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The Role of Crisis PR in Consumer PR

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Have you ever wondered how brands navigate the stormy waters of public perception during a crisis? Crisis PR is at the heart of these efforts in consumer PR, a specialized approach designed to manage and mitigate the fallout from unforeseen events that could tarnish a company’s reputation. Read on as we delve into the pivotal role of crisis PR within the consumer PR landscape, highlighting its significance and the multifaceted roles it plays in safeguarding a brand’s public image.

What Exactly is Crisis PR in Consumer PR?

Crisis PR in consumer PR involves strategic communication and action plans implemented by businesses to address and resolve incidents that negatively impact their market reputation among potential consumers. Unlike regular PR, crisis PR is reactive and requires swift, effective measures to prevent or repair damage to a company’s public image. It’s an indispensable component of modern consumer PR crisis management, ensuring brands can quickly bounce back from adverse situations.

The Role of Crisis PR in Consumer PR

The role of crisis PR within consumer PR is multifaceted, acting as a shield and strategic advisor to navigate through storms that threaten brand reputation and stakeholder trust. Here, we delve into distinct roles that crisis PR plays, each vital in managing and mitigating the impacts of a PR crisis:

Immediate Response Coordination

In the face of a consumer PR crisis, immediate response coordination is paramount. This role involves assembling a team, assessing the situation, and executing a predefined crisis response plan. The goal is to mitigate damage by controlling the narrative early, preventing the spread of misinformation, and ensuring that all actions are coherent and aligned with the brand’s values.

Stakeholder Communication

Effective communication with stakeholders is crucial during a crisis. This involves drafting clear, concise, and honest messages that address the concerns and questions of all stakeholders, including customers, employees, and investors. The aim is to maintain trust and transparency, ensuring that stakeholders feel informed, valued, and reassured about the steps being taken to manage the crisis.

Media Liaison

Acting as a bridge between the company/organization and the media, this role focuses on controlling the flow of information. It involves coordinating press releases, organizing press conferences, and managing interviews to ensure that the company’s perspective is accurately represented in the media. This role is vital in shaping public perception and preventing the spread of any false information.

Reputation Monitoring

Continuous monitoring of the brand’s reputation across both online and offline channels is extremely essential for the company. Monitoring involves tracking brand mentions on social media platforms, news outlets, and forums to quickly identify threats or negative sentiments. By staying alert, the crisis management team can promptly address issues before they escalate, protecting the brand’s image.

Consumer Crisis PR  Simulation Training

Preparing for a PR emergency involves comprehensive crisis simulation training, where dedicated teams are exposed to diverse hypothetical scenarios requiring them to react swiftly and make informed decisions under significant pressure. This training enhances the team’s readiness and confidence, ensuring they can handle real-world crises more effectively and with greater composure.

Message Development

Crafting messages during a crisis is a delicate task. This role focuses on developing communications that express empathy, demonstrate accountability, and outline a clear, actionable path forward. Messages must resonate deeply with the brand’s diverse audience, reflecting its commitment to resolving the issue at hand and steadfastly upholding its core values throughout the process.

Social Media Management

In today’s digital age, social media is a battleground for reputation management. This role involves monitoring social media channels for mentions of the actual crisis, engaging with users directly to address any concerns, and publishing updates and official statements. Effective social media management can significantly influence public sentiment, turning potential backlash into support.

Legal and Regulatory Guidance

Navigating the legal and regulatory landscape is pivotal during a crisis. This role provides expertise on potential legal risks and ensures regulatory compliance, guaranteeing that all communications and actions are within legal bounds. It plays an important role in helping to prevent any additional complications that could arise from daunting legal challenges or significant regulatory violations.

Crisis Recovery Planning

Beyond immediate crisis management, recovery planning is essential. This involves strategizing effective methods to rebuild the brand’s reputation and consumer trust over time. Recovery plans may encompass targeted marketing campaigns, community engagement efforts, and comprehensive initiatives specifically designed to address the root causes of the crisis, ensuring a resilient comeback.

Employee Advocacy

Encouraging employees to be the company’s brand ambassadors plays a significant role in crisis management. This involves communicating internally with clarity and confidence, providing employees with the information they need to support the narrative. Employees may positively influence public perception through their personal and professional networks.

