5 branding myths communicators should avoid

You’ll find no shortage of tips online about what it takes to succeed in business.

Much of what’s out there is sound guidance, but not everything you see or hear will put you on the path to success. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to determine what is the product of genuine entrepreneurial wisdom and what is just bunk.

You should be cautious and judicious when choosing the advice you follow. To help you steer clear of the myths that abound, here are five of the misconceptions when entrepreneurs build their brands.

1. It’s easy to build a brand online.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. It requires time, hard work and consistency to build trust with prospective customers, rank higher in Google searches and gain a following for your brand.

Some tips for helping you get you there include:

• Have a good website to serve as your business’s online hub (ideally, one with an open-source CMS that’s feature-rich and offers the opportunity to take advantage of integrations, such as those for SEO and social media).
• Blog consistently to demonstrate your expertise and improve your website’s online authority with Google.
• Explore content syndication opportunities to expand the reach of your blog posts.
• Do outreach to respected industry websites to secure guest blogging opportunities (to increase brand awareness and establish yourself—the face of your business—as a knowledgeable and trusted professional).
• Choose your social media channels wisely—and be active on them, providing content that builds rapport and loyalty with your audience.

2. You should handle everything yourself in the beginning.

Even in the early stages of business ownership, reconsider trying to tackle every aspect of starting and running the company yourself. You could end up doing more harm than good if you take on tasks that require the help of a professional (bookkeepers, accountants, tax advisors, lawyers, SEO specialists, etc.).

Aside from the potential issues that can arise from undertaking work you don’t fully understand, trying to strong-arm business growth isn’t sustainable. You have limited hours every day—you should spend them on activities that use your expertise and skills to their fullest.

3. You can be “hands-off” when you outsource tasks.

Even when you delegate responsibilities to a trusted services provider, you will need to stay involved. Depending on the complexity and significance of what you’ve outsourced, you may still have to dedicate internal resources to the cause.

Social media is an excellent example. Business owners who outsource their social media strategy and management don’t always realize that for the best results, they (or qualified and trained individuals within their organizations) must be actively involved in the process.

[RELATED: Join us in Washington, D.C. for the Leadership and Executive Communications Conference.]

Delegating tasks to an outside source can dramatically diminish the time and effort required internally—but it doesn’t replace the need for you to monitor and manage your brand online.

4. Your personal brand won’t affect your business that much.

Like it or not, you and your business will be perceived by many people as one in the same. So how you conduct yourself and what you say—online and offline—will reflect on your brand.

Some real-life examples of this include:

• Martha Stewart, whose company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, suffered and never fully recovered after she was found guilty in 2004 of charges related to insider trading.
• Former Uber CEO, Travis Kalanick, sparked turmoil for his company when dashcam footage of his argument with an Uber Black driver went public online in 2017.

It’s especially important to be aware of the impact of your personal brand on social media. Just because you can say virtually anything you want in your social media posts or when commenting on others’ updates doesn’t mean you should.

Your online commentary on politics, religion, social issues or other hot-button topics has the potential to either deepen or destroy people’s trust in your brand.

5. Success builds upon itself.

Growth isn’t always linear. In fact, sales and profitability can fluctuate—sometimes dramatically—from one year to the next. Even mega-companies like Apple see profits go up and down from year to year.

As your business takes on new opportunities, hires people, expands operations, faces new competitors and confronts new industry challenges, you might experience some back and forth in how well it’s doing. Your finances and brand reputation may soar one year, struggle the next, and then make strides again after that. Expect to encounter ebb and flow.

Rachel Strella is the founder of Strella Social Media, a social media management company. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RachelStrella.

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Why you should target potential clients at a Ragan event

Ragan conferences attract nearly 2,500 attendees each year to the headquarters of top organizations such as Microsoft, Facebook, Disney, Coca-Cola, Con Edison and many others.

But why do vendors, agencies and consultants want to be there?

1. The Ragan event audience is a targeted market. Sponsors meet managers, directors, VPs and department heads in corporate communications, public affairs, HR communications, digital marketing, employee communications, public relations, marketing, social media and many other fields. Our attendees come from a variety of industries and organizations including aerospace, Fortune 1000 companies, nonprofit, finance, retail, government, hospitality, education and more.

2. Ragan gets creative to get people connected. Ragan offers a mix of traditional and inventive sponsorship opportunities, such as speaking as an industry innovator in a session or keynote, hosting a bonus breakfast or lunch session with demonstrations, wooing a niche group of attendees at a dine-around, displaying top work or demos at an exhibitor booth or presenting a TED-style talk to inspire new business.

3. Ragan makes it easy—and fun! Traveling, setting up big displays, preparing a presentation and networking all take time and energy. Ragan’s staff works hard to simplify the process and to put sponsors and sales teams at ease so they can focus more on building business and less on the details.

Check out the Ragan event lineup, and let us know you’re interested.

1. Leadership & Executive Communicators Conference

    September 13-14, 2018 – Washington D.C. – Hosted by Hellerman Communications

2. Brand Storytelling & Content Marketing Conference  

    Sept. 26-28, 2018 – San Jose, CA – Hosted by Intel

3. Employee Communications, PR & Social Media Summit at Microsoft  

    Oct. 3-5, 2018 – Bellevue, WA – Hosted by Microsoft

4. The Role of Communications in Creating Best Places to Work Conference

    Oct. 16-18, 2018 – Las Vegas, NV – Hosted by Zappos

5. Highly Regulated Industries Conference – event page coming soon!

    Nov. 8-9, 2018 – New York City – Hosted by ConEd

Email sponsorship@ragan.com for more details and a full list of open opportunities. Visit our webpage for more information on sponsorship.

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Turner’s Dairy at the corner of Ontario Street and West 17th Ave

Turner’s Dairy is a new collection of townhomes located at the corner of Ontario Street and West 17th Ave, Vancouver. This project will offer 13 contemporary townhouses, Sizes ranging from 695 square feet to 1,636 square feet. Contemporary and efficient living, designed for the modern family. Progressive meets heritage in these sleekly crafted and thoughtfully created homes. The building’s open and expansive spaces, high ceilings, and vast casement style windows harken back to the lofts and offices that were inhabited by generations of industrial businesses, starting with Turner’s Dairy.

The post Turner’s Dairy at the corner of Ontario Street and West 17th Ave appeared first on Vancouver New Condos.

