Your Marketing Drives Traffic But PR Builds Belief

Welcome And Guest Introduction

How good are you with building brands that stand out? How authentic is your storytelling? And how targeted is your media picking? Well, hopefully you're in a good place. Unfortunately, many are not. My guest today says she contained that. She has moved clients from being invisible to building a brand the media cannot ignore. Her coaches, consultants, corporate leaders, and other clients have received placements before USA Today and Business Leader, just to name a few. Now she is here today to share her approach to helping businesses grow their visibility and their reputation. So joining me today from Vancouver, British Columbia is Anna Trans. She is the co-founder and PR strategist with Level Up with Anna. Anna, welcome to the podcast.

Pleasure is mine, Peter. Thank you so much for having me.

Why Visibility Fails Without Trust

Well, I'm actually looking forward to this because as I read some of the things that you do, I think our clients would be really, really interested in hearing. So why don't we start with let first with how you go about helping people call clients grow their visibility?

Absolutely. And that's a that's a big one today, especially when everybody is in their information gathering phase, the internet is so accessible, and leveraging AI nowadays, right? So um over the years, working in sales, door-to-door, B2B, and then evolving into online marketing, there was a commonality. And it was the the trust piece. And then that's how we evolved from a consulting firm into this branch,

which is uh level up with Anna PR, because we found that the commonality between each client that we were working with, it came down to building trust and reputation. When you have all this marketing in place, sometimes you'll experience high traffic, no conversions. And that's where we come in to help really make that message, your message, consistent to your audience on all platforms.

Well, let's talk about what are some of the things that you have found they were lacking so that they could not that were causing them not to make the uh conversions that they were seeking.

Absolutely. So the thing that stood out the most was inconsistency. Say you have a good running ad campaign. However, when somebody goes onto your profile or your website, there's a disconnect, right? And that disconnect could be, okay, is what's in it for me? It's not really clear, the solution is not there. And if the the solution is there and the message is clear, the next question is, can I trust this? Will this actually solve my problem? Right? And how do you kind of help guide the viewer or the audience through that process, answer all their questions and give them peace of mind so that they take the next action, which is either signing up for your service or put making a purchase, whatever the solution they're looking for, right? So that is the commonality, and I would say that's something that a lot of people kind of look over and they'll take a look at their traffic, right? They uh, Peter, and then they'll be like, oh wow, I'm getting thousands of people through my door, but there's no conversions. And then that's where we kind of try to identify the gaps and work from there, work backwards from there.

Now, when they tell you that, oh, the question comes up, how am I going to solve my problem? How do you go about analyzing what it is they're doing and not doing to help them reach some sort of satisfactory outcome in that particular issue?

Yeah. So this is a lot simpler than you think. Most of the time, it's being able to display the solutions in a way that speaks to the audience, in a language that speaks to the audience, and in a simplified way, so that they can see, okay, option A, option B, option C, this is fit for me, and help them identify that, right? And oftentimes it's just making it user-friendly so they can read it on both, you know, all their devices, and having a good call to action. So the way you word the call to action on your site or on your ad, something like find out more or buy today, so something like that. Something very direct could change, make a huge difference.

What have you found, let's say, to be the biggest obstacle people have faced? I'm sure there are a boatload of those uh obstacles, but what are the top one or two major obstacles that people run into and have difficulty with?

Yeah. So once you get to a point, a high-level point, right? And you have clients, the major problem, I would say, is the trust. Because, for example, I have the I had this client that was making two to four million a month. However, they they were finding that their visibility is causing them to lose partnerships and even um losing potential talent when they're looking to recruit because there's just no footprint online for these next level partnerships or employees to confirm that they're legit or they want to work with them, but you know, there's c no confirmation. So I would say the visibility aspect, as well as being able to confirm any doubts, especially if you're making those claims that you are able to solve high-level uh problems at that rate, you know, making two to four million a month, you're solving high-level problems, right? How are these other partnerships that you're trying to work with able to confirm that? If that if that makes sense here.

Third Party Validation Through Media

Well, let's talk about basically what some of those solutions are. If visibility is one of them, what are some of the strategies and or tactics you use to help them gain that uh that visibility?

Absolutely. So it it's just getting third-party validation through media coverage, strategic placements, you know, uh I call it purposeful uh PR to build a connection with your audience and deliver and position you in a way where they can see you when they need you. And it's what it's what people will see when when you're not there in person, so that they can kind of get a perception of how it's like working with you before even getting into contact with you. So I I like to do this exercise when I do a strategy session with potential clients is Googling their first and last name or their business and seeing what shows up. And then even further, checking all of their profiles and making sure that everything is consistent because sometimes, you know, you can have an Instagram page and it's you're on vacation, you're fishing, but let's just say you are a high-level speaker and we don't see any of that. So we don't know, okay, is this really you or is this another George with the same last name, you know? If that makes sense here. But have you ran into that issue before? Like you, you know, you want to work with somebody and and you try to Google them and you know, you're not sure who's who's who in the zoo, right?

