Do you know what people think about your company? Its aims, achievements and reputation? Its ambitions for the future? Not just your clients but your staff; and anyone whose opinion can help ensure the future success of your enterprise?
If the answer to any of the above is ‘no’ or even ‘well not exactly’, there is almost certainly a void where PR should be. However, it demands insight, application and imagination.
A positive public profile is vital to the commercial viability of any organisation, whatever the sector. But to be perceived in a positive light by target audiences, is rarely a happy accident. Building an image is a careful process of discreet messaging and strategic communications.
The first step is deciding whether you are ready for PR. Before establishing systems, you must check if your company:
Has a clear and accurate perception of its reputation in your marketplace.
Is able to clearly state its unique selling points.
- Has a vision of where it wants to be in five, 10 or 20 years time.
- Will be truly committed to this new stage in its development. PR is a real investment, in terms of management time.
If you and your colleagues are unable to consistently state how you would like to be perceived by external audiences, then you almost certainly have a problem. Any internal disagreements must be settled before you start talking to anyone outside your organisation.
However, if you all feel that you do know what sets you apart from your competition, are clear about how you would like to be positioned to external audiences and have the time to commit to directing and delivering a PR programme, then now is the time to start.
The first step
One of the most fundamental steps in initiating any PR programme is determining your target audiences and their key influencers.
So, if you are trying to improve your company’s profile in the eyes of a marketing manager of a major corporate, you must consider whether they are more likely to be influenced by reading about you in the pages of a marketing magazine, or by seeing you on the rostrum at an industry conference.
Awareness of your target audience is the fundamental part of the PR brief, particularly if this team is an agency. As they are operating on the outside, it is unlikely that they will be as familiar with your target audiences as you are.
Once you have worked out whom you are targeting, you must agree on the strategy and tactics.
The most effective PR plans, particularly in the B2B sector, focus strongly on these influencers; usually the media or the high profile industry events. Once these have been identified, the PRs will outline a range of tactics to deliver the desired profile to the right audience.
One key tip when briefing an agency is to ensure they undertake a focused approach to media targeting. There is no point in securing minor media coverage on your company in a huge array of different titles. This would have little impact on readers such as potential clients.
It is far better to require the agency to deliver in-depth coverage in one key publication that you know is really influential to an important audience. Tactics that deliver this sort of coverage include opinion pieces on current industry issues or commissioning sector-specific research passed to the publication on an exclusive basis.
It is also important to ensure that your PR programme will have a consistent level of activity. There is a real danger of rushing in with all media guns blazing only to find there is nothing new to say later on. Spread out the planned PR activity across your work calendar.
Once things are under way, it is vital to monitor all activity and have an honest dialogue about successes and failures. Not every element will deliver the desired impact: there are no guarantees in PR. It is not a question of booking ad space. If a tactic isn’t working, change it and adopt another that might get you the same result, but be patient. In many cases, PR results can be a slow burn and come to fruition in the longer term. It is very difficult to make immediate impact if you haven’t used PR before. It takes time.
The PR person will ‘sell’ your company and its offerings over the phone to the journalist or event organiser. The success (or otherwise) of this process depends on a whole range of different factors, including the strength of your positioning compared to your competition, the quality of your information, what other articles or events are being planned and finally on the luck that all these elements are in place at the right time for the sell to work. Luck is never easy to plan for.
This may all seem impossible. It’s not, but it does depend on having the fundamental elements in place before starting. Then your PR programme should roll along, targeting your key media and speaker organisations, placing your organisation high on the agenda, both in editorial and speaker platforms.
By then, you will know that your PR is working, because your corporate profile will be elevated along with all the associated gravitas and mystique that third-party endorsement brings.
There is no comparison between laudatory advertising that everyone knows, compared with an independent publication or event programme positioning you firmly as one of your industry’s leading authorities. That position will be reflected in your reputation and your bottom-line, building your client portfolio, ensuring you recruit top talent and establishing confidence in the financial community, for whatever ambitions you have for expansion.
