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Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS?

Public relations refers to the relationship between an organization or individual and the public. As a professional function, public relations is aimed at improving, maintaining or developing new relationships with key stakeholders and the public through strategic communications processes. Those processes often include some combination of media relations, content development, message development, media coaching, media monitoring, reputation management, crisis communications, community management, executive thought leadership, speaking engagements, corporate communications and investor relations.

IS PUBLIC RELATIONS THE SAME AS MARKETING AND ADVERTISING?

No. While 21st century communication technology has blurred some of the historic boundaries, several clear distinctions still exist between marketing, advertising and public relations. Marketing is the process of promoting something, often products or services, to increase sales or produce another defined outcome. Advertising is the use of paid promotions in the marketing process, often in the form of commercials, digital ads, sponsorships and billboards. Public relations, on the other hand, is focused on developing trust, awareness and relationships between organizations and key publics, as opposed to directly soliciting products and services. With that understanding, public relations should not be viewed as substitute for marketing and advertising. Rather, these processes should work in harmony to form an integrated strategy.

WHAT IS THIRD-PARTY CREDIBILITY?

Third-party credibility is comprised of acknowledgements, recognition and direct endorsements from people or groups outside of one’s own circle. In the context of public relations, third-party credibility is often established through press coverage, authorship, awards, speaking engagements, influencer endorsements and customer reviews. By earning and leveraging this level of respect and visibility, brands can validate their marketing claims and bolster overall public perception.

WHAT IS CREDIBILITY MARKETING?

Credibility marketing is the process of earning and leveraging third-party credibility. For organizations and individuals, it is an integrated strategy that systematically incorporates public relations success into one or more marketing verticals. For example, this would include creating and maintaining a press page on a company website to showcase positive earned media coverage. Other popular forms of credibility marketing include leveraging public relations success through social media and email marketing.

WHAT IS FLACKABLE?

Headquartered in Philadelphia, Flackable is a public relations agency representing financial and professional services brands nationwide. Flackable’s core services are public relations, content development, award nominations, speaking engagements, digital strategy and credibility marketing. In 2020, Flackable was recognized by PRNEWS as one of America’s 100 most innovative public relations agencies based on results, creativity, reputation and thought leadership.

WHAT INDUSTRIES DOES FLACKABLE REPRESENT?

Flackable represents growth-driven financial and professional services firms across North America. The agency is long-rooted in the financial services industry, particularly the wealth management arena, which Flackable founder Brian Hart has served for over a decade. Flackable is also highly experienced representing broker-dealers, asset managers, fintechs, trading platforms, employee benefits and insurance brokerages. In professional services, Flackable has a long history in commercial and residential real estate, as well as mergers and acquisitions, and the agency is also experienced working with legal services, accounting and various consulting practices.

WHY CHOOSE FLACKABLE OVER A LOCAL AGENCY?

Flackable is headquartered in Philadelphia, however the agency serves clients from Wall Street to Silicon Valley, and many places in between. In fact, the vast majority of Flackable’s clients come from outside of the Philadelphia region. They choose Flackable for a number of reasons, including the agency’s financial and professional services focus, strong national business and financial media relationships, innovative service model, competitive pricing, flexible plan options, national recognition and other advantages that may be hard to come by locally. But when it’s time to decide, they choose us because they like us, they trust us and they view us as a true strategic partner; not another marketing vendor.

DOES FLACKABLE REQUIRE A LONG-TERM CONTRACT?

No. Flackable only asks for a 3-month commitment. After that, campaigns run month-to-month. While long-term contracts may make sense at the corporate level, when it comes to small and mid-sized businesses, we believe long-term contracts only serve the best interest of the agency, not the client.

DOES FLACKABLE DO PAY-PER-PLACEMENT OR PERFORMANCE-BASED PR?

No. We believe the pay-per-placement model is deceptive, unethical and in some cases illegal. We do not commoditize our media relationships, nor do we engage in payola schemes like many pay-per-placement publicity brokers do (see Brian Hart’s op-ed in PR Week: PR payola schemes poison media integrity). Flackable’s plans are based on a simple monthly retainer.

DOES FLACKABLE ACCEPT CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS?

Yes. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express and Apple Pay. We offer a convenient autopay option for clients who pay their monthly retainer by credit card. We also accept payment via ACH and check.

HOW DOES FLACKABLE MEASURE PROGRESS AND RESULTS?

Through Flackable’s All-Access Client Portal, our clients enjoy unprecedented campaign access and transparency through real-time, on demand campaign metrics and status reporting. Paired with our living campaign plans, this system provides the level of clarity, transparency and accountability needed to drive game-changing results.

WHAT DOES FLACKABLE'S ONBOARDING PROCESS LOOK LIKE?

Every new client relationship begins with an initial consultation with Flackable founder and president Brian Hart, which is typically a phone call but can also be conducted through video conference. When a new client is ready to move forward, we schedule a discovery call ahead of the official campaign start date. Between that call and the official start date, Flackable sets up your client portal, creates your custom campaign plan and completes internal planning and research. So on the morning of your official start date, we hit the ground running and are already engaging the media on your behalf, securing press opportunities for nearly every new client during the first week. The moment a new client decides to move forward to kickoff is typically a 3 to 4 week process, however in urgent situations, Flackable has turned this around in as little as 48 hours.

 

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