“If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on public relations.” – Bill Gates
From web startups and new smartphone applications to Fortune 500 enterprises, public relations is an essential strategy for companies seeking to grow their audiences and bring their brands to the masses. Investing in PR may often seem like a high cost for low returns, but media coverage is vital for company growth and future development.
Identify Main Goals of Investing in PR
To create an effective PR strategy, technology providers will need to identify some of their main goals in seeking media coverage. Here are some of the most common, and important, goals that tech companies should set out to accomplish in their media campaigns.
Audience Growth & Brand Awareness
Increased Web Traffic
Media activities and strong content, such as articles, interviews, contributed articles and more contribute to generating visibility in web search engines and establish your brand as a leader voice on relevant topics.
Competitive Edge
News coverage in consumer and industry news outlets helps set your company’s technology apart from your competitors’. Particularly for companies deploying emerging technologies, gaining a strong foothold in the media will help to secure brand awareness and interest in your company’s news.
Social Media Growth
Social media is a powerful factor in nearly all modern marketing strategy, and technology is no exception. Through incorporating social media into your press campaign, your company can boost reach to a wide audience. Social media is an excellent tool for gauging customer satisfaction and even better for customer engagement.
Enhancing Key Messaging Initiatives
Communicating key company messaging standards reinforces brands and maintains a consistent company language. Consistency helps media personnel communicate brand principles and services effectively through clear coverage and ultimately enhances public exposure.
Thought Leadership
Positioning CEOs and other company leaders as thought leaders in your industry is a powerful marketing tool, especially for firms breaking into new markets and deploying emerging technologies.
Identify What Sets a PR Agency Apart for Tech Clients
Once your team has identified the main goals of your public relations campaign, finding a dedicated PR agency to partner with is an important first step to accomplishing your companies’ goals. Working with the right team can make all the difference, here are some key characteristics to look for in a public relations agency
They understand your technology
Make sure your PR team has a comprehensive understanding of the services your company offers and the technology it uses to provide them. Likewise, it is crucial that your team understands exactly how your products help consumers and can effectively communicate that to the media.
Market Expertise
Understanding your key markets is vital to increasing media exposure where you need it most. It is important that your public relations team has a clear target audience by which to direct its efforts.
Media Expertise
Public relations partners are charged with developing key relationships with industry and news media. Understanding how to develop, refine and deploy a strategic media campaign requires a dedicated team of communicators engaging with clients and media.
In the technology world things move at a rapid pace, so using your PR firm’s media expertise to keep up to date with the latest trends and developments in tech news is a must. Additionally, competitor monitoring for news coverage and across social media channels is a helpful tool for companies running a tight race with competing providers. Understanding the competition’s media strategy puts your company that much closer to gaining a lead.
At Lou Hammond Group we specialize in providing comprehensive public relations and marketing services to top technology providers in the Hospitality, Information Technology and Digital Experience sectors. Let us show you how you we can take your media relations to the next level, call us today!