Crain Construction: Showcasing Legacy Through Strategy, Storytelling, and Design.

Bringing a 90-Year Legacy to Life

When Crain Construction, one of Nashville’s most respected general contractors, set out to celebrate their 90-year anniversary, they wanted an event that truly reflected their history.

As Crain’s strategic marketing partner, Green Apple Strategy played a pivotal role in crafting and executing this memorable event. Together, we designed a celebration that not only honored Crain’s rich history but also showcased their commitment to innovation and excellence within the Nashville community.

– Event Planning –

Capturing 90 Years of Excellence in a Single Night

To commemorate this milestone, Crain envisioned a celebration that would bring together employees, clients, partners, and industry peers. The event was held at the Prancing Horse of Nashville Ferrari Dealership, a recent Crain project, providing the perfect backdrop to showcase their work and celebrate their achievements. The dealership’s stunning atmosphere perfectly embodied the innovation and quality Crain has delivered throughout its history.

Green Apple worked closely with Crain leadership and dealership management to conceptualize the event, ensuring it was a seamless reflection of the company’s history and values. Our team took charge of the detailed logistics, handling everything from guest invitations to vendor coordination. We managed A/V needs, catering, bartenders, rentals, lighting, entertainment, décor, and valet services, choosing vendors that mirrored Crain’s deep ties to the Nashville community.

The result was a flawless evening that brought 90 years of success to life in a way that resonated deeply with Crain’s employees, partners, and guests.

– Brand Storytelling –

Honoring Crain’s Legacy and Looking to the Future

In addition to planning the event, Green Apple Strategy developed a comprehensive storytelling approach to celebrate Crain’s culture and vision. A key part of the event was a highlight video and slideshow that encapsulated Crain’s legacy and showcased the company’s strategic goals for the next decade.

To create a meaningful narrative, we interviewed three generations of the Rankin family, who have led Crain Construction for decades, along with two of Crain’s longtime clients. This personal touch provided guests with a deeper understanding of Crain’s history, values, and commitment to excellence. The slideshow that accompanied the video featured images of Crain’s most iconic projects from the past 90 years.

These storytelling elements were more than just entertainment for the evening—they became valuable assets that Crain could leverage across digital and social media platforms after the event, further enhancing their brand presence and reinforcing their leadership in the construction industry.

– Results –

A Celebration to Remember

The 90th-anniversary celebration brought together over 165 of Crain’s employees, clients, and industry partners—each of whom played a role in the company’s journey. The evening was a testament to Crain’s leadership, impact, and bright future.

Most importantly, Crain Construction’s leadership was thrilled with the outcome. The event exceeded expectations, allowing Crain to fully enjoy the night without worrying about the details. They trusted Green Apple to manage every aspect of the event, so they didn’t have to worry about a single detail and could enjoy celebrating with colleagues and friends.

Client Testimonial

“Our 90th-anniversary celebration was a wonderful event. Honestly, I do not know of anything that could have made it any better. To say Green Apple did a great job is very much an understatement.” — Mark Rankin, Vice President at Crain Construction

– Creative –

What We Did

Event Planning and Management, Brand Design, Messaging Strategy, Video Scripting & Production, Marketing Collateral Design, PR, Email Marketing, Social Media

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Behind on Marketing Planning? Here’s How to Still Win in Q1 with Strategic Year-End Prep

It’s October, which means that many businesses are starting to think about their annual planning for the upcoming year. Trying to find a balance between finishing the year strong and looking ahead to next year is challenging, but this is the perfect moment to focus on strategic planning—especially with Q1 just around the corner. Even if you haven’t started yet, there’s still time to make sure your business hits the ground running in the year ahead. 

At Green Apple Strategy, we’re right in the thick of annual planning for our clients, and if you’re just getting started, we’ve got you covered. Here, we’re sharing some of our best resources to help you navigate each step—from pre-planning to implementation—so that you can position your business for long-term growth.

Pre-Planning: Getting Your Bearings Before You Begin

Before you dive into the details of a new marketing plan, it’s crucial to assess where your business stands. The right mindset and approach can make all the difference in how successful your planning efforts are. The following resources are designed to help you gain clarity on the bigger picture and get your ducks in a row.

1. 5 Questions to Consider Before You Start Marketing Planning

When it comes to marketing planning, proper preparation is key. This blog offers five essential questions that will guide you in reflecting on your past successes and failures while looking ahead to future opportunities. By addressing these questions, you’ll be able to approach your planning with a more disciplined and informed mindset, ensuring your strategy aligns with your business goals.

