PCG Blog

As we move into the world of COVID-19 and social distancing, brands have to reconsider their marketing strategies. The world has definitely changed, with perceptions and audience mindsets seeing a rapid shift.

Communicating with your audience is more crucial now than ever to stay connected to your audience. What you say, when you say it, how you say it and why you think it needs to be said is what establishes your brand’s reputation and perception.

It is also important to communicate about who you are through other sources. And of all the marketing & communications channels, public relations offers the best avenues with the highest ROI.

Creating a PR strategy for the first time can be quite an intimidating and overwhelming process, but also one that can open you up to insights about your own business and its stakeholders.

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Written by Aditi Kumar, Assistant Manager

In this blog, we will try to address the 5 things you need to keep in mind while you plan your PR strategy.

1. Think Long-Term

A PR campaign is not just about getting a story out there about you. Think about who and what you want your audience to know you as in the long term. Consider what your positioning is in the market and where you want to be. What is the message you want to convey to your target audiences?

Don’t just focus on selling a particular product or message. PR is the most cost-effective marketing tool and has the highest trust factor. It might be slow to show results, but they stay longer.

Think of a few years down the line and who you want to be known as when you work on your strategy.

2. Assign A Budget

PR is a continual process. A short-term campaign might fetch you some results immediately but it does not firmly establish the brand. Brand establishment comes with a good, sustained campaign that ensures your audience remembers not just you but what you stand for.

Set aside a budget for the year ensuring that the process can go on effectively and steadily, regardless of other influences.

3. Do Not Try To Measure Impact Based On The Number of Coverages

Most people try to measure the efficacy of their PR campaign by the number of coverages they get. But that isn’t really a true measure. Coverages are the easy part. Any good PR agency or professional can get you the numbers required pretty easily. However, ask yourself these questions:

• Is the publication the kind that your target audience reads?
• Have you conveyed your key messages effectively in the story?
• Was the story impactful and memorable?
• Did it help you achieve your objective(s)?
• Look at a qualitative analysis instead of a quantitative analysis

4. If it worked for them, it doesn’t guarantee it will work for you!

Every brand is different — different USPs, different spokespeople, different positioning, different objectives, different stages in PR life-cycle. You are not your competitor and you do not want to follow the same thing that they did.

Your strategy has to be tailor-made for you. There is really no one-size-fits-all formula in PR.

You are unique and you need a different strategy.

This might also help you identify your PR partner. Choose the one that understands your brand and shares your vision.

5. Think Visual

Communications today has evolved beyond mere text stories and press releases. To communicate who you are, you need to really show the world your story visually. Embrace visual communications. Choose a PR partner or a visual communication partner who can design a strategy visually as well. And by this, we don’t mean someone who can do a video for you.

Your stakeholders are on many platforms and they are crowded. Identify the right mix of traditional PR and other marketing strategies, with a blend of visual communications.

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About The Author: 

Aditi Kumar, Assistant Manager