PR Branding

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a PR Firm?

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The cost to hire a PR firm should align with the impact you expect your PR firm to have on your business goals. If you’re hiring a PR firm to grow sales, then the expense of your PR firm should reflect the importance of that on your brand. Don’t expect to grow your sales 100% by investing an additional 5% in PR. Indeed, there are ways to track revenue from PR.  For example, if you’re in maintenance mode and need a responsive rather than a proactive PR agency, that cost should be less than a proactive media relations and media placement campaign, which can reach billions of people.

There is a huge range of pricing for PR firms. In general, solopreneur firms, or less experienced PR firms might charge around $3,000 per month, depending on the client and the market. Larger firms, premium agencies, and boutique firms can charge upwards of $18,000 to $25,000 per month for their services. Businesses in fast-growing or emerging industries can also affect PR pricing. How do you know what’s fair and what rate to pay? Consider some of these factors when considering whether a PR firm is right for your business.

If you are contemplating the cost of hiring a PR firm, chances are you already know the importance of establishing your business’s image. Positive PR can help increase brand recognition, loyalty, and community goodwill. However, you might be wondering, how many does it cost to hire a PR firm?

There are also ways to save on agency fees, so work with your agency to discuss how you can jointly achieve more efficiency.

Why Experience Matters in PR

Understand that while experience is important, it can also be costly. Established PR firms with track records of success tend to charge more for their services. Hiring experienced PR professionals can be costly. Most often, a firm’s reputation is established through its employees’ skill and experience level.

Like in any industry, with PR, experience matters. Some agencies have very young teams; others have more executive-level teams. There are pros/cons to each. Many top PR firms will employ former journalists and experienced PR professionals, and for a good reason. Former journalists have a wealth of contacts in the media industry. These people also have contacts at non-profit organizations and with community leaders, among others.

These contacts are precious for pitching stories for their clients. Former journalists also understand what media companies are looking for when it comes to story ideas. They can craft attention-getting press releases that stand a better chance of being seen and picked up instead of being tossed in the trash heap of yesterday’s news. Former journalists also tend to know the best people to follow up with after issuing a press release or event notice.

The same skills and connections can be true for experienced PR professionals. Those with experience in the industry understand the intricacies of the business. They are masters of communication who know how to get a message across and which avenues offer their clients the best chance at positive exposure in the media. Understanding the nuances of marketing and portraying a positive image are honed skills needed for your business’s PR firm.

 

Why Pay-to-Play PR is So Dangerous

Careers in PR and journalism have a natural connection. It’s why so many former journalists tend to expand their careers into the PR realm. However, businesses need to be on the lookout for a potentially dangerous practice called pay-to-play. Pay-to-play is a phrase that refers to professionals making undisclosed or under-the-table payments to journalists or media companies in exchange for publishing a client’s story.

This behavior is considered unethical. Local media outlets should be viewed as a public service. A newsroom assesses the merit of stories and gauges how interested their audience will be in the information that they provide. Paying for coverage is both unethical and potentially deprives an audience of newsworthy content.

It is also dangerous because media outlets have a duty to report to their audience when a spot or story includes paid content. Paid content includes commercials and ads. A potential consumer knows that the information provided has been paid for by an advertiser when they view a commercial. Pay-for-play is essentially duping an audience into thinking that the content is unbiased. However, if a PR firm purchases airtime under the table, it misrepresents the impartiality of the content.

That’s not to say there isn’t a place for sponsored content and paid placement. It’s just important to understand the difference and integrate them into your plan accordingly.

Setting Goals and Expectations with Your PR Firm

Do your homework ahead of time before committing to a PR agency. Sit down with your team and outline your goals and expectations. What are you hoping to gain out of your relationship with a PR firm? How much of your budget are you willing to dedicate monthly to a PR firm? You need to be honest when answering these questions and establishing your objectives. When you have your goals firmly set, schedule meetings with a variety of PR agencies.

When consulting with a PR firm, consider asking these questions to assess whether the firm will be a good fit:

  • Do they have experience in your particular industry?
  • What is their communication style?
  • How do they measure success?
  • How will they go about generating leads and coverage?
  • Do they know how to manage crisis situations?
  • How will they help you reach your goals?

Don’t be afraid to also ask questions about their fee structure. Budget is a big factor in deciding whether to hire an agency or keep your PR work in-house. A PR firm should be transparent when discussing what they charge and how their fee structure works. You may also want to ask how long it takes their team to craft a press release or set up for an event. Understanding how many hours a typical project can take may help you evaluate whether a PR agency is cost-effective for your business.

To help foster a successful relationship with a PR firm, you need to communicate your goals upfront and set your expectations early. Doing so means that you and the firm start on the same page and can track results throughout the relationship. Meeting with a company before you hire them allows you to gauge how comfortable you are with the firm and how they will manage the reputation of your business.

At the end of the day, hiring a PR firm is an investment, but only if you find an agency whose goals align with yours. When deciding if a firm’s prices coincide with your company’s budget and needs, consider your goals, specific industry challenges, and the expertise of a firm’s staff. Do not be afraid to ask tough questions because the reputation of your business may depend on how your PR agency responds. The right PR agency can be an excellent investment in your business.

