Preparing for the summer requires more than packing your bags and saying goodbye to your friends: It may also mean thinking about how you want people (namely future employers, partners, clients, etc.) to see you after graduation. The way that you market yourself can have a big impact on your opportunities in the near future. Here are some public relations tips that should help you get started.
Know your audience
The first step towards dominating your online presence is to know your audience. The best way to do this is to consider your overall purpose. If you’re applying for jobs, your intention is likely to show off your professional skills so that potential employees see. If you’re looking to jumpstart your own business, your intention is to showcase how much you can do for potential clients. No matter what, you want to be able to identify exactly who you’re trying to reach. What kind of tone do you think your audience expects? What kind of graphics will work the best? Is your audience mostly active on social media, or would traditional advertising work better for them? Understanding your audience should make these decisions far easier to make.
Host an event
If your company offers products or services that are beneficial to others in the community, you may want to consider hosting an event. An event can be a great way to get your name out there and gain new customers while giving back to the community. Plus, other PR opportunities can arise from the event such as being interviewed by the media or featured in online articles. You should start preparing as early as possible so that you have everything in place for the event that you have in mind. If you’d like to throw a pool party but don’t have a swimming pool, for example, you might want to look into pool company financing right away.
Keep up with trends
There are all kinds of trends that may be relevant to you, but it’s easy to miss them if you’re not keeping track. Keep an eye out for new trends in education, technology, and culture in general. Keeping tabs on what’s current will help you engage with your online presence in new and exciting ways. Trends are great because they can be applied to almost any field or industry. For example, you can engage with the latest innovations in technology by keeping tabs on what’s new in artificial intelligence, the internet of things, virtual reality, and more. With cultural trends, you have even more options. Keep an eye on what’s popular in music, film, sports, and in pop culture in general. There are a ton of ways you can engage with cultural trends to boost your online presence.
Pivot your brand voice
You shouldn’t be afraid to pivot your brand voice if you need to. If you want to build up your following but you feel like certain types of posts aren’t resonating with your audience, there’s no shame in pivoting to something else. The pivot can be as minor as adding a little bit of humor or something as drastic as publishing a completely different type of content. If one style isn’t working for you, don’t feel pressured to keep doing it just because it’s what you’ve done in the past. At the same time, consistency is important in public relations. Switching back and forth between two or more voices can confuse your audience and hurt your online presence.
Public relations is an excellent way to strengthen your public image and get more out of your work. When you understand your brand and know where your company falls short, you can build on your strengths and correct your weaknesses. This is especially the case if you have more time to yourself during the summer months. Take advantage of every resource available so that you can optimize your branding strategy.
