If you have never used public relations to attract customers, then you are losing money every day
Prospecting, or looking for potential customers, is one of the most arduous parts of the sales process that an organization’s sales department must constantly carry out. Without customers interested in a particular product or service, failure can be imminent.
This task, repeated day after day, can be as exhausting as it is challenging. However, what would you think if I told you there is a “miraculous” tool that makes customers come on their own? Yes, without thousands of daily calls and fruitless negotiations. With only a studied, segmented communication strategy, those customers you watch walk past you into your competition’s arms can stop right in front of your company, convinced it is the option they need.
That hidden diamond is called Public Relations (PR) and it is nothing other than: “All those communication actions that an organization carries out strategically, coordinated and sustained over time; whose main objective is to strengthen ties with the different audiences, listening to them, informing them and persuading them to achieve their consensus, loyalty, affinity and support in present and/or future actions”.
Bill Gates said: “If I had only one dollar left in my budget, I would invest it in Public Relations”. The owner of Microsoft knew that investing in PR meant securing free mentions in the media all over the world, with a level of credibility four times greater than if he had placed a full-page, full-color ad in the most prestigious newspaper of any city.
Implementing PR actions in a company, under the advice of a communication specialist or a public relations agency, means diving into the heart of the organization, learning its mission and vision and aligning with its objectives to project the best image, which serves as a springboard for building a good reputation, keeping existing customers and winning potential ones. The road is long, but keep in mind that: “What isn’t begun is never finished”.
Carry out a diagnosis of the company.
What do a doctor and a public relations professional have in common? Believe it or not, there is a certain similarity between these two professionals. When a patient visits a doctor it is because they have an ailment and need a diagnosis and a medicine. When a manager or CEO seeks out a public relations professional or a Public Relations firm it is because they need to communicate something or need to solve a communication problem. To set the right strategy, the public relations professional must know the organization thoroughly, listen to its executives, analyze the problem or need and offer an accurate solution.
Set a calendar.
Drawing up a public relations plan requires anticipation. Whether annual, quarterly or if you will run a campaign, planning will help order all the steps to follow over time, and thus foresee situations or dates that can serve to build brand presence with a good reason. For example, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Internet Day, National Holidays, etc.
Carry out or take part in networking activities.
A representative of Business Network International (BNI), a local business networking organization, said that of almost 2,000 contacts generated, in a district of Galicia, over eleven months in the networking circle, almost 50% end up as business.
Taking part in fairs, events and meetings with decision-makers or strategic people who might be interested in your product or service is a very practical way of generating new business. In that way, networking is aimed at creating a broad network of contacts to make your company or business known. To achieve it, keep in mind that first impressions do count, and you must take the utmost care with presentation, attitude and courtesy. Nobody would like to do business or establish a commercial relationship with someone untidy or who doesn’t pay attention to the person they are talking to.
Relationships with the media.
One of the best ways to position yourself in the minds of the media and influencers as an expert in your field is by building relationships with them. Generate topics of interest around your product but with the target audience in mind, avoid making your topic the center of the message and try to offer figures or market data that go hand in hand with your information. Journalists give interviews or attend relationship-building meetings when the information is interesting and, even more so, if it is a scoop. Before a meeting, prepare through media training, plan your speech, study the journalist’s and outlet’s profile; and evaluate the critical or sensitive topics that could arise.
Watch your budget.
Surely your organizational chart includes a marketing area that stands out for activities with a heavy load of stress and high demand for results. So it is not always possible to invest in an in-house public relations professional, even, if your company continually carries out activities with the media or requires a permanent media presence. In this case, the most advisable thing is to hire a public relations agency to design your communication and public relations plan and assign you a team of specialists who listen to your requirements and give you tailor-made solutions aligned with your communication objectives, while you focus on your business.
According to your needs, the agency will give you solutions for the best cost-benefit, whether you want to do just one project or a sustained strategy that backs up your brand positioning and strengthens your reputation.
Remember that a company that communicates, and does so strategically, is destined to endure over time; and whoever never speaks simply gets lost along the way. The chance to prove it to you is just a click away.
