Resisting recession with PR - Part 3
Okay. In Video 1, we said the recession is coming so we better get our heads around that idea and in Video 2, we talked about the need to stay the course with your PR during the downturn in order to remain front of mind for your customers and clients and position your business to take advantage of the uptick when it comes – and it will come because it always does.
In this video, let’s turn our attention to what PR you should be doing during this period. The art today encompasses so many things. It is getting your business in the media in the form of interviews, quotes and bylines. It’s the communications you send out in your newsletters and social media content. You’ve also got podcasts, vodcasts, vox pops, speaking engagements, crises management. The list goes on.
Knowing what tactic will be the best for your business is often a matter of trial and error. Do you focus more of your efforts on the resources that generate media coverage, or would you be better channeling everything towards developing your digital PR strategy? Maybe a mix of both?
The direction you go depends on how well you know your audience. Who are they? Their personas? How do they like to access and receive information and content? And when do they want to be exposed to it? Some people get their fix of information during the morning or evening commute. Others do so during their 11am break, and some might spend time perusing the papers, listening to podcasts, or watching a video during their lunch hour.
And how do they access this information, on their smartphone? Their desktop? A publication they’ve picked up from the newsstand en route to the office? You need to know your customers and know how to reach them in ways they want to be reached.
Let me give you an example. Suppose your business has just done some market research and the results will be of value to prospective customers. Now you could write them up into a rather smart white paper that can be downloaded via your website or an email link, and this will appeal to those who love a good, long reason in a format that can be revisited again at any point.
So what else can you do with it? Especially if you love it when you see a report published on social media and someone you’re connected with posts TLDR; too long, didn’t read. and provides you with a snapshot of what it says. Yes. Thank you very much indeed.
How might your customers be hooked into finding out more? What alternative format can you create it in? If there are some sexy stats in there, then get a press release out to the relevant media. That will shine a light on your business for a wee while at least, and could be syndicated across multiple sites, which will increase the chances of your story getting in front of more the right people for your business.
But what else? Don’t stop there. Well, you could take three or four of the most salient findings of your research and turn them into three or four blogs for your website, where you can do a bit of a deep dive into each one. These can then be promoted and shared across your social media channels and in newsletters which you send out to your customers, thereby stretching the lifespan and discussion points around your research and increasing interest because, like it or not, not everyone will like every part of the research that you’ve done. Some will only be interested in one or two of the findings.
So you’re promoting content to different people in different ways in a way that appeals to them. But what else? Keep thinking digitally. Who’s the best person to speak authoritatively about the research? The author of the work? A director of the company?
Whoever it is, get them on camera talking about it. Take a smartphone like this. Write a script, download an auto cue up and get them speaking into the camera just like I am now. Do you honestly think I remember all of this stuff?
So where have we gotten with all of this? Think about the people you want to engage with and consider how they want to be engaged with. Some customers will love long-form content one minute, but short-form the next.
It’s about covering your bases and recognizing that we all have our own preferences and we can all change them if we please. Don’t channel all your PR and efforts into a single medium. Spread them out.
Your customers are hanging out in many different places and your job is to find out where they are and be there too. This will be especially so during a recession. The demand for opportunities for PR content in its various forms rocketed during the pandemic, as it will this time around, because of the series of challenges and pain points people are facing.
They want answers. Keep the conversation going. Keep talking to them about things that matter most to you. Be brave for your PR and comms and if you’ve never done video, try it. If you’ve never done speaking engagements, chuck yourself into it.
If you’ve always stuck to the regional press and thought national media will have no interest in you, try your luck. Because believe me, they are interested in you, if you’ve got something to say.
