Enter to win our birthday giveaway!

August 5th marks one full year of FACTEUR PR! It's hard to believe it's only been a year since we first launched as a lot has happened since then: we've worked with a dozen new clients in Cleveland and beyond, spanning the food/drink, health/wellness, fashion/retail, events, and design industries, helping them gain press coverage, create content, and develop their social media strategies; our team expanded with the addition of two new interns hired this summer and fall; we shared our expertise of marketing and PR at two events, including FearlessCon; and we've been featured in PR Couture, Cleveland.com, She in the CLE, and more. Most importantly, we've connected and reconnected with some incredibly creative and inspiring folks along the way, both online and off.

As a small show of our gratitude, we're hosting a little giveaway here on our blog, as we fully believe the best birthdays are the ones that you share with others. 

Through August 7 at 11:59 p.m. EST, enter to win our blogger bundle content calendar, 121 pages of ideas for your social media channels and PR efforts; a one-hour virtual marketing/PR consultation; and a super cute notebook set from Rifle Paper Co. to jot down your ideas and plans for 2017-2018.

To enter to win, simply fill out and submit the form below. The winner will be selected at random, notified via email, and announced on our Instagram channel on Tuesday, August 8. Open to all U.S. and Canadian residents. 

Enter to win the birthday giveaway: contest is closed.

By submitting your email address, you agree for FACTEUR PR to communicate with you about this contest. In addition, you may be subscribed to our monthly e-mail newsletter. You may opt out at any time. We promise to never spam your inbox or sell your personal information to anyone.

FACTEUR PR welcomes Anna Huff to its team

We are so excited to welcome our fall intern, Anna Huff, to the FACTEUR PR team! Anna joins us just after returning from a semester in Europe. She is entering her senior year this fall to finish Kent State University's fashion merchandising program. She is a fun and loving gal with a passion for adventure and for her friends and family. With a semester at KSU's Florence, Italy campus and excursions to surrounding countries, Anna offers a fresh perspective and an eye for what's trending; her additional studies in fashion media and marketing combined with an adventurous approach with her camera make her excited for what is to come for her future!

Anna will join Julie Hong through December - please join us in welcoming her to the team! Leave a comment below, and feel free to send her an email. Plus, stay tuned for some blogs and other great content from Anna and Julie throughout the coming months here on the FACTEUR blog! 

Currently: Favorites with Julie Hong

Welcome to Currently, a new series from FACTEUR PR where we share the latest favorites of our staff and clients here on our blog! Julie Hong, our digital PR intern extraordinaire, kicks off this series this week! Read on...

Name: Julie Hong
Job: Digital PR Intern
Location: Athens, Georgia
College you go to/went to (and major): University of Georgia, studying Public Relations and New Media!

Currently, my favorite...

Book I recently read or reading: Hunger by Roxane Gay is a recent read that I really, really loved. Currently, I’m reading (and enjoying) Every Time I Find the Meaning of Life They Change It by Daniel Martin Klein. I’ve been getting knee-deep into nonfiction lately after a long love affair with fiction, and it’s wonderful!

Part of my job: The challenge of never doing the same thing twice! There’s always something I can learn, or something I can be better at. Even if the task seems similar (like pitching), I’m researching and personalizing and exercising my creativity. It’s engaging, and sometimes it’s difficult, but it’s always rewarding.

Album or song: I haven’t been able to stop listening to the album Ctrl by SZA, or the song Just Dancing by Sylvan Esso!

Magazine I read: Local Wolves. Their content is thoughtful, vulnerable, and authentic. Plus, I’ve discovered quite a few artists through their playlists.

Blog I read: This question is probably the hardest of this bunch, because I don’t follow blogs anymore! I used to be an obsessive Bloglovin user, but the websites I browse now are article-based, with a variety of featured writers and editors. The only blog I follow now (which I’ve followed since 2011) is Neon Blush, a personal style blog.

Place I visited: As much as I loved visiting New York City this summer, there is a special place in my heart for Cannes, France, where I studied abroad to attend the Cannes Lion Festival of Creativity!

"There is a special place in my heart for Cannes, France, where I studied abroad to attend the Cannes Lion Festival of Creativity."

