As a public relations firm based in San Francisco for more than 30 years, we have seen more startups than you can count enter and “disrupt” markets. The ones that stick around find the right blend of product/service needs, understand how to talk to their audience and have a sense for the time to make a big splash.

No matter the industry, startups need to establish their brand, understand their market and build connections with potential customers and investors. More often than not, developing meaningful relationships with customers and investors can be more challenging than expected.

It can also be difficult for founders to set aside the necessary time to market and message with all the demands of getting a new company off the ground. We’ve seen businesses struggle to gain traction with investors and consumers because they did not seek counsel early enough; we’ve also seen companies wait too long to make a public statement and scramble to gain traction with key media outlets. Pinpointing the right time to seek outside communications counsel is difficult for any company but especially for fast-paced startups.

Outside of auspicious timing, there are many considerations when looking for a communications partner. Whether you’re part of a well-funded startup with the budget to hire a communications agency or a team of one, here are some things to consider in finding a public relations team that is the right fit:

1. Do you have time to work with a firm? It might sound like common sense, but you would be surprised how many companies hire communications agencies before they have a dedicated team to nurture and maintain the relationship. Outside agencies don’t know the critical internal updates you don’t share. If the idea of managing a relationship with a firm stresses you out, it is probably a good idea to wait until you feel confident that you will be able to dedicate time and thought to get the best value out of your communications partner.
   
   
2. Do you need a wide set of skills? If so, agencies can be a great option. Not only do they have a staff of experts but experts in multiple verticals. Digital, public relations, content creation, social media management, advertising – the list goes on. It is unlikely you will find one in-house person with all these skill sets. On the other hand, if you need someone on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with a focused set of skills, an in-house team member might be an unrealistic approach.
   
   
3. Do you know your audience well?  If you think you know your audience but want to be confident, research can provide incredible value when introducing a new product to an unknown or niche market. Agencies have access to tools and data that would otherwise cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. You can also check on any competitor in the market to get a better idea of what you’re up against. Knowledge is power.
   
   
4. Do you have a well-defined goal?  This might sound obvious, but, when it comes to marketing and PR, it can be more nuanced than “sell more things.” It is important to understand what you want your agency to help you accomplish when you’re vetting potential partners. You’re spending your hard-earned money. Make sure it is earmarked for something that will help you move the needle with your bottom line or with investors. With marketing and advertising, you should always start with a goal or a purpose to drive the bigger picture. Here are some goals to consider:
   
   • Establish differentiation for a new brand in a crowded market
   • Establish internal and external communications standards (should my CEO be encouraged or discouraged to use Twitter?)
   • Generate sales leads
   • Promote trial
   • Gain notoriety or personality with key target audiences

By narrowing down your objectives, your marketing and PR team can make a measurable difference in key areas. They can also help you figure out what you need to fulfill those objectives.

Things to consider as a startup before hiring a PR or marketing firm:

• Are you ready to tell your story?
• Is your platform/product/service fully developed?
• Do you have a well-defined brand?
• Do you need help navigating the media landscape? 
• Are there any potential issues or challenges you might face that could turn into a crisis or all-hands-on-deck situation?

If you think your startup is ready to share some of its news to create anticipation, reach out for the expertise to get the ball rolling.

https://www.instagram.com/finemanpr/

The post How to know when your startup needs a public relations agency appeared first on Fineman PR.

In San Francisco, expectations of visitors run high, as they should. The city is spectacular, expensive, and wrought with tourist-traps all the same.  I have to know where to recommend clients and guests shop, dine, relax and have a glorious time while they are visiting. We host conferences here for public relations agencies from around the world (IPREX network, www.iprex.com), I attend professional conferences here, and I travel to other cities to speak, learn and attend to client business.

I also know the impact of peer-to-peer recommendation and word of mouth marketing for a business’ reputation and growth potential. It’s only natural for me to practice what I preach.  Whether by reflex or perennial practice, I can’t help but take note when I encounter an exceptional customer experience. That is why I’ve compiled this not-so-short list of a few of my favorite things to do, see, shop and be in San Francisco:

Best wine and spirits retailers

• Cask – 17 Third St., San Francisco
• Draeger’s Market – 222 E. 4^th, San Mateo – Also in Menlo Park, Danville and Los Altos
• Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant – Ferry Building on the Embarcadero, San Francisco
• Jug Shop – 1590 Pacific Ave. (off Polk), San Francisco
• K&L Wine Merchants – 855 Harrison St., San Francisco – Also in Redwood City
• PlumpJack Wine & Spirits – 3201 Fillmore St., San Francisco
• Weimax – 1178 Broadway, Burlingame
• Whisky Shop – 360 Sutter St., San Francisco
• Wingtip – 550 Montgomery St., San Francisco – (wine & spirits in the back)
• There is always Bevmo, highly commercial, but excellent selection (stores throughout Bay Area)

Best men’s retail stores in S.F. Bay Area

With some further qualifications — you won’t find highly swanky or ultra modern shops mentioned here, although all listed below are upscale. You won’t find for “youth only” clothing that wouldn’t fit you anyway. What you will find are upscale labels, tailored, off the rack, tasteful men’s clothing for guys from 35 to 75+. You’ll find help that knows their business and knows how to fit their customers in straight forward, stylish threads, whether casual or for more dressed occasions. Some of them are more casual than others, and some offer bespoke. If you know a store in other parts of San Francisco or the Bay Area, let me know, and I will be happy to review for inclusion here.

• Couture, 395 Sutter St., S.F.
• Gene Hiller, 729 Bridgeway, Sausalito
• John Varvatos, 152 Geary St., S.F.
• Sarrtori, 740 Laurel St., San Carlos
• Ted Baker, 80 Grant Ave., S.F.
• The Hound, 140 Sutter St., S.F.
• Wingtip, 550 Montgomery St., S.F.

