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Home » Archives for Meeting your marketing goals in 2020

Starting from the Ground Up: PR’s Pivotal Role in Building a New Business

December 4, 2020 By ECPR Team Leave a Comment

So, you launched a new company. Now what? The obvious answer to this question is “sign a client,” or, “build a strong customer base.” But, getting to that point involves a framework of smart choices made within budget. And, if you ask us, one of the smartest and most cost-efficient decisions a start-up can make is adopting a public relations (PR) strategy at the onset of the company’s conception.

To clarify, we are not recommending a fully-integrated, multi-level marketing plan for a start-up or newly launched company as the very first step. Though we’ve been outspoken on the fruitful benefits a fully-integrated marketing plan offers, we understand there is a time and place for everything. And, right now, you are simply trying to launch a company without exhausting your existing, and sometimes limited, resources.

When pathways to funds are narrow, every dollar dedicated to marketing is precious and must be part of an overall plan to achieve brand awareness. Starting with a strong PR plan can be immensely valuable when limited budget is available, but it is important to note that the time to dedicate a budget towards PR for a new company is at the onset. Once a budget is determined, the steps taken to strategically position your new company using PR can be relatively simple. As you kick-off your PR strategy and baseline budget, part of your future roadmap should be preplanning to supplement campaigns and equipping your branding with an enduring budget, both of which can keep your PR efforts on track after you lay the groundwork.

What is public relations, and what makes it so valuable?

Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. For businesses with strategic and well-managed PR plans, ROI includes developing reliable trust and authentic engagement with customers, clients, sales leads, buyers, decision-makers, industry leaders, influencers, the media, and other integral contacts, connections and constituencies.

One of the most rewarding and value-driven benefits a new company can achieve from PR is the early development of trust amongst its target audiences. Earned, unpaid publicity as a result of sound PR activations, such as influencer marketing, thought-leadership events, customer and client retention programs, and more, can act as a conduit of trust in a respective industry. All of this typically more cost-effective than other methods of marketing, such as advertising.

When put head-to head with other marketing options, and judged strictly on their individual merits from the perspective of a start-up looking for the value proposition in marketing, PR emerges as the smart and strategic choice.

According to Nielsen, a global marketing research firm, PR is nearly 90% more effective than advertising. It was found that expert content marketing, which is earned, unpaid publicity achieved through PR, lifted familiarity 88 percent more than branded content, such as traditional advertisements or advertorials.

This data may have one asking why PR yields higher trust and more credibility than paid media. When publicity is secured with a print or online news source as a result of PR, it means an independent party has vetted and verified the information they have received through your PR efforts about your company. It also signifies that they have deemed it valuable information for their readers. With advertising alone, a company’s message is not necessarily vetted or verified through sometimes stringent editorial standards, but rather purchased.

That said, we are not against paid media by any stretch of the imagination. As a matter of fact, uniting traditional PR with advertising can be incredibly valuable. However, in order for advertising to work, there must be an engaging, memorable and repetitious strategy in place. Combining advertising with other marketing components, such as PR, can help when building brand equity; this is because implementing unified marketing disciplines has a record of producing growth and value for companies.

If a start-up company has the available budget at the onset to fund an integrated marketing plan that encapsulates both PR and advertising, we would say such a strategy is more than advisable. But, if a company finds itself with a tighter, more restrictive marketing budget and has to pick between PR and advertising based on ROI alone, we recommend the former.

PR for New Companies

In practice, how will PR help build brand awareness and establish my company’s identity in its respective industry?

PR allows a company to communicate with its desired audiences in a way that creates value and triggers engagement. If done successfully, PR can help create buzz about your company, which will, in turn, translate to new customers and clients, and build fresh relationships in a respective industry. PR can also help bring in liquidity from new investors and create interest from prospective employees.

A start-up’s first goal should be introducing its product or service to the marketplace. When using traditional methods of PR, one of the most reliable platforms to make this introduction to target audiences is earned media.

When using PR strategy to produce unpaid, earned media, a start-up needs to look inward and answer a key question: What is your company doing better or differently than your competitors that uniquely positions itself in the eyes of potential clients or customers? Once this is determined, companies can leverage this information using a consistent PR program.

If you are a business-to-consumer (B2C) or direct-to-consumer (D2C) start-up, it might be wise to consider launching influencer marketing programs, in which influencers are given complimentary product in exchange for the potential of publicity of your company. In this unpaid influencer agreement, your company could send an influencer the traditional “PR Pack,” which is essentially a sampling of your own product, in addition to some marketing materials explaining who your company is, and what it is you do.

