5 PR Habits of Highly Effective Growing Companies
Last week at Innovation Martlesham, Chloe Purcell gave a successful presentation alongside BT TSO’s Mike Witts – Head of Corporate Affairs & External Communications.
Chloe’s presentation offered 5 top tips for effective PR:
1. Make sure you have the time, effort and skills to deliver your target outcome
Winning the PR battle to be recognised in the market as a significant player is highly competitive and takes time and practice. You need to decide how much you are willing and/or able to put in, and what outcomes you want to achieve through your PR.
Is it increased awareness? Company growth? Profile raising for your leadership team? All of these are valid pursuits, but each takes time, effort and skill to achieve. If you do not have the time to put the effort in, or feel you lack the skills to do it effectively, the outcome will inevitably fail to meet your expectations.
2. Plan ahead – read the media your customers are consuming, work with journalists and editors
Being proactive is crucial to PR success. Disseminating one press release every 6 months or so via a newswire will not have the same effect as reaching out consistently and effectively to targeted editors and journalists.
In order to find these targets, read the media you know your customers are consuming and work with their editorial team and calendar to get your company featured in those titles. When you have created effective content for these titles, repurposing it for your website, blog or social media will maximise the results.
3. Do more to offer original content to your target audiences
Consider creating original content that will speak to your industry at a higher level and generate more in-depth coverage. This could be a white paper or case study, or perhaps an industry survey. Generating this kind of content can demonstrate your expertise to your target customers and open up dialogues with editors.
4. Use your PR content as a powerful tool to raise awareness and credibility
Again, once you have created this content, do not leave it on a shelf for posterity. Arm your sales team with insights on the industry that your competitors do not have. Distribute the knowledge internally, so that every employee is up to date on the content and can speak knowledgably about your business and expertise. Remember – everyone in your organisation is your PR mouthpiece.
In addition, when pitching for new business, use it to talk to potential clients about their industry, where appropriate, and leave that piece of knowledge with them, rather than just a business card.
5. If you don’t have time, hire an expert!
In the same way you would not hire a PR professional to do complex coding or product development, do not expect those without PR training in your company to do your PR. We understand that you are busy and need to use your resources effectively.
Hiring a PR expert allows you and your team to get on with what they do best, whilst your key messages are being communicated by a dedicated specialist. We think strategically, across 6, 12, 24 months and consistently devise, write, disseminate and measure content that can be used to support many different areas of your business.
If you’d like to hear more about how we could help you with your PR and marketing, please contact Paul Howlett-Davey or Chloe Purcell directly, or call the office on 01473 633123.
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