2. Navigating Need-Based Marketing Planning

Marketing planning isn’t one-size-fits-all. While long-term strategies are important, there are times when short-term, targeted campaigns are necessary for addressing specific business needs. This article discusses how you can strike the right balance between comprehensive planning and responsive, need-based initiatives, helping you create a more agile and effective marketing strategy.

3. How to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone to Find Marketing Success

Sometimes, stepping outside your comfort zone is the best way to spark new ideas and gain momentum. This resource explores how businesses can break free from routine thinking and embrace fresh, bold approaches. Whether it’s trying a new tactic or reevaluating a long-held practice, getting out of your comfort zone can lead to greater success in your marketing efforts.

Marketing Planning: Crafting a Strategy for Success

Once you’ve done the pre-planning work, it’s time to start shaping your marketing strategy. The resources below will help you set achievable goals, choose the right tactics, and create a roadmap for growth.

1. A Comprehensive Guide to Annual Marketing Planning

Over the past decade, we’ve helped countless businesses create annual marketing plans. This guide consolidates our most valuable lessons, offering a step-by-step approach to building a marketing strategy that works. From setting the right goals to effectively managing your budget, this guide will help you create a solid foundation for your marketing efforts in the coming year. 

2. How to Set Achievable Marketing Goals

Goal-setting is a vital part of any successful marketing plan. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of setting goals that are not only ambitious but also realistic and achievable. Learn how to ensure your entire team is aligned and working toward the same objectives. Collaborating to determine shared goals can help generate momentum and keep everyone moving in the right direction.

3. Use a “Marketing Sandbox” to Discover Your Next Best Marketing Tactic

The start of a new year is often full of excitement about new marketing trends, but it can also feel overwhelming. Enter the “marketing sandbox”—a space where you can experiment with new ideas without risking your entire strategy. This resource will show you how to test out different tactics and find the ones that work best for your business, all while staying on track with your larger goals.

Implementation: Turning Marketing Plans Into Action

Planning is only half the battle. Once you’ve created a solid marketing strategy, the next step is to ensure it’s executed effectively. These resources will help you navigate the implementation process, from aligning sales and marketing to adapting when things don’t go as planned.

1. Align Your Sales and Marketing Teams

You can pour all the time and resources in the world into your marketing efforts, but if there’s no alignment with your sales team, much of that effort will go to waste. This article outlines how to ensure both teams work together toward common goals and provides practical tips for maintaining alignment throughout the year.

2. Develop a Process-Driven Approach

Marketing can be unpredictable, with changing needs and unexpected challenges arising at any moment. A process-driven approach to implementation ensures that you stay on course, even when things get hectic. This blog walks you through how to create a structured plan that allows for flexibility while keeping your marketing team organized and focused.

3. How to Pivot Your Marketing Without Abandoning Your Entire Strategy

Inevitably, there will be times when you need to make adjustments to your marketing plan. But how do you pivot without abandoning your long-term strategy? This article offers insights into how to course correct when needed while staying true to your overall objectives, helping you maintain both agility and focus.

It’s Not Too Late to Plan for Success 

While it may feel like time is running out, the truth is there’s still plenty of time to create a strategic marketing plan that will set your business up for success in the coming year. The crucial steps are to approach planning with clarity, align your efforts with your long-term goals, and be prepared to adapt as needed.

At Green Apple Strategy, we’re passionate about helping businesses like yours develop marketing strategies that drive growth and set the stage for long-term success. Whether you’re just getting started with year-end planning or need help fine-tuning your approach, we’re here to support you every step of the way.

If you want to get a behind-the-scenes look at our approach to developing marketing strategies or learn more about our strategic planning services, we’d love to talk.

5 Affordable Marketing Tools Every Small Business Should Be Using

“Work smarter, not harder.”

This adage has never been more relevant than in today’s fast-paced digital landscape. Small business owners and marketers are constantly being pulled in different directions. Trying to manage everything, from content creation and email marketing to customer feedback and social media, can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, you can level the playing field and achieve great results without breaking the bank.

At Green Apple Strategy, we believe that effective marketing doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.  In fact, some of the most powerful tools are surprisingly affordable. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of our favorite marketing tools that can help you streamline your efforts, collaborate more effectively, and, ultimately, work smarter—not harder.

