5 Do It Yourself Strategies For Success

Public Relations or (PR) is the practice of promoting your business, yourself, your products or services to a specific audience. It is the art of constructing a visible reality in the minds of your key stakeholders or target audience.PR covers a number of associated activities, all of which are concerned with communicating specific messages to specific target audiences. This typically covers; research, publicity, community relations, government relations, internal relations, investor relations, stakeholder relations, charitable causes and media/ communications training.

It is also about appearances (image) of a person or organisation. It may be a reflection of the businesses core values represented by the individual or it may be created by a business. Public Relations strategies are utilised everyday across the globe in a multitude of industries including; product launches and promotion, issues management, brand awareness, profile building, media training and to boost the popularity of celebrities and sportsmen.

Here are a few strategies to take your ‘brand’ to the next level:

Image

You only have one chance to make a first good impression. Believe it or not but in the first 5 seconds, your image influences the people you meet. Within the first 30 seconds people will start to form opinions about you, based on what they see, hear and sense. It is that impression they make, which often lasts a lifetime. Whether you are a business or person your Image alone speaks volumes. Here are some tips to ensure you always have your best foot forward:

Businesses

For corporations and people or other organisations, image can affect the financial bottom line. Fortune magazine’s annual ranking of most admired companies has found a correlation between a company’s reputation and its profits. Not surprisingly, the most admired companies have higher financial returns than the least admired. The following benefits have been identified for businesses which have a good reputation:

Increasing market share

Lowering market costs

Ability to charge a premium

Avoiding over-regulation

Being able to weather bad times

Greater employee alignment and productivity

Ability to attract and retain talent

Ease of attracting investors

Achieve more favourable media coverage

Your ‘brand’ is the essence or core meaning of your business. Ensure you know what this is and follow it through consistently. It will distinguish your products and services from that of another business. Invest some time and energy in the image of your employees. They are after all an asset and how they are perceived externally will have an impact on your business. Ensure everyone is aware of the dress code policy, and possibly go one step further with a short induction on image, grooming and office etiquette.

Your key spokesperson(s) will be the face of your business so it is imperative who ever this is they are formally trained in; image, media, communications and public speaking.

TIPS

Adapt your wardrobe for the occasion. Update your wardrobe annually. Choose colours and styles that flatter your figure and skin colour. Be comfortable with what you are wearing and ensure that it fits you appropriately.
Your shoes define you as much as what you wear so make certain these are maintained, comfortable and are coordinated to your work attire.Grooming is an important component to your image – hair should be tidy, skin taken care of with a good regime based on your skin type and your nails clean and neat.
There is also non-verbal communication (handshake, posture, gestures, eye contact) which should be considered. Reading other people’s non-verbal cues can help you in your business and personal life.
Attempt to practice good business communication and etiquette at all times. This will boost your confidence, competence and likeability with colleagues as well as clients.

If you project an image of success and confidence, people will be more inclined to believe that you are successful and confident.

Corporate communication

All of your corporate communication should reflect the vision, values and branding of your business. All corporate logos, colours, and details should be consistent and uniform throughout the business. It should be accurate, error-free, and clear. This means internal as well as external. If using e-mail, ensure the appropriate auto signature is attached. Do not change colours or sizing of corporate logos and ensure you communicate this as part of your policy to staff.

Effective PR

Can you do PR on your own? Possibly, if you have some know how…

Ensure you marketing material and website are up to scratch first
Research your competition � see what they are doing Outline your goals
Plan some events, link to a charity and do something good
Communicate your product and what you are doing to everyone; media releases, articles, events, promotion

Delivering presentations

The key to delivering powerful presentations is preparation. Practice, practice, practice. Ensure you have done your research and know your facts. When planning and preparing for a presentation or meeting it’s important for you to identify your key messages and be concise and clear. Always try and start with a great opening line to capture your audience’s attention and end leaving them something to think about.

Practice – Image is key – Confidence

Market your Brand

There are many ways in which to market your brand, or create brand awareness. The first step is to clearly identify your target market. In many cases this would generally fall into 2 categories; existing clients and potential clients. Be definite about who your target clients would be – specify the industries, geographic location, size, and financial factors. The next step is to concentrate on the items you already have, this might be your website, planned functions/ events. Set a budget, and then start a campaign, initially with a six to twelve month view.

Thoughts, opinions?

At BlackLine PR we value your feedback. If you've got something to say please leave your contribution using the form below