If strategized correctly, the influencer would then post about your product or service on their social media channels; blog about your company; name-drop your product, service or company in a podcast; or simply mention your product or service to another tastemaker in your respective industry. Though the latter is more difficult to track, and you may not see the benefits of such an interaction right away, this word of mouth marketing can be highly beneficial for your start-up in the long term.

The value of reaching your publics through their preferred influencers cannot be stressed enough. Your start-up and brand is completely new to your desired target audiences; it is not uncommon for someone to react with initial skepticism when they are introduced to a brand-new product or service about which they have never heard.

Leveraging the voice of influencers not only puts your new product or service in front of your target audiences, but it allows said audiences to trust that it has been vetted by the influencer. In this scenario, PR can also be aligned with media relations, should any news source pick up a story about an influencer posting, writing or speaking about your product, service or company. These two elements (public relations and media relations) in tandem with each other can be extremely valuable for your start-up, given the double-layer of trust through earned media and influencer relations.

Like any facet of marketing, with PR, it is important to create long-term strategies. Make sure to facilitate dialogues and relationships with various influencers within your industry on more than one occasion, and throughout the duration of a year. This will build lasting trust and consistency with influencers and in turn, your target audiences.

Implementing a strong PR strategy can propel the standing of your start-up in more ways than one; positioning your company in the right place and time through PR can attract investors and talented employees.

Through consistent publicity secured through PR, potential investors can vet the viability of your company. Perhaps one of the most advantageous effects PR has on a new company is making it seem even more established in a given industry. It also enhances its trajectory in becoming a “staple” brand. After all, most investors do not like taking risks with new companies that appear volatile or ones they have never heard of. On the investment front, a solid PR game plan can potentially make a company that has existed only for a few months seem as if they have existed for a few years.

PR is also a great way to attract talent and grow a start-up’s team. Positive publicity as a result of PR strategy can be a huge boost for hiring and getting the right people to seek employment with your company. Similar to investors, the majority of prime job candidates stray away from companies that appear unestablished or are unheard of.

PR for New Companies

Getting started: Implementing public relations strategy as a new company.

It is no secret that starting up a new business venture is tough, and only the top five percent of all new companies last more than 12 months. However, start-ups with PR programs at the onset have a creative and strategic advantage to companies without the strategy and service support from PR agencies to improve their odds.

As is mentioned in places throughout this blog, we would also find it a wise decision to consider implementing a PR program aligned with other facets of marketing, such as media relations, social media or advertising, that comprise a robust strategy and that is vigorously executed through outreach, campaigns and more. But, of course, this is dictated by the budget allocated towards marketing.

The importance of beginning with a PR agency that offers Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat (SWOT) Analysis and strategic planning cannot be understated. These processes help clearly define goals and evaluate opportunities for success within given market(s). Learn more about our public relations services here, and contact us to get started on your plan today.

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: advertising, B2B Social Media, contact us, content building, content marketing, earned media, Inbound content marketing, Inbound Marketing, marketing, Marketing strategy, Meeting your marketing goals in 2020, owned media, Public relations, publicity

A Calculated, but Energetic Race to the Finish Line

September 23, 2020 By ECPR Team Leave a Comment

Meeting your marketing goals in 2020

If there existed a single expression to describe the marketing situation for businesses across the globe right now, it would probably be that “the show must go on.” And, it should.

Backtracking to mid-March, with uncertainty abound, many businesses temporarily froze their 2020 marketing campaigns, assuming they could take up where they left off in a quick two or three months. However, it is now six months later, and businesses now realize the need for enduring marketing communications during what continues (for now) to be one of the most difficult eras for business. Thus, the mad dash to facilitate remaining 2020 marketing initiatives has begun.

If this scenario applies to you, you are not alone. It has been an unpredictable year to say the least, and many other companies are in the exact same situation. After all, no marketing plan for 2020 could have predicted or anticipated our current circumstances.

At Eberly & Collard Public Relations, we are fully confident that 2021 will be a great year for our clients and businesses in general. We see the burgeoning 2021 energy and advanced activities among marketing directors. But, to finish the present year as strongly as possible, it would be naïve to be so far-sighted that one overlooks business and marketing goals remaining for 2020.

For those striving to make the most of their remaining 2020 marketing objectives, we have compiled a short-list of various components that are cost-efficient, creative approaches to generate interest and potential return from your target audiences.

