SIX SMART WAYS TO ECONOMISE YOUR PR
I truly believe that PR is what can save a business when their world is dark. In light of what we are all experiencing right now I wanted to spotlight the importance of PR for your business in a time of uncertainty, downturn and crisis.
I also want to punctuate the point that this is not an opportunistic message. This is what I believe to be relevant and necessary for any business facing adversity. PR is a forever function. The answer is always PR. Especially for a business experiencing hardship who wants to recover at the other side.
PR helps to share your message, your status, and what is most important for your community to know as things develop for your business in a tough time. PR through meaningful communications strategies helps businesses recover from impact and insulates them from unnecessary additional negative consequences.
I’m always talking about sustainable PR, slow PR and ensuring that PR is an infinite function in your business. To make that more possible for businesses facing tough times right now…
Here are six smart ways to economise your PR:
Streamline The Messaging
This is relevant for the businesses with an existing PR strategy in action right now. If we’re pitching one key message instead of five for a brand then there’s less media to pitch to. If there’s less messaging to syndicate and a smaller pool of media to reach then the effort takes less time. PR is a fee for service industry so by reducing the number of stories and ideal media placements around your brand (quality over quantity) this greatly reduces the investment. Instead of casting the net wide; your proactive PR efforts could be slim-lined from an international outreach approach to a national or state-wide one.
Streamline The Social Media Efforts
Just in the same way that targeting less media with multiple story opportunities reduces time, so too does reducing the number of platforms you’re currently active on, as well as reducing the frequency of posts. It’s incredibly important to remain present and adjust the messaging according to the environment for your business and the audience. Even if the way your business operates has changed dramatically for the indefinite future, it’s critical you remain available online and through content in order to reemerge in the best place possible on the other side of COVID19. Don’t switch off your socials, just adjust how you resource them.
DIY Public Relations
To ignite new and build-on or simply retain existing consumer sentiment you need to have PR functioning. If out-sourcing isn’t possible for you and your business right now, have a crack at DIY PR. While nothing beats the speed, intel and career-long media relationships built that your PR pro will have; it’s better than nothing. It will keep the function active and in-tact. And it might bring about newfound camaraderie and understanding for your chosen PR agency from the past or for your future. Ok, so it might be a little rough and ready, but keep your social media conversations going, keep publishing content, keep connecting with media your business has a relationship with and keep syndicating news and updates around your business that provide value.
Check out our friends over at List Co who can help you with accessing media lists and contact details for media in your industry. Also check out Flaunter; a digital PR assistant and image share platform. As well as SourceBottle, a free online service that connects journalists with sources. And lastly, we’re working hard to bring businesses online PR workshops and resources. Hopefully coming soon!
Reach out to Influencers
Humans are social animals and while we aren’t able to socialise in person right now conversations via Influencers on social media are keeping communities connected. Influencers are still working and able to produce quality content from their homes. They still have highly captured audiences, especially now that we all have more time to be online. Reach out to Influencers that are aligned to your brand values and who create content that is on-point for you to re-publish. Influencers are still relevant and help to shape our awareness and connection with brands.
Switch to Digital Ad Placement
If your business had an above-the-line spend on media buy then now is the time to shift gears on how you invest in advertising. Thanks to digital marketing and social media; advertising is now democratised and available to all businesses. As part of your PR function you can realign your messaging and place information-rich digital ads at an entry level fee which can be scaled up or down at any time.
Embrace Endorsement Strategies
Be sure to ask your community to support you. If they’re brand loyal and connected they will. You can get your customers to become roving ambassadors for your brand through user generated content on social media via competitions, or you could encourage Google Reviews to win loyalty points for further spend, or create a rewarded referral program.
This is a time to refine your approach but it is not the time to eliminate your voice and messaging. PR doesn’t have to be expensive. But it needs to be forever. For as long as your business exists. A slow and steady PR function now will result in bigger returns over time as well as support future growth. Whatever the environment, business is always a game in word-of-mouth and content.
It is always the right time for PR because it builds brand through content. And brand building is always right because it creates demand.
Wishing you and your business good health, peace of mind and excellent PR support.
Words by Jade Roberts
raraPR Founder and Creative Director
raraPR is above all the sum of people who together help build brands and share stories. We are present in our determination to make a positive difference to the world by representing individuals and businesses that are doing good. We are an extension of the personal stories within us, those that we exist for and those within you that need to be heard.
