To those who aren’t in the industry, marketing, public relations and advertising are all the same. Let me assure you, they aren’t. But they are moving closer together and it’s a good thing.
I began my career in television news, left there for corporate marketing and, in the tech boom of the ‘90s, entered that arena, serving as marketing director for several small-to medium-sized software development companies. Recently, I joined WordWrite, one of Pittsburgh’s fastest-growing public relations firms.
As a marketing veteran, I sometimes wonder how I ended up accepting a job at a PR agency. It is because this agency is different—the anti-agency agency, if you will. WordWrite Communications prides itself on helping companies achieve strategic objectives and grow their businesses. Sound like any PR agency that you know?
Yes, we do traditional things like write and distribute press releases, pitch story ideas to the media for our clients, and handle internal communications such as employee newsletters. But our business goes further than that. For example, we help optimize clients’ web sites via inbound marketing and demand generation. Put simply, we help people who might want to buy what you offer find you.
My new colleagues use every tool in the PR toolbox—media relations, social media, inbound marketing—to help companies tell the important stories that the public, employees and shareholders need to know. I’m proud to count myself among these talented writers, market researchers and PR practitioners. In the years ahead, I will do my best to help spread the word about how they help corporations tell intriguing stories—stories that drive business results.
I’m looking forward to making new connections, as well as reconnecting with old friends. If you’d like to get in touch with me, feel free to email me at alison.frederick@wordwritepr.com.
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Alison Frederick is the director of business development for WordWrite Communications. You can find her on Twitter @frederick_ali or email her directly at alison.frederick@wordwritepr.com.
