Author: Open Communications

ARE YOU STILL UNDERESTIMATING THE POWER OF PR?

Posted on January 7, 2021 by

A misconstrued view of the PR industry can often prevent business leaders from recognising the breadth, depth and true effectiveness of communications. As a result, many companies still continue underestimating the power of PR and subsequently miss out on the undeniable value that it brings to a brand and its longevity. 

Though a disruptive year plagued with its own unique challenges, 2020 has taught us all some valuable lessons. The pandemic has reinforced the importance of specialised PR across the globe and has showcased how impactful communications, particularly during times of crisis, can become a lifeline.

Meaningful communications in a post COVID-19 world

As the nation continues to adjust and adapt, brands are acknowledging the changing environment and focusing their efforts on engaging in meaningful dialogue with consumers, rather than centering campaigns around overt selling.

This approach has been fundamental in influencing positive public opinion. Without doing so, companies would have faced the very real risk of losing customers. In fact, a recent report showed that 94 per cent of UK shoppers would walk away from brands if they didn’t agree with their response to COVID-19.

With such high stakes, businesses have started to witness firsthand what impact PR can have and the critical role that communications plays. While advertising campaigns were put on pause during the most part of 2020, many brands instead invested in generating new virus-related content and messaging.

As opposed to being assigned a ‘supporting role’, Public Relations was finally given center stage within marketing strategies.

Using PR to lead the way

Between the pandemic, protests, politics and the US presidential election, 2020 was a year of chaotic headlines and heartbreaking articles. Due to this, an appetite for ‘good news’ grew amongst media channels.

Reporters were constantly searching for up lifting articles to share with their readers. Brands that managed to offer a positive and genuine story, were able to secure media coverage and in turn win the trust of their consumers at a time when it was desperately needed.

Prior to the pandemic (perhaps even now), Public Relations and its significance seemed to have been generally misunderstood.

During my career, I have witnessed a myriad of myths and misconceptions about my professional field. The most absurd being that it is no longer relevant. Last year not only proved this to be completely false, but it has done the opposite and further reinforced the power of PR.

Although the industry at its core is based on traditional principles, it has continued to evolve with the times. PR is so much more than press releases. It is a much broader discipline, encompassing everything from social media to digital marketing and all in between. No longer can it be undervalued or underestimated, it is a toolkit to reach audiences and maximise success. Businesses that don’t recognise that will invariably lose out to competitors that do.

If you would like to experience the benefits of PR first-hand, get in touch with our team here. Alternatively, give us a call on 01924 862477 – we’d love to hear from you!

UNDERSTANDING THE VALUE OF DIGITAL MEDIA

Posted on December 21, 2020 by

As society becomes increasingly reliant on new technologies, the way we communicate with one another has arguably gone through the most dramatic evolution. No matter the type or form of correspondence, the emergence of digitalisation has given us an increasing number of ways to absorb and distribute critical information.

This is especially evident when it comes to digesting news. Traditionally, print publications and scheduled televised broadcasts have been society’s main source for breaking, regional, national and world news.

News on demand

In recent years, however, digitalisation has spearheaded an era of change. As a result of new innovations, it has become necessary for media companies to adapt to online platforms as the expectations of their audiences evolve.

In today’s world, news can be accessed instantly. With online publications providing access to a global audience, every person holding a smart phone, or any similar device, can instantly engage with these platforms.

Whether it’s via email, through an app or on social media, everyone can find the latest updates at anytime from anywhere. These are now the expectations of society and falling short of delivering this immediate engagement could be significantly damaging to press publications.

Extending reach

As well as providing benefits for the end-user, this digital revolution has also afforded many new opportunities for the press to take advantage of. Not only is moving to a digital centric model more cost-effective, agile and adaptable, but it can engage with a much larger audience.

The true value of uploading an article to a news website is simple; it can be read by anyone, at any time, in any location. More importantly, the content can then be repurposed to resonate with other members of a particular target audience.

This can be anything from the article being shared across social media channels, sent via email newsletters, or even appear as a tending topic on Google News.