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My 16 Favorite Things to Do in the Virgin Islands

Updated: 7/30/18 | July 30th, 2018

Two of the most-visited destinations in the Caribbean, the US and British Virgin Islands are what I expected them to be: white sand beaches, excellent diving and snorkeling, turquoise crystal-clear water, scenic hiking, lots of boating opportunities, and heavily poured rum drinks.

I spent a month traveling around the islands by boat. There is a fascinating number of things to do on the islands — life here is not all hammocks and piña coladas. From festivals to diving to strenuous hiking trails to hidden tide pools, each of the islands in the area has plenty to offer to keep you busy if a full day at the beach isn’t your thing.

Take a trip to Buck Island

The only marine national park in the United States, Buck Island is a half-day trip from St. Croix (though full-day trips that come with food and booze are also available). While the marine park and coral are slightly dead after years of overfishing and coral bleaching, there’s a fabulous beach on the island that couldn’t be more quintessentially Caribbean: empty, wide, and ringed with palm trees. The half-day trip is the greatest value and one of the best things to do on St. Croix. 

Recommended Buck Island tiur companies:

• Big Beard’s Adventure Tours ($75 for a half day and $105 for a full day)
• Caribbean Sea Adventures ($75 for half day)
• Jolly Roger Charters ($75 for half day and $90 for a full day)

Relax in Jack Bay and Isaac Bay

Located on the easternmost point of the United States, these bays are two empty beaches on St. Croix. Difficult to access, after a steep hike down a very overgrown trail, you’ll come upon Isaac Bay (also home to nesting turtles), where you’ll be able to enjoy a thin slice of white sand, blue water, and snorkeling right from the shore. Jack Bay is connected by a poorly signed trail at the end of Isaac’s. The beaches aren’t maintained, but, while not the prettiest, they are one of the few spots on the island you can have to yourself. Bring your own water and food as there are no facilities in either bay.

Chill out at Cane Bay

This is my favorite bay on St. Croix, featuring a beautiful beach, a delicious restaurant (Eat @ Cane Bay), and snorkeling within swimming distance of the shore. Though the beach isn’t very wide and it’s located right near a road, the chilled-out atmosphere of the area, good snorkeling (there’s a steep dropoff out from shore, creating a lot of fish-viewing opportunities), and few crowds make it a place worth spending the day (and early evening when the restaurant has happy hour). Cane Bay is located on the north side of St. Croix.

Explore Jost Van Dyke

The party island of the British Virgin Islands, Jost sees a lot of day trippers from St. John and yachties coming into the harbor and making a beeline for the Soggy Dollar Bar to drink Painkillers (rum, pineapple and orange juice, and fresh nutmeg), the bar’s famous drink and one that everyone on the Virgin Islands drinks (the best one I had was at Rudy’s on Jost; Soggy Dollar is overrated). White Bay is where all the action is, but I loved it early in the morning or late at night when all the day trippers (drunks) were gone and the extensive white sand beach was deserted. Be sure to visit the bubbly pools on the other side of the island where the incoming water rushing into this tiny tide pool creates a whirlpool effect.

Explore The Baths

At first, I couldn’t figure out why everyone loves this spot on Virgin Gorda. The beach was tiny, the water rough, and the crowds plentiful. Then I followed the sign to the caves, and it became clear why this is the most-visited spot in the Virgin Islands. After crawling through a tiny opening, you are surrounded by gigantic granite boulders nestled on each other with streams of water flowing all around them. It’s beautiful. There are nooks and crannies to explore everywhere. After wading through water and climbing over rocks, you find yourself in tide pools that collect between the boulders on your way to Dead Man’s Beach. It costs $3 USD to enter.

Enjoy paradise on Anegada

Looking to get away from the crowds? Anegada in the BVIs is a coral atoll with a few hundred people living on it. Few ferries go to the island (only three per week), and most people who get up here tend to come via their own boats. This keeps the crowds down. You can go hours without seeing anyone on the beaches. The island is ringed by a reef, making it perfect for snorkeling right from the shore (you can see a lot of rays here too!) The island is famous for its lobster, and each restaurant has its own signature dish (Neptune’s Treasure and Potters by the Sea were my favorites). If you come in November, be sure to catch the lobster festival that occurs the last weekend of the month. It’s lobster heaven.

Enjoy the food and music of Redhook

This port town on St. Thomas has some of the better restaurants and bars on the island. You’ll find lively music, a delicious beer and burger bar called Tap and Still, and energetic clubs. If you’re on the island and looking to have a night out, this is the place to be. You can also get ferry service to/from Cruz Bay on St. John and to/from the British Virgin Islands.

Party on St. John

Want fun? $1 happy hour specials? Amazing drinks? St. John is for you. With only 2,000 people living on the island, it has a small-town feel, but it heaves with tourists who want to escape the stuffy and expensive prices of St. Thomas. Since the main town of Cruz Bay is so small, bar hopping is really easy, and most bars feature live bands.

Note: Hurricane Irma and Maria really did a number on St. John and much of the island is still recovering. At the time of writing, the town was still rebuilding.

Visit Cinnamon Bay

This bay on St. John is home to the only campground on the USVIs. It’s a wide bay that stays pretty empty and calm, making it one of my favorite beaches on the island. 

Note: Hurricane Irma and Maria really did a number on St. John and much of the island is still recovering. At the time of writing, the campground on this beach was still closed.

Hike the Reef Bay Trail

Cutting through St. John, this trail begins in the center of the island and takes you through the forest featuring old sugar plantations, stone ruins, ancient petroglyphs, and a deserted sugar factory by the water. It’s beautiful, easy, and the beach at the end is a perfect place for a dip (you’re going to work up a sweat!). Combine it with Cinnamon Trail that begins at Cinnamon Bay on the top of the island, and you can cut across the entire width of the island in about four hours.

Get away from the crowd at Brewer’s Bay

Located near the airport on St. Thomas, this beach is near the USVI university and a locals-only beach — for the sole reason tourists just don’t seem to ever make it here. You’ll see local families BBQing, people exercising their dogs, and planes coming to and going from the airport.

Wander the empty Salt Island

This tiny, deserted, out-of-the-way island is filled with once-important salt ponds. There’s snorkeling around the island, and you can take a dinghy to visit the deserted town near the salt pools. The island is owned by a family that pays an annual rent to the Queen of England of a single one-pound bag of salt. You’ll need to get here with your own boat; there are no ferries. 

