You are passionate about your business, obsessed about the work you do, 100% committed; you believe beyond all reasonable doubt your business is the best – but there’s one problem. Your business hasn’t got the awareness it deserves.
The answer and solution is simple. You have to open your heart to the boundless opportunities PR can offer you.
Everyone loves a good story so start sharing yours, it’s what helps people connect, it’s what makes you human
It can be hard to trust, I’ve come across PR sceptics, a few say it doesn’t work, others say it isn’t measurable, and some believe it’s just made-up spin.
In my experience opinions such as these arise when companies have had a bad PR relationship, and who can blame them!
PR isn’t traditional sales marketing focused solely on pushing sales messages to the market. PR is the sophisticated partner of sales, it develops and maintains relationships though genuine dialogue with the most important part of your business; your customers.
If you’re looking for greater awareness and wider understanding, get ready to create a genuine connection with people and show you are human.
Try my three point formula to get you started.
- Embrace your employees
It’s amazing how many business owners I have worked with who want absolutely nothing to do with their own PR. They won’t attribute their name to a quote, won’t feature in a photo and won’t speak to journalists. By putting a face to your business you directly connect with your audience. It’s the people within a business that make the business. Your CEO doesn’t have to take the limelight but you must be open to making people within the business part of your PR. Your MD could contribute to the company blog, key employees could update your LinkedIn company page, and you could share your employee achievements with the media. In essence push your people out there, let them take the limelight and allow them to share their passion for your business.
- Engage customer opinion
Be honest, unless you are that one in million company, selling that one in a million product, you’re going to have to communicate on another level. What is it about your business that’s good? If you don’t know the answer, ask your existing customers. Maybe you have a fabulous customer service team, maybe your products have provenance, or perhaps your customers like you because you genuinely care. Once you know the answer ensure it becomes part of your PR communication. An easy way to do this is by sharing your customer testimonials.
- Tell your story
You don’t always have to present a polished business, it’s ok to share how it all started. So if you started in your back bedroom and now have a global business empire, shout about it. If the company was established a century ago and still uses traditional machinery or traditional processes, shout about it. Roots are important, the journey even more so. Embracing your story reinforces your credibility, develops better understanding and awareness of who you are and what you’re about.
Everyone loves a good story so start sharing yours, it’s what helps people connect, it’s what makes you human.