Making the most of every opportunity

As PR professionals, we at Open Communications want to get the most out of the coverage we generate for our clients. Undoubtedly, there is still significant value in generating print coverage, but the opportunities within online publications are simply far greater.

As this trend continues, fighting for space in newspapers and other trade titles has never been so competitive. This has therefore made print coverage much more prestigious, and more challenging to secure. Never before has it been so important to write well, and for the audience you are targeting.

Time is of the essence

This is why we always ensure that for those still producing quality newspapers, such as The Times, The Guardian or The Telegraph to name a few, receive any newsworthy content at the exact same time as their digital counterparts.

However, as the market share of digital news platforms continues to grow, so will the opportunities to be featured on them. Whether it’s trade, regional or national digital media platforms, they need to be populated with the latest news and updates on a daily basis. Their demand needs to be met.

By providing them with the latest news and updates that are most relevant to their readership, the chances of securing media coverage significantly increase. The more coverage secured, the larger the audience is reached.

If you would like to know more about our approach to media relations, content creation or traditional PR then contact Open Comms on 01924 862477 or please visit www.opencomms.co.uk.

THE VALUE OF TRADE MEDIA

Posted on November 24, 2020 by

No matter the brand or business, when measuring the success of a public relations campaign, several metrics can be used as part of the evaluation. Although a PR brief can differ from one client to the next, they all arguably have the same ambition to secure as much media coverage as possible.

Making the morning headlines is one of the most effective ways to reach the largest possible audience. It provides brands and businesses with the platform to build a positive reputation, which can have a transformative impact to their overall success.

However, in order to maximise the potential benefits that media coverage can deliver, a strategic approach must be taken. Whether organisations are featured in print, online, on the radio or TV, it is not always the quantity that produces the most value, but the quality of the coverage.

This is what makes trade media opportunities so critical. Although the mainstream press will certainly have a much larger audience, targeting trade publications can potentially be more impactful and resonate with readers on a more meaningful level.

What is trade media?

Trade media titles feature content that revolves around a particular industry or profession. Their main function is to communicate information that can be influential and resourceful to those working within that marketplace.

Therefore, unlike mainstream media publications, the tone of voice and detail you find in this content can be as technical, specific, and detailed as necessary. With the freedom to cover such a wide range of topics relating to the industry in question, trade media titles offer readers an informative insight that cannot be found elsewhere.

Whether it is an interview with a leading business person, company news update, an opinion-led feature, new research or the launch of new products and services, each article will comprise the detail that is relative to the readers.

Furthermore, what makes this content all the more valuable is that the readers will have one shared interest; the industry they work in and are associated with.  This allows organisations that submit content to both communicate with their intended target audience and to build credibility by association.

Value of trade media coverage

Although securing coverage in the trade media may not reach the biggest audience, it can act as an extremely effective asset when a brand is trying to establish themselves as a serious player within the market.

These publications must be leveraged when individuals, senior teams and entire businesses want to become recognised as industry leaders and experts. Once a company’s products, services and capabilities have been regularly covered, this business will become synonymous with the industry.

As a result, a brand’s awareness will rise, a business’ reputation will grow, and its share of the market will begin to increase. Combining all these factors will ultimately help organisations of any size to attract new business and achieve their wider growth ambitions.

This is exactly why investing in a robust and bespoke public relations strategy can have wider benefits than many businesses first assume. It’s not just about hitting the headlines for the right reasons, but more about attract interest where it will have most impact.

If you would like to know more about Open Comms and how we can help secure you coverage in trade media publications, why not give us a call on 01924 862477 or please visit www.opencomms.co.uk.

MAINTAINING MOMENTUM AFTER A BRAND LAUNCH

Posted on November 19, 2020 by

Launch

The launch of any new or reinvented brand is often accompanied with a unique opportunity to standout in the marketplace. With all eyes on your company, it’s the perfect time to create positive buzz, drive awareness and increase visibility.

