According to Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, each year more than 30,000 new consumer products are launched and 80% of them fail. It gives a rise to entrepreneurship which thrills us, but it also means each and every brand must stay relevant to reach its core audience, or the business will not succeed. How can we do this strategically—two words, okay three—public relations strategy. Below I have outlined a few recommendations to keep your brand, whether it is a product or service, fine-tuned with the help of PR.
It is essential to know who your buyer is, and then create their buyer persona. You also need to understand the individual in your demographic:
- Who are they?
- What do they do in their free time?
- Which social channels do they visit? Do they have families?
- Are they single?
- What are some of their challenges?
All of this is information is relevant to help you create an awareness campaign. Here are a few strategies to implement:
Select the right social media platform. Each platform serves a unique purpose. Learn which is the most efficient for your audience. Ideally, each platform should include varied content and captions. Find out what works on each one. A social media calendar prepared in advance will keep you on track and gage which assets (videos, images, etc.) you have and what you need to capture.
Keep an eye on other brands, especially competitors. It is ok to see what/how competitors are doing, how they tap into their audience, what seems to work and why. This is not to copy any brand, but to feel inspired and support out-of-the-box thinking.
A good PR plan created in advance will guide you towards your audience and place them on the journey to being a loyal customer.
Get Personal! Put a picture of yourself, your family and your team members on your website. Do a short bio on your social media with these pictures. All brands have a face behind the name that is unique to the brand—share your face and story.
Plan, Plan and Plan some more. Unfortunately, not many brands starting out consider PR in their tactical plan. A good PR plan, done months in advance will keep you on track to support your business goals. PR shouldn’t be an afterthought. It is an essential part of the business foundation for your product or service. A good PR plan created in advance will guide you towards your audience and place them on the journey to being a loyal customer.