“If you don’t give the market the story to talk about, they’ll define your brand’s story for you.”
– David Brier, branding and brand identity expert, designer, speaker, blogger and author of “Brand Intervention”.
PR is almost 90% more effective than advertising, but why settle with that when you can get an even greater ROI through branding? A steady brand results in a 23% increase in revenue and on top of that, blogs lead to 67% more leads.
Your brand is the emotional connection your audience has with your business and you want to ensure it is a positive one. Establishing that for your brand doesn’t just happen overnight, nor is it easy to obtain. To control what people have to say about your company, you have to determine your message internally, then monitor how your audience perceives your company to address misconceptions before they become a crisis.
Executing a PR campaign, whether it be to enhance your brand image or maintain relevance in the industry, will help you build the brand image you want for your company. Everything you send to the media needs to reflect your brand promise and commitment. Here is how establishing a strong brand can help your PR strategies succeed.
Consistency is Key
You can’t be a master of all things, It’s hard enough to be a master in one thing when the world changes in the blink of an eye. Focus on who you want to target and put your efforts into where they are most active i.e. social media platforms or niche market publications. It takes 5-7 impressions for people to remember your brand so remembers that when you are reaching out to the media, the public, or other business professionals. It takes time to establish a brand so be thoughtful, it will pay off in the long run. Remember, even if not a single journalist responds to your pitch, that is still one impression closer to building a relationship.
Get Competitive
Establishing your brand and being consistent with your messaging builds your competitive edge, an easily recognizable business doesn’t have to fight for attention. When your brand message is consistent and all other strategies align with it, you will attract clients and stories with similar values as your brand and deflect those that don’t. New opportunities will come knocking on your door when your company actions reflect the image and values you want to be associated with your brand.
Humanize the Brand
Putting a face, or several faces, to your brand increases your chance of building connections. Just like how you should be consistent with your messaging, be consistent with your spokespeople. In the end, your audience will be able to feel a stronger connection with your company when you have a familiar face representing your brand.
All in all, do what makes sense for your brand and ensure that you are meeting the needs of your audience. Once you establish your brand keep up the momentum, tell your story again and again. The stronger your brand is, the harder it is to break.
At Magnolia, we will work with you to establish and grow your positive image in the market and reach your audience to deliver results. Contact us today to enhance your current marketing campaign, we are here to help.
By Jessica Steward, Communication Coordinator at Magnolia Communications – a B2B demand generation full-service marketing agency headquartered in Vancouver, BC. We focus on engaging, nurturing and converting leads with PR programs, paid social ads, email marketing, and marketing technology implementation.