What types and sizes of organizations do you work with?

We primarily work with small and mid-size organizations, but are able to provide services to organizations of any size. We work with any type of organization, from school districts to small businesses and corporations to non-profit organizations. 

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How is ConnectEd Strategies different from a marketing or advertising agency?

A public relations firm like ConnectEd Strategies focuses on reputation, relationships, and credibility, and the work we do builds on those areas. Public relations, marketing, and advertising are all important pieces in a business strategy, but each has its own area of emphasis. A good rule of thumb is that advertising gets you noticed; marketing gets people to buy; and public relations gets people to trust you. 

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Why should I hire a public relations consultant instead of handling communication in-house?

Effective communication is a specialized profession, not simply an extra task that can be added to someone's workload. An experienced public  relations consultant has the expertise and outside perspective to identify communication gaps, recognize issues before they become problems, provide objective recommendations, and offer fresh ideas and strategies. 

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My organization is small. Do I really need a communications strategy?

Small organizations can actually benefit the most from having a clear communication strategy. They typically have fewer resources, less margin for error, and rely on strong relationships with stakeholders. A clear communication strategy allows a small organization to be proactive, rather than constantly playing catch-up. 

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What are the risks of not having a communication strategy?

Without a communication strategy, all communication becomes reactive, which can lead to inconsistent messaging, missed opportunities, confusion among stakeholders, and communication gaps during important situations. A strategy also allows an organization to prioritize communication efforts, so the focus is on activities that will have the greatest impact. 

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What are the signs that my organization needs professional communications support? 

We believe that every organization needs professional communications support! It may be time to call ConnectEd Strategies for assistance if your communication feels reactive, inconsistent, or overwhelming; if your website and social media are outdated or rarely updated; if different parts of your organization are sharing different or conflicting messages; you are spending significant time responding to rumors or misinformation; or you don't have a clear plan for crisis communications or for communicating successes. 

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Do you offer pre-packaged solutions or customized plans?

Every organization is different, so we offer customized plans based on each client's goals and needs. 

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How do you determine what services my organization needs? 

By listening to you. During our initial meeting, we will ask you a number of questions about your needs, your challenges, your goals, and your successes. This will help us determine an ideal set of services that will assist your organization in achieving its goals. 

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Can you help with a one-time project, or do you only  work on long-term contracts? 

We are happy to assist with one-time projects, and we think you will be so pleased with the service you receive that you will want to work with us on an ongoing basis! 

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How much do your services cost?

This is dependent on a number of factors. Because we customize a plan for every client, it would be difficult to provide a one-size-fits-all answer for this question. However, we can work within any budget and prioritize work based on that budget.  

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Do you offer monthly or annual retainers, project-based pricing, or hourly consulting? 

All of the above. When we have our initial meeting, we will discuss your needs and determine what model makes sense for your organization. We will provide you with custom pricing based on your needs. 

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Can you work within a limited budget?

Absolutely!  Once we complete your needs assessment, we can take a look at your budget and determine the priority projects.

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What if we only need help occasionally? 

If you don't need regular support right now, we can put your organization on an annual retainer, meaning you pay a fee up-front and have a set number of support hours to use throughout the year. 

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What if I'm not sure exactly what I need? 

We can help! We will meet with you to learn more about your goals and priorities, then put together a package of services that will help you meet them.

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What does the onboarding process look like?

We will schedule a meeting to have a more in-depth discussion about the services we will provide. We will determine your priority activities within the scope of the contract to decide what we will focus on first. We will want to meet staff members we will be working with, determine processes for staff to request communication support, etc. We will make onboarding as convenient as possible for you and your staff. 

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How quickly can we get started?

As quickly as you need to. Should you have a crisis to handle immediately, we can put off our in-depth consultation and standard onboarding process until the crisis has passed. For a non-crisis engagement, we can generally have an initial meeting within 48 hours, turn around a proposal and contract within another 48 hours, and set up an onboarding meeting at your convenience once a contract is in place. 

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Will you work alongside our existing staff or marketing team? 

Yes. If you are an organization which has an existing marketing or communications team, and you need extra assistance on a one-time or ongoing basis, we are more than happy to work alongside those existing staff members. 

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How often should our organization be posting on social media? How do we know which social media channels will be most effective for our organization? 

This is something we will cover with you in our onboarding meeting and communication strategy. A social media strategy is largely dependent on your goals and the stakeholders you are working to reach, which we will work together to determine. 

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Can you help us prepare for a crisis before one occurs? 

Absolutely. We can develop a crisis plan and handbook for your organization that will allow you to have a plan to rely on if a crisis does occur. This includes not only communications protocols, but protocols for everyone across your organization.​

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Do you provide emergency communication support? 

Yes. If we already have an ongoing contract in place, we will provide the emergency support under that contract. If we do not already have an existing engagement, we are more than happy to help at an hourly rate.​

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Do you have experience supporting school boards and superintendents?

Jenny Bridges has more than a decade of public school district experience, including school board and superintendent support. 

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Can you assist with school bond communications?

Yes. Jenny Bridges has worked on numerous bond campaigns, including the largest successful bond campaign in Ellis County history. We can provide assistance to either school districts (factual campaigns) or community groups supporting campaigns. 

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Can you help train district leaders and campus administrators on effective communications? 

Yes. We can provide training, template materials, communication policies and procedures, and more.