COMPLACENT MARKETING
Startups Need To Rethink Their Approach To PR
By Diana Obath
The speed at which the world is evolving means that there is a large amount of marketing information being sent out to customers at all times . To cut through the clutter and make messages much clearer , most organizations choose to use a mix of marketing and PR approaches to maximize their marketing efforts . PR often leads to greater message retention on first interaction due to the fact that it focuses on reputation building and clarifying information about the brand , product or service . PR also delivers information to the right people at the right time and through reputable third-party channels most times making it a strategic approach to messaging .
PR is also known to amplify brand awareness , provide an added dimension to marketing messages by adding a face to the brand , build credibility and strengthen the overall value of the brand , strengthen connections and build relationships , promote brand value , elevate the authority of the organization and provide a navigation for digital channels .
While PR has so many pros , its role is often only felt when a substantial amount of groundwork has been done by a business . Small businesses and entrepreneurs often understand the value that PR has but most times fail to know when the time is right for them to launch a PR campaign for their
“
While it looks all glittery , PR is not a band aid or a magic pill , it only works best under certain favorable conditions and with a deliberate approach . Before launching a PR campaign for any entrepreneur , there has to be an evaluation for its necessity based on the preparedness of the business .
own companies , what they intend to achieve through the PR activity and the approaches that will work best for their business .
With the right approaches and a good understanding of the KPI ’ s that PR will help deliver for the startup , it can easily become
an effective and powerful tool for attracting investors , securing funding , creating increased awareness about a product or service , building existing awareness among potential partners , and creating a favorable image for the company .
While it looks all glittery , PR is not a band aid or a magic pill , it only works best under certain favorable conditions and with a deliberate approach . Before launching a PR campaign for any entrepreneur , there has to be an evaluation for its necessity based on the preparedness of the business .
PR for small business and startups work best when the startup operates in a highly competitive market where demand for the product already exist . This creates a readily available audience to listen to your PR messages and try out the product based on what they have heard about it . Reputation and trust in the business and sometimes the owner of the business is also critical when opting to engage in a PR campaign as a startup .
If your product is complex and expensive , targeted to a niche of customers and most times cannot be experienced before purchasing , then PR would be an appropriate route to market for your business . A startup seeking new partnerships or looking for investors may also engage PR early on in the business as these are usually high
14 MAL53 / 23 ISSUE