Hello again, we’re back with another article! This week we’re here to talk about tools in PR. There are tons that you can use to help grow your business; such as identity media, publications, events, news, speeches and oral engagements, public service activities, employee interactions, charity/corporate social responsibility, printed literature (i.e. annual reports, catalogues, leaflets, direct emails), advertisement (i.e. print media, electronic and new media, outdoor media), special events (national and festival days, organizing concerts, honouring famous artists, celebrities and intellectuals), social media, sponsorships/partnerships, community relations, and so much more. When it comes to PR there are a lot of ways to boost your organisation’s image in the public eye. In this article, we’re going to be focusing on the ones that we think are the most important: 1. Identity Media and Media Relations. 2. Events. 3. Advertisement. 4. Social Media. And 5. Employee Interactions. So, let’s get started.
1. Identity Media and Media Relations
These two may sound the same but they are slightly different from one another; nonetheless, they do go hand in hand. Essentially, this is a tool to market your product/brand to various media sources such as TV, radio, the internet, newspapers, magazines, and so on. Focus on circulating a message through these sources; sending out a commercial or an ad without knowing what you’re trying to tell your audience will only confuse potential consumers more. Having good media contacts could also help with curating this message, as well as sending it to various media sources for you. There are many ways you can get your message across; such as press kits, audio releases, matte releases, your website, pressroom, a media tour, or even a newsletter. These are good channels for you to use to curate the information about your organisation that will be shared. But also keep in mind that it needs to be interesting and entertaining for people to take interest. Having it be well written enough so it can be shared on these different platforms will also keep you in good graces with different media contacts.
2. Events
What’s a good way to make sure accurate information reaches your target audience? By throwing an entertaining while also informative event! Highlighting these certain events to the public is a great way to draw attention to a new product, other activities, or even achievements. Organising events such as plays, book fairs, career fairs, trade fairs, jewellery shows, and literary weeks. This helps your audience understand that you are more than just a faceless brand and that you care about your customers. These events could also take place as press conferences, online seminars, contests and competitions, exhibitions, and anniversaries (i.e. Hilton’s 50th anniversary). People also look forward to events such as these, which makes promoting your organization/product easier. Inviting media, stakeholders, and even customers is a great way of getting your name out there. Even from a sales point of view, there’s a chance for you to clear up customer doubts, and build their confidence. This helps with market research and building up your mailing list. In addition, it helps you understand how your competitors work, as customers will be comparing your brand with others. Trade shows are a really good way to understand who you are competing against in your industry as well. It also gives you a chance to share important information with people who are in the same line of work.
3. Advertisement
We all know advertisement is one of the most important ways of getting your name to the public. As a tool for PR, it’s something that your organization should be leaning on no matter what. Some advertisements can come in the form of new stories or reviews in a newspaper, which gives you the credibility of being associated with the newspaper. Other advertisements can be done through TV either through commercials or product placement on a television show, which comes with the hired help of marketing professionals to develop the advert. Paid presentation and promotions of your product/services through different channels of communication is a good way to relay your message to your target audience. This creates a positive image in the public eye. There are various channels you can use to do this. There is print media (which includes, newspapers, newsletters, magazines, leaflets, flyers, and posters), electronic media (being audio-visual ads on television, radio, internet, and phone), and outdoor media (such as hoardings, gantries, kiosk poles, display ads on vans, airports, and restaurants). Promotional literature at the point of purchase is an essential tool to influence your customers to make the final decision to buy. An example could be a newsletter that is sent out monthly. Not only does it keep your name in the mind of your target audience members, but it can also be used as a way to convince a customer to purchase through other customer testimonials and reviews. Most importantly, an organisation needs to stand out in this day and age of advertising, and the way to do this is to have a unique brand image. Your brand image (meaning a logo, a word, a slogan, a picture, your employee uniforms, shapes, colour combination) is the main thing for everyone to recognize who you are. For example, Kaldis Coffee is a brand image that everyone in Ethiopia recognizes immediately.
4. Social Media
Social media is the newest form of advertisement that is growing rapidly and being used constantly all over the world. This is the best way to get your message out and sent across the world, showing your brand to various demographics. Using old media (meaning television, radio, etc) gets your message to everyone, but it doesn’t get your message to the specific target audience you have researched on. This allows you to bypass the media and go straight to your customers, meaning it’s easier to reach exactly who you want. While using your own social media page to grow your organisation’s following is a smart thing to do, creating partnerships with influencers and celebrities can take you further. For example, if you create a contract with a person who has a huge following to use one of your products/services, they can tell their audience about how great it is. On top of that, you get to control the information said celebrity will be putting out. Their audience will naturally follow your social media pages as they would be interested to take a look at your organization. Your page would also be followed by journalists, drive website traffic, manage issues by responding quickly to criticisms or negative comments, all while increasing the exposure for your brand.
5. Employee Interactions
Now this one may not seem as important as the others but it is probably the most important tool of all. An organization cannot be successful if there isn’t anyone that wants to work for it. Employees make the brand, and it’s unfair to not consider them as vital cogs. So how do you keep your employees happy? You can for starters, stay in constant touch with them. Keep your employees updated with the latest news of the organization; whether it be product launches or the latest events. This can be done by sending out emails, circulars, notices, or even simply communicating with them. Having a morning brief once a week is probably the most efficient way to let everyone know the happenings of the organization. Always remember, your staff are essentially ambassadors for your brand and you need to treat them as such. Creating a business culture and focusing on team relationships through sharing information can create a sense of pride in the achievements your organization receives is a good way to build company morale. This is also a good way to improve teamwork, staff retention, and productivity, as more people will feel as if they’re part of a team. Having your staff represent you as an organization can be a great way to get the right messages out to the public.
Public relations is a high stakes game and anything can go wrong at any moment. But until that happens, the best thing you can do for yourself and your organisation is to make sure that you are using as many PR tools as efficiently as possible. Getting ahead of bad news, promoting yourself as unique, creating a company culture that many admire, are great ways to ensure that you are going in the right direction.