Fast forward a few weeks and the interest has faded. The applauses have died down. There’s also less coverage coming through the door. Then, soon after, the realisation hits. Your brand launch is officially old news. History.

Of course, making an initial splash is great. However, your efforts and investments are likely to be wasted if a post-launch plan has not been considered. Think of it this way, in the pursuit of reaching sustainable success for your business, a brand launch is just phase one of many.

TURN MILESTONE INTO MEANINGFUL CONTENT

Once a launch is over and done with, you will be left with plenty of content to review, re-share and re-purpose. The objective here is to use what you already have in a new and different way.

A simple press release for instance can be updated so that it sits on your brands website or perhaps across social channels. There may also be several pieces of coverage that can be promoted across your company’s owned platforms.

These are just a few examples of how a launch milestone can be turned into meaningful content which prolongs the buzz among prospective customers.

TAP INTO THE EXCITMENT INTERNALLY

It’s common to find that the energy and motivation that was once there dissipates among employees after a launch. This usually boils down to one reason: a lack of clear communication internally.

Although frequently overlooked, it is just as crucial to keep employees engaged as it is customers. In fact, I would even argue that it’s more important. A team which is unenthusiastic cannot possibly inject the level of passion required to successfully and consistently drive a brand forward.

In order to prevent this from happening, it’s vital to consistently share the progress a brand makes, its achievements and wins with colleagues. By doing so, you encourage excitement and enthusiasm from within your business.

We often say that the biggest advocates are those that work for you, so factoring them into your plans is certainly worth considering.

CHOOSE PROACTIVE INSTEAD OF REACTIVE

The chance to secure media coverage very rarely comes out of the blue. More times than not, it comes as result of proactively searching for the right requests from relevant media contacts and endlessly pitching to a long list of busy journalists.

While you may have experienced an influx of emails from contacts after your brand launch, trust me it’s temporary. Don’t rely on the assumption that you will stumble upon a perfect opportunity to gain media exposure, as that may never happen. Instead efforts should be focused on proactively exploring every opportunity that could secure quality coverage.

Though a well-executed brand unveiling can lead to impressive sales and fantastic coverage, this will only last for so long without a proper post-launch plan in place.

If you have recently launched a brand or are looking to do so, get in touch with our PR team here. Alternatively, give us a call on 01924 862477 – we’d love to hear from you!

TAKING A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO WORK IN LOCKDOWN

Posted on October 29, 2020 by

In recent months, the public have made a collaborative effort to get life back to some sense of normal. As lockdown restrictions began to ease, employees returned to the workplace, children were back in school and the economy was embarking on a long road to recovery.

This progress, however, is now at risk of coming to an abrupt halt. Although businesses across all sectors have worked tirelessly to become safe and secure, this global pandemic is once again on the rise and stricter social measures are set to be reintroduced.

Although this may be a daunting prospect for many, we must try to remind ourselves of the positive developments that have been made both in our personal and professional lives.

Among the many changes society has experienced, the biggest adjustments were most prevalent in the way we work. New technologies were embraced at a rapid rate, working practices were completely modified and entire industries underwent their own digital revolution.

Yes, the prospect of another lockdown is unwelcome, but businesses across the country are now equipped to deal with this scenario and must take with them the lessons they have learnt from the past nine months.

Communication and connectivity

The sudden shift to remote working caused widespread disruption across the marketplace. Offices became completely barren as vast numbers of employees began to work for their own homes. Although having a flexible workforce isn’t a new concept, it has never been practiced on such a wide scale and, for the most part, on a permanent basis.

A trial by fire for many, clients, customers, employees, and key stakeholders had to quickly evolve their traditional working methods if they were to ensure productivity and business continuity remained intact.

Those that were successful will have undoubtedly implemented new and innovative technologies into their business processes. This has proven to be most effective in the way we now communicate.

With physical interactions strictly prohibited, the Open Comms team for example have utilised video calling as a safe and secure alternative. Although the preference for many will always be to engage face-to-face, the enhancement of video capabilities has provided many benefits to our team. As with many workforces across the country, it has ultimately helped us to remain open for business.

