Public relations efforts for companies are all about developing relationships with the right people. After all, companies rely on those relationships for practically everything, not just the relationship that a business has with its target audience, but all the other both internal and external stakeholders, such as financial institutions, investors, suppliers, outlets, and more.
Over the last decade, the public relations industry has had to change and evolve to be able to help businesses achieve their goals and develop the right relationships with the right people, and as a result, has become a lot more integrated into the process.
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Contemporary PR
Companies have had to rely on both online and offline forms of communication to deliver their brand messages to the target audience and the general public, especially since keywords and other SEO efforts have started influencing content strategies. To help companies better understand how their target audiences use search engines, they have to rely on data-driven methods and detailed audience research. Then, to be able to reach the target audience, companies have to hone in on the right public relations strategies to develop relevant pieces of content that will be able to effectively target each segment of the target audience.
These days, since most consumers see ads wherever they turn, they’ve started becoming numb to all direct messaging efforts from brands. The best way for companies to get around this obstacle is by providing the audience with relevant and beneficial content that doesn’t have a lot of promotion in it while still communicating their brand story.
This is a great content strategy that can both add more value to the lives of the consumers because the company works to meet the needs of the target audience, but it also helps companies figure out what the consumers need in the first place, and gives them a way to expand their market positioning if they decide to help the consumers solve various issues.
Integration
It’s important to remember that although a big segment of public relations tends to be focused on generating positive media coverage, that’s not all there is to public relations. After all, the most popular model of public relations these days is the PESO model which stands for Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned media, that companies can take advantage of to reach their target audiences.
Through the right public relations strategies and communication channels, businesses will be a lot more engaged with their target audiences in a way that benefits both parties in the long run. However, it’s important for companies to remember that they need to be honest and open with their communication with the target audience to make the most out of their PR.
Despite the fact that public relations itself tends to be integrated with marketing, communications, and advertising efforts, it’s impossible to do any of that if the company hasn’t previously established an effective two-way communication channel with its target audience.
Matthew Caiola serves as Co-CEO at 5W Public Relations, managing the overall growth, direction and day-to-day business of the Corporate & Technology Communications Divisions and Digital Marketing.
With more than 17 years of PR experience, Matthew leads teams in launching and building high-growth tech companies, disrupting industries, building global brand resonance through thought leadership, C-Suite profiling, and speakers’ programs, as well as crisis communications across a variety of industries.
