Writer and thought leader, Robin S. Sharma once said: “Awareness precedes choice and choice precedes results.” PR is key to enabling you raise that awareness.
Thinking about this from a business perspective highlights just how important a PR agency is to enabling businesses to raise awareness. After all, if prospective customers aren’t aware of your brand, they cannot make the choice to use your products and services. In turn, this impacts your chances of success and results.
In other words, brand awareness is really the first step in the engagement or lead generation cycle. So then, how can you grow your company’s brand? Here are some of our top tips.
1. Use PR to appeal to your target audience
You must have a clear idea of who your target audience is so that you can then understand how best to reach and communicate with them. For example, if the people you want to engage with are c-suite executives, an interview with a business-focused publication could work well.
Alternatively, in order to reach consumers, your best PR approach may be targeting them through more mainstream media titles or via online channels. Your desired audience will also determine the positioning of your brand and the tone of your communications.
2. Ensure your key PR messages are clear
Strong and creative messaging will help your company brand to stand out from the competition. It also needs to be clear and concise in terms of how it reflects what you do and the benefits you can deliver for customers.
Think about your unique value propostion and shout about it. By using the same key messages - communicated in the right way - over-and-over again, you can increase your chances of appealing to your target audience, establish yourself in your respective sector and make your brand memorable.
3. Produce high-quality PR content
Be it on your company website or in sales collateral, invest time into creating high-quality online content that accurately reflects your brand and showcases it in the manner in which you want it to be viewed.
Attention to detail is crucial as everything you communicate will have an impact on the reputation of your organisation. Furthermore, better quality content will not only attract more eyes, but it is also more likely to encourage action on the part of the reader.
4. Use PR to build your reputation with earned media
PR is a great way to spread the word about your brand and, due to the fact that it is being delivered by an objective and trusted resource or media outlet, will resonate more with your audience than paid-for content or advertising. Again, strategy and planning, including targeting the right people via the right channels will maximise the results of your efforts.
Additionally, with the rise of online publications, having well thought out messaging on relevant platforms with loyal followings will increase the visibility and accessibility of your brand due to better search rankings on the likes of Google – as long as you are using the right terms and phrases in your communications of course.
5. Take a multi-channel PR approach
Why use one channel to reach your desired audience when they are so many to choose from? As well as thinking about traditional means of communication with existing and prospective customers, such as telephone or email, consider engaging with them on social media too.
Chances are that people will do an internet search on your business before they buy anything, so having a presence that showcases your brand will help to influence their choice. PR can help you get multiple links on page one of Google for the specific search terms you want to be found with. They may not be pointing to your website, but when they point to an independent article referencing you, this can be even more persuasive for prospective customers.
6. Be consistent with your activities
As previously mentioned, being seen and heard on a regular basis can help to establish your company brand and remind people of the products or services you provide. This is also what creates industry leaders and experts in their fields because they often become the go-to people on their chosen topic or area.
Making one splash can put you on the map but building a trusted, well-known brand takes time!
7. Get customers talking
One of the most effective endorsements of a company is when customers say positive things about them. As is the case with journalists or media outlets, a third-party recommendation or review speaks volumes about an organisation. So, get your customers talking, either by asking them for testimonials for your website or having them speak at a webinar for prospective customers. The only thing better than you telling your own message is someone else doing it for you.
Building and growing a strong company brand is one of the cornerstones of a successful business, but it has to be done in the right way. There are key elements that you must have and many considerations to think about. But if you get it right – as Robin S. Sharma alluded to – you help customers to make the choice that delivers results for you.
A PR agency can play a key role in helping you. If you want to find out more about how PR can create and grow awareness about your brand, contact Comit today.
