Building Trust to Improve Business Outcomes

In this exciting episode of the Ms. InterPReted podcast, Fletcher Marketing Communications pulls back the curtain on a major new venture that's set to shake up the world of Public Relations and Marketing for financial services brands. Allison Lester and Vice President, Sarah Merrell introduce Fletcher Financial Communications and dive into the inspiration behind this passion project, why this sector has long been underserved in PR, and how Fletcher’s expert team is uniquely positioned to bridge that gap. Whether you're a B2B brand or just curious about where PR is headed in 2025, this is a can't-miss conversation full of insight—and one big reveal. 

As we head into 2025, the Fletcher team predicts the public relations trends the industry will see in the next year and how brands and PR firms should adjust for the oncoming changes.Trends include:An emphasis on authenticity in storytellingMedia layoffs and cutbacks resulting in hubbed coverage in local markets and more pay-to-play options and opportunities in national outletsProactive crisis communications planning after "black swan" events over the past several yearsNiche PR needs specific to specialization in B2B industriesA more divisive, polarized and political social media landscape causing fragmentationThe continued growth of reliance on micro-influencersInflation impacts on public relations firms as hard costs continue to rise but clients are resistant to pay higher feesThe Fletcher team dives into these trends, what they mean for brands and industry professionals and how to navigate the changing landscape in 2025.

In this episode of MsInterPReted: Public Relations Demystified, we introduce you to two social media influencers we’ve had the pleasure of working with at Fletcher Marketing Communications: Chelsea Davis and Jensen Savannah.We'd love to help your brand connect with influencers who could expand your reach. Contact us to learn how we can help you up your influencer game.Chelsea Davis is a freelance journalist and content creator based in San Francisco. With a passion for exploring new places, Chelsea covers everything from food and drink to travel adventures. Her Instagram, @cheycheyfromthebay, and her blog, Chey Chey From The Bay, are filled with vibrant stories and recommendations. Chelsea’s background as a social media specialist for several prominent San Francisco Bay Area restaurants and organizations enhances her ability to craft engaging content. Through her collaborations with tourism boards, restaurants, and lifestyle brands, she shares memorable experiences that inspire her followers.Jensen Savannah brings the charm of the Carolinas to the forefront through her content creation. She highlights the best restaurants, destinations, events, and local businesses in the Carolinas, aiming to connect her audience with new and exciting experiences. Her work not only showcases the region’s unique offerings but also fosters a deeper connection between her followers and the local culture.RELATED:  Maximizing Brand Visibility: Media Relations vs. Influencer MarketingBoth Chelsea and Jensen demonstrate the incredible impact that social media influencers can have on brand visibility and consumer engagement. Their dedicated work in their respective niches helps bridge the gap between businesses and audiences, proving that a well-crafted social media presence can be a game-changer.Topics Discussed on this episode:How has the influencer marketing industry changed in the past five years?The dos and don'ts of contacting influencers.Tik Tok and the ongoing ban battle.Helping brands understand how much time goes into creating content.Obstacles in the future.

On this episode of MisInterPReted Fletcher Director of Media Relations, Allison Lester talks with two newsroom managers about the state of the U.S. media.Martha Jennings, WRAL's Managing Editor, coordinates assignments and staffing for Raleigh, NC's #1 news station. She was the News Director for WBIR, in Knoxville, TN. an executive producer for WFLA, in Tampa, FL. and a producer for WRAL and WCBD. She's a graduate of the University of South Carolina. With over 25 years of media experience, Jeremy Campbell is Managing Director at Spectrum News in New York City, where he oversees coverage and staff within two 24-hour newsrooms: NY1 and NY1 Noticias.His work has reached millions of viewers through TV, digital, and non-traditional platforms - and has been used as an educational tool by the U.S. State Department to train international journalists.He believes “one story can make a difference, and a team of journalists can change the world.”Both have won *numerous media awards from Edward R. Murrow awards to Emmy’s - just to name a few.As PR professionals, we are always interested in the ever-evolving state of the U.S. media. We have looked over the annual surveys conducted by both Cision and Muckrack - two large PR/Communications platforms. They conduct these surveys every year polling and interviewing thousands of journalists across the country - and found similar findings.Topics Discussed:Biggest changes in the industry in the past five yearsMaintaining credibility as a trusted news sourceThe Muckrack survey says 70% of journalists say PR pros are either important or very important to the success of their jobs, but fewer than half actually respond to PR pitches - Why?Tips for pitching journalists?What not to do when pitching a local journalistPredictions for the future of journalism