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What Makes Hypergrowth Businesses Stand Out?

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While there is no blueprint for creating a successful hyper-growth company, many of these businesses share some common qualities that help them stand out in the crowd of tech startups. But first, it’s essential to understand what a hypergrowth business is.

What Is A Hypergrowth Business?

Hypergrowth businesses are businesses that maintain a rapid rate of growth over time. To be called a “hyper-growth” business, it must have a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 40% or more. Businesses with “rapid growth” have a CAGR between 20% and 40%. And businesses with “normal growth” maintain a CAGR below 20%. Hypergrowth usually occurs before a business has fully matured. The term “hyper-growth” was first coined in the Harvard Business Review.

Many startup businesses are looking to be the next big hyper-growth company. Amazon, Uber, and Facebook are all excellent examples of hyper-growth companies. However, many hyper-growth companies eventually take a quick downturn and ultimately fail. Many hyper-growth companies fail because they get so focused on growth that they neglect to plan for challenges that the business will face during its rapid rise, including overworked employees, marketing costs, and a customer-focused culture, and more.

How Hypergrowth Companies Stand Out

Hyper-growth companies are usually ahead of the trend, which means they’ve probably toiled in a constant state of underfunding until they didn’t. This means that many hyper-growth CEOs are unprepared for the needs of a company suddenly thrust into the public eye.

But whether their fast-growing status is due to an emerging industry, an outspoken leader, or an up-and-coming trend, the fastest-growing companies take the opportunity to create a brand for themselves.  This means engaging in marketing and PR before the trend hits. A well-positioned hyper-growth company leads the conversation because they are an already known expert.

They Keep Track of Emerging Trends and Offer Customers Real Value

Because the market is constantly in flux and consumers are continuously rethinking their wants and needs, hypergrowth businesses understand that they must keep track of emerging trends. When they see an opportunity, they take it. When they see a gap in the marketplace, they fill it with a product or service that has value for customers. Hypergrowth businesses understand that perceived value is not enough; customers seek products and services that add real value to their lives. Being flexible and focused on the company’s target audience and their changing wants and needs enables hypergrowth businesses to scale rapidly when an opportunity becomes successful.

They Know How To Identify Areas for Growth

Most businesses grow by expanding their current customer base by regularly offering new products and services or by targeting new customers by diversifying the products and services they offer and testing opportunities in new markets. Hypergrowth companies are successful because they know how to identify the most significant opportunities for growth and then strategically pursue that opportunity while keeping an eye on product performance and marketplace trends.

They Hire Focused Leadership

Hypergrowth companies understand the value of competent, focused leadership. Hypergrowth businesses that fail often do so because company leadership got so focused on the company’s rapid growth that they were unable to focus on other challenges that would inevitably arise due to rapid expansion. Successful hypergrowth companies hire leadership that can focus on both scaling the business and scaling other business areas to match the company’s growth.

Successful business leaders do much more than share a vision for the company’s growth. They also move the business forward by spotting emerging trends and constantly adapting to the constantly changing market. While remaining focused on the overall vision, they also focus on executing a business strategy to achieve their business objectives.

They Value Their Employees

Hypergrowth companies value the people who work for them and strive to foster a healthy workplace culture. Overworking employees can quickly cause a business’s culture to become toxic. Hypergrowth businesses provide employees with rewards and benefits that have value. A good work-life balance is far more rewarding and important to the average worker than access to ping-pong tables and craft beer on tap. Hypergrowth company leaders understand their employees are the catalysts for rapid growth and that the company’s culture starts with its workers. Hypergrowth company leaders are intentional about developing a healthy and unique company culture from the outset.

They Turn Their Customers Into Brand Ambassadors

Successful hyper-growth companies turn their customers into ambassadors for their brand. There are few things more powerful for a company than its customers going out into the world and gushing about the company’s product or service. Hypergrowth businesses rely on word of mouth and constantly identify potential brand ambassadors to promote their products and services. In addition to customers, other brand ambassadors might be employees or industry influencers. No matter how they spread the word about your brand, word of mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools a business can leverage.

They Measure Their Success

Hypergrowth businesses understand that success doesn’t happen due to dumb luck. Successful hyper growth businesses are constantly tracking their successes and failures, gaining insights into what is working and what isn’t by harnessing as much data as they can — the more data, the better.

They Are Flexible and Innovative

Perhaps one of the most important qualities of successful hyper-growth businesses is their flexibility and ability to innovate constantly. In the digital age, the world is changing rapidly every day. Successful hyper-growth companies understand that to achieve success, they must be malleable, constantly reassessing consumers’ wants and needs and new marketplace opportunities. Because consumers today have more choice, successful hyper-growth companies must constantly innovate to stand out above other companies.

Marketing for Hypergrowth

How can you market your company for hyper-growth? Implementing a focused and strategic public relations campaign is one of the best methods for customer-driven companies that are on the brink of or are already experiencing hypergrowth. The keys to successful hyper-growth PR is to reach a broad audience, keep them engaged, and letting your service or product sell itself. Some ways to do this include:

  • Running giveaways and other promotions to attract new customers and keep them engaged
  • Keep your existing customers informed and engaged with your company
  • Show all of your customers that you care, not just through words but through your actions

PR for fast-growing companies can be challenging, and especially for those experiencing hypergrowth. With so many tasks to complete, outsourcing some of these efforts to a company with specific experience with hypergrowth PR is often recommended.

