Last week my husband has picked up his trumpet, after years of neglect, and started to play. It was a surprise to me that he could not only play but that, in fact, he’s rather good. He had been hiding his talent under a bushel (or rather in a box in the loft!).
And it got me thinking. Why as a nation are we so bad at ‘blowing our own trumpet’?
Could it be that fear of looking arrogant or big headed keeps us from celebrating our achievements, however big or small. But for businesses and other organisations ‘blowing your own trumpet’ good PR is your opportunity to tell everyone proudly about your triumphs and successes. It can inform and instruct, as well as, build your business.
Investing in PR will keep people talking about your business or why they should fundraise for your charity. So by having a proactive PR strategy you can establish your brand, increase awareness and strengthen your key messaging.
Good PR also enables you to build relationships with journalists, whether on a local level or those key to your industry sector. By providing them with interesting, quality stories; giving them great content they will be confident in coming back to you for comment and reactions to breaking stories.
What the public and journalists want is a good story. You may be launching a new product or making a major announcement but it's not enough to lay out the facts – although press releases should never contain a flurry of subjective or gushing phrases – you need to say how or why your organisation is going to make a difference.
Why does PR differ from marketing or advertising? Some would say its because it's free, but that’s not strictly true. Cheaper than advertising, PR offers a cost effective way to achieve media coverage. It can often give your business more editorial column inches than an advert could ever have done. Achieving targeted coverage in the media key to your sector, whether traditional printed or broadcast or in digital formats, can give your story more credibility.
PR is just one part of your marketing mix, so next time you feel a little bit awkward about ‘blowing your own trumpet’ remember that by getting the word out about your business, charity or organisation you are building your brand and reaching new customers or donors.