Dive/snorkel the RMS Rhone

Considered one of the most impressive dive and snorkel sites in the world, the RMS Rhone was a mail ship that crashed in the nearby reef and is now its own artificial reef, home to thousands of different fish and coral. It’s a must for every diver. Most dive trips leave from Tortola. You’ll be able to enter the wreck too.

Drink at Willy T’s

Located at its new home on Peter Island, this old boat turned floating bar is where everyone goes wild in the British Virgin Islands. I’ve seen old ladies doing body shots here, while young guys chug beer and jump off the boat naked. It’s always a wild day on Willy T’s. But if the water is calm on weekends, the place gets very busy as locals take boats over for some Sunday Funday. There is no ferry service to this party barge. You’ll either need your own boat or pay to go with the Dolphin Water Taxi.

Hob nob on Necker Island

Famously home to Sir Richard Branson, you can stay on this island for a cool $50,000 a night. Don’t have that much money? No problem. You can take a day trip with Gumption on the Sea It Clear Glass Bottom Boat Tour. Tours leave from the Bitter End resort on northern Virgin Gorda and feature fish spotting and a walk around the island. Branson has been known to say hello.

Sail around the islands!

It may be expensive, but you can’t visit these islands and not sail around them. It would be a sin. Whether for one day or multiple days, be sure to jet around the islands. It’s the only way to see the more remote islands that ferries don’t visit, get away from the crowds, and discover your own hidden snorkeling spots. Here’s how you can sail around the islands on the cheap (or for free!)

****

When I visited the islands, I imagined myself wasting away the days on beaches and reading and writing at night. It turned out there was simply too much to do on this area to “waste a day.” No matter what island you end up on, there will be dozens of options to choose from. This list of amazing things to do in the Virgin Islands can help guide you, but don’t think for a second that these islands are boring. Even non–beach bums will fill their days.

Get the In-Depth Budget Guide to The Virgin Islands!

My detailed, 60+ page guidebook is made for budget travelers like you! It cuts out the fluff found in other guidebooks and gets straight to the practical information you need to travel and save money while in the Virgin Islands, a country I enjoyed traveling through so much. You’ll find suggested itineraries, budgets, ways to save money, on and off the beaten path things to see and do, non-touristy restaurants, markets, and bars, and much more!! Click here to learn more and get started.

Book Your Trip to the Virgin Islands: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight to the Virgin Islands by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines. Start with Momondo.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel in the Virgin Islands with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates. (Here’s the proof.)

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never ever go on a trip without it. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. You should too.

Need Some Gear?
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use!

Want More Information on the Virgin Islands?
Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on the British Virgin Islands for even more planning tips!

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The Problem with Compass: “We’re About the Agent”

During one of the Hacker Connect sessions, Maëlle Gavet from Compass said the following:

It’s about the agent.

That, right there, is my problem with Compass. They are catering to the real estate agent. As long as that’s the case, they aren’t really changing anything. At least not for the consumer (buyers and sellers). They are simply shifting around dollars from one brokerage/franchise to another. Yes, with slicker branding and more money. But it’s still redirecting money, rather than creating real change in the industry.

You may have seen the open letter to Compass by MoxiWorks’ CEO, York Baur. I happen to agree with pretty much everything he says. In short, Compass’ tech strategy of choosing best of class vendors and stitching them together (along with developing some proprietary tech) is not new. MoxiWorks is one of several companies has been doing it for a long, long time.

The real question I have is how Compass expects to create leverage in the market, in order to create long term defensibility and shareholder value for the inevitable IPO?

There’s generally two ways to create leverage in real estate. The first is get critical mass of supply (listings), so buyers have no choice BUT to look at your properties. This is why Windermere has leverage in Seattle. You can’t drive around, and NOT see a Windermere yard sign. The second is aggregate demand (buyers), and shift the way they find properties and select agents. This is of course where Zillow’s leverage comes from, they have a stranglehold on buyer demand due to 10 years of branding, PR, social media, good ol-fashioned relationship building, traditional media buys, acquisitions, capital, and SEO thrown into the equation.

What I’d like to know is how is Compass making the buying and selling process better?

For consumers. Not for agents. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t heard a good answer to that question by anyone I’ve spoken with. Have you?

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Infographic: Storytelling tips to capture readers’ hearts

Not much has changed since childhood; compelling narratives are still captivating.

Whether it was listening to your parents read bedtime stories, sitting on carpet squares for story time during elementary school or now reading organization’s digital content, powerful storytelling is what everyone craves.

With an overabundance of content available, audiences won’t waste their time with dry, stale sales content.

[RELATED: Craft engaging stories that inspire audiences, build brand loyalty and more.]

What, then, are the keys to writing a compelling story that inspires readers to act? This infographic from MyTasker offers guidance.

It suggests:

• Home in on only one topic.
• Craft an introduction that pulls readers in right off the bat.
• Be concise.
• Include visuals with your copy for a deeper emotional connection.

For more ways to tell a story that audiences will love, see the full infographic below.

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Chipotle scrambles to address new outbreak and server outage

Guacamole lovers might be spending “National Avocado Day” anywhere other than Chipotle.

More than 170 people fell ill after eating at a Chipotle location in Ohio, prompting the chain to quickly close the restaurant after the news surfaced.

Business Insider reported:

A total of 105 reports were made to the website iwaspoisoned.com, indicating that more than 170 customers fell sick after eating at the Powell, Ohio Chipotle since July 29, according to Patrick Quade, the website's founder.

The website saw a surge in reports following Business Insider's report late Monday that the company had shut down the restaurant due to customer illness reports.

[FREE GUIDE: 3 things you (probably) didn't know about crisis communications]

Reuters reported:

Chipotle was informed of two customer complaints of illness at its Powell restaurant, Laurie Schalow, the company’s chief communications officer, said in an email.

“We acted quickly and closed this single restaurant out of an abundance of caution yesterday. We are working with the local health department and we plan to reopen this restaurant today,” Schalow said on Tuesday.

The recent crisis follows Chipotle’s efforts to rebuild its reputation following norovirus outbreaks in locations throughout the nation.