1. Continue concentrating your brand image and increasing your share of voice through owned media.

If unclear, owned media is defined as digital and web-based content of which a company has complete branding control and ownership. Examples of owned media are a company’s email campaigns, blogs, digital brochures, websites, and social media channels. These platforms are streamlined, cost-effective ways to not only improve SEO and increase your online share of voice amongst competitors, but they give your company a combined platform to deliver regular updates to your target audiences and followers during times of instability.

In a less-than-ideal economy, with plenty of distractions caused by current events, generating regular and scheduled content for current and future audiences helps demonstrate your focus on your company’s product or service despite disruptions. It also shows others that you are staying the course despite a sometimes-treacherous business climate.

A simple way to demonstrate this focus is an inward approach to owned media in marketing. Right now, there are a lot of headlines about mass layoffs, failing businesses and more grim news related to company personnel – none of which we need to tell you more about than you already know. So, through your owned media, begin highlighting what is going right for your business, your industry and your clients’ industries. Add to this content about the ways in which you are lending value and support to your clients or customers. Infuse key words your targets use to search for solutions and resources online.

This owned, strategic digital and social media content will not only help generate impactful SEO and further cement your brand image, but it also gives potential clients or customers an opportunity to see where you stand as a business in a distressed economy. “Radio silence,” so to speak, brings assumptions of inactivity, or even worse, dissolution, during times like these.

However, when we have encouraged owned media content development in the past six months, we are usually asked, “Is it appropriate to develop regular social media or other owned content in the middle of a pandemic?”

This question is neither unreasonable, nor is it without warrant. Though, we would say this content is appropriate in theory, any content that may inadvertently address economic issues can be tricky to write for a non-marketer, or anyone for that matter. So, when implementing this example of owned media, one must be sensitive to the needs and attitudes of their own employees, as well as their customers and clients.

If you have been hesitant to develop regular, weekly or daily owned media content for your company’s platforms, right now might be a good time to begin. This effort in Q4 facilitates streamlined, on-brand messaging and can even help align your internal marketing goals as you head into 2021.

When creatively concepting this owned media content, be sure to review challenges your sales and marketing team faced in the second and third quarters to uncover priority messaging as 2020 draws closers to an end. For example, many business-to-consumer (B2C) businesses experienced a decline in brick-and-mortar activity throughout 2020, while markets made an obvious shift in the direction of e-commerce.

Heading into 2021, strategic messaging supporting your e-commerce capabilities remains important, but use the challenge of in-person business as a focal point to motivate your marketing team and prepare for a day when business is not done as much virtually. We will return to a “normal” world at some point in 2021, so concepting a comprehensive, yet approachable, marketing strategy directed to consumer or customer audiences for late-Q2, Q3 and Q4 in 2021 will be beneficial.

Meeting your marketing goals in 2020

2. Persist in the output of ideas and messaging from c-suite leadership through communication channels in public relations.

Good corporate leadership comes with a premium, always, but especially amid an economic and public health crisis. So, it is important your company leadership is strategically positioned through traditional – but modified for current times – public relations.

It has been said that the pandemic has accelerated many facets of business, education and healthcare by about 10 years. Tried-and-true public relations opportunities can still provide company leadership and brands with irreplaceable benefits. Though budgets geared towards event-based marketing have been redirected, there should still be some room left to position your company’s leadership via 2020 digital and virtual events, and 2021 in-person events.

As events began to cancel in and around mid-to-late March, many companies assumed their speaker’s bureau marketing budget was essentially rendered useless. Some companies even transferred the funds they would typically spend on traditional public relations opportunities into different parts of the budget. However, events never went away; they simply moved to a digital platform.

One after another, countless industry events were able to adapt to a digital setting and many featured a lineup of notable speakers. Though it is hard to compare an in-person event with its digital equivalent, many events were able to please attendees with informative sessions and digital networking opportunities. Digital marketing speaking opportunities are one of the most current and timely ways to get your leadership in the eyes of potential clients and/or customers. This strategic positioning is also cost-efficient; when an event has no physical preference, the likelihood of steep travel fees, in addition to spending days out of the office, is very slim.

We also understand that securing speaking or panel opportunities for executive leadership is not an overnight process and may take months of preparation. So, if you have not yet begun planning for 2020 speaking opportunities, it might be too late to both find and secure an event for your executive leaders.

But, this is not a “dead-end” situation for your marketing goals and executive leadership. Situations like these often call for creative solutions, and when trying to be as budget- efficient as possible, sometimes the best strategy comes from using the resources already at your disposal.

For example, consider creating a podcast that gives your c-suite leadership opportunities to keep your company’s shareholders, stakeholders and clients abreast of current as and planned goals as well as remaining activities, resources and news for 2020.

