Don’t cut corners when you are planning a public relations strategy for your company. Consult experts to make sure your plan meets all of your needs to deliver a message with punch. (Image from Flickr/Creative Commons via Niuton may. )
By Chanda Temple
If 2015 is the year you promised to improve your business, it’s not too late to start.
On this second day of February, what are your new year’s resolutions to building a better business? Gaining additional capital? Expanding your product or services? Broadening your consumer reach? While all of these are great goals, don’t forget to do an honest review of what you have and create a list of what you need.
“No company is above a once-over! No matter how well a business is going, there are always ways to improve,” saysKrista Conlin, founder and president of KC Projects PR in Birmingham, Ala. “Employees are much more agreeable to change at the beginning of the year. So if there are moves to be made, now is a great time.”
One thing that you should definitely include is a public relations strategy with new, fresh and creative perspectives, says Conlin. Here, she offers five tips to get you started:
Always be prepared
Expect the worst and hope for the best. If the unthinkable happens, panicking can only make things worse; especially from a public relations perspective. You want to have a broad strategic plan that includes as many scenarios as possible, no matter how improbable the scenarios may seem.
Krista Conlin, president and founder of KC Projects PR in Birmingham, Ala. Photo credit: Angela Karen
Know the difference between confidence vs. arrogance
When you promote your product or service, do you sound conceited? Your target audiences find arrogance off-putting and can always see through ignorance. Take a good look at your approach. Answer the remedial questions about your services without frustration and the difficult ones with wisdom.
Know your message
Be specific! What image are you trying to portray? What do you want your audience to know or think about you? If you can’t answer these questions, it is time to develop your message more clearly. Start with a general message and work inward with more specific questions to yourself.
Harness the power of social media
In today’s world of immediate gratification, it is important to take advantage of the many platforms available for engagement with your end user or consumer. Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube are all economical methods of networking and promoting your company. However, if you go down this path, it would be beneficial to review each platform and see what works for you and your company. Don’t just start using them on a whim. Research is required to make social media successful.
Be persistent
Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. While you never want to flood members of the media with emails and phone calls, a simple reminder note never hurt. It takes persistence to get your story told. If there are still no responses, it may be time to rethink how you are telling your story. Be creative. Think about what is interesting about what you are doing and what your audience would want to hear or see.
For more information about KC Projects PR, visit their website athttp://www.kcprojects.net.
Chanda Temple, a former journalist now working in public relations, blogs at chandatemplewrites.com. Follow her on Twitter at @chandatemple.