Bloomberg reported:

The latest round of negative headlines comes amid renewed optimism on Wall Street that the chain can mount a comeback under Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol, the Taco Bell veteran who took over in March. Prior to Tuesday, the Mexican chain had been recovering from a food-safety crisis that battered its brand. Chipotle recently posted same-stores sales that beat estimates for the second quarter as Niccol starts to reshape the company, with new menu items, increased marketing, a delivery push and store remodels.

The recent crisis also sent Chipotle’s stock tumbling.

USA Today reported:

The chain continues to grapple with the financial implications of the 2015 crisis, which triggered a federal investigation and prompted the company to implement new safety standards and food-handling procedures.

The company's stock was trading at about $437 on Tuesday, which is up about 50% from the start of the year but still down more than 40% from pre-crisis levels.

Reuters reported:

The company’s shares were down 5.6 percent at $439.60, erasing gains made since Chipotle reported stronger-than-expected profit and same-restaurant sales for its second quarter on Thursday.

Chipotle’s social media team has been reaching out to consumers tweeting that they might be sick from its food with replies such as the following:

We’d like to speak to you directly. Please contact us here: https://t.co/nrhUDiEk7G -Zach

— Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets) July 31, 2018

However, the team might be overdoing it:

Get in touch with us directly at https://t.co/nrhUDiEk7G. -Gabe

— Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets) July 31, 2018

Besides online responses, the Ohio outbreak marks the first crisis that the fast-food chain’s new chief has to handle.

USA Today reported:

The Ohio restaurant closure marks newcomer "Brian Niccol's first test as CEO," Cowen stock analyst Andrew M. Charles wrote Tuesday. Niccol, a former CEO of Taco Bell, became CEO of Chipotle in March, promising a digital innovation, new menu items and appeal to young diners.

The primary concern for the company surrounding the Ohio situation is likely the threat of renewed perception among customers that the food is unsafe.

Reuters reported:

“If this story gains traction, it might have more serious implications for the stock. It certainly, at this point, it’s a negative. I think it is something the CEO should address,” Maxim Group analyst Stephen Anderson said.

National Avocado Day sours with technical issues

Though the Ohio outbreak could take a swing at Chipotle’s reputation management efforts, it’s taking another hit as consumers lashed out over a malfunctioning code and server issues for National Avocado Day.

On July 26, Chipotle’s social media team tweeted:

Done. pic.twitter.com/koV8oj4wWh

— Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets) July 26, 2018

On Tuesday, Chipotle tweeted reminders of its promotion:

Use the 7-digit offer code AVOCADO when placing an online or in-app order to receive FREE Guac on an entrée OR a FREE side of Guac OR a regular order of Chips & Guac with purchase of a burrito, bowl, salad or tacos. Offer valid on 7/31/18 at participating restaurants in the US.

— Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets) July 30, 2018

Guess what
U guys
Awesome news
Can you believe guac is FREE when you order one entrée online only today? Enter code AVOCADO. Details: https://t.co/ylAj3B190j

— Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets) July 31, 2018

However, within hours, consumers complained that the coupon code wasn’t working on either Chipotle’s app or website—rendering the discount invalid. Soon after, the website crashed.

The snafu brought fresh criticism:

Pretty convenient of both platforms to go down during this promotion.

— Kurt Nossaman (@grimyWORK) July 31, 2018

Looks like you have E. Coli in your servers pic.twitter.com/NahoJI7NE9

— Mihir Thakkar (@mihirt06) July 31, 2018

FINALLY got your website to work and the code STILL does not work. How did you seriously not have this ready to go and work before you actually announce the coupon. That's business 101 I would imagine. At some point I will give up and find food elsewhere. Can't wait forever...

— Chris Green (@ChrisGreenPics) July 31, 2018

at least Build a Bear acknowledged their customers and tried to make it work! @ChipotleTweets just replying to several people saying they got sick from their food. Sounds like I'll get something else for lunch....

— Adam (@AdamOrangeman) July 31, 2018

Chipotle tweeted that it was working to restore its servers as quickly as possible:

Free guac on National Avocado Day, groundbreaking. Actually, internet-breaking. Getting our servers back up ASAP. 👨‍💻

— Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets) July 31, 2018

However, some consumers said it was too little, too late—and additional complaints continued to pour in.

Boo!! You’re too late. It’s lunch time and we’re all going to @qdoba for free guac ‘round the clock pic.twitter.com/O9UJmy4zbG

— Probably Jace (@ThisIsNotJace) July 31, 2018

pic.twitter.com/kMnN9fiLcH

— Matt Russell (@legndaryrussell) July 31, 2018

A huge number of people would be hitting your app/website on the day you tell a huge number of people to hit up your app and website? pic.twitter.com/L67E1Y7MLA

— i.sky (@GlassBalloon) July 31, 2018

Literally during the lunch rush lol such a fail

— dev (@dev_ost) July 31, 2018

How are you not prepared for this....

— Justin Shelley (@justintshelley) July 31, 2018

This tweet should’ve came hours ago 🙄

— CZA (@Carlitas__Way) July 31, 2018

pic.twitter.com/Sit0Zc6Y9q

— Bryan Richardson (@BryDRich) July 31, 2018

How would you advise Chipotle’s communications team to handle these crises, PR Daily readers?

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How can data improve your storytelling?

Every business seeks to be more data-driven these days.

Being able to back up your statements and decision making with cold hard statistics is a great way to build trust between your brand and your customer base.

However, a brand story cannot be built on data alone. A brand is more than numbers; it is made up of feelings, experiences and relationships.

Unfortunately, a business that prides itself on storytelling and communication may feel threatened by the influx of data-driven PR and marketing methods that leave little room for creativity.

[RELATED: Join us in San Jose for the Brand Storytelling & Content Marketing Conference at Intel.]

However, this opinion is not only wrong, it’s contradictory to a strong PR strategy. Data supports storytelling by bringing credibility to your PR message.

Here’s how add data to your storytelling:

1. Look for patterns in customer reviews.

In general, people do not trust what businesses say about themselves. According to Edelman’s trust report, 48 percent of consumers do not believe the messages that businesses offer, especially when it comes to paid media.

However, people do believe other people. Eighty-five percent of online shoppers rate customer reviews as reliable as a recommendation from a trusted friend, making customer feedback an important tool for PR pros.

If the majority of your reviews are positive, then you can turn those messages into a percentage. For example:

“88 percent of our customers report a ‘positive experience.’”

“Nine out of ten satisfied customers would recommend us to a friend or colleague.”

