The last couple of years has brought several changes in the PR sector and made digital publicity more challenging than ever.
You know change is inevitable no matter the sector you’re working in. But it looks like the last changes have made PR more challenging than ever. And should we note that digital media trends are continuously changing, so developing a solid marketing strategy could prove daunting for those who lack expertise and experience.
Public relations has always been a marketing tool surrounded by confusion, so it’s best to benefit from an expert’s assistance to execute a publicity strategy successfully. What few people know is that public relations is a combination of strategy, persuasion, and creativity. Those who master the art of doing PR can control the way it impacts a brand.
If you want to expand your business’ reach or expose your brand to a new public, here is what you need to know about public relations in 2022.
What is public relations?
Public relation is a method that relies on using media channels to promote a brand and cultivate a positive public image. PR can also be a company’s process of managing its communications and brand (usually during challenging times). You can use public relations to spread information about your brand, so in a way, it’s similar to branding. However, PR mainly focuses on reputation and communication, while branding uses visual elements like your website, logo, brand colours, and marketing materials to achieve its purpose.
Why is public relations essential for businesses?
PR defines how your business communicates with people – the general public, clients, investors, business partners, media specialists, and even politicians. Regardless of your sector or business needs, it would be best if you had public relations. The Pew Research Centre revealed that 27% of US buyers trust the information they discover on social media. However, 75% of them trust local news outlets and 56% national news media. A PR specialist is an expert storyteller with the necessary skills to develop strategies for getting your story in front of the right public in the media outlets they trust.
Public relations is crucial in 2022 because people want to trust the companies they buy products and services from. PR is still one of the most effective tools for building and fostering trust, so you should take full advantage of it.
Public relations strategies for 2022
A public relations strategy could help your business organize, create, and measure the effectiveness of your PR efforts and methods over a period of time. However, keep in mind that it’s different from your marketing plan, even if it supports it. Depending on its complexity, it can cover several months of campaigns or address a single goal, like an event. Creating an effective PR strategy implies focusing on a collaborative communication approach. Your brand no longer has the option to decide if it shares a point of view about subjects like equity, climate change, diversity, or inclusion.
How to Build a PR Strategy
Look out for external and internal brand factors
The first step in developing a successful public relations strategy is to review the past methods that provided positive results and identify the efforts that didn’t pay out. To do this, you may have to:
– Review client insights and buyer personas
– Evaluate your social media engagement
– Have a look at your influencer collaborations
– Track media mentions.
During this step, you should also create a list of internal and external factors that could influence your business’ success.
– Economic shifts
– Distribution shifts
– Trends
– Political climate
– Tech advances
– Leadership and stakeholders’ changes
– Pricing, product, and feature changes
– Tech improvements
Write down your goals
You may be tempted to jump directly to the statistics research unveils, but it’s essential to identify your goals before checking them. This stage is paramount if you want to draw attention to a product launch or plan a long-term public relations image building. Here is an outline of goals necessary to point you toward the best methods.
– Identify your target public
– Pick the key message you want to transmit
– Include the metrics you want to use to track the strategy’s evolution
Create a timeline for your PR campaign
Successful PR relies on delivering the right message at the ideal moment, so work with your publicist to create a calendar for short and long-term timeframes. Make sure to consider public holidays and other important industry dates because they impact your PR campaign.
Pick the proper tactics
Now that you know the when and why it’s the moment to establish the tactics that would best deliver your strategy. Consult with your publicist and make a comprehensive list.
Track the results
Finally, it’s time to measure the outcomes. However, remember that public relations isn’t an exact science, and measuring the public’s perception can be challenging. Try to align your PR metrics with your business goals to identify the connection between your public relations efforts and ROI.
Consider the following principles when developing PR strategies
(High quality) Content is king
You’ve heard it a thousand times, and we’ll repeat it, you need to deliver quality content to keep your clients engaged. Work with PR professionals to ensure that you go beyond delivering classic PR content and provide your audience with unique and varied pieces that meet their needs and interests. When creating any kind of content, ensure you add value to it. The media is always looking for a great story, so make sure to offer them a positive one.
Influencer PR is worth
Social media is one of the most potent advertising means and will most likely stay that way for many years. Statistics show that over 50% of the world uses at least a social media platform. Therefore, it’s no surprise that influencer marketing is rising, and all brands should take advantage of it. If you want to enhance your brand’s visibility, don’t engage only with the biggest names in the industry that have millions of followers, collaborate with micro-influencers that target niche markets and could introduce you to a new public.
