Most products strive to become a household name and want their USP to be synonymous with their brand. One of the best ways to harness this in 2023 is with effective PR and Communication, especially when starting a business (no matter the size).
There’s this myth that startups don’t need PR and communication strategies, but as consumers start to favour storytelling over traditional/ digital marketing, this need has become more visible. Storytelling allows consumers to connect intimately with brands; due to this, more brands are beginning to prioritise how they communicate.
Despite popular opinion, you don’t need a large marketing budget to utilise PR and communications strategy for your SME or startup. Here are a few tips I have gathered over the years as a PR/Comms Specialist for startups.
Tell your story
In a world where everyone is trying to get people to use their product, telling a compelling story of how your product or service aligns with the pain point of your target audience will help you connect with your target audience. It will also help your brand stand out from other products with similar offerings.
To ensure that your product is telling the right story aligned with your target audience, data is your friend. You can source this data through social listening, focus groups, research and academic journals. Your brand can also piggyback on a story told by a brand that already has a good PR with the same target audience.
Exchange value through Partnerships
If you are operating on a very tight budget, try exchanging value with another brand that targets the same audience as your brand. For example, if you offer financial services to a target audience of 20-40-year-olds, you can run a PR campaign with another brand with a similar target audience – that way, you have reached your target audience at little to no cost.
It is crucial to register and attend events in your ecosystem. You will meet brands in your Niche who are looking to partner and exchange value with your brand.
Thought Leadership
One of a brand’s prized and under-utilised possession is its internal stakeholders (employees’) expertise. With your employees, you can create thought leadership pieces relevant to your brand and share them where your target audience gathers their information. This pool of resources will help when pitching to media houses, blogs or podcasts where you can feature your brand.
Use your socials
Sometimes, we neglect social media as a powerful tool. As part of your Communication strategy, share little details of what is going on with your brand on social media. These little details create a bond with your target audience; if it is relatable content, they tend to share it on their social media pages.
Also, media houses and your target audience can see this content and share it. You also give visibility to what is going on with your brand for free. For example, publishing a thought leadership blog on medium or Linkedin,
Start small before going big.
Most brands want a TechCabal or Bloomberg feature; however, if you do not have the budget, look for relevant blogs your target audience reads and publish there.
These local blogs charge less for a feature and would even run it for free if they find it relevant to their target audience.
Another strategy can be publishing on Macro blogs, where micro blogs source their news.
PR/Comms strategies are not successful because of how much your brand budgets, but by how much relevance you drive with the little resources your brand has. Tapping into this would give your brand relevance and free media spotlight.
. Soyemi is a PR and Communications Enthusiast for Tech Businesses. She has 5 years of experience creating product communications that tell the story of products and how they affect the everyday lives of their target audience. She is the Product Comms/PR Lead for Bundle Africa (Binance Portfolio). Timileyin has a Master’s Degree from the prestigious University of Leeds Business School in Corporate Communications, Marketing and Public Relations.
You can reach her via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timi-soyemi/