Of course, gathering this kind of positive data is easier for some brands than others, especially if you have no system in place for gathering and analyzing reviews. Tools like Trustpilot can be of great assistance.

Not only does this tool encourage customers to leave genuine reviews by offering a simple feedback platform, it can help your brand identify common themes in customer responses. It also compiles the data points from customer reviews into analytical reports.

Source

2. Identify segment-specific pain points.

Chances are that your customers are already organized by specific segments to help your PR team get into the minds of the consumer. This strategy enables brands to get a clearer picture of their audience by transforming them into “personalities” rather than just generalizations.

These segments can also help to identify certain pain points that your customers face to support data-driven storytelling. In addition to looking at reviews, the best way to do this is by listening to what your customers have to say with social listening and media monitoring software. By observing the conversations each segment is having about your brand, product, or industry, you can easily identify top concerns, objections and talking points.

3. Analyze content overlap with influencers.

Influencers can be the best storytellers of all—and they are without a doubt an essential piece to the PR puzzle in today’s market. However, making data-driven partnering decisions can be more complex than just finding the influencers that some of your customers may be interested in.

The best way to judge whether or not an influencer will reach relevant audiences is by looking at their content, rather than their followers. More important, look for the overlaps where their messaging and vision matches yours. The topics they focus on and their niche authority is far easier to identify, and it can prove whether or not a partnership with your brand will be a relevant fit.

Tools like Cision’s influencer platform can help you narrow down the possibilities and segment influencer accounts into their clearest niches. From there, you can get a better sense of the type of content they share and see whether it is thought-leadership driven or brand-focused.

Simply stating a message is not enough. With consumers’ continuously losing trust in the media and businesses, you must be able to back up your statements and choices with objective facts.

Taral Patel is a digital marketer at E2M Solutions Inc with a focus on creating high-quality content and strong content marketing strategy that helps businesses to improve their overall online presence. A version of this article originally appeared on the Cision blog.

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Geek Estate Mastermind Newsletter #39 – Turning Homeowners and Renters into Next Generation Real Estate Investors

It’s no secret historical rates of return for real estate beat virtually every investment category. I’ve been thinking a lot about a question I touched upon briefly in last week’s newsletter:

How does the industry get individuals to invest 10-15k into real estate, instead of bonds or the stock market like their parents did?

A few reasons: lack of capital (25k+), long time horizon, lack of liquidity, and social proof. One new incentive that’s coming: Opportunity Zones (read here and here for some background).

Greg Fischer dug into Overstock’s news, and exactly where they’re getting its listings from?

A couple of the curated articles referenced in last week’s Weekly Radar:

Lisa Renee writes about the history of her Civil War era farmhouse. Those who have been reading my writing for many years know there is a topic I’ve been thinking about for over a decade: the history of a home. Lisa’s portrayal is a great example of the incredibly rich historical stories that the right product could potentially surface.

A new substation would have cost over $1.2B and exacerbate known issues with the current grid system in New York City. So ConEdison spurred an initiative with large-scale developments to reduce demand through traditional means such as efficiency upgrades. But a large affordable housing complex in Brooklyn took the effort further by constructing a $4M microgrid with rooftop solar, natural gas fuel, and a battery system; which almost entirely meets the current needs of the 625 unit complex. Not only has the community’s power bill dropped with the new setup, but it can also operate independently from the grid in an emergency.

As a reminder, the purpose of the Geek Estate Mastermind is two fold:

1. Curate the world’s most innovative and diverse community of real estate creatives, doers, and pioneers.
2. Make our members wildly successful in their careers building real estate companies.

If you want to read the entire newsletter, and future weekly editions, please apply for a Mastermind membership below.

Apply for Membership

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Undertaking a rebranding, Firefox solicits community input

Firefox’s parent company Mozilla wants to rebrand its iconic browser—and it’s asking users to point the way.

The internet tools company started as an open-source, collaborative project to make the internet a better place for everyone. As the internet evolves, the organization has increased its offerings and now plans to offer a range of web browsers and apps that make users safer, more efficient and happier overall.

Now it says these new organization goals require a bold new face for the company.

It wrote in a blog post:

As an icon, that fast fox with a flaming tail doesn’t offer enough design tools to represent this entire product family. Recoloring that logo or dissecting the fox could only take us so far. We needed to start from a new place.

A team made up of product and brand designers at Mozilla has begun imagining a new system to embrace all of the Firefox products in the pipeline and those still in the minds of our Emerging Technologies group. Working across traditional silos, we’re designing a system that can guide people smoothly from our marketing to our in-product experiences.

The company offered two sets of designs, calling them separate “systems.” It then solicited user feedback on the potential offerings.

TechCrunch reported:

The whole thing might sound a bit up-in-the-air right now, and that’s mostly intentional — it’s still pretty early days in the process. But eventually, Firefox will be getting a new logo; or, more accurately, new logos.

The work was presented in two potential “systems,” each composed of one “Masterbrand” logo and 11 auxiliary logos. The masterbrand would be the primary one used for representing the brand as a whole, while those beneath it could each represent an individual product.

In asking for feedback, the Firefox team asked for users to share their thoughts in comments on the blog post announcing the change.

[RELATED: Join us in San Jose for the Brand Storytelling & Content Marketing Conference at Intel.]

It wrote:

For those who recall the Open Design process we used to craft our Mozilla brand identity, our approach here will feel familiar:

• We are not crowdsourcing the answer.
• There’ll be no voting.
• No one is being asked to design anything for free.

Living by our open-source values of transparency and participation, we’re reaching out to our community to learn what people think.

On social media, users have remarked that some designs look similar to those of other well-known brands.

When I first saw this proposed new Firefox logo I thought immediately of GitLab. pic.twitter.com/R6pCCemArm

— Christie Koehler (@christi3k) July 30, 2018

quick, which is the new Firefox logo and which the Gitlab logo (via @nilium) pic.twitter.com/RRb7tVlEjG

— Andre Weissflog (@FlohOfWoe) July 31, 2018

Hey @mozilla. One of the logos you are giving as a possibility as the next logo for Firefox, looks similar to the logo of a dutch festival. Namely that of @Hongerige_Wolf.

— Simon Klein (@simonklein12) July 31, 2018

Some question why Firefox needs a new logo:

both are looking great but the new one looks like the @gitlab logo. also I never had the feeling @firefox needs a new logo. Why change if something is really good and unique?