In this episode of Ms. InterPReted, we’re discussing the importance of trust. It is one of the most important things you can focus on as a brand. Think of it as the currency that fuels revenue and can make or break your business. 71% of people are more likely to buy from brands they trust - those numbers are even higher among Gen Z.Quick, slick sales pitches don’t work for a lasting impact anymore - today's consumers want authenticity, transparency and a genuine connection.Fletcher Vice President, Sarah Merrell and our director of media relations, Allison Lester offer advice on how to build trust with your customers.Tactics discussed:Media RelationsInfluencer MarketingThought LeadershipConsistent BrandingProactive Solicitation of Testimonials

Tiffany Carpenter started her career in the public relations agency world and went on to manage communications for the athletics department at the University of Tennessee, including managing the reins of Mike Hamilton, Joan Cronin, Pat Summitt, Phillip Fulmer, Buzz Peterson, Bruce Pearl the infamous Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley.She went from there to the University of Tennessee Foundation as Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing and she managed communication with 355,000 alumni across four campuses. She has gone to serve the University of Tennessee system-wide as Vice President of Communications and Marketing; Associate Vice President of Communications and Marketing; and Assistant Vice President of Marketing where she works directly with Randy Boyd, the President of the University of Tennessee System.She recently launched a successful public relations campaign - the "Everywhere UT" campaign statewide. She was named Public Relations Alumnus of the Year in 2016 by the UT College of Communications and Information Sciences and was included on Knoxville Business Journal's 40 Under 40 list.In this episode, we discuss:Tiffany’s career in communicationsStories of working such a high-stress job as a momGrowth plans for the University of Tennessee SystemCrisis managementPublic Relations and Marketing tactics to reach students

In this episode of MsInterPReted, we’re talking about tourism in Tennessee. Tennessee tourism generated $29 billion in direct visitor spending and saw 141 million visitors to the state in 2022, Tennessee ranks 11th in the nation for travel spending, the highest rank ever for our state. Tennessee has approximately 13, 372 restaurants in the state, which is roughly one restaurant per every 500 people if you look at our population numbers and over 1600 hotels. Sarah Beth is the CEO and president of the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association. Her experience includes being Executive Director of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail and before that was also a part of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development as the Middle Tennessee Division Manager. HospitalityTN represents the interests of Tennessee’s lodging, dining, and tourism establishments and the related businesses involved in the hospitality & tourism industry. Kim Mitchell joined the Blount Partnership in July 2014 after serving the past 2 ½ years as the special events coordinator for the Helen Ross McNabb Center where she contributed to the successful planning, management and execution of many Blount County special events with specific responsibility for achieving all fundraising goals and community awareness objectives. Her position with the Blount Partnership consists of recruiting events in the areas of leisure, business and group travel to the county for overnight stays.   A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Mitchell has worn many hats in a variety of industries during her career ranging from being director of catering for a national hotel chain to serving as a marketing and public relations specialist for a local marketing group. Topics Discussed:·        What brought these two professionals to the tourism industry·        They describe the tourism boom they see in their respective geographic locations·        How the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association partners with tourism businesses·        The tactics most effective in getting the word out to travelers about all that Tennessee has to offer·        The rise of outdoor adventure and leisure travel ·        The influence of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail on tourism·        What’s on the horizon for Tennessee tourism

