Public relations (PR) can be a tricky road to navigate. You are trying to put the word out in the market for your company, product, or service but also want to ensure you’re presenting your brand in the best light. Fortunately, by following these six PR tips we have curated, you can avoid making costly PR mistakes and instead build relationships and connections that will help your brand grow.
1. Create an Effective Strategy
To drive a successful public relations campaign, the first thing to put on the table is a rock-solid strategy. You can’t manage public relations without this being well-defined. Your strategy should include a list of key messages, objectives, goals, and approaches based on the following.
- Know Your Audience: Not understanding who you serve and engage with can impede success. It is important to know who you want to reach out to, how you want to reach them, and why they should care about your business. The more specific your strategy is the better your chance of succeeding at PR.
- Know Your Approach: It is essential to be able to connect with your audience in a way that makes sense to them and in a manner that they find engaging. Furthermore, there are different approaches to different situations. For example, sending out a press release may work well when announcing an upcoming product launch. However, an interview request from the media could be more effective if it illustrates how the company is expanding its staff and resources.
- Develop a Crisis Management Strategy: A crisis management plan will help you avoid potential disasters before they happen. Furthermore, it will ensure you’re prepared should situations go awry. You’ll want to include an exhaustive directory containing contacts from all your agencies, a list of employees representing the company, and sample message responses to different situations. It’s all part of a well-defined public relations strategy. Learn more about PR for crisis management.
2. Cultivate Positive Relationships with the Media/Press
The media/press is a vehicle for all things news in our society; they can make and break any individual or organization, so you always want to be in their good books and maintain a positive relationship with them.
A mutual relationship with the media and press can help you increase brand visibility and build trust with your company’s public.
Here are some tips to help you manage your relationships with the media/press:
- Be available and responsive to their requests for interviews and other media requests.
- Don’t be defensive when asked about your company’s policies, practices, or requests that may seem uncomfortable or intrusive; just answer honestly and directly.
- Get involved in local events and community outreach efforts. You can also set up meetings with reporters at conferences and trade shows; it will allow you to talk about new trends in your industry or what’s coming up next year.
3. Capture and Engage on Social Media
According to Jamie Johnson, contributor for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, social media and public relations can no longer be considered mutually exclusive; they are now inextricably linked.
Social media is a powerful tool that has proven to help businesses and brands reach clients and potential customers from all over the world. It’s an easy and inexpensive medium to connect and relate with customers and potential clients, be sure to leverage the tool next time you try to put a word out.
4. Review your competition
Your competitors’ actions, whether good or bad, can provide insights on how to improve your company’s public relations strategy. Studying your competitors for PR can help you incorporate new concepts into your PR strategy, which can, in turn, help your brand get ahead of its competition. See your competitors as a resource and checklist on what you should and should not be doing in your business.
It is significant to note that you don’t have to change your brand to match your competitors; embrace your differences to foster a healthy competitive edge and a sense of identity.
5. Use Data Wisely
Data is an extremely valuable resource for forecasting and preparing for the future. It is the fuel that powers your PR strategy. It helps you understand your audience, measure results, and identify new opportunities for growth.
6. Never Confuse PR with Advertising
Public relations, advertising, and marketing may exist in the same universe but are not the same at all. As you know, public relations is all about reputation management, media relations, and event publicity. While advertising and marketing focus solely on selling products and services.
When managing PR, it’s important to get this right and avoid talking too much about your products or services. Instead, talk about your company as a whole and the value you can bring to customers.
Next Steps for Managing Public Relations
These PR tips will guide you on how best to approach your brand’s PR. As well as, how you want to position yourself in the market. But if things get overwhelming along the way, be sure to always count on RPR firm.
Our team of experts has the experience to work with you every step of the way to ensure you have a tailored solution specific to your needs. At RPR, we have all the support and services your business needs to succeed. Schedule a free consultation with us today!