— Jan Wagner (@janwagnerdesign) July 31, 2018

Others slam the new designs:

Horrible. What happened to designers’ creativity and imagination?
—
Firefox is getting a new logo (or 10) https://t.co/cIbTCszIj8
cc @eli_schiff pic.twitter.com/HzRfUYYmac

— Dan Masters (@OhMDee) July 31, 2018

Still others question why a redesign is necessary:

both are looking great but the new one looks like the @gitlab logo. also I never had the feeling @firefox needs a new logo. Why change if something is really good and unique?

— Jan Wagner (@janwagnerdesign) July 31, 2018

I don't know why Mozilla keeps getting possessed by redesign mania like all the big megacorps do, their previous logo was perfectly fine and so is the current iconhttps://t.co/Zs8EF5VD1f

— Katelyn Gadd (@antumbral) July 31, 2018

A good logo does not need to be updated every 4 years. A good logo should be able to last for decades.

Whatever problems the Firefox brand is having, yet another logo change isn’t going to fix them. https://t.co/0VuKp3fNz4 pic.twitter.com/sQ7enakM52

— Zero101 (@Zero101) July 30, 2018

I really like the current logo. I honestly don't like any of the new ideas. If you make new apps and stuff I wouldn't mind you using those for them, but keep the quantum logo the same.

— _SlLENT_ (@anthony_s45) July 30, 2018

What do you think of the redesign, PR Daily readers?

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Poll: How should top executives respond to a crisis?

The last thing most leaders want to do amid a smoldering crisis is typically the first thing they should do—communicate.

The question is: What’s the best way to tiptoe through tender times?

Signal Leadership Communication’s recent poll of 1,000 Canadians found that 61 percent of respondents think it’s “important” for CEOs to communicate on social media during a crisis. However, “Fifty-three percent say that when a company has a crisis, CEOs should ‘communicate primarily through their public relations team communicating with journalists in the media.’”

[RELATED: Join us in Washington, D.C. for the Leadership and Executive Communications Conference.]

Respondents also offered guidance regarding CEO messaging, should they choose to pipe up. According to Signal Leadership Communication:

Almost two in three Canadians (65 percent) feel that it is important (33 percent) or somewhat important (32 percent) for CEOs to use social media to “share updates about the problem” when a company has a crisis.

Sharing updates about the problem, yes. Personal pontifications, not so much:

Meanwhile, more than half of Canadians (53 percent) think that it is unimportant (30 percent) or somewhat unimportant (23 percent) for CEOs to use social media to “explain how he or she feels about the problem” when a company has a crisis.

So, what’s a crisis communicator or PR pro to do? Of course, it depends on the crisis, and it hinges on the messaging mettle of your CEO.

Is he or she exceedingly wise, empathetic and skilled at striking the right notes, even in stressful situations? If so, his or her communicating directly with the public via social media could help defuse a potentially explosive crisis.

If your leader is a messaging maverick, let the PR pros do the talking. The public face of an organization is not always the best public voice, so plan accordingly.

Read the rest of Signal Leadership Communication’s findings here.

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11 free tools to pump up your PR efforts

This article originally appeared on PR Daily in August of 2017.

As a PR pro, you might find that your inbox is overwhelmed with fancy, expensive tools designed to make your life easier.

Some are great and others are duds, but for many communicators who are on a strict budget, they simply are not an option. Luckily, there are a bunch of fantastic tools available online at zero cost.

Here’s a collection of outstanding free PR resources to promote your brand, boost social media efforts, measure and make your content visually pop:

Media relations

1. HARO: Sign up to Help a Reporter Out to receive daily emails detailing journalist requests for sources, organized by sector and industry. When you come across an opportunity for a client or organization you represent, send an answer attributed to your client or boss to get cited as an expert source. You might also get a link back to your website that can boost your SEO, too.

2. #journorequest: Similar to HARO, search the hashtag #journorequest on Twitter to find media relations opportunities.

Social media

3. Hootsuite: Scheduling social media posts is a huge time saver. Platforms such as Twitter can take a lot of maintain, especially if you’re handling more than one account.

It’s much easier to sit down for an hour once every week or two than to maintain a high level of engagement day to day. However, log in and issue replies and retweets on a daily basis, so your account doesn’t look like a bot.

[FREE DOWNLOAD: How to transform dull stories into compelling content]

4. BuzzSumo: This tool monitors online shares of your content and backlinks referring traffic to your website. The best free features are quite limited, but there’s a 14-day free trial that is well worth taking up if you want to gather analytics for a report.

Royalty-free photos

In an increasingly visual online world, an eye-catching image can make all the difference to your next campaign. Unfortunately, PR pros don’t always have a budget to hire a professional photographer to create captivating images. Luckily for us, many photographers make their images available royalty-free. You can find a huge variety at these sites:

5. Pixabay: This site offers generic, professional-quality photos for blog posts and articles.

6. Unsplash: If you seek more quirky or artsy images than the choices on Pixabay, check out Unsplash. It’s great for lifestyle shots, urban culture, travel, beauty, shopping and features.

7. Flickr: Popular with amateur photographers, many Flickr photographers make their work available for free. Check each image to see if the photographer allows modification or requires attribution.

Infographics

Infographics are the perfect way to present a lot of information in a way that’s easy for the reader to understand. Done right, they add color and context, and can be used to break up blocks of text.

8. Easel: Choose from a huge range of pre-made infographics to edit or create your own using their text, shapes and characters. The free version works well, but if you want more, go pro for $3 per month.

9. Hubspot: The inbound marketing experts at Hubspot offer 15 awesome, versatile infographic templates completely free.

Google tools

10. Google Analytics: Find out how many people are visiting your site, how long they spend on each page, which social media sites refer the best quality traffic, and track leads. Understanding the data can help you plan better campaigns.

11. Google Alerts: Lots of PR pros pay reasonably large amounts for media monitoring services, but Google does a pretty good job of delivering mentions straight into your inbox absolutely free.

These are my top 11 free PR resources, but I’m sure there are awesome resources that I’ve missed. What do you use?

Katie Harrington is a PR pro, blogger and author of “Strategic Communications: The Science Behind the Art." A version of this article originally appeared on her blog.

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Three essential (and surprising) podcasts for communicators

Looking for inspiration, but need inspiration about where to look?

