Frequently Asked Questions

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Depending on the needs of the client, Lane's World Exchange specializes in the following:

• Conducting research on target markets, products or services, industries, and competitors
• Using its social media platform to promote products and services
• Tradeshow consultation
• Arranging meetings with lenders, investors, and sponsors
• Creating a brand identity for new or existing products or services
• Developing a strategic marketing plan based on research, industry trends, and competitor activity
• Developing and implementing marketing campaigns including advertising, public relations, social media, and events
• Developing new product lines based on market needs and customer preferences
• Developing a brand strategy that defines the mission, vision, values, positioning, and voice of the brand
• Building brand awareness through advertising, public relations, promotions, event planning, and other activities to create a positive reputation for the brand in the minds of consumers
• Creating a brand’s visual identity, including logos, slogans, color schemes, and product designs
• Developing a brand’s identity by creating a mission statement, identifying target markets, developing brand positioning, designing brand elements, and building a brand’s reputation through marketing activities

A public relations consultant does a lot of work to promote their client (often an individual or a business of some kind) to a pre-determined target audience in a specific way. 

The end goal of public relations is often to increase awareness of and familiarity with the client and their work or to alter how the public sees the client in some way. 

Rather than trying to make people think a certain way, it’s more about providing useful and relevant information to a target audience or presenting the client in a particular way. 

This idea itself is not especially complicated, but it’s in the planning and execution where the work of PR starts to get more complex. 

Communicating with clients is simply one of the foundational elements of creating good PR. Unless you know exactly why each client is seeking PR services and what they hope to achieve through the use of those services, then your strategy and execution of a PR campaign for that client are going to miss the mark.

 Meetings with clients, whether held over the phone or in person, will also focus largely on determining and solidifying the key messages for the campaign. 

Key messages are condensed and straightforward ideas that a client wants to communicate with audiences. 

Putting together a solid list of key messages will be a very important initial step for deciding what the actual PR campaign should look like and who it should speak to. 

Many PR campaigns can benefit from the help of outside press, which basically means any publication that the client does not control. 

Today, these publications will most likely be websites with substantial followings, often specializing in subject matter related to your client’s work. 

Enticing publications to write something about your client and their new product or service can be difficult, but thankfully there are tried and true methods to help make the process easier. 

One of the most important things a public relations person can do in this situation is to create a press kit that can be sent to relevant journalists and publications. 

A press kit should have only the most important information and make an argument for why the client is worthy of an article or a mention on their site. 

When a site publishes a piece on your client, it will immediately expand the client’s audience and make more people aware of an upcoming project or release. 

Every public relations campaign needs a PR strategy.   A PR strategy summarizes what the goals of the campaign are and how the PR team plans to achieve these goals.

One crucial element of a PR strategy is preparing for potential crisis situations. Crisis management in PR is a very large topic, and it can take quite a bit of experience to become skilled in handling a crisis scenario. 

But crisis management  serves as the perfect example of why creating a PR strategy is such an important part of the process. 

Without a plan in place, other PR professionals working on a campaign won’t have a good idea of what they need to be doing or what they’re working toward. 

A PR strategy is the ultimate playbook that keeps everyone on the same page, so to speak. 

Public relations professionals are very often working on an upcoming PR campaign, but we need to make an important distinction here. 

In most cases, PR campaigns and ongoing PR efforts are not the same things. 

PR campaigns only run for a limited amount of time, and they are often executed in order to promote a specific product or a piece of news about the client that needs to be communicated. 

So, for example, a soft drink company would probably need ongoing PR services which would include traditional advertising, billboards, and the maintenance of a pleasing website. 

But if the company was about to release a brand new drink that no one knows about yet, then they would approach a PR team to plan a campaign specifically for this launch. 

The campaign might include in-person events and marketing efforts, new commercials, and even branded content that would be released through websites and various social media channels. 

PR professionals need to know how to work on both types of PR: the ongoing efforts and special efforts that come in one large burst.

As we mentioned earlier, working to resolve problems and mitigate crisis situations is a huge part of any career in PR. 

Ideally, problems only arise very rarely and, in a perfect world, they wouldn’t come up at all. But in reality, there are just times when things don’t go according to plan. 

Thankfully, PR strategies can help explain what the PR team should do during these situations in order to help lessen the negative impact of the problem and help the client recover once the dust has settled. 

The best PR professionals can work with grace under pressure and find new and innovative ways to regain trust between the client and their target audience.
 

A lender can be anything from a bank to a private agency or individual. Lenders typically make a loan on the basis that they will receive back the principal of the money lent to a borrower.

The amount of interest that they receive on top of that money makes it worthwhile financially for the institution or individual to make a profit. In this way, they do make a kind of investment, albeit with the investment made in terms of interest rates.