*Also, in San Francisco, three top-shelf department store men’s departments – Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom (both downtown Westfield Center), and Sak’s Fifth Avenue Men’s at 220 Post St., San Francisco.

Best sights, activities and views while in San Francisco and the immediate Bay Area

By the water

• Ocean Beach the Cliff House restaurant, Sutro Baths just below and view point just above
• Ferries on the Bay
• The Embarcadero – walk the waterfront for miles or hike between the distractions on the way
• Ferry Plaza – one of the great Embarcadero distractions; shopping and dining, ferries and views
• Treasure Island – look back for a spectacular view of the downtown skyline
• Crissy Field and Marina Green
• Great Highway, hike the path alongside and just above the ocean
• Fort Funston and Lake Merced
• Crystal Springs Reservoir

Hills

• Twin Peaks – high point in San Francisco
• Mount Davidson — also right in the city
• Land’s End – you’re at the edge; stunning
• Bernal Heights Park
• Mount Sutro
• Marin Headlands (the views, Point bonita Lighthouse, Marine Mammal Center)
• Mount Tamalpais – drive, bike or hike all the way up
• Berkeley Hills and Tilden Park
• Mount Diablo – one of the highest points in the entire region; hard to fathom you are a short drive from downtown (not at height of commute time)

Cool Towns

• Tiburon
• Sausalito,
• Berkeley
• Burlingame
• Palo Alto

Attractions

• Fort Point and Fort Baker and the Golden Gate Bridge linking them
• Jack London Square, Oakland
• City Lights Bookstore and the Beat Museum (both in North Beach)
• Angel Island (S.F.’s Ellis island for Asian immigrants)
• Union Square – shopping, people watching and home to Fineman PR
• Golden Gate Park – hiking, biking, museums
• Alcatraz – worth it I promise
• S.F. Jazz Center
• Beach Blanket Babylon
• Presidio – former military post, now national park
• Filbert Street Steps
• Stern Grove summer concerts
• AT&T Park (home of the S.F. Giants)
• St. George Spirits Distillery (Alameda)
• Emeryville Public Market
• S.F. Civic Center (Opera, Ballet, Symphony, City Hall, Asian Art Museum)
• And not to be forgotten, the mainstays: Coit Tower, Ghirardelli Square and The Cannery, cable cars, Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39, and crooked Lombard Street

Museums

• Legion of Honor
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)
• De Young

San Francisco neighborhoods

• North Beach – Columbus Avenue, Italian flavored, vestiges of old bohemians, restaurants and bars
• Castro – LGBT-centered, edgy
• Marina – Think singles, Chestnut Street, Marina Green, Bay views from Fort Mason to Fort Point
• Noe Valley – gentrified, families, 24^th Street shopping
• Chinatown – touristy but authentic
• The Mission – still Latino but more and more the younger folk in hip restaurants and bars
• Telegraph Hill
• Nob Hill
• Russian Hill
• Fillmore – lots of shops
• Haight-Ashbury – where it’s still the ‘sixties
• Richmond – down Clement, think fog
• Sunset – down Irving, think fog
• Union Street – near and related to the Marina
• Hayes Valley – a “scene,” near San Francisco’s Civic Center
• Potrero Hill – Think Bullitt car chase, street scenes up and down, up and down, up and down
• Pacific Heights – Billionaire Row
• Bernal Heights – Cortland Avenue shopping village thoroughfare

Watering Holes with views

• Top of the Mark (Nob Hill)
• Top of the Marriott Marquis The View Lounge (downtown)
• Waterbar – along the Embarcadero, almost underneath the Bay Bridge; also good fish and seafood
• Pier 23
• Starlight Room (atop the Sir Francis Drake Hotel
• Cityscape Bar & Restaurant (Hilton)
• Cliff House (on the ocean)
• Slanted Door – in Ferry Plaza; also known as one of the best restaurants in the U.S. (Vietnamese/Pacific rim)
• Fisherman’s Wharf/Pier 39 – several
• The Ramp
• El Techo (rooftop bar in the Mission)
• Mission Rock Resort
• Ferry Building
• Beach Chalet (near Cliff House, sometimes called Park Chalet)
• Green’s – wonderful vegetarian restaurant in Fort Mason along the Bay
• The Waterfront Restaurant
• Coqueta – a personal favorite
• La Mar Cebicheria – Peruvian; beautiful space along the Embarcadero, on the Bay with terrific food
• McCormick & Kuleto’s – in Ghirardelli Square
• Scoma’s Sausalito
• Sam’s Tiburon
• Skates – on the Berkeley side of the Bay
• Claremont Hotel – spectacular views from the Oakland hills
• Cavallo Point – at foot of Golden Gate Bridge on Sausalito side

Extended Stay/Exploring Nearby

• Wine Country (Napa and/or Sonoma)
• Russian River
• Carmel/Monterey
• Half Moon Bay
• Santa Cruz
• Point Reyes
• Stinson Beach
• Muir Woods
• Bodega Bay
• Muir Beach
• Ano Nueva State Park (elephant seals)
• Gold Country
• Big Sur
• Lake Tahoe
• Yosemite

The post That’s What He Said: My Guide to Do, See, Shop and Be in San Francisco appeared first on Fineman PR.

The key is to break through the noise and stand out by doing something noteworthy.

Here, Travis Taylor, executive vice president of Fineman PR, discusses his uncommon path to a career in PR, the need for continuous improvement and the gratification of being a mentor.

Read the Cision story here.

The post Behind the Headlines with Travis Taylor appeared first on Fineman PR.