Leveraging PR for Brand Awareness: Tips and Strategies

Public Relations (PR) is a very effective activity that helps build repetition, thereby improving brands among the target group. The concept of PR for brand awareness is, however, less about getting the brand featured in the media which is of course a plus, and more about managing the perception that the audience has about that particular brand.

In any case, whether you are in the launch phase or the overhaul of the existing brand, PR works wonders in getting public visibility, enhancing credibility and helping one to work out a niche. This article comprises the essential aspects of PR activities aimed to increase level of brand awareness.

Essential Role of PR in the Process of Implementing and Maintaining the Brand Contents

It is no exaggeration to say that public relations and brand awareness are two sides of the same coin. Through practical activities, such as media and consumer relations, PR helps establish or boost a firm’s own branding among the target audience thereby creating a bond that elicits feelings. Once adhered to, people, place and product values become placed in an elaborate picture, which wraps the brand in both the target and the active socio-cultural environment in ways we usually call PR branding.

Contrary to advertising, PR is associated with earned media. PR content is often more effective than advertising content–even if they reach the same number of people, because it is endorsed by third parties. This is what gives this intangible element of a product or service so much more belief and helps fake the trust and credibility of a company.

1. Fashion an Engaging and Sustained Brand History

Behind every positive PR campaign lies a good story. To create such a foundation frame for a brand and to help raise brand value, even a page-turning story is not enough. A brand story succeeded by an effective branding strategy is supposed to engage the audience and to be true. You may convince them by illustrating what makes you different from the rest. What makes your vision? What are the things that you abide by? Why did you build the company in the first place? Such factors should also be combined in the development of a comprehensive brand narrative.

For example, a brand marketing company may display happy moments, for example, how the company aids in the goal achievement of the customers. I mean winning makes you so much better at selling if any service is good as it not only sells your services but also shows the other related things.

2. Establish rapport with the Press and the opinion leaders

The essence of public relations boils down to interaction where media and opinion leaders are concerned. To maximize the effectiveness of public relations in promoting brand awareness, it is important to establish strong relationships with journalists, editors, bloggers, and other professionals in the relevant field. These are the people in power who decide which news items are worth doing an or publishing.

It is important to focus on making newsworthy content while discussing your story. Rather than focusing solely on the brand, consider how your story can appeal to their audience. Does this news affect any current hype? Are there notable accommodations practiced by your company aiming to address a particular issue? Why not present elements of these hyperlinks? Focus solely on the media’s interests and you will find that your story will be passed on.

In today’s world, working with influencers and content creators has become extremely critical. The ones who stand in the position of influencing have already created a bond with the masses they serve. Hence, any recommendation from such trusted and influential sources always works wonders when building the trust in your brand. Always select influencers, whose audience matches your desired consumer base to ensure that the right crowd gets to know your brand.

3. Make Thought Leadership Strategies

When it comes to public relations, one of the most effective strategies in building brand awareness is to be a thought leader in the industry. Thought leadership content is geared to both enhance your influence and give your advice a principal position in your particular area. This one is among brand awareness tips that can help you win the race and leave your competitors nothing to borrow from you.

Thought leadership can be expressed in different ways such as:

a. Making your voice heard through guest columns in industry publications

b. Delivering speeches during conferences and webinars

c. Developing and releasing whitepapers or studies

d. Creating blog posts, podcasts or video and audio interviews

e. Over an extensive period of sharing knowledge and ideas, one can build a brand that is knowledgeable in a particular field. 

As this is the case, the information can easily be conceptualized by both the media and the users as valuable content.

4. Social Media and PR Strategies Integration.

Olga Andrienko, Head of Global Marketing at SEMrush, highlighted the inclusion of social media platforms in one’s professional activities. She stressed that there should be specific actionable steps taken to increase the effect of PR efforts on the audience. She reiterated that as much as sharing brand stories is concerned, direct audience communication is the major objective of public relations and as such cannot be separated from other promotion strategies.

The following are some of the best practices in the utilization of social media together with public relations:

– Distributing the materials in your newsrooms as much as you can

– Updating on activities about partnerships, collaborations, or concerning rewards

– Acknowledging the followers and sending them through reactions to their questions and comments

– Arranging live on-air question-and-answer sessions, and holding educational online seminars

One may also wish to seek the assistance of a public relation company that also provides social media services and an internal team in charge of whether the line should be retained and to what extent it should be widened.

5. Maximize the Potential of PR through Milestones and Events 

When it comes to milestones and events you are right to say that such opportunities can best be grabbed by PR to move the brand forward. No matter whether it is the birth of a new product, an anniversary celebration, or event management, PR is great at bringing marketing news to life in a wider channel.

One of the methods of gaining coverage on the attention-grabbing side of a positive undertaking and creating interest in an even greater percentage of both old and new customer bases is to bring out a press release that includes several accomplishments. State any prompt questions that intend to sideline the main focus of the press release: “How is this better and beneficial to them?”

They are also effective tools for PR in that it is possible to generate interest in events such as a vast but targeted audience selling them through design webinars including product launches, workshops etc. For example, one can suggest organizing an event in order to meet the press.

6. Establish a Partnership with NGOs, Volunteer or Other Public Entities 

There is a strategy to create more presence and use PR, that is usually not paid as much attention to. It is engaging in mutual work with NGOs (nonprofit organizations) and society groups. More particularly, suitable social and environmental activations are executed that help bring in the desired results.

Such PR strategy type does not only influence the enhancement of brand presence but also the better existing bonds between the audience and the brands positioning. By choice “cold attention” strategy can further communicate the brand values by practically engaging them in relevant social activities. Partnering with the right charities or groups also enhances positive media coverage as many publications and journalists love everything to do with social responsibilities in businesses.

Conclusion

In summary, including PR in your brand buildup approach is advantageous in creating awareness, and fostering trust amongst your target market as a brand. Creating impressive brand identity, developing media and key influencers relations and using social networks should form part of PR centrality to avoid brand recall loss.

Whether you are hiring services from a brand agency or doing it on your own, adhering to these strategies for creating brand awareness will assist you cultivate one that will be difficult to forget.

Can you offer me some expert help? Check out our branding agency or public relations bureau for more information. We can also provide PR covering tools such as social networking services.