Consumer Feedback Loop

Integrating consumer feedback is crucial in satisfactorily resolving a crisis. This role involves seeking out and thoughtfully addressing consumer concerns, suggestions, and questions. By demonstrating a commitment to listening and continuously improving, brands can strengthen relationships with their potential customers and substantially enhance loyalty, fostering a positive, enduring connection.

Crisis Impact Analysis

Understanding the full impact of a crisis is vital for effective management and recovery. This role involves analyzing the extent of the damage to the brand’s reputation, overall financial performance, and customer relationships. Insights gained from this crisis analysis inform strategic decisions and help measure the effectiveness of crisis management efforts.

Strategic Silence

Sometimes, the best response is strategic silence. This role involves judiciously deciding when not to communicate, avoiding the unnecessary escalation of certain sensitive issues. It requires understanding the crisis dynamics and the complex media landscape, ensuring that silence is leveraged as a powerful tool rather than being misconstrued as a sign of indifference or neglect.

Third-Party Endorsements

Gaining support from influencers, industry experts, and reputable third parties can help restore credibility. This role strategically leverages these valuable endorsements to reassure stakeholders and the public, demonstrating that the brand remains respected, trusted, and viable despite the crisis. This approach underscores the brand’s enduring value and commitment.

Community Engagement

Strengthening ties with the community is a powerful way to enhance a brand’s image and support recovery. Active participation and sponsorship of community events, charity endeavors, and various initiatives underscore the brand’s deep commitment to making a positive social impact. These actions improve the brand’s perception and foster a sense of community and shared values.

Crisis Communication Training for Leaders

Leaders play a crucial role during a crisis. This vital role involves training executives and spokespersons in effective crisis communication, ensuring they convey competence, empathy, and decisive leadership. Well-prepared leaders can influence public perception, reinforcing trust in the brand and demonstrating its commitment to transparency and accountability in challenging times.

Post-Crisis Analysis

After a crisis, conducting a thorough analysis of the response efforts is essential. This role involves carefully reviewing what was done well and identifying specific areas for improvement. The valuable lessons learned are thoughtfully integrated into future crisis management plans and campaigns, significantly enhancing the brand’s resilience and preparedness for future challenges.

Brand Rehabilitation Campaigns

Recovering from a crisis often requires targeted campaigns to rebuild the brand’s image effectively. This strategic role involves designing and executing thoughtful campaigns highlighting the brand’s core strengths, unwavering commitments, and positive actions in response to the crisis. These campaigns effectively reshape public perceptions and restore confidence in the brand’s values and mission.

Internal Communication Strengthening

Effective internal communication is the backbone of crisis management. This pivotal role focuses on enhancing and improving internal channels and protocols to ensure that all employees are thoroughly informed, perfectly aligned, and fully prepared to respond to crises cohesively and efficiently, maintaining organizational integrity and unity during challenging times.

Visibility and Accessibility Increase

Increasing the brand’s visibility and accessibility post-crisis is key to rebuilding consumers’ trust. This step involves being more open to media inquiries, engaging more actively with consumers on social media, and ensuring that leadership is accessible for comments. By being present and responsive, brands can demonstrate their commitment to accountability.

The Future of Crisis PR in Consumer PR

As we steer the ever-evolving landscape of consumer public relations, the future of crisis PR emerges as a critical area of focus for brands seeking to maintain relevance in a fast-paced world.

Technological Integration and AI

The merger of advanced technologies is set to revolutionize crisis PR. AI-driven tools can provide real-time monitoring of brand mentions across various platforms, enabling faster crisis identification. Moreover, AI can assist in crafting response strategies by analyzing extensive amounts of data to predict public reaction and recommend the most effective communication tactics. As AI technology continues to evolve, its role in crisis identification, management, and resolution will grow, too.

Enhanced Personalization in Communication

In the age of information overload, personalized communication stands out. Consumers expect brands to address their concerns in a manner that feels individualized and sincere. The future of crisis PR will see a greater emphasis on tailoring messages to different audience segments, using data analytics to understand consumer sentiments and preferences. This approach enhances the effectiveness of crisis communication and strengthens the connection between brands and audiences.

Greater Emphasis on Proactive Crisis Management

The aphorism “prevention is better than cure” holds true for crisis PR. Brands will focus on proactive measures to identify risks and implement mitigation strategies before they escalate into full-blown crises. This includes regular audits of internal processes, continuous employee training, and engaging in open dialogues with stakeholders to address concerns. Proactive crisis management reduces the likelihood of a PR emergency and positions brands as responsible entities.

Embracing Transparency and Authenticity

The demand for transparency and authenticity from brands is at an all-time high. Consumers and stakeholders alike value honesty, especially in how companies handle crises. The future of crisis PR will necessitate a shift toward more transparent communication strategies, where brands openly share challenges and their steps toward resolution. This approach creates trust and fosters a sense of partnership between brands and their consumers, proving essential in maintaining loyalty post-crisis.

Globalization and Cultural Sensitivity in Consumer Crisis PR

As brands continue to operate globally, cultural sensitivity in crisis PR becomes paramount. Understanding cultural nuances can prevent missteps that lead to international PR crises. Future strategies will need to incorporate a global perspective, ensuring that crisis communication is not only effective but also culturally appropriate. This needs a deep understanding of the diverse markets in which a brand operates, highlighting the importance of cultural competence in crisis PR.

Increased Focus on Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Consumers hold brands to higher sustainability and social responsibility standards in response to growing environmental concerns. Future crisis PR efforts must align with these values, addressing discrepancies between a brand’s actions and societal expectations. Crisis communication will increasingly involve demonstrating a brand’s commitment to positive social impact, sustainability, and ethical practices, which are becoming significant in decision-making.

Integration of Cybersecurity Measures

As digital threats increasingly impact brand reputation, integrating cybersecurity measures into crisis PR has become essential. Data breaches and cyber-attacks can lead to significant PR crises. Proactive cybersecurity efforts, including regular security audits, employee training on digital hygiene, and the establishment of rapid response, are crucial. By prioritizing cybersecurity, brands can better protect sensitive information, mitigate risks, and maintain consumer confidence.

To conclude, navigating a consumer PR crisis demands strategic communication, swift action, and genuine engagement. The roles outlined above underscore the comprehensive approach required by a PR crisis management firm like Avaans Media to safeguard and restore brand integrity. Effective crisis PR transcends mere damage control and is critical in fortifying brands against future challenges and fostering enduring relationships with potential consumers and stakeholders.

At Avaans Media, with our 100% executive-level team, we specialize in boutique PR for emerging industries and hyper-growth companies, offering unparalleled expertise and personalized strategies. Contact us to ensure your brand is prepared to face any crisis confidently and emerge stronger.

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Measuring Public Relations for Consumer Brands

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As you start to consider the impact of PR on your consumer brand, it’s easy to look at its value through a traditional marketing or advertising lens. Granted, paid media may be easier to track and measure regarding ROI, but that doesn’t negate the significance of consumer PR and its ability to expose your business to powerful publicity.

However, as with all investments, to warrant additional spend towards a PR budget, you need to look at the quantifiable metrics and outcomes of working with a top-rated PR firm.

So, how can you measure PR and its effectiveness and what do consumer brands need to know about measuring public relations for consumer brands?

The importance of intentional investment

How you measure PR is intricately linked to your business outcome goals and how well your PR firm understands them. Expert PR firms show you how specific outcomes align with your goals and objectives.

Measuring public relations for consumer brands is about knowing where you want to end up. When it comes to gauging whether or not your consumer brand will benefit from hiring a PR firm, it’s essential first to understand that you may need to alter your ‘measuring stick’ used for calculating earned media value because your value depends on your specific outcomes. For example, a brand that wants to be acquired differs from a startup brand. Each growth phase is important, and PR’s role in each is valuable, but exactly HOW valuable depends on the importance of the goal. In other words, although businesses can track their earned media value, there is no set rule on how to effectively measure it as with paid performance measures.

That said, the reality is paid media offers satisfying dashboards and stats like click-thru rates, but it doesn’t tell you what’s holding back your consumer brand from going further; how could the advertising be more effective? How could you product be more beloved? That’s PR’s job, and that’s why it’s important to have both paid and earned media strategies.

However, a few best practices can help increase the impact, reach, and overall effectiveness of earned media.

Some value will depend on the media coverage your brand gets and by whom; placement in a national publication your customers read is far more valuable than a national publication your customers don’t read. There’s more to it, though; is it newsworthy and shareable? Do you share the article with competitors? Where in the article does your brand appear? Is it written by an authoritative lens or a credible industry thought leader? How can you use the final piece in your marketing? These questions need to be answered before effectively measuring your PR.

Ultimately, working with a top PR firm will allow you to develop the required baselines and KPIs for your unique goals so you can see the impact on your bottom line.

Through this collaborative approach, PR professionals can better create a strategy for effective and long-lasting success, communicating the ways to track revenue increases from PR outcomes with you in a way that’s clear and confident.

For example, if your goals are more sales-orientated, your PR strategy may be based on seasonality or product launches. If your objective is to build brand awareness, the focus of your PR strategy may be to gain exposure through thoughtfully crafted press releases. The outcomes could then include anything from a merger/acquisition, an IPO, or venture funding.

That’s where we come in.

At Avaans, we use emerging trends, hard data, and emotional intelligence to create compelling consumer PR campaigns for brands.

Our PR sprint program is all about fast-moving tactics and fast results, specifically for consumer brands who want product-focused PR. Contact us today; we’re consumer PR experts, and let’s talk about goals, metrics, and media coverage.

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How Earned Media Can Distinguish Your Consumer Brand

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Paid media dominates marketing and is one of the most effective ways for brands to dictate their narrative – and at no small cost. Recent Forrester studies revealed that digital ad spending in the US will reach $146 billion by 2023 – but it has its limitations, and scaling businesses are starting to feel the growing pains of trying to fit into space that simply doesn’t have any more room to budge.

In today’s digital landscape, companies execute various integrated marketing campaigns across paid, owned, and social channels. But in an over-saturated market, sticking to traditional advertising simply won’t suffice. This is why more businesses are starting to realize and invest in growth opportunities beyond paid media coverage—earned media, to be exact.

In this piece, we’re looking at the unparalleled strategic value of earned media and how it elevates consumer brands while increasing brand recognition, visibility, and authority.

Has ‘set and forget’ hit the ceiling?

We cannot overlook the strengths of advertising. Brands are allowed full reins when crafting their message, and they have complete control over campaigns, audience segmentation and the level of investment. Overall, it’s a compelling proposition, especially considering the power to shape narratives and hone into precision targeting techniques.

But there’s one critical flaw – a growing skepticism.

Ads are viewed with growing distrust. This skepticism dilutes the impact of advertising.

Simply put, you can run a successful business without PR, but you won’t become a household name without PR. Ambitious companies value PR, and in return, PR helps them thrive. Advertising is the bare minimum for ambitious, growth-driven brands. Although it’s a great way to compile metrics on your target audience, its value is short-lived; it simply cannot yield the brand value of earned media outcomes.

Despite the inarguable value of earned media coverage, only about 11% of marketing budgets are devoted to earned media strategies. Sure, consumer brands may be increasing their advertising spend and devoting time and resources to digital advertising campaigns, but few leverage the advantages of earned media content.

Although this is part and parcel of a successful public relations strategy, it only scratches the surface regarding leveraging earned media’s value in the consumer product space and its influence on consumer behavior.

Building a resilient brand through strategic communication

In a saturated market, earned media separates consumer brands that use ‘authenticity’ as a marketing buzzword from those that simply are.

By acknowledging the unparalleled influence of media content from third-party publishers that are influential industry thought-leaders, your business effectively leverages brand awareness and credibility that no paid media can match. Simply put, earned media provides publicity and brand recognition that money can’t buy, but effort and quality can earn.

This brings us to our next point – how can consumer brands effectively ‘earn’ the advantages of the strategic PR value of earned media?

Media coverage for consumer brands

Despite the fast-evolving digital landscape, third-party media coverage remains one of the fundamental principles of a strong earned media content strategy. This refers to when a brand, product, or service catches the attention of sought-after publishers, journalists, or other credible third parties. By establishing newsworthiness or merit amongst these third parties, the brand earns a feature story, news article, or mention. This gifts your consumer brand the weight of the publisher’s credibility as it reaches a larger audience.

It’s also important to highlight the longevity and cost-effectiveness of earned media. Advertising content ends when the campaign ends (or the budget runs out). Earned media, on the other hand, can continue to generate value long after first published.

There is no time limit for how long a stellar review, news article, or high-quality backlinks will continue to drive awareness, attention, and traffic – making it a cost-effective investment for consumer brands looking for a high ROI over a long period.

Ultimately, brands must allow their earned media and advertising to work harmoniously – a powerful alliance. By aligning the two and playing on both strengths and weaknesses, brands can amplify their visibility and extend the reach of their marketing initiatives.

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What is Sponsored Content vs Branded Content?

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There are so many ways consumer brands can effectively reach audiences today. Brands have a dizzying array of choices; it’s easy to lose track of the difference between paid content, what is sponsored content vs branded content and how does it work with PR? Even the term “media outlets” is confusing because there are so many. For our purposes today, media outlets refer to traditional publications with online versions rather than social media platforms or blogs. Today’s online and print versions (where they still exist) are radically different. There is usually a lot more content on the web version, and there are no space limitations, meaning sponsored and branded content has been democratized. It used to be that only the most prominent brands could afford to buy space in magazines like Women’s Wear Daily or People Magazine, but today, buying content on those online versions is possible for much smaller consumer brands.

 

Sponsored content vs branded content

What is sponsored content?

Sponsored content is produced in collaboration with the brand; the brand has at least some oversight.

Sometimes sponsored content includes indexed links useful to SEO. This is perhaps one of the most compelling advantages of sponsored content. It creates an inbound link from a reputable online source, and it shows up in Google searches, which enhances reputation.

Like an ad, sponsored content may guarantee a certain number of views or placement over a guaranteed amount of time. Some influencers or publications require complete creative control, especially with product reviews. Depending on the outlet, sponsored content, because it has editorial oversight, very often lasts longer, sometimes indefinitely.  Depending on the publication and the format, it will appear with “sponsored” or “ad” designations per FTC guidelines. Branded content can be an article in a publication or an influencer video.

What is branded content?

Branded content is a hybrid of editorial and paid content produced by the publication; it is native-appearing. The placement and content oversight are paid for, and in this way, it differs from earned media. Like sponsored content, branded content is far less interruption than traditional digital advertising. Sometimes branded content includes indexed and because of the editorial oversight, do-follow links useful to SEO.

How to effectively use sponsored and branded content?

The most successful sponsored content and branded does not read like an advertisement.  Instead, it maximizes the space to create entertainment value or evoke an emotional response with storytelling. Creating content that viewers want to read is why paid content is more effective than banner ads. Very often, paid content isn’t even directly about the brand, and it may be a piece of content that distills critical messages to the audience without directly pushing the company; instead, it moves the consumer’s perception of a product or a lifestyle change.

Over and over, I see paid content that feels like a giant ad, and I know it’s because someone in marketing, or maybe even an overly enthusiastic CEO read the copy and said something like,  “There’s no call to action!” or “We aren’t even talking about our product’s best features!” And so the entire piece reads like the brand website. This is such a sad waste of viewer attention. The intent is to create or reinforce the customer journey. Customers almost never buy on the first interaction with a brand, think about paid content as a first or second meeting.

Is paid content effective for consumer brands?

Branded content drives up to 86% more brand recall than traditional advertising. That’s a considerable uptick. So why does anyone do any other form of traditional advertising? The reason is that branded content works because it doesn’t feel like a strong call to action; rather, it feels informative or entertaining, or even like news.

How are branded content and sponsored content similar?

 

How to choose between brand content vs sponsored content? This might be a matter of budget. Experienced content creators like editors at sought-after publications are not cheap.  Sponsored content is often less expensive, and it isn’t usually as in-depth as branded coverage, nor is it always premium quality. Some outlets do not ever place sponsored content in a front page rotation, where they might for premium branded content.

Paid content is effective because, unlike paid advertising, it doesn’t interrupt the viewer’s experience. Very often, there isn’t even a solid call to action in sponsored content. Because there isn’t a strong call-to-action, many brands run ad campaigns alongside their sponsored content to cement brand recall, improving click rates on traditional advertisements. Like an ad, paid content may not be permanently hosted or appear in search indefinitely.  Paid content, when done well, engages the viewer for a longer period than an ad; as importantly, because the view engages with the content, they will be more likely to remember it.

We love paid content because, unlike a traditional ad, it’s usually stickier and can be leveraged in many of the same ways as earned media.

How does it compare to earned media?

Sponsored content feels more trusted than advertisements but not as trusted as independent coverage or reviews. But, like earned media, it provides a way for brands to reach viewers while they’re in the mindset to consume content or while they’re searching for information related to the brand.

Because it isn’t paid, earned media is more trusted, and therefore, more valuable. Also, earned media is permanent. We see search results for earned content that is several years old but still relevant. So earned media is far stickier.

How does it fit in with PR and content strategy?