Contact Avaans Media

The foundation of any company is its vision, but a successful hyper-growth company grows due to a solid business strategy that meets its goals. If you have questions about hyper-growth business strategies, the PR team at Avaans Media is here to answer all your questions. Contact us today to discuss your business objectives.

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How to Inspire Advocates and Influencers in Your Marketing

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Marketing to influencers and advocates is all the rage, fueled by social media. But if you’ve ever developed a consumer campaign with influencers and/or advocates, you know it can be filled with land mines.
Part of that is what inspires advocates and influencers is different. In my last post about Captivation Motivations, I shared with you the secret driver you’ve already heard of behind so many of our snap decisions and just BARELY touched on rewards and lures.

But they’re actually super closely related to what’s behind our fastest decisions to click, like, join, sign up, or buy. If you’ve played an app or computer game, you’ve probably noticed that these games are getting more addictive (eh, em, Candy Crush anyone?). It’s not just better graphics and faster speeds that are making these games addictive, it’s the deeper understanding of what really motivates people to continue playing and one of those is the power of rewards.

I will get to the secret successful games used in a minute, but first, I want to share something else with you. If you’re thinking of running a giveaway, a promotion, or even thinking of starting an app, you want to keep reading. If you’re using digital and social media to market your brand (and I know you are), you’ll want to keep reading. If you’re doing affiliate marketing, you will want to keep reading.  What I’m about to share with you is essential and will ultimately make or break your product or promotion and even marketing relationships with influencers and advocates, including journalists.

 

You Scratch My Back…Carefully.

The last time someone bought you lunch, I bet your parting words were, “It’s on me next time!” You probably said it without asking where you might go or checking your bank account or calendar. You just blurted it out. The truth is, we’re hard-wired to return favors. Think about that for a minute. We are deeply, sincerely uncomfortable when we think we must return a favor. Next time you run a promotion on Facebook, do a test. Ask people to like the page BEFORE entering the contest and compare that to the results if you ask AFTER you’ve given them something, even if it’s just a chance to win. Chances are you’ll find that if you ask AFTERwards, your conversion percentage goes way up, AND those people remain engaged for longer.
This is because lures trigger our sense of reciprocity.

Want to hear an old-school example of this?
Ever received mailing labels from a nonprofit that you didn’t ask for? Did you know that sending mailing labels with a request for a donation has been shown to DOUBLE donations? And guess what? The average donation is way, way more than the value of the labels.
Why? Because reciprocity is a compelling motivation, and it comes with a quirk: what we give for what we receive has very little to do with the financial value of either. You give something, ANYTHING, of some value without placing a value on it, and the reciprocity trigger kicks in. This is the idea behind successful content marketing.

 

Why You Should Never Pay Your Advocates

There’s a lot of discussion today about influencer and advocate marketing. Lures and rewards are different. Lures give without the expectation on the giver’s part of receiving anything in return. That triggers reciprocity by the receiver.
Rewards are given with the expectation of the receiver to get something in exchange, so no sense of reciprocity is triggered.

Rewards (generally) kill reciprocity, but they can create habits if done correctly (like training your dog).
But it’s tough for marketers to get the consistency required to create a habit. Hell, it’s hard to get the consistency required to create a habit in dog; ask anyone who’s tried.

But marketers can more easily create reciprocity, which is an extremely powerful motivation that rewards do not trigger. Here’s the rub though: reciprocity has some limitations too.
If you offered rewards to those who were already advocating for you to do what they were already doing, you’d see that their desire to support you moving forward would be slipping. That’s because offering a reward on contingency (do this 3X/week and receive that reward) for something someone is ALREADY motivated to do, decreases the desire. And unless you understood this motivational fact, you’d probably be left scratching your head about what happened.
Tread lightly with your advocates, because your appreciation can decrease their motivation if you aren’t careful.

This isn’t to say rewards aren’t effective. They can be very effective. “Share this and receive that…” you see it all the time. That’s a reward, not a lure. Again, ask my dogs. They know if they do something, there’s a good chance there’s a treat for them. That’s a reward; they’ve been conditioned to expect it. Rewards can be potent tools for increasing reach. It creates increased reach by those who AREN’T your advocates; depending on your strategy, that can be very important. Just don’t confuse people you give a reward to as an advocate.

Time: The Biggest Reciprocity Trigger

If you’re really interested in triggering reciprocity, then you should probably do two things:
1) get to know your customer really well
2) think beyond monetary lures (discounts, coupons, even product giveaways).

The reasons for this are two-fold:

Our 90% of the brain (the oldest, largest, and most primitive part of our brain) inherently knows that time is more valuable than items. We inherently value experiences (millennials especially) more than items, so although the default is often a coupon or discount, experiences are more highly valued. Receiving an experience from a product or brand increases reciprocity. So if you use an experience as a reward, you can trigger reciprocity. But to offer a highly valued experience, you really have to know your customer. What YOU think your customer values may differ completely from what they actually value. In the last post, we discussed information seeking as a dopamine trigger, which can also be a reward. So can mastery-this is the essence of gamification. Becoming good at something is its reward and the longer we spend on achieving that reward, the more we value it. Again, what your customers value may include inclusion in a tribe, recognition, or status. All these things can be valuable rewards AND lures for brands.