Keep in mind that you aim to boost engagement, and micro-influencers nail it. They often obtain better results than mega-stars, leading us to the idea that quality beats quantity in public relations. Influencers may annoy many people, but they’re everywhere worldwide and will grow even more popular. Include their services in your PR strategy to build brand awareness because the public finds them relatable and authentic.
Focus on custom-made social media promotion
It’s no longer enough to post content on social media daily, and you need to create personalised messages according to the public you target. Therefore, you need to research the market to gain insights into their expectations and needs. Integrating public relations with brand consultation, social media, and digital marketing is crucial to achieving an impactful effect.
Promote inclusivity
No brand can longer deny that the public expects organisations to take a stand on public problems. A survey from Sprouts Social concluded that 70% of consumers expect from the brands they buy from more than a “no comment” attitude regarding public issues. It’s paramount these days to leave stereotypes behind and include diversity in your PR strategy. So ensure that you include various sexualities, races, genders, cultures, belief structures, disabilities, and ages in your next campaigns. A study from McKinsey shows that the brands embracing inclusivity register a 19% boost in revenue and 35% improved performance advantage.
Make your public feel special
You already know that each individual is unique. However, they all have a common trait, they love to feel special. It means that customisation is essential when crafting a solid PR strategy. Whether you plan an event, give pitches, post on social media, or send press releases, add a personal touch to them.
Personalisation is a critical component when developing campaigns, creating content, and communicating on social media platforms. Pick your words wisely, no matter what kind of content you deliver.
Learn more about cross-promotion
Cross-promotion is an effective way to gain increased visibility and capture the attention of new groups. Cross-promotion implies sharing content via several channels to a wider public. Currently, podcasting and blogging are the most popular forms of cross-promotion.
Use data to drive innovation
PR is invaluable for your business, but you must rely on reliable data to develop a successful public relations strategy. Remember that you use PR to tell your brand’s story, and in order to deliver a captivating plot, you must analyse and back it with data. Once you obtain the information, you can look for ideas for a compelling discourse that would capture your prospects’ attention. This is where Search Engine Optimisation comes to play; you must learn how to optimise your website to get increased publicity for the content.
How to choose a public relations consultant for your business
As stated before, public relations is often about sharing your brand’s story and information about your products, services, and business with the public. You can use it to support your reputation, build an authentic dialogue with your audience, provide publicity for your services and products, and enhance your public’s understanding of your goals and values. Working with a PR specialist is crucial because you need their expertise and experience to craft a successful publicity campaign.
Let’s break it down and clarify how you can find a reliable public relations consultant to enable your brand to achieve its goals.
Discuss with them your definition of success and share your goals
Depending on your goals, you may want to build awareness for a new service, product, or the overall company. Or maybe you want to manage a negative incident or crisis your business is dealing with and repair your reputation. A skilled PR expert can work with you to identify your goals and develop methods to achieve them. They’ll also analyze the social media and news landscape and tell you where public relations can benefit you. Also, expect them to be realistic regardless of the ideas and angles that will deliver the best results. Agreeing with your consultant on the tools and methods necessary to execute the plan flawlessly is essential. Before hiring an expert to handle your PR campaign, search online for how much is a publicist to ensure that your budget allows you to work with a specialist.
Check their recent work
When selecting a consultant to craft your new PR strategy, learn about their experience in your field and get to know their style to ensure it fits your brand. Ask them to show recent work, case studies and talk through a couple of successful projects. Working with someone who understands and respects social media, offline media, influencers, and bloggers is important. Bear in mind that this comes with experience because PR requires building a relationship with the media in time. Before hiring an agency to provide PR services for your business, find out who is actually executing the work.
Learn more about the process
Your new PR consultant will hustle in the digital landscape and media, but they also need your involvement to achieve the established goals. You’re an expert when it comes to your brand because you know best the stories, problems, and other details that public relations can use to enhance your brand’s visibility. Set a time to meet with your PR expert and share your insight and expertise in your company. No matter who is crafting the public relations campaign, you remain the voice of your business, and it’s crucial to be available for interviews and discussions. Your publicist will bring several opportunities, but it depends on your willingness and availability to achieve your goals. Ensure that you hire a specialist who offers media training and briefs you before an interview to get you ready and comfortable to handle any situation.
Public relations can bring countless valuable benefits to your company with the proper support.
