We take a comprehensive approach to corporate and general business communications, with strategic support for activities such as day-to-day media relations, proactive news generation, feature story development, speeches, white papers, case study development, trade shows, industry seminars and forums and bylined articles. For publicly traded companies or ventures headed to the path of an IPO, we are well-experienced in the activities required to support financial communications, investor relations and disclosure regulations.
Since a company’s perception is evolutionary, communications tactics must be dynamic. We employ scripted message tracks for key executives as well as internal backgrounders to help employees champion a company's marketing campaigns and objectives. By utilizing tactical advance preparation strategies involving briefings, interview counseling, Q&As, message tracks and scripted sound bites, Comm Strategies can help you hold the upper ground in a publicity or interview opportunity and achieve desired positioning in various print and broadcast media venues. With publicly traded companies, Comm Strategies works closely with executives, investor relations representatives and corporate counsel to ensure in the proper delivery of approved and appropriate messages to shareholders, brokers and financial analysts.
Business, consumer, trade and vertical publications periodically review topics of relevance to your company. For each article, Comm Strategies develops a persuasive pitch, background materials and we arrange the all-important interviews with your senior executives to secure positioning and placement. Published news and opinion also provides opportunities for response in the form of letters and bylined articles. Services provided include:
- Letters to the editor & FYI correspondence
- Bylined articles, point-counterpoint pieces and first-person perspectives
- Op-ed pieces
- Message tracks for consistent corporate positioning
- Q&A sound bites for informed, timely responses to industry issues
The press release is the principal vehicle for communicating company news to business prospects, the investment community, analysts, customers, the press and the general public. Press release services include:
- Research, writing & distribution
- News spin pitched to selected editors
- Editorial follow-up & tracking
Establishing a presence in trade and business press is a relationship-building process. Comm Strategies utilizes press tours as a key vehicle for developing vital face-to-face communications with key editors and writers. To take advantage of on-the-road activities, Comm Strategies recommends meetings with research analysts as well. A press tour can be an excellent strategy for the following activities:
- Introduction of a new product or service
- Backgrounding on the development of a key product innovation (non-disclosure) or discussion of a major company story
Comm Strategies proactively reviews opportunities in the consumer and trade magazines, business publications and local media by developing and maintaining a computerized editorial calendar database specific to your company’s marketing and public relations objectives. Comm Strategies will promote and publicize your views of the marketplace to targeted publications. Services include:
- Acquisition of calendars
- Review & analysis of research directories
- Proactive editor contacts
- Application story development & placement
A success story, case history or user application feature typically details how a company solved a problem or developed an interesting solution for a client. Sometimes clients solve the problem themselves by using the company’s product or service. Success stories generally can be written in only a few pages. Editors often wish to develop the story further with additional customer examples.
Bottom line: A good case study or application article must inform potential customers, teach them about a product or service, and generate a number of high-quality sales leads. We are expert at building such customer success stories for a variety of applications, including:
- Pitching feature and trend stories. If a publication decides to cover the client’s story, an editor probably will assign a staff writer or free-lancer to write the article as an in-house project.
- Distributed as press releases. Written slightly longer than a standard press release, success stories can be distributed as feature news items on Business Wire as well as directly to editors on targeted mailing lists.
- Brochures & collaterals. Case histories can be easily designed and printed as brochures for new business development and other applications.
In order to be effective in pitching your organization to news media, Comm Strategies will research and update a comprehensive media and analyst list. Services include:
- Management, review & data entry
- New editors targeted and contacted
- Creation of special lists for vertical markets (i.e. oil & gas, pulp & paper, power generation, document imaging, etc.)
Day-to-day involvement with local, regional and national reporters and editors offers ongoing opportunities to arrange editorial interviews to gain visibility for your company. Comm Strategies artfully uses a variety of alternative avenues for getting your message through to hard-to-reach editors and reporters. Comm Strategies’ quick response services include:
- Proactive media contact for breaking story opportunities
- Surveillance of key media for spot news placement or pitching
We're not a print shop and we don't do Macs, but through our affiliate agencies, Comm Strategies can offer professional-caliber graphic design and printing services for collateral materials that will enhance your public relations program, such as:
Press kits |
PowerPoint presentations |
|---|---|
Presentation materials |
Message tracks |
Brochures |
White papers |
Backgrounders |
Press briefings documents |
Biographies |
Interview scripts |
Company Q&As |
Speeches |
Fact cards |
Promo items |
Comm Strategies can provide a variety trade show site services, as well as pre- and post-show support. We can contact editors who are working on pre-show issues of trade publications and show dailies. Comm Strategies also can arrange for press interviews at the show or set up special press activities, such as new conferences, luncheons and hospitality suites.
Counseling
We consider counseling management on matters related to communications to be one of the most important functions provided. The challenge is not merely dissemination of information. Rather, a good deal of thought, planning and strategy goes into clarifying goals and objectives, and into developing communications directions to realize these goals.
Speaking Opportunity Development
Trade shows, forums and seminars offer considerable opportunity for development of new business leads as well as expansion of market presence. Comm Strategies will work with you to develop a rolling calendar of speaking opportunities and assist in the pitching and placement of clients in such high-visibility venues. Services include:
- Review speaking opportunities at forums, seminars, industry events
- Speech research and writing
- Topic/theme research development
- Slides & overheads development
Audits & Research
- Media/Analyst audit & evaluation
- Database research
Bylined Articles
We will work with you on an ongoing basis to assist with the editing and placement of articles and papers. These represent excellent opportunities to reinforce the company’s position. Client-authored articles are excellent vehicles for demonstrating industry competence and serve as key components of a press kit or sales portfolio.