When it comes to public relations and marketing strategies, one thing that has never changed is the importance of storytelling. In other words, how do you tell your story in a way that generates interest and engagement from your audience
Develop a messaging plan.
A messaging plan is a framework for how you communicate with your audience, including the strategy for how you will position your brand and reach out to them. It should also include a strategy for measuring success, as well as clear goals and objectives that were agreed upon by everyone involved in the campaign.
Decide on the right media outlet for your campaign.
When deciding which media outlet will be the best fit for your campaign, consider the following:
Relevance to audience. Your audience should be able to easily relate to the publication or website that you choose. If they don't see themselves represented in it, then there's no point in using that outlet at all!
Relevance to brand identity and values. If your company is known for being environmentally friendly, choosing a publication, for example, that promotes fossil fuels won't help spread awareness of your mission statement or make you look good in general.
Relevance during your particular stage of planning.
Your overall budget versus attainable goals. A larger budget gives you options for outlets like radio stations and national publications, whereas with a smaller budget, well-thought-out social media campaigns can be more effective.
Consider Using Influencers
PR and marketing strategies are constantly being innovated. We can see this with the growth in AI in the past few years. Twenty years ago, commercials and print media campaigns were integral to PR success, but today, social media is queen and a new type of PR campaign is becoming an effective way to establish brand authority and boost sales: social media influencers.
Influencers allow you to optimize your PR budget while also building strong relationships with potential customers. Influencers who share your brand's mission and values can often offer better success than other media outlets, including celebrity campaigns.
Identify your influencers and build relationships with them.
In order to build a successful social influencer campaign, you have to know who your influencers are and how to build relationships with them. You must first identify the right people for your company or brand.
Influencers can be anyone from journalists and bloggers to industry thought leaders and even celebrities who have large audiences on social media platforms like Twitter or Instagram.
Once you've identified these individuals, it's time to start building relationships with them.
Reach out directly via email or social media platform.
Most influencers have collaboration emails directly in their profiles, and bloggers often have tabs dedicated to this as well. Reach out and share your campaign details, and inquire as to their past experience in similar campaigns, proof of their reach and their required rates.
Once you’ve received feedback from the influencers you’ve identified would be best for your campaign, you’ll want to do further research into which ones offer the best ROI. Some things to consider are:
Their possible reach and engagement.
Any case studies or proof of sales from previous clients and campaigns.
Their cost versus what they are offering, i.e. number of reels/blog posts/reviews.
Invest in a public relations strategy and plan, not just marketing collateral or one-off tactics.
A public relations strategy and plan is a long-term approach to building your brand, creating awareness and driving sales. It's not something you can do overnight or even over the course of one year. Rather, it's an ongoing process that requires continuous investment and dedication on the part of the company's leaders (and employees). The goal is to create an authentic relationship with your consumers and followers.
Building these relationships take time, continuous effort, ongoing optimizations and regular attention to personalization and your clients' needs.
The Saunders PR Group is Here for You.
PR is a long-term investment, and it's important to stay in constant communication with the team involved in your PR campaign and company's image. You should always be looking for opportunities to build your trust, interact and utilize current trends for continued and lasting growth. The Saunders PR Group offers a fully informed PR strategy to help your company achieve the best results. Our specialists stand ready to listen, probe and execute best-in-class strategies designed for you and your company.