It’s the peak of summer in the Pacific Northwest. And that means the mountains here are full of people hiking, backpacking, and climbing.
For years, well-equipped outdoors types have carried the “10 essentials,” a list of must-have items coined back in the 1930s by members of the Seattle Mountaineers club. The list includes things such as extra food, extra clothing, a compass (still a better pick than a GPS! Batteries fail, after all…), and so on. Things to keep you safe in the event one becomes lost, injured, or caught in the hills after dark.
Much like hikers, business also need a 10 essentials list to navigate the world of public relations. As a Seattle and Washington, D.C-based PR and marketing firm, we’ve thought a lot about the list of “essentials” with which we can equip our clients to better survive the harsh world of business.
Key items to have in your business backpack
- Messaging. Can your organization articulate its mission, the unique value it brings, and why customers should choose you over your competition? Surprisingly, many businesses cannot. We ensure our clients have given careful thought to their core messaging and can communicate it.
- A basic PR toolkit. If people want to learn about your business quickly, do you have the materials in hand that will achieve this? This could include an active web site, current press releases, background documents, images and videos of your product or service, and more. This is PR 101, and we can make it sparkle.
- Media outreach. What publications or web sites are your customers apt to read – especially if they want to learn about new products or services that could benefit them? Those are the outlets you need your company to appear in.
- An understanding of the target customer. Are you focused on your target customer? On the mountain there are often many different routes to consider. But identifying the safest trail that maximizes your experience is like honing in on your target customer. We’re B2B specialists, and have a deep understanding of the marketing and PR techniques that will reach your prospective customers and keep you top-of-mind.
- A disaster plan. Hikers sometimes break their leg. And businesses sometimes will find themselves in a PR crisis. If this happens, is your organization prepared to respond? You need a solid emergency plan to help get you through a patch of bad publicity.
- Brand awareness. Do potential customers think of you when they’re looking for a service or product that helps them solve a problem, make their people more productive, or reduce costs? We can develop a program so that people know who you are.
- A guide to key influencers. Every industry has a certain group of reporters, bloggers, and commentators who are read avidly. We know who those people are, and can call on them to report on your business when you’re making news, such as a big customer win or an important business milestone.
- Executive coaching. Most business executives are often called upon to give speeches, speak to news outlets, and more. We help our clients prepare for these events with coaching, message preparation, and briefings on what to expect.
- A social media strategy. Whether you like it or not, Facebook, Twitter and the like largely define the media landscape today. You need to engage with these social networks, not ignore them.
- Reputation management. These days, anything anyone says or is photographed doing can become part of a digital record that can last…well, perhaps forever. We can help a business avoid pitfalls and keep their reputation shiny.
Read our blog for other PR and Marketing tips that can help grow your business. To learn more about how we can implement an effective PR and Marketing plan based on your needs, submit a request for information.
