There’s something about getting a client in the studio, ripping off the bandaid and letting them talk that is incredible. It’s one thing to pitch and get a reporter interested in your story. It’s another to be the host of your own show and tell your own story. The client expands the conversation in their show, digging deeper, making connections, shining the light on someone else.

Embracing New Technology

Staying aware of the technology that moves marketing, advertising, public relations and broadcasting forward isn’t enough. Being early adopters, embracing new tools and pushing the envelope of how technology is used is how Real News PR stays so intertwined with their clients and with the methods that get their clients seen and heard.

Intuitively responsive web pages capture and showcase every time a Real News PR client is in the news.

Not only that, Real News PR connects that very press mention to a YouTube channel. The old way of updating a press page, or an ‘in the news’ page as we might be used to seeing them, would be linking directly to the media outlet.

The problem with that method is when the media makes a change to their site after years of having the article or clip. As soon as the media moves or removes it, your press page has a broken link. RNPR puts the ownership of the press mention right into the hands of, or should we say, into the page of, their client, as seen in this example for Trinity Eye Care.

The Pace of Social Media

Social Media is the epitome of how technology trends can impact the way a business interacts with its customers. We’ve all seen business posts, promotions, and memes on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram meant to catch our eye and build a connection with a brand.

Real News PR’s approach to making their client the story means boots on the ground day in and day out. Reporters’ intuition to act fast, create the story and capture the footage trumps the traditional way of pitching a business to media outlets and waiting in hopes of it getting picked up.

Here’s a nice example of how Real News PR moves fast to churn out serious exposure for their client Tammy Stiffler, of Stiffler’s Moms Cookie Factory.

The State Fair of Texas is only open for 24 days, so there’s no time to waste waiting for media to come to a vendor while the Cookie Factory is serving up delicious cookies at the Fair. Real News Communications Network stepped in, captured footage of the cookie sheets hitting the ovens and the dough in the mixers, and created a facebook video with Tammy Stiffler that did the trick.

The timely live segment catapulted Tammy’s opportunities for booking tv segments and produced significant reach. Crilley says that timeliness is the key – plus making sure you’re ready with the appropriate audio equipment for the live segment. This makes all the difference in the world.

Searching for the Trend

We can’t mention technology and the evolution of technology in marketing without touching on SEO (Search Engine Optimization). “Search” is constantly evolving, which means it takes special attention and care to be mindful of common search terms as well as competitive keywords that highlight a company’s services.

Twice a month, Real News PR’s SEO Director Corey Palmer provides updates on the most relevant keywords and phrases to incorporate into websites, blog posts, and social media.

Have you ever heard of phubbing? Well, Corey has… He stays in tune with trending content, which can orchestrate the perfect resource for media segments. When he saw there was an uptick in the topic “phubbing” (which is when you’re snubbing someone because you are distracted by your phone) the Real News PR team jumped into action to correctly position content for their client, Donna Weitzman.

As a relationship expert, Weitzman became a useful source for media to call on for coverage on the trending topic.

Tools for the Team

Keeping your toolbox up to date and your tools sharpened is a must when it comes to the technology needed to provide cutting-edge media. The RNPR team lives and dies by internal tools, such as Slack and Basecamp. These tools allow the busy, remote team members to keep moving projects forward minute by minute.

Text messaging is a major player to keep the fast pace. Because we’re all connected to our phones, texting allows RNPR to share videos snippets of what a project is looking like instantly. The old way might look like an email strand with attachments, which might slow the momentum down as you wait on responses.

Never Stop Learning

Continuing education also keeps that toolbox full and helps RNPR stay abreast of shifts in the digital marketing sector. Attending the Dallas Digital Summit exposes the team to a big picture look at best practices, successes, integrated tools, and emerging trends in their industry.

The Summit helps them stay apprised of what’s going on, but it also provides an important perspective to see what the marketing industry is doing so that they’re not only looking at it through their journalist lens.

We are true PR. We have the digital marketing aspects, but our core roots is storytelling. Commercials and advertising get attention, but it’s refreshing that The Summit promotes a healthy compliment of PR, marketing, and advertising. We certainly have a nice bridge of all three.

Sarah Crilley recalls the conversations at past Digital Summits and acknowledges how it changes so quickly. The first year she attended, everything seemed to center around Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and data. Then the next year she says content is king.

And as fast as content came in, the following year the directive at the Summit was paring back the content into smaller, more consumable segments.

Then the movement for everything to be live emerged. Regardless of the topic, it’s the engaging people in the room, the insight of the speakers, and the pace of change that keeps the RNPR team coming back. Sarah shares,

I’m completely motived, inspired and fascinated with what the digital landscape looks like. I look forward to hearing about Southwest Airlines’ approach on being authentic to their customers and insight from Twitter on authenticity as well.

Real News Public Relations is the country’s first all-journalist PR firm, staffed exclusively by experienced, award-winning reporters, editors, and producers. Real News PR provides full-service video production, web design, search engine optimization, social media strategy and implementation, content creation, public speaking services, and podcasting.

While Real News PR can help clients with social media and other technology opportunities, it’s critical for the client to take part in their own activity on various platforms. Sarah notes that in order for it to be true and authentic, the client has to be involved.

What better way to be involved in your own success on social media (and otherwise) than to partner with digital media experts who follow and understand the latest technology tools?