Podcasts are not only another great example of owned media, but they are a relatively low-maintenance, budget-friendly way of vocally and strategically positioning your c-suite leaders amongst and above competitors. After all, the only items needed for a podcast, besides your c-suite’s knowledge, practice, and messaging strategies, are a reliable microphone, a laptop, editing software, and access to an audio-streaming service.

When writing scripts or identifying talking points for these podcast episodes, make sure positive sentiments about the state of your respective industry and business remain the leading theme of the messaging, while still offering real-life, real-time tips and ideas for your clients and customers to attain those final 2020 successes. This accessible platform can be a resourceful asset to your clientele, but it can also help internally codify your own Q4 marketing objectives for streamlined performance.

Meeting your marketing goals in 2020

3. Invest in sustained and increased digital marketing programs and strategic SEO deployments.

This past spring, most of the corporate world went digital. But, just because physical and more traditional marketing components will eventually return to the ways in which we do business, we recommend keeping your SEO game plan at the same pace as it has been (or could have been) throughout 2020. Increasing your digital marketing efforts now, to better define and execute your 2021 SEO strategy, is ranked as one of the most significant efforts a marketing manager should maintain front and center.

We have mentioned this in previous blogs, but screen time is up exponentially in 2020. Though it may be assumed this screen time will edge off in the coming months, we do not think it will decrease dramatically. We believe this to be true even once there is a vaccine for COVID-19. For those with the thinking it will be diffused post-pandemic, think again.

At this point, people have been fully assimilated to a digital world that can be accessed at their fingertips, and they will likely not revert to pre-pandemic methods of marketing and media consumption.

You will want to continue building effective SEO that allows potential clients or customers to learn about your business online. Once they are digitally introduced to your business on the web, you will want to be able to clearly inform visitors of your brand and business, as well as attract new visitors through well-written and developed copy on your website. This is essential if you are looking for a strong finish to 2020, especially when current operations for businesses across the board return to more standard procedures.

Even if your company does not operate brick-and-mortar storefronts or offices, we would still recommend building your SEO for attracting new clients to your business. Right now, as most business is done digitally, a company’s digital and online presence is just as important, if not more important, than its physical presence.

One of the most valuable tools for building SEO at a time like this is through regular, relevant company content posted to your website. This loops back in with our previous point of owned content, but we cannot stress it enough that strategically written content on your website is the top driver of search engine rankings.

Creating a branded digital presence through regular website content can increase traffic to your website. Thus, you will want to create a strong keyword building program to first identify the interests and motives of your target audiences, and then target them through digital website content aligned with their needs.

Once you create an initial schedule for branded website content, it is vitally important to maintain its frequency and relevancy when posted on your website. It is also important to make sure the SEO-driven writing reads naturally and is not too technical for readers.

To win the remaining months of 2020, and head into 2021 with momentum, you could even create a marketing platform that is a hybrid of the points we have outlined in this blog.

Begin creating or adding some form of owned media content, such as a weekly blog or company newsletter, and include well-ranking keyword phrases in your new content. To give this content an impactful presence, have a c-suite leader or the business owner be the author each week or month.

As we have already mentioned, inactivity on digital platforms can make potential clients and customers jump to inaccurate conclusions about your business. By having a company leader echo key messaging about the standing of your business, all the while working in strategic SEO keywords on a regular (weekly or monthly) basis, you are setting yourself up for success to round-out the year and heading into 2021. Not only could this method help you attract and attain new business, it can also allow you to discover the 2020 evolution of your brand identity.

Meeting your marketing goals in 2020

By consciously deciding on a regular basis what your lingering marketing objectives are and how to reenact them, you can essentially materialize remaining 2020 goals that were put on hold or slowed earlier in the year. Plus, what you deem as not an immediate priority for 2020 can be queued for 2021; it is never too early to begin planning a marketing content calendar and strategy.

The year 2020 has been a roller coaster ride for many businesses, and very few sectors of the economy were prepared for or immune to the year’s economic and health woes. However, though it may have felt like it on the darker days, the world did not stop and the need for action-oriented marketing certainly remains a key factor for the all-important annual results.

We are looking forward to 2021 being a great year, along with all the energy and innovation it will likely bring. In the meantime, if you are looking to reignite your 2020 marketing plan to finish out the year strong and launch a results-focused 2021 with more momentum than ever, contact our team today to assist your race to the finish line.

 

Filed Under: Eberly and Collard Tagged With: advertising, B2B Social Media, contact us, Instagram, Instagram for B2B, marketing, Meeting your marketing goals in 2020, Public relations

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