5 Affordable Marketing Tools for Small Businesses

1. Canva — Graphic Design Made Simple

Canva has revolutionized graphic design, making it easy for anyone to create professional-looking visuals. If you need to design social media posts, marketing materials, or presentations, Canva has a wide range of templates and elements to choose from.

Why we love it:

  • User-Friendly Interface: Canva is incredibly intuitive, even for those with no design experience.
  • Vast Library of Templates: Find templates for almost any occasion, from social media posts to business cards.
  • Affordable Pricing: Canva offers a free plan with limited features, but the paid plans are still very affordable.
2. Airtable — Collaborative Workflows for Everything 

Airtable is a versatile tool that can be used for anything from project management to operational collaboration. It’s essentially a spreadsheet on steroids, with features like customizable views, attachments, and integrations with other tools.

Why we love it:

  • Visual Organization: Airtable helps you organize everything from social media calendars to marketing campaigns in a visually appealing, easy-to-navigate layout.
  • Collaboration-Friendly: Airtable allows your entire team to contribute and stay aligned on project goals, deadlines, and deliverables.
  • Customizable Workflows: Whether you’re tracking content ideas, product launches, or customer feedback, Airtable adapts to your needs with customizable templates.
3. Campaign Monitor — Email Marketing that Works 

Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience. Campaign Monitor is a powerful tool that makes it easy to create and send professional-looking email campaigns.

Why we love it:

  • Simple, Elegant Templates: Campaign Monitor offers a variety of ready-to-use templates that look polished and professional, making it easy to create beautiful emails in minutes.
  • Powerful Automation: You can set up automated emails to welcome new subscribers, celebrate milestones, or follow up after purchases—saving time while maintaining customer engagement.
  • Actionable Insights: The detailed analytics provide clear data on open rates, click-through rates, and other key metrics, helping you optimize future campaigns.
4. LoyaltyLoop — Capitalize on Customer Reviews and Feedback

Customer reviews and feedback are essential for building trust and credibility. Whether you’re requesting testimonials, looking to improve your services, or trying to boost your online reputation, LoyaltyLoop collects reviews and feedback, empowering you to take action where it matters most.

Why we love it:

  • Real-Time Feedback: LoyaltyLoop makes it easy to send surveys and request feedback, allowing you to gather insights quickly and efficiently.
  • Boosts Online Reputation: By encouraging satisfied customers to leave positive reviews, LoyaltyLoop helps improve your business’s online presence and attract new customers.
  • Improves Customer Retention: Use the feedback to identify areas for improvement, keeping your customers happy and coming back.
5. AI Tools — Marketing with More Efficiency 

AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Claude are game-changers for content creation, research, and analytics. They can help you generate unique content ideas, conduct in-depth research, or provide valuable insights that you can use to improve your marketing strategies.

Why we love it:

  • Efficient Content Generation: From article recaps to social media captions, AI tools can help you repurpose content and create high-quality insights quickly.
  • Research Powerhouses: Need to dive deep into a topic? AI tools can pull in relevant information and provide valuable insights in seconds, making research a breeze.
  • Data-Driven Decisions: AI tools can analyze customer feedback, market trends, and campaign performance, helping you make more informed marketing decisions.

Maximize Your Marketing Impact

Managing the marketing efforts for small businesses can be challenging, but with the right tools, it doesn’t have to be. By incorporating these affordable marketing tools into your workflow, you can save time, streamline your efforts, and produce professional-quality results without a hefty price tag.

At Green Apple Strategy, we’re here to help our clients succeed in the most efficient and effective way possible. If you’re looking for more tips, tools, or insights on how to grow your business, subscribe to The Core—our monthly newsletter. Each issue delivers timely marketing trends and relevant insights designed to help small and mid-size businesses thrive.

The Gardner School: Expanding with Intention: A Playbook for Market Growth.

Growing in New Markets

Green Apple has been The Gardner School’s full-service marketing partner since 2014. During that time, the school has grown from eight locations in four states to over 30 locations across seven states and continues to grow each year. 

Over the years, Green Apple has become a true extension of The Gardner School’s team, cultivating a deep knowledge of the brand, collaborating around new opportunities, and tackling numerous challenges together.

– Opportunity –

Supporting Expansion into New Markets

As one of the nation’s leading early childhood education centers, The Gardner School takes a strategic approach to entering new markets and launching new schools. Green Apple has spearheaded all marketing and promotional strategies for each expansion, executing detailed market research, targeted advertising, engaging digital campaigns, and designing marketing collateral tailored to each new target market. 

