All businesses need attention, positive attention, from their target audience. Good PR and marketing take some focus, critical thinking and strategy to have your customers find you and appreciate you, and the rewards are worth it. ​When you advertise your business, you pay someone to tell the marketplace about its features and benefits and what it can do for them. You pay, they play. Sometimes people trust it, sometimes they don’t. Often, when people know you paid for the message, they tend to glance over it, or delete it, like undesired noise. So, how do you make yourself, your business and your  message heard in a marketplace that is drowning in noise? How do you stand out from the crowd or compete with much larger, well-established companies? How do people trust what you are telling them?

I recently participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by PR pro Ronjini Joshua of Silver Telegram in California. Joined by another industry colleague, we presented our thoughts on some fundamental questions Ronjini posed and then fielded a few questions from attendees as well. To read the recap on the Silver Telegram website, head here.
 
I will list a few more pointers that I shared on that discussion, from my experience as a freelance journalist, editor and writer, if it helps with your efforts.

Your social media audience is everything in PR and marketing, it’s the largest open focus group you could ever hope for right at your fingertips. Build it, nurture it, participate with it, listen to it and direct it.
A loyal audience is the key to a successful brand and you will face a lot of competition. There are so many places people can go for their content these days that you have to be creative, consistent and courageous. Oh, and human.

This is a slow burn. You have to first figure out who your audience is, and unless you want to buy millions of fake accounts, it’s going to take time to build up a solid following. It’s more valuable to have a small, solid, core of  people who care than a mass of unengaged names.
But it’s worth it. Their feedback will be invaluable and having an engaged audience will put you into the coveted expert/influencer category, which will help your business grow. Here are five ways to do it…

​Are you tired of hearing the phrase "in these unprecedented times?" Join the club! Yes, we know, it’s unusual and wonky. In a world that has gone digital-first quickly, it's easy to be overwhelmed and resort to the same old phrases and ideas. But don’t copy cat – find your own way and your own voice.  Consumers are spending record amounts of time on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  Take advantage of your captive audience with a few quick and easy social media tricks.

Remember when you carefully crafted those initial emails to your customer base regarding your COVID-19 response? It feels like a lifetime ago, doesn't it? Now, you've moved to notifying your customers about all the amazing policies and procedures you will implement to keep them safe as you’re open. These plans are all well and good, but you've got to make sure you walk the talk right off the bat. ​

​The world of marketing has changed drastically. For your business, that means you'll either be keeping up or risk losing customers. Marketing is no longer a bunch of spam emails, cold intro or an opportunity to “throw it against the wall” and see what sticks. Currently, marketing is at a place of much deeper storytelling, it has an importance of not only addressing the problem in the story, but additionally showing empathy along with it. Like all things, marketing has evolved, and its evolution has been for its betterment. Luckily, it's not difficult to stay on top of your marketing game and offer customers an experience that delights them. We've put together a list of the tried, true, and easy methods of showing you care through your marketing strategy.

As the pandemic keeps employees remotely located, furloughed, and (in the cases of essential employees) working in fear, is it possible to keep a WOW culture going? Deb Boelkes, author of The WOW Factor Workplace: How to Create a Best Place to Work Culture shows us how. No doubt about it: Great leaders drive the creation of great cultures. That's why now is the perfect time to work on your leadership abilities and commit to lifelong learning. Here are some things leaders can do right now to improve themselves while working to create a culture of WOW in these unprecedented times...

Some jobs by their very nature seem more meaningful than others. But really, all jobs are potentially meaningful. All companies serve their customers, their stakeholders, and their workforce, and the employees are in a unique position to make a real difference. Quint Studer says it's up to leaders to help people see this. Great leaders create an environment where employees feel valued (and valuable), and this is what connects them to purpose.

​Any creative business owner will tell you that to catch your audience's attention, you have to learn how to adapt to new platforms. The impact of Instagram on consumers is undeniable. So, if you have ever thought of using this platform to elevate your business, now is the perfect time to do so! Instagram Stories are not only fun but also enormously interactive. They have the potential to do wonders to raise brand awareness, customer engagement, traffic, and of course, sales!