Public relations is an essential part of any marketing plan. Good PR work can build brand awareness and a positive public image. Poor PR work can destroy all of that hard work almost instantly.
Successful public relations efforts are often the result of extensive planning, good research and producing quality work. These three public relations rules to live by will help your company achieve its marketing goals and establish your team as pros in the industry.
1. Plan Ahead and Be Prepared
Public relations requires much preparation and planning. Before you push forward with any ideas, you have to have a well-defined public relations strategy. That strategy becomes your plan — your roadmap — for how you plan to elevate your brand through public relations.
It’s also important for your company’s PR team to plan for various projects and to always expect the unexpected. Obstacles will always arise last minute, so you need to have a backup plan. For example, if you are sending out a press release about a new product and you learn that a competitor is doing the same, you need to be able to change the messaging and timing, as appropriate, to ensure that your message is heard and seen above all the others out there.
2. Do your Research
Good public relations requires a lot of research. You need to spend time getting to know the media and the reporters and researching relevant information about your business’s industry — third-party statistics or research that backs up your information. Without solid research, story pitches, press releases and other PR work can fall flat.
Proper research also includes learning about and getting to know the right reporters and contacts. Connect with reporters in your industry. Read their stories and engage with them. Building relationships with the media is one of the best things you can do to get a reporter to listen to you.
It is also important to stay up to date on what is happening in your industry and who is reporting about those topics. While doing research can be time-intensive, it is a crucial part of good PR and can result in more media placements and positive press.
3. Produce Quality, Not Quantity
It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of PR and think that a thousand mentions are better than a few strategic placements. But believe it or not, your business will be more successful if you focus on quality, not quantity.
Identify 10 to 15 media contacts who write about your industry and who deliver news to audiences that your business cares about. This helps ensure your work and the media outlets are the right fit!
Public relations can be challenging, and GREENCREST can help! Let us create a comprehensive marketing and public relations plan for your company! Contact the GREENCREST experts today!