– Tactics –

Learning and Growing Together

After nearly a decade, we’ve gained valuable wisdom about launching new schools, but the landscape of early childhood education has changed dramatically since our partnership began. Together, we’ve adapted our tactics to achieve the most effective approach possible.

For each new school launch, the Green Apple Strategy team customizes each launch campaign to include local engagement opportunities, a public relations push, and comprehensive traditional and digital advertising to reach even more families at a lower cost per engagement.

– Results –

A Fruitful Partnership

Green Apple Strategy is proud of the partnership we’ve built as The Gardner School has grown. Through this partnership, meetings feel less like formal interactions and more like collaborative brainstorms where we can suggest ideas, work through challenges, and implement solutions to support their growth. As they’ve expanded throughout the country, we’ve helped them achieve major wins, including:

  • 3 market expansions with 26 new schools
  • 235.52% growth in website sessions since 2016
  • 253.9% annual growth in organic social media engagement in 2023
  • Over 75,000 views of TGS’s top five thought-leadership blogs in 2023
  • An email newsletter open rate of 58.6%
    • More than double the benchmark open rate for early childhood education

Client Testimonial

“The Green Apple team is a trusted partner in our marketing activities and goals. Their team of experts consistently works to exceed our expectations to provide insightful solutions to engage and connect with families. We are grateful for their hard work and dedication.” — Joy Haynes, The Gardner School

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Praise

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Green Apple has successfully implemented various strategies and projects that have both increased our brand recognition and directly driven business to our organization. Our dedicated Green Apple team is knowledgeable in what they do, produces quality work on time, and is flexible in pivoting to our ever-changing priorities. We’ve been very happy with the results of our relationship together and would highly recommend their service.
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What Small Businesses Should Know About Google & Yahoo Email Authentication Updates 

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for small businesses to maintain effective communication with their customers. One significant update that demands the attention of small businesses is the impending Google and Yahoo email authentication updates that are set to roll out in February 2024. This might sound like tech jargon, but adapting to these updates is crucial for reaching customers through email.

As a trusted full-service marketing agency working with both B2B and B2C small businesses, Green Apple Strategy is here to guide you through these changes so that your email marketing efforts remain successful. So let’s break down what’s on the horizon and how to navigate these email authentication updates with confidence.

Why the Update? What’s Changing?

Email authentication is a critical aspect of email marketing, as it helps establish the legitimacy of the email sender. It verifies the sender’s identity, ensuring emails are legitimate and not sneaky spam. 

On February 1, 2024, Google and Yahoo are turning what was once considered best practices for email authentication into mandatory requirements. The updates primarily focus on strengthening the protocols that verify the authenticity of the email sender’s domain and ensure that emails are not being spoofed or manipulated by malicious cybersecurity attackers.

Ultimately, these authentication updates are a proactive step toward a more secure email environment. For small businesses, that’s a good thing! Fewer spammy messages mean a cleaner, more trusted email environment, which ultimately benefits everyone.

Actionable Steps for Small Businesses 

If you’re a small business relying on email to reach customers or partnering with a marketing agency for your digital marketing efforts, here’s how to update your email protocols so that any emails you send are not blocked or marked as spam:

Make Sure You’re Sending Emails from a Domain You Own

One of the key requirements for the new authentication protocols is that small businesses should be sending mail from a domain that belongs to your organization. For example, we send emails from “[email protected]” 

Your domain name is an important part of your business or organization’s online identity, and sending emails from your own domain is key to maintaining a relationship with your subscribers. 

Implement DMARC & SPF at the Enforcement Level

The updates primarily focus on strengthening authentication protocols such as DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) and SPF (Sender Policy Framework). At Green Apple, we’ve already helped clients update these authentications at the enforcement level. These changes instruct email providers about how to handle unauthorized emails claiming to be from a certain domain. 

Get Technical (or Find Someone Who Is)

Setting up these protocols might sound like tech jargon, but fear not! Most email service providers offer user-friendly guides and support. For example, Campaign Monitor offers built-in tools for DMARC reporting and authentication management. You can definitely DIY this process, but you must ensure the new authentications are done correctly. You’ll also want to make sure that they’re used effectively after they’re implemented.