Clothing/accessories/shoes I bought: This summer has become my season of thrifting. Recently, I went into a vintage store for a pay-what-you-can sale. Yep, it’s exactly what it sounds like, and all the profit went to help someone in the community! I bought a pair of black denim shorts for half-off, and laughed about how shameless kids can be with the owner. I strongly encourage getting connected to local businesses, wherever you go!

Event I attended: I recently attended Roxane Gay’s Hunger book tour, and laughed my butt off at how insightful, witty, and honest Roxane Gay was in person. I actually got to get the book signed by her, which was really exciting! 

Instagram account: My own, obviously… Hehe. Just kidding! One of my recent favorites is masa_tattooer, who has very whimsical, romantic, and dreamy designs!

Food I ate/restaurant I tried: Soft-boiled eggs! I don’t know what it is about them, but I recently fell in love with eggs. I can have three for dinner and feel happy and full — but only if I can dip them in soy sauce. No soy sauce, no eggs!

Drink: I feel like my answer should be an alcoholic drink, since I am 21… but secretly, I’m still seven years old, and my favorite drink has been lemonade for years now.

TV show or movie I watched: I’ve watched Wonder Woman in theaters three times so far… so that probably takes the cake. 

Thing overall I'm obsessed with: Bullet journaling! It was my New Year’s resolution for 2017, and I’ve miraculously kept going with it. I never thought I would become a person who could actually organize their life, but bullet journaling has changed the game for me.

Digital content and story ideas for July

Oh hi, July! Is this year flying by or what? We are past the half-way mark of 2017, and believe it or not, planning for the end of the year. (If you've got a gift-worthy product or service, this is the time to start outreach for holiday gift guides!) As for the month directly ahead, July has no shortage of great events that can serve as an inspirational source for blogging. These ideas are also applicable to your social media and media relations pitches. To get you started, here are just a few opportunities this month to align your brand or business with some already note-worthy happenings online.

July is...

• Culinary Arts Month
• Independent Retailer Month
• National Ice Cream Month
• Picnic Month
• Social Wellness Month

Daily opportunities include...

July 4: Independence Day (U.S.)
July 5: National Bikini Day
July 7: Chocolate Day
July 10: National Pina Colada Day
July 11: National Mojito Day
July 16: National Ice Cream Day (3rd Sunday)
July 23: Parents Day
July 27: National Scotch Day
July 29: Lipstick Day
July 30: International Day of Friendship
 

Want more content ideas for the year? These are just a few of the ones we've identified! We have developed four editorial content calendars specifically for the food & drink, arts & hobbies, health & wellness, and lifestyle industries. You can find them under the Instant Resources tab here on the FACTEUR website (and showcased below). We've pulled together social media, blogging, and PR opportunities based on monthly and daily holidays, hashtags, and high profile events that are related to each of those industries. Also included is a list of story ideas to get you started with developing your editorial plan, as well as space to brainstorm your own ideas. We're offering each calendar for $10, and if you buy all four with our Blogger Bundle, you basically get one free! Plus, every time we update the calendars, we'll make sure you'll get the newest iteration (at no extra charge, of course). Happy creating!

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Talking through your social media strategy (or lack of one)

Here at FACTEUR, we absolutely love to share the knowledge we have in PR and marketing to help you with your brand or business, which is really the purpose of our blog, e-mail newsletters, and social media posts. Nevertheless, you may oftentimes have questions that are specific to your individual company or campaign, and need to pick a professional's brain, get an unbiased audit of your marketing now, or need help planning for something in the future. We can totally help with that!

So, in celebration of Social Media Day on June 30, 2017, we are offering a limited number of social media consulting hours at a special rate! 

Here's how it works:

From now through June 30, 2017, purchase up to 10 consulting hours at a discounted rate of $50/hour, yours to use through December 31, 2017. Following your purchase, you will be contacted directly to set up call time(s).

Consulting hours give you and your team one-on-one access to FACTEUR director and social media specialist, Reena Goodwin, for 60 minutes via phone, Skype, or Zoom.

Sample of discussion topics:

• How to set up Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Snapchat channel
• Social media training and channel overviews
• Audit of your social media channels
• Recommendations for social media strategy specific to your business 
• How to harness the power of hashtags
• Best practices for building audiences and engagement
• Analyze your business social media insights
• Advertise on social media
• Brainstorm content ideas 
• Content planning
• Discuss an upcoming campaign 
• Social media influencer marketing
• Topic of your choice

Curious to know if we can cover your topic? Send us an email at hello@facteurpr.com! 

