By Director of Public Relations Anna Scordos-Brooke
Working on your public relations is just like one big non-stop party. That is, if you were the party host trying to run a smooth event, where everyone gets to know new people, make new friends and have tons of fun. Like any good party, the guests, or business audiences (customers and media) that happen to be the target of your PR efforts don’t need to see all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, either in the planning or implementation. But, there is plenty of hard work involved. If you are embarking upon a PR campaign for your organization, Foster Marketing can take on the role of a party host and will take on the challenge to answer the following questions on your behalf:
“Is everyone’s glass topped up?”
Keeping glasses topped up is probably rule number one of hosting any party and is key to making your guests feel welcome, relaxed and open to conversation. Are you giving your business audiences the same treatment through your PR efforts? Do you engage with them in a hospitable manner? Are you welcoming of their questions? Are you responsive when someone from outside your organization attempts to engage with you? We make sure that all your PR efforts point to a company that is eager and enthusiastic for positive engagement – we welcome everyone to your “party.”
“Are my guests getting hungry?”
How can any of your guests pay attention to your stories if they can’t stop thinking about when the food is being served? Hungry party-goers are a recipe for distractibility, irritability and, possibly even, an early exit. Likewise, are your business audiences at risk of getting impatient? Are you giving them some real meat in your interactions with them, or do you constantly leave them wondering when some tastier PR tidbits are going to come along? We make sure that each effort to engage them is worth their time, to stop them from looking for sustenance elsewhere.
“Am I paying equal attention to all my guests?”
A good host takes the time to work the entire room, talking to all of the guests that were invited to the party. As a business, you may cater to multiple business functions across a variety of industries. It is to be expected, that from time-to-time, your attention may be focused on one audience over another. We make sure you don’t forget about your other audiences for too long. For example, if this year’s PR campaign has a strong focus on the renewables industry, we make sure you also dedicate some time to talking to your offshore oil and gas customers throughout the year, too, so they don’t think you’ve moved in a permanently different direction.
“Is everyone getting along?”
The last thing any party host wants to see is any confrontations breaking out on their watch. In order to avoid any scenes of unpleasantness, as the host we remain vigilant to any potential for negativity and be proactive to dissipate it before it grows. In terms of PR, this means monitoring comments in social media, taking the pulse of any negative sentiment attached to your company in the wider media landscape and putting in place strategies to address them before they snowball.
“Am I creating a good impression?”
As we all know, there are no second chances to make a good first impression. At a party, we would steer clear of controversial topics of conversation, i.e. politics or religion with strangers as well as acquaintances. We would be careful not to come across as over-familiar, or standoffish. In short, we would put our best, and most friendly, face forward. Foster Marketing understands that this approach is no different with a PR campaign, where provocative, contentious and divisive topics and tones should be avoided at all costs.
“Are my guests having fun?”
The aim of hosting a party is for everyone to have fun. You may have additional goals in mind, of course, but if you can achieve an overall shared sense of fun, you’ve been successful. From a business perspective, we also want your audience to have a certain type of “fun” in their interactions with you. We want them to think of you as someone who is interesting and engaging. Someone who is easy to work with, can get along with people, and that is trustworthy. We achieve this by ensuring that your PR is always trustworthy, interesting and reliable – and back it up by embodying these qualities in real life.
“Are they glad they came, and would they come again?”
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines PR as, “The business of inducing the public to have understanding for, and goodwill toward, a person, firm or institution.” Just as a good party can perform this job for its host, so can an effective PR campaign achieve this for its organization. It is relatively easy for us to help your audiences understand what you do, and why you do it. Generating “goodwill” is the key, and also the biggest challenge. As well as being a bundle of vague positive feelings, “goodwill” is also the established reputation of a business – a quantifiable asset – and is intrinsic to a company’s overall value. Goodwill is hard to build, but easy to lose. So, it should be taken seriously and handled with care by a professional team like Foster Marketing.
Contact Foster Marketing today to find out how we can help you develop and improve goodwill in your PR initiatives. Call us at 281-448-3435, contact us online or connect with us on LinkedIn.