Lean on Agency Expertise for Authentication Readiness

With the complexity of the updates, it’s even more crucial to rely on your agency’s expertise in email authentication and deliverability practices. Ensure your agency has implemented SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on your domain and configured them properly. Ask for specific details about their implementation process and compliance status.

Stay Informed Through Collaboration

Regular communication means that your business will be able to quickly adapt to evolving email authentication standards. That’s why it’s important to foster a collaborative environment that enables you to stay informed about industry updates, best practices, and any additional recommendations from your marketing agency. 

Monitor Performance and Adapt Strategies

The final step you want to take is to work closely with your marketing agency to review and adapt your email marketing strategies in response to the updates. Your agency should inform you about any significant decreases you see in open rates and work together to identify and address the root cause.

Don’t Panic, Get Prepared!

These updates might seem daunting, but with a little proactive effort, you can avoid any serious issues. Partnering with a competent and proactive marketing agency can help you navigate the email authentication updates smoothly. Trust their expertise, communicate openly, and monitor performance for a successful email marketing strategy in 2024 and beyond.

For Green Apple clients: Our dedicated digital marketing team is proactively working to help our clients seamlessly meet and comply with the new email authentication protocols, guaranteeing the continued success of their email marketing campaigns.

Bonus Tips and Resources

In addition to following these guidelines, implementing email marketing best practices is crucial. Good email practices will ensure your newsletters and marketing campaigns land in your audience’s inbox and captivate their attention. The resources below can help you build an email strategy with a solid ROI. 

The Skylight: Bringing a Community Hub to Life with Story & Strategy

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A Case Study in Community Engagement

The Factory at Franklin, a cornerstone of downtown Franklin and Williamson County, Tennessee, embarked on a transformative renovation. More than just a physical facelift, the project aimed to reimagine the space as a vibrant hub of hospitality and connection for the community. At the heart of this vision lay The Skylight, a brand-new bar serving as the central social gathering place of The Factory. To bring The Skylight to life, The Factory partnered with Green Apple to support the launch through brand storytelling and event planning.

– Concepting Brand Identity –

Capturing the Essence of The Skylight

The Skylight presented a unique branding challenge. It needed to capture the buzz of a new and exciting venue while simultaneously honoring the rich history and architectural beauty of The Factory. To achieve this balance, Green Apple facilitated a series of collaborative brainstorming sessions with The Factory team. Through these sessions, a clear brand narrative emerged: The Skylight was to be a haven for authentic connection, a place where the past and present intertwined to create a space for shared experiences over craft food and drinks.

From this narrative, Green Apple created a comprehensive branding and messaging package. The Skylight’s name evokes the venue’s soaring atrium, a physical manifestation of the bar’s commitment to hospitality and openness. The logo, a stylized beam structure punctuated by a radiant starburst, symbolizes the vibrant energy that The Skylight brings to the historic space. 

– Event Planning –

Orchestrating the Grand Opening Celebration

To celebrate the grand opening of The Skylight and introduce the entire Factory complex to Franklin residents, Green Apple orchestrated a special “Sip & Sample” event, granting patrons a first chance to explore and sample offerings from current and future Factory vendors. This interactive format encouraged guests to delve deeper into the space, fostering a sense of discovery and community.

Green Apple managed every aspect of the event, from securing vendor buy-in and negotiating quotes for branded swag to managing ticket sales and VIP experiences. The team’s meticulous planning paid off, and the Sip & Sample event sold out within 24 hours, prompting the addition of more tickets to accommodate overwhelming demand. A waitlist of over 350 eager patrons further underscored the community’s excitement for The Skylight.

– Results –

The Skylight's Recipe for Success

The grand opening celebration was a resounding success, solidifying The Skylight’s position as Franklin’s newest must-visit destination. The event’s impact extended far beyond a single night, however. The waitlist provided a way to capture an invested email list to bring into play for future events.  Green Apple also established The Skylight’s social media presence, helping the bar amass over 1,300 followers within weeks of launch.

A strategic PR campaign further amplified The Skylight’s reach. Green Apple secured interviews with local news outlets and prominent Nashville lifestyle publications, generating significant media coverage. Over the next three months, The Skylight was mentioned in over 80 articles, translating to an impressive $1.8 million in advertising equivalent value.

