How annual planing can control marketing burn rate, earn buzz, and attract VC's Do you have your 2015 marketing plan ready? No? Well, AR|PR would like to invite our startup friends to join us for a webinar where we’ll talk about the importance of annual planning to your bottom line, tip and tricks on how to start and best practices for following that plan throughout the year while still remaining the nimble startup you need to be. Don't miss this 30-minute session with actual, tactical tips to help you create buzz and #makenews.

1. Prepare. Plan. Repeat. 2015.
How annual planning can control
marketing burn rate, earn buzz
and attract VC’s.
presented by AR|PR
@ar_ _pr #makenews
Wednesday, October 29, 2014

2. Presenters
@ar_ _pr
#makenews
Anna Ruth
CEO of AR|PR
Based in Atlanta Tech Village
Blair
VP of AR|PR
Based in Launch Pad NOLA
Most proud of…. Helping a pre-funded
startup client land in Ad Age, GigaOM
and Mashable in a three-month streak.
Noted communications expert by:
Entrepreneur Magazine, PR Daily,
Venture Beat, TheStreet.com & Christian
Science Monitor
Funny fact: My dog is on Twitter. I do
the splits around the office when our
team reaches goals.
Most proud of…. Managing PR for a
client at CES, which resulted in a TODAY
Show segment.
Noted communications expert by:
PRWeek, Complete Idiot’s Guide series
and Hootsuite
Funny fact: I’m a French fry
connoisseur and despite living on the
gulf – hate seafood.

3. Benefits of
Annual Planning
@ar_ _pr
#makenews
• Spend dollars wisely, lower
burn rate, and focus on
opportunities with the
biggest ROI.
• Never miss PR, award and
speaking opp deadlines!
• Rally your entire team
around a marketing vision.
• Build strategic momentum in
the marketplace.

4. Prepare.

5. Define Your
Business
Objectives
@ar_ _pr
#makenews
Example Questions to Ask:
• What is our annual revenue goal?
• What major technology/product updates will we
be building?
• How much market share do we want to own?
• How do we want the industry (& our competitors!) to perceive us?
• How many top-of-funnel leads do we need? How many deals do we need
to close?
• Are we trying to secure venture funding?

6. Set Marketing
Goals &
Objectives
@ar_ _pr
#makenews
• First, what’s my marketing budget for 2015?
• Based on that #, what can I reasonably achieve?
• How many media placements do I want? What do I want them to be about
(product, individuals, thought leadership, etc.)?
• How many awards do we need to win? What types of awards/categories
will give us the most credibility?
• What tradeshows should we attend/exhibit? Can our leadership speak at
these events?
• What social media channels are most important and how many
followers/interactions do we need each month?
• What advertising channels should we consider?
• What collateral (print + digital) does our sales team need?
• Do I have the resources (people, time & tools) to execute
internally, or do I need agency partners/consultants/freelancers?

7. Bring Marketers &
Engineers to the
SAME Table
Product Updates Product Updates
@ar_ _pr
#makenews
Product Line

8. Plan.

9. Research
Speaking
Opportunities
@ar_ _pr
#makenews
Editorial
Calendars
Tradeshows
Award
Opportunities
Holidays/
Observances

10. Research
@ar_ _pr
#makenews

11. Content
Calendar
CHANNEL JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH
@ar_ _pr
#makenews
Topic: CES Topic: Android
Launch
Topic:
2M Downloads
Blog X (live blog from
Vegas)
X X
Social Media X X X (contest!)
Press Release X (Feature
Update)
X (Google Play
Announcement)
X
Case Study X
White Paper X (to distribute
in our CES
booth)

12. Repeat.

13. Monitor &
Measure
• Measure media impressions, social media growth,
etc. monthly & quarterly to evaluate trends and ROI.
• Reassess your annual plan each quarter and examine
how its helping achieve your company’s overall
business objectives.
• Don’t be afraid to reallocate resources and pivot to
achieve the best results (just be mindful of burn rate!).
@ar_ _pr
#makenews

14. Showcase
Wins
@ar_ _pr
#makenews
• Impress your potential investors
with the success you’ve
achieved through your PR-Marketing
Efforts
• Be sure to explain how these
efforts have lead to your desired
overall business objective (i.e.
increased lead generation,
downloads, sales)

15. Don’t DIY it Alone!

16. Traditional
Services
Fitnet is a fast growing tech company which needed a partner to build and execute our
marketing, PR and social strategies. AR|PR has become more than just a partner,
but an extension of our team who is always working diligently to build our audience,
craft and distribute our core message. – Bob Summers, Chief Geek at Fitnet
@ar_ _pr
#makenews

17. arpr.co/startupPR
Startup
Packages
@ar_ _pr
#makenews
• Affordable
• Media lists of your target
reporters
• Social media strategies
• Press how-to video
• Press release & wire
distribution
• 1-on-1 consultation

18. Startup
Packages
The Launch Rocket package provided us with the
consultation and tips we needed to engage with reporters on
the phone, via email and even through Twitter. The day our
press release was distributed, we received 8,000 app
downloads within 24 hours - our biggest day yet. The
package even helped us land a feature in TechCrunch!
@ar_ _pr
#makenews
– Brooks Buffington, co-founder, YikYak
Just for Webinar Participants:
FREE Twitter handles for your target reporters
10% off (code: startup10)
Offer expires November 30th

19. Questions?

20. Contact:
Anna Ruth Williams, Founder + CEO
annaruth@arpr.co
Blair Broussard, Vice President
blair@arpr.co
Offices in Atlanta Tech Village
and
Launch Pad New Orleans
855.300.8209 | www.arpr.co
linkedin.com/company/arpr
facebook.com/annaruthpr
@ar__pr