On this episode of MsInterPReted, Fletcher’s director of media relations, Allison Lester, talks about travel writing, pitching and hosting media tours. We welcome two travel writers to talk about their experiences in travel writing. They provide advice and talk about the trends in the travel journalism industry.Susan Barnes has more than 20 years of journalism experience and writes for multiple outlets including USA Today, Food and Wine, Garden and Gun, Travel + Leisure - just to name a few. She writes about travel, lifestyle, food and beverage. Ashlee Fechino is the founder of the Happiness Function, which is a travel outlet she started to inspire happiness through travel and outdoor recreation in the U. S. She's also a nationally syndicated travel writer.On this episode, we discuss multiple topics:·       How our guests got into travel writing and what it’s like as a career.·       The dos and don’ts of pitching travel journalists.·       What qualities make for a great press trip.·       How to get coverage in some of the travel industry’s biggest outlets.·       Trends in the rise of wellness travel.

Sara Davenport is an award-winning journalist who followed her dreams and became an anchor in a top-10 market. But after winning all the awards, and covering all the stories, she need a plan B - something that gave her not just a fantastic lifestyle, but also a life.She has created a life as a media mentor working with others looking to break the breaking news cycle.She wanted to work from home or just work from phone/wifiShe wanted to travel and vacation for more than 8 weeks/yearShe wanted to make 6-figures, from one or multiple businessesShe wanted to be a storyteller, content creator, and still remain  on-cameraShe wanted to coach others to successOn this episode of MsInterPReted she discusses how she made a plan and went after it.Davenport provides valuable insight into writing a resume to highlight transferrable skills, using LinkedIn as a true marketing platform to market and creating multiple revenue streams for profitability and stability.Through her former and current career, Davenport has collected a plethora of stories about the good, the bad and the ugly of working in broadcast news. She shares the moment that she knew she had to make a change and what she sees as driving the mass exodus from TV News today.

As we head into 2024, Fletcher Marketing PR Vice President, Sarah Merrell and Director of Media Relations, Allison Lester discuss the PR obstacles we foresee clients and firms facing in the year ahead and tactics to overcome these hurdles.Obstacles include:AI - The rise of artificial intelligence raises ethical concerns and requires us helping our clients to understand the benefits and limitations of new technologies.GA4 - With Google Analytics launching its new analytics platform in 2023, many businesses still don't have their GA4 and/or aren't yet using it to its fullest potential.Other new technologies - as new platforms and software emerge, it requires education for our teams and clients to institute these new toolsOver-reliance on digital marketing - many businesses see digital marketing as a fast-fix for marketing goals, when it should really be viewed as one tool to pair with myriad of other strategies. It requires educating our clients on the benefits, but also limitations of digital marketing to keep them from making the mistake of relying too heavily on this strategy alone.Media fragmentation - There are more media outlets today than ever before. This provides both an opportunity for media relations efforts, but also an obstacle. Media relations pros have to take the extra time to weed through the options to find the best fit and help clients understand the quality matters more than ever. Content overload - With so much content being pumped out into the world today, it's more important than ever to make your content standout. This requires creativity, strategy and research.The prevalence of paid media - As there are more pieces of the pie, each individual outlet has fewer readers/viewers. This has led to a rise in paid media as media outlets are forced to find new revenue streams. This means clients will need to consider options such as advertorials, affiliate marketing and paid placements in addition to earned media efforts.Integrated marketing - we know integrated marketing is 300% more effective than silo-ing your marketing efforts, but helping our clients understand the benefits of having one party handle all of the tactics still proves to be an obstacle.Reputation management - In the day and age of 'cancel culture' it is imperative to give careful extra thought to all messaging - this includes, not only the content you produce, but also responses on social media. It's important to have diverse voices at the table to ensure you are using sensitivity and not overlooking biases. Rising labor costs and inflation - both firms and our clients are facing the biggest obstacle of 2024 that all Americans are facing with inflation and rising prices. It costs more to do business, which means many companies will be looking for ways to save. We encourage business owners and CEOs to consider the ROI you get from marketing, and to never save money but cutting good people.