Choosing Platforms That Fit Your Audience

Well, you know, as as I listen to you when you say uh platforms, there's so many of them out there. Uh how do you decide which ones uh or all of them uh should they use? How do you go about making that decision in terms of which platforms to use?

Yeah, so that's the beauty of PR and my agency is we don't have any cookie cutter packages. What we do is we identify, okay, what business you are, what you do, and what your audience, um, what who your target audience is, and then work backwards from there. So with this type of certain this certain business, for example, what is the best platform to associate you with to build that trust of your target audience? So it just really depends on who, what, and who they're trying to work with.

Mm-hmm. Now, there's also, I guess, a bit of uh their reputation being built as well in terms of not only getting visibility, but also there's some reputation attached to that as well.

Exactly. So if you even a simple podcast interview, who's interviewing, who you associate yourself with, it's you want to make sure that it's all aligned with your audience like and who they trust as well, right? So I had um a chat, a really good chat with a Forbes contributor, and he would always get pitches. However, few take the extra step to understand that he only writes about automotive. And even if it's good to be associated with Forbes, right, you've got to take the extra step in understanding, okay, what contributor does what and how you should approach them.

Well, you know, I've certainly heard that before because uh too many people uh, as I say, I shouldn't say too many, but there are some who will just say, I'm gonna throw all these pictures out there and see what sticks. Well, that's uh not only is it a waste of time, but uh you can you can get on the wrong side of some journalists, or uh, you know, uh uh if in fact you continue to do that because they can see that uh you must not know what you're doing if you keep sending us things and we don't get back to you. There's there's something wrong with that picture.

Exactly. And it's all relationship building as well. So you gotta take that extra step. And it's so easy to leverage AI platforms nowadays to do the pitches for you, but you can't replace that human touch.

Mm-hmm. Well, now did you uh talk about which uh particular platforms you like and how do you go about identifying uh a platform for a client?

Yeah, that's very specific. It's case by case, really, Peter. And I mean, there's so many great platforms. I do have close relationship with over 700 different uh publications and uh publishers and platforms. And and it just depends on on the client that I'm working with, the individual that I'm working with. There's so many great podcasts like yourself that I would reach out to to get you know the right person on, right? However, I I wouldn't pitch, you know, a sh somebody's like that's a chef, for example, on uh a car show.

Right. Well, you know, it's unfortunate because uh I didn't say unfortunate, but we do get a lot of pitches from uh and some of them from people uh specifically directly from themselves. And there are uh firms, if you will, that or placement firms, PR placement people that uh have clients and uh because I can you know I I can see where it's coming from. And uh, you know, it depends upon how good that they are at making placements because they should know not being a PR podcast. I'm not interested in in interviewing stuff or talking about cooking or clothing or anything along those lines, you know. But that's just not what we do. But uh so I think if of people using your territory, you having these clients, I mean, they're aware that you can help them because you know who to go to to do the reach out part of, if you will.

Yeah, and it goes all goes back to just blasting everybody and seeing what sticks.

PR Versus Marketing And Expectations

What are some of the one of the perhaps most difficult uh clients you've had in terms of getting placement availability for four? And then how did you go about solving that particular issue?

Yes, okay, so there are a few, um, but the most difficult ones are the ones that think that PR is a magic button or that will solve their their problem. So I you know and they think that it's kind of like it they expect it to be like marketing. However, marketing and PR, if done right, and they can work in tandem and do great things for your business. However, they are not the same. So how I overcome that is I tell them right from the start that, hey, I'm not going to promise you the world. This is the difference between PR and marketing. Marketing generates attention. It will get people through the door. However, it won't help with conversions if it's not aligned. And we and it it could not just be PR only that you're missing, it could be uh your your user experience on your website, the messaging, you know, being able to add to cart, you know, if there's anything that's wrong with your website, that could be an issue. But also, PR, on the other hand, you have to understand that it generates interest in qualified buyers. So it will bring you the favorability in the market compared to another brand that may be your competitor. However, they're not the same. It will lower the barrier of entry for for clients to take an action, but it's not going to instantly give you thousands of leads, for example, right?

Mm-hmm.

Getting Leaders To Buy In

Oh, yeah, I was just saying, so that that's how I would overcome that, but I'm sure you've you understand those type of clients too.

Well, you know, the other thing I think about sometimes is have you run across any initial clients, maybe in a large corporation, because sometimes you you heard the the fact that maybe the CEO or senior vice president or something might not have a lot of confidence in what public relations does. So uh they're probably a little slow on on getting involved in it. Have you had any experiences that you had to make that kind of uh transition, if you will, or education, uh, if you will, so that they can can get on board a little bit faster?

Yeah, um fortunately my marketing team is pretty good at dialing down the message. So the people that I get to strategize with on on my my calendar, my calls, that book with me, um, they already have an understanding that they need PR. However, the ones that I do have to like there are occasionally the ones that I have to walk through the process with. At the end of the the conversation, that they'll have an understanding. And usually it's they're kind of looking for like a one-stop shop. So branding gets involved, marketing the messaging sometimes when they work with other agencies. The agencies don't really go through who their their ideal avatar is and doing that work, how do you say it, that kind of like worksheet uh to understand and dial down the message because then that will tie into how they want to be presented in the market, right? So we'll do that with them and break it down and and kind of shed light on the areas of, hey, what do you need to have prepared or the teams that you have to have in place, such as marketing, such as social media, so that you can properly leverage and maximize the placements that we will get you in.