– Creative –

What We Did

Logo Design, Brand Design, Messaging Strategy, Marketing Collateral Design, Event Planning, PR, Email Marketing, Social Media

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Cracking the Gen Z Code: A Small Business Marketing Guide to Gen Z Engagement

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Gen Z, the generation born between the late nineties and mid-2010s, makes up more than one-quarter of the world’s population, and their buying power exceeds $140 billion. With so much competition on the horizon, how can small businesses leverage their brands with this socially conscious, diverse demographic of up-and-coming decision-makers?
 

Increasing Engagement with Gen Z

Be Authentic 

Gen Z likes to support brands with beliefs and value systems that genuinely align with their own. However, promoting values like sustainability, DE&I, and others must be done in a truly authentic way and not just clever marketing to drive sales. Small businesses can show commitment to significant issues by focusing on the human element behind their brands and building transparency by going “behind the scenes” or sharing where and how products are sourced to promote sustainability. 

 

Include User-Generated Content 

Another way to effectively demonstrate authenticity is with user-generated content. Showcase positive customer experiences and reviews, or ask current customers to upload DIY videos and share what they love about a particular product. Gen Z thrives on experiences, so seeing a real person use, enjoy, and demonstrate how a product looks, feels, and works can help your potential customers imagine what their own experiences will be like! 

 

Offer Sales and Promotions

Capture Gen Z’s attention with a sale or promotion. According to Campaign Monitor, nearly 83 percent like to receive promotions. HootSuite reported similar findings, with “discounts offered” cited as the number one motivator for getting Gen Z to engage with a new brand. 

 

Collab with Influencers 

Twenty-four percent of Gen Z women say that they are most likely to turn to influencers when learning about new products to buy. The reason is simple: they like to buy from brands they trust, and they hear about brands they trust from influencers they trust. Successful influencers share information in a manner that captures attention and forms connections; they are interesting, often funny, and always personally engaging. 

 

Choose the Right Social Media Channels

As the first generation to fully grow up in the digital age, Gen Z’s lives have almost always included social media, and they prefer to connect with brands this way. However, not all channels are created equal, and each brand needs its own unique mix of social media channels.

For Gen Z, Facebook is for gleaning information, X is for news, Instagram is for showcasing an aspirational aesthetic, and Snapchat is for connecting with friends daily. But TikTok is the best bet for selling brands and products, with Gen Z women ranking its influence on purchasing decisions second only to “recommendations from family and friends.” 

 

Connect with Emails and Newsletters 

We know social media works with Gen Z, but what about email? A report by Campaign Monitor shared that email is Gen Z’s second-most preferred channel for brand engagement. Gen Z is constantly online, and many check their email multiple times per day. However, most receive less than 20 emails a day. This means there is less competition in an inbox than on social media. Moreover, Gen Z indicated they want to hear from brands up to a couple of times a week. 

Keep in mind that Gen Z has an average attention span of eight seconds, so strong copywriting will be key for maximum results. While you should engage with potential customers on multiple channels, including email and social media, you’ll want to change up your messaging across platforms to keep things fresh. 

 

Strategize with Green Apple 

When it comes to building a successful marketing plan, our team at Green Apple understands that marketing does not operate in silos. We will take time to understand your business and your needs to develop an engagement strategy for Gen Z—and all the generations you serve. Contact us today, and let’s get the conversation started. 

PR 2.0: The AI Revolution for Strategic Communications

AI is quickly becoming embedded in our work and our lives. There’s a lot to keep up with as new developments are coming out almost every day. In the final days of 2023, the New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming millions of articles from the publication were used to train AI chatbot LLMs without authorization. This lawsuit is a clear sign that reform and regulation are coming for the AI market, but we’ll have to wait and see how the overall impact plays out.

Despite the evolving landscape, AI technology remains a powerful tool for PR professionals. The technology has played an important role in public relations work for years in a variety of ways, including;

  • Earned media and social media monitoring
  • Up-to-date journalist and outlet databases
  • Determining brand sentiment in earned media 
  • Determining trending topics and types of content

More recent AI advancements, like deep learning and text and image generation, are changing AI’s role in public relations, reflecting the type of disruption seen in many other industries. But its efficacy depends on our ability to use it strategically and cautiously.

We sat down with Green Apple PR Strategist, Chris Song, to take a closer look at how AI is assisting PR professionals and why it will never replace them. 

The Impact of AI on Strategy

Data and output from AI are really helpful for PR teams, especially for the strategic process. A recent study released by Muck Rack shows a majority (61%) of PR professionals are already using AI or are interested in using it. That’s a 40% increase since March 2023. The report shows the most popular use of AI among PR professionals is for copywriting. But it’s also helping PR pros like Green Apple’s Chris Song brainstorm ideas, conduct research, and monitor brands.

