Harness the power of content

…but potentially also make them take a closer look at your business, your products and services.  This is often the first important step in creating a new and loyal customer and we all know that can be a very valuable thing.

Reaching out with your story

Our job as PR experts is to help people find their story, present it clearly and get it out there in front of those who matter. It doesn’t need to be a long and complicated back-story.  Most of us have a compelling tale about what brought us to do what we do and inspiring ideas about where, ultimately, we’d like to be.  What appears to be routine to you may not be to others so, even although you may think your experience has been nothing other than normal, don’t be afraid to share it.  Unless you’re selling something very niche, the chances are that customers will have a choice of supplier from which to buy and it is the particular details of your business journey, your operation, your culture and ethos which will most probably make the all-important difference.

The power of content

Understanding this (and making the very best of your greatest features and assets) is an essential part of PR strategy, however, there are many other ways to harness the power of your story over and above the ‘top line stuff’.  This is where we start to think about content which undoubtedly is one of the most powerful tools we all have at our disposal.  Whether it is the text within your web-site, the words within your editorial piece or the things you say on your social media posts, the content you produce is an essential way for your potential customers to find out more about you and decide if you should be their brand / supplier / service provider of choice.

Using every opportunity

When most companies are constructing their website they will take a great deal of time and care to ensure that the mixture of descriptive words, images, case studies etc. paint a very accurate representation of what their business is all about.  Exactly what we love to see at RDZ.  Often, however, when it comes to the more ad-hoc, impulsive posting of information on social media sites the same level of thought is not applied and the results can be somewhat disappointing.  Taking aside the real social media faux pas which are thankfully rare and a whole different thing altogether, the point we’re making is that every post which fails to tell the audience something else (good) about you is a missed opportunity.

Don’t shy away from having an opinion

Simply forwarding an article from another source without adding something to it will say less about you than of the original author.  It’s something we all do at some time perhaps because we are overwhelmed by how good the article / report / post is and want to share it immediately – or even just because we’re in the midst of doing something else and have no time to do anything other than hit the share button.  The problem is that without adding your own comment, opinion or take on the original you’re saying very little about yourself and have, therefore, lost a chance to stand out.  If the piece you want to share is something which mirrors the way you and your colleagues feel then say so.  Admiration is seldom ridiculed and more often shows a humble, understanding side to your own nature.  If, of course it’s something which has riled you or evoked a feeling of indignance then say that you hold an opinion to the contrary.  We never shy away from expressing an opinion and, as long as it is not offensive in any way or obviously courting controversy, people will generally be interested in what you have to say.

If you have nothing good to say…

As children we were probably all told by our parents, “If you can’t say something nice, then please say nothing at all”.  We say, “If you don’t have anything interesting to post, post nothing”.  All too often now on platforms such as Linked In we see ‘what we’re doing today’ or even ‘what we’ve eaten today’ (yes, we’ve seen it!).  Despite what we said earlier about everything being interesting to someone, there are limits! Rather than simply saying what you are doing, say something about why this particular project is different – is it challenging, unusual or indicative of the kind of thing your business is really good at?  Again, the content you post should be offering some sort of indication of what your company is all about – not just providing a running commentary of your jobs list.

Whatever you’re writing, wherever you’re posting just remember that it should be offering an insight into you and your business ensuring audience want to know more!