The other thing to understand is that placing a distinct financial value on a lure (or a reward) kinks up the perceived value. Let me give you an example: If I invited you to dinner at my house for a homemade dinner that was wonderful (of course it would be FABULOUS), but then I spent all night talking about how much I spent on buying the ingredients of the dinner, two things would happen. 1) you would view the dinner as a sum of parts rather than its whole value of time, effort, and community, and 2) you probably wouldn’t feel a sense of reciprocity, no matter how fabulous the dinner was. Don’t force your influencers OR your advocates to view your rewards or lures as a sum of parts by involving money too heavily; it kills goodwill AND reciprocity. This is part of the power of consumer PR – it triggers goodwill and reciprocity with journalists. If you’re going to use rewards or lures, remember, make it something the customer values and think about how to make more valuable than money.

Here’s the bottom line: use rewards for influencers and lures for advocates.

Can you think of a time when a marketing strategy with lures or rewards turned you off? Share them with me here or in social media; it’s a fascinating discussion I love hearing about.

About the Captivation Motivations:

The Captivation Motivations are all built around the “other 90%” of our brain. The part of our brain that is the oldest and most developed part of our brain.
I didn’t make up the Captivation Motivations; I’ve simply been studying them and their effects since 2008. I’ve been testing them in my strategies and tactics, reading and writing about them.
These motivations are not some flash-in-the-pan-do-whats-trendy-now strategy, these are strategies that trigger reactions from the oldest part of our brain. Over the last few years, more and more has been understood about these motivations. But one thing is clear: even though these motivations developed in the earliest days of humanity’s survival of the fittest experiences, these motivations are very much alive and well today. What triggers them in the modern world differs from what triggered them in our earliest evolutionary days.

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What is an Effective CleanTech PR Strategy?

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Getting your PR strategy right is the ultimate goal of any tech business or startup. Operating in a highly competitive marketplace means that tech companies must reach out to the right audience, and in an increasingly crowded tech space, this is becoming quite the challenge, especially for new startups and smaller businesses. Effective cleantech public relations focuses on a tech-savvy generation, ensuring tech brands can reach the right audience, improve sales and become an authority in their niche. So, what is cleantech public relations?

Cleantech refers to firms providing products or services that help enhance the environment’s health. Many of these Cleantech companies are in the energy industry, working to store and utilize electricity efficiently. Offshore wind energy, electric automobiles, and clean energy long-haul transportation solutions are among the cleantech themes dominating 2021.

This industry has a significant environmental effect, yet commercial benefits exist. Data from over 3,000 participating financial establishments are collected and published by the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing. These organizations have agreed to adopt six principles designed to put environmental sustainability at the center of investing.

Reasons Why You Need Effective, Sustainable PR

Not all public relations firms are qualified to handle the unique needs of clean technology customers. However, by narrowing your search to public relations firms with proven technological knowledge, you may use pure tech PR to generate meaningful market benefits relatively quickly.

Too frequently, businesses wait for the latest news to market their products and services. However, many aspects of clean technology are already noteworthy. Instead of waiting for anything to happen, premier cleantech public relations agencies make news by publicizing innovative characteristics or processes linked with their customers’ businesses and products.

Well, the thought of clean technology public relations informs audiences and end users about the human and environmental benefits of clean technology and spotless technology products. Vital educational components can attract investors, and consumer ecological knowledge is essential in driving investments in clean technologies. A plan gives you a goal, keeps you on track to attain it, and assures you know how to achieve it.

PR strategy is critical for determining where you need to take your campaign and what you want to achieve. Industry professionals will scrutinize your triumphs and failures. The technique you choose may work in your favor by ensuring that specialists become advocates, particularly for people drawn to your firm and those who share your values.

Your PR objectives will inform you whether your campaign was successful and had the desired effect on the public and the image of your business. The most critical part of a public relations plan is that these goals and objectives be quantifiable. In short, you need the ability to select indications of campaign performance that can be quantified, quantified, and reported.

In the future, public relations experts will be given new tasks. Cleantech PR Professionals will collaborate with them to generate original material, maintain media contacts, and provide traditional PR content. While doing so, remember the additional value of your material since journalists will utilize whatever good story they come across. A company focused on cleantech PR can help you create that story.

Before cleantech companies and PR firms pour resources, they must determine what resources they will require to get the right message across. As a cleantech company, this is where you will need to investigate your industry to determine just how your brand will position your PR campaign. Hiring a dedicated cleantech PR agency can do wonders for tech startups and smaller tech-based businesses to create the right kind of hype surrounding their products or services.

Besides, a cleantech PR agency already thoroughly understands the market, including news, events, and trends. The sustainable PR firm will also know how to weed out inadequate and keep those worth investing time and money in pitching for. Depending on the topic of your campaign, your goals and objectives may differ. It could raise awareness, advertise a new product, transmit a message, or make an important announcement. Whatever your needs, having a dedicated cleantech PR agency at your side, along with a solid sustainable PR strategy, will result in better brand awareness.

