As communications pros, we love helping clients tell their stories. And with social media’s ever-evolving platforms available literally at your fingertips, there are more opportunities than ever to reach your audience and tell your story.  One of the most authentic and productive ways to build an engaged community on social media is to mobilize your audience and stakeholders to tell their own stories, rather than solely using your channels to push out branded content.   Here are three examples of how we’ve done this for our clients.  1. Job Corps │ Careers (and Community!) Begin Here Student stories are the greatest asset to Job Corps’ social media channels. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps program trains and educates eligible young …

There are 10.4 million open positions in the U.S. right now.1 Chances are good you’re an employer working to fill one of them or a job candidate vying for one. And chances are you’re more than aware of LinkedIn as a recruitment tool.  A few stats on why LinkedIn is worth your time: LinkedIn is the most established social media platform. It’s also the most trusted.2 More than 60 million senior-level people use LinkedIn regularly, making it an excellent way for companies to cultivate their reputation and collaborate with peers. Four of five people on LinkedIn are in a position …

Over the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way businesses in every industry operate, senior living arguably more than others. In fact, the pandemic accelerated a trend that’s been on the rise for years – the need for more sophisticated digital marketing strategies to engage with prospects.  While this generation of tech-savvy seniors may have been shaped in part by necessity, growing consumer preference among seniors indicates that the digital trends we’ve seen in the COVID-19 age are here to stay.   So how do senior living communities adapt to reach people who expect sophisticated digital experiences and innovation in the decision process? Here are four key trends we’re seeing from our work in the industry along with best practices for senior living …

We are trained to ask questions. Good journalists and marketers know to ask a variety of questions – both open-ended and specific questions, gather multiple relevant sources, conduct research ahead of time to inform the interview or focus group, and make subjects feel comfortable by being approachable, honest and vulnerable.  We are good listeners. Good journalists and marketers enter conversations with prepared questions, but are open and comfortable, allowing the interview to meander organically. If people want to talk, we know to listen. We don’t try to fill in the pauses in conversations with idle chatter, because we know that’s …

Either you run the day or the day runs you.   If I didn’t know those were the words of the late entrepreneur Jim Rohn, I’d put money on their being the musings of a busy PR pro.   After all, if anyone knows how to juggle, it’s PR agency professionals. The MP&F team manages the PR, marketing, advertising, branding and graphic design needs of more than 100 clients while also serving a roster of Nashville nonprofits through our pro bono program. And that’s just in the office. Our staff members also balance important family and volunteer commitments, yet somehow always go above and beyond for our clients.  We asked our MP&F colleagues to share their tips, tricks and tools for staying organized. Here are a few of our favorites.   Write it down …

Focus groups are one of the most effective and popular market research methods to collect information about a particular topic, product or area of interest to help companies, brands and organizations make informed business decisions.  But what happens when a global pandemic, plus an influx of advancements in technology, creates major changes in each of our behaviors, habits, and even the way we consume content, products and services? Insert the virtual focus group. For businesses that still want to carry out market research, virtual focus groups are a game-changing step in the evolution of research, building on the strengths of …

Event planning is tough in ordinary times. Event planning during a pandemic? Definitely not for the faint of heart. To help, we’ve compiled a punch list to set you up for success regardless of whether you’re planning a virtual event or in-person event, or are in the process of shifting gears from one direction to another. Ask your invitees (or key stakeholders) to share their opinionsField a short survey (no more than five questions) in advance of the event to better understand preferences around when the event should be held, what would motivate event attendance and more. Incentivize responding to …