With a flexible working approach, employers have been able to allocate more time to catch up with their team and other office members, whether this is through Teams, Skype or other video conference platforms.

Unexpectedly, without the usual rat race rush and time spent in a particular office, the use of technology has also enabled employees to become better connected to colleagues from different areas of the business. Not only does this create a more connected and inclusive culture, but it also promotes synergy across the company as a whole.

More importantly, many businesses have harnessed video conferencing to deliver a digital customer experience when conducting consumer to business interactions. As the behaviors of potential consumers continue to change, those hardest hit by this global pandemic must resume using video technology as a means of engaging with their customer base and selling products or services.

Mental and physical wellbeing

As we are now many months into the Coronavirus crisis, the traditional eight-hour working day is being slowly replaced with a more flexible model. Although adjustment periods can often be difficult, adapting to living amid a global pandemic has the potential to magnify all our concerns and anxieties.

When the spread of this virus initially took hold, the uncertainty that came with it undoubtedly had an adverse impact to many people’s mental states and being housebound for multiple months was also detrimental to our physical fitness.

However, we quickly learnt to take advantage of lockdown by using the extra time to enjoy life away from the office. Whether this was developing new hobbies, exercising more frequently or spending some much-needed time with our families. We must continue to make concerted efforts to stay proactive despite the threat of Covid continuing to impact our lives.

That being said, it is important to remember that no one person’s mental health will be the same, and therefore can change on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. When someone may be struggling, another could be thriving. Therefore, whether it’s business or in our personal lives, we must also be wary of the people we work and live with as further social restrictions come into play.

Although this has obviously been a difficult year, we must continue to adapt what we have learned over the past several months to improve our daily and future lives. Once this has passed, the legacy of this pandemic should see our working and personal lives be vastly improved.

HOW PASSION TRANSLATES INTO SUCCESS

Posted on October 23, 2020 by

“If you don’t love what you do, you won’t do it with much conviction or passion.” -Mia Hamm

The simple truth about PR, is that it’s not easy. In fact, that’s an understatement. PR is tough. It’s extremely demanding and requires a whole host of skills, in addition to some very specific personality traits. However, this isn’t me complaining. Despite the challenges, I love my job. Like the rest of the Open team, I am passionate about what I do. It’s this passion, which ultimately translates into success for our clients.

While many agencies may claim that they have a sincere desire to help their clients, we live and breathe this. Our enthusiasm and interest goes well beyond the invoice. For us it’s not just about achieving short term objectives and quick wins, we focus on sowing the seeds for continued success too. As a result of this approach, we deliver campaigns which often exceed our clients’ expectations.

INJECTING PASSION INTO EVERY PROJECT

Bringing on a new client or starting a new campaign is always going to be exciting. However, ‘newness’ fades away, whereas passion rarely ever does. So, you can only imagine how important it is for us to inject passion into every project we take on.

As a group of people who genuinely love what they do, we naturally bring excitement and enthusiasm when it comes to the range of brands we work with. This is then reflected in the quality of the campaigns we produce. Simple. If you are not motivated and inspired by what you do, then how can you possibly do the job well?

WHY PASSION SHOULD BE A KEY CONSIDERATION FOR CLIENTS

Building a brand with so much devotion, only to partner up with a business who does not hold the same attitude and approach, simply doesn’t make sense. Especially considering the best brands are built around passion. Therefore, partnering up with a team who radiate the same sense of intensity and dedication is crucial.

Now, some may argue that ‘passion’ is only useful under the right circumstances. For me, this just isn’t true. Passion is dynamic. It can be a vital ingredient for persevering in tricky situations or it can be the driving force behind new thoughts and ideas.

Want to know more about how we deliver successful campaigns with a passion? Contact our team here or alternatively give us a call on 01924 862477, we’d be happy to hear from you.

THE POWER OF THE PROFILE: MEDIA INTERVIEWS

Posted on October 16, 2020 by

Media relations is a really important and strategic component of any press office. Whether this is online, in print, on the radio or TV, securing press coverage is an effective and efficient way of enhancing the reputation of an organisation.