Try these podcasts. They may not be designed specifically for corporate communicators, but they do offer new ways to improve relationships and communication skills, understand psychology, solve problems and get past roadblocks with colleagues.

“Where Should We Begin?”

In this portal into raw emotion, psychology and problem solving, renowned couples therapist Esther Perel counsels real couples as they tell their stories. Discussions are unscripted and riveting.

[RELATED: Distracted audiences? Mind-numbing topics? Cut through the clutter with creative corporate writing.]

As described in The New Yorker: “The show’s drama lies not so much in the details of each couple’s situation as in their struggle to communicate about it, to get their two ‘I’s’ to equal a ‘we.’”

“Two Guys on Your Head”

The two guys are psychologists Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke who discuss human behavior and the psychology behind it. Topics range from how our brains process and understand time to the psychology of editing.

“The Art of Manliness”

This podcast started out as a men’s lifestyle website and has evolved to a podcast and video series. The content “explores all things manly—from the serious and philosophical to the practical and fun.”

Podcasts include titles such as “Why you need to embrace small talk,” “The tyranny of convenience” and “Men and manners—tipping, emoji’s and much more.”

For PR pros looking for more on topic podcast offerings, check out some of these.

How about you PR Daily readers? Which podcasts do you turn to for inspiration?

Laura Hale Brockway is an Austin-based writer and editor and a regular contributor to PR Daily. Read more of her work at impertinentremarks.com.

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4 PR and marketing lessons from ‘The Golden Girls’

ABC is thanking viewers for being friends of its hit show, “The Golden Girls.”

On Monday, Disney ABC Television announced it was calling July 30 “Golden Girls Day,” releasing an article of facts that “may surprise even the biggest fans.” The announcement follows a collection of action figures from the show that were recently unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con.

Find a set on the lanai for these four takeaways PR and marketing pros can learn from “The Golden Girls”:

1. Give your audience something sweet.

via GIPHY

It’s no coincidence that ABC chose #GoldenGirlsDay to fall on the same day as National Cheesecake Day. The dessert was a favorite of Sophia and Dorothy Petrillo, Rose Nylund and Blanche Devereaux, the show’s main characters. Many celebrations, late-night brainstorming sessions and crisis meetings were held at the kitchen table while over slices of cheesecake.

[FREE DOWNLOAD: How any communicator can bring life to dull stories]

You might not offer your executives, employees or consumers slices of cheesecake, but you can still offer them something that satisfies. Produce and share content that answers questions and offers valuable information or advice. Listen to their needs and feedback online, and regularly interact with them to provide the customer service they crave.

2. Great storytelling steals the show.

via GIPHY

Two of the most iconic lines of “The Golden Girls” came from Sophia and Rose launching into tales that illustrated a current problem (or confused and entertained the listener). Sophia would begin with, “Picture it: Sicily. 1922.” Rose’s stories usually started with the phrase, “Back in St. Olaf…” Both signaled that a story—no matter how strange—was about to captivate you for the next few minutes.

Sophia’s stories—along with her other snarky quips—were so funny that she replaced a main character that was originally written into the show.

Bustle’s Stephanie Topacio Long wrote:

The idea of just three Golden Girls feels wrong, but that was the original premise: three women (Rose, Blanche, and Dorothy) living in Florida with their gay houseboy, Coco. Unfortunately for Charles Levin, the man cast as Coco, Estelle Getty was so hysterically funny that the show’s producers decided to let him go and make Sophia a series regular instead.

PR and marketing pros can also steal the show—or headlines—when they tell outstanding stories. The time spent uncovering your organization’s tales that can capture audiences’ attention is well worth it when you make a splash with both consumers and reporters.

3. Involve those around you for greater success.

via GIPHY

Dorothy and Rose became Blanche’s roommates after responding to an ad and Sophia joined them after the retirement home where she had been staying burned down. Though the women did not start off as friends, they became each other’s confidants and cheerleaders and often helped one another overcome trials.

Involving members of your organization’s team can help you better achieve buy-in for your campaign and also help you spot weak areas in your efforts that you might have overlooked. Brainstorming, editing, crisis response planning and social media engagement are all areas where you can greatly benefit from having another set of eyes (or several).

Involving others also extends to your consumers, whether through online interactions or via social media influencer partnerships that tap into thriving communities and boost your credibility. Invite others to the party, and you’ll have an even better time (and produce more buzz).

4. Don’t miss opportunities to show off your talents.

via GIPHY

Taking over as characters in Dorothy’s school production of “Henny Penny,” competing in a songwriting competition and performing in a tap dance competition were just a few ways the show’s main characters displayed their talents—not to mention the food they could (and did) make.

PR and marketing pros, highlight your skills whenever you can. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is current and compelling, offer to help with campaigns and other efforts in which you can learn new things, and always network.

Relationships are paramount to PR pros’ success, whether with reporters to snag media coverage, consumers to boost social media engagement or other industry professionals to share ideas and knowledge—and even find your dream job.

This advice applies to communicators of all ages and years of experience, as well. When she was almost 70, Rose was forced to find a higher-paying job after the company her late husband worked for went bankrupt, eliminating his pension plan. She landed one as a personal assistant to a TV personality for a local station.

If you think you’re too entrenched your career rut to embrace a new trend, grab your dream job or lead a new initiative, you still have much to offer.

What PR and marketing lessons have you gleaned from “The Golden Girls?”

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Lessons from Drake’s #InMyFeelings challenge

Why a ‘get-to-know-you’ phone call is lazy PR

Some PR pros just can’t cut the phone cord.

The request usually appears in an email, friendly enough in tone: A PR pro wants to “hop on a quick call” with a reporter to shoot the breeze. The PR pro might imagine a meeting of the minds, cordial and witty repartee, underscored by their coffeehouse Spotify playlist.

PR pros know that journalists are busy and receive hundreds of pitches a day. It only follows that to help his or her pitch stand out, a PR pro should befriend the journalist—and give it that personal touch.

However, if you’re pestering a journalist for a phone call without a specific, stated goal, you are wasting their time and yours.

Mixed advice

There’s no consensus about the usefulness of phone calls in PR. Though most PR pros agree that cold calling is a bad practice, not all are convinced that phone pitches are a waste of time.

[RELATED: Write clear, bold prose that captivates audiences and promotes business goals.]

Some PR pros argue that a well-crafted follow-up call can be just the push a reporter needs to cover your story. For PR pros looking to reach a journalist by phone, make sure you plan ahead, read the signs well and have a backup plan in case your call goes off the rails.