Ensure your objectives are explicit, quantifiable, attainable, reasonable, and time-bound. However, your goals for a cleantech PR strategy must be concise, clear, and, even more importantly, appropriate for the PR campaign and offer value to the audience. For a successful cleantech PR strategy, all parties involved need to agree on creating a clear image for the brand they are representing and what will be the crucial focus of the sustainable PR campaign.

Effective Cleantech PR for Crisis Management

While a negative situation is something any company worth its salt avoids, like the plague, it is wise to prepare for it if they strike you with a damaging PR crisis. It is where having a dedicated cleantech PR agency at your side can help soften the blow of bad press.

Cleantech PR agencies know that working in a highly competitive and constantly evolving technology niche means you must always stay prepared for the product that didn’t perform to its standards or the disgruntled customer who likes to go to social media.

Hiring the expertise of a cleantech PR agency means that you have a devoted team of professionals who can promptly take care of your brand’s crisis communication. It can benefit any tech-based startup or business that could be destroyed by damage due to a malfunction, security breach, software failure, or workplace accident. The most effective crisis management responses combine empathetic words with actions, paying close attention to the tech-based company’s efforts during and post-crisis.

Adopting a Cleantech PR Strategy

The good news is that tech-based companies looking to create a solid cleantech PR strategy can use various tools. From tools that search through social media and company blogs to tools that help you respond to the online audience you’ve engaged with, it all begins by hiring a reputable Cleantech public relations agency.

Great Communication

A significant benefit of hiring the expertise of a cleantech PR agency is that they have PR professionals who have a stellar record. Through years of trial and error, PR professionals have garnered this skill in building and nurturing relationships with journalists, social media influencers, and other relevant platforms.

Keeping that in mind, you can look forward to the cleantech PR agency you hire to speak on your brand’s behalf at press conferences, public events, and every other opportunity they have to ensure your brand’s message reaches a broader audience. Apart from that, the cleantech PR agency you hire for your renewable energy marketing will also connect with reporters, channels, and stakeholders to ensure everybody is in the know about the brand they represent and the product or service on offer.

With staff in the traditional newsroom shrinking with time and audiences shifting to digital platforms, it pays to hire experienced cleantech PR professionals to ensure your company is always in the news for all the good and proper reasons.

The Importance of Measurable Goals

You cannot deny the importance of having measurable goals, especially regarding a cleantech PR strategy. Hiring an experienced cleantech PR agency is the only way to ensure your PR efforts will positively impact your business. In a business landscape increasingly looking for data-driven solutions, knowing what KPIs matter and having the means to track them can make all the difference.

Since measuring perception based solely on your PR efforts is unrealistic, you can track several KPIs that align with your specific goals. For example, if you fancy knowing how your PR efforts can improve brand awareness, then measuring certain KPIs, such as website traffic and an increased share of voice, can give you a finer idea of whether or not your PR efforts are bearing fruit.

Track Pitch Interactions

One experiences a rush when a pitch you outlined graces an online website or publication. You can be sure that the media placement your brand has earned will garner a lot of brand awareness and help shoot your reputation through the roof. But, all this is after you have hired a cleantech PR agency that has perfected the pitch.

The great thing about hiring cleantech PR agencies is that they know exactly what works when pitching to a niche journalist or a digital-native media company. But any PR professional will tell you that, more often than not, it will take an extended period to create a pitch that goes live.

It is why tracking the pitches you sent and the replies you’ve received makes sense. You will also want to track the number of clicks, and email opens from a particular angle because these metrics can help create a funnel for earned media mentions later on. Furthermore, tracking this metric will better understand which efforts pull in the most value and which areas need tweaking.

Ending Note

Effective cleantech public relations is critical for companies that promote smart grids, biofuels, green construction, and other alternative energy solutions in an increasingly saturated market. Although the techniques may appear to be identical on the surface, successful cleantech public relations strategies have various subtleties that they must address to achieve marketplace exposure and bottom-line commercial effects for enterprises attempting to increase awareness for their brands.

A professional cleantech public relations agency will go above and beyond to understand your company and build unique campaigns to boost your industry leadership.

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Mastering the Art of Consumer Tech PR

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If you’re counting the number of blogs that mention your company’s name to measure PR success, you’re doing it wrong. Rather than using antiquated methods to gauge PR success, you should hire a reputable consumer technology PR agency that can entice consumers while building trust and credibility. Mastering the art of consumer tech PR means tapping into consumers’ imaginations and early adopter excitement.

According to research, companies launch an estimated 30,000 new products yearly. However, a large number of those tech products (around 80%) fail to make an impact. If you want to avoid your consumer tech product being one of them, then hire the expertise of a consumer technology PR agency to ensure your tech product hits the ground running.

What Is Consumer Electronics PR?

PR is the process of anticipating, identifying, and managing public opinion. While marketing is about improving sales for a company, consumer PR is more focused on developing and nurturing the company’s image. Consumer electronics PR or tech PR is the process of maintaining a company’s tech identity online by not just telling a relatable brand story but also providing valuable information on the products and services of a company.

Consumer electronics PR is the art of establishing and sustaining the excellent image of a technology-focused company. A public relations professional’s primary responsibility is to help build and maintain relationships between a business and its consumers.

