Expert Opinion: Levelling up with PR

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Sarah Walker, PR manager, at SK-area agency, FIG, explains how PR can help with levelling up your business.

”Levelling up” must surely be one of the most-used terms in the government’s lexicon this year, referring to its goal of spreading opportunity more equally throughout the UK.

With the best will in the world, however, it’s fair to say that despite Boris’ characteristically buoyant rhetoric, the goal is unlikely to be quickly achieved.

In the meantime, individual organisations of even the smallest size can cost-effectively level up their own industries by taking independent action to increase awareness and achieve a bigger share of the market.

How? PR, that’s how.

Simply put, highly focused, tightly run PR enables enterprises of all sizes to economically raise awareness of themselves by harnessing the enormous power of the media.

By achieving editorial coverage in print and online publications read by decision makers in their target markets, organisations can increase their profile and communicate in full to those who matter.

Whereas advertising can be expensive and only allow the promotion of top-line messages, PR is relatively affordable and enables companies to convey a great deal of compelling information.

Importantly, editorial coverage in the form of news articles, features and thought-leadership columns has considerable credibility, carrying the endorsement of a magazine’s respected editorial teams.

By establishing relationships with the editors and supplying ‘print-ready’ news articles that are of interest to the reader, your PR partner can gain valuable coverage for your business. It could be about new products, corporate investments and contracts and the benefit they can bring to clients.

Case studies outlining successful projects are a great way to provide potential clients with a written referral. By negotiating editorial inclusion in relevant editorial features, you will be deemed an authority in your sector. A good PR partner will draft opinion columns on your behalf. Everyone loves a winner but often less is more; it’s easy to fall into the trap of entering anything and everything; by carefully researching and entering the more valued, respected and prestigious awards within your industry, you are more likely to benefit from greater media coverage. If you’re ready to level up, now is the time to consider deploying PR. On its own or as part of an integrated marketing campaign, PR can enable your business to become the organisation your competitors need to watch out for.