Pivot Communication, a public relations, design and marketing firm, has been selected by Piedmont Health SeniorCare, a Burlington, N.C.-based healthcare system, to develop a marketing campaign for its elder care program.

Piedmont’s elder care program, a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), opened in 2008. Pivot will assist with marketing efforts to attract seniors to the program.

When your organization gets positive media coverage, it gets a bump – in employee morale, often in sales, and in gaining recognition that can help you stand out in a crowded marketplace. Earning that coverage can be tricky, though, if you don’t follow a few basic rules. Here are seven things to consider when trying to earn media coverage for your organization or client.

Read more »

Press releases are an essential element of any public relations strategy. Short and compelling, they detail such things as product releases, event announcements and other newsworthy items a company produces. Along with informing the media and the industry at large, press releases are also meant to pique the interest of journalists, who might be interested in exploring the topic further for a story.

Read more »

LinkedIn has added a lot of new features in the last couple years, positioning itself as the professional social network and working to provide functionality similar to Facebook. If you haven’t claimed or updated your business’ LinkedIn page in a while, it might be time to check out a few things you can do to liven up your presence on the fast-growing network of over 200 million members.

Read more »

We began using online tracking tools (ASP software) several years ago, primarily for tracking registration for events hosted by clients. How we use the tool has expanded, and we find that you can do a lot even with the basic tracking utilities.

If you search for “online feedback tools,” you will find a slew of them. From SurveyMonkey to Zoomerang and Get Satisfaction, there are many sophisticated and specialized options that you can evaluate to see what best meets your project needs and price point.

Read more »

Many of Pivot’s clients find themselves, on occasion, hosting a press conference or media event. It could be to launch a new product, address a public concern, or for a number of other reasons, but regardless, being prepared for these kinds of media encounters is critical to success. The members of the media in attendance will, no doubt, have questions for you, and answering their questions thoughtfully and with a clear message will be critical. Here are several tips for handling media encounters with grace, poise and totality.

Read more »

Showing strong samples of typography is often the best way to distinguish yourself as a graphic designer. Good typography requires high attention to detail that other designers will recognize and appreciate. Here is a list of ten common mistakes you can avoid to improve the use of typography in your designs.

Read more »

On December 31, 2012 LinkedIn publicized some notable milestones:

• 200 million members in over 200 countries and territories
• 74 million members in the United States
• Professionals are signing up to join LinkedIn at a rate of approximately 2 new members per second
• 5.7 billion total searches were conducted by LinkedIn members in 2012
• LinkedIn counts executives from all 2012 Fortune 500 companies as members – its corporate talent solutions are used by 86 of the Fortune 100 companies
• As of the school year ending May 2012, there are over 20 million students and recent college graduates on LinkedIn – They are LinkedIn’s fastest-growing demographic
• More than 2.7 million companies have LinkedIn Company Pages

Read more »

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

You wouldn’t set off on a cross-country road trip without a map, and your business shouldn’t navigate the roads of social media without a plan, either. You may already have a well-thought-out business plan or even an overall marketing plan, so why shouldn’t you put similar effort into creating a strategy for your social media activities? Your business needs a social media plan, and here’s why.

Read more »

When you call Pivot, you will get your call answered in three rings—usually less. It could be Megan or Claire who answer, or it could be me, co-owner of the firm. We all know it’s our job to start our interaction with customers—or prospective customers—with a responsive energy that underlies our business model.

If you are a customer who is calling, our staff will likely know you and who you want to speak to. This comes from a team environment where we spend a lot of time getting to know our customers, their issues and their challenges. Just as importantly, we readily cross-pollinate ideas that might be applicable across industries: “Hey, I’ve been working with a real estate client on this solution, and even though you’re working with a client in criminal justice, it might apply.”

Read more »