Few things can put a startup on the map more effectively than earned media from a concerted PR program. In today’s competitive business environment, new startups fail because not enough people know about them and their products. Finding the right public relations partner can help a startup build press-worthy news to increase their visibility among many key audiences, distinguish their …
An Opportunity to Elevate National Dialogue
The partisan rancor that characterized U.S. politics in 2018 picked up right where it left off as the new year kicked in. Democrats have taken charge of the House of Representatives and are likely to make President Trump’s life more difficult via subpoenas and, quite possibly, calls for his impeachment. What’s more, there are 17 separate and ongoing Trump-related investigations …
What’s the Purpose of B2B Companies? Consumers Increasingly Want to Know
akindo/Getty Images When the Edelman Earned Brand study was released last year, it showed that just 13 percent of consumers throughout the world would buy or boycott a brand solely based on its position on a social or political issue. By the time the same report was released this year, that number had skyrocketed to 64 percent. While most B2B …
How to Increase Your B-to-B Event and Conference Attendance
‘Tis the season. Holiday work parties are a time for folks to catch their breath from the daily grind and have a few cocktails along with assorted canapés. But, considering it’s a social occasion, it’s also a good time for brands and organizations to think about more effective ways to communicate with their constituents via live events and conferences. Despite …
Remedy for Growing Number of Cyber Attacks in Healthcare is Better Crisis Communications
Hospitals and healthcare providers face potential crises on several fronts. These threats range from an expected surge in cyber attacks to consumers worrying that their medical records will be compromised if not stolen altogether. It’s enough to make to make hospitals and healthcare companies sick with worry. The remedy, of course, is for hospitals to sharpen their crisis communications strategies …
PR for Physician Leaders
A long-term PR strategy can reap huge dividends for healthcare brands and organizations in a crowded marketplace. Consumer trust is key – and it requires consistent messaging across all platforms – from print and broadcast media to social channels. Harden Partners has maintained success for its healthcare clients through a keen understanding of the media – crafting “stories that matter” …
The Importance Of Social Media
I’ve never considered myself a religious man, but lately I’ve found myself preaching one key message to our clients repeatedly – the need to recognize the importance of harnessing social media as part of their ongoing communication and PR efforts. Gone are the days of press kits and faxing press releases. Social Media has become a game changer. Don’t believe …
Standing Out From The Crowd
A good way to improve your thought leadership visibility is to frame your arguments from a contrarian or unexpected perspective. Rather than competing with 50 people saying the same things about a given trend, finding a counterintuitive stance will draw better engagement from the people you’re trying to reach. Here are three tips to help your voice stand out from …
Research Can Build Brands, If It’s Done Right
What can your company do to gain visibility when: You have a new product and you want more than trade publicity? There isn’t anything to announce? You want to show your customers how informed you are about their needs and challenges? Sponsored surveys can provide an excellent way to stand out in front of customers, investors, employees and other audiences. …
Keeping Up With Evolving Audience Behaviors
PyeongChang, South Korea will step into the spotlight as host of the 23rd Winter Olympic Games. Millions will watch in awe as the world’s top athletes compete in snow and ice sports and North and South Korea march under one flag and take a public step toward reconciliation. Eyes will be peeled to see how Russian athletes fare as they …
How To Deliver Bad Financial News
Not everything always goes the way we planned. Companies aren’t perfect, and neither are their results. Even when businesses do everything right, losses beyond their control can be incurred. Products may be defective, a major customer might go under, or the cost of raw materials could increase. From time to time, even great companies—public and private—will face the challenge of …
Climate Crises And Communications
How should you communicate with your employees, clients and the media when these natural disasters hit? While you hope you never have to use it, having a crisis communications plan in place in case of emergencies and natural disasters is vital to ensure the safety of your employees and the reputation of your company. Here are some key issues to …
The Unsung Heroes Of The Gender Wars
Oprah put a fork in it with her speech at the Golden Globes. We are experiencing a tectonic shift in attitudes about sexual harassment. Every woman I know in business and the professions is celebrating the dawn of zero tolerance. In conversations at the gym, over lunch and dinner we share our personal stories. And breathe sighs of relief that …
Being An Effective Media Spokesperson
Fear of media interviews comes from the anxiety and fear of answering a question incorrectly or in a way that can be taken out of context, reflecting poorly on yourself and your organization. The best way to get around this fear is to prepare for interviews in advance. Working with a public relations agency can help you better prepare for …
Harden’s Ten Rules For Strong Client Relationships
At Harden, we have 10 rules to create strong client relationships, which is probably why our client engagements tend to last for many years. Results matter, but they are not the entire story by any means. As business partners, we go above and beyond to deliver excellent results and take our relationships equally seriously. Here are some of our agency’s …
Getting Press Attention—Can’t Deny Media Loves to Cover Lies
Press attention is what our clients want. But ethics matter—and all publicity is NOT good publicity. Lying hurts everyone, including the liar. Think of it on a personal level. Once you’ve been lied to, it shatters your faith and the next time around you find it harder to trust—and you may not want to have anything to do with the …
It’s The Culture, Stupid: The Sorry Cases Of Wells Fargo And United Airlines
As we watch the video of a United passenger bloodied and being dragged off the plane, we are horrified. Reading the Wells Fargo Board’s scathing report about the Bank’s massive fraud, I am horrified all over again by the scale and pervasiveness of the misbehavior. In both cases, we see a culture where employees are driven to make bad—and even …
Lessons From Harden: What I’ve Learned In My First Year
Time flies when you’re having fun! As I write this blog, I’m in my seventh month as an intern at Harden Communications Partners. As I reflect on my experience, it dawned on me that I have learned an immeasurable amount. I’ve learned about our clients and their sectors, how to write press releases, how to edit a website…I could go …
Best Tips To Improve Your Crisis Communications
In the current age of instant communications, it is more important than ever for an organization to have the communications mechanisms in place to control and effectively respond to a crisis or potential crisis situation as quickly as possible. You should work with a PR team that has extensive experience with both preparing for and dealing with crisis communications situations. …
The Golden Age Of Communications
We’ve had the Golden Age of television, of movies, of trade, of exploration. But what about communications? I would argue that now is the Golden Age of Communications — change is happening daily and we are able to reach and influence more people than at any point in our history. Never before have we had so many outlets and options …