Centuries ago King Solomon stated, “A good name is better than riches…” That statement was true then and no less true today. The difference is that now, maintaining that good reputation is paramount because years ago the news was more contained due to a lack of media and communication. In today’s high tech, media-driven world, however, a failure, verbal faux pas or bad decision is quickly spread across the airwaves and social media. As a result, having an effective PR approach is a necessity.
“But what is involved in developing an effective PR campaign?” you may ask. Surprisingly, while it is not some great mystery, it is not a task to be left to chance. Rather, a number of elements should be incorporated in order to ensure your company’s image is everything you want it to be. Here are 7 tips for developing an effective public relations campaign and boost your reputation.
Tips for Developing an Effective Public Relations Campaign
1. Identify what’s unique about you – If you have a lot of competition, then identify what is unique about you and capitalize on that. In business, standing out from the crowd is always better than blending in.
2. Tell a story – Don’t just have a product or service, generate stories or angles that get you noticed. Not sure how to do that? Ask yourself the following:
· Is your serviced or product unique from others? Why is this the case?
· Is your company anniversary coming up?
· Can you identify a problem your consumers are dealing with, then present information or a service that addresses and solves the issue?
· Can you offer a perspective on a relevant news story?
· Has one of your clients/customers done something newsworthy?
3. Know your “why” – You need to know who your target market is so that you can craft a campaign or approach that reaches them.
4. Easy connections – Make it easy for your audience to interact with you. From Call to Action options to social media, make it easy to get feedback.
5. Don’t be overly promotional -Don’t make your PR approach all about you. An effective PR approach is careful balance between being self–promoting and customer-focused. Your product has to offer your followers more than a product. It needs to offer them a solution for a problem or specific scenario. Consider tutorials, free products or other items that encourage customers to want to follow and engage with you.
6. Watch your language – Before sending out a campaign message or creating and posting a graphic, be sure to have others critique it for its potential to offend the recipients. You never want your PR campaign to offend the very people you want to interest. From the graphics to the verbiage, it is vital that you have someone check out every piece of literature, social post, or media campaign used. (This is where having a PR company can be worth its weight in gold!)
7. Determine what denotes success – You need to know before beginning your PR campaign what the signs of success will be. It may be the number of hits on your website, how many people come to your location, or any other quantitative action. But, you must determine what success will look like otherwise you won’t know if you achieved your goal.
Developing and effective PR campaign and media/ industry presence is time well spent. You can choose to have an in-house PR team or seek a team such as Alpine Communications to do it for you, but regardless of your approach, it is not an area of business to overlook in the quest for success. Talk to Alpine Communications to get started on an effective PR approach today.