5 reasons for your start-up to finally take advantage of PR in 2022
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A new year, a new beginning, and a great time to reflect on how you will improve, re-energize and grow your business in 2022. Is 2022 the year you finally start taking advantage of PR and broaden your reach?
There’s the misconception that many small businesses and start-ups have no use for PR, unlike larger companies and globally recognized brands. However, that’s all that is — a misconception. As a matter of fact, Public Relations is one of the most effective ways to build on your brand and create solid credibility and reputation. When done well, PR boosts your brand awareness and helps you position your brand in the media and in people’s hearts and minds. More importantly, PR allows you to communicate your vision, mission, and values to the world.
Why PR?
You may argue, “Come on, do I really need PR? I’ve got a fantastic product, and I’m an excellent entrepreneur. Why use PR?”
We may answer, “Great that your product is fantastic, great that you’re an excellent entrepreneur… but how do you connect with current and future customers? How do you control the narrative of what you’re offering? How do you take advantage of the media, so that your story is heard? That is where PR comes into play.
PR professionals are storytellers and image shapers. They create narratives for your brand to protect, enhance or build your reputation through the media. Even when the news is unfavorable, they help you create the best possible response and mitigate damage efficiently. PR includes crafting press releases, securing bylines, event organization, crisis management, speech writing, media training, and everything in between.
What can PR do for your start-up?
PR strategies may differ, but the goal remains the same — create a strong connection between the brand and the public through media. This paves the way to boost brand reputation and increase business opportunities.
Here are five main areas where PR can help your business:
1 - Creating brand recognition and credibility. PR helps you craft stories that will attract the media. As for the public, since these messages do not come directly from your company, the stories will appear less biased and more trustworthy. A more genuine dialogue with customers is created, helping your brand increase credibility and brand recognition.
2 - Promoting your brand image and values. By writing byline articles on different topics related to your field, you can easily, and in a non-self-promoting way, share your values by giving your opinion or providing predictions on topics you are an expert in. Newsjacking, taking advantage of current and relevant news stories and events to promote your brand, can be a great way to call attention to your values. It shows that you have your finger on the pulse of your customer’s needs and market developments and that you’re not afraid to take a stand in current debates and topics. Keep it consistent and on-brand, and the public will easily understand what your business is about.
3 - Making connections and getting your voice heard. News is often dominated by the biggest players in any given industry. PR can help you get noticed regardless, so that you can tell your story, through press coverage, interviews, media tours, conferences, and more. When it comes to speaking events, regardless of being the most trained spokesperson or not, most PR agencies support you with media training, helping you through the dos and don'ts when connecting with the media. Discover more about this in our blog post about dealing with the media.
4 - Positioning your brand as a leader in the market. PR can provide a unique touch and add value to your brand, which will help differentiate your company from your competitors. With expert pieces or interviews, PR allows you to position yourself as an expert in your field, and you’ll be able to demonstrate your knowledge, experience, and skills to current and future customers, and professionals alike.
5 - Improving and strengthening your brand’s relationship with the community. Through PR, brands can create a two-way dialogue between them and their audience. The way news is consumed today is changing rapidly. A simple press release doesn’t cut it anymore. It’s more about creating stories for your audience, appealing to the media, and creating a connection with the community.
When to take the plunge?
In short, PR allows you to better communicate your vision with the world, raise awareness and credibility for your brand, promote your values, make important connections, build your reputation as a market leader, and improve your brand’s relationship with the community, all of which contributes towards driving sales up and company growth.
Like we mentioned at the beginning, it’s a new year, a great time to put in action plans to improve, re-energize and grow your business, and PR is a great way to broaden your reach. If you’re still not sure whether the timing is right to take advantage of PR for your small business or start-up, we got you covered! Take Laika’s short quiz about PR readiness and determine for yourself if now is the right time for you.
The Laika Space Dogs wish you an awesome start to the year. May your business reach new heights in 2022!