Although there is nothing more rewarding than seeing clients hit the headlines for the right reasons, the full potential of securing coverage is only reached when it serves a purpose, has meaning and creates a lasting impact.

As well as generating a positive public perception, the overall aim of media coverage is to enable organisations to communicate key messages to their intended target audience. To ensure this objective is met, put the people behind the business into the spotlight and let them do the talking!

Media interviews and profile opportunities must be explored. The value of this type of press coverage can not only be beneficial to the careers of individual employees, but it can also be leveraged to help reach wider business goals.

Saying something of value

When it comes to approaching members of the press, it needs to be made clear why their readers, listeners or viewers will want to hear what someone has to say. This can be anything from providing insight on topical issues impacting a specific sector or region, commenting on current market trends, or announcing the launch of a new service/product within an organisation.

The most important aspect to remember is to define why this person is relevant to the audience of that publication or broadcaster.

Add personality to the brand or business

The public can now put a face to the name. Taking part in interviews provides the perfect platform for organisations to become more authentic and relatable by showcasing the personality of their employee(s).

The media audience will then have a more familiar and authentic attachment with the organisation, which will help strengthen their bond.

This combination not only helps retain existing customers and attract new business, but it ultimately enhances the organisation’s reputation.

Become an expert

Interviews offer participants the chance to demonstrate their credibility and experience by providing insightful advice, commentary and guidance wherever possible. As a result, the marketplace will begin to recognise these individuals as experts whilst also boosting the reputation of their organisation.

Before long, journalists will appreciate the credibility of these interviewees and call upon them as useful resources of information when covering other trends or topical issues within their fields.

In addition to raising the profile of the organisation, being an established industry expert will help bring in new business opportunities and add long lasting commercial value to any organisation.

As experts that have worked with multi-national brands and ambitious start-ups to secure coverage that has had a lasting impact, if you would like to speak to us about how media interviews could work for you and your brand, please do give us a call on tel. 01924 862477.

BEING HONEST WITH CLIENTS AND WHY IT BENEFITS THEIR BUSINESS

Posted on October 8, 2020 by

As a business we believe that clear communication, combined with trust, forms the basis of any successful client-agency relationship. Like the saying goes, honesty is the best policy.

Being honest and upfront with our clients is and will continue to be very important for us. In fact, it’s the foundation on which our company has been built. This approach enables us to not only foster positive, long-lasting partnerships but also ensures that the client’s best interest is always kept at heart.

INITATING HONEST CONVERSATIONS

Entrusted with managing a client’s PR, it becomes our responsibility as an agency to initiate difficult conversations that shine a light on the hard truths. For example, a client may have unrealistic expectations that cannot be met due to low budget or time constraints. While the easier option would be to just agree with the clients brief and make empty promises, it is simply not the way we work here at Open Comms.

Instead, we would offer advice and alternative recommendations which align with the client’s visions but can also produce tangible results. Although not every client may respond well to honesty, it’s our way of making sure that we deliver the very best outcome possible. After all, the client’s success is ours too!

BENEFITS TO BUSINESS

A lack of honesty in any relationship can have detrimental impacts. Add business and commercial interest into the mix and the stakes just get higher!

Dishonest dialogues between a client and its agency presents obvious implications that can negatively affect organisations. Especially when it comes to PR, where one slight mistake can damage the client’s reputation. It’s due to this, that honesty must be applied in every situation, regardless of how ‘inconvenient’ it may seem sometimes.

Ultimately, by doing so the client gets a clear picture on expectations, timelines, deliverables and most importantly results.

OPEN COMMS

Going back to what I initially said, when we receive a client brief, it’s vital for us to envision the desired results. If we cannot, then we are certainly not afraid to challenge it. As experts in the field, it’s our job to do so, otherwise we are just wasting the clients time and budget, as well as our own.