“AI is making it easier to keep track of our clients and their brands in real-time while also cutting out the “noise” produced by incorrect or duplicated results. Similarly, it helps us keep an eye on their partners, competitors, and industries as a whole, which can inform our marketing and PR efforts.”

When prompted with appropriate inputs, AI can assist with the copywriting process by generating creative ideas and topics in the brainstorming phase of an earned media campaign. It can also sift through large amounts of earned media content (e.g., headlines, social media posts, bylines, etc.) to help PR professionals do what they’re already doing—identifying trending content and connecting with journalists (and audiences) interested in their clients’ products and services.

The Human Element

AI can help make your job easier, but it can’t do your job for you. When it comes to PR, there’s a foundational communication skill that will always need a human touch: relationship-building.

“Good relationships are critical. A lot has changed over my time in PR—about 15 years—that makes that even more true today. More traditional news outlets have smaller staffs sharing the same workload as before, which means getting through to gatekeepers is a more complicated process. On the other hand, there are more media content generators and curators than ever, so the relationships we do have must deepen while we also pursue more contacts to build trust and credibility with new and emerging voices. That’s something that AI isn’t capable of doing.”

AI has many other limitations. Having a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips doesn’t guarantee accuracy, timeliness, or the effective application of that knowledge. Publicizing incorrect data and outdated information could erode trust between PR pros and their audiences while making brands vulnerable to criticism. 

Beyond what AI does know, there are many nuances that it cannot understand: the appropriate tone and voice for a particular situation, the timing of any given earned media effort, or highly localized sensitivities based on current events and politics. Writing and creating content for people isn’t the same as writing for a search engine algorithm, and quality, human-centered writing requires both heart and hand.

Best Practices for Utilizing AI in Public Relations 

The storytelling element of PR still requires an emotional intelligence that only humans can provide. AI can help us get away from blank stares at the screen, acting as a great brainstorming tool. We’ve outlined a few best practices to keep in mind when using AI for marketing in our recent blog and have listed a few more below.

  • Double-check everything.
  • Get specific. Just like a Google search, the more information and content you put in, the more you’ll get back.
  • Don’t copy and paste.
  • Don’t allow AI to write your press releases.
  • Don’t become overly reliant on AI for ideas.

The Bottom Line

Artificial intelligence is not something to fear. Instead, it’s an exciting opportunity to improve efficiency and creativity! The concept of AI “competing” with PR comes from a misunderstanding of one or both subjects. Even in the foreseeable future, AI can only supplement the work of a PR professional. Inevitably, some professionals will rely too heavily on it, while others will ignore its utility to the disadvantage of themselves and their clients. In the end, how ethically and effectively AI is used in PR work is up to you. 

An Innovative Marketing and PR Agency

Our team of experts at Green Apple are using the latest tools and innovative approaches to tailor the marketing we do for our clients. If your business could use an updated approach to branding, marketing, and PR, we can help. Reach out to us to discover more effective ways to connect with your audience.

Harnessing AI in Marketing: How to Bridge the Gap Between Efficiency and Authenticity

AI has recently been identified as a technology that will impact almost every industry. As a marketing agency, one of the most frequently asked questions we’ve received over the past year is, “How does AI fit into our marketing toolbox?”

At Green Apple Strategy, we are continually exploring innovative tools and trends to bolster client success. Whether it’s tools like Canva, Airtable, or ChatGPT, we want to find tools that help us deliver exceptional results. The best way we can describe our approach to AI is that we use it as a tool that empowers our team to work smarter. It’s a helpful resource, but it doesn’t replace the human element of our work.

One way to think about the rapid evolution of AI is to think back to the early days of search engines. Before Google, our primary sources of information were found in encyclopedias, phone books, or word-of-mouth recommendations. While Google revolutionized information access, we never copied and pasted information from the results page. Just like a Google search doesn’t replace dissecting a nuanced text, AI alone can’t create impactful marketing. The magic lies in human interpretation, crafting engaging narratives from data, injecting the right voice, and ensuring factual accuracy. 