However, some PR pros are moving away from phoning, with many on both sides saying they loathe telephone pitches.

TV producers WCPO, Fox19, WLWT, WKRC reveal they hate phone call pitches. I'd venture to say PR pros prefer email too! #PRSAMediaDay

— Meghann Janes Craig (@MeghannCraig) October 4, 2016

PR pros -- please never call me with an unsolicited phone pitch. I'm way too important to take your call :)

— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) July 26, 2016

Telephone evangelists argue that a well-placed call is the only way PR pros can break through the digital overload. In a piece for Muck Rack, a digital media list provider, PR pro Micah Warren declared his preference for phone calls:

Please, phone pitching is our best bet for creating a relationship and securing coverage whether you realize it or not. Yes, you prefer email, but I don’t. If I had a nickel for every unreturned pitch to a journalist, I’d be typing this article on my iPad on my yacht.

I hear journalists complain all the time about how their inbox is constantly flooded and many emails go right to the junk folder. Okay, I understand. But, can you understand why I don’t want my news getting lost in all of that?

However, journalists seem to agree: Phone calls are not ideal.

Mumbrella wrote:

A recent Media Stable survey of over 130 journalists across the country asked those in print, radio, television and online how they liked to receive content and story pitches.

Less than 1% of media prefer a phone call as their first point of contact for a story pitch. They are emphatic – they do not want you to call them in the first instance.

What hopefully every PR pro can agree upon is that a phone call shouldn’t be your tactic if you don’t have something important to share.

‘A lost art’

Some PR pros like to bemoan the loss of communicators’ ability to develop relationships on the phone.

.#PR Tips: advice for young PR pros, in addition to writing, learn to use the telephone. Pitching and building relationships with reporters is a lost art. And I'm not talking about "did you get my release" phone calls. #marketing

— Guy Murrel (@gmurrel) January 4, 2018

However, the demise of the phone call might be due to the changing media landscape as much as new technology. Newsrooms have been hammered by the emergence of digital media, and the shrinkage has left many reporters doing more with less.

Ed Madison and Ben DeJarnette wrote for Medium:

Between 1990 and 2014, the number of full-time journalists working in U.S. newsrooms declined from 56,900 to 32,900— a 42 percent drop — and more than 200 daily newspapers closed their doors for good. The deepest cuts have come at midsize metropolitan dailies, and with the exception of 2016, when political advertising helped stabilize the industry’s sagging revenue figures, newsroom consolidation has shown few signs of slowing down.

To that point, on July 25 the New York Daily News cut its editorial staff by 50 percent.

The result of this industrywide drop is that journalists have less time for everything—less time to cover their beat, less time to source and vet new stories, and certainly less time to take phone calls that have no purpose.

Offer the goods

The best way to cultivate a relationship with a journalist is to consistently offer the stories they need to do their jobs.

If you have a lead on a story that might be perfect for them, can offer an exclusive interview or exceptional insight into a current event that their audience cares about, that reporter will return to you again and again.

Make sure your pitches cut to the point, are error-free and clearly express a strong idea. Deliver good writing, and forget about smooth-talking them on the phone. It wasn’t going to work out for you anyway.

Good pitches are the bread and butter of a PR career, and there is no substitute for a well-crafted missive from a knowledgeable source.

How to learn about a reporter

Some PR pros will still suggest scheduling a phone call to ask a reporter questions, get to know their beat and home in on what that journalist needs from a helpful PR contact.

However, in today’s digital media landscape, this tactic is lazy. A smart PR pro can find dozens of articles written by the journalist they want to work with online, or they can subscribe to a media list like Cision or Muck Rack that can provide such information for a fee.

If you request a phone call without knowing what you want to talk about, you are disrespecting that reporter—and you might get blacklisted.

If you insist upon a phone call, have a specific reason for the call, as well as a backup plan for when the reporter tells you they are too busy.

Have you had recent success with phone pitches? Please share your stories or thoughts in the comments section.

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Meet the Real Estate Tech Founder: Thomas Rebaud from Meero

In our latest real estate tech entrepreneur interview, we’re speaking with Thomas Rebaud from Meero.

Without further ado…

What do you do?

I am the CoFounder and CEO of Meero, an AI driven photography platform, the world leader in large-scale photography and video production. In 30 months, the team has managed to automate the editing of images, reducing the processing time of images to a few seconds when it takes several hours for a human to achieve an equivalent result!

What problem does your product/service solve?

Our service answers a major problem in the world of photography: image editing. Indeed, 60 minutes of actual shooting requires up to 4 hours of additional post production work. Result: long delivery times, unconsistent returns, often disparate prices.

Thanks to the combination of unique artificial intelligence technology, unprecedented work processes, and the development of a visual content management platform, we have been able to develop a world-leading offering of photo and video services at unbeatable prices, delivery times of less than 24 hours and consistent quality.

What are you most excited about right now?

Everyone in the office is extremely thrilled about our latest funding ! We’ve just raised $45M, a fortuity we have worked hard to achieve. We’ve now reached a height in our company that has allowed for a momentum within Meero that we would never have imagined 2 years ago.

I am so unbelievably proud to announce that the amount raised will allow us to set up the largest AI center dedicated to the development of machine learning and image processing in France. We are also overly excited with the upcoming expansion of our activities around the world.

What’s next for you?

We’re taking the big leap ! The next big step is the long awaited opening of the new offices in the United States, and Asia. In the last 6 months, we’ve gone from 75 employees to 180, and we plan to maintain this growth in order to create 300+ jobs in France and worldwide.

What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?

I focus on the idea to make the Internet beautiful. I realized that we are all on Instagram and that photos are beautiful. But then, you go on a marketplace and photos aren’t great. That’s why we had the idea to make an offering that allows every professional to get beautiful and yet affordable photographs to help their business grow.

Also, as a company, we have grown wary on issues concerning our environment and the amount of consumption / waste we produce. Considering the size of our company, we have started within by eliminating the use of plastic. We make it a priority to recycle and we’ll implement various actions to reduce our carbon footprint.

Thanks to Thomas for sharing his story. If you’d like to connect, find him on LinkedIn here.

We’re constantly looking for great real estate tech entrepreneurs to feature. If that’s you, please read this post — then drop me a line (drew @ geekestatelabs dot com).

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