

RMR Helps House Buyers of America Hit the Mark with a Direct Response TV Campaign The client’s commitment to long-term growth led the decision to retain one of the area’s leading marketing and public relations firms Rockville, MD – April 9, 2019 – RMR & Associates, Inc. (RMR) announces today that the direct response TV advertising campaign it has planned and implemented for its client, House Buyers of America, Inc. (House Buyers) has been a critical element in the dramatic increase in the lead generation, engagement, and sales growth the company has seen over the past six-months. The integrated campaign included more than 5,000 ads running over top network television stations in the Washington, DC region, the 6th largest media market in the country. To-date, it has generated the following key results: Overall website traffic increased by 53%; Website leads increased by over 77%; and Leads and information requests more [...]

Imagine that you are shopping - it doesn’t matter whether you’re grocery shopping or preparing to buy large, high-tech office equipment – and you have the choice of buying from a well-known company with a good reputation, or one you’ve neither seen nor heard of before.  Which one would you choose?  Whether you’re deciding on a box of cereal or a high-end car, your choice is clear.  People want to do business with someone they trust.  And you can’t trust someone you’ve never heard of, can you? Build their trust to get the sale. If your company’s name isn’t on the tips of your buyers’ tongues, how do you gain their trust so they’ll buy from you?  Fortunately, this isn’t the puzzle it may seem to be.  In marketing, we know the formula for building trust: Consistency of Message + Frequency over Time = TRUST Or, simply put, consistency over [...]

This is the second part of the article with advice for millennials on succeeding in today’s business environment. Each part stands alone and can be read before reading the other. To read Part 1 click here. Back to Basics - Part 2 If you have millennial employees, you know how creative, quick and tech savvy they are. They can be at a disadvantage, though, because their education and life experiences didn’t prepare them fully for work. And this lack may hold them back in their careers unless they learn now what they need to know. Here are the “missing secrets” that will help them survive, thrive and become valuable employees. 1. Start each day with a smile. Repeat It’s a scientific fact that flexing your smile muscles sends a signal to your brain that tells it you are happy. And when your brain believes you’re happy, you become happy. Really! [...]

Your business is probably using social media. There are some great tips in this article from SmallBiz Ahead The 9 Worst Things Your Business Can Do on Social Media (And What to Do Instead)

Back to Basics - Part 1 Much has been written about how to work with millennials: what they want from their jobs, how they differ from previous generations, how to keep them happy, etc. All good to know. But in focusing so heavily on their needs, it seems no one explained to them what they need to do to have a successful career. First, let me be clear. We love our millennial employees at RMR. Every semester, we recruit the most promising for our robust intern program. We understand that as new grads, they’ll need lots of guidance. But recently, I’ve noticed some alarming trends among the applicants. Whatever they may have learned in college, they missed out on some very important lessons. It’s not their fault that they weren’t taught these basics. But this lack of knowledge is going to hold them back…unless they learn it now. Feel free [...]

For the 5th Straight Year, Coakley Realty Re-Signs RMR as Agency of Record The firm’s commitment to long-term growth led the decision to retain one of the area’s leading marketing and public relations firms ROCKVILLE, MD — January 10, 2019 – Rory S. Coakley Realty, Inc. (Coakley Realty), one of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area’s premier full-service residential and commercial real estate firms has announced the re-signing of their current marketing and public relations firm, RMR & Associates, Inc. (RMR). Coakley Realty originally hired RMR in 2014 for their 25th Anniversary commemoration. Since this time, RMR has supported Coakley Realty through major company achievements including award recognitions, growth milestones, and daily public relations and marketing support. The next phase of RMR’s marketing communications plan will support Coakley Realty’s aggressive growth plan. Over the next five years Coakley Realty is poised for triple growth in their commercial division that will increase [...]

Press releases are a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes, but there are some mistakes to avoid. Read the Forbes article below for more information! https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/07/24/12-mistakes-to-avoid-with-press-releases/#7bfcfc667100

Putting Your Product on the Fast-Track to Success: The Importance of a Go-to-Market Approach in Your Marketing Arsenal By Robyn Sachs Integrated marketing approaches have skyrocketed in popularity over the last several years, for a largely two-fold reason: Their emphasis on ‘matching the vehicle to the goal’ enables a more efficient,results-driven process focused on specific needsThis process leverages an organization’s budget to ensure they are receiving the ultimate ‘bang for their buck’ While integrated marketing approaches can and should be implemented at several stages of a company or product’s evolution, one critical phase is in the early days of a market launch, entry, and growth. Known as a “Go-to-Market Strategy”, this process combines key elements of integrated marketing to deliver a comprehensive, structured plan designed to achieve maximum success. So, how does a Go-to-Market approach work? And, for whom does it work best? First, it’s important to note that the elements [...]