 

3 Benefits of AI in Marketing 

When it comes to utilizing AI in marketing, here are three benefits we’ve noticed: 

Information Architect

Imagine having a tireless research assistant who scours the internet, analyzes trends, and uncovers hidden insights. That’s the power of AI in information gathering. It gathers mountains of data and gives our team a solid foundation to build strategies. Like Google, AI becomes a starting point and a research partner that we can use to shape the informational content we gather into strategy.

 

Inspiration Igniter

Stuck in a creative rut? AI can be a secret weapon. Its ability to generate different creative formats and ideas can spark unexpected insights and take you down untrod paths. Think of it as a digital brainstorming partner. You might not always use its exact suggestions, but it’ll get those creative juices flowing, helping you break free from the blank page and land on something truly unique and engaging.

 

Efficiency Engine

Marketing agencies wear many hats. AI can be an efficiency guru, automating tedious tasks like scheduling social media posts and generating basic design elements. This frees us up to focus on the human touch—crafting compelling brand narratives, building genuine connections, and injecting your brand with that unique personality that only you can bring.

 

How to Harness AI for Marketing

As you think about incorporating AI into your marketing efforts, here are a few essential “dos and don’ts” to consider: 

Do: Use AI as a tool for ideation and brainstorming. 

Its ability to process vast amounts of data can spark innovative ideas and strategies you might not have considered.

 

Don’t: Blindly use AI-generated content for critical platforms like your website. 

Always ensure that human oversight refines and enhances the content to resonate authentically with your audience.

 

Do: Be specific and detailed in your AI requests. 

Much like a Google search, the more context and information you provide in an AI prompt, the more tailored and relevant the AI-generated results will be.

 

Don’t: Neglect the human element. 

While AI can streamline processes, always contextualize and modify the content based on a deep understanding of your audience and industry nuances.

 

Do: Embrace AI’s analytical capabilities to glean insights from data. 

Utilize these insights to refine your marketing strategies and make informed decisions.

 

Don’t: Solely rely on AI to understand your audience. 

Engage directly with your audience, gather feedback, and use AI as a complementary tool to enhance your understanding, not replace it.

 

The Future of AI in Marketing 

In marketing, AI presents a promising blend of efficiency and innovation. At Green Apple Strategy, we recognize its transformative potential for small businesses. AI can’t replace your marketing team, but it can empower and enhance it. While AI streamlines processes, the essence of authentic connection remains a human touchstone. As you consider how to harness AI’s strengths for your marketing efforts, we hope to bridge the gap between efficiency and authenticity and find a more effective way to capture your audience’s attention and achieve your marketing goals.

Green Apple CEO and Founder Named 2023 Gold Stevie Award Winner

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor the achievements of women executives, entrepreneurs, employees, and the companies they run. We’re so proud to announce that Green Apple CEO and Founder Samantha Pyle has been crowned a 2023 Gold Stevie Award winner for Best Female Entrepreneur! 

Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 nominations each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. By honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the awards recognize outstanding performance in the workplace.

This accolade underscores Sam’s exceptional leadership and innovative approach to running a business. From leading strategy for clients to implementing paid VTO and successfully managing the transition of Green Apple into a remote office, Sam’s forward-thinking ability to navigate challenges is inspiring to her team and to her fellow entrepreneurs.

Green Apple’s process places as much value on strategic thinking and planning as it does on creativity and hard work. By starting with strategy, Samantha has built an agency that helps clients transform marketing from an obligation into a desirable, habitual practice in creative storytelling that is mutually beneficial to her clients, their customers, and their communities.

Representation and inclusion are a cornerstone of Green Apple Strategy’s success. With a core employee group composed of 90 percent women, Sam prioritizes diversity in her hiring and business development practices. A diversity of experiences and perspectives in any workforce, especially within the marketing industry, drives creativity and productivity and empowers organizations to genuinely empathize with their audiences.

Samantha’s influence and efforts extend far beyond the agency she’s built. She currently serves on the board of Thistle Farms, an organization that has provided a loving community, hope, and healing for women for over 25 years. In the past, Sam has served as board president of the Survivor Fitness Foundation and on advisory boards for the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, the American Cancer Society of Middle Tennessee, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee. She recently completed her term on the EO Nashville board as the co-chair of Catalyst, an entrepreneurial development program for small businesses in Nashville, after her own participation in the Catalyst program.

Sam is currently pursuing her MBA at Lipscomb University, one of the nation’s top-ranked business programs, and is slated to graduate in the spring of 2024. We’re delighted to see our CEO recognized publicly for all that she brings to the table.