It frequently means juggling several media-facing initiatives to develop a positive image between the brand and the consumer. The PR expert will also develop lasting collaborations between a tech brand and influencers, journalists, and publications. A consumer technology PR agency can weave a narrative that works in the brand’s best interest by forming a good working relationship with various media sources.

Some other responsibilities of consumer tech PR are to share information by creating and sending press releases or letters to government officials, media houses, and even the public. By doing this, a consumer technology PR agency can help spread the word whenever they launch a new technology product or service that is developed or updated. Time and well-thought communiqué ensure that all stakeholders and consumers are always in the know.

Since the role of consumer tech PR agencies is to help build connections and promote a tech brand, the consumer tech PR staff also attends essential networking events. These events may include conferences, workshops, industry-specific seminars, corporate events, fairs, and even virtual groups to help build a clientele for the tech startup or business in person and via the written word.

Why Do You Need a Consumer Technology PR Agency?

Hiring a professional company to handle your consumer tech PR is essential because they tailor their messaging for effective communication with the target demographic. For instance, even though a consumer is interested in a particular tech product, they will still need to understand all of the features and the technical jargon that goes along with it.

Instead of confusing potential customers with jargon-rich messaging that’s unreadable at best for the layman, hiring the expertise of consumer tech PR agencies can help get the message across without muddling up the message. Forcing businesses and startups to operate in an increasingly competitive environment makes you feel the need for consumer electronics PR more than ever.

Companies operating in the tech niche also use consumer tech PR agencies to announce significant events in the company. These include launching new products or features, essential milestones, new team members, acquisitions, award ceremonies, and industry-related news. PR agencies help a tech-based company or startup convey its values and increase brand loyalty by sharing important events with its users and potential customers. Furthermore, a tech company can leverage the services of consumer tech PR agencies to show off their successes and establish their brand as an authority in a particular sector.

A consumer tech PR agency has the expertise to create buzz whenever a company launches a new electrical product or if they reposition an electrical product or another typical service. Ultimately, it’s all about making your tech company stand out.

With the electronic market booming and launching new tech-focused brands every day, it pays to hire professionals who can help get your brand’s message across. It is where a consumer technology PR agency comes in. The services offered by a consumer tech PR agency can ensure that your customers and potential buyers are always kept up-to-date on the latest technological advancements and products you have to offer.

In short, one of the most far-reaching and cost-effective ways to carry out a PR campaign is to ensure a consumer tech PR strategy covers all the tech products and services a brand offers.

Mastering the Art of Consumer Electronics Public Relations for Startups

As a tech startup, you will compete with multiple competitors for a slice of a particular target demographic. The bad news is simply ensuring you have a functioning product will take longer. For any tech business or startup, backing with a robust PR campaign to ensure your new product or feature launch can make all the difference.

By hiring a consumer technology PR agency that will leverage its rapport with industry-specific professionals, you can ensure the success of a new tech product launch or feature addition.

For instance, it is not unheard of for businesses and startups in the tech space to pitch ideas that focus not just on the product but also on the brand and its founders to pique the interest of the trade and consumer press, along with other vital drivers who will help boost the results of your consumer technology PR efforts.

Tools such as infographics, videos, illustrations, and high-end photography are essential to showcase the various features of a tech product. However, they will only be helpful if you know who to share them with. It is why a consumer tech PR campaign usually includes inviting key influencers and journalists who cover the tech space and can have first-hand experience using your product.

Having authority journalists and influencers use and review the products is a great way to sway public opinion of your tech product. It can also help consumers make more informed decisions. Furthermore, making your tech product accessible in this way can build trust by showing consumers you don’t just care about your product but also their needs. Regardless of your PR needs, hiring the right consumer technology PR agency will meticulously plan and execute the perfect PR activity with a high ROI, whether a trade show launch or an intimate rooftop party.

Hiring a Consumer Technology PR Agency?

Before hiring a consumer technology PR agency, you must make sure they can help establish and maintain long-term connections with industry leaders, journalists, influencers, and media outlets that are technology focused. It will ensure that a tech business or startup can create engaging and entertaining content by utilizing all the tools in its comprehensive toolbox. This includes case studies, thought leadership pieces, and media releases.

Apart from that, a consumer technology PR agency should also be able to provide high-quality strategic advice and crisis management solutions whenever needed, along with an analyst relations strategy. Consumer tech PR is a critical part of companies that operate within the tech sphere. It can help them establish thought leadership and credibility apart from generating buzz surrounding a particular tech product or service. The following points are just a few factors to consider when choosing consumer tech PR agencies;

A Solid Understanding – A consumer tech PR agency must have a good grip on tech-related jargon and all other aspects of the tech industry. It includes having PR professionals with the right experience and skill set to ensure that the correct technical jargon is used and not overused and that all essential features and specs have been highlighted.

Good Rapport – Another crucial factor in considering consumer tech PR agencies is hiring a company with a good knowledge of authority writers and influencers in the tech niche. In short, they should have a long list of reviewers, bloggers, podcasters, influencers, and journalists who can sway the public’s perception of a tech company or startup.

