Alyse Tatevosian
If you want to make an impactful impression with your brand, it’s essential to ensure that your public relations strategy is timely and relevant. With the advent of social media along came more fantastic opportunities to increase visibility and awareness. But with easier access, there is more competition to stand out from the crowd.
In traditional public relations, you would write a press release that could capture the interest of a small circle of journalists. With New Media, there are many outlets and opportunities to gain awareness of your brand and control the narrative.
Keep your public relations strategy fresh and relevant. To do this, try these three key tactics.
Engage Influencers
Connecting with influencers is a fantastic way to increase your brands’ visibility and align your brand with influential people. Attaching your brand with the right people can help you achieve your goals faster than you could, but proceed wisely.
Keep these tips in mind:
- It’s A Numbers Game. Recent surveys suggest that almost fifty percent of consumers rely on influencer’s recommendations for purchases. Additionally, many marketers believe engaging influencers are more profitable than other marketing initiatives, depending on the influencer’s conversion rates. Don’t get caught up on the 1.5 million subscribers; pay attention to how many followers follow through.
- Find Your Tribe. Find an influencer that is relevant to your brand and initiative. It would help if you also looked at your brand’s following; you may have a significant influencer already interested in what you have to offer. If they are following you, they are an active listener and maybe a customer.
- Build A Relationship. If you have influencers following your brand, make sure you acknowledge them. If you want to meet new followers, connect in healthy, positive ways with them or with their talent representative. Once you establish a connection, stay in touch. The partnership may not happen right away, so stay in the game and continue to nurture the relationship. Remain authentic, and that will naturally draw the right team to you. If an agent represents them, contact the agent to get the ball rolling.
Content is King
To build a brand, you must make time for sharing content with your audience. The right content can have a long shelf life and can be shared often. All social media platforms algorithms reward regularly sharing content.
Try these strategies:
- Prioritize inbound methods. Great content typically costs less than paid media and often produces higher quality traffic and leads. The right content attracts the right customers who are looking for the products and services you offer.
- Partner with complimentary brands. Find a brand that compliments what you do and targets the same demographics and brand values. If your’re a publicist, connect with a fashion stylist or an agent. Look for brands that speak your language in a different segment of the market. Co-branding with the right brands builds trust and helps both parties to broaden your audience.
- Snap a Photo. According to Forbes, 91% of consumers prefer interactive and visual content over traditional text-based media. Add photos, infographics, and other images to get more likes and shares on of your content.
- Live Appearances. Broadcast your events and activities so your audience can feel more connected to you and the experience your brand offer.
- Talk to not At. Don’t just post content, engage with your audience. Encourage them to contact you and make it easy for them to contact you and respond promptly. Listen to your audience and learn about them and what makes them tic. Tailor your content to address their concerns and interest.
- Brand Intimacy. Develop a deeper connection and loyalty with your audience by using emption. This emotional connection is created with you developed when you authentically share what you brand is about and share it in a positive way.
Be Tech Savvy
Technology can help you grow your brand and build a loyal following. In todays market, technology moves at the speed of light. If it is a challenge to stay on top of technology, hire a consultant or co-partner with a brand to barter services.
Tools of the Trade:
- Analytics. Monitoring your brands analytics can tell you how you are attracting and where to focus your attention. It can also provide insight on the best times to post and what types of data your audience responds well to. Analyzing your data will help you make more sound decisions about how you invest your time online.
- Automate your processes. Almost every industry has a way to conduct business more intelligently. You can streamline your systems using artificial intelligence. It is an excellent way to get more done and to mitigate brand risks.
- If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. After gathering your brands data, pay attention to what works and keep doing that. Don’t reinvent the wheel either. See what others are doing that seems to connect with your demographics and try it our you’re your brand.
- Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater – As new media is continues to be the focal point of public relations efforts, don’t throw out tried and true methods to jump on the new ride. Press release, pitch letters, email and text and the good old telephone still works. The key is establishing the right mix for your demographics in your media campaigns.
Decide how you want your brand to be seen in public. Make clear goals, prioritize your efforts, and stay consistent. Public relations take time, but the results always provide the best return on investment.
