At the onset of a new venture, startup founders already have a lot on their plates—from raising funds for getting the business plan off the ground to introducing the product to the market. Besides that, small business owners and entrepreneurs often have limited resources. These are all potential reasons why implementing PR strategies is often overlooked by startups.
As a founder, one of your many priorities should be identifying the unique needs and challenges of being a newbie in the industry. Taking your cue from the PR campaigns of successful businesses may not be ideal as a startup’s situation is massively different from those of established businesses or big companies. Hence, you may be required to tweak your public relations tactics to suit your startup needs.
The PR strategy should align with your business objectives, and some of the key goals to focus on are launching a quality product or service to the public, expanding your business, attracting customers, and building a competent team. By customizing your public relations strategies, you’ll be well on your way to generating business results. Here are some of the ways to start.
Building a brand identity
You should know the answers to the following questions before launching your venture: What are the company values? What makes your product or service unique? What solutions does it provide to the customers?
According to SmallBizGenius, providing a product that is perfect for the target demographic is one of the top characteristics of a successful startup. Be prepared and ensure the quality of your product before introducing it to the public. The last thing your new business needs is exposure to online backlash and negative press.
Increasing brand awareness
You’ve already established your business identity and core values. The next thing you should focus on is communicating the story of your entrepreneurial journey to the public. This is a great way to capture the attention of potential business partners, the media, and your target audience. Aim for positive media coverage by pitching your story to bloggers or traditional publications.
In terms of business exposure, the end goal of most startups is to be featured on top-tier, industry related publications such as VentureBeat, TechCrunch, and other business and news outlets. In this case, seeking the help of a PR professional is your safest bet. They know how to effectively pitch story ideas and get your business’s message out there.
Keeping your business in the media and on social networks
An effective brand positioning strategy will make your business stand out and enhance its credibility and value. By maintaining a consistent presence on social media as well as on traditional media channels, your startups will gain a competitive edge over other small businesses.
To achieve this, the CEO or startup founder should maintain a positive relationship with the press and project the image of an industry leader. Social media presence also provides additional advantage to your PR campaign as interacting with your target audience improves the level of engagement and brand exposure online.
Before long, clients and customers will be more open to sharing your story, and potential investors will be lining up to help your business grow.
Final notes
Implementing a results-driven PR campaign requires a lot of hard work, time, and dedication, especially for new ventures that, more often than not, need to create a solid reputation from the ground up. Keep in mind that you don’t have to do it alone. You can build an in-house PR team or hire professionals from a reputable public relations firm to significantly help ease the burden. For more fascinating stats about startups, check out the infographic on startup stats below:
