Tag Archive for: emerging markets pr

Does your clean energy innovation need to ‘get ‘more press? Do you need help as a clean energy solutions provider regarding PR? Having a well-thought-out and executed green energy public relations strategy is critical to any emerging industry, but particularly those whose stakeholders include consumers, regulators, and governments.

It is no secret that the energy service company’s (ESCO) popularity in the private sector now has restrictions due to a highly fragmented and uncertain marketplace. Their customers often need to be more willing and unknowledgeable to try new energy-efficient products. These challenges underline the need for clean energy companies to embrace communication-enabling and relationship-building green energy public relations.

The Rise of the ESCOs

Over the past few years, increased interest has been in providing clean energy services to meet eco-friendly goals. Many new energy service companies (ESCOs) provide clean energy solutions to the end user and install and supply energy-efficient products.

What separates ESCO from traditional companies and equipment suppliers is that the services and energy solutions offered by energy service companies are directly tied to energy savings. In short, an ESCO is a company that provides clean energy innovation and energy solutions at a lower cost. Energy service companies agree to a contract with energy users in both the public and private sectors to offer cost-effective, energy-efficient solutions that include retrofits and a broad spectrum of innovative clean energy products.

Energy-as-a-service (EaaS) is another business model that offers similar energy solutions but for a recurring subscription fee instead of a traditional upfront investment. A service provider assumes responsibility for the entire scope of the services, including; the installation, operation, and maintenance, and the end user has to pay for the energy service through a subscription. Services can also include a budget-friendly, pay-per-use model.

Energy-as-a-service (EaaS) can take several shapes. For example, a commercial building may hire an Energy-as-a-service (EaaS) provider to construct and maintain a rooftop solar system that creates electricity for the building while also feeding excess power into the grid. The solar panels would be financed, installed, and maintained by the Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) provider, while the building owner would pay a fee for the energy supplied by the system.

Whether it’s an established ESCO or an early-stage green-energy start-up, conveying their “big vision” to an increasingly distracted (and reluctant) audience can be challenging. Enter the energy PR agency.

Challenges in Enterprise Tech PR

Consumers and investors tend to have a voracious appetite for all things tech. However, most of the enterprise tech PR you’ll notice online has little to do with the actual technology and more with the industry’s business side.

It may include which tech businesses have acquired other smaller companies, which start-ups have managed to lock down financial rounds, and what those finances are earmarked to accomplish in the coming months or years. While having that sort of information is good to know, the end customer is more interested in the technology, the tone of the press release, and the message it conveys.

It’s hardly unexpected that the discipline of technology public relations has developed alongside technology’s evolution and integration into our lives. Because technology businesses are continuously launching new goods, knowing how to communicate about these items is crucial for success.

Technology public relations (PR) professionals work to spread the word about new technologies, whether new developments from established firms or creative ideas from start-ups. Technology public relations use the media and other audiences to increase brand reputation and awareness.

Collaborating with reporters specializing in some technical regions, green energy public relations firms, and experts may assist in disseminating information clearly and intelligibly. Technological advancements have always been at the center of media attention; the first printing press was seen as a “modern miracle” by many.

Today’s communications are more complicated, yet the enthusiasm accompanying the announcement of a new idea remains. A technology public relations professional aims to channel this excitement into favorable coverage of their client’s invention across as many media outlets as possible. While some PR practitioners may specialize in one component of communications, such as crafting media messaging or dealing with clients, enterprise tech PR often necessitates a more thorough grasp of all aspects of communication.

Benefits of Hiring an Energy PR Agency

The benefits of hiring enterprise tech PR to handle green energy public relations are a no-brainer, which is why many forward-thinking companies offering clean energy innovation have already begun reaping the rewards of a tech PR agency. If you are a tech start-up or tech-based SME still on the fence about using a tech PR agency, here are some reasons why jumping on the technology PR bandwagon makes sense.

Helps Save Time

Time is money in a client-driven business. Since recruitment marketers are extremely busy individuals in a time-sensitive, competitive environment, it is critical to respond swiftly and seize opportunities as they occur. A tech PR agency can develop excellent material faster since they are professionals in the recruiting sector.

Combining this with established media contacts will make you see results faster, whether you seek brand recognition through media coverage or direct leads from increased website traffic. You will also have ample time for other parts of your recruiting marketing and company growth strategy.

Tech-Specific Knowledge

One of the primary reasons for engaging an energy PR agency is their knowledge. They have good contacts with the recruiting press and employment writers in general, national, regional, and sector-specific print and online media. The energy PR agency will leverage its knowledge to assist consultancies in engaging successfully and compellingly with their target audiences across the full spectrum of traditional, social, and new media.

The energy PR agency will have considerable expertise working with customers on their marketing communications strategy, ranging from staffing firms to suppliers to the recruitment business. They have extensive expertise in developing sector-specific thought leadership material appealing to target audiences. Furthermore, their understanding of search engine algorithms guarantees that the material they create is SEO optimized and will rank high, which enables your tech PR efforts to reach a wider audience.

Return-on-Investment (ROI)

Tracking is crucial in public relations; the energy PR agency will work with a technology solutions provider to track new business activity and trace it back to their efforts. In this way, the energy PR agency can immediately correlate coverage to new business; for example, by acquiring 30 pieces of coverage for a customer and incorporating this into business development efforts, they can see that it creates warm leads and the number of new contracts gained.

When it comes to social media platforms, an energy PR agency ensures that the interaction is relevant so that the correct material is uploaded at the right times and viewed by the right people. They employ social media analytics to demonstrate a clear correlation of business successes from their social media efforts.

Communication

An energy PR agency is most effective when they collaborate with their clients. To attain the best outcomes, the energy PR agency must completely grasp your company and its goals. Building a relationship is essential for laying the groundwork for a partnership.

A dedicated tech PR team will consider what content and initiatives are currently in place and how they may add value to them. An energy PR agency works as an extension of a tech company’s recruiting department, sharing skills and knowledge to deliver excellent media relations and marketing assistance. The efforts of an energy PR agency can generate effective client and agency partnerships.

Generating Buzz

The most important purpose of public relations is to establish trust and credibility for the company, which traditional marketing and advertising often fail to do. A reputable brand image is the foundation of a successful and long-term business.

Effective tech PR helps to generate the right amount of buzz surrounding your tech or energy-efficient product, establishing your brand name as an authority in the industry and a trustworthy resource for reliable information.

Effective PR is only made possible by employing the right professionals for technology PR to align the tech firm’s vision and values with your customer’s pain points. Additionally, PR generates positive dialogues about your brand and connects it with the values necessary to your target audience, developing trust, credibility, and loyalty.

What to Look for in a Tech PR Agency?

Tech PR firm needs to establish and maintain long-term rapport with highly regarded journalists in the tech niche. Suppose you want to proactively manage your brand’s reputation rather than leaving it to chance. In that case, you should hire a specialized tech PR agency to do all the heavy lifting to build your reputation in the tech or clean energy niche.

Technology-focused public relations firms will have a genuine love for one of the world’s most discussed issues. Technology influences every element of our life. If you want to engage the investing community, you will employ a PR agency specializing in finance; similarly, if you’re going to engage individuals interested in technology, you should hire an enterprise tech PR agency.

Tech companies can assess the energy PR agency about the campaign objectives. Depending on the nature of the campaign, they include performance measures against your significant rivals, such as the volume of clippings, the share of voice, site traffic, or a movement that can focus on creating links and leads. The vital key is to ensure that the objectives are reasonable, agreed upon, and set at the outset of the activity.

A balanced role of the client and agency is a must. It is without a doubt that great business relationships are what lead to positive brand-audience engagement. It is mainly because the clean energy PR agency is passionate about your work and the solutions you provide. But, more importantly, they believe that the energy innovation you’re offering will positively change the consumers’ lives.

Nonetheless, as is the case with any relationship, there are times when both parties may disagree. Still, working together during those hard times is crucial to develop something positive and strengthening the client-energy PR agency relationship.

Keeping that in mind, before hiring an energy PR agency, look at their existing clients and how long that PR agency has been working with them. An energy PR agency with a client list of at most a few months or a year is the first red flag a tech start-up or business can look for when hiring enterprise tech PR services.

Ending Note

The energy service company (ESCO) working at the front lines of clean energy innovation is often considered challenging with time constraints that keep them from developing an effective PR strategy.

Enterprise tech PR, such as that provided by Sapience Communications, is a specialized niche that offers a support system for companies at the forefront of energy solutions. It makes it easier for tech innovators to share their knowledge with a broader audience.

Sapience has international reach, working with the best-in-class partners in the most important markets. Learn more about what the energy PR agency Sapience Communications can do for your green energy public relations.

B2B services are high-stakes. Whether you’re a SaaS company, or provide other enterprise services like Recruiting, CleanTech, or HealthTech, the competition is stiff, and the TAM, while it might be valuable, isn’t likely huge. And with today’s high levels of uncertainty, for B2B companies, it’s more important than ever to make the decision-making process easier than ever, secure additional investment or prepare for IPO. So how do winning B2B service companies stay competitive during times of uncertainty?

 

Thought Leadership for B2B Competitive Advantage

B2B CEOs have a bird’s-eye view of their industry and marketplace trends – they have to, so they know how to steer the company. This often includes insights that are valuable to your target buyer. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to use executive visibility to increase brand awareness. Yes, your CEO can and should champion your company, but they can gain the trust of insiders and analysts by contributing to the conversation within your industry.

There have never been more media opportunities for CEOs with distinct points of view. The opportunities are endless, from podcasts to opinion pieces and contributed insights. Take the time to create a topic calendar, and remember that podcasts often book months in advance, and contributed content usually has an editorial process that can take three weeks or more.

If your Google search “Who is [executive name]” doesn’t return pages worth of positive, reputation-building content, now is the time to remedy that. Executive visibility is critical in B2B services.

Leveraging PR as Content

Getting the interview or coverage is great, but you can make that coverage work for you when you leverage your PR. Activating your PR coverage makes it more valuable to you and is a great way to support the journalist. And just like a lot of content, you can re-use your PR for a long time. There’s no shame in sharing it repeatedly on social media. Just use your content judgment about context, platform, and frequency.

 

Owned Content For Trust That Supercharges B2B Services

B2B service companies can stay competitive by leveraging PR; from case studies to reports and statistics, B2B companies make waves and even national news with trends and statistics. General business and industry journalists share something: their love for data. Put together notable data points that you can share in your owned content and use it as a jumping-off point for topical pitches all year long.

While B2B media coverage often depends on long lead times, creating your own content is not. Use owned content to share your own narrative and improve your company’s LinkedIn presence. While we’re at it, consider launching a blog on Medium or LinkedIn. Despite what people say, you can repurpose content on these platforms and they are great inbound links and another way to get your message out to the targeted audience.

 

Be More Than Press Releases

There’s more to PR than press releases. Don’t get me wrong – press releases have a role in the content eco-system, but they aren’t useful for securing media.

For quality B2B coverage, your storytelling must include at least two of these three elements:

  • Timeliness/trending news tie-in
  • Clear audience impact/relevance/newsworthiness
  • Statistics and data which add context or change long-held assumptions

Emerging industry media coverage has an advantage regarding newsworthiness, but be careful not to fall into the lazy PR trap of describing everything as “innovative.” Emerging industries really need to craft compelling stories, and brands that differentiate set the agenda. Look at Marc Benioff at SalesForce. Over the years, SalesForce has set a lot of agendas, from employee culture to event marketing with Dreamforce. Benioff knew that great B2B storytelling spanned an array of topics, and headlines drove trust, and investor confidence, and attracted top talent – he knew not every piece of coverage had to look like a sales piece in order to be effective.

For quality media coverage, you must be ready and able to share who your customers are and how they benefit. Your case studies are critical – while no journalist will write an article based on your case studies, ensuring your spokespersons can articulate the case studies in a brand-consistent, media savvy way will make news coverage even more beneficial.

 

Times of economic uncertainty can be times for groundbreaking growth for B2B companies. Whether your company is pre-IPO or you are raising venture capital, PR is your partner and you can leverage it during times of uncertainty to keep growing when others are flailing.

As uncertainty rises, funding falls. At least that’s what the news would have you believe. But according to Inc. magazine, seed and angel deals are still trending upward, and early-stage companies with proven product are still getting most of the deals. In fact, 64% of venture funding is early stage, and seed deals through Q2 of 2022 were on par with the entirety of 2019 (Q2 NVCA/PitchBook). That means for hyper-growth or ambitious companies and challenger brands, there is still an opportunity for you. So what should you do when VC funding is down and inflation is still driving uncertainty? I’ve been through every recession since 9/11 and I’ve been working with ambitious brands and companies since then as well. So I’ve seen what successful businesses do during recessions to position themselves for competitive advantage, survival and growth, despite the economic hurdles. Over the years I’ve noticed, startups who focus on looking ahead while being laser-focused, and tend to survive tumultuous times, regardless of whether your a consumer brand or a B2B company. These are the the things startups focus on for VC Funding.