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Advertising, marketing & public relations: teamwork makes the dream work

Whenever my roommate talks about her marketing classes, I feel a weird blend of familiarity and bewilderment; it’s like I can only catch every other word she’s saying. I recognize the language, but I’m not quite fluent. 

I once told her, “I don’t know how to think like a marketer.” I study public relations, not marketing! The two are closely connected, but not quite the same. 

So what is the difference between marketing and public relations? How does advertising fit in? I wanted to know, so I began asking at school and researching online. 

Here's what I uncovered!

Advertising

Advertisements want you to notice them. At the focus of every advertisement is a product or service. “Here I am,” it says, “Buy me!” 

With the rise of AdBlocker and a growing distrust of self-promotion, advertising often gets a bad rep. Information is readily (and literally) at our fingertips; most of us need more than a few seconds of a banner ad to be won over. The best advertisements are about more than the product alone; they also communicate value. Take, for example, this NIVEA DOLL video advertisement. It promotes sales, absolutely, but it also raises awareness for sun protection!

Think of advertising like a math equation: it takes the right product, expressed in the right way at the right time, delivered to the right audience, to produce a direct result.

Above: the relationship between advertising, marketing, and PR.  FACTEUR PR Instagram

Target: Potential customers
Message: “I am fantastic, and this is why you should buy me!”
Great for: Creating buzz about a product/service, driving sales, targeting specific audiences

Marketing

Marketing might seem similar to advertising, but think of marketing as a cake. You don’t usually eat a cake whole; you cut it up into slices. Advertising is just one slice of the marketing cake!

If we’re talking about strictly business (and not a cake), then marketing is the strategic implementation of tactics that brings together the buyer and the seller. It is a map that leads to the target audience — and marketing is all about the target audience. “Who am I targeting?” it asks, “And how can I appeal to them? Why should they choose me over the competition?” 

Marketing is me sending you a love letter of how you mean more to me than anyone else. It’s me writing a sonnet about how you are perfect for me, and I am perfect for you. 

Target: Current/potential customers
Message: “This is how I add value to your life, so you should buy me!”
Great for: Creating brand recognition, persuading target audiences, driving target audiences to action and purchase

Public Relations

Advertising and marketing both aim to sell, whether it be the product or the brand. Public relations, however, aims to build a relationship (hence ‘relations’). “This is who I am,” it says, “And this is how we can connect!”

A big part of public relations is media coverage.  Advertising and marketing “speak” directly to their audiences — but public relations enhances a brand through the media and word-of-mouth. You might read an article about a product launch, or you might watch a review on YouTube of a product, likely facilitated by PR people.

The end of the tunnel for public relations is not necessarily a sale or a purchase. Public relations is about creating and fostering relationships, about building credibility and trust, and about sharing a story. While sales aren't the first priority of PR, they can (and often happen) as a result!

Target: All stakeholders, including customers, influencers/editors, internal audiences, and shareholders
Message: “This is who they say I am and why I am worth talking about, so we should be friends!”
Great for: Building connections with media outlets and audiences, creating a positive image

Advertising, marketing, and PR. See how different they all are, despite how similar they seem? Each field has its own perspective and way of planning and executing! Each one on its own can produce great results, but together is when they really work best. Teamwork makes the dream work!

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Julie Hong

Contributing blogger
Julie is FACTEUR PR's Digital PR intern for Summer 2017.

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How to post on Instagram from your desktop

Instagram has always been a mobile-only social media platform, and certainly still is. And while many social media management programs such as Hootsuite have boasted the ability to post on Instagram through your desktop, it still has never been fully possible. However, just recently, a workaround on the Chrome browser has come to light. We just tested these five steps to posting photos from your desktop computer directly to Instagram, and it totally worked. Give it a try! 

1. Open the Google Chrome browser on your desktop, and head to Instagram.com.
2. Right-click anywhere on the webpage.
3. From the drop-down menu, select "Inspect."
4. You will see a window like the one pictured below. Above the Instagram feed on the lefthand side, select the size of the mobile device you would like to preview.
5. To upload a photo, click the camera icon on the preview window as you would on Instagram through your mobile device. You'll be able to add a caption and hashtags as normal, too! 

