In today's increasingly competitive news market, good public relations means more than drafting press releases, creating press kits, or trying to place flattering feature stories in the local press. At Bellevue, we understand that effective communications starts with knowing what actually constitutes news to those reporters and editors who make coverage decisions every day.

We use this experience to develop effective public relations strategies for each client we serve, providing a full range of public relations services that include:

Strategic planning Media relations Distributions Community PR News conferences/Events Editorial Support Crisis communications Web site development Media training Grassroots correspondence At Bellevue, we start with one simple yet fundamental rule: Listen to the client. An effective communications strategy must speak to the audience that the client wants to reach. We develop realistic, quantifiable and measurable communications strategies that support your business or organizational activities. Our communications plans offer innovative solutions to meet these challenges, and they reflect careful consideration of the most effective ways to reach the target audience. Our professionals have good working relationships with the region's reporters and editors, and we can put them to work to insure that the press gets the facts and the opportunity to hear your story. We counsel clients on what to expect when a reporter calls, and we provide the kind of background information clients need to engage the press with confidence on any issue. Good news releases - and good op-ed pieces, columns, press advisories and other forms of communication with the press - require a professional journalist's eye for what is newsworthy. We help clients prepare distribution material that is professional quality, employing only the material that the newspaper or radio/TV station actually needs. In other words, we prepare material that will be used. Controversial projects often share at least one common problem: how to deal with the community reaction to the proposal. At Bellevue, we have the experience and skill to develop 'community' public relations that help clients effectively manage their message so that local groups understand and support your mission. When an issue warrants a news conference or the staging of an event to attract publicity, it takes special - and professional - planning to make the most of the opportunity. We work with you on every phase of the news conference or special event: picking the right time and place, selecting the right participants and the proper audience, developing interesting themes or topics to attract interest, drafting written remarks, preparing useful press kits, following-up with reporters, and anticipating the questions they are likely to ask. To maximize the publicity opportunity on particularly complex or controversial issues, we devote considerable attention to follow-up calls - and when necessary, visits - with local editorial boards and columnists to explain the significance of the issue at hand. When the glare of the spotlight is particularly harsh, Bellevue can guide you through the pivotal task of dealing effectively and forthrightly with the press - limiting adverse publicity in the process, and minimizing the threat to your reputation or your organization's future viability. Use of the Internet among reporters and the public continues to grow at an exponential pace. For many, their first impressions of an organization will be formed based upon the content of the web site. Bellevue will work with you to determine your site objectives, develop a user-friendly site, and keep the information current. Press interviews are an important part of developing a company's message, and there is no substitute for preparation. Bellevue can work with you to sharpen the skills required to conduct on-camera interviews successfully. Through our interactive media training sessions, we will work with you to develop and deliver a clear and concise message, critique on-camera mock interviews, prepare you for tough questions, and build the confidence that is an essential element of every good interview. When the situation demands rapid distribution of your message, Bellevue can generate high-volume communications via the internet, e-mail, telephone or mail to influence key public officials or a community on a particular issue. The correspondence we generate shares one distinguishing characteristic: high quality. Our messages are designed to be personal, factual, and concise - in other words, the kind of communications that counts.