From a PR and content strategy perspective, we like to use sponsored or branded content to kick off a campaign; this gives us some control over the message early on and guarantees some visibility and search indexing. We use paid content with many of our thought leadership programs, to help leaders develop their voice, their point of view, and reputation. We also use paid content for product introduction. It is not uncommon to see brands use sponsored content in other forms of promotion and advertising.

In short, we think a lot of paid content makes sense with a digitally savvy PR campaign.

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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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Consumer Spending Trends and Stats for 2023

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2023 has been a roller coaster for businesses. From CPG to consumer electronics, consumer brands look for ways to see inside the looking glass for the pivotal Q4 holiday spending season. Mixed signals abound. In the spring, Kiplinger’s Economic Outlets says e-commerce and general merchandise spending remains strong and core sales (even adjusted for inflation) were up .6%, but sporting goods, clothing, and grocery continue to decline, this spring. But Father’s Day spending is expected to set records (National Retail Federation), as did Mother’s Day spending. E-commerce and DTC brands wonder how they should plan for the 2023 holiday spending season?

What are the top consumer stats for 2023 that ambitious consumer brands need to know?

  • 86% of consumers say online sources helped them make more informed decisions (Google)
  • Holiday spending in 2023 is expected to increase 4.5% to $1.3 trillion in 2023 (Insider Intelligence)
  • 98% of consumers plan to purchase a Christmas gift (Supermarket News)
  • 55% of consumers have made a purchase directly from email (Cheetah Digital)
  • 88% of consumers plan increased food-related purchases for Thanksgiving (Supermarket News)
  • 31% of consumers say inflation will have a moderate impact on their spending (Numerator)
  • Purchases from banner ads are down 36% (Cheetah Digital)
  • In 2022, 80% of consumers researched or browsed before making a purchase (Google)
  • In 2022, 20% of consumers made a purchase on impulse (Google)
  • 72% of U.S. consumers are prepared to purchase more from their preferred brands (Cheetah Digital)

 

 

Sometimes it’s hard to get a handle on how the consumer feels, especially since your analytics and stats are always backward-looking. That’s why it’s helpful to look at how major retailers view the marketplace.

What are big brands saying about 2023 consumer spending?

“We continue to see some improvements in many items, commodity prices are starting to fall – not back to pre-COVID levels in some examples, but continue to provide some relief – things like chicken, bacon, butter, steel, resin, nuts…Our average transactions, our shopping frequency is up…So those things bode well, but people certainly are spending their dollars where they feel like they should be spending them.” – Costco CFP Richard Galanti

 

“What we are seeing is the consumer making $80,000 a year is trading down…The current economic climate is driving more higher-income consumers into value retail.” – Dollar Tree CEO Rick Dreiling

 

“..We believe the desire to be with loved ones, go on vacation, and attend events has not diminished, and expect gift-giving and occasion-based demand to continue. – Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette

 

Top trends driving consumer spending

 

Consumer Loyalty

Given rising prices, consumers increasingly choose to stick with the brands they know and love. Consumer brands can leverage this through loyalty programs and word-of-mouth incentives. Give your loyal customer a reason to share your email or recommend your brand, so the next time it comes up with their friends, your brand is top of mind. One way to do this is provide tips and social proof in your email marketing. It’s all about positioning. Your current customers don’t need to be “sold”; they need to have their choices reinforced. Therefore we recommend brands leverage PR coverage in their email marketing with a pat on the back and share an incentive to their existing customers. For those who are on your list and haven’t yet purchased, use a “look what others say,” message.

 

Values-Based Messaging

On the decline? Purpose-based messaging. Only 16% of consumers are voting with their wallets about “responsible brand” messaging. This is likely because of a general fatigue of this type of messaging. Consumer brands sound continues with existing social-impact programs but present them to consumers as part of the brand, not as a defined campaign.

 

Advertising Trust Decreases

While searching online for third-party verifications like reviews and media coverage is up, purchasing from banner ads is down 36% – consumers know ads aren’t trustworthy. Consumers are overwhelmed with messages and struggling to keep up with all the “buy now” signals. They’re looking for ways to cut through the noise and they trust search results and social proof more than anything else. This is also a good time to invest in quality owned content. As search continues to evolve due to AI changes, quality content will become more critical.

 

In conclusion…

Consumer holiday spending will be up, but consumer brands will need to fight both harder and smarter for those dollars. This isn’t the year for ambitious brands to take their foot off the gas. You can examine ways to spend smarter with your existing agency or you can look for programs that decrease PR agency costs for consumer brands.

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