PR and Communications

PR and communications should be central to any marketing strategy.  It adds credibility to your business and helps generate awareness of your activities.  It provides third party endorsements which carry more weight than what you say about yourselves.

Ideally a PR plan will include a variety of activities which each achieve a slightly different goal:

• Press releases: tells the market and key stakeholders your latest company news and raises awareness of your company to the media and prospects through coverage.
• Case Studies: these are a great sales tool which serve as a credible and trustworthy endorsement of your products and services from your customers.
• Article contribution: contributing to relevant articles in the press demonstrates expertise and association with particular topics, raising your company profile to readers.
• By-lined articles: complete articles written by an expert at your company serves as an excellent way to increase your company profile and thought leadership in subject areas.
• Reviews: independent endorsement of your company which serves as a credible reference for potential customers and positive reinforcement for existing customers.
• Awards: entering, getting shortlisted and winning awards adds credibility behind your company, products and services.
• Analyst relations: not always relevant but speaking to analysts is an excellent way to further aid awareness and credibility for your company by getting included in their industry reports and reviews.

I would always recommend hiring a PR agency to manage this function as they are the experts with the best relationships with the publications, editors, journalists and bloggers.  However you must ensure you hire an agency which has the relationships with the right target media for your company.  I have worked with many PR agencies and can assist in choosing an agency which is right for you as well as managing this function.  Contact me to find out more.