There you have it! A quick and easy way to upload photos directly to Instagram from your desktop! Did you try it? What do you think? 

Office Jams: Spring 2017 Playlist

Music has always been an enormous part of my life. In fact, if it wasn’t for music, I don’t think I’d be working in the field of marketing and public relations. 

In the late 90s at the age of 13, I built my first website and designed my first e-mail newsletter on behalf of a band I adored at the time. I also was a contributing writer to their fan club zine (that came in the mail every month!). Realizing my passion for music and writing led me to get a degree in Public Affairs Journalism in college, which is when I began my career specifically in music marketing for major record labels. It’s been one of the highlights of my career thus far! And while I love music, I haven’t played an instrument since high school (guitar and flute!), but have expressed the performance piece in a different way. 

This month is a special month for me because I’m celebrating my seventh year as a professional DJ. While I don’t play as much as I used to since launching FACTEUR, I still love to compile playlists and share them with clients and friends. 

Some of us love peace and quiet while we’re working. That is largely true for me, especially when I’m doing a lot of writing. But much of the time I do love some music in the background that keeps me energized and inspired to conquer the tasks and projects ahead of me. I shared a summer productivity playlist here last summer, and we’ll plan on sharing these more regularly each season. We hope this puts a little pep in your step - enjoy!

FACTEUR PR: Spring Tunes 2017 Playlist:

Digital content and story ideas for May

Welcome to the month of May! If you're in the northern hemisphere, you are probably welcoming some consistently warmer weather, which always inspires us to create new things. May has no shortage of great events that can serve as an inspirational source for blogging. These ideas are also applicable to your social media and media relations pitches. To get you started, here are just a few opportunities this month to align your brand or business with some already note-worthy happenings online.

May is...

• Vegan Month
• National Peanut Butter Lovers Month
• National Water Safety Month
• World Stroke Month
• National Bike Month
• National Photograph Month
• National Songwriting Month

Daily opportunities include...

May 2: National Lemonade Day
May 4: National Star Wars Day
May 5: Cinco De Mayo
May 6: Kentucky Derby
May 7: National Packaging Design Day
May 11: National Foam Rolling Day
May 14: Mother's Day
May 18: International Museum Day
May 20: Bike to Work Day
May 25: National Wine Day
May 27: International Jazz Day
May 28: National Hamburger Day
May 31: National Macaroon Day

Want more content ideas for the year? These are just a few of the ones we've identified! We have developed four editorial content calendars specifically for the food & drink, arts & hobbies, health & wellness, and lifestyle industries. You can find them under the Downloads tab here on the FACTEUR website (and showcased below). We've pulled together social media, blogging, and PR opportunities based on monthly and daily holidays, hashtags, and high profile events that are related to each of those industries. Also included is a list of story ideas to get you started with developing your editorial plan, as well as space to brainstorm your own ideas. We're offering each calendar for $10, and if you buy all four with our Blogger Bundle, you basically get one free! Plus, every time we update the calendars, we'll make sure you'll get the newest iteration (at no extra charge, of course). Happy creating!

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FACTEUR PR welcomes Julie Hong to its team

We are so excited to welcome our summer intern, Julie Hong, to the FACTEUR PR team! Julie is currently finishing her third year at University of Georgia, where she studies Public Relations and New Media and has experience in community relations, media relations, social media, event planning, and more. During the school year, she is part of the Publicity Committee at her school’s PRSSA chapter and the occasional staff writer for seasonal publications. A California girl who moved to Atlanta at age 16, she loves to say ‘y’all’ but still gets confused when she hears ‘fixin ‘to’. She is personal, positive, and a people-person who feels strongest when she is a part of a team (and already has a lot of great, innovative ideas!), so we are thrilled she’s “ecstatic to be joining Facteur PR as a digital intern for the summer, and can’t wait to get plugged in!” 

Julie will be with us through August - please join us in welcoming her to the team! Leave a comment below, and feel free to send her an email. Plus, stay tuned for some blogs and other great content from Julie throughout the coming months here on the FACTEUR blog!