We live in a content driven world—one where your brand needs to compete to be seen and heard. Within a sea of data and advertising saturation in traditional and social media, your idea, technology, or business needs to utilize everything within its power to grab consumer attention.
With that said, this description is predominantly for established market incumbents and products with which the public is already accustomed. New market entrants and new market disruptors e.g. social media, rideshare, EScooters, VR, etc. have a difficult time grabbing consumer attention, facing the public at-large and regulatory environments that either do not exist for their industry or are currently unfavorable for the deployment of their respective technology or idea.
Companies who aim to cultivate the future with their technology, concepts, and intellectual property must have a strategy that entails navigating media, government, and industry. Creating this strategy and navigating this landscape can be daunting. Public Relations and Advertising firms know how to make crucial impacts, providing the key to maneuver within these three arenas.
Public Affairs companies, as opposed to traditional PR and advertising agencies, promote a company, its brand, and its individuals through editorial coverage—or “earned” media, while cultivating positive relationships with credible actors and stakeholders within a region. Public Affairs firms are ultimate storytellers. Great firms take your story, tech, and ideas and persuade the public to look at you and your company on a deeper level; when things are in crisis mode, they formulate the best response to mitigate the damage.
Creating a public affairs framework is integral to getting your company seen and heard through the multiple lenses of Media, Government, and Industry. So how do you do it? Can you do it yourself? The safest route is to hire a consultant who can help you navigate the sometimes treacherous waters of public affairs. There is nothing quite like sending out what you believe is a fantastic pitch about you and your company to a local journalist, just to have it land flat at their digital doorstep. Or reaching out to a stakeholder and having your email sitting in their inbox without a response.
If your digital door-knocking game is strong, then press on! Focus on these five essential variables outlined below and your company can reach new consumers and allies in an intelligent, strategic way.
One. You will need a digital scrub of your company and its key stakeholders. When you type your name or your company’s name into the Google search bar, what do you see? Can your digital presence use some updating and curating? Here are two quick tips: buy the domain names of the founders of the company and create landing pages of the founders which link back to the company site. You should also purchase domain names that can be deviants of the company domain name. Additionally, create a solid press kit on your site with approved photos, videos, etc. Think of this as a digital doorstep. These steps can help you get found by creating digital platforms to get you seen and have you prepared for future inquiries from the media or public officials.
Two. Once your digital presence is enhanced, you’ll need to create the necessary “messaging” that will tell your story. The messaging must be sensitive to the objectives which the company or entity is trying to achieve. From this, “pitches” to media can be created; pitches are separate from press releases, which will also need to be written and sent to appropriate sites and individuals for dissemination. The messaging should be curated from both an individual perspective and the company itself. The pitches will reflect an angle, i.e. what kind of impact are you making in your community? What impact does your company have on the industry? Is there someone within your organization that is a thought leader or game changer? Can the government or a municipality work with you or your organization’s technology? Last, but not least, can citizens somehow benefit from this idea? These angles can help to spark intrigue and begin a conversation.
Three. Once the pitches have been written, they will need to be sent to local and industry journalists who may want to know more about you and your company. If you feel that you’ve created intriguing pitches that aren’t seen or answered, remember that strong firms have cultivated relationships with journalists and TV personalities, as well as correspondents specific to your company’s industry. These relationships and the proper correspondence can potentially get you an opportunity to tell your story and share your tech, concept, or idea.
Four. Think about the benefit of a public-private partnership to examine potential B2G (Business to Government) relationships between your company and a municipality, special districts, and specific departments within a public entity. Many cities are taking a “City as a Lab” approach and are looking for novel ways to improve the quality of life for their citizens. If your product or idea can enhance the life of citizens—don’t hesitate to reach out. There are usually specific mechanisms within government procurement to do business with you and explore pilot programs or demonstration projects. Once conversations have matured, it may be time to consult with a firm that has the experience to navigate these very delicate policies.
Five. Public Involvement - it is imperative if your technology is consumer-facing to properly engage public entities and stakeholders. Develop a plan on how you will engage with the community and create allies with you and your company. This is often overlooked and becomes a point of conflict if not properly detailed. A good place to start is joining local chambers, business associations, industry organizations, and civic associations.
As noted, individuals and companies can certainly initiate these steps on their own, but consulting a professional Public Affairs firm is the best way to navigate the process. Long term public affairs and public relations is an investment in the visibility of your brand, company, and yourself.
Omni Public is a progressive global strategy, public affairs and public relations firm that specialize in helping companies introduce and deploy new technologies, concepts and ideas into the market place and engage with government, media and industry.
