I LOVED reading this article today on Start Up Smart – “Seven ways to build credibility quickly and avoid falling victim to slow startup syndrome” as it reiterated why it’s so important to invest in PR if you are a startup.
A lot of our clients that we work with are startups and we pride ourselves on delivering stellar results for these businesses, as we know what determines a good story and if it’s worthwhile engaging in PR. This is something we chat about upfront and if we are all on the same page at the beginning, then we will undoubtedly continue to work together and chat about how we can reach the right audience through PR with a strong message about your product or service (whatever your business offering might be).
But to be really honest here, there are a few things that do bother me immensely about this scenario – sometimes (not all of the time). It’s when unreal startups come to us wanting to do PR, they’ve already invested loads of money and time into their innovation and they are now thinking about how to market it. In this same thought pattern they often think that PR is the quick-fix and they could pay a little money (sometimes they don’t want to pay anything and offer contra, and hey, I have a business to run too and I know you really believe in your product but you’ve also got to believe in what we can do for you and that it’s a paid service from experts in their field) to get their story out there and then sales will flow and they’ll be set. Um yep. In an ideal world.
What’s wrong with this scenario? Three things.
If you don’t have any marketing channels working for you then PR most definitely is a waste of time. You need to know your customer and already have a communication line direct to them. And not just one, many lines of communication that are relevant for your business and your audience. For starters, a functioning and effective website is key.PR isn’t a quick-fix and it is an investment. Why bother spending all of this time and money on the innovation in the first place if you don’t have investment plans in place to then share the news of your product/service with your audience. How do you expect them to know about it and hopefully buy it if you are not talking to them?Unless your innovation is totally ground breaking and warrants front page of the newspaper or national TV, how about even global TV – then you’re not going to sell out in a day! PR needs to fall part of your whole marketing mix and be considered an integral and strategic element. You need to work with a team who have the contacts, who understand and believe in your story, who can clearly articulate your story and work with the right media and influencers to communicate this news direct to your audience. The answer, well Straight Up PR of course
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I hope this blog post has been helpful and if you are on the fence as to invest in PR for your startup feel free to give me a call or drop me an email – I’ll tell you straight out if you are ready and if you are, then what the steps are that we need to take to get your baby into the hands of the public! Bring it on! Working with likeminded people, entrepreneurs and startups is where some of our best work has come from so let us help you too.
Have a read of the Start Up Smart article for some inspiration:
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