The types of loans that lenders make are typically less interested in the changing value of an asset, but more in terms of minimizing the risk on their initial loan. As a result, most of these loans are secured against property or other assets, or subject to high monthly interest rates.

An investor or investing group is, by contrast, more likely to put money into a property or business, with the expectation that the value of that asset will grow over time.   An investment creates a certain share of the equity of a property or business, and gives the investor more power to influence business decisions, and to manage shares.   The risk for an investor is consequently less to do with whether they will receive back their initial principal, but rather in the potential for their investment to turn a significant profit over time. 

Investor and sponsor are both terms used to describe individuals or entities that provide financial support for a project or venture. However, there are distinct differences between the two terms. An investor is someone who provides funds with the expectation of a return on their investment. In contrast, a sponsor is someone who provides funds or resources to support a project or event with the expectation of receiving some form of recognition or exposure for their contribution. 

Investors may provide funds in exchange for equity in a company or a share of the profits. Sponsors, on the other hand, may provide funds or resources in exchange for branding or advertising opportunities. 

Branding is the process of creating a unique identity for a product or service. Branding helps consumers identify and relate to certain products or services, which in turn makes them more likely to purchase those items in the future.

Brand developers are responsible for creating these identities through a variety of methods including advertising campaigns, public relations initiatives, social media content, etc. They may also be tasked with maintaining consistency across all branding efforts so that the brand’s image remains intact regardless of who is creating it.

In today's digital age, marketing has become concentrated on mobile devices and computer screens. You might be asking yourself, ‚"Why are trade shows important?".  The value of person-to-person networking flies beneath the radar, even though personal connections often solidify strong business relationships.

Below, you will find some advantages  of trade show attendance:

You may have done your homework on the best ways to attract attention online, but what about in person? Meeting with potential customers face-to-face means you can talk freely about your brand and answer questions on the spot. You have the chance to showcase your passion for your business, and that genuine attitude can create amazing first impressions.

Some customers may also feel more comfortable doing business with someone whose hand they can actually shake. It gives them a better idea of who you are, which creates confidence in your integrity.

Most people who attend trade shows do so because they're looking for something. Many want to see what's new and innovative in their field. Others may be searching for solutions to problems they're facing in their own businesses. For you, this means a captive audience that has an incentive to hear what you have to say.

You'll never have a better chance to scope out the competition than at a trade show. You can use the opportunity to see what other companies are doing differently. Maybe some of them are offering services that your customers want. Let trade shows educate you on the ways you can be better, in order to compete with similar brands.

Specialty trade shows bring out a variety of companies within a similar area of expertise. While this could result in a lineup of competitive brands, it may also mean potential partners.

No matter which industry you represent, you likely need support from vendors or other outsourced services. One of the biggest benefits of exhibiting at a trade show is the opportunity to create these professional bonds. Good relationships can improve your operation and lead to further success. 

When you attend trade shows in various regions of the country, you have the ability to expand your customer base. You'll have access to clients who may have never known you existed otherwise. Impressing local attendees can drive traffic to your website, which could translate into sales.

If you're concerned about the hefty expenses of traveling, don't be. You'll likely make up for the cost with new sales and promising connections. Whether you send a sales representative or go on your own, you may also be able to receive significant deductibles when tax season rolls around. Just make sure you use an appropriate system to track your mileage.

Trade show attendees can be the perfect focus group for aspects of your business where you need some input. When people stop by your booth, ask them questions and encourage honest responses. This is a great chance to promote new products or services and instantly know what people think. Feedback like this can be invaluable if your audience points out potential problems you hadn't considered.

When networking with others in the industry, you may even have the opportunity to shake hands with customers you signed online. This personal acquaintance helps strengthen your existing business relationships. Customers may also increase their business based on the meeting, turning small contracts into big ones.

You can prepare for trade show success by coming equipped with lots of branded giveaways. Handing out something with your name and pertinent information keeps your business in the minds of potential clients.

While you'll definitely be marketing yourself, you can also benefit from trade show marketing. Attendees will likely receive information about all exhibits, including yours, at the start of the day. Some events may even host special presentations throughout the event to highlight select participants.

Sales are the driving force of your bottom line, and trade shows can be lucrative. In-person negotiations, along with special trade show deals and discounts, allow you to lock up new business quickly.  In addition to reaching big agreements, you can also sell older products at lower rates to help clear out inventory.

Each of these reasons to exhibit at a trade show allow you to expand your business. Events like these keep you relevant in your industry. They give you the rare chance to meet with both existing and potential clients in person and even size up your competitors. Next time you have the opportunity to showcase your brand at a trade show, don't let it pass you by.