Business Communication Blog

New Resource Alert

A new online resource has just been launched by Tech Futures Lab and education technologist Frances Valintine that’s the talk of New Zealand.

Storicom has a passion for emerging tech, meaning we’re always looking for the next big cool thing to hit the market.  While emerging technology topics span across our media, there is a wide gap of know-how between technology innovators and the business professionals that could benefit from such technology.

However if you think you’re too far behind to start learning about AI or the digital scene, think again!  This is a prime opportunity to get educated through easy-to-understand explanations and videos.

The number of virtual assistants in use is continuing to increase.  This isn’t a trend that will disappear one day.  If you have not incorporated voice search into your search engine optimisation strategies yet, then now is the time to do so.

In 2017, there were over 30 million voice search devices being used globally.  About 2 in 5 people use voice search every day.

What does this mean for your business?

Many small to medium-sized enterprises ignore the idea that they need public relations.  At best, it becomes a necessity when something happens and nothing more.

If an SME is going to have an effective brand, marketing and promotions are only one element of the process.  Public relations must also be part of that campaign.

What your brand says, and how it says it, contributes to sales.

Are you thinking about public relations as a future career?  I share an office with someone who has been in PR for (nearly) 30 years, and a fresh communications-graduate, so from the sidelines here are some good indicators to look for in order to judge if you'll be successful in the field.

There are many situations that could damage an organisation's reputation and business if they are not managed correctly. 

For instance, your company has always had excellent customer feedback however, a handful of negative reviews have been posted online. You know they aren’t real but the websites are refusing to take them down.

Another could be you’ve created a product that ends up injuring a customer after it was used inappropriately and now the story is all over the press.

Or your service is usually excellent, except last month your team delivered a sub-standard result and since then the customer has filed a formal complaint against your business.

Each of these examples is a common issue or crisis that organisations like yours may face any day.  To help mitigate the risks posed by them it is important to involve the many methods and approaches of public relations.  

PR is something that requires development and planning. It isn’t something that you can decide to implement today, then get results tomorrow.

If you don’t have a public relations plan which covers at least 6 months, then you may find yourself at a trust disadvantage with your competition. You must also build flexibility into your public relations plan. Expect to change your PR plans after 90 days.

Although circumstances may change, you can develop a plan that will create measurable differences in your goals and success over time. Here’s how you do it.

It would be nice if PR could solve all your problems. Unfortunately, there are some limits to what even public relations is able to accomplish.

For starters, PR is unable to replace a sales effort or a marketing campaign. Good PR can help to drive sales with good publicity placement and a strong message. It cannot fully replace what your salespeople or marketers are doing every day to promote your company because it develops trust, not demand.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is an effective way to generate organic traffic for your website. One of the most effective ways to build an SEO campaign is to build links to your site.

That link building process actually relies on traditional approaches that are featured within the public relations management function.

It all boils down to value. If your website is the most valuable for a consumer search, then it will rank the highest. To create that value, you must produce incredible content, then reach out to other sites to pitch what you’ve published.

Marketing and public relations have a similar goal. They work to draw attention to your organisation. When you gain that attention, you’re able to generate interest in what you are offering.

The difference is this: marketing is an advertisement. PR is a learning process.

People trust stories more than they trust an advertisement. They capture the attention of the individual, drawing people in when there are ways to relate to what has been told.

A great product doesn’t generate sales unless people know about it.

A great company doesn’t get customers unless people are willing to trust it.

The first issue is something that marketing can solve. The second issue is something that public relations can solve.

One must have the other to be successful. Even if marketing and PR are kept as separate functions, they work together to create a number of specific benefits for your organisation.