Thought Leadership Initiatives – Understanding the trends, topics, and angles that best resonate with the target demographic is crucial to success. Hiring a reputable consumer tech PR agency will ensure they can create and execute thought leadership initiatives to benefit both the consumers and the users. While many companies within the tech industry tend to publish high-quality thought leadership content relevant to their goals, the requirements of these publications may vary, which is why it pays to hire an experienced consumer tech PR agency with a strong relationship with publications and various media outlets.

If you have (or planning to launch), a technology firm using a consumer tech PR agency can eliminate the guesswork of communicating your brand’s objectives with the average consumer. The messaging that consumer tech PR agencies use is also more relatable since they can share the importance of tech products and features in a jargon-free manner that’s easy for the average consumer to understand.

Message and Tone – Once the industry-specific messaging is created to help build awareness, the PR agency can fine-tune the message to help tech startups and businesses establish trust with the consumer. By leveraging tech media campaigns with industry insights, consumer tech PR agencies are better positioned to help companies in the tech industry reach their goals and create heightened brand awareness and recognition.

Ending Note

By now, you should have a comprehensible image of consumer public relations and how they can benefit technology-based businesses. Since technology lies at the heart of everything we do, including creating a PR strategy, it pays to invest in the right consumer technology PR agency that can do all of the heavy liftings for you when handling all consumer-focused press relations.

Consumer tech PR agencies are responsible for developing and nurturing a uniform communications strategy for tech-focused businesses and startups. Find out how to create, manage, and analyze display, FaceBook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and email campaigns with AdRoll.

What sets their services apart is that the overall consumer PR strategy is spearheaded by leveraging their years of experience with robust communication strategies that can take your PR efforts to the next level.

In short, consumer electronics public relations are crucial for tech firms to get the much-needed publicity they need to stand out.

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Mastering the Art of Consumer PR

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The idea behind public relations is – publicity, as in establishing a company’s credibility (and its owner). It helps by predisposing potential customers to believe the brand when a new product or service approaches. In essence, consumer PR agencies work in the same vein as marketing agencies but are more focused on building a positive image for a brand and building the brand’s image with stakeholders like journalists. Mastering the art of consumer PR means capturing the imaginations of key audiences.

What is Consumer PR?

So, what is consumer PR? The debut of Facebook marked a watershed moment in the media and communications industries. Social media has evolved as a legitimate platform that has given consumers a voice during the last five years. PR experts began to make little moves towards making it a standard practice in the field. Simultaneously, social media played an essential role in global political events such as Barack Obama’s campaigns, solidifying its position as the public’s voice.

Over time, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram evolved into forums for consumers to discuss the companies they used and liked. The flow of information changed from being controlled by the media to peer-to-peer. Brand communications evolved from a monologue to a discussion. This compelled the public relations business to realign and innovate.

Several brands conducted customer surveys during the time to develop impactful campaign tactics, but the sample size needed to be bigger, making the insights ambiguous. However, technological advancements gave the sector a digital-led data trail with a sample size of millions.

We could now analyze consumer trends, assess their reaction to advertisements, comprehend public opinion, and adjust the discourse accordingly. Data has evolved as a medium for clearly identifying the appropriate method to use with the target audience, with data-backed insights constituting the foundation of every plan or campaign.

The internet was now the primary platform for generating brand-related dialogues. It resulted in new communication channels, such as webinars and podcasts, which brought brands and customers together on a single platform.

Today consumer PR has evolved into a spider web that enables us to construct several communication layers. Owned social media channels and content creators that advance the topic through authentic branded content can supplement traditional public relations by providing live material, such as webinars created by consumer PR agencies, to reinforce the brand message.

Some new business owners may wonder and think why they should devote money from their marketing budget to public relations. They may believe their tech firm needs more significance to warrant full-fledged public relations, or they are considering adopting a PR strategy to save money. However, public relations is not a luxury or a nice-to-have for today’s tech firms. Every organization, regardless of size or stage of development, must promote strong ties with the public.

Strong consumer PR allows brands to create the narrative in discussions with customers, prospects, investors, and existing and potential employees, in addition to assisting the organization in gaining positive publicity.

Audiences can be either active or passive. Different methods will be required to appeal to each kind. An engaged audience is interested in the company and receptive to the message.

The passive audience isn’t looking for anything and may need more time to prep for the carefully planned message, making reaching it more challenging. However, the approach should be genuine and human when dealing with a receptive audience. For that, a deep dive is required before establishing a strategy, mainly because there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all message. A consumer PR campaign agency can create customized messages to be successful because communication is the key to corporate success.

Consumer PR vs. Marketing

Even industry pros can readily cross the borders between public relations and marketing. Public relations and marketing departments’ aims, goals, and strategies may closely relate

to today’s environment.

In short, marketing is concerned with increasing sales by promoting products, services, or ideas through platforms such as social media. Public relations primarily involves maintaining a favorable reputation for a company, brand, or individual through the media.

While public relations is concerned with reputation management and increasing the reach of news items, interviews, and announcements, marketing teams are concerned with acquiring new buyers, maintaining current consumers, and storytelling.

Both are profoundly ingrained in developing brand equity, consumer loyalty, and good brand impression. Generally, there is a distinction between the audiences for whom PR and marketing teams create communications.

