Using Public Relations to Build a Brand

There are many ways that public relations work can help build your brand. Most of them are pretty basic, but that does not mean they are always easy. So let’s start with one that helps you with every other aspect of your PR and branding efforts.

Know who your target audience is.

or at least who makes up a large percentage of your customer base. One way that you can find this out is to have the data analyzed through big data methods. If you don’t know the answer to this question, then the rest of the branding suggestions are still good, but you’ll be targeting the wrong people.

A good PR firm can help you choose the stories you should tell to support your brand and deepen the relationship with your customers.

The stories you tell are true, but picking the right ones and telling them in the most effective way is an art. PR specialists can do this with you or refer you to someone who can tell the stories for you. But, remember the way you tell the stories and the stories you tell need to match with both your brand and your audience. If your target audience is men between the age of 19 and 29, then telling them tear-jerking mushy stories is not going to do you any good. Instead you might want stories about becoming the hometown hero or going from geek to winner.

And while you are telling stories, don’t forget about the stories within your company. Check with your employees. Are they having success in using your product or service. How has the company’s practices and policies made a positive impact in their lives? Those are stories that can identify your brand with others. If you employ a young group that loves innovations and you show how you’ve implemented eco-friendly and ergonomic practices that benefit your staff, as well as your bottom dollar, that’s a good story to share.

Put your name behind a cause.

Not just any cause though, one that is in keeping with what your brand message is. A great example of this is Tom’s Shoes giving a pair of shoes away to children in third-world countries for every pair purchased. But you can do it on a smaller scale too. If your company’s products or services are all about helping young mothers with babies and infants, you might choose to support a local women’s shelter. If you tie that to a percent of sales of one or more of your products and build that into your campaign, then you will be accomplishing your goal. But don’t stop with just one way of helping. If that organization has a fundraiser, your company could man booths or phones. You might provide postage for any mailers, or come up with another way to help. You might also consider a weekly training course at the shelter to provide women with employable skills.

And don’t forget the possibility of you sponsoring a fundraising event. A PR firm can help you accomplish this with expertise and contacts you probably don’t have. Let them do what they do best.

Whatever you offer to others, always be aware of how you want your brand to be interpreted. Learn the best ways to brand and use help from your PR firm working with you to accomplish your goals.