With a successful vaccination programme in full swing, restrictions easing, and holidays abroad becoming a possibility, it’s fair to say that we can start envisioning what a post-pandemic landscape will look like.
The world certainly feels very different when we think back to before lockdown, and we’ve seen the PR industry adapt and take on a host of new challenges. As a result, businesses must consider the effects over the past year and ensure they bring their communications strategy into this new age.
Resuming a PR strategy
Many businesses will now be finding themselves in a common place – continuing PR activity following a momentary pause, or perhaps others may have scaled back their activity due to the uncertainty faced by lockdown.
The first place to start is with the key press in your industry. Distributing a piece of news provides the perfect opportunity to resume the conversations with your journalist contacts and drive media opportunities. As a result, you can create a doorway into new media opportunities, upcoming features, and a pipeline of media coverage.
Once you’ve initiated a dialogue, think about how to develop the relationships with these journalists. Consider the pipeline of news announcements you may have coming up, and how you can leverage these as opportunities to establish ongoing conversations with the press.
Or perhaps you may not have regular news to announce. In this instance, checking in with journalists to see what they’re working on, or are planning in the near future, can help drive valuable media opportunities for your business.
The developing consumption of media
There has been a significant shift in the way people consume their media over the last year. It’s no secret that the use of digital has been increasing for many years now, however the pandemic has significantly fuelled the amount of time we are spending online. It is predicted that by 2025, 4.4 billion of us will be using social media, and this is just one example of digital media that is expected to exponentially increase over the next few years. Digital publications, podcasts, and social media are just a few of the platforms which are now the popular medium for how we receive our news.
According to a recent report we spend, on average, an extra day online every month compared to last year. Communications professionals need to consider this shift and identify how to best reach their target audience. Not only should online outlets be an integral part of a PR strategy, but all forms of digital must be seamlessly integrated, providing consistent messaging throughout.
Creating a competitive advantage
With each aspect of a PR campaign, comes additional value that is added to a business. For example, media coverage creates the opportunity to communicate key company messages for a business, not to mention positions them ahead of certain competitors that don’t prioritise PR.
In addition to media coverage, businesses can also ensure a competitive edge by establishing credibility for their brand. This can be executed effectively by showcasing the best work carried out by a business, and communicated through case studies, awards, or even a series of website blogs. It’s important to stand out in today’s landscape, and the value of additional PR activity is not one to be ignored.
Adapting to survive
The current climate is rife with media opportunities for a variety of businesses, and identifying a coherent communications strategy now, will create significant value for a business.
However, companies must consider the various changes that have occurred within the industry and ensure to adapt their PR strategy to effectively reach their target audience. Those that take the time to understand how the pandemic has affected the communications landscape, will successfully create a competitive edge for themselves.
If you’re interested in hearing more about how we can create a post-pandemic communications strategy for your business, get in touch via simon.corbett@jargonpr.com, visit jargonpr.com, or 01189 739 370.