If you would like to have a chat with our team of PR pro’s about a campaign brief or your business needs and requirements, why not give us a call on 01924 862477, we’d be happy to hear from you!

HOW IGNORING PR CAN BE DAMAGING TO YOUR BUSINESS

Posted on October 1, 2020 by

PR can have a transformational impact on businesses of any size, yet there remains an outdated and unfounded stigma around the value and results that it can deliver.

It goes without saying that communication is critical in the current marketplace. The success of any organisation largely depends on how it engages with its target audience, whether its towards the customer, client, employee or stakeholder.

This is exactly what PR professionals do!

As an agency, we form trusted partnerships with our clients to deliver strategic communications that meet with business objectives. This could be sharing key messages with the masses or more specific and targeted campaigns.

The one consistent factor is that our results speak for themselves.

In a nutshell, we increase brand awareness, help launch new services and products to market, enhance company or individual reputations to help them to become more commercially viable. When combined, the delivery of our services ultimately helps clients to achieve business goals.

Without a robust PR and marketing strategy, businesses are at risk of putting themselves at a disadvantage within the marketplace and losing all visibility with current and prospective customers.

In order to elaborate further, I’ve chosen just three outputs from PR that businesses will find hard to achieve unless they invest in professional services.

Media coverage

Sitting at the heart of PR is securing media coverage. Communications professionals form and develop lasting relationships with a vast number of contacts and journalists. Despite how specific or niche a market may be, members of press, publications and influencers can be targeted to help generate positive publicity for a particular business.

As there is an abundance of ways to digest news, both in print and digital, PR professionals will use their experience and expertise to approach the media with a story that is newsworthy and relevant. The idea being that it is then featured in regional, national or trade publications.

Once media coverage has been secured, it can then be leveraged to increase brand awareness, create a positive public perception and act as a useful platform to promote the launch of new products and services.

Without any investment in PR, businesses are likely to lose this opportunity and as a result fail to be recognised as a legitimate competitor within a specific marketplace.

Social media activity

Social media channels have now established themselves as the digital high street for many businesses. Now more than ever, a greater amount of attention needs to be given to these platforms as they are arguably the first place that target audiences will visit.

In other words, social media channels must give off a good first impression!

Whether it is Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, businesses need to use each channel to serve a purpose, whether this is showcasing new services or products, promoting brand identity or sharing critical company announcements. They need to act as a reliable and relevant communication resource.

This can be achieved by building the credibility of all platforms, which need to garner a strong following from relevant and influential businesspeople, members of the media, industry counterparts or new and existing clients.

As followers increase, so will the levels of engagement with different posts. This is especially useful when sharing media coverage as it can help significantly increase the amount of people who read about the positive news a company has to share. Thus, increasing brand awareness.

By investing in PR, businesses can ensure that each channel is managed by a team of specialists who understand what type of content should be posted and when. This will enable social media platforms to be used as useful tools to help businesses build towards achieving wider growth ambitions.

Crisis management

Although crisis scenarios are thankfully rare for most, businesses must ensure they have the capability to deal with a problem if one were to ever arise. Whether this be a corporate, public, or internal issue or incident, how this is handled can be make or break for businesses.

Reputation is everything within the marketplace, and once this is destroyed, recovery can be almost impossible!

The most effective way to combat these types of situations is having an experienced crisis management team in place. This forms a big part of the PR toolkit. Communications professionals can explore and identify potential situations that could cause irreversible harm to a brand or business. This is combatted by the implementation of proactive PR strategy.

Despite how prepared the team may be, crisis’ can also occur with no warning at all. This is exactly why it is critical to have a capable team ready to tackle and resolve these issues with minimal collateral damage.

Navigating through these sensitive situations without profession PR support could spell disaster for a business. Damage to brand reputation will have a devastating impact that can never be fixed. The question perhaps therefore is not can you afford PR, but can your business survive and thrive without it?

Investing in public relations is critical to the success of any organisation, now is the time to take action and let PR do the talking.

If you would like to know more about Open Comms and the services we offer, why not give us a call on 01924 862477 or contact us here.