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How do you reach new audiences, drive engagement and influence how your customers feel about your product or service? You implement public relations. Why? Because you influence consumer behavior – and it can have a massive impact on the success of your business. If you have ever secured major national or local press, you know how exciting it is and beneficial.

Here’s the thing though … you need to think about it like this … CONNECTING, STORYTELLING and INFLUENCING.

CONNECTING

Connectivity is another way of thinking about reputation – a main component of PR – and influence consumer behavior.

Reputation Management

A brand’s reputation is a combination of three core elements.

  • What you say you are
  • The things you do, how you actually behave
  • How your customers think about you

Connect your business to your people. Public relations is about connecting what you say you are, with what you actually do, and making sure that that is linked positively to how your customers feel about you.

Connecting with your audience through storytelling can take place on ALL platforms – social media, your own website, podcasts, blogs and newsletters.

STORYTELLING

If you want your audience to take an ongoing interest in your brand then the most effective way to do that is through storytelling.

Storytelling

And, if you want to get engagement through social media or the mainstream media, then that story must be newsworthy.

In other words, you need a story that is relevant to that media’s or influencer’s audience. A story that will make them sit up and take notice, rather than switch off.

What about the storytelling from your audience? These days, micro influencers are prevalent on Instagram and TikTok. The Influencers share their stories about your brand and product. Don’t shy away from offering a local influencer or even a great customer the opportunity to tell their story about your company.  People trust those using your product or service more than you talking about it.

INFLUENCING

As mentioned above, influencing consumer behavior is on the rage and it’s very effective.  The stories of your customers create behavior change and influences opinion.

Influencer Woman

It persuades people to FEEL a certain way about a brand, or it nudges customers to actually TAKE action and buy a product or service.

When you talk about your business, you are telling or instructing.  Influencers persuade.

Powerful, right?! Public relations can influence behavior and opinions like no other form of marketing or customer relations.

What You Say Must Match What You Do

Audiences are increasingly holding brands accountable, both in their media statements and behavior, and if expectations are not met then customers are all too quick to make their criticisms public.

PR is not paid for – it is earned.

We do not buy advertising or pay journalists to write about a company.

“The practice of PR is not about asking influencers to endorse products for financial gain, instead they persuade them to fall in love with the product – genuinely.” ~ Class PR

DIGITAL PR

Media companies are fully established online and have real domain authority. They are also multimedia companies – they may have a print edition, a digital edition, a podcast and a TV show.

The same PR rules and tactics apply when pitching or liaising with all types of media, including digital.

Reaching out to a trusted website that you would like to review your product and give you a backlink to help your SEO is essentially PR.

Creating great content, targeted at specific keywords to drive traffic to your site, also includes elements of PR and storytelling.

Next, PR STRATEGY and MESSAGING… you’ll have to wait until next week on this one, so come back!

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Remember you can always grab a DIY PR KIT for $99 and get LOADS of knowledge and step by step instructions on doing your own public relations.

Use our COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY PLAN and receive a review from us after you complete it!