Focus Your Energies and Budget

“Everything you do, do exceptionally well, and if you aren’t exceptional at it, then get rid of it or outsource it.”

Look at everything you’re doing and cut out the things you aren’t doing well. For example, let’s say your internal biz development team is excellent, but your event marketing isn’t producing the results you’d hoped for, take that event marketing budget and focus it on one thing your biz dev team says they need to get to the next level.

Everything you do, do exceptionally well, and if you aren’t exceptional at it, then get rid of it or outsource it. Outsourcing is just more nimble. What you outsource, be exceptionally clear about your goals, so you can maximize your reduced budget. Focusing your time and budget has the additional advantage of clearing out the cobwebs and giving you new insight into operational efficiencies too. Who knows? You might decide that outsourcing certain strategies, like PR, simply works better than doing it in-house, anyway.

Startups should also focus on the long term. Think about ways you can increase efficiencies with agency partners, and where you can maximize the partners you have on board.

 

Bullish on the Future

“Deals are still happening, but they’re more happening on industries and trends which are moving ahead full steam, no matter what happens to the economy,”

What should a startup focus on when thinking about funding? No matter what happens to the economy, innovation rolls forward, and VCs know this. The money isn’t on solving today’s problems, it’s on solving tomorrow’s problems. According to Pitchbook, in Q1 of 2022, VC’s raised more money than in the entirety of 2019. So are coming down? Oh, absolutely, but VC’s know – the future is now.

Even when funding is down, deals are still happening, but they’re more happening on industries and trends which are moving ahead full steam. So do your homework on where your product fits into the biggest challenges or opportunities in the next 5, 10, 15 years. Look at all the challenges the pandemic brought to light – those challenges are still top of mind, and the companies solving those problems will have a head start. Your corporate storytelling should also lean into the future and purpose driven initiatives. These two aspects will allow you to lead against your peers.

FinTech is another area where the gloom and doom may be over-reported – through Q2, FinTech funding was still more than in 2019, but it’s definitely not as frothy as 2021. FinTech founders may wish to focus on thought leadership and tie it into purpose-driven points of view in order to tap into future trends.

And although the cannabis industry has been experiencing its share of disruptions as of late, no one thinks that industry is disappearing, the growth is only projected to increase as more states move to legalize cannabis, and states create interstate sales as California has, and many expect the east coast to do. Experts predict the cannabis industry will be $100 billion by the end of the decade. You can learn a lot about the future of cannabis by reviewing the pitch decks from startups that recently secured funding.

CleanTech is another area of hypergrowth, spurred in part by the Inflation Reduction Act which incentivizes green technology businesses. Experts predict growth in this segment for years to come. But VCs have been burned in this area, so it’s vital that companies raising funds in this segment double down on trust.

PR for AI companies is another area likely to continue growing. While the initial buzz that spiked with the launch of ChatGPT has settled, investors still haven’t settled on the market leaders in this segment. If you’re an AI company, PR is best asset right now, especially if you’re a B2B AI company.

There are always areas of growing investments, and if you’re in one of them, strike while the iron is hot.

Plan For Success

“Companies that survive this time focus… on problem-solving,”

Now is the time to think out loud and do your due diligence for tomorrow. Companies that survive this time focus their operations team on problem-solving. For example, if  VC funding doesn’t seem likely for you right now, turn your attention to policy initiatives at the federal and local levels. For example, the last infrastructure project had a lot of opportunities for climate-related startups. And the 2021 infrastructure package held lots of tidbits for infrastructure tech programs, that emerging industries like drones and UOV could take advantage of.

Consumer tech VC funding has taken a sharp nose-dive. Storytelling PR campaigns may not be as attractive as they once were for consumer tech. Now is the time to look at product-based programs which increase awareness but not the budget.

Mental health is still top of mind; that’s part of the reason emerging industries like healthtech, cannabis, and psychedelic treatments remain in the sights of investors. But these industries are not without their challenges and competitors. So brands in these emerging industries need to double down on trust to build more acceptance for the communities they serve.

