PR can be a game-changer for your brand’s visibility and reputation. In today’s competitive market, standing out and cutting through the noise is more challenging than ever. But if you get it right, the rewards are significant.
Whether you’re looking to grow your business, target new markets, or even keep your brand out of the news, working with PR experts can help you to deliver on your objectives.
Taking these tasks off of your internal team’s plate will also free up their time to focus on other important aspects of running and marketing the business. PR partners can craft and execute strategic campaigns, build solid relationships with the media and cement a strong reputation within your industry.
Whilst there are many, here are just five key reasons why brands should be engaging a PR agency in 2024…
To increase brand awareness
In simple terms, PR agencies are experts at getting your brand seen in the places that matter to you.
But first and foremost, we have to figure out what you want your brand to be known for. In other words, what are your brand’s values, what key messages do you want to get across and where do you want these messages to be heard?
Working with a PR agency can help you solidify your key messaging and then communicate this in a way that your audience will engage with. Choosing a PR agency with a proven track record of creating campaigns for your target audience is key to success. They’ll know your audience inside out, including when, where and how they like to receive information. This ensures that your brand is seen in all the right places and stands out amidst all the noise.
To establish you as a thought leader
PR agencies are experts in positioning brands as industry authorities. This can be done in several ways, including crafting thought-provoking content, securing speaking engagements at key industry events, and facilitating expert interviews, all of which can help you to establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry.
By owning a particular topic or area within your space, this can help to enhance your credibility and demonstrate leadership and authority, making you and your brand the go-to for knowledge and advice around your chosen subject matter.
To manage your social media presence
In 2024, it is extremely important to engage with social media. This is simply because – like it or not – everyone is on it; your competitors, your target audiences, the key influencers in your sector. Social media can be one of the most cost-effective ways for brands to reach a lot of people. PR professionals live and breathe social media. They understand the nuances of each platform, ensuring that your brand’s online presence resonates with a particular platform, while aligning with your overall strategy.
To understand the importance of engaging with social media, look at a brand like Aldi. During its three-year social media push, Aldi’s combined impressions grew from 2.6 million in 2019 to more than 764 million by 2022, increasing total impressions of almost 2 billion across the three years. Aldi now ranks as the UK’s most famous supermarket, showing that social media can indeed be the key to elevating your brand’s visibility and reputation.
To enhance your reputation
The old adage that it takes a lifetime to build a reputation, but only a second to lose it continues to ring true in today’s digital age. PR specialists actively monitor and manage your brand’s reputation.
PR professionals have a wealth of experience they can rely on to foresee any potential issues and advise in a timely manner to avoid them. In cases where it may be unavoidable, they are able to navigate through these and mitigate the damage, preserving the trust your audience places in your brand.
A strong reputation is not something that cannot be built overnight, it is a long-term commitment and requires staying in touch, staying relevant and continuously influencing what people are saying about your brand. This takes a significant amount of time, so having a PR agency dedicated to fostering these relationships is useful. This can take the pressure off your in-house teams and make them available to focus on other elements of the business.
To keep calm in a crisis!
We hope it never comes to this, but you might find yourself experiencing a crisis. Feeling the fear that consumes you when you know something has gone wrong – the social media firestorm, the potential long-term reputation damage, the overwhelming sense of paralysis – it feels worst when you’re on your own.
A skilled PR agency plays a pivotal role in managing and controlling the situation. Crisis communication is a specialised field within PR, because the consequences are so significant. Communications really matter, messages have to be aligned to strategy, delivered in a clear, concise, and consistent way. The likelihood is, a PR agency has seen all this before and can bring experience and expertise to guide you through a situation that could threaten to destroy your brand.
Getting the big moments right is crucial, and in a crisis, it feels like that moment is the biggest thing you’ll ever experience. A PR partner takes that pressure away from you and steers you back onto the path you worked so hard to create for your brand.
Having a PR agency on board can propel your brand towards comprehensive success in today’s dynamic and competitive landscape. Partnering with a PR agency isn’t just about getting noticed – it’s about creating a lasting and positive impression that resonates with your intended audience.
Want to find out more about how we could help you elevate your brand in 2024? Get in touch today.