The audience of a marketing agency is based heavily on consumer insight research, which enables marketing companies to target specific demographics who are more likely to be interested in one particular service or product.

It means the target demographic of marketing teams is those potential customers who will purchase based on the marketing message. Marketing teams are likely to engage in digital advertising, ABM, and email marketing for segmenting and targeting specific consumers to achieve that.

On the other hand, consumer PR is a broader initiative that depends on the primary goal of a specific organization or campaign. For instance, a press release intends to introduce or inform current and potential customers about a product launch or event. In contrast, the company’s financial report or white papers are for investors and journalists. So, while marketing and consumer PR employs tactics that may be similar, they are focused on achieving different goals, which is why PR and marketing are distinct from the same department.

Major differences:

Daily Activities: Marketing and public relations specialists use their time differently. PR experts mostly prepare press releases, pitch good stories about the company, and develop media partnerships. Marketing experts devote their efforts to product launch preparation, marketing campaign creation, and client research.

Target Audience: Another distinction between the two departments is the audience they reach. Depending on the organization’s desire, the PR department addresses various audiences. They may generate a good outreach with the media, firm stakeholders, or even personnel. In comparison, the marketing department is primarily concerned with reaching out to customers and prospects.

Metrics: Another important distinction between marketing and public relations is how both departments judge success. PR professionals assess whether they successfully create a positive buzz for the firm. On the other hand, marketing might consider whether a product accomplished its sales targets or the ROI from a recent campaign.

Goal: The public relations and marketing divisions approach their duties with different objectives. PR is concerned with projecting a positive image of the firm and cultivating positive relationships with the company’s numerous stakeholders. In contrast, marketing is concerned with reaching customers and prospects and growing sales, bringing us to the next obvious question, “what is the differentiation between consumer PR and B2B PR?”

Consumer PR vs. B2B PR: Explained

In public relations, there are two major categories: business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C). Both types of public relations entail advertising a product, service, or company to a specific audience, but there are some substantial variations between the two. The target audience is likely the most crucial distinction between B2B and B2C public relations.

B2B PR is concerned with reaching out to other businesses, whereas B2C PR is concerned with reaching out to individual consumers. The target audience in B2B PR is often a blend of company decision-makers who have the authority to purchase on behalf of their firm. B2C PR, on the other hand, aims to reach the daily consumer interested in a particular product or service.

Relationship building is vital in B2B and B2C PR since it is necessary to develop trust and credibility with other firms or customers. PR agencies prioritize long-term relationships with industry influencers, journalists, and other essential players in their target market. They may also attend networking events such as launches, trade exhibits, seminars, and fairs.

In the case of B2C, PRs typically focus on creating buzz and enthusiasm about a particular product or service. Consumer PR agencies may often work with influencers and social media celebrities to generate buzz around a product launch or promotional event.

Types of Consumer PR

The role of consumer PR agencies is to plan coordinated messages that help a brand achieve its objectives instead of just passing on information for the sake of it. You could invest in the following major consumer PR types.

Social Media and Online Communications

In today’s world of instant communication, brands must possess a solid online presence to stand out from the crowd. With an increasing consumers turning to online sources to research products and services before deciding, brands must get out a positive image via their online and social media communications. As a brand, hiring the expertise of a top consumer PR agency means you get your vision out on the best social media platforms.

Targeting Influencers and the Press

When promoting a new service or product, the consumer needs to get the information they deserve, meaning there should be a mailing list of influencers and media outlets that can help get a business the boost they need when launching a new product or service. The longer the list, the better the chances of reaching a wider audience.

Targeting press and influencers can be divided into specialty, local and national categories. Only experienced consumer PR agencies can gauge which social media influencers and media reports specialize in particular products or services. It is also common for consumer PR agencies to create influencer collaborations and partnerships to produce specific content for a brand.

Consumer PR is about more than just engaging an audience and boosting visibility; consumer PR agencies act as the translator between what the company is saying and what consumers hear. Keeping that in mind, only the top consumer PR agency will be able to work its messages in a way that complements the brand and helps it reach its goal. In today’s highly competitive business environment, consumer PR has become the most critical asset for organizations that want to position themselves for success.

Hiring the Top Consumer PR Agency

Ever since Henry Ford was a little tyke getting news on the latest in the automobile and technology relied heavily on advertising. Besides the high cost, the words of an authority figure in the niche were (and are) arguably the most influential. It’s the reason why stars such as Jay Leno and Jeremy Clarkson have carved a niche as the motoring enthusiast’s TV shows and newspapers turn to for communicating brand differentiators.

In short, their opinion sways the decisions of motoring enthusiasts across the world of automobiles. The same motivation for the connected car is also responsible for the connected consumer, who can now determine the right choice from an array of news, views, and reviews on their mobile device. In a fragmented world where the sheer number of opinions available makes it harder to distinguish the truly committed, consumer PR agencies work to shape the narrative.

More influencers, reviews, and opinions will undoubtedly exist in an increasingly connected world. Still, more messages are needed, which is where hiring the top consumer PR agency can make all the difference. AdRoll has its finger on the pulse when it comes to consumer PR. The company helps marketers and business owners do more with less when reaching the consumer. Find out how you can create, manage, and analyze display, FaceBook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and email campaigns, all from a single platform.

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