Direct to Consumer (DTC) funding has radically pulled back because simply having a DTC company isn’t enough to attract investment – today, a DTC strategy is an expectation. But startups can take this time to develop something that can’t easily be replicated, like technology. Or, as investor Caitlin Strandberg said, don’t even ask for investment unless you have an Amazon strategy, because social media isn’t where they see buyers, “if you’re going to be where people buy—people are buying more and more on Amazon—you can expect they’ll search your brand name on Amazon, and you want to be on that search page,” so be looking your sales channels along with SEO and digital PR so your startup is poised for growth.

One of the best ways to stay focused on success is to lay the groundwork for a successful IPO. There is a lot to do, both internally and externally, and getting started earlier will save you money and time as the exit gets closer.

You should take this opportunity to do some scenario planning as well. Now is a great time to plan for a crisis, and create plans for things like cyber breaches ,which will help you secure your future.

 

Tomorrow’s greatest companies and emerging industries aren’t going to allow this uncertainty to derail them. This is where the rubber meets the road, and strategy makes a difference.

Ah, the early adopter. Their the people who grab on to things first, they start trends and they are influencers in their respective communities.

Whether you’re a startup, a movement or a personality, you need these early adopters. Marketing to early adopters can be slippery though, what they grab on to is almost entirely motivationally based. Toss out your traditional “Three P’s” of marketing if you want to capture this crowd, you’re going to need to think through what makes them tick.

Whether you’re building a product or starting a movement, keep your early adopters in mind. Strategies of early adopter marketing require a deep understanding of their motiviations.

Early Adopters Value Intellectual Stimulation

It doesn’t matter what your target market is, a certain segment of them are early adopters and early adopters like to be challenged and stimulated.  Puzzles and quizzes are intriguing to these people, but they get bored easily, so make sure the content matches the intelligence level.

Don’t mistake this to assume that every puzzle or quiz is intriguing to early adopters. They aren’t necessarily the “Buzzfeed” quiz takers. They like to learn and be challenged but they aren’t interested in dumbed down versions of anything. By the time something has caught mass adoption, early adopters have either “been there/done that” or are already deeply engaged in using the product.

Early Adopters Have High “FOMO.”

Because they value their role as early adopters, they never want to be “out of the loop” or miss something that’s particularly cool.

Tap into that “Fear of Missing Out” during the earliest stages. Give them ways to be cool to their community by letting them be the gateway to a broader audience and you’ll be tapping into their desires to be seen as an early adopter.

Google generally does this really well when it launches products. It does an initial invitation to known early adopters and gets everyone else clamoring to be part of it in the first phase and SEEN as an early adopter. Google definitely has marketing to early adopters down.

Early Adopters Are Attracted to Art, Emotion and Adventure

Perhaps more than any other target market, early adopters are pulled in by emotion, art and adventure.

This is one reason why Apple’s early emphasis on design caught on with early adopters, they loved the elegance of the product and interface, the art of the experience.

Remember, art, emotion and adventure can happen online and offline. This is a place where you can really get creative and have some fun. It’s also easy to identify these people based on where they go because events like TED and TEDX inherently draw early adopter personality types.

Because of this constant searching early adopters have, curiosity is a primary trigger for action. Tripping the curiosity trigger requires some thought because early adopters aren’t generally suckers for the usual mass-marketing techniques; they’re a little more sophisticated than that. You’re going to really have to think of something that genuinely makes them curious.

The “Why” Seriously Matters

Early adopters are very observant they generally see through tactics and need a reason to be inspired.  Your marketing message to early adopters needs to be centered around something inspiring.

Instead of focusing on product features, tap into the deep intellectual and emotional reservoir of early adopters and give some insight to them about why this product or movement matters. You’ll likely need to do some message testing here, but it will be worth it once you hit on the “why” that matters most.

Don’t Confuse Early Adopters for Extroverts

It’s easy to lump the two together, but research shows that messaging that targets extroverts actually repels early adopters. Early adopters like intrigue and creativity, they aren’t particularly attracted to social attention in a public way. This doesn’t mean they aren’t on social media, it just means that their triggers are different. They like to have their role as early adopters confirmed, but they also like to be the messenger of that delivery.