The public relations specialist is very important for the company. He or she is the one responsible for the company’s image. Any event taking place inside or outside the company, which may hurt or improve its image, needs to be supervised by this specialist.
One of the most important responsibilities of a public relations specialist would be the creation and implementation of PR plans and strategies. Also, he is always trying to improve the company’s presence through multiple channels, both online and offline. Last, but not least, he always needs to keep a close relation to media.
Nowadays, the internet has made communication with your customers easier by using social media networks. Even so, a great public relations expert knows that he still needs to stick to the methods already in use, such as press coverage, press releases, good relations with journalists. Keeping these elements outside the loop will make your PR moves ineffective.
Here are 5 laws that should be respected by everyone who wants to be a great public relations representative.
1. Keep journalists in mind
Journalists are always on a lookout for articles and ideas that will sell. As a PR specialist, you need to know the latest trends in your industry. Also, in order to create engaging content, you should know generalistic trends, as well. For example, if there’s an artist everyone’s crazy about or a song, a movie, you name it. If appropriate, you can use them to make the journalists happy and boost your image.
I guess we all know the first song to hit 1 billion views on Youtube, “Gangnam Style”. That song nobody understood and its silly dance. Well, even though it’s meant to be funny, not professional, it can be used for a PR move. That’s why, in 2013, during the Super Bowl, Pistachio took advantage of this trend and made a big splash.
I guess, we don’t have to ask about the way it affected Pistachio’s market share, do we? It’s quite obvious!
Here’s how you see the most important trends and use them to your advantage. You generate content the journalists like, they create articles about it, and everyone’s happy. You get coverage, they get readers, and the readers get the information they want. As simple as that!
Bottom line: Before trying to get some press coverage, do some digging. Find out what journalists are into, what they are looking for, then offer them the content they want.
2. Befriend the ones you need
Public relations is not just about writing a press release, creating PR plans, and responding to crisis situations. The same way you are trying to improve your company’s image by always being in contact with its customers, you should always be in good relations with the ones you need.
Whether it’s a journalist from a famous publication, an influencer your clients are crazy about or a professional writing service that can create top-notch press releases, you need to befriend them all. They are the ones that will make your life easier and your company look brighter. An article that puts your company in a positive light can get you from wrecks to riches. An influencer positively reviewing your product might be all you need to reach that sales target.
3. Turn errors into PR moves
Here’s to the PR masterminds who can turn a slip and fall into a dance move! Back in the days, Coca-Cola changed their classic recipe. They replaced it with a new one which they thought it was a better one.
Even so, the feedback they got from the clients was way below what they expected. The negative feedback has led to the reintroduction of the classic Coca-Cola recipe, the Coca-Cola Classic. The sales boomed after the reintroduction of the classic version. Also, they got a lot of press coverage during the crisis.
Here’s what Don Keough, Coca-Cola’s CEO at the time, said about this so-called error “Some critics will say Coca-Cola made a marketing mistake. Some cynics will say that we planned the whole thing. The truth is we’re not that dumb and we’re not that smart.”
In conclusion, a witty PR can turn a slip and fall into a really nice dance move. Remember, any publicity is good publicity.
4. Set clear objective for your campaigns
Creating impressive PR campaigns for your company without setting clear objectives for it will lead to inefficient campaigns and increased resource consumption. Every single campaign should have a clearly defined objective.
The objectives, unlike goals, shouldn’t be abstract, they should be quantifiable and should have a timeline. Here’s an example of a clearly defined objective for your next PR move: “To create a 2-page newsletter about the company’s latest products, to be delivered on the 15th of every month. Every campaign should cost less than $1000 and the first newsletter should be sent in April.”
5. Evaluate the resource consumption
You can’t just throw money around on newsletters, press releases, social media campaigns, viral videos or anything that you think might have a great impact. Before undertaking any action you should think about the impact it will have on your resources.
When you come up with a PR plan you should keep the resource consumption in mind. Whether we talk about money, time, or anything else, all the resources that will be consumed need to be included. Here’s an example: “The viral video to be released on the 1st of next month will cost $400 and 30 work hours.” Once you allocate the resources for your plan, you should evaluate them on a daily basis. This way, you will make sure your campaigns don’t become expensive and inefficient.
Conclusion
Keeping the journalists in mind next time you create a PR campaign. This way, you will make sure your actions will have better results. Basically, it will be a win-win situation. Also, you should know that befriending the stakeholders in your industry, journalists, influencers, and so on, will improve your company’s image.
Last, but not least, all your campaigns should have clear objectives and the resources they consume should be thoroughly verified. By keeping in mind these aspects you will become the next PR prodigy.
