4 Effective PR Strategies for New Businesses

This is a guest post by Pius Boachie, Founder of DigitiMatic. With the constant growth in the digital world, it's almost impossible for any new business to be heard. To be heard or seen, businesses needs to effectively promote their brand value or message through native channels as much as possible. In a research conducted by statistics Canada, data shows that about 145,000 new businesses start up every year in the country and about 137,000 declare bankruptcy each year. For businesses to survive the “choke” and launch successful products, a communication strategy needs to be set in place. A clearly designed communication plan across all channels will not only spark conversation with prospects, it will also lead buyers down the sales funnel. Bear in mind, creating and implementing a communication strategy will have its financial effect on your business. Here are 5 tips on how to create effective PR strategies that will last: 1.Develop stories from different angles for the press Create your business story from different angles, interview your decision makers. Search for details that your target audience would be interested in. For instance, create stories from the following angles: Why does the market need your business offering? What is your business doing differently compared to other industry players? Why did your founder set up the business? What are some problems he/she wants to solve? How is the business changing the industry and touching lives? Using the answers to the questions above, you can create an article or piece, keep it below 1000 words. Save the article then edit later on to remove industrial jargon. Successful press releases always have a strong news angle instead of just general info on your company. Basically, make sure your story is newsworthy. 2.Use company statistics Your business statistics can be a useful tool in launching successful PR campaigns. Business statistics such as revenue reports, funding, business impact on customers reports, and growth statistics show the press that your business is genuine and in it for the long game. 3. Leverage your social networks Social media networks can be a huge platform for getting free press with minimal work. Ask your employees and family for their support in spreading your story and brand. For this to be effective, it needs to be added to the company culture and upheld. A coordinated social media outreach plan is a good way of getting new eyes on your business, recent offerings, and company news. 4. Go for the big fish When sending out press releases, do you target a list of journalist and influencers or do you just cast your net in the open? Would your message be suited for a press release or should you use a more personal approach by pitching journalists individually? It would be much more effective to target a set of journalist and influencers who deal with and are interested your industry and send them your pitch. Also, send your press releases to other media channels including radio and TV channels, stating in your press release that you are always open for interviews. 5. Solicit and promote reviews Solicit for help from a power player in the industry, it's more effective for your story to be told by someone else. Monitor and reach out to individuals enjoying your services or product and spread the good news, this would result in organic and free PR, in a research conducted by Dimensional Research, 88 percent of respondents made buying decisions based on online reviews. Constantly promoting good reviews from customers or users would automatically yield in better PR, more sales, and bigger brand perception. Businesses are expected to constantly test what works for their industry and what doesn’t. Once you figure out what works, stick with it, and watch your company soar. Pius Boachie is an inbound marketing consultant. He works closely with B2C and B2B businesses providing digital marketing content that gains social media attention and increases their search engine visibility. On his blog DigitiMatic, he shares actionable marketing and branding advice for businesses.

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4 Effective PR Strategies for New Businesses

This is a guest post by Pius Boachie, Founder of DigitiMatic.

Adweek Staff

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