Many people know that PR is an essential part of a successful business and so we’ve shared 5 easy and attainable tips to ensure that your company, big or small, can make quick wins in evolving your business by incorporating them into your media strategy.
1. Fit in with current news
Advertising and PR are two very important yet very different things, which is vital to get to grips with. Sharing expert insight or discussing topics such as supply chain management may initially seem irrelevant to the brand’s purpose or identity however, keep in mind that it is a quick, effective and easy way to secure coverage.
A recent study carried out by Brand Finance revealed that CEOs tend to be a company's most underrated marketing tool. Brand Finance assessed data collected by Global Brand Equity Monitor which revealed that the world’s most successful companies' CEO’s reputation directly correlates with brand portfolio reputation. Think Elon Musk and Tesla, a short and insightful comment from the CEO on a trending news story could end up being a rather strategic move.
Furthermore, sharing insight on trending topics in the news is a good way to demonstrate that your brand is up to date with current affairs, participating in important discussions and positioning people in the business as leaders in their area of expertise. For example, for those wanting to know more about fashion, Vogue Business or The Business of Fashion are well trusted go-to sources of information, arguably because they publish topics beyond the obvious when thinking about the fashion industry. Recently, there has been a surge of tech-related discussions as the fashion industry begins to explore the metaverse through the medium of NFTs.
At the end of the day, it's always a good idea to look like you know what you’re talking about - people respect that.
2. Substantiate the brand's ethical claims
Eco-friendly, sustainable, made from 100% recycled produce, ethically made, against animal cruelty and vegan (to name a few but you get the idea), are all major statements to attribute to a brand and it's important that they are 100% true and accurate.
It’s vital to substantiate ethical claims and be transparent with consumers, it builds trust in a brand which is an important foundation of a successful business.
3. Leverage internal data and insight
Let’s face it, we now live in a time where data makes the world go round. That’s it, that’s the tip. Joking ofc.
We find that our clients’ stories that are based on unique internal data, growth percentages, and sales statistics are really powerful when it comes to finding a solid angle for a press release.
Internal data can be really useful for revealing new shopping trends and informing us all of the next big thing. Data is amazing for developing a business internally, but it can and is very useful for writing the next viral story.
4. Think beyond editorial
PR is a multidimensional way to grow a brand. Yes it is amazing to land a mention in Forbes 30 under 30 but it is also the less obvious mediums of communication such as talks, events, polls, and content creation that all play a part in helping brands grow and it is important to invest time in these spaces simultaneously. PR also works
5. The power of SEO
SEO stands for search engine optimisation and when releasing new content it's useful to consider what stories will make journalists include a link to your client’s website. As a growing number of websites have a policy of not including back links unless you pay for them, you need to give journalists a reason to include one. For example, you can share a link to additional data or insight on your client’s website. Furthermore, one of our stories that achieved a 100% link rate was our client Lay-Z-Spa’s competition to find a Hot Tubologist as consumers had to enter on the Lay-Z-Spa website which meant that journalists had to link to their website.
Securing coverage with links to your company website strengthens your domain authority, which is the most organic way to appear higher in Google searches without it being a paid ad.
However, securing a link isn’t the be-all and end-all for PRs. Have you heard of Google Panda? It’s part of Google’s SEO algorithm. To avoid the growing number of content farms and the dark side of SEO, Google launched an algorithm named after a cuddly-looking bear in 2011. Included in the algorithm is using the number of brand mentions to contribute to better SEO for your website. Furthermore, the algorithm places greater importance on websites with expert writers such as magazines and newspapers.
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