Public relations, also known as PR, is the common name for the way that a brand communicates with the general public. The goal for any PR campaign is to spread the word about something positive that a company or its products have done for the greater good.
Despite having an essential understanding of what PR is, some marketers are confused about how exactly they should go about using PR as an active storytelling tool for their business. Public relations can be a broad, difficult-to-understand area of business, but if it is used right it can also lead to great success for marketers.
Here are some of the best ways to use public relations to strengthen your brand and improve your reputation with the public.
Humanize Yourself
While public relations is sometimes considered to be a stoic, stuffy field, today’s business environment of social media and selfies lends itself well to personalizing your public relations.
To add a human element into your PR, think about including pictures of the author or the team members who were involved with the project that the PR release or update is being written. At the end of the day, your company is comprised of real people: take advantage of this fact by including those people in your public relations efforts.
Share in Many Places
There are more channels than ever before for companies to disseminate information out to prospects as well as existing customers. From email newsletters to social networks to direct mailers, your business should be sharing its PR updates in as many places as possible. Spreading the word about your PR will only help to increase its effectiveness and make more people aware of what your company is doing for society as a whole.
Allow for Interaction
One of the best things about the digital age is how easy it has made communicating with others. People that live on other sides of the world can instantly talk thanks to the power of the web.
This new age of communication extends to corporate PR as well. Businesses that are looking to give their brand a more personal touch and make sure that they improve their standing in the eyes of both current and potential customers must show that they are open to listening to people’s feedback.
In a piece written for Inc. about PR strategies, Jeff Hoffman suggests emailing your customers to ask them about positive experiences that they have had with your company and its offerings.
The Key Ingredient: Storytelling
Whether you are using PR to announce the launch of a new product, the hiring of a new senior-level executive or anything else involving your company, you must consider the story. How does this announcement or event fit in with the story of your brand? These PR tips will help you strengthen your story, but each organization will have its unique best practices for storytelling based on their brand. Make sure that your public relations content is consistently reinforcing your company’s message and brand strategy, and you will find more success with your PR.