Every year marketers bring new trends to the forefront, and the marketing industry is taken by the latest and greatest buzzwords. The public relations industry is not immune, and every year we find ourselves needing to learn new techniques, distribution channels and platforms before our clients ask us about them.

Effective marketing materials delicately balance efficiency and art. The goal is to convey your brand messages accurately and succinctly, while also being unique, memorable, and emotionally compelling. If this sounds difficult, it becomes even more so when you consider that organizations often need high-quality work done under extremely tight turnaround times. Thus, the key to producing marketing materials in a fast, cost-effective manner that does not sacrifice quality is to treat it as a long-term project, with milestones and metrics along the way.

Gaining media traction is one of the most challenging aspects of public relations, and arguably, one of the most important. Media coverage is usually a “must get” in any successful PR campaign but earning good coverage requires strategy and persistence.

Marsha Smith, former Associate Executive Director for the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington, joined DCC in April of 2014.

It might surprise you, but it was never my goal to start my own business. I always viewed myself as more of a good soldier in great organizations. But when the opportunity to strike out on my own presented itself, I grabbed it, and I haven’t looked back.  

Ethan Fried, a Penn State graduate, worked with DCC from February to August of 2014 before pursuing his PhD in Political Science at Temple University this fall.

Despite having served many clients and employers as a communications expert, I tend to shy away from writing pithy advice columns. Public relations has never seemed like “rocket science” to me. That said, some basic truths bear repeating over and over.