How “Pandemic PR” could work wonders for your business

Ayse, A4G: What should small businesses be doing now?

Andrew, Olley Goss PR: 

There has never been a more important time to articulate what you do – and why you are different. 

Small businesses are blessed with agility. Moving fast to tell people why you are relevant and what solutions your business offers – is vital to ensure potential clients are aware of you and can benefit from your products and services during these unprecedented times.

Ayse, A4G: What techniques are working especially well at the moment?

Andrew, Olley Goss PR:

Covid-19 has dominated the news agenda across all national newspapers and newsrooms for the past three months, with anything virus-related being placed at the front end of the newspapers and the top of the broadcast bill.

During lockdown, the brands that are winning are those that can offer a genuine solution towards combating the effects of the coronavirus crisis, whatever industry they may be in.

If you can get the message right, you have a more legitimate reason than ever to speak to the press.

However, any approach must as tactful as it is relevant. You can’t simply tout a product or service – you need to go further and offer insight into the current conversations taking place in mainstream media.

Providing engaging expertise and opinion enables you to showcase your unique offering and explain how you can help customers and businesses right now.

Many brands and personalities have used the pandemic to employ ill-thought, craven attempts to penetrate the news agenda with self-serving, tenuous stories. 

These were at best ignored and are still sitting in the spam folders of overworked journalists and at worst exposed for the jumping-on-the-bandwagon exercises that they are.

Now we are entering a period where light-hearted relief is required – papers are struggling for positive stories. 

They are still covering all things pandemic, but as the peak has passed and we begin to get a glimpse at what the new “normal” will look like – where does your company fit? How can you help?

There is now space for stories that aren’t about Covid and papers are crying out for content that will cheer up, amuse and inspire their readers after months of pandemic press. 

Ayse, A4G: If businesses already have a PR strategy, how should they be adapting this to reflect the pandemic?

Andrew, Olley Goss PR:

Any company or brand needs to think very carefully about how they talk to their customers and their industry through the media right now.

Is the timing or message itself appropriate in the current climate?

But this doesn’t mean they should turn off the tap.

Placing stories can still be done but it will take longer as there are fewer journalists and less advertising which means smaller media spaces.

Anything too self-serving or too product focused that doesn’t help the current situation is likely to be ignored.

Can you give something back to your customers, your industry or society?

Maybe offer your expertise or a trial of your service to the people that really need it? Winning fans now will reap benefits in the long term when furlough is over, and pockets become deeper again.

Be aware of the media agenda and think carefully where you and product fit into the new normal because if you get it right, the opportunities are still there.

Ayse, A4G: Why should businesses be investing in PR and marketing now?

Andrew, Olley Goss PR:

PR done well represents incredible value for money.

Achieving editorial space – i.e. endorsement from an influential third-party writer or media title, genuinely engages with readers, listeners and viewers far more than paid-for advertising, at a fraction of the cost. 

If you get the PR process right – you generate positive media exposure raising awareness for who you are and earning national credibility for your products and services. 

This ultimately helps to encourage commercial growth – getting you talked about in right places and giving you access to vast new audiences of potential clients and investors.

Ayse, A4G: What are your top 5 tips for doing PR right now?

Andrew, Olley Goss PR:

• Articulate your story properly – make sure your message is as compelling as it can be and not just an advert
• Do Your Homework –actually read, watch and listen – does what you are saying fit into media agendas?
• Be Patient –media titles are on skeleton staff and are bombarded with potential stories so even the very best will take longer to hit
• Be Generous –insights or access you give to your customers or industry may not directly involve a sale but the awareness you generate will pay you back long term)
• Don’t be boring –Make sure you have the best possible story and are genuinely saying something different. If you don’t have that, come and see us and we’ll make sure you do!