There are several reasons why you should consider investing in Public Relations for your business, amongst generating leads and attracting investors.
Public Relations is one of the most effective ways to build on marketing strategies and create a solid online reputation.
If you are going to invest time and money into a PR agency, it’s important to follow these 9 steps for launching a successful PR campaign.
1. Audience
You must know your target audience. Understand their age groups, interests, what media outlet they read, etc. You need to completely understand your customers’ wants and needs. These will also help you decide which publications to engage with.
Businesses often tend to overlook who they should be getting in front of, and it isn’t always just the top publications such as Metro or Daily Mail. There are hundreds of other publications that focus on niche segments of an industry.
2. Identify Clear Goals And Objectives
SavoryPR always asks their clients “Why do you want PR?”. Some business professionals want to use PR because advertising is so expensive and they can secure more press with a PR budget.
Others do PR in an effort to sell their company in the future, secure funding, achieve new users/customers, etc.
It is important to identify why you need PR so that your team can develop a strategy that always goes hand in hand with those goals and objectives.
3. Create A Smart Strategy
The key to every PR campaign is the strategy followed. You need to give off a consistent and positive image whenever you interact with customers.
Develop a communications plan and budget, and talk to a PR agency about what they can do within your budget to grow sales, increase your visibility, and enhance your reputation and brand awareness.
Creating a timed schedule for press releases and social media postings is important, as is dedicating time to responding to the questions and interactions generated on social media channels.
4. Make Golden Contacts
Shrinking budgets and dropping readerships mean journalists are spending less time than ever before actually gathering news. That is why many are more than happy to receive press releases and use stories that are pre-prepared in this way.
Try to send your press releases as interesting and newsworthy as possible, because journalists and editors receive hundreds and thousands of press releases every day. You want to make sure they click on yours.
Also, try and send it to a focused list of contacts. Don't be afraid to follow up with a brief phone call to ensure they have received what you've sent.
5. Understand Deadlines
Always ask a press person, either a journalist or an editor, what their deadlines are and try to meet them. Provide the information needed on time.
Bluesky lists some tips on how to meet your deadlines, and what to do if you don’t.
6. Invest In Visual Content
Visual media helps readers clarify and comprehend information because they are able to develop their own perception of the content and avoid misinterpretation.
This will be essential in getting your story, message, and product/service out in front of an audience.
You could have visuals of your values, CEO background, mission statement, or health tutorials. Visual content is very helpful to journalists and enables them to get a better and more complete picture of your business and story.
7. Find Creative News Angles
According to Fintheedge, it is difficult to get stories and angles that will get your press releases noticed. So it is important to consider answering these questions when generating them:
👁 Are you offering a new product or service?
👁 Are you approaching an anniversary, such as five years trading?
👁 Can you identify a problem your patients are facing, and then conduct research or a survey highlighting this issue?
👁 Can you offer a perspective on a relevant news story?
👁 Has one of your patients or clients done something newsworthy?
👁 Do you have a strong opinion on development in your sector?
8. Use Your Personal Brand
If you have a healthcare practice, you have to know that there are a lot of competitors, and you're all offering roughly the same service. You'll need to find something unique to share.
The only thing that is definitely unique is you, your personal brand. Use it. Promote your personal brand alongside your healthcare and generate a multi-dimensional PR campaign.
9. The Campaign
Once you have put everything in place, the campaign can begin.
Make sure you track the results of the campaign constantly to see whether goals and objectives are being achieved and whether the target audience is receiving the key messages of the campaign.
At the completion of the campaign, you should communicate with the client and determine whether their desired results have been achieved.
This will also allow you to determine whether the campaign was a success or not.
By closely following these 6 steps, you should be able to have a successful campaign. Good luck! 😎
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About the Author
Peter is a Spanish Marketing Intern at Profile High Club. He studies a BA in Business Management with Marketing at London South Bank University. He is passionate about travelling, and loves learning and discovering new things. Peter, having grown up in Spain, can speak 2 languages fluently, and hopes to improve his French very soon.
Find Peter on LinkedIn.
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