10 Signs You Are Missing a Marketing or PR Opportunity
Marketing and PR are forms of art, they aren’t an exact science. You have to constantly feel out each situation and stay on top of who your customers are and what they need (check out how to inspire your audience). Neither are “wait and see” disciplines, you need to actively put your brand out there for your consumers to see. It can be easy to let things slide, which can lead to missed opportunities.
Here are ten signs you are missing an opportunity to build buzz for your brand.
You saw an article/blog featuring other brands that offer the same product or service as you, but you weren’t included. This means you aren’t capitalizing on your own story. You thought your product/service was awesome enough to start up a company, but then you didn’t try to tell your story through influencers.
You do a lot of experiential activities, but you don’t use visuals in your social media content strategy. Putting videos and images on social media will get you more eyeballs and keeps your online community interested in what it is you offer. Plus, you went through all the trouble to put that great event together, why not share it with the world?
You don’t have a content strategy. With content marketing taking over the world of business, you want to make sure you are telling the right story. A good content strategy will make sure you don’t miss anything, and it also keeps you accountable so you don’t miss posting on those days that you are swamped with work.
There is a major event in town that you know targets a large portion of your target audience, but you are not attending, nor are you sponsoring in any way. This can be a tough one if you are just starting out and can’t afford to buy a booth, but consider lending your services, or just attending and handing out business cards. You never know where the next opportunity will come from.
You haven’t done a competitor audit to check out their social media strategies. You should know who your competitors are, and you should know what they are doing to reach their audiences. Have a look at their social media channels to see what you think works, and what doesn’t. It can help you plan your own strategy.
You don’t have set metrics to measure your success. How will you know if your marketing and PR efforts have been successful unless you set your goals? Similarly, how will you know if you need to create or find more opportunities?
You haven’t empowered your employees to act as brand ambassadors. This could be a whole post (it likely will down the line). I know social media is a little scary for some business owners that are concerned about their brand consistency when it can be so instant, but your employees are the ones who deal with the brand every day. They know it inside and out.
You didn’t announce your product launch in any way. You have this amazing product you just launched in the market, but you figured, “if I build it, they will come.” This is almost never the case. You still have to tell people you have this product available. There are a number of different things you can do at all levels of budget to announce the launch with a splash. If you missed it, it’s never too late to do something!
You haven’t defined your target audience. How are you supposed to create a marketing strategy and content if you have no idea who your audience is? A little secret, your audience can’t be “just everyone.” Really take time to define the target group.
You haven’t established your brand identity (almost like you are a real person). You have to know who you are before you can tell others who you are. Better to get the development work out of the way first than have an “identity crisis” later on down the line.
Sometimes you know there is an opportunity, but you don’t necessarily know how to capitalize on it. That’s where an expert can help you. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice or bring on an outside consultant to help you through the situation.