Reputation Systems And Smart Questions

You know, I I I think that's a very, very important point, particularly when you're dealing with uh new new clients or clients that don't fully understand the breadth and width of uh public relations, that you have to bring them up to speed on the benefits thereof, so to speak. Can you go into a little bit more detail about the sorts of things you had to do to bring uh if nothing else the more senior executives on board with the public relations outreach efforts as compared to maybe the uh communications director who fully understands it, but the senior officials don't, and there's a little bit of hesitation on the part of senior officials to to move forward. How have you resolved that uh issues like that?

Well, first of all, I wanna I I would actually take a step back and ask them, hey, why what caught your attention about um public relations in the first place? Like why did you even oh why did public relations cross your your radar and why did it take until now? Because if you're uh a large corporation or a company, oftentimes they would have a really good PR strategy in place to one, build favorability in the market, and two, any any type of reputation management, they're they're a step ahead of the curve in in case something does happen, you know. Um they've already built enough brand equity so that they can communicate to their clients. And if there's any mistakes on their end, it's there's quick turnaround, there's clear communication. So I would try to understand, hey, why did it take you so long to think about PR first? And then and then ask them, okay, if this happens, what systems or solutions do you have in place to overcome this with your your large list of clients, right?

And what sort of a range of responses did you get uh when you ask questions like that?

Oh, uh of course, a light bulb kind of clicks and then because now I'm I'm I'm just trying to ask the right questions to put them in the shoes of their audience.

Well, I think that's that that really is important because again, there are certain uh you know I've heard it many a times on this show that uh certain people at senior levels don't see the either the need for it or the uh why do we have to spend that kind of money on these kinds of things when maybe maybe we can just do advertising. That sort of education has to take place and perhaps it's still taking place today with some senior officials.

Yeah. It's all about just continuing that perception that you've already built, that trust that you've already built. Yeah, okay, you have a lot of clients, you know, you you do great marketing, but then it it's just so great when see a client um get published and and they had clients from 10 years ago that that's been working with them and and it kind of just builds this community, that trust in them, they're like, wow, okay, they the um the person that's been taking care of me and my business for 10 years, they're featured here, here, and here, and they're speaking. And I've been working with them ever since the start. So it kind of reaffirms them that they're with the right person.

In terms of uh dealing with some of the uh clients uh that are new to you, what have you found some of some of the problems that they bring to you, uh maybe more difficult problems that they bring to you that they themselves have not been able to resolve?

Yeah, so the biggest thing with new clients, mo most of the time I get 50-50. You know, some people they already know that visibility is their problem and they want to make sure that they have enough trust for whatever product that they're launching or partnerships that they're trying to solidify to get their business to the next level. Uh, the other half would be clients who have been burned in the past, have been overpromised and underdelivered, no clear communication on the process because sometimes, I'll be honest, PR takes time to build that, cultivate that relationship to get you featured, right? So you have to have clear communication with your client on the process and walk them through and help navigate meeting guidelines for certain publications or um building up enough of a portfolio to pitch them properly and helping them understand that, hey, it Forbes isn't gonna take you right away most of the time. So we got to build you up to that, right? So there's that too.

Relationship First PR And Closing

Mm-hmm. Well, this has been a very, very interesting um uh client uh conversation about you and your clients and uh future clients. Are there some things that perhaps we have not touched on that you think we should cover the in our conversation today?

Yeah, um I mean you're right. There's there's quite a bit that we went over as a really good conversation. The the things that I mean, the biggest thing that I would magnify in this conversation is just everybody is PR is building relationships as well as the people that you pitch to. So if you're intentional and purposeful with delivering your message, even if you're pitching yourself, that will go a long way.

Well, I tell you, you have uh provided us some uh some excellent information. And you know, um let me ask if you have any closing remarks.

Closing remarks? Yeah. Well, um as the internet expands and more people are putting themselves out there, if you stick to your truth, your values, and who you are, you'll attract the right people.

Well, Anna, let me say thank you so very, very much for contributing your uh interest, your information to us today. I'm sure a lot of people will benefit from it. Uh my guest today has been Anna Trans. She is the uh head of um Level Up with Anna PR, and she joined us today from uh Vancouver, British Columbia. Anna, thank you once again for being on the podcast. And I'm sure that uh once listeners hear you, that uh you're gonna get a lot more visibility as well.

I appreciate it, Peter. It's been a pleasure.

And to my listeners, I hope that you've enjoyed uh listening to Anna. And if you would like to reach out to our game once again at uh level up with Anna PR, he's in Vancouver, British Columbia. And also So thank you again for listening to the Public Relations Review Podcast and of course share this with your friends and colleagues and look forward to the next edition. Thank you so much.

The Public Relations Review Podcast is produced by Peter Woolfolk in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Silver Spring, Maryland. Thank you for listening, and please share this podcast with your colleagues.